Image credits: angerl3272’s flickr photostream

Imagine losing  2 years worth of song collection, not really much as far as actual numbers are concerned but the sentimental value of the collection and the time it took to collect personally memorable songs. The bigger FAIL   is that it’s not my collection.

Here’s how it began to read  on the victim’s post elsewhere:

“As of now, from 500+ songs, 20+ videos.. My iPod is empty. I spent almost two years getting my songs from different computers so rebuilding my library right now would be an entire stretch. My ears suddenly felt naked, having nothing to listen to so I desperately opened LimeWire and started typing. Guess what was the first thing I downloaded? xxx“

And here’s a   lesson I could have learned well in advance:

“I just got my EEE and hooked up my Ipod before reading this thread.  Now my Ipod shows no songs when I unhook it from the computer.  However, when I rehook it up, it still plays everything through the media player.  I’m assuming this is a similar issue to what everyone else is having.”

The writer’s assumption is valid.   Hindsight is 20/20 vision.  Here’s the thread on the Eeeuser Forum.

So I  did some  research to do damage-control.  Don’t know if the  software on this  site could  help.  I just texted the aggrieved party  asking if she has done a factory reset of  the iPod preparatory to rebuilding  the collection.

Her reply, “yeah, a few hours ago”.

Oops Strike 2!

Perhaps I should get a copy of ASUS PC for  Dummies ?

Imad says, “developers can begin to experience and work with the source code of the visually rich, interactive user interface designed for Intel Atom based netbooks. The Moblin v2.0 user experience has been designed from the ground up to provide unique ways to engage with the internet, aggregate your social networking activity, and enjoy your media content. The new user experience and core applications were developed using the Clutter animation framework, leveraging heavily from GL and the physics engine.”

Personally I like the social networking part. The better to push creativity with.

“Aggregation of your social networking content. This provides you with the ability to see your social networking activities on one screen, easily interact with your friends, and update your status and site information. Twitter and Last.fm are the currently supported social networking sites, with more to come.”

Perhaps we can call Moblin a “social OS?”

Here’s a screenshot from engadget.com:

I am told that it has been tested with some success on the 901 model. As I write this, I am poring through some relevant posts around the  Eee  PC 701.

Got this snippet of news from this article:

Gadgets: Now and Upcoming For Q4 ‘09

Mostly a normal keyboard, this nifty little device also contains…an entire Eee PC inside it! Yes, it is basically meant for computing where space crunch is just understating the situation. Or for computer geeks like me who want to try it out just for the sake of trying out a new form factor. I wonder if this device, aptly called the Eee Keyboard, will inspire an entire range of netkeyboards from Asus and others.

Asus has finally decided that this device will be launched this October. Possibly because the bosses do not want to miss out on the Christmas spending spirit just like the other companies. No words on the price yet but the estimation is that it will stay within the netbook territory, which means in between $300-400.

It has all the things a netbook has, like display out (HDMI), WiFi (802.11b/g/n) and even Bluetooth. Soon we might see people typing on what looks like only a keyboard with nothing attached to it. But I guess it cannot get any weirder after people started using barely visible Bluetooth headsets.

Image credits: http://www.devicedaily.com/

This could also be good for consumers as you may have guessed.

Stuart Corner reports that:

Netbooks, products that did not exist two years ago, are driving the biggest transformation in the PC industry in 15 years, largely because of telcos enthusiastically promoting netbooks with subsidies as they do cellphones, according to research firm Canalys.

“The biggest change of all has been the success the telcos have had in selling subsidised 3G netbooks, emulating the mobile phone business model,” Canalys says. “The market shares of PC vendors are changing rapidly on the back of their willingness to commit to the netbook category and their agility in chasing these new, substantial telco deals.”

“Tim Coulling, Canalys research analyst, said, “Our latest research reveals that, in August, across Europe, the four PC vendors with the most telco deals were Samsung, Asus, HP and Acer.”

Alex Villafania in a related report says:

“Some of the telco-sold units are being subsidized and Canalys noted that the “sweet spot” for some of the netbooks is 100 to 199 British pounds (about P8,000 to P16,000).

In the Philippines, Most netbooks are sold off the shelf from about P15,000 to P23,000.

Local telecommunications firms have yet to start selling netbooks directly although they have partnerships with retail shops where they bundle third-generation or 3G USB receivers with netbooks.”

Yes, its been happening as early as March 18, 2009. Here’s a press release of a bundled service (Asus Eee PC™ 904 GO).

Check out some posts around Facebook Lite.

BREAKING: Facebook Lite is Live

A few weeks ago, we discovered that Facebook was testing Facebook Lite, a stripped-down version of Facebook. It drills Facebook down into its core features, making for a Twitter ()-like experience.

Surf Facebook Lite faster on slow internet connection

It has 2 column interface (unlike 3 columns of Facebook) which loads very quickly.

Instead of going to Facebook.com, goto http://lite.facebook.com/ and login. You will see neat and more readable Facebook interface minus irritating applications announcements like Mafia wars, cards sent etc.

Facebook Lite is here. Verdict: Better

The major visual change in Facebook Lite, compared (to) Facebook “Classic,” is simply that most of the the navigation and info page that was on the left of the page is now gone. The user is not distracted by the mostly superfluous details that resided there. The input box is also gone, replaced by buttons (Write, Post Photos, Post Video) that pop down the actual input forms only when needed.

The new layout feels simpler and faster, almost Twitter-like.

(Credit: Screenshot by Rafe Needleman/CNET)

On a personal note: If you are within the adolescent age bracket, literally or figuratively, you might tend to stick with the regular FB experience. Farmville anyone?

So let’s keep ourselves in the know on some things around the Eee PC with some news, tips and how-tos.

Asus 12” ION Eee PC on horizon according to leaked roadmap; other SKU revisions

Following on from the lead of Lenovo and Samsung with their upcoming ION netbooks, it is no surprise to learn that Asus is also planning an Nvidia ION-powered netbook according to a leaked Eee PC roadmap. The roadmap was disclosed by EeeUser Forum member, JazzDoc, who claims to be an industry insider.

Eee PC Tips: A crash course on linux

If you’ve got a bit of Linux experience under your belt, it’s pretty simple to add some programs, enable an advanced desktop, and tweak the Eee PC to your heart’s content. But it turns out that even if you’re a Linux noob, the learning curve isn’t that steep. Here are some of the most useful Eee hacks/tweaks we’ve discovered in our first half week of playing with it. Thanks to the Eee User community for helping inspire our hacking.

How to Restore the EeePC to its Factory Settings

If you have somehow messed up your EeePC but still have the factory OS loaded on it, you can restore it to the original, out-of-the-box settings in under 5 minutes.

That sounds like a no-brainer. You’d simply rewrite it. Of course you have the benefit of copy-paste technology, and the ability to save trees in the process.

If 19th-century mindset persists, you would go it alone and give your ubermeister streak take you to the next level of greatness.

Now if you haven’t heard yet, there’s such a thing as collaboration and with Web 2.0, We > Me (Read: We are smarter than Me). So why not crowdsource a remake of the epic story?

Impossible? No. Perhaps difficult. Remember Eee PC has a 7″ screen.

Pointless? I leave that to the wisdom of crowds.

Ok, so Novlet comes to mind. It’s an online tool to support collaborative writing of non-linear stories.

“Novlet stories are divided in passages, text sections usually made of a few paragraphs: users can continue stories or add alternative storylines by creating their passages after existing ones. The only limit is your fantasy.”

Interested? How about starting with a portion of Florante at Laura:

CAY CELIA

  Cong pag saulang cong basahin sa isip[2]
ang nan~gacaraang arao n~g pag-ibig,
may mahahaguilap cayang natititic
liban na cay Celiang namugad sa dibdib?

  Yaong Celiang laguing pinan~gan~ganiban
baca macalimot sa pag-iibigan;
ang iquinalubog niyaring capalaran
sa lubhang malalim na caralitaan.

  Macaligtaang co cayang di basahin[3]
nagdaáng panahón n~g suyuan namin?
caniyang pagsintáng guinugol sa aquin
at pinuhunan cong pagod at hilahil?

  Lumipas ang arao na lubhang matamis
at ualáng nátira condi ang pag-ibig[4],
tapat na pag suyong lalagui sa dibdib
hanggang sa libin~gan bangcay co,i, maidlip.

  N~gayong namamanglao sa pan~gon~golila
ang guinagaua cong pag-alio sa dusa
nag daang panaho,i, inaala-ala,
sa iyong laraua,i, ninitang guinhaua.

  Sa larauang guhit n~g sa sintang _pincel_
cusang ilinimbag sa puso,t, panimdim,[5]
nag-íisang sanláng naiuan sa aquin
at di mananacao magpahangang libing[6].

New Asus Color E-Reader Folds Like a Book

Must have been the feeling of a  magpie that  got me  drawn   to “something shiny”.

Here’s what Priya Ganapati says   in  the  report:

“Computer maker Asus, known for its line of Eee PC netbooks, is working on an e-book reader that will have two touchscreens and when laid open will resemble a hardcover book.

Asus showed a prototype of the device at the CeBIT trade show in March. But now additional details have trickled out.

An Asus representative confirmed to Wired.com the company will probably show the device at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.

Asus’ e-reader will likely have color touchscreens, a speaker, a webcam and a microphone, along with the capability to make inexpensive Skype calls. Despite all those features, Britain’s Sunday Times reports, somewhat unbelievably, that it may be priced lower than its competitors from Sony and Kindle.

The e-reader market is one of the hottest consumer product categories this year. Just the last few months have seen a slew of new product announcements. After introducing Kindle 2, the updated version of its e-reader, Amazon launched a broadsheet reading device called the Kindle DX. Last month Sony introduceda $400 wireless e-reader with a 7-inch screen and cut the price on its older models to offer the cheapest e-book reader in the market. Meanwhile, two other companies — iRex and Plastic Logic — plan to offer new large-screen readers later this year or early next year.

But all e-readers, available and planned, are black and white. Asus’ product will likely be the first to offer a color screen. The move, coupled with unexpected features such as speakers and mic, is the only way the company can stand out in a crowded market.”

Smoking!

“Asus has let loose another two notebooks from the multimedia N-Series range, where they will come in rather large varities of the 16″ N61 and the 17.3″ N71. Both models will target the multimedia enthusiast who would love to squeeze in a spot of gaming on their travels, and we’re not talking about Solitaire here - no sir, with the power of an NVIDIA GeForce GT 240M/GT 220M under the hood, we’re looking at great looking games running smoothly without any framerate problems. Shared specifications include the upcoming Windows 7 operating system, up to 4GB RAM, a maximum hard drive size of 500GB and a Blu-ray/DVD combo drive. Audio is supplied using Asus’ SonicMaster amplification system that works in tandem with Altec Lansing speakers and SRS Premium Sound. There is no word on pricing or availability, but we’re looking at a post October 22nd release (due to Windows 7).”

Except for the image, the full text was taken from ubergizmo.

Here’s a more exciting image from engadget:

Like much!

With all those powerful features, leaving home may just sound like a  very difficult option. Which shouldn’t prevent a hard-core gamer  cum  telecommuter from getting a  nice blend of  having fun and  “bringing home” the bacon.  Now, if you must leave home, you  know the drill.