Alex Ibrado http://www.ibrado.org Most recent posts at Alex Ibrado posterous.com Thu, 14 Jul 2011 23:44:00 -0700 Coby Kyros MID1024-4G: rooted, googlified http://www.ibrado.org/coby-kyros-mid1024-4g-rooted-googlified http://www.ibrado.org/coby-kyros-mid1024-4g-rooted-googlified

Coby-kyros-mid1024b
I got the Coby Kyros MID1024-4G Android tablet for ~PHP12k from Electronics Boutique in Robinsons Galleria:

Android 2.2
10" capacitive, 1024x600
4 GB storage (< 3GB usable)
HDMI output

The preloaded software was disappointing, but I installed Android Market (using the newer com.android.vending-2.apk from here) and the GoogleServicesFramework.apk from here. I tried using ArcTools (installed via the stock AppsLib) for the rest of the Google apps, but the automated process failed. I got out the arctools01.zip file saved on the tablet's internal SD card, extracted the files, and manually installed Calendar, Contacts, Talk, and Network Location.

I also managed to root the MID1024 by uploading (via adb push) psneuter and su-v2 from SuperOneClick 1.9.5 and muddling through steps similar to these, though I didn't have to remount anything or link busybox. On this tablet, /system is not a separate partition, but merely a folder on a writeable root partition. This obviously made removing crappy stock apps real easy.

The screen dimensions on the MID1024 make it perfect for reading print-layout newspapers via PressReader; comics via Perfect Viewer and comiXology's Comics; movies via DICE Player; and checking out technical references via Amazon Kindle. It's a bit heavy for reading novels though.

Here are some other apps I have on it:

I also installed ADW.Launcher and the ADW Honeycomb Theme -- now the home screen and app drawer look really good!

The only peeve I have with this tablet is that VPN doesn't work (even after using 5 VPN to get to the hidden settings). Maybe I'll figure it out later, but for now I just share my OpenVPN connection.

All things considered, this tablet is good enough to tide me over until the new models from Apple, Motorola, Samsung, Huawei, Amazon, etc. arrive later this year. At least, I hope so... :-D

 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/820153/ibrado-i300.png http://posterous.com/users/YMKgbE2sPOV Alex Ibrado ibrado Alex Ibrado Sun, 10 Jul 2011 09:48:00 -0700 Poor Man's Wi-Drive http://www.ibrado.org/poor-mans-wi-drive http://www.ibrado.org/poor-mans-wi-drive

The Kingston Wi-Drive sounds like an easy way to give more bytes to storage-starved iOS devices. Unfortunately, at $130 for 16GB and $175 for 32GB, it's not so easy on the wallet.

If you already use an Android phone as your WiFi Access Point ("Personal Hotspot"), you're in luck. Simply install a file sharing server, such as DavDrive Lite (free), on your Android phone, and the appropriate client, such as WebDAV Navigator (also free), on your iOS device. Connect via WiFi to the Android phone as usual, then use WebDAV Navigator to open the URL shown in DavDrive Lite (using the specified credentials), and you're good to go!  

Since WebDAV is an industry standard, you can also access the shared files in any operating system with a WebDAV client. In a pinch, even an ordinary web browser would do.

Personally, my setup is the non-lite DavDrive at €0.99 (~PHP 60) and Air Sharing Pro ($6.99) which I already purchased previously. 

FYI, a 16 GB MicroSDHC at CDR King is about P1,300 (when in stock); a 32 GB card will set you back PHP 3,580.

 

Davdrivelite Webdavnavigator
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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/820153/ibrado-i300.png http://posterous.com/users/YMKgbE2sPOV Alex Ibrado ibrado Alex Ibrado Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:25:00 -0700 Real Gmail push notifications and sync for iOS http://www.ibrado.org/real-gmail-push-notifications-and-sync-for-io http://www.ibrado.org/real-gmail-push-notifications-and-sync-for-io

I don't know how I missed it, but you can get real push notifications and proper Contacts/Calendar sync with Gmail/Google Apps on your iOS device (iPhone/iPod touch/iPad) -- just use a Microsoft Exchange profile when you setup your account. Instructions here.

After you do that, your Mail icon badge (the number in the little red circle) will update as soon as new mail comes into any of your configured mail accounts -- you don't need a specialized notifier app just for this. Also, your Contacts and Calendar will be perfectly synchonized with your Google accounts.

n.b. Yahoo! mail already has push built-in.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/820153/ibrado-i300.png http://posterous.com/users/YMKgbE2sPOV Alex Ibrado ibrado Alex Ibrado Mon, 17 Jan 2011 07:55:00 -0800 Hindi... ikaw! http://www.ibrado.org/hindi-ikaw http://www.ibrado.org/hindi-ikaw

Img_0028
Dapithapon CD signed by Johnoy during gig @ Route 196. Thanks, man! :-)

Buy your own today! (Available on iTunes)

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/820153/ibrado-i300.png http://posterous.com/users/YMKgbE2sPOV Alex Ibrado ibrado Alex Ibrado Sun, 12 Dec 2010 01:51:00 -0800 Android tablet mini-teardown and upgrade http://www.ibrado.org/android-tablet-mini-teardown-and-upgrade http://www.ibrado.org/android-tablet-mini-teardown-and-upgrade

I got an 8" 800MHz Freescale i.MX515 Cortex A8 Android tablet from TipidPC. It only had 4GB of storage so I decided to upgrade it to 16GB.

This particular tablet has an internal MicroSD that contains the firmware and user data. You can replace it, but you can only get to it by opening the tablet.

My first try involved popping off the screen with a large bathroom suction cup from one of those ubiquitous Japanese stores. While it worked well enough, the screen isn't that sturdy -- the upper layer sort of peeled off. Afterwards, I used some guitar picks I bought from RJ Music Store in Galleria.

I slid a thin pick (0.46mm) in the upper right corner (just above the power switch) and moved it upwards (away from the switches) and around the case. Once the case was slightly open, I used a 0.81mm pick to open the rest of the case, balancing the left and right sides until I got to the bottom corners. Later on, I just used the 0.81 from the get-go.

There is a fine ribbon connecting the touchscreen to the side where the circular Back key is. If you attempt this (at your own risk!), be very careful as the ribbon is easily damaged.

I then moved the touchscreen away from the board, and the LCD screen below it to one side. This gave me access to the 4GB internal MicroSD. Unlike the external one, you can push it in to pop it out.

I replaced the original MicroSD with a 16GB one I had flashed with firmware from AndroidTouchPC (using dd on Linux), and used GNU Parted to move and resize the original partitions. (There's no need to open up the tablet to install this firmware on the stock 4GB card... but I wasn't using the stock card.) I closed up the tablet, and after following the firmware upgrade instructions, and those for fixing the Market, the tablet was up and running with 12 GB of media storage, 2 GB for apps, firmware free of Chinese apps, and a working Android Market. And by clearing the Youtube app's cache and data, I'm able to play videos without the dreaded "Cannot play this video" error. Woohoo!

Img_0002 Img_0004 Img_0005 Img_0009 Img_0011 Img_0006 Img_0007 Tablet-16gb
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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/820153/ibrado-i300.png http://posterous.com/users/YMKgbE2sPOV Alex Ibrado ibrado Alex Ibrado Mon, 22 Nov 2010 23:10:00 -0800 10.5: Crop a multi-page PDF in Preview - Mac OS X Hints http://www.ibrado.org/105-crop-a-multi-page-pdf-in-preview-mac-os-x http://www.ibrado.org/105-crop-a-multi-page-pdf-in-preview-mac-os-x
...open up whatever PDF you want to crop in Preview. Hit the Select button in the toolbar and crop the first page as you want all the selected pages to be cropped. The cropping tool works just like any crop tool in your average photo editing software. Then, in the sidebar on the right, select a thumbnail of any page (make sure the sidebar is in thumbnail view and not Table of Contents or Annotations view). Now check to be sure that the crop size is what you want to be applied to all the pages you select, then hit Select All, and go to Tools » Crop or hit Command-K. Now your selection is cropped just the way you want it!
via hints.macworld.com

Great tip, still works in 10.6. Perfect for getting 7" ebook readers to show more readable text without zooming in.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/820153/ibrado-i300.png http://posterous.com/users/YMKgbE2sPOV Alex Ibrado ibrado Alex Ibrado Thu, 04 Nov 2010 22:43:00 -0700 How Fanboys, Fandroids and Crackberry Junkies See Each Other http://www.ibrado.org/how-fanboys-fandroids-and-crackberry-junkies http://www.ibrado.org/how-fanboys-fandroids-and-crackberry-junkies
500x_ev17d3
via gizmodo.com

Spot on!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/820153/ibrado-i300.png http://posterous.com/users/YMKgbE2sPOV Alex Ibrado ibrado Alex Ibrado Mon, 01 Nov 2010 19:34:00 -0700 The Chicken, the Duck, and the Sheep http://www.ibrado.org/the-chicken-the-duck-and-the-sheep http://www.ibrado.org/the-chicken-the-duck-and-the-sheep

Three cool tools for the Mac:

Chicken of the VNC : A Virtual Network Computing client

CyberDuck : FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, S3, etc. client

Zipeg : Open ZIP, RAR, 7z, ARJ, LHA, etc. files

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/820153/ibrado-i300.png http://posterous.com/users/YMKgbE2sPOV Alex Ibrado ibrado Alex Ibrado Fri, 29 Oct 2010 23:30:00 -0700 Facebook Acquires Simple File-sharing Service Drop.io http://www.ibrado.org/facebook-acquires-simple-file-sharing-service http://www.ibrado.org/facebook-acquires-simple-file-sharing-service
Media_httpmashablecom_edeal
via mashable.com

Another Facebook thorn in Google's side.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/820153/ibrado-i300.png http://posterous.com/users/YMKgbE2sPOV Alex Ibrado ibrado Alex Ibrado Fri, 29 Oct 2010 21:42:30 -0700 Untitled http://www.ibrado.org/31968803 http://www.ibrado.org/31968803 Reviewing my @JoshGroban albums in preparation for his new album "Illuminations" (November 15 launch) :-)
via Ping.fm

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/820153/ibrado-i300.png http://posterous.com/users/YMKgbE2sPOV Alex Ibrado ibrado Alex Ibrado Tue, 26 Oct 2010 10:14:00 -0700 Lloyd Borrett - Computing - Play the Petals Around the Rose game (JavaScript) http://www.ibrado.org/lloyd-borrett-computing-play-the-petals-aroun http://www.ibrado.org/lloyd-borrett-computing-play-the-petals-aroun
The name of the game is Petals Around the Rose. The name of the game is important. The computer will roll five dice and ask you to guess the score for the roll. The score will always be zero or an even number. Your mission is to work out how the computer calculates the score and become a Potentate of the Rose.
via borrett.id.au

Another old fave.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/820153/ibrado-i300.png http://posterous.com/users/YMKgbE2sPOV Alex Ibrado ibrado Alex Ibrado Tue, 26 Oct 2010 10:10:00 -0700 Right Brain v Left Brain | Herald Sun http://www.ibrado.org/right-brain-v-left-brain-herald-sun http://www.ibrado.org/right-brain-v-left-brain-herald-sun
Spinning lady

Source: Herald Sun

via heraldsun.com.au

Is she spinning clockwise or counter-clockwise?

This is an old favorite of mine, bound to be new to someone out there. ;-)

Update: New study debunks myth about popular optical illusion

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/820153/ibrado-i300.png http://posterous.com/users/YMKgbE2sPOV Alex Ibrado ibrado Alex Ibrado Tue, 26 Oct 2010 06:57:00 -0700 Is Posterous for me? http://www.ibrado.org/is-posterous-for-me http://www.ibrado.org/is-posterous-for-me

Trying out Posterous. Some content may be not look correct yet, as I just imported my old Tumblr and even older Blogger sites.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/820153/ibrado-i300.png http://posterous.com/users/YMKgbE2sPOV Alex Ibrado ibrado Alex Ibrado Tue, 26 Oct 2010 05:52:00 -0700 Google Search Preview http://www.ibrado.org/post/1405402351 http://www.ibrado.org/post/1405402351

Tumblr_law32htkpi1qb1y40o1_r1_1280

Have you noticed the new search result previews in Google? Just click on any search result area or magnifying glass to turn it on. Pretty cool!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/820153/ibrado-i300.png http://posterous.com/users/YMKgbE2sPOV Alex Ibrado ibrado Alex Ibrado Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:57:46 -0700 Facebook Groups fail? http://www.ibrado.org/post/1396393389 http://www.ibrado.org/post/1396393389

What’s with the missing members in Facebook Groups? I have 70+ in one group, but it goes back and forth between that and just the last member added. Anyone else having this problem? :-(

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/820153/ibrado-i300.png http://posterous.com/users/YMKgbE2sPOV Alex Ibrado ibrado Alex Ibrado Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:05:20 -0700 Being Steve Jobs' Boss - BusinessWeek http://www.ibrado.org/magazine/content/10_44/b4201096309840.htm http://www.ibrado.org/magazine/content/10_44/b4201096309840.htm http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_44/b4201096309840.htm

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/820153/ibrado-i300.png http://posterous.com/users/YMKgbE2sPOV Alex Ibrado ibrado Alex Ibrado Mon, 25 Oct 2010 11:49:00 -0700 Velociraptor-Free Workplace http://www.ibrado.org/post/1395243284 http://www.ibrado.org/post/1395243284

Tumblr_lapnv2m9jt1qz4cuyo1_500

laughingsquid:

Velociraptor-Free Workplace

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/820153/ibrado-i300.png http://posterous.com/users/YMKgbE2sPOV Alex Ibrado ibrado Alex Ibrado Mon, 25 Oct 2010 11:23:00 -0700 Ulan http://www.ibrado.org/post/1233311735 http://www.ibrado.org/post/1233311735

 

Text MYX VOTE ULAN to 2366

ULAN (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO) (via johnoydanao)

Go Johnoy! Wooohooo!

 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/820153/ibrado-i300.png http://posterous.com/users/YMKgbE2sPOV Alex Ibrado ibrado Alex Ibrado Fri, 22 Oct 2010 09:01:00 -0700 MacBook Air 11" http://www.ibrado.org/post/1369940978 http://www.ibrado.org/post/1369940978

Stringio

New MacBook Air 11”

This just might be the below-12” notebook I’ve always wanted.

CultOfMac review here.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/820153/ibrado-i300.png http://posterous.com/users/YMKgbE2sPOV Alex Ibrado ibrado Alex Ibrado Thu, 21 Oct 2010 19:22:00 -0700 The Best Jollibee Mascot http://www.ibrado.org/post/1365545611 http://www.ibrado.org/post/1365545611

 

Chasing Daydreams » The Best Jollibee Mascot

 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/820153/ibrado-i300.png http://posterous.com/users/YMKgbE2sPOV Alex Ibrado ibrado Alex Ibrado