Did you know that Samsung's SmartThings is Only Work on Samsung Smartphone?

Based on below video - the answer is NOT but YES, since Samsung has delivered two versions that originated Samsung smartphone can installed the SmartThings apps instead of the other one (Samsung SmartHome). Actually, SmartThings was a company that acquired by Samsung Electronics in August 2014 and would operate as an independent company within Samsung's Open Innovation Center as a new step for Samsung to move into the Internet of Things (IoT) space.

The NOT answer above refer to smartphone hardware incapacity to handle special IoT functions characteristic - what I'm saying is not all Samsung smartphone have the ability to run it. And when it couldn't run the origin apps, the Google PlayStore would linking to Samsung SmartHome apps. So, that only few Samsung smartphone designed to run the SmartThings apps - just some special flagship.



Sorry, the video is in Bahasa, but you can try your self at home with your smartphone. Just search by using "SmartThings" keyword on Google PlayStore. Is it work on yours?

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OpenID: For Future Authentication?

I don’t have any ideas, why OpenID not too familiar yet since its first existences in May 2005. As one of authentication protocol, OpenID purposed to provide a concise way to authenticated user by only entering owned domain name & dropping password field – in usual manner to support single-sign-on – (of course, user need to be self confirmed at first use in any login page). Some said that basic security protocol used by OpenID is too weak. Perhaps, this makes provider such as PayPal, Yahoo, IBM, VeriSign, Facebook & Google enhancing their own process based on its standard protocol just to make the use of OpenID more secure, but this makes OpenID not kind of universal things.

Based on my experience - by continuing my previous article – with the same topic: Single Account, Multiple Services, here’s my report about generating OpenID on your own domain name – more specific actually - in a Google Apps. You may ignore this article if you have already registering your OpenID in common provider likes ClaimID, MyOpenID, etc, but I’m afraid you’ll lose how to get this things work. And on this current article, I’d covered out.

My experience begun with my curiosity to make my owned domain name as a wide & acceptable OpenID on any login pages that support it. Based on Google API’s, the first thing I need to provide on my www folder was 2 files only; openid & host-meta file. Each of it has structures below:

openid files:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xrds:XRDS xmlns:xrds="xri://$xrds" xmlns="xri://$xrd*($v*2.0)">
<XRD>
<CanonicalID>abc.com</CanonicalID>
<Service priority="0">
<Type>http://specs.openid.net/auth/2.0/signon</Type>
<URI>https://www.google.com/a/abc.com/o8/ud?be=o8&openid.ns=http%3A%2F%2Fspecs.openid.net%2Fauth%2F2.0&openid.claimed_id=http%3A%2F%2Fspecs.openid.net%2Fauth%2F2.0%2Fidentifier_select&openid.identity=http%3A%2F%2Fspecs.openid.net%2Fauth%2F2.0%2Fidentifier_select&openid.mode=checkid_setup&openid.ns.ext1=http%3A%2F%2Fopenid.net%2Fsrv%2Fax%2F1.0&openid.ext1.mode=fetch_request&openid.ext1.type.email=http%3A%2F%2Faxschema.org%2Fcontact%2Femail&openid.ext1.type.country=http%3A%2F%2Faxschema.org%2Fcontact%2Fcountry%2Fhome&openid.ext1.type.language=http%3A%2F%2Faxschema.org%2Fpref%2Flanguage&openid.ext1.type.firstName=http%3A%2F%2Faxschema.org%2FnamePerson%2Ffirst&openid.ext1.type.lastName=http%3A%2F%2Faxschema.org%2FnamePerson%2Flast&openid.ext1.required=email%2Ccountry%2Clanguage%2CfirstName%2ClastName&openid.ns.ext2=http%3A%2F%2Fspecs.openid.net%2Fextensions%2Fui%2F1.0&openid.ext2.icon=true</URI>
</Service>
<Service priority="0">
<Type>http://specs.openid.net/auth/2.0/server</Type>
<URI>https://www.google.com/a/abc.com/o8/ud?be=o8&openid.ns=http%3A%2F%2Fspecs.openid.net%2Fauth%2F2.0&openid.claimed_id=http%3A%2F%2Fspecs.openid.net%2Fauth%2F2.0%2Fidentifier_select&openid.identity=http%3A%2F%2Fspecs.openid.net%2Fauth%2F2.0%2Fidentifier_select&openid.mode=checkid_setup&openid.ns.ext1=http%3A%2F%2Fopenid.net%2Fsrv%2Fax%2F1.0&openid.ext1.mode=fetch_request&openid.ext1.type.email=http%3A%2F%2Faxschema.org%2Fcontact%2Femail&openid.ext1.type.country=http%3A%2F%2Faxschema.org%2Fcontact%2Fcountry%2Fhome&openid.ext1.type.language=http%3A%2F%2Faxschema.org%2Fpref%2Flanguage&openid.ext1.type.firstName=http%3A%2F%2Faxschema.org%2FnamePerson%2Ffirst&openid.ext1.type.lastName=http%3A%2F%2Faxschema.org%2FnamePerson%2Flast&openid.ext1.required=email%2Ccountry%2Clanguage%2CfirstName%2ClastName&openid.ns.ext2=http%3A%2F%2Fspecs.openid.net%2Fextensions%2Fui%2F1.0&openid.ext2.icon=true</URI>
</Service>
</XRD>
</xrds:XRDS>


host-meta files:
Link: <https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/site-xrds?hd=abc.com>; rel="describedby http://reltype.google.com/openid/xrd-op"; type="application/xrds+xml"


On both files, don’t forget to replace abc.com with your domain name then upload it on your www directory. Create a directory named by .well-known & move host-meta file in it. As additional, also create (if it doesn’t exist) an index page. In my example, I also copy index.php to index.error.php. You’ll know soon why I created it.

To recognized openid file & adding error 404 forwarder functionality, create (again, if it doesn’t exist) .htaccess file like example below:

.htaccess files:
ErrorDocument 404 /index.error.php
<Files openid>
ForceType application/xrds+xml
</Files>


Now you have the same www directory structure like mine below:



Until this step, you have succeeded creating your own OpenID named with “abc.com/openid”. Test it to a page, let say a blog page. Make a comment & select OpenID identity.



Enter your OpenID “abc.com/openid”. Here below is my example:



Make a preview & submit. Your comment submitted as “openid” which has link to your domain name.



Unfortunately, now we have 2 problems arise: Why if I clicked that link, my browser continues to download this openid file? And why my identity recognized as “openid”? To solve the first problem, change openid file name on www directory to whatever you like. These changes, continues with replacing “openid” with new name on .htaccess file:

ErrorDocument 404 /index.error.php
<Files "what.ever.you.like">
ForceType application/xrds+xml
</Files>


After you changed the name, the structure changes like picture below.



After changed that, try to click again the “openid” link, and tell me what you see? The index page will show replacing downloading file process. This is the reason why we created 404 errors forwarding on .htaccess. Hence, your OpenID also changed from “abc.com/openid” into “abc.com” only. Much simpler, isn’t it?

Anyway, the last problem still unresolved – at least I tried on blogger.com. While I suspect that the blogger OpenID library does not work with Google's (Apps) discovery extensions * is my guess right? *. However, at a time, Google implemented a proof-of-concept implementation of a next-generation OpenID discovery protocol which is it’s not a “full version” yet. Even when it becomes a standard, it is not backwards compatible with the OpenID 2.0 and earlier. Hmm.. see that?



By the way, before you use your OpenID on a different authentication page, why don’t you take a test to http://www.puffypoodles.com/?. On picture above, I’d tested it just to prove that my OpenID is recognized & acceptable. The test result means that with basic OpenID authentication, it succeeded to retrieve all of possible AX (Attribute eXchange) of OpenID, including email address, home country, preferred language, first name & last name. The conclusion is, the treatment of OpenID yet is different on each authentication since it still in “growing” era going to robustness. Maybe in couple years, a standardize of OpenID will be shaped, to make authentication more secure, private & intimate.

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Make a Chat from Single IM Account to Multiple IM services

If I only have a single IM account, can I make a chat with my friends who have different account on Google Talk, MSN Live, AIM or Yahoo Messenger? For example, if you have name@domain.com & you can chat with friend@yahoo.com or friend@hotmail.com or friend@gmail.com. If you’re on this case, I said: Yes you can! Being have a single IM account will looks more personally than anyone who kept several different of it. Let say, if you had a Yahoo account (eg: name@yahoo.com), then your chat communication is limited to your friends who has the same domain from yahoo.com. It is equal if you have Google account (eg: name@gmail.com) since your friends only comes with the same gmail.com domain. Then, how to make a chat conversation from one account to friends who has different account? Just use a Google account (or any email domain name you want), register it to Live, download & log on from Windows Live Messenger (or your favorite universal IM client).



On this experiment, I using Google Apps account with personal domain name (eg: name@domain.com). By default, Google Apps can communicate with Google Talk users from gmail.com & AIM account (after you registered to AIM). As the picture displayed above, you need to submit your email address to Windows Live first. Once you have registered to it, you will have the “passport” to communicate with MSN Live, Hotmail & Yahoo users. The last thing is, download Windows Live Messenger & try out to log on from it.



Now, you ready to chat with Yahoo messenger account. Try to send a chat request to one of your friend. The same picture below will display on your screen.



While on your friend screen will display a similar picture below:



On above picture, both of red circle explain that the conversation comes from non-Yahoo account (the first red circle will inform your email address, while the lower red circle displayed the Live logo and an online sign). But, what if your friend using Pidgin client? The pidgin will say that you’re offline. Pretty weird but it’s true.



Anyway, you still can make a chat with it. Moreover, if you use an universal IM client (eg: Pidgin or PSi), it will simplified your chat time since you only need to setup several IM services from your single registered email address. Have a nice try & please share your opinion below.

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Configuring Private Domain Email with Google Apps

Owning personal domain hosted on a hosting company is one of prestige for some persons. This could be a great benefit to whom aware with that, as they could share their profiles just like personal website or blog or e-commerce online application for examples. Along with existing social networks epoch, ease of communication is one of important thing that can never be separated from web 2.0 trend nowadays. Unfortunately, not all cheap hosting provided SMTP services to manage their outgoing email from client accounts. Especially to newbies programmer who wants to develop an automation email for such of auto email notification or auto responder, this will raise a problem.

But then, thanks to Google as they can provide another free service called with Google Apps, which helpful to solve things like this. Even though this is not a latest service, Google Apps can make possibility to create email based on personal domain. For example; if you have a domain named mydomain.com, Google Apps can enable GMail to provide webmaster@mydomain.com email address. The benefit is, the SMTP and POP3 are absolutely free, so that it is possible to make an automation email responder or something similar. For advanced programmers who wants to connect their script for this purposes, you can switch to this link. In this current article, I just want to share you about how to create personal domain based email using Google Apps.

For this necessity, let assume that you already have GMail account and had signed to http://www.google.com/a successfully. First, you have to verify domain ownership by the instruction given from Google Apps dashboard links.



After finished verifying domain ownership, switch to your domain control panel given from your hosting provider (for this test, I use spanel module. Anything could be different but it has the same points). Go to Domain and DNS Manager from Domain menu and open up Edit DNS link.



You will be prompted similar display showing you current MX configuration from hosting company. Give an attention on options #7, #8, #10 - #12 on below images.



Remove options #7, #8, #10 - #12 and change to the following configuration (options #8 - 15). This will override MX setting to GMail configuration.



After you updated above settings completely, tell Email MX reception type to accept Remote MX from Subdomain Manager on the same Domain menu. This means that the primary MX is switched to Google server and will not be received at all on your hosting server.



While it proceed & still on the same menu, add a subdomain which purposed redirect to Google Apps login page from a short URL of your domain name. For example, you can create subdomain named with webmail.mydomain.com and this is alias name to your Google Apps URL.



That’s it and you’re done. Your current Google email with your active domain will be activated couple days after you had confirmed domain ownership.



After it verified, you can start to access it from your short URL (above defined as webmail.domain.com) and gained all benefits by using GMail account. Just send an email to your other email address and see that sender address is come from webmaster@mydomain.com. Trust me, it’ll works!

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