Tutorial: Run Android on a PC? Yes you can!
Run Android on a PC? Yes you can!
Android is taking over the smartphone world as the only viable competitor to Apple's iOS. Google's Andy Rubin recently announced that 850,000 devices are activated every day, which makes it a fantastic platform for development and experimentation.And while Android and iOS have many similarities, there's one big difference: iOS is proprietary, while Android is open source. That means anyone can grab the code to Android and do what they want with it.
Google is responsible for nearly all Android development, and is likely to continue working in this way, but it's committed to releasing the source code for its work using a free software licence (mostly GPLv2 and Apache) under the banner of the Android Open Source Project.
So far it's made good on its word, and has released the code to each successive version. This happened most recently in November 2011 with Android 4.0, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich. Anyone can play with it, change it and build their own versions, which is exactly what many Android vendors are doing with their hardware. And now you can too.
Releasing the source code is one thing - getting it to run is another. The main challenge is that most Android devices run on ARM processors, and porting it to run on anything else is a big challenge. Google does provide tentative support for the x86 architecture within the codebase, but it wouldn't be possible at all without the existence of a project that pulls all this together with a considerable library of patches to create a build of Android that mostly works on x86.
That project is Android-x86. It's been able to make earlier releases of Android run fairly stably on the x86 platform, including networking and mouse support. But Ice Cream Sandwich in particular is still highly experimental, and it was only in the first weeks of 2012 that a semi-usable x86 version became viable.
As a result, running ICS should be considered a proof of concept, and a useful test to measure how quickly x86 development is progressing.
Before we get to the experimentation, we're going to cover installing a version of Android that might be a little more useful.
Android 2.2.1
The Android-x86 project provides pre-built versions of Android that can be used on a variety of hardware, including the EeePC and a couple of x86 touch devices. Older versions of Android have been built and shown to work on generic PC hardware, and live images of those distributions can be downloaded, run, and installed from the x86 website, but at the time of writing, there's no official version of ICS that works on a generic PC.
You can build your own, but as with any compilation of a Linux kernel, it takes a lot of time and effort. Previous releases have also suffered from lack of mouse control and networking, both of which needed source code patches to the kernel to fix.
We'll take our first foray into Android by running an older version in a virtual machine environment. This is safe, maximises functionality and walks a well trodden path. If you like it, you can move onto a newer version later.
We used VirtualBox, installed on an AMD Linux system running Arch. Android works better on Intel hardware due to modifications in the source code, but we saw no difference on our AMD machine other than a couple of warnings. The same isn't true of ICS, which currently only runs on Intel x86 hardware.
Running the OS
We've had the best experience with the nightly build of Android 2.2, which you can grab from http://android-x86.moonman.dk. With the ISO downloaded, launch VirtualBox and click on the 'New' button. In the wizard that appears, set the operating system to 'Linux', and set 'Other Linux' as the version. We gave our machine 512MB of memory, and a 2GB hard drive as a VDI disk image.
After the new machine has been created, select it in the machine list and open the settings window. On the system page, switch to the processor tab and make sure 'Enable PAE/NX' is active for your CPU.
Now click on the 'Storage' page. VirtualBox defaults to IDE emulation rather than SATA, and we need to add a second device to attach to our ISO image. If the device doesn't exist, click on the controller followed by the 'Add a new attachment' icon (which looks like an optical disc). A small window should appear asking you to choose a disc image, and you should point the resulting requester at the Android 2.2 image.
If an optical drive already exists, select it in the storage tree. Use the disc icon on the far right to display a dropdown menu, then select 'Choose virtual CD/DVD disk file'. Now that everything is configured, click on 'OK' in the Settings window, followed by the green 'Start' button in the main interface. Android 2.2 will boot within the virtual machine.
You'll see the boot menu, from which you should choose the first option. HDPI and MDPI refer to the screen resolution of the output device, which you can ignore when running on anything other than a tablet. If you're trying this boot on real hardware, then the third option avoids graphics drivers by using the VESA mode. This is useful if you run into compatibility problems.
If you like what you see with Android, the final option will create a permanent installation on a spare drive partition. A few moments after making your choice, you'll see Android's unlock screen.
The final hurdle is overcome by pressing the right [Ctrl] key and selecting 'Disable mouse integration' from the Machine menu. When you now click on the virtual machine, you should see the mouse and be able to slide the padlock icon up to enter the OS.
Netbook Android
Hopefully you've now played with Android 2.2 and want to upgrade to the latest version. The missing generic build of Ice Cream Sandwich is likely to be a sign that there are problems with the codebase that make the platform highly unstable.
For that reason, any version of ICS you get running will have problems. We've tried native hardware, virtual machines and netbooks, and surprisingly it was the last category that gave us the best experience. If you have a netbook handy, you can get a fully fledged x86 version of ICS running with little difficulty.
We downloaded the ISO image of 4.0.3 built for the Asus platform (android-x86-4.0-asus_laptop-20120101.iso). Either this image or a later version should work with most netbooks, and maybe other laptops and PCs, but even our Samsung NC10 ran the image well, albeit without wired or wireless networking.
Booting Android
As these devices don't have an optical drive, the ISO image needs to be written to a USB stick, which can then be booted on the machine. The tool for the job is Unetbootin, which can be installed within Linux from your distribution's package manager. Versions are also available for OS X and Windows, and they all work the same way.
First, insert your USB stick - 1GB will do. All the data will be lost, so make sure there's nothing on there you want to keep, then launch Unetbootin. The top half of the window is used for selecting a Linux distribution, which can be downloaded and installed automatically.
We want to use the bottom half to locate the ISO and ensure the correct USB device has been selected. If everything is correct, click 'OK'. This will start the conversion and begin to write the bootable data to your USB stick. It should complete in a few minutes.
Like a live Linux distribution launching from a USB stick, Android can now be booted by turning on your machine with the USB device inserted. As long as the BIOS or boot menu is configured to probe USB devices first - and most are - you should see the Android boot menu.
This has three options, with 'Default' being added by Unetbootin. Choose the first, 'Run Android x86 without installation', to test the OS. If everything works, you can choose to install at a later time.
Android takes a few minutes to boot, and will probably complain that your machine isn't an Asus product. After the Android logo, you'll see the starter wizard. This is where, on a real device, you sync the hardware with your Google account, but without network connectivity it makes no sense. Just click through the options to get to the OS quickly.
You'll now see the start page of Android. This adds a few prompts to help you get started, but Android is easy enough to use without any prior experience, especially if you tried version 2.2.3 earlier. The main differences are in the transitions and how the display looks, but all that can be changed too.
Applications are launched from the small matrix icon on the top right, and you can use the arrows in the bottom left to move between what Android calls 'activities'. In Linux terms, these are virtual desktops.
Configuration
Playing with the settings is the first thing you should do. You can get to the Settings panel by clicking on the clock in the bottom right of the display, then on the text that says 'No internet connection'.
Clicking the Wi-Fi icon will turn it on, and hopefully you'll be able to scan for networks with the 'Scan' button at the top of the screen. This didn't work for us, but there are reports of it working with other hardware. We got some connectivity by using a Bluetooth PAN connection to a machine that was sharing its internet connection over Bluetooth. Ensure your laptop supports this feature, and that it's enabled.
After pairing your Android device and your laptop, you should have network connectivity. Android x86 is in a state of rapid development, so there's a very good chance networking will have been fixed.
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In Depth: 7 annoyance-beating technologies we wish they'd invent
7 technologies we wish they would invent
Hurrah for science: boffins in France have invented anti-Wi-Fi wallpaper that looks and works like normal wallpaper but blocks Wi-Fi signals.It's even cleverer than it sounds, because while it blocks the frequencies on which Wi-Fi operates it doesn't block others, so it could prevent the neighbours piggy-backing on your wireless network or their router interfering with yours without ruining your mobile phone signal.
That's got us thinking: what other simple ideas could make the tech world a better place? Here are our nominations. What are yours?
1. Portrait Video Refuser
The rise of the smartphone has led to a rise in something that drives us doo-lally: videos shot in portrait mode. The only time they work is when they're being played back on a phone; if you watch them on something a bit larger, whether it's a tablet or your enormous flat screen TV, the majority of your screen is blank.Most smartphones know whether they're being held upright or sideways, so this one would be easy: a bit of code in every camera app that refuses to record video in portrait mode. You'll thank us for it one day.
2. Sonic Shusher
You're on the bus. Tukka-tsssh! Tukka-tsssh! Tukka-tsssh! Tukka-tsssh! Tukka-tsssh! The Sonic Shusher would use noise cancelling technology to analyse the too-loud tune emanating from your fellow passenger's headphones and would generate a negative wave that cancels it out, leaving the bus in silence.Even better, you could hack it to play the infamous and probably mythical "brown note" to wreak terrible revenge.
3. No-tweet Seat
Perfect for conference rooms, restaurants, pubs that run quiz nights and even the family dinner table, the No-tweet seat contains a signal jammer that operates on all mobile phone and wireless internet frequencies to ensure that the people you're sharing a room, table or friendly rivalry with can't get onto Twitter, Facebook or Wikipedia.4. Techalyser
It's a breathalyser, but for tech: sensors scan your breath for booze, and if you're clearly three sheets to the wind you won't be able to post something appalling on Facebook, buy a helicopter on eBay or send a photo of your unmentionables to your boss.5. SMS Airbag Inflator
If you've ever seen the terrifying sight of someone texting as they get closer and closer in your rear view mirror, you'll appreciate this one: a steering wheel airbag that can detect whether you're texting while moving and if you are, inflates in your big stupid face before you kill somebody.6. Tablet Location Awareness
Try as we might, we can't stop ourselves from being annoyed by people filming stuff with tablets - especially when we know the optics in their tablet would embarrass a five-quid webcam. There's only one reason for filming in public with a tablet, and that's to say "look at me! I have a tablet!"What should happen, other than a mighty hand coming from the sky and giving the offender a clip round the ear, is that the app uses GPS to work out whether you're on the sofa or not, and if you aren't, it refuses to load the camera app and tells you you're a dork.
7. Apple bullshit detector
"CONFIRMED EXCLUSIVE! Is this the iPad 5?"BEEP
NO
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Review: Adobe Illustrator CS6
Adobe Illustrator has long been the choice for illustration professionals, designers and anyone who wants to work with infinitely scalable vector graphics.
Over the years it's gained some highly impressive features, such as mesh tools for drawing photo-realistic objects, perspective tools for taking the pain out of vanishing points and much, much more. So, what can CS6 bring?
Before we get onto features, let's talk about the interface and the tuning that's gone on under the bonnet.
Darker surroundings
The interface, like Photoshop's by default, is now charcoal grey. It gives Illustrator a more refined, professional feel. If it's a little much, you can change the interface colour via Preferences (unlike Photoshop's theme-based approach). It's a minor, but lovely touch.
But the real thing you notice about Illustrator is its speed. It's blazing fast. Mainly thanks to the Mercury Performance System and native 64-bit support, complex documents with meshes, gradients and many points can be manipulated with relative ease. Redraw certainly seems snappier as well.
Beyond the speed improvements, Illustrator does bring some new and improved features to the table. The most notable is undoubtedly the new pattern creation tools. Creating a tiled pattern and editing it is now extremely easy: open up or draw your object that you want to be repeated and then go to Object>Pattern>Make. Your object then repeats on the art board.
The Pattern Options panel enables you to control the pattern, with a really handy slider enabling you to dim your instances so you can work on and edit the original object. As you do edit it, the repeats update. The pattern is automatically added to the Swatches panel and updates when you hit Done in pattern creation mode. You can choose to save a copy to add another swatch to the Swatches panel.
But the best thing? Double-clicking the swatch in the Swatches panel enables you to go back to edit the pattern. When you update it, it updates any object the pattern is applied to. It's quite brilliant and textile artists, designers and illustrators who use patterns in their work will absolutely love it.
The other 'big' feature is the removal of Live Trace - being replaced with a new bitmap tracing engine called Image Trace. Now, don't expect this to magically turn any photos into vector artwork, but it does a pretty good job. And there are more options for tracing than ever before.
The tool is controlled by the context-sensitive Control Panel or the new Image Trace panel, and you can apply presets or tweak settings manually. Whilst you won't always use it, Image Trace is a powerful replacement for the often hit-and-miss Live Trace, and when you do need it, it'll come in very handy.
The final addition of note is being able to add gradients to strokes. We don't know why this wasn't in previous versions, but it's a welcome addition - especially for those designing photo-realistic vector artwork.
There's also some tweaks to the Gaussian Blur effect and minor panel updates, including a Scale Strokes & Effects checkbox added to the Transform panel.
Illustrator remains hugely powerful, and a tool that is reliable, fast (as long as you have a good amount of RAM) and pretty much vital to any creative pro. The new pattern creation features are a joy to use, and the speed of this version alone will impress any daily user of the app.
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Tutorial: How to uncover hidden PC activity
How to uncover hidden PC activity
We recently looked at various techniques you can use to hide data in Windows, from simple filename tricks to complete encryption of the OS. Now we're going to turn the tables and discover ways to uncover hidden activity.There are plenty of reasons why someone might not want you to know that your security has been breached. The most obvious is infection with malware. If you believe others may be using your PC without your consent, the issues can become serious. What are they doing? Will people assume it was you?
Luckily, finding out is easier than you might think, and you can even monitor your computer from your inbox.
Exploring Explorer
How you can tell if someone has modified or even added a new file to your computer?
The easiest method is to open Windows Explorer in an account with Administrator rights over the system. Now click 'Organise > Folder and search options'. Click the 'View' tab and in the advanced settings, ensure that 'Show hidden files, folders and drives' is selected. Click 'OK'.
Now click the search box in Windows Explorer. This will reveal several search criteria, including 'Date modified'. Click this and a calendar appears along with some interesting options, including 'Earlier this week'. Click one of these and press [Enter]. All the files modified since this time, including hidden ones, will be listed. Is there anything that you don't like the look of?
Of course, much of today's malware is capable of faking the modify time on a file to hide from this search. The worst malware, the rootkit, maintains its anonymous presence by not only faking modification times, but also ensuring it fools the OS into returning results that make everything seem okay. The rootkit can then allow other malware, like a keylogger, to run.
To uncover this kind of infection, we need a way of examining the disk while Windows sleeps. Read a sleeping PC The easiest way of achieving this is to boot a Linux live CD, mount the disk and have a look around.
What are we looking for? Luckily, we needn't know. Several security vendors distribute Linux live CD discs designed to simply run a Windows antivirus scanner. Without a subverted Windows system getting in the way, all malware is naked and visible.
One such disk is the Avira Rescue CD. You can download the ISO file and burn it to a bootable disc using your favourite software, but there's another option. If you download and run the EXE version, you'll find that it contains burner software. You'll be asked to insert a DVD, after which the ISO will be unpacked and burned to disc, ready to boot.
If you're using a wireless network card, you'll have to plug your PC into your broadband router with a cable if Linux doesn't contain a driver for your wireless card.
When you boot the rescue disc, you'll be met by a boot menu. Press [Enter] to continue booting. The Avira scanner will load and run.
The software has four tabs. Click 'Update' and then click 'Yes' in the window that appears asking if you want to update the malware definitions. Once complete, click the 'Configuration' tab. Ensure that in the Scan Method section, the option selected is 'All files'. Also ensure that you select the tick boxes for joke programs, security privacy risks and runtime compression utilities. This last option is important because some malware stays securely compressed until it's run, thereby obscuring its purpose.
Finally, click the 'Virus scanner' tab and click 'Start scanner'. Once the scan is complete and any stealthy infections have been identified and hopefully fixed, you can click 'Shut down' and either shut down the computer or reboot. Once Linux has shut itself down, you can remove the DVD and boot into Windows.
Tracking activity
Another major problem, especially if you have to leave your PC unattended for a while, is an interloper using it without your permission. If someone really wants to read your hard disk, booting a Linux live CD will allow them to mount your disk and read whatever they like.
If you don't want to encrypt your entire OS as we demonstrated last issue using TrueCrypt, you can thwart their attempts to even boot the computer by setting a password on your BIOS.
The BIOS contains the first software to be run when your machine powers up. Because there's no way to stop this, telling the BIOS to ask for a password at boot time will stop most would-be hackers dead. What's more, modern BIOS implementations allow for several different passwords that perform different jobs, and newer hard disks can be made to work in conjunction with the BIOS to prevent secrets being revealed.
To set a BIOS password, you need to get into its setup mode. Most modern BIOS implementations respond to holding down [F2], [F10] or [Delete]. Your PC's manual will tell you which. Hold this key immediately after power on in cases where the BIOS screen flashes by too quickly.
Different BIOS types have different interfaces, but in general there'll always be a security or password screen. There may be different types of password you can set.
When you boot the computer, the password you're asked to enter is the user password. However, what's to stop someone going into the BIOS and removing it? That's the job of the supervisor password. If you set this, then even entering the BIOS becomes problematic for a hacker.
Because there are techniques for overriding BIOS passwords, laptop BIOS implementations also have an HDD password. This is stored in the hard disk controller and must be supplied before the disk gives up one byte of access.
Evidence gathering
If you think someone is using your PC without permission, sometimes the best thing is to gather evidence, then either confront them or take steps to ensure you have a legitimate reason why they can't continue to use it.
One method of doing this is to install a keylogger. Keyloggers aren't always used illegally. In some situations they can be used to check that personnel are only doing what they're supposed to and not abusing their position.
A word or warning first: Never be tempted to install a keylogger or any other piece of spyware onto a computer that you do not personally own. If you're caught and the case goes to court, you could be liable under the Misuse of Computers Act, and receive a prison sentence and a fine of up to £5,000.
There are many free Windows keyloggers. We'll use iSafe from iSafeSoft. The trial version will last for seven days, which should be enough to discover unauthorised use of your PC. Download the executable to the PC you wish to monitor (which we'll call the target) and run it.
The installation process consists of simply accepting the licence agreement and the defaults. Once installed, press [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[Shift]+[X] and enter the default password 123 to open the keylogger's user interface.
Each part of the system that can be logged has its own icon. At the top of each icon is a number, indicating the records that have been collected. To stop your activity being logged, click the green button marked 'Stop now'.
With iSafe logging events, try opening a web browser and entering a search phrase. Surf to a few sites and then go back to the iSafe user interface. Click 'Log' at the top of the screen. In the left hand panel, expand the username that did the surfing and select the 'Website' category.
In the right-hand panes you'll see the dates and times of each element of surfing activity, along with the site involved. Select one and the lower panel shows the details. Select the 'Keystroke' category in the left hand panel and click an entry from the web surfing traffic you just generated. The lower pane shows the exact keystrokes (including deletions and other edits), and the text entered.
Another valuable feature is the Screenshot category. Screenshots are taken at regular intervals, and are a powerful piece of evidence when looking for untoward activities by others. Back on the main iSafe interface, click the 'Screenshot' tab on the left to access the settings.
By default iSafe makes a capture every minute, but this could soon fill your hard disk. It's more useful to take a shot of the active window. You can further reduce the amount of space taken by each shot by selecting the capture quality. To compress the shots (and protect them), select the option to compress them into an archive. This is protected by the iSafe password.
iSafe won't take screenshots when the computer is idle (in other words, when the suspect isn't using it). To keep taking snaps anyway, click 'Setting', then click 'Screenshot' on the resulting right-hand pane. Untick 'Don't take screenshots when user is idle.'
One excellent function of the screenshot facility is the ability to start taking shots as soon as iSafe detects that the user has entered one or more specified keywords. On the Screenshot tab, click 'Enable Smart Sense' and associated buttons become active. Enter a keyword and click 'Add' to add it to the list. To remove it, select it and click 'Delete'.
More settings
The default password is insecure, so click the 'Settings' tab and then click 'General'. To the right, enter the old 123 password and a new, longer one. Click 'Apply' to change it. The setting allow you to set many other useful options. For example, you can hide the use of iSafe by changing the hotkey sequence from the default of [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[Shift]+[X].You can also set the parameters for the Stealth mode. These include becoming invisible in Task Manager. Click the 'Users' category and you can specify the users you want to monitor. This enables you to narrow down your evidence gathering to just those people or accounts you suspect.
You can also have relevant data emailed to you. Select the Delivery category and set 'Deliver logs to email' to 'On'. Enter your email address and set the options. Emailing yourself the information captured by iSafe will enable you to monitor activity when your suspect believes they're safe. Provided you can get to your inbox, you can still see what they're up to.
Sifting the evidence
Rather than having to plough through every keystroke, screenshot and other piece of information, you can target a specific date range.On the main iSafe interface, click 'Log'. Select a date and click 'View log'. Only the entries for that day are shown. You can also select the previous seven or 30 days, or define a custom range. Click the 'Custom' button at the top of the screen, then enter the start and end dates before clicking 'OK'.
You can delete the logs and other collected information using the buttons at the top of the log view. You can also delete a date range or all data here to save on disk space.
Uninstalling iSafe after you've finished is as simple as clicking the 'Uninstall' icon at the top of the interface.
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Raspberry Pi 14-megapixel camera module unveiled
The makers of the £22 ($35) Raspberry Pi computer will launch a plug-in camera module for the pocked-sized PC later this year.
The company has released the first pictures of, and taken with, the camera which is presently rocking an impressive 14-megapixel sensor.
However, that may be downgraded somewhat to keep the accessory affordable.
The launch of the Raspberry Pi has been one of the tech stories of 2012 so far. The credit-card sized device offers a 700MHz processor, 256MB RAM and a GPU capable of playing HD video.
The unit offers just two USB ports and an SD card slot, but the camera will plug into the exposed CSI pins in the middle of the device.
Super-duperness
A post from Liz Upton on the Raspberry Pi site says: "We may downgrade the super-duperness of the camera to something with fewer than its current 14 megapixels before release; we need to keep things affordable, and a sensor of that size will end up pricey."Before you ask (I know it'll be the first question most of you have), we don't have a price for the camera module yet; we'll need to finalise exactly what hardware is in it first, but we will, of course, be ensuring that it's very affordable."
She adds that the camera will make it possible for the creation of robotics and home automation apps that "people have been wanting to build."
You can check out all of the pictures on the Raspberry Pi website.
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Amazon Kindle Fire 10.1-inch tablet coming in Q3?
Amazon will launch a 10.1-inch iteration of its popular Kindle Fire tablet in the third quarter of 2012, according to new reports.
Digitimes reckons the company plans to take on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 after cornering the 7-inch tablet market with the original Kindle Fire.
A 10.1-inch tablet, especially if priced similarly to the $199 (£125) Kindle Fire, may raise a few eyebrows over at Apple HQ, with the demand for cheap, functional tablets extremely high.
Apple itself is rumoured to be going after the Kindle Fire with a 7-inch iPad mini later this year.
8.9-inch model 'suspended'
Supposedly, Amazon had been planning a more modest size upgrade to 8.9-inches with its second offering, but that has now been shelved, says Digitimes.Overall, the company expects to ship up to 40 million tablets in 2012. Not a bad return is it?
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Government blasted for 'cosy' relationship with Google
Google has an 'extraordinarily close relationship' with David Cameron's government, according to a scathing report in the Daily Mail.
The traditionally Tory-leaning newspaper expresses concern at the amount of meetings - at least one per month - between the search giant and the government since it took office in 2010.
The 23 meetings, which include three with the PM and four with chancellor George Osborne "increases concerns that the internet giant has the ear of the Government on a host of sensitive topics," the paper says.
The report alleges that the government has 'gone soft' on online porn (stop sniggering at the back!), and has failed to challenge Google over 'tax avoidance in the UK' as a result of the 'cosy' relationship.
Added scrutiny
The government says the meetings have all been documented and are normal considering Google's size and cultural influence.A Tory spokesman said: "All these meetings have been properly declared and it is normal for relevant ministers to meet with a company of this size."
However the level of scrutiny will pile more pressure on the government, already under the cosh for its relationship with Rupert Murdoch and former News International CEO Rebekah Brooks.
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SpaceX launch aborted after last minute engine glitch
Private space company SpaceX has aborted a planned launch to the International Space Station just half a second before lift-off.
The Dragon space capsule had been scheduled to blast-off on its debut mission, en route to deliver supplies to the International Space station, but an engine problem forced the company to call it off.
The Falcon 9 rockets engines had all fired and "lift-off" had been ordered, but an excessive pressure reading saw the abort at the last possible moment.
It's now likely to be early next week before the SpaceX can schedule another launch at the Kennedy Space Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Beginning of commercial space era stalls
SpaceX CEO, the PayPal founder Elon Musk revealed on Twitter: "Launch aborted: slightly high combustion chamber pressure on engine 5. Will adjust limits for countdown in a few days."The launch was significant as the Dragon Capsule's debut flight was the first non-government vessel to head for the ISS.
The onus for space exploration is now on companies like SpaceX and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' Blue Orbit, following the controversial shut down of the NASA space program.
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Tutorial: How to control a PC with your Android phone
Control your PC with your phone
There's something deeply liberating about being able to get one over on those huge, faceless and cold-hearted corporations, and nothing does that better than building your own recordable TV powerhouse in your living room - especially as companies like Virgin Media have announced package price hikes for those customers stuck in a contract.You can achieve this snub by installing a media centre PC next to your big screen.
Unfortunately, no matter how good you make your media PC - and modern systems are good, allowing you to watch, record and play back TV in perfect silence - there's often one weak point in DIY home media networking that will bring the rest of the house toppling down.
The weak link in question is the remote control.
Many of us use the standard keyboard and mouse, or some kind of cobbled-together version of the two to control a media PC from a distance. Neither option is particularly good. You can purchase a third, more expensive option in the form of a media centre remote, but we don't think this is the best method available.
So what are you left with? Well, there's a solution, and you probably already own it: a smartphone. Not just any smartphone though - the mobile of choice for this kind of work comes from the hands of the smiling green bug of Android, allied to a little application called Gmote that gives you complete control of your media PC.
If you've never used it before then you're in for a rare treat - Gmote is an eye-opener to the world of Android. When such a simple app can work so harmoniously with the devices it's connected to, you start to wonder what else your smartphone is capable of.
As well as being a great way of controlling the media on your PC for playback on a big screen TV, you can also use Gmote to stream media from your PC to your phone or tablet. Here's how to install the app on your device as well as the software needed on your computer to communicate with it.
Installing Gmote
Turn your phone into a remote control and access media files from your couch1. Get the app
Gmote 2.0 is available on the Android Market, so download and install it. The first time you open the app, it will inform you that you need to install the Gmote server on your PC by downloading it from the website. You can get Gmote to email you the link, or alternatively just go to www.gmote.org/server and select the right installer for your PC.
2. Allow it access
Now that you've installed Gmote on your Android phone and PC, allow the program access to the internet. Create a password for connecting to the Gmote server through your Android phone, then select the location of the media files on your hard drive. Click on 'Add path', then simply choose the folder (or folders) that you want to share with the phone.
3. Never too late
If, at a later date, you change your mind and decide to create a more secure password for your smartphones access or wish to add more folders to share, or even remove those folders that you've linked to previously, all you need to do is right-click the Gmote icon in your Taskbar tray and select the appropriate link from the Settings menu.
4. Start Android
Once your PC is ready for action, it's time to get your Android device into gear. Go back to Gmote and tap the button on the screen to let the application know that you have Gmote installed on your machine now.
The name of your PC should show up on the screen, so just tap it. If not, press the option below it to enter your computer's IP address manually.
5. Enter the password
You'll now see the remote control layout on your Android device's screen, complete with media playback controls and more. Tap any of the buttons on the screen and it'll ask you to enter the password you used earlier when setting up Gmote on your PC. Once that's done it'll connect to your computer - you've just got yourself a remote Android control.
6. Explore the controls
Using the Gmote remote is pretty intuitive, so it's quite self-explanatory really. Even so, it's worth mentioning that when you first open the application, you'll be presented with an array of media controls that you can use to play, pause and alter the volume of any media files that you open, whether they are music or video.
7. Find some files
Once you're acquainted with the first screen, you can start browsing for media files on your PC's hard drive. Tap the 'Browse' button in the top left-hand side of the screen and you'll see a list of folders that you added earlier. Just tap on the folder where your media is located and tap a file to open it on your PC - this will be your default program for the file type.
8. Play on tablet
You can also beam media stored on your PC to your Android tablet or smartphone. Streaming this way is easy - just go back to the file browser on your Android device, and at the top where it says 'Play on', tap 'Phone (beta)'. You can now search for media files as you did before. It's worth noting, however, that because this feature is still in beta, not all file types are supported.
9. Finger tricks
One of the app's best features is the ability to transform itself into a mouse and keyboard at will. Press the menu button and click on 'Touchpad' to turn the screen into a mouse touchpad. The real beauty of this is that when you tap the screen it will register as a left click of the mouse, and if you hold your finger down it will bring up the Windows context menu.
10. Type away
Even better, you can type directly on screen by simply tapping the keyboard icon in the top-left corner. Input responses are immediate, so you could type entire documents on your phone. Gmote has another neat trick up its sleeve too - tap the menu button once more and select 'Web (beta)' and you can now search the internet.
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Review: Adobe InDesign CS6
The new InDesign CS6 shows Adobe's commitment to design and page layout. The new features InDesign boasts are intended to make life easier for busy layout production work and also for anyone making page designs for more than one final format.
Everyone in the DTP field is being asked to do more kinds of work than ever before - and not just taking pages onto iPads, although that's definitely something we hear regularly.
Repurposing layouts into new page sizes is where the Liquid Layout feature comes in handy. This lets pages be reshaped and the contents adjust, slide or resize to fit into the new dimensions. It's a strange thing to see, but it works well - and much better than the Layout Adjustment feature that's been around in previous InDesign versions.
You use the Liquid Layout window to tell objects whether they should grow, be pinned to sides of the page, or simply do an 'auto fit' that leaves the decisions up to InDesign. Then use the Page Tool to pull the page into a different shape. This way you can preview how things will change when the document is resized, or when a new 'alternate layout' is made from the current one.
Alternate layouts finally make iPad layouts a little easier to manage. These put different layout page sizes into the same document. You can choose which set of pages to see, or show more than one set at once by splitting the window. The Pages palette shows the different layouts in a document. If you need to make multiple versions of a layout, this is great news. But watch out, if you add a page into one layout it isn't automatically added into the other: there is no synchronisation.
The Content Collector is another powerhouse trick for busy production staff. Choose this tool - the only new icon in the Tools palette - to show the Content Collector window, then click on items to add them to it.
Switch to the Content Placer tool and you can place them back on the page in the order they were collected. This is perfect for copying lots of items from one document or layout to another. They don't stay in the Content Collector when they're placed again, so this feature doesn't replace the Library for storing master copies of items. Think of it as visual copy and paste on steroids.
Another new feature is the ability to insert HTML content as objects into a page layout. This means more options for making iPad folio documents or EPUB books, but not so much for print work. Exporting to PDF with HTML items in a layout created black boxes in our tests, even with simple text. It also didn't let us put more than one portion of HTML into a document at once: every HTML item ended up with the same content.
More impressive is the ability to make PDF forms from inside InDesign CS6. It is actually easier to make them here than in Acrobat Pro, although it is still something you will need to take time to understand.
Select an item and use the Buttons and Forms palette window to set up the form item type and behaviour. Text boxes can be turned into form fields, even password ones, and graphic buttons and checkboxes can be set.
Teething bugs aside, InDesign CS6 seems to be a robust and useful upgrade. If you don't specifically need the key update features then you probably shouldn't get too excited about this. But if you do, well, they should make your life much easier - once you get your head around how to use them properly.
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GameStop launches mobile service through AT&T for unlocked devices
It's hard to say if GameStop's recent announcement of the creatively named mobile service called GameStop Mobile is forward-thinking or too-little-too-late.
The service allows consumers with unlocked mobile devices (specifically GSM and HSPA phones) to use AT&T's mobile spectrum without having to deal with AT&T.
The convenience, as expected, comes at a price.
Out of the five available plans, none sport unlimited data transfers, though the "Smartphone Unlimited" plan includes unlimited talk and text with 500MB of transfers for $55 a month.
A "Data Only" plan offers 1GB of data downloads also for $55 a month, even though AT&T itself offers 5GB a month for less.
Subsequent plans, ranging from $45 a month to 10 cents per minute domestic calling, fill out the list of services offered, also asking slightly more than AT&T.
So if the prices of the plans aren't competitive, and there isn't any new hardware to lure consumers in, what's the draw?
Power to the Callers
GameStop Mobile represents a move into a niche corner of a brand new enterprise for GameStop, whose revenue recently fell by 17 percent due to crawling store sales, likely an effect of gaming's digital downloading boom.The games retailer could conceivably only enter the market in this fashion for one of two reasons: Either it's banking on the sale of the service with traded-in iPads, iPhones, Vitas, and Windows Phones.
Or, it sees something on the horizon that other games retailers don't.
The first scenario is the most likely, as an influx of trade-in devices has not been met with a commensurate clamor from the tablet-hungry public.
Offering these devices with a mobile plan in-store sweetens the pot, and potentially widens the young market for used and unlocked mobile phones, tablets, and handheld gaming consoles.
The iPhone effect
If GameStop is able to generate interest in that market alone, and if phone manufacturers are willing to play ball with the new service (by manufacturing devices compatible with GameStop Mobile SIM cards), then fully-functional iPhones may cease to be a "luxury item" in the way that $60 retail games can become ubiquitous as cheaper used games.However, the hurdle that neither of these scenarios can overcome is the restricting mobile web components of the GameStop Mobile plans.
Smartphone users, in particular, utilize huge amounts of bandwidth for things like navigation and social networking, which this venture fails to address.
Pair that with the unremarkable price points and it's hard to see how consumers might jump on-board with GameStop's gamble.
Via Engadget, GameStop Mobile
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Acer announces new Ivy Bridge travel laptop
Acer is packing Intel's Ivy Bridge processor into the latest model of its TravelMate series of laptops.
The TravelMate P243 will run on an Intel Core i5 Ivy Bridge processor with Turbo Boost technology.
It also features a 14-inch 1366x768 resolution screen, USB 3.0 port, HD webcam for video conferencing, 8GB of RAM, and option for a NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M video card with DirectX 11 support.
Business traveller
As part of Acer's line of business designed notebooks, the TravelMate P243 includes Acer's suite of professional software.ProShield Security offers pre-boot authentication, secure drive encryption, and file shredder utility.
Software is also included for backup and recovery management, wake-on-lan remote access, and tools to help monitor and manage IT assets.
The TravelMate P243 is only slated for the UK at the moment, with a price set at £339 (about $536).
Acer is keeping quiet on when the launch will happen though, with no word either on whether its latest business notebook will be traveling to the US.
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Facebook finishes first day of trading down $4 (£2.50) from early high
Facebook finished out its first day of public trading down by $4 (£2.5) from a strong opening around $42 (£26) to around $38(£24) by the sound of the bell.
The cost plummeted to $38 just before noon before making a steady rise in the afternoon and eventually falling back down back to $38, the same price as the social media giant's initial IPO.
"[Today's trading] doesn't have anything to do with what the company's worth," said Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter.
Facebook's first day of public trading may have ended on a slightly sour note, but the company did manage to break at least one record: Facebook's trading volume today was the biggest for any IPO in history.More than 460 million Facebook shares were traded today, narrowly surpassing the previous record of 458 million, reached by GM in 2010.
Facebook will find its footing in the market
Facebook amended its IPO documents earlier this month due to the fact that the company doesn't make ad revenue from mobile visitors, an increasingly significant portion of the site's users.The question of Facebook's long-term viability has also arisen, but at least one analyst thinks those worries are unfounded.
"It'll find an equilibrium price in the next week or two, but [today's trading] doesn't have anything to do with what the company's worth," Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter told TechRadar.
"I think that the breakdown here was that they offered too many shares," Pachter said. "And actually they sent a false signal to the Street on Wednesday when they decided to offer 50 million more shares, so the implication was that there was so much demand that we actually need more stock to satisfy it. And that turned out not to be right."
"That's only an extra $2 billion [£1.2 billion]," he added. "I mean, that's just too much - $16 billion (£10 billion) was more than the market had an appetite for today."
Pachter is confident that Facebook remains a sound long-term investment.
"I have a buy rating and a $44(£27) target, and I'm standing by it," he said. "That's a 12-month target, and that's really what I think it's worth."
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