Tom Mollerus' Weblog

In 2.2, Android finally supports sorting contacts by last name

2010-08-13T14:55:41Z

Ever since I bought my first Android phone, it's bugged me that the Contacts app sorted by first name, different from what I was used to in any other service or application I'd ever used (except GMail, I suppose). So after reading the latest announcement in the GMail blog about updates to the contacts interface, including sorting by last name, I wondered if changing the sort in my Gmail account would possibly affect the sorting in my Android device after the next sync between the two. No dice.

But after I got the bad news in my Android device, I decided to check in the Contact settings just to see whether anything had changed. Perhaps like in GMail, I thought, Android decided to add sorting by last name? Lo and behold, there it was!

Oddly enough, you have to change two settings: both "Sort list by: last name" and "View contact names as: last name first". I suppose this is convenient for users who really want to customize the sorting.

I noticed this new feature on my Motorola Droid, which runs FRG22. Unfortunately it's not present in the People app on my Sprint Evo (people is apparently HTC's version of Contacts).

Android app of the week: ROM Manager

2010-08-10T19:04:54Z

For those of you who have heard of ROM Manager before, you'll might make the guess that since I'm recommending it, it means I've rooted my Motorola Droid and installed another ROM. If so, your conclusion is correct-- and ROM Manager made it easy. ROM Manager didn't actually perform the rooting, mind you (I have EasyRoot to thank for that), but it did make experimenting with ROMs a pretty comfortable thing to do.

What ROM Manager does, on a rooted phone, is to provide an easy mechanism to back up your existing ROM (a ROM being a snapshot of the operating system and data as it exists on your phone) and to install new ROMs or kernels on your phone. If the new ROM or kernel doesn't work, you can just use ROM manager to revert back to one that does (or to your phone's original, stock ROM). It gives you (almost) worry-free manipulation over your phone's software.

HTML5 Tips

2010-08-10T18:48:21Z

Jeffrey Way writes up a good list of things you should know about HTML5. It's a little random, and not as complete as Mark Pilgrim's tutorial, but a good read nonetheless:
http://net.tutsplus.com/tutorials/html-css-techniques/25-html5-features-tips-and-techniques-you-must-know/

Google and Verizon, say it ain't so!

2010-08-05T15:42:49Z

The New York Times is reporting today that Google and Verizon are "near" a deal for "pay tiers on the web", or, as they put it, where Google pays money to Verizon for the privilege of having its content sent faster (or just with higher priority) than other content providers. Verizon, I'm not suprised you would try to pull a trick like this, But Google, I think this deal would violate your corporate motto of "Don't be evil" and would change the Internet for the worse. Letting carriers like Verizon charge both content providers and consumers is unwarrented and greedy.

Google, striking a deal with Verizon would legitimize the concept of content providers paying bandwidth providers for better service, and I think that's a dangerous thing. Why? Because if the rationaly for the quality of content delivery is solely left to the business interests of the carrier, it also legitimizes the complementary idea that content providers who pay less would have their content delivered more slowly. Could an influential, cash-rich business like Google pay so much to carriers that other content owners would be slowed down as a result? Or, what if Verizon had a conflict of interest and abused their control over different speeds to favor a partner or harm a competitor?

Sure, we get it, Verizon. It costs money for carriers to deliver content, and some content like movies, videos, songs, and large files are more expensive for you to deliver. So instead of regulating speed, why don't you charge for volume of traffic-- and put the burden of the charges on the party who decides exactly how much traffic is generated, the consumer?

Oh yeah, I forgot. You already do. That's why I think that charging providers is unwarranted and greedy.

If this deal passes, then wealthy companies like Google get prioritized service at the expense of smaller providers, and Verizon and other carriers get to rake in the cash. The Internet as we know it as a mechanism of free and equal opportunity for businesses and speech is gone. Google, don't strike this deal. Verizon, do the right thing: let consumers choose how much content they want and who they want it from, and charge them accordingly.

Encrypt your browser traffic with the EFF's HTTPS Everywhere Firefox Extension

2010-07-29T19:16:08Z

If you're concerned about online privacy, and don't like the thought of your ISP capturing the content of your browser traffic, then you should access your favorite websites via https whenever possible. Enter the EFF's HTTPS Everywhere Firefox Extension, which ensures that you are accessing sites like Google search, Wikipedia, and Facebook securely whenever possible.

Get it at https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/06/encrypt-web-https-everywhere-firefox-extension

Android app of the week: gReader

2010-07-29T15:12:59Z

6415066175965897">gReader, as its developer describes it, is "an unofficial . Read all your rss/feed news in one place..." And that's exactly what it is-- a well-done mobile version of Google's own Reader service. It's indispensable for keeping up with the feeds you read while you're on the road.

Which loads faster?

2010-07-09T15:03:23Z

Want to see whether your competitor's site loads faster than yours? Use Which loads faster?

Opting out of iAds behavioral/purchase tracking

2010-07-08T14:11:38Z

From The Unofficial Apple Weblog:

Apple's iAds system actually uses lots of your information, including your iTunes purchasing history, location data, and any other download or library information it can suss out about you, to determine what ads you see. So say a few marketing firms working with the large companies now buying and selling iAds.

Is there anything wrong with that? Not really. Apple isn't running the only targeted advertising network, of course, and the whole problem with analytics firms like Flurry is that they were tracking and sharing this information anyway through third-party apps. Apple also isn't sharing your personal information; it's just connecting you with advertisers who want to speak with you, not actually telling those advertisers who you are. Apple knows what you've purchased in iTunes, but that information isn't necessarily communicated to Nissan or Best Buy.

But they make a good point that some people may not want to be tracked even if it's just by Apple. Go to https://oo.apple.com/ in your iOS 4 device's browser and register to opt out of iAds tracking.

Apple URL Scheme Reference

2010-06-28T14:10:47Z

We're all used to hyperlinks to web sites (http://) and email addresses (mailto:), but as mobile devices become more popular, you might find yourself needing to use some other types of links. If so, check out Apple's short, succinct reference for creating links for some of the less common resources such as calling telephone numbers (tel:), sending SMS messages (sms:), or even linking to iTunes (http//: again, but calling Apple's phobos.apple.com server should open up iTunes on the user's device).

http://developer.apple.com/safari/library/featuredarticles/iPhoneURLScheme_Reference/Introduction/Introduction.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40007899

You'll need hubris to produce this demo

2010-06-25T12:39:11Z

You've probably heard of Apple's HTML5 showcase by now, but not for the reason that Apple hoped. Instead of showing off the latest capabilities of Apple hardware and software, the site has garnered criticism for promoting HTML5 and web standards while requiring the use of Safari to view the demos.

Even though this issue hit the blogosphere last week, I just came across these entries in Apple's own Safari Web Content Guide which show just how hypocritical this move really is:

Follow Good Web Design Practices
You should follow well-established rules of good web design...

Be browser independent.
Avoid using the user agent string to check which browser is currently running. Instead, read Object De- tection to learn how to determine if a browser supports a particular object, property, or method, and read Detecting WebKit with JavaScript to learn how to detect specific WebKit versions. Also use the W3C standard way of accessing page objects--that is, use getElementByID("elementName"). Only as a last resort, use the user agent string...

[Italics mine.]

There are better ways to promote Safari than to make users believe that Safari is the only browser that supports HTML5. I wouldn't blame them if they told users "For the best experience, use Safari", or if they directed users to download Safari without intimating that it was required.

Web app homescreen icons in Android

2010-06-23T20:00:04Z

One of the nice features in Android and the iPhone is that you can save website bookmarks to the home screen with an icon that looks like any other app, giving web apps the same look as installed apps. But just how do you indicate which of your icons the mobile device should use?

When specifying an icon to display in a browser's tabs or address bar, we've long had a short and simple set of choices either a rel

But for mobile devices, there are a few more tags that you will come across. Besides the shortcut icon tags mentioned above you have these choices:

Android versions 1.5 and 1.6 will read the second tag (with "-precomposed"), and versions 2.1 and newer will read the first tag. Apple's and Google's specifications say that you should use 48x48 pixel PNGs, but you can use a large image, like Google does for its own apps, for a crisper result.

Unfortunately, even if you use these tags, your icon won't always show up correctly on Android. If your web site uses SSL but the certificate is expired or doesn't match your domain, then a standard bookmark icon will appear instead of your icon. And on HTC-manufactured phones with the Sense UI, you'll only see your icon as a small overlay on the bottom left of the regular bookmark icon. I hope that HTC and other manufacturers change this behavior in the future.

Lastly, there are a few configuration tags which Apple supports that Android has yet to implement (though I'm not sure whether they're each applicable).

Indicate whether to hide the browser's status bar on startup:

Indicate the color of the browser's status bar:

Indicate an image to display while the mobile web app is loading:

Boston CFUG's June meeting: Rob Huddleston on Flash Catalyst

2010-06-21T18:04:12Z

This week we'll be hosting an event along with the Boston Flash Platform User Group (BFPUG), where Rob Huddleston will be speaking about Flash Catalyst (via Adobe Connect). If you are doing Flex development or hope to do Flex development, Flash Catalyst is likely to play an important role in your development in the future as it helps you convert actual designs into functional applications.

This event is being held Wednesday, June 23 at 6pm at the Adobe offices in Waltham. Please make sure to RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/725749737

Date and time: Wednesday, June 23, 6:00pm
Location: Adobe Systems Incorporated
21 Hickory Drive
Waltham, MA 02451
RSVP: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/725749737

Penalty Kick

2010-06-16T01:47:09Z

If you weren't watching the NBA Finals tonight, you missed this hilarious "Penalty Kick" commercial from Budweiser. Enjoy!

What to do if your car doesn't have Bluetooth or an audio jack

2010-06-09T17:46:13Z

As I was getting out of my car this afternoon, I noticed that the owner of the car next to mine had found a very creative solution for enjoying the music on their iPod while driving. Yes, they mounted their iPod speaker system on a plank and wedged the plank it into their center console. I can't say it strikes me as elegant, but if you don't have any other way of connecting your iPod, at least it works. Hats off to you for hacking a solution, mystery iPod docking station driver.

Save the date for Google I/O 2011

2010-06-09T14:08:07Z

Christine Tsai of the Google I/O team has posted a note about next year's I/O conference: May 10-11, 2011 at Moscone West. As an attendee of the most recent conference, I can definitely say this conference is well worth going to. It's a great place to learn about the latest technologies such as web fonts, web video, mobile platforms, and HTML5.