08-18-2010 in Tightwad Tech by admin
Synopsis:
In this episode Mark and Shawn give a review of the Android 2.2 mobile operating and discuss the current state of mobile computing in general.
TIPS:
Tech Tip of the Week – CDBurnerXP – Really simple, free CD burner (despite the name it works with Vista and 7)
Teacher Tip of the Week – Classroom 2.0 – Website for people interested in Web 2.0 and social media in education.
The Tightwad Tech is a podcast by and for those in the education field who face ever-growing demands and ever-shrinking budgets. We discuss the strategic implementation of free and open source software as well as the creative deployment of hardware.
In this show, aimed at making desktop Linux approachable and understandable to the average computer enthusiast, a panel of Linux experts and Linux newbies discuss the the joys and pitfalls of Everyday Linux.
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This episode was a major disappointment. I could care less what you have for a phone, and it has absolutely no bearing on doing more with less.
I'm sorry you were disappointed, Jeff. We'll try to do better next time.
-Mark
Hey Tightwads,
In response to your Tech Tip: Have you heard of StarBurn?
(http://www.rocketdivision.com/download_starburn.html) It is a free CD/DVD burning suite. While there is a paid one, I have found the free one really good.
I've never tried CDBurnerXP or StarBurn, but I like InfraRecorder [http://infrarecorder.org/] for CD/DVD burning.
I’ve tried InfraRecorder before, but it only works when everything is perfect and exactly what the software is expecting — otherwise it will just barf in your face. For that reason, I recommissioned my search for a good, free burning program. I found a few good ones out there — CDBurnerXP and ImgBurn would be my two picks. I like ImgBurn because I have bandana-guy tendencies sometimes and it gives me ULTIMATE TWEAKING POWERRRRRR!!!!!
Aside from those, there’s also Express Burn by NCH Software, which is trialware by default, but when the trial period runs out, you can opt to keep it and use the free version — and it works well. Its interface is particularly well-designed.
I recall also trying a program called Burrrn! at one time — their website seems to be down at the moment, apparently due to being too popular.
Never tried (or heard of) StarBurn; maybe I’ll have to.
I have to agree with Jeff. You guys went completely off the rails with this one. It felt like a brag session for Mark's new phone. Considering the device is near the top end of the price scale it's even more confusing to me why you thought it had relevance to your show.
Mike and Jeff –
Give the guys a break! They work hard to provide you with great content, with no compensation.
That being said, Android is an open-source mobile operating system. One of the themes of these podcasts is open-source/free software. I think this fits…tangentially…but it fits.
As for doing more with less…lots of people either have, or are moving to, a smart phone. If I was making that decision, anyone that helped me make the decision of which type of phone (iPhone, Blackberry, Android, etc.) to purchase, is appreciated.
Keep up the good work guys!
Aaron
I’m a listener, and I’m not carrying a smartphone: I’m carrying a Tracfone, cuz I’m po’ folk.
Actually, I don’t use my phone enough to warrant the cost of a “normal” cell phone plan. Tracfone saves me lots of money in comparison.
That being said, I’d LOVE to have a real Android phone.
The closest I am to that is an Android tablet I bought: the Pandigital Novel. Android beats the iPad’s OS, sure, but this thing isn’t an iPad killer, mainly because (1) you have to hack it to use it as a real Android device, and (2) even with recent firmware that unlocks the CPU’s clock speed, it’s still not responsive enough to give a satisfying experience overall. Not only that, it uses a [mediocre-quality] resistive touchscreen, a la Palm PDA — not capacitive like the iPad — so multi-touch will never be possible, and [light] pressure is required.
Also, its battery life is 6-7 hours, and if you start looking for and trying out lots of apps, you’ll find plenty of glitches — or at least missing hardware functionality, such as the lack of a keyboard or camera or 3G service, or further, the fact that aside from the power slider, there are only two hardware buttons.
I really wish I could edit my posts.
Also, Classroom 2.0 is apparently just a Ning site.
Yeah, it is definitely a Ning. It has “powered by Ning”, or some such comment, at the bottom.
You should be able to edit your posts under two conditions: 1) that you access the post from the same IP address you wrote the initial post, and 2) that you do it within half and hour of the initial post. I’ve tested it and it seems to work as expected.
I saw no “edit” link on my comments above right after I posted them.