My mother, an artist, papered one wall of our cottage in Vermont with contiguous US geodetic topological survey maps from the early 20th century. The entire NorthEast Kingdom is captured in a panel of 6 x 6 maps. I believe that they are or were done every 50 years.
That set was done in brown and sepia tones and are still the most beautiful maps we own. Later ones are green and brown. Functional and pleasant but not compelling.
In addition to beauty, those maps capture a certain snapshot in time as they also show roads, railroads, and buildings.
At that time, my father's family was heavily involved in the granite business and were the founders and principal owners of the Woodbury Granite Company, the largest provider of structural (building) granite in the world (Pennsylvania State Capitol Building, Union Station in DC, and many more).
Using the Woodbury section of that wall map, I can - to this day - find hidden roads, old cellar holes of office and dormitory buildings, the railroad lines, and more. The quarries and the surrounding infrastructure melted away once re-enforced steel muscled granite of the building business and this area was largely abandoned. Consequently, those details have disappeared or become muted more recent maps.
Why my mother - whose family is also from the same area - took on all this as a project based on her in-laws is hard to reconstruct, but it triggered a life-long fascination and with maps and the thrill of hidden discovery. I'm never happier than sitting in the navigator's seat, driving with a detailed area map in my lap.
The arrival of basic street maps on the internet in the early 90's was a revelation. Since then the advances have been dramatic, although still don't allow me the history function that I treasure from those maps on the wall.
Happily most smart phones provide some type of mapping and GPS navigation capabilities, and on platform such as the iPhone / iPod and the Android there are an abundance of apps that leverage these technologies and services to make this general area one of the most compelling and delightful reasons to own one of these devices.
Next: Details
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Eyes-Free Integration
Before going into GPS, I wanted to remember to call out some terrific work being done at Google called eyes-free. Some of this technology has made its way onto the Android platform. My friend, Loretta, who works at Google pointed out this work to me.
These are not just features for the sight impaired and are broader than just things like voice recognition and search. They also allow easier navigation and access touch as "touch" dialing.
Follow links after searching for eyes-free. There are some great videos on UTube. You can also download the eyes-free shell.
These are not just features for the sight impaired and are broader than just things like voice recognition and search. They also allow easier navigation and access touch as "touch" dialing.
Follow links after searching for eyes-free. There are some great videos on UTube. You can also download the eyes-free shell.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Missing in Action: Kindle & WebEx
As a reward for finishing my taxes (and as a consolation for having a cold), I finally paid for something. Namely a Kindle book: The Girl Who Started A Fire, by Stieg Larssen.
I was very apprehensive that the small screen would be satisfying as a reading experience and I did try some free content first. But my friend, Peter does a lot of reading using Kindle on his iPod and convinced me to really dive in.
I have to say that I am really, really enjoying this on my iPod. To be fair, it helps to be reading something that I really enjoy. In addition, there is an Kindle application for my Mac and Whispersync allows me to "bookmark" where I am reading at the moment and then pick up there the next time, including on the other device.
There is no Kindle reader for my DROID. There are various ebook apps but it appears that Kindle books are significantly less expensive to purchase and download, at least for the titles I was looking for.
There are a few things about the Kindle experience that are not optimal, particularly on the small screen. For example, in this book Larssen introduces a number of characters and tends refer to them by their last names. I need to scroll back - sometimes quite a distance - to recall whom he is referring to. This is a total pain on the iPod, rather easier on the Mac, and much easier using a real book.
And I think I'd miss the ability to share books with my friends. Amazon allows you to have multiple kindles for your account (up to 7 or so) but you can only share with those. There are ways to finesse this. You can deregister your Kindle or Kindle app, then register it in a friend's Kindle / Amazon account (or have them do it for you), download the content, then de-register from there and re-register again. I'm not entirely sure that this is legal, btw.
The next time I fly across the country, I will definitely plan to load up a couple of books, free or otherwise.
WebEx is a bit more practical. I work for Cisco as a consultant. Cisco now owns WebEx and we use WebEx extensively. There is a WebEx app for the iPhone and I have downloaded it to the iPod, but haven't tried it yet because I haven't wrapped my mind around the phone aspect yet.
I could have WebEx call a number and that number could be another phone (but that would be besides the point) or perhaps I could have it call my Skype Out Pro number or maybe a Google Voice number if I ever get around to setting that up properly.
But I would prefer to just have it on the DROID.
Upcoming: Finally some of the things I really love: all things maps and GPS-related, Eyes Free (Voice Integration)
I was very apprehensive that the small screen would be satisfying as a reading experience and I did try some free content first. But my friend, Peter does a lot of reading using Kindle on his iPod and convinced me to really dive in.
I have to say that I am really, really enjoying this on my iPod. To be fair, it helps to be reading something that I really enjoy. In addition, there is an Kindle application for my Mac and Whispersync allows me to "bookmark" where I am reading at the moment and then pick up there the next time, including on the other device.
There is no Kindle reader for my DROID. There are various ebook apps but it appears that Kindle books are significantly less expensive to purchase and download, at least for the titles I was looking for.
There are a few things about the Kindle experience that are not optimal, particularly on the small screen. For example, in this book Larssen introduces a number of characters and tends refer to them by their last names. I need to scroll back - sometimes quite a distance - to recall whom he is referring to. This is a total pain on the iPod, rather easier on the Mac, and much easier using a real book.
And I think I'd miss the ability to share books with my friends. Amazon allows you to have multiple kindles for your account (up to 7 or so) but you can only share with those. There are ways to finesse this. You can deregister your Kindle or Kindle app, then register it in a friend's Kindle / Amazon account (or have them do it for you), download the content, then de-register from there and re-register again. I'm not entirely sure that this is legal, btw.
The next time I fly across the country, I will definitely plan to load up a couple of books, free or otherwise.
WebEx is a bit more practical. I work for Cisco as a consultant. Cisco now owns WebEx and we use WebEx extensively. There is a WebEx app for the iPhone and I have downloaded it to the iPod, but haven't tried it yet because I haven't wrapped my mind around the phone aspect yet.
I could have WebEx call a number and that number could be another phone (but that would be besides the point) or perhaps I could have it call my Skype Out Pro number or maybe a Google Voice number if I ever get around to setting that up properly.
But I would prefer to just have it on the DROID.
Upcoming: Finally some of the things I really love: all things maps and GPS-related, Eyes Free (Voice Integration)
Monday, March 15, 2010
Bumping
My friend and wonderful massage therapist, Karen, invited me to celebrate her SO Franklin's birthday.
Franklin is an MD specializing in pain management so there were a bunch of MD types and other health related people with iPhones there.
I introduced them to Bump, which is also on the DROID.
Bump takes advantage of the accelerometers in each to detect when phones have been tapped together and then exchanges contact information.
Worth checking out and it turns out to be a great party ice breaker!
Franklin is an MD specializing in pain management so there were a bunch of MD types and other health related people with iPhones there.
I introduced them to Bump, which is also on the DROID.
Bump takes advantage of the accelerometers in each to detect when phones have been tapped together and then exchanges contact information.
Worth checking out and it turns out to be a great party ice breaker!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Second Hand
Like many people, I am the proud owner of a very bad back. I stretch every single %()@ day for a minimum of 30 minutes.
As anyone who knows about stretching will tell you, it is important to hold each stretch for a minimum of 30 seconds. It's interesting that after at least 10 years of stretching, I still almost always want to stop at 20 seconds unless I have a clock to keep me honest.
But the problem is: I don't have any clocks with second hands. I do have a couple of small watches, but they are not large enough when I am stretched out on the floor.
Then I had the bright idea of finding a clock or timer for either my iPod or the DROID.
Once I started looking into this, I realized I really wanted an "analog" clock with a round dial and a sweeping second hand. This was a reminder of how differently our brain processes information.
Looking at a digital clock with a timer or a seconds counter, I realized that those required too much interaction or at the very least a basic "thinking" function for math. Not that it is hard - you either add or subtract 30. But looking at a second hand requires no real computation and yet is understood very passively.
(Years ago when I was managing an imaging group in SunSoft, one of the engineers explained to me that the finest instrument for detecting changes from one image to another was the human eye and that imaging science aspired to that standard.)
I have yet to find a FREE (critical) clock for the DROID that provides a second hand. Very disappointing. On the other hand, I have found a very, very simple clock for the iPod /iPhone which also - btw - came with a nice little clear plastic propping unit along with the Red (my favorite color) protective shell.
This is called RYClock. Very nice.
Next: More applications I miss on both platforms.
As anyone who knows about stretching will tell you, it is important to hold each stretch for a minimum of 30 seconds. It's interesting that after at least 10 years of stretching, I still almost always want to stop at 20 seconds unless I have a clock to keep me honest.
But the problem is: I don't have any clocks with second hands. I do have a couple of small watches, but they are not large enough when I am stretched out on the floor.
Then I had the bright idea of finding a clock or timer for either my iPod or the DROID.
Once I started looking into this, I realized I really wanted an "analog" clock with a round dial and a sweeping second hand. This was a reminder of how differently our brain processes information.
Looking at a digital clock with a timer or a seconds counter, I realized that those required too much interaction or at the very least a basic "thinking" function for math. Not that it is hard - you either add or subtract 30. But looking at a second hand requires no real computation and yet is understood very passively.
(Years ago when I was managing an imaging group in SunSoft, one of the engineers explained to me that the finest instrument for detecting changes from one image to another was the human eye and that imaging science aspired to that standard.)
I have yet to find a FREE (critical) clock for the DROID that provides a second hand. Very disappointing. On the other hand, I have found a very, very simple clock for the iPod /iPhone which also - btw - came with a nice little clear plastic propping unit along with the Red (my favorite color) protective shell.
This is called RYClock. Very nice.
Next: More applications I miss on both platforms.
Friday, March 12, 2010
SunSoft: The B Team
Right about the time I joined Windows Engineering at Sun, the SDF was introduced.
Sun had recently released it's first version of Solaris (as opposed to SunOS) and things hadn't gone particularly well. It was big, buggy, and slow. Rob Gingell explained this (paraphrasing), "We hired a couple of thousand engineers and guess what? They all wrote code!"
So Rob had taken a detour from being a God in engineering to lead a team to set up some way of herding the cats to deliver a Product Life Cycle type of process, and that ended up being the Software Development Framework. This probably cost Rob a couple of points on the deity scale with the engineers, but he could afford to drop a few for the benefit of figuring out how to deliver Solaris.
This was not fun for organizations that had been used to calling their own shots and the initial steps were daunting and frustrating. Actually, that never stopped but we got used to it and the processes continued to evolve.
One of the characteristics of the SDF was that everything was organized by Teams. W Team, C Team, E Team. Actually I can't even remember what all the teams were at this point, but it did seem that every letter of the alphabet had been co-opted into service of the SDF.
But one letter did remain.
Milind Pansare stuck his head into my office one day, probably in the fall of 1992 or spring of 1993. He announced that I should come to a B Team meeting right away in the break room.
I happily trotted along and found that a handful of the engineers had gone out and bought 2 or 3 six packs. B stood for Beer and that promptly became the code word for our own mini beer bust (the big official ones having been recently banned).
Before long, more people joined in and B conveniently became Beverage as not everyone drank alcohol.
Sooner or later, this reached the ears of Real Management (not just the likes of me). Our Senior Director and then VP, Paula Sager was a good sport. B Team became a monthly event for the entire group. We all had to contribute a penny for the beer to prove that we weren't coerced into drinking. It lost a bit of the spontaneity and evil thrill but Paula did pick up the tab and provided alternative options like ice cream sundaes. This continued for a long time, even after I left for IT almost 6 years later and Milind and so many others had pushed on as well.
Once in those early days of grappling with the SDF and getting used to the group, I attended a team meeting led by Steve MacCay, our VP at the time.
Steve had the unenviable task of addressing the growing (or contraction) pains of SDF and making us enthusiastic about it.
Steve was a typical introverted nerd. I think he had gotten a Ph.D in something like studying the asexual reproduction of bacteria.
Nevertheless, Steve did have some oil in the crank case and he did deliver a couple of very pithy observations from time to time, many of which I remember. In this case, he said that when he was asked why he was working on this Solaris stuff and his answer was, "Because it's hard."
He then went on to explain that some things simply do not scale as they grow. Software engineering is one of those. What works when you're a small, nimble startup just doesn't hang together with thousands of engineers delivering code. There were no easy answers and that was one of the intriguing things.
Steven didn't make this concept up, of course, and I have no idea how enthusiastically he believed this, but this lecture made a big impression on me and helped guide my thinking about a long list of projects and environments I've had to deal with over the years.
Sun had recently released it's first version of Solaris (as opposed to SunOS) and things hadn't gone particularly well. It was big, buggy, and slow. Rob Gingell explained this (paraphrasing), "We hired a couple of thousand engineers and guess what? They all wrote code!"
So Rob had taken a detour from being a God in engineering to lead a team to set up some way of herding the cats to deliver a Product Life Cycle type of process, and that ended up being the Software Development Framework. This probably cost Rob a couple of points on the deity scale with the engineers, but he could afford to drop a few for the benefit of figuring out how to deliver Solaris.
This was not fun for organizations that had been used to calling their own shots and the initial steps were daunting and frustrating. Actually, that never stopped but we got used to it and the processes continued to evolve.
One of the characteristics of the SDF was that everything was organized by Teams. W Team, C Team, E Team. Actually I can't even remember what all the teams were at this point, but it did seem that every letter of the alphabet had been co-opted into service of the SDF.
But one letter did remain.
Milind Pansare stuck his head into my office one day, probably in the fall of 1992 or spring of 1993. He announced that I should come to a B Team meeting right away in the break room.
I happily trotted along and found that a handful of the engineers had gone out and bought 2 or 3 six packs. B stood for Beer and that promptly became the code word for our own mini beer bust (the big official ones having been recently banned).
Before long, more people joined in and B conveniently became Beverage as not everyone drank alcohol.
Sooner or later, this reached the ears of Real Management (not just the likes of me). Our Senior Director and then VP, Paula Sager was a good sport. B Team became a monthly event for the entire group. We all had to contribute a penny for the beer to prove that we weren't coerced into drinking. It lost a bit of the spontaneity and evil thrill but Paula did pick up the tab and provided alternative options like ice cream sundaes. This continued for a long time, even after I left for IT almost 6 years later and Milind and so many others had pushed on as well.
Once in those early days of grappling with the SDF and getting used to the group, I attended a team meeting led by Steve MacCay, our VP at the time.
Steve had the unenviable task of addressing the growing (or contraction) pains of SDF and making us enthusiastic about it.
Steve was a typical introverted nerd. I think he had gotten a Ph.D in something like studying the asexual reproduction of bacteria.
Nevertheless, Steve did have some oil in the crank case and he did deliver a couple of very pithy observations from time to time, many of which I remember. In this case, he said that when he was asked why he was working on this Solaris stuff and his answer was, "Because it's hard."
He then went on to explain that some things simply do not scale as they grow. Software engineering is one of those. What works when you're a small, nimble startup just doesn't hang together with thousands of engineers delivering code. There were no easy answers and that was one of the intriguing things.
Steven didn't make this concept up, of course, and I have no idea how enthusiastically he believed this, but this lecture made a big impression on me and helped guide my thinking about a long list of projects and environments I've had to deal with over the years.
When to iPad
Apple has sent out emails to pre-order the iPad.
Despite the terrible name, I do want an iPad. Which one? With or without 3G? How much storage?
I may hold off just a bit.
Despite the terrible name, I do want an iPad. Which one? With or without 3G? How much storage?
I may hold off just a bit.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Form Follows Function
Ignoring specific apps for a moment, here are a few highlights of similarities and differences between my DROID and my iPod Touch.
1. Bluetooth
I might as well start with a pet peeve. Bluetooth is frustrating enough to being with. On the DROID I find I'm connecting promiscuously to every device in range EXCEPT for my headset(s). The iPod Touch doesn't want to connect to anything at all.
Part of this is a beef with Bluetooth on other devices. For example, my old Plantronic headset connects instantly and easily to the DROID for the most part. The newer Jawbone needs to be put into pairing mode by manually putting it into pairing mode (despite what the documentation says).
The problem with the iPod Touch is that it will only connect to advanced Bluetooth audio devices without microphones and will not connect to ones using the Hands Free protocol. This means that to use it with Skype I have to use a plug in headset and mic. I wish Apple wouldn't make so many decisions for me.
BTW, iPhone can use regular hands free headsets.
2. Supplemental Gadgets
I suppose it's not fair to put this second in line, but there is no doubt that the iPod / iPhone wins hands down on this one. Some of this is just time. Still, I go to Frys and find a whole aisle of iPod / iPhone related speakers and protectors and cases and anything you could think of.
The DROID has a little section over by the telephones. I found two accessories: a GPS / Voice Navigation mount for the car and a sort of charger that turn the DROID into a large clock with weather, music, pictures, and alarms.
The car mount is a great success. The clock thingy is incredibly limited. Even the alarm times are pre-set to fixed hours to go off. Useless. I took it to my office so that I can monitor weather, listen to music and see a big clock.
The snap on covers / protectors for the DROID come in 3 colors: pink, blue, and clear. My favorite color is red. I ordered clear.
The iPod and iPhone have colors and patterns galore. For Christmas, my niece gave me a red cover for the iPod Touch that also comes with a little stand that is surprisingly useful. Every time I start having critical thoughts about the iPod, I look over and smile.
2. Screen size
The DROID has a higher resolution but the iPod Touch is a bit larger and also does have better overall design and look to apps and icons.
3. Keyboard
The iPod Touch (and the iPhone) only have an on-screen pop-up keyboard. Versions of Android differ. For the Motorola DROID, there is also on on-screen keyboard and also a slide-out keyboard. Initially I thought this would be a big plus factor and it is in some cases, but not as much as I had thought, mostly because I don't send much in the way of email from these devices, so most text requirements are light.
4. Touch pad
Equivalent. There are even some applications like Google maps that now recognize the Apple "pinch" for zoom functions. Some applications on the iPod will also provide a magnification "bubble" if you press and hold your finger over an area of text. Not usually critical but a very nice feature.
5. Accelerometers, etc.
Included on both, this is a feature that I adore. Accelerometers allow the device to know whether you are tilting, rotating, waving, or otherwise moving it around. This provides some very basic features like switching from portrait to landscape viewing (often inadvertently) for applications. But it also provides the basis for a number of the coolest applications, many of which are available for both. More on this type later, but a few quick examples are Bump (bump to exchange contacts), Labyrinth, and more.
In general, aside from the basics (phone, email, calendar, contacts....) the applications I enjoy the most are ones that are truly made for this device. Form follows function. Games and whatnot that I am willing to play on my laptop are generally strict translations and not very compelling. But the ones that are platform specific are often great.
6. Connectors
OK, so why is it that everyone thinks they need their own special, unique plug? Don't answer. I think I know why for Apple. They are all about locking in and control. For the DROID, I need to use a micro USB connector. This is a standard-ish connector for USB, but not as common as the mini. I'm sure Motorola had their reasons but it does look gratuitous.
7. Camera
The DROID has a 5 MP camera and it does do a great job. The iPod Touch doesn't have a camera but the latest version of the iPhone is somewhat lower at 3 MP. I haven't had a chance to check quality aside from that.
8. Sound and Voice
The quality of my Motorola DROID is significantly better than my Motorola Q, both on Verizon, when it comes to calls. I also get good coverage and have never dropped a call. Everyone complains about the iPhone. That being said, I don't see how people can live without a landline or high quality VoIP for doing real business. The quality of cell calls is still atrocious under the best of circumstances.
On the other hand, it is telling that listening to music and other sound features on both units is really delightful. I am not a sound weeny, so I am less qualified to judge, but both are really terrific to my ears. And - getting ahead of myself - Pandora is a wonderful, wonderful app (available on both).
9. Controls
The iPod (and iPhone) have only one button which is for on/off and getting back to the main screen. Along the bottom of the screen there are a set of permanent app icons.
The DROID has a row of soft keys across the base of the phone for Last, Settings, Home, and Search. I like these but my fingers are always drifting over one of those when I don't want to. This can be very disruptive. Unlike the ones on the iPod, the ones on the DROID are very close to the edge so that it is easy to hit by mistake, plus the ones on the iPod are not as disruptive.
10. GPS
This is the last for the moment but another one that is dear to my heart and I'll dedicate a whole posting (or more) to GPS with both fun and practical things to do with it soon.
I'm sure I've overlooked more features but those will out eventually.
1. Bluetooth
I might as well start with a pet peeve. Bluetooth is frustrating enough to being with. On the DROID I find I'm connecting promiscuously to every device in range EXCEPT for my headset(s). The iPod Touch doesn't want to connect to anything at all.
Part of this is a beef with Bluetooth on other devices. For example, my old Plantronic headset connects instantly and easily to the DROID for the most part. The newer Jawbone needs to be put into pairing mode by manually putting it into pairing mode (despite what the documentation says).
The problem with the iPod Touch is that it will only connect to advanced Bluetooth audio devices without microphones and will not connect to ones using the Hands Free protocol. This means that to use it with Skype I have to use a plug in headset and mic. I wish Apple wouldn't make so many decisions for me.
BTW, iPhone can use regular hands free headsets.
2. Supplemental Gadgets
I suppose it's not fair to put this second in line, but there is no doubt that the iPod / iPhone wins hands down on this one. Some of this is just time. Still, I go to Frys and find a whole aisle of iPod / iPhone related speakers and protectors and cases and anything you could think of.
The DROID has a little section over by the telephones. I found two accessories: a GPS / Voice Navigation mount for the car and a sort of charger that turn the DROID into a large clock with weather, music, pictures, and alarms.
The car mount is a great success. The clock thingy is incredibly limited. Even the alarm times are pre-set to fixed hours to go off. Useless. I took it to my office so that I can monitor weather, listen to music and see a big clock.
The snap on covers / protectors for the DROID come in 3 colors: pink, blue, and clear. My favorite color is red. I ordered clear.
The iPod and iPhone have colors and patterns galore. For Christmas, my niece gave me a red cover for the iPod Touch that also comes with a little stand that is surprisingly useful. Every time I start having critical thoughts about the iPod, I look over and smile.
2. Screen size
The DROID has a higher resolution but the iPod Touch is a bit larger and also does have better overall design and look to apps and icons.
3. Keyboard
The iPod Touch (and the iPhone) only have an on-screen pop-up keyboard. Versions of Android differ. For the Motorola DROID, there is also on on-screen keyboard and also a slide-out keyboard. Initially I thought this would be a big plus factor and it is in some cases, but not as much as I had thought, mostly because I don't send much in the way of email from these devices, so most text requirements are light.
4. Touch pad
Equivalent. There are even some applications like Google maps that now recognize the Apple "pinch" for zoom functions. Some applications on the iPod will also provide a magnification "bubble" if you press and hold your finger over an area of text. Not usually critical but a very nice feature.
5. Accelerometers, etc.
Included on both, this is a feature that I adore. Accelerometers allow the device to know whether you are tilting, rotating, waving, or otherwise moving it around. This provides some very basic features like switching from portrait to landscape viewing (often inadvertently) for applications. But it also provides the basis for a number of the coolest applications, many of which are available for both. More on this type later, but a few quick examples are Bump (bump to exchange contacts), Labyrinth, and more.
In general, aside from the basics (phone, email, calendar, contacts....) the applications I enjoy the most are ones that are truly made for this device. Form follows function. Games and whatnot that I am willing to play on my laptop are generally strict translations and not very compelling. But the ones that are platform specific are often great.
6. Connectors
OK, so why is it that everyone thinks they need their own special, unique plug? Don't answer. I think I know why for Apple. They are all about locking in and control. For the DROID, I need to use a micro USB connector. This is a standard-ish connector for USB, but not as common as the mini. I'm sure Motorola had their reasons but it does look gratuitous.
7. Camera
The DROID has a 5 MP camera and it does do a great job. The iPod Touch doesn't have a camera but the latest version of the iPhone is somewhat lower at 3 MP. I haven't had a chance to check quality aside from that.
8. Sound and Voice
The quality of my Motorola DROID is significantly better than my Motorola Q, both on Verizon, when it comes to calls. I also get good coverage and have never dropped a call. Everyone complains about the iPhone. That being said, I don't see how people can live without a landline or high quality VoIP for doing real business. The quality of cell calls is still atrocious under the best of circumstances.
On the other hand, it is telling that listening to music and other sound features on both units is really delightful. I am not a sound weeny, so I am less qualified to judge, but both are really terrific to my ears. And - getting ahead of myself - Pandora is a wonderful, wonderful app (available on both).
9. Controls
The iPod (and iPhone) have only one button which is for on/off and getting back to the main screen. Along the bottom of the screen there are a set of permanent app icons.
The DROID has a row of soft keys across the base of the phone for Last, Settings, Home, and Search. I like these but my fingers are always drifting over one of those when I don't want to. This can be very disruptive. Unlike the ones on the iPod, the ones on the DROID are very close to the edge so that it is easy to hit by mistake, plus the ones on the iPod are not as disruptive.
10. GPS
This is the last for the moment but another one that is dear to my heart and I'll dedicate a whole posting (or more) to GPS with both fun and practical things to do with it soon.
I'm sure I've overlooked more features but those will out eventually.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Can You Remove the Battery?
The most common questions I get asked about the DROID are:
- What is a DROID?
- Do you like it?
- Can you remove the battery?
The last comes primarily from iPhone users and people who are considering acquiring one. This is one of the most unnerving aspects of the iPhone as every cell phone I've ever used eventually (and even regularly) got into a state where the only recourse was to take out the battery.
Much as we respect Apple engineering, we all seem to share a basic belief that the physics of current cell phone technology is such that it is simply not possible to design a device that won't require removing the battery from time to time.
The answer for the DROID is yes, you can remove the battery. In fact, I had to do just that today for the very first time. I had checked various things on the phone first thing and checked it about an hour later and it was dead. I assumed that the battery had unexpectedly lost charge. I had noticed on a couple of occasions that the battery had started to drop quickly, so I plugged it in again. Nothing. Moved the charger to another outlet. Nothing. Finally I removed the battery and put it back in and then all was well. The battery was even fully charged.
Although this was a bit disconcerting, this exhibition of fallibility was also strangely reassuring. The DROID is a real cell phone, not some mysterious alchemy.
I have found that the DROID does tend to get confused when moving between wireless networks. I leave my home office and go to my consulting office or the reverse and somehow it just won't connect to one of the new set of wireless networks.
Usually turning the wireless on and off does the trick, but from time to time I need to turn the phone off completely.
The iPod Touch hasn't needed as many re-boots. On the other hand, I don't drag it around with me as much as I drag my DROID.
Coming up: a few apps I like on each, GPS, geocaching
- What is a DROID?
- Do you like it?
- Can you remove the battery?
The last comes primarily from iPhone users and people who are considering acquiring one. This is one of the most unnerving aspects of the iPhone as every cell phone I've ever used eventually (and even regularly) got into a state where the only recourse was to take out the battery.
Much as we respect Apple engineering, we all seem to share a basic belief that the physics of current cell phone technology is such that it is simply not possible to design a device that won't require removing the battery from time to time.
The answer for the DROID is yes, you can remove the battery. In fact, I had to do just that today for the very first time. I had checked various things on the phone first thing and checked it about an hour later and it was dead. I assumed that the battery had unexpectedly lost charge. I had noticed on a couple of occasions that the battery had started to drop quickly, so I plugged it in again. Nothing. Moved the charger to another outlet. Nothing. Finally I removed the battery and put it back in and then all was well. The battery was even fully charged.
Although this was a bit disconcerting, this exhibition of fallibility was also strangely reassuring. The DROID is a real cell phone, not some mysterious alchemy.
I have found that the DROID does tend to get confused when moving between wireless networks. I leave my home office and go to my consulting office or the reverse and somehow it just won't connect to one of the new set of wireless networks.
Usually turning the wireless on and off does the trick, but from time to time I need to turn the phone off completely.
The iPod Touch hasn't needed as many re-boots. On the other hand, I don't drag it around with me as much as I drag my DROID.
Coming up: a few apps I like on each, GPS, geocaching
At Last: iPod Touch / iPhone
My reasoning for choosing the iPod Touch over the iPhone is that I am assuming that for all intents and purposes, the iPod Touch and the iPhone are identical.
The iPhone has the cell phone and 3G thing added on. It has a camera. To me, these were things I didn't need to check.
But that isn't entirely true. For example, iPhone friends definitely do complain about dropped calls, as do those who call them. But let's put that on AT&T and not the iPhone.
In addition, I don't drag the iPod Touch everywhere like I do the DROID. So certain aspects of 3G connectivity and jumping quickly to and from various wifi networks don't get as stressed on the iPod.
But basically, we are talking about roughly equivalent experiences for all the non-voice aspects.
First of all, packaging for the iPod Touch lives up to the Apple standard. Fabulous, right down to the small details. For example, the headset (with mic) for the 32 GB iPod Touch is both white (more expensive due to volume) and has a sweet little flexible clip that holds the two ear phones wires together. These are small things but just so nice.
The instructions inside - like all instructions these days - are very minimalistic. They do a good job of explaining that you need to install iTunes on your computer.
What they don't explain is that you have to enable / authorize that computer to be the one that is allowed to update / save all those apps.
That led to some seriously unhappy moments.
Because I was convinced that Apple had thunk this thru, I persisted in diving into a number of Google searches and figured this out (once again: remember where that application bar is!).
And later I was reminded that you can only assign one of 5 devices at a time to do this. Which is to say that you can download iTunes and charge your iPod / iPhone using a USB with that device / laptop but only one (out of 5 for your account) is allowed to manage / backup / update your iPod.
This is a busines model that is very interesting and we'll come back to this.
Do I like the iPod Touch / iPhone?
In case it's not clear: I do very much. I think of it as a micro laptop / computing device and it more than meets my expectations. I can definitely see why combining that with mobility (cell phone calling and G3) would be incredibly compelling.
In general, I have not found any apps that I personally would like on the DROID that I don't have on the iPhone aside from Kindle, but that's probably a reflection of my demographic to some extent.
There is no doubt that Apple has control of the overall experience that is impressive but subtle at this point. In the future, this model presents very interesting alternatives.
The iPhone has the cell phone and 3G thing added on. It has a camera. To me, these were things I didn't need to check.
But that isn't entirely true. For example, iPhone friends definitely do complain about dropped calls, as do those who call them. But let's put that on AT&T and not the iPhone.
In addition, I don't drag the iPod Touch everywhere like I do the DROID. So certain aspects of 3G connectivity and jumping quickly to and from various wifi networks don't get as stressed on the iPod.
But basically, we are talking about roughly equivalent experiences for all the non-voice aspects.
First of all, packaging for the iPod Touch lives up to the Apple standard. Fabulous, right down to the small details. For example, the headset (with mic) for the 32 GB iPod Touch is both white (more expensive due to volume) and has a sweet little flexible clip that holds the two ear phones wires together. These are small things but just so nice.
The instructions inside - like all instructions these days - are very minimalistic. They do a good job of explaining that you need to install iTunes on your computer.
What they don't explain is that you have to enable / authorize that computer to be the one that is allowed to update / save all those apps.
That led to some seriously unhappy moments.
Because I was convinced that Apple had thunk this thru, I persisted in diving into a number of Google searches and figured this out (once again: remember where that application bar is!).
And later I was reminded that you can only assign one of 5 devices at a time to do this. Which is to say that you can download iTunes and charge your iPod / iPhone using a USB with that device / laptop but only one (out of 5 for your account) is allowed to manage / backup / update your iPod.
This is a busines model that is very interesting and we'll come back to this.
Do I like the iPod Touch / iPhone?
In case it's not clear: I do very much. I think of it as a micro laptop / computing device and it more than meets my expectations. I can definitely see why combining that with mobility (cell phone calling and G3) would be incredibly compelling.
In general, I have not found any apps that I personally would like on the DROID that I don't have on the iPhone aside from Kindle, but that's probably a reflection of my demographic to some extent.
There is no doubt that Apple has control of the overall experience that is impressive but subtle at this point. In the future, this model presents very interesting alternatives.
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