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Ok, so I dived into this hoping it would go smoother but I should know better. This is the week of release in my area, and I knew there would be problems. I only was optimistic to prevent myself from seeing the truth.

Only a day after U-verse was installed, we have identified several issues that were not caught on install day (that ended at 8:38pm).

1. VOD performance is sluggish. (Chopping audio and freezing video)
2. Internet performance is below or equal to old DSL package. (no greater than 5-6 megs on testing for an 18meg package.)

What we have identified is that the priority queuing for streaming video to the sets is working as expected. As we do not see any issues with video playback. VOD is a different story as for some reason it is not being classified in the same priority queue, and winds up with our Internet speed issue.

The speed issue has been tested and they swear everything is correct on their end. And they have gone as far as swapping the U-verse modem thinking it would be the culprit. We’ve stripped down to only a single system wired to the modem with no voice, video, or wireless services active. And after that, now they think it is in the fiber which is a call to the outside guys.

That all is fine as long as they fix it, but it feels like they are heading the wrong direction. The streaming video works, and uses a larger portion of bandwidth for HD and 2 additional sets, without a hickup. Which makes someone like me, think more on the line of something in the priority queues or our provisioning is not being released to the full 18megs. But hey, I will patiently wait while they decide to fix it.

I know in the end this will work great, but this is quite a hurdle to jump in the first days. All of which I’m sure they will be more than happy to bill me for.

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Working with the Ribbon Bar (Fluent) in a rebuild of an app I wrote, I am toying with it being more than simply the control doc for buttons and such above a single form. I’m expanding it to be the doc for user input floating above independent grids displaying content for the current tab item in the ribbon. Why? BECAUSE I CAN! Buwaa aa aa aaaaa.

 

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I’ve recompiled WME with x86 set instead of x64. I was running it 64 bit on my dev machine during some bouts of testing in .Net 4 and simply forgot to reset it.

This has been corrected and should now run correctly on all systems.

I’ve also uploaded the “Updater” and will show for any previous client using the correct updater. Worse case, simply uninstall and download the new copy. (It also includes Updater v1.0.2.1)

Remember if you want to convert to MP3, you will need to obtain the lame.exe and place it into the install directory.

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WME beta 0.5.6 has been posted. Updater is not yet available for download, this will be posted shortly.

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Oh joy of joys!

The nook gets the new 1.2 firmware before my next trip.

Here’s the notes:

 nook V1.2 continues to improve nook performance to provide enhanced overall reading experience and in-store connectivity for nook customers to enjoy exclusive content and promotions in Barnes & Noble stores. Key updates include:

• Enhanced in-store seamless connectivity to enjoy free Wi-Fi, with our More In Store content and promotions exclusively for nook owners.
• Improved opening of eBooks and periodicals
• Improved response to Reading Now & Settings buttons
• Current reading page and bookmarks on all eBooks is properly saved when your nook is powered off
• Bookmarks display page number
• Eligible LendMe™ eBooks in My Library include a LendMe™ flag
• Easier navigation of daily subscription with issues rolled into one folder
• Improved “back” button functionality for navigating eBooks and periodicals
• Personal files downloaded onto nook and displayed in My Documents can be sorted by author & title
• Overall system improvements and battery optimization

Download it now from www.nook.com/support

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Seriously, this is taking it a bit too far. Someone has gone and registered a Hotmail account, just to turn around and sell it on eBay.

I find it amusing that anyone would really even bid on this, you business does not gain reputation by having your email address at Hotmail.

But none the less people have bid on it, and it looks to sell. Now proceeding with the face plant.

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The Apple event is coming up in a few days… and rumor mills are hard at work.

Items I find interesting….

1. iPhone OS 4.0: Supports 3G and 3GS. Will have a revamped UI and more multitasking support.

2. Apple Tablet… rumor has it it resembles an iPhone 1, smashed by a rolling pin.

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Looks like things are firing up. Two important dates for TSW that have been found through the latest viral clues…

1. February 16th, 6:30pm – 8:00pm. (No specification of time zone, though I would guess it would be eastern to match the town.)
2. April 3rd.

www.KingsMouth.com

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B&N has released an update for the nook, bringing the freshly released device to 1.1.0. Officially, it is not NOT a v1.0 device. So begins the rants and raves.

Anyways, the update actually seems to have greatly improved performance of the device from menu access to page turns. Although an actual ‘update notes’ has not been released by B&N yet, there is speculation of what it did do.

Some notable items are page turns speed, random crashing of books, time display, and the dreaded ‘Formatting’.

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Skipping the unboxing event here, as everyone has seen those video’s by now.

Moving ahead to the file copy, size comparison and PDF displays.

The nook when compared to the brochure you can obtain from B&N is almost spot on. The sizes are just a tiny bit different, but you get the idea when shown next to an iPhone 3G.

 

The nook switches to one of its states, this one known as USB Drive Mode, when plugged into a computer.

 

The copy progress to the nook is a bit slow as you can see in this screen cap. I am copying 1.26GB of files to the nook internal storage, which the usable space of the storage is actually less than 1.27GB. I had it connected to a USB2.0 port, but the speed was still quite slow. Though, in reality how often will I be doing this?

 

 

The nook displaying the cover page of a PDF pulled from the Training Kit for 70-432 disc.

 

Lesson from same PDF displayed in Medium size.

 

  Same page displayed in Small size, this size tries to keep the original formatting and zooms out the page to fit on screen.

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Yay, my nook will be delivered today!

But the bad news? I’m in Texas and won’t be able to use it for another couple days. Isn’t that the way the world works?

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So today, B&N was to start shipping the nook’s to all those who had preordered early enough for a November 30th ship date. Unfortunately, they have missed that mark, or at least appear to have missed it. As an email suggests, the ship date is delayed for an unknown reason. But it does not actually say it is delayed. It’s like they know it will cause a back lash of complaints, and didn’t want to speak those words!

 

 

They did offer us a $10 gift card and free upgrade to overnight shipping, which as a member you already got expedited air service. But these seem like a slap in the face. They missed the mark, won’t admit or explain why, and send us this email that hints at a delay without saying it is delayed.

 

But none the less, I still sit with my brochure and camera ready to take pictures of it. Assuming it gets here before I leave on my next work trip.

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B&N nook begins shipping today for those who pre-ordered early. I was one of those lucky people. So to add to the wonderful intensity of this purchase, I have my nook brochure available from the local B&N. My plan is as soon as I get the unit, I will do an unboxing and take shots of it in comparison to the brochure. Not an important task, but would be nice for those who are curious how the unit stacks up against the paper version.

Stay tuned!

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While sitting in the boarding area I see the total encompass of the need in my life for coffee. If it were not for starbucks I would be sleeping across from my gate…. And miss my flight. Which in turn would cause the end of all things as I myself lay sleeping a deep uninterrupted sleep.

Ok not really, but they sure are trying to take over the world.

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The nook has received such high demand that the preorders placed on or after today 30th of October, will not ship until the 7th of December instead of the 30th of November. That is still not a long time to wait, but I’m sure glad I preordered the day of announcement!

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