Jane Talks Tech!

So, if you haven't heard, Windows 7 is being released to the general public on the 22nd of October. I was one of the lucky people selected by House Party to host a Windows 7 Launch Party. Yesterday, my party pack arrived and I got to work installing Windows 7 Ultimate on my HP dv9700t laptop. This laptop is over a year old and had a Vista windows experience index score of 5.0. It took ~ 1.5 hours to do a clean install of Windows 7 over my existing Vista Ultimate installation. I took some photographs and shot some ...

1. Update: it appears that using the Ovi Suite software, you don't need to go to the trouble of downloading the older maps .sis files. Please try downloading and installing Ovi Maps to your Nokia E71x phone using Ovi Suite which works well! Follow the steps in my latest post about installing Ovi Maps on your E71x phone. Let me know in the comments if you aren't able to install Ovi Maps using the Ovi Suite software!

Wow! The visits to my posts on tweaking the Nokia E71x, some apps for the Nokia E71x and my recommended gear and more applications for the E71x are insane by my very modest standards. This blog is a labor of love and at most, I get ~ 15 visits daily (5 of which are from Bots). So, seeing something in the neighborhood of 60 visits/day is pretty huge and no Bots there! :D It tells me that this is a market that can be tapped into and by Jove, I aim to please! Just make sure you support a struggling artist/blogger by coming back and checking out any advertisements that catch your eyes! {end of shameless plug}. Keep track of my posts on Nokia E71x through my tag.

So, what else have I discovered about my new Nokia E71x since I've had it? Well, here goes:

1. The question  is not if your phone will get scuffed up, it's when. Get a case for your phone now or see the black beauty get scarred.
2. Google Maps will not work without a data connection. If you obtained a Nokia E71x without signing up for a data connection AND you are able to use Google Maps, guess what? You are making a data counter at AT & T very happy. I'm dreading my phone bill because I didn't realize that Google Maps didn't work with Wifi and I had been playing rather heavily with tracking myself via Google Maps. Oy vey. Painful and expensive lesson learned.
3. Nokia Maps 3.0 (now Ovi Maps) works on your Nokia E71x device. The road to getting it installed is painful, but it can be done. The best part about it? Nokia Maps 3.0 will work on your device without needing a data connection. For driving directions to work, you will need to purchase a license from Nokia. You don't need Wifi connection for the turn-by-turn directions to work. Again, with the Ovi Suite software, there's no need for the instructions below. Ovi Suite will detect your Nokia E71x device and allow you to install Ovi maps on your device! , but if you are a sucker for pain, suit yourself. :) Here's I went through to get it working on my device: Read More »

So, my tablet finally arrived. I was severely excited to be in possession of my toy. It didn't break the bank but if has altered the way I use my computer. My main complaint has to be the fact that Firefox does not seem to be tablet-aware. Also, it has made me aware of how much my handwriting sucks! Unreal. It definitely has had an impact on the speed of my operations. For instance, I am composing this post entirely by hand. In any case, I have developed a greater appreciation for the fine art of writing legibly. Ha! Cheers ...

However, there are alternatives to the key programs I'm missing such as Microsoft Office Outlook which is being replaced by Evolution Mail. I'm getting used to Evolution's email interface and finding out that it's not so bad. I imported my contacts and while it wasn't smooth (i.e. mis-identifying imported items), it's doing the job of checking my email for me. :) So here goes (it's an evolving list):...