Elivs-in-Vegas

5 days with a new iPhone 3G

The King — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:32:25 +0000

Semi stream of consciousness thoughts on the highlights and lowlights of the new iPhone 3G, from a new iPhone owner.

Glitches

”Sync w/ Google Contacts” - this isn’t a sync, it’s a “duplicate” function. It doesn’t do any merging that I can see, and in a very un-Apple way there are two places you need to turn this off to have it really stop (once in iTunes and once in your OSX Address Book). Back to SpanningSync, thank god it works well. Technically this isn’t a brand spanking new function, it was released a version or two of iTunes ago, but I’m just using it for the 1st time now.
Breaks iTunes Playcounts. I’ve had a 100% hands-off playlist for all my podcasts that completely managed itself for several years, automatically deleting podcasts after I had listened to them and always syncing up my iPod and computer perfectly. . .until now.
Geotagging has unacceptable glitches. Around one out of three photos I take is tagged on the wrong side of the prime meridian. If I stand outside and take five photos in a row, one or two of them, in no particular order, will be tagged with an inverse latitude. By reading these comments it sounds like other people are having all or none of their latitudes transposed, but I’m getting just some of them goofed up (with seemingly no correlation between how/where I’m taking the picture.

Gripes:

Battery life does indeed blow, multiple recharges a day will be needed if you want to have any fun and/or usefulness. . .It’s at least as poor as the battery life on the Nokia N95-4 I tested.
Cool iTunes Remote app but no Airtunes support?
I’d like the Maps app to have a screen orientation lock/unlock switch so I can either rotate 360 degrees as freely spin the iPhone and have it rotate like a compass, or have it lock the orientation. Maybe this will solve itself with 3rd party GPS/mapping programs. . .but has anyone else actually tried to follow directions on foot using the maps app in a dense urban area? It’s really awkward to not have the screen properly orient itself NSEW.
The hard reset (holding down the menu button and lock button for 10 seconds) should be mentioned in the short instructions that come with the phone. Having it do a hard lock, constantly repeating 2.5 seconds of a youtube video over and over (with no way to stop or control volume) - then having to run to a computer and google that problem, made for a rather embarrassing demo that I was trying to give to a friend.
Google Reader: it would be *awesome* to have it work just like the real version and mark things as read as I scan over them (even when condensed). I subscribe to a lot of RSS feeds, and as best I can see this forces me to actually open every one I want to mark as read. Otherwise, this is so close to being a bullseye I am hesitant to go to 3rd party readers.

Accolades:

Apps store rocks (favorites so far are Facebook, Twitterific, Speed Dial, Chopper, CBNK 3D, Tetris).
Look forward to trying “Quick Voice” memo recorder. . .I’ve been looking for this kind of thing for a long time. It would be nice if their companion Mac app could manage and/or sync these notes better. As a pseudo journalist I’ve yearned for a one trick pony that would eliminate the need for other devices to do voice recording for a long time (and not need external mics, etc).
Location Aware: for places I’ve played around w/ Yelp & iWant. . .I slightly prefer iWant’s cleaner interface. 3-4 clicks to locate and call a restaurant is amazing (60 seconds total). The social networking location aware features are all over the place. . .as of right now I am not seeing a stand out winner screaming out at me that it will get enough critical mass to make it actually useful. There needs to be a really simple app for you to locate another friend, in an on-demand sort of way, integrated with the maps app. . . In real usage so far I think 50%+ of my location aware inquiries could be satisfied by justing having the ability to “push” a thumbtack of myself on to someone else’s map app, saying “hey, I’m here, come find me.”
Plain old “non-push” email, setup w/ my Gmail account, works like a champ.

Google Maps & Public Transit team up to help you go green.

The King — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:27:50 +0000

With the exception of foot power, there’s probably nothing better you can do to save gas than to use public transportation. For me, living in Chicago, access to good public transportation has never been a problem. My biggest hurdle has always been synthesizing the “real” directions to my destination into sync with the dozens of schedules and system maps.

Screenshots are actual directions to get from Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) to Wrigley Field (Chicago, IL). In order: driving by car; public transit by bus; public transit by light rail.

“What stop should I get off at?, What train line runs the most frequently at this time of day? Where do I transfer to bus #XXX?, How long will it take me to walk to my destination from that stop?”

Eurkea! All these and more are answered by Google Maps new integration with public transportation schedules. As of this writing Google has already processed the public transit systems in approximately 40 large cities across the globe, with additional cities being integrated at a rapid clip.

Important side note - at least for Chicagoans. . . I noticed that our inner-city light rail (the “El” if you’re from here) is covered, though the larger 6-county Metra rail system isn’t included yet. It’s absence isn’t sorely missed, the Metra is more of a longish distance commuter option whereas the El is truly used for trips of all sorts and distances.

In researching this new functionality inside Google Maps I stumbled across another really cool website that can help you in your quest to go green. WalkScore.com is a new site that assigns a numerical score to a neighborhood’s “walkability index.” I tried it out and more or less it was right on the money. Looking to go carless? This is a great tool to use when evaluating potential neighborhods before you pick your new apartment randomly from Craigslist (ps - though it misses some listings, www.housingmaps.com is a great mashup that puts CL ads right on an actual map).

Week 25 Quick Picks

The King — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 22:37:58 +0000

Wakerupper.com - (Web) Free wake up calls to your cell, landline, or any phone you want to register with them. You can even type a short message to be reminded of like “buy playoff tickets.” In my testing I’ve found you better actually answer the phone if you want to hear the message, don’t count on it being recorded as a voicemail. I’ve been a happy user for months - simple, quick, and free reminders are (almost) always a good thing.

Bee Doc’s Timeline - (Mac) It’s not a secret that sometimes a timeline is the easiest, most visually appealing way to convey information. What I’ve never found was an easy way to make timelines of my own. . . until now. I came across Bee Doc’s Timeline and liked it so much I bought it and formatted my resume with it. You’ll be shocked how quickly you can make beautiful, useful timelines. Free trial so you can kick the tires all day long (with a watermark), $40 standard version or $65 for the 3D version.

Crappy Graphs - (Web) Timelines aren’t the online useful way to graphically convey info, but sometimes an Excel produced chart is too much. Maybe you just want to make a simple, slightly comical point? Enter Crappy Graphs! It’s geared more towards the witty guy looking for a great way to respond to the “for every person you forward this email to,” and not for actual business use. Reaching back for inspiration to the inventor of the ice cream glove I came up with this work on the left.

Go To Assist - (Web - IE Only) If you need an easy way to help a friend out with his or her computer this is it. Citrix’s new service is my favorite Windows remote support client yet. It works like a champ because you avoid having to mess around with the configuration hurdles of Microsoft Remote Desktop or a VNC client. Like similar web based solutions (gotomeeting.com to name one) this is practically zero config and easily gets around firewalls (with your consent, of course). Free while it’s in beta.

Shure SE110 Headphones: large sound with even larger size.

The King — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:34:50 +0000

As high-end audio manufacturer Shure continues to expand their portfolio of consumer headphones I jumped at the chance to try the new $99 entry level Shure SE110.

I’ve read a lot of great reviews lately of nearly all the models across the Shure consumer headphone lineup. In the end of my two week test I came away enjoying the high fidelity and great sound reproduction of these headphones, but there are a few fatal flaws and I would not recommend them for most people. Maybe the high price puts reviewers and purchasers into some sort of trance, but the problems plaguing the SE110 seem to run so deep I seriously question how much time was actually spent using them in the wild before most of these glowing accolades were written.

In-ear headphones to me are the only option for use while working out (I’m a cyclist and listen non-stop to my ipod whenever biking), or when good sound isolation is desired. The pros include: 1.) a cord that doesn’t easily tangle; 2.) optional “Voiceport” microphone; 3.) six different styles/sizes of earbuds; 4.) a nice little case with extension cable; 5.) and of course. . .excellent fidelity and decent bass with quality that beats what you might be used to from 95% of home mini-systems or iPod docks. Then again, ever since the Bose Acoustimassspeakers made small the new black for home theater speakers, the market has been flooded with small, cheap, low(ish) quality look-a-likes. . .so if you’ve spent only a Benjamin or two on your entire 5.1 system, even this, the lowliest of Shure headphones might actually beat the audio quality that you are used to.

The cons: 1.) the size/weight of the earbud is enormous. These won’t do the job if you’re looking to go run a few miles with them. Thinking about going for a bike ride? Enough length of ear bud protrudes out past your skull with these things that they will actually howl loudly whenever you are in motion at more than a few MPH. 2.) The foam buds (better fitting vs. the included silicone option) create such a strong seal in your ear that it gives the earbuds and all attached wires a stethoscope effect. Pretend you have an old school doctor’s stethoscope in your ears and the tubes are rubbing all over your clothes. . .unless you want to weave the cord into your actual clothing I don’t know a good fix for this, it absolutely drove me crazy. 3.) The optional Voiceport mic doesn’t work with enough devices, and is also quite large and hangs down pretty far away from the user’s face. It comes with a small clip to affix to clothes but it can’t support the weight in actual useage.

If the target demographic for these headphones is people sitting still that don’t want an over the ear headphone, then these might be acceptable (though probably still overpriced, even for this the lowest end model).

My personal bang for the buck favorite for a good pair of in-ear headphones that can’t be beat for workout use is still the Sony Funtopia Headphones, available in white + black for less than $25! No the Funtopia headphones are not sonic wonders. Instead they are decent, comfortable, and great for 90% of the people that want a pair of wired headphones that are made for running/biking/roller blading.

Firefox 3 Release - world record silliness.

The King — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:22:54 +0000

Mozilla’s idea of inciting pandemonium around today’s latest release of their internet browser, Firefox, in hopes of setting a world record seems silly at best, and downright ridiculous the more I think about it.

First off FF3 has had over eight public betas. If Star Wars had 8 public pre-screening versions to the last installment, can you really garner worthwhile data from its first “real” weekend at the box office?

Second, Mozilla is trying to establish a world record for something that there is no world record for and no one cares about. It is reminesecnt of the obscure combinations of stats that sportscasters try to put together to build suspense, “though technically he’s the league’s worst pitcher right now in terms of ERA, he is also the *best* lefty reliever when playing in domed stadiums built after 1995, but only when the opponent is not a team that has relocated since inter-league play began.”

Third, how could Mozilla not know that people would have a very difficult time downloading FF3 today? It’s not like they don’t know anything about the internet.

My many attempts today can be summed up by the large screenshot in this post. . .however, my favorite is when I finally thought I was downloading FF3 only to see it was actually a link that sent me to a FF2 download.

In defense of ATT’s 3G network for the iPhone.

The King — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 02:01:15 +0000

I just wrote this email to Windows super-guru Paul Thurrott in response to his blog posting from this morning that was titled iPhone 3G’s Achilles Heel is still AT&T.

Hi Paul - I’ve been listening to you on Windows Weekly pretty much
since it started.

I wanted to make a real quick comment on your recent blog post about
ATT’s 3G network. I hesitated in writing you because we don’t want to
give ATT more reasons not to continue building out the 3G network in
size + speed, nevertheless I wanted to bring a statistical/map-reading
fallacy to your attention.

To the point, your comment suggests/implies that the big gaping holes
on this map:
http://www.tnl.net/editor/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/att3g.jpg
represent big deficencies in network quality or are in someway a
foolish business oversight on ATT’s part.

I disagree because that map almost exactly coincides with the
geographic population distribution across the US.

This is from Time magazine in 2006:
http://www.time.com/time/covers/20061030/where_we_live/

and this is from NASA 1994 data:
http://veimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/116/population_density.tif

ATT’s 3G network isn’t a public service like the original telephone
system, they have no mandate to blanket every inch of the US, in fact
they’d go out of business pretty quickly if they did. Willie Sutton
robbed banks because thats where the money is. ATT puts up towers
where they do because thats where the people live. Like Darwinian
evolution ,if they get enough customers in a given area that find the
service to be poor then the network will change or go away.

If you or I don’t like it, we can use another network, nothing is
stopping us. Yes I want more 3G towers! But to look at that map and
call it the weakest link of the iPhone I think is a mistake.

I tested a Nokia N95-4 (US HSDPA model) in and around Chicago for
about a month earlier this year and had almost continuous 3G
connectivity. Trust me, the weakest problem was the battery! Even on
the newest firmware/hardware N95 it is not going to defy laws of
physics. . .count up the radios on a modern smart phone: WiFi, 3G,
GSM/Edge occasionally, Bluetooth, GPS, oh and their big beautiful
screens. . .a balls out session of outdoor photo shooting (w/
geotagging + 3G uploads straight to Flickr) depleted half of the
battery in 90 minutes.

You’re a real treat to follow, thanks much,
Ryan

Comcast: not quite a Dell turnaround yet.

The King — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:15:42 +0000

Dell pulled a pretty big coup by salvaging the image of their service and support all the way from awful back into the acceptable/good range over the last 3-4 years. Now we’ll see if Comcast can pull a Dell and cut the head off of its own gremlins before it is too late. That magical day of it really being “too late” for Comcast is finally on the horizon because having a Cable TV connection is no longer the home entertainment lifeline it used to be. If everything worked well no one would be complaining, but all is not well in the house of Comcast.

My gripes:

Endless mazes of touch tone prompts that don’t seem to affect the timeliness in which my problem gets answered. Speaking of the Comcast support phonelines, with the exception of Vonage, I’ve never been so frequently “accidentally” disconnected while on hold.
Phone reps that have little to no awareness of your own product. How long have you legally been required to offer cablecards? Years! There is *no* reason anyone that answers the phone at Comcast should think I’m from Mars when I ask for a cablecard.
Installing worthless junkware on customer PCs under the guise that it is necessary to establish, maintain, and utilize your services.
Pricing of service plans that *never* constant month to month. Unless you want me to leave every six months, you need to stabilize your pricing and ditch the limited promotional offers. Want to make more current subscribers angry? Advertise even more promotional offers for new customers only. You should be morbidly embarrassed that your modis operandi revolves on constant baiting and switching.
Those awful DVR boxes, what were you thinking! Did that go out to bid with the specs: “needs to navigate slowly, be as *un*user-friendly as possible, come with remote controls that are neither intuitive nor attractive, and doesn’t need to integrate with any other common home media devices.” So 3 years into the Tivo licensing agreement you finally roll something out, but it still operates in that awful janky Comcast way. Why not just use real Tivos with cablecards and get the cablecard spec 3.0 pushed out a little faster? You’re Comcast, you could do that!
You tried to embrace Web 2.0 support forums like Twitter and GetSatisfaction.com. You’ve even received a little fanfare about this. . .ok so I tried both of those out, where’s my help? Still waiting. . .
Field Techs. . . I don’t know the details, but I think its safe to say that whatever business model you have in paying the tech a flat rate per the job, instead of paying them for the actual time it takes to get something right, isn’t doing you any favors. In 2005 you came to my house twelve times on the same issue before it was resolved correctly and I’m pretty sure the blame lies in the field tech payment system, not the techs themselves.
Bandwidth throttling - let’s get real honest about this real fast. Evasiveness and secrecy isn’t the right attitude.

Why the playing field has changed:

HDTV allows people to receive *digital* signals over the air for their local stations. By definition it is the exact same signal as the one you provide when it reaches my TV. Cable no longer has a performance edge.
ISP competition has gotten fierce and alternative technologies to cable modems aren’t just a distant hope, they are actually available. DSL, WiMax, Verizon FiOs, even 3G Cellular (1, 2, 3), are just a few of the options I can try for an internet provider at home now.
No one needs you for phone service any more. With VOIP (Skype to name one, but there are hundreds) and great cellular coverage from competing carriers, who needs a POTS style phone any more (yes I know that Comcast Digital Voice is a funky derivation of VOIP but for purposes of this example. . .).
No one needs “premium cable” channels for great content anymore. Hulu, Itunes (i.e. The History Channel, etc.), Amazon UnBox, NetFlix, YouTube - they’ve *all* got your number and are charging hard. Name one TV show or movie, just pick any one, and I can show you 2-3 ways to legally watch/rent/or buy it that don’t involve waiting for it to come on cable TV.

That said, maybe hire a new PR firm, stabilize your pricing, and improve your in-house training and you’d be off to a great start. Heck, I’m getting reliable 15-30 MB downstream speed right now, maybe I shouldn’t be complaining?

Week 24: Three Quick Picks

The King — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:06:04 +0000

Animoto.com - Make amazing short film slide shows. It mashes up your photos and music more impressively than any consumer based app I’ve used (and it runs on the web, no downloads!). Built in integration with Flickr, Picassa, Youtube, etc., makes it extremely easy to use. Free to try, but the unlimited subscription is a bargain for all the fun you’ll have. Take a peek at my first attempt.

Zoho.com - Goodbye GoogleDocs, hello Zoho! Compared to GoogleDocs, the 800lb gorilla of web based “productivity suite,” replacements this is a more usable, cleaner, and faster user interface. It’s totally cloud based and a potential Office replacement for 80%+ of end users. Did I mention it’s free and fast and has most of the stuff you’d ever need?

EarthClassMail.com - Wait until you can blast through your snail mail by clicking shred, scan, or forward (GTD devotees are you listening?). You’ll find a lot of it can go straight to the shredder and important stuff you can have scanned to PDFs for you to download. Only once in four months have I actually had to have a package snail-forwarded. PS - in theory professional handling + shredding of your snail mail is some of the best defense against identity/privacy invasion.

GetSatisfaction.com - epitomizing great Web 2.0.

The King — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 01:03:08 +0000

Pick of the week: GetSatisfaction.com. Seeing companies embrace new ways to provide a higher level of support is refreshing. It’s no secret that a few forward thinking companies like Comcast and Zappos (and boatloads of little guys), listen to comments on Twitter, but this kind of a more formalized (vs. “tweeting” and hoping for a response) and usable interface could be a solid horse to hitch your wagon to.

Anything that moves us closer towards the day where we can bury all touch-tone navigated customer support systems is a wonderful thing for both consumers and businesses. PS - Didn’t that technology come out when I had a walkman? And it’s still here?

Ebay: Masters of the stealth help wanted ad

The King — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 23:16:52 +0000

Needed: programmer with basic web skills including multi-browser support.
Background: We are the 19th most heavily trafficked website in the world, though aware that there is more than one web browser in popular use, thus far we enjoy giving everyone a slightly different experience on our site. We call it “the San Jose twist.”

We call this simple selling description box the Safar-bay:

This one with that adds editing controls and HTML we call Internet ExplorBay:

And this special edition with a funky looking picture loader, we will call this special edition FireBay: