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John Papa [MVP C#]

.NET Code Samples, Data Access, and Other Musings

July 2006 - Posts

  • Slingbox Encryption

    I bought a Slingbox recently and have been using it just about everywhere I could to test it out. I’ll be posting a review on it soon (stay tuned) but something stuck out at me this weekend. I read that Sling Media has announced that they will now encrypt their transmission of the data from the Slingbox. You can read the article here on Engadget … but it sounds like they are doing it to help appease the broadcasters, who have never been thrilled with the idea of placeshifting.

    If this is correct, one side effect of this is that Applian’s  At-Large Recorder (formerly known as Replay SlingCorder), which records media from a SlingBox to a Windows media file (.asf or .wmv)  file may no longer function properly due to this encryption. This product is on my list of products to review, but it appears that At-Large Recorder may have hit a major hurdle with Sling Media’s encryption. Applian even put a posting on their web site stating the following …

    Important News (7/13/06): SlingBox™ firmware v1.0.86, currently in beta, will not work with At-Large Recorder due to Sling's decision to add encryption to the stream. Make sure to use firmware v1.0.80 instead.

    All of this is according to what I read in news articles and from the Applian web site, so I do not claim to know the definitive facts on this issue. However, if you are looking at getting the Replay SlingCorder, i highly recommend doing your own research first with Applian.

     

  • Me and Wally in the ASP.NET Podcast

    A buddy of mine, Wally McClure, has a podcast called the ASP.NET Podcast that he maintains and hosts. In this week’s podcast Wally chats with me about data access and some other general ramblings. This reminded me of how horrible I sound in a recording.

     

    Posted Jul 24 2006, 11:13 AM by John Papa with 1 comment(s)
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  • Invisible Shield - 3 Weeks Later

    About 3 weeks ago I began using the Invisible Shield (IS) for my Motorola Q Smartphone (see my review here). The one issue I had right away was that the piece that protects the screen had a mark on it that I could not get rid of.

    So I contacted Shield Zone about this and they sent me a replacement screen protector. I ran into another hitch at this point ... they sent me the wrong screen protector. Let me clarify this point because its a bit odd in my opinion. The screen protector that comes with in the "screen protector" package is not the same as the one they sell in the "front and back" package. The single screen protector only covers the screen. The "front and back" package's screen protector covers the screen and the top front of the Q, as well. Is it a big deal? Not really. But I was unaware of this difference and could not find a reference to it on their site. So I point it out only to help any future buyers out there in case it does matter to you.

    Anyway, the service was great at Shield Zone. They sent me the replacement piece (the wrong one). I contacted them again to let them know and they immediately sent another replacement to me. This whole process took about 2 weeks due to mailing times. I wish it was faster, but hey, it was a free replacement so I can live with waiting a week for a replacement.

    They did ask me to return the damaged pieces ... which I think is silly. But again, its a small price to pay for the lifetime replacement policy.

    I put the replacement screen on today in about 5 minutes (now that I knew how to do it better). It looks great. Very clear.

    I have used the IS on my Q now for 3 weeks overall (I left the damaged screen on it while I waited for the new one). I have been very happy with the results. I keep my phone in my pocket and it gets banged quite a bit. I have no new scratches on the phone since I put the IS on it. I've put it in my soccer bag with my keys, in my pocket with loose change and even let me 1 year old daughter play with it (gnaw at it) and it has held up very well. Not only are there no scratches but the screen is still very clear and it is easy to clean finger prints off of it. Other screen protectors I have used were so blurry after just a few days that it drove me nuts.

    Use your judgement when looking at this product as it is a bit more expensive than its competition. But in my opinion the product is excellent, the service is great and the lifetime warranty makes it all worth it if you want to protect your investent in your phone.

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