Hi, I just created new blog just for personnel items/news. Dont know yet what happen to this domain. Feel free to visit;
http://blog.norrafi.com
Twice the storage for a quarter of the price
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via Google Photos Blog by Picasa Team on 11/10/09
Posted by Elvin Lee, Software Engineer(Cross-posted from the Official Google Blog)
People today have more personal data online than ever before. More and more people are starting to move the bulk of their data off the desktop and into servers "in the cloud," where it's accessible from any computer or mobile device and easily shareable with friends and family. At the same time, digital photo technology is making it easier and cheaper than ever to take a lot of pictures, and client software like Picasa 3.5 makes it easier than ever to move photos from your camera to the cloud. That's why we've always given you lots of free storage in products like Picasa Web Albums and Gmail, and why for the past two years we've offered additional storage you can purchase if you need even more space.
While the cost of hard drive storage has continued to drop in these two years, we've also been working hard to improve our infrastructure to reduce your costs even further. Today we're dramatically lowering our prices to make extra storage even more affordable. You can now buy 20 GB for only $5 a year — that's twice as much storage for a quarter of the old price, and enough space for more than 10,000 full resolution pictures taken with a five megapixel camera. Since most people have less than 10 GB of photos, chances are you can now save all your memories online for a year for the cost of a triple mocha. If you need more than 20 GB, plans range all the way up to 16 TB, which is enough room for 8 million full resolution photos! And Google paid storage offers an extra level of security, protection and accessibility that you can't get with an external drive — at a similar cost per gigabyte.
As always, extra storage acts as an overflow that you only start using when you reach the limit of your free storage, and people who have extra storage will be automatically upgraded. So if you need more space for thousands of photos of your toddler, or if you're running out of room in your overflowing inbox, visit www.google.com/accounts/PurchaseStorage to see all the plans and to buy more storage.
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Apple TV 3.0 – nitoTV, XBMC, Boxee and others now working
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via Apple TV Hacks by tomek on 11/3/09
nitoTV
Released yesterday, 0.8.1 version (direct download) now supports 3.0 update.
nito says some features may have no chance of making it back in. Couchsurfer and RSS are not working, but they have restored the functionality for DVD, MPlayer, QuickTime, Weather, Network, download, installer and Application Launching sections.
Audio volume and sub toggling and resume returns in QuickTime playback! It is possible to turn off the volume control in General settings if this is not a desirable feature.
Guys warn things may be a little buggy from the OS transition.
Follow nitoTV thread at Hackint0sh.org
XBMC
Launcher 3.2 beta 1 (beta 2 is already on the way!) works with 3.0. However the new version is not ready for public use, and only people who are comfortable with the command line should install it.
Installing:
1) "patchstick" the 3.0 ATV
2) ssh into it and download Launcher-3.2.beta2-debug.run
3) install Launcher chmod +x Launcher.. ; ./Launcher-3.2…
4) install XBMC with Launcher or just re-symlink your old install (ln -s /Users/frontrow/Applications/XBMC.app /Applications/XBMC.app)
5) run XBCM
Boxee
Today XBMC guys made it possible to run Boxee on ATV 3.0.
That's how to do it:
1) "patchstick" the 3.0 ATV (You should just use your old patchstick you used previously on the ATV )
2) ssh into it the ATV and download 3.2 Launcher
Type:
wget http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/858897/XBMC/Launcher-3.2.beta2-debug.run
3) Install the Launcher
Type:
chmod +x Launcher-3.2.beta2-debug.run
Type :
./Launcher-3.2.beta2-debug.run
Enter the appropriate password "frontrow" and answer "Y" when it asks to restart the finder.
4) From your ATV Menu> Launcher > Downloads, install Boxee alpha 0.9.14.6992.
Note: Please do not select the Launcher 3.1
5) Launch Boxee from ATV Menu >Launcher >Boxee .
[via Boxee Support forum]
Others working in 3.0
- Patchstick created with OS 2.1 (SSH enabled; accessing AppleTV with Cyberduck (sftp) works great)
- Patchstick created with OS 3.0
- QuickTime components
- Composite Colour
- AppleFileShare Server (AFP) (working using afpinstall.sh and ATV-Recover image)
- LaunchMore! 0.4 (with ATV firmware 3.0)
- atvPWN (Not all of the plugins that can be installed through the latest atvPwn are actually compatible with 3.0)
Not working:
- ATVFiles
- aTV Flash (they say an update should be available by the end of the week)
- Sapphire
- Software Menu
In case you needed to downgrade back to firmware version 2.4.
UPDATE:
aTV Flash 4.0 Released!
Highlights: 3.0 AppleTV compatibility, improved update process, VNC server + bug fixes.
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Blacksn0w unlock available now for iPhone 3G and 3GS
Blacksn0w unlock available now for iPhone 3G and 3GS: "
There's no stopping the eternal tug-of-war between the powers that be and the hackers that will, and for the time being it looks like things are back in the hands of the hackers. As of noon today giddy jailbreakers can take the next step and go full-on with blacksn0w, the unlock for the latest 05.11.07 baseband (with tethering enabled to boot). And if that weren't enough, it looks like blackra1n RC3 is alive as well, with Mac and Windows support. What are you waiting for? Hit the read link to get started, if that's your thing. And the battle for the iPhone's immortal soul continues...
[Via On The iPhone]
Filed under: Cellphones
Blacksn0w unlock available now for iPhone 3G and 3GS originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments"Reduce Linux power consumption
Great article by IBM, for those working with Red HAT Linux.
"In this series, learn how to tune your Linux-based IBM System x server for power efficiency. You'll learn about the in-kernel governors and their settings and how to use them; you'll also see the effects of the tuned governors on a power performance and e-commerce workload. The examples are based on a System x server running Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 5.2 (RHEL 5.2), but the same guidelines apply to any of the 2.6.x kernels, as well as any processor type that supports frequency scaling.
Part 1 introduces the components and concepts you'll need to tune your system for power efficiency, including the Linux CPUfreq subsystem, C and P states, and the five in-kernel governors.
Part 2 gives more details on the general settings of the Linux CPUfreq subsystem and the five in-kernel governors—performance, powersave, userspace,ondemand, and conservative—and their settings.
Part 3 compares the performance of the five in-kernel governors in both a tuned and an untuned state to show you what results you can achieve by power tuning your system."
Video: Android 2.0 officially announced
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via IntoMobile - Cell Phone News, Information, and Analysis by Stefan Constantinescu on 10/27/09
Looks like Google (NSDQ: GOOG) published this video to their YouTube channel before actually writing a blog post. Their fault, your benefit. Enjoy:
By the way, notice how it was demoed on the upcoming Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid for Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless?
Update: And that blog post just went live. Read it to learn more about what you've just seen in the video above. For a comprehensive feature list of Android 2.0 click here; kind of funny to see macro focus and flash being integrated into the camera application barely a full year after Android 1.0 hit the net. A techie feature of note: Android 2.0 has the first mobile web browser to support the video tag from HTML 5.
Related News from IntoMobile:
- LG Chocolate BL20 Specs Now Available
- Adobe brings Flash to T-Mobile G1 – Android and Adobe Flash, together at last
- S60 Web Browser 2.0
- Go macro with your iPhone; and the largest iPhone flash you'll never use
- You got to fight, For your right, To upgrade! Wait what? Tell Nokia we want the new browser that S60v3FP1 has!
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blackra1n RC2 now available to jailbreak new (OTB) iPhone 3GS
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via IntoMobile - Cell Phone News, Information, and Analysis by Will Park on 10/26/09
The latest iPhone OS 3.1.2 update was released by Apple not too long ago with a nasty little trick hidden up its sleeve. It turned out that new iPhone 3GS were loaded with a version of iPhone OS 3.1.2 that closed the "24kpwn" exploit used by iPhone jailbreak community to make the jailbreak easy and convenient. That basically killed hopes of jailbreaking any factory-fresh iPhone 3GS units already flashed with the new iPhone OS. But, all was not lost. The iPhone Dev Team came out shortly after iPhone OS 3.1.2's release, saying that a "tethered jailbreak" was still possible.
While the initial release of the blackra1n utility was capable of jailbreaking iPhone OS 3.1.2 for iPhone 3GS hardware already in the wild, it was useless in jailbreaking newer iPhone 3GS units already rocking iPhone OS 3.1.2 from the factory. The same applies to the iPhone Dev Team's PwnageTool 3.1.4 release. The updated blackra1n RC2 utility changes all that.
This is what to expect with the blackra1n RC2 release:
- Fixed 3G issues
- Tethered jailbreak for factory-fresh iPhone 3GS's and new out-of-the-box iPod Touch 8GB
- Fixed Icy issues
- Both Windows and Mac
Download blackra1n RC here.
So what is this "tethered jailbreak" we keep mentioning? Simply put, it's a less convenient jailbreak method that requires the user to keep their iPhone 3GS connected to their computer during the jailbreak process. Any subsequent reboots (resulting from power loss or a manual reboot) will require a computer to boot successfully. The jailbreak is possible (using blackra1n RC2), but it's decidedly more of a hassle. But, then again, how many times do you reboot your iPhone?
Note: if you already jailbroke your iPhone 3GS using blackra1n RC1 (the initial release), there's no need to run RC2. Also, if you would rather wait for the iPhone Dev Team to build the tethered jailbreak option into PwnageTool, sit tight, they're working on it.
[Via: iphonejtag]
Related News from IntoMobile:
- Blackra1n jailbreaks iPhone OS 3.1.2
- iPhone Dev Team cracks iPhone 3.1 OS, except for iPhone 3GS
- iPhone Dev Team jailbreaks iPhone OS 3.1.2 with PwnageTool 3.1.4
- New iPhone 3GS jailbreak still possible!
- iPhone Dev Team: iPhone 3GS jailbreak on ice
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How To: Hackintosh a Dell Mini 10v Into the Ultimate Snow Leopard Netbook [H...
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via Gizmodo by John Herrman on 10/24/09
Why You Should Do This
Last time we threw together a guide like this, things were different. Snow Leopard was but a glint in Steve Jobs' eye, and in terms of hardware, the Mini 9 was the best thing going—it was pretty much the only netbook you could guarantee would work perfectly. Not to mention the hackintosh process was much, much more complicated. And riskier! And yet, despite all this, it was easy to recommend loading a Mini up with OS X, because to put it bluntly, the results were fantastic.
But the Mini 9 was a bit too small for regular use, and even if it's still pretty easy to buy one, it's not officially part of Dell's product line anymore. Fast forward to now: the Mini 10v is a (quite similar) replacement for the 9, with a slightly larger screen, 160GB HDD standard, and 1GB or RAM. Most importantly, the keyboard is a bit larger, and the price is wonderfully low: $300 for a netbook that's completely ready for hackintoshing. Or to put it another way, the 10v is a $300 Apple netbook.
And it isn't just the hardware that's changed, it's the software. Snow Leopard is fast—faster than 10.5—and its new interface features, like Dock Expose, make using OS X on a netbook even easier. Finder is faster, Quicktime has a new interface. It's a pretty big upgrade from Leopard, is what I'm trying to say.
And installation tools have grown up too. Netbook hackintoshing used to be an all-day process, with external optical drives, Terminal commands, and numerous terrifying driver tweaks. Today, there are simple software utilities to take care of all this for you. So let's recap: Since 2008, the hardware has gotten cheaper and better, OS X more mature, and the installation process much simpler. Oh yeah, and Snow Leopard retail costs $30. (Though strict moralists should note that this is intended to be an upgrade.) There's never been a better time to hackintosh—not by a long shot.
That said, one thing hasn't changed. TERMINAL > SUDO REWRITE DISCLAIMER:
Even though we're using a standard retail-purchased copy of OS X, the disclaimer: Apple does not like Hackintoshing. It violates the OS X EULA, and probably won't make the Dell folks too happy either, should you need to return your hacked Mini 9 for service. So, as always, proceed at your own risk.
And of course, this tutorial messes with some pretty core components of your netbook, which means there's a real, if small, risk of brickage. Proceed at your own risk, again. Anyway.
What You'll Need
• Dell Mini 10v. The stock version, at $300, works perfectly.
• BIOS version lower than A06 (A05, A04, A03 all work fine)
Downgrade instructions are available here, though they require a Windows PC for creating a bootable DOS flash drive. There are a lot of scary acronyms here, but don't worry—it's no more than a few minutes of work.
• Retail copy of OS X 10.6 (NOT an OEM copy that comes with a new Mac). An ISO will do fine here too, but discs are just $30, you cheapskate. Upgrades to 10.6.1 should be applied after the fact.
• An 8GB (or larger) USB flash drive, the faster the better. External HDDs will work too.
• A Mac with a working optical drive, for preparing your flash drive
• Netbook BootMaker (a free Mac application)
Preparing Your Flash Drive
The 10v doesn't have an optical drive, and it's a pain in the ass to have to go find one, burn a new disc, and do things the old-fashioned way. Installing from a USB flash drive is much, much easier. So that's the method we'll be running with.
1. Insert your flash drive and OS X Retail install disk into your computer
2. Open Disk Utility (searching in Spotlight is the easiest way to find this)
3. Select your flash drive from the list on the left. Make sure to select the drive itself, not any partitions you may have written to it before.
4. In the right panel, select the "Partition" screen.
5. From the dropdown menu, select "1 Partition," then click "Options" below the partition map.
6. Select "Master Boot Record." This will ensure that your Mini 10v can boot from your flash drive. Select a name for your partition—doesn't really matter what—and apply your changes. Keep in mind this will delete anything you have on your flash drive right now, so back it up if need be.
7. Once this is done, move from the "Partition" screen to the "Restore" screen in Disk Utility
8. For your Restore Source, select (by dragging) the OS X install disk from the left panel. Make sure this is the item called something to the effect of "Mac OS Install DVD," not "Optiarc DVD" or some other hardware title. For the destination, drag your newly-prepared partition over. Click restore.
This will take at least an hour, so go have sandwich or something. Or even better, skip ahead make sure your Mini 10v is ready for the install, as outlined in the next section.
Ok, once that slog is done, it's time to let Netbook BootMaker do its magic. And let me be clear: it is magic. What this utility will do is install a special bootloader on your flash drive, which allows your netbook to begin an OS X install. It also throws in a few driver tweaks, to make sure your 10v, y'know, work.
Aaaaand that's it! You're ready to start hackintoshing.
Installing OS X
First, you're going to need to do some light prep on your 10v.
10. Jump into the BIOS, since we're going to need to check on a few things. You can do this by restarting the 10v, and hitting F2 as the Dell logo first shows up.
11. Double-check to see if you have the right BIOS. As long as it's lower than A06, you're fine. If not, refer back to the "What You'll Need" section.
12. With the arrow keys, cycle over to the "Advanced" screen, where you'll see a list of options. USB BIOS Legacy support should be enabled, as should Bluetooth.
13. Now cycle over to the Boot screen. This is where you tell your 10v which drive to start from. During normal use, this will the hard drive where your OS is installed. Since we're installing an OS today, though, you're going to want to select "USB Storage," and move it to the top by pressing the F6 key.
14. Once you're done, press F10 to save and exit. If you're ready to dive straight into the install, make sure you have your prepped USB drive plugged in and ready to go.
15. Plug your computer in, if it's not already. You don't want your netbook to die halfway though—this will only lead to sadness.
Next time you boot with your flash drive plugged in, you should see this screen. Don't be alarmed by the spinning pinwheel; just leave it for a few minutes. Your computer is thinking.
16. HAHA, BEHOLD! This screen here, it's awfully Apple-y! But you're not done yet. Let the install complete, following the regular prompts as you go. When it asks you where to install OS X, select and clear the entire HDD of your device. This will delete everything, so make sure you have your stuff backed up.
After about an hour, you're done. Seriously—that's it. Your first boot will take longer than normal, and your desktop may freeze for minutes at a time. Give it some time to figure everything out. Within about 10 minutes, your desktop should be ready to go.
Odds and Ends
By and large, your install should work out of the box. Sleep, shutdown/startup, sound, keyboard shortcuts, battery indicators, and anything else you can think of should be present and at attention, barring one glaring flaw: the trackpad. It's kinda shitty, and makes dragging-and-dropping nearly impossible. Here's what you need to do:
17. Go here, and download the attached trackpad driver.
18. Open Finder on your 10v, and press CMD+Shift+G (on this keyboard, that's Alt+Shift+G.) In the box that comes up, typed "/Extra" and press enter.
This will bring you to a hidden folder. Copy the .kext file you've download into the Mini10vExt folder, making sure to back up the one you're replacing.
Now you should be able to click and drag—the cursor should jump when your second finger makes contact. You should see, as you could before, a panel in the OS X preferences where you can adjust trackpad settings. Play with them as you like—two finger scrolling is great, and makes the 10v feel more like a genuine Apple netbook.
The only other issue you're likely to run into is the occasional too-tall settings screen. Here's an obscenely clever virtual screen resolution workaround for that.
So There You Go
You've got yourself a fully-functioning, beautifully small Snow Leopard netbook, which'll do 90% of what a 13-inch MacBook can, at 70% the size and about 25% of the cost. Mine's close to perfect: With an extended battery, I'm pushing 7 hours of battery life with Wi-Fi, which makes my MacBook pro look like a LOSER. And tiny extra bit of size over the Mini 9 means the keyboard is just large enough to work on, meaning this thing isn't just a toy—it's a decent investment. This from a guy with banana fingers.
Performance is acceptable, meaning you can run regular apps like iTunes, Firefox—and even Photoshop in a bind. It's not noticeably slow during normal use, though it'll choke on higher-res Flash video (no YouTube HD, but SD works fine). As with any notebook, this pretty much can't be your main machine. But it's a brilliant extra portable machine, for toilet browsing, travel, class notes and the like.
Anyway, buckets of thanks to the DellMyMini forums, especially users MechDrew and Bmcclure937. Without their guides, I wouldn't have been able to write this one. And of course, a hat tip to Adam Pash, who was already elbow-deep in Snow Leopard hackintoshing when we were all still too afraid. See his fantastic guide to building the build your own desktop hackintosh here.
So that's about it! Please add in your experiences in the comments-your feedback is a huge benefit to our Saturday guides. Good luck with your own Hackintoshing, and have a great weekend!
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