PlayStation 3 version 2.42 easier for networking

By Jubal Burkhart

Home networking between various platforms lets a central storage hub provide content through all your devices, even stream your own media to portable devices like the PSP. It sure sounds good. But if you’re like me, keeping your own network running glitch-free is a frustrating and time-consuming task.

My ultimate task was to share files between my PCs and PlayStations. My home network consists of four PCs — with four different versions of Windows – a Wii, a PSP, and now a PS3. I got it to work once, maybe twice, in the first couple of months I had the PS3. After hours of Googling, I found I was not alone in my despair. Comments such as, “Sony shouldn’t say something works if it just plain doesn’t,” and “it seems to work at random” were all over the myriad forums I waded through.

Then, one day, something changed.

Sony released version 2.42 of the PS3 software, and now it works all the time. Of course, there are certain settings on the PCs, the PS3, and the PSP that need to be adjusted to get the best results. I’m not sure what all of them do, or which are integral to the network, but I’ll share my settings, since they seem to do the trick. This guide assumes that all your devices are already on the same network, all attached to the same router.

First, get the latest update for your PS3 and PCs. By now everybody should have Windows Media Player 11 no matter what OS you are running. I’m not sure if you have to have WMP11, or if WMP10 will work, but it’s time to upgrade to 11 anyway. In WMP, add to your library all the files you want to share. This includes music as well as pictures and videos. The PS3 will recognize most file formats on a PC, but a few are not compatible. MP3s will work, but to play WMA or ATRAC files you will need to enable WMA and ATRAC playback in the System Settings section of the PS3’s Xross Media Bar (XMB). Next, go to WMP’s Library tab and select “Media Sharing.” Fill the “Share my media to:” checkbox and select the PS3. It will probably show up as “Unknown Device,” and may even indicate the PS3’s MAC address. Press the “Allow” button. Press the “Settings” button in the same dialogue box and make sure all media types and all ratings are shared – with just the default settings it might not share anything. In my experience, Windows Firewall will allow these connections, but you may have to configure others.

Now on to the PS3. Under “Network Settings,” first enable Media Server Connection. Then go to Internet Connection Settings. Set MTU to Automatic, and NAT type to Type 2. Now you should see a Windows Media Player icon and the name of your computer near the top of the Photo, Music, and Video columns of the XMB. If you have a lot of stuff in the WMP library, it can take a while for it to show up.

Now on to the PSP. No special settings needed here. As long as you are set up for Remote Play, you can now stream media from your PC to your PSP over the Internet no matter where you are in the world! Just make sure the PSP is registered with the PS3 first. PS3’s Remote Start must be set to On, as well as Automatic Login. And of course, the PC will need to be on and logged into the network for the PS3 to see it. Also make sure your PSP firmware is the latest. If it is outdated, it may not be able to connect to the PS3 over Remote Play.

I hope this works for you; it should cover most of the common problems you will see while setting this up.

Wireless power continues to inch toward consumers

By Aaron Burkhart

I’ve been trying to keep an eye on upcoming wireless power options (which is like watching grass grow), and it looks like the big wireless power developers are still crawling toward consumer solutions.

In an article I wrote for the April 15 issue of The Northern Light, I examined the different methods of generating wireless power and a few of the companies to watch. Since then, there have been a few new announcements that give me hope the technology isn’t too far from store shelves.

Since then, Fulton Innovation (whose eCoupled technology is one of the most promising wireless power options) has acquired the assets of Splashpower, a competing wireless power developer that ran out of funds some time ago (read the short press release on the aquisition). To buy out a defunct competitor must mean Splashpower had some technology that eCoupled didn’t; that means a likely improvement in Fulton’s already impressively strong eCoupled technology, which uses an inductively coupled power circuit, as did Splashpower.

Also of note is Powercast’s statement that it has come to an agreement with Pure Energy Visions, maker of rechargeable batteries. Unlike the inductive coupling technology mentioned above, Powercast uses radio frequency harvesting to trickle power to its enabled devices. While RF harvesting will never power a running laptop like eCoupled technology can, it can charge small devices from a much greater distance. Rechargeable batteries with this technology could be put in any device and you would never have to replace the batteries or place them in a charger — it would all be done through the airwaves without you doing a thing. This is very promising, although rechargeable batteries in general still haven’t caught on as well as they should have.

Most recently, HoMedics, maker of massaging cushions and other home health products, partnered up with Powermat to create products with wireless power capabilities. The press release doesn’t give much detail, but it won’t be full wireless yet, since any wirelessly powered device would still need a wireless power giver – which, ideally, would be embedded in the floors, walls and furniture. That’s the biggest obstacle to this technology: it’s almost a catch-22 of putting out wireless devices while still needing to plug-in a powermat to give off the wireless power. That is, until enough homes have wireless power-givers already embedded, which nobody will make until they see a market filled with wirelessly powered devices.

Anyway, it’s a step in the right direction, and I’m excited to see where wireless power goes next; the true potential of the technology is barely even tapped.

First wave of Apple iPhone Apps reviews: best freebies

By Aaron Burkhart

Before the reviews, here’s what to expect from the update and the new App Store:
With people having problems updating their iPhones due to overloading of servers (Apple’s and/or AT&T’s), I waited a few days to install the update. Not including download time, the installation of the update took 20 minutes, going through various stages of “backup,” “restoring,” and “verifying.” At several points it looked like it might be stuck, but it would eventually keep going. It’s possible the servers were still being strained. After the update was up and running I headed to the new iTunes App Store to see what new functionality I could finally add to my 16GB iPhone.

The App Store had a total of 790 apps on Monday, July 14. Some random observations:

• While there were plenty of free apps, some cost $50+
• There were at least a dozen tip calculators
• There were seven different apps that turned your iPhone into a “flashlight” by just having a blank screen. Five of them you have to pay for.
• Photo sharing, geotagging, and social networking all had plenty of apps available, for the iPhone user with a thousand friends.
• Some apps were very location specific, like the Berlin Trip Planner.
• Some apps were overpriced: PacMan for $10?! Free Cell for $1.99?
• Basic apps, like note takers and dayplanners, have free versions if you look for them and don’t need all the features.

The Good Apps:
BoxOffice
Finding movies in nearby theaters is so easy with BoxOffice. It automatically locates where you are and lists all nearby theaters and showtimes. Or, if you want to search by movie, it list all the movies currently in theaters along with each movie’s rating from RottonTomatoes.com. Best of all, it’s still fast when using the EDGE network, for us poor folk who couldn’t get a 3G.

Midomi
There have been times when I’ve been out and heard a song playing that I liked but didn’t recognize. Well, Midomi can hear just a snippet of a song and come back with the title, artist, YouTube videos, iTunes Store link, song samples and related or similar songs. You can even hum or sing to Midomi if you have a tune stuck in your head but forget what it’s called (though you have to be somewhat in tune). Then there’s the standard say or type search methods, which aren’t quite as fun but it’s great to have options. Although Midomi didn’t recognize a Russian song, it did great at finding most other types, with some Japanese and Spanish results even showing up. A great little free program; much better than the similar but inferior Shazam.

Graffitio
This one is great in concept: anywhere you are, you can post a virtual note attached to that place that other Graffitio users could see. For example, I go to a little cafe, love thier coffee and leave a quick note using Graffitio. Now when someone else comes in they turn on Graffitio and see my note. They don’t have to search for the name of the cafe, they don’t have to be part of my friends network; the notes are linked to each location, like virtual graffitti, taking the geotagging concept and actually doing something useful with it. It’s a great concept with lots of potential; but for now that’s all it is unless everyone starts using it. I’ll be doing my part!

Some quick and simple free apps:
Scribble: Lets you write on the screen with your hand.
MyLite: The only flashlight app worth looking at; it has color options and strobe modes, without the gall to charge for a blank screen.
Restaurants: Fast-food eaters who want to watch thier Nutrition facts will find this offline index handy.
Mobile News: The AP Wire Service for iPhone. Slow over EDGE network.
Pandora: An internet radio app that does a great job at finding your music tastes, delivering more than just mainstream artists or superficial similarities. Again, not that smooth while using it over EDGE.
Jirbo Games: There are a handful of quick fun games by Jirba, like Concentration and Breakout, but all using cute little animal icons. They’re like what you would expect to come free on any phone, and a pleasent enough way to kill time.
Aurora Feint: A puzzle game with level raising and powerups. Fairly complex for a free game, and addicting too.
TapTap : The iPhone answer to Guitar Hero on Tour, this rythmic tapping game also has you moving the iPhone itself to hit certain beats. Only a few songs are available, but more will supposedly be available latter, though maybe not for free.

A final thing to look out for when shopping the App Store: Some apps are location dependant and won’t work if you’re not in a supported city, even the basic Yellow Pages app didn’t have Anchorage, AK, although most of the other applications had no problem pinpointing my location. It’s important to check though, especially before paying for an app.

Product review: Sony bluetooth headphones and transmitter

By Aaron Burkhart

While headphones are mostly used for mobile devices, I’ve sometimes found that I want to watch a movie on the big screen but don’t want to bother the wife napping nearby on the couch. Really nice headphones don’t come with a long enough cord to sit far enough away from the screen, so I decided to pick up Sony’s bluetooth transmitter (TMR-BT10) and stereo headphones (DR-BT22) to see if they would fit my needs.

The transmitter is about the size of a thumb, with an alligator clip and a good length of cord to plug into any standard headphone jack. For my purposes, it plugs right into the stereo system, but would just as easily turn an iPod or even an old boom-box into a wireless audio source.

The headphones are collapsable for easy stowage, but as a result feel less than sturdy at times. They also can twist when putting them on, making it a little awkward if you’re not used headphones doing that, but once on they were snug and lightweight. Pairing the transmitter and headphones was easy (just hold the power button on both until the lights turn blue and they find each other), and the sound quality was pretty good, but not great. A tiny bit of background hum was always present, but not distracting.

When paired with my iPhone, there wasn’t the same hum. An odd note about pairing with an iPhone is it asks for a pin number, which of course it doesn’t do when paired with the transmitter. Turns out the pin is just 0000, which I had to look online for since I didn’t hang on to the manual. Otherwise the headphones work great as a hands-free option, as it picked up my voice easily and was still clear for both parties when I was almost 20 feet away from my actual phone. For whatever reason, though, when I switched the iPhone to iPod mode for music sound would only come out of the iPhone’s speakers and not the headphones. I couldn’t find any option to route the music through bluetooth, but when making a call it switched automatically as long as it was still paired. It just wouldn’t work with music or videos.

When using it with my home theater system and the transmitter, it worked with a similarlly long range of at least 20 feet, even through several walls. However, while my using it with a home theater may not be a standard use, I did find a syncronization problem when using it with a recorded DVR program. On DVDs it synced perfectly and there isn’t a problem with live TV. But when trying to watch a recorded program off the DVR the sound would be lagging behind the picture by as much as two seconds. Pausing and then unpausing would put the sync closer together, but it takes doing that a bunch of times before it gets close enough to sycn as to not be distracting.

Other than the iPhone music and DVR oddities, the headphones work great and have a surprizingly long battery life; I haven’t plugged them in for weeks and have watched around 5 hours of TV with them throughout that time.

Combined with the transmitter (which can be used to bypass the iPhone music gap), this bluetooth headphone set has a lot of possible uses and has been a satisfying purchase, if not flawless.