I read that Ubuntu 10.04 detected the HTC Desire automatically so I tried it on my EEE PC running Ubuntu 9.10.

Plugged the USB cable in, set it to Internet Mode. a few seconds later Ubuntu reported it was connected.

Tether a HTC Desire with Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid) via USB

Overview

Phones / extensions can register with a PBX on a local network because they can see each other it becomes limited if you have follow me or would like to use the phone outside of your network.

Asterisk / FreePBX allows users to register their extension outside of the network but there are few things Asterisk needs to know such as the external IP address and users can be restricted to who can and cannot connect externally from the network.

Please note that I have tried these steps using the dynamic IP address and have not tried it with the static IP but I will list the steps any ways.

IP Configuration

Edit the file /etc/asterisk/sip_nat.conf with super user rights or as the asterisk user:
sudo vi /etc/asterisk/sip_nat.conf
Either change or add the following for a dynamic IP setup:

externhost=dannytsang.co.uk
externrefresh=120
localnet=192.168.1.0/255.255.255.0

Change the externhost to your DNS address e.g danny.no-ip.com. The localnet should be changed to the appropriate IP system in use. In my case the subnet is correct and the IP ranges from 192.168.1.1-192.168.1.254

For Static IP make sure the sip_nat.conf file says the following:

Firewall Setup

By default the following ports needs to be open and port forwarded to the FreePBX box:

FreePBX Extensions setup

Navigate to the FreePBX Administration page and then click on the extensions link on the left hand side. There should be a list of extensions of the right hand side of the page if there are some set up.

Select the extension to be allowed remote registration and ensure the following options are set:
nat: yes
qualify: yes

It is a good idea to have the extension have a password for registration otherwise the extension can register and make calls freely.

HOWTO Setup A Remote SIP Extension

In a terminal, type in the following to remove X11:
sudo rm -rf /Applications/Utilities/X11.app /private/etc/X11 /usr/X11R6 /usr/bin/open-x11 /usr/lib/X11 /Library/Receipts/X11User.pkg

Uninstalling X11 from your Mac

In the new Ubuntu the windows manager Nautilus does not change from an icon to a text when you click on the current directory in the bread crumb. To solve this use the shortcut Ctrl + L

Overview

I saw this amazing deal for a Flip Ultra HD for around £60, down from RRP of £150. Bargain! I had no need for a camcorder but I thought at that price I could experiment a little.

Flip Mino HD Vs. Ultra HD

Amazon.co.uk had both on offer and I was torn between the two. The Mino was more expensive but it was a lot smaller so it would have fit in a pocket a lot better than the Ultra HD. After some research I settled for the Ultra because of the flaws in the Mino and also the Ultra actually came out after the Mino and it has a new encoder.

Packaging

The box and stuffing was very neat and reminds of Apple. A cardboard gloss sleeve wraps another box which opens to the left and right to reveal the device itself. All the extras and booklets were hidden under the raised cardboard holding the mini cam in place.

There is a warranty, quick start guide, pouch and a lanyard. The puch is a cloth type material but not the microfibre fabric. The lanyard is string on one side with a metal strands insulated in plastic on the other side.

Form Factor

The Flip camera is a tad big to fit in a pocket not because of the width or height but the depth! Whilst it would fit in a pocket it would create a huge bulge. The screen is tiny but usable but the size of the buttons makes up for it. The D-pad is easy to use and really big.

There is a 1/4″ standard screw connector for use with tripods or other mounts. The whole rubberised back is removable to allow the rechargeable battery to be inserted. There is a lock to stock the back from sliding out. The battery fits 2xAA sized battery so if the rechargeable battery runs out, it can be easily swapped out for off the shelf batteries. A nice feature.

There is a HDMI out on the side of the device which allows you to play record clips directly to another product such as a TV. I’m not sure if it will stream the recording to the TV if it’s plugged in.

Usage

The Camera is very simple to operate. There is a record mode which has a counter at the bottom to show how much recording time is left on the device.

The other mode is playback which you can use to view all the recordings. Each clip is shown in a strip in the order it was recorded. There is a trash or delete button to remove any unwanted clips.

I have not had it for long enough to see if the rechargeable batteries would last the 2 hours of recording time.

Preview

Here’s a clip I made early. I have to admit the recording is not ideal as I was pointing it to a dirt windscreen but you can see the motion of the capture. Another down point is that YouTube does not support clips with 720p so it was down sampled to 480p which is standard definition.

The video recording isn’t the best with it’s digital zoom. I found that playing the full resolution on a computer the colours seemed less saturated and possible some noise in the picture.

Summary

Overall a not bad purchase. It fulfilled a want not a need in my life and it does the job. Because of it’s low price I think it can be mounted anywhere and if it breaks I won’t be out of a big investment if it was a more expensive video camera. A good buy for mounting it on a bike for example.