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Making a reliable XBOX live connection

BACKGROUND

XBOX Live is a service that is indispensible for those people who have tried it and are hooked. In my case, I use it with my Forza Motorsport racing simulator to let out some aggression on the track, where there is no expense, no travel time, no damage and no injury involved.

Fantastic. When it works.

When it doesn't work I become a cranky gamer, and my XBOX evangelist tendancies rapidly wane. The problem, it turns out, is not to do with the XBOX live service, or even the software routines it uses. Instead, it's more of a concept of pushing yesterday's technology into performing today's miracles.

IN A NUTSHELL

To make XBOX live a service that you will use, enjoy, and stay subscribed to, you will need the following ingredients:

• A good connection to the internet
• A supported router (see Microsoft's list of XBOX Live approved routers)
• A good ethernet cable

That's all it takes. If it could be any simpler, they would have made it so. What qualifies as a good connection? Any connection with high speed and low latency will do:

• Cable
• Digital Subscriber Link / DSL
• commercial T1/Frame Relay

These connections will likely provide a good pipe for Live gaming.  Following are examples of internet connections that will not give you a reliable experience:

• Satellite internet
• Your neighbor's wireless connection

If you decide to use wireless for your own connection to XBOX Live, do so with care. The added complexity and inherent "iffiness" of wireless is the key reason people avoid it for XBOX Live. It only takes a few 1/10ths of a second of lag (latency) to change your whole game experience for the worse.

Resources:

• Microsoft's Diagnosing XBOX Live Connections page, with a particularly good section on so-called NAT conflicts. To quote, "If the players you want to play with are using strict NATs, you will likely experience problems. You may not be able to hear them and they may not be able to hear you. You may not be able to see those players at all."
• Russ Smith offers further insight on NAT as it relates to XBOX Live
• Shopping for compatible products with the Xbox Live compatible logo
• Official XBOX Live Technical Issues forum

Pocket PC Kiosk Mode

Several Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals stand out in the Pocket PC community, including Clinton Fitch. Fitch's latest article in Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine cycles through a few applications of Pocket PCs outside the arena of a simple camera phone. Specifically, these devices can be applied to niche areas like mobile accounting, merchant / point of sales, and higher learning.

Furthermore, once you've designed the perfect Pocket PC, you can clone it to another phone! How cool is that?

Very interesting article which helped define, for me, the definition of appliance or "kiosk" mode in Pocket PCs:

A Clone In My PocketPC Kiosk?

Buyer review: Sprint PPC-6700 Pocket PC with Windows Mobile 5.0

    As time goes on, computers continue to get smaller and smaller. Computing power unimagined 20 years ago is now available in a card deck-sized chassis.

    Being a happy new owner of Sprint' PPC-6700 (manufactured by UTStarcom) I wanted to share this gem with anyone in a position to renew their revolving contract with Nextel or Sprint. This really is the way to go if you want to take the following with you:

• Outlook Contact Folder
• Outlook Task List
• Outlook Inbox
• Word, Excel, Powerpoint Documents
• WMA and MP3 audio tracks for playback
• MSN Messenger with your buddy list
• MSN Hotmail Mobile

    The Microsoft Outlook integration is the killer application here. Your Tasks and Calendar appointments all give you audible reminders just like the Outlook client on your desktop. These items are kept up to date on your Pocket PC using a USB -to- mini USB cable and Microsoft ActiveSync for Windows XP, and for Vista you will see the Windows Mobile Device Center. Pocket Word works as expected, although I would recommend that you enable ClearType before doing anything else, to smooth out the blocky stuff.
 

    Built-in features include:

• 1.3MP still and video camera with mic
• FULL QWERTY SLIDE-OUT KEYBOARD with oversized keys
• EV-DO support for high-speed internet in Sprint Mobile Broadband areas
• voice recording
• voice dialing
• Wifi with WPA-PSK encryption
• Bluetooth support
• speakerphone operation (this feature is disabled for voicemail for some reason)

    EV-DO works great where you can find it. It's definitely not available in my home town of Monterey, California. The keyboard with its oversized keys is great, especially since I've got huge fingers. The speakerphone is a disappointment, but only because it's not as loud as my last phone - the immortal Motorola i860. The slide-out keyboard is really something else, guys. Take a good look at the model shot up there, and even click on it to get the full view. It's awesome. You may find a better handheld out there but you will not find a better built-in keyboard.

    Specifications:

• Windows Mobile 5.0 Operating System
• 416 MHz CPU
• 64 MB RAM
• 128 MB ROM
• 6.7 oz (not verified)
• Antenna-integrated stylus

    In the box:

• PPC-6700 Pocket PC Phone with stylus
• 1350 mAh Li-ION battery for ~6 hours talk time
• USB -to- mini USB sync & charge cable
• Windows Mobile 5.0/PPC software license & installation CD
• quick install guide and full color 170-page printed user guide. Way to go, Sprint!
• activation instructions
• Sprint Terms of Service
• padded vinyl holster
• freebie hands-free cable

    Optional Sprint in-store accessories:

• spare battery @ can't remember the price
• 12V car charger @ $29

    When I bought my phone, I opted for a factory car charger cable. I learned a lesson when I broke the end off a no-name aftermarket charger in my last phone.

    As far as upgrades, I decided to give Seidio a try. They had better looking stuff than Sprint and seemed to be very responsive to what their customers asked for.

    Recommended 3rd party accessories:

• Seidio Rubberized Case @ $29.95 provides shock protection. I've dropped my PPC twice already and it didn't blink.
• Seidio Slim Extended Life Battery (1500 mAh) @ $42.95 gives you ~11% greater battery life with the same size battery. They have bigger ones too, but they protrude from your phone.
• Seidio Premium Screen Protectors @ $6.98 ea. Trust me when I say these are the best. They adhere magically to your screen and a washable with soap and water, and reusable. Buy one of these before you buy your phone.

    Seidio has a full line of battery upgrades and accessories for the PPC-6700, and their stuff is top notch. Check it out.

   

Retail price: $549 -- at the time of this post, Sprint has rebates bringing the price down to $299.

Screenshots and the internet

I wanted to post on the use of screenshots, which is a helpful tool in the computer world. I've done it in Question and Answer format, and hopefully in plain English!

Q:
What is a screenshot?

A:
A screenshot is an all-inclusive snapshot of what is on your computer screen, right now. Screenshots are time sensitive because what you see right now might be completely different than 5 seconds ago.

Q:
Why are screenshots used?

A:
It can be difficult to communicate to others what our computer is doing, and how that's different from what we want it to do. Quite often, this is due to a limitation in language. A screenshot is a great way to say "look, that's what it's doing," and have the other person say "oh, I see now." This can be much more effective than a verbal description of the computer's behavior.

Q:
When should I give someone a screenshot?

A:
When your computer shows a confusing or contradictory dialog box, or when you can't find the right button to click on, those are examples of when a screenshot would be helpful. When your problem is easy to see, but hard to tell -- that's a good way to judge whether a screenshot is appropriate or not.

Q:

When should I not use a screenshot?

A:

When a credit card number or other sensitive information is viewable on your screen, you should avoid using a screenshot. This stands even if you trust the person sending it to. It's about as safe as holding your credit card out in front of you while crossing the street. You may be a very trusting person but if you are too trusting, you are likely to get taken advantage of.

Q:
How do I create a screenshot?

A:
See Wikipedia's entry on screenshot for a how-to for your operating system (Mac, PC, or X-Windows):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screenshot

Welcome

If you've landed here, you are probably a client, friend (thanks for the support!), or interested in technology from the perspective of a small scale technology solutions provider. The aim of this blog is to share my ideas, reflections, and frustrations, and more importantly to help the "non techie" use technology achieve its own goals.

I want to write about topics that are of interest to you, so please feel free to submit a topic request using the e-mail address on my profile page.

Regards,

Justin Brown