2010: The Best of Blogging Calwell

Wow, 2010, what a year. This is my 96th blog post on Blogging Calwell - so you could say it was a good year! We all felt the pinch economically and personally this year, but technology was as interesting and fascinating as it's always been. You may have already seen my Year In Review, so you know exactly how 2010 was (and how I think 2011 will unfold). Perhaps, though, you are new to this blog or just wondering what kind of stuff might be in those 96 blogs of 2010? Well, you're in the right place, so let me show you.

Blogs of the Past: Free Microsoft Outlook Alternatives

When I wrote this article in February of 2004, the email client landscape was bare and ready for a shake-up.  Just two mere months later Google would offer the invitation-only Gmail beta that would stay in beta for more than two years. In this small sliver of time, I would attempt to take a good look at email clients in the age of servers running POP3 and IMAP for access. Also, at this time you couldn't use POP3 for most of your free mail accounts (such as Hotmail). As always, I'll look at my previous work through a, older, and possibly wiser lens while you marvel in watching my path of self-discovery.

Screen captures of your Android device, without root

This is a quick post on how to get a screen capture from your Android G2 (or Desire Z in Canada) smartphone. The process (as of the time of writing) is not so easy to get around for phones that are non-rooted - but if you would like to avoid rooting your phone, here's how to get that screen capture. You are, unfortunately going to need a computer and a USB cable - what I'll describe here is the process for doing this on Windows 7 32 bit, but it should still work on 64 bit.

Update, December 29, 2011 - Much of the information covered here is for any Android device covered in the SDK you download. I have tested this process with a number of devices and found only the Kobo Vox to go unrecognized so far.

Also of note, the newest version (4.0 - Ice Cream Sandwich) introduces a method of screen capture native to the Operating System. Obtaining a screen capture in ICS involves holding down the POWER and DOWN VOLUME keys at the same time. Once the capture is taken, you'll hear a sound and see an animation.

AllmyApps: Installing on Windows XP might be a challenge (and lead to errors)

It really isn't easy for a little guy to get by. Allmyapps looks to be a Windows-Based application store more like iTunes than Ninite - but they really didn't get any help when they went to Robert Scoble, and I guess I don't blame Robert. A Windows app store? It seems like the guys at Allmyapps even know this themselves. Seeing all this, I was interested in the product itself - so I took some time to get to know it. The first try didn't go so well since I couldn't even install on Windows XP without an error...

Year in Review: Calwell Tech Weekly looks at technology in 2010

Twenty-Ten will go down in history as much more than ending the first decade of this new millennium. This year we saw the leaking of copious amounts of oil, WikiLeaks: leaking copious amounts of government data and a massive earthquake damage in Haiti. 2010 will also be remembered for all of the amazing and interesting technology news - from the introduction of the iPad, to the nuances of privacy, to the rise of Android (and fall of RIM), to the domination by Facebook of practically every form of media (Howard Stern beware). Join me as I take a look at the big stories of 2010.

Self-Employment: The dark side of a romantic idea

While the idea of a balancing act between work and life is a common thread (and some may say, played out), I'm often fascinated by the struggles that others have with this. Within my own life, there this is a constant tug-of-war as a small business owner between the work and interpersonal relationships. Recently, I came across two great blog posts that expand on this struggle. The second blog gathers some comments from readers and really gets interesting - the story about Frank was incredible. I wanted to share some of my own struggles with running a business for 10 years and maintaining relationships.

Blogs of the Past: Provincial Taxes and Computer Service in Ontario

You may not know this, but before I moved this blog to the Blogger service (in it's current form), I wrote a number of articles that, after the switch, were archived. I've decided that it might be cool to bring back some of these and see if they are still relevant today. One such blog entry was created in the spring of 2003. Back then I was looking to understand the scenarios that PST (or called RST) was going to need to be charged on various services. Of course, with this year's change to HST, most of this is depreciated, but still interesting. My notes are interspersed.

What is the Plenty Of Fish (plentyoffish.com) dating site all about?

After being inundated with "you should check it out" countless times by so many of my friends, I decided - "sure, ill check it out". Plenty Of Fish (POF) is a dating site that professes to be completely free. On this site, you don't have to pay to message anyone, view profiles or meet. For this reason, POF tends to be a very popular sit. POF also offers an upgrade for as much as $80.68 if you want to be highly featured. The last time I looked more than 171,000 users were online.

Now, I have to get one thing out of the way. While, I have (at the time of writing this) been single for close to 8 months - my core motivation for being on POF was curiosity. I tend to have an opinion about dating sites that would be best served in another blog post. Needless to say, if I had met a women, that would be great - but it was not my core motivator. If you are single and curious, or if you are not single and wondering what people are talking about - let me show you.

Want a Samsung Galaxy Tab on WIND Mobile? Here's How.

I've wanted this one from the first time I saw it. The new tablet from Samsung called Galaxy Tab. While the device is certainly not stacking up favorably against the iPad in various reviews, I still see allot of great utility in this - and possibly the device that makes me ditch my phone - and converge book reading, phone (*) and email among other things. The Galaxy Tab is the first real major Android tablet. If, however, you are a WIND Mobile user - there are a number of things you need to watch out for right now if you want one of these.