Why I went from Windows Phone 8 Lumia 520 to BlackBerry 8350 with BBOS 5

Going back to a flip phone isn't that uncommon. Many people find flip phones adequate : 99% of the apps are useless, cell phone cameras are ok, but don't expect to make big printouts of a 5MP sensor. The GPS feature is nice, but SAT navigation is overrated if the maps are not up to date.

Before getting into the details of why I switched phones, let me expose my insensible nature with regard to the consumption of technology. Over the past couple years, I have owned and used :

1. Sony CMB1207CNT0 - Phone and not much else. Instead of getting a land line. (1998)
2. Motorola V505 - Excellent but the speaker died (2006)
3. Motorola VE538 - Very durable, a few bugs, but I will keep it as a GSM backup (2009)
4. LG Chocolate KG800 - good design, but the touch controls leave somewhat to desire. I needed Internet on my phone, but it had to be a branded phone from the provider- I got it used for $15 (2010)
5. Huawei u8350 - Unlimited internet with the provider made me get another phone ! (2011-2012)
6. LG LG230 - Good flip phone - basics. I got used for $25 as my area did not have a GSM network (2012)
7. Nokia Lumia 520 - The LG230 was locked with CDMA to a carrier that made in country roaming prohibitively expensive : 50¢ a minute. The Lumia was the second cheapest on the list of phones, and I have to admit that I like Microsoft produts. (mid-2013)
8. BlackBerry 8530 - The Lumia 520 did not work in a CDMA only zone.  (Late 2013 -  present  )

From point #7 the most obvious reason is connectivity :  travel in regions that only have CDMA coverage.

The next reason the certainty of the keyboard. Although you do not type much faster on a BlackBerry than on touch screen which has predictive text, it is far more pleasurable. When using a friend's iPhone, I would have to type and retype words to get them to be typed correctly. Autocorrect wasn't that straight forward either. As I am still getting used to the BlackBerry, it is takes more time than I would like it to, but it is still more accurate than using the Windows Phone.
 

I could not find any reason to play games on my phone. I tried car racing, RPGs, shooters etc. but none were any fun. Apps don't make or break a phone.


What the BlackBerry Curve and other feature phones do have right are dedicated buttons. I see people taking out the iPhones, Android phones etc to change track on whatever they are listening to. I like the feature of pressing a button to pause, play, back, forward etc... The same goes for the camera. Simple buttons do most of the work.

Another thing that I realised that the BlackBerry got right was the keyboard shortcuts. Anything from deleting a message to page down, my thumb knows where to go without having to move the screen.

The BlackBerry is also very well behaved : I can control the notifications for the accounts, the hours that I get notifications and it is discreet with the light to remind me of a missed call or message.


What does the Lumia do better?

There are some things on the Windows phone that are far better : document opening and navigation, a big screen and of course integration with Windows tools such as Lync, Office and Skype.

Well it being about 3 years newer, the browser is faster, so is the connection  ( 4G vs CDMA is not a big surprise).
Surprisingly, the WIFI reception on the BlackBerry is better than the Lumia.

The screen size is a compromise. I think a small screen is fine. I glance at the emails, see what I need to see and it is done. I have read some articles, but it takes a lot of patience to read anything on a screen. That being said, I am sure that no one in the right mind will printout anything from this blog!



When and if this Blackberry Curve 8530 dies, I hope to be able to replace it with something similar which includes a trackpad, keyboard and dedicated media buttons.

Browser opening up to http://dinoraptzor.org - HACK alert

I have not yet found the source, but if your browser is opening up to http://dinoraptzor.org or http://www.gameroover.org/ your computer has been hacked by something.

I found this in my registry using CCleaner 

cmd.exe /k if %date:~6,4%%date:~3,2%%date:~0,2% LEQ 20131027 (exit) else (start http://dinoraptzor.org && exit)

If you have any solutions or sources, please share below.

Lenovo IdeaPad Z710 i5-4200M with Nvidia GT745M - Review

The new Lenovo IdeaPad Z710 is equipped with a NVIDIA GT 745M which will be more than sufficient for modern games, a fast Haswell i5-4200 CPU and 6GB of RAM. While the desktop replacement is no longer a term for laptops, as many people only think of computers being laptops, the Z710 has a 17 inch screen and a full HD display.

With regards to performance, the benchmarks of the Z510 are a good indicator that this larger model will perform just as well.

The reviews of the Lenovo z710are scarce for the moment as it has just been made available.

A full size keyboard with number pad. (My photo isn't straight!)

 

 

Ports

USB

2 x USB 3.0
2 x USB 2.0

Video Port

1 x VGA

HDMI

1 x HDMI

Physical Specifications

Dimensions

16.3" x 10.6" x 1.24"

Weight

6.4 lbs.

 

ZORK for the PS4 ?!

Grabbing a book and immersing oneself into a story is just as common as it was 25 years ago. In fact, more people have the luxury to do so.

How would we find exploring the world of Zork today? Would the latest and greatest hardware make it anymore enjoyable?

The other day I picked up "Understanding Media" by Marshall McLuhan. Seeing the yellowed pages and how densely the words are printed, I had my doubts that I would be able to read it. The pages were pleasantly turned one by one nonetheless. Although I consider it a staple of 20th Century literature, for someone who never played the whole of Zelda, Super Mario Brothers or even tried Call of Duty, it would be ridiculous to consider that there are any "must play" games.

Why do single cup coffee makers (ie. Keurig or Tassimo) taste so disgusting ?

The machines have been out for a number of years now. I was initially disturbed by the amount of waste they generate. While it is agreeable to have a fresh cup of coffee to your liking, the awful taste doesn't make up for the personalized coffee drinking experience.

I am trying to convince myself that the bitter taste is from my consciousness. The plastic, paper and aluminum wasted from each serving constructs an image of landfills, incinerators burning dirty fuel, the inefficiency of the factory and the unpleasant factory workers making K-cups that just go to waste all construct the bad taste in my mouth, but no, the coffee just tastes bad.

Why I feel sad for those who get the latest and greatest

The other day, someone showed me his iPad. I have seen and used tablets before, however I know that they fall short of the utility of a desktop or notebook computer. Portability is nice, but the ergonomics of a touchscreen are lacking.

Computers haven't changed that much in the past 20 years. We use:

• e-mail;
• instant messaging or chat;
• write reports;
• read the news;
• search for articles (yes that was possible with Lynx);
• work with media such as compose music or edit videos;
• play music and videos;
• play games; 
• etc.

When we hear about the latest smartphone, or tablet, with the highest resolution, fastest processor or something else, there is in fact very little to be excited about. Most functions were possible with phones about 7 or 8 years old including a camera, voice recorder, synchronize contacts and e-mail. I look at my phone and find only a few apps that I installed. Most of them have never been used.

Nokia Lumia 520 Amber Update for Koodo

One word : Finally!

It seems like it takes a few hours to download and then install.
Go to Settings -> Update Phone -> Check for updates
If you have a data limit, you will want to this on Wi-Fi

Major features include :
Data Sense

FM Radio
Better photos in low light
Burst Mode for photos
Flip the phone to silence ringing.

Enjoy!

Data Sense

 Interface of the FM Radio

iPhone 5s, 5c - still no FM radio

Of all things that I miss on new portable devices, is none other than the FM radio. I should make a correction, most MP3 players had one, so did an earlier Nokia phone. My old Huawei u8350 also had and FM radio. The amber update for the Nokia Lumia series will also bring the FM radio. The Blackberry 9360 that I should have gotten also has an FM radio.


Commercial radio is an annoying waste of time,  do not get me wrong. If you have access to public radio that offers news coverage, documentaries, interviews and other magazines, you will find an FM radio very convenient.

Perhaps this is part of Apple's model:  make everything commercial.When using streaming services you are normally paying for bandwidth.

Virgin Mobile, a subsidiary of Bell Mobility, is a bad corporate citizen

For over a year, I had an account with Virgin Mobile. I do not like to use a phone, but I had to have one. Now in remote areas, I can rarely get coverage. My account had some remaining funds when I found that out. Acknowledging it was a prepaid account, I did not think I could get my money back, I was hopeful that the money I spent wasn't going to waste. 

Unfortunately, Virgin Mobile was of no help. They did not follow up on my communications, that is I had to call back, and then later write an e-mail. In fact I felt I needed to get the message below in writing for completing the task.

Fortunately, I did find a website that listed organisations that can receive donations via SMS.

Mobile Giving Foundation lists a few organisations.

Here was my request:

I contacted Virgin mobile by phone last month to request that the remainder of my balance be transferred to a charity such as the one on the Virgin Mobile website http://www.virginmobile.ca/en/members-lounge/regen.html?itcid=FOT:34

I learnt that most I do not have a signal the majority of the time, and therefore will not be able to use the phone.

The customer service agent said I would be contacted by e-mail with instructions on how to transfer the balance, however I haven't received a message.

Please advise how the remainder of my account balance can be transferred to a charitable organisation.


Thank you, 

Here is Virgin Mobile's response:

A pleasant day to you,
Thank you for taking time to write to us.  This is Melissa from Virgin Mobile.  I will be very glad to assist you on your email inquiry on how you could donate your account balance to charity.
Upon reviewing your account, I do see that you were able to call us  and spoke with one of our Customer Service representatives regarding this matter.

I  was also able to verify that your case has already been escalated to our Billing department for further possible resolution.  In line with this, our Billing team had said that " We have no way to refund your  balance and if they would like to donate it, you will have to use your own resources to find a method to donate (such as a SMS donation).  However with Virgin, weare not affiliated with any as of this time and  this is not a service offered by us.  Sorry about that.
The reference Case I.D. # is  XXXXXXXX.
For further assistance or concerns, feel free to give us a call at 1.888.999.2321 or 611 from your handset and one of our Customer Care specialists will be glad to help you.
We're open from 9:00 am to 9:00   P.M - Monday to Saturday and 10:00 am to 7:00pm (EST) ¿ Sunday.
I hope I was able to assist you with this information.  Take care and have a great day ahead!
Regards,
Melissa
VMC Team

Windows : Search makes the Start Menu useless - From 95 to 7, and finally in 8 designers got it right

The old start menu introduced in Windows 95 was a good idea. One place you access a tree of folders with their respective programs.
However if you look at most start menu folders, you will see that it is a mess :

• Program shortcut ( OK, that is what you want/need ) 
• EULA
• Link to the developer's website
• Help file ( when will you access that file without being in the program? )
• Link to register the program

When it comes down to it, you only need one item : the shortcut to the program.

In Windows 8, I rarely find myself looking at the tiles of the start screen (Metro) to find out what program I want to use.  I just type it. Sometimes the item I am looking for is in files, sometimes it is in settings. I just press Tab to move to next group.

There is no need for a touchscreen. Just get a good keyboard you'll be set.

Another reason why I should have gotten a Blackberry - Shortcuts

My bias is clear. I like to type, and I find touch screens slow and unpredictable.

Here is a list of shortcuts that would make a mobile device useful :

from (http://www.knowyourmobile.com/blackberry/8072/blackberry-keyboard-shortcuts-complete-list)

A comprehensive list of BlackBerry keyboard shortcuts - whatever typing shortcut you're looking for you'll find it here...

Messaging shortcuts

These shortcuts can be used in the message.

Desired action	Shortcut
Reply to a message	Press R
Reply to all	Press L
File highlighted email message	Press I
View email address of a contact in a message	Highlight the contact and press Q To return to the display name press Q again

These shortcuts can be used in a message list

Desired action	Shortcut
Open a highlighted message	Press Enter key
Mark a message as opened or unopened	Press Alt and U
View received messages	Press Alt and I
View sent messages	Press Alt and O
View voicemail messages	Press Alt and V
View SMS text messages	Press Alt and S
View call logs	Press Alt and P
View all your messages again	Press the Escape/Back key

These shortcuts can be used to move around a message list

Desired action	Shortcut
Move to the top of the screen	Press Shift and Space keys
Move to the bottom of the screen	Press Space key
Go to the top of a message list	Press T
Go to the bottom of a message list	Press B
Move to next date	Press N
Move to previous date	Press P
Move to next unopened item	Press U
Move to next related message	Press J
Move to previous related message	Press K

BlackBerry use made easy

Built-in touches often missed by users despite being in the manual

Desired action	Shortcut
Insert a full stop	Press Space key twice
Insert '@' and full stops into email addresses	Press Space key while typing in the address
Type and accent or special character	Hold the appropriate key and roll the trackpad or trackball
Capitalise a letter	Hold the letter key until the capitalised character appears
Exit a screen or dialogue box	Press Escape/Back key
Move the cursor in a different direction	Press Alt key and roll the trackpad or trackball
Change an option field	Hold Alt key and click a value
Jump to an item in a list or menu	Press the first letter of the item
Select a check box	Press Space key. To clear the box press the Space key again
Select a line of text	Press Shift and roll the trackpad or trackball
Turn on the backlighting	Press (but don't hold) the Power button
Find contacts from the BlackBerry homescreen	Press the letters for the contact's first and last with a space between them
Switch to another program	Hold down the BlackBerry button until the programs appear. Toggle through them using the trackball or trackpad and click Enter to select
Move down a screen	Press Space key
Move up a screen	Press Shift plus Space key
Multitask while on a call	Press the BlackBerry button while on a call, followed by selecting the homescreen. From here you can access any other application or emails

BlackBerry applications shortcuts

These shortcuts can be used while in applications including Docs to Go and the BlackBerry browser

Desired action	Shortcut
Change the size of a column in a spreadsheet	Press the W key
View the contents of a spreadsheet cell	Press Space key with the cell highlighted
Search for text in a spreadsheet	Tap F followed by the text you are looking for
Switch to another worksheet	Press V and select another worksheet
Skip forwards through slides	Press N key
Skip backwards through slides	Press P
Start a slideshow	Press S
Stop a slideshow	Press Escape
Enter a new web address in a browser	Press G followed by the url
Add item to bookmarks	Press A
Show bookmarks	Press K
Refresh a web page	Press R
Show a history of the most recent sites visited	Press I
Insert a backslash to a web address	Press Shift followed by Space

Windows 7 - Clearing up space 2.7GB from the WINSXS folder

(NOTE : There should be images from Windows 7 below, but I already upgraded to Windows 8. It is a great improvement if you use a keyboard as a main input device, and I imagine that if you use a mouse or a touchscreen a lot, Windows 8 must even be better. Nevertheless, the instructions and Windows Explorer work just the same.)

If you are upgrading to Windows 8 and find yourself limited on space, clearing out every GB of space you can is necessary. I only have a 60GB drive, so clearing 20GB for a 64-bit installation was not easy. I only had about 1GB of photos, no music, and not much else. For sure some junk was here and there, but I needed to clear out programs that I didn't need anymore. After uninstalling what I could, moving media and other personal documents, I was still about 5GB short of space.

Fist off, I recommend that you try Folder Size - the program will list the data in each folder. It may tell you where there is something well off.

That is how I found WINSXS...

The c:\Windows\winsxs contains a lot of folders, and presumably files that haven't been used. That could be the case at the time of installation, or since an update came along. To be sure that you are not deleting files that you will need, the recent files must be sorted from the current ones. Using a details view in Windows Explorer, add a column  "Date Accessed".
Sort using that column and you may find folders that date back to 2009. Select and move to another folder. (Ironically, my screenshot is of Windows 8 with files of 2012!)
 
Reboot.

Run applications that you normally use.


If all is well, you can just delete those files.

I gained 2.7 GB of free space.

For the time being, I will leave Windows 8 intact. It will need customization down the line, however I appreciate how snappy it is compared to Windows 7 or OSX.