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DELL LAPTOP WITH WINDOWS 7 WON’T ENTER STANDBY, HIBERNATE, SLEEP, CRASHES WITH
BSOD AFTER SCREEN HAS TURNED OFF

April 1, 2015

In case anyone else encounters this particular issue….

In January/early February 2015 my Dell laptop suddenly stopped going into
standby. The screen turned off, but the machine didn’t go to sleep for a long
time. Usually I forced a shutdown with the power button.

It took quite a while before I got around to debugging this, but a few days ago
I did, and it appears that the problem was a very old Intel Wifi driver
-specifically for the Centrino 6205 Advanced-N module. The driver being used was
dated 21.12.2010 (version 14.0.1.2). I don’t know how this driver came to be
used, but when I downloaded and installed the most recent driver package for the
6205 from Intel (version 17.14.0), I still wound up with the same driver.
The solution for me was to download a driver package from last year – version
15.13.0.2 (driver date 22.07.2014). Now sleep works again.

I don’t know how this happened – perhaps an installation failure with the most
recent drivers caused Windows to default back to using original drivers for the
chipset?

In any event – I debugged this through getting BSOD info in event viewer and
dump files, and used WinDbg to open the dump files. I then googled for keywords,
notably for the “probably caused by NETwNs64.sys” driver.

Cheers,

Are

 

And here’s the dump file:

> Microsoft (R) Windows Debugger Version 6.3.9600.17237 AMD64
> Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
> 
> Loading Dump File [C:\Windows\Minidump32715-15132-01.dmp]
> Mini Kernel Dump File: Only registers and stack trace are available
> 
> DbsSplayTreeRangeMap::Add: ignoring zero-sized range at ?fffff8a0`04b64c32?
> DbsSplayTreeRangeMap::Add: ignoring zero-sized range at ?fffff8a0`0426d022?
> DbsSplayTreeRangeMap::Add: ignoring zero-sized range at ?fffff800`00b9a3c0?
> 
> ************* Symbol Path validation summary **************
> Response Time (ms) Location
> Deferred SRV*c:\websymbols*http://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols
> Symbol search path is:
> SRV*c:\websymbols*http://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols
> Executable search path is:
> Windows 7 Kernel Version 7601 (Service Pack 1) MP (4 procs) Free x64
> Product: WinNt, suite: TerminalServer SingleUserTS
> Built by: 7601.22943.amd64fre.win7sp1_ldr.150126-1511
> Machine Name:
> Kernel base = 0xfffff800`03056000 PsLoadedModuleList = 0xfffff800`03299890
> Debug session time: Thu Mar 26 16:26:17.591 2015 (UTC + 1:00)
> System Uptime: 0 days 5:31:23.299
> Loading Kernel Symbols
> ………………………………………………………
> ……………………………………………………….
> …….Unable to load image Unknown_Module_00000000`00000000, Win32 error 0n2
> *** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for Unknown_Module_00000000`00000000
> Unable to add module at 00000000`00000000
> 
> Press ctrl-c (cdb, kd, ntsd) or ctrl-break (windbg) to abort symbol loads that
> take too long.
> Run !sym noisy before .reload to track down problems loading symbols.
> 
> Loading User Symbols
> Loading unloaded module list
> …………………
> *******************************************************************************
> * *
> * Bugcheck Analysis *
> * *
> *******************************************************************************
> 
> Use !analyze -v to get detailed debugging information.
> 
> BugCheck 9F, {3, fffffa8006b81060, fffff80000b9a3d8, fffffa800e62cbd0}
> 
> *** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for NETwNs64.sys
> *** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for
> NETwNs64.sys
> Probably caused by : NETwNs64.sys
> 
> Followup: MachineOwner
> ———
> 
> 0: kd> !analyze -v
> *******************************************************************************
> * *
> * Bugcheck Analysis *
> * *
> *******************************************************************************
> 
> DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE (9f)
> A driver has failed to complete a power IRP within a specific time.
> Arguments:
> Arg1: 0000000000000003, A device object has been blocking an Irp for too long
> a time
> Arg2: fffffa8006b81060, Physical Device Object of the stack
> Arg3: fffff80000b9a3d8, nt!TRIAGE_9F_POWER on Win7 and higher, otherwise the
> Functional Device Object of the stack
> Arg4: fffffa800e62cbd0, The blocked IRP
> 
> Debugging Details:
> ——————
> 
> DRVPOWERSTATE_SUBCODE: 3
> 
> IRP_ADDRESS: fffffa800e62cbd0
> 
> DEVICE_OBJECT: fffffa8008243050
> 
> DRIVER_OBJECT: fffffa800864c060
> 
> IMAGE_NAME: NETwNs64.sys
> 
> DEBUG_FLR_IMAGE_TIMESTAMP: 4d10df1b
> 
> MODULE_NAME: NETwNs64
> 
> FAULTING_MODULE: fffff880058a4000 NETwNs64
> 
> CUSTOMER_CRASH_COUNT: 1
> 
> DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID: WIN7_DRIVER_FAULT
> 
> BUGCHECK_STR: 0x9F
> 
> PROCESS_NAME: System
> 
> CURRENT_IRQL: 2
> 
> ANALYSIS_VERSION: 6.3.9600.17237 (debuggers(dbg).140716-0327) amd64fre
> 
> DPC_STACK_BASE: FFFFF80000BA0FB0
> 
> STACK_TEXT:
> fffff800`00b9a388 fffff800`0313a8e2 : 00000000`0000009f 00000000`00000003
> fffffa80`06b81060 fffff800`00b9a3d8 : nt!KeBugCheckEx
> fffff800`00b9a390 fffff800`030d4b3c : fffff800`00b9a4c0 fffff800`00b9a4c0
> 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000001 : nt! ?? ::FNODOBFM::`string’+0x336b0
> fffff800`00b9a430 fffff800`030d49d6 : fffffa80`0e67e588 fffffa80`0e67e588
> 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 : nt!KiProcessTimerDpcTable+0x6c
> fffff800`00b9a4a0 fffff800`030d48be : 0000002e`4b5ebc4c fffff800`00b9ab18
> 00000000`001372c2 fffff800`0324aac8 : nt!KiProcessExpiredTimerList+0xc6
> fffff800`00b9aaf0 fffff800`030d46a7 : 0000000c`a17a7fc2 0000000c`001372c2
> 0000000c`a17a7f52 00000000`000000c2 : nt!KiTimerExpiration+0x1be
> fffff800`00b9ab90 fffff800`030c1b8a : fffff800`03246e80 fffff800`03254cc0
> 00000000`00000002 fffff880`00000000 : nt!KiRetireDpcList+0x277
> fffff800`00b9ac40 00000000`00000000 : fffff800`00b9b000 fffff800`00b95000
> fffff800`00b9ac00 00000000`00000000 : nt!KiIdleLoop+0x5a
> 
> STACK_COMMAND: kb
> 
> FOLLOWUP_NAME: MachineOwner
> 
> FAILURE_BUCKET_ID: X64_0x9F_3_POWER_DOWN_IMAGE_NETwNs64.sys
> 
> BUCKET_ID: X64_0x9F_3_POWER_DOWN_IMAGE_NETwNs64.sys
> 
> ANALYSIS_SOURCE: KM
> 
> FAILURE_ID_HASH_STRING: km:x64_0x9f_3_power_down_image_netwns64.sys
> 
> FAILURE_ID_HASH: {1414b9aa-01f9-e8c4-5871-cad7a5477240}
> 
> Followup: MachineOwner
> ———



Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »


AUDIO ADS IN THE ECONOMIST AUDIO EDITION

December 25, 2013
(Update March 27: It seems the audio ads are removed – well done, The Economist!
Subscription continuing.)

(This is an e-mail I’ve sent to The Economist customer service.)

Dear The Economist,

I’ve been a loyal subscriber for about 10 years. For the last few years I have
mostly consumed your newspaper through the audio edition. It is an excellent way
to get in-depth news coverage when walking or driving, and both the content and
the presentation are usually top notch.

In the last couple of editions, you have inserted audio advertisements. This
disrupts my concentration and the good mood I’m usually in when listening to The
Economist.

Unlike paper ads, audio ads cannot be skipped in a heartbeat. My mobile phone is
in my pocket or on the passanger car seat, and when walking or driving it is a
huge nuisance to pick it up, unlock it, find the music player and fast-forward
past the ad (in the mp3 edition).

This deliberate degradation of your newspaper is annoying enough that I’m
probably going to cancel my subscription by February unless you reverse it.

Do you have any plans to evaluate the audio ads and consider removing them?

Best regards,

Are Espelid Wold


Tags: advertising, audio, audio edition, The Economist
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »


THE MOST ENERGIZING GADGET OF 2011 – A REVIEW OF THE NEW TRENT 11000 MAH
BATTERY PACK

September 17, 2011
I love gadgets. Gadgets need battery power, and the most cutting-edge gadgets
sometimes need a lot of it. As a heavy user of my Samsung Galaxy S II, I’ve
often had to recharge my phone in the afternoon, particularly on days where I
use it for tracking workouts, listening to music and shooting video.A power
outlet isn’t always available, however. Previously, I’ve tried using a Philips
1500 mAh reserve battery unit, outputting 350 milliwatts. I’ve used it  to
recharge my Nokia N82 and, later on, a HTC Desire. It worked OK with the N82,
but barely delivered enough power to sustain the battery level on the HTC. Also,
the total amount of power in practice equated to less than one full charge on
the HTC.



I mostly stopped using the Philips device – just not worth it – but I’ve been on
the lookout for a replacement. This is it!


The “NEW Trent” battery has a lousy name and isn’t exactly widely marketed, but
has a claimed capacity of 11000 mAh (!!), good reviews on Amazon.co.uk and
outputs 1000 miliwatts. In practice, I’ve found that it can charge my SGS II
about 3 times – ie a real life capacity of somewhere around 1650 * 3 mAh. And it
charges fast – about as fast as a wall charger!The Trent itself charges from a
wall socket – unfortunately not via a USB interface – and takes about 5-6 hours
to reach full capacity. You can see a rough estimate of the current battery
level on the main on-button – it has 1-3 LEDs indicating the level. It is not
very accurate – one it hits 1 LED left, you’d better recharge the unit.



Operation is easy – plug in a USB cable, press and hold the “on”-button for a
second, and power is flowing!

I would have liked to see a more accurate battery level readout and a USB
interface for charging the unit itself, but apart from that, I love this big
little battery to bits. It’s always with me when I’m out and about, and has
enabled me to video/snap photos/surf/whatever innumerable times when the phone
battery itself has run dry. And thanks to the USB interface, it can charge
plenty of different devices.

It’s worth noting that New Trent has released new models with two USB ports and
different power levels (500/1000 mw), so doing some product research here is a
good idea. I can vouch for the general concept as well as the brand, that’s for
sure.

PS: The phone was out of juice when I needed to take the photo above –
thankfully the New Trent was available ;)

Tags: battery, battery pack, New Trent, Review
Posted in Review | Leave a Comment »


REVIEW: JABRA HALO BLUETOOTH STEREO HEADSET

September 3, 2011

Summary
If you listen a lot to web radio or podcasts when commuting, shopping, walking
and similar, this headset is a good choice. It is not ideal for music and
extensive phone calls.



Intro
I’ve had the Halo for about six months now. I got it as a replacement for my
Koss PortaPros, which I have been using as my standard headphones when walking
to/from work, listening to music at work and listening to music/podcasts when
commuting. The Halo cost me about 800 NOK /150 USD. My aim was to avoid wire
tangles and getting more use of the Bluetooth functionality on my phone. I also
hoped to be able to use them for handsfree calling, as they include a
microphone.

The headset


The Halo has a somewhat plasticky construction. They fold together, and the
folding mechanism serves as an on/off switch. When you “open” them, they turn on
and look for the BT unit they are paired to. I haven’t tried pairing with more
than 1 unit at once.

On the inside of the head band, one light indicates BT activity and one light
flashes to indicate low battery. The right speaker unit has a button on the
outside, which can be used to play/pause playback (works in most Android
music/podcasting programs I’ve tried), to accept a call, and to speed-dial the
last person you talked to by pressing it twice rapidly. Sound volume is
controlled by sliding a finger up or down the speaker unit – works well! – and
skipping to the next or previous track can be done by double tapping on the
upper or lower part. It’s a little bit tricky to hit the right spot for
next/previous.

The construction doesn’t feel sturdy, and initially I was worried about the
headset breaking, but I haven’t had any problems. I do try to avoid leaving them
at the very bottom of the bag.

In use
The Halo is light and comfortable to wear. An added bonus for me was that,
unlike the PortaPros, they don’t catch in my hair when I take them off.

When turned on, they quickly connect to the unit they are paired to, in my case
a Samsung Galaxy S II. If no BT unit is available to connect to, you might have
to turn the Halo off, enable BT on your phone, and turn it back on to connect. I
thought I might be able to use the button on the right hand side to make a
connection, but no luck.

Battery life seems to be about 10 hours of sound playback. I haven’t really
tracked this closely – I just try to remember to charge them every now and then,
and battery life hasn’t been a concern. The fact that the Halo charges over
microUSB is a big plus.

Not having wires is great. No tangling into luggage or bags, no plug protruding
from the mobile phone when it’s in my pocket, no work administrating the one
metre long PortaPro wire when moving around.

The Halo works pretty well for exercise – except that the inside of the headband
has a comfortable textile material which will absorb sweat easily. That makes me
reluctant to use them when running.

Sound quality
This is my only major objection to this headset. I hoped it would be able to
fully replace my PortaPros, but when it comes to dedicated music listening, they
just can’t compete. In noisy surroundings – like on the bus – where the sound
from any semi-open headset would be degraded by the sounds from the environment
– sound quality feels tolerable. But if you sit in a quiet office space, like I
normally do when listening to music, it’s not good enough. Consequently I bring
my PortaPros with me for music listening. It is possible to use a cable to
connect the Halo via 3,5mm jack instead of over Bluetooth, but as the PortaPros
are a little more comfortable over a long timespan and have better sound quality
even when the Halo is wired, I bring those instead of extra wires for the Halo.



Phone calls
Phone calls sound great – that is, if you are the one using the Halo. The other
party tends to complain that the sound from the microphone is too weak, and if
the other party is in a noisy environment, I most often use the handset itself
for the call. Fortunately, the Halo can be enabled/disabled from the in-call
menu.

Conclusion
On the go, I mostly listen to podcasts and streaming radio, and I don’t do a lot
of phone calls. The Halo thus fits my needs quite well, and if your usage
pattern is similar to mine, I recommend it. I do hope to see a future edition
with better audio quality and improved microphone performance.

Tags: bluetooth, Halo, Jabra
Posted in Review, Wireless | 2 Comments »


WHY OPENING SPOTIFY THIS MORNING MADE ME NERVOUS

May 23, 2010

I opened up Spotify on the desktop for the first time in some weeks this
morning, and noticed that the “People”-tab – sparsely populated last time I used
the desktop app – was overflowing with Facebook contacts.

This is… pretty neat. But it makes me feel a bit queasy.

If this is how the social component of applications is going to work – by
pulling your friends from Facebook – it means that you will have to have a
Facebook account to use those social components. You can’t befriend people using
Facebook when being hooked into another social network.

Consequently, to use Spotify to its full extent, I now have to accept Facebook’s
privacy policies. For instance, I can’t use those Spotify features and hide who
my friends are on Facebook. I don’t approve of this chain of logic.

The “social graph” functionality that Facebook has introduced is way too
important to be controlled by any single company. We need an open protocol for
this, just as we have open protocols for e-mail, web, telephony and so on.

The question is whether this change will come about due to regulatory pressures
– Facebook is bound to run into some competition watchdog sooner or later – or
whether an open alternative will emerge before that happens. (Unlikely as long
as Facebook has a monopoly on the social graph and refuses to enable integration
with other social networks.)

BBC article on privacy, Facebook and potential competitors
Facebook, Google and privacy (The Economist)
Facebook’s gone rogue – it’s time for an open alternative (Wired)
Diaspora, an attempt to create an open social network

Posted in "web standards", internet, standards | 1 Comment »


A NON-VIDEOPHILE’S REVIEW OF THE EPSON EH TW-2900 PROJECTOR

February 8, 2010

I’m not really a hi-fi enthusiast, but I do know the difference between 480i,
720p, 1080p, Blu-ray and HDTV, component and HDMI, et cetera. For the past few
years I’ve mostly used a BenQ PE5120 480p widescreen movie projector as my
primary video device, but as HD projectors have dropped in price I’ve been
increasingly tempted to upgrade.



Over Christmas, I watched the first movie of the Star Wars series on DVD, and
when you have to make the picture artificially bright to see any detail at all
in dark scenes – so bright that you lose lots of detail in bright ones (think
Kamino, for those who know Star Wars) – well, then it’s time to spend some
money. Even if Star Wars is not released for Blu-ray yet.

I do have a Playstation 3, so all I needed to go HD was a decent projector. I
didn’t want to spend a ton of cash, but I did want the full 1080p resolution. No
point in half measures. Also, I have a small living room and poor placement
options, so flexibility and low noise emissions matter a great deal to me.

After a few days of doing a bit of research, the Epson EH TW-2900 became the
front runner among the projector candidates – I also read about Optoma and Sanyo
projectors. Now having used the Epson for movies (Star Wars), HDTV nature
bonanza (BBC’s splendid Planet Earth) and gaming (Rock Band 2) as well as
watching TV online, I have to say I’m very happy. The projector is physically
huge – especially compared with the old PE5120 – but it delivers on all my key
criteria.

– Noise is low. It is at least as quiet as the older, lower-specced BenQ. Even
though I have the projector underneath a table in front of the sofa, what little
noise the projector makes has not bothered me at all. (I do run in “eco mode”.)
– Heat exhaust is forward and to the right. Very convenient when you’re sitting
directly behind the projector.
– Screen size is good, even though there’s just 2,5 metres from the projector to
the screen. (I use one of those fantastic IKEA projection screens. Ahem.)
– The picture is fabulous. Note that I’m no hifi expert, but to my eyes, the
image quality is sterling.
– It has a high lumen output. Watching TV in a bright room works well, even
without using the extra bright mode.

My conclusion: If you’re looking for a reasonably priced (I paid 11000 NOK) home
projector with full 1080p and decent noise levels, you must consider this
somewhat tank-shaped unit. I’m looking forward to many, many hours of movie
watching on the Epson EH TW-2900 (not least Star Wars in HD, whenever that
blessed day arrives!).

Tags: Epson, projector
Posted in Awesome, Review | 6 Comments »


THREE MONTHS ON – REVIEW OF THE KINDLE 2

January 5, 2010

As a gadget enthusiast and wannabe bookworm, I jumped onto the bandwagon right
away when Amazon released their Kindle 2 with international support. It arrived
promptly via UPS after three days, and I’ve now had it for more than three
months. This is a revised version of the review I wrote after using it for about
a week, written for calcuttagutta.com.



During my time with the device, I’ve read 5 books:
– The Children of Men (PD James)
– Knife of Dreams (Robert Jordan)
– The Gathering Storm (Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson)
– The Road (Cormac McCarthy)
– The Lost Symbol (Dan Brown)

When I unpacked the device originally, I was on a half-hour tram ride. It
provided the perfect opportunity to give it a go. As I hoped, the battery charge
was sufficient for immediate use. After switching it on, I could go online
without needing to configure anything – marvellous. I searched up “The Children
of Men”, bought it, had it on the device in less than two minutes and started
reading. By the end of the ride I was well into the third chapter and having a
good time.

The Kindle 2 is the right size. It doesn’t feel that solid, but it is pretty
light-weight, which is more important. I’ll eventually get some sort of
hardcover plastic protection for it, but so far it’s been getting along well
with alongside my laptop in my backpack, protected by a cartboard folder.

The e-ink screen works well – the more light you have available, the better. It
can’t compete with paper for constrast, but it reaches the crucial “good enough”
milestone. View angles are great. I love the ability to adjust font size – being
nearsighted, I turned it up a notch at once, and this makes it easier for me to
have a comfortable reading position when using the Kindle as compared to normal
books. The fact that the device is board-shaped means it is practical to read
when holding it with one hand, and having the “Next”-button there on both sides
means you can alternate hands. I’m really appreciating this – it means I can
stand, eat and read simultaneously. The board-ey nature of the device also means
it can be put down on a table and stay there without support while you’re
reading – unlike, say, a pocketbook.

The device’s buttons themselves didn’t feel great after initial use, but after
reading a few books on the device I don’t think about them anymore.

Navigating menus and surfing Wikipedia or the Kindle store is slow, but usable.
The reading support (by an artificial voice) is surprisingly good, though not
something you’d use unless you were desparate to read the book but unable to use
your own eyes. I haven’t used the MP3 support yet. It is obvious that this is a
dedicated reading device – and to me, that’s definitely a good thing. It
translates to a good reading experience and long battery life – I have charged
mine three times since getting it, read six books on it (my brother borrowed it
to read one), and it is still at 50%. A book is supposed to be a book, not
everything else a electronic device with a screen could possibly be, and I like
that the Kindle is dedicated to being good book.

I’ve used the open-source caliber support application to convert PDFs and
transfer stuff to the Kindle – works like a charm. As a result, I now have quite
the mini-library with me wherever I go. And if you don’t have it on the device,
the Kindle store is only a few clicks away. The books are a bit expensive, but
not completely unreasonable – they cost about the same as a pocket book would
cost from the bookstore.

I’d say the principal negative of the Kindle 2 is the lack of support for
lending books to others when you buy books in the Kindle store. I really enjoy
lending books, and I think many avid readers feel the same way – now I can only
give a warm recommendation, unless I want to part with my Kindle for an extended
period of time. And unless the book is in an open format, of course.



Two events really made the Kindle’s appeal dawn on me – first when I considered
continuing “The Time Traveler’s Wife”, but opted for a book on my Kindle
instead, and second, when I was reading a paperback I got for Christmas and
quickly got fed up with how heavy and cumbersome it was to use while lying in
bed. My arms got tired, I had to switch positions fairly frequently. That
doesn’t happen with the Kindle. As long as you have enough natural light and a
reading position less than 110% perfect it is easily my preferred reading
instrument.

To sum it up – this is a nice device which works well as a e-book reader. I like
it, and it makes me read more. It is easy to use, and at 2200 NOK taxes and
freight included not that expensive. If you can handle not being able to lend
books to friends (perhaps swapping Kindles is a substitute..?) I’d say the
Kindle 2 is a good deal. Make sure you consider the Nook too, though the colour
touch screen is a turn-off for me – makes it look less bookey and more like a
tablet computer.

On a final note – I am disappointed that the publishers are trying to wrap DRM
around e-books. You would think that after hopelessly trying to protect movies
from piracy (1 movie = 700 mb) the publishing industry would realise the idiocy
in trying to copy-protect books (one book = 2 mb, maximum). Getting bestsellers
from the internet is easy if you want to, and there are compilations of books
available – say 50-100 books in a package of 300 megabyte. Considering how easy
piracy is, there is not much to lose by getting rid of DRM, and as usual, DRM
harms the legitimate user more than the pirate – if I spend money on a book, I
cannot lend it to others – if I pirate it, I can do with it as I please.

The lesson of the music industry is that you have to make solutions that are
friendly to the consumer – with luck the book publishers won’t need 10 years to
achieve the same insight. (For the record, I’m a very, very happy Spotify user.)

Tags: Amazon, Kindle 2
Posted in Awesome, DRM, Piracy, Review, Technology | 3 Comments »


ACER ASPIRE 5670 / 5672 LAPTOP ISSUES FIXED BY RESETTING NVRAM

December 1, 2009

A friend of mine has had lots of issues with his Acer Aspire 5672. When I did a
system restore (restart, Alt+F10 on boot) without getting rid of the issues
(keyboard and trackpad not working, general system instability), I did a bit of
googling (which I should have done right away).

Turns out that the battery, for some reason, can cause these sorts of issues. My
friend’s battery barely lasts a few minutes, it seems it failing can cause this
– though I can’t quite see the connection.

Anyways – removing the battery, unplugging the machine, and pressing and holding
the power button for one minute (which I’m guessing resets the NVRAM) magically
made the machine stable and caused keyboard and trackpad to start working again.
Weird. But very nice to know, if you happen to have a Acer and an issue of this
kind.

I haven’t tried putting the battery back in, but I’ve a feeling that you should
just get rid of it and buy a new one instead of trying to get more use out of
it.

This is a funny kind of problem – I thought for the longest time that it was
software-related, since the Windows installation was pretty ancient. And since
they keyboard seemed to be working outside of the OS (boot menus), I thought it
wasn’t a hardware problem. I guess NVRAM/PRAM issues sit right between software
and hardware. Lesson learned – if something weird is going on and you can’t
isolate the problem, it’s well worth trying a reset of the NVRAM.

Tags: Acer, Aspire, freeze, keyboard, stability, trackpad
Posted in Troubleshooting | 5 Comments »


THE AMAZON KINDLE 2 – A REVIEW FROM NORWAY

October 26, 2009

As a gadget enthusiast and wannabe bookworm, I jumped onto the bandwagon right
away when Amazon released their Kindle 2 with international support. It arrived
promptly via UPS after three days.



I’ve just finished reading “The Children of Men” by PD James – the time is ripe
for a short review of this practical little device.

I had a rather busy day when receiving it – so a half-hour tram ride provided
the perfect opportunity to give it a go. As I hoped, the battery charge was
sufficient for immediate use. After switching it on, I could go online without
needing to configure anything – marvellous. I searched up the book, bought it,
had it on the device in less than two minutes and started reading. By the end of
the ride I was well into the third chapter and having a good time.

The Kindle 2 is the right size. It doesn’t feel that solid, but it is pretty
light-weight, which is more important. I’m definitely getting some sort of
hardcover plastic protection for it, as I doubt it’ll survive tumbling around in
my backpack on its own.

The e-ink screen works well – the more light you have available, the better. It
can’t compete with paper for constrast, but it reaches the crucial “good enough”
milestone. View angles are great. I love the ability to adjust font size – being
nearsighted, I turned it up a notch at once, and this makes it easier for me to
have a comfortable reading position when using the Kindle as compared to normal
books. The fact that the device is board-shaped means it is practical to read
when holding it with one hand, and having the “Next”-button there on both sides
means you can alternate hands. I’m really appreciating this – it means I can
stand, eat and read simultaneously. The board-ey nature of the device also means
it can be put down on a table and stay there without support while you’re
reading – unlike, say, a pocketbook.

The device’s buttons themselves aren’t that great – they make a low, clicking
sound, which I’d prefer it was without, it is mildly annoying until you get used
to it. I can see it potentially unnerving my partner.

Navigating menus and surfing Wikipedia or the Kindle store is slow, but usable.
I haven’t used the reading support or MP3 support yet. It is obvious that this
is a dedicated reading device – and to me, that’s definitely a good thing. It
translates to a good reading experience and long battery life – I have charged
mine once since getting it, read one book, and it is still at 80%. A book is
supposed to be a book, not everything else a electronic device with a screen
could possibly be, and I like that the Kindle is dedicated to being good book.

I’ve used the open-source caliber support application to convert PDFs and
transfer stuff to the Kindle – works like a charm. As a result, I now have quite
the mini-library with me wherever I go. And if you don’t have it on the device,
the Kindle store is only a few clicks away. The books are a bit expensive, but
not completely unreasonable – they cost about the same as a pocket book would
cost from the bookstore.

I’d say the principal negative of the Kindle 2 is the lack of support for
lending books to others when you buy books in the Kindle store. I really enjoy
lending books, and I think many avid readers feel the same way – now I can only
give a warm recommendation, unless I want to part with my Kindle for an extended
period of time. And unless the book is in an open format, of course.

To sum it up – this is a nice device which works well as a e-book reader. I like
it, and it makes me read more (of course I can’t promise there’s no novelty
factor involved there – we’ll see). It is easy to use, and at 2200 NOK taxes and
freight included not that expensive. If you can handle not being able to lend
books to friends (perhaps swapping Kindles is a substitute..?) I’d say the
Kindle 2 is a good deal. Make sure you consider the Nook too, though the colour
touch screen is a turn-off for me – makes it look less bookey and more like a
tablet computer.

Posted in Amazon, Review, Technology | 6 Comments »


THE LOVELY LOW-FI PHILIPS AZ382 CD/RADIO SPEAKER SYSTE

August 18, 2009

Yeah, I’m usually more into expensive gadgets, like high-end phones. However,
now and then I come across a cheap, low-tech piece of electronic equipment that
merits a little attention.

Behold the Philps AZ382!

The Philips AZ382

Yes, this is the kind of device no one bothers to give a fancy name – like “iPod
Nano” or “HTC Magic”. No worries – at least you know very few of the 500 NOK (80
USD) you pay go into branding the unit!

What’s so great about this sound system?

* It has a decent-quality FM radio and a large, reliable-looking antenna to go
with it.
* There is a CD player there.
* You can put MP3 and WMA files on a memory stick and play them through the USB
port in the front.
* It is small, and thus easy to place.
* It can run on batteries.
* Those speakers produce sound of mediocre quality, but they play pretty loud.
* And, best of all, there is a 3,5 mm mini-jack audio input port on the side!
This means you can use those speakers to play from pretty much any audio source
you have.

You get all this stuff for a very low price. Currently, this little utilitarian
pebble of a low-fi system is playing news over FM in the mornings and podcasts
and The Economist from my mobile phone when I’m working in the kitchen. The USB
port works, but I haven’t had any use for it, as I prefer the user interface on
my phone. Navigating thousands of MP3s through a numerical display is not ideal,
but if you populate a memory stick with good stuff and set the player to
shuffle, you’re good to go.

Apart from the less than fantastic MP3 user experience (which is really
excusable when you consider the price), my only criticism is that the FM tuning
dial is a bit too sensitive. In an area with lots of FM transmitters, finding
the right one can be a bit tricky. Since the 3,5 mm jack is there, I’ve even
sometimes just tuned my Nokia into the desired FM station and hooked that one up
instead.

Overall, two thumbs up for the AZ382, my new everyday hero among sound systems
and a fabulous example of a device achieving versatility through the use of
standards!

Tags: 3.5mm, cd, minijack, mp3, Music, philips, radio, Review, versatile
Posted in Music, Review, standards, Technology | 2 Comments »

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