Mindful Musings

So I upgraded my phone as soon as 2.2 was available. I downloaded over WiFi and 3G, about 86MB, took about fifteen minutes for the whole process to be completed. I

also upgraded my wife’s phone in the process.

Now for the good:

• The phone seems zippier, screen changes appear faster, applications open quicker
• I have gone back to using the Android browser from Dolphin HD because the Android browser seems faster and now has flash support. I dutifully tried the flash player on fox.com and it played the clip just fine. It was a little choppy but nothing that concerned me. The browser speed is definitely improved and pages load quicker than before.
• The flashlight application is fun but I had an alternative that I removed. It is nice to be able to use the flash to take videos now and interesting that the camera interface rotates with the phone, always showing the right side up.
• I like the ability to move applications to the SD card but was disappointed that only certain applications can be moved. I moved as many as I was not using too often and have not cared to check for how fast or slow they run. As long I can install more apps, I am fine with putting the lesser used apps on the SD card. I have lots of space.
• The Profile widget, the Ringtone widget and the SMS widget are interesting but useless to me. I bought an app called profile that gave me blackberry like control over the ringer profiles that I needed. It works well enough.
• App sharing is weird but I guess it could be useful. I have not tried it.
• The SMS application now touts the ability to attach media to make them into an MMS (I am guessing) and that is a feature that I might use in the future.
• Update All in the Applications Market is there in this install and much appreciated! This was a pain in the butt!
• Every other application that I have installed on the phone, including our beloved Internet Camera browsing apps, are working as usual.
• Memory usage was higher out of the gate for 2.2, but the phone now eats less memory as time progresses since last restart. I still have the same amount of memory free that I had when I restarted after the update last night.
• Last but not the least, the battery usage seems to be lower than before although it is not that pronounced. As I write this at 7:00 PM my battery meter reads 66%, which is pretty normal but slightly on the high side. I don’t think battery usage will change much for me.

Android 2.2 Froyo

Now for the bad:

• It really was a kind of let down because the update did nothing spectacular. The phone was already very stable for me and my wife (knock on wood) and though this update might have made marginal improvements on a variety of things, nothing quite stuck out for me.
• There were supposed to be “interface improvements” that I have yet to notice. I was hoping for a different interface experience, especially considering this is probably the last major Android update the EVO will see before EOL.
• The mail application still sucks in spite of the polish! Why is a “mark all read” feature sodifficult to write? Blackberry switchers really miss that feature.
• Group chat for Google Chat? Hello? Anyone? This would be a KILLER feature for me.

Anything else about Android 2.2 Froyo on the HTC EVO 4G that caught your attention? Did I miss anything cool?

Jennifer and I went to real seafood for dinner since we get half off for my birthday.i was really impressed with hope well my camera took the night pictures.

Here is the list of applications that I consider to be must haves on the EVO 4G Android platform:

• Dolphin HD (Web Browser)
• K9Mail (Email)
• Astro (File Browser)
• Call Confirm (prevent unwanted calls)
• Cnectd (Group Chat for Android, Blackberry and iPhone)
• Easy Tether
• IP Cam Viewer Lite
• MyBackup
• Pandora
• Ringtone (to download all those ringtones from the web)
• Tone Picker (to set ringtones from MP3s)
• WordPress (for the blogger in you)
• World NewsPapers (to read newspapers from across the world for free)

Any other apps that are must haves? What needs do you have? What do you use?

So I switched to the EVO 4G and the Android Operating System with high hopes. I really wanted to get an iPhone but reality, constraints of phone networks and a programmers’ sensibility prevailed. I have to say, I am lovin’ it!

The bad:

• Battery life is unpredictable. If I don’t watch it and do a bunch of stuff that I would not normally do, I will run out of juice. This happens seldom, but it has happened once or twice and it was a surprise. Task killers work, basic control over radio features help, but in the end, the EVO 4G is a battery hog.
• The phone is big. No jokes. It weighs down on my belt and takes up a serious amount of space on my desk. It is also very touchy. I dialed a few numbers by mistake and had to install apps to prevent those.
• The camera has a hard time focusing at times and requires patience, which my wife does not have when it comes to technology.
• The default EVO keyboard does not appeal to me. I have to hunt and peck to not make a ton of mistakes. Re-configuring it does not work.

Now the good:

• It is a dream to use. Every bit of functionality that I had in my Crackberry, I have been able to replicate on the EVO with little or no extra expenditure. There truly is an app for everything and most have free versions. Plus the code is easy to get around and apps are not all that difficult to develop.
• Browsing the web is not only doable, it is quite fun. I don’t open my laptop for those quick checks on things. Dolphin HD is a fantastic browser and multi-touch is very well executed on the web.
• I use K9Mail for my email. It has push, it has IDLE, it works, does not freeze or bug out and for the most part, it works well. The few annoying weaknesses (such as opening up the email I click on from the notifications drawer) are being worked through. I can modify the code myself if need be and create a branch on my CVS for use.
• The application environment is fantastic and liberating after using the Apple store. There is truly an app for everything and with fantastic backup programs such as MyBackup, switching phones are a breeze too.
• Swype is a life saver. I did not like the default EVO keyboard after having gotten used to the iPod Touch keyboard, but Swype is fun, easy to use and quite liberating.
• Everything just works well and works together. While not the perfect phone out of the box, I found solutions to most nagging problems and was even able to modify a camera browser application for our nanny cams at home.

After having used the phone for two weeks and having been through some ups and downs with it, I want to keep using it. If I can help answer some questions, please leave a comment.

This is my first post from android with the wordpress application and using the swype keyboard. I have to say that this is fun and an interesting distraction. I had to correct two words since I have had to type this sentence and I cannot see using this long term.however it is a fun alternative to using the full keyboard tip write things out and I might use this top put out short posts from the phone.
I am going to try out this new video upload feature. Here is a short video from the office.

To give you a quick glance of what the review is going to be about, I know why they call it the CrackBerry now. After years of waiting for the “right moment”, I finally purchased my very own Treo 755p Smartphone this past week. Ever since that time, it has been a path to discovery.

Pros:

• The phone is small enough that I can easily put it in my pant pocket, cover and all and it still feels not quite heavy.
• The Palm software is easier to navigate and use and judging from my past experience with Windows Mobile, it has a lot less control and strangely, a lot less hassle.
• EVDO is fast and web browsing is a breeze. I even setup my Slingbox with the new client Palm client and it works, albeit choppily.
• It is easy to make a call, quality is loud and clear and the speakerphone is nice though I tend to not use it very often.
• Office document editing is painless and the documents are very easy to read in the format presented. I have yet to take documents back to my PC but opening them from GMail is a breeze.
• Texting is no longer a frustrating and painful experience. I can reply quickly within reason. The keyboard took me a couple of days of getting used to, but now it is more than functional.
• The screen is brightin sunlight and easy to read.
• Very interesting escalating ringtones.
• Email “push” or syncing works well, though not for me. I like GMail to be my respository and not my phone. I wish I could set my phone to delete emails that I have read after a certain period. If I could do that, I would probably use the email feature.
• Solid feel, fit and finish of the phone. Everything feels like it will hold together (knock on wood).

Cons:

• The GMail app does not work (yet). I might have a wordaround for this soon and I will post my methods.
• Battery life is enough to last one day, but not enough to last two.
• All cables are proprietary, so new chargers and new USB cables for both home and work.
• Adding a contact from the phone screen without dialing a call is a hassle.
• Speed dial setup was a learning curve.
• PCS Vision takes a bit of getting used to on this phone. I think of Vision as a modem service now and know that I have to wait for it to connect.
• JVM should come pre-installed.
• Phone security sould be much more configurable. An $8 program provides more security than the phone does. For an enterprise level phone, each application should be lockable.
• It should come with SOME sort of a case or holder.

Ever since I received my phone in the mail and activated it, I have been using it extensively. I have had it for a few days and I am really happy with it. I even surprised myself and started using the datebook feature. I had failed in the past with a PDA. I think the convenience of having it with me all the time helps a great deal. Overall, it was worth the price. I had seriously thought of getting the Sprint HTC Mogul and that would have also been a good choice (my co-worker Bradon bought one of those) but I am very happy with my Treo 755p. I need to resurrect some of the old code that I had written to work with Sprint. I might even resurrect my old picture blog and modify it to work with videos from Sprint.

PS: Absolutely AMAZING cases here.

Make decisions based on your best knowledge, not your worst fear.

- Me

Jennifer is pregnant with our first child. Can you believe it? I am gonna be a father . . .

Celebrations abound!

This is a pickup only in (or delivery within 50 miles of) the Toledo area.

I would like to find a good home for my trusty Aerobird Challenger and my Storm Launcher. I would prefer pickup but I could deliver within 50 miles of the Toledo area. Here are some details of the planes.

Aerobird Challenger: About three years old. 70% of original life left, two batteries, charger, transmitter. There is some re-enforcing tape on the wing but that was put there to protect against crashes, not because something was broken. The plane flies fine but I fly it less every year and it does not make sense to just sit on it when someone else could make good use of it.

Storm Launcher: One of the very first few produced. Very few flights, simple modifications made for performance. It crashed one time into a wall and knocked off the front end of the floats. Easily fixed. Battery and charger comes with it. It flies like it is mostly new. Motors broken in.

This plane I do not want to get rid of but if I get a good offer, I will definitely consider it. I also have a combatwing XE2 with the insides of a Zagi 400. Needs batteries but comes with everything else. Speed 400. Hitec Focus III AM 3 channel radio, transmitter, servos etc. Not a new plane but will fly great with a little TLC. Equipment about 5 years old, plane about three years old.

Please email me at mark at wltc dot net if you have any questions, want to make an offer or would like to take a look.

One’s greatest hidden strengths are their weaknesses.

Venture Hacks: Venture capital essays Personal bookmark for a new blog talking about venture capital, management, funds, making the right decisions and survival in the world of private funding.

I read this on another post about a free speech mess in the blogging world, but it comes from Mark Pilgrim and really says a lot about bloggers. I might have to use it sometime.
I get to say whatever I want on my own turf, and suffer the consequences all by myself, including you ignoring me. If you don’t like that, you get to go start your own weblog and say whatever you want on your own turf, and suffer the consequences all by yourself, including me ignoring you.

I know that I searched far and wide for this answer and even ended up canceling my subscription with Rhapsody. The answer was relatively simple and I hope that someone will benefit from me posting it here.

If you are running Rhapsody 4.0 and suddenly cannot authorize your MP3 player anymore in Rhapsody, you might be running into the same problems that I did. My solution was to uninstall Windows Media Player 11 which was causing some issues in the PlaysForSure DRM and my Sandisk Sansa e260 player. After the uninstall, I restarted my computer and everything was back to normal. I have also listed some of the other resources that I have found on the Internet that has some pretty good solutions to the issue. These resources are also very good for other Sansa solutions, fixes and Rhapsody fixes, tweaks etc. If you find this information helpful or would like to add your own, please leave a comment.

Why do I get a “you are not the owner of this track” or “insufficient rights” error when I try to transfer a track to my device with Rhapsody?

Rhapsody Tips, Tricks and Tweaks

Why do I get an ‘Unable to authorize computer’ error in Rhapsody 3?

Why do I get a “Computer Not Authorized” error in Rhapsody 4?

Clocky – Alarm Clock that runs away Gauri Nanda came up with an alarm clock that jumps off your sidetable and runs around the room if you ask it to snooze. All this for $50!

O’Henry wrote that life consists of sobs, sniffles and smiles, sniffles predominating. I say that life consists of hopes, shattered hopes and fulfilment, shattered hopes predominating.

So, I needed to get in touch with Amazon.com Customer Service and was really not in the mood to explain my quandary in a long email. So, I decided to look on Amazon.com for the phone number and could not find it anywhere. Following that I searched Google for what would soon become a pretty cool story with a bunch of people running into the same issue. Here is what I came up with:

Direct, toll free line to Amazon Customer Service: 1-800-201-7575 (Watch out, they hang up on you if you ask difficult questions, have strange falsetto accents and sound like Japanese Flying Robots from Outer Space)

You could also click here (thanks LifeHacker) and have a customer service agent call you. This worked for me the two times that they hung up on me.

While I am on the subject, let me say how easy and satisfying it was to talk with an American in Idaho answering the phone for Amazon. The question was weird but the answer was really simple and the real accent along with the real American idiosyncrasies were curiously satisfying to me. As a matter of fact, I changed nothing on the order and was completely satisfied with the stale and nondescript answer I received from Dwayne, thanks in a large part to his ease in dealing with my request.

My friend Vijay and his wife Archana visited Jeetu in Ann Arbor and it was a wonderful surprise for me. We had a couple of dinners together, enjoyed each others’ company, ate Jeetu’s delicious food, drank a few and just had a very good time. I just wish I had more time to spend with them as opposed to doing homework for school. Jennifer has put up the pictures from their visit here.

Beside their visit, we had a really nice Thanksgiving with a small family dinner at Jennifer’s mother’s house. I friend a turkey for the first time this weekend and it was nice. I had received a lot of good advice on how to make sure I do not burn down the house and it was painless.