Category: Gadgets
01/28/10
Is the iPad a joke? An experiment to see how superfluous a product Apple fanboys are willing to buy?
OK. Let's say I want to:
1. Browse the web. I can do that with a cell phone- that fits in my pocket, and that I, and any potential iPad owners, already have.
2. Watch flash video. Nope. Can't do that. My less expensive laptop can. my Droid will soon be able to.
Motorola DROID A855 Phone (Verizon Wireless)
3. Read an ebook. I can do that on my phone and/or laptop (which together are less expensive than the iPad). But, then again, why would I want to read a whole book on an LED screen? The Kindle and Nook have "e-ink" screens which are specially made for long reading sessions. Instead of banning transfats, people should ban iPads.
And, the Kindle and nook books are cheaper! Am I missing something?
Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6" Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation)
Barnes and Noble NOOK ebook reader
4. Take pictures. uh uh. Can do that with laptop or phone.
5. Video chat. No.
6. Work. Well, I can take a keyboard with me. Woops, there goes the portability. I can use real, grown-up apps or Google Docs on my laptop mini.
7. Make a presentation. Limited to 640 resolution. Need to carry some extra stuff.
8. Move stuff around. I need the dock. No USB or SD card. Seriously.
9. Find something. No GPS.
10. Do two things at once? Ha! No multitasking.
11. Impress squid friends for 90 minutes. Yes!
12. Look like a total dweeb to people who actually do useful stuff. Success!
10/22/09
No, not that one. I'm talking about the need to upgrade. If you're one of those guys who takes the day off to upgrade your operating system or feels sweet rushes of ecstasy while flashing your bios, you know what I'm talking about.
The best thing about upgrades is that they don't add to the clutter in your house. You're just replacing. And, through the magic of eBay, sometimes you can renew without a heavy impact on lesser needs like food and shelter (I told my kids that right after the next upgrade cycle, I'm saving up for their shoes. Hopefully, their little tootsies can hold out that long): Renew, have somebody else reuse, and recycle the boxes.
The two things I'd like to upgrade are my Vista PCs to Windows 7 and my phone.
A semi-responsible nerd needs an acquisition excuse and I think, after holding a family conclave, the Asymmetric clan has formulated a rationalization.
The family computer (it's good to have the kids use one central computer in the living room that also serves as the TV- better to supervise), lost its ability to connect to the internet. I haven't been able to fix it and for whatever reason, the "System Restore" feature was turned off. In addition, my wife has a TV card in her Vista Business laptop and doesn't like the Avermedia software. The new Windows 7 has Media Center. I'm perfectly happy with the SP3 version of Vista on my laptop, but I wouldn't mind an upgrade.
The Windows 7 upgrade comes in a three-license "Family Pack" for $150.00.
Bam!
Upgrade it is.
The next one isn't quite as justifiable. I have an upgrade slot for my Verizon phone. Warning: pointless, meandering blogging below:
Now, as tempting as the new HTC Imagio is, if I were to get a new phone, I'd get the new Google Android phone. The Imagio uses Windows Mobile, and there's something about the words "windows" and "phone" that doesn't go together.
I can sell my Blackberry Storm on eBay for about the same price as the upgrade. The Storm's been a good phone, but the lack of a physical keyboard and the fact that the Army has disallowed the reception of Army (AKO) emails, has soured me on the Blackberry a little.
Then again, the denial of tech is close enough to asceticism to have a beneficial effect on my soul.
It'd hurt more than a hair shirt, anyways.
09/21/09
Sometimes the amount of stuff people have dilutes the joy each individual item brings to them. I'm attracted to shiny, beeping things like Eliot Spitzer is to hookers, and bask in the glow of LCD light like George Hamilton does UV radiation, but I had so much tech that those square things with all of the buttons seemed like a bother rather than a help. It was especially annoying tripping over something you didn't use when a minute earlier you were writing checks to the credit card company (I have the Amazon card so that every once in a while I can buy something else I don't need).
As much as cluttered life is suffocating, cleaning and consolidating is refreshing and invigorating.
Mrs. Asymmetric and I have been selling much of our technology. I started by getting rid of the Onkyo stereo amplifier and Polk speakers that dominated our living room. If you have small kids, you know that listening to finely-reproduced music in the setting it's due is nearly impossible. The TV speakers perform well enough for family viewing. I don't know how impressive hearing the bass thud with each dinosaur step in Jurassic Park is anymore anyways. My wife likes to draw, but she never used the Wacom pad I got her. I can scan my signature. I don't need to back up my Michael Bolton cds in lossless so I sold one of my backup hard drives. I only listened to my iPod classic when I ran and a small, flash-based mp3 player is better suited for that purpose, unless I ever plan on running straight to Argentina in which case I'll buy another high-capacity player.
I love GPS, but we both didn't navigate unknown parts of Los Angeles at the same time- one will do. I also cut back on cell phone services like Verizon's Navigator and my wife's mobile internet access.
I don't watch TV news and the best shows are streamed for free or available on Netflix (the last thing ever to go), so no cable. We sold the larger monitor in the bedroom to which we'd connect our laptops. We can do with our smaller screens, the desk is cleaner, and we don't have to bother hooking it up each time. Ahhh, simplicity.
The time we saved in shopping and tech support when things inevitably don't work correctly has also saved us a bunch of time- enough to use the stuff we kept.
Sometimes, I got rid of something only to miss it. In that case, the item had justified its cost and earned a return trip to the Asymmetric household. I longed for the Rhapsody music service that allowed me to listen to any album I wanted to, legally. Cable internet's a must. I tried ditching my advanced cell phone, the Curve, and going to a cheap phone, but I missed the ability to connect my laptop to the internet in the wild (tethering) and browse blog feeds with Viigo during faculty meetings. I got the Storm. I used my bluetooth headphones pretty often: they functioned as an iPod as long as my computer was nearby and I could watch Stargate without bugging my wife.
There were specialty tech items like my media drive and Sirius radio that I never considered banishing.
Purchases now have to be as revenue neutral as possible. When my wife wanted a smaller laptop, I sold her Inspiron 1420 and got her a Vostro 1320 for less than a hundred more.
There's also a moratorium on new tech. It's painful. I really, really want an Amazon Kindle, but I've gotten 47 times smarter than Keith Olbermann without one- why spend $299.00?
Anyways, I hope it covers the higher taxes coming our way in California.
07/09/09
My son's had a PSP for a couple of years now. It's annoying to see him try to play it while were out at dinner and, much worse, while were walking, but he seems to enjoy it and, more importantly, can put it away for extended periods of time. He plays Yu Gi Oh and some racing game. He doesn't use the internet, which is virtually impossible on a PSP anyways.
My daughter never plays it. Yet, when I asked her what she wanted for her birthday, she said "a Nintendo DSi." I read some reviews and then a few more, and pretty soon, I actually became kind of interested. Certainly, this was a purely squid reaction- the looking at specs and features- as I've never played them and God knows I don't have time to start. Anyways, I came up with this quick, non-expert comparison:
Games: If you prefer Pokemon over Yu Gi Oh, then Nintendo is the way to go. If you prefer the other one, then vice-versa. I think Nintendo games tend to be more youth-oriented. Apparently, Yu Gi Oh is a mature, sophisticated cartoon compared to Pokemon.
Internet: Both have Wi-Fi. The PSP requires you to input text and select links thought buttons while the Nintendo lets you use a stylus, which is 100% easier. The DSi also has parental controls, eliminating a parental worry.
Music: The PSP lets you play the common formats. You have to convert your mp3s to AAC if you wish to listen to music on the Nintendo.
Movies: PSP can, DSi, nope. This is a huge advantage, I think.
Convenience: The Nintendo can download games. You have to carry cartridges for the PSP.
Gameplay: Both systems allow players to play against owners of the same system and game.
Extras: The DSi has a camera.
It should be noted that most of the functions above can be done on a phone, although internet might force people to pay for a costly data plan if the phone doesn't have WiFi.
It's a tough choice. I'd say most kids would prefer the ability to watch movies on a long road trip over being able to browse the internet more conveniently at a coffee shop.
What do real experts say? That I'm dead wrong. Nintendo sells far more Nintendo DSs than Sony does.
By the way, this site will let you find the Cheapest Nintendo DSi .
Nintendo DSi + 2GB SD Card Bundle
PlayStation Portable (PSP) Value Pack
01/08/09
I now officially love my Verizon Storm (The trick, I think, is to just use it without thinking about its on-paper deficiencies.). If I had my druthers (I might, in fact, be surrounded by druthers and not realize it since I don't know what "druthers" are.), however, I'd go for the Curve 8900. It has everything the Storm has plus Wi-Fi and a real keyboard for people who swing that way, which I do. I prefer the Curve form factor to the Bold's as well.
S/T Crackberry.
Disclaimer: For Blackberry addicts, please watch the video below in the comfort of your own home, by yourself, and within quick reach of bathroom facilities to avoid embarrassment or soiled office furniture.
Press release below and features here:
01/04/09
12/31/08
Here's an update to my Storm posts. I had made peace with the dead pixels on my Blackberry Storm. I did this by looking at the phone as a tool and not as a source of joy. In other words, I matured. I actually felt bad for RIM and Verizon too, having to give one dude four phones.
So, I went to the Verizon store to activate my wife's new Samsung SCH-U740, the Alias. I started a conversation with customer service young lady, as I'm annoyingly conversation-inclined (Cuban). I told her about the pixels and without me telling her anything except that I was over my 30-day return window, she called the Verizon customer service store and ordered me a new Blackberry Storm. It came today. In addition to not having any dead pixels, the screen clicks 400% better than in any of my three previous Storms. I love it now! I will now de-mature. Bottom line: If you're on the fence about the Storm, go ahead and try it.
BlackBerry Storm 9530 Smartphone (Verizon Wireless)
Blackberry Storm 9530 Desktop Charger Cradle
12/16/08
The third time wasn't exactly a charm. The button fell off of the first one. The screen wasn't "clicky" enough on the second. Now, on my third, everything's fine except for two dead pixels. I have two choices:
1. Call and complain again.
2. Demote my phone from squidly rapture-inducer to utilitarian task-accomplisher. In other words, from something that gives me nerdy pleasure every time I look at it, like a nice watch, to something that lets me check email and make phone calls, like having a cheap watch just to tell time.
I'm leaning towards keeping it and just be done with it. I'm growing to like it. Except for a little lagginess, improved since the software update, it works very well. I love the visual voice mail app that lets me view voice mails instead of having to hear each one- now, I might even call back sometimes. I can see buying a bluetooth keyboard and taking both that and the phone instead of a laptop. The dock is great, too.
BlackBerry ASY14396008 Desktop Charge/Sync Pod BlackBerry 9500 Storm Series
12/06/08
Everything I said about the Blackberry Storm still stands except that I'm sorry to report that the hardware is less sturdy than it first seemed. My first phone was fine, but the button, in putting it in the holster, came off. I remember that when I bought it, the lady said that they pulled the holsters off the shelf. I think I may have discovered the reason. I asked for another phone over the air. Surprisingly, it came two days later.
The new one has an even more delicate button, the red one, than the first phone, and one side of the keyboard button is so hard to press that typing is really a chore. I'm taking it to the store this time. Third time's a charm, hopefully.
Tags: recall holster verizon storm, red button storm12/01/08
BlackBerry Storm 9530 Smartphone (Verizon Wireless)
Men can only be happy if they think that they're doing as well as they should be. Think about it: Most moderns have better diets and health care; more channels and conveniences than any king from even a hundred years ago. Are people happier now? I doubt it.
Staying within our own time, many of the poorest Americans have an easier existence than probably 90% of the rest of the world. Are they any happier?
It wasn't so long ago that people could only hear professionally-played music a few times a year at festivals, weddings, and other events. Now, people get upset if they have to spend $9.99 to hear a master orchestra play Beethoven's Ninth in their own home.
Ode to Freedom: Bernstein Conducts Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in Berlin
Relevance:
In Blackberry world, on sites such as Crackberry.com and Blackberryforums.com, one of the hot topics is the "business card fix" for the new Blackberry Storm, of which I'm a proud owner and for which I'm developing feelings (not romantic ones, exactly; more like those between a man and his vintage muscle car.).
Basically, many Storms have an uneven screen-click response. This means that it takes more force to click on the edges of the screen, especially the corners, than it does to click on the center. Imagine if some of the keys on your PC's keyboard were mushy and other were "clicky." Very annoying.
An anonymous genius discovered that cutting out and placing about two business cards worth of paper between the battery and the back-plate makes the screen more responsive. Some people are accepting the fix while others are balking and asking for a replacement. In the Crackberry.com thread above, one poster claims that the defective screens have to do with the early Storms' inferior construction, a problem, according to the post, that RIM has since corrected. If that's the case, RIM may have been hoping that few people would notice the problem, which is not a good way to do business.
Blackberry Storm fix
So, there I was, blissfully, ignorantly, chugging along, loving my Storm, when I learned of the Blackberry clicking issue. I started a systematic inspection of my Storm, clicking every millimeter and noting the variation. I visited three Verizon stores in between errands to test their display models (not better.). My happiness-bringer had transformed into a shiny block of despair.
Should I ask for another Storm? Should I avoid the hassle and just use the business card trick? What if I return it and it still doesn't work? I would have wasted some of the earth's resources and RIM's money (I'm weird in that I actually feel bad for the company when I return stuff.).
Tech philosophizing II:
Have you ever hoped that a seemingly better-looking girl didn't like you so that you could stay with your current girlfriend? Or, perhaps you've been relieved to know that the manufacturer of the car you "should have gotten" just issued a recall for what became known as the "Ride of Death." Or, you were happy that you didn't have to spend money on that "miracle" baldness cure because it's been proven totally ineffective.
Relevance:
In a way, I hope that the newer models aren't any better so that I can just go back to being happy with my Storm.
So, here I was cruising
Tags: blackberry screen wiggle, storm credit card battery, storm paper under battery
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