artiss.blog

Category: Life

Random thoughts on life

  • Moving External Scripts

    One of the problems with having external scripts on your site is that you have little control over them – caching and the like are out of your hands.

    The solution I’m using, via cPanel, is a weekly cron job that copies external scripts to a folder on my own server. And it will only do this if the script has only changed, as well.

    I’m no Linux expert (or probably even amateur, if I’m honest) so it took a while to find the right code to use, but here is the result…

    wget -N  --directory-prefix=[local folder] [script location]

    Simply change [local folder] to where you wish the script to be copied to and [script location] to where the external script is held (including script name). If you wish to perform multiple copies you can append them together with &&.

    So an example may be…

    wget -N  --directory-prefix=public_html/wp-content/themes/artiss  http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js

    This would copy the AdSense code show_ads.js to a theme folder named “artiss”.

  • It's, oh, so quiet

    I know there’s been a lack of content recently. However, this is due to a number of factors…

    1. I’m very busy on version 2 of my YouTube Embed plugin – a huge change and my most complex plugin yet – this is taking a big chunk of my time.
    2. I’m using the excellent new Google Page Speed Online to look at various improvements to site speed. I’ve also been, and will continue to, making changes to this site.
    3. Spent far too much time trying to sort out a technical issue with Streamline. It’s still not resolved and I’m sure, at the rate they’re going, a rant post is imminent.
    4. I get a lot of this work done at home in the evening. However, I’m looking at moving house so apart from traipsing around various properties, I’m also getting lots of DIY done as well.

    I’m also expending a bit of time preparing for my birthday in a couple of weeks time. It’s a, erm, “special” birthday and I’ve asked for money or Amazon gift vouchers – I’ll then be the proud owner of a Playstation 3! I should add that all the preparation is deciding what games and accessories to buy 😉

    However, I do have a couple of articles to publish so, when I find time, I’ll try and get those completed.

     

  • Creative ZiiO Android 2.2 Update

    The day has finally arrived and Android 2.2 (Froyo) is now available for download for the Creative ZiiO 7″!

    Downloadable from the Creative website, it’s a 119MB file which is installed like any other app – this download includes both the Android update plus ZiiO firmware updates. Download links are at the bottom of this post.

    According to Creative the changes are as follows…

    • Upgrades the OS from Android 2.1 (Eclair) to Android 2.2 (Froyo).
    • Adds support for Text-To-Speech.
    • Adds the new Recovery mode.
    • Adds the new Amazon Kindle application (for US region only).
    • Updates the ZiiAcademy and ZiiStore applications to the latest versions.
    • In the Browser application, you can now set User Agent to Desktop or Mobile.
    • Allows application data to be moved from the system storage to the device media storage if the application supports it.
    • Updates the User Guide to reflect new features.
    • Adds eight additional language translations (Danish, Greek, Norwegian, Polish, Russian, Swedish, and Turkish) for the User Guide.

    Nothing particularly stand-out, other than being able to installs apps on media storage. However, a quick look at the Froyo upgrade list also shows that we should be looking forward to a faster, more optimised, experience and the ability to run Flash.

    Before installation, be aware of the following…

    • After installing this firmware, you will not be able to downgrade back to the previous firmware.
    • If you are currently using a live wallpaper, it will be reset after installing this firmware. Shortcuts and widgets on the Home panel will also be reset. You will need to reselect the wallpaper and add the items and widgets back to the Home panel.
    • Before you install this firmware:
      1. Back up the tablet contents.
      2. Delete current widgets on the Home panel so that the upgraded widgets can take effect.
      3. Ensure that your ZiiO’s battery level is at 25% or higher.
      4. Use Task Manager to close all applications.

    I have to say, the upgrade process is really smooth – everything is explained on-screen as you go through it and it took less time for the upgrade to install (about 5 minutes) than it took to download it!

    Once complete, I was presented with a reset Home screen. Next to the X-fi bar is now a Task Manager widget, which shows the number of running apps and a shortcut to the Task Manager app. But that’s about it – the ZiiO is already quite nippy so I haven’t, as yet, noticed any speed improvements.

    Amazon Kindle has been installed (I wonder how much Creative were paid for that one – especially as the ZiiO comes with its own book reading app!).

    I then installed Flash Player 10.2 (a 4.2 MB download) and headed off to YouTube – works great. The recent launched iPlayer app only works with Android 2.2 but is a little harder to find without the Android Marketplace. However, I did, and that too works too – unfortunately I’m on a slow wi-fi right now so can’t test it properly.

    All-in-all, a nice and easy upgrade process which I’m sure over time will be beneficial – nothing too obvious to see right now, but that’s probably a good thing!

    Downloads

    There are separate download depending on your current ZiiO firmware level. You can check the firmware version by tapping Settings > About. The firmware version is displayed under Build Number.

    Download Android 2.2 (for firmware versions 1.00.27 and 1.00.28)

    Download Android 2.2 (for firmware versions 1.00.13)

    Download Flash

    Download BBC iPlayer App

  • Creative ZiiO Android 2.2 update

    Creative have announced availability of Android 2.2 on their ZiiO tablets.

    Current Creative ZiiO 7” owners will be able to enjoy a free upgrade via support.creative.com or at ZiiO Space portal creative.com/ziiospace/ found on their tablets, beginning 25 March 2011.

    From today onwards, all new 7″ units shipping will have Android 2.2. The Creative ZiiO 10” is expected to ship with Android 2.2 by April 2011.

    New features of Android 2.2 are:

    • Install apps either using on-board memory or external storage media
    • View pages in both desktop and mobile formats – which means that pages can now be seen in their original lay-out without truncation
    • Improved security with the addition of numeric pin or alpha-numeric password options to unlock the device
    • Greater localised language support added
    • Text-to-Speech Engine

  • Wazala launches a mobile optimised e-commerce store

    Wazala, a startup in the e-commerce business, has launched a new feature – Wazala Touch. This automatically enables a mobile phone optimised shopping experience on iPhone andAndroid handsets (without the need of any downloads to get it to work!). This features costs no more and is now integrated into their standard e-commerce package.

    Wazala is designed to integrate with an existing site. You simply need to add some kind of “shop” button to your site and then, without leaving your site, they can easily purchase items.

    Here’s a good example. Visit the Silkfactory website. If you move your cursor to the top right a shopping basket drop-down will appear. This has been added to the site automatically via Wazala. Now click on their “Online Shop” option. A window superimposes over the top where you can shop and purchase your goods (and it integrates perfectly with providers such as PayPal and Google Checkout). It’s really well done and is a superb solution to adding e-commerce to an existing site.

    With prices starting at $9.99 a month for small businesses, this seems an ideal solution.

    Not yet convinced? Try their own demo store, their sample stores or read their “buzz”. To try out Wazala Touch, try their aforementioned demo store on your phone!