Moto DROID Keyboard Alternative

I got the Moto DROID specifically for the hard keyboard. Unfortunately, it terrible! My fingers hit the little chiclet keys 2 at a time, the bottom of the screen blocks my fingers from hitting the top row of keys and the rocker is in the way of my right hand... The voice input method has turned out to be a lifesaver in many situations but the on-screen keyboard is lacking in many aspects and highly annoying to use.

On the positive, there are tons of replacement keyboards. I got ShapeWriter and it is an awesome swipe keyboard! Noticed the TO drop-down doesn't show contact list in landscape but otherwise it is incredibly predictive, accurate....and fast!

I just installed HTC IME keyboard and couldn't believe the difference! This is such an improvement, from keyspacing to setting options...WOW!

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Install/Use instructions found at www.droid-life.com. Download HTC_IME.apk and Clicker.apk.

Then copy to sdcard via these instructions www.brighthub.com.

Long press an input field and choose TouchInput and you're all set.
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I haven't played with any of the settings but the first thing I'm going to do is turn off the vibe on keypress option when I find it. Beyond that there are tons of settings to play with.

Anyone unhappy with the standard Moto DROID keyboard should try the HTC IME keyboard!

Messenger bag to hold the HP mini-note 2133 and accessories

Saw a laptop accessory messenger bag on geeks.com for $30. Looked like a good size for the mini, external optical drive when I get one and anything else I want to bring along.

Worked out perfect and it has metal clasps! (NEVER get plastic clasps! They break quick!)



http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=B-XBR-LAP-K2

Tips -N- Tricks: The laptop cooler is GREAT as a lap pad and keeps the very hot running HP mini a lot cooler...

Quick: ubuntu linux IP renew

Release and renew IP in Ubuntu but should work in most flavors of linux:

Release current IP
$ sudo dhclient -r

Get new IP
$ sudo dhclient

Better way to mount network share in Ubuntu

A while ago I posted about mounting my Maxtor NAS as a local drive in Kubuntu using smbfs. This did not work for pas\sword protected shares. Hello cifs! So linux guru at work sent me a sample cifs command and I searched and tweaked and ended up with all this.

1. Used this for the unprotected share. Gave an error if no "username=" and "password=" so if there's a better way than using blank username/password please leave me a comment because I didn't find it with a quick search. (watch the line wrap if you copy/paste this, each > should be one line)

> sudo mkdir /mnt/nas
> sudo mount -t cifs //[share name or IP]/[share directory] /mnt/nas -o username=,password=,iocharset=utf8,file_mode=0777,dir_mode=0777

- Same command to access protected share, just add username and password values.

2. Now we alias this in .bashrc so a single command will mount the network share. I was browsing through the file and noticed a recommendation to use .bashrc_aliases. Cool, something new, I'm game.

> vi .bashrc_aliases
Insert

alias mountnas='sudo mount -t cifs //[share name or IP]/[share directory] /mnt/nas -o username=,password=,iocharset=utf8,file_mode=0777,dir_mode=0777'

3. Next uncomment call in .bashrc for .bashrc_aliases.
if [ -f ~/.bash_aliases ]; then
. ~/.bash_aliases
fi

4. Run this to re-initialize .bashrc without restarting terminal
> . .bashrc

So now I can get my music down to the mini. Soon to come, Amarok configuration...

Firefox Backspace not going Back in linux

Something that has been bothering me since I put Kubuntu on the Inspiron has been the backspace not going Back in Firefox. Mind you, not bothering me enough to lookup until now with the semi-permanent Ubuntu install and all. :>

Second hit on Google was http://ubuntu.wordpress.com/. Follow the link to find out why the Backspace wasn't working as we thought it should.

Below is the fix with a few extra details I added:

1. Type about:config in the address bar then hit Enter.
2. Type "browser.backspace_action" in the Filter box (matches will automatically filter)
3. Double-click the line to open the edit dialog box
4. Change the value to 0 then click OK
5. Close the tab and you're done.

NOTE:
The change is immediate. I did NOT have to restart Firefox to use the Backspace.
Also something I saw in the comment thread that I didn't know was that the Alt+left-arrow goes Back. Alt+right-arow goes forward...