Well, the last few weeks, I have been working on a new application…PocketBlogger.
I posted awhile ago that I wanted to post to blogger from my phone, well, I went ahead and made an application. I have created a website for it
If you have a PocketPC and a Blogger.com Blog, and want to try it out, go for it. Donations are gladly accepted, and any feedback or feature requests are gladly welcomed!!
If you do try it and have any problems getting it going, please let me know.
Cool little app that sits in the systray, and allows you to set Timezone’s up so you can click and see times anywhere, and allows you to easily switch between timezones on your pc. Since I am in Detroit for the next few days (Eastern Time), I installed it and use it. Pretty cool.
For xmas, I got a Linksys WRV54G Wireless VPN Router. I set it up and it worked good, wireless worked, wired work, etc. You are supposed to be able to use it as a VPN endpoint, so I decided to try it.
First thing I did, was upgrade the firmware. I was running 2.10. I downloaded the latest version (2.37) and upgraded it. Once I logged back in, I saw new options for VPN Clients, etc, so I figured I was going in the right direction. I could still get on the net, so hopefully it worked. Then I tried to VPN in to my connection from an outside connection, using the Linksys QuickConnect Client. No Luck. I figured what the hey, I have some setting wrong. Then I tried to VPN out to a remote location (which worked before the firmware upgrade) using a Cisco VPN Client. No Luck. WTF? So after a few hours of fiddling with settings and it still not working, I put firmware 2.10 back on. Lo and behold I could VPN Out again, but something else broke. My website I run wasnt working (port forwarding in the router). Darn it!!! So I upgrade firmware to 2.25 – nothing. My last resort. Firmware 2.36. Once I loaded that, I could get on the net, I could VPN to the remote location, and my website worked. Ok, one last thing to test, VPN in to my connection from a remote location. I added a VPN user and the router prompted me to change my internal network to 10.x.x.x network instead of 192.168.1.x network. I figured something must be working. I had to change the static ip of my server to the 10.x.x that i got, and then I could connect to everything internall. I connected to a remote connection, and tried VPN in to my apt. Wow, it actually worked. I could map a drive to my server.
After searching numerous KB’s and website, here is what I have seen.
1) People dont understand the differnce between VPN’ing out, and VPN’ing in. Routers have VPN Passthrough on them so you can VPN out. VPN Passthrough is like one setting to open many ports for you, just so VPN works.
2) VPN Endpoint on this router is configured by default, you just need right firmware and to add a user. You DO NOT need to set up VPN Tunnels! The page in the Admin area for VPN Tunnel and VPN passthrough is misleading. They shouldn’t be on the same page!! If you are going to set up a tunnel, the other end of the tunnel needs to know about you, and you will be connected 24/7. It isn’t like connecting with a VPN client and disconnecting!!
I hope someone out there who is having problems with their WRV54G reads this. Before I got it to work, I figured it was a piece of junk. Now it works great. You just need to have patience. If anyone needs help, just let me know and I can give advice on how to get it rolling.
I have Rio Nitrus (1.5 GB) and I have been using it a lot lately. I just purchased a FM Transmitter from Best Buy so I can use it in my vehicle. It is pretty cool, but doesn’t work as good as I would expect. You tune your radio to 88.1, 88.3, 88.5, or 88.7 and then set the switch on the transmitter to match. In Saint Cloud, 88.1 is KVSC, so that setting doesn’t work at all. 88.3 also picks up some of KVSC, so that is out too 88.5 and 88.7 work, but crackly. Sometime it works ok, but sometimes it doesn’t. I guess it works good enough to listen to songs. I might need to make a mount for it and the player, so I can get it in a good position and it will stay clear.
Yesterday, I installed Microsoft Voice Command 1.5 (5 Day Trial). This is some cool software. I loaded it on my Audiovox 6601, and started using it.
“What is my battery level?” I say, and it responds: “The battery level is 79%”
“What is my signal stength?” I say, and it responds: “The signal strength is 100%”
You can open applications, call people, view contact, start media playing, etc, etc. My only wish is that it would do more! This is the future of computing, in my opinion. If you have a pocket PC or a Windows Mobile device, you should check it out.
Last night I was working a project, and a feature was requested to have the program change the screen resolution to 1024×768, and then back to what the user had before they started the program. I figured, hey, .NET, it should be easy, right? First rule of computers…nothing can every be easy.
First order of business. Get the screen size of the screen before changing it, so I know what to change it back to.
  iOrigialScreenWidth = Screen.PrimaryScreen.Bounds.Width()
  iOrigialScreenHeight = Screen.PrimaryScreen.Bounds.Height()
Well you think you would be able to set those values as well as get them? Come on, that would be to easy.
The only way I could figure out how to change it was to revisit the good ol’ API. I found a class that someone has wrapped around the API calls to change the resolution, so I referenced that in my project, and was ready to go. At the top of the code “Imports Resolution” – Resolution was the name of the class.
  ‘ change to 1024×768 so the program fills screen
  Dim ChangeRes As CResolution
  ChangeRes = New Resolution.CResolution(1024, 768)
and to change it back again, on close of the program:
  ‘ change to original resolution
  Dim ChangeRes As CResolution
  ChangeRes = New Resolution.CResolution(iOrigialScreenWidth , iOrigialScreenHeight)
Well, anyway, here is the API Class (in C#). You would need to reference the Assembly in your project.
So, the moral of the story, instead of using 6 lines of code to change the resolution back and forth, it takes 6 lines and referencing the API. Fun!
My thoughts on the MSN Desktop Search.
When the Google desktop search came out, I installed it, and let it index my machine. I use Google for my web searching, so when I saw that it integrated with those results I thought it was cool.
The MSN Desktop search has other things though that make me use it now instead of the Google desktop search.
1) Deskbar – as you type, results show up – this is cool
2) Integrated in “Explorer” and Outlook – easy to find
3) Seems faster
4) More options
the couple things that stink are
1) MSN Web Search results aren’t as good as Google’s in my opinion. It would be nice to be able to specify what web search to use.
2) MSN Search should replace the Start->Search functionality in XP if you install it. The XP Search is worthless.
Overall, I would rather run a Microsoft Product (running google desktop search is like putting Chevy parts in a Ford)
Woah man, I just got my Audiovox 6601 today. I am like in geek heaven. Pocket PC 2003 mobile edition, Sprint Phone…Always connected…
I was in the salon getting my hair cut/highlighted and i was under the dryer…chatting with two friends on MSN Messenger. What a trip!!!
Wireless activesync with outlook web/exchange server!!
Windows Media Player, IE – this thing is like a laptop in the palm of your hand!!!
128 MB of ram! Wow I am just out of my gourd here….
So …I am wondering, what is the best RSS reader for pocket pc (Scoble help me out please!)? Anybody know about a good vpn client (cisco vpn?)??
I need to get a wi-fi card for this thing too, I will be livin and rockin..
If i could install visual studio and sql server on this i wouldnt need a laptop!
I am literally dancin around my desk on this one…
Flip out keyboard underneath…check it out-
I am a big movie fan, but what I always end up doing is watching for what types of computers they use. For example, I saw “National Treasure” this weekend. All they used was HP – EVERYTHING. Monitors, laptops, etc. They must have had a deal with HP or partnership. Then I watched “Swordfish” on dvd = they use Dell, and the “Italian Job” – all Dell. I think in “Swordfish” they had Dell, but they were running some weird or old version of IE, or like IE in kiosk mode. It is always fun to see what movie makers do with technology, and if they get it right. Like in “Swordfish”, they talk about getting a DS3 connection to the house. 28 T1’s ! Woah, alot of bandwidth. There are also some movies who try to come up with like their own OS and interface, those are fun to. Like if you are a hacker you see this magical mystery land in your computer. Wouldn’t that be cool to see in real life? Like you are on some acid trip in your computer and everything is 3D. Maybe one day, but until then, you can still watch for computer products in movies because the more technological people get, the more common they will be in productions.
Today I took part in installing SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services. One quirky thing. I had the default website stopped. I had another website running on port 80. Reporting Services wouldn’t install. I couldn’t run both websites on the same port (it was internal, no DNS set to have subdomains). I had to start up the default website on port 8080, and then Reporting Services installed. I then stopped the default website, but to my surprise, the virtual directories for Reporting Services were under my second website running on port 80. WTF are they checking for? My guess is a website that has a default directory for c:inetpubwwwroot – Everything else on my second website was the same as the default except for that. It would be nice if they let you choose where you wanted to put the website, like if you already had a website running on IIS, just to choose which website you want the virtual directories installed.
weird!~
Steve Novoselac's Blog 