The T-Mobile G2X on Simple Mobile

Note: This is not a review of The T-Mobile G2X. This is more of a review of how well the G2X run on the mobile virtual network operator, Simple Mobile. Simple has a bring-your-own-phone model and rents T-Mobile's national GSM network for its service. Simple Mobile is picking up steam in the market, and passed the 1.5 million activation

T-Mobile G2X is the US version of LG Optimus 2X. T-Mobile G2Xsupports the 1700Mhz band, features a 4” WVGA display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels and equipped with Tegra 2 Dual Core processor at a speed of 1 GHz and two cameras an 8MP at the rear side and a 1.3 MP camera at the front. This is an Android based device that runs stock Froyo Android/Linux 2.2.2. I'm perfectly happy with Froyo, supposedly the Gingerbread (Android 2.3.) update is coming soon; don't matter to me one way or the other. The voice controls work good, I've had no problems with wifi or bluetooth. The only thing I have seen is short battery life. So programs like task killer and JuiceDefender are a must and you need to turn off 4g when your not using it.

The Nvidia Tegra 2 processor has great performance. Tegra Zone, Nvidia 's mini app store show case top quality games. Their selection is very small right now. The G2X comes with Need For Speed Shift HD a racing game a demo version of N.O.V.A, a futuristic first person shooter.

All the calls made on the G2x were crystal clear. It sounded like I was using a landline phone and I didn’t have any complaints from callers on the other end. T-Mobile’s 4G networks, my average download speed was just under 3Mbps and my upload speeds got around 1.5Mbps. But having Tegra 2 dual-core power comes with a price. You may only get about 4.5 hours of continuous web surfing over 4G.

There are some people having problems with getting every thing working on the G2X. It's not obvious though how you activate the APN though.

g2x activation at simple mobile.
Simple Mobile website--> Enter in Android config on a new APN--> Save and hold down the radial button long enough for it to turn green. From there, internet, gps, mms, etc. all works.

Simple Mobile has 3 plans for this phone

• The $60 plan includes Unlimited Nationwide Talk, Text and data up to 4G speeds. However only phones like the G2X, support T-Mobile's HSPA+ network technology would qualify as supporting 4G speeds.
• The $50 plan includes Unlimited Nationwide Talk, Text and data up to 2.5G speeds. 2G speed is more than adequate for IM, MMS, Web browsing , Email and social networking.
• The $40 plan includes Unlimited Nationwide Talk, Text

Tubely.com: Online Scam

• You will get a Friend request from (supposedly) a friend. The Invitation page looks just like Facebook and so many will assume that Tubely.com is legit and then go ahead and clicked on Accept, fill in the information fields, etc.
• So If you receive an invitation from any one whom has supposedly joined Tubely, it is probably not true. Do not click on ANYTHING in the invitation - just report it as spam or delete it.

Install FireFox 5 on Linux Mint 9 LTS

If you’re still on Linux Mint 9 and want to try Firefox 5, then this tutorial will show you how.

First you need to open terminal. A "terminal" is a way of typing commands to the computer.

The easiest way to open the Terminal is to go to Applications menu - Accessories - Terminal.


It will look like this.





Next copy and paste follow commands in Terminal

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mozillateam/
firefox-stable

sudo apt-get update

apt-get upgrade

The last thing you will see is

Configuration file `/etc/firefox/pref/firefox.js'

==> Modified (by you or by a script) since installation.

==> Package distributor has shipped an updated version.

What would you like to do about it ? Your options are:

Y or I : install the package maintainer's version

N or O : keep your currently-installed version

D : show the differences between the versions

Z : background this process to examine the situation

The default action is to keep your current version.

*** firefox.js (Y/I/N/O/D/Z) [default=N] ?

Note: This tutorial will work on Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick and 10.04 Lucid too.

The pitfalls of a home home WIFI net work

I am sure you heard; the Senate's website was hacked , just one of many breach of security to hit a major U.S. based institution. The Sergeant at Arms Office, which provides security for the Senate, said that the breach had not compromised any individual senator's information.

Home wireless networks can be attacked much easer, because of free and widely available Wi-Fi cracking programs like Gerix WiFi Cracker, Aircrack-ng and Wifite. The programs work by faking legitimate user activity to collect a series of so-called weak keys or clues to the password. WiFi has now become a mainstream technology. WiFi Access Points are increasingly being deployed by home users and organizations. Laptops and smartphones now come equipped with built-in WiFi connection capability. Incidents of WiFi hacking & malicious use are on the rise. People are downloading illegal content like music through home WiFi connections or using the connection to send malicious attacks.

Tips to protect Wi-Fi

Disconnect your computer from the Internet when you aren't using it. I know that sounds very simple. The idea is to make you a hard target. technologies such as DSL and cable WIFI modems have made it possible for users to be broadcast their signals all the time. The likelihood that attackers or viruses scanning the network for available computers will target your computer becomes much higher if your computer is always connected. Depending on what method you use to connect to the Internet, disconnecting may mean disabling a wireless connection, turning off your computer or modem, or disconnecting cables.

Modern network routers contain built-in firewall capability, but the option also exists to disable them. Ensure that your router's firewall is turned on. For extra protection, consider installing and running personal firewall software on each computer connected to the router.

Each piece of Wi-Fi gear possesses a unique identifier called the physical address or MAC address. Access points and routers keep track of the MAC addresses of all devices that connect to them. Many such products offer the owner an option to key in the MAC addresses of their home equipment, that restricts the network to only allow connections from those devices.

All Wi-Fi equipment supports some form of encryption. Encryption technology scrambles messages sent over wireless networks so that they cannot be easily read by humans. Several encryption technologies exist for Wi-Fi today. WEP-encrypted password (for wired equivalent privacy) is not as strong as a WPA (or Wi-Fi protected access) password, so it’s best to use a WPA password instead. Even so, hackers can use the same free software programs to get on WPA password-protected networks as well. It just takes much longer (think weeks) and more computer expertise.

Disabled SSID broadcast. In Wi-Fi networking, the wireless access point or router typically broadcasts the network name (SSID) over the air at regular intervals. This feature was designed for businesses and mobile hotspots where Wi-Fi clients may roam in and out of range. In the home, this roaming feature is unnecessary, and it increases the likelihood someone will try to log in to your home network.

March of the Digital Rights terrorist

Capcom, the makers of street fighter, placed the DRM on Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition. This is nothing new. French video game maker Ubisoft demanded a constant Internet connection in order to play Assassin's Creed II. Days after that their servers used to authenticate the game went down. People who legally paid for their game could not even play it . For a while only the pirated versions were the only working copies of the game.

First Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition game will require a Games For Windows account. I don't understand that. Why must I have have an account for a game that is played offline?

Next you must have always-on Internet connection while playing the game. Why must I be online for a game that is played offline?

Capcom's latest approach to DRM is simply stupid . To make people have constant instant connections at all times makes no since. If there is a break in the connection, the game will wait until the end of your current fight and ask you to log back in to your Windows account. If the player is unable to sign back in, players will only be able to select from 15 of the included 39 characters in the game.

See once again “Digital Rights Terrorism” hurt the little person. People who pirate games will find a way to circumvent the restrictions. People who legitimately pay for the games will have to suffer the restrictions. They may even turn to piracy to avoid them.

Unlimited data service at 2.5G speeds for $50 a mouth..

Ever hear of Simple Mobile?

Don t worry most have not. Simple Mobile is what’s called a mobile virtual network operator, MVNO for short, that uses T-Mobile’s network. Simple, which runs on a bring-your-own-phone model, rents out a national GSM network for its service. Simple Mobile's business model, customers can add the MVNO's service to any unlocked GSM phone. Customers can call Simple Mobile's customer care--which the firm outsources--to get help activating their service. Unlike some cellular programs which limit your choices to just a select group of phones, they support more than 180 different handsets; the iPhone 4, Samsung Google Nexus S, Nokia E72, and G2X to name a few.

Note: Currently Blackberry Instant Messaging, BlackBerry Internet Service, and Social Network services are not supported. Blackberry OS 6 devices are not supported. Blackberry is only Web accessed via Opera Mini browser and Gmail via the Gmail application.

SIMPLE Mobile’s existing $50 prepaid plan has been rebranded to $50 Unlimited Nationwide Talk, Text & Web plan. Previously, this plan included 100MB’s of data, which wasn’t enough for a lot of people. The new plan has unlimited data service at 2.5G speeds, which is adequate for IM, MMS, Web browsing , Email social networks and looking up maps. Need more speed? The $60 plan includes unlimited data at up to 4G speeds. However only phones that support T-Mobile's HSPA+ network technology would qualify as supporting 3G or 4G speeds. In other words, for 3G to work, make sure your phone supports the 1700Mhz band. If you use AT&T branded phone like the iPhone 4 or Samsung Infuse you will only get 2G speeds. If you are usually close to a wifi hot spot there is no need to play for date plan. For $40 you get unlimited voice and texting.

SIMPLE Mobile does not have a 1GB limit. I hear that a lot... How ever, they do have Terms & Conditions which will explain prohibited usage on their network. This includes tethering, live streaming, and keeping an open connection over a long period of time.

How to install the restricted formats in Ubuntu/ Kubuntu?

The Ubuntu installer lets you check an option during install that adds at least some of these missing codecs to your system.If you didn’t check the ‘Install 3rd party codecs/restricted drivers’ during the installation of Ubuntu 11.04 then these steps are important for enabling all of the “not-shipped-ware” that provides you with a comfortable, stress-free time in Ubuntu.

1. Issue the following command at the terminal -

sudo apt-get update

2. After the package list has been updated, issue the following command at the terminal -

sudo apt-get upgrade

3. After the packages have been upgraded, issue the following command at the terminal -

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras

Enter ‘y’ when prompted.

4. After the packages have been downloaded, you’ll need to accept the license agreement for installation of Microsoft Core Fonts

Due to legal reasons, Ubuntu can’t ship things like patent-encumbered codecs for playing back things like MP3s, .WMV videos or encrypted DVDs.

In Ubuntu 11.04, you have to install and configure Samba Share to share folders with other computers in your network.

To easily install Samba share, you can search and download from the software market. Or you can open the Terminal and execute the below command :

sudo apt-get install samba