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Many Windows users have reported bugs in the new iTunes 7 release. I’ve not experienced trouble with synchronizing my nano as many others have (then again, I now use gtkpod and Amarok on Ubuntu ), but have had the application re-installing itself upon every startup. That in itself is annoying enough.

The new, updated 7.0.1 release is available for download. Hopefully that will sort out a number of the issues!

The Nera Gallardo has a 5l V10 engine and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in four seconds. The governed maximum speed is given as 315 km/h. The Gallardo features four-wheel drive for increased traction and better cornering. Just in case you think this beast is all about speed, the navigation system, rear-view camera, onboard computer and alarm system are standard items.

Packaged with the deal is a tailored car cover that will keep her free of dust when you decide to take one of your other toys out of the garage for a day.

Why this application has been named Hamachi escapes me. There’s nothing fishy about it, certainly not from a functionality or pricing perspective.

Hamachi is a freeware VPN application, available for Windows, Linux and Mac environments. With a tiny footprint, Hamachi provides the possibility of running virtually (get it?) any network-enabled application over the Internet. The most practical example is the following: you’re away from the office or home and have some files you need access to. If that machine is on and connected to an active Internet connection with Hamachi running, you can easily connect to it from anywhere and copy those files. Or even remotely control the PC using VNC or Microsoft’s Remote Desktop.

During the installation of Hamachi, you register the installation by providing a description of your machine. Hamachi provides a unique key. Do the same on as many other machines as required. Then, create a network, again with any name. Connect the machines to the network, using the password you selected. When Hamachi is powered-on, the Hamachi server provides each machine a unique IP address in the 5.x.x.x range and automatically lists the addresses it finds that belong to the network.

Then its easy: right-click a machine to ping, browse or send a message to. That’s built into Hamachi. Browsing is particularly useful: all available shares are displayed in the standard Explorer window and file operations may be completed as required. But that’s not all! Hamachi provides VPN functionality so that any network application can be run over the Internet. VNC is a great remote-control application for remotely working on another machine and Hamachi is a popular choice of gamers for playing network games over long distances. Basically any networked application can be run over Hamachi.

All network traffic is encrypted and Hamachi ensures that dropped connections are reconnected as soon as possible. The Hamachi server is the central point at which IP addresses are distributed and communication among the different peers occurs. The user interface is simple and uncluttered and the mini guide that assists you after the initial installation is a great way to get you up and running in no time. The Linux version requires a bit more work to get running and is console-based.

You’ll need an always-on connection for this to be useful and there are issues with corporate firewalls. But if you have a need to stay connected this is an excellent alternative to more costly offerings available. Hamachi can be downloaded here.

SAP has updated its Combined Upgrade & Unicode Conversion Guide to provide support for a direct upgrade from release 4.6C to SAP ECC Core 6.0 including a Unicode conversion. Previously, upgrade activities would have to be completed, then a Unicode conversion started. The combination of these two activities saves time and eases planning for companies considering the switch from 4.6C to something newer.

As usual, the SAP upgrade is no trivial matter. The inclusion of the Unicode conversion has some important side effects, most notably that all custom ABAP programs need to conform to the syntax and semantics of the ABAP 6.10 standard. Additionally, the checking of objects and programs generally cannot be performed in a 4.6C system: the installation of a 6.10 ABAP preparation system is necessary. All custom objects are transported to this and checks regarding syntax are carried out. Obviously, the usual testing regarding the functionality of these programs is also required, and will take a fair bit of time and tweaking.

The default Unicode conversion method is to export the entire database using SAPinst, create a new Unicode database by way of a system copy and then import the database using SAPinst again. The actual data conversion to Unicode is done during the export. Customers utilizing Informix are out of luck, as there is no Unicode support. DB2, anyone?

Information regarding Unicode in SAP environments can be found here and the important OSS note number is 928729.

Between 13:00 and 16:00 this afternoon, a partial solar eclipse will take place. This annual eclipse, during which the moon does not entirely cover the sun is viewed as a partial eclipse in Southern Africa.

The percentage coverage of the moon is largest in the Cape, at around 70%, whereas Johannesburg viewers will get to see a partial eclipse of about just over 35%. According to the Wits Planetarium, Johannesburg will see a coverage of 38% at 15:04.

We’ll see how many people will manage to fry their eyes out today: looking directly at the sun is an obvious way of making sure you’ll never get to see again! Pinhole viewers are best, though foil from teabags may be used, too.

PocketBreeze for Windows Mobile devices falls into a strange software category. This category of software does not necessarily add much in the way of new functionality and often simply appeals to end users by modifying the way standard functionality on the device behaves. This is one reason I initially wasn’t convinced that PocketBreeze could help me on a daily basis. After having installed it and given it a chance, I’ve come to depend quite heavily on it. The relatively tiny screen area of the JAMin has something to do with that.

The first question to answer is: “what exactly does PocketBreeze do?” That’s easy: PocketBreeze provides a unified view of all PIM data on the Windows Mobile today screen. All calendar and task information is displayed on the today screen according to the user’s wishes. The items may be directly edited or manipulated directly from the today screen, reducing the number of screen taps one normally needs to get things done. The second question is “why would I want to use it?“, and that one is more difficult to answer.

The configurability of PocketBreeze is second-to-none. Initially, the number of options and settings one can make are overwhelming. Arranged in a drop-down list, all available categories are listed. Having selected one of these, the relevant options for that category are displayed in a list box below. There are too many settings to go into in detail, but the basic gist of these is the following: you’ll be able to customize the application to look and behave in a way that will suit you. Settings range from locating and positioning text to colour schemes. Additional settings are accessible from the tabs at the very bottom of the screen. These provide even more settings. As I said: very confusing at first, and something you’ll likely want to leave well alone once everything does what you want it to! A very useful function SBSH have provided is the ability to export and import settings. Given the wealth of customizing options, this is certainly a great feature to prevent settings from being lost due to upgrades and possible re-installations.

As I mentioned, the small screen area of the JAMin makes the addition of any today screen a bit of a worry: the screen is already crowded enough, and I hate scroll bars. I already run Omega Battery Pack Pro, Egress, Fizz Traveller and GPRS Monitor. The addition of PocketBreeze would have been impossible, had it not been for the tab feature provided. The tab feature is theoretically unlimited and allows custom tabs to be created for external applications. PocketBreeze provides a variety of tabs in the default installation: the calendar, tasks, messaging, special events and notes. These display a particular set of information directly in the PocketBreeze today plug-in area. By integrating an external application under a custom tab, the number of today plug-ins one can support one a single device is virtually unlimited. I stuck Fizz Traveller and GPRS Monitor into custom tabs:

Custom icons can be added to these tabs. For anyone not using the default Windows Mobile PIM, PocketBreeze supports both Pocket Informant and Agenda Fusion, the more common PIM replacements for Windows Mobile devices.

PocketBreeze is a really great addition for anyone relying heavily on the PIM features of their PDA or Smartphone. For devices with limited space on the screen, the tabs do a great job of allowing certain information to be hidden and accessed as required. The price tag of USD 14.95 is fair, considering the amount of work and integration this piece of software actually manages to do. The number of settings available may scare some users off. The default settings work quite nicely, and incrementally adjusting the application as one gains confidence is probably the best way to go. Exporting and savings settings is highly recommended!

There is a trial available and I would strongly suggest that you play around with the software prior to purchasing it. I have no doubt that it will form an integral part of your software arsenal once you’ve given it a fair chance, though!

In less than 10 days, the first iStore in South Africa will open its doors in the Clearwater Mall. At 9:00 on Saturday, 30 September, we may experience what American Apple fans have become accustomed to: overnighting and waiting in queues for hours to be the first to rush into a brand-new Apple store. These openings have become a pastime for many, with a number of hardcore Apple fans travelling the world from one opening to another. No overnighting for me, thanks! But I’ll have a look later in the day.

Numerous competitions and freebies are bound to attract visitors. Of interest will be the appearance of the new iPod range and hopefully the Mac Pro. Get all the details here.

If … then

Originally uploaded by MHertenberger.

I sense the need for an ELSE…

September is a busy month for South Africans. The events calendar of the Department of Foreign Affairs lists at least the following:

• Heritage Month
• Health Awareness Month
• Tourism Month
• Heart Month

Tourists to South Africa are certainly advised to remain healthy whilst visiting our country: crime has a way of giving us all a heart attack!

Regarding our heritage: the National Flag of South Africa was brought into use on Freedom Day, 27 April 1994.

The design and colours are a synopsis of the principal elements of the country’s flag history. The central design of the Flag, beginning at the flag-pole in a ‘V’ form and flowing into a single horizontal band to the outer edge of the fly, can be interpreted as the convergence of diverse elements within South African society, taking the road ahead in unity. When the Flag is displayed vertically against a wall, the red band should be to the left of the viewer. When it is displayed horizontally, the red band should be at the top.

My public service announcement for the day…

Though this would be every geek’s dream, use of the .XRY is generally restricted to use by government agencies and police forces. A stubby cylinder, the .XRY currently supports interfaces to over 270 mobile phones and is able to extract data from these phones using a variety of adapters: Bluetooth, USB and infrared. All of these adapters are provided in the housing of the .XRY. Data storage takes place within the unit, until downloaded.

The .XRY is a legally secure way of extracting data from a mobile phone. All data is encrypted uniquely per phone and the data transfer can occur in only one direction: from the phone memory (SIM or internal) to the .XRY unit. This makes data collection fairly easy. Data may be downloaded from the .XRY to a computer and may be viewed or analyzed in more detail. All data the phone is able to store is available: contacts, SMS, MMS, pictures and so forth.

This is a must have for the modern-day Sherlock Holmes!