Melastmohican's Blog

Palm introduced webOS 2.0, the next generation web-based operating system! We’ve got lots of new and updated
features to make your apps more powerful and flexible. New features include:

• Stacks – grouping related cards in stacks, reducing clutter, and making it even easier to move quickly between task
• Quick Actions – Start an email, create a message, update your status, search your favorite websites—all without having to launch an app
• Apps can have custom Touchstone at-a-glance views with Exhibition
• Synergy is opening up to developers
• HTML5 and Javascript support is much improved
• Hybrid PDK/SDK apps will be fully supported

webOS 2.0 SDK Beta

Tags: celluar, developer, palm, phone, pre, release, sdk, smartphone, webos

Lightroom 3.2 is now available as final releases on Adobe.com.

Adobe Lightroom 3

The version 3.2 update includes these enhancements:

• Direct publishing to Facebook and SmugMug is now available
• Tethered capture now supports the Leica S2
• Fixed authentication issues that could be experienced with the Facebook publish collection
• Adressed performance issues that could occur while reviewing images in Loupe view
• Corrected several Adobe Photoshop Elements upgrade issues
• Corrected a file renaming bug involving date or time fields
• Export with watermark will now function correctly when choosing the Limit File Size option
• Additional camera support for several new camera models including the Panasonic DMC-LX5, Sony NEX-5 and Canon EOS 60D and over 120 new lens profiles

Tags: Adobe, catalog, editing, images, lightroom, photography, photoshop, raw, Software, tool, utility, version, video, workflow

Google Voice has become a part of Gmail. You’ll need to install the Google voice and video chat plug-in. Calls to the U.S. and Canada will be free. International calling rates are available here. Dialing a phone number works just like a normal phone. Just click “Call phone” at the top of your chat list and dial a number or enter a contact’s name.

Google Voice in Gmail

Tags: call, chat, contact, dial, free, gmail, Google, Internet, number, phone, voice, voip

Microsoft will hold a gala in San Francisco on September 15th to celebrate “The Beauty of the Web”, official launch of IE9 Beta.

Tags: beta, browser, celebrate, explorer, gala, ie9, Internet, launch, microsoft, new, san francisco, version, web

For a while I was not able to use GPS hardware on my Palm Pre+. Some people suggested that it might be crippled by Verizon since they want to sell subscriptions for their GPS software – Verizon Navigator. I read reports claiming that when you start Navigator first, GPS working in other apps auto-magically. This thing was probably inspiration for writing a small app called GPS Fix. GPS Fix is designed to wake your GPS, then keep it alive by continually pinging it at a set interval. I got following recipe to make possible to use SmartRunner to track my cycling rides.

1. Start GPS Fix and enable it
2. Call Verizon Navigator from GPS Fix and wait until it will ask you to purchase this app.
3. Start SmartRunner.
4. Wait. I figured out that it takes a while to sync with satellites. Unlike my PhotoTrackr device it cannot really sync when I am moving. That was always problem cause I am used to start and let it sync while I am riding. This is not working with GPS hardware from Pre+. Once you are synced you can start tracking in SmartRunner and GPS Fix will keep pinging hardware to make sure it will be running.

Tags: 3g, carrier, celluar, digital, fix, geolocation, gps, navigation, phone, pre, receptionpalm, service, smartphone, verizon, webos, zero

I found a test page that will check your browser compliance with HTML 5 standard. I am using mostly Firefox at work and at home. I quickly run tests for 3 different browsers on my Mac and it seems like FF is not a champion of HTML 5.

1) Firefox 3.6.8 – scored 139/300 mostly because it has 0 or 1 in 6 categories: Parsing Rules,Local Devices, Elements, Forms, Microdata, WebGL

2) Safari 5.0.1 – scored 208/300. Still 5 categories were not covered.

3) Chrome 6.0.472.25 – is a winner with score 217/300. It looks like 4 categories are not yet implemented.

It seems like all browsers fully support Canvas, Geolocation and Workers. Safari and Chrome got almost 100% in Audio and Video categories, each one got one codec missing. Safari got best support for Forms and Web Applications but is totally behind in Files category.

Tags: audio, benchmark., browser, chrome, codec, comparison, evaluation, features, firefox, HTML5, Internet, number, safari, score, standard, support, test, video, www

I moved from Cupertino to Mountain View and my daily commute has been reduced by few miles. It used to be 9 miles one way. Now it is only 3.6 miles if I go straight so I have to find longer route. Unfortunately part of it is now resurfaced so I am taking short way to work and back.

Work to Home

Tags: alternative, bicyclist, bike, biking, car-free, commmute, cycling, cyclist, daily, fitness, gps, gpx, heatlth, transit, transportation, travel

Overall worst month of the year. SS recovered a little from disaster last month but average performance of others was not good enough to make better numbers. For a second month SXP got results from ThinkStock and it way below it used to be before IStock acquired it. I guess it is a middle of summer slow down.


Jul Jul/Jun
SS 55.31% 138.68%
123RF 17.26% 49.43%
DT 9.46% 104.06%
IS 6.91% 57.76%
FT 6.74% 129.41%
SXP 2.19% 316.67%
CSP 1.08% 391.67%
BS 0.46% 18.18%
CS 0.58% 500.00%
95.52%


JUL 2010 Microstock

JUL 2010 Microstock Trend

Tags: breakdown, Dreamstime, earnings, Fotolia, images, iStockphoto, may, microstock, photography, results, selling, shutterstock

This is my first smartphone so I cannot compare to my past experience. I decided to have Palm device cause I wanted two from the same manufacturer after we switched to Verizon due to reception problems in our new apartment. Also I wanted a smaller form factor than most of present smartphones. My wife was not very interested in smartphone so Pixi for her was also kind of compromise.

Palm Pre

1. It is fast. GUI is really responsive and you only wait if you are connecting to outside world
2. Multitasking. You really can do many thing at once. Did not try if you can make calls while doing other things but music playing with surfing work.
3. Works as USB drive.
4. Syncs with my Gmail address book.
5. Video. Shoots better video than point’n'shooter even if it has less megapixels.

Cons:

1. Keyboard is pretty small or my hands are too big.
2. Entering numbers is a nightmare.
3. Battery life is very short.I would say it is more like 5h instead of advertised 8h. Do I really have to switch everything off?
4. No way to filter out Facebook contacts.
5. Photo. I am not so impressed with still camera. I need to do more test but built-in flash is not very good.

Tags: 3g, Apple, att, carrier, celluar, coverage, digital, iphone, palm, phone, pre, reception, service, smartphone, verizon, webos, zero

I have reached $3000 or more in all time Shutterstock earnings and my Standard License payout rate has been increased to $0.36 per download. It took me a little over two years to reach this level despite of global slowdown.

Pay per download is determined by your total lifetime earnings:

Tags: buy photos, buy pictures, camera, graphic design, high resolution images, illustration, image library, microstock, Photo, photo bank, photo library, photography, pictures, royalty free images, royalty-free, selling, shutterstock, Stock, stock agency, stock images, stock photo, stock photography, stock photos, subscription, vector art, web design