cellphones
Why Verizon won’t be taking over Charter anytime soon
I have plenty of positive things to say about both companies even if Charter suffered through financial troubles and Verizon’s services is still quite expensive.
You would think that two companies of which one provides some pretty good Internet service and a fairly decent channel line up and another company known for its excellent phone service and outstanding wireless internet coverage would be interested in joining forces against their rivals at AT&T, right?
WRONG! Sadly, these two modest contenders are not at all happy with each other and the St. Louis area doesn’t really know it. Then of course there are the lawsuits between Charter and Verizon. (Note to self: Insert picture of two grown men sissy-fighting with each other in relationship to how these two companies are behaving.)
Charter is still a cable based internet service provider, whereas Verizon can not find a place in the St. Louis market to provide their FTTx (a.k.a. FiOS) service in the St. Louis area. So the duopoly between Charter and AT&T still exists in the St. Louis area in terms of High-Speed Internet service. (Unless of course, Google comes to bless us with whatever they plan on giving out. PLEASE COME HERE, GOOGLE!)
Meanwhile, Verizon, who beat the snot out of AT&T in both Consumer Reports and Zagats consumer ratings this winter, is still both a wireless carrier competing with AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile not only provides wireless phone service but wireless Internet as well.
One of the great things about Verizon is that I can use my Motorola Droid and tether it to my netbook using a program called PDANet.
Since it has been a while since I have blogged, I think I should explain some of the details of my netbook.
In February, I became involved with a group called a hackerspace. The local hackerspace group, Arch Reactor, had an open house meeting that I ‘m pretty happy that I went to and joined the group. (Hence no time for blogging as of late.) Most of the time we hang around and talk about making stuff (not necessarily hacking, but also art, electronics including Ardruino, woodworking, robotics, and a bit of gardening).
Since most of the guys bring their laptops or netbooks, I used some of my rainy-day funds to buy a refurbished HP Mini from someone on eBay. It was probably one one of the best purchases I made. The computer is in great condition (with exception for a little scratch on the bottom of the computer), there is an extra-long lasting Lithium-ion battery on it. And it still runs Windows XP.
So what if I don’t have Vista or 7 on this thing? Most of the time I am either on the Internet or using UNIX-like program with Cygwin as well as an arsenal of other free open-source software available for Windows. To which I’ve tossed out just about all the software that comes on this system. Norton Internet Security (TRIALWARE! Annoying as hell!), Microsoft Office (Trialware! Use OpenOffice.org instead!), Microsoft Works (Crap). I wish I could toss out Internet Explorer, especially since I am using Chrome. But I figured, the less Microsoft stuff I have to use, the less of a security threat I can be subject to. On top of that, XP is stable enough to do some fancy computer stuff like changing the startup animation, the login screen, and replacing the GUI interface.
Anyway, back to PDANet.
PDANet is probably the best $20 worth of software that you will ever spend if you are both the owner of a Motorola Droid or other Android enabled device and the owner of a Netbook with Windows or Mac on it.
Using your phone and your computer to tether with each other to have wireless Internet is downright awesome. I would have almost have been tempted to cancel my Charter subscription if only Verizon didn’t allow any other ports to be used for things like IRC chat, SSH, or even Usenet. (AT&T is the same way, so I can probably speculate and say that every other wireless provider also is not really all that keen at the moment to use any other port than the ones used for web browsing.)
Clearly, Verizon (and its rivals) have issues still with people using their network for doing things other than downloading stupid videos of cats playing the keyboard. But like any computer system that can be modified (even Windows and Android), there is a way around it.
Having a netbook is does not mean the retirement of my old Linux system that I built myself. In fact, it opens the door to allowing for me to better my computer skills and to attempt to make the two computers communicate with each other (of which despite their form factor have pretty much the same abilities and hardware standards for the most part).
My loyal Linux machine is in need for some hardware upgrades that due to the current economy, it was much cheaper to find a netbook to take care of some of the dirty work that the Linux machine could have. That and the netbook is about 20 decibels quieter than the Linux Machine. An issue that is on my todo list when I head out to Micro Center, when and if the Missouri state legislature (particularly Cynthia Davis and Jane Cunningham) pull the head out of their butts and realize that a socialized healthcare system is the reform this country needs to get people back to work. The same can be said about the Tea Party which is also threatening to kill Metro. (Vote YES on Proposition A on April 6th! I like riding the bus, but if adding a half-cent sales tax to cut the time I spend commuting to and from Downtown (which is an hour!) is wrong, then I definitely don’t want to be right!)
Droid Does Quite Well
Generally when I write my critiques, I have an unconventional way of writing them. I like to point out the faults and grevances first before pointing out the praise, features, and benefits. This way, when someone finishes reading the article they can think postively about the thing that I wrote about. This can work the opposite way if you list the postive first and the negative second.
I’ve had my Motorola Droid for nearly a week now. Though it is a good phone it is not without grevances.
First, there is the grevances with Verizon. The usage of mail in rebates is so last century. The fact that I have to pay an extra $100 to get that $100 back is BS. The concept of the rebate system seems to be on the idea that people are lazy and that they will not take the effort to photocopy a sales recept (easily done at the workplace, local library, Kinkos, or if you are lucky to have an open top printer/scanner). I certainly wasn’t going to go to Sam’s to pay $184 for a $199 phone that is worth paying an extra $8 for an insurance policy. It also would have been nice if Verizon would have created a printout of what the bill would look like. Though service will likely be near $100/month, there are a few things that can be done to reduce the cost of service. When I find out, I’ll be sure to write about it.
Next, their is the grevances with Motorola. I was suprised to here that the Droid was Motorola’s Hail Mary Pass in that hearing things like Motorola has been putting out some bad phones over the years. The Droid is a good phone….but Motorola wasn’t truthful in reporting the SAR rating of the phone. While Motorola told the FCC that it had an SAR rating of 0.89 W/kg (body) and 1.10 W/kg (head), the manual for the Droid has different values. Like 1.5 W/kg (body) and 1.49 W/kg (head). Of course, it is not like there is someone who keeps track of these things, right? On the other hand, I did disable the GPS on the phone, which probably explains why I don’t need to recharge the thing every four hours. GPS is a nice feature to work with mapping applications, but it can be a real battery drainer and privacy invader.
Which brings me to the final set of grevances that I have with Google. Google has played a big part in the Android Operating system development. It was kind of a let down that the applications I though Google had availble to use Google’s services weren’t there, or were so much better if used in the Internet browser than on the phone. Sure, you have Google Maps (which is good), Google Calendar (also good), and Gmail (which could use an upgrade), but Google does not have any applications for Tasks, Notes, or Docs. These applications are available for iPhone from Google, but Android users, no matter which phone you are using, will need to go to the Internet for that.
Seeing as how the Android operating system now brings Google applications to a mobile device, one can’t help but wonder if the guy at Google who decided to discontinue Google Notebook isn’t kicking himself right now. Notebook would have been a great app for Android, and the fact that it was discontinued is a foolish mistake. It would be like Microsoft removing Notepad because you have Word. Hopefully, someone will reinstate this service so that moble users can jot down notes.
The Android Market deserves both praise and criticism.
If anyone is not aware of the Anonymous hacker group, you should probably know that these guys mean business even in their quirky unorthodox ways. Anonymous is fickle. To either laud or jeer them would be hazardous to one’s online reputation. However, I find their motives of dealing soundboards in the Android Market (under the guise of “Onymous Heroes”) to be conspicuous. While it is great that the Android has many free appications to try out (although It would be nice to see a few more from Google and the Android group), the fact that one of the most stand-alone-complex group might not be so obvious to many users is a little concerning but at the same time a reminder that not everyone is creating programs in the Market (or App Store for that matter) with good intentions. That is, other groups (not like Anonymous) could have their own applications on the market to do some bad things. It is sort of like a reminder by them to say “hey watch your back” or taking advice from a theif on how to better safeguard your home from intrusion. On the other hand, the fact that no one is really keeping an eye on the Market to weed out programs that can be potential secuirty threats should make Android users wary of who the download their software from.
Reguardless, I do have plans on writing many reviews in the future about Android Apps. I would also like to develop some of them. I probably should put more effort into writing things in Java, to which that is what brings me to the upside of this review.
The Android operating system is Linux based, but many of the programs are written in Java. Perhaps I had alot of bad experiences with Java (as I don’t even use Java when browsing the Internet as the processes will keep on running), but the performance of Java on the Android is remarkable! Back when I had a Motorola RAZR, Java was unplesant. Palm couldn’t use Java work a dan on the Treo. But Android, has pretty much saved Java from being just another legacy language. Android doesn’t use the Java 2 SE or ME standards, which probably explains why Android programs are so fluid.
As stated earlier, the security flaws of the Android operating system is not with the operating sysetem itself, but with programs from some shady individuals selling their wares on the Market. However, there are gems among the junk. Where Palm Treo didn’t have the random number generation to develop a proper encryption key to run things like SSH and IRC (or battery life), the Android operating system does. Security is also one of the main goals of the Android operating system. If anything bad happens to the phone because of a program, Google will know about it. So basically, security is very good on the phone.
The Droid has a beautiful and sharp 16:9 screen. Despite the criticism by many critics about the camera, I think they seem to forget that the camera has two flashes on it. And why is everyone complaining about the 5 megapixel camera? Sure, you have to hold down the picture button to take a photo, but 5 megapixels is a sharp good of not great quality camera. (Perhaps my review of digital cameras is short sighted, then again, I don’t exactly have $700 at the moment to go out and buy the latest Nikon camera on the market. So in my opinion, 5 MP is good.)
Another thing the critics have been ripping on is the audio. Perhaps it is the foolish assumption that because a phone has a speakerphone on it that it can be used as a radio. Well…yes and no. Like just about all other smartphones, you will need to use headphones or an audio adaptor that plugs into your car stereo or home audio equipment. With a 3.5mm headphone jack, any set of headphones can be plugged into the Droid. The iPhone, much like my previous phone which was a Palm Treo, does not have a 3.5mm headphone jack. Instead, iPhone users need to use an adaptor, which in my previous experience of using audio adaptors for headphones, is an unplesant experience as it makes listening to music impossible afte a while. The Droid, like its competitor the Palm Pre, has a 3.5mm jack as opposed with the G1 that has no jack (USB audio only has one purpose: SKYPE!).
Droid does streaming audio much like the iPhone. If there is one Application I can recommend right now, it is imeem Moble. Streaming audio has evolved over the years. Just remember when you do streaming audido, do it where you can get WiFi. Otherwise, don’t forget to bring your music collection with you. (Remember: “unlimited” on the 3G network, no matter which telecom you use, means 5GB.)
So to call the iPhone better because “it has 100,000 apps” and that “it is more popular” is clearly a sign that the critics are not interested in what is new or what is better, just what is cool. Remember that next time when you try to listen to music on your iPhone but can’t because your headphones sound awful because you need to use an adaptor. Remember that when you can’t swap batteries, run multiple applications, take night shots with the camera, or make a phonecall without having to deal with the Jack-In-The-Box-speaker-quality sound.
The Droid Does but Android still needs development.
Isn’t it about time the Cellphone industry do something about radiation exposure?
I’m really looking forward to getting a new phone next month. But the recent news about cell phone radiation is proving to be a big downer.
Clearly, studies are necessary into making sure that cell phones are safe. As radiation (be it non-ionizing (safe in low amounts) or ionizing (not safe, and not emitted by cellphones)) is a considerable health risk.
What we do know is that non-ionizing radiation is safe under certain conditions. (The biggest problem being heat, which can be control by reducing the resistance in a system.) Radio transmitters, like the ones the broadcasting industry uses for radio and television broadcasts, are safe and have not had the controversy that cellphones have had. Had the radio towers been deemed unsafe, we would have seen birds and other wild life disappear a long time ago. However, I still wake up in the morning to the sound of cardinals chirping outside my window less than a mile from a radio tower. Thus, because the radio tower is safe, we can assume that the broadcasting towers for cellular networks are indeed safe. The only complains about the towers have been from people who claim them to be eyesorse, which they can be if placed in certain areas.
The problem for the most part has not been the towers, but the cellphones themselves.
One of the siginficant contributing factors to increased radiation exposure is the continued usage of older, more radiating technology. However, this is not exactly true as a Motorola RAZR V3 has an Specific Absorption Rate of 0.89 W/kg. The Droid, according to information submitted by Motorola to the FCC, has a head rate of about 1.10 W/kg and a hip rate of 0.89 W/kg.
Anything near the maximum limit of 1.6 W/kg would be bad. Thus, according to a list compiled by CNet, the past couple of years were unkind to Moto users as the Chicago-based manufacturer released some terrible phones the past couple of years, including one phone that nearly exceded federal SAR limits.
While the mainstream media reports that “cellphone radiation causes cancer” (to which WebMD posted a story about how putting a cellphone near your hip is bad (having never read the documentation about hip rates) and some other guy claimes that cell phones AND clock radios are a “catalyists to cancer” (clock radios? Unlikely!), even after I tracked down the the source that states that excessive cellphone usage could lead to an increase in cancer risks. On the other hand, the other report hasn’t come out yet but the media has already jumped the gun.
To make sure that we don’t have the problem of possible fearmongering by the media or an actually serious health risk that is credible by several health organizations, the cell phone industry must strive to develop devices with low SAR rates.
It should be noted at that any product that advertises itself as a way to “protect you against getting brain cancer” will actually do more harm that good. Think of it as what happens when you wear a hat in the winter. Instead of letting your body heat escape through your head, it keeps it in. Thus the same concept is applied to just about any product that promises to decrease the risk when it actually increases it.
Cellphones are a tool used daily by people. The biggest let down would be if cellphone turned out to be deadlier than ciggarettes. (Which is VERY unlikely despite media groups like Fox News publishing such false information. (And they wonder why people call them Fixed Noise!))
If cellphones cause cancer, then I want to see the published reports that say that computers, regular FM/AM radios and and satellite receivers cause cancer.
If anything, you are more likely to die in a car accident while using a cell phone than getting cancer from a cellphone.
Rupert Murdoch should get a free ride home from the airport complements of the FBI
Telephone hacking, or phreaking, is a common subject in hacker magazines like 2600: The Hacker Quarterly. Because most forms are illegal, they are discussed in hypothetical situations.
Unfortunately, there is nothing hypothetical about paying over $1 million in hush money to quiet victims of telephone hacking. Especially when you are a controvertial billionaire broadcasting magnate who own various media outlets around the world.
Rupert Murdoch, the man who runs the New York Post, Fox News, and MySpace, is in hot water in the UK for hiring hackers to break in to cellular telephones (which are now like mini-computers) to steal personal information. (Hireing hackers is not as rare as you think. The FBI has a page about such people who hire hackers to break the law for them.) Murdoch’s UK company News Group then tried to use hush money to cover up the hackings of THOUSANDS of cellphones.
This is a controversy that not only concerns the UK, but also the United States, where his US company News Corp may have persuaded a judge into making MySpace the victium in the US v. Drew case, where locally, a depressed teenager was bullied into killing herself due to the actions of Lori Drew of Dardenne Prairie, Missouri.
More over, how does the paparazzi manage to get into the cellphonese of celebrities? Why was Barack Obama’s cellular records being looked over by workers at Verizon last year?
Murdoch’s involvement with telephone hacking in the UK will open up alot of questions that involve privacy when the Federal Bureau of Investigation meets up with him upon his return to the United States.
A major computer crime has been committed. Not by some guy with alot of time on his hands, but by a very rich and very powerful person who does not have authorized access to pry into the personal information of people around the world.
This man does not hold any leadership in government! There is no George W. Bush to pardon his actions or to make an excuse for him to break the law.
Gordon Brown is not at all pleased that the News Group is hacking telephones. So why should we permit him to break the law here with the News Corp?
I really urge anyone to contact their telephone provider and tell them that Mr. Murdoch does not have permission to break into their cellphone.
It is probably a good idea to shoot off a complaint to the FBI’s Interent Crime Center, especially if you susspect that your phone is being hacked.
It’s time to send Mr. Murdoch where he belongs: IN PRISON!
Decline in Computer Sales is due to Decline in Local Computer Retailers
Hewlett-Packard announced a decrease in profit last business quarter to which 6400 workers are scheduled to be laid off this year. While the slumping economy is partially to blame for the axe at HP, the fall of Circuit City this year is also a contributing factor.
Then there is the current business model for the computer industry brought on by companies such as Apple to go out and consume without any though as to what consumers should really purchase.
The current model of the computer dealer/retail industry is designed only for consumption, not maintenance.
Despite the current fad (not trend) in computers right now being “iPhone Apps”, there really is no reason to buy an iPhone or to hop on board the Apps bandwagon. Consumer culture would tell you to do (not think) otherwise, but to be honest, what good is it to buy an overpriced device to which your only service option is to send it to the factory for repairs? Going without your computer for about a few weeks when your work depends on it is difficult. Going without your phone is a nightmare.
We have been lead to believe that we only have two choices with computers: PCs and Macs. We have been limited to consuming technology from big box stores rather than local shops where computers can be bought, repaired, exchanged, and upgraded locally.
Imagine there only being one or two stores to go to to replace your car but wasn’t specificly a garage or autoparts store. Imagine the mechanic telling you that they had to ship your car back to the factory on othe other side of the country to be repaired. Imagine the mechanic trying to push you into buying a new car to replace the old car (which works fine it just needs to be fixed up). Imagine not having a car while your car was being sent back to the factory, and had all the electronic settings wiped when the problem had nothing to do with any of the electronic components but the physical mechanical components. Imagine getting the car back and finding all the electronic settings have been reset (including the odometer, which is illegal) and still having the same mechanical issues.
Now realize that this hypothetical scenario actually happens every day in this country only its not with cars but with computers.
Here in the St. Louis area, we don’t have too many places to find parts to fix things yourself or service shops that aren’t either part of some big box store or some empty room with some guy who puts your computer on the shelf in the back. Even the number of big box stores (which should always be a last resort) are now limited to either Best Buy or The Apple Store.
Events such as The Super Computer Sale put on by a company called Blue Star Productions have fallen from grace. Gone are the days where a table full of third party software. No venders who brought their wares of used computer parts or OEM computers which made going to this event worth paying $8 to get in.
The reason why small local shops have not been successful is due to the lack of inventory and on the spot repairs. The reason why big box stores have become unattractive is because they are not speciality stores, have limited inventory, or overcharge to fix simple computer problems they have no clue how to fix. And who wants to be talked down to by either a computer geek or some guy who dresses up as one just to send your computer back to the factory for two weeks or steal your computer files?
There needs to be change in the way we sell computers. While it is so easy to sell computers at the same place that sells TVs and Dishwashers, we can’t lump computers with everything else. Telephones maybe, but with music players and media players that is down right foolish.
There is no argument that computers, and more recently cellular telephones, can be used to play music, video, even stream broadcasts. But if that is the intent of these devices to become nothing more than entertainment devices rather than communication and learning tools, then they have no business converging with computers. Rather than dulling our senses and putting prices on content that should be free online, it is time for the computer retail consumers to walk out on the big box stores.
Before CompUSA closed down, I noticed their book section barely had anything relevant involving computers. You would think a place like this would be filled with books from O’Reilly, Deitel, Peachpit Press, and No Starch Press. Instead, it was mostly crappy books about “How to make money from home” or “eBay for home business”. It looked more like the magazine ailse from a Walgreens rather than the computer book section at Barnes and Noble. This was a clear sign that failure was just around the corner.
Books are generally a good place to look for resolving simple computer problems. Searching for help online is also ideal. But just like most people who would like to find a quick remedy to deal with catching a cold rather than going to see a doctor, most people should learn how to diagnose computer problems before they give up and take it to a repairman.
Unfortunately, many people have trouble reading a simple flow chart.
It shouldn't be that hard to understand. Is it?
I do have ideas for a small computer shop, but it requires money that I myself do not have. What I do know is that a small computer shop should have the following items.
- New computers.
- Used computers.
- A policy to trade in computers either to exchange for something else or to upgrade to something better. (Of course, there would be store credit for trade-ins, depending on the age and condition of the computer.)
- Loaner computers if the shop needs extended time to make repairs. (This would be for anyone who can’t get their computer repaired the same day they drop it off, give or take a week.)
- Parts. (Memory, harddrives, motherboards, CPUs, GPUs, cases, mods, etc.)
- Accessories (Keyboard, mouse, joysticks, speakers, monitors, cables, etc.)
- Printer necesscities (ink, paper)
- Printers, Scanners, Modems, Routers
- Books and magazines on programming and repair
- Trained, friendly, affordable service not just with computers but with smartphones too. (Since these things are starting to become more like computers.)
- Ebay store (bargains online)
- Power supplies, back up power units
It shouldn’t have to seem like a farfetched idea. It should be a reality.
The local computer store should not be an idealistic dream, but an acutal reality.
T-Mobile’s G2 suffering from Cellphone Anorexia
The world suffers from many psychological, psychiatric, and mental ailments. None more tragic than those of anorexia nervosa. Being told that you will never get anywhere in the world unless you are pretty and slim (to which we learned alot recently that being pretty and slim is bullsh*t) causes people to be overly self-conscious and to feel bad.
Such is the case with the Apple iPhone. It’s slim design has put HTC phone designers in the bathroom hurting themselves when developing the HTC Magic (a.k.a. the G2). (See Gizmodo’s review of the G2)
There is nothing wrong with the HTC Dream’s design. (Just a reminder, the HTC Dream is marketed as the T-Mobile G1.) If anything, it just needs a headphone jack.
A tactle keyboard is a must have for any Smartphone. This quality has made phones like the Blackberry so successful. But now Blackberry is suffering from Cellphone Anorexia as are several other competitors as they try to make phones that look like knock offs of the Apple iPhone. Such conformity threatens concept phones like the Nokia Morph.
But being thin and pretty does not matter! Especially with cellphones. Just like humans, it’s no good having a thin and pretty girlfriend if she isn’t smart and is not afraid to eat out at alot of restaurants. (Tell that to Jeff Zucker at NBC!) The thing about smartphone is that they have alot of applications and that they love to consume energy to run those applications! Think of it as having a pancake breakfast on the day of the final exams. You need that energy to jumpstart your brain! Likewise, there is no shame giving your smartphone a battery that will run those applications without having to make a pit stop to recharge or breaking the bank.
There is nothing great about being pretty and thin as it requires alot of maintenance to be such for alot of people and completely wrong to be that way by taking alot of self-injuring shortcuts.
Be happy about who you are, not what others want you to be.
Why pay for the 3G when you’ll only need the EDGE?
(Quick note: Imagine the guy who announces the ads for the monster truck rally’s reading the title fo today’s article.)
The major cellphone distributors have been bragging for about the past couple of years about 3G (Thrid Generation Moble Communication).
This is great if you live in New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago. Not so much if you live in the St. Louis Area.
A simple comparison of all the major mobile broadband networks (AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon), the one with the least coverage of advanced services being the most honest, states that the St. Louis area really isn’t in the 3G neck of the woods. However, EDGE still is.
Having EDGE instead of 3G really is not a bad thing. You still get the Internet at broadband speeds (about 1Mbps max, 400kbps avg), which really isn’t that bad of a deal. It’s not like you need to download the entire Lord of the Rings movie trillogy to you smartphone. Since there still is a cap on bandwidth on mobile networks, it really isn’t that great of an idea to do so anyway.
It is my firm personal believe that telephones, much like computers, should not be used as televisions. First of it is dangerous to watch your cellphone while driving. You shouldn’t be even watching TV while driving in the first place. The same can be said about texting. Talking on the cellphone is possible, since people usually talk to each other in the car as well as listen to music or the radio. However, if you must use you phone while driving, put it on speaker or use a headset. But TV is an absolute no-no for cellphones.
While advances in cellphone technology have made it possible to watch video even streaming broadcasts, the phone as a TV is a terrible idea, and a distraction from the real world.
The phone as a computer is much better. Even more so when ports are not restricted. Text messaging is fun, I’ll admit. Getting calendar reminders and using Twitter (@MrHacks in case you are interested) to share what you are doing and to quickly expressing your thoughts on the days events is quite fun and informative. But it is quite clear that the major telecom providers only interest in data services is to make distractions affordable and information expensive.
I’d much rather use my cellphone as a mini SSH terminal anyday over watching the crap that is on television.
Having a phone where you can replace the standard short-lived battery with one that has an extended life is also good. I used to be into notebook computers. But their short battery life only served as a back up power source if the lights went out. The rest of the time, I would be tethered to the wall.
Notebooks also have the weakness of being limited to small WIFI networks that had restrictions placed by the adminstrator. The phone’s only restruction is a cap on bandwith that varies depending on what services you use. As much as I am a critic against bandwidth caps, this problem is tollerable for the moment.
Another problem with Notebooks is the fact that the sleep and hibernate functions either don’t work or are frustrating to use no matter what operating system you use. The phone can be shut off and the user can pick up from where they left off.
Perhaps it is the fact that I am still using a Palm Treo that I have not been able to enjoy advanced features that newer cellphones have, such as the ability to multitask between programs and the ability to synch the device with the Internet instead of another computer. As I work to prepare to switch phones, as well as networks, I am beginning to contemplate how I should go about this transition.
The first step is to find a program that allows my older phone to communicate with my online calendar and contacts lists. There are some programs which could wiple out everything. When I find which program does not do this, I’ll let you know.
The HTC Dream is a very attractive phone. Marketed as the T-Mobile G1 in the United States, the Android operating system has made this phone look like a vibrant alternative to the Apple iPhone’s minimalism and restrictions against users and developers. The Dream, like any good cellphone also has a removable battery (always convenient, since no cellphone is perfect).
Then there is the HTC Magic, scheduled to come out next month, though no provider has called dibs on it yet. There is a good chance T-Mobile will probably be the one as the buzz on the Internet seems to point toward a G2 in the near future.
One of the many wishes I had for cellphone/computer development is being able to enjoy the weather as well as work. Notebooks could only make promises. And when backlights added to LCD screens came to smaller devices such as cellphones, it became hard to see the screen in daylight. At this point, the only problem that cellphones have yet to conquire is daylight visiblity.
The cellphone has unplugged the computer, unteathered us to the wired network, conquired the lifespan of the battery, and paved the way for the minimization of storage. But hardware is only as good as the software that runs on it.
Secure Shell, or SSH, is a MUST if you are into computer programming or run a website. Accessing a smaller computer to interact with a larger machine has been one of the great things about computers. The fact that you don’t have to download many programs to use them. There was a program for Palm devices called TuSSH that was pretty good but because non-Palm created programs love to suck up the battery, and because Palm’s random number generator and security features are not as tight as they are with the latest generation of cell phones, TuSSH kind of faded away.
Android has an SSH program called ConnectBot that looks very good.
IRC (Internet Relay Chat) is another thing that Palm devices couldn’t do. Android can do IRC. IRCell is a program. One of my many problems with IRC is really finding a chat room where people don’t exclude you from joining the conversation. In the future, I plan on finding and identifying IRC networks that won’t abuse you for not being part of their clique.
Finally, there are hopes that Flash will make it to the Android platform. While I can’t provide any links to software that may be available, the fact that it is on the table is exciting. Hopefully, this will be available when the G2 comes to market later this year.
I have quite a todo list going here. Let’s try to make it shorter.
Activism
Android
Blogroll
Flash
Geekiness
Linux
Local Shopping
Programming
Science
Shop
Software
St. Louis
- Alton Telegraph
- Amighetti's
- Belleville News-Democrat
- Bits and Pieces
- Central Newsmagazine
- El Mundo Latino (The Latin World)
- FloValley News
- KDHX
- KWMU
- Ladue News
- Metromix St. Louis
- Mid Rivers Newsmagazine
- Pantera's Pizza
- Playback STL
- PubDef.net
- Red Latina (Latin Network)
- Riverfront Times
- South County Times
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