Category: gadgets

iGone

It’s official, I ditched the iPad for the Nexus 10. My beautiful new beast arrived today! I’m so excited I can’t sit still. lol I’m still a multi-OS household but down to two now. lol I still have Windows on my laptop [1]No, I will not be upgrading to Windows 8. First time in MS history I haven’t upgraded when a new version came out.  However, I rarely crack open my laptop at all anymore. Usually, it is to write a really long email or more intensive work. If I could, I’d totally run Android on my laptop too.

This is my xmas present to myself this year. I’m still not caught up all the way yet so can’t justify spending a lot money on holiday stuff this year. It’s a wash on price so not bad for a self-gift.  I’ve already pre-sold the iPad. I sold it for just enough to cover the cost of the Nexus. I would have felt guilty making a profit, considering I won it from work. It’s going to a coworker’s little girl as a Christmas present. I threw in the Zagg keyboard/case since it won’t fit the Nexus. I’m sure she’ll love it, it’s in excellent condition.

I’m not kicking Apple & I gave it a good run. In the end, I just prefer Android. Apple gets props for setting the standard. To me, Android is more user friendly and provides for better functionality. It’s also a lot less restrictive on what I can & can’t do with it. This is my first foray into Android tablets so I’m hoping the Nexus 10 measures up. The specs are impressive and carrying the Nexus branding means it runs pure Android. [2]Which also means I get updates right away vs waiting for carrier tweaks for Android phones  So far, it’s a beauty. The display is amazing and it’s blazing fast so far. Even better, Google backs up not only your apps but also their working files. All my programs installed with all the working data! The only thing I had to manually setup was my email accounts.

My only complaint so far is some of my apps aren’t tablet ready. A minor annoyance but I can live with it. I’ll list out any big issues if anything major develops.

References

References
↑1 No, I will not be upgrading to Windows 8. First time in MS history I haven’t upgraded when a new version came out.
↑2 Which also means I get updates right away vs waiting for carrier tweaks for Android phones

Poke

No, not what you’re thinking. However, have you logged in here lately? Moving on.

Being in a multi-device, multi-OS household, am I the only one that sometimes forgets you can’t reach up and tap the screen on your laptop or computer to move the cursor? lolol

I catch myself doing this all the time now. I’ll be on the laptop and trying to move the cursor and without thinking I’ll tap the screen expecting it to jump to my finger. I seem to be doing it more and more lately. I’ve gotten so used to being on the phone or the iPad, I’m totally conditioned to just tapping.

*tap, tap, tap* Is this thing on? 

2GX

So after 8 fucking days [1]when they promised 2-3. the US Post Office delivered my phone! It’s the LG Optimus with a Tegra dual-core processor rebranded for T-mobile.

I’m liking it so far. Its got a nice big bright screen, hdmi port, 8 megapixel camera, blah blah blah. Its definitely geared for audio/visuals. Bigger speakers, strong graphics support, and not to mention the hdmi. I inherited the Nexus S from Apple guy after he went back to the iphone. I loved the Nexus because its almost pure Android. No tinkering, no blocks, no carrier overlays that often make Android horrible.  Overlays that also make it harder to upgrade to newer versions as they come available. Tmo has been pretty consistent about pumping out phones with pure Android. The Nexus S also had the up and coming NFC chip but it was a battery hog so I left it turned off. I used it only 2 or 3 times.

Anyway, the new phone hums along pretty fast. There aren’t many apps/games written to take advantage of the dual-core yet but multitasking is a dream. Even heavy processor games hum. I’m no big on gaming on my phone but its nice knowing it can handle it. I haven’t had a chance to do much more beyond that yet. Being on Tmo’s new HSPA+ network, the data speeds are a lot better. Tmo might be the underdog of the big 4 but it’s been catching up fast. [2]Sadly, innovation will disappear after it gets fully gobbled up by shitty AT&T The phone is currently running Froyo which isn’t quite the newest version of Android but Tmo is promising an update to Gingerbread soon.

My biggest complaint with the new crop of super smart phones has been battery life. Apple gets props for designing theirs with longer batteries. I loved the Nexus S, but as I mentioned, the battery was awful. It got to where I was afraid to leave the damn house w/o the power cord. Even worse, for some unknown reason it took forever to charge the damn thing. My Nexus One (made by HTC, not Samsung) would charge up in just over hour. Thankfully, LG seems to have borrowed this concept as my new battery charges in about the same time frame. Anyway, I surf, listen to music, check email, text, read news/blog feeds, etc all day long on my phone. I’m a heavy user and I know I can’t expect most phones to go all day w/o needing to be charged. That said, I should be able to go more than a few damn hours. Luckily this one seems to be doing ok and its running on a dual-core chip.

I was tempted to wait for the HTC Sensation coming out soon but that’s 2-3 months away and waiting always seems to be a waste. There’s always a new, bigger, better phone on the horizon. lol Hopefully, this one will last me until I figure out if I’m staying with Tmobile as it gets swallowed by shitty AT&T or jumping ship to Sprint.

References

References
↑1 when they promised 2-3.
↑2 Sadly, innovation will disappear after it gets fully gobbled up by shitty AT&T

Nexus S

I recently acquired the Nexus S phone from Apple guy. He got it as an xmas present from me when he’d reached his limit with the abysmal service from AT&T. Sadly, I couldn’t permanently convert him to the good side of the force. He kept having issues with the phone and made the jump back to an older iphone hacked to work on Tmobile’s network. [1]Apparently, the 3g and the 3gs iphones both work on Tmobile once hacked

Anyway, so the phone has come to me and we sold my beloved Nexus 1. I hated to do it as I loved the N1.  The N1, while having plenty of external storage, had very limited internal storage. Only certain app makers have taken the time to allow apps to be moved between internal/external storage. As Android has taken off on a plethora of devices, the problem is fast becoming moot. But, it also means my old N1 was quickly running out of available internal storage.

I’m loving the Nexus S overall. I can’t seem to reproduce all the problems that Apple guy was having save one. [2]I think he just refused to be converted  That being the battery life, which is disappointing. I can burn thru the existing battery in about half a day easily with just moderate use. Its apparently something to do with how often the phone reports errors back to Google servers. There is a hack out for it but I don’t wish to wipe the phone again just to test it out.

Everything else is pretty good. The internal storage is more than adequate for my needs. The processor is just as fast, if not faster. The screen is super clear and very responsive. It has more codec support and some of the minor but annoying hardware designs that plagued the N1 have been rectified in Samsung’s version of the Google phone.  My one hardware design complaint is the the volume rocker. It sticks out just a tad more than I would like and I often accidentally adjust it just by handling the phone.

This should tied me over for at least another 6 months to a year. lolol

References

References
↑1 Apparently, the 3g and the 3gs iphones both work on Tmobile once hacked
↑2 I think he just refused to be converted

Frozen

Well, mark your calendars. Hell has officially frozen over….yours truly bought an iPad. Lol I’ve been tinkering with it for a couple weeks now and thought I’d give you MY review on it. For the record, I don’t hate Apple, I just never cared for how proprietary they are or the lack of compatible programs. The latter isn’t so much of an issue anymore so I thought I’d give it a whirl. And considering who the hubby worked for, it was inevitable. hehehe

Hardware: Basically, its a giant iPhone w/o the actual phone. The device is sleek, trim, and very stylish. It has a very solid feel to it, albeit an adjustment for carrying it around. Apple has always gotten high marks in this area. Simply put, they produce very aesthetically pleasing products. While adding to the overall appeal, the screen is glass and just begs to be broken if you drop it. I highly recommend you get a case or cover to protect it.

We ended up with the 16 gig version. By some standards that is considered tiny but I doubt I’ll ever use all of it. I use my phone as my mp3 player and while I can see using music once the multi-tasking update comes out, it will be more of a convenience than a required feature. If you plan to use the iPad as a laptop replacement you might opt for one with a bigger drive. It comes with Bluetooth and wifi built in; however, I have yet to get the bluethooth to work for file sharing. It works fine for using a keyboard though. Overall, the hardware is of the same impeccable quality you would expect from Apple.

Software: Apple is way ahead in this arena in terms of sheer numbers. Being on the market longer, that is no surprise. Anyway, the store has a good mix of free and paid apps. I downloaded several that were equivalent to mine (on Android) and had mixed reviews. Some were equal if not better and others outright sucked. I also hate the built in email app as it takes way too many clicks to switch between email accounts. These are all style issues of course but were of particular annoyance to me.

I don’t care much for the OS at all. Granted, again, this is mostly a style and comfort issue more than functionality. The OS is responsive and has yet to crash on me. [1]I was only able to get the browser to crash twice.  Currently, you can only run one app at a time. There are some very small exceptions on push services but overall a total failure there. The new OS v4 coming out soon is supposed to remedy that and I eagerly await it. [2]Apple guy hacked ours of course so I have limited multi-tasking already. My biggest complaint with the OS is the difference in activating submenus. In Windows, no matter the version, you know its a simple right click to activate a submenu in virtually any application. Even Android borrowed from this with its long hold tap on the screen to bring up submenus, regardless of the application. Apps on the iPad seem to randomly utilize their own version of activating submenus. It gets a bit annoying trying to figure out each apps implementation of the submenu process. Again, a style issue but my biggest annoyance. The copy/past functionality, which came as add-in after the fact, is a bit odd as well. It is not at all intuitive and completely alien to what you would expect. The OS is designed from a simplistic approach and while very aesthetically pleasing, I’d argue its a tad too simple and caused more work than necessary at times. On this area, I still give Android props for better implementation.

Summary: The iPad is a sleek usable device pushing the bar on convenience and portability in our ever increasing conversion of PDA’s, phones, netbooks, and laptops. Let’s face it, Apple sets the standard that others follow. Even Android takes queues from Apple’s UI.

If you are an Apple fanboy, you’ll be right at home. Everything will be familiar and easy. Over 95% of the iPhone apps work in various levels on the iPad. On the other hand, if you a more recent user like me, you might like it but you won’t be blown away. Apple might have set the bar but Google’s Android is catching up and fast. I’d love to port Android over to the iPad. I’d be happier than a pig in slop.

If you are a long time Windows/Linux user, you will definitely find Android a tad more user friendly. And speaking of, if Microsoft doesn’t get their act together soon, they may find themselves pushed completely out of the market. Apple & Google will be the dominate players regardless IMHO.

References

References
↑1 I was only able to get the browser to crash twice.
↑2 Apple guy hacked ours of course so I have limited multi-tasking already.

Heave-Ho

Before I start let me say for the record, I love TiVo. It far exceeds the offerings from cable companies when it comes to DVR’s. That said, some of their choices when it comes to expanding your hardware border on draconian.

The low end HD model that I have came with an eSATA port for adding external hard drives. As my consumption of HD content has increased, I needed more storage space. Not to mention, I had several digital movies, via Amazon, I wanted to keep. The simplest choice was to just attach an external drive right? Wrong! Lol.

Allegedly, all you had to do was plug in your new drive and reboot the TiVo. The device was then supposed to detect the new hardware, format, and set everything up for you. NOT!

After 2 1/2 hours of tinkering, Googling, and several failed hacks, it was discovered my particular model only works with one specific external drive. [1]Naturally, this was not the drive I purchased. we then decided that the best approach would to simply replace the existing drive completely. Being a geek, I normally tackle such projects with gleeful exuberance. However, having no working knowledge of Linux, [2]TiVo is based on Linux I was leery of cracking open the case to attempt a drive transfer. If I were to brick the TiVo, I currently can’t afford a new one so I was more than a little perturbed.

Apple Guy, having run his own computer business for years, was less daunted and took over the task before I decided to chunk the whole pile out the window. Even with his knowledge and skill set, it took several more hours of tinkering and failed attempts before he managed to get it up and running. I couldn’t thank him enough for doing it for me. In the end, I did lose all my recorded content but retained all my licensing and settings. Fortunately, I was able to redownload all my Amazon movies so nothing of real value was lost. I’m now the proud owner of a ‘new and improved’ TiVo with a 1 terabyte drive of storage!

References

References
↑1 Naturally, this was not the drive I purchased.
↑2 TiVo is based on Linux

Mobile

One of my biggest frustrations with the blogging world as of late is the lack of compatibility for mobile devices. More and more, people are accessing the web and online content via mobile devices like the nexus one, droid, iphone, ipod, blackberry, palm, etc.

Many mobile gadgets due a decent job of parsing/displaying data for reading. Newer gadgets will even render complete HTML content as well. Hell, the new breed of pda/phones have chip speeds equal to computers of only 5 years ago. Clearly, processing power isn’t the problem.

The big problem is trying to squeeze webpages meant to run on a computer screen onto a device a fraction of the size. To their credit, most mobile device makers have ingenious rendering or zooming techniques. That said, its still extremely annoying, especially if you are surfing a lot.  Even worse, most professional sites often incorporate scripts/plugins/flash that won’t run on most mobile devices. And again, the problem is not from processing speed. No, as usual it boils down to petty proprietary rules, squabbles over licensing, poorly written software, and last but not least, greed. All of which are sad, pathetic, and stupid. For the corporate aspect, companies need to get their act in gear or perish. The need for mobile access is far from stale and is only going to increase. Not to mention, in today’s economy, companies need to encourage access any way they can.

For a medium wholly dependant on exposure, I’m really surprised more folks haven’t updated their sites/blogs to accommodate mobile exposure. Hell, my blog isn’t even that popular and I’ve had a mobile version for several years. [1]To be fair, I upgraded my mobile app months ago and just realized tonight I hadn’t activated the change. While the old app did the job, the new one is sooooo much nicer. Feel free to give me … Continue reading  There is already a niche industry to handle the demand. More people/companies just need to realize and take advantage of it. 

For myself, I consume most of my online content via my phone now. Its just easier with my schedule and time constraints. Sadly, for the blog world, commenting or interacting is still painfully awkward or even impossible at times. Not to mention, extremely frustrating.

The point of my little ramble? All you companies and dedicated bloggers out there, upgrade your sites for mobile consumption already! Sheez, bulky computers are so 90’s. :p

/rant

References

References
↑1 To be fair, I upgraded my mobile app months ago and just realized tonight I hadn’t activated the change. While the old app did the job, the new one is sooooo much nicer. Feel free to give me feedback on it.

Stimulating…

Well, I’m doing my part to “stimulate” the economy.  I just received my new laptop today.  I decided to go with something a tad lighter this time.  I read some great reviews for the Lenovo Y650 series.  I’ve never owned a Lenovo. [1]IBM sold them their laptop division a few years back.  I can tell you this sucker is super slim & light.  I lost an inch of screen real estate but so far I’m not missing it! 

It also arrived a day early so I got a nice surprise this morning.  heh heh  I noticed right off how small the box was and was a bit confused thinking I must have ordered something else and just forgotten. 

I’m definitely impressed so far.  True to its description it has a very slim profile.  My laptop bag feels almost empty now when I’m carrying it. lol  Even better, I get a free upgrade to the full version of Windows 7 when it comes out later this year!  I think I mentioned I have the beta version on win7 on my old lappie right now.  I’ve gotten a little spoiled actually.  Win7 is all the things Vista should have been, IMHO.  I highly recommend upgrading when you can. 

Oh and I switched to a 64-bit OS.  The reason being the 64-bit version doesn’t have the memory cap on RAM like the 32-bit version does. 

The old Dell lappie is still in excellent shape.  I haven’t decided if I want to sell it or not.  TFA expressed an interest so we’ll see.  I’m currently transferring stuff from it to the new one.  I’ve had a NAS for years now and am getting better and better at using it as my primary storage.  Makes things a lot easier when transferring files. 

Anyway, so far I’m loving the new one.  Hopefully, it will stay that way. 

References

References
↑1 IBM sold them their laptop division a few years back.

Geeky-Poo

*Geek alert*

In completely unrelated random news, tons of geeky stuff to cover.  On the movie/TV front, BSG has finally starting up again.  I can’t wait for the final episodes!  The first episode was a doozy! 

I’ve also seen several trailers for the new Star Trek movie.  I’m mixed on the latter.  The last attempt at jumping backwards [1]Enterprise: The series was the lowest and worst rated in the franchise. didn’t go over so well.  However, Silar from Heroes is playing our favorite Vulcan before he embraces his Vulcan side.  I’m assuming this means we will see lots of emotion from Spock.  heehee 

True Blood on HBO has quickly become one of my favorite shows.  The storyline is a very nice twist on the vampire genre with decent acting from a whole crew of virtually unknown actors.  The homo-erotic imagery is significant to say the least.  Sookie’s brother is HOT!  You see him in various states of undress all the way down to his butt.  I’m bummed the first season is over already.  However, I was very happy to see HBO picked up the series for at least 2 more seasons. 

Sanctuary on scifi is another good watch.  Amanda Tapping from Stargate: SG1 plays the lead role. [2]She is also the director  Amanda plays an entirely different character and does a superb job.  While the supporting actor roles can be a bit lacking at times, the overall story line and acting is very good.  The series offers an interesting twist on a variety of horror characters throughout history and neatly ties them all together.  

And speaking of, the Stargate: Atlantis series has ended.  I was very sad to see’em go but I think they had beat the plot to death and it was time.  The last episode was a bit rushed IMHO but still a good end to a fantastic series.  I’ve seen a couple very vague teasers on the website and TV about a new series so I’m all ears on that!  Up until BSG, SG1 and Atlantis were the highest rated shows on scifi.  They would be stupid to retire their money cow too soon considering BSG was never written to go beyond this last season. 

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On the hardware front, I’m still loving my new G1.  For a first generation OS, Google gets props for a job well done.  And while there are a few annoyances, overall I’m pleased.  My original complaint was the lack of stereo bluetooth.  It is being rolled out in the next update from what I’ve read.  My other big annoyance was the battery life.  I would easily churn thru the original battery in about half a day.  I bitched and moaned and Tmobile finally sent me a better one.  Its on par with my old Wing now so I’m happy.  The battery will also charge up to a full charge in about 45 minutes.  Oh and Tmo’s new 3g network is pretty damn good.  It isn’t quite what I’d call DSL speed but pretty damn close. 

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In complete and utter geekiness, I recently purchased Netgear’s HDXB101 Powerline HD Ethernet Kit.  I have wifi at home but because of interference, wifi in my room is a bit slow.  It gets the job done but I want it to the max.  The kit is designed to route your existing internet connection thru your electrical outlets.  I was skeptical but figured it was worth a try.  So far, I’m pretty happy.  Setup was a breeze, virtually plug and play.  There were some more advanced setup options available via a CD but I didn’t really see the need.  Plug one device into an outlet, plug your router or modem into it.  Plug the other device into another outlet (preferably on the same circuit but not required) and then plug your device of choice into that.  BAM!  Instant connection.  It automatically encrypts network traffic to avoid tampering too.  My connection is consistently faster than my wifi ever was.

References

References
↑1 Enterprise: The series was the lowest and worst rated in the franchise.
↑2 She is also the director

Netflix on Tivo

The marriage of convenience and technology in my household is now complete.  I got a nice surprise the last time my Tivo downloaded a system update.  Netflix!  It has only taken 3 years to finally come to fruition but it is finally here!  While the selection is currently a bit limited for downloads, [1]you can still have movies unavailable for download mailed to you but that is so 90’s. the quality is on par with standard def. TV broadcasts.  Surprisingly, when they say “watch instantly“, they mean it.  I’ve watched about 10 movies so far and every single one started within minutes and played thru to completion w/o pausing or hanging on the download.  Fast forwarding is a bit slow to start and stop but not unexpected for on-demand content. 

Of course, I’ve been able to stream Amazon movies thru the Tivo for about a year now.  The Amazon service is quite different though. For one, Amazon charges by the movie vs a flat monthly fee for unlimited downloads.  Amazon’s downloads also take quite a bit longer as the content is uncompressed and not optimized for streaming.  Usually, for a 2 hour movie, I have to wait 30-45 mins before I can begin watching if I wanna watch all the way thru w/o the movie pausing.  To be fair, Amazon does have a much larger selection of movies for download.  However, if they hope to compete, they’d better get their act in gear because I can easily see Netflix kicking their ass soon. 

I have yet to try HD content as I’m still streaming over a 54g wifi router.  You need a hard line connection or the newer N speed wifi routers to really stream HD content seamlessly.  I’m sure as the availability of movies increases, I’ll spring for faster wifi.

Once the selection improves, it will also give cable companies a run for their money.  Seriously, imagine having almost any movie or TV show ever made available to watch instantly for a low monthly fee.  No more exorbitant cable bundling fees to worry about.  No more getting stuck with 100’s of channels you don’t watch just to get a few you do watch.  If I were the cable companies, I’d be shitting in my pants about now.  Of course, they’d still make money on primetime channels, first-run content, and broadband so their money stream isn’t totally screwed just yet.  That said, I’ll quickly dump all of my movie packages once Netflix boosts their downloadable content. 

Yes, I know, I’m a geek.  But you knew that already.

References

References
↑1 you can still have movies unavailable for download mailed to you but that is so 90’s.