Myside's Spew

LG Rumor (LX260) Reviewed - is this device worth holding on to?

myside — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:03:35 -0500

I will be renewing my Sprint contract in October. I plan on taking advantage of the phone upgrade credit but find myself thinking that I may hold off until sometime after tax season. The reason is that I have a fully functional phone that does most of the tasks I need performed.

Out of the box, I have to announce that the device is crippled. It takes a bit of time and trouble to get your MSL code (root access ID) to enable the ability to install 3rd party Java midlet applications. If you need to have file-system access, you will need a data cable and BitPIM to access the Java policy file.

After the above is accomplished, the phone performs amazingly proficient with most anything you may push to the LG Rumor core to do. I use Opera Mini 5 successfully with dozens of open web page tabs. I have Skype installed for instant messaging. Mobile GMAPS is a wonderful tool for GPS navigation with routing and multiple street and land views. I take great advantage of an application called MTvIRC for IRC communications. All these applications are available free once the initial pain of rooting your phone wears off.

My cons at this time:

The location API is GPSONE and is A-GPS. Note that you are able to use Qualcomm's location services.
Yes, you can put your running Java midlets in the background for multitasking. The bad news is that I do not know how. While randomly swiping the QWERTY keypad in and out a couple times, it will perform this operation. Both Sprint and LG claim that this is not possible. Shame on you both.
I use a Windows Mobile smart-phone for several purposes. I would like a one do-it-all device.
It feels as though all the new and cool applications being developed are for the Android.

My solution to the above cons is enough incentive to buy a full fledged smartphone when my contract is up and after I receive my tax returns.

I would absolutely - surely tell anyone interested in the LG Rumor (LX260) or Rumor 2 to not waste your time and money. The cons are greater than my list and span multiple phone specific utilities. However, if you find one on e-bay for 10 dollars and 20 shipping, it may be worth the purchase price for a young text messaging friend of yours. Believe me, it will not make them popular however.

Nao Robots Dance

myside — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:01:55 -0500

"Here's a sneak peek at the soon to be famous dancing Nao robots, the technological mascot of the France Pavilion. The robots are "rehearsing" before their first public appearance on June 21, on the day of France Pavilion Day, which coincides with Music Day in France. The performance showcases Nao's range of smooth yet agile and rhythmic movements to a 3-part music compilation including the famous orchestral masterpiece Bolero by French composer Maurice Ravel. This also marks the first time robots have supported an artistic field evoking emotions. Nao is a humanoid, autonomous, interactive and completely programmable robot created by Aldebaran Robotics (www.aldebaran-robotics.com/en), the worldwide leader in humanoid robotics." - [shanghaiexpoinsights]

This video takes geek on a spiritual journey. The movements of these [Nao robots] seem not to display interpretative coded motions for a single human being, but rather display feeling and response to Bolero, by a French composer Maurice Ravel on their own coherence.

I do try not to post too many YouTube videos here. You could spend all day doing this. However, every so often as I found with the Flashmob content, their are several that deserve attention. These Nao Robotics dancing fit that quota.

Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA) - Pixels by patrick Jean - Invasion pixels : geek tetris pacman !

myside — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 14:49:29 -0500

This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by One More Productions.

RSS Viewers: Click on post for video... (not any longer)

Edited: 2010-04-12.. fasten your seat belt for modified content.. copyright is the law!

EGA Video Modes

Mode Number Text Res. Graphics Res.   Description Adapters Max. Pages
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
0h      40×25         ------   B&W Text     CGA+              8
1h      80×25         ------   B&W Text     MDPA+             8
2h      40×25         ------   Color Text   CGA+            4 or 8
3h      80×25         ------   Color Text   (MDPA?)/CGA+          4 or 8
4h      40×25        320×200   4 colors     CGA+                  1
5h      40×25        320×200   2 colors     CGA+                    1
6h      80×25        640×200   2 colors     CGA+                    1
7h      80×25         ------   B&W          MDPA (CGA+?)      1
8h to Ch -- PCjr or other adapters; no longer used
Dh      40×25        320×200   16 colors    EGA+                    8
Eh      80×25        640×200   16 colors    EGA+                  4
Fh      80×25        640×350   2 colors     EGA+                  2
10h    80×25        640×350   16 colors    EGA+                  2

source [theodor.lauppert]