Author: mark

Posted on

Fixed: Flash 10 Update Breaks Video Playback

I recently updated the flash player to v10 on my mac. It broke video playback on many websites including nickolodian cartoons (argh ironman) and our intranet at work.

I seem to remember this happening the last time a major flash update was released. I’m not sure if it is related to some other software on my machine or not.

Turns out that the upgrade didn’t work properly. The fix was to remove the flash player altogether and do a fresh install.

Flash uninstallers:
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/141/tn_14157.html

Fresh install flash after your uninstall:
http://www.adobe.com/go/getflash

http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/141/tn_14157.html
Posted on

Real iPhone GPS Showdown – Navigon VS TomTom

For those wondering which real GPS app is better for the iPhone I decided to do a comparison. I’ve provided enough information that you should be able to make a decision which to pay for. At the time of this writing TomTom is about $10 more expensive than Navigon.

My opinion is that TomTom is a little bit better app for the money but that both apps are great! I like both of them better than my Garmin Nuvi. You can’t go wrong with either app.

Below is a table of some features that I thought were good to know about before purchasing.

POI = Points of Interest

TomTom
Navigon
Feature
10 s
16 s
 Startup time
1.2 gb
1.4 gb
 Size
X
 2D Mode switches to a 3D view when approaching a freeway way entrance/exit and shows your path
Stops Music
Fades Music
 How iPod is handled while giving directions
X
Honors vibrate mode (stay quiet when I ask you too!)
X
X
 Save current position as a favorite
Can copy and paste a full address (duh!)
X
Multiple voices to choose from
X
X
 Created good routes
X
X
 Good homescreen design
X
Graphical home screen buttons (great for quick action)
X
X
 Place phone calls to POIs
X
 User selectable speed profiles for determining arrival times
X
Has supporting hardware (or soon will)
X
 Uses familiar logos for POIs
X
X
 Supports different distance units (Miles/Kilometers)
X
X
 Map zoom relative to speed
 
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Here are a few more observations…

Navigon
  • Street names can be hard to read while navigating
  • Further out perspective in 3D view than TomTom (I liked this feature a lot)
TomTom
  • At first the routing seemed a little off. It chose strange paths to work and home. I’m not sure if this is going to get better with time (if it is collecting travel data) but after I realized that I can turn off the “IQ Routes” feature it got better. This feature supposedly uses historical traffic levels to calculate your route.
  • POI database seems more thorough than Navigon
  • Super cool map browser that tells you street names as you tap them!
  • More POI options
  • All around more aesthetically pleasing

And now, what you really came for: screenshots…

TomTom Navigon
   
Home Screens

 Home Screens
   
Points of Interest
 Points of Interest
   
Points of Interest Logo Icons
 Points of Interest Logo Icons
   
3D Mode Freeway View
 3D Mode Freeway View
   
2D Mode Freeway Entrance/Exit
 2D Mode Freeway Entrance/Exit (switches automatically)

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Posted on

iPhone 3G headphones button problem – fixed!

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I was starting to get sick of my headphones. I would plug them in and I could hear music but the button didn’t work for play/stop or skipping tracks. That wasn’t the end of the world until I started having problems with phone calls. Turns out that if the clicker isn’t working the microphone also isn’t working. Anyways, the fix was an easy one. There was nothing wrong with the headphones or the phone.

I was reading on a forum and discovered that lots of people were having problems with pocket lint getting in the headphone receptacle. All I had to do was dig around a little with a paperclip and I found a hug piece of pocket lint.

After clearing it I’ve had no problems. Yay!