tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91614883224683388352024-03-05T00:22:43.485-05:00New Android UserThis blog describes the experiences of someone who switched from an iPhone to an Android phone. I blog about the OS, the service, the good and the bad. As a software engineer, expect this to be scathing and occasionally insightful.New Android Userhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03729661267268426292noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161488322468338835.post-37875522313655502142011-07-23T09:13:00.000-04:002011-07-23T09:13:00.369-04:00Note taking appsIt seems strange to me that my Droid Charge didn't come with a note taking application. I've been sending myself text messages instead. Here is a very quick comparison of 3 popular note taking apps across several devices.<br />
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<h4>1. Post-it notes</h4>I'll start with the most popular note taking application ever: the post-it note + a pen. Prerequisite: knowing how to write. Beyond that, learning curve = zero.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJciZlKOPH2nvA7m4eTF0zk28OxL226r-T55GwDlvuXuVjVQuxv5o2Kt0kx__bifluRy-QZAbenjYwT4lKXC3mATKmtzBWofWYQF6X_C8Wj8lHs5otk9m7pfwst5tLcxF1EzmA9NsqMS8/s1600/Notes+-+Post+it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJciZlKOPH2nvA7m4eTF0zk28OxL226r-T55GwDlvuXuVjVQuxv5o2Kt0kx__bifluRy-QZAbenjYwT4lKXC3mATKmtzBWofWYQF6X_C8Wj8lHs5otk9m7pfwst5tLcxF1EzmA9NsqMS8/s320/Notes+-+Post+it.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Now, lets see how that compares to the electronic versions...<br />
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<h4>2. Apple iPhone notes</h4>The Apple notes application is exactly what I expected and wanted. Prerequisite: knowing how to type. Beyond that, learning curve = zero. It is an electronic notepad. This is what you see when you open it the first time:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGJiN9hLdt1RvQB25jaa1rXiox5R8Pg3PGMNh_EWIMEd2L2NmeC3ytIhdgpirL5N-NW3OR49h7tvbrPmf-L4ulHBKXXbnS3B0WIXEQmIkvkFW8dmOJKWa9-11wUqLIM4jDZ8jAg4CFK4/s1600/Notes+-+iPhone+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGJiN9hLdt1RvQB25jaa1rXiox5R8Pg3PGMNh_EWIMEd2L2NmeC3ytIhdgpirL5N-NW3OR49h7tvbrPmf-L4ulHBKXXbnS3B0WIXEQmIkvkFW8dmOJKWa9-11wUqLIM4jDZ8jAg4CFK4/s320/Notes+-+iPhone+1.png" width="213" /></a></div>And this is what you see once you click the '+' button and start typing:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBzF0CzTplpi44r6qLOJTcQxwD8nNlKDt_SOii2Yx-xHxtKqf-XJPy4QTNQx7J5NWoMq5pwZY7GdfL1DDEbpxBHTw8t03_n9pI-plRcVGPO61pDof2roLzwMB5K1HIVVajsm8DZuCNfk0/s1600/Notes+-+iPhone+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBzF0CzTplpi44r6qLOJTcQxwD8nNlKDt_SOii2Yx-xHxtKqf-XJPy4QTNQx7J5NWoMq5pwZY7GdfL1DDEbpxBHTw8t03_n9pI-plRcVGPO61pDof2roLzwMB5K1HIVVajsm8DZuCNfk0/s320/Notes+-+iPhone+2.png" width="213" /></a></div>The first line is automatically the title. You can go back one step and get a list of notes.<br />
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<h4>3. Evernote</h4>This is the first post-it note application I tried for Android. It is highly rated and has lots of features. So here is what you see when you open it the first time:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRVMYQNfezmf7JiAmJPzRDhny6-XM6ESUkOzlocPBO5G1fQO2vedoaZL7ECDh6aYFyiAfZG77N55WhtgoUPS1IGOkJNZ9BdKXWikoxpgBgx4-gDK30fRSEyhqCJeDVds2ZiiTGS-KGVzc/s1600/Notes+-+Evernote.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRVMYQNfezmf7JiAmJPzRDhny6-XM6ESUkOzlocPBO5G1fQO2vedoaZL7ECDh6aYFyiAfZG77N55WhtgoUPS1IGOkJNZ9BdKXWikoxpgBgx4-gDK30fRSEyhqCJeDVds2ZiiTGS-KGVzc/s320/Notes+-+Evernote.png" width="192" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>*facepalm*</b></span><br />
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So for this application - Prerequisite: internet access to create an account, time to pick a user name and password and remember them + knowing how to type. Beyond that, learning curve = ??? I'll never find out because I'm not even going to get that far.<br />
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That is not a note taking application. That is a login screen. Taking notes does not require a login. I am at the store, I want to write something down, I don't have internet access where I am, and I want to type in "Smoke Detector $20 - ask wife how many we need." Instead, I need to go find cell service and conjure up a user name and password and agree to some terms of service. This is nuts.<br />
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I'm okay with a configuration setting that lets me enter in a login so that it can synchronize with Google docs. That's cool. But this trend with applications requiring logins for no good reason has to end. Really, what we see here is the end of freeware. These supposedly "free" apps for your phone are malware in disguise. People don't create them because "hey, I wanted a cool free note taking app." they write them because "Gee, if I can harvest notes from random people around the world, this guy with a bag of cash will buy them from me for marketing research. Yaay!"<br />
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<a href="http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/07/20/2246210/8-of-Android-Apps-Are-Leaking-Private-Information">More apps leak data than people think.</a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi8hvStdbt2xVU-CzUiIJhw2OQ_vkgc0N3kWxawumGV2lkwqy7UH4MotezUaFAIFK50CAuqM4GMQwKM3MzdCD1DPpZheTbdPd_ebWc55MBGjotoW9r_xCJ2koQxWpi6MmXgC1OAqpi-XA/s1600/Notes+-+Post+it+evernote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi8hvStdbt2xVU-CzUiIJhw2OQ_vkgc0N3kWxawumGV2lkwqy7UH4MotezUaFAIFK50CAuqM4GMQwKM3MzdCD1DPpZheTbdPd_ebWc55MBGjotoW9r_xCJ2koQxWpi6MmXgC1OAqpi-XA/s320/Notes+-+Post+it+evernote.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
I'll try another app. :-(New Android Userhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03729661267268426292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161488322468338835.post-77772644477594177312011-07-22T11:13:00.000-04:002011-07-22T00:04:08.860-04:00Android battery life meter<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAf5gnU8M7ZV-896eCU2rxb9ks72zC5-10BPqTF41XdFOa5etg5kayaN1hWDpQ8LsjpgwyED1jRtRHiz8Ap0aNAc5hqk7MqKPaZBEpcv8jbOjd32OOKHOqYUF3Ala-aKSs39LxOiWrk70/s1600/Battery+life.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAf5gnU8M7ZV-896eCU2rxb9ks72zC5-10BPqTF41XdFOa5etg5kayaN1hWDpQ8LsjpgwyED1jRtRHiz8Ap0aNAc5hqk7MqKPaZBEpcv8jbOjd32OOKHOqYUF3Ala-aKSs39LxOiWrk70/s320/Battery+life.png" width="192" /></a>Android has a really cool, very detailed battery life indicator. As a software engineer, I have no idea how it is even possible to do this, so I question the accuracy. Charting CPU use is just not enough to really do this.<br />
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To see it, press the settings button then select Settings - About phone - Battery use. Screenshot below:New Android Userhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03729661267268426292noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161488322468338835.post-6810718410786351602011-07-21T23:09:00.000-04:002011-07-21T23:09:17.270-04:00Battery Life Problem: Part 2This is a follow-up to <a href="http://newandroiduser.blogspot.com/2011/07/battery-life-problem-part-1.html">Battery Life Problem: Part 1.</a><br />
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After uninstalling Fring and rebooting, the battery life today seems good... a little <i>too</i> good. Take a look at this screen shot:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuFRtYH1rbHn4h1e2k7AP1ig434B31-d3hAI_7LHuBsHwL7UPhokuJTlnhWyrFQJvnqiIWiy-ddGJ0V5-mZBqkz8V30yL8l9sx8Nd0afYGoJxGBiBE0BQsqsmwPj_7cAckf47qrgo9ak/s1600/Full+Battery.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuFRtYH1rbHn4h1e2k7AP1ig434B31-d3hAI_7LHuBsHwL7UPhokuJTlnhWyrFQJvnqiIWiy-ddGJ0V5-mZBqkz8V30yL8l9sx8Nd0afYGoJxGBiBE0BQsqsmwPj_7cAckf47qrgo9ak/s320/Full+Battery.png" width="192" /></a></div><br />
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How is my battery at full power at 5pm? So I look at the system status screen (Settings - About phone - System Status) and the discrepancy becomes clear: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTuqfJiOsw9egdAajjDRaGKV3cAiDjphFNCN9X0OHFK8IQE6cqon4PIcl0CaBjqA0wiaSxCk0H1Da10SwinG-ljexBxeY-MEQs3tzKwGWuuK2fFqlQ80oQ_lb_Bvu5l0YjDOLFzkVQpNA/s1600/Full+Battery+-+NOT%2521.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTuqfJiOsw9egdAajjDRaGKV3cAiDjphFNCN9X0OHFK8IQE6cqon4PIcl0CaBjqA0wiaSxCk0H1Da10SwinG-ljexBxeY-MEQs3tzKwGWuuK2fFqlQ80oQ_lb_Bvu5l0YjDOLFzkVQpNA/s320/Full+Battery+-+NOT%2521.png" width="192" /></a></div><br />
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Aha!! The battery indicator shows full, but the battery status screen shows 81%. So the battery meter at the top is stuck. A Google search reveals that <a href="http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&hl=en&source=hp&q=android+battery+indicator+stuck&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=86582d5fedad0c80&biw=945&bih=657">I am not the only one to have this problem.</a> A forum post suggested I restart my phone, and while it didn't fix the problem immediately the next time I checked (15 minutes later perhaps?) the battery meter was working again.<br />
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Arrgh! Another failure of the most simplistic functionality. Ironically, I got the Droid Charge because the HTC Thunderbolt was considered "buggy."<br />
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I'll try reinstalling Fring and see if that is what killed the battery life.New Android Userhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03729661267268426292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161488322468338835.post-32303586353891139202011-07-19T17:29:00.002-04:002011-07-21T23:10:51.078-04:00Battery Life Problem: Part 1Update: <a href="http://newandroiduser.blogspot.com/2011/07/battery-life-problem-part-2.html">See part 2 of my battery life saga here</a>.<br />
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Yesterday my phone's battery life suddenly dropped from about 30 standby hours to about 4 standby hours. <br />
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According to the nifty meter that tracks what is using battery life (how do they do that!?!?!?), the display was using 60% of it - even though it was locked the entire time. Reducing the screen brightness was ineffective. It just kept draining and draining. Today, the phone made it to about 3pm and was at 18%. This time it said WiFi was the culprit, despite not being in a WiFi area and not using the phone at all (up until the point that I noticed the battery issue). I tried stopping applications, disabling WiFi and BlueTooth, but no good<br />
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I installed Fring about 3 days ago, and have not used it. The phone claimed that Fring used 3% so that isn't the culprit either. Assuming I trust the meter which I no longer do.<br />
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Lots of people have complained about <a href="http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/uncommunication_devices/">battery life isssues</a>, so this begins my search for the cause. First two step: uninstall Fring, reboot the phone. I'll update this entry as the experiment begins...New Android Userhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03729661267268426292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161488322468338835.post-22015420847950483052011-07-19T10:44:00.003-04:002011-07-22T00:01:18.215-04:00Samsung bloatwareHere is an example of some bloatware that came on my Samsung Droid Charge:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOXKaBJjcmnXeeqoQhakkmyA7TTRXKvOzulUJ6MZGoR3wXPaJahR3xuh1Oc8jOcC6xF5Na-GfsOOHpDkXpS7wyf1Ew27Si8QhE_smaX8_SC0A3u8obCL2oL6bWx9e13nuPY0wNjUuI70/s1600/Bloatware+-+City+ID.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOXKaBJjcmnXeeqoQhakkmyA7TTRXKvOzulUJ6MZGoR3wXPaJahR3xuh1Oc8jOcC6xF5Na-GfsOOHpDkXpS7wyf1Ew27Si8QhE_smaX8_SC0A3u8obCL2oL6bWx9e13nuPY0wNjUuI70/s320/Bloatware+-+City+ID.png" width="192" /></a></div>The application is "City ID" and notice that it cannot be stopped, uninstalled, or otherwise manipulated in any way. This alone makes me want to unlock my phone.<br />
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This programs job is to periodically get in your way by asking if you want to pay a fee to lookup the area code of a call if the caller is not in your address book. That is not a terrible idea, but you can do this for free by entering the area code into Google. Now, it would certainly be nice to have it do this automatically for you, but it is not worth paying for. And it certainly shouldn't pop-up when you get a call and ask you to pay.<br />
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I wonder how many people bought this program just to get it out of the way when they receive calls. This is a pretty classic example of OEM malware. Write a program that gets in the way then charge you to get rid of it. Thumbs down to Samsung and thumbs up to Apple.New Android Userhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03729661267268426292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161488322468338835.post-64180481068388899232011-07-18T10:28:00.008-04:002011-07-22T00:02:39.357-04:00The calendar reminders are just wrongI love the reminder options on my Android phone. I would love them more if they worked. My phone sends me reminders at seemingly random times. Here is one example:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMOIHKKJztpwQcXgXd8er5djeXfTFahId9AU8s-u6OKIucWKzInAyzYJ2HuNneti5vnwpVQhuYpzJO5WTBnx9-4Flxwe8MouCsDGs4RxT_OYefnVPzjp1S1x12bD6YJ7ChxmubGkIxAc/s1600/Artscape+Reminder+-+Wrong+Date+-+Not+Midnight+yet.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMOIHKKJztpwQcXgXd8er5djeXfTFahId9AU8s-u6OKIucWKzInAyzYJ2HuNneti5vnwpVQhuYpzJO5WTBnx9-4Flxwe8MouCsDGs4RxT_OYefnVPzjp1S1x12bD6YJ7ChxmubGkIxAc/s320/Artscape+Reminder+-+Wrong+Date+-+Not+Midnight+yet.png" width="192" /></a></div><br />
At 11:53 on the 13th, I get a reminder about Artscape. It tells me that Artscape is Thursday the 14 through Sunday the 17th. Oops! That should be Fri 15th through Sunday the 17th. Did I enter it wrong?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4RBLJo5MCXCBh5BaigSlENDKAj8wo4Zkmpn23gTpzvb7tsQNYiz5sfwGr3a1OmjbDqlywV1NnLDOS-53m56T-wPAFAjIxcqwBn2B8bI1tZu7zrgTlIaJ2ZRff85A_5pHEtmdXSJZh3c/s1600/Artscape+Reminder+-+not+14th.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4RBLJo5MCXCBh5BaigSlENDKAj8wo4Zkmpn23gTpzvb7tsQNYiz5sfwGr3a1OmjbDqlywV1NnLDOS-53m56T-wPAFAjIxcqwBn2B8bI1tZu7zrgTlIaJ2ZRff85A_5pHEtmdXSJZh3c/s320/Artscape+Reminder+-+not+14th.png" width="192" /></a></div><br />
Nope, I didn't enter that it was on Thursday the 14th. So what is on the 15th?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCo28txx9M0gO9VcdAw9F6yjhsDwORT_wT3aKnjkWg_xf3srrxtanVAnnyYE0Qml133AOn-ShznGXaGFeTyElJC_ghrXFuD3OSmvEfLEVwaWRSnd-i05hXX9qbfSvthtf2rnCq3UYFoTo/s1600/Artscape+Reminder+-+15th.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCo28txx9M0gO9VcdAw9F6yjhsDwORT_wT3aKnjkWg_xf3srrxtanVAnnyYE0Qml133AOn-ShznGXaGFeTyElJC_ghrXFuD3OSmvEfLEVwaWRSnd-i05hXX9qbfSvthtf2rnCq3UYFoTo/s320/Artscape+Reminder+-+15th.png" width="192" /></a></div><br />
There it is, on Friday 15th. So what happened?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmV7IAYdCrcN1Blr3hVyZPRBGuzqyXpjazhzlstKUm8wCL4Tn1sIFSg8J_PXFpFyUPMfSxX8iOGT7y13oPN3OfUs2Mly_eNkHTs_xGsIKv5aBiftvRkDVmUMOWh0EvS82699ys76tFNz8/s1600/Artscape+Reminder+-+details+-+Jessilem+question+mark+safe.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmV7IAYdCrcN1Blr3hVyZPRBGuzqyXpjazhzlstKUm8wCL4Tn1sIFSg8J_PXFpFyUPMfSxX8iOGT7y13oPN3OfUs2Mly_eNkHTs_xGsIKv5aBiftvRkDVmUMOWh0EvS82699ys76tFNz8/s320/Artscape+Reminder+-+details+-+Jessilem+question+mark+safe.png" width="192" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfwP2AVHvIKUHCbOaq7vtd8gufgV2tjdZaIwL6uSBpaESft_WC1m9fpa1OER59vkD_w41D8E5NOVt5i3zVcZhBuvTtwJCnaPlq4EVuQIGVXzI3uqaFdVUIrSvkMLo5eaFlndhJPXFpcTM/s1600/Artscape+Reminder+-+details+-+Jessilem+question+mark.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>And here are the details which confirm it entered as Friday the 15th. So why did it remind me a full two days ahead of time, and why does the date range on the reminder screen show something different from the calendar screen? Surely I am not the first person to ever actually use the reminder feature? How can QA miss something like this?<br />
Also, the details screen looks odd. First we see the event name and date range. Then we see my name and the text "D - 2" then the next attendee with a question mark. There is no heading that says "Attendees" like how it says "Alarm" and no indication as to what the question mark means. Clicking on it does nothing. Does anyone know what that icon is for?New Android Userhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03729661267268426292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161488322468338835.post-69336925718614452011-07-16T10:27:00.001-04:002011-07-22T00:02:16.171-04:00Android browser options: some good, some badTake a look at some of the options for the Android browser. <br />
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It makes no sense to have "change brightness" as one of the shortcuts in the browser. That is an option that applies to the entire phone, not just the browser, and it is something you set once in the main settings. The most important menu option for a browser would be bookmarks, which is buried on another screen.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4PWTU_GNSRub3sMUxLVNru_z5hrZclQe6M3CYFqA6Ib0-3kUK1ZFmY54mrANSibd92DDJkhOsMJso2cGUHRFnrPJFTiuFwqPN7rikGluzvsC_GA98QHeyzdOYwWRgXtuckWZZEdd8urs/s1600/Browser+menu+options.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4PWTU_GNSRub3sMUxLVNru_z5hrZclQe6M3CYFqA6Ib0-3kUK1ZFmY54mrANSibd92DDJkhOsMJso2cGUHRFnrPJFTiuFwqPN7rikGluzvsC_GA98QHeyzdOYwWRgXtuckWZZEdd8urs/s320/Browser+menu+options.png" width="192" /></a></div>This is what you get if you click the "More" button:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjECP81GhZ4vCHa419_aKtnItduM1omnAiyHtRWFuI8nmOFfFCDo7fuE81O0_qQJsvNTMl9QacAlThIbbyFldkhNWgdI3iVnYgr1Th1pfpSbEE4IDtoaaFascOOJjSrny-bgEGhcSK0opY/s1600/Browser+menu+more.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjECP81GhZ4vCHa419_aKtnItduM1omnAiyHtRWFuI8nmOFfFCDo7fuE81O0_qQJsvNTMl9QacAlThIbbyFldkhNWgdI3iVnYgr1Th1pfpSbEE4IDtoaaFascOOJjSrny-bgEGhcSK0opY/s320/Browser+menu+more.png" width="192" /></a></div><i>Awesomeness:</i><br />
<ol><li>"Find on page" is an option I use constantly on a real web browser but it is not available on the iPhone. I saw some poorly rated apps in the iPhone app store to do this, but having it built-in is really great.</li>
<li> "Downloads" is a real win for Android. iPhones don't let you download files or save them, which is just horrific. Just yesterday a coworker's wife asks "Can I use my iPhone as a flash drive?" Nope! Only Apple-approved files on your device!</li>
</ol><i>Sadness: </i>Still no bookmarks??? Huh?? It turns out you get to bookmarks by the unintuitive process of holding down the refresh button for 3 seconds:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWslaLr9M_jt3t0eA8g9mSVqsAoS18l_UnR9DC6zxVVj1CwY_1kF9sKx7dMmS86dNfOdhviaNrc9dU0LJ8Hf0VySbHCvZ_GUbEGtRJpxa40k5xNw1S5T_70bsSdRhPDVbYeu31Z-Ghsc/s1600/Browser+Bookmarks.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWslaLr9M_jt3t0eA8g9mSVqsAoS18l_UnR9DC6zxVVj1CwY_1kF9sKx7dMmS86dNfOdhviaNrc9dU0LJ8Hf0VySbHCvZ_GUbEGtRJpxa40k5xNw1S5T_70bsSdRhPDVbYeu31Z-Ghsc/s320/Browser+Bookmarks.png" width="192" /></a></div>Once you get there, the screen is actually nicely laid out. You can switch to a list view, add folders, etc. This is really nice.<br />
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I'll spend another entry talking about the browser settings.New Android Userhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03729661267268426292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161488322468338835.post-74351655365592481792011-07-07T22:10:00.012-04:002011-07-07T22:10:00.635-04:00Volume<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhj92LK_2RdlCV1j-CpC99sRPIZV6McC3cSkpmehH6oXJurwJYlcGHbCtbgREfS2tEWCux2BZxz0wBg7rCMK8mNWxOkrer8o7n5zC5yFziplKdesUPA-KdNXQIZxIjLe17UuzrGhuJP0/s1600/In-call-volume+same+regardless+of+device+-+bluetooth%252C+speaker%252C+or+normal.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhj92LK_2RdlCV1j-CpC99sRPIZV6McC3cSkpmehH6oXJurwJYlcGHbCtbgREfS2tEWCux2BZxz0wBg7rCMK8mNWxOkrer8o7n5zC5yFziplKdesUPA-KdNXQIZxIjLe17UuzrGhuJP0/s320/In-call-volume+same+regardless+of+device+-+bluetooth%252C+speaker%252C+or+normal.png" width="192" /></a></div>The phone only understands one call volume which applies to the earpiece, bluetooth, and speakerphone. This is silly. The iPhone remembers each of these volumes independently. With my Android phone, every time I hit the Speakerphone button I have to crank the volume up, then crank it back down when I switch back.<br />
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I think even my old flip-phone supported this.New Android Userhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03729661267268426292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161488322468338835.post-6855465671834464612011-07-06T22:09:00.001-04:002011-07-22T00:05:11.492-04:00Viewing pictures taken with your Android phoneCamera phones take pictures. You should be able to view those pictures too. For some reason this basic functionality is limited on my Samsung Droid Charge. So far I found 2 photo viewers on the phone. One good, one less good.<br />
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<u>Camera Photo Viewer:</u><br />
If you click the camera icon you can go into review mode by clicking on the picture in the corner. This is just like on the iPhone and is fairly intuitive. Regular digital cameras usually do this with a switch.<br />
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This viewer is brain-dead. First, it doesn't rotate the pictures when you rotate the camera. That is basic functionality as of about 5 years ago. Second, if you swipe the image left or right it does move to the next picture, but it doesn't show any swiping animation. This is the first gesture system I've ever seen where there is no feedback. It is quite jarring to use. <a href="http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2006/02/will-mouse-gestures-ever-be-mainstream.html">Even games back in 2001 did this.</a> <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOCjd-SJxtPZjeAkgqWQRJ1TFyfgNZdRli8L49ZYYUGg0sJGcKCjXo9HGR_3hHuULDqnCSmhS-i-Zvzya9jMFabN8EjWsjq-qLKnfFKQvTYYP2JwurKdKXdHf3uM3neWQzLwlzM0Z6pCg/s1600/Orientation+Problem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOCjd-SJxtPZjeAkgqWQRJ1TFyfgNZdRli8L49ZYYUGg0sJGcKCjXo9HGR_3hHuULDqnCSmhS-i-Zvzya9jMFabN8EjWsjq-qLKnfFKQvTYYP2JwurKdKXdHf3uM3neWQzLwlzM0Z6pCg/s320/Orientation+Problem.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqWNcLb1PwIXe5NE4kLPUitl5HdZVyZxS6f6esSNwRhb9BIS5dBykaFICV20E_yYIzERC-qdzVxltbdqx7np6Pe_YmeT8853MNx9hnN3CAvvM-Pn9Kz_LKT-cHc7WalflVEQ8tTDX8Ydo/s1600/Orientation+Problem+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqWNcLb1PwIXe5NE4kLPUitl5HdZVyZxS6f6esSNwRhb9BIS5dBykaFICV20E_yYIzERC-qdzVxltbdqx7np6Pe_YmeT8853MNx9hnN3CAvvM-Pn9Kz_LKT-cHc7WalflVEQ8tTDX8Ydo/s320/Orientation+Problem+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<u>My Files viewer:</u><br />
If you hunt around under "Apps" you will find an "App" called "My files". This is a good photo viewer with a few odd quirks. You can use this to view your pictures by going under the "DCIM\Camera" folder. It does rotate pictures, and it does let you swipe.<br />
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From a technical perspective the folder layout is great - the DCIM folder is exactly the place most digital cameras place their files. But most people don't know that and won't ever find their pictures which is a shame since this is the better photo viewer. They need to make an icon that says "Pictures" that just takes you to this folder in one click.<br />
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The other issue is the order of the pictures. Below is the list of my photos, nicely named and sorted with thumbnails. That's great.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdbPQxs7YkMuI2x_s69vHR4rK3gfGCXRTd3U-uVotFdUjgzD-5BzZEzFpM9I7xV8KN5RoB1E_OwrkEJgHKKAS08Ms22rpYkg_SnzkEuoBcsyG0jvc4JvzzmvIqHLiWX0zKNTEHfYIe5k/s1600/Photo+List.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdbPQxs7YkMuI2x_s69vHR4rK3gfGCXRTd3U-uVotFdUjgzD-5BzZEzFpM9I7xV8KN5RoB1E_OwrkEJgHKKAS08Ms22rpYkg_SnzkEuoBcsyG0jvc4JvzzmvIqHLiWX0zKNTEHfYIe5k/s320/Photo+List.png" width="192" /></a></div>Suppose I click on the 3rd from the bottom, "2011-07-04 19.13.00.jpg" which was an experiment with the "Action Shot" mode. We can see that the picture says it is 1 of 55. But that was in the middle of the list, so it shouldn't be picture number 1. But maybe the first picture you click on is always picture 1. That's okay.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYwX0YEseYbMsawjPDH8yCA4QKKvj5-Xy8-30aDaE9r0aLAgGynQtshMJRz_Nu1IqtOTiS5BagnrMSUjjLfqMnFLMnkSeVm6s33xEaJ4n9rJ4vfJma4sC9jh0VQOBSGbPUd4QeFluzkqw/s1600/1+of+55.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYwX0YEseYbMsawjPDH8yCA4QKKvj5-Xy8-30aDaE9r0aLAgGynQtshMJRz_Nu1IqtOTiS5BagnrMSUjjLfqMnFLMnkSeVm6s33xEaJ4n9rJ4vfJma4sC9jh0VQOBSGbPUd4QeFluzkqw/s320/1+of+55.png" width="192" /></a></div><br />
So I swipe the picture off the left side, and I get:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIS-4S38ysGQNQ0p4ytl9BrjZzw1JXUqhw7JOcfvq4QZO3iWeQFyjADvfy7grRdolq4kl5BTZcaCMEYa-K1AuLAUQN0j84nIbrv49xXK6S5k6zq7AgqeYFqUo7AK3_theWwrxBwATb0-I/s1600/2+of+55.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIS-4S38ysGQNQ0p4ytl9BrjZzw1JXUqhw7JOcfvq4QZO3iWeQFyjADvfy7grRdolq4kl5BTZcaCMEYa-K1AuLAUQN0j84nIbrv49xXK6S5k6zq7AgqeYFqUo7AK3_theWwrxBwATb0-I/s320/2+of+55.png" width="192" /></a></div>The wrong picture! This isn't the next picture in the list. It is the first file in the folder, and it isn't even close to the one we were just looked at. It turns out that the picture you click on is number 1, and thereafter they start from the beginning. This means that if I have 100 pictures on my camera, and I want to show someone the last 5 pictures I took, I have to swipe 95 times to get to them. Or I have to click on the photo, then hit back, then click on the next phone. Both options are retarded.<br />
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The file viewer app is the killer app for this phone. It views every kind of file I can find, and unlike my iPhone I can copy files to/from it, including email attachments. But the photo viewers are basic functionality for a camera phone and there are quite buggy. Here are some more screen shots of the "My files" app:<br />
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Swiping works as expected:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JbIIlLAe63cBgAAc2EoMp6hWKv1flWmnYmSfptQcn3LusW8WBsVKDg5JoH11GIbYqJaPE1nOhP2MOyr8htHcLvH1i7s5L-Gz0yxOhAB-xvxacHdyAf-7N-7AU_8psUGG1879WoLNMW0/s1600/Swiping.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JbIIlLAe63cBgAAc2EoMp6hWKv1flWmnYmSfptQcn3LusW8WBsVKDg5JoH11GIbYqJaPE1nOhP2MOyr8htHcLvH1i7s5L-Gz0yxOhAB-xvxacHdyAf-7N-7AU_8psUGG1879WoLNMW0/s320/Swiping.png" width="192" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> Camera app, with the "review" icon in the lower right corner:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisS4gNeVqFx-N11nCK0svV3if7Tfplky-YcYYkHtkq6oIsQKzAJQ8eHzg_ngjjMCXnXmM96lz8MVsYNjUcl4P1ZY1vy65kpX0DIoREveTekBYswU0X3sz3ug6eAxwVcjEnLxI6HqFf3w0/s1600/Camera+App.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisS4gNeVqFx-N11nCK0svV3if7Tfplky-YcYYkHtkq6oIsQKzAJQ8eHzg_ngjjMCXnXmM96lz8MVsYNjUcl4P1ZY1vy65kpX0DIoREveTekBYswU0X3sz3ug6eAxwVcjEnLxI6HqFf3w0/s320/Camera+App.png" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"MY files" thumbnail and gallery options:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIhj5c5u16mQMSH-a6cEEIIL1EUQKYeIRejAK2mV1cA5XrMGsqTgKwvXxS4sj1XkE8MkWs4a1ceEcgDX0b7qIpFgPkL4aBIlMKg7r_XU3LH3FAhnrXxute2qPEAGiSy0Us2UWf-mwFds/s1600/Gallery.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIhj5c5u16mQMSH-a6cEEIIL1EUQKYeIRejAK2mV1cA5XrMGsqTgKwvXxS4sj1XkE8MkWs4a1ceEcgDX0b7qIpFgPkL4aBIlMKg7r_XU3LH3FAhnrXxute2qPEAGiSy0Us2UWf-mwFds/s320/Gallery.png" width="192" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlvwhw0o_husxlSlNC1xScs3lmlYTe0XxdcnJ0QVEIFN7H90ltz3uzd0HYiyTz1fN-My3_BFJzEDtnpprI3iJ_AVl-rIm7gPC_1hikUPdeCmh27vSVLB56mMYGs8wjcceLWDICyBM20U/s1600/Thumbnails.png" imageanchor="1" style="float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlvwhw0o_husxlSlNC1xScs3lmlYTe0XxdcnJ0QVEIFN7H90ltz3uzd0HYiyTz1fN-My3_BFJzEDtnpprI3iJ_AVl-rIm7gPC_1hikUPdeCmh27vSVLB56mMYGs8wjcceLWDICyBM20U/s320/Thumbnails.png" width="192" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>New Android Userhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03729661267268426292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161488322468338835.post-12455320023407319242011-07-03T22:40:00.001-04:002011-07-03T22:40:00.103-04:00Size mattersOne problem with the Droid Charge is that it is too large to fit in women's pant pockets. In general, men's jeans have deeper pockets. The phone is large enough that my coworkers keep asking me about my new laptop, and if I need a bag to carry it around.<br />
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That's it: my next phone is going to be twice as big.New Android Userhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03729661267268426292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161488322468338835.post-50021377752334389912011-07-02T22:35:00.004-04:002011-07-22T00:06:22.046-04:00Yaaaay! Voice text messages! Voice *everything*2 of my favorite iPhone features are voice dialing and Google's voice search. Android has taken voice recognition to a new level, although the voice dialing has a nearly fatal flaw.<br />
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For 2 years, every day I left the office I grabbed my iPhone, and without looking held down the home button and said "Call Jessilem." Please wipe that silly look off your face, you know you have stranger pet names for your wife than that. Anyway, my iPhone would dutifully reply "Calling Jessalam, mobile" which was close enough. Now, once every six months it would say "Calling Justin, mobile" at which point I would have an awkward conversation with an acquaintance trying to pretend I was thinking of him and just wanted to see what was up. :-)<br />
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In the wonderful world of Android, every day I leave the office and I grab my Android phone and click the unlock power button, wait a moment, unlock it, click home, wait a moment, touch the voice dialing icon, and say "Call Jessilem on cell." Then I wait for a moment and look down and realize it takes about a second or two before it actually starts recording. My Android phone then dutifully displays "Call Dad on cell." I cancel that and repeat "Call Jessilem on cell." It displays the message, then I click okay, then it dials.<br />
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The Android developers got the easy part right: the voice recognition algorithm is just fine. But they got the whole user interface wrong. Lets see what they missed.<br />
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<ul><li><span style="font-size: large;">Hands-free</span></li>
</ul>First of all, voice dialing is a hands-free operation. Apple got this by triggering voice dialing by holding in the one and only button on the phone. Picture this: explosions. aliens. phaser fire. Commander Riker grabs his communicator, removes it, presses a button on the back, slides his finger along the symbol of the United Federation of Planets logo, then says "Riker to Captain Picard! Two to beam up, NOW!" His communicator then displays a message asking him to confirm it. Before he can click the button, his head is melted by the Borg he didn't see behind him. <br />
<ul><li><span style="font-size: large;">Audio queues</span></li>
</ul>On both phones, there is a brief delay before the voice recognition starts. The iPhone plays a little "doo-doot" sound when it is ready for you to speak. The droid does not. If you watch the display it says "Starting Up" then "Listening" before it starts to record. The iPhone also gives you audible confirmation that it recognized the command and it audibly tells you what it is about to do. No looking at the screen, no timing, no guesswork.<br />
<ul><li><span style="font-size: large;">No confirmation required</span></li>
</ul><br />
The iPhone just makes the call. There is plenty of time to grab your phone and cancel it. Audio cancellation would be even better though. And if the iPhone is unsure it asks for clarification. "Call Jessilem: home, or mobile?" (Most voice recognition algorithms know how close they were to a match). The Android phone requires confirmation even if it got it 100% right, and the confirmation require you to look at the phone. Of course, you already had to look at the phone to even use the feature.<br />
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I assume there are 3rd-party voice recognition apps out there. I home some of them monitor the power button and wake without requiring screen interaction. I can imagine other compromises: perhaps another puzzle piece on the unlock screen, one that indicates a desire to make a voice call. I haven't looked yet. Does anyone have suggestions for a better app?<br />
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FUTURE: I'll talk about how Android voice recognition rocks in another post.New Android Userhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03729661267268426292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161488322468338835.post-73424168625045133842011-07-01T21:59:00.000-04:002011-07-01T21:59:00.163-04:00Conversation viewOne horrible misfeature of the iPhone is that <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=apple+text+messages+show+time&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#sclient=psy&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=9WO&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&source=hp&q=iphone+%22text+messages%22+show+time&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=cfd4938828d57dcb&biw=1486&bih=1068">the iPhone does not always show the date and time of text messages</a>. It seems like if the messages are close enough together it groups them as part of a conversation, and it only displays the time stamp of the first one. This has been a problem for years and is a constant unaddressed complaint. <br />
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While this does save a bit of screen space, it is frustrating when someone replies with "I'm running behind, if you don't see me in 15 minutes just go ahead without me." and you didn't notice the message right away. Apple deserves a smack-in-the-back-of-the-head for this one. <br />
<br />
Fortunately, this is resolved on Android. Every message shows the time stamp. Comparison shots below.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: left; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrw_HnoVosT_IMycfeGTXfhhpXhipS-pxqmqRnAVlbjWVFiyt4a-gSpkOfA3DG_iMBXEFk4vc4qHQjUpBmKfJtU9-IMuG9QCcROq6cqYsglxsTv53FfNkrKiUNPGcXmloN7yHLSonhi9Q/s1600/Conversation+View+Android.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrw_HnoVosT_IMycfeGTXfhhpXhipS-pxqmqRnAVlbjWVFiyt4a-gSpkOfA3DG_iMBXEFk4vc4qHQjUpBmKfJtU9-IMuG9QCcROq6cqYsglxsTv53FfNkrKiUNPGcXmloN7yHLSonhi9Q/s320/Conversation+View+Android.png" width="192" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: right; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVHnedNbXQwin_a0qG26yuHCUFom0PrRZrazC81XuttH29oIJMfuUoOPxDFvhtnuGQRQQbNDjV0WFj0nBricj-dMvrlxX5IrQtc5t93F_xd0g9mh5mlBm8VdRn-CDV5giV2uXVIYb8waA/s1600/Conversation+View+iPhone+stolen+from+tyleringram.com%2527s+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVHnedNbXQwin_a0qG26yuHCUFom0PrRZrazC81XuttH29oIJMfuUoOPxDFvhtnuGQRQQbNDjV0WFj0nBricj-dMvrlxX5IrQtc5t93F_xd0g9mh5mlBm8VdRn-CDV5giV2uXVIYb8waA/s320/Conversation+View+iPhone+stolen+from+tyleringram.com%2527s+blog.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div style="clear: both;"><small><br />
(iPhone screen shot courtesy of <a href="http://www.tyleringram.com/blog/sms-with-apple-3g-iphone">tyler ingram's blog</a>)</small></div>New Android Userhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03729661267268426292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161488322468338835.post-62206184195880882202011-06-30T21:47:00.000-04:002011-06-30T21:47:00.302-04:00Pointless settingsI like options, but not pointless ones. Here are a few on my phone:<br />
<blockquote>[√] Voice Privacy<br />
Enable enhanced privacy mode</blockquote>Why would you disable that? How about another one, with no description at all:<br />
<blockquote>Noise reduction </blockquote>Think about it this way. Suppose the options were the other way around:<br />
<blockquote>[√] Increase Noise<br />
[√] Disable Privacy<br />
Allow others to intercept your phone communications</blockquote>Now, these options must be there because there is some disadvantage to them. Perhaps the noise reduction feature causes your voice to cut-out more often. Perhaps the privacy mode uses encryption that uses more battery life. This is where Apple shines. Apple would simply make an executive decision and remove these options. If the noise reduction didn't always reduce noise, they would disable it.<br />
<br />
Given the choice, I'll accept a few pointless options if it means I get the features I need. But for more phoneaphobics, these options are obstacles.<br />
<br />
P.S. Noise reduction defaulted to off. A Google search reveals the opinion that the feature uses the dual-microphones to cancel noise. <a href="http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-2-general-discussions/99732-how-disable-temporally-2nd-noise-canceling-mic-droid-2-a.html">Apparently noise reduction it isn't good for recording live music.</a>New Android Userhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03729661267268426292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161488322468338835.post-58520261185584730182011-06-29T21:35:00.001-04:002011-07-22T00:05:58.256-04:00Check boxesQuiz: Is the following box checked, or unchecked?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuCPknxWEs5BInQBcCIcTMTQROrXuq7WnufSwyPT8A2m2_Fwg9bxHm_r2afORd6QD2UnnGY_54fi71kMDYPgG9wJxECuTXRKh7W7lwnv5xCu0GIhDcYJ8h0GqFqtZ3wKXHCblcfe8zaUE/s1600/Unchecked+box.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuCPknxWEs5BInQBcCIcTMTQROrXuq7WnufSwyPT8A2m2_Fwg9bxHm_r2afORd6QD2UnnGY_54fi71kMDYPgG9wJxECuTXRKh7W7lwnv5xCu0GIhDcYJ8h0GqFqtZ3wKXHCblcfe8zaUE/s320/Unchecked+box.png" width="192" /></a></div><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Well, it does have a check in it... but it is kinda gray... but the whole color scheme is muted... <br />
<br />
Correct answer: unchecked.<br />
<br />
If you are an Android developer, please do the following.<br />
<ol><li>Get a piece of paper and a pen.</li>
<li>Draw a square on the piece of paper.</li>
<li>Do not draw a check mark in the box.<br />
Q: Is there a check mark in the box?<br />
A: No. That is what we call "unchecked" </li>
</ol><br />
You might defend this by arguing that a weak disabled looking check indicates to the user that this is a check box. But the beauty of a check box is that people are already familiar with them. Young and old, bright and dumb, everyone has seen a check box on a paper form even if they have never used a computer before. This is why the desktop UI paradigm is so powerful, because it is familiar to everyone. Check boxes aren't techie computery things. So there is no need for extra help here. The gray check is just confusing.<br />
<br />
So is this a Samsung-only feature, or an Android feature? I need to look at someone else's android phone.New Android Userhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03729661267268426292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161488322468338835.post-7009407921187432812011-06-28T22:54:00.000-04:002011-06-28T22:54:00.225-04:00Accurate cursor positioning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUCfQieRuzIqWawBWYjnxMjMU7zFkI-A5iUaiwwcQTV1rGp84D67VBRau5r3L5plJwMQvfsyoZhTuPmf0bT25teZq21ybrbadQiZ4sNcmJyZwiqXrgDbyXbmo1GlAhopz3YjFjk4tIVM/s1600/iPhone+Magnifying+Glass.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span id="goog_1889707495"></span><span id="goog_1889707496"></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXlLJBefUdNv61eUz8haEL1y8kuqt7pkFDu620o2dOBr2uqbwcLh-cY6kO-mzAT-cuHy5yXccE5qDsyv_ee_RpqbFWX4dKGa1B2VO4P6evrm0nUUeo-olutF_unyf2gsctqPNiTAzSPy8/s1600/Cursor+Positioning+Android.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXlLJBefUdNv61eUz8haEL1y8kuqt7pkFDu620o2dOBr2uqbwcLh-cY6kO-mzAT-cuHy5yXccE5qDsyv_ee_RpqbFWX4dKGa1B2VO4P6evrm0nUUeo-olutF_unyf2gsctqPNiTAzSPy8/s320/Cursor+Positioning+Android.png" width="192" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"></div>I like the way they handle cursor positioning in a text box on Android. The fundamental challenge here is figuring out how to position a 1-pixel wide cursor using a 40-pixel wide finger.<br />
<br />
On Android, you touch a spot and the cursor goes there. Then you get a little bubble that you can drag around for more precise positioning. This allows you to be accurate without the bubble getting in the way.<br />
<br />
On the iPhone, you touch and hold, which displays a magnifying glass showing you a blow-up of the screen. The magnifying glass lets you see the cursor position more clearly. The magnifying glass vanishes when you pick up your finger. The problem I had was that after I released my finger the cursor would be one character to the left or right of where I was.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUCfQieRuzIqWawBWYjnxMjMU7zFkI-A5iUaiwwcQTV1rGp84D67VBRau5r3L5plJwMQvfsyoZhTuPmf0bT25teZq21ybrbadQiZ4sNcmJyZwiqXrgDbyXbmo1GlAhopz3YjFjk4tIVM/s1600/iPhone+Magnifying+Glass.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUCfQieRuzIqWawBWYjnxMjMU7zFkI-A5iUaiwwcQTV1rGp84D67VBRau5r3L5plJwMQvfsyoZhTuPmf0bT25teZq21ybrbadQiZ4sNcmJyZwiqXrgDbyXbmo1GlAhopz3YjFjk4tIVM/s320/iPhone+Magnifying+Glass.png" width="213" /></a></div>The magnifying glass isn't a general purpose magnifying glass though. It only magnifies some parts of the screen while others are mysteriously blank. The screen on my Droid is bigger, so maybe it doesn't need the magnifying feature anyway.New Android Userhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03729661267268426292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161488322468338835.post-10411762950857278482011-06-27T21:20:00.000-04:002011-06-27T21:20:24.837-04:00Google Blogger does not work on a Google PhoneI was quite surprised to learn that Google's blogger.com does not work on Google's web browser on their own operating system. Here is what it looks like:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7l0yJ2K5VlYjim7KW5N2c4MYShH9k_INATVP9ldccW-CJqQ_sJT4s5Fc66bhDpht0V69C_o0wWVmI2YM_UppedmQIJlmBTHd3Z1njP9K5qMa9C2sMGxBbHA1-nlxMrkQgA5980DVFBSs/s1600/Blogger.com+on+an+Android+phone.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7l0yJ2K5VlYjim7KW5N2c4MYShH9k_INATVP9ldccW-CJqQ_sJT4s5Fc66bhDpht0V69C_o0wWVmI2YM_UppedmQIJlmBTHd3Z1njP9K5qMa9C2sMGxBbHA1-nlxMrkQgA5980DVFBSs/s320/Blogger.com+on+an+Android+phone.png" width="192" /></a></div> <br />
<div style="clear: left;">It doesn't just look bad, the toolbar doesn't work.</div>New Android Userhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03729661267268426292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161488322468338835.post-51621205618511461832011-06-24T11:36:00.000-04:002011-06-24T11:36:00.522-04:00Screen protectors?Do screen protectors actually help?<br />
Do they reduce the sensitivity of the touch-screen ?<br />
<br />
I had the Verizon rep install my screen protector based on their recommendation. But after 2+ years my iPhone screen never got visibly damaged, even with my keys scraping against the screen in my pocket. Supposedly the new screens are even stronger. The iPhone touch screen was failing, but I don't think that was something a screen protector could have fixed. When the screen would stop responding I would have to lock then unlock the phone to fix it. There were no bad spots and no inaccuracy, so I conclude it was electrical or software.<br />
<br />
I think the touch screen on my phone could be more sensitive, although it is adequate.<br />
<br />
Post your thoughts: <br />
- Do screen protectors really help? <br />
- Do they have any downsides other than bubbles?New Android Userhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03729661267268426292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161488322468338835.post-51651630145190024112011-06-23T12:31:00.002-04:002011-07-22T00:07:00.328-04:00Calendar: good features but UI wastes space<h2></h2><u>Editing</u><br />
<br />
I already had a few items on my Google Calendar, so there was already stuff to fool around with. I clicked on an event, but... how do I edit it? Here is what I tried:<br />
<span style="color: red;">X</span> Edit button<br />
<span style="color: red;">X</span> Hold down on event in the calendar view<br />
<span style="color: red;">X</span> Hold down on date in the calendar view<br />
<span style="color: red;">X</span> Hold down on anything in the detail view<br />
<b><span style="color: #00a000;">√</span></b> Settings button!<br />
<br />
Okay, it took me a moment to get the concept that the settings button is the equivalent to right-click for Android. Now I like the idea - no screen real-estate required. Still, after trying all of those items I expected <i>something</i> would respond like an edit screen. Oh well, this is why one should RTFM.<br />
<br />
<u>Screen Layout</u><br />
<br />
The screen has a ton of wasted space. On my iPhone, all the calendar options appear on one screen. On Android, I have to scroll down to see all the options. Now granted, there are lots more options which is great, but I think it could fit much better. Here I show the actual screen on the left, and my modified screen on the right:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7cYMhLJ1M_3vKZq0ANBO6BhOeBvhVykj6ThPV98lfgkCvs-aVL6cax6PHeHZquo7wv08uyA8frt1667Hh6LdvN-MiZymM1Fdw-d7RZ3MAuidjoiUN-NeVNHzAgIkrsylRomcECwGNjs/s1600/Calendar+Improved.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7cYMhLJ1M_3vKZq0ANBO6BhOeBvhVykj6ThPV98lfgkCvs-aVL6cax6PHeHZquo7wv08uyA8frt1667Hh6LdvN-MiZymM1Fdw-d7RZ3MAuidjoiUN-NeVNHzAgIkrsylRomcECwGNjs/s400/Calendar+Improved.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifIU0l347diygErWEoPb0REDTmyNuqqt71wC76aqS0fHUniOq7kQH5qGER_M5ynhkBSRnIvlnQ5klzN8DwYn1CHCAuJ1bHeb2UF4z1-0c87dSbU9C8cFw6OnDYQBnFpfrzovTO-pdjHkI/s1600/Calendar+Improved.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><a name='more'></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifIU0l347diygErWEoPb0REDTmyNuqqt71wC76aqS0fHUniOq7kQH5qGER_M5ynhkBSRnIvlnQ5klzN8DwYn1CHCAuJ1bHeb2UF4z1-0c87dSbU9C8cFw6OnDYQBnFpfrzovTO-pdjHkI/s1600/Calendar+Improved.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><br />
By moving the labels to the left of the buttons instead of above, we eliminated lots of space. A desktop publisher wouldn't like the lack of white-space (err... black-space) but for a UI this is just fine. There is still plenty of room for a finger. All this without decreasing the font-size (which I think is too big already).<br />
<br />
<br />
The alarm options show the quintessential difference between Android and OS X. My iPhone had 8 alarm options, and no ability to customize. So if I needed the alarm to notify me 3 hours prior -- nope! You can pick 1 hour, 2 hours, or 1 day with nothing in between. That's ridiculous. Android gives me some sensible defaults just like iPhone, but has that oh so vital "Customize" option. If I push the "settings" button I can even add multiple alarms -- another obvious feature missing from the iPhone calendar.<br />
<br />
My only complaint is that I have to scroll to see all the alarm options. This screen is the king of waste. Compare the iPhone (left) to the Android (right):<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNSgZeA75YNeCYXmVKq9Zlbut6Et91NDGEUp5jkyAaO56JPnL11NCYkR5MW4FSuLcKGkNObHRedBbDccqi-SqsS71e4D66g3fN32cFUmWBW2vp9QVdwmETNlDYgS0dnQ3Rk8lLlfQn6Y/s1600/Calendar+Alarm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNSgZeA75YNeCYXmVKq9Zlbut6Et91NDGEUp5jkyAaO56JPnL11NCYkR5MW4FSuLcKGkNObHRedBbDccqi-SqsS71e4D66g3fN32cFUmWBW2vp9QVdwmETNlDYgS0dnQ3Rk8lLlfQn6Y/s320/Calendar+Alarm.png" width="192" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBXJbfFXFMVipZKxUqqnU-xFV_M2HtpM6VUciMXdo57AoZ3x-QVOBlb4xaS8drzJNAx7BVnUagNvxFdLjWq5CuL25J0xCXEVZ6-KX0Rc0nU9DFdYET1UNgPgbVOF5N6hQSN1-z9ovvsm0/s1600/iPhone+Alarm.png" imageanchor="1" style="float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBXJbfFXFMVipZKxUqqnU-xFV_M2HtpM6VUciMXdo57AoZ3x-QVOBlb4xaS8drzJNAx7BVnUagNvxFdLjWq5CuL25J0xCXEVZ6-KX0Rc0nU9DFdYET1UNgPgbVOF5N6hQSN1-z9ovvsm0/s320/iPhone+Alarm.png" width="213" /></a></div><br />
The iPhone has more options, on a physically smaller screen simply by eliminating unnecessary white-space.<br />
<br />
There are a few other quirks:<br />
<ul><li>Time Zone doesn't seem like something most people will use very often. I think they should move that below Alarm, Repeat, and Location.</li>
<li>When adding an event for the first time, the option to specify which calendar it is on is disabled. Once you go to the settings and view a different calendar, the option is now available. Even if you restore the settings back to the way they were.</li>
</ul><u>Verdict</u><br />
<br />
The Android calendar wins over OS X by far. A friend of mine (An Apple convert, BTW) has long lamented that the OS X calendar isn't even as capable as the Palm calendar from long ago. Despite my criticisms of the screen layout, the feature set is far better even if I don't include the wireless calendar synch.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZc2rGz8Z97eoEbahURsEGCScKgI8_Bu3b8V6TusVlIXDkc7VelAg3NRV9kMSOYxYQHUF7g909iRNtHJIGhfyo-Y2Xfkr0bVTVwMLjlsB6qQ-J5O6ZfZwIoU-umCe_g0czE5pN5-BoMY/s1600/Calendar+Page+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<u>Other screen shots</u><br />
<div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhoBXXCiS5JBxMaT6FEtDBN9t_0D0iKziMjH-OL2tdMvShRuovVF23og_iOXM89r6ARlAIwQ0Rln3nU-x-E01BY1I3cfL3RJkNXBW14KhsDFfHrxB48mn2aMRycTJlNpGWAJvNCgMdxc/s1600/Calendar+Page+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhoBXXCiS5JBxMaT6FEtDBN9t_0D0iKziMjH-OL2tdMvShRuovVF23og_iOXM89r6ARlAIwQ0Rln3nU-x-E01BY1I3cfL3RJkNXBW14KhsDFfHrxB48mn2aMRycTJlNpGWAJvNCgMdxc/s200/Calendar+Page+1.png" width="120" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZc2rGz8Z97eoEbahURsEGCScKgI8_Bu3b8V6TusVlIXDkc7VelAg3NRV9kMSOYxYQHUF7g909iRNtHJIGhfyo-Y2Xfkr0bVTVwMLjlsB6qQ-J5O6ZfZwIoU-umCe_g0czE5pN5-BoMY/s1600/Calendar+Page+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZc2rGz8Z97eoEbahURsEGCScKgI8_Bu3b8V6TusVlIXDkc7VelAg3NRV9kMSOYxYQHUF7g909iRNtHJIGhfyo-Y2Xfkr0bVTVwMLjlsB6qQ-J5O6ZfZwIoU-umCe_g0czE5pN5-BoMY/s200/Calendar+Page+2.png" width="120" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipN-rTGS1tDriCX66tK4cyrdEO3qdmHG3_gf-SauZUOetROJ6zVyvt0Bd0DvrbN8NvHG7Q28lEj_C6nrCH7N9-qF0ng7eQu9Zzu6Go7pmlIfecVJwzr06ZKOaudI8PYLq_eabpvh7m0cU/s1600/Calendar+Page+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipN-rTGS1tDriCX66tK4cyrdEO3qdmHG3_gf-SauZUOetROJ6zVyvt0Bd0DvrbN8NvHG7Q28lEj_C6nrCH7N9-qF0ng7eQu9Zzu6Go7pmlIfecVJwzr06ZKOaudI8PYLq_eabpvh7m0cU/s200/Calendar+Page+3.png" width="120" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipN-rTGS1tDriCX66tK4cyrdEO3qdmHG3_gf-SauZUOetROJ6zVyvt0Bd0DvrbN8NvHG7Q28lEj_C6nrCH7N9-qF0ng7eQu9Zzu6Go7pmlIfecVJwzr06ZKOaudI8PYLq_eabpvh7m0cU/s1600/Calendar+Page+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWkejgb0gu0quJFM4FJNBtfdV1Tj1jt_ETpEhDxra7x_ZdYIgoNp0vJVmBxB6OoyiSgUrEQM0aht2iR38rRQv_ffHAfi_4Hz4zC4KAyoveybis8I43oI5YI0H-gsY0Db6L9hsTGMw9MKg/s1600/Calendar+Time+Editing.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWkejgb0gu0quJFM4FJNBtfdV1Tj1jt_ETpEhDxra7x_ZdYIgoNp0vJVmBxB6OoyiSgUrEQM0aht2iR38rRQv_ffHAfi_4Hz4zC4KAyoveybis8I43oI5YI0H-gsY0Db6L9hsTGMw9MKg/s320/Calendar+Time+Editing.png" width="192" /></a></div>New Android Userhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03729661267268426292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161488322468338835.post-91171970777304407932011-06-23T00:16:00.002-04:002011-07-22T00:07:28.891-04:00Slide to unlock<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9uBgDiot5jtzN09s-0Vp_Yve7zDovaTa-g6RMZ1HRBZDZKS1ZesjxchI4umfsM4p1JIAL4GOfstpJaKDCOrtsKYJBttCviVi5zSue98IAkdhYjSTfgAGeOzdXTpNC5FN7IKW4DTFZMDA/s1600/SC20110619-001117.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9uBgDiot5jtzN09s-0Vp_Yve7zDovaTa-g6RMZ1HRBZDZKS1ZesjxchI4umfsM4p1JIAL4GOfstpJaKDCOrtsKYJBttCviVi5zSue98IAkdhYjSTfgAGeOzdXTpNC5FN7IKW4DTFZMDA/s320/SC20110619-001117.png" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samsung unlock screen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Instead of "Slide to unlock" we get "fit puzzle to unlock" which seems like a way to get around some Apple patent. It functions just like the iPhone except once you start to receive voice mails and text messages. At that point, you get different puzzle pieces which unlock to various screens. So you can go directly to the message screen, or the visual voice mail, or answer a call. It makes total sense.<br />
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Apparently this is a Samsung thing, so good job Samsung. So too is the screen shot capability I used here. <a href="http://forum.androidcentral.com/verizon-droid-charge/82011-samsung-droid-charge-screenshots-share-them-here-no-app-root-needed.html">The Droid Charge lets you take screen shots</a> by holding down the Back button for 3 seconds then pressing the Home button. The screen shots get dumped into a ScreenCaptures folder off the root. Yay for USB mass storage mode! Apparently other Android phones require a bunch of downloads and installs to be able to take screen shots. This earns Google a smack-in-the-back-of-the-head.<br />
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Since everything in Android is customizable, I assume there is some App to make it a Rubik's cube or a dancing Android or something.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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UPDATE:<br />
This is the same screen showing a text message and 3 voice mails. I love how there are two clocks on the screen showing different times.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK0e1RjcfkxAJGXrRwnTxgLpsaT1e7eK_N7_ZUJQJ7PPfYucgGCOJ3thQy5g16Lsa0uglTvM7wSrGn_GZmz68n_tQgDPN5Y_IsRGR4KgL-ZVwO4D5EkWIAWZAsJi4hHhkP9rJzm-cEKUA/s1600/Unlock+screen+with+text+message+and+voice+mail.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK0e1RjcfkxAJGXrRwnTxgLpsaT1e7eK_N7_ZUJQJ7PPfYucgGCOJ3thQy5g16Lsa0uglTvM7wSrGn_GZmz68n_tQgDPN5Y_IsRGR4KgL-ZVwO4D5EkWIAWZAsJi4hHhkP9rJzm-cEKUA/s320/Unlock+screen+with+text+message+and+voice+mail.png" width="192" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzbFL7GKNNKkm5jtRD0v59R3ablAeJg_wqeuPGWhHH_p8h6RefVuI0heBHLCx7-T17Hi67jcbL-i3pScqWVYQP60WgDCg0bRSkwmrk88-SUrCEzD8r9CXuxSmwLPxPdvHJ6ftdkfstvM/s1600/Unlock+screen+with+text+message.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>New Android Userhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03729661267268426292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161488322468338835.post-20852627131417107552011-06-21T22:21:00.000-04:002011-06-21T22:21:00.239-04:00The home screenAndroid phones, like Windows PCs, come preloaded with garbage. This includes trial software (Rock Band, Lets Golf 2), redundant software (Verizon vCast Apps), and apps that seem to do nothing except display license agreement (VZ Navigator, Thinkfree Office).<br />
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But before I get into that, lets talk about the home screen. <br />
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The home screen is missing the basics I came to use every day on my iPhone. These are:<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="5"><tbody>
<tr><td>• Calendar</td><td>• Notes</td><td>• Camera</td><td>• Maps</td><td>• Weather</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
They are all probably there, but buried. So what do Samsung and Verizon think are the most important things that belong on your home screen? Mobile Hotspot, Media Hub, Android Market, Verizon Apps, VZ Navigator, and Guided Tour.<br />
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I don't expect to use any of these things on a regular basis. The VZ Navigator might make sense, and I get why the Guided Tour is on the home screen. Buying apps isn't something one does regularly. Nor will most people be using their phone as a mobile hotspot. I think the criteria for "most important apps" must be the ones with the longest license agreements.<br />
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This is no different from how Microsoft Windows comes out of the box. If you buy from an OEM you get 50 icons in your Start Menu so you will have a tough time figuring out how to write a letter. Fortunately, Android does have a Dock.<br />
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The Dock contains Phone, Contacts, Messaging, and Applications. All of those make sense except Applications.<br />
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If you have an application and you want to use it, it should go onto one of the available screens. If it isn't on one of those screens, the app should be uninstalled. So I see this button like the Windows "Add/Remove software" button. Other than that purpose, having a button that gives you a disorganized, unsortable list of apps is silly. Apple got this part right - no "applications" button.<br />
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Items to resolve:<br />
• How do I take a screen shot?<br />
• What note taking app is on the phone?New Android Userhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03729661267268426292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161488322468338835.post-80130464053134150062011-06-20T13:20:00.000-04:002011-06-20T13:20:01.092-04:00Why I switched: AT&TI have had a love-hate relationship with my iPhone since the day I got it. Ultimate power (muhuhahahaha!) in my pocket, yet completely unable to do the first few things I wanted it to do. I couldn't copy files to it, couldn't copy my music collection to it, and compile existing code for it for it. It refused to run apps in the background (fixed now). The Bluetooth doesn't work with the Bluetooth on my Mac. And the phone doesn't even show as a USB flash drive when you plug it in: WTF??? But after time I too learned to drink that oh so tasty kool-aid. The voice search was wonderful, answers to bar trivia flowed faster than the beer, and the birds had a good reason to be angry. But since I couldn't get AT&T service from my home or my work, the device became an expensive toy. PHONE FIRST, APPS SECOND.<br />
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AT&T's solution to service issues is to sell you a microcell. That absolutely was not possible at the office, and I was under this (obviously mistaken) impression that I paid AT&T to provide service. If I buy a cell tower and provide the bandwidth then what am I paying a monthly fee for…? Their staff was unhelpful on this issue. They would look at a map and say "well, that area is covered." I wonder if AT&T employees would drive across a lake if the map said there was a bridge there.<br />
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I'll talk about Android in my next post.New Android Userhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03729661267268426292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161488322468338835.post-65963930025685079502011-06-18T22:05:00.000-04:002011-06-18T22:05:45.737-04:00My new phone<u>Vital Stats</u><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnZg5VOed7D5lgKLx5DVZV2K-12it2A_xWt_VHLpSDuSSGdQHH_RWqGZVG5OqMTv97LYSRDWVbxojQ3pLay4TsJuyF2DuDO0DBjpQRMo-sIWgIS-N65d8_dyqoBhLSjWPGp6skrRiD2k/s1600/Samsung+Droid+Charge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnZg5VOed7D5lgKLx5DVZV2K-12it2A_xWt_VHLpSDuSSGdQHH_RWqGZVG5OqMTv97LYSRDWVbxojQ3pLay4TsJuyF2DuDO0DBjpQRMo-sIWgIS-N65d8_dyqoBhLSjWPGp6skrRiD2k/s200/Samsung+Droid+Charge.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br />
<div style="direction: ltr;"><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: #A3A3A3; border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; direction: ltr;" valign="top"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="border-color: #A3A3A3; border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; padding: 4pt 4pt 4pt 4pt; vertical-align: top; width: .9375in;"><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Name:</div></td> <td style="border-color: #A3A3A3; border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; padding: 4pt 4pt 4pt 4pt; vertical-align: top; width: 2.1395in;"><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Samsung Droid Charge</div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: #A3A3A3; border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; padding: 4pt 4pt 4pt 4pt; vertical-align: top; width: .9375in;"><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Weight:</div></td> <td style="border-color: #A3A3A3; border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; padding: 4pt 4pt 4pt 4pt; vertical-align: top; width: 2.1395in;"><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">About 1.5 iPhones</div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: #A3A3A3; border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; padding: 4pt 4pt 4pt 4pt; vertical-align: top; width: .9375in;"><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Size:</div></td> <td style="border-color: #A3A3A3; border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; padding: 4pt 4pt 4pt 4pt; vertical-align: top; width: 2.1395in;"><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Enormous</div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: #A3A3A3; border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; padding: 4pt 4pt 4pt 4pt; vertical-align: top; width: .9375in;"><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Battery life:</div></td> <td style="border-color: #A3A3A3; border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; padding: 4pt 4pt 4pt 4pt; vertical-align: top; width: 2.1395in;"><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Barely 1 full day of charge</div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: #A3A3A3; border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; padding: 4pt 4pt 4pt 4pt; vertical-align: top; width: .9375in;"><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Display:</div></td> <td style="border-color: #A3A3A3; border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; padding: 4pt 4pt 4pt 4pt; vertical-align: top; width: 2.1395in;"><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Oversaturated, but pretty</div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: #A3A3A3; border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; padding: 4pt 4pt 4pt 4pt; vertical-align: top; width: .9375in;"><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Cost:</div></td> <td style="border-color: #A3A3A3; border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; padding: 4pt 4pt 4pt 4pt; vertical-align: top; width: 2.1395in;"><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Same as iPhone</div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table></div><br />
<div style="clear: right;">I got this over the HTC Thunderbolt despite loving HTC for not locking their bootloaders. The real blow here is that the Thunderbolt is buggy, and the battery life is really really bad. I can handle buggy... Maybe. But without decent battery life it can't even be a decent phone. PHONE FIRST, APPS SECOND. Supposedly, the display shows better in the sunlight than the Thunderbolt, although I don't think does any better than any other screen I've seen.. errr… not seen… in sunlight.</div><br />
<u>First impression</u><br />
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Imagine someone simultaneously choking and burping simultaneously, while trying to say the word "DRRROIIIDDD!" That is the default sound on my phone. My first smack-on-the-back-of-the-head goes out to the Google marketing team for this one.New Android Userhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03729661267268426292noreply@blogger.com0