Overthinking Technology

I came to Kansas City this weekend for two reasons. 1) The 31st is my dad's birthday. 2) The KC RenFest started this weekend. While at the RenFest yesterday I purchased a CD of The Jolly Rogers, a "band of five guys who share a few common traits – a love for maritime music, an unreasoning fascination with the fantasy of Golden Age pirates and, above all, a very warped sense of humor."

Being as I'm not at home, my resources are limited. I brought a netbook with me so I have no optical drive available to use with it. I was trying to determine a process I could follow to get the music onto my iPhone so I could listen to it in the car on my way home. Step one was to convert the CD to a digital format. There are at least three computers in the house with optical drives that I can use to rip the CD. Once that's done I have a flash drive I can use to transfer the files to my netbook.

I proceeded withe step one and had the files on the flash drive. It was then that I realized that, even though I transfer these files to my netbook, how do I get them into my iPhone? This isn't my primary computer that I usually connect to my phone. I wonder if this netbook has Bluetooth? Would the iPhone even recognize the music if I just dropped the files onto it?

Then it hit me... ... ... ... the car has a CD player.

The Matrix: Revelations

My entire life I have been curious about how things work. I used to take things apart (if I could figure out how without breaking them) just to see what was inside - even if I didn't know what all those whozamajiggers did. At the time, I was just curious to see what the whozamajiggers looked like. Once, when I was 5 or so, my curiosity even figured out how to erase part of a pre-recorded cassette tape with the tabs broken out. I am the guy who will pay attention to - or at least look for - the man behind the curtain.

Today, I still have that same curiosity. I want to know how it works. I need to know how some small piece fits into a larger picture. When I send an email and it doesn't get to its destination, I want to know where it's been and why it came back or where it got stuck. That's why I learned to read message headers (hint: you read them from bottom to top). In networking your computer sends a signal down a wire, it goes to a box, some magic happens, then it ends up where it's supposed to be. I want to know what magic goes on inside the box.

But my curiosity goes beyond signal flow and systemic thinking. For instance, I have had cameras at my disposal since I was a child. I have taken many thousands of pictures in my life. Yet, many of my pictures are simply snapshots, not photographs. I understand a lot of the technical aspects of photography - aperture, shutter speed, ISO, depth-of-field, etc. - but somehow I haven't quite gotten the hang of composition. My eye sees a beautiful scene but somehow, when I click the shutter, I don't ever quite capture the emotion and excitement that comes with good composition.

It's like I'm seeing the Matrix code and it's just a bunch of random characters streaming down my screen. I recognize bits and pieces of code but I know it all means something. I want to see the matrix. I want to have a deep understanding.

Now, I know I can't know everything so there will always be parts of it streaming by that I don't understand - like quantum mechanics - but I want to be able to see the blonde, the brunette, the redhead, etc. (it's a movie reference for those who don't know) I feel like if I concentrate on one or two lines I'll begin to see it but there are so many many lines falling down the screen I keep losing track of the one I'm watching and getting distracted by others. Going back the my photography I want to see, in my mind, what the photograph will look like before I snap the shutter so that, when I see the captured scene, even if it's a little off it's not a surprise that it didn't come out or holds no interest.

Until then, I keep staring at the screen watching the pretty shapes falling down.

Seven Days And No Regrets

A week ago today I opted not to get the iPhone 5. I decided, instead, to upgrade my iPhone 3Gs to an iPhone 4S. I decided that the difference between the 3Gs and the 4S was enough to make the upgrade worthwhile but the difference between the 4S and the 5 wasn't enough to spend an extra $100 for the extra screen space.

When I wrote about my decision I listed differences between different models, weighted them and scored them. In the past seven days I have updated the phone to iOS 6 and with experience have changed some of my ratings - for the better. A selection from my original list looked like this:

iPhone 4s v 3Gs
Feature / Importance / Score (scale -10 to +10)
Improved camera / 5 / 6
FaceTime camera / 5 / 5
Siri / 4 / 4
Battery life improvement / 9 / 8

Here's the amended version:

iPhone 4s v 3Gs
Feature / Importance / Score (scale -10 to +10)
Improved camera / 5 / 7 (panorama mode is awesome)
FaceTime camera / 7 / 8 (I can video call my dad!)
Siri / 6 / 6.5, especially with iOS 6 enhancements
Battery life improvement / 9 / 9
Dictation / 5 / 7 (it's quite accurate and very handy)

I wanted so much to play with the phone and discover all of its bells and whistles in that first night but the overall experience and basic features are the same as the 3Gs. That in itself is extremely impressive. Think of how many times you've updated a Nokia or Motorola or Samsung phone only to have to get used to a completely different look, feel and function. Alas, I would have to wait for real-world usage to discover what Siri was capable of, how the maps app did, what the hell passbook is and how it works (still don't know), and what I could do with a gyroscope.

The gyroscope was the first thing I played with. The other items would have to wait until Wednesday with the launch of iOS 6. I plugged "gyroscope" into the search bar of the app store and came up with a couple of freebies that I downloaded. One of them is called Planets. Planets maps out the stars in the sky for you showing you where they are in relation to where you are. The gyroscope lets you tilt up and down as well as turn left and right. I would tell you how cool it is to gaze at the stars with the assistance of this app but I haven't had a clear night sky to test it yet.

When I tried out Siri that first night I was... underwhelmed. There didn't seem to be too much she could actually do for me beyond the standard voice control except search the web without opening the browser and give me a weather update. With the iOS 6 update she can post to FB and Twitter for me (she pronounces it tweeter, it's kinda funny), give me a rundown of the movies that are playing, tell me if the OSU cowboys are playing this weekend and give me score updates, and she can "take me home" using the turn-by-turn navigation in the new maps app.

The maps app itself is just depressing. I didn't think it was possible to make maps flat, boring and utterly generic but Apple managed it. Plus there are several stories and reviews of mistakes (like, misplacing an entire town), distorted satellite views and other shortcomings to be found on the web. I've tested the turn-by-turn and it's not bad but I'm keeping my Tom Tom. The iPhone screen is just too small (even if it was taller) and the speaker is not loud enough to hear clearly in normal situations. In a pinch, though, I imagine it would serve adequately.

I posted a similar article to this eight days after getting the 3Gs. In it I created a (very short) wish list which, for the most part, has come true. There's still no adjustable default alarm for the calendar app but we have the ability to flag mail and customize alerts for calendar, mail and voice mail. I will be very interested to see what the iTunes update brings us next month but I'm thrilled with the phone. And like that original article, there's no looking back.

Moving Forward Behind The Curve

On Sunday, June 13, 2010, ten days before the iPhone 4 street date, I went into an AT&T store to ask some questions. I had been using a Windows Mobile 6.5 HTC Fuze for at least 18 months (I was eligible for an upgrade) and knew I wanted to upgrade to an iPhone but which iPhone should I choose?

I had watched several other Windows Mobile users around me move into the Apple camp and every one of them said they had no desire to look back. What I wanted to know was if I should go ahead and buy a 16GB 3Gs for $99, a newly announced price, or wait and buy the 16GB 4 for $199. What was so compelling about the 4 that made it better than the 3Gs?

During the course of my queries, the AT&T employee happened to mention that they had some stock of 3Gs units and had them on clearance. If I was willing to spend $199, he could get me into a 32GB 3Gs... but he only had black. I had been working with a 16GB Zune HD for several months by that time and knew that 16GB was a little underneath my usage. I often found myself having to manage my media to keep from filling the thing up. If white were the only choice it might have been a different decision (I hate white) but I dove on the opportunity and, like so many of my friends, never looked back.

Fast-forward to yesterday. My 3Gs has been showing its age and it was time to upgrade. I knew AT&T would probably be offering the iPhone 4s at clearance prices I just wasn't sure if they had dropped yet. The likelihood that I might get an iPhone 5 any time soon was pretty slim. Availability was going to be an obvious problem but so was price. Money has been extremely tight lately but between a Google AdWords check and selling an old computer I had close to that $199 mark where I hoped the 4s would be. I seemed to recall an upgrade/buy-back plan and hoped I could get $50 or $60 for my 3Gs.

Like before, the iPhone 5 does not have anything over the 4s that I must have. Here's how I broke it down.

iPhone 5 v 4s
Feature / Importance / Score (scale -10 to +10)
Larger screen / 2 / 4
Improved camera / 3 / 4
CPU 2x faster than the 4s / 9 / 7
4G LTE / 5 / 9 [Note: 4G LTE availability in my city is still at least a year off, by my estimation]
3 mics - noise cancellation / 6 / 5
Battery life improvement / 9 / ?
Lightning dock connector / -8 / -5
[Note: I have a few accessories with the 30-pin connector and the adapter compatibility is untested as yet]
32GB capacity price / 10 / 6

iPhone 4s v 3Gs
Feature / Importance / Score (scale -10 to +10)
Retina Display / 5 / 8
Improved camera / 5 / 6
FaceTime camera / 5 / 5
Camera flash / 9 / 8
CPU 4x? faster than the 3Gs / 9 / 9
Gyroscope / 5 / 5
Siri / 4 / 4

Battery life improvement / 9 / 8

30-pin dock connector / 9 / 7
32GB capacity price / 10 / 9

So, my first question was about the buy-back program. AT&T does, in fact, have a buy-back program. My 3Gs is in near-mint condition, 100% operational with an unblemished screen. He looked it up and told me they would give $84 for it. That's a 42% return after 2 years! Maybe I could get a little more off eBay or Craigslist but then I'd have to hassle with listing it and shipping it and I had $84 of value being offered right here and now. I told them I'd take the 32GB 4s.

I had set my 3Gs to backup to iCloud while we were waiting for our turn so that part was done. Before clearing the 3Gs we waited for the restore to the 4s - that took a little longer. About half way through the time remaining started counting up. At the 3/4 mark it started coming back down and eventually finished after about 30 minutes. It still needed to download all of my purchased apps and I would have to restore my music files but other than that it was absolutely seamless. Once I got home even iTunes accepted the new hardware as if nothing had changed. Beautiful and painless.

Once I'd given the 4s the once-over we wiped the 3Gs and I went home to play with my new toy a bit. Actually, connecting to iTunes and getting all of my apps and over 3,600 songs back onto it took a good chunk of that time. With both devices running iOS 5.1.1 the experience is almost identical. I have a few extras available to me now but it operates exactly the same - only faster, which is something very important.

I called my friend, Kevin, via FaceTime as soon as I got home. The conversation went a little something like this:

Kevin: Hey, what's up?
Joe: I got a new toy.
K: What'd you get?
J: How am I calling you?
K: Via FaceTime
J: And what do I need to call you via FaceTime?
K: COOL! You got a new phone!

Now I eagerly await iOS 6 (instead of dreading how much it's going to cripple my phone)

Looking Forward, Looking Back

I was recently watching an Intel commercial and the supposed Intel employee was talking about GPS on your phone and other cool stuff and then posited, “I wonder what apps that we’ll take for granted in five years?” That got me thinking about all of the things we already take for granted – like apps on our phones. No particular app, just apps. I recall when the closest thing to an app was the Snake game built in to my Nokia 5900 series.

It seems not too long ago for me that “car phones,” for all intents and purposes, didn’t exist. We called them car phones because that’s where the phone was. In the car. It needed a large, heavy battery to be portable (that was a bag phone) or needed to run off of the 12 volts provided by the car. Don’t even get me started about antennas.

Now, everyone carries their phone in their pocket. My wife and I don’t have a house phone. I have my phone and she has her phone. This is actually something I dreamed of in the late 70s/early 80s when I first learned of cordless phones. I was so disappointed when I learned it needed a base station plugged into the wall jack.

A friend recently posted a picture on facebook of her son standing in a phone booth. A real glass-walled, close the door, claustrophobic, Superman dressing room phone booth. I made a “what be that strange device” comment on the picture and she responded that her son asked if he could get in it because he never had.

So, without further ado, here is a brief list of the things I now realize that I take for granted:

• Television remote control. There were remote controlled TVs when I was young but only the richest people we knew had one. Our remote control was my father yelling, “Joe, go change the channel.” Or “John, you’re closest to the TV, turn up the volume a little bit, please.”
• The Compact Disc – which is now on the endangered species list – I remember one of the local radio stations having someone bring one in and tie it into their broadcast board. I listened on my father’s stereo (which, BTW, had quadrophonic sound) but didn’t hear much difference because, well, radio propagates through the air and picks up a certain amount of… doesn’t matter. I was blown away (almost literally by canon blasts in the 1812 overture coming through a massive pair of subwoofers) the first time I heard a CD player demonstrated live.
• Digital music. Real music. Not tones generated by the computer itself.
• MP3 players – In my day, we had the Sony Walkman portable cassette player
• Satellite broadcasting, cable TV, satellite TV, HDTV
• the universal serial bus (heh, take that one back to 1982 and people might think you’re talking about a spaceship shaped like a bus where you can have breakfast on your way to work)
• laptop computers – heck, personal computers, wireless networking, the internet for crying out loud, and even podcasts.

The list goes on and on for each generation. Looking back at all of these awesomely cool devices I think it will be interesting to see what is groundbreaking to us today (or tomorrow) that we take for granted in 5 years.

Was The Zune A Mistake?

According to Boy Genius Report, former Microsoft executive Robbie Bach has said that its Zune music players… were a mistake. Bach led the company’s entertainment division through the rise of the Xbox business as well as the launch of the Zune music player. Geek Wire, the source for the BGR article, breaks down Bach’s presentation to the Northwest Entrepreneur Network event in Seattle on Friday where he talked about what could be learned from the two experiences.

With the Xbox, they tried to be different. Bach said that if he could, “do Zune over again, we would skip portable media players completely. We would go to what, at the time, was the Windows Mobile team and say we’re going to produce the coolest music service for your phones ever. The portable music market is gone and it was already leaving when we started.”

I disagree. The portable music market is alive and well, it’s the portable music player that is seeing a decline because of merged devices like the iPhone and the iPod Touch, which is also a portable gaming platform.

He went on to say, “We just weren’t brave enough, honestly, and we ended up chasing Apple with a product that actually wasn’t a bad product, but it was still a chasing product, and there wasn’t a reason for somebody to say, oh, I have to go out and get that thing.”

I think the problem was that they didn’t chase hard enough. The Zune was a competent device and the only platform that, to me, had the potential to really compete with the iPod. Which brings us to the next point.

Bach noted that, “On the Zune side…I think our marketing message was very confused. I don’t think people walked away saying, this is what Zune is and this is why it’s different. … We did some really artsy ads that appealed to a very small segment of the music space, and we didn’t captivate the broad segment of music listeners.”

Direct hit! I saw two problems with the Zune when it first came out. The first, Bach hit upon. They had this whole music sharing thing with “the social,” that Apple didn’t pick up until only recently – and even then only partially, and they never really sold that aspect. Plus, they never, EVER made any sort of advertising or marketing push. It was, “Here’s the Zune. Take it or leave it.” The second problem was that the original player was BROWN! Brown is not a cool color for a fancy consumer gadget.

So, was the Zune a mistake? Having owned two, I don’t think so. The mistake was in how Microsoft handled, or failed to handle, the marketing and partnerships. Even when they had second chances with the Zune 2 and the Zune HD they still managed to fall flat.

Windows 8 - Color Me Unimpressed

Actually, you could color me frustrated, too. I don't think this is going to go over well when it hits the market.

I installed Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit on my home desktop computer in November of 2009. Since then, I have installed and uninstalled a whole lot of crap. I subscribe to Giveaway Of The Day and will often download and test their wares. Sometimes I keep them and use them quite frequently. Occasionally I will give it a try, really hate it and seek to expunge it from my system. Very often, I will install it, try it, not be impressed by it, and finally just leave it there until I am purging my system months later at which time I ask myself, "What does this do, again? Oh, yeah, better hang on to that just in case."

The last couple of weeks my poor, tired, old desktop was simply not working right. It was not recognizing USB devices properly, some programs weren't working and it was taking an inordinately long time to boot up and get its s*!t together. It was time to reload the operating system.

Since it was released yesterday, I went ahead and installed the Windows 8 Consumer Preview to see what it looked like. Before even inserting the disk I figured I would wipe it out and go back to Windows 7 by the weekend. It may happen before that.

I didn't have much time to play with it after the installation so my first impression was... meh. That was expected. Modern versions of Windows are like Star Trek movies: Every other release is good.

I was expecting the start screen as I had seen a few screen shots. What interested me was how it handled dual monitors. I liked that it went ahead and set them up without me having to go into the display control panel but while monitor 1 was the start screen (the Metro interface), monitor 2 was showing the desktop. Why wouldn't they spread the start screen across both monitors?

The theory behind the start screen is to unify the look and feel of Microsoft's desktop and portable interfaces (i.e. Windows Phone). It also serves to create a more touch-friendly interface. This is great if you happen to have a touchscreen monitor attached to your desktop but most people don't and, while I can see that the trend would shift in that direction, I don't see it happening soon or rapidly. It seems that, perhaps, Microsoft is  leaning toward capturing some of the tablet market away from Apple and Google. As long as the tablet version of Windows 8 isn't a bloated pig that is ineffective on the devices, Microsoft may succeed. But again, I don't see it happening rapidly.

It took me a minute or two to figure out how to get to the desktop then back to the start screen. Tapping the Windows key will toggle between the two. In a remote desktop session the Windows key won't work. It will pop the start menu on your host machine. What you have to do in that case is move the mouse to the lower-right corner, hope the start screen icon appears, then hope is stays there while you move your mouse to click on it.

Behind the Start screen, Windows 8 is, operationally, Windows 7 with no start button... no menus... no window control buttons... and no close button. Figuring out how to escape the prison of a running program is pretty maddening. And I'm still not sure I have it down.

When you have the desktop showing on both screens, Microsoft got smart and put the task bar on both screens. Except they wasted the effort because the task bar on monitor 2 is exactly the same as the task bar on monitor 1 without the system tray. To the folks in Redmond: If you want to see how a secondary task bar should operate, check out Multimon Taskbar.

Overall, Windows 8, as much as they tried to simplify it, is not intuitive as to where to find things. As I moved the mouse around I was constantly surprised by sidebars and scrollbars popping up out of nowhere. And the search isn't much help. It's context-sensitive. When you open the search, apps will be highlighted and you can only search for apps. If you highlight settings, you can search for control panels and help guides for configuration operations. You can't just type in a question or the name of what you're looking for and have it go find it. I understand the need to compartmentalize in order to save resources but perhaps with better text recognition (i.e. more than 3 keywords should search in help, etc.) or other tweaks it can be more effective.

I'm not even going to get into the similarities between Windows 8 and Office 10 where they took simple 2-click tasks and made them complicated 4- or 6-click tasks.

Bottom line, I think if Microsoft distributes Windows 8 as a desktop/laptop solution, especially on systems without a touch screen, they are going to see a lot of returns and have a lot of unhappy customers. It's just too much of a paradigm shift for most people to handle and isn't really suited to use with a mouse.

iOS5 On The iPhone 3Gs Disenchantment

I installed iOS 5 on my iPhone 3Gs the day it came out. Everything looked all unicorns and rainbows at first but I have started experiencing some issues. Some I expected and can live with, others are really annoying and, despite being able to use custom alert tones, are making me consider reverting to iOS 4.x.

1. Performance: I took a performance hit when I installed iOS 5. I expected this one and it is noticeable but not intrusive.
2. Battery Life: This is being widely reported and actual impact seems to be highly variable. I caught a glimpse somewhere that iOS 5.0.1 is going to address this. I have taken some steps to try to mitigate the impact for myself but it is still considerable.
3. Wi-Fi Sync: I discussed this in my last iOS 5 post. What a joke. Highly unreliable. I've turned it off.
4. The Icon Shuffle: My app icons are randomly rearranging themselves. It's nothing major but every once in a while things aren't where I expect them to be. A single icon has moved to a different part of the screen thus rearranging other icons. Weird but tolerable - for now.
5. The Home Screen Flash: I have also discussed this one before. I hit the power button to wake up the phone and the home screen flashes for a partial second then it goes immediately back into sleep mode. A second click will usually bring it up.
6. Internet and Location Services: This is the one that has me ready to throw my iPhone against a wall. Seriously, I considered it last night I was so frustrated. I fire up Facebook or my ESPN score app and they just sit there and spin, those little circular hash marks taunting me as if at any moment my data will be presented. I pull up a map or traffic information and that little arrow in the upper right corner, try as it might, can't figure out where I am. I can sometimes clear out unused memory with Memory Pro to correct it but more often than not I am going through the 5-minute process of rebooting the phone. Sometimes multiple times a day. This is one of the reasons I got rid of my HTC Fuze.

I have my phone backed up and am going to try a restore using iTunes. I don't really want to do that but it seems my only option for now. I'll let you know how things turn out on the other side.

Update, Nov. 12, 2011: The restore seemed to straighten out a few things. The battery life improved somewhat and location services appeared to start working as expected. I did experience the home screen flash once but only once. It's still there but not as invasive. My icons have not moved themselves around.

I went ahead and updated to iOS 5.0.1 the day after it was released. I should have left well enough alone because the location services are flaky again (though not as bad), even after another restore. Battery life is stable, however.

iPhone WiFi Sync FAIL

My first "real" MP3 player was a 2nd Gen Microsoft Zune. I also have a Zune HD. Both of these devices have WiFi sync that works without a hitch so I was thrilled to hear that iOS 5 would include WiFi sync. When I first set it up it worked beautifully. Since then, however, it has been hit-and-miss with mostly a miss.

Fail number one: If you leave that checkbox enabled next to "Open iTunes when this iPhone is connected" you will A) drain your battery faster when you're on WiFi with the iTunes host and B) won't be able to make iTunes go away for more than a couple of minutes on the host. What happens is that as long as you're on the same network, these two keep a connection to each other as if you had the cable plugged in but weren't syncing. It causes the phone to constantly tell the host it's plugged in, thus actively using WiFi and draining the battery, and causes iTunes to re-open every couple of minutes because the phone has been "plugged in." The Zune software can distinguish between a wireless and wired connection and only auto-launches on a wired connection. On the Zune, if you want to keep the system available for WiFi sync it's easy enough to do because the Zune software isn't such a RESOURCE HOG as iTunes.

Fail number two: If I go into Settings > General > iTunes Wi-Fi Sync, most of the time the phone doesn't see the host as "online" and can't complete a sync. This occurs even if the aforementioned checkbox is left enabled.

What's the point? Why would I want to leave a feature enabled that rapidly drains my battery, annoys me on the host system and doesn't work most of the time? Apple, I would give you an F for Fail but you did make a good effort to enable the feature so I give you a D for Doesn't Work.

Note: I did not include the iPad in this rant because I sync my iPad with my laptop, which is off most of the time, and do not know if the functionality is similar.

Gadget Freak, Part 2

I grew up at a time when Radio Shack was a place that electronics enthusiasts, and those needing vacuum tubes and phonograph needles, actually sought out. Back then, the store was dark and lined with all manner of electrical components. The staff actually knew the difference between a BNC and a DIN. Today The Shack sells cell phones and overpriced accessories and what they still have for electronic components are relegated to storage drawers tucked into a back corner. And good luck finding an employee who knows what you're looking for much less where to find it.

But I digress.

When I was about ten years old I went to our neighborhood Radio Shack with my father. He needed some sort of widget and I was most likely picking up a battery with my battery club card. Displayed semi-prominently in the middle of the wall opposite the cash register was this black keyboard outlined in silver-grey plastic connected to a similarly colored black and white television measuring about 13" (it actually was a modified RCA XL-100 B&W TV) and it caught my eye. (ooh, shiny...)

I went over to look at it. What was this? Some kind of new typewriter? No... A typewriter needed some kind  of output to paper. Let's see. There's a keyboard, presumably to type with, and a display. What has a keyboard and a display? Oh, I know... it's a computer (a TRS-80 Model I, to be precise). What can you do with a computer? I think I pressed the return key or maybe typed in my name and pressed enter. I may or may not have gotten some sort of unknown command error but it certainly didn't do much.

I stood there pondering this new device for a while longer, wondering how I could test it, play with it a bit, get a better feel for what it was and what it was capable of. Then I remembered that you have to program a computer.

I thought about that thing for days. I marveled at the possibility of having a computer in a home. Those visions of the future I had seen on TV were starting to come true. I told my mom about it excitedly when we got home. I told my friends at school what I had seen with my own eyes. I wanted to learn what you could do with it and how to do it.

A few days later I went into the store on my own (it was within walking distance of the house). I remember walking to the back of the store to a revolving wire rack with books on it. I looked at the different titles and found two that I had to have. The first was a book about the TRS-80 and programming in BASIC. The second was a book of BASIC programs. I could only afford one so I bought the programming guide.

I read that thing from cover to cover. I absorbed every bit of information it contained. I learned the structure and the syntax of the BASIC programming language. I learned how to construct the program then execute it. I even learned about storing the program on cassette tape for later retrieval.

Side note: The TRS-80 tape drive was nothing more than a portable tape recorder with a special cable to connect it to the computer. Reading programs was sometimes hit-and-miss because the computer was extra sensitive about the volume. Yes, it had a volume control on the tape recorder and if you didn't get that thing just right you would have to rewind and start all over again.

In the course of reading that book, I wrote my first program (and no, it wasn't 'hello world'). It had variables and user input and loops and subroutines and it was all mine. I knew it was overly simple when I wrote it but I didn't care. It would ask you to type in your name and some other information then display it back to you, or something like that. Only problem was, I had no way to test it. Unless...

The next weekend I took a trip to the store with the express purpose of testing my program. I don't remember if I asked for permission to do so but I typed in my program line by line, saved it somehow, and ran it. I think it even worked the first time. If I was hooked before I was obsessed now.

I would sometimes spend hours and hours at that store on a Saturday afternoon. I would code and test and debug and learn. Sometimes I would only spend 30 minutes entering a program, giving it a run-through, and leaving it in memory as a demo for other kids that might be just as curious as I was that first time I saw it.

I remember my mother telling me I shouldn't spend all day at Radio Shack. It was a business and I was getting in the way. Shortly after, I asked the manager, whom I had come to be friendly with, and he told me it wasn't a problem. He said he honestly didn't know much about the thing and that the 'demo' programs I put on there at least showed it off a little bit.

As other computers were introduced to the market (the Apple II, the Commodore 64, the Atari 400 and 800, etc.), I began to spend my weekends hanging out at different computer stores doing basically the same thing I used to do at Radio Shack but with different systems. Every once in a while mom would give me the speech again and I would maybe skip a weekend but I was right back in short order.

I eventually outgrew my Saturday morning computer club of one (well, it was eventually 2 when my buddy Bill would join me) but I've never really lost my passion for computers and all things electronic. I involved myself in computer classes at school and even managed the school's BBS system for a while. Before graduating high school I had learned something like 4 or 5 different computer languages and, as with many things in my life, I was not proficient with any of them. Well, I was proficient with the programming languages, I've just never been terribly proficient with programming.

Now, my passion has become a career as I, and many others, always knew it would. Stay tuned, there's more to come.

A Weekend With iOS 5

So, I updated my iPhone 3Gs to iOS 5 a few days ago. There are a couple of features I'm ECSTATIC about, there are a couple I'm a little miffed aren't as advertised (i.e. not included), and there are those I just don't care about. I am going to go down the list as Apple has them listed on their site.

Notification Center: This is a nice feature. I can take it or leave it, honestly, but it's nice that it's there. I think I would be more excited if I had more communications like I did with my previous job (the only thing I miss about my previous job is the chair - it was a NICE chair).

iMessage: Confusing and limited. Not sure how this one is going to play out. It's all jammed together in one app and the app decides when to use it instead of SMS. I'll need to look into it more when some of my friends update.

NewsStand: VERY limited selection from what I saw and, frankly, I don't want the icon if I'm not going to use it. Let me take it off the home screen.

Reminders: I like this feature. I can see it coming in handy like a ToDo list. But you can have multiple lists so I could potentially keep a list of DVDs I want to look out for at garage sales. There are supposed to have location-based capabilities. Apple says, "Say you need to remember to pick up milk during your next grocery trip. Since Reminders can be location based, you’ll get an alert as soon as you pull into the supermarket parking lot." I haven't seen it.

I have done some bit of research and it appears the location capabilities are only available on the iPhone 4 and 4S (and, presumably, future iPhone models). With previous updates it has been quite clear where the feature implementation line is drawn but not so here. In the past they may have said something like, 'If you have an iPhone 4 or 4S, reminders can be location based.' but apparently they think it's funny to make everyone who doesn't have an iPhone 4 or 4S go looking for phantom features.

Twitter integration: Yeah? So? I guess this is important if you use Twitter a lot.

Camera updates: Yay! They made a hardware button click the shutter! Do you know how awkward it is to push that button on the screen sometimes? Thanks for this one, Apple. There are also editing capabilities. For me the screen on the phone is too small for editing but it's nice to have the ability to do a quick crop.

The Apple iOS page says you can access it from the lock screen - not that I've seen on the 3Gs.

Safari: Reader view and reader list look interesting but I haven't had an opportunity to try them. There's supposed to be tabbed browsing but, again, apparently not for the 3Gs (why not?). I don't like using Safari and I generally don't like browsing on my phone so not a reason to upgrade.

Wireless Sync: I applaud Apple for bringing this to their devices. This is a feature the Microsoft Zune has had since the second generation devices. Apple's implementation still needs a few tweaks. I'm not sure why iTunes keeps launching itself (yet another reason to hate it). Implement a little watcher program if you want to have it auto-launch so it only launches when I try to sync. Either that or make it my own damn fault for not leaving/having iTunes running. I don't know if you've noticed but iTunes is a bit of a resource hog.

iCloud: I don't find this revolutionary but I do find it comforting. I get 5 gigs for my apps, contacts, calendar and photos and any of my purchase from iTunes are stored up there as well without charging against my space. (they get away with this because they're only storing a pointer/shortcut/alias in your iCloud, not the actual item). For the most part, it's all automatic.

Is iCloud just a backup/sync service? What if I would like to browse what is stored up there (i.e. view a slideshow of my photos)? There's no app or anything. If it's just a backup service, why all the hype?

Mail: Limited text formatting. I can go for that. Message flagging. A very handy feature.

Calendar: Haven't taken an opportunity to explore the calendar enhancements. I've been using Extreme Calendar by Birdsoft because it has templates. It meshes with the built-in calendar so I'm not inclined to switch back.

Multitasking Gestures for iPad 2: Thanks for specifying but is there some reason original iPad owners didn't get this?

Game Center: Never used it.

That's all they highlight on their features page but there are more new features, like expanded and custom alert tones. As I stated in my original post, I love that I can create my own alert tones. I have been having a grand time creating new ones to import to my phone.

Here are some more hidden features.

User-Defined Keyboard Shortcuts: In general I like text expanders. I'm not very prolific in messaging via email, twitter, facebook, SMS, etc. on my phone so I haven't configured this but I did find it. It's under general->keyboard in the settings.

Custom Vibrations: Really? I'll have to look into that one.

LED flashes for visual alerts: Read about that one but it's a moot point on a 3Gs.

Instant definitions: I'm sure that'll come in handy. I'll have to read up on that one.

There are others and I'm sure I'll discover more.

A glitch I seem to have is when taking my phone out of standby. Every once in a while the backlight will come on when I hit the power button then turn right off again. I sometimes get a blip of the lock screen. Hitting power again brings it right up. Not sure if it's iOS 5 or my phone yet.

For me, iOS 5 was worth the update for the custom alert tones alone. The rest is just frosting. I will get use from most of these features. I'll consider updating when my 3Gs slows down enough to be annoying or the updates stop applying to it or the battery gives out - whichever comes first.

UPDATE 10/29/2011: I have noticed that the battery life on my 3Gs has been affected to a slight degree but I am also having difficulty with memory usage. Self-contained programs seem to have no difficulty but those that rely on a wireless or 3G connection to operate will sometimes sit there and spin trying to download. It's not crippling but I find myself using an app to clear the inactive memory a lot.

Updating an iPhone 3Gs with iOS5 - Caveats And Cool Stuff

I generally read up on any major iOS updates and maybe even wait a few days to see if any problems arise (i.e. phones being 'bricked') but decided to just jump into the deep end on iOS5. I updated both my iPhone 3Gs and original iPad last night. For the most part the updates went smoothly but there are a few caveats you might want to know about.

When you update to iOS5, iTunes will completely back up your device, clear it, install the new base code, then restore your media files (music, movies, photos, etc.) but it does not restore your apps. Before you go into panic mode it is very easy to overcome this. Go to the device summary in iTunes and select Apps at the top. Make a minor change (move an app to a different page, uninstall an app, etc.) and click Apply. iTunes will faithfully replace all of your apps and folders just like they were before the update with the exception of whatever change you made to get it to allow the sync.

Unless...

At some point, possibly at the 4.3.whatever update, iTunes decided I no longer needed to sync my apps. I only noticed this change recently and had been intending to correct it but didn't want to lose some of my saved data that iTunes sternly warned me I would lose if I should enable this function. In my ignorance I did not enable App Sync prior to updating my iPhone and, therefore, it later showed only the default apps and folders that happened to contain default apps from my previous customizations in the greyed-out graphic. I was able to enable and apply the app sync and get all of my apps pushed back to the phone... in random order... without the benefit of folders. I've been spending my time between calls today getting things back in order.

Now, about the update itself.

My absolute, hands down, no discussion favorite new feature is the ability to select alert tones. I suppose you could call this more of an unlocked feature that has been present on every other smart phone before or since the iPhone was introduced four years ago but I'm still thrilled they enabled it. You can also see your ringtones as an option but they likely won't work (read on). Through a little research I learned how to make custom tones. It's the same process as creating a ringtone but it has to be less than 15 seconds long.

There are several other updates that you can read about in detail on other sites but I'm going to highlight some of the ones I like. The notifications screen is cool (swipe down on a home screen to see it) and it's nice that you can now flag mail but these aren't barn burners.

I have had a couple of Microsoft Zune devices and they've had WiFi sync since day one. Given that the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch have had WiFi since their respective introductions it's nice to see this come to iOS. It's a very handy feature.

iMessage is a nice way to stick it to the evil empire of your service provider. It allows you to send an SMS directly to another iOS5 device. If you have unlimited texting I suppose this doesn't really matter.

iCloud is a nice comfort. It can store your music, photos, documents, contacts and, if you want, device backups. It will be nice to sync contacts and documents between devices. With iCloud you get 5GB on a free account. The cool thing about that is your purchased music, apps, books, and TV shows, as well as your Photo Stream, don’t count against your free storage.

Photo Stream is an iCloud feature that I have decided to turn off. Every new picture you take is automatically uploaded to your iCloud for 30 days up to a maximum of 1,000 pictures. It allows you to sync photos seemlesly between iOS devices.

At first blush this seems really good but consider this: It's all or nothing. Every. Single. Picture. you take ends up in the photo stream. It doesn't matter if you're grabbing a Kodak moment or sexting, it gets pushed to the cloud. I have found no way to delete photos. If you turn photo stream off it will delete all of the photo stream photos from your device but they're still in the cloud (for 30 days, at least). I have also found no way to send photos to the stream from the camera roll nor have I found a way to view (AKA share) photos via the web or other means. Nope, not mature enough and has too many holes in it. It stays off.

There are a couple of features missing from the 3Gs but not much. Safari is supposed to have tabbed browsing now but they aren't present on the 3Gs. There is also simple photo editing in the camera app that is supposedly missing but I saw it in the PhotoStream and Camera roll.

Here are a few things I noticed about some of the new features that are not necessarily clear.

WiFi sync has to be turned on in iTunes. I was wondering why it wouldn't work last night and found the setting this morning. Plug in your device then highlight it on the left side of the iTunes window. Near the bottom of the summary tab you will see a selection that reads ‘Sync over Wi-Fi connection.' Check it and you should be good to go (haven't had a chance to test it, though).

I noticed another setting this morning that I haven't had a chance to investigate. It looks like you can sync (maybe it was backup?) to iCloud *OR* to the local computer but not both. I'll update once I get more info.

The new reminders function/app is supposed to have location-based capabilities. That ability does not seem to be present on my 3Gs. I'll have to look deeper into that as well.

It appears that the NewsStand cannot be placed in a folder. I have tried and the folder keeps running away no matter how hard I try.

NOTE: I was going to try out iMessage and my contacts were GONE!! Luckily I located a fix at http://www.seangw.com/wordpress/index.php/2011/10/ios-5-upgrade-lost-my-contacts/

That's my experience so far. I'll let you know if I run into anything else worthy of note.

Oh, one more thing (yeah, kinda on purpose). Before you update, be sure you backup your device and transfer purchases... just in case.

Why I Still Hate iTunes

I admit it. I drank the Kool-Aid™. I didn't just sip it, either. I took huge gulps. I have more products in my house that start with an i than I ever thought I would. The only one I really don't like, though, is the piece that, in the darkness, binds them: iTunes™.

iTunes is up to version 10 point something and it still, in many ways, sucks. I realize they give it away but Microsoft gives away the Zune software, too, and it puts iTunes to shame. It's put iTunes to shame from day one. So, what is it about iTunes that's so horrible? Let me count the ways...

1. It's a resource hog. At least it is on the PC. For as much as Steve Jobs complains about the resource usage of Flash™, iTunes is pretty bad in this department. The only difference is that it sucks resources only while its running. It doesn't slow down the PC just because.
   
2. It doesn't track folders. If I add music to my collection I have to manually add the track(s) or rescan the folder(s) to get them to show up in my collection. What's up with that? How hard would it be for me to tell iTunes which folders to keep an eye on and have it automatically add new content? It can't be too hard. Microsoft figured it out. (I should note that I do not let iTunes manage my collection. I'm picky about my naming scheme and "01 title.mp3" isn't it.)
   
3. It changes the title in the catalog from "title" to "artist - title" and creates a duplicate entry. Why? Why doesn't it just read the ID3 tag and leave it at that? Where is it getting that information to combine it, anyway?
   
4. It's extremely easy to duplicate tracks on your device and unnecessarily take up space. If you've ever browsed your iDevice you'll notice that the audio tracks are not named in any way you can recognize. iTunes and iOS, apparently, work some sort of file name voodoo and your tracks end up in an indecipherable code. The way around this, from what I've read, is to manage your device through playlists. I got news, it's still easy to duplicate tracks.

For all its iterations and all its bells and whistles, iTunes can still be very cumbersome to use. Hey, Apple. Why don't you study the Zune software and alternative music management software like MediaMonkey and put some of the conveniences of those products into iTunes. This may be a gilded cage I voluntarily climbed into but it could still use a little polish here and there.

UPDATE: I've just added #5 - "iTunes has stopped updating this podcast because you haven't listened to any episodes recently..." What the hell? Why don't you let ME decide when you should stop updating the podcast, you dictatorial bastard.

Review Of A Cheap iPad Case

After much searching and obsessing and agonizing I finally broke down and just ordered an iPad case/cover. I found one on eBay (from seller Gadgettown) that seemed to fit all my criteria. I was looking for something leather (preferably padded) that held the iPad securely, had a closure of some sort, and would function as a stand. I paid $12 for it.

I had read several reviews of various styles and makes of these inexpensive cases and they all pretty much came up the same. Even some of the not-so-inexpensive cases garnered similar ratings. Some loved them, some hated them, some thought they would wear easily and many many reviews talked about the smell of the case.

When mine arrived today I was eager to open the package. At first blush I liked it. The case is lightly padded so as to provide a modicum of protection but not so heavily padded that it is imposing. The "leather" (I have no idea how to tell if it's real) has a nice texture and the interior is lined with a sued-like fabric. The lining isn't luxurious but it's soft enough that I wouldn't worry about scratching up the device. The construction is good enough that it should last me a while and even if it only lasts six months it's cheap enough that I'll just buy another one. As for the smell, go to your local office supply store and sniff a leather portfolio - that's what it smells like (I would advise making sure nobody's looking before smelling the merchandise).

Here's what the case looks like: (click any photo for a larger view)

The strap uses a magnetic snap closure and the back has a tab for the stand feature. The tab is also held by a magnet so it won't flap loose over time (nice touch!).

You'll notice the Apple-case-like crease on the front. This allows this heavier case to operate as a viewing or typing stand.

If you look at the way the cover folds you'll see that it would tend to lean backward when set as a viewing stand which would make it unstable. When I first tried it, the iPad would not stand up. I had to manipulate the main hinge some and place it very carefully to get it to work. My hope is that the fold-y bits will loosen up and self-correct this problem.

Unlike many cases, the iPad slides in from the top

A small strap with a regular snap closure keeps the device from sliding out. You can see it in the picture above as well as in the picture of the back of the case.

The surround allows ample room for all ports and switches

Pros: Versatile case, solid-feeling construction, good balance between ruggedness and lightness, inexpensive.

Cons: May wear quicker than more expensive cases, won't stand on its own out of the box.

The Bottom Line: This case is a good choice for those looking for a case with versatility, is constructed of leather (or close enough), and provides good balance between protection and lightness. Though the construction and materials may not be top of the line, the price makes it worth the risk it won't last.

Here's To A "Spiffy" New Year

2010 has not been a fantastic year for me. It has also not been a terrible year for me. A FaceBook friend said 2011 was going to be "spiffy" so I plan to make sure that it is. (is there a resolution in there somewhere?)

My blogging in 2010 was considerably less than previous years but, surprisingly, I find myself with several ideas and updates running through my head as the new year dawns. I will present them in no particular order since each one finds its way to the front of the line in random and recurring order. Some will be, I hope, eloquent and profound. Others will be random and scattered. Most will probably be the latter.

I will start with my wrist.

Now, see, the job just jumped to the front of the line. It will have to wait since I already mentioned my wrist. I only mention it now to ensure that I come back and give it its turn.

I have had minor problems with my wrists for the last 3-4 years. I'm pretty sure it is the beginnings of Carpal Tunnel or some other repetitive motion injury. It has never been bad enough to go to the doctor and usually only lasts a couple of days.

Shortly after starting the new job I ran down the battery in my car. Someone came along and helped me out with a jump start but I had to push the car out of the parking space so we could access both batteries. After that, my right wrist started hurting bad enough and long enough that I went and bought a wrist brace. I wore it, iced my wrist and took Aleve for about a week and everything settled down.

This week my wrist started hurting again. A lot. I'm wearing the brace again but I really need to get an ergonomic keyboard at work (more on that later - maybe). I think typing on the iPad aggravated it. I will also mention it to my doctor when I see him on Tuesday.

Now for the job. I have read the company social media policy and can, in fact, tell you I am working as an Enterprise Technical Support Analyst for Dell in Oklahoma City. I do phone support for tape backup units of all shapes and sizes. I must, however, tell you that the statements I make and opinions I express do not necessarily reflect those of my employer and the statements and opinions expressed by my employer do not necessarily reflect my own. As a friend of mine puts it: I do not speak for Dell and Dell does not speak for me.

I have been taking calls for about a month now. A lot of it is coming back to me. I sometimes get frustrated when something comes up that I have seen before or that I used to know and can't bring to mind the solution. As predicted, the most difficulty has been in (re-)learning procedures and using the new case management software. I am becoming more proficient every day.

The toughest part has to be the sales tool. technicians are now allowed to prepare quotes for and sell spare parts, warranty extensions, etc. Pretty much anything without a service tag. It's a good idea because I can now give out of warranty customers an answer to the question, "How much is that going to cost?" The problem is a) I am not a sales person and b) It doesn't come up very often. We are encouraged to do a bit of suggestive selling (i.e. I see your warranty is due to expire next month. Would you like me to help you with a warranty extension?) but we're not allowed to push. No means no. The good part is if we prepare a quote and the customer purchases off that quote we get the credit and the commission. The bad part is there is a reason I'm not in sales. Nobody has asked me to make a quota so I'm good with it. I like having the ability to help them all the way through the process.

I'm still loving the iPad. It is sort-of like a giant iPod touch but with more cowbell. I have paid for a couple of apps (one of them being a remote desktop app called SplashTop Remote) and have been hording free apps and paid apps that are temporarily free just like I did do with my iPhone.

The iPad has 3G capability so I can use the cellular network when WiFi isn't available. The problem is that since AT&T dropped their unlimited data plans across the board, I'm afraid to use that functionality for fear of getting raped on data usage charges going over my allotment. An iPad can eat up 250MB easily. I used 352MB on my iPhone last month (thank goodness they grandfathered my unlimited plan) and I don't really use it that much since leaving the last job.

With the iPad I also received a Camera Connection Kit. This is a set of two dongles. One of them has a USB connection on it, the other has an SD card slot. With the USB dongle you can direct-connect your digital camera or your iPhone and the SD slot is self-explanatory. Whichever way you go, the iPad automatically launches a built-in transfer app that allows you to transfer all the photos or to select specific photos to transfer. It is not without its limitations. When connecting the iPhone it will only pick up photos from the camera roll. It does not see any in the photo albums. (this also means that the dongle does not add a functional USB port to the iPad unless you know something I don't) When using the SD card the card apparently has to be formatted from a camera. The iPad does not react if you insert a card full of JPG files. Yet another Apple limitation that seems to have no rhyme or reason.

Speaking of the iPad (still), I have been on the hunt for an iPad case since I got it. When the wife bought hers she also bought one of the Apple cases. We then headed to Radio Shack where she bought a nice leather folio bundled with some other accessories. She used the leather folio for about a day then went back to the Apple case. I have been using the leather folio. This leather folio is actually quite nice. I can't tell you if it's genuine or synthetic leather but it is padded and well constructed. The inside has slots for papers, cards and other small, flat items. There is a leather tab/strap that slides into a slot to keep it closed.

There are a few reasons I have been looking for another case. First, this case does not function well as a stand. I use/wanted the iPad primarily to watch movies on my lunch break and propping it up, even with the strap inserted, I am constantly concerned about it tipping over forward or backward. There is also no "typing angle" available. Second is the way the iPad is held in. It is held in securely but not functionally. On the bottom are two formed, leather corner pieces. The right one partially covers the speaker but doesn't seem to affect the sound. The top is held in with two elastic straps.

From a manufacturing standpoint elastic straps are cheap, functional and easy to install/use. The problem is that they block key parts of the iPad. They always do, it's not just this case. The left strap all but covers the headphone jack and does cover the microphone. It can be pushed out of the way for headphone insertion but shouldn't need to be. The right strap covers the power button which is not a big deal since it can easily be actuated without moving the strap. The right strap also covers the mute switch (formerly the rotation lock switch). The strap has to be removed then replaced to actuate the switch. Sorry, this one's the deal breaker.

At first I thought I just wanted a leather version of the Apple case. These are plentiful on eBay in a variety of colors. Then I discovered something. If I'm sitting in my car (stationary, of course), I can fold the cover back over the top of my steering wheel and secure it in place using the leather strap. Connect it to the AUX audio input on my radio and I have in-car theater! (the photo also demonstrates the full reflective nature of the iPad screen)

This development necessitated a modification of my criteria. My new case needed to be leather, preferably padded, it could not use elastic straps to secure the device, it needed to have the capability to operate as a vertical stand as well as a typing stand, and it needed a closure of some sort to allow me to wheel-mount the iPad. You would think that wouldn't be hard to find. You would be wrong.

Some are WAY overpriced. Some are fun but don't fit the criteria. Some downright suck. Most don't make the cut because of stability issues when using as a stand, cheap materials, or poor quality control. I looked on Amazon. I looked on eBay. I read reviews. I just couldn't make a decision on one that would be right for me without going to the iPad Case Store and touching each one and examining the quality. Unfortunately, there is no iPad Case Store.

In the end, I pulled the trigger on a unit on eBay for $12.00. I figure that way I can see how well the design works for me but I'm not out much if the quality is lacking.

Okay... what else... Ah, Christmas in general.

On Christmas Eve we met my wife's side of the family for our traditional Christmas Eve Dinner at the Olive Garden. This tradition grew out of a desire not to spend my father-in-law's birthday (December 24) alone after his passing. For the last 5 years it has been a fun time of feasting, conversation and remembrance. There has been a lot of controversy on that side of the family over the last year but it was all put aside for the gathering.

On Christmas Day we drove to Kansas City to be with my family. From there we all went to St. Joseph, MO to my niece's house for Christmas Dinner. There was lots of laughter and loudness - just like it should be. It's always good to see my nephews as well. Each one of them thinks very differently from most people and their thoughts and interactions are often amusing to behold.

I, of course, brought my camera and took several pictures - including some group portraits. Using the Camera Connection Kit I uploaded them to my iPad and started showing people pictures of themselves. In short order someone else was holding my iPad with several others gathered around looking at all of the pictures. It was really cool to see.

Well, I've been sitting here for a couple of hours working on this and I think I (and you) have had quite enough. Here's wishing 2011 is as "spiffy" for you as I plan on mine being.

Dangerously Close To Becoming A Fanboy

Back in June, I broke down and bought an iPhone. Despite having to play in a walled garden I still very much like the device.

For Christmas, I received an iPad and haven't put it down for very long since I was first able to sync it with iTunes. The experience is very much the same as the iPhone. Same/similar limits in the operating system. Same restricted app installation process. Same protection by Apple from the outside world of rogue apps. I love it.

I was thinking about these two devices, how much I enjoy using them (despite their dictated limitations), and how much they have revolutionized the mobile communication and computing industries. I will gladly discuss the advantages, usefulness and revolutionary features of either of these devices with anyone who cares to ask. And that's when I started to wonder if I was becoming a fanboy.

Let me first give you my definition of a fanboy. The IBM/Apple debate has raged since the time of the Apple ][ and the original 8088-based IBM PC. The introduction of the Macintosh only added fuel to that fire. For most people, the debates between these very different worlds of Microsoft-based and Apple-based operating systems are religious wars. The fanboy, on either side of the argument, is the one who extols the virtues of his favorite device, ignores or waves aside the shortcomings of the same device, vehemently discounts any advantage of the other device, and lays open the disadvantages of the other device with surgical precision. His device is The One and The Only True Device.

I started thinking about these characteristics and, while I have ridden on the [insert device here] bandwagon several times I have never been so narrow-visioned to only see my device as having the features that would be everything anyone would ever need to the exclusion of all other devices. No device is perfect. I grew to dislike my Windows Mobile phone. The Pantech Matrix Pro had its limitations. And there are even some negatives in the iPhone.

The iPad is a real joy. A much larger screen to read from, watch movies, browse the web and play games. Amazingly, none of my gripes with the iPhone apply to the iPad. Give me a couple of days and I'm sure I'll come up with some.

In the end you find what works for you and you go with that. My perfect device is not your perfect device and it never will be. And that's why I don't consider myself a fanboy.

Is The Personal Blog Dead?

A little over seven years ago I started my blog. I have always been interested in writing and journaling but was never able to stick to it. Something about blogging and having an actual rather than imagined audience and getting feedback kept me writing and made my blog a lot of fun.

I still enjoy blogging (obviously) but over the past three years my frequency has dropped off considerably for various reasons. I have noticed this same trend in several of the personal blogs I try to keep up with. So, why are personal blogs withering?

The Twitter and Facebook factor has a lot to do with it. I don't think people are necessarily abandoning their blogs for Facebook, although some I know have come right out and said as much. Twitter and Facebook provide an instantaneous outlet for transient and clever thoughts. The effect of this is like nudging your BFF standing next to you and saying, "hey, check out what just flashed through my brain." And, like the chuckle he/she gives you, the feedback of the like button and comment system are comforting and addicting.

Blogging is more like being the street-corner preacher. We stand on our soap boxes and cast our prose to the winds hoping it will fall on sympathetic ears. If we're lucky, someone comes by, stays a while to listen, and maybe even strikes up a short conversation. If we're really lucky, we catch the odd commuter as he passes by every day and he gives us a little of his time as he heads to wherever he is going.

When you really think about it, blogging is difficult. You have to stop and think about exactly what you want to say and you have to construct an engaging story around that. Then, you have to hope someone cares enough about what you have to say to make and take the time to read it. Even with RSS it's a fairly passive endeavor - like going to the library.

With Twitter/Facebook, it's more like having a conversation. You throw something out there, your friends see it, take 10 seconds to read it, then put in their own 2 cents. You don't even have to direct it to them. Your friends have made the choice to listen to you. If they check on a regular basis they see your posts on a regular basis. It's all about smaller bites and easier feedback.

Professional and commercial blogs are a different animal, of course. They are more like a newspaper (some of them are newspapers). People actively seek them out for information and opinion. But who cares what Joe Fusco from Stillwater, Oklahoma has to say on a day-to-day basis? A few but not many.

Will I keep blogging? For the time being, I will. But being able to use my iPhone to immediately post a thought or observation to Facebook from wherever I might happen to be is so much easier and provides so many more opportunities.

The Rumors Of My Death Are Greatly Exaggerated

My blog has earned its name once again. Only this time, it was my iPhone that ate my homework. I am using DragonDictate to write a blog post. I switched apps to look at some notes that I had taken previously about some additional limitations that the iPhone has that are annoying to me. When I switched back, DragonDictate started all over again, losing my work. 

What I find interesting is that, when writing a blog post, my thoughts seem to flow easier from my brain to my fingers then from my brain to my mouth. 

What I had been saying in my original post was that I have been a little scarce here on my blog and on Facebook, mostly because I'm just tired. 

Work is still problematic. I am looking for another job. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

I'm still loving the iPhone... A lot. I find myself cruising the app store every day looking for free apps that are just cool or might be useful in a bizarre set of circumstances. I now have a relatively large collection of apps, some of which I have never even launched.

There are a few more items I would like to add to my list of updates I would like to see. These include copying draft e-mail messages back into my Outlook account. I find this very annoying because if I am composing a message on my iPhone and am interrupted for some reason the only option that I have it is to continue the message on my iPhone. I can't, without e-mailing it to myself, finish composing a message at my workstation. 

Sticking with the e-mail theme, I would like the ability to copy a contact from the Exchange global address list into my local contacts. I find this very helpful on my workstation and would like to see it on my mobile device.

The last item is simply a matter of convenience. Why is it that there is no snooze function for appointment alarms? Every other device I own that has an alarm has a snooze function. Why not the most powerful small device I own?

I guess that's about it for now. I just wanted to check in to let y'all know I'm still above ground and breathing. 

Until next time. 

Eight Days And No Looking Back

I have had my iPhone now for eight days. I love it. You could give me any Windows Mobile phone and I'll turn you down.

Why do I like it so much?
1. The call and audio quality is phenomenal! I've never owned a clearer, louder phone.
2. S*!t just WORKS. When you tap an icon, something happens - right then.

I've spent almost every day since I got it downloading free apps. Some are lame, some are pretty good and some are limited versions of paid apps. One of those limited apps I'm actually going to buy (gotta wait until payday). It's called grocery gadget and it's a shopping list app. Why am I willing to pay for it? It lets you scan barcodes to enter items. How easy is that!?

I updated the operating system today. iOS4 was released about noon local time. The biggest thing I was looking forward to was the folders. Being able to group apps instead of them having to just hang out wherever they land is something they should have done since day one. The multitasking is nice but it's never really been a major factor to me except for background apps that Apple doesn't allow.

The iPhone, however, is not without its limitations. In my 8 days of ownership, I have compiled the following wish list:

1. Adjustable default appointment alarm. The default appointment alarm is none. It's going to mess me up one of these days when I set an appointment on the phone and forget to set the alarm and miss an appointment. I'm in enough dutch at work without that.
2. Email priority indicators and the ability to flag Exchange mail. If I get a high priority message and I'm away from my desk, I want to know that it's high priority. The message could get easily lost amongst other messages on the phone without it. The flag ability is a luxury but I use the flags as a reminder that I need to do something with the email (shutup, Ron).
3. Customizeable alerts for mail, voice mail, and calendar. You can customize the ringtone (including on a per-contact basis) and the text message tone but the others are either on or off. And the ringtone is the only tone you can add your own. At least give me more than one choice. Who are you, Henry "you can have any color as long as it's black" Ford? I can add the ability to change these tones but from what I've read I'd have to jailbreak it and I'm not gonna do that.
4. A method of closing the app. This is even more important with the multitasking. I suppose it just stacks 'em up and closes the one at the bottom when it needs memory but I'd rather have a little bit of control over that.

Item number one is critical to me. Steve Jobs, if you read this, please add the ability to set a default appointment alarm time to iOS 4.1. The high priority indicators are important but not absolutely critical. The other items would just be nice. It is, after all, a wish list.

Drinking The Kool-Aid

I went ahead and pulled the trigger this afternoon and bought an iPhone. Right deal, right time.

I realize that the iPhone 4 is coming out in about 10 days and it's the new shiny but I talked with some people at the AT&T store and decided to go with the 3GS. Here's why:

Right now AT&T is selling the 16Gb 3GS for $149* and the 32GB 3GS for $199*. These are closeout prices. The new $99* 3GS will be 8GB. When the iPhone 4 hits stores, the 32GB will go back up to $299* (yeah, sure it will).

The iPhone 4 has three things I can see being important to me.

1. The high-resolution screen. I'm sure it's mighty sweet but I don't watch a lot of videos and, frankly, I'm okay with the current screen.
2. Extended battery life. I know 4 people who use their iPhones in the exact same environment I will be using it. I've never heard them complain. Again, nice but I can get by with the current offering.
3. Front-facing camera. Oh, I could have fun with this but it's just not a deal-breaker.

So, I can wait 10 days, spend $199 and get a 16GB iPhone 4 or I can buy a 32GB iPhone 3GS today. I went for capacity over features. That simple.

The only kicker is that, since it is at a closeout price, I don't get the 30-day trial period. I'm stuck with it now whether I like it or not.

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* With new 2-year agreement