Barnes and Noble Simple Touch™ with GlowLight™

Hey, Barnes and Nobles has a new NOOK! The Nook Simple Touch™ with GlowLight™ is faster than other eReaders, can be read in bright sunlight, and lasts up to 1 month with the GlowLight™ on, or 2 months with a single charge if you don't use the Light. I am really kinda torn between getting an eReader like this or a full-on tablet.

New! NOOK Simple Touch™ by Barnes & Noble with Glowlight™. Read With The Lights On Or Off only at $139 – ships free!


Wonder how hackable the GlowLight™ is. Anyone have experience with it's sibling - the regular Simple Touch™? Can it be made to run Android Apps?

Let me know what you think of this device. How do you think it compares to other eReaders?

Connecting to Box.net With NetDrive

Here is quick post describing how to connect to Box.net (box.com now) using an application called NetDrive. This is the process I used for Windows XP, though it should work for Windows 7 as well. You can download the application from here: http://netdrive.net/

Of course it goes without saying that you need to sign up for a Box.net account if you don't already have one. You can sign up for an account here: http://box.com

There are a few tutorials on connecting your Box.net account as a drive in Windows. Here are some examples:

http://techie-buzz.com/tech-news/mount-boxnet-account-in-windows-explorer.html

http://smallvoid.com/article/winnt-webdav-network-drive.html

I have had trouble trying to use the Windows WebDav implementation on XP, so this application was a breath of fresh air. It is very straightforward, though there is a gotcha that I haven't seen documented on any other site. So here are the steps:

1. Download and install NetDrive
2. Open the application
3. Create a "New Folder" under Site
4. Select your new folder
5. Click "New Site" and fill in the information on the right side of the screen
6. I named mine "Box.net" (I know, not very original)
7. For the site URL, use: "https://www.box.com/dav" (notice the https prefix, and the .com instead of .net)
8. Enter port 443
9. Select "Server Type" as "WebDav"
10. Choose a drive letter for your mount point
11. Enter your "Account" login ID
12. Enter your "Password" using your Box.net password
13. Select your "Automatic login..." preferences
14. Click "Save"

Now you are almost done. Here is the secret sauce that makes this work:

1. Select the "Site" you just created
2. Click on the "Advanced" button
3. Set your "Encoding" to UTF-8
4. Click the "Use HTTPS" checkbox
5. Enter 443 for the "Host : Port" (if it's not already filled in)
6. Enter your login information again (if it's not already filled in)

That is it! Now you can mount your Box.net cloud drive whenever you like. I find the performance better than other methods as well (ie - I set it up using Windows 7 native WebDav - WebFolders - support). You can now access your cloud drive any time you like.

Google Buzz - Google Buzz is going away, but your posts are yours to keep

Google Buzz - Google Buzz is going away, but your posts are yours to keep

The end of yet another Google product. It was a good social app, but never really found it's niche. Hope G+ integrates some of it's features. Live long and prosper G+!

Linksys E2500 WiFi Router

Linksys E2500 Review

I purchased this router from our CompUSA store for $79.95 a few days ago to replace a WRT54GL (pictured at right) that performed admirably for many years before being fried by lightning. The Linksys E2500 Router is billed as an Advanced Dual-Band N Router for active online households and home offices. I figured that meant that it was a robust device with lots of connectivity options, which led to my one disappointment with the unit -- it does not support wireless bridging or repeating functions.

I wanted to bridge the E2500 (pictured at left) with an older Motorola WR850G to extend the Wireless G range in my home. Most of my devices still use G, with my work laptop and Roku box being the exceptions. I

had this working just fine with the previous router. Without doing the bridge, the Wireless G coverage in my home is not any better than it was with the old one and is maybe even a little less. I am

hoping that Linksys adds the Bridging and Repeating functions to the E2500 in a future software update. The hardware should certainly be able to support it.

Wireless N coverage with this router appears to be very good. I have a Roku player installed at the opposite end of the house. It reports the Wireless N signal is excellent, and I have not noticed any sluggish performance in streaming media. The unit is sleek, attractive, and thin. It doesn't have any lights on the front. There are four 10/100 ethernet LAN ports and one 10/100 WAN port for connection to your Cable Modem or DSL. Another nice feature is it's support for a Guest Network that is firewalled from your internal devices.

Overall, I am satisfied with this purchase. I do hope that they update the software to support bridging and repeating, or that dd-wrt comes out with replacement firmware. I would recommend the Linksys E2500 to others, especially if their need is mostly for Wireless N.

Pro's:

• Fast Wireless N Connectivity
• Good N Coverage
• Easy set up
• Advanced configuration available

Con's:

• No bridging or repeating functionality
• No external antenna support
• Less than exceptional G coverage

Features:

• 300 + 300 Mbps Speed
• 2.4 + 5.0 GHz Dual-Band Radios
• Strong Signal Range
• Parental Controls
• Easy Setup
• A/B/G/N WiFi Support
• WPA/WPA2 Encryption
• SPI Firewall
• QoS Features
• One Year Limited Warranty

Operating System Humor

Windows, Mac, and Linux go to the restroom and do their business. Windows washes his hands with just a little soap, and dries them with a small piece of towel. He says, Windows has to conserve system resources.

Mac washes his hands with lots of soap and water, and dries them with a long stretch of paper towel. He says, Macs are extravagant.

Linux walks over to the door and says, I don't make a mess all over myself ...