I visited Dayton Ohio for the annual Trans Am Nationals car show at the Dayton Marriott yesterday. It’s always a great time, and yesterday was no exception. We rolled up in my 99 Firehawk to spectate at the show, and then headed over to Tipp City for the cruise-in.
Click over to my Flickr site for all the pictures
Have you ever been out far away from a power source with a fading battery in your favorite gadget? Wish there was a solution to this? Sure, many gadgets and smartphones allow you to swap batteries, but buying a spare battery for every device can get expensive, and it’s bulky to carry around a bunch of spare equipment.
PhoneSuit has the solution: The Primo Battery Cube. You may remember I reviewed a similar product back in February which was designed specifically for iDevices. The Battery Cube offers very similar functionality with a lot more versatility. Instead of the proprietary Apple connector, this compact package offers both mini and micro USB connectors for maximum compatibility.
The package itself is pretty neat. It’s 1.5″ in both length and width, and 3/4″ thick. On the front, it has a small mirror which hides 4 charging indicator arrows. The side houses two DC-in ports (both mini and micro USB). This offers nice charging flexibility. On the bottom, a small rubber flap covers two charging ports which ratchet out into position. This allows you to connect the Cube to your device and move it to a comfortable position while using it.
Here are the rest of the highlights:
I tested the Cube on several of my gadgets including my Nexus One, my Sansa Clip, and a couple of bluetooth headsets with excellent results. Although I have a spare N1 battery, sometimes I just need a quick 20% bump to make it the rest of the day. This is the perfect thing to throw in your bag and have the peace of mind that you won’t run out of juice.
At $39.95 and available directly from PhoneSuit.com, it’s a little pricey compared to just buying a spare battery for one device. The beauty of this Cube is in the flexibility it offers. It’s definitely a welcome addition to my gadget bag.
I seem to have read one too many of those “complete iPhone fanboy tries converting to Android” articles today. I decided I’d spend my lunch hours blogging about a few points that seem to always be missed when iPhone users try Android and dismiss it because it doesn’t work like their Apple product. Here are some of the common arguments:
1. It doesn’t work with iTunes!
The most glaring thing I see written and discussed is media sync. When an iPhone fanboy (I’m going to shorten this to iFan to save space) plugs in his Android phone and nothing happens, they always seem to be confused about what to do next. While iOS devices are limited to iTunes for downloading content, Android OS offers many great options for syncing content:
I personally use BeyondPod to grab all of my podcasts every night. It does it automatically, and it does it extremely well. I don’t have to do anything but listen to my podcasts.
2. App “X” isn’t available/as good on Android
Great, then why would you switch? Seriously, if you depend on one app, and it’s bad or not available, don’t consider the switch. There are crapps on both platforms, and some real gems. Slingplayer on Android is 5x better than on iOS. Facebook, not so much.
3. The keyboard is better on iPhone
I would agree that the iPhone keyboard is the best soft keyboard out there. However, it’s limited in functionality, and it only allows one method of input – tapping. Android’s voice input is available system wide, and it works very well. With the recently released Google Actions, you can press one button and send a text, email, or search without any further screen taps. Also, if you tried Android and didn’t use Swype, you missed out.
4. Visual Voicemail isn’t on Android
This goes back to my earlier point – you can’t use Android the same way you use iOS. iOS has VVM, Android has Google Voice (and voicemail). It works great, is very well integrated, and, in addition to visual voicemail, will actually *gasp* give you speech to text translations of your voicemail (sometimes with hilarious results).
5. I’m not a big Google Services user
If you’re not using Google Services, Android may not be for you. Much of the magic comes from the power of Google, and trying to use it without that magic is like trying to use iOS without iTunes. Explore things like Google Voice. Save on your texting plan. Use a GV number just for selling things on Craigslist. Organize all your contacts in the cloud. Share your calendar with friends, and be able to add things to your spouse’s calendar.
6. I don’t want/care about/need Flash
Great. Don’t install it. Or, set it to “On Demand”. It’s nice to have, and comes in handy. HTML5 may be the future, but we’re not there yet. I personally love being able to access Flash content on an as-needed basisi.
7. The iPhone screen is SOOOO NICE!
No question about it – that Retina screen is great. However, you were using a washed out 320×480 display for the last 3 years. That screen is also stuck at 3.5″ with no hope for anything larger. Android devices offer a variety of screen sizes and resolutions. Choice is nice.
Here are some other things iFans completely neglect in most of their “switcher” reviews:
There is no doubt that the iPhone has changed what consumers expect from their mobile devices. However, that doesn’t mean that the way Apple envisions your mobile device experience is always the best way. If you don’t hate AT&T’s service, and you’re happy with your iOS device, it’s ok to keep using it. However, reality is that there is a lot of competition in the mobile space, and if you look up from your Retina screen for a second, you’ll see some cool things Android does that iOS doesn’t. Dismissing these things is a bad idea, since you might find utility in the things I listed above. Don’t be like Steve Jobs and say you’ll never need those things because I guarantee that once iOS gets them, you’ll be change your mind like the iFans who suddenly LOVE background apps.
One final word of advice for “switchers”:
Don’t write your article like you’re the shrew who can’t be tamed. Nobody cares if you didn’t switch 
TuneSync:
BeyondPod:
I just finished driving 800 miles on a family vacation to Florida. Armed only with my Google Android phone for navigation, we made it safe and sound. Although I recognized Google Navigation and its awesome integration with Android as an asset, I didn’t truly realize just how awesome it was until today.
My Nexus One handled the load like a champ: streaming podcasts over bluetooth while simultaneously sharing its internet connection to my daughter’s iPod Touch as well as providing me turn-by-turn directions for 800 miles was great. I was relying on the Google car dock to keep the juice flowing, and it didn’t let me down.
We decided somewhere in Georgia to go “off the beaten path” to High Falls State Park. Even with only an EDGE connection, it handled the directions appropriately and got us back to the interstate with no issues. However, I was most impressed with it when I was sitting at Cracker Barrel having dinner in Gainesville, Florida trying to decide where we were going to stay for the night. A combination of Google Maps and Navigation provided easy access to nearby hotels, user reviews, rates, phone numbers, and directions. My wife attempted to` locate the same information on her iPhone, and that really highlighted the power of a “with Google” phone because of the deep integration with Google services and the Android operating system. The basic map functionality of the iPhone paled in comparison to the vast amount of information available on Android.
As I tweeted earlier today:
God is my copilot. Google Navigation is my navigator.
I also brought my Sprint EVO along for the ride, and got a chance to try out 4G in Atlanta. This was a huge disappointment. Speeds were no better than Sprint 3G speeds, and only 1/3 of the speeds my Nexus One was pulling down on AT&T 3G. I’m not sure if my EVO is just defective; I LOVE the form factor and hardware, but my experience on Sprint has been terrible. The EVO was roaming about half the time, and it chewed through the battery while sitting unused in the windshield mount. This thing is definitely going back to Best Buy when I get back.
EVO 4G Sprint Atlanta
Nexus One AT&T 3G in Atlanta
On to Mickey Mouse tomorrow!
The folks at ZAGG sent me a LEATHERskin for my Nexus One. I show you how to install it and how it fits in the home and car dock.
A huge thanks to ZAGG for sending myself and the rest of the Simulcast crew samples of this cool product to try out on our devices.
I ordered the upcoming EVO 4G on Sprint from my local BestBuy this morning. Come on June 4th!
GameFly is a service which is supposed to be NetFlix for games. I began using GameFly a few years ago, and thought it was pretty cool. Unfortunately, as they grew, they didn’t invest in the games needed to keep up with the demand of their subscribers, and due to the long wait times to receive a game, I cancelled my account.
Recently I decided to start my subscription again because I figured after 2 years they surely would have made improvements. Boy was I wrong.
In the past 2 months, I have only received 2 game titles, and seem to be spending more time waiting for games to ship than I do actually playing them. Every recently released title in the past few months shows low availability, and it takes forever for the game to even ship (on top of the 3 days it takes to arrive after it ships).
The last game I sent back was Splinter Cell: Conviction and that was on April 26th. After a few days they acknowledged receiving it, but they have yet to even send another game in my queue. Granted, I only have 2 games in my queue, but if I wanted to play old games it would be cheaper to buy them. I decided I would have a chat with them (since you can’t actually call the company) to see why there was such a delay (9 days now).
What I found was an exercise in frustration and a support agent relying too heavily on copy/paste.
| Chat Transcript | 05/05/2010 07:23 AM |
| Hi, my name is Carlos C. How may I help you? [07:03:54 AM] Bill: I sent back a game over a week ago, and you still haven’t sent me another game. [07:04:16 AM] Carlos C: One moment please as I review your account. [07:04:45 AM] Carlos C: In reviewing your account I noted that we are unable to ship you another game immediately since you have two released items in your GameQ that are currently high in demand. GameFly strives to send you your highest ranked game, however, if it is not available at the time of shipment, we will ship you the next available game on your GameQ to minimize the time you are without one. Therefore, I recommend you place more released games in your GameQ so you do not miss out on receiving titles. [07:06:19 AM] Bill: I know how it works. Why is a game that was released 2 months ago still low availability? Those are the games I want to play, and what I signed up for. If I wanted to play old releases it would be cheaper just to buy them. [07:07:14 AM] Carlos C: New releases are still very popular after a few months of the released date. [07:08:18 AM] Bill: Why do you not increase your inventory? [07:08:31 AM] Bill: From a customer perspective (this customer) you are doing a poor job of it. This is the reason I cancelled 2 years ago and it’s just as bad now as it was back then. [07:09:54 AM] Carlos C: I do apologize for the inconvenience and do appreciate your feedback. We are currently attempting to locate one of your games. Once we are able to locate an available game we will ship it out to you. [07:11:47 AM] Carlos C: Please note that by placing only your top game choices in your GameQ, you will be guaranteeing a shipment of those games. However, GameFly cannot guarantee a timeframe for those shipments. [07:12:30 AM] Bill: I know this. By waiting at least a week for them to even ship, I’m basically paying for half of month of gamefly for absolutely nothing. Netflix has no issues like this. I used to recommend gamefly to my friends, but now I can’t recommend it to anyone. [07:13:50 AM] Carlos C: We are correctly attempting to ship a game as soon as possible. [07:16:49 AM] Carlos C: Is there anything else I can assist you with today? [07:20:42 AM] Bill: no. I guess I will just cancel again. [07:23:06 AM] Carlos C: I do apologize once more the for the inconvenience and once a game is shipped we will send you an email notification. Thanks for contacting us! Should you have future questions, a great GameFly resource can be found at -http://www.gamefly.com/help [07:23:40 AM] ‘Bill’ disconnected (‘Concluded by Agent’). [07:23:42 AM] |
|
Buyer/renter beware.
Wow. I feel like I just won a major journalism award. Every time I get to stop at Walmart I’m giddy like a schoolgirl with my camera in hand. If this doesn’t excite you, well, you must have a life.
There has been a lot of discussion about the AMOLED screen in the Nexus One and how great it is inside, but how it sucks outside in sunlight. I happen to own both an iPhone 3Gs and a Nexus One, so I decided to do some comparison shots.
The pictures below are all taken with both screens set to full brightness.
These outdoor pics are taken in full sun at around 6pm.
For these next shots, I took a screenshot from my N1′s homescreen, and copied it to the iPhone so I could display it using the iPhone photo gallery.
The Nexus One’s AMOLED screen really excels inside as you can see in the comparison shots below (N1 on the right):
This closeup really allows you to see the pixels on the iPhone screen vs the smooth, high-res screen on the N1:
Feel free to draw your own conclusions. I don’t see a definitive disadvantage with the Nexus One screen outdoors, and I’ve been using it full-time for the last month. On the other hand, the iPhone 3Gs screen is very washed out and lifeless at high brightness levels. Yuck.
I shot a few new pictures of the Nexus One car dock mounted in my Grand Prix. Check them out!
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