A Day At The Beach
Due to the nature of the infamous "beach ball" experience on OS X (especially on older/slower systems) I propose we call the phenomenon "A Day At The Beach" to kind of soften the blow when it happens.
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on September 28, 2006 | Comments (0)
Returning It To The Man (and Supporting the USPS)
Why go through all of the effort of "Sticking it to the man" when it's just as easy to return it to him at no cost to you?
About one to three times a week I get some form of credit card offer via US post which I generally haven't requested. Here is what I like to do:
Open the envelope, remove the contents and mangle/deface/shred them (be sure to set aside the included postage-paid envelope, you will need it in the next step):
Next, stuff the contents in the return envelope:
Seal and send...
Enjoy!
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on September 27, 2006 | Comments (0)
Getting a HANDle on the Treo 700p
I seem to have strange luck and research blind spots when it comes to cell phones. The last phone I bought, a cute Sony Ericsson T616 was one of the last phones to be sold under the AT&T name, sentencing me almost immediately to mobile carrier purgatory under the new Cingular ownership (couldn't get rollover minutes or other advantages since I didn't have a Cingular phone). At the time I was in need of a new phone so the rush made me miss this major business merger that was in the works.
Similarly that phone's contacts and wireless capabilities (or lack therof) finally pushed me to getting a smartphone and while my transition to it is complete and the experience is an upgrade in every way, I am about to embark on a review that will be going stale within the quarter as Access releases the Linux version of Palm OS which will address all of the issues that I have experienced and give Palm more than a fighting chance against the wave of crappy Windows Mobile phones hitting the market.
So the Treo 700p has been a fun project as it has me diving into a new platform head first. I get to bring all of my preconceived notions, hopes, and dreams to this little device and have them realized, or dashed against the cold, hard rock of technology.
Since the Palm OS on the Treo comes from a long line of personal organizers, one must look at this as an organizer first. The sad state of cellphones is (with a few exceptions, of course): if you have more than 300 contacts (like pretty much everyone in NYC does) or if you like people listed in your address book to have, well, addresses you are pretty much required to get a device like this to store all of them. One feature my colleagues and I found surprising is how quickly having our full contact list in our phone caused us to "clean up" our database; people would call us from a new number and the phone would ask after the call if we'd like to add this number to our contacts list as a new contact or a new number to an existing contact. After doing so the change would make it's way back to our computers via a hotsync. Very nice.
The calendar is also a great tool to remember where you need to go in a given day, and it's easy to check appointments, then jump to the internet via Blazer (the built in web browser) to get a google map, all while on the phone.
The phone aspect is top-notch; sound quality is excellent both in the headset and handset. Dialing is easy using the touch-screen or keypad. The only thing I had to get used to was pushing the Function key before hitting # or * as there are not dedicated keys for this.
So the basics are more than covered here. But this is a damned expensive phone/calendar/address book, which is where the popular and established Palm OS comes into play. This device very easily jumps over the line from Personal Digital Assistant to a laptop-computer-in-the-palm-of-your-hand. All you need to do is add the software.
Out of the box it comes with a bunch of full-fledged productivity and multimedia software...
- Email with SSL capability and multiple accounts (VersaMail)
- Digital Camera (1.3 MegaPixel, decent low-light photos)
- Camcorder
- pTunes (iTunes like jukebox, handles incoming calls gracefully like iTunes on Motorola phones)
- Audible.com Player (listen to your books)
- Memos (basically a plain-text editor)
- Office Suite reader/editor
- Voice memo recorder
- World clock has great view/settings and a usable alarm
- Audible book reader software
- Snappy Web Browser (Blazer)
and hardware...
- 2.5mm Stereo headphones/mic combo, corded (surprisingly good)
- Bluetooth
- Speakerphone (liveable, good for voicemail)
Checking a Doppler radar with the Blazer web browser and a nice view of earth with the built-in "World Clock"
Power Up: Add these to jump from PDA to Portable Computer:
FOR LAPTOP-LIKE-MEMORY-MANAGEMENT:
- 2GB SD card (average price: $50) At press time 2GB is the maximum size recognized by Palm OS though 8GB cards are currently on the market. This is an absolute must for anyone using the phone for music, pictures, video.
- UDMH (Unlimited Dnyamic Memory Hack) ($9.95) This is a memory management utility that was originally developed for gamers to emulate more graphic-intensive consoles but turns out to be very useful for those running more than one of the newer Palm applications simultaneously in "background" mode
FOR LAPTOP-LIKE CAPABILITIES:
- Causerie ($19.99) Instant Messenger for all major networks. Supports background mode, encryption, and quite a bit more)
- Screen Shot ($15.95) Good for web and application developers anyone who wants to Apple-Shift-3 their Treo
- Resco Explorer ($14.95 or try File Z for free and HandZipper ($9.99) for the same functionality on a budget). View *all* files on system, including invisible files and directories. Zip and unzip files.
- Dictionary-to-go ($12.00)
- Little John Palm OS (free) Multi-console game emulator.
- Telnet-H ($25.00) SSH2 Terminal emulator. A must have for server admins on the road.
- Adobe Reader for Palm OS (free) Optimize .pdf files for small-screen viewing.
- Chattermail ($39.95) Yes, Versamail is functional and with some tweaking to remove all the "are you sure" messages it can be made to be quite efficient but Chattermail just handles almost everything better. First and foremost, it actually marks messages on IMAP servers properly (when replies are sent and messages are read), it also keeps in sync by itself (separate commands in Versamail), runs very well in background mode and has many notification options. Also does "push" mail for those who like the Blackberry method of doing things, and more.
Resco Explorer folder view and Terminal emulator
FOR LAPTOP-LIKE LOOK AND FEEL:
While the Palm OS is certainly useful and efficient, it is not exactly pretty. If you're a Mac user you'll be quick to appreciate the following two utilities:
- Palm Revolt ($14.95) Add the "aqua" interface to the Palm OS
- iTunes skin for pTunes ($5)
Aqua Interface in action and iTunes skin for pTunes
TO PLAY NICE WITH YOUR REAL LAPTOP:
- Salling Clicker ($23.95) Use your phone as a Bluetooth remote control for all kinds of applications including slideshows, presentations, iTunes, movies, and more. "Proximity" feature can tell how far away from your PowerBook you are and have actions triggered based on distance.
- USB Modem ($24.95) Most networks (including Sprint) have no formal support for Macs to use the phone as a modem either on their data network or DUN. This utility makes it easy to use your EvDO speed to give your laptop an internet connection when wifi isn't available. Buy as part of the "Palm Utility Belt" and get "CardReader" which mounts your SD card on your desktop. I've tested it and it seems safe to rename SD cards from your Mac -- just don't use spaces.
My speed tests at dslreports.com were mixed, but all were better than dial-up:
- 533/39kbps via USB Aug 28 in Brooklyn
- 241/53kbps via Bluetooth Aug 28 in Brooklyn
- 672/36kbps on second USB test in Brooklyn
- 351/51kbps on third USB test in Brooklyn
- 216/42kbps from Hell's Kitchen
We've also received confirmation of this working with reasonable speeds using the Verizon network in St. Paul, MN.
- Missing Sync for Palm OS ($39.95, Mac OS X) Makes it SUPER easy to sync everything on the phone; iTunes playlists for music, folder for files, Mark/Space provided Memo application, iCal, Address Book, etc. No need to install Palm Desktop at all.
Mounting your SD card as an HD using Cardreader
A view from the Treo and from Mac OS
Things I like and surprising uses for phone:
- Used superbright screen as a flashlight more than once
- Long battery life lasted morning to night on a recent road trip from NYC to Buffalo, NY. Services used throughout the day: Instant messenger, Email, phone, Camera, pTunes, Memos
- This is probably a New York thing (since it's against the law in many states to drive while listening to headphones) but I love dumping podcasts and radio shows onto the phone for listening on the subway. They're getting awfully crowded these days and, during rush hour especially, a hardcover book is no longer practical.
- Considering what it is and comparing it to other similar products the keyboard is really quite good and a lot faster than graffiti (also faster than some of your friends WPM speeds on full-sized keyboards). The keys are small but the slight bevel makes it easy for most adult-sized fingers to punch the right one.
- Combination USB/charger/Sync cable very clever and utilitarian. You effectively get *two* chargers with the purchase of your phone, enabling you to leave one at your significant other's, office, or country home.
The utilitarian cable: charge, communicate, and sync
General observations:
- OS is a lot like Mac OS 7. Does have crashing tendencies with some applications. This should be a non-issue with the Linux version and much reduced on Palm OS 5.x when running UDMH (listed above).
- Speaking of "Linux version" one of my early observations was that the Palm OS was a little "linux like" due to the graphical interface changing from app to app. Apparently the UI will be more strict in the Linux version which would be an unexpected surprise.
- Unsure if 2.5mm jack is the best way to go. 3.5 would allow use of standard headphones, but 2.5 is smaller (for when the Treo actually gets thin) and the corded version that comes with the phone is more than adequate
- If you're doing SSL email or anything with a lot of data you need a STRONG network connection with Sprint. If you are in a weak coverage area you will likely get error messages instead of completed transfers. Better safe than sorry, though.
- This is one of those Apple-like features that is built into the OS but not really advertised. Palm OS has a very good "autocomplete" that silently puts apostrophes where you need them, saving you keystrokes
- The Function-search is awesome keyboard combination for system-wide searches and acts a lot like Apple's Spotlight in OS X. Displays results very quickly in major categories like: contacts, calendar events, etc.
- Why exactly is "paste" menu-p instead of menu-v like it is on Mac and Windows?
- For the SAME PRICE as Cingular I have the same amount of phone minutes PLUS all-you-can-eat data on Sprint PCS network. Coverage has been pretty good so far. Can't beat it.
- The size of the device seems like it could be an issue but it's smaller than a wallet and fits in a back pocket just fine. When you have this much usefulness I think one overlooks the size, especially as the competition is pretty comparable. (No, the Motorola Q is not direct competition)
- The "quick off' screen and the easy to access vibrate mode are well thought out and intuitive.
- While you can install and run Java apps (like Opera Mini and many, many others), those seem to be the slowest and least stable. I pretty much ditched Java as there wasn't anything I just had to have
- While phones with scroll wheels are pretty fast for navigation, you still can't beat a touch screen, especially when surfing the web.
Summary
For a tech person on the go this phone is leaps and bounds above anything else in it's category. Though you do have to add some of your own software to the mix, the flexibility that you can gain is well worth it. While the Palm OS is retiring soon, the current iteration still is light and powerful enough to provide quick access to all of the things one would need on the road, has an extensive libarary of software not even touched on in this article, and represents the sweet spot as far as convergence is concerned in this moment.
I've played with a few QWERTY Blackberry devices and they are iPod-like in their beauty, speed, and only-do-a-few-things-but-do-them-very-well philosophy, but the lack of features like cameras, music players, and utilities like Terminal applications means you'll need to purchase and carry extra devices with you. Blackberries are email readers. Good email readers, but not a lot more.
The Windows Mobile phones add a little functionality to the mix but as long as they are programmed for yet-to-be-released hardware there are going to be speed issues, and being Microsoft security and performance will always be a problem.
My hope is that the forthcoming version of Access Linux Platform will bring much of what needed to be purchased aftermarket to OEM status and give users of the new Treos (and other devices) even more value and functionality out of the box.
For the time being, the Treo 700p has set the bar at a pretty comfortable place for it's users.
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on September 12, 2006 | Comments (1)
Intuitive Technology
In this world of a zillion hardware combinations it can actually be a problem to have too rigid of a diagnosis script to follow.
Take, for example, a recent case that I recently fielded where one of my clients was having issues with repeated letters while typing.
This first started happening at the time we had determined that they needed a full-machine upgrade as the displayed typing would also fall behind in Microsoft word (on an old 733Mhz G4). So we purchased a Dual 2Ghz G5 which was more than enough power to take care of the typing lag (and other performance issues) but the repeated character remained.
We tried all of the standard fixings like swapping keyboards, having me type for a while and try to recreate (could not), restart, software updates, keyboard preferences, etc. Then I watched this client type for a minute and though not obvious, it occurred to me that maybe his typing style didn't quite jive with the soft elastomer-based Apple Pro keyboard.
Swapping USB keyboards with one of our new Dells immediately and permanently solved the problem (both the Mac and Windows XP played with each other's keyboards just fine for the record; they were plug-and-play). It appears that the Apple Pro Keyboard is just too soft for a particular kind of curled-finger keystroke, and is nothing that Apple (or a certified Apple repair shop) could have addressed.
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on | Comments (0)
Better Quality Coffee = Better Quality Work
I think the biggest factor in my feeling out of sorts last week was the low quality of coffee. I had just purchased a new bean grinder for the Haus Interactive Office and it ended up being defective. But not completely defective; it worked but produced very uneven, blocky hunk of grounds that made espresso impossible, and French Press only bearable.
Anyone who experienced saucy attitude from the tech hotline during this time should not confuse it as lack of being caffeinated but the wrong kind of caffeinated.
After living a few days with the budget industrial work of art called the Infinity conical burr grinder I thought I'd take a brief journalistic "tour of the grounds" from the Haus Interactive Office's cheapest bean grinder to the most expensive. Interestingly enough, the order in which they were purchased and experienced are the same order they are presented here.
Since three of the four grinders we've owned are from Capresso, and since they have some good supplemental (and accurate in this former barista's opinion) information on their website, we'll be quoting them a bit in this article.
LEVEL ONE: BLADE GRINDER, HELICOPTER GONE MAD
Our first grinder was a propeller with a cover made by Braun. Since we were young and poor at the time it worked not only for drip coffee, but with a little effort (and a LOT longer grind time) it actually allowed a bit of crema to form on the top of espresso drawn from our now retired Mr. Coffee pump espresso machine. It's not for the faint of heart and Capresso says this about our blade grinder:
Blade Grinders "smash" the beans with a blade at very high speed (20,000 to 30,000 rpm). The ground coffee has larger and smaller particles and is warmer than ground coffee from burr grinders. Blade grinders create "coffee dust" which can clog up sieves in espresso machines and French presses. These type of grinders are suitable for drip coffee makers. They also can do a great job for grinding spices and herbs. They are not recommended for use with pump espresso machines.
LEVEL TWO: BURR GRINDER, ENTRY LEVEL ESPRESSO
The Capresso Burr Grinder (Model #551) Joined the Haus Interactive kitchen team along with an Estro Vapore espresso machine. It delivered consistent grinds for more than 5 years and was still working when it was donated to our neighbors a few weeks ago.
From Capresso: Burr Grinders with disk type burrs grind at a faster speed than conical burr grinders and create a bit more warmth in the coffee (10,000 to 20,000 rpm). They are the most economical way of getting a consistent grind in a wide range of applications. They are well suited for most home pump espresso machines. However they do not grind as fine as Conical Burr Grinders.
I think the plastic bean capture container had weakened either from age, from the oils in the grounds, or constant tapping. Constant tapping? Yes.
Capresso has this to say about static:
Looking back, and now knowing that not all grinders have this problem, I can say this sucker could have powered a lightblulb with the static generated. The grind chute was directly next to the spinning blades which would shoot them through the collection jar into it's side. The spot where most of the grinds hit actually took on a brown coffee-bean stain that would not wash out after approx use. Recently I was tapping the container to get all the grounds to settle and a thumb-sized chunk of plastic simply broke off the back of the container. It was a clean break so it was superglued before retirement.
Another problem that developed was the coarseness adjuster (found on the side of the machine), which hag gotten progressively more and more difficult to turn as it aged. Our grinders often switch back and forth from French Press to Espresso so this dial gets a lot of attention. Once the dial smooths out (and the mechanism stops to rotate smoothly) from use there is no way to get any torque and give it a proper turn.
Though I wouldn't qualify this as a problem, this grinder was pretty loud. It sounded like a little chainsaw from a room away.
It was easy to clean which is good as you'll need to take the top blade off about once a year to break slightly hardened chunks of coffee dust/rock out of it so that the beans continue to feed effortlessly into the blades.
LEVEL TWO: BURR GRINDER, MIDRANGE
The Capresso Burr Grinder (Model #556) was slated as our next replacement. The price seemed right ($60) and since model 551 treated us well for all those years it seemed like this would be a slight upgrade and provide the same level of reliability.
The observed Improvements included:
- Much quieter operation
- Slightly better controls: true on/off button, better coarseness adjuster
It was nice to see the grinds fall down into the container instead of getting flung sideways into it like the model 551. There is still the static cling effect, though, and it seems like cleaning the twisting coffee bean chute would be a pain...
Also not sure why they chose such an odd shaped bean container. It's rectangle with only a slight slope into the grinder. It is easy to picture beans not all falling into the grinder after only a short amount of use and people having to scoop them there with their hands. Not a safety issue, just an annoyance issue.
All in all this grinder lasted a week in our office before getting sent back. I'm sure it was just a burr-grinder seating issue at the factory and not a fundamental flaw to the machine itself, but the one we got wouldn't grind anything smaller than drip-coffee wood chips. We made sure the top of the burr mechanism was in and firmly attached, etc. No dice. After reading a little more about the next level up we decided to return our faulty one and buy that top level of consumer grinder:
LEVEL THREE: INFINITY GRINDER, THE DEPTH-CHARGE OF MY HEART
Conical Burr Grinders preserve the most aroma and can grind very fine and very consistent. The intricate design of the steel burrs allow a high gear reduction to slow down the grinding speed. The slower the speed the less heat is imparted to the ground coffee thus preserving maximum amount of aroma.
Because of the wide range of grind settings these grinders are ideal for all kinds of coffee equipment, Espresso, Drip, Percolators, French Press. The better Conical Burr Grinders can also grind extra fine for the preparation of Turkish coffee. Grinding speed is generally below 500 rpm.
Here is where the fun begins: Almost every single aspect of this grinder is better than the others:
- Small footprint on counter
- Solid construction
- Minimalist Design**
- Shape of bean holder promotes them falling into blades better
- NO STATIC! This actually surprised us quite a bit as we've spent years living with static. Grounds simply tumble into a perfect mound the consistency of soil.
- Very reliable and consistent grind
It is a bit louder than #556, but it's a different sound, deeper growl.
Instant turnoff could be a problem with the timer as the "go" button (you should be able to force it down to 0 if you need to...)
Overall this is an excellent grinder and does it's job so well there is very little to add to the bullet point list. For $50 extra you can get the same model in "die cast zinc". Since the interior of the machine (and most importantly the burrs) are the same material this seems like a silly waste of money to us.
An interesting thing we noted is that the more expensive a product gets, the simpler and more elegant the interface gets (finally). We wonder if the average consumer, who can't SEE the improved quality that may or may not be on the inside of a product feel they are getting more for their money by having more buttons and dials to fiddle with, even if they do little or nothing for the product. That, though, is a philosophical question for another post.
**Really the biggest nit we have about the machine is the gaudy bean coarseness label. In the interest of a better designed world, Bronzefinger hereby submits the following PhotoChop rendering of an alternative bean-coarseness label.
Simple dots of increasing (or decreasing) size do triple duty:
- Illustrate the size of the grind
- Confirm that the dial is properly aligned
- Eliminates need for multiple language printouts
Editor's Note: To experience the best taste and karma, make sure your coffee beans are organic fair trade, whole bean (non-ground), and roasted in small batches locally. If you happen to live in Brooklyn we recommend you check out our friends at Gorilla Coffee.
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on September 10, 2006 | Comments (0)
Pete.pkg
I received a box from UPS the other day that was completely square. Doesn't sound like news, but that is extremely rare -- about 99.999% of all boxes that have been shipped to me have been rectangle.
As is always the case, the Haus Interactive office cat (Mr. Angelica Peterson) made the obligatory inspection of the contents. While doing so it dawned on me that she had just set herself up for the perfect photo opp.
Below is the comparison between the Unix installation "Package" icon and what I have titled "Pete.pkg".
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on August 30, 2006 | Comments (0)
Going Back to the Time Casino
What you get if you download a leaked version of OS 10.5 "Leopard":
View full size image. Concept by Raleigh-i, PhotoChop by Haus Interactive
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on August 15, 2006 | Comments (0)
The Wireless Relay
If you have a Mac outfitted with 2 wireless cards you can use that instead of an Airport Express to extend your wireless connection to your other nearby devices. Here's How:
STEP ONE: Open System Preferences
STEP TWO: Click on "Internet" tab
STEP THREE: Select the source of your internet connection in the "Share your connection from" pull-down menu
STEP FOUR: Check the device you'd like to broadcast your signal from in the "To computers using" list
STEP FIVE: (optional): Choose a name and security options for this ad-hoc network
STEP SIX: Click "Start"
Once running you will see your airport icon change to an arrow to indicate that you are broadcasting your connection:
This post was updated August 10 to correct mistakes in the original post. Old instructions and images have been removed for clarity.
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on August 8, 2006 | Comments (1)
Treo 700p has Mac OS X "Spotlight", Kind of
...and it's possible that it has for a while.
My neighbor and I were chatting about Palm recently and how it's damned difficult to scroll all the way to the contact you might want to reference using the down arrow, especially if you have accumulated hundreds or even thousands of contacts. Even the famed Blackberry scroll wheel (which IS a great idea and one that I'd love to have on my Treo) wouldn't really cut it for these industrial-strength lists.
We've discovered that the quick way to get your contact is to search for them. Really.
Just type Number(that blue colored button)-magnifying glass and type in the first few letters of the persons name, or one of their full names.
You will get a list very quickly that looks a lot like Apple's "Spotlight" function that shows you results by category. One click on the person and there you are, probably in much less than half the time of browsing.
As a matter of fact, I think this smartphone searches faster than my *desktop* computer of just a few years ago, and is one of the most compelling features to date, and one of the feats of performance that is making me feel the money invested in this is going to be well worth it.
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on July 25, 2006 | Comments (0)
Old Phone Conspires Against Self
To borrow some language from the nuclear power industry, a few "events" occurred this weekend which finally tipped the scales causing this techie to finally stop dragging his feet and get a smartphone, already.
I was running a Sony Ericsson T616 from AT&T (on the Cingular Network) and for what it is, it's been quite useful. I've been using bluetooth to sync my calendar with iSync, it holds some of my contacts, allows me to SMS and take "hilariously bad" photos. All in all it's quite functional and I have few complaints. But there is more and more that I'm needing to do with this phone and it has become dangerous to leave the office for long periods of time.
Here was the weekend list:
- Before I leave my apartment I attempt to load up 2 episodes of This American Life and one DJ set onto my Creative MuVo mp3 player and they don't fit. (of course this phone does not have an mp3 player) The 2nd episode of This American Life (and my subway commute back home) is left behind.
- Our web servers are monitored by software that sends SMS messages to our engineers and myself. I got a few messages and with them, warnings that my internal memory was almost full (despite keeping my inbox clean)
- One of our servers lost http service and while I was able to receive a phone call about it and SMS the unix commands to one of our engineers for implementing, I would have been much better off just opening a shell on a smartphone and logging in myself
With a week vacation coming up it seemed as though the forces were conspiring to unravel my digital lifestyle. Something had to be done.
Monday morning I decided to take a walk past a few train stops on the way to my office. Along the way I happened upon a Radio Shack and talked to a very helpful salesperson. We discovered that I could give my current provider the finger and end up getting the same amount of minutes AND all-you-can-eat internet and data from Sprint for about the same price I was paying with Cingular. Of course I've always liked Sprint but had to drop them when I moved to NYC because they apparently didn't have towers in my neighborhood. That's all cleared up now so we're back, with a brand new Treo 700p.
Apparently these have been pretty popular because this was the last one they had in stock (no demos on the floor and they haven't even been able to keep one for the employees to power up and play with). At first even the "new customer" discount doesn't seem to be enough until you get the phone home and start playing with it. It is a damned nice phone.
It only took an hour to load up:
- iTunes skin for pTunes (sold separately for $5 but a must-have)
- >1GB of music on the 2GB SD card (sold separately, but for a good price)
- All contacts and calendar events via Mark/Space "The Missing Sync for PalmOS 5" ($40, completely worth the price)
A few minutes later I was out the door for a meeting with the actual address of where I was going with map, some music to listen to on the way, and a qwerty keyboard for writing notes and emails.
First impressions are: This phone will survive the attack of the forthcoming iPhone. More details to follow.
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on | Comments (0)
Disconnected Heads
So we've already covered that Motorola has abandoned the best-funded business customers of theirs to chase after their average consumer to fool them into paying more for a buggy and incomplete phone.
Of course Motorola has no interest in hearing from you about the issue. Their website, like most corporate monsters, is completely devoid of any kind of "feedback" area. If you want to send feedback to Motorola, especially if it involves product ideas, one must request a form which they will mail to you. In order for Motorola to accept your product idea you must sign away the rights to them, which is fine as I presume that only Motorola would be able to manufacture a Motorola phone.
Bronzefinger's response did not even come from a human being, but rather from
Motorola, Inc.
External Relations
Intellectual Property Section
Law Department
Here is their response:
Re: Palm OS and Touch Screen Features for Cellular Phone
Dear Mr. Detsch (misspelling):
Thank you for forwarding to us information on the above referenced idea along with a signed copy of Motorola's policy and agreement regarding submission of ideas by persons outside the company.
While we thank you for your submission, Motorola is not interested in pursuing this idea with you at this time.
We wish you luck in your endeavors.
Of course this request never made it out of the legal department so who knows what the dev team at Mot is *actually* working on or interested in. There is nothing more frustrating than the black holes created by large, spongy organizations where decision makers can be 100% protected from consumers and experts alike.
I imagine this will be the case when we write to Palm to encourage them to fight the good fight and to watch out because Microsoft is right behind them wearing smile and a ski mask and wielding a bat...
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on | Comments (0)
Windows Mobile Threatens to Take Over The World
Though I don't have any hard numbers to back this up, my general feeling from talking to potential smartphone buyers is that Windows Mobile is going to flood this market and drown us. Here are a few brief reasons:
- M$ LOVES to bully, threaten, and undercut to force products into the marketplace through large providers (think the power they weild over Dell; if Dell even thinks about offering a Linux solution on their servers M$ could pull the rug out from under them). It should not be surprising, then, that so many mobile phones are appearing out of nowhere with Windows mobile, and that even the Treo phone is being released with Windows mobile BEFORE the new Palm version.
- Many people coming to smartphones may not already have a Palm and therefore have no opinion about what it can do. When they hear "Windows mobile" their first thought is: "Oh, I can use Outlook and IE", which is true. But more dangerous than that is that they may feel that this is their only choice which is devastating not just to Palm, but the consumer who blindly falls for this
Any good businesspeople out there that can give our friends at Palm a hand?
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on July 14, 2006 | Comments (0)
Windows as Seen in Signage, part two
As seen at Port Authority Bus Station, New York. Wasn't able to capture the exact .exe error on my cell phone but I remember it being something to the effect of a program exception and that the computer needed to be restarted.
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on June 13, 2006 | Comments (0)
Triangulating Why the Motorola Q is a Disappointment
After many months of sneak peaks, increasing impatience, and mind-numbing hype, the Motorola Q has finally been released to the public.
Initial reactions have ranged from overly generous (PC Magazine), fanboys of the idea far too early before the release and it is obvious (CNet) to cautiously optimistic (PC World). Those few with their hands on the prize have been overwhelmed with public curiosity and the official marketing campaign for Motorola and Verizon is only now just beginning.
The Motorola/Verizon gang (Verizon has first dibs at selling the phone, we guess it will be 3-6 months before other carriers get it) has created the perfect storm in the perfect order: an early announcement with some teaser photos and promises, a noticeable buzz in the tech community, anticipation and desire, a very competitive price point, a sexy design -- they have created a conveyor belt that implants this thing into your brain as the perfect phone and then practically delivers it directly to your hand.
So how could this phone end up being a disappointment? In a word: reality.
Before I jump into my theory as to why I'd like to preface it by saying that I don't think the phone is going to be a flop. As a matter of fact, I think it could do quite well. If you combine the irrational exuberance over the idea of smartphones like the Treo 650 with the sometimes spectacular industrial design of Motorola phones, and you have an Apple-like reality distortion field that can often last for longer than the life of the product itself.
So here is what I think the problem is: this device looks like a serious productivity machine and another step forward towards the best convergence phone on the market, and we all want very badly for that to be the case, but instead it's a step sideways and backward.
The perfect productivity device would have the speed, efficiency, multi-tasking ability, and interactivity of a Palm phone, the scroll wheel of a blackberry, a thin form factor, and would be chock full of features power users want: unrestricted bluetooth, wifi, and tons of applications. Well, it kinda/sorta is pointing in the right direction.
Where it succeeds:
- form factor
- industrial design
- call quality (it is a phone, after all)
- scroll wheel
Where it fails:
- Windows OS cumbersome, music skips when multitasking
- no touchscreen means less efficient navigation
- no software for editing office documents
- no wifi
- expensive data plans (Verizon's fault for now)
Bottom line:
The bottom line is that there is a chasm between consumer and pro phones that does NOT want to be bridged by a phone that half does what each user group wants. Consumers still don't want to pay the high price and the pros are going to be let down by what is missing. To me, this phone really wants to be more than it currently is - right now it's a large phone with a keyboard, not a small PDA/smartphone with all the fixin's. Here's to hoping for "Rev 2".
Aug 30 update: Gizmodo reports on firmware update for device. They do not attempt to hide their feelings of being underwhelmed.
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on May 31, 2006 | Comments (3)
Using Windows, a reminder
I've got Windows XP installed on a Dell inspiron in my office for web testing. The OS is a sqeaky-clean install and contains all the patches. In addition I am running a firewall and antivurus. All that is ever asked of it is to let me KVM over to it every once in a while to load web pages in Internet Explorer. (rough life, right?)
Despite my simple requests it will still randomly tell me things like:
"USB Device Not Recognized
One of the USB devices attached to this computer has malfunctioned and Windows does not recognize it. For assistance in solving this problem click this message"
...of course if the USB Device in question is a mouse, it makes it kind of tough to follow their cumbersome and useless troubleshooting advice.
Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on | Comments (0)
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