COMPUTER CURRENTS

Another Microsoft annoyance

Windows Media 2005 will not charge USB devices until you install ActiveSync

JAMES HEIN

I have started using my O2 to play music while I work and it was when I started to work off-site that I found out just how annoying Microsoft can be. On my regular computer I have ActiveSync installed, which allows me to copy files, install software and, when it is plugged into the O2 unit, charge the device through the USB connector cable.

For those who may not know this, a USB port provides power across the cable at all times, which is why many devices do not need their own power supply to operate. I plugged my O2 into a PC at a remote location to charge it, ignored all the "new device do you want to install?" messages and nothing happened. I rebooted the O2, but still nothing.

I did some further testing and then some research and found out that Windows Media 2005 blocks the power side of the cable until you have installed ActiveSync. This means that you either need to install ActiveSync on every computer you want to use to charge your device or carry around an independent charger. This is not only in all opposition to the basic operation of a USB connection but is a very annoying attempt by Microsoft yet again to control another device. I'd tell you what I really think about this but it would be unprintable.

One of the nice things about writing a newspaper column is the feedback from readers. With the occasional exception from fanatical Apple users, the feedback is positive. Sometimes there are questions and sometimes suggestions and additional information, particularly when I express some problems finding good tools.

In one recent email I received a number of useful info pieces from Dider. He pointed me to a freeware product called PDF Creator from the plethora of products that come out of SourceForge. You can get your copy at sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator.

The product works by creating a Windows Printer that takes the print job and turns it into a .PDF file. Dider and his friends have been using it for months without any problems or flaws.

I finally got around to getting a new Micro SD card to fill up with MP3s. The price - 1,700 baht for 2 GB - was amazing compared to only six months ago, when it was almost that much for 512 MB. I had to move my installed apps and it was much faster using my PC than using ActiveSync. Everything seems to be working okay and it is also a faster way to get MP3s onto the unit.

I also saw an 8 GB thumb drive for less than 3,000 baht. Unfortunately I couldn't think of a good reason to buy it at the time so it's still sitting in the store at Fortune. It did get me to thinking about MP3 players however - more specifically why are they are so expensive?

If 8GB of memory is that price and they can make a whole DVD player ex-factory for less than 700 baht, then why is a 6GB or 8GB player priced around or over the 10,000 baht mark? Even adjusting for the cost of development and mandatory mark-up on the higher-end electronic goods, someone is making a lot of money on digital audio players these days.

I have been struggling with the Microsoft O2 MP3 player solution on my Atom Exec. It is a long and arduous process to get the music started and I found that some of my MP3s would not play. In frustration I went to http://www.handandgo.com and spent $10 on the VITO AudioPlayer. The result is a very easy-to-use player that lets me point to a directory and play everything in there in order or shuffled with an easy control set.

There are a lot of good utilities out there for small sums of money, and in many cases they are easier to use and cover everything you need compared to their expensive cousins. Many of the best are even free.

So you are sick of seeing the nagware messages from WinRAR and WinZIP? Try 7 Zip from http://www.7-zip.org. The product is free but if you pay the $20 registration fee you get technical support. Another alternative is Cam Zip from http://www.camdevelopment.com. Still others include ZipitFast, UltimateZip, ICEOWS, IZarc and Quick Zip, all of which can handle .RAR files and a host of other compression formats.

In many cases you do not need the most popular or the best-advertised products. Take a look at http://www.techsupportalert.com/best46freeutilities.htm, for example, where someone has put together a list of the best freeware products for each application requirement and has a link to an extended list.

Industry news

At the China Linux User Convention in 2006, it was announced that since 2004 Pinggu has pushed Linux and other open source software onto 85% of their computers. Starting in June 2007, in France, all of the members of the French Parliament High Chamber will receive new workstations with Linux installed. That will be over 1,150 clients. They selected K-Ubuntu as their preferred flavour of Linux.

So you really want to protect your computer? How about the BioScrypt product 3D DeskCam. This camera product can not only work as a regular webcam but it can also scan a face in three dimensions and authenticate the person accessing the PC.

The device and software uses 40,000 identification locations looking at the forehead, eye sockets and bridge of the nose. The system has passed tests using identical twins and high detail face molds. If you get some cosmetic surgery you will need to re-register - but not if you shave your beard off. The 3D DeskCam is targetted at people who are using or are planning to use passwords, smart cards and other ID verification systems.

If you are interested in game machines the verdict is that the Wii, now that it can be chipped locally, is the best buy, with backwards support for the whole Nintendo range of games. The machines cost about twice US street price locally, however, so you might consider an external source if you are interested.

Working on the supposition that people interested in computers are also interested in Star Wars, in May the US will be issuing 15 Star Wars-themed stamps including characters like Darth Vader, Han Solo, and Yoda. If you really can't wait, you will find pictures at http://www.usps.com.

Some feedback on Vista is split between hate it or love it - as long as there's plenty of memory. The unofficial operating recommendation, even for notebooks, is 2 GB, with 4 GB being better of course.

If you are looking for a new mobile you may want to wait for the Nokia 5700. It is a budget-end product that comes preinstalled with Sudoku. You also get an on-board FM radio and Xpress Audio Messaging, which is a pre-recorded voice message technology that will give feedback to callers. I can see this one being popular with the younger crowd.

June 11 is the date when Mac owners in the US will be tossing their other-brand mobile phone to buy the new Apple iPhone, which will solve all their PDA, phone and digital player problems forever. Yes, I am getting carried away, but already Apple lovers I know are starting to talk that way. It's like some great gestalt that affects all Apple users.

Email: jamesh@inet.co.th

Bangkok Post

Last Updated : Wednesday April 11, 2007