What Are You On?

intel dongleWhat are you on right now?

Helaine uses a laptop. My dad is 100% tablet. I rotate through devices and touch close to a dozen keyboards or screens through the day.

Nearly everything you know about computing is about to change. The size is shrinking again.

If you have a recent iPhone or one of the high end Android devices, you know the brain in that small device of yours works fine for browsing and video. Why do we need anything with bulk?

We don’t.

There is a new class of dongles entering the market which are full fledged PCs. Plug one into an HDMI port on any TV, pair with wireless keyboard and mouse and it’s a computer that can do nearly anything! Browse the web. Stream HD movies. Skype. Whatever.

These dongles are quad core machines special image processing chips. Very low power, they need no fans. They are light on RAM and disk space, but are optimized for the tasks most people normally perform.

They’re not for making content. They’re for consumption.

At the moment (and we’re very early in this game) the Windows version is $150 and the Android $100. Expect those numbers to fall.

This is crazy. How far we’ve come. We’re not slowing down.

My Hacker Spirit Remains Alive

TL-MR3040-V2-04The word ‘hacker’ has acquired a bad reputation. Hackers steal. Hackers deface. Hackers take down.

I’m a hacker. Not that kind.

As a kid I took apart our family’s telephones (and reassembled them) to see what made them work. When computers first arrived I bought one, even though it could do next to nothing. I’m that kind of hacker.

I am fascinated by making things do tasks they weren’t designed to do. Sometimes that means circumventing controls, like jailbreaking a phone.

I did a little hacking this weekend. My Canon 7D camera (aka, “Clicky”) can now be operated remotely from my tablet or cellphone. This all came about after looking at a website posting titled, “TP-LINK TL-MR3040 wireless field monitor with DSLR controller.”

The MR3040 is a neat little wireless router made for road warriors. It gives folks with a USB cell modem the ability to use it with many devices at once.

DSLR Controller  BETA    Android Apps on Google PlayThe hack I found loads new firmware into the modem. Now, instead of a router the little white box becomes a ‘wireless cable,’ attaching my camera to my tablet. From there an Android app, DSLRController, takes over. Most of the controls on the camera now become accessible from the tablet.

Loading unauthorized firmware nearly always voids the warranty. There’s a chance the unit might get ‘bricked.’ The router was $30 with shipping on Amazon. I took a chance.

DSLRController itself is a hack, adding functions Canon left out!

I want to get more involved in using my 7D for video. This seems like an excellent step in that direction.

Computers Make Life Easier And Scarier

google-now-screenI’m very confused. Computers looking over my shoulder have made life easier and scarier. This isn’t a new subject from me, but it hit home last week as we prepared to leave for the weekend.

My phone and tablet both run the Android operating system. That means they both have Google Now, which claims:

“Just the right information at the right time.”

I opened Google Now and saw my flight times listed. I didn’t tell Google I was flying. It figured that out from reading my email.

It figures a lot out from what I do.

There are currently offers to track packages heading my way and links to articles about Comet Ison. It knows about the packages from my email and the comet from my browsing history.

Google Location historyMy weather is there too. While in Milwaukee, Google Now posted the local forecast plus a link to the weather at home.

It knows where home is.

Because I often use my cellphone’s GPS there are maps tracking my every move! Actually, I’m tracked when I’m not using the GPS too. The readings just aren’t taken as often.

Google Location history 2I assume Google can figure out who my doctor is and where we shop for groceries. It knew I was at Fenway Park June 24th. It can tell when I’ve spent the day at home.

Remember, it’s not just my location they know. Google also knows what’s at those locations.

I can turn most of this off. I don’t. There are two main reasons.

First, if I turn it off I’m the only one deprived of the info. Google and their pals will still know.

Second, it’s valuable to me.

Having my flight information, or weather in a strange city, or sports scores from just the teams I follow are more valuable when easily found.

Having Google Now is like having my own personal assistant. Does it know any less than a flesh and blood personal assistant would?

The downside is this information will be used in ways we can hardly imagine. And it will be used without your knowledge even when it’s wrong!

While we were in Milwaukee my GPS readout briefly shows me at my parents old condo in Florida. Who do I see to correct that glitch?

When the government pushes back against fears of surveillance it’s often stated the information is anonymized. Red herring. My actual name is the least important part of this equation.

I’m truly conflicted about all this. So much power to do good. So much potential to be evil.

I Love My New Computer. I Hate Windows 8.1

IMG_20131124_131622

I’m typing on the new computer I ‘built’ a few weeks ago. It’s ‘built,’ not built, because I didn’t actually put the components into their slots. That honor went to a tech at Fry’s. It was built with parts I specified after lots of research and angst. It is custom in every sense of the word.

In nearly every respect this box performs better than anticipated. Because its system drive is an SSD, instead of a mechanical hard drive, it boots in under 20 seconds. Photoshop, a major beast of a program, lights up in under three seconds!

The system was built to manipulate stills and videos while being quiet. It does both very well. High def video is often rendered faster than its realtime running length!

Having two 1920×1080 monitors (which I bought at BestBuy) has given me loads of desktop real estate, making nearly everything I do easier. Two, three, four or more programs can be open simultaneously. That’s a web design game changer.

All that being said, Windows 8.1 is the weakest link. For a longtime Windows user this latest Microsoft iteration is non-intuitive while adding extra steps and hoops to jump through.

What were they thinking?

The problem is Windows 8 was built to be used in touchscreen and keyboard scenarios. It comes up short when you are forced to use actions more suitable to a tablet on a keyboard and mouse computer. It is frustrating.

My friend Peter Mokover is in the final stages of building a similar computer. He asked which OS to use, Windows 7 or 8.1?&#185 I’m not sure.

Windows 7 is a better bet right now. But, as a geek, it’s tough to not use the latest operating system which is still in active development. I won’t be surprised if he grits his teeth and goes with Windows 8.1, even knowing it’s bad.

For my purposes (and Peter’s) a Windows alternative is not an option. Too many of the specialized programs we need only run on this platform.

For most general users who basically surf and read email, Microsoft is shooting themselves in the foot! Nowadays web based apps are replacing OS specific programs. This debacle will only push more people to Android or Apple’s OSX and IOS.

Here’s my rundown:

  • Windows 8.1 (x64) (build 9600)
  • CPU: 3.50 gigahertz Intel Core i7-4770K
  • Motherboard: Z87-G45 GAMING (MS-7821) 1.0
  • RAM: 16328 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory
  • Drive: Samsung SSD 840 EVO 250GB [Hard drive] (250.06 GB) — drive 0
  • Drive: WDC WD2002FAEX-007BA0 [Hard drive] (2000.40 GB) — drive 1
  • Video: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 [Display adapter]
  • Monitor (2): AOC 2367 [Monitor] (23.1″vis, s/n BEGD89A000462, August 2013)
  • Case: Thermaltake Soprano

&#185 – Windows 8.1 is a free, service upgrade to Windows 8 after the original cry from users. It is a small, incremental improvement over the original.

The Android TV Stick That Almost Works – My MK908 Story

IMG_9206mk908

Early adopter. Experimenter. Tinkerer. Guilty as charged. The allure of tech is more than I can resist.

I don’t know how I got there. No memory remains of the links that brought me to liliputing.com and and an entry on the Tronsmart MK908. It’s a little computer about the size of a large pack of Juicy Fruit.

The MK908 is designed to be plugged into a recent vintage wide screen TV or computer monitor. It’s meant to be an adjunct to your TV. It gets Netflix and MLBTV and nearly anything that’s delivered via the internet. You put it behind the monitor where it’s not seen and talk to it via WiFi or Bluetooth. There’s also an HDMI port, plus one full size and two mini USB ports and a microSD card slot.

The MK908 runs Android–meaning nearly all the apps in Google’s Play store. It is rooted.

Based on the last four paragraphs you’re probably not surprised I plunked down about $90 and ordered one from China. Units like this are impossible to find in the States. That’s a shame.

Damn you tracking! I watched it move through a mail center in China, disappear for a week then reappear in Flushing, Queens, Springfield, MA and then my local post office.

It came physical intact, but electronically broken! Oh, damn, damn, damn, damn!

It has a fatal ailment that’s also tantalizing. The unit powers on and plays for a while, then shuts the HDMI output (audio and video) for a second. It does this 40 to 50 times an hour! It works enough to see what it can do, but not enough to want to do it!

I’ve replaced every cable&#185. I reflashed the ROM. The problem persists.

I’ve been in touch with Anna at geekbuying.com, where I bought it, following her instructions. I’m afraid the MK908 is going to have to go back.

IMG_9208mk908It’s a shame. This is really promising technology.

I’ve used it as a moving map watching the radar and later tracking airborne planes. It turns my TV into an additional all purpose screen.

What is that good for? Does it really matter?

I paid with PayPal. I will file a report with them Monday. I have filed a dispute report.

&#185 – Even I was surprised to find an extra HDMI to mini HDMI cable was in my cabinet.

Geoff The Early Adopter

mk908The TRS-80 was my first computer. It had a low-res black and white screen, loaded programs (poorly) from an audio cassette deck, could only deal with integers and was incapable of doing anything worthwhile!

I am an early adopter and this is what early adopters do. We buy stuff to see where technology is going. Often, that’s payoff enough.

All this adds up to tonight’s purchase of a Tronsmart MK908 quad-core Android TV stick. I’m turning my dumb TV into a smart TV, I think.

I won’t actually know for a few weeks. It’s coming from China.

In the past televisions weren’t good for computing. Your old, nearly square TV set had a nominal resolution of 640×480. Today’s HDTVs have 1920×1080 or 1280×720. That’s 2 megapixel and almost 1 megapixel versus 307,200 pixels.

The MK908 is around the size of a thick pack of Doublemint. It sits behind your TV, plugged into an HDMI port, connected to the Internet via WiFi. It runs on Android, like many smartphones and tablets. It downloads apps from the Google Play store.

This tiny computer puts your TV goes online. Netflix? Sure. YouTube? That too. It’s all available in high def… or as much def as your Internet connection can provide.

Image courtesy: liliputing.comUntil now these TV sticks have been almost powerful enough, but not quite. They worked, but sometimes took a quick break to regroup their thoughts or whatever it is computers do while they keep you waiting.

The MK908 is based on the Cortex A9 Rk3188 Quad Core CPU with a Quad Core Mali 400 GPU. CPU is central processing unit while GPU is graphics processing unit. HD video needs lots of processing power. Wish granted.

It comes with Android 4.1 installed and rooted. Android 4.2 is promised before my unit arrives.

All this takes place in a fanless computer that draws about ten watts. So it’s (reasonably) cool and absolutely quiet.

If all goes well my TV will become more of a utility monitor. Yes, I can still watch shows on-air or on cable, but I can also stream shows from the net, display websites or radar loops and run most apps built for Android smartphones or tablets.

Will it change my life? Probably not.

I am just excited to see where things are going. It’s fun being on the bleeding edge. Not everything turns out as expected. Lots of surprises.

I will report back. In the meantime, a review from liliputing.com.

I Am Obsessed With My Screens

This family room has become “Geoff’s House of Screens!”

There are times my laptop, tablet, smartphone and TV are in use simultaneously. Helaine thinks I’m a little obsessed.

I’m sorry, are you talking to me? I was distracted momentarily.

For the past few months I’ve become a squatter in our family room. I have taken over the larger sofa with the best view of the TV.

In front of me is an inverted trash can. It is my desk. My laptop sits on it, precariously.

This family room has become “Geoff’s House of Screens!”

There are times my laptop, tablet, smartphone and TV are in use simultaneously. Helaine thinks I’m a little obsessed.

I’m sorry, are you talking to me? I was distracted momentarily.

Here’s what I’ve learned. I love having all these screens!

I like having the tablet. The problem is, it’s an early technology. The software and apps aren’t where they need to be yet. On top of that there is a difference between phone and tablet screens not yet recognized by all developers. The New York Times app is an insult when used on a tablet. There is no shortage of poorly designed apps out there.

My Asus Transformer Prime should scream! It packs a quad core processor.

It does not! There are times it just hangs and I have to wait. I keep hoping new firmware will solve the problem. Those in the no says it can be fixed.

Not yet.

The Transformer Prime is a wonderful personal video player. Sometimes, when Helaine wants to watch TV, I’ll plug in earbuds and watch the tablet. Perfect.

Tablets are great for looking and tapping. I can type too, but real keyboards are so much better.

Sunday I used the tablet to chat with my great nephew and California cousins. A tablet with a front facing camera is perfect for video chat.

Typing is where my laptop comes in. I’m a multitasker. My laptop often has ten or more browser tabs plus multiple apps running together. Tablets can do this too, but the laptop does it in a much more elegant and seamless way.

My phone is a Samsung Galaxy S2. I went from an iPhone to this Android model. No regrets. Android is more fun.

The tablet does most of what the phone does (both are Android), but the phone is primarily used as a phone when I’m in the house. It’s a jack of all trades and compares poorly with its larger competition. Out of the house we are inseparable.

The Galaxy S2 has a great camera. I take entirely too many shots with it, especially in the house. Doppler made me write that.

Finally there is the TV. It is a flat panel Vizio. It’s big compared to everything I owned before. There are much, much bigger today. Much!

The Vizio has the best picture of any screen I’ve ever owned, though I constantly complain about my cable company compressing and degrading what I see.

Few of us watch video close to what our screens are capable of delivering. Isn’t that a shame?

“Look at the names,” I asked Helaine while gazing at compression artifacts on a network TV show we were watching. It was driving me nuts. She didn’t see it at all! Cable TV would be in trouble if everyone watching was me.

Too many hours of the day the TV is used as an expensive nightlight, providing visual Muzak as life goes on around it.

If deprived of any individual screen I’d be very sad. Very.

Maybe Helaine’s right. Maybe I am obsessed.

Olympics Streaming Nearly Gets It Right

Earlier, Helaine called me to her computer. The free online Olympic streaming was hung up at the point where her Comcast credentials were requested. The process failed by returning her to the point where she was asked to specify our cable provider.

The photo above is the table tennis venue at the 2012 London Olympics. OK, no one was playing when I tuned in, but at least I was finally able to tune in. Mostly the online Olympic video has been a pain or a fail.

Earlier, Helaine called me to her computer. The free online Olympic streaming was hung up at the point where her Comcast credentials were requested. The process failed by returning her to the point where she was asked to specify our cable provider.

Oh, yeah. You need to subscribe to cable or satellite to get the free streaming. Cord cutters are not welcome!

As it turns out most flavors of Linux, the operating system on Helaine’s laptop, are suffering this same indignity. Considering the streaming seems to come out of a custom YouTube channel and YouTube videos are usually easily seen on her laptop this is a head scratcher.

The problem is Ubuntu and some other Linux ‘flavors’ don’t automatically load the DRM (digital rights management) software necessary to protect NBC’s investment. Finding this solution was not easy. In fact my last blog entry is a small attempt to make it easier for others following in my footsteps.

Helaine can now watch Rhythmic Weightlifting and the Javelin Catch even if they’re not on TV.

For my Asus Transformer Prime tablet the problem is a little more vexing. It’s not supported, period!

The “NBC Olympics Live Extra” app will let users watch more than 3,500 hours of live events on tablets and smartphones. But only customers who have a cable or satellite subscription will get full access — and the app is available only on Apple devices and a “select” list of Android phones and tablets. — (CNNMoney)

Not only isn’t my tablet ‘selected,’ neither are those made by Samsung. This isn’t rocket science. There are already loads of streaming sites that have figured out how to serve me.

The rating for NBC’s Android app speaks for itself. I’m not the only unhappy camper this evening.

Who’s Going To Do This To A Perfectly Good Phone?

Other that geeks like me who’s going to do this to a perfectly good phone?

I’ve been working ten minutes already and it’s all been prep work on my PC. I haven’t touched the phone yet.

When it was finally time to connect, the PCs software churned for a minute or so before asking me to reset an obscure command three menus deep in the phone!

I got a text yesterday. There’s new firmware for my Samsung Galaxy S2. As I type software is being downloaded to my PC to facilitate the upgrade. It’s the latest version of Android called Ice Cream Sandwich.

Other that geeks like me who’s going to do this to a perfectly good phone?

I’ve been working ten minutes already and it’s all been prep work on my PC. I haven’t touched the phone yet.

When it was finally time to connect, the PC’s software churned for a minute or so before popping an error message and asking me to reset an obscure command three menus deep in the phone!

Again, other that geeks like me who’s going to do this to a perfectly good phone?

It’s finally beginning. First though a few admonishments about disconnecting the phone and warning it would take 5 to 30 minutes. The process is slow. A mustard colored line is slowing expanding in a dialog box. I’m warned of disconnecting again.

No matter how well thought out these upgrades are I always worry they won’t work for me and I’ll be left with a brick! There is no reassurance that works while the device does stuff you can’t see.

After about ten minutes it was time for my phone to reboot. Uh oh. It now plays a little tune briefly during boot!

Everything seems normal, but I’m not as close to finished as I thought. It’s optimizing 176 applications one-by-one! I have no idea what that means, but it’s what the phone’s screen says.

Now the screen says, “upgrading contacts.” Good. I need a better class of friend. Maybe that’s not what it meant?

Installing applications.

This is taking forever.

Ta da!

It’s early, but right now the changes seem minor or superficial. It will take some exploration time before I know for sure what I did. Google, Samsung and AT&T all had a hand in bringing this update. But really, other that geeks like me who’s going to do this to a perfectly good phone?

Impressions On The New Tablet

The screen is more prone to fingerprints than anything I’ve ever used. It’s not a real problem when you’re using the tablet, but it’s disconcerting to see when the tablet is waiting to be used.

My Asus Transformer Prime came a few days ago. There’s more learning ahead, but I understand this slab of digitalia much better than I did Thursday. It’s obvious this is the next logical step beyond laptops especially with people for whom typing is incidental.

The electronics work well. There’s no heat coming from the unit I can feel. The shape is nice and it feels exceptionally sturdy.

The screen is more prone to fingerprints than anything I’ve ever used. It’s not a real problem when you’re using the tablet, but it’s disconcerting to see when the tablet is waiting to be used.

Everyone who picks it up comments on how light it is. I wish it was a little lighter.

The screen doesn’t have the intense blacks of my Samsung Galaxy S2 which uses OLED technology. It is responsive and will differentiate between ten fingers at once!

With a quad core Nvidia CPU it’s fast though this isn’t a multitasking machine.

This tablet has a 1280×800 screen. That’s comparable to a laptop and can easily display most websites when in landscape mode.

Many sites see my browser’s signature and move me to their mobile presentation. Terrible! Not all Android screens are alike. Sending me to a mobile site is wrong.

The same goes for some Android apps I’ve tried–even a few made for tablets. I’ve already given up on the NY Times Android app in favor of their regular website. The app is supposed to be an enhanced experience. In reality you’re trading down if you use it!

HuffingtonPost has an excellent Android tablet app. Using it gives a taste of what tablets will be.

I downloaded a sample chapter from a book. It’s a pretty good paper book replacement. Will it hold up to long reading? Not sure.

The SlideIT keyboard has been installed and works pretty well. You type without lifting your fingers! Just slide from letter-to-letter and the program mostly understands what you’ve typed.

I’ve taken a few photos of Doppler with it. Like my phone it does a good job and makes you wonder who will ever purchase a point-and-shoot camera? I haven’t used the video cameras yet though I’ve downloaded Skype.

In many way using this tablet is like being the first homeowner in a new development. Everything’s going to be there, just not yet.

I’m looking forward to putting it through its paces.

The Tablet Arrives

After a few hours playing I wiped the tablet clean, brought it back to its factory configuration and started over. That’s become common with me. It’s tough to know what you need before you know what the tablet does.

“So it’s a toy?” That was Helaine’s comment after some pointed questions about my new tablet. Of course it’s a toy! I already have enough practical stuff.

My Asus Transformer Prime arrived by UPS yesterday evening while I was at work. Unboxing took place about two minutes after I was ‘pajamaed’ up for the night!

The Transformer was on my Christmas list, but Asus had trouble keeping up with demand (after a pre-release recall) and Amazon said I’d have to wait until February. Last week I saw a note that NewEgg had them in stock. The rest is history.

For the geeks reading this the Asus Transformer Prime is powered by an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad core CPU with 1Gb RAM and 32 Gb storage. It runs Android 4 (Ice Cream Sandwich). This tablet connects to the Internet solely through WiFi.

It’s amazing how little there is to the tablet. It’s wafer thin though it feels substantial and solid. The screen is bright with lots of contrast. Unfortunately it’s also a fingerprint magnet!

I loaded up some apps and started playing around. I screened a few minutes of a movie over Netflix. Beautiful.

I let the Android Market sync my apps from the Samsung phone. That was a mistake. Lots of those are formatted for the smaller screen of a cell phone.

I was disappointed Swype isn’t compatible. I love Swyping! I’m using the SlideIT Keyboard app instead. Pretty similar. Swype may lose me.

After a few hours playing I wiped the tablet clean, brought it back to its factory configuration and started over. That’s become common with me. It’s tough to know what you need before you know what the tablet does.

I still haven’t tried out Skype or any of the video functionality. That’s still to come.

Everyone said I ‘needed’ one. Now the fun begins.

BTW – this entry would have been done hours ago except I was playing.

The Tablet Quandary

It’s thin and fast with a full complement of ports, quad core processor and high resolution screen hidden behind scratch resistant Gorilla Glass.

I have been told by Helaine that Santa would like to bring me something if he only knew what I wanted. I have been toying around with the idea of a tablet, but I’ve been totally confused and undecided.

Actually that’s not true. I’ve eliminated one model. I’ve decided not to go with an iPad.

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time you know my dislike of Apple’s tight grip on hardware and software. You might think you own your iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone, but try and use it in a way Apple doesn’t like! You’re in for a rude awakening.

As it turns out I am happy with Android, the other ‘favored’ tablet operating system. It’s what’s on my phone and it seems to be geekily sweet.

After dinner tonight (Chinese in Newington) Steve Parker and I popped into Best Buy on the Berlin Turnpike. They have a pretty nice selection of tablets, but they’re all tethered for security purposes. That makes it a lot more difficult to feel the tablet out.

At first I thought 7″ might be a nice size. Now I’m leaning toward 10″. The 7″ just felt too small.

On the other hand the 10″ models I held were too bulky… too thick and heavy.

After voluminous reading I’m leaning toward the ASUS Transformer Prime, which won’t be released until Saturday! The specs are crazy. It’s thin and fast with a full complement of ports, quad core processor and high resolution screen hidden behind scratch resistant Gorilla Glass.

There’s an optional keyboard and docking unit. No appeal for me at all.

It’s pricey. $500 puts it near the top end of Android tablets.

There’s still plenty of time to ponder. I’ll let you know when I move into the pre-purchase obsession phase.

Can’t Be Tech. Swype Must Be Magic!

No matter how sloppy my swiping seems to me the program follows it! How is this possible?

A few days ago I wrote about my continuing impressions with my Samsung Galaxy S2 cellphone. Among my peeves was the virtual keyboard. It sucks. Is that enough to the point? And yet tonight I think I’ve found a solution… and it must be magic.

I’ve started using the Swype keyboard. It’s very different. Instead of tapping out the letters one-by-one you swipe your finger from letter-to-letter never lifting it off the screen.

No matter how sloppy my swiping seems to me the program follows it! How is this possible?

Seriously, I have no idea how this can work and work as well as it does. Originally I didn’t want to try it because I didn’t want to be disappointed. I could not have been more wrong.

I’ve demonstrated swyping to a few people at work. They each leave the conversation slack jawed!

I suspect this is an underutilized app because people just know it can’t possibly work.

The New Phone Revisited Again

I like the Android Market and Amazon’s Appstore (something free every day). Compared to Apple’s iTunes Store the Android Market is very much like the Wild West!

Over the past few weeks I’ve been writing about my Samsung Galaxy S2 phone. Bucking the trend I moved from Apple to Android. So far I’m pretty happy, but there are shortcomings.

Though the iPhone virtual keyboard was sometimes tough to wrangle the Android keyboard on this Samsung is worse! I’ve tried nearly everything and am still unhappy. Granted, my phone isn’t ever going to be a major writing tool, but it is used for emails and notes all the time.

This is a major fail. Android users I’ll take any suggestions.

As mentioned earlier I’ve started playing Words with Friends&#185. The Android app from Zynga seems a giant battery/CPU drain. This is true as long as this app is on-screen, even if the screen has timed out and gone black.

Words with Friends has run through 150mb of data so far. For what? Is nothing cached? I’m missing something here. That sounds like an awful lot of up and downloading. Glad to be grandfathered with unlimited data, but still!

I like the Android Market and Amazon’s Appstore (something free every day). Compared to Apple’s iTunes Store the Android Market is very much like the Wild West! Anyone can put an app in no matter what’s in it!

You won’t find reviews like this for the iPhone as I did for an Android app tonight.

DO NOT UPDATE!!! Read everyone’s comments first. Lies in the description & changelog, Dangerous permission change!! Why is it suddenly asking for full network access. There is nothing in the change log which mentions that. This is called ‘bait and switch’ and is a classic conman tactic. There is a changelog for this sort of stuff, by hiding the changes the devs have shown themselves to be untrustworthy.

On the other hand there are a lot of clever apps that Apple would never allow.

There are strategies to keep from being burned with just a minimum of caution. I’m trying my best.

I am still thrilled I got this phone. Nothing’s perfect.

&#185 – Please don’t ask. I’m overloaded already with friends, colleagues and relatives. I like the game, but need a life!

The New Phone Revisited

I want a geeky toy where it’s possible to push the envelope and poke around.

Earlier this month I traded in my iPhone 3Gs for a Samsung Galaxy Sii. I know what you’re thinking. Everyone’s moving to iPhones… not away. I get it. This was the right move for me. So far I see no reason to question my decision.

First things first. For most people the iPhone is a great choice… maybe the best choice in a smartphone. It does nearly everything you’d want and since Apple vertically controls the whole “i” universe everything meshes seamlessly. It just works.

For me that strength is a weakness! I want more than a phone. I want a geeky toy where it’s possible to push the envelope and poke around.

My Samsung runs on the Android operating system. It reveals more of its inner workings and programmers take advantage.

Take GPS for example. In order to lock on and be useful a GPS system has to find orbiting satellites and track them. All that is hidden on the iPhone. All that is revealed on my Samsung.

Is it valuable? Probably not, but it’s interesting to me.

I’ve download a bunch of apps, nearly all free, that perform needed and unneeded tasks. One program monitors my location and the time then adjusts the phone’s ringtone and vibration to match my situation.

It’s quiet if I’m in the studio while our news is on. It’s quiet overnight while I’m asleep. It’s also programmed to turn the sound up if I’m in the car leaving work. It takes advantage of the phone’s ability to know where it is.

I went on EBay and bought a $16 dongle that plugs into my car. It’s an OBD2 adapter that reads all my car’s sensors in realtime and sends them to the Galaxy Sii via Bluetooth. A $5 app running on the phone analyzes the data, displays it and even records it for viewing later.

There’s a function which will record a video of my driving while overlaying my car’s gauges and a properly navigated Google map! Seriously, that’s nuts.

The versatility Android phones give outside developers is well beyond what Apple grants its devs. That’s part of the reason the iPhone has more long term stability than my phone. I’m willing to take that.

I picked up my old iPhone last night. It felt bulky compared to the Samsung. The Galaxy Sii is larger in height and width, but a lot thinner. That thinness is its most obvious physical feature when you grasp it.

Within days of my purchasing the Galaxy Sii Samsung announced a newer phone! It will run a newer version of Andriod (though I would expect that version to be customized for my phone too… after awhile).

You can’t stop and wait for technology! Sometimes you just have to pull the trigger.