Bill Stebbins dot com

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!

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 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:

• Manually move content using the Android phone as a USB drive (yes, it’s legal, and yes, there is file system access)
• TuneSync – wirelessly sync with your existing iTunes library
• BeyondPod – wireless podcast syncing over the air – no computer required
• DoubleTwist – iTunes imitator which works with Android – limited

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:

• Google Voice
• Gmail integration
• Google Navigation – how can you miss this?
• Voice Search/Actions
• Widgets
• Notifications – seriously, iOS needs serious work in this department
• Social media integration
• 24 hour Try-before-you-buy Market policy
• File system access
• Cloud backup
• Apps not tied to Apple’s review process – this can be a double-edged sword, but being able to try out programs from outside the market is a huge plus in my book
• Barcode scanner

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:

Today I received the Nexus One desktop dock. I unbox it and show you a few of the cool features it adds to the Nexus One.