2.01.2015
An Icon Dies
This morning, I woke up to a broken phone. The physical buttons (power, volume and camera) just weren't working. I could use the power button to turn the phone off, but other than that, the buttons just weren't working. This wasn't the first time this had happened, so I did what I did a week and a half ago when it first happened; I did a factory reset. But as soon as it started restoring my info and apps, the buttons stopped working again. Something in my settings or apps, or a combo of the two, is causing the issue. Since I have no idea where to start (there are no other reports of similar issues online), and since I know it's a software issue (a factory reset fixed it before, and the power button works under certain circumstances), I decided to just take the phone back to Verizon. It was under two weeks from when I got it, so they took it back, but since the phone was discontinued back in October (despite being the best Windows Phone on the market), I had to go with a different phone. I picked up a Moto X (2014), and while I'm really happy with it, I'd still rather be on Windows Phone. I know I can pick up a Lumia Icon on Craigslist relatively inexpensively, so I might do that once Windows 10 drops.
1.28.2015
Head in the Clouds
So we all use cloud storage to some extent. For email, photos, whatever. But I recently uploaded just about EVERYTHING digital I have to the cloud. Documents, music, photos; all of it. One of the perks of paying for an Office 365 account from Microsoft is unlimited OneDrive storage. Not 10GB, not 100GB. UNLIMITED. And that's true. Right now, I've got well over 100GBs of data uploaded, and on my computer, my documents and music are synced to that so the files are available offline (or if OneDrive goes down). About the only thing that isn't backed up to OneDrive are my professional photo archives, which I could (and should) do (though waiting for several terabytes worth of photos to upload doesn't sound fun, and Comcast would likely cut me off). Now, there are plenty of people who will say I'm an idiot.
"The cloud isn't secure enough." It's encrypted and I use two-factor authentication for access to my Microsoft account for exactly that reason. That's about secure as it gets. If that gets hacked, anyone's data can be hacked.
"Microsoft has all your data." And Google has it all too. We all give the big guys a ton of our information. Personally, I reconciled years ago that in order to experience tech how I want to, I had to give up my privacy. That said, the data is encrypted and only I can see it. Same with Dropbox, iCloud and any other uploaded data. Besides, Microsoft would probably be pretty bored digging through my data. lol
"One hack or crash and you'll loose it all." Sure, I guess. A crash would be recovered, and if a hacker goes in and blows all the data away, I have local copies of it all. Not worried about it at all.
"Windows Phone is a bust, and you switch devices all the time."Windows Phone, iOS, Android, Windows or Mac, it doesn't matter. There are solid OneDrive apps for all of them. All of my data is available to me no matter where I am, on any device I have. I've been backing up all my mobile photos for several years to OneDrive (and SkyDrive before it was renamed to OneDrive), so I literally have access to every mobile photo I've taken for years. Unlike Google (who only supports Android and iOS) or Apple (who refuses to work with anyone), Microsoft has made sure their apps and services are available across all ecosystems (and often, Windows Phone is the last to get updates).
The payoff for all of this is ultimate convenience. It's fantastic, and fairly seamless. And when Microsoft flips the switch soon on the Xbox Music locker service, all of my music is already uploaded and ready to go. Microsoft just today announced new features in how you can work with photos in OneDrive, showing continued effort to expand the features of it's cloud storage system.
Is there a risk? Sure. But my computer could also get stolen, or my apartment could burn down and take my physical backups with it. Both of which are probably more likely than my data getting hacked and wiped.
"The cloud isn't secure enough." It's encrypted and I use two-factor authentication for access to my Microsoft account for exactly that reason. That's about secure as it gets. If that gets hacked, anyone's data can be hacked.
"Microsoft has all your data." And Google has it all too. We all give the big guys a ton of our information. Personally, I reconciled years ago that in order to experience tech how I want to, I had to give up my privacy. That said, the data is encrypted and only I can see it. Same with Dropbox, iCloud and any other uploaded data. Besides, Microsoft would probably be pretty bored digging through my data. lol
"One hack or crash and you'll loose it all." Sure, I guess. A crash would be recovered, and if a hacker goes in and blows all the data away, I have local copies of it all. Not worried about it at all.
"Windows Phone is a bust, and you switch devices all the time."Windows Phone, iOS, Android, Windows or Mac, it doesn't matter. There are solid OneDrive apps for all of them. All of my data is available to me no matter where I am, on any device I have. I've been backing up all my mobile photos for several years to OneDrive (and SkyDrive before it was renamed to OneDrive), so I literally have access to every mobile photo I've taken for years. Unlike Google (who only supports Android and iOS) or Apple (who refuses to work with anyone), Microsoft has made sure their apps and services are available across all ecosystems (and often, Windows Phone is the last to get updates).
The payoff for all of this is ultimate convenience. It's fantastic, and fairly seamless. And when Microsoft flips the switch soon on the Xbox Music locker service, all of my music is already uploaded and ready to go. Microsoft just today announced new features in how you can work with photos in OneDrive, showing continued effort to expand the features of it's cloud storage system.
Is there a risk? Sure. But my computer could also get stolen, or my apartment could burn down and take my physical backups with it. Both of which are probably more likely than my data getting hacked and wiped.
1.21.2015
The Great Microsoft Conversion
We got a Kinect for the Xbox One (or Xbone, as Kimberly affectionately calls it) after seeing people dance with people around the world in the middle of the mall. So we got two dancing games (one included with the Kinect). And holy crap, I am WAY out of shape. LOL Aside from the fun dancing games, the voice control of the system is AWESOME. It's super-cool to be able to say "Xbox On" and have the whole A/V system turn itself on. Or to pause/play movies with voice commands. Gestures are taking a long time to get used to, but they're pretty handy too. No pun intended. Overall, we're both loving the Xbox One. We're having tons of fun playing through the Halo series together, and I'm really enjoying Assassin's Creed Unity (bugs and all). Just started in on Call of Duty Advanced Warfare too.
I also traded my MacBook Pro for a Surface Pro 3, which I've been wanting since it was announced. Spec for spec, it's a match, but I moved up from an i5 to an i7 processor. I freakin' love it too. It's big, real big, for a tablet, but it's beyond awesome for reading comics on and also as a laptop, as it's more than powerful enough to do anything I need. Plus, the pen is a huge boon and very helpful when working with photos. It's basically a portable, self-contained WACOM Cintiq. And given the announcements to day on Windows 10, it's really going to get amazing soon. Can't wait to install the Preview bits when they drop next week.
I also moved from T-Mobile to Verizon, which sounds backwards given the pricing and policies, but T-Mobile's coverage just doesn't cut it for me. I don't even get signal at my desk at work. Given that Kimberly's had Verizon forever, I've been able to mentally track where she has coverage and I don't, which is a lot of places when we go on road trips. I love what T-Mobile is doing to shake up the industry, but I just can't have network drop-outs and spotty coverage. Verizon has always been the holy-grail of coverage for me, so I'm happy that I don't have to worry about it anymore. Anyway, in doing so, I picked up the last Lumia Icon that the store had (it was discontinued back in October, though the Lumia 930, the GSM version, is still an in-production flagship phone). Again, going from a Nexus 6 to that seems backwards, but I've always greatly preferred the interface of Windows Phone, even if the app support is less than stellar. Really, everything is there but 1st party Google support (Gmail, G+ and Hangouts), but I've found 3rd party solutions for everything (and Gmail/contacts/calendar all work perfectly fine with the built-in apps). But I get a 20MP OIS camera (which is phenomenal, btw), keep the Qi charging that I love so much and get the OS that I like the most. Spec-wise, it's still flagship-level, with a Snapdragon 801 and 2GB of RAM. I couldn't be happier. And again, with the incoming Windows 10 improvements, it's gonna rock even more. Again, really looking forward to installing the Preview next month.All that said, I never thought a 5" phone would feel tiny, but after the iPhone 6 Plus and the Nexus 6, it's like holding a tiny toy. lol
Speaking of all those Windows 10 announcements I'm referencing, there's some big stuff in there. Common Core means that the computer, phone, tablet and Xbox One will all share characteristics. Visibly, that means the interface will be even more common between all devices. But beyond that, it's a far deeper integration and some (not all) shared code that will make it very easy for someone to make an app and target any device running Windows 10. The app stores will all be together, and apps will work the same across platforms (with some adjustments for the interfaces themselves). That's pretty awesome to start with (and makes a lot of sense). But beyond that, you'll be able to stream your Xbox One games to any Windows 10 device on your network (kind of like the Vita can do, or the Wii U with it's tablet), there will be continuity between all devices (ie pick up where you leave off instantly when using the same app) and, a big one for me, a music locker service using OneDrive's unlimited storage through Xbox Music, which is completely cross-platform. It'll be like Google Play Music (which is awesome), but will also work for me not matter what mobile device or ecosystem I'm using. Oh, and also the return of the Start Menu, dynamic and smart switching of the interface for convertible devices (like the Surface) depending on if a keyboard is attached or not (desktop interface when docked to a keyboard, tablet interface when not), and a lot of other tweaks and optimizations. Also, it's a free upgrade from anyone going all the way back to Windows 7. I know a lot of what Microsoft does today is still a direct product of the Balmer Era, but it really does feel like a fresh company, eager to please consumers and enterprise alike across a full range of products.
I also traded my MacBook Pro for a Surface Pro 3, which I've been wanting since it was announced. Spec for spec, it's a match, but I moved up from an i5 to an i7 processor. I freakin' love it too. It's big, real big, for a tablet, but it's beyond awesome for reading comics on and also as a laptop, as it's more than powerful enough to do anything I need. Plus, the pen is a huge boon and very helpful when working with photos. It's basically a portable, self-contained WACOM Cintiq. And given the announcements to day on Windows 10, it's really going to get amazing soon. Can't wait to install the Preview bits when they drop next week.
I also moved from T-Mobile to Verizon, which sounds backwards given the pricing and policies, but T-Mobile's coverage just doesn't cut it for me. I don't even get signal at my desk at work. Given that Kimberly's had Verizon forever, I've been able to mentally track where she has coverage and I don't, which is a lot of places when we go on road trips. I love what T-Mobile is doing to shake up the industry, but I just can't have network drop-outs and spotty coverage. Verizon has always been the holy-grail of coverage for me, so I'm happy that I don't have to worry about it anymore. Anyway, in doing so, I picked up the last Lumia Icon that the store had (it was discontinued back in October, though the Lumia 930, the GSM version, is still an in-production flagship phone). Again, going from a Nexus 6 to that seems backwards, but I've always greatly preferred the interface of Windows Phone, even if the app support is less than stellar. Really, everything is there but 1st party Google support (Gmail, G+ and Hangouts), but I've found 3rd party solutions for everything (and Gmail/contacts/calendar all work perfectly fine with the built-in apps). But I get a 20MP OIS camera (which is phenomenal, btw), keep the Qi charging that I love so much and get the OS that I like the most. Spec-wise, it's still flagship-level, with a Snapdragon 801 and 2GB of RAM. I couldn't be happier. And again, with the incoming Windows 10 improvements, it's gonna rock even more. Again, really looking forward to installing the Preview next month.All that said, I never thought a 5" phone would feel tiny, but after the iPhone 6 Plus and the Nexus 6, it's like holding a tiny toy. lol
Speaking of all those Windows 10 announcements I'm referencing, there's some big stuff in there. Common Core means that the computer, phone, tablet and Xbox One will all share characteristics. Visibly, that means the interface will be even more common between all devices. But beyond that, it's a far deeper integration and some (not all) shared code that will make it very easy for someone to make an app and target any device running Windows 10. The app stores will all be together, and apps will work the same across platforms (with some adjustments for the interfaces themselves). That's pretty awesome to start with (and makes a lot of sense). But beyond that, you'll be able to stream your Xbox One games to any Windows 10 device on your network (kind of like the Vita can do, or the Wii U with it's tablet), there will be continuity between all devices (ie pick up where you leave off instantly when using the same app) and, a big one for me, a music locker service using OneDrive's unlimited storage through Xbox Music, which is completely cross-platform. It'll be like Google Play Music (which is awesome), but will also work for me not matter what mobile device or ecosystem I'm using. Oh, and also the return of the Start Menu, dynamic and smart switching of the interface for convertible devices (like the Surface) depending on if a keyboard is attached or not (desktop interface when docked to a keyboard, tablet interface when not), and a lot of other tweaks and optimizations. Also, it's a free upgrade from anyone going all the way back to Windows 7. I know a lot of what Microsoft does today is still a direct product of the Balmer Era, but it really does feel like a fresh company, eager to please consumers and enterprise alike across a full range of products.
12.09.2014
Nexus 6
First, let's acknowledge the pink elephant in the room: Yes, the screen is HUGE. Yes, this will turn a lot of people off. Way off. You can put this phone in your pocket, but it's hard to sit down comfortably with it. If you can, you're probably wearing JNCOs. lol 6 inches is not a screen size a lot of people will be able to live with.
Now that we have that aside, let's talk the phone itself. The screen is gorgeous at 2xHD (1440 x 2560) resolution. At 493 ppi, it's far beyond "retina". I've always preferred AMOLED screens to LCD (such as Apple uses), and this phone is no exception. I do a LOT of reading at night, and having a screen that goes to true black (no backlit pixels) at 6 inches is perfect for that. I've compared it to the iPhone 6 Plus and Note 4, apt considering their "massive" screen sizes at 5.5" and 5.7" respectfully. The N6 beats them both out at screen size and matches the resolution of the Note 4.
As with past Nexus devices, this is a completely stock device, getting updates directly from from the big G in sky with no carrier intervention. (Of note, the AT&T version of the Nexus 6 does have carrier bloatware and branding on it, so updates will likely be delayed there.) Lollipop (Android 5) is gorgeous to look at and really brings the Android UI into maturity, feeling less like a "cool design" that an engineer thought up and more like a very calculated, modern interface. Indeed "Material Design" infuses the entire interface of the phone and just about every Google app. Already, many app developers are adopting this design standard, making everything feel more and more "integrated". Going from one app to another is less jarring now as more apps abandon their proprietary designs, though this is starting the debate of whether or not an app should be consistently designed across platforms (Android, iOS, Windows Phone, etc), which all have very distinct design differences, or if they should match the interface of the platform they're run on. That said, early leaks from Samsung indicate they are going to adopt a lot of Material Design in future versions of Touchwiz.
But enough about the software. That's only a very temporary differentiator as OEMs roll out updates. Let's get to the meat of the review: The Hardware. Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 2.7Ghz quad-core processor with 3GB of RAM, the phone flies. The only "lag" to complain about is the beautiful animations that Google introduced with Lollipop. Don't want the "lag"? Enable Developer Options and either speed them up or turn them off completely. Me? I'm a design guy, so I like 'em.
The camera is good. Not the best camera I've used on a phone, but easily good enough for day-to-day use in just about every situation. 13MP OIS (optical image stabilization) f2.0, it captures crisp detail quickly. It works well in lowlight, too, though it doesn't brighten up dark shots as much as the iPhone 6 Plus or Note 4. That said, the Note 4 captures a lot more grain in those brighter lowlight shots, so it's a trade off. I haven't done extensive shooting with it yet, but I already like it more than the Note 4. I'm optimistic so far.
Oh, one last bit: The sound. The N6 features dual front-facing speakers that offer loud, clear sound. It's probably not a match for the vaunted Boom Sound of the HTC One (M8), but it allows for great stereo sound to pair with the big screen. I don't really feel like watching something on this sized device is a compromise anymore.
One thing is for sure: I will have a very hard time moving to another phone from this one. And that's something I can't remember saying in a very, very long time.
Now that we have that aside, let's talk the phone itself. The screen is gorgeous at 2xHD (1440 x 2560) resolution. At 493 ppi, it's far beyond "retina". I've always preferred AMOLED screens to LCD (such as Apple uses), and this phone is no exception. I do a LOT of reading at night, and having a screen that goes to true black (no backlit pixels) at 6 inches is perfect for that. I've compared it to the iPhone 6 Plus and Note 4, apt considering their "massive" screen sizes at 5.5" and 5.7" respectfully. The N6 beats them both out at screen size and matches the resolution of the Note 4.
As with past Nexus devices, this is a completely stock device, getting updates directly from from the big G in sky with no carrier intervention. (Of note, the AT&T version of the Nexus 6 does have carrier bloatware and branding on it, so updates will likely be delayed there.) Lollipop (Android 5) is gorgeous to look at and really brings the Android UI into maturity, feeling less like a "cool design" that an engineer thought up and more like a very calculated, modern interface. Indeed "Material Design" infuses the entire interface of the phone and just about every Google app. Already, many app developers are adopting this design standard, making everything feel more and more "integrated". Going from one app to another is less jarring now as more apps abandon their proprietary designs, though this is starting the debate of whether or not an app should be consistently designed across platforms (Android, iOS, Windows Phone, etc), which all have very distinct design differences, or if they should match the interface of the platform they're run on. That said, early leaks from Samsung indicate they are going to adopt a lot of Material Design in future versions of Touchwiz.
But enough about the software. That's only a very temporary differentiator as OEMs roll out updates. Let's get to the meat of the review: The Hardware. Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 2.7Ghz quad-core processor with 3GB of RAM, the phone flies. The only "lag" to complain about is the beautiful animations that Google introduced with Lollipop. Don't want the "lag"? Enable Developer Options and either speed them up or turn them off completely. Me? I'm a design guy, so I like 'em.
The camera is good. Not the best camera I've used on a phone, but easily good enough for day-to-day use in just about every situation. 13MP OIS (optical image stabilization) f2.0, it captures crisp detail quickly. It works well in lowlight, too, though it doesn't brighten up dark shots as much as the iPhone 6 Plus or Note 4. That said, the Note 4 captures a lot more grain in those brighter lowlight shots, so it's a trade off. I haven't done extensive shooting with it yet, but I already like it more than the Note 4. I'm optimistic so far.
Oh, one last bit: The sound. The N6 features dual front-facing speakers that offer loud, clear sound. It's probably not a match for the vaunted Boom Sound of the HTC One (M8), but it allows for great stereo sound to pair with the big screen. I don't really feel like watching something on this sized device is a compromise anymore.
One thing is for sure: I will have a very hard time moving to another phone from this one. And that's something I can't remember saying in a very, very long time.
11.05.2014
Galaxy Note 4
The screen is drop-dead gorgeous (5.7" SAMOLED 2K display), the battery life is pretty dead on with what I was loving with the iPhone 6 Plus, and the camera is noticeably better than any phone I've ever had. It's super-fast (no surprise there) and the Note features are really nice. I like having a stylus on something that big, and the popup/split windows are great, even if only some apps support it. I'm glad they did away with the USB 3 port, and the metal edges are a really nice upgrade over the plastic of the Note 3.
It wasn't too long ago that I thought "phablets" were dumb. I was comfortable with a 4.7" screen (still probably the largest single-hand phone screen I'm comfortable with) and a tablet, and I saw clear differences in their uses. The Note 3 started to change that for me, but it still felt incomplete on some levels. The iPhone 6 Plus really solidified the place for a phablet for me, enough so that I even did away with my small tablet. But with that much screen, a grid of icons always feels a waste (something I've thought from day-one with the iPad). Android just makes better use of larger screens, and phablets have hit a point of maturity in Android that just wasn't really there even 6 months ago. Samsung really nailed it with the Note 4 (even if there's still a lot of touchwiz crap I could do without), and I'm very happy with it.
On a side note, I also got a Gear 2 Neo when I traded phones. I set it up and used it for all of about 15 minutes before I went back to my Pebble. Having already had a Gear 2 before, I quickly remembered why I prefer the Pebble or Android Wear devices. It's just a bit clumsy to navigate, and I need media controls and notifications to take center stage. Samsung has their watches geared (no pun intended) around different ideals. It's just a preference thing. I'll probably put that watch up on Craigslist in the next day or so and I'll definitely be getting a Moto 360 watch this week, as I really love the interface of Android Wear, the watch is gorgeous, and I was going to get a fitness tracker anyway. :)
It wasn't too long ago that I thought "phablets" were dumb. I was comfortable with a 4.7" screen (still probably the largest single-hand phone screen I'm comfortable with) and a tablet, and I saw clear differences in their uses. The Note 3 started to change that for me, but it still felt incomplete on some levels. The iPhone 6 Plus really solidified the place for a phablet for me, enough so that I even did away with my small tablet. But with that much screen, a grid of icons always feels a waste (something I've thought from day-one with the iPad). Android just makes better use of larger screens, and phablets have hit a point of maturity in Android that just wasn't really there even 6 months ago. Samsung really nailed it with the Note 4 (even if there's still a lot of touchwiz crap I could do without), and I'm very happy with it.
On a side note, I also got a Gear 2 Neo when I traded phones. I set it up and used it for all of about 15 minutes before I went back to my Pebble. Having already had a Gear 2 before, I quickly remembered why I prefer the Pebble or Android Wear devices. It's just a bit clumsy to navigate, and I need media controls and notifications to take center stage. Samsung has their watches geared (no pun intended) around different ideals. It's just a preference thing. I'll probably put that watch up on Craigslist in the next day or so and I'll definitely be getting a Moto 360 watch this week, as I really love the interface of Android Wear, the watch is gorgeous, and I was going to get a fitness tracker anyway. :)
10.06.2014
A week with the iPhone 6 Plus
First off, no, it hasn't bent at all. There, that's done.
This is the near perfect replacement, for me, for a phone and a tablet. Is it big? Yes, but it's also small. I look at it from the perspective of someone who, up until now, has done certain things on a phone (daily surfing, social media, photography, etc) and certain things on a tablet (reading books/comics, watching videos, playing games). This screen is easily large enough to do everything I've done on a tablet, while also being small enough to fit in my pocket. You'd think that the additional activity would be killing my battery, but I used the phone pretty intensively all day yesterday from 10am to 10pm and still had 50% of my battery left. The only issue I've had is that reading comics is a little tough, but Comixology's Guided View mode more or less negates that. I just can't read full page at a time. No big deal though. Using it paired with my Mac mini Plex server at home has worked flawlessly, enabled by my unlimited data plan (I love T-Mobile), and as more and more apps are properly optimized for the screen size, things just keep getting better and better. And as someone who actually used Google Wallet for NFC payments, I'm looking forward to Apple Pay rolling out later this month. Oh, and the camera? It's FANTASTIC. It's not going to replace my DSLR, or even my Canon G15, but for snapshots or times where I don't want to carry my cameras with me, it does a great job. I really do love it.
It should be noted that this is not my first "phablet". I had a Galaxy Note 3 that I liked a lot, but it just didn't work out as well, for some reason. Battery life was good, but not this good, and the overall experience just wasn't as good
This is the near perfect replacement, for me, for a phone and a tablet. Is it big? Yes, but it's also small. I look at it from the perspective of someone who, up until now, has done certain things on a phone (daily surfing, social media, photography, etc) and certain things on a tablet (reading books/comics, watching videos, playing games). This screen is easily large enough to do everything I've done on a tablet, while also being small enough to fit in my pocket. You'd think that the additional activity would be killing my battery, but I used the phone pretty intensively all day yesterday from 10am to 10pm and still had 50% of my battery left. The only issue I've had is that reading comics is a little tough, but Comixology's Guided View mode more or less negates that. I just can't read full page at a time. No big deal though. Using it paired with my Mac mini Plex server at home has worked flawlessly, enabled by my unlimited data plan (I love T-Mobile), and as more and more apps are properly optimized for the screen size, things just keep getting better and better. And as someone who actually used Google Wallet for NFC payments, I'm looking forward to Apple Pay rolling out later this month. Oh, and the camera? It's FANTASTIC. It's not going to replace my DSLR, or even my Canon G15, but for snapshots or times where I don't want to carry my cameras with me, it does a great job. I really do love it.
It should be noted that this is not my first "phablet". I had a Galaxy Note 3 that I liked a lot, but it just didn't work out as well, for some reason. Battery life was good, but not this good, and the overall experience just wasn't as good
9.29.2014
Nest Thermostat, Hue Light, and a Plex Server
Installed the Nest (fairly harrowing, as the wires coming from the wall weren't long enough to reach the leads) and Hue lights last night. The Nest, while fun, is more practical, but we played with the Hue lights for about an hour. One light in the living room, and two in our room. I'd like another in the living room, and then I need three for the kitchen and three for the dining room... Yeah, this could get expensive fast. LOL Seriously though, it's super cool to have all this stuff automated and connected, and I can control both the Hues and the Nest through my Pebble as well.
The media server is working great as well. I'm using Screen Sharing on my MacBook Pro to connect and control the Mac mini I'm using as a server to search and download shows, and then sort them properly. The mini acts as a Plex server, and I have a lifetime Plex Pass, so I can stream content no matter where I am. It's a near perfect setup; I just need to automate my TV episode downloads, and I'll be super happy. I know it can be done, so I just need to figure it out...
The media server is working great as well. I'm using Screen Sharing on my MacBook Pro to connect and control the Mac mini I'm using as a server to search and download shows, and then sort them properly. The mini acts as a Plex server, and I have a lifetime Plex Pass, so I can stream content no matter where I am. It's a near perfect setup; I just need to automate my TV episode downloads, and I'll be super happy. I know it can be done, so I just need to figure it out...
6.19.2009
Bing It
So I’ve been using Bing, Microsoft’s decision engine (don’t call it a search engine!), for a couple weeks now. I’ve only used Google on my iTouch (since you can’t change the default search engine, and I’m too lazy to remember to go to bing.com), and I have to say, Microsoft may indeed have a winner on their hands.
What Bing does best is decision-based searches (travel, weather, medical, etc), rather than content-based searches. Searching for plane tickets not only directs you to the various travel sites, but will aggregate the results from those sites. You can narrow it down by departure/arrival dates, locations, price, and more. One particlarly nice feature of the travel search is that it will tell you the trend of the ticket price, so you know when best to purchase. In returning results like this, Bing sets itself apart from the typical Google search.
While they’ll never take out the giant that is Google, Bing’s search results have yielded better, more relevant results in most of the comparison searches I’ve done. It’s leaps and bounds better than Live Search (and MSN Search before that) ever was, and for those that make the effort to break the muscle-memory of Googling something, Bing is a great offering. Like many of Microsoft’s latest products (Zune, Windows 7, Live Essentials), Bing is pretty rock solid. There’s room for improvement, but there always is.
Google has grown stagnant with no serious competition, and I hope that Bing spurs them to make improvements to their search engine. If every 1% of the search market is worth $1 Billion dollars, then they don’t have to aim for taking down Google. In a world of Google, they have to not only match Google to gain traction, they have to be a better engine. What I find interesting is that they are not aiming squarely at Google; they are billing Bing as a decision engine, not a search engine, effectively carving out a niche market where they dominate. Do I ever think that people will throw the word “Bing” around like they do “Google”? No. It’ll be an odd day when you hear someone say “Just Bing it”, but I’m already Binging it. lol
What Bing does best is decision-based searches (travel, weather, medical, etc), rather than content-based searches. Searching for plane tickets not only directs you to the various travel sites, but will aggregate the results from those sites. You can narrow it down by departure/arrival dates, locations, price, and more. One particlarly nice feature of the travel search is that it will tell you the trend of the ticket price, so you know when best to purchase. In returning results like this, Bing sets itself apart from the typical Google search.
While they’ll never take out the giant that is Google, Bing’s search results have yielded better, more relevant results in most of the comparison searches I’ve done. It’s leaps and bounds better than Live Search (and MSN Search before that) ever was, and for those that make the effort to break the muscle-memory of Googling something, Bing is a great offering. Like many of Microsoft’s latest products (Zune, Windows 7, Live Essentials), Bing is pretty rock solid. There’s room for improvement, but there always is.
Google has grown stagnant with no serious competition, and I hope that Bing spurs them to make improvements to their search engine. If every 1% of the search market is worth $1 Billion dollars, then they don’t have to aim for taking down Google. In a world of Google, they have to not only match Google to gain traction, they have to be a better engine. What I find interesting is that they are not aiming squarely at Google; they are billing Bing as a decision engine, not a search engine, effectively carving out a niche market where they dominate. Do I ever think that people will throw the word “Bing” around like they do “Google”? No. It’ll be an odd day when you hear someone say “Just Bing it”, but I’m already Binging it. lol
6.18.2009
Microsoft Security Essentials
Codenamed project Morro, the free successor to the popular Windows Live OneCare will be released for public beta on June 23rd. I’ve been using it under Windows 7 for several days now, and the experience is consistent and comfortable, requiring minimal user interaction for operations. It’s very hard to gauge the effectiveness of an anti-virus program, but so far, so good. I have to get any warnings or alerts from the application, though whether or not that’s an indicator of it’s effectiveness or my safe surfing habbits is up for debate. Short of intentionally contracting a virus on my system, I’m not quite sure how to test it. I will say that when coupled with Windows Defender and Firewall, I feel completely at ease; more so than I have with other alternatives (AVG Free, for example). Again, this is more due to my trust in Microsoft (don’t laugh) to protect than some smaller company. The UI needs a bit of work, in my opinion, to bring it up to the polish of Windows 7, but since you rarely have to interact with it (it’s constantly running in the background with schedule full scans, as one would expect), it’s not that much of a caveat. What is a bit of concern is that Microsoft is only insuring the product for $5 worth of damage if it does not work. As I never really read the TOS of other anti-virus programs, I’m not sure if this is on par or not. The TOS could change with a wide-release, so perhaps this is nothing to worry about. I eagerly await June 23rd to test the public beta release, and will update soon thereafter.
5.24.2009
The OS Game
So I realized today that only one computing device in my house, my 10 year old stepdaughter’s 5 year old HP laptop, is running the operating system that it is supposed to. She’s running Windows XP, which is fine for her. My white MacBook is running the current build of Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6), which is in closed beta, and Windows 7 RC, also not released to retail. My iTouch is running iPhone OS 3.0 Beta 5, and even my wife’s Compaq Presario laptop is running Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5.6). On top of all that, I’m running the Tech Preview of Microsoft Office 2010 under Windows 7, as well the iTunes 8.2 beta. lol One would imagine that with all this unproven software running, I’d have a super buggy systems with lots of crashes. One would also be wrong.
While I can’t speak much about Snow Leopard, I can say that under the current build, I’ve only hit two bugs: Spotlight freezes every so often, and batch importing more than a few photos at a time crashes Aperture (the Aperture bug was fixed by iLife updates that I missed). Other than that, it seems faster than Leopard, and definitely has a smaller footprint.
Windows 7 could be pressed and sent to retail right now and be off to a much better start than Vista had. Faster, smaller, and sleeker, it’s what Vista should have been 2 years ago. It’s been a very long time since I’ve been genuinely excited about a release of Windows (probably back to 98, or even 95), but I carved out a decent chunk of my hard drive just to run Windows 7. I have yet to hit any snags, freezes, or dreaded Blue Screens of Death with it, and I’ve been running it since early November. If you have even a passing interest in it, I highly recommend downloading the free Release Candidate; it’s even good until March 1st, 2010, which is well beyond when it will be released to retail. – Windows 7
iPhone OS 3.0 is awesome, there’s just no other way to call it. I didn’t think cut/paste would be a big deal, and I find I’m actually using it quite a bit. Being able to use my Bluetooth headphones (Motorola S9) is awesome, and being able to search the whole device is indispensable. I ran into a few glitches with Beta 4, but Beta 5 is almost completely smooth. The only issue I have is that newly installed apps have a blank icon until I turn it completely off and back on. It’s widely believed we’ll be seeing 3.0 in the wild very soon, along with a new iPhone. iPhone OS 3.0 requires iTunes 8.2, and the beta doesn’t have any new features besides the ability to sync Notes with Apple Mail on the desktop.
Office 2010 doesn’t bring many game-changing features to the table, but then again, Office is old enough to be mature. The ribbon UI has been tweaked and is finally used throughout the suite. Other than that, there’s a few changes to the way things look, a new print wizard, and few other small things. I’ve only started playing around with it.
Anyways, I apologize for the lack of posts these past few months. My wife and I found out that we will be expecting my second child (her fourth) in December, and the farm has kept us busy. Now that I’ve moved to WordPress, I have the ability to post from my iTouch in addition to my MacBook, so expect more posts. I’ll be posting some iPhone game and app reviews soon, so keep an eye out!
While I can’t speak much about Snow Leopard, I can say that under the current build, I’ve only hit two bugs: Spotlight freezes every so often, and batch importing more than a few photos at a time crashes Aperture (the Aperture bug was fixed by iLife updates that I missed). Other than that, it seems faster than Leopard, and definitely has a smaller footprint.
Windows 7 could be pressed and sent to retail right now and be off to a much better start than Vista had. Faster, smaller, and sleeker, it’s what Vista should have been 2 years ago. It’s been a very long time since I’ve been genuinely excited about a release of Windows (probably back to 98, or even 95), but I carved out a decent chunk of my hard drive just to run Windows 7. I have yet to hit any snags, freezes, or dreaded Blue Screens of Death with it, and I’ve been running it since early November. If you have even a passing interest in it, I highly recommend downloading the free Release Candidate; it’s even good until March 1st, 2010, which is well beyond when it will be released to retail. – Windows 7
iPhone OS 3.0 is awesome, there’s just no other way to call it. I didn’t think cut/paste would be a big deal, and I find I’m actually using it quite a bit. Being able to use my Bluetooth headphones (Motorola S9) is awesome, and being able to search the whole device is indispensable. I ran into a few glitches with Beta 4, but Beta 5 is almost completely smooth. The only issue I have is that newly installed apps have a blank icon until I turn it completely off and back on. It’s widely believed we’ll be seeing 3.0 in the wild very soon, along with a new iPhone. iPhone OS 3.0 requires iTunes 8.2, and the beta doesn’t have any new features besides the ability to sync Notes with Apple Mail on the desktop.
Office 2010 doesn’t bring many game-changing features to the table, but then again, Office is old enough to be mature. The ribbon UI has been tweaked and is finally used throughout the suite. Other than that, there’s a few changes to the way things look, a new print wizard, and few other small things. I’ve only started playing around with it.
Anyways, I apologize for the lack of posts these past few months. My wife and I found out that we will be expecting my second child (her fourth) in December, and the farm has kept us busy. Now that I’ve moved to WordPress, I have the ability to post from my iTouch in addition to my MacBook, so expect more posts. I’ll be posting some iPhone game and app reviews soon, so keep an eye out!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)