Geek Swagger.
dmkemick
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Posts by dmkemick
Thoughts on Amazon’s Kindle Fire
Jan 8th
Back in June 2010, while rumors were circulating that Amazon was developing a tablet device, I wrote a post which suggested that they would be the only company that could create a product to successfully compete with Apple’s iPad. My reasoning was that they were successfully developing a content atmosphere with products like Amazon MP3, Video on Demand and the Amazon App Store with its free app of the day that would compare to Apple’s digital hub. Now that I’ve used the Kindle Fire for a couple weeks I figured I’d share my thoughts about whether Apple should be worried or not.
Hardware
When I first pulled my Kindle Fire out of its box I have to admit that it was bulkier than I expected. Although I owned the first generation of the iPad, I had long since sold it, and so my closest frame of reference was my iPhone 4S. That’s probably not a fair comparison, but I’ll just say the Kindle Fire felt thicker than it should be, at least initially. Over time I’ve gotten used to the heft of the device and, now that I’ve used it for a while, I’m fairly comfortable with holding it.
One way that the Kindle Fire does compare to the iPad is its monolithic form factor with a lack of many physical buttons. The only button you’ll find on the device is located on the bottom bezel next to its charging and syncing port. I have noticed that the location of the button plus the device’s smaller form factor has caused me to accidentally push it (which causes the device to lock) while I’m holding it in portrait orientation from time to time. That issue is only mildly annoying and probably more of a matter of training myself to place my hands further from the center of the device while using it. Over time I’ve noticed the accidental device locks have been less frequent.
The form factor itself has been surprisingly useable. The only other tablet I’ve ever used for a substantial amount of time is the Apple iPad, so I’m used to a larger device. With that said, I think I prefer the smaller Kindle Fire in some cases, most of all for portability. It has also been more condusive to browsing the mobile web without feeling like I’m using a site designed for a significantly smaller device, and that carries over to using apps designed for phones rather than tablets. When using the iPad’s zoom feature to view iPhone apps on it, I always felt like I was using a Fisher Price version of the app (buttons and other UI elements were blown up and felt cumbersome). The Kindle Fire splits the difference however, which means that phone apps work just fine on the somewhat-larger display.
One last potential issue I’ve noticed with the Kindle Fire is that the display does tend to have some temporary ghosting. Every now and then I notice ghosted elements of a different application or of user interface elements that are on the screen frequently. It’s not a huge issue and the ghosting goes away, but it might bug some users. I think it’s important to remember that this device only costs $199 when nitpicking such issues, and when you take that into consideration I honestly think any slight ghosting isn’t a deal-breaker if you’re interested in the Kindle Fire. Additionally, since my Kindle Fire was purchased very early in the device’s life cycle, that issue might be resolved or could be a manufacturing glitch specific to my device. With that said, the problem isn’t significant enough for me to consider returning it for a replacement device.
Apps, Media & Web Browsing
Consuming content on the Kindle Fire is a joy. Because I’m an Amazon Prime member and have used Amazon’s various content services before, all I had to do was login to my Amazon account and I had instant access to my entire music library through Amazon MP3, all of the apps I had downloaded from the Amazon App Store, and all of the books I had purchased through Amazon’s Kindle app. Best of all, access to all of my content was instant because it’s all stored in the cloud so I didn’t have to spend hours syncing everything to the device.
Listening to music on the Kindle Fire through the cloud works well over wifi. I’ve experienced issues with their mobile app for phones such as my previous Motorola Droid X, where-in streaming over a 3G connection produced a lot of time spent buffering. That hasn’t been my experience on the Kindle Fire, however. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m using a more solid wifi connection, but playback has been fairly instant and I haven’t run into the same buffering problem. At this point I haven’t felt the need to sync any of my music to my device which is a testament to the playback from the cloud. If you’re planning on using your Kindle to listen to music I would recommend investing in a decent pair of headphones though, as the internal speaker isn’t anything to write home about.
When I had an iPad my primary reading app was iBooks, but having read on the Kindle Fire I’m happy to say that it’s just as readable if not more so. You have many of the same options as with iBooks, including changing the background color of your book, how big or small the font size is, and the style of font you prefer to read. The reader also has a slew of other handy features, like the ability to search a book or document, make notes and of course leave a bookmark. Navigating pages is pretty simple, just a tap on the left or right side of the screen to move backward or forward a page, or you can swipe your finger across the page to replicate the page turning experience, though it’s not as elegant as the page turn in iBooks (but now I’m just splitting hairs).
The Amazon app store, though easy to use, does leave something to be desired. Although I’m sure the selection will improve over time, the amount of apps developed specifically for the Kindle Fire is lacking right now. There isn’t a great Twitter or Facebook client available yet, though simple apps which link to each service’s mobile website (think more of a bookmark) are available. It has been nice to revisit my collection of Amazon apps that I had on my old Droid X though, and like I mentioned previously even apps developed for phones specifically work pretty well on this device.
Between the Amazon video on demand software and the Netflix app, if you’re looking to watch video on the Kindle Fire you should be pleasantly surprised. Video streams very well in my experience, even when skipping around a video by scrubbing through its timeline. I can’t say a whole lot about the quality because I’m far from a videophile, but for a device this small I haven’t been let down at all. It’s definitely watchable, though I’d recommend some headphones because the sound volume is a bit low at times.
My time spent using the Kindle Fire has re-introduced me to the mobile web in a way. To make up for the fact that I don’t have a great Twitter or Facebook app yet, I’ve been using both services’ mobile sites more. Additionally, to speed up the Fire’s Silk browser I’ve defaulted to a site’s mobile version whenever possible. This doesn’t have a whole lot to do with the Kindle Fire specifically, I have to admit that browsing the mobile web is often an enjoyable experience so don’t rule it out if you’re without an app! Most major websites have put a lot of time and thought into their mobile site, and you can usually complete the same tasks as you can with a full website or app. With that said, I have noticed that the Silk browser is a bit pokey at times. There are already guides on the web for settings you can change to speed up the browser, but by default it’s a little slow. I’m sure that Amazon will fix that issue with a future software update, though.
Recommendation
Overall, I’d have to recommend Amazon’s Kindle Fire. For a mere $199 it’s a heck of a package if you want easy access to your content collection. As is the case with most consumer electronic devices there are some imperfections in software this early in the product lifecycle, but many of those will be fixed in time. It’s hard to argue with a device that offers a lot of the great tablet experience I’ve enjoyed with the iPad at a price point that’s less than half that of the cheapest Apple model. The good news is that these things are flying off the shelf, so if you’re curious about the Kindle Fire just ask a friend or go try one out at a store!
Steve Jobs Dead at 56
Oct 9th
I really did not want to write this post, especially because I already devoted a post to Steve Jobs’ resignation at Apple. It’s not because this event isn't important to me as an Apple fan, to the tech industry, or to the world at large. It is. It’s very important. However I didn’t want to dedicate two back-to-back posts to the felling of one of the greatest individuals that I had the priviledge to share time on the Earth with.
Anytime I sit behind a keyboard to write anything I struggle with my bad habit of being hyperbolic about my topic. With that said it’s very difficult to be hyperbolic about Steve Jobs. He was this generation’s Edison, a man that brought so many new technologies to the world that he changed the way we lived our lives. I’m not going to run down the list because we’ve all heard it a thousand times before, but I think the saddest part about losing Steve Jobs is the fact that he was a great human being that exemplified American exceptionalism. It always made me proud to think that Apple was a homegrown technology company based in the United States, one that had its fair share of ups and downs but recently because the most valuable company in the world (if only for a brief time).
When I wrote my post about Steve resigning I didn’t at all expect that he was near death. To me, a sort of Apple prognosticator, I assumed Steve’s stepping down was a part of their grand strategy. Apple was at its highest point of success, and we all knew Steve had to retire at some point, right? He had done what he set out to do in 1997, he had brought Apple back to unbelievable success. So, to my mind, it made sense that Apple would move forward with their post-Steve Jobs strategy and under his guidance continue their success. Of course I was wrong. Steve Jobs was so dedicated to his work at Apple that it wasn’t until he was literally unable to contribute that he had to resign, and we lost his mere months later.
I haven’t been a dedicated Apple user for a long time, all things considered. Though I grew up using Macs in school I never owned one until they switched to Intel processors in 2005. I still have that first Mac, a black Macbook, and it runs like a champ. I was drawn to their hardware because it was sexy, I was drawn to their software because it represented a level of design to make using the computer fun and easy for users. However, being able to run Windows via boot camp was the straw that broke the camels back for me.
I’ve since owned 3 other Macs including the one I’m using to write this blog post: a beautiful Macbook Air. I’ve also owned other i devices that were game-changers in their respective categories: the iPhone reinvented the modern smart phone and the iPad gave new life to the tablet computer. I’ve loved using all of these products, and all were brought to me because they were a single man’s vision. Steve Jobs wasn’t an inventor, he was a visionary who surrounded himself with the insanely talented people he needed to make products that people would use to do and make great things all with a smile on their face.
I think Steve Jobs was an influence for anyone doing anything in the technology space today, even if you aren’t a fan of Apple products. Om Malik wrote that Steve was our secret muse, and often times the questions one asked theirselves was “Would Steve do this?” or “How would have Steve done things differently?” I’m certainly not in a position to make high-level Steve-style decisions but at the same time there has been much to learn from his approach to living life and running his business.
With that said, there have been a lot of folks that have said they wish they were just like Steve. I don’t feel that way at all. At the end of the day one of his primary ideals was that each individual needs to be just that, an individual. Don’t waste your life trying to be someone else, instead focus on what you’re passionate about and put everything you have to give into that passion. Steve will be missed, but I don’t think his influence on any of us died with his death.
The End of the Steve Jobs Era
Aug 25th
Yesterday Steve Jobs announced his resignation as Apple’s CEO. That’s right, the event that all Apple fans have been dreading but secretly knew was coming sooner or later has finally arrived. The good news: one day after the resignation notice was made public Apple hasn’t imploded and their stock hasn’t fallen into the negative. The bad news: there is some uncertainty about the future of Apple now that Tim Cook is at the helm. I’m not really going to talk about future strategies and what may or may not go wrong with an Apple that doesn’t have Steve Jobs as CEO. I am, however, going to take this time to reflect on the past.
MacWorld 1997
In 1997 Apple was in very rough shape. They were floundering during the era of PC proliferation, and were fighting a losing battle in their perceived war with Microsoft. During their yearly MacWorld event, Steve Jobs took the stage and did a “state of the union” address, Apple style. He overviewed his plan to bring Apple back to relevancy and get the company back on track, a strategy which included swathing through the board of directors like a hot knife through butter and, most importantly, mandating a community-wide mental shift. "We have to let go of this notion that for Apple to win, Microsoft must lose. We have to embrace the notion that for Apple to win, Apple has to do a really great job." The competition was over in Steve's mind, and the spotlight was back on product innovation.
Fourteen years later Apple has recently spent time as the most valuable company in the world. They have since shrugged that title off to Exxon, but the timing of Steve Jobs’ resignation could be no more poignant. He came in as Apple’s savior, lifted the company from irrelevance and placed their name on the tip of every technology user's tongue with products like the iPhone, iPad and Mac. I’m not very astute when it comes to business history, but I can’t think of any other greater turnaround story off the top of my head.
I’ve been an Apple user since 2006, which is about a week compared to some of the tech vets out there. That year, I owned my first iPod - a gift from my brother - and bought my first MacBook (the sexy black model). Sure, I had used Macs before in school, but up until that point I was an earnest Windows user. Since I bought that little black Macbook 5 years ago I’ve owned 3 other Mac computers, and several Apple-designed mobile devices. I’ve only ever known Apple while Steve Jobs was leading the company to great heights, so I’m interested to see what the next few years will hold for my current favorite technology company.
Apple, Q3 2011
With all of that said I don’t expect Apple to fall back to the depths of the mid 90’s. Steve Jobs has had to step down at Apple temporarily in the past due to his health, and it’s a safe bet that the company has been planning for this eventuality for a long time. I also think that Jobs’ new position as employee and chairman of the board will keep him involved in critical decisions that will shape Apple’s next couple of years. Beyond that, it’s difficult to say. Truthfully I feel that the next year or two are already predefined for Apple. They know what products will be released and where their research and development will look for the next breakout product so it may be 3, 4 or even 5 years before we see a “Job-less” Apple, and even then he may still be serving on the board of directors.
Legacy
As far as reflecting on the legacy of Steve Jobs goes, there’s a long list of accomplishments that coincide with bringing Apple back to life. In many cases he helped to shape the tech industry as we see it today, particularly from a hardware and OS point of view. It should also be noted that Steve Jobs’ strength wasn’t always in inventing brand new technologies, but rather perfecting them to the point that they would be adopted and loved by general consumers. The personal computer, personal media player, smart phone and tablet computer all existed before Steve Jobs put his spin on them. With that said he is responsible for doing all of the above the right way, and that's where his genius lies. To me, Steve Jobs and Apple Computer have long exemplified a certain element of American exceptionalism, and the day that he isn't dreaming up the next awesome device that people around the world will love is a sad one. I hope that he maintains influence at Apple and guides them on the right path moving forward. Only time will tell.
MDA Lockup, help bail me out!
Aug 1st
This year both myself and some of the other folks at are getting locked up for a good cause: raising money to help fight muscular dystrophy! The good news is the Muscular Dystrophy Association has made it easy to donate online. Thirty dollars is enough to provide a flu shot and seventy-four will fund an hour of research but you can give any amount you want so even just a few dollars is more than welcome. Thanks for supporting me and more importantly thanks for helping the kids!
If you do donate, please comment below and I'll be sure to give you or your website a shoutout in any way I can. Hit the link below to donate!
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Saving Money With Google Voice
Jul 27th
Let’s be honest, paying $20 a month for unlimited texting is ridiculous. Text messaging uses less data than almost any other service a wireless company provides, and yet it is one of the most expensive. You can read more about the cost of providing text messaging to wireless providers , but one of the more notable quotes from the article is just below.
"Six hundred text messages contain less data than one minute of a phone call. If we put that into dollars and cents, at twenty cents per text, those six hundred messages would cost $120 for the equivalent of a one minute phone call."
So just do away with texting, right? Get a data plan! You can do so much more with a data plan and it doesn’t cost a whole lot more per month than ulimited texting on most carriers. There is one problem, however. Texting is popular. There’s a good chance that you have more than a couple people in your life that love to text, so getting rid of or cutting back your texting plan would mean cutting off communication with them or risking overage charges every month when you exceed your text limit. That’s the problem I was facing, until I implemented Google Voice properly.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had Google Voice for a while and always thought it was a neat service. Essentially how it works is Google will provide you with your own phone number, and then this number can be forwarded on to your actual number (or any other phone number you have). Additionally you can use your Google Voice number to send free text messages on the web or from your phone! I actually prefer using Google Voice to text because I can do it right from so it’s like chatting on an IM client (there are far fewer that way).
To be honest the trickiest part of moving to Google Voice as my primary texting platform was getting the people I text most-often adjusted to my Google Voice number, and training myself to load the on my phone instead of going straight to the standard text messaging application. In both scenarios I applied a bit of brute force, and time. I would suggest starting with just the handful of people you text most often, for instance your family members, close friends and significant other or spouse. The next time you see them (after you’ve set up your Google Voice account, of course) ask to borrow their phone for a second. Just go into their contacts application, replace your current number with your Google Voice number and you’re all set! If you’ve set your Google Voice phone number to forward to your mobile phone number then you can receive calls and texts from them for free. It’s as easy as that.
VoiceMac - A Desktop Google Voice Application
I do have one more tip if you’re planning on switching to Google Voice. I mentioned above that I like texting with Google Voice because the web app makes the experience more like sending an instant message than playing finger ballet on my phone’s small screen. That’s true, but I also think that the Google Voice website is in need for a redesign with some functionality enhancements. One of the most annoying parts of using is that you have to manually refresh the page to see new texts as they come in. There is good news, however! If you’re using a Mac, there’s a cool desktop Google Voice client called VoiceMac that automatically shows you new texts as they come in, just as though it were an instant message in iChat. VoiceMac supports growl notifications as well, so you’ll never miss an important text, and best yet it’s completely free. You can take a look if you’d like.
I haven’t tried any of the Google Voice desktop clients for Windows but a quick Google search shows that there are some available, so don’t shy away if you’re not using a Mac. Now that I’m using Google Voice I was able to pare back my texting plan from $20 a month for 5000 texts to $4.99 for 250 a month, which is Verizon’s bare minimum package. That’s means I’m saving almost $200 a year by relying on my data plan that I was already paying for anyways! If you’ve had success cutting your monthly bills down by implementing free web services please let me know about them in the comments, or if you’re a Google Voice fan tell me what your favorite feature is! I do have a couple of Google Voice invites if you’d like to give the service a try. They’ll be available on a first-come, first served basis so don’t hesitate!
Wunderlist – Restriction Free Task Management
Jul 24th
I’ve used quite a few different task management apps and services over the years ranging in complexity from simple lists in Text Editor all the way up to full-featured GTD compliant apps like . All of the previous solutions I’ve tried have never stuck however, and most commonly the issue was lack of access. Things is great when I’m using an iPad or Mac, but what happens when I need to add a task from my phone? Gmail’s tasks are pretty handy, but what if I don’t have an internet connection? Wunderlist, though neither new or overwhelmingly feature-packed, solves this problem by having an application available for all major PC and mobile devices as well as a handy website - all of which maintain the same consistent look meaning you don’t lose any of the functionality when you migrate from a native application to the mobile website.
How It Works
From a functionality standpoint Wunderlist is fairly straightforward, which is probably one of the reasons I like it. Adding and scheduling tasks is a breeze through its simple but pretty interface, and you can organize your tasks into different lists (for example a list for work tasks and a list for home tasks). Arranging tasks is a snap with drag-and-drop functionality which lets you quickly order tasks and move them between lists. When a task is due you get a handy notification, and Wunderlist has even started sending out emails if you happen to forget to check the app itself so you shouldn’t forget to cross something important off your list.
Additionally Wunderlist has incorporated some cool bits, such as sharing task lists via , another great service to check out if you’re not using it already. When you share with Cloud a unique URL will be generated so you can pass your list around to folks that haven’t caught the Wunderlist wave just yet. There’s also more basic sharing features such as sharing by email, or printing a task list to share by hand.
Bringing the Sexy
Wunderlist’s biggest draw for me from the get go was the look of the user interface. It’s very iOS/Web 3.0 and it’s simply a joy to use. You can customize the background texture between a set of gorgeous patterns, including various wallpaper-worthy wood grain textures. All of the buttons and boxes are properly rounded and have had a healthy amount of drop shadowed clean lines dalloped on top. If you dig that Mac-style application design you’ll certainly be at home with Wunderlist. Best yet, the look of all of the applications across all platforms including the website maintain the same asthetic so no matter how you interact with Wunderlist your retinas will be properly massaged.
A Couple Concerns
There are a couple of small features missing from Wunderlist, however. Since I just gushed about the design of the application including the customizeable background in particular, I must say that I wish there was a way to “lock” the background so that other instances of the app synchronize the changes I make on one and choose that wallpaper automatically. Say for instance I change the Mac application’s background to the black wood grain, I’d then like for that chance to appear automatically on my PC and Android applications. Additionally it seems like the folks at haven’t really decided what to do with Wunderlist’s Inbox just yet. For right now it’s sort of a default list that’s made automatically when you first start using Wunderlist, but it’d be nice if it showed active tasks or provided some additional functionality.
Besides those two very minor gripes I have to say I’m still loving Wunderlist, so if you’re looking for a task list application that syncs across all platforms, ! For the low, low price of completely free what do you have to lose?
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RunKeeper WordPress Plugin
Jul 2nd
I took a walk this morning and had RunKeeper on my mind when I got back home. I've already written about RunKeeper so I'll try to keep this brief. I thought to myself, "wouldn't it be cool if there was an easy way to post my walking activities to my blog?" Well guess what! Through the magic and awesomeness of WordPress and its community (plus a few quick Google searches) I was able to find just what I was looking for. Let's see if it works!
If you're interested in downloading the RunKeeper plugin for WordPress you can . It appears to just be an iframe of your activity on RunKeeper's website, but hey, it gets the job done!
Rumored Amazon tablet – the first true iPad competitor!
Jun 23rd
Steve Jobs said it during the iPad 2 announcement: 2011 would be the year of the copycat when it comes to tablet devices looking to compete with the iPad. For the most part, so far at least, I agree. Everytime I turn around I hear about a brand new tablet computer that will truly compete with the iPad and iPad 2 once and for all. For the most part I think these claims have been empty. The slew of Android tablets, though very tempting on paper, have yet to reach critical mass with the general public. Don’t get me wrong, Android-based tablets as well as other competitors like BlackBerry’s Playbook have been evolving all year, but at the end of the day if you ask your Aunt Susie what kind of tablet device she’s interested in there’s a pretty good chance she’ll want an iPad.
In my opinion, part of the reason for this is Apple’s approach to their device. Rather than start with hardware they built upon a stockroom of great services and features they had already developed for other products in their arsenal, whether it be music and video through iTunes or applications through the App Store. On the other hand, many other tablet manufacturers are thinking hardware first and ecosystem second, and that’s exactly why I think a tablet made by Amazon could be the first true competition the iPad has seen since its launch.
I love Amazon. I use Amazon Prime constantly, I’ve bought 4 Kindles to give to friends and family as gifts, I use Amazon MP3 as my primary music store and I check into the Amazon App Store everyday on my Droid X to see what the free app is. Essentially, Amazon already has the ecosystem built to successfully support a tablet device. At the end of the day folks don’t buy a device because of the number of processing cores it's using, but rather the user experience. Instead of asking questions like “How much RAM does this have, and can I connect it to my TV with HDMI?” folks ask “Can I watch movies and listen to my music library, and does this have a ton of great apps I can play with?” It’s all about user experience, and Amazon already has the repertoire needed to support the average consumer’s laundry list of requirements for a tablet device they’ll love.
Consider that the Kindle is already the best-selling item on Amazon.com. Now combine that success with the growing popularity of tablet devices. If people could get a reading experience like they have on their Kindle combined with all of the other great services Amazon offers to users of their music, video and app services they’d have the total package. I’m not really sure what an Amazon-developed tablet would look like (would it use an e-ink display, or one of the many Kindle apps already developed for other mobile devices?) but I do think they have a shot to be a major player.
If nothing else I’m sure an Amazon tablet would have one hell of a shopping app!
My Fitness App Starter Kit
Jun 15th
As an overall strategy to get a bit healthier I’ve begun to walk. Fortunately, there’s a nice walking trail not far from where I live that the provides, so that’s the first place I head when I feel like getting off my butt. I have a few pairs of different shoes, most of which I’ve tried walking in, and the pair I stole from my brother (a white pair of K-Swiss) seem to fit the bill the best. So I have a place to walk, I have shoes to wear, what else do I need? Some sort of entertainment and information tracking applications of course!
I’ll start off with the obvious one first: This shouldn’t be a surprise to you guys at all, Pandora has been around for a while and it’s awesome. Put in an artist or song you like and you’ll instantly start hearing similar music generated by the music genome project. It’s completely free so that’s good, though you do have to listen to an ad every now and again but there’s a paid pro version sans-ads if that sounds like something you might be interested in. I use the mobile Android application on my Droid X and I have to say, compared to the website, the app seems to play fewer ads. I was listening through Pandora.com last week and there was an ad between almost every song, but on the mobile app I can go through 4 or 5 songs without hearing about the latest developments at Living Social or whomever else has decided to sponsor my tunes for that walk.
It should also be noted that Pandora has a cool new feature that links to your Facebook account. Actually, scratch that, it looks like I’m late to the game on this one (a quick google search shows that this functionality has been around in various forms for about a year). Basically, when I was using Pandora over the weekend I had just come from Facebook and without logging into Pandora I was instantly hearing music I loved based on the bands and artists I had liked. Pretty cool stuff, I’d recommend trying it out! I’ve also considered using to listen to my own music when I’m in the mood for something familiar, but I have to say the streaming experience hasn’t been the best. It’s buffer city. If you feel like listening to songs 10 seconds at a time go ahead and give it a whirl, but I’m going to stick with Pandora or music loaded physically on my device for now.
So that takes care of entertainment, how will I track my progress? Not long ago a recommended a fitness website and mobile application called . At the time I wasn’t into walking let alone running, so I stored it away in an important part of my brain labeled “Someday Apps.” On my third or fourth walk, after it had become apparent to me that this might be something I’d like to do more frequently, I recalled RunKeeper and installed the app on my phone. Since then, I haven’t looked back!
RunKeeper keeps track of my distance walked, including the speed at which I’m walking per mile and fitness information such as how many calories I burn in a session. It also has cool progress-tracking features like achievements for furthest distance traveled in a walk or run, or longest activity overall from a time standpoint. It’ll also keep track of distance and speed traveled during your activity, so every quarter mile a friendly woman will tell you how far you’ve gone so far and at what pace. RunKeeper also has a cool website that keeps track of all of your activities where you can connect with other users in your area and setup fitness groups, but I use it primarily on my phone as a personal record and that suits me just fine. RunKeeper, much like Pandora is free to use but also has a pro version that unlocks more detailed statistics and other excellent features. If you’re interested in taking your mobile device with you during your next aerobic activity I’d use these two apps as a sort of “starter kit” for staying sane on the trail, and if you have any recommendations of your own I’d love to hear them in the comments!
Is Android Tablet Abundance a Problem?
May 24th
I was taking a look at an article on Mashable about the new HTC Flyer tablet, a 7-inch newcomer rocking a 1.5 GHz processor with 16 gigabytes of storage and dual cameras. I could go on listing features but it has the standard affair for premium Android tablets: Bluetooth capability, HDMI output and expandable storage through microSD. Basically, it seems like a pretty solid Android tablet with a nice set of features.
Next I scrolled down to the comments section of the article to see what people were saying about it and, spam comments aside, most people were waiting for something for a different tablet. I found at least 3 separate devices that have launched or are launching in the same timeframe that folks would rather buy instead, including the Transformer from Asus, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 from Samsung and the recently released Motorola Xoom. One of the best parts about the Android operating system as opposed to iOS is that any hardware manufacturer can create a device for it. Ultimately this means more options for users, so rather than being stuck with one iPad model you can choose from several different Android models to find what fits best. Right?
In the end I’m wondering if all of these new tablets and phones being released every month end up confusing customers, or end up causing techies to wait and wait for the perfect model. I see a lot of folks bargaining with themselves in comments for new tablet announcements. Things like “This model is pretty good but next month Acer is coming out with XYZ that will have an even FASTER dual-core processor” or “I like this one but have you heard about Samsung’s new ABC? It’s supposed to have double the on-board storage!” At some point there’s a reluctance to commit to a single product when something newer and better is right around the corner. The only problem is that once next month arrives something even newer will be announced, causing folks to be stuck in an infinite wait loop.
In some ways I’m wondering if part of the reason for Apple’s success with the iPhone and iPad isn’t that it’s a much simpler purchasing decision. Typically for both products there’s one new version per year, so unless you buy right before a new version is announced you can be pretty sure that you have the latest and greatest. On Android you can buy a phone or tablet and it’ll be outdated in a week. Anybody have thoughts about this? Is Apple’s admittedly limited product line a testament to their dictator-style approach to product development, or does it make it a little easier for us decide what to buy? In a way, as there is no clear answer, I’m sure it’s a bit of both.
