Tag: Android

My Impressions On The New Phone

This is the best phone I’ve ever used. How’s that for an open? The Samsung Galaxy S II isn’t without faults (beginning with its clunky name), but it is so pretty and fast that everything else is inconsequential.

This is the best phone I’ve ever used. How’s that for an open? The Samsung Galaxy S II isn’t without faults (beginning with its clunky name), but it is so pretty and fast that everything else is inconsequential.

It’s difficult to describe the screen in words. More blacks. More contrast. That’s the result of SUPER AMOLED technology.

The iPhone has greater resolution. I can’t paper over that. I haven’t yearned for additional screen real estate yet.

Everything is fluid and fast. You touch, it happens. You swipe, it keeps pace with your finger.

There are apps for the iPhone that aren’t available for Android phones like mine. The opposite is true too. The vast majority of what I want to do with a smartphone is already taken care of.

Android exposes more of the inner workings of the phone. For a geek like me it’s fun to see what the GPS is seeing, even if it’s worthless from a practical standpoint. There are lots of other small peepholes into the hardware.

The phone is a little larger than the iPhone. It easily fits in a shirt pocket and rides nicely in my pants pocket. The screen is Gorilla Glass and reasonably impervious to scratching.

When people pick it up that always comment about how light it is. It’s mostly sturdy, though I worry about the back cover over time. It’s very, very thin.

Smart phones suck batteries. I spent $12 and ordered two spares and a charger off eBay. The batteries are small and flat and easily carried.

A large problem with any new technology is you have to make choices before you understand your device. It was my intention to use the phone for a little while then wipe it clean and start again. That way I had a small idea before I downloaded and installed apps permanently.

The factory restore took ten minutes tops. Painless.

I was pleased to see we are served by 4G out here on Mount Carmel. I’ll still stick with WiFi when I’m home.

We have WiFi at work, but it’s very weak at my desk. Unfortunately as soon as you lock onto WiFi the phone disconnects you from the 4G network. That’s the bad news.

The good news is a program called Llama. It allows you to create profiles so your phone acts differently at different times and places. The phone knows to shut its ringer between 4:00 and 5:00 and again from 10:00 to 11:30, but only if I’m at work! It also knows to turn off WiFi at work. That’s a pretty neat trick.

The profiles changes can be triggered by a variety of things including nearby cell towers, GPS location, time of day, etc. That’s one feature Apple didn’t have.

Yesterday I took my friends Peter and Farrell on separate tours of the station using Skype and 4G connectivity. I walked up and down stairs and through the newsroom and studio.

There are tiny things wrong with the phone. I wanted to answer a text message with a video reply. Only the rear camera is enabled for that. Why?

I can’t seem to get Gmail, from the same company that built the operation system for the phone, to push emails to my phone as received. Instead the phone polls Gmail every ten minutes.

The menu structure is often non-intuitive, but there are so many menus because there’s so much you can customize. This complexity unlocks the phone’s power!

Is the Samsung Galaxy S II for everyone? Yes, if you want to play at least a little. If you’re going to use your phone as it came out of the box the iPhone might still be the right choice.

The New Phone In Action

The screen is amazing! The current line of iPhones have higher screen resolution than the Galaxy S ii, but Samsung’s using a SUPER AMOLED display. My phone has much darker blacks meaning more screen contrast and a sharper look.

I am a little boy at heart. I couldn’t wait to get home last night. My new cellphone, a Samsung Galaxy S II, was sitting waiting for me.

I opened the small box from Amazon. There was a smaller box inside. The packaging is still on my kitchen table nearly 20 hours later!

Remember when electronics came with voluminous instruction manuals? I’m showing my age, right? The Galaxy came with minimal detail, though there was a sticker telling me I’d need AT&T’s help in getting it turned on.

I spoke to a young woman in an undisclosed location (“for security reasons”). She was not a confidence builder as she worked her way through the script. The phone didn’t connect to the network right away, but after rebooting it was good to go.

Even in my countrified neighborhood in Northern Hamden there is 4G service with 4.5 mbps down and 1.4 mbps up. That’s a surprise. Not too shabby.

This phone is slightly wide and longer than my iPhone 3Gs. It’s a little thinner too.

I’m going to have to get used to gripping it. The extra few millimeters is noticeable when the phone’s in my hand.

I can’t put my finger on the reason why, but the phone is also a little less comfortable against my ear. I’m going to wait until it’s in a case before I pass judgement.

The screen is amazing! The current line of iPhones have higher screen resolution than the Galaxy S II, but Samsung’s using a SUPER AMOLED display. My phone has much darker blacks meaning more screen contrast and a sharper look.

It is rocket fast! So far there’s nothing I’ve tried that’s been met with noticeable lag.

I downloaded a few apps, made a few phone calls, mistakenly erased my full address book in Gmail and played. I didn’t go to bed until well after 5 AM.

This afternoon I fired up the GPS navigation app and had it take me to work. I’m not sure what I did wrong, but there were no vocal cues. This has to be my error.

The phone has two cameras so I tried it out on Skype and chatted with my friend Peter in Ventnor City, NJ. The quality was good. With my cell connection I took him on a tour of the FoxCT/Hartford Courant Building.

Later my father saw I was on and Skyped with me too.

There’s still a lot to discover, but so far so good. There are more apps to download, more features to discover. It’s a phone and a toy.

I Bought A New Phone And It Doesn’t Start With “i”

Rumor is Apple’s newest iPhone will be announced tomorrow. I will look with interest, but I’m out of the market.

Rumor is Apple’s newest iPhone will be announced tomorrow. I will look with interest, but I’m out of the market. I bought a new phone yesterday and should have it tomorrow. It’s a Samsung Galaxy S 2.

First things first. I bought it online instead of going to the AT&T store. Amazon is selling it $50 cheaper than AT&T, there’s no shipping and… well you know about Amazon and sales tax.

The phone has been available in Europe and Asia for months where it’s received rave reviews. It’s super thin with a high contrast AMOLED screen. There are two cameras (front and rear) and the capability of shooting and viewing high def 1080p video. The Galaxy S 2 is powered by a dual core processor and runs on version 2.3 of Google’s Android operating system.

It’s considered state-of-the-art as attested to by an Los Angeles Times article that’s ostensibly about the rumored iPhone.

The standard right now for high-end smartphones (such as the Droid Bionic and Samsung Galaxy S II) is a dual-core processor, about 1 gigabyte of RAM, at least 16 gigabytes of storage memory and an 8-megapixel rear camera capable of shooting 1080p high-definition video and a better-than-VGA front facing camera.

The Galaxy S 2 doesn’t run Apple’s iOS. Only time will tell if that’s an advantage or disadvantage, but I feel like I’ve been fighting a constant battle against Apple in trying to make my iPhone do things it can do, but Apple doesn’t want it to do.

That’s not to say Samsung/AT&T have taken a laissez faire attitude. They’re just not as diligent as Apple!

I have a better profane analogy I’ll hold for now.

I’m excited about putting this phone through its paces, but I also know it can be returned if need be. I hope I don’t have to.

Kindle Fire: Tempting In An Imperfect World

Like King Gillette and the safety razor Amazon realizes the advantage a loss leader can sometimes bring.

The big news today in geekdom is Amazon’s announcement of the new Kindle Fire. It’s a seven inch tablet computer running on Google’s Android operating system. At the moment Apple is king of the tablet domain, but the Fire has a secret weapon. It costs $199!

The digital landscape is littered with iPad wannabes. Pretty much they’re all failures. Motorola, RIM (aka BlackBerry), HP — no one gets away unscathed.

Anyone who wants a tablet wants the iPad experience. Since Apple fully controls the hardware and software no one else gets a taste.

Amazon has done a few interesting things. Specifically they’ve moved some of the computing from the tablet back to their servers. What’s sent to your Fire will be specially formatted for it. It will be smaller bitewise, meaning it will be faster than the hardware implies.

What I still don’t understand is why there’s no camera or microphone. A tablet is the perfect comms device. Until you’ve videochatted you don’t understand the power unleashed. It’s my understanding this functionality costs around $1 additional at the OEM level. This is probably the deal breaker for me… but $199… we’re approaching stocking stuffer purchase.

There’s no way this thing’s being sold for a profit at $199.

Like King Gillette and the safety razor Amazon realizes the advantage a loss leader can sometimes bring. Every person who owns a Kindle Fire will have instant, easy, favored access to buy things through Amazon. That’s where they’ll make their money.

For the geekiest of you, a little about Kindle Fire’s Silk browser and how it leverages Amazon’s cloud computing expertise.

Hey AT&T. Where’s The Samsung Galaxy S II?

Here’s the problem. All of a sudden AT&T’s mum. They’re saying nothing and neither is Samsung.

Sometime this spring I made a cellphone choice. When it was time to get a new phone I’d get the Samsung Galaxy S II. Released first in Europe and Asia the Galaxy S II was well received.

From BGR.com: The Galaxy S II raises the bar in every way from the first Galaxy S, as it should. But it also takes things one step further and absolutely obliterates every other Android handset on the market in the specifications department. It’s not just fast, it’s the fastest. It’s not just thin, it’s the thinnest

It was announced AT&T, my carrier, would have an S II version of its own. First it was coming late spring, then summer. A rumor last week had it debuting yesterday. Nada!

I just watched a TV commercial for the S II’s Sprint iteration. Swell.

Here’s the problem. All of a sudden AT&T’s mum. They’re saying nothing and neither is Samsung.

I like my iPhone a lot. It’s certainly the best phone I’ve ever owned and, as my secret friend in the San Fernando Valley says, “the best toy ever.” I”m expecting the Galaxy S II to be a little better and since it uses Google’s Android operating system unencumbered by Apple’s draconian vise grip on apps.

I wish I knew what was holding this phone up?

I Guess I’m Not Normal People

Normal people don’t suction-cup their phones to their windshields for navigation.

I have been put in my place by no less than David Pogue in this morning’s New York Times. He was writing about single use devices like cameras and GPS systems and how they match up with all-in-one solutions like cell phones.

Normal people don’t suction-cup their phones to their windshields for navigation.

Either they do or I’m not normal. Please hold your judgement!

Maybe I don’t want to replace my DSLR with my iPhone (though the photo on the left was taken with a Motorola Droid X cellphone and it’s my profile picture on Facebook), but I use the camera all the time. It’s there! My DSLR often is not.

The GPS is among the most valuable features my phone possesses. For under $10 I bought the suction cup Pogue has hoisted me upon. Seriously, I use this thing all-the-time in my car which has no GPS. I use Mapquest4Mobile which is free on my iPhone. Google’s nav software is free on Android phones.

Among the many advantages: I get live traffic info because the GPS is connected to the phone which is connected to the Internet.

Most people don’t suction cup their phones to their windshields. Maybe they should!

Where Is My Tablet?

Nothing against the iPad, but I chafe at the thought of owning another device which needs Steve Jobs’ approval for me to use as I wish.

I want a tablet computer. Please don’t ask why. I’m not sure I can explain why. Must I?

Think of it as an obsession. I’m talking to you shoe lovers!

The whole tablet genre has been around for awhile, but it wasn’t until Apple produced the iPad that anyone really cared.

Sorry Microsoft. Earlier Windows based tablets were pretty much non-starters. That’s gotta sting in Redmond!

As CNBC reported last fall:

Big news for Apple and Apple investors: The iPad is the highest-scoring product that a leading consumer satisfaction index has ever tracked.

It’s just I don’t want an iPad!

Nothing against the iPad, but I chafe at the thought of owning another device which needs Steve Jobs’ approval for me to use as I wish. That’s why I already have a love/hate relationship with my iPhone. It’s the geek in me pushing back.

After the Consumer Electronics Show I expected a boatload of new non-Apple tablets running Android, the Google produced operating system. Over 100 were introduced at the show. Few have appeared.

Motorola is unveiling it’s new Xoom tablet tomorrow. It’s too pricey.

There are tablets from Huawei and eLocity that look promising (though a friend from PCMag.com said of the Huawei, “Looks like another lousy low-end tablet to me.”).

Here’s what I’m looking for:

  • Capacitive touch screen
  • SDHC card slot
  • Front facing camera for video chatting
  • Android operating system
  • Wifi and Bluetooth. Cell connectivity not necessary
  • USB connectivity

I’d like to use a tablet computer with my camera, but at the moment there are no Android apps which recognize the RAW formats my Canon delivers. I expect that itch will soon be scratched. The same goes with apps to play poker online.

When a tablet that fills my needs comes out and costs less than $400 I’ll be ready to buy. It hasn’t happened yet. It will.

What’s taking so long?

It’s A Good Day To Be A Geek

The hackers cleverly bypassed battery monitor which means an overcharged Nook could very well explode! Good hack guys.

If you haven’t been watching closely you’ve missed a few geekily exciting days with new technology announcements. Some of these are pretty substantial and could be the proverbial game changers. It’s all happening… changing so rapidly.

Doesn’t anything happen at human speed anymore?

Google was the main player. First, they redefined their new unreleased operating system Chrome.

Chrome will be aimed at netbooks which should be less expensive and bothersome than current laptops. The whole paradigm of what you install, change or keep on your laptop will be shuffled.

Instant web: Chrome notebooks boot in about 10 seconds and resume from sleep instantly. Your favorite websites load quickly and run smoothly, with full support for the latest web standards and Adobe Flash.

Same experience everywhere: All your apps, documents, and settings are stored safely in the cloud. So even if you lose your computer, you can just log into another Chrome notebook and get right back to work.

Always connected: Integrated Wi-Fi for home and work, and 3G for all the places in between. 100MB of free 3G data every month* on the Verizon Wireless network. Affordable data plans with no commitment required.

Meanwhile while talking up Chrome Google also showed a new tablet computer built by Motorola and based on its Android operating system. There are tablet computers other than the iPod right now, but you’d be hard pressed to name any. I expect an explosion in tablets over the next six months and both Apple and Google will be responsible for most of it.

Speaking of explosions, someone published instructions to hack a Barnes and Noble Color Nook so it could operate as an Andriod tablet! One problem, the hack disturbed part of the battery monitoring circuitry. Every time the Nook would fire up this circuitry would shut it down.

The hackers cleverly bypassed battery monitor which means an overcharged Nook could very well explode! Good hack guys.

I’d REALLY like a tablet computer. What I want doesn’t yet exist. It’s got to be ‘friendly’ with my camera. I’ll wait. No choice.

More news from Google who pushed out a new version of their Chromium web browser. Sweet. This one comes with its own apps store. More importantly the javascript engine has been turbocharged again!

Don’t worry if you don’t know what javascript is. Take my word javascript is the thing that slows your web browser the most! Run Chrome/Chromium as your browser and you’ll immediately feel like you bought a faster computer.

If you are not using Chrome/Chromium as your browser you really should give it a try. It’s free and fast.

Finally yesterday Microsoft announced their soon-to-be released Internet Explorer 9 would have new privacy controls.

Tracking Protection in IE9 puts people in control of what data is being shared as they move around the Web. It does this by enabling consumers to indicate what websites they’d prefer to not exchange information with. Consumers do this by adding Tracking Protection Lists to Internet Explorer. Anyone, and any organization, on the Web can author and publish Tracking Protection Lists. Consumers can install more than one. By default, there are no lists included in IE9, which is consistent with our previous IE releases with respect to privacy.

This is a big deal. Everyone who knows anything about Internet security is demanding more privacy controls. Microsoft is the last player I’d expect to be stepping up for me versus advertisers and marketers.

See what you missed yesterday.

The More Things Change The More Money Talks

If you are not paying for it, you’re not the customer; you’re the product being sold.

There is a quote attributed to Andrew Lewis (who sells t-shirts emblazoned with it):

If you are not paying for it, you’re not the customer; you’re the product being sold.

Keep that in mind. Things are changing in the tech world. They’re probably not changing for your benefit. As products evolve the user is more-and-more the product being delivered to others. You are less lkely to be in control of your digital fate.

The Times had a big article this weekend about HTML5 the new iteration of the language that runs the Worldwide Web.

In the next few years, a powerful new suite of capabilities will become available to Web developers that could give marketers and advertisers access to many more details about computer users’ online activities. Nearly everyone who uses the Internet will face the privacy risks that come with those capabilities, which are an integral part of the Web language that will soon power the Internet: HTML 5.

Marketers and advertisers are paying for access and they’ll call the shots! You are more valuable to them when they’ve probed into things you might consider private.

The same goes with your cellphone. My iPhone is jailbroken which means I’m not limited to installing programs Apple approves of and profits from. Jailbreaking is to my benefit not the benefit of the cell providers or operators of app stores.

A cautionary story circulating this weekend told the tale of T-mobile’s new tact to stop jailbreaking of its Android phones. Basically the phone will ‘cleanse’ itself of unapproved files you’ve loaded at regular intervals.

… when unsuspecting members of the public buy The “T-Mobile G2 with Google” phone at a T-Mobile store, they aren’t getting a customizable mobile computer or phone but are instead getting a device where the hardware itself dramatically limits users’ right to make changes to their computers and install the operating system of their choice.

Some tech sites have taken to calling the G2’s hidden program a ‘rootkit.’ That’s a scare tactic. However, to say this ‘feature’ acts the same way a difficult to cleanse computer virus acts isn’t far off point.

I saw early signs of this trend when I bought this Dell 640m with Windows Vista a few years ago. The ability to record audio that’s being sent to the speakers had been removed. The hardware to do it was still in the laptop (since it does it in its Windows XP version) but the functionality had been stripped from the operating system. This wasn’t done for end users but for content producers who are Microsoft’s more important customers.

If you’re used to surfing to anything on the Internet or fast forwarding your DVR through commercials be prepared to see those features fade! You’re benefitting to the detriment of those who really pay the freight.

The digital golden age might already be over.

I Want A Pad

The iPad is beautiful but it’s under Apple’s evil grasp. What you can or cannot do with an iPad depends on Steve Jobs’ mood on any given day. There’s a lot Steve and I disagree on!

I want a pad.

Uh oh.

Helaine, don’t worry it doesn’t exist yet.

The iPad is beautiful but it’s under Apple’s evil grasp. What you can or cannot do with an iPad depends on Steve Jobs’ mood on any given day. There’s a lot Steve and I disagree on! That’s OK on a phone, but a deal breaker on a pad.

I want a pad that’s an email/surfing machine I can take on the road. It also has to help with photography. The iPad does not.

I’d like to be able to view and do simple editing on my RAW photo files for emailing and the blog. There’s no need at the moment for Photoshop and other ‘heavy lifting’ tools.

I really don’t care about cell connectivity right now. WiFi will most likely be fine.

Today cheap pads have resistive screens. I’d like capacitive for multitouch (like iPhone pinching).

I’d rather not use Windows. I can’t tell you exactly why. I expect Android will be the go-to operating system for pads.

This type of pad should be out before the end of the year and under $300. At least that’s what I think.

I Love/Hate My iPhone.

Contempt toward me and my fellow iPhoners gushes from Cupertino. They are concerned about me the same way my 20 minute on-hold-call is important to my bank!

The little counter that ticks off call time on my iPhone says I’ve racked up 6 days, 20 hours since early October! That’s a lot, isn’t it?

There’s no comparable counter for Internet use. It would surely be a much larger number!

This iPhone of mine has changed my life. It is more than I’d hoped for. There are so many ways it’s useful.

For the first time in my life I’m really keeping a calendar–really! It’s so easy to do it would be stupid not to. It syncs with Google’s calendar magically.

I am watching the Phillies most nights as I work at my desk. The Phillies games stream right to the phone. The quality is great, though a few years from now my opinion of great will surely change.

It is my book, my magazine, my newspaper. It is NPR in the car when the show I want is on a station with ratty reception. When needed it’s also my GPS.

Facebook and Twitter, though easily accessible on the phone are still mainly relegated to more traditional computers. Not so email which is often read and quickly answered right on its slab screen. The phrase “Sent from my iPhone” is really a euphemism for “message will be short, curt, poorly formatted.”

Dozens of the photos used to illustrate blog entries were shot on the iPhone. Under the right circumstances it can produce decent photography. That being said, good shots take work on this camera.

The iPhone has been my platform of choice recently for video. I’ve shot and edited little web stories on the iPhone. Crazy.

And yet with all I love about the iPhone there is so much I hate… starting with Apple and Steve Jobs. Contempt toward me and my fellow iPhoners gushes from Cupertino. It is only matched by Apple’s greed. They are concerned about me the same way my 20 minute on-hold-call is important to my bank!

Early on I called Apple “the controlling psychotic girlfriend of computing.” My mind hasn’t changed where that’s concerned. Seeing what’s gone on with Mark Fiore’s cartoons and Adobe Flash have only reinforced this opinion.

There is so much the iPhone can and should do, but won’t because it doesn’t seem to be in Steve Jobs’ best interest. So many parts of the system are walled off from each other. That reduces functionality. I want enhancements, not reductions.

In order to really take advantage of the iPhone you need to ‘jailbreak’ it. That frees the phone from many Apple imposed restrictions. It also voids the warranty if you’re caught.

There’s a rumor on the geek sites tonight Apple might be violating federal law with their warranty policies. A warranty can only be voided if your action might hurt the purchased item. Since Apple’s own software can be easily restored it should be a no harm, no foul situation.

There’s also the problem of power. If you own an iPhone you own auxiliary power sources. You have to. All the good things the iPhone does eat power!

There are power cables and wall warts stashed away at work and in my office at home. In the car there’s a plug for the cigarette lighter. I even bought a battery so the phone can be charged away from wall power.

If I had it to do over today I’d seriously consider one of the Android phones instead of my iPhone. I like the idea of an open source operating system and somewhat less draconian rules on what I can do with an item I own.

Don’t get me wrong, the iPhone not only is the best phone I’ve ever had, it’s the best toy ever! I don’t regret buying it. I’d just like an alternative when my contract’s up.

The iPhone is often too compelling for its own good. Helaine has reached for it threatening to throw it out, or at the very least introduce it to water! My fault, not hers. It’s tough to put down.

I coddle this phone like no piece of electronics I’ve ever owned before. It’s currently next to me nestled in a rubberized skin with a plastic screen protecting its glass screen. There is not a scratch on it.

A few days ago as a pajama wearing me walked to the bathroom Helaine said, “It’s in your pocket, isn’t it?”

Maybe an intervention is in order?

Now My Phone’s My GPS

Where is Google in all this? You’d think enough time has passed that they can give up the Android platform exclusivity on their turn-by-turn product.

I’m an iPhone user. When the Android based “Droid” phone first came out I was upset. Both the iPhone and Droid have Google Maps built-in, but the Droid raised the stakes with turn-by-turn directions. That added “GPS killer” to the list of free Droid features!

Now the iPhone is in the game with free turn-by-turn directions from MapQuest. I downloaded the MapQuest4Mobile app tonight and used it to navigate home… over the same route I’ve driven every night for the past twenty years.

The good news is the route was correct. After a little playing the sound was loud enough to hear (loudness is not a native iPhone trait).

The bad news is compared to a modern GPS the screen is small. The maps are flat and two dimensional, not the 3D maps normally seen in this type of scenario. 3D maps make a difference because details in the foreground appear larger with more detail while items in the distance you don’t have to deal with for a while are smaller.

Usually the MapQuest app will give you two warnings before telling to to “turn right now!” If you’re on a road a very short distance than can be one or no warnings!

Because the GPS works best when you see the screen and because this app is constantly sucking down data it’s a battery killer. Of course any iPhone user worth his salt has stowed away charging cables in all the places the phone is used. At least I have.

This is not a handheld app. As soon as I got home I ordered a $3.99 suction mount (which I’ll also use for watching movies while traveling). Once it’s mounted on he windshield (and plugged into the lighter) the MapQuest equipped iPhone should work perfectly as a GPS replacement.

MapQuest has a paid app for GPS routing too. It adds the 3D maps I mentioned plus rerouting around traffic. I’d buy but I suspect those features will be available for free soon too.

Where is Google in all this? You’d think enough time has passed by now that they can give up the Android platform exclusivity on their turn-by-turn product.

Apple And HTC: Let The Suits Begin

By keeping programs like Dragon Dictation separated from other functions Apple has made a powerful feature nearly worthless. I love the app. I never use it!

apple-iphone-3g.jpgAs a geek these are exciting times. Smart phones like the iPhone, Androids and Microsoft’s still-to-be-seen efforts are putting major computing in your pocket. They’re powerful enough that I’ve sometimes been guilty of disregarding my dinner companions as I work the phone (actually everything but the phone).

Of course nothing like this happens in a vacuum. Everyone tries to protect their territory. There’s so much my iPhone can do, if only Steve Jobs would say yes!

Seriously, my phone is purposely crippled in many ways.

An example is the Dragon Dictation app. It does an amazing job of translating spoken words to text. Unfortunately Apple says it can’t speak directly to the email or SMS programs. In order to use DD you have to cut and paste.

Though approved by Apple this applet is hidden from the iPhone’s most powerful features. It’s not that the software can’t perform this task, it’s been prohibited from performing it!

By keeping programs like Dragon Dictation separated from other functions Apple has made a powerful feature nearly worthless. I love the app. I never use it!

This is totally Apple’s choice. They could let it happen tomorrow and I’m sure Dragon would have the updated software waiting.
This is just one in a series of arbitrary or puzzling decisions.

Some friends say I should just ‘jailbreak’ the phone–remove Apple’s grip with a simple unauthorized software download. Good idea, though jailbreaking alone will not make this particular software work as it should.

Maybe I own the iPhone, but only under a strict license which says what I can and can’t do, what I can and can’t load into it. It’s as if your Ford was only allowed to use Ford gasoline and could only be repaired with Ford parts. Maybe you should only be able to chill GE water in your GE refrigerator.

Don’t get me wrong, this phone is killer. I love it. I am frustrated though because I can see what is being done to keep Apple as gatekeeper.

Now Apple is reaching out to keep competitors from competing. Yesterday they sued HTC, who makes smartphones under their own name and for others. This has to do with HTC’s phone that use Google’s Android operating system.

“We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.” – Steve Jobs

Apple is enforcing its software patents. That itself is pretty controversial as software patents are a recent ‘innovation’ seemingly granted broadly and with little scrutiny. A software patent case is on its way to the Supreme Court right now.
Though companies with these patents say they are (and probably are) just protecting their investments in research and development, others say patents on software limit innovation.

It’s interesting to hear organizations perceived as liberal, like the Electronic Freedom Foundation use concepts normally reserved for the right.

Software innovation happens without government intervention. Virtually all of the technologies you use now were developed before software was widely viewed as patentable. The Web, email, your word processor and spreadsheet program, instant messaging, or even more technical features like the psychoacoustic encoding and Huffman compression underlying the MP3 standard—all of it was originally developed by enthusiastic programmers, many of whom have formed successful business around such software, none of whom asked the government for a monopoly. So if software authors have a proven track-record of innovation without patents, why force them to use patents? What is the gain from billions of dollars in patent litigation? – http://endsoftpatents.org/

None of this seems to be happening for our (my) benefit.

It’s The Best Toy Ever

The iPhone is transformational technology. It will change your life.

apple-iphone-3g.jpg“It’s the best toy ever,” was what my secretive friend in the San Fernando Valley said right after he got his iPhone. He kept saying it and saying it and saying it until I too broke down. You know what? He was right.

I complained originally about the keyboard and inconsistencies regarding when or which apps allow you to turn the screen to the landscape position. Still true. Horrendous battery life. Also true. I have chargers or cables at home, work and in the car.

The iPhone is transformational technology. It will change your life.

More than likely what I’m saying also applies to the new phones running the Android operating system, like the Droid and the soon to be unveiled (but already widely seen) phone from Google itself!

If you just count hours I used the iPhone more when I first got it . Now I go for value and utility. I answer email and check Facebook and Twitter. I don’t update my blog with it… well I did once and it wasn’t fun!

I have added apps. I’ve added enough that every once in a while I clean things out and reclaim a little space.

I have been blown away by some of these little programs like the amazing ReelDirector video editor. That was $4.99 well spent! Everyone is astounded I can shoot and edit video in the phone and the quality is very good.

Tonight my friend Bob showed me Glympse, which will allow a friend to track you for a set period of time. If I was driving to your house I’d send a private url which would allow you to track me and know when I’d be there.

Sometimes I use the iPhone instead of my car radio to listen to shows on NPR. I flew cross country using it to watch movies. I keep France24, a 24-hour English language all-news TV network from France, as my live TV demo–though I seldom actually watch it otherwise.

Yes, it’s a phone. It’s also a computer which leverages special hardware, like a GPS receiver, compass, accelerometer and touch screen. That makes it a computer that knows exactly where it is and what’s nearby.

Every time a new app arrives the phone does a little more. That’s not going away any time soon.

Apple is a little controlling. I wish I could see a little more of the inner digital workings.

I’m sure my California friend is reading this and taking some satisfaction that he ‘made the sale.’

In One Fell Swoop Google Makes GPS Units Obsolete!

Probably not a good day to own Tom Tom, Garmin or Magellan stock.

Verizon has been showing off its new Android based cellphone, “Droid.” Today came word it ships with turn-by-turn GPS navigation. If you buy the phone this functionality is FREE!

In other words, that GPS you have built into your dashboard or mounted-by-suction on your window–obsolete!

Google Maps Navigation is an internet-connected GPS navigation system with voice guidance. It is part of Google Maps for mobile and is available for phones with Android 2.0.

Google Maps Navigation uses your phone’s internet connection to give you the latest maps and business data.

Probably not a good day to own Tom Tom, Garmin or Magellan stock.

Word is this will be coming soon (possibly not quite as fully featured) to my iPhone. Apple and AT&T can’t afford not to.

Has there ever been a moment in history when so many game changing/industry changing events have come so quickly.