Canola is being fixed. Yay!
Just got word that there was a mistake building the
release of the Beta5 version of Canola. So wait for the
next update, they're fixing it as we speak.
Plus, the issues with adding Feedburner podcast feeds are being worked on. Yes, it's problematic that, like Marcelo said, there is no exact standard when it comes to serving up podcasts and parsing all that info, so until the podcasting world gets its shit together to create that standard, we'll have these kinds of problems. I'm glad to see it's all starting to come together.
Plus, the issues with adding Feedburner podcast feeds are being worked on. Yes, it's problematic that, like Marcelo said, there is no exact standard when it comes to serving up podcasts and parsing all that info, so until the podcasting world gets its shit together to create that standard, we'll have these kinds of problems. I'm glad to see it's all starting to come together.
Canola Marcelo Speaks
I received this e-mail today from Marcelo, one of the
developers of Canola.
Hi Mark,
I know that probably you would like to kill some of us, because of your opinion on Canola2 but I thought that would be good to send you a couple of lines, at least with what we have in mind, and just to let you know that we are running against those issues... and they are not "like that" in the end.
So, I think I know what kind of feeds you tried to use, and yes they do not work, it's funny but seems that the podcast world is suffering from the same evil the web suffered years ago : lack of standards. We are using what some people told to be the best parser but seems that is way beyond that, so if you send us a list of feeds that are important (even if you are not trying again, after all it has been already 3 attempts) I will for sure add to the test list, like all the japanese, russian and other media files I received for a couple of users.
I know that saying "We are in beta" is not an excuse, but we needed this. To be on people's hand and listening the complaints from real cases. Test cases are never enough, and we are least will do our best to have a nice podcast tool. Next release is including :
a. Queue system (with current download list, and settings to say how many episodes should be downloaded at the same time)
b. "New" label for episodes (simple thing that was missing)
c. Support for episodes linked inside the CDATA section (seems pretty common to have this)
d. Support for itunes based feeds (people requested that the "features" iTunes should be the test list...
e. "Today's episodes" - smart playlists
f. "Top rated" using the rating system
And for the other release, we also plan to include "playlists" features, so people can create sequences of episodes they want to listen to.
Also finally the scanner has a very decent support, now we have the scanner that really supports all formats by the platform and parses even strange things like FLAC (and it's tag) and parses any encoding in mp3s and also any id3 version (from v1 to 2.4)
Closing, as you are really after a more "sharp" version, I would like to ask you to try at least the final version (in march) again to see if it was of any help :) if not.. then I'm ready to read some more heavy compliments :)
Cheers,
Marcelo
Okay, thanks Marcelo. It seems to be that the big problem is parsing any feeds coming off of Feedburner, which unfortunately for Canola, is what a vast majority of podcasters use. I do appreciate what I'm sure are tremendous hours that have been invested in the development of Canola and the ongoing process of fine tuning it. I am a big mouthed asshole who likes to push buttons to see what happens. Strange, but it works for me somehow. Since you were so kind as to write me with news that seems very promising for the future of Canola, I will of course be happy to give it another try with an open mind. I will also be very honest with my opinion of it and am totally prepared to eat crow if you deliver on your promise.
Just know that I very much want Canola to work and I am rooting for you.
Hi Mark,
I know that probably you would like to kill some of us, because of your opinion on Canola2 but I thought that would be good to send you a couple of lines, at least with what we have in mind, and just to let you know that we are running against those issues... and they are not "like that" in the end.
So, I think I know what kind of feeds you tried to use, and yes they do not work, it's funny but seems that the podcast world is suffering from the same evil the web suffered years ago : lack of standards. We are using what some people told to be the best parser but seems that is way beyond that, so if you send us a list of feeds that are important (even if you are not trying again, after all it has been already 3 attempts) I will for sure add to the test list, like all the japanese, russian and other media files I received for a couple of users.
I know that saying "We are in beta" is not an excuse, but we needed this. To be on people's hand and listening the complaints from real cases. Test cases are never enough, and we are least will do our best to have a nice podcast tool. Next release is including :
a. Queue system (with current download list, and settings to say how many episodes should be downloaded at the same time)
b. "New" label for episodes (simple thing that was missing)
c. Support for episodes linked inside the CDATA section (seems pretty common to have this)
d. Support for itunes based feeds (people requested that the "features" iTunes should be the test list...
e. "Today's episodes" - smart playlists
f. "Top rated" using the rating system
And for the other release, we also plan to include "playlists" features, so people can create sequences of episodes they want to listen to.
Also finally the scanner has a very decent support, now we have the scanner that really supports all formats by the platform and parses even strange things like FLAC (and it's tag) and parses any encoding in mp3s and also any id3 version (from v1 to 2.4)
Closing, as you are really after a more "sharp" version, I would like to ask you to try at least the final version (in march) again to see if it was of any help :) if not.. then I'm ready to read some more heavy compliments :)
Cheers,
Marcelo
Okay, thanks Marcelo. It seems to be that the big problem is parsing any feeds coming off of Feedburner, which unfortunately for Canola, is what a vast majority of podcasters use. I do appreciate what I'm sure are tremendous hours that have been invested in the development of Canola and the ongoing process of fine tuning it. I am a big mouthed asshole who likes to push buttons to see what happens. Strange, but it works for me somehow. Since you were so kind as to write me with news that seems very promising for the future of Canola, I will of course be happy to give it another try with an open mind. I will also be very honest with my opinion of it and am totally prepared to eat crow if you deliver on your promise.
Just know that I very much want Canola to work and I am rooting for you.
Canola is complete and total garbage
Okay, I've given all 3 beta versions of Canola a try.
I've spent untold minutes watching the little
processing indicator spin and spin as it searches for
podcast feeds forever. So basically what I'm saying is:
Adios, Canola, you fucking useless, stupid,
non-intuitive, non-working, mickey mouse, waste of my
goddamn time, ridiculously slow piece of shit. Go jack
off somebody else.
Will somebody please create some real software for this platform? Anybody? I'm even willing to pay real money for it.
Will somebody please create some real software for this platform? Anybody? I'm even willing to pay real money for it.
Word Processor
David left this comment on my writing blog over at
wordsushi.com
"What I really want on my N810 is a small word processor that will open documents from the unenlightened that are emailed to me. Abiword would be great, but hasn’t been ported to the N810 yet."
Agreed.
For all I know, Abiword could be running on the N810 so well right now that it writes everything for you but I wouldn't know because I gave up waiting for this about 2 weeks ago when I read a thread on internettablettalk saying that it was almost ready to go but nobody had gotten around to compiling it yet. This is the big problem for me, a non-programmer, non power-user. That any sort of serious application development is being done by volunteers. And it just seems like it's taking much longer than I want to wait for any of these programs to be ported/fixed/working/installable. Honestly, I'm fucking sick of it. This is exactly why the Nokia Internet Tablet will only ever be a sandbox for tinkerers and never reach mainstream success.
Now, that being said, my N810 does exactly what I need it to do, which is allow me to take notes. But I can't seem to get it to do anything else that is helpful to me. The browser is great, I'd love it if I could watch Hulu videos on it, but you can't have everything.
So what I read about Nokia acquiring Trolltech gives me hope that they too are sick of waiting for the many well-intentioned volunteers to create the kind of apps that will drive this platform. The device is fucking useless without good software. Now that the new system is running great, let's get some programs that work.
"What I really want on my N810 is a small word processor that will open documents from the unenlightened that are emailed to me. Abiword would be great, but hasn’t been ported to the N810 yet."
Agreed.
For all I know, Abiword could be running on the N810 so well right now that it writes everything for you but I wouldn't know because I gave up waiting for this about 2 weeks ago when I read a thread on internettablettalk saying that it was almost ready to go but nobody had gotten around to compiling it yet. This is the big problem for me, a non-programmer, non power-user. That any sort of serious application development is being done by volunteers. And it just seems like it's taking much longer than I want to wait for any of these programs to be ported/fixed/working/installable. Honestly, I'm fucking sick of it. This is exactly why the Nokia Internet Tablet will only ever be a sandbox for tinkerers and never reach mainstream success.
Now, that being said, my N810 does exactly what I need it to do, which is allow me to take notes. But I can't seem to get it to do anything else that is helpful to me. The browser is great, I'd love it if I could watch Hulu videos on it, but you can't have everything.
So what I read about Nokia acquiring Trolltech gives me hope that they too are sick of waiting for the many well-intentioned volunteers to create the kind of apps that will drive this platform. The device is fucking useless without good software. Now that the new system is running great, let's get some programs that work.
Case or no case?
Because I am afflicted with the disease of consumerism,
I hesitated not in buying a nice black leather case for
my N800 when I got that last year. I ordered one from
PD Air, which was very nice and had a magnetic snap on
the front. Very attractive. Very well made. I think it
cost $28. I had one problem with it. Given that I like
using the on-screen touch keyboard to write, the N800
case's thickness made it just a hair more difficult to
hit those keys on the edges (q, a, space, ', /) so I'd
often find myself taking the N800 out of the case.
Great case, one small annoyance.
So now that I'm completely migrated to the N810, I considered dropping another $28 for a PD Air book-style case for it, but I'm still not sure. It appears that the N810 case doesn't have any leather across the bezel (like the N800 case) but for some reason, I still can't convince myself to buy it. Why is that?
It occurred to me that I would prefer that the N810 had a "clamshell" format where the keys and screen were protected by it's aluminum outer shell when closed. This way they could also make the keyboard bigger. I understand there are always issues with hinges, connectors, etc. with this kind of format but a guy can still dream, right?
So now that I'm completely migrated to the N810, I considered dropping another $28 for a PD Air book-style case for it, but I'm still not sure. It appears that the N810 case doesn't have any leather across the bezel (like the N800 case) but for some reason, I still can't convince myself to buy it. Why is that?
It occurred to me that I would prefer that the N810 had a "clamshell" format where the keys and screen were protected by it's aluminum outer shell when closed. This way they could also make the keyboard bigger. I understand there are always issues with hinges, connectors, etc. with this kind of format but a guy can still dream, right?
Why Didn't I Bring My N810?
So I went to Vegas for the weekend. Took my wife for
her birthday. We packed just one carry-on roller bag
and my knapsack. On a trip like this I had no
intentions of bringing a laptop because all I figured
I'd need to do was check my e-mail. So, in the
interests of travelling light I decided to leave my
N810 at home figuring I'd just make due with my iPhone.
I had to carry a phone with me and I didn't think I'd
need my Nokia so I left it at home by my bedside.
My mistake.
Sure I used my iPhone a lot and sent and received a number of text messages, surfed the net for info, but there was one particular e-mail I received with a link to some flash encoded stuff that of course, I could not see on the fruitphone's flashless browser. It was something I hadn't anticipated at all and now I had to wait 48 hours until I got home to see what it was I had been sent. To make it more frustrating, I knew the flash encoded e-mail contained family photos I would have liked to have seen then instead of waiting 2 days. So, basically I missed out and had to wait all because I was too lazy to pack something as small as the Nokia N810.
Plus, on the way home our flight (and every other flight) was delayed at the airport and we ended up with much more time to kill in the terminal than I had anticipated, time that I could have spent writing (I hate typing with the iPhone's tiny on-screen keyboard). Again, time I could have optimized if I had my N810 with me.
So yes, I learned my lesson. Regardless of where I go, I'll have my iPhone on me but now I'm going to make sure to pack my N810 as well.
My mistake.
Sure I used my iPhone a lot and sent and received a number of text messages, surfed the net for info, but there was one particular e-mail I received with a link to some flash encoded stuff that of course, I could not see on the fruitphone's flashless browser. It was something I hadn't anticipated at all and now I had to wait 48 hours until I got home to see what it was I had been sent. To make it more frustrating, I knew the flash encoded e-mail contained family photos I would have liked to have seen then instead of waiting 2 days. So, basically I missed out and had to wait all because I was too lazy to pack something as small as the Nokia N810.
Plus, on the way home our flight (and every other flight) was delayed at the airport and we ended up with much more time to kill in the terminal than I had anticipated, time that I could have spent writing (I hate typing with the iPhone's tiny on-screen keyboard). Again, time I could have optimized if I had my N810 with me.
So yes, I learned my lesson. Regardless of where I go, I'll have my iPhone on me but now I'm going to make sure to pack my N810 as well.
New Canola coming
I just heard that a new version of Canola is on its
way. Coming in 2.1 are:
* Better support for other file types than mp3 and avi (Canola 2.0 doesn't even recognize wma and wmv...)
* New podcast downloading system (much better, and also reliable)
* Better cover art support (not downloading still but embedded, file..etc)
Looking forward to it. Canola 2.0 pretty much sucked.
* Better support for other file types than mp3 and avi (Canola 2.0 doesn't even recognize wma and wmv...)
* New podcast downloading system (much better, and also reliable)
* Better cover art support (not downloading still but embedded, file..etc)
Looking forward to it. Canola 2.0 pretty much sucked.
Shiny Brand New
My Nokia friends back in Finland asked to take a look
at my N810 so they sent me a replacement. The new one's
set up for the U.S. and includes the U.S. West map. I
activated the Maps program and it found my location in
under a minute. Pretty impressive. I have to flash the
unit to update it to the current OS but so far, so
good. Can't wait to run it through its paces over the
next few days. Thanks Nokia. I'll send the old one back
tomorrow.
It Lives!
Last night I plugged the N810 into the charger and
still no indicator on screen that it was charging so I
left it. Sometime after leaving my desk (about 10
minutes later) the indicator came on and I came back to
my desk to find the N810 showing "Battery Charged" on
screen. In my excitement I unplugged the charger, tried
the power button...
Nothing..
So I plugged it back in and left it overnight. When I woke up this morning, the screen was showing "Battery Charged" again. This time I tried starting it up while it was plugged into the adapter and BINGO! It came back to life.
I understand this is an issue Nokia software engineers are looking at and if they find it to be something that can be addressed with the next sw update, then it probably will.
For now, onward! But I'm still going to delete XGalaga.
Nothing..
So I plugged it back in and left it overnight. When I woke up this morning, the screen was showing "Battery Charged" again. This time I tried starting it up while it was plugged into the adapter and BINGO! It came back to life.
I understand this is an issue Nokia software engineers are looking at and if they find it to be something that can be addressed with the next sw update, then it probably will.
For now, onward! But I'm still going to delete XGalaga.
R.I.P. Nokia N810 (2007-2008)
"Irony" is the word for today.
This morning I really felt like the N810 was living up to some of its promise. I was really enjoying the experience of Gmail through the browser. I was very much enjoying the on-screen keyboard. I even started using WordPy and tested it on my Wordsushi blog and found it to be very useful.
I installed Skype and planned to do a head to head with Gizmo so I could blog about it later in the week and I found a game called XGalaga, a clone of one of my favorite games of all time. (XGalaga sucks monkey balls by the way).
This afternoon, I was using the N810, just putzing around with Maemo Mapper and some other programs when I inadvertently launced XGalaga. I couldn't figure out how to quit out of it so I pressed the N810's power button. The onscreen prompt to shut it down appeared and I chose that. The device shut down and then...
... you guessed it. It wouldn't power back on. (And yes, the battery was fully charged, fresh off the adapter less than an hour previous)
I pressed the power button a hundred times, held it down for a full minute or longer, took the batter out for intervals of 5 and then 30 minutes before putting it back in and still finding the N810 not responding. I plugged in the adapter... zilch.
And I noticed when I plug the adapter in, the unit doesn't even respond or register that it's plugged in. (Usually there's an onscreen prompt indicating that it's charging.)
So basically, I think the thing's dead. I e-mailed my contact at Nokia in Finland to ask him if he had any solutions. I even trolled around internettablettalk.com and found many postings about the "power off enigma" but no real answers.
I'll give it a few more days. If there's still no joy by next weekend, look for a video of a N810 Viking funeral on this site. I have the lighter fluid and matches ready.
This morning I really felt like the N810 was living up to some of its promise. I was really enjoying the experience of Gmail through the browser. I was very much enjoying the on-screen keyboard. I even started using WordPy and tested it on my Wordsushi blog and found it to be very useful.
I installed Skype and planned to do a head to head with Gizmo so I could blog about it later in the week and I found a game called XGalaga, a clone of one of my favorite games of all time. (XGalaga sucks monkey balls by the way).
This afternoon, I was using the N810, just putzing around with Maemo Mapper and some other programs when I inadvertently launced XGalaga. I couldn't figure out how to quit out of it so I pressed the N810's power button. The onscreen prompt to shut it down appeared and I chose that. The device shut down and then...
... you guessed it. It wouldn't power back on. (And yes, the battery was fully charged, fresh off the adapter less than an hour previous)
I pressed the power button a hundred times, held it down for a full minute or longer, took the batter out for intervals of 5 and then 30 minutes before putting it back in and still finding the N810 not responding. I plugged in the adapter... zilch.
And I noticed when I plug the adapter in, the unit doesn't even respond or register that it's plugged in. (Usually there's an onscreen prompt indicating that it's charging.)
So basically, I think the thing's dead. I e-mailed my contact at Nokia in Finland to ask him if he had any solutions. I even trolled around internettablettalk.com and found many postings about the "power off enigma" but no real answers.
I'll give it a few more days. If there's still no joy by next weekend, look for a video of a N810 Viking funeral on this site. I have the lighter fluid and matches ready.