Category: Software

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Augmented Reality Coming To Cell Phones

The concept of augmented reality is one of those cool techie ideas that has been around for a while. We see it in science fiction (Terminator cam), military headsets, and virtual reality helmets and glasses for some software demos. A new augmented reality aimed at regular consumers is displayed in this video of an application for the Google Android phone.

This is made possible because some new phones such as the iPhone 3GS not only have a built-in GPS and accelerometer, but also have a compass. This allows the phone to know where it is and what direction it is pointing.

This app is rolling out first in the Netherlands, but more of these types of apps will be arriving soon.

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Upgrade Hard Drive with Free Tools from EASEUS

We recently helped someone in Adams Morgan upgrade their laptop to a larger hard drive. It was for an old Dell laptop running Windows XP (32-bit) that had an ATA (IDE) drive instead of one of the newer SATA drives.EASEUS

Here are the steps to upgrade a hard drive. The EASEUS software is free for personal use.

1. Buy a new drive. Currently the largest ATA drvies are 320GB and SATA drives are 500GB. 750GB SATA drives are anticipated in 2009 and 1TB drives are expected in 2010. We typically buy hard drives from Newegg.com.

2. Buy a USB laptop hard drive adapter or USB drive enclosure for the new drive. Again, try Newegg.com.

3. We recommend first running the Windows Disk Defragmenter so that your new drive will start out with the files well organized. It is located at Start – All Programs – Accessories – System Tools – Disk Defragmenter. In order to run Disk Defragmenter, you need at least 15% free space. This might mean that you need to run Disk Cleanup or back up and temporarily remove some of your larger files such as photos.

EASEUS Disk Copy4. Download the free EASEUS Disk Copy. This will provide you with a .iso file that you can burn to CD as a disk image.

5. While the computer is off, connect the new drive to the computer via USB adapter or USB enclosure. Start the computer with the EASEUS Disk Copy CD created above. You might have to go into the BIOS to prioritize the CD drive to be bootable. This will boot into EASEUS Disk Copy and allow you to copy the entire old drive (also known as cloning) to the new drive connected via USB. In our tests, EASEUS Disk Copy was able to move 55GB of data in about 35 minutes. We found EASEUS Disk Copy to be one of the fastest bit-for-bit copying systems. For comparison, we tested Norton Ghost which copied 55GB in over 3 hours.

6. Remove the old drive and replace with the new drive. Boot up the computer.

7. Download and run the free EASEUS Partion Master 3.5 Home Edition. This is needed because EASEUS Disk Copy only copies (makes a clone of) the drive as it is sized. Use the Partition Manager to expand the partition to use the entire drive.

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NASA Astronauts Can’t Watch DVDs

NASA Astronauts

From today’s Associated Press:

HOUSTON — Atlantis astronauts fixed the Hubble Space Telescope so it could beam cosmic pictures to Earth, but playing DVDs on their laptops is proving too difficult.

With an unwanted off day Friday because thunderstorms prevented their scheduled landing, the astronauts intended to pass the time by watching movies they brought on the mission. But when they tried to play them, they found out their laptops didn’t have the proper software.

Engineers on the ground tried to troubleshoot the problem — just as they did when a hand rail almost prevented spacewalkers from fixing one instrument in Hubble. After more than an hour with no solution, the astronauts gave up.

Astronaut John Grunsfeld radioed to Earth that they’d have to wait to watch something at a terrestrial movie theater.

So fixing a giant telescope in space worked fine, but getting their laptops to play a DVD didn’t work. I certainly sympathize as Windows typically needs additional codecs loaded to play DVDs. They should have had a copy of the free VLC media player.

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No Home Phone? Try Skype

Many people are beginning to abandon their home phone lines because they simply don’t use them much any more.  $35 for a basic phone line plus long distance bills on top of that is expensive compared to the alternatives.  Almost everyone has a cell phone and will simply use that instead.  However, cell phone plans have limited minutes.  What happens when you need extra minutes?  That’s where Skype comes in as a great complement to the home with no home phone.

skype_logoIn case you have never heard of Skype, it is essentially a phone service that works over the internet.  A Skype user can call another Skype user for free but a Skype user can also call real phone numbers at an extremely low price.  Skype is also great for international calls.  It is even more valuable now because you no longer need to use Skype via your computer.  There are now mobile Skype programs made for many devices including the iPhone, PSP, and several mobile phones.  The iPod Touch can run all iPhone apps as well so those who hate AT&T can still use the Skype iPhone app.  All you need beyond that is internet access which almost everyone already has at home.

SkypeOut

One way to pay for Skype-to-phone calls is to purchase SkypeOut Credit.  Once you have credit on your Skype account, you can pay per minute.  There are various prices for each country according to this rate chart.  Calls to the US cost just $0.021 per minute.

Skype Subscription

If you plan on making at least 150 minutes of calls per month, a Skype Subscription will be by far the cheapest.  For just $2.95/month, you can get unlimited Skype-to-phone US calls.  If you have an iPhone and don’t want to use your AT&T minutes, just launch the free Skype app and make the call for free when you are at home where your iPhone is on your wifi.  If you pay for 12 months at a time, it is even cheaper.

Skype Online Phone Number

Without the Skype online phone number, when you call someone, the Caller ID typically shows a number with all zeros. With a skype phone number, you can get a number in any area code you like.  It will also give other people a way to call you without them needing to use Skype.  A voicemail service is also included with the phone number.  If you have a Skype subscription, you get a 50% discount on a Skype online phone number.

Skype Quality

While Skype is incredibly cheap compared to a home phone line, the call quality is not quite as good typically and may vary greatly depending on the quality of your internet access.  Dropped calls can occur as well as audio breakups.  Overall, in my experience, I would say it is on par with AT&T cell phone quality though.  For the price, it is a great value.

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Music Studio Basics

Since I started working with music studios 20 years ago, I have seen what would have cost $100,000 with reel-to-reel tape equipment now come down to $10,000 with computers. Even more amazing is that home studios which used to rely on muddy sounding 4-track cassette recorders can now produce inexpensive high-fidelity recordings through a computer.

Music StudioAt Tech DC we have setup several music studios, from small one-mic setups for podcasters to 26 simultaneous channel studios to record entire live bands.

The first question to ask yourself when setting up a studio is Mac or PC. While great software exists for both platforms, the Mac is generally more popular for musicians.

While recordings can be done using a laptop, generally you will want a more powerful system in order to add more channels and effects. Effects like reverb can be very processor intensive. If you don’t have an isolation booth, remember to get a quiet computer so that it’s humming doesn’t leak into your recordings. This is another reason that Macs tend to be popular.

The software that records both audio and MIDI (keystrokes, pressures, pitch, etc.) is typcially referred to as a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). These include Logic, Cubase, ProTools, Cakewalk, and many others.

Logic & Logic Studio (Mac)

Logic was made by Emagic, then bought by Apple in 2002. It is my current favorite and the Studio version comes with loads of virtual instruments that can be played via MIDI.

Garage Band (Mac)

This is easy to use and included in the iLife suite. It is still very powerful and is built using the same engine as Logic.

Steinberg Cubase Software (PC & Mac)

Cubase is an excellent DAW for PC users.

Keyboard Controllers

Korg, Roland (and Edirol), Yamaha and others make keyboard controllers that can be used to control virtual instruments. Depending on the type of music, this can be very helpful. Virtual instruments come with DAWs and can be added on separately. They vary from unreal synthesizer sounds to professional pianos and organs.

Midi and Audio Ins and Outs

PreSonus of Louisiana makes the Firebox that is inexpensive, small, and perfect for very small studios, assuming that you need no more than a couple of Mic/Guitar inputs at a time. For larger studios, they make the 26 channel FireStudio.

M-Audio is a popular name in Audio/Midi interfaces as well as keyboard controllers. They have a 26 Channel ProFire Audio interface and a smaller 6 in X 10 out Firewire interface.

Mackie has long been the most popular brand for mixers. The mixers can be used to send mixed down audio to a small Audio I/O box like the Firebox. Mackie also sells digital Onyx mixers that send multi-channel audio to a computer.

Mark of the Unicorn is another old name in audio and currently sells the Traveler-mk3 audio interface.

Where to Buy Stuff around DC

There is no one perfect solution for everyone. You need to look at your budget, recording needs, and see what hardware and software you are comfortable using. Check out these stores to see the equipment in person.

Chuck Levin’s Washington Music Center is my favorite local store for instruments and equipment. It has been here since 1958. Other local stores to visit are Guitar Centers in Falls Church, Virginia, Fairfax, Virginia, and Rockville, Maryland (formerly a Venemin’s Music).

Where to Buy Stuff Online and by Telephone

Sam Ash in multiple locations including Richmond, Virginia and King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
zZounds in New Jersey
Music123 in Utah
Grandma’s in Albuquerque, New Mexico