First Look at Google Chrome OS

Engadget has a sneak peak at what appears to be the Google Chrome Operating System. Looks like it's a version of the Chrome web browser but with more features.

http://www.engadget.com/photos/alleged-chrome-os-screenshots/2140342/
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Google Talk on the BlackBerry

Here's how you can install gTalk (Google Talk), a Google Instant Messaging client for gChat on the BlackBerry. Google doesn't appear to have its own instant messaging client for mobile devices but Research in Motion created one for the BlackBerry (available on the BlackBerry website).

Download the Software
To get a copy of gTalk, visit the following URL on your BlackBerry browser and download the software:
http://mobileapps.blackberry.com/devicesoftware/entry.do?code=gtalk

Once installed, you'll need to reboot your BlackBerry:



Locate the gTalk Icon
Locate the gTalk Icon on your BlackBerry:


Log into your Google Account















Finished!

Some users complain that they've received the following error while trying to log into gTalk:
"password and username do not match"

To get by this error, visit the following page to unlock your account for gTalk:
https://www.google.com/accounts/DisplayUnlockCaptcha

...enter your username, password, and captcha and voila! your BlackBerry can now use Google Chat!
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Mounting Remote Windows Shares in Ubuntu

I have a Netgear NSLU2 hooked up on my network to an external hard drive that I back up all my photos and music to. Naturally, now that my new netbook is here, I wanted a way to access all of my photos and music from Ubuntu. Here's the steps required to set up Windows file sharing with now that my new netbook is here Ubuntu.
1) First, you need to install smbfs:

$ sudo apt-get install smbfs

2) Create a directory to mount to:

$ sudo mkdir /mnt/netdrive

3) Mount the remote filesystem:

sudo mount -t cifs //{remote_ip_address}/{windows_share_drive} /mnt/netdrive -o username=YourUsername,password=YourPassword

4) Now, if you want this filesytem to mount each time you start Ubuntu add this entry to your /etc/fstab:

//{remote_ip_address}/{windows_share_drive}  /mnt/netdrive  cifs exec,credentials=/etc/passwdcifs 0 0

5) Create a file named /etc/passwdcifs and add these entries:

username=YourUsernamepassword=YourPassword

6) Secure the permissions on the password file:

$ sudo chmod 600 /etc/passwdcifs

Now when you reboot your filesystem should automatically be mounted. It's as easy as that!
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Modifications Made to My Dell Mini 9 Ubuntu Setup

Here are a few things I changed with my Dell Mini 9 Ubuntu setup to make things a little more usable.

Added a 4gb SD Card

When I bought the Dell Mini 9 I also threw in a 4gb SD card, cost around $10. I left the built in solid state drive for the OS and applications and keep all of my documents on the SD card. What's great about this is I can take the SD card out, put it in another computer and there's all my files.

Upgrade to Ubuntu 9.04 (jaunty jackalope)

One of the first things I did when I got my Mini was to upgrade the OS from Ubuntu 8.04 to Ubuntu 9.04. I really liked the 9.04 interface, it boots up really fast (I think I read it boots up in 7 seconds), and it supports Firefox 3.5.

Install Chromium (Google Chrome)

Chromium, the open source version of Google Chrome, is amazingly fast on the Mini. I've used both Firefox 3.0 and Firefox 3.5 and it still amazes me on how fast Chromium is. Flash support is a little unstable (but that's OK, it's turned off by default). The only thing I didn't like about Chromium was that it didn't support Google Gears. I mean c'mon; Google Gears is becoming one of their best products (in my opinion) and it's not supported in their own browser! Here's a great article on how to install Chromium:
http://www.ubuntumini.com/2009/07/install-chromium-with-flash-support.html

Install 3rd Party Software

The default install of Ubuntu 9.04 doesn't include Flash, Java, mp3 or DVD support. Though, within a few minutes you can download all of that. Here's an article that explains how:

http://www.ubuntumini.com/2008/10/reinstallng-codecs.html

Install Firefox 3.5

Ubuntu 9.04 comes with Firefox 3.0 but that version of Firefox is slooooooow. I found Firefox 3.5 to be much faster (not as fast as Chromium, but still pretty fast). When you first install Firefox 3.5 it shows up as the Shiretoko Web Browser (the code name for the Firefox 3.5 project). Here's a good article on how to install Firefox 3.5 (Shriretoko) and the rebrand it to look like Firefox:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1225754

Installing Google Gears in Firefox 3.5

Some people report getting an error when trying to install Google Gears in Firefox 3.5...something about their browser version not being supported. I found trying to download the Google Gears plugin for Firefox 3.5 directly worked well:

http://dl.google.com/gears/current/gears-linux-opt.xpi

Install Adobe Reader 9

Here's the steps to install the real Adobe Reader 9:

1. sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
2. At the below line to /etc/apt/sources.list:
   deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu jaunty partner
3. sudo apt-get update
4. sudo apt-get install acroread

For more information...

For more info on Ubuntu tweaks, check out this great website: UbuntuMini.

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My Dell Mini 9 Netbook is Here!

I've been living low-tech for the last couple of years, no computer and no cell phone. I finally broke down the other month and got a cell phone and figured now is the time to get a new computer, except I really didn't want to spend much money (part of the reason I've been living so low-tech). My original goal was to find a computer for $200 to use primarily for online use, but also wanted something that was very portable. The Dell Mini 9 was exactly what I was looking for!

The Dell Mini 9 Netbook was selling for $200 for the following specs:

• Processor: Intel® Atom Processor® N270 (1.6GHz/533Mhz FSB/512K cache)
• Operating System: Ubuntu Linux version 8.04.1 (Hardy)
• Screen: Glossy 8.9 inch LED display (1024X600)
• Memory: 1GB DDR2 at 533MHz
• Hard Drive: 4GB Solid State Drive
• Wireless: Wireless 802.11g Mini Card
• Battery: 32WHr Battery (4 cell)

All of that for $200! I ended up upgrading the hard drive to a 8gb solid state drive and it all cost around $240 w/ shipping. I opted for the large hard drive because the OS takes about 4gb so it didn't leave much room for any offline files or upgrades.

The Dell Mini 9 is tiny, very tiny. It's actually a little smaller than my mouse pad when it's

closed up. The only problem I've had with the Dell Mini 9 is the keyboard; in order for them to fit all of the keys into such a small space they had to move some keys to new locations.

Since I don't normally look at the keys when typing I'll occasionally hit a wrong key. Additionally, some of the keys that are used less often are 1/2 the size or 3/4 the size of a normal key (now that's small). I am happy though to trade the keyboard layout for portability. Additionally, you can always plug in a keyboard/mouse/monitor and use it like a normal full-size computer.

Size Comparison

Here's what the Netbook looks like compared to a normal size laptop:

Screenshots:

Here's a few screenshots from the Netbook. (Note: I upgraded the OS to Ubuntu 9.04, so that's what you're seeing in the screenshots, not Ubuntu 8.04)

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Using Java's Foreach Loop on a Map

First introduced in Java 5, the foreach loop has been one of my favorite (and most used) improvements to the Java language. Here's how you can use the foreach loop over a Map:

Map myMap = new HashMap();

myMap.put("person1234","Troy Campano");

for(Map.Entry myMapEntry : myMap.entrySet()) {
 
   System.out.println("key=" + myMapEntry.getKey());
   System.out.println("value=" + myMapEntry.getValue());
}

It's that easy!

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Delivering the WOW! in Customer Service

All too often I find that many businesses just don't focus enough on customer service. If there's one thing that matters (maybe more than all others) then it's customer service. Glory Borgeson, author of "Catapult Your Business to New Heights: Sure-Fire Strategies to Increase Profit" has a great article on customer service and delivering the WOW! to your customer...that feeling the customer gets when they've been amazed, not just your product or service but by the entire experience. It's easy to just do the status quo and get the job done, but delivering WOW! in the work you do can take you or your business to new heights.

Read more on ChangeThis:
http://changethis.com/60.06.DeliveringWow
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