I’ve seen lots of videos of people interacting with Google Now on Android Jelly Bean 4.1, and it works very well. However, my 7 year old daughter Miranda and I were playing around with it this weekend and I discovered that it doesn’t always work well with her voice.
The results are pretty funny.
Things my Dad taught me:
No good deed goes unpunished, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do good deeds.
Sometimes after I do something to help someone, I immediately regret it. We all know those people – give them an inch, they’ll take a mile. You should still help those people; what you see as them taking advantage of you is actually a compliment to your time and talent.
If you don’t make time to do it right, you’ll always make time to do it over.
I used to not be some obsessive-compulsive(no really). I always did well in school, and I was always a bit of a neat freak. However, when working on cars, I sometimes cut corners to make things work. My dad taught me to pay attention to all of the details, even the ones nobody would ever see. I guess with him working on top fuel dragsters, funny cars, and airplanes, the hidden details were the most important
Now, I take extreme proud in the most minute detail of my projects (especially those that no one will ever see).
The only helping hand you’ll ever find is at the end of your own arm.
Being self-sufficient isn’t a hard skill to learn. It seems to be harder for some than others but the most important part is to only blame yourself for your situation. Don’t blame your parents, your spouse, your kids, your boss, or your friends.
Don’t expect people to help you or to care about you. Give them reasons to, and they will.
I’m very thankful that my Dad taught me these things, and I think my life reflects the quality of his teachings. I’ve been married to my wife for almost 17 years, and together with her for over 20. I’ve worked at the same company for 21 years, and I have a ton of great friends I know I can depend on if I need them. I have 2 wonderful daughters who love and adore me, and help me drive my wife crazy.
Happy Father’s Day, Dad.
Thanks for all the lessons you taught me – the intentional ones, and the unintentional ones.
My dad is receiving a Wally tomorrow,and I’ll be heading to Bowling Green for the ceremony.
Most of my friends know that I’m a car nut. Some don’t know that it’s all because of my dad, who used to build Top Fuel dragsters and funny cars. I grew up around that stuff, and it seems there was always a car project for us to work on.
He’s being awarded a Wally, which is an award named after Wally Parks, and it is NHRA’s most prestigious trophy.
I’m super proud, and excited for him to receive this recognition. My Dad is on the left pushing the car in this picture which I believe was his first dragster. He recently restored the Frakes car which he has on display in Bowling Green. I’ll post some pictures when I get down there.
My initial thoughts on the Verizon Galaxy Nexus thoughts after having it for 24 hours. This isn’t a comprehensive list, but just some of my random thoughts. If you’re not already aware, I’ve been waiting an agonizing two months for this phone to be released.
I wasn’t unhappy with my Thunderbolt, but I really missed my Nexus One and the pure Google experience. The Nexus S wasn’t on a carrier I liked, and Verizon had not yet offered a Nexus device. This was the first, and it offered all the features I wanted: HD screen, fast camera, slim, sexy hardware, and 4G LTE.
Hardware:
Notification light is one of my favorite features. So much more convenient to know what notification I got while in a meeting without having to turn it on to check.
I’ve not had enough time with the camera to make a decision, but it will definitely suffice for my needs. It takes pictures super quick, and the redesigned UI for the camera software is much improved. Front cam is improved as well but still not as good in low light as iPhone 4.
Software:
Overall:
I can finally relax and enjoy. Finally.
When Google took over Grand Central, I took notice of the service. Prior to that, I had heard a few people mention it online, but I didn’t really understand what it was or how I could possibly use it. When it was re-introduced as Google Voice, I was both excited and intrigued. It was a new Google service! I immediately began integrating it into my life. I grabbed a Google Voice telephone number, and, well, that was pretty much it. You see, I had an iPhone 3G, and there really wasn’t a whole lot of stuff I could do with it at the time other than use it as an incoming telephone number.Along came the Nexus One, and I switched as soon as the AT&T version was made available online. With Android 2.2 onboard, I was finally able to use Google Voice as it was intended: an integrated and seamless experience within my phone. Well, almost. While I was now able to make and receive calls with my Google Voice number, and send and receive free texts, it still didn’t do MMS and the service was hit or miss. However, I trudged on and used my Nexus One with Google Voice. I trained my family and friends to use that number exclusively. I made them delete my old cell phone number. The fact that I always was testing a new cell phone on a different carrier meant that unless they used that number, they likely wouldn’t get me on another number anyway. I finally went all in about a year ago and dropped my texting plan altogether.
So at this point I had really embraced this service. I regularly used the desktop interface to make and receive calls and texts, and could even do some video calling. How much better could it get? Enter GrooveIP. When I got my first Honeycomb tablet, I was excited to be able to continue my Google experience on a larger screen. However, I still needed to keep my phone nearby for calls. GrooveIP is a Voice over IP (VoIP) client which allows you to make or receive calls with just a data connection. With this client running on my Tab, I was finally able to put my phone down. Sure, it’s a little clunky to have a conversation on a 10” tablet, but we’re talking a speakerphone. I’m not putting this thing up to my head!
The final step for me to fully leverage Google Voice was my recent purchase of an Obihai 110 VoIP router. This router plugs into your home network via ethernet, and allows you to plug a normal landline phone into it. You can easily input your Google credentials through the web interface and it becomes a switch for all of your Google Voice calls.
I recently upgraded my alarm system to cellular, so we didn’t need our home phone anymore. Rather than completely ditch the home telephone number I’ve had for the last 12 years, I’ve ported that number to a prepaid T-Mobile account. Once that port is complete, I’ll pay the $20 fee to port the number to a Google Voice account, and this will allow me to keep the same number I’ve had at home without the $40 a month charge for landline service. This keeps my wife happy, and it also made my daughter happy. The Obihai 110 allows you to input 2 different accounts, so I added my daughter’s GV number as well. She can receive texts on her iPod Touch, and when her friends call her GV number, it rings our home phone as well.
So at this point, we’re all in with Google Voice. It’s a fantastic free service that I would gladly pay money to use. I believe I’m now using it as the trifecta: cellular phone, tablet, and home phone.
If you’ve been wondering how you might integrate it into your life, I hope I’ve given you some ideas.
This is a short video showing the IR controlled lighting in my home theater.
Back in February I decided to “upgrade” my home theater screen. This entailed building a larger 120″ screen (vs my existing 100″). I built the screen and shot some video detailing the process, and then the footage sat on my computer.
I got motivated to finish editing the video when I picked up my new MacBook Air the other day. Check out the process, and let me know if you have questions. Now you have no excuse not to build your own!
This is a look at the latest ProClip car mount for the HTC Thunderbolt. I opted for the powered mount, and this allows me to mount my Thunderbolt in my car, charge it, and swivel it. It’s a great accessory, and I highly recommend it. Check out the video for details.
When the Nexus S was announced, it was to mixed reviews and minimal fanfare from the phone community. When the original Nexus One came out a year ago, it was a halo device that set the standard on processor and features. Its specs and hardware are now found in most of the new devices which are released today. The Nexus S seemed to be too closely related to the Galaxy S line to be innovative, and its Samsung parents are not looked upon favorable by many who have owned their products over the years and have been burned by their lack of updates.
I was the first to say that I wasn’t interested in the Nexus S. First, it was only available on T-Mobile. Second, it had no SD card slot. Third, no LED notification light. Fourth, it was made by Samsung. Despite the fact that I wasn’t interested in it, I needed to check it out. I spent about 30 minutes playing with one on the Saturday after it launched at Best Buy, and it immediately won me over. The next day I located a store about 30 minutes away that had them in stock, and bought it without hesitation.
I was able to work around most of the issues above except for the fact that it’s tied to T-Mobile, but I was willing to give that a shot too. After almost 30 days with the Nexus S, I’m going to begrudgingly return the device to Best Buy this weekend. The phone itself is not without flaws, but it’s a fantastic device. The SAMOLED screen is absolutely amazing, with black levels that I’ve never seen, brilliant colors, and touch sensitivity that makes my Nexus One weep. Call quality has been excellent, and the earpiece sounds nice and crisp without any hint of crackle. I’ve experienced good battery life, but pretty comparable to my N1. The NS is exactly what I’d been hoping for; a pure Google phone with a large 4″ screen, front facing camera, and “open” – a Google device with an unlocked bootloader that is prime for rooting, custom roms, and tweaking. Issues? The mobile hotspot refused to enable. I had to go through 4 devices to get one that worked properly. The other issue? Random reboots. Yep, most annoying. On the flip side, it’s BLAZING fast, and everything is buttery smooth.
What’s the dealbreaker problem then? T-Mobile. Unfortunately, almost all of the issues I’m having fall squarely on their shoulders. At my office in downtown Louisville, it is blanketed by HSPA. However, the best I ever see is 1-1.5Mbps down, and most days I’m lucky to see 1-200kbps. There are a few areas in town where the speeds are pretty fantastic at 3-5Mbps, but I’m never in those areas. Compared with AT&T speeds in the majority of areas where I frequent, T-Mobile’s data network is lacking. While at CES last week, Las Vegas is blanketed in HSPA, and I had a pretty impressive experience except for on the show floor. Comparably, my AT&T N1 showed “Emergency calls only” most of the time.
The other T-Mobile issue that continues to be a problem is MMS. From day one, pictures received on the NS were blurry and pixelated. I went through a lot of hassle to get in touch with someone at T-Mobile who got the right people working on it. As impressive as that encounter was, the issue popped up again. Some days my phone will be sitting on my desk, and I won’t get any notifications for a while. I’ll check, and it shows connected to 3G but there isn’t a data connection. After a reboot, it starts working again. Not so good for staying in touch. This behavior is not replicated when using my AT&T sim in the same device.
You may think I’m writing this whole article to place blame on T-Mobile. Not at all. Instead, I’m writing it because I’m going to actually follow my own advice for once. People always ask me what carrier they should use, and my response is always to pick your carrier based on coverage first then pick your phone. If I stay with T-Mobile, I’m not doing that. The entire reason I was trying another phone and carrier to begin with was my terrible experience with AT&T in downtown Louisville. It’s a huge fail. However, it works great everywhere else I go, and data speeds are pretty consistent everywhere in Louisville. As much as I love the Nexus S, it’s just not a sensible thing for me to spend the $561.79 plus $60 a month on a device that isn’t going to fix the issue I originally purchased it for in the first place.
If you’re a happy T-Mo user, the Nexus S is an awesome device. I’m going to be really, really sad to take it back and return to my Nexus One, even though that’s also a great device.
I’ll be waiting for the next great device to come along. Judging by what I saw at CES, it won’t be long.
I’m currently sitting on a Southwest flight en route to Las Vegas for CES 2011. I’ll be joining Mike Florio and Donny Benfield (from GGN), and we’ll be attending a ton of press conferences and private meetings to check out all of the newest gadgets, cellphones, and tech.
Be sure to watch TheSimulcast.com to stay up-to-date with all of the stuff I see, and follow me on Twitter @BillStebbins and @TheSimulcast
Sent from my Nexus S
