Recently in Internet Category

I've been testing the Facebook Connect plugin for MovableType 4.23 for the past few days. It's in beta, so I expected to encounter some issues. However, it was so close to working 100% that I stubbornly tried to fix the bugs myself rather than wait for Sixapart to fix them. I thought I'd share what I learned and save you hours of troubleshooting yourself.

First, as an example go check out a post of mine demonstrating my Facebook profile picture automatically being inserted into the comments:
Related Entries with Images & Recent Assets Linked to Entries

Feel free to post a comment using the Sign In link. But you have to be signed into Facebook first to see the Sign In link. (more on that bug later)

Bug #1: Firefox works, but Internet Explorer doesn't work. The Facebook blue sign in button is missing under Sign In link & IE doesn't pull in Facebook profile pictures.

Movable Type bloggers ♥ related entries template recipes and I've come up with what I think is one of the best ones out here. Further, Movable Type bloggers using version MT 4+ with its built-in Asset Management have also been clamoring for the ability to display not just Recent Assets (images in this case) but Recent Assets hyperlinked to the actual Entry where the image was used. I've come up with such a method, so read on...

By default, Movable Type's Recent Assets widget simply links to the image location and not the context of where the image was used. Of course, an image asset can be used multiple times in multiple blog entries, so my template recipe limits it to the most recent entry. But this should be a perfectly acceptable compromise.

Let's start with my Recent Image Assets linked to entries (Part 1) recipe and then I'll discuss my Related Entries with Images recipe (Part 2).

Rich has an excellent piece on Nortel where he talks to Nortel's President of Carrier Networks' Richard Lowe and Bruce Gustafson, Director of Marcom, Carrier Networks. With all the bad news surrounding Nortel it's interesting to get a perspective of Nortel from the horse's mouth. Of course, Nortel's job or any company for that matter is to try and spin things in a positive light.

However, reading the article it seems that Nortel was fairly open about their current status and the direction they are taking. For instance, Rich's article states, "He did say a large number of carriers are slowing their spending in CDMA... they have deployed 1x he mentioned for voice and have their first EVDO deployments in place for data. He says they will be looking for this line of business to decline perhaps 5-10% a year."

The article adds, "He further explained that ROI parameters are getting more challenging so operators are slowing their CAPEX investments which would be used to upgrade TDM to VoIP. He says these operators will hold onto their Class 5 switches longer than originally planned... As long as it continues to support the traffic he explained."

Rich's article then goes into Nortel's views on their prospects in GSM, WCDMA (wideband CDMA) and more.

Great read. Check it out.

I had to do a double-take when I read the Verizon FiOS pricing plans page that shows Verizon FiOS Internet with Verizon home phone service is less expensive than FiOS Internet without Verizon home phone service. It's $5 cheaper per month to have the voice service than without? I don't think I've ever seen any double or triple play offering that actually is cheaper when you have an additional "leg" offering in the package.

Here, see for yourself from this screenshot from their pricing plans web page:

Why would someone choose the Single Play (broadband Internet only) option over the Double play (broadband Internet + Voice) if it's $5/month cheaper and you get a voice line?

WordPress 2.7 "Coltrane" was just released featuring some pretty cool upgrades in features. First, it sports a drag-and-drop interface for redesigning the layout of your WordPress blog/website. Second, it automatically updates core WordPress files and your plugins (if you so choose). Heck, you can even have it set to download beta nightlies.

According to WordPress "Matt":

"this may be the last time you ever have to manually upgrade WordPress again. We heard how tired you were of doing upgrades for yourself and your friends, so now WordPress includes a built-in upgrade that will automatically notify you of new releases, and when you're ready it will download them, install them, and upgrade your blog with a single click."

The new dashboard lets you arrange items with drag and drop to put the most important ones on top. Also features QuickPress, comment threading, paging, and the ability to reply to comments from your dashboard (better GUI in 2.7), and the ability to install any plugin directly from WordPress.org with a single click. You can even mark a 'sticky' post to give it prominent position.

Here's a screenshot of the Dashboard:

Check out the video demo of WordPress 2.7 "Coltrane":

Download WordPress 2.7 now or check out the full new features list here

Full Disclosure: This site runs on Movable Type (MT). I've been running on MT since v3.2, before WordPress even existed. Just haven't seen the need to switch now after countless hours of customization, plugins installed, etc. They're both good blogging / CMS platforms. Congrats to the WordPress team for a nice release. I may just finally have to play with Wordpress just for the fun of it.

Texting (SMS) is certainly popular, especially amongst the younger crowd. In fact, one teenaged girl sends more than 600 text messages in a day -- almost double what an average American sends/receives in a month. A 29-year-old man travelled from San Francisco to Green Bay to meet a woman he met via text message. It was love at first texting.

We've all heard of the term "speed dating", which allows you to meet many people on several mini-dates usually lasting from 3 to 8 minutes. Well, how bout speed SMS dating, where you meet other texters with common interests simply using your mobile phone and Bouncephone. Bouncephone is free (standard carrier texting rates apply) and it's accessible entirely from your mobile phone.


Here's how it works.

See -- as if we needed confirmation -- gadgetry is good for you.
Well, maybe I'm taking a small step here, but a new study from the MacArthur Foundation has found that all those hours that teenagers spend socializing on the Internet are not a bad thing.

(And how to they get access to the Internet? Gadgets, of course!)

"It may look as though kids are wasting a lot of time hanging out with new media, whether it's on MySpace or sending instant messages," said Mizuko Ito, lead researcher on the study, Living and Learning With New Media. "But their participation is giving them the technological skills and literacy they need to succeed in the contemporary world. They're learning how to get along with others, how to manage a public identity, how to create a home page." 

See?

More at the New York Times or go directly to the MacArthur Foundation.

Vudu, a startup that sells and rents movies via its Internet-connected set-top box, has boosted High-Definition library to 1,100 on-demand titles -- for now, outdistancing any cable operator's HD video-on-demand service.

To build what it claimed is the largest library of HD content available to consumers, Vudu added on average of 150 HD titles per week in October.

The service requires a minimum 4-Mbps connection for instant playback of HD titles.

Vudu is attempting to sell its $300 set-top to home-theater buffs by emphasizing the service's broad content selection and navigation features. Movies on the service are available for 24-hour rental for between 99 cents and $3.99, and $9.99 to $19.99 for download-to-own.

As part of its strategy to target high-end consumers, Vudu last month began offering 65 feature movie titles for rental in 1080p high-definition video format, the highest HD format currently defined. 

More at Multichannel News.

The new BK-UNV01 module from startup BlueKey Wireless can turn most Bluetooth-enabled phones into home controllers.

Despite the prevalence of Bluetooth solutions on the market, the company believes this product is unique because of the company's robust on-screen programming interface.

The module and companion software debuted at the Electronic House Expo Fall 2008 in Long Beach, Calif.

The BK-UNV01 receives Bluetooth commands from compatible phones and other devices -- up to 300 feet away for Class 1 Bluetooth products -- and can trigger virtually any low-voltage device via seven onboard programmable relays.

The unit also has a serial interface for controlling more advanced control systems (one-way). Out of the box, it supports the Powerlinc serial-to-powerline module for controlling Insteon and X10 devices over the home's existing AC wiring.

Up to 16 mobile devices can be tied into the system.

BlueKey's Java-based application software loads onto a Bluetooth phone like any other application. It allows users to configure (with delays, if desired) each relay and label each command (up to 82) via an onscreen wizard.

Optional cellular and landline interfaces enable the BK-UNV01 to deliver status reports to the customer's phone when out of range. Eventually, BluKey will provide Internet connectivity as well.

BlueKey sells the BK-UNV01 module and software for $499 (including a license for one mobile device), but the company is focused mainly on OEM business.

More at CEPro.

Wi-Fi wireless Internet connectivity has become nearly ubiquitous.

Whether you're at home, in a coffee shop or even on some commercial airliners, you can get online with a Wi-Fi-equipped laptop, smart phone or portable game machine.

Now, Wi-Fi is making its way into your car.

A small California company, Autonet Mobile, has teamed up with Chrysler and others to sell a service that floods any brand or model of car or truck with Wi-Fi Internet connectivity that can be used by multiple passengers and devices simultaneously.

It's a dealer-installed option on Chrysler vehicles, but Chrysler dealers, and some independent auto electronic shops, will install it on any brand of car for a fee.

Does this make Chrysler more appealing to GM?

More at the Wall Street Journal.