Helpdesk
Free Must Have Website Checking Tools
Feb 11th
I’ve been working on updating the skin to this site, and I wanted to comment on a couple of tools that I think are useful:
- Port 80 Software Analysis Tools – Compression Check, Bandwidth Savings Calculator, Cache Check, Header Check, Error Check
- Is My Blog Working – Basic Blog Idiot Test, Speed Details and Feature Test
- GID Network compression test – Is my blog compressed?
Fascinating Stuff. I’ll write about the plug-ins I’ve installed in another post, which is the reason I was using these sites.
-Ben
Sources: As stated above
1and1 Nameservers Down – Can’t find 1and1 DNS Status Page
Feb 11th
I just helped my brother set up his blog. I just discovered that a few days after setup the 1and1.com Nameservers have failed. See for yourself:
So, I go look to find a status page or something and I come up empty handed. Not a good sign in my opinion. However, this is the first failure that I’ve seen. Its just a very large failure.
–Ben
Fix – 1and1 hosting not updating or plugin problems
Feb 11th
I just found out why my wordpress installation was not working as I expected. My wordpress updates would hang/not complete and the plugin installations would hang/stop or come back with errors. As it turns out, 1and1.com defaults to PHP version 4 to execute the php scripts. So, I just had to add the following code to the .htaccess file in my root of my blog directory:
AddType x-mapp-php5 .php
After that, everything started working real smoothly. So, make sure you update that PHP4 to PHP5 if you’re using 1and1.com.
–Ben
Reference: 1and1.com
Droid’s 2.1 Page removed from Motorola – Why – and link to pics
Feb 11th
Motorola had a informational page about what was contained in the 2.1 update. But they pulled it shortly thereafter. From the looks of it, nobody’s answering the question of why. However, Phandroid has a screenshot of the missing page.
The page showed the new features as:
- Text to speech for any text box
- Better virtual keyboard
- 3D Gallery – photos, videos and other image sources are shown in 3D stacks that move when the phone is tilted
- PINCH TO ZOOM – in web, gallery and maps (finally)
- News and Weather App/Widget
- Maps – syncs with desktop, personal suggestions, night mode
- Music App gets tabs to switch screens
- Google Goggles – including “reading” business cards and adding them to you contacts (Cool!)
- Fix on the Pattern Lock Bypass bug (I think)
- Yahoo email setup optimizations
- Better Battery Optimizations
For those of you who don’t know, you can manually check to see if you’re authorized for the update right now by going to Settings -> About Phone -> System Updates. If you’re not authorized yet, try back again later. Reclicking is not likely to do any good. Remember that this is a gradual roll-out like the last update.
–Ben
Get Last Modified Date from Webpage You’re Visiting
Feb 9th
I found a neat little trick that allows me to get a last modified date / last changed date from a webpage I’m viewing.
Simply copy the code below into your address bar and it will cause a window to pop-up with the last modified date.
javascript:alert("Last Modified " + document.lastModified)
Very neat trick.
–Ben
Source: About.com
Android 2.1 Droid Update imminent on Verizon -maybe multitouch
Feb 9th
Motorola just announced on their facebook page today that the Droid will get Android 2.1.
My hope is that it fixes the corporate exchange email settings and IMAP bug. Engadget reports that the 2.1 update should add multi-touch to the web browser. But we shouldn’t expect to see all the Nexus One bells and whistles. However, we’ll have to wait and see.
Happy Updating. Oh and backup that phone.
–Ben
Fix – Page Numbering in Word 2007 Fails / Broken and gives MERGEDOCUMENT gibberish
Feb 4th
I just ran past a strange error in Microsoft Word 2007 on windows. A colleague and I tried to insert page numbers at the bottom of the document and got some strange text.
We were opening a microsoft word .doc file (word 97-2003) with microsoft word 2007 in compatability mode. The solution appears to me that you need to get out of compatability mode.
Here’s the fix:
- Revert back to before you put in the page numbers (IE don’t save it – just close the file and re-open or hit undo)
- Save the file as a .docx file (word 2007 document)
- Close Word
- Open the .docx file
- Add Page Numbers and continue editing
- If you need to go back to the .doc format, save the file as a .doc file (word 97-2003) format after you’ve made your changes.
Hope that helps you.
–Ben
(no sources, just trial and error here)
Fix – Droid MMS won’t send – Too many in queue
Jan 4th
So it appears I’ve hit the first major Droid bug. I tried to send a whole bunch of people MMS pictures of my new kiddo. For some reason, it got stuck on several messages and said that there were too many unsent MMS messages and that I’d have to wait.
Here’s the issue:
- If you contact has parentheses around the contact’s area code, then MMS might fail — and only MMS — texting and calling should work. (Wow. Talk about dumb bug)
Here’s the fix:
- Delete any thread (your conversation record) of anyone you want to send an MMS to. (If you don’t it will put it in that thread and pull the number from the thread)
- Remove the contact’s number and retype it in. The Droid will put the hyphens in, which is OK. Oh, and make sure you change it for each of the ways you store the contact (such as GMail and Outlook, if its in both).
- Reset the phone.
- Do the MMS message.
Hope this stops someone else from cursing at their otherwise awesome phone, like it did me.
–Ben
Source: Thanks to GearLive
Fix – IPhone app won’t start/launch/open
Jan 4th
A friend of mine’s IPhone would not launch apps that previously worked for him, which appeared to be 3rd party applications. Here’s a few potential fixes with notes:
- Download a new free app (like google earth) and once you enter your itunes password, all is fixed
Reason:
“Taken from another forum:
The reason this happens is because every time a downloaded app is opened it checks for your itunes password for validation that you are authorized to open that app (as it may contain personal info). From time to time the iphone “forgets” your itunes password. You can fix the missing password by syncing the iphone with itunes or downloading an app from the app store and entering your password that way.”
-
The solution for this situation was the Application setting tab at top when the iPhone is plugged in and iTunes is running. It seems when an iPhone ( the same may apply for iTouch also ) with 3rd party apps is plugged into iTunes , iTunes runs a backup to restore the 3rd party applications if needed. If the ‘ sync ‘ box ( for applications ) is unchecked and the sync is run , the apps are ‘ removed ‘ from your iPhone although they still appear on the iPhone ( similar to deleting a program but leaving the shortcut to it ). When starting the 3rd party app , it begins to run but then just exits.The fix for this was simply running iTunes , plugging in the iPhone and going to the Application tab and ensuring the ‘ sync ‘ applications box was checked ( along with all the applications it backed up under it ).
- The solution for this situation was the Application setting tab at top when the iPhone is plugged in and iTunes is running. It seems when an iPhone ( the same may apply for iTouch also ) with 3rd party apps is plugged into iTunes , iTunes runs a backup to restore the 3rd party applications if needed. If the ‘ sync ‘ box ( for applications ) is unchecked and the sync is run , the apps are ‘ removed ‘ from your iPhone although they still appear on the iPhone ( similar to deleting a program but leaving the shortcut to it ). When starting the 3rd party app , it begins to run but then just exits.The fix for this was simply running iTunes , plugging in the iPhone and going to the Application tab and ensuring the ‘ sync ‘ applications box was checked ( along with all the applications it backed up under it ).
- 1. Authorize, de-authorize and authorize again your computer in Itunes.
2. Sync all apps – chose ’specified apps’ and check them all for sync (the third party apps still won’t work at this point).
3. After syncing, with the IPhone still connected, delete one third party app (you’ll notice this app will lose its check).
4. Recheck this app in Itunes and (with all the other apps checked as well) sync again.
5. With the Iphone still connected, try opening the app you just restored. It should work fine, no saved data lost.
6. Test your other apps. If still not working, try repeating steps 3 – 5 with other third party apps until it fixes the problem. It took me 3 deletes/restores to get everything running again.
Hopefully one of these solutions works for you. I hear there’s good success with the install a new app solution.
–Ben
Source: Iphone App Ratings Forum
Free Droid Apps – Free Recommended Must Have Apps
Dec 1st
Just a quick List of my Must Have Apps for Droid
- (Jan/5/2009 UPDATE: NO LONGER FREE) Locale – Make your phone context sensitive – turn off alerts during sleeping hours, or use gps to turn off the sound, but vibrate when you’re at the grandparents. Totally worth it.
- WiFi OnOff & SilentMode OnOff – Widgets on your homescreen that quickly turn features on or off, rather than through settings or holding down the home button. Also show status.
- RingDroid – Make your own ringtones from your music. Talk about Finally!
- AudioManager – See the status and change the volume settings individually. Has caused my phone to hiccup a few times. May want to be careful. However the status screen of each volume setting makes it worth it.
- Jewels – Bejeweled clone that works great. However, it now comes with ads at the bottom of the menu screen. Skip if you can’t stand adds.
- Cestos – Funny multi-player ball game, as in over the internet. Addicting.
- Color Flashlight – Don’t tell me you’ve never used your cell phone to see in the dark.
- Where’s My Droid – Send your droid a text message and the volume will kick back on and start ringing. You can even text your phone and activate the GPS. So if you use lattitude, you might be able to find it.
- Speed Test – I wanted to know how fast Verizon’s 3G really was.
- Barcode Scanner – Comparison Shop by scanning the barcode of an item.
- Astro – File Manager and Viewer (why does droid not have this built in?)
- Toddler Lock – If you let your kids play on your Droid (really?), Lock down your Droid and let them fingerpaint and make shapes.
- Touch! 4Kids – Animal shapes fly across the screen and the kids have to touch the shape.
–Ben
