Are any compact digital cameras more reliable than Canon's models?

I was very impressed when I was able to buy a Canon SD1000 for $170. I'd been pretty fond of my prior Canon compacts, and the new model was still "made in Japan".

I've learned to be less impressed by "made in Japan". The focus motor abruptly stopped working at age 10 months. The camera didn't even last long enough to qualify for my excellent AMEX extended coverage -- I have to work with Canon (yeck).

It seems this camera is known for early death of the focus mechanism: Disruptive Conversations: My Canon SD1000 camera dies... "Lens error, restart camera". I also see from blog post comments that Canon isn't very good about honoring their 1 year warranty.

In retrospect, Canon quality took a dive with the release of the SD600. Of course even the relatively robust S410 died of mode switch failure, but any company can have that sort of design problem. The recurrence of the same problem with the SD600, however, was clearly a bad sign.

So Canon quality is pretty feeble now.

Is that necessarily a bad thing? When these compact Canons work they take great pictures, and until recently camera technology was moving so fast it was reasonable to upgrade a compact camera every 1-2 years. So there was an argument for building for a short life and low purchase costs.

An argument, but not a good argument. It's not like the cameras give us a one month warning of impending doom -- they fail in use.

I hate that.

Anyway, cameras aren't improving nearly as fast as they were in 2006. Now it's reasonable to replace a camera every 3 years instead of yearly.

So Canon's quality/price ratio is wrong for us.

But does the competition offer more reliable compact digital cameras? I doubt anyone offers a 2 year warranty, for example.

That's what I'm trying to figure out. I haven't had any luck so far, but I'll update this post with what I learn. If I find that Nikon, SONY or Olympus are offering a higher quality alternative, or even better warranty service, I'm ready to switch.

Update: The Olympus Stylus SW (770SW) series uses durability as a selling point, and they're more expensive than feature-comparable Canon cameras. That's encouraging, but the word "warranty" doesn't appear anywhere on the Olympus web site. That's not encouraging.

Update 9/11/08: I eventually called Canon service. It was a very short conversation, mostly them telling me to omit the strap, battery, memory card, etc. After we finally mailed the camera it turned around very quickly. They replaced the optical assembly and main "pcb" (circuit board). It works. Canon service did well, though I'd have preferred to avoid them. We're out the cost of the package but the camera is effectively new again.

Update 10/17/08: Just noticed when downloading images that Aperture sees this as the "Canon IXY Digital 10". This was the Japanese market name for the SD1000. Curious! I wondered if there weren't a few more menu options post-repair. No complaints, but worth noting.

iPhone application update error not resolved: don't buy your iPhone until it's fixed

Update 9/14/08: Fixed.

I'm really tired of this bug.

Gordon's Tech: Unknown Error during iPhone app install or update

I'm getting this error with the iPhone I was given when my original white 3G phone cracked.Unkown Error On The iPhone | DamienKomala.com

... Ok so every time I try and update or upgrade an application on my iPhone I get this “Unknown Error: 0xE800002E. After some adjustments I was able to find a method to resolve, or at least update my apps. Here’s the key ...

I can use the uncheck/check app method to get the updates on, but I need to restore all data and configuration.

The 2.0.2 update didn't help. It's scant comfort to know thousands of other people have the same problem.

Don't buy an iPhone until I write that the bug is fixed. This is a deal breaker bug, you don't want to run into it.

Bose QuietComfort 2 Mobile Communications kit vs. Monster iSoniTalk for iPhone

About a year ago I expected that my future iPhone would be joined by the Bose QC 2 mobile communications kit. The kit adds a microphone to Bose QC 2 headphones, so it's possible to use the phones during calls.

Gordon's Tech: Bose QuietComfort 2 Mobile Communications kit connects to an iPhone

... the $40 Bose QuietComfort 2 Mobile Communications Kit. Sure, it's much more expensive than whittling, but it includes a microphone so you can handle incoming calls. On the other hand it only works with post-2005 QC2s ...

I later read that the pre-2005 QC 2 incompatibility was due to an easy-to-remove plastic protrusion. On the other hand, the Apple Store reviews tell us there's no answer/pause button on the Bose microphone.

The Bose kit is fairly elegant looking however. It replaces the standard cord, so there's no cord clutter.

Later I saw a Griffin kit that worked with any set of headphones, had an answer button, and cost half the price. That sounded right -- but it's gone now.

In its place is the Monster iSoniTalk. It was designed for iPhone 1.0 (fits the recess), but works fine with iPhone 2.0.

I agree with the 1/08 review -- it's really pretty good. Costs $20, seems to work well, decent microphone and clip and it has an inline answer button on the mike (like Apple's set). It does create cord clutter; I'd prefer a serial connection with no double cord rather than the iSoniTalk's parallel cord (see pictures in linked review). The splitter by the phone connection is pretty big and ugly looking too.

So get the QC 2 kit if you have the Bose headphones, want minimal cord clutter and a svelte connection, and don't mind answering calls using the iPhone (not a big deal for me). Otherwise, the iSoniTalk is fine. I'm looking forward to trying it with my next conference call.

Update 8/21/08: Turns out these are weird to use. When I wear the QC2 heaphones, my own voice is distant and muffled. The headphones don't play back my own voice.

Scoble joins the Google Reader annotation club

Scoble follows in my footsteps. He's begun using the Google Reader Share function to create a feed made up of items he likes, along with his annotations.

... I’ve been trying to write a note on each blog I share. Today I looked at that and realized it’s a blog about other blogs...

Google Reader shares are an automated form of metablogging, but concerns about copyright are addressed -- the post is made up of the original article with an annotation.

These shares are a feed, so one can subscribe the shares. I subscribe to Scoble's share -- its good stuff.

How to charge an iPhone at multiple computers

iPhone 2.0 can't charge via Firewire. It's one of the most annoying "features" of the new phone.

That means I've lost some chargers. Since iPhone 2.0 is a power hog, I need to be able to charge at the office.

The best way to do this would be to use my corporate laptop's USB port, but I don't want to sync the iPhone at work. That would be a disaster. The iPhone can really only sync at one machine.

One trick is to change the "sync automatically" setting to OFF at your normal sync workstation. That setting travels with the iPhone, so it applies everywhere. You can now plug your iPhone in without fear of sync.

Another trick is to hold the home button when you connect the iPhone. That's supposed to disable Sync but I haven't tried it.

Best of all is to to into iTunes preferences and click on the "Syncing" preference. There you can turn off automatic syncing for all iPhones and iPods. That's what I do at work, so I can recharge my devices from my work machine's USB port.

The ultimate AirTunes, iPhone Remote, iTunes setup

This was hoisted from comments on an post I wrote a few weeks ago. My commenter is describing the ideal multi-user iTunes/AirTunes/iTouch Remote configuration.

First from my original post ...

Gordon's Tech: Remote control of iTunes and AppleTV: will AirTunes return?

... Son of a gun, it works. It really, really works. I've been controlling my upstairs Library from my iPhone, streaming music to my AirPort express, and listening to speakers in two rooms. Years after the AirTunes hype died off, Apple finally delivered.

There's even intriguing/worrisome support for multiple libraries, which brings me to a comment from someone who's gone another step beyond me (note this only works if you wisely avoid the plague of DRM)...

The key bit of good news is that I could control my Library even when iTunes was running in a 10.4 background session.

It gets beter though. From Jan ...

It looks like Remote with iPhones/iPod Touch and AirTunes is the solution for for the multi-room audio setup I was waiting for years to come.

I installed several AirPort Express boxes with AirTunes in the rooms and installed 3 users on a mac mini with fast user switching on. All users have their own iTunes setup and have access to a central NAS Server with all the MP3 files. This won´t work with Windows because Windows won´t allow fast user switching running iTunes !

With this setup every family member is able to hear their music independently on different AirTunes outlets. It really works !

Note Jan has one set of files, but 3 libraries. So each user can sync their iPod or iPhone with their own account and save their own Address Book and preferences, but share one set of music.

Excellent. I'm going to do this one day. Note it requires that the music file be on a NAS. I knew I'd want one of those soon.

Escape from Lunarpages - what next?

I've hosted a set of web pages and domains through Lunarpages. The support and quality hasn't been great, but not so bad that it was worth switching.

Recently, however, they went over a cliff. I've been through two significant domain related screw-ups with them in about six weeks.

This was the reply to the latest problem.

Hello, The issue appears to be related to a glitch in the Cpanel software. Sometimes this is caused by a client attempting to add a subdomain as an addon domain. We are awaiting the next cpanel update which should resolve this issue and will update our servers once it is released. We apologize for the inconvenience. -- Should you have any further questions please feel free to contact us. Best Regards

Right. Not only is the reply pretty annoying (no date?), but also the problem occurred with no changes made to cpanel.

So I'm not happy with Lunarpages -- but are there really better choices? Could I, for example, find a reasonable file hosting service combined with a registrar with user configurable CNAME settings?

Well, yes, there's Google Apps/eNom -- but that won't work for the domains I already use.

Here's the list I have of domain registrars (wikipedia list, icann list)

• Network Solutions: suspected domain name tasting, advertising on user subdomains
  
• Go Daddy: soft core porn reputation, against net neutrality
  
• eNom: Google partner, but not interested in small customers
• Tucows / OpenSRS good values statement
  
• Register.com

Problem is, none of them are too appealing. Seems the entire business is troubled - it looks like 90% of the customer base are name squatters. That's not a group terribly interested in customer service.

So can I find the next best thing to Google -- a quality hosting service that uses eNom? Well, Lunarpages doesn't use eNom, but there 7th on this list. Hmm. Tough bunch!

Ok, what if I look for an OS X friendly service? That might be a measure of a classy outfit. From my own archives I find Dreamhost. Dig a little further, and I see that in 2004 I was deciding between Lunarpages and Dreamhost! (Yes, this blog is a part of my memory.)

Dreamhost is an ICANN approved registrar. They include webdav support, optional VPN services, unlimited subdomains, Jabber instant messaging, custom MX configuration, custom DNS configuration including CNAME revisions ... Not to mention a very elegant and clutter free web site.

So things have changed since 2004. What happens today when I search on the string Lunarpages Dreamhost? I find posts like this one and this one.

I suspect Dreamhost has their own issues. This is a tough business, but it looks like I'm not the first Lunarpages customer to look to Dreamhost.

I think I'll try moving one of the problem domains and see how that goes.

Update: Dreamhost was started by three Harvey Mudd undergrads. As a Caltech alum I actually know of Harvey Mudd -- it's an honorable sort of place.

Update: Even better. Dreamhost offers free hosting for non-profits and they mention use of Google Apps as a deployment option. Perfect. I'll move the Google App based non-profit site I help with first and see how well Dreamhost does. That will eliminate one of domains Lunarpages messed up and I can transfer domain ownership to the non-profit at the same time. Once we see how that goes I'll post with further comments.

Update 8/2/08: Today Lunarpages misconfigured their server and associated an xml mime type with all my pages installed a security update that interacted with changes they'd made to my .htaccess file and took all my pages offline with an obnoxious XML error message. None of them render. I'm now relocating to Dreamhost; I'll have some future blog posts about the migration experience. I'll move all the files first, then the domains last. I have to think about domain migration sequence.

Update 8/29/08: If you sign up with DreamHost and use my promo code, you get the maximal $50 1st year discount. The code is KATEVA.

Things touch 1.1 adds task sync with desktop app

I sync ToDo.app with Toodledo (RTM is an alternative). If Things had had desktop sync 10 days ago, and if it had import and export abilities from the desktop, I might have tried it ...

Things touch 1.1 Syncs, Syncs, Syncs : Things Blog : Cultured Code

This morning, Apple gave the green light for Things touch 1.1. The most prominent new feature is the ability to sync with the desktop version of Things...

... both your Mac and your iPhone/iPod touch have to be connected to the same wireless network. To turn on syncing, start Things on the desktop, go to Preferences > iPhone, and follow the on-screen instructions...

...there are quite a few to-do items on our list. First, the desktop app will see some long awaited improvements that will push it closer to 1.0. .. we will keep you updated on our progress via Twitter.

As is true of every iPhone developer except Missing Sync, the sync is network based.

iPhone developers do seem to love Twitter.

Fixes for iPhone App install problems

Update 9/14/08: Fixed.

I think the problems describe here are a variant of the “unknown error” issues I’ve run into following a difficult iPhone restore procedure. It smells to me like a mismatched DRM-motivated unique identifier. I’d recommend trying ..

1. Expect to lose all app-related data from your phone.
2. Mount phone, don’t allow sync. (If you hold home button on connection it won’t sync, I always disable auto sync).
3. Go to tab for applications, switch to selective sync, uncheck problem app.
4. Sync. (This will remove problem app from phone – and all data)
5. Go to tag for applications, check the problem ap.
6. Sync. This should fix things. Data will be gone

If that doesn’t next up is to restore the phone from a previous backup.

1. Mount phone, don’t allow sync. (If you hold home button on connection it won’t sync, I always disable auto sync).
2. Right click on phone.
3. Restore from backup. Expect to lose new data. Restore takes a LONG time, you have to resync music, etc, you lose all passwords, some config settings.

Or try this …

iPhone OS 2.0.2: Fix for Apps Crashing, Not Launching and Missing Music - iPhone Atlas

… In other cases, you may need to delete the actual update files, then re-download and restore. Delete the update files, located in ~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates under Mac OS X or C:/documents and settings/[yourusername]/Application Data/Apple Computer/iTunes/iPhone Software in Windows…

Palm to iPhone - the summary

I'm wrapping up my series on migrating my personal data from the Palm/Outlook/XP to the iPhone/OS X/Cloud. I've yet to figure out how to manage my work data as well, that will be the subject of future posts.

On the left, a picture of my battered Tungsten E|2. It's my sixth or seventh Palm, and my second E|2. Like most Palm devices the on/off switch died within six months of purchase.

Palm can't make power switches. Or rather, they don't like them to last.

Note there are eight action buttons, four silkscreen and four physical (omitting the center button -- I hardly ever use it). Note the nice search button -- the iPhone doesn't have global search (maybe for a good reason).

Below is the current iPhone. Not coincidentally, the top row corresponds to the four physical buttons on my Palm. The special bottom row, however, is taken over the the phone, google, map, iPod.

The Calendar and Contacts are a close match to the Palm. They sync with iCal and Address Book by USB cable. One improvemnet is that iCal also subscribes to my wife's BlackBerry/Google Calendar, so get to see her appointments on my iPhone (read-only). (iCal further syncs my primary calendar with gCal using Spanning Sync; I've put MobileMe on hold until Apple does some major fixes).

The ToDo.app doesn't sync with iCal, it syncs with Toodledo. My family Google Calendar also gets a feed from Toodledo, it shows tasks as all day events.

On the far right is Evernote, the anxiety provoking home for my Palm Notes and more. They sync to the Evernote service.

The following posts may be of interest to anyone who's trying to migrate a Palm device from Outlook/XP to an iPhone using OS X/Cloud ...

• Different calendaring models...
• Migrating Palm Notes (Memos) to Toodledo and Appigo Notebook.app (9/29/08)
  
• All done except Notes/Memos (and buy Missing Sync for iPhone)
• Moving Contacts/Address Book
• Moving Tasks, more moving tasks, and ToDo.app and Toodledo
  
• Archiving your iPhone backups
• JFile passwords to 1Password
• Spanning Sync
• Summary table on Google Docs (since updated)
• ePocrates Palm to iPhone (this one was easy)
• Cumulative iPhone notes and surprises
• Why MobileMe's problems are deep and a Palm veteran's perspectives

iPhone 2.0.2: fast contacts from phone

This Ars commenter is right:

Apple says bug fixes ahoy in new iPhone 2.0.2 firmware

...This update definitely fixed the lag in loading contacts in the Phone app. I can start scrolling as soon as the app appears now

Strangely, there's still a lag when loading them in the Contacts app...

Weird. Contacts still has a 2-3 second lag (though it varies), but phone has no lag when viewing contacts. Grand Dialer, which also brings up contacts, also has lost its lag.

I haven't noted any other changes. In Minneapolis-Saint Paul I haven't had the reception problems some markets have, iPhone reception is no worse than the previous 3G Nokia phone I had.

I wonder if it will fix my app update problem.

Palm to iPhone: do I need an iTouch as well as an iPhone?!

I’ve made my personal Palm to iPhone transition (see report)…

Gordon's Tech: Palm to iPhone - only the notes remain

….The current collection of solutions makes an interesting contrast to the simplicity of my original Palm III - even if I ignore the migration challenges!

• Calendar: iPhone <-> iCal <-> Google Calendar via Spanning Sync ($25)
• Contacts: iPhone <-> Address Book
• Tasks: iPhone ToDo <-> Toodledo ( -> iCal + Google Calendar as read-only) ($35)
• Notes: iPhone Evernote <-> Evernote service (temporary)

It was bloody hard work, but now that I’ve done the job it’s not so hard for anyone who wants to replicate it. The key tip for Palm users going to iPhone on OS X is to pay $50 and buy Missing Sync for the iPhone with the bundled migration assistant. Oh – and read my posts.

That still leaves the workplace problem. On the Palm, after wasted years of trying to get to a single calendar (see also), I ended up using Chapura’s KeySuite (vs. DataViz Beyond) to sync to my office Exchange server/Outlook 2003.

So at home I used the Palm Outlook conduits to sync the standards apps to Outlook 2003, and KeySuite conduits at the office.

It worked, but it sure was stupid. Flipping between calendars was a pain.

Now, with a mounting sense of horror, it occurs to me that, at the moment, the only viable workplace option is to buy an iTouch for sync to my corporate environment. [1]

Imagine that.

Of course I’ll keep my Palm Tungsten E2 going as long as possible, but if I need to replace the half-broken Palm PDA the iTouch is about the same price. If an iPhone alternative does not emerge (and I’m thinking, I’m thinking) it makes sense to replace the Palm Tungsten E|2 with an iTouch.

So I’d have an iPhone and an iTouch to carry about.

This would be funny if I weren’t crying.

[1] Apple has designed the iPhone to sync to a single home machine. It’s more or less mandated by their DRM requirements. The Palm was more or less designed to sync to more than one machine.

Update 8/18/08: Results of an early experiment in trying to sync in two places.

Bento opens up iCal and Address Book

Bento doesn't seem to get much respect.

It should.

I just played with it. Bento lets me edit task, calendar and address book data in a database framework. It brings a lot of power to underpowered apps; Bento + iCal/Address Book is much closer to Outlook.

I'm migrating my main machine to 10.5 in a few weeks. I suspect I'll buy Bento after that.

iPhone sync: WebDav, FTP and now ... AFP

After I read this review I, somewhat impulsively, installed Data Case:

DataCase Turns your iPhone into Wireless Storage Drive [iPhone Apps Review] - iPhone Hacks:

...One of the most anticipated iPhone apps, DataCase developed by Veiosoft has just hit the iPhone App Store.

The app turns your iPhone into a wireless storage drive that can be accessed by any other device on your wireless network, and includes a viewer for the most popular file formats such as Word, Excel, pdf, etc...

Sounded useful. I think it cost me $7-10.

Of course, on first try it didn't work. I was proud of myself for quickly figuring out the trouble. From my Apple Store post:

When I first tried this with 10.4, it seemed to mount, then I lost a connection. With 10.5 it didn't let me mount. When I looked at the settings, I saw it uses AFP -- apple file protocol.

I thought AFP was extinct!

It's a very curious choice, I think it says something about the limited options developers have to connect the iPhone to anything. I'm surprised there's any AFP support on the phone...

I had disabled AppleTalk eons ago on my machines. I restored AppleTalk and I was able to connect...

Wow. Now I've seen everything. Apple's astounding decision to bar everyone except the Missing Sync team from the USB cable is leading to the resurrection of all sorts of almost extinct file protocols. WebDav (yech), FTP, and now AppleTalk!?

So where the heck did this AppleTalk/AFP support come from? I'm sure Apple didn't just leave it on the iPhone. As always, Google is our friend (Nov 2007 - when iPhone apps were all hacked into unlocked phones ...):

Insanely awesome iPhone hacker and developer "Core" just finished implementing AFP for the iPhone and iPod touch. This software connects your iPhone (or touch) to your computer using AFP, the AppleTalk Filing Protocol. Your iPhone shows up on your desktop as a disk with full read/write access.

The great irony of the iPhone is that it combines features of the year 2015 with the year 1984 - requiring astounding gyrations to substitute for a Palm III.

A lesser irony is that Apple's bloody minded barracading of the sync cable is resurrecting near abandoned file protocols ...

PS. Omni Group? Maybe you should install the "Core" server into OmiFocus ...

Palm to iPhone migration: Different calendaring models

My first pass at Outlook/Palm to iCal/iPhone calendar migration was to stop using the old calendar, and start a new one.

Then I realized how long it would take to tediously enter birthdays and the like, so I decided to migrate calendars from my Palm using Missing Sync for Palm.
(Warning: if you do this, I suggest renaming your iCal calendar so it can't possibly clash with any Palm category you might have.)
(Note: I'm still on 10.4, though now I'm scheduling the 10.5 migration. So 10.5 behavior may vary.)

It worked, but when I was done all the Categories in the Palm had become calendars in iCal.

Sigh.

This is why synchronization is so horribly hard. Application models vary. The Palm allowed for one calendar, but each appointment could belong to a single one of about 9 categories. Google has an unlimited number of Calendars, but no categories. Outlook 2003 has one real calendar, but each appointment can be associated with an unlimited number of categories. Outlook 2007 is similar, but it supports calendar overlays. Google is like iCal, but appointments can have locations. Alerting models all vary.

I won't even mention how astoundingly limited iCal is compared to even Outlook 2003 -- with one huge exception. iCal can subscribe to calendar feeds. Still the absence of a list view in 10.4 is surprising -- even the iPhone calendar has a list view.

Anyway, since I sync a single iCal calendar with a single Google Calendar, I wanted to merge some of my iCal Calendars. Turns out the way to do this is to export the calendar you want to eliminate, then import it back into the target Calendar.

The good news is that somehow I've gotten closer to Calendar Nerdvana than I'd expected. Between synching iCal to gCal with Missing Sync, my wife's Blackberry synching to gCal with a built-in app, and my subscribing in iCal to my wife's Google Apps family calendar, I'm starting to be able to get useful calendar overlays. Now if I figure out a work calendar solution ...