Base, we have a 10-78
For a long time now, the guys (and, of course, gals) from Sprite Mobile have protected your data. As the veteran developers that created Symantec Ghost, this company has all the knowledge in-house that is needed to create a working backup solution.
The Goold Old Days
Right from the start, Sprite Backup has presented itself as a powerful, yet easy to use solution. Sprite Backup stems from a time when there was no Persistent Storage available and OEMs included a (good) backup solution with every device.
These days, Pocket PCs come without any backup solutions; neither Active Sync 4.x nor Windows Mobile Device Center include any kind of backup facility and while Persistent Storage is capable of backing up (most of) your PIM data, for most users, this simply is not enough.
Enter Sprite Backup 6, a no-nonsense solution to backing up and (later) restoring your data.
Four, Five steps to safety
The Pocket PC version features an easy to use interface with items listed in order of importance. Starting out with backup and restore, the lesser needed items such as schedule and options are located on the second row.
The creation of a backup is very straight forward: first you select the data you want to backup. Logic dictates that, the more you backup, the bigger your backup will be and the longer your backup will take to finish.
While there is nothing wrong with going with the default settings, it is always a good idea to have a look through the various items and check / uncheck those that are unneeded in a backup.
The second step involves some basic (meta) information. By default, Sprite Backup creates files with a naming scheme of “Backup_
In order to create a backup, Sprite Backup restarts your device. This is done to clean up the RAM of your device and remove any temporary files. Once the backup starts, you will see a timer and some more status information.
Part of that information is the size of the backup and while that information is certainly useful, it would be better if users would be presented with that information prior to starting a backup. The reason for that is that, should you choose a location without sufficient free memory, you will get an error message and will have to start over.
With today’s storage cards, this should not be a real problem, but it would nonetheless be nice to be presented with this information prior to actually starting the whole process.
After completion, Sprite Backup once again presents the user with various bits of information. Unless your backup fails, this information is really just statistical data without too much value.
Operation: Restore Hope
The idea of making a backup is to have access to important data if (and when) disaster strikes. Time is money they say and so it only makes sense to be able to get to your data quickly.
Sprite Backup offers you the option to create self-running backups, which means that, even if you do not have Sprite Backup installed (for example: after a hard-reset), you can still use the backup file and get your data back.
Once the correct backup file is selected, you are given access to a selection screen which allows you to selectively restore data. The application reboots and proceeds with restoring your data. The amount of time that is needed to (fully) restore your device is largely dependent on the amount of data your backup contains as well as the compression level that was used.
Consider your options
Even though Sprite Backup 6 is powerful enough by default, there is a good chance that you are missing out on an array of great extras if you do not take the time to go through the various options.
For the lazy (or overly cautious?) users, Sprite Backup includes a feature that lets you schedule backups; in combination with the Desktop version, these backups can be stored on a (non-Pocket) PC and provide you with a selection of restoration options in case the need arises.
The scheduled backup option is especially handy when you are too busy to backup data yourself. Once set, your device will continue to create backups at the pre-set times and you will always have access to your latest data - a great fire-and-forget solution.
Another thoughtful feature are the options to limit the amount of space that is used for backup files as well as limiting the amount of individual backup files.
In case you are one of those users that needs to restore their device often, the Backup Card function is something you should take a look at. With it enabled, an autorun setup will be created on your storage card of choice which will automagically start Sprite Backup whenever the card is inserted.
There are a couple more options which definetely are worth looking at, such as encrypting the backup or selecting the upgrade mode, but these items are outside the scope of this article.
One option that is, however, worth mentioning is the Phone SIM Unlock option. The way Sprite Backup is set up requires your device to be restarted at least twice during a backup process and if you are on a Pocket PC Phone Edition device, that means entering your PIN multiple times. With the Phone SIM Unlock option, you can store your PIN and have Sprite Backup enter the PIN for you.
This feature is particularly handy when you use scheduled backups and do not want to come back to a device that did reboot but was not able to sign in to a mobile phone network.
Upgrades and Updates
Mobile Devices have become disposable products to many people. In general, a life-cycle lasts between 14 and 18 months and moreover, during this time, there will be at least one ROM update for your device.
Usually, when you create a backup on one device and then either replace said device or upgrade your ROM, your backup will be useless. Sprite Backup 6 however, includes a feature that will allow you to keep using your backup, no matter what. The feature in itself looks very simple, but the looks are deceiving. Luckily, there is a good explanation in the help section.
Location independent data
A wise man once said that only wimps use backups, real men just upload their important stuff to a FTP server and let the rest of the world mirror it. While I neither agree with the first, nor second statement, there is some truth in mirroring your data off-site.
Sprite Backup 6 offers you just that; the new version includes a built-in FTP backup option which is very easy to use. Considering that every ISP offers a bit of webspace with every subscription and many people have dedicated webspace, this is a great way of making sure that your data stays safe.
The great thing about this options is that, no matter how your FTP server is set up, you will be able to use the FTP backup option because of the high customizability.
On a related note: storing backup data in a different geographical location is one of the best ways to ensure that you still have access to whatever files your backup includes, even if disaster strikes.
One More Thing
… that deserves to be mentioned is the very detailed help file. For example, the functionality of the Phone SIM Unlock feature might not be obvious to someone right from the start, so take a minute to read through the included help file and you will understand the feature a lot better.
The cost of data
Good things don’t come for free, but they most assuredly come at a very affordable and seemingly unchangeable price. In fact, the price of Sprite Backup has not changed since as long as I can remember and that goes back to 2003.
Starting at $20, you can get your hands on the Lite version, which has all the above mentioned features except for the Desktop conduit.
For $10 more, you will get the full(er) version, which includes the Desktop conduit and excludes some extra sorrow on your part by means of automatic, off-device backups.
For the curious: the title of this post refers to the police radio code for “backup / assistance” needed.
Feest.je - Recap!
Yesterday evening, the guys from The Next Web, Fleck, Wakoopa and Twones invited a select audience to Feest.je in order to celebrate their recent successes with the respective companies and introduce a couple of new features.
Wakoopa launched a new design and Fleck showcased a couple of new features and the guys from Twones provided some interesting insight into their upcoming release.
Getting to know the right people is not impossible at such parties, but it certainly is harder if you do not own a company that is in the news every other day. Getting to know the people that matter is even harder, especially if you do not have some kind of (paper) business card.
While I do not like the idea of a (paper) business card on its own, simply for the fact that the information can not be updated easily nor can you decide who gets which information (it is: all or nothing), I do understand that even though it is called a Web 2.0 community, paper still sways its scepter over the way contact information is shared.
Since I do not own a fancy company or work for someone that plays in the Web 2.0 scene, I figure that there is little to no information I could put on a business card that would make it worth the paper.
Something I am happy with, however, is my LinkedIn profile, because it showcases some of the things I have done and I personally enjoy staying in contact with my contacts on a serious platform which just works a lot better for me than, say, Facebook.
With LinkedIn, if you want to connect with another person, you only really need two things: a name and an email address and that is exactly what I put on my hand-outs:
I do not have any stats yet, but I think the cards worked pretty well. Mostly because of their unusual format and because they are a no-nonsense way of communicating those bits of information that are important.
The product in itself, unfortunately, is no official LinkedIn item and not sanctioned by the powers that be, but I figure that this could be of interest to more people.
Naturally, “pimping” yourself is important, but one should never go to a party without bringing at least something, some kind of gift, for the host(s).
Truth be told, I had have a gift for the hosts, the only problem is that it was delivered today, on the day that Feest.je was originally slated to happen and not yesterday, the revised date for the party.
That said, what do you give someone who has a beautiful wife partner and kids and more web properties than you can shake a stick at? Exactly, something he does not have and the answer to what it actually is will follow soon.
Introductory Camp - Recap!
I got back from the introductory camp a couple of hours ago and there is only one way to describe it: “it kicked ass”.
Just about everyone I spoke to was very happy with how it all worked out and how great the group of students were. We (as “crew”) have helped set up camps before, but this one was probably the most successful: no broken limbs, no fighting and not even any alcohol abuse, the only thing we had plenty of was good times.
The first day we were treated to music from Destine and after that, we got creative with some STOMP’ish music.
Although no prizes were awarded, it is rather safe to say that my team won, not only because our performance looked hot, but also because everyone genuinely enjoyed the 90 seconds of entertainment we created. For a group of people that has never worked together before, it is amazing how well we did.
The second day was all about playing (and winning) games and even though my group was missing two students, we still aced just about every game with ease.
During the off-times, I managed to get some quality time in with our new students and it is amazing to see how motivated some of them are and how content they are with the choice they have made.
Jeroen, Lotte, Jasper, Tim, Mirte, Nils, Flore, Luuk, Martijn, Rik, I wish all of you the best of luck for the coming four years. At times, you will face seemingly insurmountable problems and then again, you will go through classes with an ease that amazes even you.
Access to higher education is, sadly, still a privilege for many, so you should try to make the most of it. Go out, expand your horizon, re-think the way you think, meet interesting people, learn cool stuff, make experiences that will last you a life time and most of all: never be afraid to deviate from the traditional path and try something new.
As Robert Frost put it so aptly:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Update:
For some visual impressions of the camp, have a look at my gallery. Video clips will be added later.
On standing up people you value
It is said that one should treat his friends well, for they are worth much more than any wealth or property in the world.
There is a lot of truth to be found in the proverbs of the Bourgeoisie, because these figures of speech are tried and time-tested and thus still hold true in this very day and age.
If I were the dramatic kind of person, I would say that today marks the first day of a different life for me. The reason for that is that I stood up a friend and person I respect a lot, a person I look up to and a person I have had the privilege of sharing a great amount of things with together.
I pride myself in being the loyal kind of friend, the person that you can rely on when things start hitting the fan at light speed. I normally am the person that will stand by you, even if others abandoned you long ago and yet, here I am, looking back at three weeks of utter stupidity, immature behavior and very un-me-ish actions.
In today’s world, it is hard to find the rare ones, the ones that are willing to teach you, tutor you and show you the stuff that you would normally have to pay for, fight for and beg for.
I have managed to find one of these rare ones and I treasured it for a long time now, in fact, I still do but at the end of the day, not everything is mutual.
It is said that one should treat his friends well, for they are worth much more than any wealth or property in the world.
It is also said that, given time and space, friendships can overcome hardships and problems and issues can be solved, made to disappear and cease to exist and to be honest, there is nothing in this world that I would like to do more.
I have grown attached to you, to you as a person, to you as a friend, to you as a tutor and to to you as a contact. You made me cheer when I felt bad and you provided perspective when I needed it. You, my friend, made me do a great amount of things I would not have done, or even considered, without your gentle prod.
In return, you received zilch, nothing, nada. Just an unthankful, short-sighted and incredibly stupid person.
This is not how friendships work and I realize that. I also realize that saying “I learned my lesson” does not cut it here, in fact, it does not cut it all - it does not even scratch it.
My actions were crazy, disrespectful and plain shitty, period. I hope that, at some point, we can reestablish our friendship and that you will be able to trust me again. I would like that, I would like that very much.
For those that were expecting juicy bits in this letter, I apologize. I feel that there is no need to involve my contacts, simply because this is not about their name(s), but about honesty and remorse.
Introductory Camp
The summer holidays are coming to an end, at last and that means that a whole bunch of young women and men will soon be joining the ranks of students in higher education in the Netherlands.
In order to kick-start the college experience for “our” new students, CMD Breda will be conducting a three-days-two-nights introductory camp in De Mussenberg, Loon op Zand, The Netherlands.
Naturally, yours truly will also be there, helping where help is needed and making the experience a most pleasurable one for our newbies.
One of my favourite indie-bands, Destine, will also be performing on stage, complemented by our Dean and a few other tutors - so this ought to be interesting.
And finally, Thursday night, I will be attending Feest.je, just for the fun of it and hopefully manage to meet a few contacts of mine, too.
Carry or roll?
We have all been there: Minigolf courses that looked great from the outside and plainly disappointed when you actually had to play on them. In the digital age, you do not have to put up with these things because you can just grab yourself a game of Minigolf for your Pocket PC.
In fact, there are so many different Minigolf games for Pocket PCs available, that I decided to do a head-to-head review of the two that impressed me the most: Super Putt Xtreme (SPX) and Pocket Mini Golf 2 (PMG2).
Tee off!
Minigolf is often called a lighthearted approach at the all-too-serious sport of Golf and both games seem to continue this idea in their respective visual style.
Both games are using what is referred to as an isometric perspective, which means that 3D objects are represented in a 2D manner. Technical terms aside, both developers did a great job at designing their respective titles.
PMG2’s setting looks clean and crisp, with the occasional comic’esque item such as a rattlesnake or a shark that swims on by, whereas SPX’ style is just plain cute. Huge heads and funny character animations make this game equally enjoyable to both minors and adults.
Golf Teams
Contrary to PMG2, SPX’s characters are just funny, while the various avatars in PMG2 each have a different strength or weakness and may be better suites for one course than another.
SPX tries to make up for that by providing the player with extras, such as sneak peaks at the balls trajectory or homing balls that magically move toward the hole once the ball stops.
While the extras are a nice addition, I find the character system to be more enjoyable, because choosing a character really impacts the way you score and may make or break your way towards a trophy.
Game Intermission
In order to showcase a scene from each game, I created two short clips that show you how the game looks like in full swing. If your PC has the Flash Player installed, just click on either of the following links and an inline window will show you the clip.
As you can see from the clips, both games utilize a very similar way of aiming your ball. The process is as simple as tapping and dragging your stylus to where the ball goes. Both titles allow you to adjust the strength of the swing to make the most of your points.
Once you made your first swing, your character is placed near the ball so you can continue the game. So as to not obstruct your view, SPX utilizes a semi-transparent character if you are aiming in a certain direction, PMG2 on the other hand, lets you rotate the whole view in four steps.
On Par
With games like these, it is always fun to see some data on how well (or bad) you perform. While SPX goes for the simple listing of points per level, PMG2 decided to make a statement:
The game includes a metrics feature that shows you the scores per player (character) per course per weather per difficulty and as if that was not enough to satisfy you, PMG2 also has an online leaderboard where you can submit your scores to see how good you are on a global scale.
Green Fee
Casual gamers looking for a fun mini golf experience with four different characters, 72 levels and a couple of extras can get their swing on for a mere $10 with SPX.
Twice that money will get you a highly customizable mini golf game with 60 levels, six characters, various weather conditions and an online leaderboard.
the verdict
It is said that there are only so many ways of realizing an idea and it holds true with both of these games. Both Super Putt Xtreme and Pocket Mini Golf 2 have a great selection of features but in the end, one has to carry and one has to roll
In this head-to-head review, Pocket Mini Golf 2 takes home the trophy because of the five expansion packs that give you access to a whole new set of levels that will increase the replayability factor by a lot.
For $35, you can get your hands on both the main game and three expansion packs, thereby, basically, getting one of the expansion packs for free.
Happy Birthday!
On this day, a year ago, I launched lifeofacoder.com 2.0; my third attempt at blogging. My goal, back then, was to blog at least once every three to four weeks and share some insights about my college with anyone interested.
Now, a year later, I have managed an average of two posts a week, much more than I originally anticipated. I have sparked quite a few discussions amongst friends, both virtual and analogue.
Then, back in June, I switched from lifeofacoder.com to kerimsatirli.com. I never really blogged about that, but the reason for the whole move was rather simple:
Names are brands and it was about time that I started working on my own brand. I like the <firstname><lastname>.com concept a lot more than <random-name>.com; mostly because I never came up with something that I was really content with as far as <random-name>.com goes.
With a <firstname><lastname>.com however, the whole thing is a lot easier. It is simple to remember and makes a lot more sense than discussing the life of a coder, especially since I am no real coder (anymore).
With the domain switch, I also decided that it was time to adjust the style of the blog and hey, what do you know, after looking through a myriad of themes, I finally found Journalist. It is clean, lean and does not take away focus from the part of the site that matters most to me: content.
In an effort to improve my language skills, I have also switched from a relatively casual style of writing to a more professional style, but the judges are still out on a verdict for this one.
That said, there are a couple of entries I would like to highlight, mostly posts about things that I found worthy to share and entries that I am proud off:
In December 2006, I wrote about Micro relationships, which is my take on Relationship 2.0. The article also, partially links up with my thoughts on what identity really means.
Also during the final days of December 2006, I posted my Thank you article. While I am not religious in any sense, I think it is important to remind ourselves every now and again that this is a group effort, not a solo gig.
Valentine’s Day 2007 saw a post called Here’s to you, which is my ode to a person that I care about a lot, even though I never really had the guts to show it.
During March 2007 I blogged about the perception of life and how others are able to distort it.
There are, of course, many more items that I am happy with and sometimes even proud of, but these are the ones I personally liked the most.
On very much related note, two people I value immensely are celebrating their respective birthdays today, too.
Here’s to you, Ben and Judith!
Inspiration for Game Developers
It would seem that people like my reviews. It may sound arrogant, but I can back that up with feedback I get from both users and developers / manufacturers.
Recently, one developer was so happy about one of my reviews that they decided to do a huge sale on all of their Gamebox products. They even used part of my review as the title for the whole “Train your Brain” sale.
The above sale lasted until August 8th, 2007 and customers could save as much as 83% on any title. Pretty nice move on PDAmill’s part, even if it is just another way of attracting new customers during the slow(er) summer months.
Communication in a digital world
I just received an email from a user at xdaflameusers.com asking me about some general information on the device in question and so on.
While I would rather see said person asking their question in the forums, so that everyone can benefit from the answers, I still decided to type up an answer, but that is not the point of the email.
After sending my reply, I decided to do a quick lookup on the person I was “talking” to and grabbed some of the data that was available from the email header and forum software.
The name revealed a profile on a popular Dutch social networking site but other than that, did not provide me with any more information, so I used the second piece of information I had, an IP address.
It turns out that the IP address that was used to register on the forums is part of a block that was delegated to Achmea Active. After searching around a bit, it would appear that the IP was mainly used for vandalism on Wikipedia.
For the sake of clarity, I should note that, in this case, the IP is shared amongst a great number of users and I do not believe that the person that mailed me is amongst the group of people that vandalized Wikipedia, but it made me think about how digital communication could evolve (for me).
In real life, I do not talk to people I know have a bad reputation, especially if they did something that goes against my core values and I am thinking of adopting a similar system for online communication. This kind of background-check would take some time to conduct, every time, but it could be limited to those contacts one is not familiar with; those contacts that contact you out of the blue.
On education, the future and how to sell yourself
Dutch cross media network iMMovator kicked off the new season of their CrossMediaCafe events yesterday with an interesting event.
The guest of honor was Ronald Plasterk, Minister of Education, Culture and Science. When asked as to what kind of technology he uses in his daily life, he made a remark about his recent vacation to Bali, stating that “he uploaded a couple of eps of 24 to his iPod so he could watch them during his trip“.
Naturally, the above statement should be taken with a grain of salt, after all, can one really trust politicians? Political views aside however, Plasterk struck me as authentic. He listened to what people had to say and provided insight into why he did certain things.
This was only the second time I met a Minister and the first time I actually liked the guy. Very non-condescending and approachable. No fancy security guys to shield the guy from the audience and a highly likable appearance.
His statement on Blackberry usage during cabinet meetings was great too: “my mother taught me that it is very inappropriate and plain jerk’ish to not look someone in the face when they are talking to you” (this is not verbatim, but Plasterk’s statement came down to that)
Later on, Paul Rutten from Hogeschool InHolland commented that Blackberrys actually increase the efficiency of people and as a user of these kind of technologies, I would have to agree, nonetheless, the point Plasterk makes about it being rude still applies.
One of the keynotes also contained some interesting information. It appears as if one third of the dutch IT / creative industry seems to be concentrated around the so-called Noordvleugel, namely Amsterdam and Hilversum with a respectable growth and many small, innovative companies. It might not be Silicon Valley yet, but it may put us on the next Fast Cities listing.
Then came the, for me, highlight of the whole conference - Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten speech on Entrepreneurship and ways of becoming an entrepreneur in today’s world and how he became the man he is today.
The speech was hands down the best thing about the whole conference / meeting because Boris dares to show that all you need is some big cojones and the strength to get up when someone tries to knock you down. For those that are interested, head on over to bomega.com and read the speech, it is definitely worth it.
According to Boris, the Dutch educational system is not built for success and only breeds “hive workers” that have little to no ambition to advance in their profession. This is being backed up by the fact that only 7% of Dutch students actually plan on setting up their own company, compare that to the 70% of American students and that’s ’nuff said. Just about everyone in the Netherlands who goes into higher education, does that for the sole purpose of finding a job where you can apply for, people lack the motivation to come up with something innovative.
In the end, Boris says, it all comes down to selling yourself (or your product, for that matter) the right (successful) way.
Pitching is something we do 24/7; at your company, when you try to convince your boss that you need more funding for that awesome idea you have, with your co-workers, when they do not feel like working late but you still need them and of course, with your significant other, when you need them to sign off on your next big purchase.
Boris thinks that the Netherlands (although, this would apply to any country really) would do a lot better, internationally speaking, if presentation skills would carry a higher importance in the educational system. With “only one oral presentation every year, as opposed to one oral presentation EVERY week in the US“, it is no wonder that our students are scared of pitching something.
The lack of serious presentation skills (or should that be: the serious lack of presentation skills?) was also obvious during some of the showcases speeches:
First up was Wobble, a product from Momentum Interaction. Wobble is a piece of wood you can step on and use as a kind of enhanced joypad. The system can be connected to a PC and gathers an array of data that can be used for medical purposes.
While the system in itself is nice enough, the suggested price of more than $4,000 made me laugh. For one, the system, in its current state is a long way from actually being production-ready and moreover, 18 months ago, I came across a similar system at my own college, which was built over the span of nine weeks as opposed to ten months (which was the time Momentum Interaction needed).
The “home” version of Wobble will have an approximate price of $150 to $250 and will be easier to set up. It does make one wonder how a device that costs $4,000 for medical usage, can end up at less than 1/10 of the price in a retail customer’s hands.
Any consumer will expect a range of games that can be used with the device and the looks and usage would have to be improved too, all factors that would drive the price up as opposed to down, yet Momentum Interaction thinks that the home product can be sold at that price.
I am no analyst, but seeing what “our guys” came up with really makes me think if the approach that was used for Wobble was the right one …
The second showcase was Stoneroos which was, no offense to the presentator, the worst presentation I have ever seen. Did someone forget to tell the lady that folding your hands is a no-go for presentations? Oh and “uhm” and “err” do not work that well either.
This may be out of line, seeing how Stoneroos is an accomplished company with a nice portfolio of clients, but wow, one would expect that as a CEO, you would have the time to prepare a well thought out and clear presentation and do a dry run at least once to get some feedback.
Stoneroos’ product itself, the iFanzy (whats with the “i” by the way?) is a solid product but I wonder why I would want to use that , limited, platform as opposed to something along the lines of Windows Media Center.
One of the guests commented that Stoneroos lacks focus; their product portfolio includes electronical program guides, games and other services and you can tell that Stoneroos is trying to be a Jack of all trades; at the cost of being a Master of none.
The third showcase was about Wunderwall, a product that enables you to utilize the wisdom of crowds for various tasks on your computer. While the name in itself is not really something I would go for (it might work great in a German speaking locale), the product in itself is an innovative and useful solution.
Wunderwall enables multiple users to take part in the presentation / application that is displayed on a screen, allowing everyone to interact with the various elements. The “mutliple users, single location” principle was well thought through and the presentation was great too. No Dick Hardt, but still better than the other showcases.
The final showcase was about AVI Drome, a product from ParkPost; the product in itself did not catch my interest, simply because it is very location specific and not geared towards home / office users but rather companies in the (audio / visual) media creation sector.
Boris claimed early that the number one angst in the Netherlands is giving a presentation and looking at how badly half of the showcases was delivered, one must really wonder how it is that a student community can find a better selection of showcases for their events than a national cross media network.
