Why I do not want to use another iOS podcast client than Castro

Castro is still pretty fresh in the iOS App Store (currently version 1.0.6, first release came in late 2013) but has already beaten the competitors in my opinion. Here is why:

Castro is winning by simplicity. Focusing on features and using using the fresh iOS 7 design.
Great simple feed search engine (worked perfect for my favorite German podcasts).
Push notification works.
It is stable.
Once again, I like the simple intuitive design.

Other settled podcast player in iOS market help Castro to succeed by not fixing their issues. I am coming from Instacast and this is why I think it does not fit anymore:

When I open Instacast by sliding push messages on my lock screen it crashes nearly up to 50%.
Up Next Feature does not work for me. Lists are useless, everything works just through Up Next.
Sync feature with its OS X app is a mess, similar to Apple’s Podcast app.

This is why Apple’s Podcast app does not work either:

Sync with other iOS and OS X devices is a mess.
Push notification is not existing (Is it? I have never seen any).
Navigation is too complicated.

By using Castro I completely discarded thinking about syncing podcasts on several devices, I am using Airplay devices like AppleTV or AirServer.

My ideas to improve Castro:

Add an option for continuously playing all my podcast episodes, instead of stopping after each one.
Add support for password protected feeds.
Start playing an episode immediately by opening the episode. I do not want to tap play after opening it.
Integrate Airplay button in the lower control bar.

Update:

Add missing sharing options to share your current podcast episode on Twitter.
Double Tap to play episodes immediately instead of opening it.

How to integrate AVM smart devices into HomeKit by using openHAB

After some evaluating openHAB (Vers. 2.2.0) on my NAS I wanted to do it right and started with this (German) article to use openHABian together with a Raspberry Pi.My primary goal was to integrate my AVM smart home devices to control them with HomeKit . To get started I used the following items: Raspberry PI SD Card 16 GB And the following software (I used a Mac, so you might need to replace some tools if you use another OS): Download the latest openHABian image here . This is a dedicated linux distribution to provide an openHAB server. Download SD Formatter here . Needed to format your SD card. Download Etcher here . Needed to install the openHABian image on the SD card. Installation openHABian Insert the SD card Connect the Raspberry Pi via LAN with your network Plugin the Raspberry Pi Wait about 45 minutes until all updates were installed When everything went well you should be able to connect to http://openhabianpi:8080 Connect via ssh: ssh openh...

Have you ever reconsidered your personal iPhone security policy?

Why should I reconsider my iPhone security policy? I have my iPhone four digit pass code and Find my iPhone feature feature is activated. So how should abuse be possible? What could a thief be doing with my stolen iPhone? Well, possibly quite a lot. At least the bold print bullets in this article should be mandatory for everyone. Of course this is no guarantee for invulnerability but it will improve your security. After watching this video you should consider the following actions: Change your Apple ID rescue mail address and do not add this mail account to your iPhone. Consider to use a proper and usable password policy for your Apple ID like this or this (German article) . Consider a complex pass code for your iPhone. As you can see in the video four digit pass codes can be hacked in no time on iPhone 4. For newer iPhone a leak is not yet known but it is properly there. Definitely do not use these pass codes . Alternative to point three: activate delete iPhone after 10 wrong...

Two annoying issues in Visual Studio regarding XSDs and WCF should be fixed immediately

In my daily work I am always stumbling on two annoying features in Visual Studio, and I think it could be improved easily. Here is what I am complaining about. WCF Test Client WCF Test Client might be a nice tiny tool for small WCF tests, especially when you are testing smaller scenarios or when you are starting to learn how to implement web services with .NET. But it can be very annoying when you are working on more advanced stuff and your are testing with your local IIS. WCF Test Client always(!) starts automatically when you press F5 for debugging and your opened .svc.cs file has the focus: When I have configured local IIS is the target for debugging, then I expect my application will start with local IIS and not with WCF Test Client. Always. Here is my first urgent request: Please give me an option to disable WCF Test Client completely! Update 03.03.2014: Workaround for WCF Test Client Issue Select project file -> Right click -> Properties -> Web -> Sele...

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