Drag out file links from download control to save just like in Gmail

Google adds a lot of interesting features in it products. One of them is dragging a file link in your Gmail on to your desktop (or a folder) to download it. This article on CSS Ninja explains exactly how it is done.

We can also put this feature in our download control so that each file link can be dragged on to your folder to start download without going through save dialog.

Step 1: Identifying the file links in a download control

This is actually pretty simple. XPages by default sets the class name of the file links in download control to xspLinkFileDownload. So all you need to do is to use a simple dojo.query to find all those link and loop through them.

Step 2: Adding attributes to anchor tag

Now you need to set two attributes in the anchor tags of file links - draggable and ondragstart. The draggable attribute needs to be set to true, that's all.

Setting ondragstart requires a bit more details. You need to call event.dataTransfer.setData("DownloadURL", "application/octet-stream:<FILE NAME>:<FILE DOWNLOAD URL>"). Note that while specifying <FILE DOWNLOAD URL> make sure its the complete path start from http://. These attributes can be set using dojo.attr.

So your final JavaScript code looks something like this:

dojo.query(".xspLinkFileDownload").forEach(
    function(node, index, arr) {
        dojo.attr(node, "draggable", "true");
        dojo.attr(node, "ondragstart", "event.dataTransfer.setData('DownloadURL', 'application/octet-stream:" + node.innerText + ":" + node.href + "')");
    }
);

One limitation here is that this only works for Google Chrome. I have put this script block on XSnippets here. Just copy it from there and put it into your XPage.

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Franklin Wireless 4G modem a champ with providing Wi-Fi signal

Finally, I can say that I was able to access the Internet at the grandparents house, a low-tech enclave best known as a weekend getaway, along with a dose of tranquility. As relaxing as it is, there is no available Wi-Fi signal within range of the comfortable couches in the family room.

So the lack of being connected to the world was bothering us until I discovered the Franklin Wireless USB Modem from C Spire Wireless. Let’s bump it up a bit and make that a “4G LTE Smart” modem available on what C Spire calls the first “personalizing wireless services” experience.

This device is about the size of a pack of gum and comes with a round USB charger, which plugs into any electrical outlet. The wireless modem plugs into the charger. The entire setup is as simple as a doughnut.

In less than a minute, at least two of the three indicator lights will indicate a Wi-Fi signal with a red glow and, in my case, a 4G signal as a blue glow. Any 3G signal will show as a green glow.

Surrounded by a family tree of photos of past generations from my wife’s family, it was time to bring a heavy presence of technology to the old homestead.

First up was a MacBook Pro that connected to the “C Spire 4G LTE Hotspot 3315” in the available Wi-Fi list with no problems. Then an iPhone 5 connected and was off and running on C Spire’s 4G network. The iPad was next in line, followed by an iPhone 4S. Again, no problems connecting.

Since we were having a good time, I decided to go for five devices, which is the maximum number of connections for the Franklin Wireless hotspot modem.

Next on the runway was a Nook Color, my dependable e-reader that I thought might be the curve ball that the Franklin Wireless 4G modem would miss.

But it was another home run for the hotspot modem as my wife and I moved from device to device – enjoying a high-speed Internet connections at the grandparents place that we had wished for in past visits.

The Franklin Wireless modem is super easy to use. The hardest part was inserting the C Spire USIM card, as the sliding cover on the modem can be a little fussy.

The device is designed to turn on automatically when connected to a USB power source using the AC-to-USB adapter or a cigarette lighter USB charger or and external USB battery pack.

You’ll also need to keep in mind that no Wi-Wi password is set by default for the wireless modem and your precious signal will be open to everyone to enjoy. A password can be set by access the Web interface.

The hotspot modem is listed as working with Windows XP through Windows 7 and Mac OS X. Windows XP users will need to install a Remote NDIS driver. I don’t have information on Windows 8 compatibility at this time.

I like this device and if you’re thinking about buying, it’s available online at cspire.com for $29.99 with a two-year contract. Of course, you’ll have to choose a data plan to fit your needs.

The Franklin Wireless Modem will be handy whenever you’re without a Wi-Fi signal. If you’re in C Spire’s coverage area, just look for a power outlet and you’re in business.

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Getting resources in database as stream in XPages (SSJS / Java)

Some time back I was trying to get the resources in database (to be precise image resource) in my SSJS / Java code. I tried a lot of options like ClassLoader.getResourceAsStream, MyClass.class.getResourceAsStream but no success. Then today while going through the sample database of Extension Library I ran into a piece of code which got the image resource as stream using a single line of code.

var inStream:java.io.InputStream = facesContext.getExternalContext().getResourceAsStream("<RESOURCE NAME>");

As simple as that. In case of Java you would write like this:

InputStream inStream = FacesContext.getCurrentInstance().getExternalContext().getResourceAsStream("<RESOURCE NAME>");

In my tests this worked for getting image resources, file resource and style sheets as streams.

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iPad Mini arrives to battle other 7-inch tablets for dominance

Now that the iPad Mini has finally been unveiled, the real question is how it will fare among all the other small tablets on the market.

Apple has given us a mini version of previous iPads, with an A5 dual-core chip, a 7.9-inch display, and a starting price of $329 for the 16 GB version. For the 32 GB and 64 GB models, you’ll need $429 and $529 for the latter.

It also has a 10-hour battery life, LTE network capability, updated Wi-Fi performance, and as expected, the new Lightning connector that made a debut on the iPhone 5 and the new iPods announced on Sept. 12. It’s also around 24 percent less in depth than the most recent iPad.

All of these features will certainly attract some attention, especially Apple fans, but the mini Apple wonder does have a few shortcomings. The resolution, which is 1024 x 768, doesn’t stack up with competing tablets and the A5 dual-core processor is from older hardware, being last used in the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4S

Another area of concern is as the holiday shopping season draws near, the price of tablets might be a factor and the iPad Mini might have to struggle to gain buyers with its $329 starting price.

The iPad Mini will certainly have plenty of competition on the shelves among the seven to eight-inch devices. It requires little time and thought for the Kindle family of e-readers to pop in your head, for all the good reasons. They are considered cheap at a starting price of $179 for the Kindle Paperwhite, or even cheaper if you look at one of the entry-level Kindles for only $69 or one of the other older models still being sold.

For more bells and whistles in the Kindle family, there is the Kindle Fire at $159 and the Kindle Fire HD for $199. But when has been called “one of the best values in the e-reader market” belongs to the $179 Kindle Paperwhite WiFi + 3G, which has free 3G wireless for downloading books anytime and anywhere.

Then the Android family of devices are next with the Google Nexus 7 leading the pack starting at $199, rumors of getting even cheaper soon. The other choice is the Barnes & Noble Nook HD for $199 and some change.

Another new entry in the tablet market is the Insignia Flex that can be found in Best Buy stores around Nov. 1 with a starting price of $239.

I think we can see a trend that tablet prices should not be too far north of $200 to stay competitive and entice consumer to reach for some cash in retail stores or punch the checkout button online. The iPad Mini is way north of that price.

But we’re talking Apple here, with a sense of upscale and quality among all the iDevices. Just maybe the iPad Mini can continue this mystique and bring cause for us to shell out a few more bucks for the latest creation from folks in Cupertino, Calif.

During the special event where the iPad Mini was announced, the education and business markets were highly pitched, so maybe a part of Apple’s strategy for this new device is for schools and enterprise users.

I’m going to put on my consumer hat and say I’ll consider the new iPad Mini. My current iPad now has a Bluetooth keyboard case, which turns it into an almost-a-laptop for tweeting, updating social networks and even creating an article for this blog while on the go. But it’s kind of clunky to hold and awkward to just read articles.

So I need a smaller e-reader for books, newspapers and magazines, along with my favorite apps for consuming content. This task is now handled by my Nook Color, which does a good job as a content reader. But it’s kind of a standalone device, since I don’t have an Android smartphone to have a synced-up relationship with the Android family of devices and their cloud applications.

With the iPad Mini, I could tap into iCloud and have all iDevices in sync with each other. These would include an iMac, MacBook, iPhones, iPod Touch and of course, the new iPad Mini.

My other requirement is that it’ll slip into the inside pocket of my jacket, which the Nook Color, with its 5-inch width, does just that. But the iPad Mini’s 5.3-inch width might be a tight fit or no fit at all. I’ll see about that.

So I could see an iPad Mini in my future as an e-reader, but the price is going to require me sleeping on the idea more than once.

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Using dijit.form.CheckBox in check box group in XPages

dijit.form.CheckBox adds a fancy styling to the plain check box, which I love. Adding it to a single check box is pretty straight forward. Just set the dojoType property of the check box to dijit.form.CheckBox. But in case of check box group its not that straight forward.

When a check box group is rendered in browser it is rendered inside <fieldset> tag. So setting the dojoType property doesn't give the desired result. You need to set the dojoType property individually on each of the check boxes in the group. Fortunately, all the check boxes share the same name so they can be targeted using simple dojo.query.

Let's say the name of your check box group is "checkBoxGroup", then just add this script block to your XPage:

<xp:scriptBlock>
<xp:this.value><![CDATA[dojo.query("input[name=\"#{id:checkBoxGroup2}\"]").forEach(
function(node) {
dojo.attr(node, {dojoType: "dijit.form.CheckBox"});
}
)]]></xp:this.value>
</xp:scriptBlock>

Make sure you place this script block after your check box group. Needless to say that you need to add dijit.form.CheckBox in your XPages resources as Dojo module.

You can also extend this technique to set dijit.form.RadioButton in radio button group.

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Windows 8 is coming; upgrading or a new device will need a plan

Windows 8 will be available for sale on Oct. 26 and can be pre-ordered now. So it’s time to start thinking about your game plan for upgrading your existing computers or pondering what kind of device you’ll want in a new purchase.

But there is some confusion about which version of Windows 8 will work for you and the price you’ll pay, along with a long list of choices for new Windows 8 hardware coming down the pikes.

Windows 8 will be available in several versions — one for tablet devices running ARM processors, which will be called Windows RT, and another for desktop PCs that’ll be known as Windows 8 Pro. A consumer version is also in the works and will just be called Windows 8.

As for the price, it’ll depend on whether you per-order the Windows 8 Pro DVD package now and pay $69.99, or wait until the release date on Oct. 26 and pay $39.99 using the Windows 8 upgrade Assistant online.

If you have purchased a new PC after June 2, the upgrade price from say Windows 7 will be around $15, which is not a bad deal.

The other issue with upgrading your existing Windows operating system to Windows 8 will be the licensing or product key dilemma.

According to Microsoft, If your PC is running Windows 7 Home Basic or Home Premium, your files, programs and settings will easily transfer to Windows 8. But if your PC is running Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate, Windows XP or Windows Vista, you will probably need to re-install some programs.

So in a nutshell, you should be able to install Windows 8 on the same PC hardware that powers Windows Vista and Windows 7. Just make sure you have at least a 1 gigahertz or faster processor, 2 gigabytes of RAM, 20 gigabytes of hard drive space and a video card with DirectX 9 graphics and a WDDM driver.

If you have installed Windows 8 Consumer Preview, you should be fine with an upgrade as long as the Consumer Preview was installed over a previous Windows OS.

But if it was installed on a new hard drive with no previous OS, such as if you built a PC, then you can expect a challenge and will need to purchase a new version of Windows 8 for a license and product key.

As you think about whether to upgrade you existing PC or buy something new, keep in the mind that Windows 8 is optimized for touch screens and you might not get the full experience on a desktop PC.

Anyone using a tablet with Windows 8 RT installed will be able to swipe and swoosh away in the new interface. For a desktop or laptop, you’ll have to get use to taking your hand form the keyboard to reach over and touch the screen for a little magic.

As for other choices running Windows 8, there will be somewhat traditional laptops that convert into tablets and tablets with detachable keyboard. They will have screens that’ll slide and flip or completely detach in order to transform from one device to the next.

In addition to the usual notebook PC manufacturers, such as Acer, Asus, Dell, Lenovo, HP, Samsung, Sony and others, Microsoft also will have a dog in the fight with their Surface tablet. This will put Microsoft in direct competition with the Apple iPad's iOS and many of the other manufacturers that also will have Windows 8 on their devices.

So whether your upgrading or buying for the Windows 8 experience, it’s time to start thinking about your plans.

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Japan's SoftBank in talks to acquire 70% stake in Sprint Nextel

SoftBank Corp. was founded Sept. 3, 1981, with headquarters in the Higashi-shimbashi area of Minato-ku, Tokyo. Masayoshi Son is chairman and CEO.

A deal is in the works for SoftBank Corp,. a Japanese telecommunications conglomerate, to acquire a 70 percent in Sprint Nextel, the number three mobile company in the United States, behind AT&T and Verizon.

This could be the ship coming in for Sprint, as SoftBank will put $12.1 billion on the table to close the deal and then offer another $8 billion investment for network improvements. SoftBank is touting their expertise in the "next-generation wireless networks" and their experience with deployment of LTE in Japan.

“This transaction provides an excellent opportunity for SoftBank to leverage its expertise in smartphones and next-generation high speed networks, including LTE, to drive the mobile internet revolution in one of the world’s largest markets," said SoftBank Chairman and CEO, Masayoshi Son. "Our track record of innovation, combined with Sprint’s strong brand and local leadership, provides a constructive beginning toward creating a more competitive American wireless market.”

Sprint could use the help with deployment of 4G LTE. They list 24 markets on their website, which is less than competitors like AT&T, who lay claim to the largest 4G network, covering 275 million people and Verizon's 400-plus LTE markets. But Sprint does have plans to roll out 4G services in 20 additional cities in the coming months.

"Our management team is excited to work with SoftBank to learn from their successful deployment of LTE in Japan as we build out our advanced LTE network, improve the customer experience and continue the turnaround of our operations,” said Sprint CEO, Dan Hesse.

SoftBank will form a new U.S. subsidiary, New Sprint, and if the deal passes regulatory approval in the coming months, SoftBank has plans to sweeten the pot with an additional $17 billion investment.

According to Sprint, their headquarters will continue to be in Overland Park, Kansas and Hesse will continue as CEO of New Sprint and as a board member.

More on Softbank: Video profile.

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BlackBerry 10 developers hard at work on apps for new platform

As we wait on the BlackBerry 10 platform to arrive sometime early in 2013, Research In Motion says the developers are hard at work creating apps for the new upcoming devices.

Developers have been issued 5,000 BlackBerry Dev Alpha test devices to put their apps through the paces on various BlackBerry 10 projects. We can expect apps from Cisco, Foursquare, Sencha, Gameloft, HalfBrick Studios, Madfinger Games, Funkol and others when the magic time comes.

The developers are hoping to create BlackBerry 10 apps that will entice customers to take a closer look at the new platform.

“The Weather Network is excited to develop for BlackBerry 10," said Gita Ashar, Director of Mobile and Emerging Technologies for Weather Network. "The innovations in the operating system will provide our existing loyal consumers and new consumers an application that is as stunning as it is informative, helping users to plan for anything.”

The developers will work with BlackBerry WebWorks and will use HTML5 and CSS in building apps for the new BB 10 platform.

I know of several die-hard BlackBerry fans that are among the 80 million users that RIM announced in its latest quarterly report. They are patiently awaiting the new devices that are expected in the first quarter of 2013. One in particular is fearful of losing his BlackBerry contacts if he switches to an Android device or the iPhone.

The delay of the BlackBerry 10 devices could turn into a big headache for RIM. The competitors are full steam ahead with innovative hardware that would leave less opportunity for any excitement in the BlackBerry arena.

The Samsung Galaxy S III had been around since May and doing very well in the marketplace. Now we have the iPhone 5, which is setting sales records, despite mapping software woes and other issues being reported by customers.

Next up will be Microsoft and their partners as they roll out new Windows Phone 8 devices later this month. The Nokia 920 and 820, the HTC 8X and 8S and the upcoming Samsung ATIV S are all on deck with Microsoft's unique tiles-based interface. It'll be interesting to see if the Windows 8 devices gain acceptance with consumers.

From the Android camp, the LG Optimus G is likely to draw some excitement, as the specs are pretty impressive with a 13 megapixel camera on the Sprint Nextel version.

All of these devices are likely to attract some BlackBerry fans that are tired of waiting on something new, although some will tough it out. I have one friend who is thinking about leaving her beloved BlackBerry for the Galaxy S III.

The other nightmare for BlackBerry could be the rumored Samsung Galaxy S 4, which could also arrive in the first quarter of 2013. I would think the folks inside the walls of RIM would certainly want to be ahead of this threat with their new BlackBerry 10 platform, along with some outstanding apps.

Let's hope that when the new BlackBerry 10 platform finally arrives, it will be worth the wait.

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Farseer Physics for Windows Store Apps using Monogame

  Last week I did a session on porting XNA Windows Phone 7.x games to Windows Store apps using MonoGame. I have to thank Dean Ellis from the MonoGame project team for all the help. 

 While XNA is not a framework directly supported by Microsoft for Windows Store apps the current version of MonoGame is compatible with Windows 8 and, the most important thing, the applications pass the WACK. There are already several games available in the Windows Store developed using MonoGame (Armed, Skiddy, Rune Legend and I guess there are more). 

   For the session I ended up using the Simple Animation sample but seeing how easy is to share the code between the platforms (Windows, Windows Phone,PC, MAC, iOS, Android, Playstation, Linux) I started looking for a physics engine. The most used Open Source physics engine seems to be Farseer Physics but it was too late to do the porting for my session. On Sunday I tried the porting and everything went pretty smooth. The only thing I've changed was the serialization/de-serialization of the "World" state. I compiled the engine and also the sample. For the Sample project the Content Project was compiled using Visual Studio 2010 (for the moment Visual Studio 2012 doesn't recognize this type of project) and added the xnb's to a Content folder inside the Visual Studio 2012 solution. 

 You can see the result in this YouTube video:

I've used SnagIt to capture the movie and it influenced the frame rate (when running without capturing the framerate is always at 60 fps). The test device was the Samsung Slate which has a powerful cpu. I would love to know if a WinRT device will be able to run at the . If any of my readers has access to a WinRT device please deploy the sample to the device and let me know if the framerate is as expected. For the sample you will have to use an external keyboard and mouse as the touch screen is not working in this version. I will try to fix it for the next release (the problem seems to be inside the MonoGame framework as I only receive the move event and not the pressed and released from the touch screen).

   

Use this link to download the full project (engine and sample): 

SOURCE CODE

NAMASTE

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Error of "Invalid field name" while saving form

While working on a legacy Lotus Notes client based application, I did some modifications on a form but while trying to save it I was getting error message "Invalid field name" and the form simply refused to be saved. I checked all the field names trying to find out any invalid character amongst them, but no luck.

So I went to my faithful old friend — Google. And it took me to this discussion on Notes/Domino 8.5 Forum where a user was having the same issue. He resolved it by removing and adding existing sections. Why it happened, he didn't know.

Continue reading »

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Facebook gets a 'Like' from one billion users; offers 'thanks' to us all

Facebook's announcement of reaching one billion users each month was the biggest "like" of their existence.

This was big enough for CEO Mark Zuckerberg to sign his name at the top of the news release. He wanted to give a big "thank you for giving me and my little team the honor of serving you."

I say "well done" to Zuckerberg for having the vision and innovation to make Facebook what it is today. But the toughest part is probably still yet to come, as Facebook is now a public company and expectations are even higher when you're dealing with financial performance.

This kind of growth is not bad for a company that has only been around since 2004. One of their competitors, Linkedin, officially launched a year earlier in May 2003 and they've only managed to attract around 175 million users.

Another competitor in the social media space, MySpace, also launched in 2003 and I hear they're trying to make a comeback after being acquired by Specific Media in June 2011. Twitter — another social media outfit that I like a lot — unveiled their sign in 2006 in the city with the Golden Gate Bridge. Around six years later, I've seen published numbers of 90 to 175 million registered users who say what they want to say in 140 characters or less. If you're looking at total Twitter accounts, the number is estimated to be even higher at around 500 million.

The youngest of the social media bunch — Google+ — is probably the closest challenger to Facebook with around 250 million users since 2011. According to Facebook, they hit 100 million users in August 2008, which is four years after they started up. If you grab a calculator and start pecking around, Google+'s growth rate is on the fast track, but not likely to catch up with Facebook no time soon.

This kind of success makes you wonder what is it about Facebook that causes us to sign on the first thing in the morning, check out mobile devices throughout the day and switch to a new window on the desktop computer when the boss is not looking. Then we run straight home after work home and get on the home computer to check Facebook again and again until after midnight. One billion people just can't get enough of Facebook.

Facebook released a few demographics along with the bragging rights to "one billion users" that give a little insight into what a typical Facebook users might look like.

The typical age was around 26 in the early years and has progressively gotten younger along the way. All of you Facebook buffs have given out 1.13 trillion "likes' since Facebook added the feature in February 2009. The "like button" was acquired from Facebook's acquisition of social networking site FriendFeed during that same year.

When the ability to upload a photo into Facebook was added in the fall of 2006, we all thought that was just grand and have since uploaded around 265 million photos of people, places and things from Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, the United States and other countries.

So Facebook is certainly on its way to being a fairy tale of a company, if it can figure out the Wall Street part and make enough money to gather 'likes" from investors. Since the initial public offering, or IPO, on May 18 when the stock closed at $38.23, it hasn't seen that kind of a price since and remains down about 40 percent for the year.

But despite the stock woes, having one billion users is quite impressive and Facebook's Zuckerberg says it is simply "the things that connect us."

Although I've been hanging out on Google+ more with all the tech fanatics that seem to gather there, I guess I'll go check my Facebook page now.

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Shopping with the iPhone 5 Passbook app a pleasant experience

Update: Apple Inc. is releasing guidelines to developers for an "Add to Passbook" badge that can be incorporated into their apps and websites for devices running iOS 6.

After a few days with the iPhone 5, I figured it was time to go shopping with the Passbook app as my guide. This mysterious app included with iOS 6 will organize gift cards, coupons, passes, tickets and more, with the idea of making your wallet a lot thinner and lighter.

But it requires a few advance maneuvers before you head out to the store or look for your boarding passes. It's not as automatic as you would think.

The first thing the Passbook app will want to do is connect to the App Store through iTunes and this where things can come to a standstill a hurry, as there are numerous reports from iPhone 5 users about connection difficulties. You might see the dreaded "can't connect to iTunes" message.

I experienced the same problem with the Passbook app and iTunes, until I discovered some steps to change the time and date settings temporarily. That worked for me and I hope it works for any other iPhone 5 users having iTunes connection problems.

Once in the App Store, you'll find a rather short list of stores and other companies that are currently Passbook compatible. For my part of the country, Target and Walgreens were my choices, so I downloaded those.

But here is where using Passbook can get confusing, as the digital store cards are not automatically loaded into Passbook. In my case, I had to first sign up for the loyalty card using the store app and then you should see a "Add to Passbook" button in the app. Clear as mud, right?

Think of it this way - the Passbook app is where you'll store the loyalty cards; the store app is where you'll send the card to Passbook.

I managed to get both Target and Walgreens cards into Passbook, where you can shuffle between them on the iPhone 5 display. As more cards are add, your thumb will get a workout shuffling for the right card.

I'm ready to go shopping, so let's jump back to the store app, or my case, the Walgreens app. I was able to see the coupons and weekly ads right on my phone. I zeroed in on a few items and added them to the built-in shopping list in the Walgreens app. Each coupon in the app has their own barcode that can be scanned by the cashier.

As I got near Walgreen's front door, the iPhone 5 determined my location and displayed a "swipe to access Walgreen card" as I entered the store. An audible alert would have been even better, but just having the visual notification was pretty slick. According to Apple Inc., if I was going to the airport, my boarding passes would pop up as I entered the terminal.

I wandered up and down the aisles in true guy fashion, looking for items on the shopping list. At this point in my shopping excursion, none of my grocery items chosen are loaded into Passbook. The selection of items and the shopping list is still within the store app.

When I made it to the cashier, this where I reached for the iPhone 5 instead of my wallet or key chain for a store card. I open up the Walgreens card in Passbook and handed it to the cashier for scanning. She was just as thrilled as I was that it worked and called it a "cool thing."

Now this where the Near Field Communication, or NFC, technology would have been handy, as I could have just paid for items by tapping my iPhone against a special terminal at checkout. But Apple has put NFC on the backburner for now; maybe it'll appear in the iPhone 6. So I pulled out my wallet for some cash.

In the meantime, NFC will be found on several iPhone competitors, such as the Samsung Galaxy S III and Victory and the upcoming Nokia Lumia 920, Motorola RAZR i and the HTC 8X. But the stores will also have to come onboard with the necessary terminals to handle NFC payments.

Although the number of participating retailers for Passbook is limited, it does work and I can't wait for my favorite grocer to join the list, so I don't have to give my phone number over and over and over. Having the store card in Passbook will be much easier and I won't lose it.

That wasn't a bad experience at all, so I say bring on more store cards for the Passbook app.

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Other ways to use @DeleteField

The help documentation of @DeleteField only displays one way on its usage:

FIELD fieldName := @DeleteField

But recently while working on an application I found out that there are other ways in which this command can be used.

@SetField("<FIELD NAME>"; @DeleteField);
@SetDocField("<DOCUMENT UNIVERSAL ID>"; "<FIELD NAME>"; @DeleteField)

Would love to hear if you know any other ways to use the command?

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iPhone 5 replaces my longtime buddy, the iPhone 3G

I joined the five million or more customers buying the iPhone 5 over the weekend. My longtime buddy since 2008, the iPhone 3G, has found a nice spot on the shelf. May it rest in peace as it gathers dust.

My 3G would no longer power off and I couldn't do a reset. The battery was about shot and the back panel was cracked. It would mysteriously make phone calls on its own accord to the person you last had a conversation with. The list of odd behavior goes on and on.

It was time for an upgrade a few years ago, but I was determined to hold out as each new iPhone model was unveiled. I skipped the iPhone 3GS because it looked just like my 3G. I skipped the iPhone 4 because of the antenna flap. Then I skipped the 4S because it looked just the 4.

So the iPhone 5, although it's similar in design to the 4S, got my nod for having a larger 4-inch display, being thinner and lighter, while also being a lot faster with the A6 processor, compared with the 412mHz processor in my 3G. Throw in the eight megapixel iSight camera and the 4G LTE service and I'm the kid in the candy store.

The other determining factor is that the iPhone 5 was just a good deal for me. I paid the exact same amount of $199 for the 3G when it was released in 2008 as I did iPhone 5. But the 3G had eight megabytes of memory and the iPhone 5has 16MB. Apple began offering twice the capacity for the same price with the iPhone 3GS in June 2009 with 16GB model for just $199 and they also unveiled a new 32GB model for $299.

Now, it's great to check Twitter and Facebook with the built-in social networks integration while also exploring all the 200 new features in iOS 6. With the increased speed of the iPhone 5, most apps or Web pages now open between a walk from the couch to the refrigerator.

I did splurge on a protective case, but might not need a screen protector, thanks to the "fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating" on the iPhone 5's display, which also combines the screen and touch sensors layer into one piece for a thinner profile. But I shouldn't be cheap and will probably purchase a screen protector when more choices are available the store shelves for the iPhone 5.

The big fuss about the smaller Lightning connector to replace the longtime 30-pin connector has not bothered me at all. I think we'll see the benefit of this change when the new accessories start to hit the market, such as docks and other devices. I also wouldn't be surprised if the logic behind moving the headphone port to the bottom also makes sense later. I have a hunch the audio port will be utilized in the new products when the iPhone 5 is docked.

I did experience the "rattle inside" that early buyers have been discussing in the Apple Support Communities' forum. But a trip to the Apple Store and the Genius Bar solved the problem. I'm rattle free now.

The Passbook app also needed some tweaking, as it wouldn't connect to the iTunes store. But after a bit of research, I discovered some steps that also got me on my way with the Target and Walgreens discounts apps in Passbook. The participating retailers worth a download will vary by your location and I imagine more will be added soon.

The Apple support forums are full of other concerns and issues about the iPhone 5, but they seem to vary from device to device and not all customers have the same experience. If you're researching a problem, the support forums would be a good place to start before heading back to the retailer. There might a trend among concerns and issues that Apple will need to address.

I think I made a good choice and I'm a happy camper so far.

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The wait is over; iPhone 5 sales move into the weekend

Friday was the big day for the iPhone 5 to go on sale in retail stores. Having two million devices in pre-orders was a good start and I imagine it'll rocket on past three to four million or maybe even five million in sales this weekend.

I was at one of the AT&T retail stores bright and early Friday morning, where the lines were modest and pleasant. I didn't notice any dancing, but wouldn't have been surprised if some of the fans cut a few steps.

The iPhone debuts have been drawing crowds since day one, or on Friday, June 29, 2007, at 6 p.m., when the original iPhone was available for purchase. The headline on the website of my newspaper simply said "Come and get it" at the magic hour.

It was called a revolutionary device at the time, and according to Apple Inc., was one of the reasons Apple retail stores were created so that customers could touch and experience a ... new product and get the most from their new iPhone with Genius Bar support.

Now here we are with more than 300 stores in eleven countries and some of them will hand the sixth generation of the iPhone across the counter. If you're out of luck for an Apple Store in your area, the Apple Online Store, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and certain Apple authorized resellers are ready for your business today. C Spire Wireless will have their iPhone-mania day on Sept. 28, along with a worldwide roll out to 22 more countries.

If you're buying this weekend, I'm sure you have your money counted out, but here is a reminder. You'll need $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for the 32GB model and $399 for the 64GB model. Then you might have the toughest decision of all, which will be choosing between white & silver or black & slate.

In a nutshell, the big day was Friday and I imagine weekend sales will be just as big. Everything will be counted and added up by Monday for the number of iPhones sold and it'll be something worth bragging about. Here we go.

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Hello iPhone 5 with the Lightning Connector; goodbye 30-pin connector

The iPhone 5 has started out with a bang, as pre-orders were sold out in around 60 minutes on Friday. So now, we can probably expect lines of fans when the retails stores open their doors on Sept. 21.

AT&T announced a sales record for the iPhone 5 over the first weekend of pre-orders, making it their fastest-selling iPhone ever. Some of the hype so far has been all about the revolutionary - for Apple at least - 4-inch display.

I say for Apple only, because the iPhone 5 joins several other smartphones with 4-inch displays that have been on the shelves for a while. These include the Samsung Galaxy S, which arrived in mid 2010 and the Motorola Atrix, which made its debut in January 2011. And let's not forget the Google Nexus S 4G1 that came along in April 2011, or the Nokia 808 PureView in February.

But perhaps the biggest area of discussion about the iPhone 5 has centered around the redesigned dock connector. The 30-pin connector is history, replaced by a smaller Lightning 8-pin digital connector. Now the worry is about all the 30-pin accessories and how to transitioned to the new guy. First a little history.

The 30-pin dock connector first appeared on the third generation iPod in April 2003. Up to that point, the iPod models had been using a firewire port to update the songs or charge the battery. The 30-pin connector allowed USB to be used instead of firewire.

Although the 30-pin connector had a nine-year run, the end has come and Apple is going digital with the Lightning connector. Some say it's because the iPhone 5 is thinner and the designers needed the space in the area where the speakers and the EarPods port are located. At any rate, it's done and we've got to deal with it.

Apple was quick to say a Lightning to 30-pin Adapter is available for all our clock radios and other accessories that also serve as iPhone docks and charging stations. I must say, these accessories have been pretty handy over the past several years, especially when you lose that white 30-pin cable for the umpteenth time.

There was some confusion in the beginning about whether Apple would throw in the 30-pin Adapter when you buy the iPhone 5. The very latest is that it'll cost you $29. Of if you want a Lightning to 30-pin cable, count out $39. I also hate to break the news to you, but Apple says by way of an asterisk, that some 30-pin accessories are not supported. So that dependable iPhone accessory that you fancy may or may not work with the iPhone 5.

What Apple will give you with the iPhone 5 to make connections is a Lightning connector to USB cable and USB Power Adapter. Now you might say "hmm" to the latter, because that's the one item you can salvage from your old 30-pin cable setup. Since one end of the new Lightning cable is USB, you should be set to go with an extra power adapter. Do don't throw that part out with the 30-pin cable.

About all we can say about the 30-pin-cable saga is "oh well" and move on. I'm sure the Apple engineers had a good reason to make change. Maybe the iPad Mini, if it makes an appearance in month or so, will use the same Lightning connector.

By the time the iPhone 6, or whatever, comes along, we will have forgotten about it all anyway.

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Apple unveils the iPhone 5 with larger display, 4G LTE

It's here. The iPhone 5 has been introduced. It was called "an absolute jewel" by a top Apple guy.

Apple Inc.'s sixth generation iPhone, made entirely out of glass and aluminum, is sporting lots new features that includes a larger 4-inch display, a new 8 megapixel camera, and the capability to add a 5th row of icons to the home screen. A new A6 chip, which Apple says is two times faster than the A5 chip, will provide processing power.

The battery life is rated at 8 hours of 3G talktime, 3G browsing and 8 hours LTE browsing.

Apple is calling it the world's thinnest phone at 0.30 inches in depth and around four ounces in weight. By comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S III is rated at 0.34 inches in depth and 4.5 ounces in weight.

As expected, the iPhone 5 will run on 4G LTE networks, such as AT&T, C Spire Wireless, Sprint and Verizon. T-Mobile customers will have to wait awhile longer for network upgrades.

The pre-launch rumors of a redesigned dock connector were on target, as the iPhone 5 has an all-digital 8-pin Lightning connector to replace the nine-year old 30-pin connector. A 30 pin to Lightning adapter is available to allow access to existing iPhone accessories.

Some of the other features that have already leaked out were a new maps apps to replace Google maps and a fine-tuned Facebook integration.

The biggest surprise is the lack of a Near Field Communication, or NFC chip. But Apple also is rolling out a Passbook app in iOS 6 to serve as a virtual wallet for future mobile payments. While other mobile payments options are already on the market with Google Wallet, Square, PayPal and several others, Apple seems to be taking a more cautious approach and let the enterprise market get more comfortable with this emerging technology.

The iPhone 5 will come in black and slate, or white and silver, and will be available on Sept. 21 for $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB and $399 for 64GB. Pre-orders will start on Sept. 14. If you need a bargain iPhone, the previous 8GB iPhone 4 is now free and the 16GB iPhone 4S is $99.

From looking at the specs and the features of the iPhone 5, it appears that maybe Apple has hit another home run, but we'll see how long the lines are when it's available.

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The new iPhone arrives today facing tough challengers

Today is the big day for Apple Inc. to show the world the next iPhone, which might be called the iPhone 5.

This device will be the sixth generation of the iPhone since Jan. 9, 2007, when Apple unveiled the original iPhone to revolutionize the mobile landscape.

When the original iPhone arrived, most the mobile handset manufacturers, such as Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, HTC, RIM's BlackBerry and other were using QWERTY or alphanumeric keypads, along with small displays and navigational buttons.

There has been some early attempts at touchscreen technology by Nokia, IBM with the Simon Personal Communicator, Ericsson, HP, Palm and a few others.

But the first-generation iPhone got everything right and brought in a new era of touchscreen displays, icons, digital keypads and something called apps in 2008.

Now today's smartphones are just as smart and innovative as the iPhone and it's going to be tough for Apple to stay ahead of the pack and continue to hit home runs. There are touchscreens galore, apps, voice commands and music stores. The emerging Near Field Communication, or NFC technology, is already included on several recent mobile devices and should be a must-have for the new iPhone.

When the Android platform arrived, Apple's job became tougher and the Windows Phone 8 operating system is getting ready for their shot at iOS. The latest Nokia Lumia and Samsung Ativ announcements using WP8 are not to be taken lightly.

We should know today if Apple still has it what takes to set themselves apart from the competition with the latest iPhone.

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Phone Call screen in Windows Phone

   I've wanted to write this post for quite a while but I've always postponed it as it is a very subjective matter. In the end I decided to write my opinion. Windows Phone is really great but there are some aspects that could be improved and seem that have been designed in a hurry and never finished. One of this aspects, and it is not what this post is about, is the Application List. It is ugly and not very usable. How is it possible that Windows Mobile had before anyone else folders/groups but they are still missing in Windows Phone after more than 2 years? The application list really needs improvements/redesign.

    This post instead is about the Phone call screen. I've have always had problems with my windows phone devices starting with the Omnia 7 and ending with my Lumia 800 (I've actually tried 3 different Lumia 800 all of them gave me the same problem). The short story is that I am able to drop the call with my face by pressing the Endcall button, put the call on speaker, put it on mute or hold. I am not the only person that has these problems: my wife has the same problem with her new Lumia 710 and also heard from other people. It is a combination between the proximity sensor that activates the screen and the way I am holding the phone. So I've wondered if maybe there is a better location for the Endcall button.

    Lets start with a photo I've found on the web  (have no idea who she is) :

 

If you look at the way she is holding her phone (which I think is 90% of the cases) the upper part of the screen is in contact with the face. Let's presume that by a faulty behavior (bad driver, hardware fault, OS fault or the fact that the hardware and the software are not designed by the same company) the screen turns on while you talk. The highest probability to touch the screen with the face is in the upper half of the screen. Let's see what it means in Windows Phone:

So it is Endcall, Speaker, Hold, and Mute (exactly my case).

If you look again at the picture you can see that the less exposed part of the touchscreen(so the better choice for the buttons location)  is the lower part of the screen. The lower you go the smaller the probability is, so the best choice for the End call button is the lower part of the screen (this way you minimize the probability to press the button on faulty behavior). This is exactly (I don't know if this is the reason) what iPhone and Android did:

Both of them have chosen to put the End call button near the lower part of the touch screen. For Android (which also depends on the hardware implementation) Google concentrated all the buttons at the lower part of the screen. On the iPhone they kept the other buttons in the center region but they do have really good control over the hardware and putting a call on hold or mute is not as bad as dropping the call.

So it would be better to move the buttons in the lower part of the screen. The blank space could be filled with social information, last call, email, sms. 

Hope we will see some improvements in Phone Call screen in Windows Phone 8

NAMASTE

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Expand / Collapse particular category in a view in XPages

In XPages, you can expand all / collapse all categories in a view either using the expandLevel property of view control or using view control API. The API technique can further be extended to expand / collapse a particular category in a view. So to expand the code goes like this:

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Nokia Lumia 920, 820 joins Microsoft Windows Phone 8 camp

Nokia and Microsoft launched new Windows 8 smartphones today at a press event in New York. We can say hello to the Lumia 920 and 820 devices.

The two longtime technology powerhouses, who have been in a partnership since February 2011, vowed to use their "complementary strengths and expertise create market-leading mobile products."

The new Lumia 920 smartphone is chock full of new features, such as PureMotion HD+, wireless charging and Nokia's PureView camera technology, first seen on the PureView 41 megapixel phone announced earlier this year. The 920 will have a 8 megapixel camera.

This new device, shown in a new yellow color that Nokia says won' scratch off, is powered by a sizable 2000mAh battery and a Qualcomm 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor. It'll also be available in red and gray.

Nokia is bring their notable mapping technology to the Lumia 920 that'll include daily commute drive times, routes and walking directions, indoor maps and Augmented Reality using the City Lens app while exploring your surrounding.

The live tiles in the Windows Phone 8 can be customized to show difference sizes for apps and other information that updates automatically. A new feature is the ability to capture screenshots and share them like regular photos and videos. A pinch and zoom feature is now available.

Probably the most unique feature for the Lumia 920 is the wireless charging and the accessories that support it. A "Fatboy" charging pillow, plates and stands will keep the 920 charged and ready to go. For music lovers, JBL Power Up wireless speakers headphones with Near Field Communication, or NFC, will require just a tap to transfer audio from the phone to speaker.

Nokia also announced that Nokia Music in the United States.

The Nokia Lumia 820 has many of the same features as it's more power sibling, such as NFC, City Lens and Carl Zeiss optics. The 820 is powered by a smaller, 1650mAh battery.

Nokia is banking on Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system to regain the prominence they once held in the mobile phones industry. While a few devices still use Nokia's longtime Symbian operating system, these new devices are hoping Microsoft's unique tiles display will gain traction among consumers who are also being bombarded with Android and iOS smartphone choices.

Samsung also is on-board with Windows Phone 8, as they announced their new Ativ devices last week. But some say they were only prototypes and the real devices are coming soon.

The Lumia 920 and 820 are the latest devices to get behind Microsoft's new mobile platform.

Now it's up to the consumers to give the new OS and the new phones a thumbs up.

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What MediaLibrary needs/is missing (Windows Phone)

      As we (average developers :) ) still don’t have access to the Windows Phone 8 SDK I decided to write a post on the current MediaLibrary limitations for Windows Phone. I only hope that someone from the team will read this post and maybe there is still time to improve some aspects in the new version. Everything here is my personal  opinion.

So what is missing from the MediaLibrary?

1.     The Token property exposed on the Picture object

The most important for me. Why? Let’s open Internet Explorer on the emulator and go on a webpage that has a picture in it, tap-n-hold and save it twice. If we use Windows Phone commands to launch the Pictures hub in the emulator and go to the Saved pictures album we will see both pictures (same picture but different items). Now let’s create a new project and see what we can get using the MediaLibrary class. I will use this simple code to debug and stop on the pictures to watch its properties:

MediaLibrary ml = new MediaLibrary();

//MediaPlayer.Queue.ToString(); ;

varalbums = ml.RootPictureAlbum.Albums;

foreach(var album in albums)

if (album.Pictures.Count>0)

foreach(Picture pct in album.Pictures)

{

boolstophere = true;

}

  

We can see both pictures but the BIG problem is that the only way to differentiate between the two of them is the Date property (not very elegant, Handle is not public property). The Token property  makes a lot of sense to tell which picture is which (maybe also a Path member could be added but Token is way better as we already have the method to open a picture from its Token and you won't have to iterate all the MediaLibrary just to get the picture we want).

This property should be fairly easy to add as it already exists internally (when we use the PhotoChooser we will get the token associated with the selected picture and we will be able to open the picture) . 

The token could be extended also to the PictureAlbum class. It doesn’t make much sense to iterate the MediaLibrary to find a specific album if I already know what PictureAlbum I want.

2.     The possibility to create new picture albums

In this moment the Pictures Hub already has built-in albums but it is not possible to create new albums directly from the phone. It is possible to do it from Zune (which will not be used anymore) but it is not a trivial task (at least till you understand how it works). So we are mainly stuck with two “containers”: Camera Roll and Saved Pictures which is not enough for a device that theoretically could hold up more than 1GB of photos. From here the need to have tools to organize your photos better by creating new albums and copying/moving photos between albums. Maybe it is a little late to implement it in the "standard" WP8 UI as we are two months away from the official launch of the first phones on the market but maybe not too late to add the functionality in the development tools so the developers can implement it in their apps. This way a photo app could create its album and then the users will know in which album to look when they want to find pictures modified/created by a certain app.

3.     Access to the videos on the device

Needed since the first version of windows phone but still no sign of it. Videos are an important part of the device media and developers need access to this part of the MediaLibrary to enable applications like video processing, video backup, video creation and more.

4.     Make the Favorites Pictures album work

This functionality already exists in the Windows Phone Mango/Tango but it doesn’t work in the current version of the SDK. I’ve already posted a question on the forum with no answer till now. The count of the Favorites album is always 0.

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/wpdevelop/thread/b57da1aa-cbe6-471b-be4c-6fe96a99c353

5.     Enable MediaLibrary access in the background task

Useful for applications that want to backup the pictures from the device automatically. If it’s a problem of security see 6 but if the user already agreed at some point (capabilities, ask permission) it doesn’t make sense to lock the access to the medialibrary from the background tasks.

6.    Security/capabilities

I think the current ID_CAP_MEDIALIB  is too generic. It would be better to have specific CAP for pictures, videos and songs. They are pretty distinctive and a photo editor wouldn't need access to the songs on the device? Also the user should be warned that his photos might contain GPS data in the EXIF header and he should agree to let the application access those informations.

P.S. Almost all of the features requested are already implemented in the iOS development tools.

NAMASTE

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