Archive for the ‘News’ Category
Thursday, January 12th, 2012
I was thinking for while about buying GPS-enabled cycling computer and Garmin Enge 500 was my favorite. I wanted to try my routes and connect other sensors via ANT+. Obviously Garmin device provides all these features. I can connect cadence and heart rate sensors. I can even upload it to my Bodymedia Activity Manager via Garmin Connect. Then few weeks ago Motorola revealed MOTOACTV device, Android based sports watch with music player. Moreover it has ANT+ and Bluetooth LE so potentially I can use more accessories than with Edge 500. It also has WiFi and FM Radio. Apparently you can also root the device and install some other Android apps. I guess these two devices are hard to compare. Edge is truly cycling computer while Motoactv is a hybrid. I decided to get Motoactv cause it can be used for other activities beside cycling and in theory I can expand it by installing additional apps in future.
I got it yesterday and it was pretty easy to setup. If you want to use WiFi you have to install desktop software in order to add networks (you cannot type passwords on this device). I tried desktop software on Windows and OS X and functionality is similar. I charged it for couple hours as directed before I tried it outside. I must say that GPS lock is instant in comparison to my Palm Pre+ which quite often cannot sync at all. I guess it is what you get when you got GPS integrated with a phone receiver. What I liked Motoactv is auto start/stop workout feature. It automatically sense that device is not moving and suspends logging data until you start moving again. I was not always sure about my average speed provided by
SmartRunner app on my phone cause it kept logging even if I stopped. I hope it will be possible to install Android version of this app on Motoactv some day to compare. After you are done with you workout you may upload data to tracking website. You might do it wirelessly with WiFi or connect to the desktop with USB. Wireless option is great when you do not have your computer with you but still want to upload and see results. I would probably need ANT+ USB stick if I chose Garmin. I am still waiting for delivery of heart rate monitor to see how ANT+ integration works.
Tags: android, bike, biking, commmute, cycling, device, fitness, gps, health, heatlth, losing, sport, tracking, watch, weight, workout
Posted in Cycling, Fitness, GPS, Health, MOTOACTV, Motorola, News | No Comments »
Friday, December 16th, 2011
Finally, after couple unsuccessful attempts of installing Android Market without rooting my device, I decided to root it. Thanks to The Unofficial Kindle Fire Blog article I was convinced that I can unroot it later.
Android SDK Manager
I already got few first steps covered cause I got
Java Development Kit,
Microsoft .NET Framework and
Android SDK installed. I had to download
SuperOneClick. Since I haven’t done any development on Android besides trying to setup some samples to run on emulator my KIndle Fire was not detected.
Amazon Appstore Developer FAQ got precise description (
PDF) how to make it happen. The missing step was to update USB driver in Windows Device Manager with the one that Google provides with Android SDK. Unfortunately reboot is required on Windows. After that I could follow steps, run SuperOneClick and reboot Kindle Fire.
Android Market
Installing Android Market was actually a little bit complicated. Again I got few steps covered by my previous attempts. I already tried to sideload some apps and this option is enabled on my device. In addition it is possible to install GoogleServicesFramework.apk without rooting device so I did it when I was loading some other Google apps. I only needed actual Market app (
Vending.apk)and something given in this recipe:
MarketOpener.apk. Up to this point it was going according to the plan. Then next step filed. I do not know what is wrong with current version of
File Expert available on
Amazon Appstore but it does not properly copy files to /system/app directory. Be aware that version 4.0.3 is not working with his recipe. I was trying to copy or cut Vending.apk from my Download directory and paste it to /system/app but it did not happen. I found
Root Exploder on this
blog. It was able to complete what File Expert could not do. I was able to change permissions of Vending.apk and install MarketOpener.apk. After rebooting I connected my device to my desktop machine and run SuperOneClick to unroot it. Now Androit Makert is functional. Of course it can only allow to install applications that Google marks as compatible with Kindle Fire (sometimes Amazon marks app compatible while Google claims is not).
Tags: amazon, android, app, apps, aws, cloud, display, fire, gingerbread, Google, hacking, initial, kindle, market, mobile, review, root, tablet, touch
Posted in Amazon, Android, Fire, Kindle, News | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011
The Astronauts (in Polish Astronauci) is the first science fiction novel by Polish writer Stanisław Lem published as a book, in 1951. Today Google.ru published a doodle to celebrate this date.
60th anniversary of Stanislaw Lem first book
Tags: anniversary, book, celebration, doodle, famous, Google, lem, polish, sci-fi, stanislaw, writter
Posted in Google, Internet, News | No Comments »
Thursday, August 4th, 2011
One of my favorite photos, I have been there only two times so far and this photo comes from my first trip. It is two hours drive one way from Ubehebe Crater on a pretty rough road which does not require 4×4 but if you do not have it you would be extremely slow. If you reach it you will see sailing stones a geological phenomenon where rocks move in long tracks along a smooth valley floor without human or animal intervention.
Racetrack Playa
Racetrack Playa is a seasonally dry lake (a playa) located in the northern part of the Panamint Mountains in Death Valley National Park, California.
Tags: california, camera, deatth, desert, dry, extended, lake, landscape, license, microstock, nature, Photo, photography, pictures, playa, racetrack, selling, shutterstock, Stock, stock photography, stock photos, valley
Posted in Internet, News, Photo, Shutterstock, Stock | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011
After almost record last month I did not expect much from current result. Still it was 4th best month overall and 3rd best on SS. DT bounced back from the bottom, it was best month for them this year. 123RF was on the other hand having 2nd worst month of this year. FT was also down and IS almost repeated result from last four months. SXP continues to disappoint and it was beaten by CSP. Veer and BS added few sales this month.
| Jully 2011 |
July |
July/June |
RPD |
| SS |
61.40%
|
96.50%
|
0.65
|
| DT |
12.11%
|
180.15%
|
0.69
|
| 123RF |
9.64%
|
40.60%
|
0.59
|
| FT |
4.81%
|
67.92%
|
0.43
|
| IS |
4.77%
|
94.47%
|
1.03
|
| CSP |
3.14%
|
|
0.95
|
| SXP |
2.08%
|
89.29%
|
0.25
|
| Veer |
0.93%
|
|
0.93
|
| BS |
0.63%
|
95.00%
|
0.63
|
| YM |
0.33%
|
|
1.00
|
| FP |
0.17%
|
|
0.50
|
|
|
90.95%
|
0.63
|
2011 July Microstock
Tags: breakdown, Dreamstime, earnings, Fotolia, images, iStockphoto, microstock, photography, results, selling, shutterstock
Posted in 123RF, Dreamstime, Fotolia, Internet, iStockphoto, News, Photo, Shutterstock, Stock | No Comments »
Friday, July 22nd, 2011
This time I sold extended license of the image I made in Big Sur. I am not doing it as often I I could cause I simply forget shoot with exposure bracketing. Image has been processed in Photomatix.
Big Sur
Big Sur is a sparsely populated region of the central California coast where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean.
Tags: big, california, camera, coast, extended, hdr, landscape, license, microstock, nature, Photo, photography, pictures, selling, shutterstock, Stock, stock photography, stock photos, sur
Posted in Internet, News, Photo, Shutterstock, Stock | No Comments »
Monday, July 11th, 2011
This is probably going to be my best selling image after another extended license sold today.
NYC
I have noticed that this image was used on Amazon.com for Sylvania SYTAB10MT 10-Inch Magni Tablet
Sylvania SYTAB10MT 10-Inch Magni Tablet
Tags: architecture, camera, city, extended, license, microstock, nyc, Photo, photography, pictures, selling, shutterstock, Stock, stock photography, stock photos
Posted in Internet, News, Photo, Shutterstock, Stock | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 6th, 2011
With couple more dollars it would be the best month of this year thanks to strong performance from SS and 123RF. For the later one it was actually best month this year. These two delivered almost 80% of total revenue. Rest of the top 5 was around 15% and way below last month’s results. SXP is slowly falling into non-existence. ThinkStock earning are roughly 20% of what SXP used to be.
Comparing RPD we again see increase at SS and 123RF and drop on 4 other top agencies. Since on most of the sites I do not have enough volume to properly judge these numbers I can only talk about trend here. Also I am trying to get out from partner programs on IS which immediately caused huge jump in RPD there since subs from ThinkStock are no longer reported for them.
| May 2011 |
May |
May/Apr |
RPD |
| SS |
57.87% |
132.17% |
0.65 |
| 123RF |
21.59% |
134.67% |
1.49 |
| FT |
6.44% |
95.86% |
0.50 |
| DT |
6.12% |
71.68% |
0.81 |
| IS |
4.59% |
90.05% |
1.01 |
| SXP |
2.11% |
84.85% |
0.25 |
| CS |
0.69% |
300.0% |
1.13 |
| |
|
97.58% |
0.72 |
June 2011 Microstock
Tags: breakdown, Dreamstime, earnings, Fotolia, images, iStockphoto, microstock, photography, results, selling, shutterstock
Posted in Internet, News, Photo, Stock | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011
For quite long time I have not seen any extended license sold on 123RF. This time it is a photo of Polish Easter babka I had made couple years ago.
Easter Babka
Babka is a spongy yeast cake that is traditionally baked for Easter Sunday in Poland, Belarus, Ukraine and Western Russia
Tags: 123rf, baba, babka, bake, baked, bakery, brown, bundt, cake, chocolate, cook, cuisine, delicious, dessert, diet, easter, eastern, eat, europe, extended, food, gourmet, handmade, holiday, homemade, icing, images, indulgence, license, microstock, moist, paasover, pastry, Photo, photography, picture, pie, plate, polish, powder, powdered, royalty free photo, royalty-free, sell, snack, Stock, stock image, stock photograph, stock photographs, stock photos, sugar, sweet, tasty, traditional, treat, vanilla, yeast, yummy
Posted in 123RF, Diet, Food, Internet, News, Photo, Stock | 1 Comment »
Thursday, June 2nd, 2011
First day of the month brought me nice surprise, extended license sale on Shutterstock. I have been selling quite a few images from San Jose, California recently so it must by something going on 
San Jose City Hall
The current City Hall of San José California was opened to the public on October 15, 2005, and is located at 200 East Santa Clara Street, San José, California. It was designed by Richard Meier.
Tags: architecture, camera, city, extended, hall, license, microstock, Photo, photography, pictures, sanjose, selling, shutterstock, Stock, stock photography, stock photos
Posted in Internet, News, Photo, Shutterstock, Stock | No Comments »
