Free alternative to Plex on your Android device

A little while ago I wrote about a free alternative to the Plex app for Roku. That all started because I didn't want my smoking hot girlfriend to have to pay $4.99 to stream videos from the Plex media server I setup on her laptop.

Well, the other night my kids were hogging our two televisions, and I wanted to watch John Wick on Plex, so I downloaded the Plex app for my Android tablet, and tried to play it. It played for a few minutes before telling me I had to pay $4.99 to watch my movie!

I love Plex, and have been using it for years, but their new tactic to force people to pay for something that used to be optional is extortion, and I refuse to give in!

Well, I found an app that can detect my Plex server and stream it's contents on my Android device. It's called AllConnect!

From Google Play:

Instantly stream your favorite music, photos and movies to your smart TV, Chromecast, Amazon FireTV, Apple TV, Xbox and many more.

The complete streaming solution for your Android device. Simple and intuitive design makes it very easy to stream all your media to any screen or speakers.

Features:

• All your media in one place: music, photos, videos, movies, tv shows etc.
• Stream to all connected devices: Apple TV, AirPlay speakers, Chromecast, DLNA devices, smart TVs (Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic, Philips, etc.), Xiaomi Box, Amazon FireTV, Xbox and more.
• Stream to XBMC, Raspbmc, Airfoil speakers and more.
• Stream from any source: media servers, online channels and the cloud

AllConnect is the only app on the market that supports all streaming technologies and works out of the box with more than 5 billion devices.

Here is a screenshot from my Galaxy Tab 3 where it detects my Plex media server as a media source:

I will admit that the interface of AllConnect isn't as pretty as Plex, but it plays my movies and I don't have to pay anything. I think the trade off is worth it.

What do you use to stream your Plex media stuff on your Android device? Let us know in the comments!

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How to reset the root password on Ubuntu using a Live DVD

Yesterday I talked about how to mount an lvm2 volume in Ubuntu using a live DVD. In that post I talked about needing to do that to reset a root password for a server that I hadn't logged into in a while. In this post, I'm going to tell you how to reset that root password!

If you just do standard partitioning, this is pretty easy. Just mount the root partition of your systems hard disk (You can find it by running fdisk -l). Let's say your root partition is in /dev/sda1. Then you would run:

#sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt

If your root partition is in an lvm2 container, follow my instructions from yesterday.

Once you have your root partition mounted, then you need to chroot into that partition:

#sudo chroot /mnt

If you get a bash error, then that means you are mounting your system with a live DVD that doesn't match the architecture. For instance, if your system is running the 32 bit version of Ubuntu, you need to mount the root partition with a 32 bit Ubuntu live desktop DVD. The same goes with 64 bit.

If you didn't get an error, you should now be root on your system. Just run passwd now to set the new root password.

You can also do this to reset another user's password. For that just run passwd username.

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How To Mount an LVM2 Volume Using an Ubuntu Live CD/DVD

The other day I had this Ubuntu Linux VM that I hadn't logged onto in a really long time, and for the life of me I couldn't remember the password I set for root. Yeah, I know, I'm not supposed to use root and I'm only supposed to use sudo. Well I don't. I always activate root!

What can I say? I like to live dangerously...

 

In order to reset it, I had to boot up to a live DVD and chroot into the root partition. The problem was the root partition and the swap partition were both stored in an lvm2 container. To mount a container like that in a live DVD is pretty simple. Just do the following:

•   Boot using the live DVD. Install lvm2 by running:
  # apt-get install lvm2

• To make sure the hard disk is recognized, you can use fdisk.
  # fdisk -lu

• Run pvscan to scan all disks for an lvm2 volume. This is to make sure your LVM hard disk is detected by Ubuntu.
  # pvscan

• After that run vgscan to scan disks for volume groups.
  # vgscan

• Activate all volume groups available.
  # vgchange -a y

• Run lvscan to scan all disks for logical volumes. You can see partitions inside the hard disk are now active.
  # lvscan

• Your actual partitions contained in the lvm2 volume will now be listed. Mine were:
  ACTIVE '/dev/ubuntu/root' [50 GB] inherit
  ACTIVE '/dev/ubuntu/swap' [4 GB] inherit

• Mount the root partition to any directory you want, usually to /mnt
  # mount /dev/ubuntu/root /mnt

• You can access the partition in the /mnt directory now

This is handy if you have to recover files from a dead system, or like in my case, you need to chroot in and reset the root password.

Please... Don't judge me!

One thing you might want to do is make sure that the live DVD you are using has the same architecture as the system you want to mount. For instance, if your system is running 32 bit Ubuntu, make sure you use a 32 bit Ubuntu desktop live DVD. If your system is running 64 bit Ubuntu, use the 64 bit Ubuntu desktop live DVD. You savvy?

If you have any questions, hit me up in the comments.

[Via Linux Wave]

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Beyond Siri: Where Will We Find Voice Recognition Software in the Future?

The voice recognition software industry is worth $21 billion a year in revenue with an annual growth rate of 10.7 percent, according to IBISWorld’s Speech & Voice Recognition Software Developers market research report. While voice recognition software has been around for decades, mainstream tools like Siri have pushed it center stage. But the technology is still advancing with no signs of slowing down. Learn more about the history of voice recognition and where is future is headed.

History of voice recognition

New Electronics reports that voice recognition technology surfaced in the 1950s with the development of "Audrey" by Bell Laboratories. The software could recognize digits from a single voice. In 1982, Kurzwell Applied Intelligence unveiled a commercial speech recognition system. Dragon Dictate was released in 1990 and its newer, faster and easier-to-operate model is used in PCs and Macs today.

How does voice recognition work?

When you speak a dictated text message to your smartphone, it sends the data to a central server. From there it accesses its voice recognition software and database. The software analyzes your speech and breaks it down into small parts called phonemes. Next, the audio software in your smartphone can analyze its order and even context of how its used to figure out what you want.

As you may have noticed, Siri and other voice recognition programs don't always work perfectly, but when you speak clearly and slowly enough, it responds accurately. Your smartphone or computer is probably the most common way you’ve used voice recognition software, but other devices are already using the technology (or slated to soon).

Televisions

MIT Technology Review reports that Nuance Communications (owner of Dragon software) is perfecting a new software system called Dragon TV. Instead of finding shows with your remote or DVR, you can simply ask your TV to find movies starring Clint Eastwood. Samsung televisions already use a version of this technology. The Samsung Smart TV enables you to activate it by saying a command like "Hi, TV" to turn it on and start channel surfing.

Remotes

If you don't need a TV that can listen and talk to you, choose a voice remote insead. DISH's Hopper Voice Remote keeps your hands free while you're looking for your favorite show. Tell it what you’re looking for and let it do all the work. There's still a clickable touchpad at its center to help you swipe, scroll and zoom for intuitive commands if you want to channel surf the old-fashioned way with a modern twist.

Wearable technology

Google Glass and Google’s Smart Watch are both installed with voice recognition software to turn its users into efficient, hands-free multitaskers. While Google Glass' future remains unclear, smart watches are already on the mass market. The Samsung Gear S connects to your Samsung phone with the ability to make calls and text. Apple’s anticipated smartwatch features all-day battery life, audio playback, camera and the ability to make calls and send texts.

Cars

Many workers dream of the day their car can run by themselves and navigate traffic while they catch up on a project or take a snooze. For now, you can already use voice recognition in Toyotas and other cars to check fuel prices, check your stocks, get directions and even make a call. But how wide is vehicle voice technology’s reach? IHS Technology reported that voice recognition will be installed in more than half of new cars by 2019.

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Smart Business: 4 Contract-Free Tech Upgrades

In the Harvard Business Review's report, "Smart but Safe: How Small Businesses Use Technology to Grow Revenue," 40 percent of small- and medium-sized companies are still not using hosted/cloud solutions. Meanwhile, those same companies are spending $2,000 annually (per employee) for IT needs alone. Small and large businesses alike can reduce IT costs and protect their data by tapping into online and cloud-based resources. Everything from office security to project management can now be addressed in the cloud and save your company time and money. Here are four ways to get started with contract-free solutions that streamline your business.

Online Cloud Backup

It's no longer necessary to hire an expensive IT consultant, stock your equipment room with bulky servers and sign lengthy contracts for data-backup systems. An online system can store all of your data and programs in the cloud and keep them within reach even during a disaster. Use a system like Google Drive for business for automatic backup, protect critical files and give you access to your info from anywhere. That means if your system goes down while you're on a flight to see an important client, you can still log in with your airline's Wi-Fi and restore all of your data right from your computer.

Security Camera Systems

Internet cameras, IP or Internet Protocol cams send and receive data over a local area network (LAN) over the Internet. This gives business owners the peace of mind to see what's going on at the office when you're not around. Check-in to see who's still working or if anyone is in the building that shouldn't be. Lorex is among the first IP cameras on the market that can be set up without the need for an IT guru or complex technology knowledge. Instead, just use your smartphone with Lorex's ping mobile app and QR code located on the back of the camera to get it up and running. Best of all, Lorex offers contract-free service.

Streamline Project Management

Outsourcing your project management needs can be simplified with a tool like Asana. Born within Facebook to help streamline its management needs, Asana rapidly grew and became available to the public. The system now offers an easy way to collaborate with your entire team no matter if they're in the office or working remotely. Users can log in, create a task and invite others to collaborate. Read responses within Asana, approve next steps and upload files as needed.

Get Inbound Marketing Help

Business owners may have in-depth management experience and ideas but lack effective marketing skills. It’s also impossible for businesses to do it all from running a company to finding new clients. Get inbound marketing help with a service like HubSpot to get education and consulting to help your business grow. Choose from packages ranging from inbound consulting to getting priority technical support to help with your marketing campaigns. You can even get the scoop on A/B testing and advanced analytics to measure what's working and what's not.

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