Great Laptop, wish it was more durable., I have a T115 and i love it. I had an ACER aspire One with the Atom N270 processor and the battery only lasted for about 3 hours. (half way from ATL to LAX which was unacceptable.) As i make 6+ hour flights all the time i needed something with the battery power to get it done. The T115 really meets my travel related needs. The battery lasts at least 8.5 hours each time i have used it. The ergonomics of the 11.6″ form factor are almost the same as my full sized laptop. (my ACER was the 8.9″ 1024×600 screen resolution was trying at times…)

I upgraded my T115 to 4 GB or ram, it was straightforward (and only cost $30.00) My T115 came with a copy of Windows 7 home premium installed. However, i was not able to use all of the ram i installed because the operating system was installed as 32bit so i re-installed it as 64bit. the windows 7 key from the bottom of my laptop worked fine for 64bit and all of the Toshiba software that was pre-installed on the computer was available in 64bit versions on the Toshiba website. on top of the ability to use all of the 4 GB of ram, my system now has a higher windows experience score. I now get a 3.2 Windows score instead of the 2.9 i had when running in 32bit. All in all this will make a great new companion for me as i travel and do presentations.
I only have one gripe, the finish is super shiny and fingerprints and scratches will be a serious problem. Order a neoprene sleeve for it as soon as you can. Also, as i travel quite a bit it would have been nice if the case was a bit more rugged however, at the sub 500.00 price point, one cannot expect the laptop to be made of metal like more expensive ultralights in the category.

I give the Toshiba T115-S1105 a 4.5/5 stars!

Just over one year ago Apple announced the App Store and told developers that their new platform was going to offer developers the ability to make applications that could do almost anything! As we sit here a year later we now know that is not the case as Apple rejects apps based on what can only be described as murky rules that change based on what apps are submitted such as in the case of Google’s VOIP app.

After speculation that AT&T asked that Google’s app not be allowed onto the app store the matter is being further investigated by the FCC. None-the-less this is not sitting well with the one demographic that Apple should care the most about. iPhone owners…

There are countless blogs spewing rants about Apple and how the company rejected an App offering a feature that they were looking forward to. This creates unrest in an otherwise extremely loyal base of customers. Even worse is the moths of development that many of the coders have spent on working on apps that seemingly meet Apple’s rules only to get rejected for what seems to be emotional reasons on the part of Apple and their partners.

Now enter Microsoft, with a new way for angry and confused iPhone developers to recycle their code by porting their software to windows Mobile. This move from Microsoft allows them to play catch up with other mobile platforms and creates good will with App Store developers by allowing them to salvage months of work and effort spent on software previously rejected by Apple. Microsoft has also announced that their app store offering will be available for older versions of Windows Mobile giving cross-over developers access to a new user base of over 30 million windows Mobile devices.

So i guess we will see if this move from Microsoft enables a change of heart in Apple’s hard line dealings with App Store developers…

read more: Microsoft Courting iPhone Developers — Windows Marketplace For Mobile — InformationWeek.

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Jabra introduces stereo Bluetooth headset, speakerphone | CTIA show – CNET Reviews.

As my poor little Jawbone 1 ages and begins to fall apart i think that the only acceptable replacement for it will have to be one of the sleek new modles that are coming out from Plantronics (As i think that hte new Jawbone is a bit girly…)

-Joe

Cheers!

Visit their site at: http://ibluetoothproject.com/

They talked about the use and reasoning for why Social media works in todays marketing landscape. have a look at the video i took via my iPhone and please feel free to comment!

-Joe

I purchased the iPhone 3G to replace a Treo 750 the weekend that it was released. Since then i have experienced a love/hate relationship with the shiny, thin and ultra sheek iPhone. I really miss the ability to invite an attendee to a meeting using exchange e-mail (And dot even get me started with cut and paste…) however those features while convenient, are not essential to my everyday life. The two un-excusable features that are missing from this ultra modern cutting edge piece of hardware to me are:

A decent Bluetooth Stack.

Tethering.

The first i fear will never see an answer as the pre-installed Bluetooth stack on the iPhone is delibratly crippled as the hardware is completely capable of any bluetooth feature that is currently in use anywhere in the world today, DUN, PAN, Hands free, OBEX, Headset, A2DP etc… all are supported by the hardware however by no mistake they were left out of both the original iPhone and the newer 3G iPhone. This may be for marketing reasons or simply because Apple does not want to allow further access to their extremely closed platform. There are however efforts to improve the Bluetooth stack on the iPhone being undertaken within the communities built around the jailbreaking groups out there which (Thankfully!) allow the installation of apps on the iphone that exceed apple’s restrictive policies. These efforts have not as of yet produced any fruits however it is early and we will keep monitoring them for developments.

The second issue which i understand from a business perspective is really annoying. I do not want to carry around a 3G modem card, usb drive, cord or anything else for that matter. I have a phone, and i have a Netbook. That is what i carry around with me there are no dongles, no cords, or anything else for that matter. Given all of that Why on earth would i not want my iPhone to function (Like every other phone i have owned since 2002) as a bluetooth modem? I can do this with my Nokia 3650 but i cannot with this ultra modern, ultra sleek marvel of technological mastery!?! Seriously Apple and AT&T, you are killing your business customers and pissing them off over petty features that are easily accomplished with devices that for the most part are “Free with 2-year contract!” Once again, were it not for the jailbreaking community, this too would be a reason that any one reading this could buy my iPhone on eBay. Thanks go out to an old but Great developer that has been adding what should be a standard feature to devices for years, Internet sharing! PDAnet, a product of June Fabrics Has been lovingly ported to work on the iPhone! This software is a breath of fresh air for people wanting to add Internet sharing to their iPhone without the annoyance of a messy SOCKS proxy (And for now at least, the cost!) PDAnet is currently FREE! anyone that has had Palm or windows mobile devices, and wanted this functionality in years past knows about PDAnet as it has beet a top selling product from the beginning but at this price grab it now because PDAnet traditionaly is over $30.00USD (and worth it if you ask me!)

Until Apple and AT&T get some religion and move to officially support these most basic of features you can catch me siphoning Internet with PDAnet on my shiny new Acer One on a park bench near you!

-Joe Harper

P.S. If you have a diffrent view let me know in the comments. I would Love to hear what the readers have to say!

**Warning! The following WILL void your warranty. Proceed at your own risk. If you break your laptop it is not my fault. Nuff said…**

So this hack basically involves popping open your laptop, soldering a few wires to a 5V connector and a ground and then hooking into the unused USB leads on either of the internal mini PCIe connectors inside of the laptop to add an internal USB device “of your choosing” inside of the laptop. The USB Bluetooth adapter that I chose was the Kensington Micro USB Bluetooth adapter for a few reasons:

1. It is tiny only taking up a very small amount of space inside of the laptop case allowing for placement anywhere within the laptop.
2. It is Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR which is the fastest and newest version of Bluetooth available
3. it is a class 2 (10meter) device which means it’s power draw will be minimal verses the class 1 (100 meter) devices.
4. This Bluetooth adapter is $23.00 USD at Best Buy and as I am impatient I did not want to have to wait for delivery before I did this mod.

The install I found on Tnkgrl’s site served as the inspiration for my hack which uses the USB leads on the empty unused mini PCIe solder pads the reason I did this is:

1. It is a larger target to hit. I was scared to death to try my luck right up next to the connector for my wireless card which I cannot be without.
2. it puts my connection next to the access panel on the bottom of the Acer One (explained later)

This installation uses the power from a nearby USB port on the far left side of the laptop. This USB lead is +5 and allows me to once again hit a bigger target than the one provided for in the Tnkgrl’s awesome and skillful hack. (To be that steady!) I will try to provide pictures however the ones at tnkgrl’s site show pretty clearly how to best connect to the power on the device.

!Update! After reading the comment from tnkgrl i have changed my plans and re routed the power connections to the locations that she describes in her hack. please read her comment below for the reasons for the change.

As you can see i have attached the Power and ground to the same locations used in tnkgrl’s mod.

This is a close up of the solder points i used for the power connections.

I then routed the wires to the other side of the mother board for attachment to the female USB connector.

The jewel of this install is in the use of an old USB extension cable to create an internal port which makes it a bit more future proof I can upgrade the module at any point by simply connecting a new device also the placement on the bottom side allows me to position the female USB connector directly under the access panel for easy access without dis-assembly of the laptop. I cut away all of the plastic from the USB cable and stripped off the outer wire casing. It was necessary for it to fit in the cramped area below the door the only suggestion that I would add is that you add some epoxy on the motherboard where you make the connection so as to keep the wires in place after you get done soldering.

You can see that the tiny Bluetooth adapter easily fits inside the compartment on the bottom of the Acer One.

You can see here in the blown up image that the entire assembly fits well also if you look directly below the USB dongle you can see the solder locations for the USB+ and USB- located on the unused mini PCIe solder pads. the solder points you want are #36 and #38

That is pretty much it.

TIP! While you have the device apart you might as well go ahead and install some extra memory the max this thing can handle is 1.5 GB of DDR2 PC5300 533 MHz RAM if you are willing to integrate a Bluetooth module into this thing you will probably want to spend the $15.00 USD it costs to purchase the extra ram and there is not going to be a better time than right now to install it!        (What the heck! You have already voided your warranty anyway!)

Well that’s it enjoy your mouse and keyboard with no dongles and tether away!

Happy Hacking!

-Joe

Below is a sign I found hanging on a soda fountain at a 5 Guys burgers and fries in Atlanta, GA. Even though they only sell hamburgers and french-fries we can all learn a lot from their business model.

All of us should aspire to the ideals shown by this burger joint!

“You, the customer, are the most important visitor on our premises, You are not dependent on us, we are dependent on you. You are not an outsider in our business – you are part of it. We are not doing you a favor by serving you . . . you are doing us a favor by giving us the opportunity to do so. Thank you, Five Guys”

When was the last time you encountered customer centric service at any business? If you have I bet you remember it and make buying decisions based on that quality of service. Let’s try to be as customer oriented as this fast-food chain and I am sure that success will follow

P.S. While my wife and I were at the restaurant we were treated in a manor that showed that for 5 Guys, the sign is not just a lofty goal but a practiced methodology. The pride in what they do is apparent the second you walk through the door.

Visit their website:

http://www.fiveguys.com