JustinLL dot Com

March 16, 2009

Verizon's BlackBerry Storm More Of The Same, Sort Of

Filed under: Technology — Tags: , — JustinLL @ 2:01 am

I have to start by admitting that I’m biased toward BlackBerry devices.  They call my name in the middle of the night, I’m sure it has something to do with the bright blinking light.  No, but seriously, I like BlackBerry for business purposes and I also like that all my Google uses come with apps for the BlackBerry so I don’t have to load the weak web browser.

Before I get on about how I can’t wait for the next Verizon BlackBerry, let me first say that the Storm is everything anyone could want in a latest and greatest gadgetry device.  It feels solid in the hand, it has a large screen without feeling terribly bulky in the pocket, it sports a semi-super fast network connection, and it’s loaded with a bunch of apps for you to tinker with when it’s new or you’re bored.

Which brings me to what I really want to write about, and that’s the shortcomings of the Storm.  BlackBerry, and who knows why, insists on under powering their handhelds with slower than needed processors.  I consistently feel as though I’m waiting for the phone to catch up to whatever it is I’m trying to do.  (Perhaps we’re just too spoiled with desktops that do more by 6AM than the rest of us do all day.)  I wouldn’t expect it to be quick like a computer if it wasn’t trying so hard to act like my computer, what with its email, web browsing, and video games.  Really, must it do everything?

Lag time is my biggest gripe, but I’m also disappointed with how heavy it is.  Feels like I’ve got a pocket full of flat rocks that I’m walking around town with.  (My Curve 8310 is light as a feather by comparison.)

It’s not that I’m unhappy with the SureType so much as I’m not that interested in touch screens.  While I like that it makes for a larger viewable area, I’m usually bothered with the typing inaccuracies.  Practice has lowered my error count, but still is more time needed to send a message than when using a tactile keyboard like the Curve or the Bold.

Long story short, if you need a new BlackBerry with a 3G connection and are stuck with Verizon then go for the Storm, else, if you can handle the torture of waiting for the next, hold out for the Niagra from BlackBerry which should be out by the 3rd quarter this year.  And if you really have it in you to calm your wants, wait till the 4G networks are unloaded on the market and get your new phone next year.

In the meanwhile, this is Justin saying, “write to me if you must, but please don’t call me.”

###

February 19, 2009

Google Latitude "So Cool", Says Mom

Filed under: Technology — Tags: — JustinLL @ 9:04 pm

It’s true.  My mom thought Latitude was the greatest thing.  Not that she’ll ever use it, but that she could load up the web page and see exactly where I was.  Very handy, so as to avoid multiple phone calls asking "have you arrived safely?"  (Yes, my parents love me.  Be jealous if you must.)

Back story: It wasn’t anything I had originally thought of when the Latitude service from Google was first announced earlier this month , but adding my parents and my sibling was probably the best thing I could have done.  The idea came to me as I was packing to leave for a 3 day vacation to snowy Truckee, CA.  (Which supposedly had more than 4 feet of snow in 4 days.)  The road conditions to and from were far less than ideal, and I figured if anything were to go wrong, at the very least my family would know where I was last registered by my cellphone.

New story: While I’m still not entirely sold on location-based advertising (only because I don’t like advertising, not because I don’t like efficiency), Latitude is a great idea for parents.  It won’t be long before children everywhere are hearing, "if I’m paying your cellphone bill son, you’re damn well going to load some form of tracking service so I can find you whenever I want."  Not that it should be looked at in a negative way.  Safety first.

Truckee, CA Photos:
Cabin — Cabin in Truckee, CA.  2009

Snow on Truck (one day of snow) — Snow in Truckee, CA.  2009

February 2, 2009

Video Call Via Mobile Phone, It's Coming

Filed under: Technology — Tags: , — JustinLL @ 12:02 pm

It was right around the end of October in 2008 when I started telling anyone who would listen that we were roughly a year away from having enough mobile bandwidth and hardware to sustain mobile-to-mobile video calls.  (Actually being able to see the person you’re talking to while you’re walking through town on opposite ends of the US.)  Now rumors are traveling the Internet that Apple could possibly be the first to offer such a thing.  who knows what the other big players have in the works.  It definitely creates a new demand for a full screen mobile phone, like the iPhone or Storm.

It’s not anything I could see myself using, at least not initially, but I definitely want to see this feature/service go mainstream.  Too cool for school, that’s what I say.

January 26, 2009

RIAA Won't Leave Slashdot

Filed under: Technology — Tags: — JustinLL @ 2:26 am

I first started following Slashdot back in 1997, right around the time pop music was popping up on file servers across the US in college dorm rooms for thousands of audiophiles to download illegally.  Sure.  And ever since then the RIAA has appeared in many a topic and been the subject of many debates over on Slashdot for any and every step they’ve taken to combat/thwart such activities online.  Even in 2009, the RIAA continues to crawl the web looking for folks to fight, and they continue to show up in Slashdot conversations, which would almost be fine, except nothing has changed.  When it comes to talking about the RIAA, we’ve been having the same conversations for twelve years.  Why?

Of course we have to talk about it on Slashdot because the RIAA continues to make decisions that a lot of folks want to complain about, at least those of us who know the actions are taking place.  Which many of us probably wouldn’t know if we weren’t reading Slashdot, and I can guess with certainty that it’s why I stopped reading daily for a couple years.  (It’s in my feed reader now.)

I’m not really interested in collecting music because I can’t be bothered to make time for it, and I have SiriusXM subscriptions.  I have plenty of legal music.  (I did buy two CDs last year, which I wrote about here .)

How can we get the RIAA to spend its time plotting to help consumers rather than hunting them?  I don’t have the answer, but I sure wish someone would figure it out so we can stop having to hear all the negative chatter on Slashdot.  It’s only a matter of time, right?  I don’t know about you, but I can’t take it anymore, and I’m disappointed that the music industry hasn’t found a whole bunch of ways to keep making money in the digital world.  In the meantime, I’ll just keep skipping those articles.

November 6, 2008

AT&T Buys Free WiFi Hot Spots

Filed under: Technology — Tags: , — JustinLL @ 12:30 pm

This morning, AT&T announced that it will buy Waypoint, Inc . to the tune of $275 million (all cash, baby) thereby expanding AT&T’s network of free WiFi hot spots across the US.  A response to the increased number of WiFi enabled smart phones hitting the market and the continued cost burden to the 3G network, which is losing AT&T money

AT&T’s 3G network has been hit hard with loads of people using iPhones, Blackberries, and other smart phones for data and voice, as opposed to just voice.  This inundation of data use (to browse Facebook, check email, Twitter, or upload photos and stream video) has forced AT&T to realize the value of opening a free WiFi networked infrastructure.  AT&T customers carrying a WiFi enabled hand held can jump onto one of AT&T’s hot spots, which they just expanded by 10,000 locations by agreeing to purchase Waypoint, Inc., and surf the web at WiFi speeds which are much faster than 3G speeds.  Hopefully, this will reduce the burden to the 3G network and save AT&T some money.

The major hindrance being that WiFi has a relatively limited range, so unless you’re sitting in the coffee house, at the McDonald’s, or near enough to any of the other now 20,000 US locations, you’re probably not going to offload too much of the 3G burden.  Although, maybe a little less burden is just enough to keep 3G working for now.  At least until 4G comes along.

The added Waypoint locations also benefit AT&T’s DSL subscribers, who can use their WiFi enabled laptops at any of these hot spots.

September 12, 2008

Microsoft's Gates And Seinfeld Is Something To Talk About

Filed under: Technology — Tags: — JustinLL @ 11:59 pm

I’m not sure who exactly they’re aiming to target, and I don’t really care because it doesn’t change much for me one way or the other.  Still, there’s a ton of chatter coming across the line about the latest from Gates and Seinfeld.  I’m a fan of the two working together, and I’ve found the content to be more than mildly entertaining.  Still, not the point.

It’s not a very big secret, it’s no secret at all, when it comes to what computers/software people are using that it breaks down something like this:

  • Only fanfolk are using Apple
  • Only geeks are running Linux
  • Everyone else is using some version of Windows and Internet Explorer
    • 99% with default settings and outdated software like IE6

The problem with this is that the 99% in the everyone else group isn’t interested in what computer or operating system they’re using.  They just want it to work when it’s time to check the email or surf the web, right?  So why, in their minds, do they need a new whatever from whomever?  They don’t, and so they continue to use things like IE6, even though we have Chrome and Firefox 3.

Which is to say that no matter how cool, great, and awesome the next Microsoft products are or aren’t, they’re still going to be out there and that 99% isn’t going to jump on board.  It will have to be forced on them like the latest OS coming bundled with a new computer.

What Microsoft is doing with Gates and Seinfeld is giving all the people a chance to start talking about what’s happening in the tech world.  People, regular and tech junkies alike, are walking around saying “I don’t understand what’s going on.  What are they doing?”  The regular people know they should be paying attention because “whoa, two of the most accomplished guys in their respective fields on Earth” are appearing together in front of them .  Might mean it’s time to start paying attention.  Meanwhile, the tech junkies know they need to pay attention because Microsoft has the resources to change, for better or worse, the computer world as they know it.  Change is scary.  Commercials are fun.  But whatever the case, regular or junkie, they now have a common ground to start from thanks to Microsoft.

Talking is a good thing.  Talking about Gates and Seinfeld is a great thing for Microsoft.  But enough talking.  Check out the clip.

Powered by WordPress