Playbook to PC connection is broken

This seems to be an "Elephant in the room"! Nobody on the Blackberry forums, including Crackberry, seem to come to this conclusion.

I know that I had this working before on many computers in the past, but when I tried to configure a new computer so that I could transfer video onto my Playbook for an upcoming trip, the PB refused to show up in Windows Explorer.

Before it was very simple. All I did was connect the PB to the computer using a USB cable and allowed the drivers and software to install. A drive automatically appeared in Windows Explorer. I quickly established THAT I DID NOT NEED BLACKBERRY DESKTOP SOFTWARE, all I needed was the BB Device Manager. This small (although I think fundamental fact) is ignored by all that I could find on the forums.

So how did I find a solution?

I did find one, on the Crackberry forum. The solution/workaround (I will not say it is the answer as I think that RIM have truly broken this!) was provided by Bronco26. The date of the post was 2 Sep 2012, which brings me to another pet peeve, in that when you search for a problem you are then faced with determining if the post is current and whether your problem is a new one. You can clearly see the date of this post. My work-around was in the mapping of the Playbook by determination of the network name and making a mapping in Windows Explorer manually. Bronco26 explains how to do this so I will not repeat it.

However, this is not the solution, the BB to PC connectivity is BROKEN! I cannot see how RIM (or anyone else) expects users to do this. I did not have to so this before and I certainly don't have these problems with my iPads.

DVD43 Plug-in 1.0.0.5 still seems to have the problems that it did before

Looking at some of the visits that found my website, I see that DVD43 Plugin still seems to be confusing those that download it:

Looking at some of the comments, and the one below was seconded today, there is still those that cannot get it to work.

I guess the main problem is that it is not clearly stated on the Brothersoft download site that the plugin will only work with 1ClickDVD from LGSoftwareInnovations.

Unlike when I downloaded the Plugin in 2010 the current Plugin does not contain the text file so that I can look at the source code to see if it makes sense.

More Non-US computers users seem to want Windows 8 for free

Judging by the search results that I am seeing:

Most of the "hits" are from those outside North America

Links:

• Thinking Of Stealing Windows 8? Microsoft Probably Won't Mind -
      makeuseof.com  - September 7, 2012, Erez Zukerman

The risk of an unsecured WiFi network

I have just listened to a Radio 4 program where a "Wireless Security Professional" was talking about a  survey that he was conducting that claimed the a large number of WiFi Network users were at risk due to the fact that their routers were either not protected by a password or they were using "Old Technology" (using encryption such as WEP).

This is largely nonsense! It is just a way of him promoting his business and others like him that would like to sell you a solution to this "problem".

I am not saying that your information cannot be obtained by the so-called cyber-criminals but I have been studying this for as long as there have been wireless networks and I have yet to find a way! You could say that this is because I am not as smart as the criminals and those that are supposedly taking advantage of all this, however, I do not think that this is the case.  If you read this blog and my website, tempusfugit.ca - I think that you will see that I have been looking at this at great length for a lot of time.

There were many other inconsistencies and errors in what the "expert" was saying and I will go into these with others that may want to ask questions. The radio piece had far too many "coulds" for my liking. Like "a criminal could see what your banking details are." The emphasis was on the could and not that the criminal can.

I am at a loss to see the value of Bogus Videos

Having had the reason to look to see what was posted on You Tube and other video hosting websites I am confused to see what the value and motives of those that create and post bogus videos on the Internet.

My assumption is that creators get some sort of kudos for the fact that their videos are viewed and also appear in search engine results lists.

Of the ones that I have seen, and I don't make a major habit of this, are clearly attempts at making out that the poster has the solution to enable the pirating of Windows 8. Seeing that Windows 8 has yet to be available in the stores on hardware and the software (Windows 8 Pro RTM) has only been released to manufacturers for a month or so, it is doubtful that there will be copies of Windows 8 that can be downloaded and installed in a non-legal manner.

The activation methods used by Microsoft for Windows 8 is completely different from what they used for Windows 7 and Vista. Posting a video that shows the activation of 7 and saying that a Loader for Windows 8 will be released when Windows 8 is officially released is wrong. Similarly, if you post a video of a "beta" version of Windows 8 it is as useless as claiming that it will be possible to activate Windows 8 in the same way as 7.

Links:

• The Dailymotion video
• The You Tube video

Will Windows 8 Hybrids have Win8 Pro?

When Microsoft release the Surface on the 26th October 2012 it will be the WinRT version. The Windows 8 Pro models are slated for release 90 days after this, in 2013 (or rather ?? December 2012).

The question is, will there be Windows 8 Pro "hybrids" available before that date?

Surely, if the "competition" get a "toe-hold" on the market before "Balmer's boys" they will be behind the 8 ball?

The WinRT models, in the shape of a Surface or another "Hybrid" device are likely to reveal that they are not any more use than an iPad. Let's hope they are priced accordingly.

Logged visits:

Montgomery Village, Maryland

Universal Benefit and Data Security

I don't see what the issue is with Data Security and the proposal for Universal Benefit.

Maybe there are many in the UK that cannot get access to the Internet, although I find this difficult to believe, but the fact that there is a concern with keeping claimants information secure seems to be a "red herring".

Data security has been a well crafted part of e-commerce for a long time now. Even banks use it - and we all know they have no problems!!!!!

Installing Windows 8 RT on an Android Tablet

This is collection of "How-to"s and discussion on the method to install the Windows 8 RT image onto a rooted Android device.

First you need to download the Windows 8 RT image that is  designed to run on an ARM device. This version can be made to run on similar NVidia Tegra and A5X SOC powered devices such as the Asus Transformer Prime and iPad 3

The exact procedure and links to where to download the required software will be featured on my website. tempusfugit.ca

What will the consumer opinion on Windows 8 be?

Now that Microsoft are about to release Windows 8, initially as RT (the tablet - cripple version) and then Windows 8 Pro. It will be interesting to see what the reviews on how it is accepted by the consumer.

Many of the "big-box" stores are offering deals such as $14.99 for Windows 8 Pro when it is released if you purchase a computer with Windows 7 on it now. The question is, is this a reason for either upgrading to Windows 8 or just stay with 7, as it is not a bad operating system as it is. If you are purchasing a computer that does not have "touch" capability, there is little reason to want to go to 8. Sure, there will be those that tell you that 8 is "faster" or "more secure" than 7,  but are they just trying to spin you a line?

I say - stick with Windows 7 until Windows 8 has proven itself. In any case the Metro (and MS don't want you to call it that!) interface is pig ugly. It may be good for a tablet but for a regular computer...............?

Upgrading to Windows 8

There must be a lot of computer purchasers that have bought Windows 7 computers for going "Back to School".

Many retailers, including Best Buy, have offers that if you purchase a Windows 7 computer now they will give you are copy of Windows 7 Pro when it is released.

If this is not the case you will have to either purchase a copy and install it yourself, later on this year. You may even want to download a copy of Window 8 Pro RTM from a file sharing site and activate it with the
Windows 8 Loader.

On the other hand there is probably little to be gained by installing Windows 8 on your Windows 7 hardware. It is likely not to be "touch screen" enabled and the reports of performance improvements are speculative at best.