Category: Uncategorized

Is the Moto Hint Worth It? Answer: Yes

Moto Hint

Updated: 1/9/15

Finally got to spend some more time with it and at first I wasn’t sure I would keep  it.  The issues I ran into turned out to be related to my cell service and not the Moto Hint.   I love how light it feels in the year.  It is very easy to wear for long periods.  The main issue I have ran into is when I need to put it in my ear it seems like it doesn’t always register at first.  I have to put it in it’s carrying case and press down then close and reopen and then it kicks in.  This has only happened to me twice but I don’t have a good answer as to why.  The three hours of talk time is still considered very low compared to many Bluetooth devices but I don’t mind sacrificing talk time for comfort.  People can also hear me.  I was really worried about this but no one seems to realize I am on a Bluetooth when I ask if they can hear me.

I am now quite pleased with it.

Original article:

Is the Moto Hint worth it?  That’s the question that we all need to answer.  After waiting a full month to receive it Moto did send it Fedex International Priority and I got it in just two days from Shenzen, China.  That’s actually quite amazing that it made it here and cleared customs in that short of time.

Here is what I have done with it:

  • successfully paired it to my Nexus 6
  • unsuccessfully paired it to my ZTE Open running Firefox OS
  • Listened to TuneIn on the way to and from town
  • Unsuccessfully tried to use the Hint and my Bluetooth dongle in the car at the same time
  • Made a phone call with it
  • Charged it

I loved how it is super light-weight and you can’t tell it’s there but it also makes me nervous because if it does fall out will I even notice? The Moto Hint is comfortable and was a snug fit.  I am even curious to see if I could run with it but I’m afraid if it does fall out it will roll right off the apron and into the water.

Figuring out how to charge it was a bit more challenging than I would have liked.  The cable is a very tight fit and because of that I didn’t get any lights to light up at first.

Not getting the Hint to pair with my 2nd phone really worries me.  I am going to go under the assumption that the problem is with my phone but nevertheless it still should have paired!  I also liked being able to listen to music.  That was cool.  Certainly you don’t get any stereo out of it nor is it going to be very loud but it let me hear my surroundings just fine.

I haven’t really tested the battery yet but if the audio prompts are to be believed it is right where it should be with 4 hrs of talk time.

Lastly, the actual clarity of the little Moto Hint.  On the first attempt the person calling me had a hard time hearing me.  I had no issues hearing her.  I will try a 2nd time where I have better reception as it may have been that and not the actual acoustics of the Moto Hint.

Outlook AutoComplete is Empty

Outlook 2013

Outlook Autocomplete was empty after I changed the primary data file.  According to a Microsoft site I needed to go into the appdata and edit a NK2 file.  Well, in 2013 those files don’t exist anymore!  I followed the directions in the last post by JOITGUY.

1st Method is to replace the below: C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\RoamCache\Stream_Autocomplete_0_0BE2EBB3857EB243985BE9B2E06D7383.dat file. with a backukp or from previous computer.

My dat file wasn’t actually the same file name but it led me to realize that I had 3 .dat files and only one of those files had any size to it.  I renamed 2 of the 3 files to .old and proceeded to start up outlook.  That’s all it was!

Very Small Text using Nvidia Drivers in Lubuntu 14.04

I have very small text using nvidia drivers in my new Lubuntu 14.04 install. So small in fact that I couldn’t read anything!

I found an old thread from 2012 that helped point me in the right direction.

Click on Menu then Preferences and then “Customize Look and Feel”

Under the widget tab I changed the default font to a size of 24. After clicking apply it fixed the text in the windows but not the icon text.

I then clicked the font tab and changed the sub-pixel geometry from RGB to BGR. After saving it I have a nice looking screen again.

The problem is I haven’t figured out to keep the saved settings!

Here is that original thread that seemed to be the same issue yet no one was able to give an answer.
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1903400&page=2

DOTA2 should be Banned and Valve can Kiss My Ass for it’s Insensitivity

DOTA2 should be banned.  DOTA2 could be an amazing game but until they get rid of the players being called vulgar words and putting down others it will never be any better than Redneck Rampage.

First time i have played in months and I was called a “noob” and “faggot”.  First, being called a “faggot” should be on the same level as the “n word”.  Second, with over 100 hours logged there is no way I am a “noob” which is suppose to be offensive to those that are called it.

I have complained several times publicly but obviously those piles of money is muffling the sound going towards Valve’s ears.

I played DOTA2 before it went free to play and it was tons more fun than now.  I can’t believe how rude this game is.  What a waste of a Saturday night.

CenturyLink Messed up my Windows Server

I have had to deal with several different phone and cable companies throughout the US and now in the USVI.  I got a special blessing when I had to deal with CenturyLink.  My family in Wisconsin and a client in Lousiana.  What else do they have in common?  Horrible customer service and messed up DSL.

I am going to focus on just the client for this post.  Not only that, I am just going to focus on their latest screw-up.  The client was having internet issues.  At first CenturyLink insisted it wasn’t their problem and that there were two default gateways.  They eventually are convinced to come out.  They replace modem with a modem/router combo.  What I mean by “replaced” is they literally took the old one out and put the new one in.  No testing with the existing system, no instructions given, nothing.  What they did was introduce another router to an existing network and another DHCP server.  Windows Server SBS 2003 does not like options.  What Centurylink called testing was plugigng in a cat5 cable and attaching it to a laptop and saying the internet works.

This is a business line!  There is no excuse for this.  Everything snowballed from there.  I lost hours and eventually had to get help from another company to solve the network issues.  The client couldn’t work either.  Can you guess what the geniuses at Centurylink said when they were called?  They said that the modem must be incompatible with our networking equipment.  Have you ever heard something that stupid come out of a tech support person’s mouth?!

A factory reset of the modem allowed us to fix the rest of the issues.

Monopolies suck.  If they had some competition maybe they would be out of business today.

centurylink

How to Print Screen on 1 Monitor

I keep forgetting this simple command and I figured I better just add it to my blog. To print screen on a Windows machine you use the Print Screen button with another button depending on what you are trying to capture. In Windows this puts the image on to the clipboard where you then paste it into the program you want to use to edit or use it. This could be Paint, Photoshop or any number of programs. With a dual monitor or higher setup it is better to just capture 1 monitor at a time otherwise the picture turns out small.

The magic command is Alt-Print Screen which will capture the active monitor. The active monitor is the monitor you click into last.

Microsoft Buying Nokia is another bad decision for Ballmer

I don’t believe that Microsoft had to buy Nokia.  Nokia was already Microsoft’s puppet.   They were doing whatever was asked of them by Microsoft.  I understand that Microsoft wants to become a products and services company but why would purchasing a headset maker improve that outcome?

Nokia has lost considerable market share since choosing Microsoft as a partner.  The Windows phone have not done so well with the public.  Being happy that you are the third most popular phone operating system in the world is like being happy you won $5 on a $1 million scratch off.  In the grand scheme of things it just doesn’t matter.

Another concern they should have is that this merger won’t be completed for almost a year.  In a year Ballmer leaves Microsoft. Sure, it looks like Stephen Elop is going to take over but what has he done with Nokia except stand watch over a crumbling empire?  One year in the mobile phone business feels like five years in normal time.  By the time Microsoft is ready to introduce a new or updated phone iOS and Android will be on to their next iterations.

People say that Blackberry will only ever be a niche player for certain industries.  I’m getting this feeling that Microsoft will end up being the same thing with businesses.