Geek Gear: My Tablet Man-Bag (SwissGear Travel Shoulder Bag) Quick Review

Did you ever wonder what's in this geek's man-bag, aka gadget bag? Today I'll give you a glimpse of one of my several gadget/laptop bags and what I carry around in it.  Keep reading for the pics and gadgets.

Think Tank: Mobile phone industry and the greater good...

Well, today's post was inspired by several recent articles and the current mobile market/trends.  As we all know (at least us in the industry), the mobile market has recently exploded into quite an industry/market. 

We see new phones and technology nearly on a quarterly basis and designs, in a way, consolidating around a very familar/common form-factor.  Today, i'll rant and suggest to the industry something that could help not only the industry and consumers but also the planet and the greater good of preventing more and more digital trash.

Quick Post: things to fix in Windows Phone 7... NOW!

this is my quick list of things that need to be addressed ASAP in Windows Phone 7.  I have had my HTC HD7 for about a week and already have ran across several things that should not have passed QC.  Lets get to the list!

1. Custom Ringers (WTF?? copyright scare? make it so we can't make them longer than 30secs)

2. Manual WiFi Network setup / adding of non broadcasted SSID networks. (REALLY? REALLY?? your f(*$ing microsoft, you built wireless zero config! come on!)

3. Car mode options. Hello? Yes, i like security and a password but would like a lock timeout longer than 5 minutes with password options (you can get never lock screen but only w/o a password). Gotta be thinking a little more forward here!

4. Pandora, oh where o where can my Pandora be... WebOS got it on launch.  That was Palm, a now defunct company.  ??

My Startup Story: JimmyCan

Today's post will be a retrospective on a recent side venture of mine, my own technology services / consulting company, JimmyCan LLC.  I'm a huge geek and I love helping people with technology and have recently been hearing more and more tech support horror stories from major companies. This really made me angry in hearing about techs stealing customers data or trying to sell side services before fixing the main problem or even worse the ones who don't even get the original problem fixed but are told to upgrade.

Thus JimmyCan was born.  Keep reading for the tale of my little baby.

Lock Down: My Mobile Security Basics

As technology progresses and the masses start adopting it into their daily lives; we see another side of society start popping up.  Malware, trojans, spyware, and fraud websites have become a part of our digital life. With the recent explosion of the mobile world, more and more us now carry tons of our personal data and information with us on our phones.  In turn, we put ourselves more at risk of losing such data.

Today's post will outline a few of my basic security practices for mobile users.  Lets get started!

iPad: business usage and thoughts...

well todays post will center around my experience of using an iPad in an enterprise / corporate / business environment.  again this is a recount of my personal experience and attempt to use my iPad in my work world (ie Network Operations / Support realms, project management).

honestly, the iPad doesn't fare too well, at least when it comes to the straight productivity side of things for my needs/expectations. Keep on reading for the details, apps and end results.

Me and Technology: A quick 20 year debug

(edited title since i covered 20 years not just 10, bonus!)

Well, I thought I'd post a less serious and more fun one today.  I, like most that are reading this, have been a big tech geek for most of my life.  As a kid, we did not have netbooks or iPods or heck even free long distance phone service.  No, I grew up fantasizing about such gadgets and technology.  I grew up watching movies about the future and lusting over the then cool devices (now retro, hehe) and hoping we'd see them eventually. Nope, I had my cool game watches (super mario bros and tetris FTW!!), super small FM/AM Radios and of course my dreams of things to come.

I plan to just highlight a few of the more important events from each decade.  Enjoy the trip down memory lane.

TV: YOU'RE NOT GETTING IT!!! (op-ed)

well, with the temps being in the mid to high 90s, i thought today would be a great day to reflect/rant about network tv and how they just don't get it.  Network TV has a chance to actually make the digital leap before its too late.  we've seen way too many industries who's own arrogance prevented them from taking advantage of the 'digital' transition of 'analog' services; ie the new internet way of business (elimination of the middle man, crowd-surfing, freedom of information vs hoarding of, etc).this rant/reflection will discuss TVs place in our living rooms and our budgets and also where we've been and some possible 'fixes' to avoid failure.

Again, this is all pure opinion based (mine, hehe). Keep reading for the full scoop.  This post is for the SarahZ @ periscope :)

iPad and L5 Remote Dongle Demo (video)

I've been a long time PDA user and for some reason have always lusted over the idea of it being able to control my tv and other appliances.  So when I heard about the L5 remote ($49.95) for the iPhone/iPod Touch, I knew I had to get it (and figured it was most likely iPad compatible, which it is! ). Keep reading for the quick review and video.

My Nexus One and SenseUI / Desire ROM port r21

its been a few months since i bought my nexus one at launch. so far i must say that i'm very satisified with my purchase and believe it can almost replace an iPhone.

however, lately i've been dabbling into the custom rom scene and am loving the MoDaCo ROM Desire Port.  SenseUI is basically just a skin for Android made by HTC  Its available on their Windows Mobile phones and also select Android phones.  The HTC Desire is one of their latest phones; its basically like a Nexus One except for an 8mp camera and digital trackpad vs trackball.

Since the hardware is nearly identical, porting of the Desire's SenseUI rom to the Nexus One was just waiting to be done.

I've been using the MoDaCo Custom ROM r21 and so far have had good luck with it.  There are some bluetooth issues but i never use bluetooth.  Battery drain is def increased but can be fixed by using a custom kernel (i'm using persiansown latest 925mhz cfs kernel.

Here's a quick video of my Nexus One running the Desire Rom. (please excuse crappy sound, got new camera, 720p vids and stereo sound in all new vids)

[youtube wThwO2i5gHs]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wThwO2i5gHs

my iPad experience: non-techie impressions, apps and work, 3G+Wifi version thoughts (2 of 2)

wow, its been almost a month with my iPad Wifi.  So far I am impressed and in love with it. I've been traveling a bit recently and have found it perfect for such outings.  Today, I'll discuss my thoughts on the highs and lows of the iPad after a month of owning/using and also touch on my new iPad 3G+Wifi.  Keep reading for the full post (warning: long post)

iPad + Case + Dock hack (literally)

Well, just so you know, i'm that guy.  the guy that has to have a dock for every gadget/phone/gaming console he owns. So I couldn't pass up the last iPad dock on the shelf at Best Buy.



I also bought the Apple case for it and love it and prefer using my iPad w/it on (easier to handle and don't scratch back, feels like a portfolio).

So.. the big question is; will my iPad fit on the Apple dock w/the Apple case on? One would think so since they are all Apple accessories. NOPE!

The case won't properly fit onto the dock as is since the connector bottom area keeps it from sitting on the dock properly.



I just marked the end of the dock and then cut the casing/fabric level with the iPad connector port and wide enough to fit onto the dock. Hopefully Apple fixes this at the manufacturing point (my cutting isn't the straightest, hehe). An exacto knife would prob do the trick too. I'll go back and clean mine up later this week when i'm not so tired :)





my messy quickie cutout; (note i cut the back too to help get in and out of dock easier).

my iPad experience: i promise its not a review edition (1 of 2)

Wow, there sure has been a lot of iPad buzz and reviews the last few days.  It was expected since this is the marketing beast/genius that is Apple and they don't holdout on launching products.  The iPad was released to the general public three days ago (4/3/2010) in the USA; the lines were nothing like the iPhone or even the PS3 or Wii launches.

Its estimated that only about 300k were sold on the first weekend. Not a bad launch or a great one either.  My 16gb iPad arrived nice and early on Saturday around 9am. So I've had it for about three days. I promise/hope not to bore you with YAIR (yet another iPad review) but more of my thoughts on using it as a geek and then a post 2 of impressions others had on it as i let them have free roam and use of it.  Keep reading for the goodies.

My Apple iPad 16gb Wifi Unboxing and comparison shots

Well, today is the big day (well at least that's what Apple wants us to believe) that the iPad is released into the hands of consumers.  There really haven't been any reports of crazy line waiting but the buzz on the web is still pretty high.  I'll admit that I am pretty excited but then again I'm excited for any new toy I get.  I woke up this morning nice and early and left a nice note for my UPS driver to call me when he gets here since my buzzer doesn't work.

Around 9am, low and behold I get a call that my package has arrived. My heart jumps for joy and my fingers start twitching with the need to pry open a package. :)

Keep on reading for the full unboxing and comparison shots.

pre-iPad quickie, unified apps in the app store

i only got a quickie post today leading up to the iPad hoopla.  Looks that Apple has released the iPad app store.  It include several free apps such as eBay, Netflix, ABC... WAIT NETFLIX?!?! Yup! Its there!

Netflix and Hulu could be the killer/scale tipping (for those not sold) apps for the iPad.  The form factor of the iPad is just asking to be used as the current day portable tv. :) it just seems to be a perfect update to a missing modern gadget.  plus, you got gaming, music, web, and who knows what else in addition.  $500 doesn't seem so bad for what this thing may end up doing.  We'll see once us geeks and consumers get our hands on one this Sat.

Finally, the Apps store now has a new category of apps:  iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad Apps.  IMDb Movies & TV app is the first i've ran across.  Hopefully we'll start to see more and more of these multiplatform apps and also a ton more iPad ones.  Saturday can't come fast enough. Btw, i ended up ordering a 64GB Wifi+3G version so expect to see my launch 16GB Wifi up on eBay once i get my 64GB.  Till then, keep it geeky!

iPad, the magical tablet: thoughts

Well, I have a feeling that the next 7 days are going to be pretty saturated with iPad news and 'leaks' and rumors.  I expect to see more than the usual amount of apple fanboy trolls on comment boards and also their arch-nemesis, the anti-apple fanboy trolls.

As a gadget whore, I was obliged to purchase an iPad on launch so I in turn pre-ordered a 16gb WiFi version to get shipped (should have just picked it up after realizing the 3rd is a Saturday! hope work has Saturday deliveries).

Honestly, I know that I really don't have an apparent need to fill with the iPad (again, except for my appetite for the latest gadgets and toys) but am really curious to see if it will fill a need I never knew I had.  Keep reading for my reflections on past netbook / media devices and if the iPad can overcome their failings.

My Top Android Apps for the Google Nexus One

Sorry about the delay in getting this post up.  Like any blogger/geek, we all have our lists and this is my list of favorite Android Apps available for the Nexus One.  These apps are available for most other Android devices, but my experience with them are limited to the Nexus One and Android 2.1.  I will also cover a few other hacks/tweaks that i've played around with and if they are worth the time of doing/learning.

Keep reading for the full list (including root required apps)!

For my fellow Nexus One Readers... seamonkey's n1 wallpaper pack

Here is a zip of about 104 of my personal wallpaper/photo creations.

Download (rapidshare)

They are all formatted for the Google Nexus One's dimensions. Enjoy :)
960x800px, jpg

Preview below

ps sorry for the rapidshare link though

its my first time: my google nexus one / android experience (part 2)

Well, I'm back wtih my part 2 of 2 on my google nexus and android experience.  This time around, we'll be looking at the software that powers the nexus one, Android 2.1 (eclair build).

Prior to my Nexus One, i had not had any direct experience/using of Android.  One of my pals had a T-Mobile G1 but sadly the cpu was underpowered to really show what Android can do.  Again, my main reason to purchase the Nexus One was that it had the cpu power to anything android wanted and not blink.  So, does it? Is Android mature enough to stand up to the standard that the iPhone has left us with? Lets find out!

its my first time: my google nexus one / android experience (part 1)

so yes, i was one of those geeks. up until the day of launch, i was not really too sold on the new Google Nexus One phone.   Android didn't seem to be as mature as the iPhone OS but still seemed to have a one-up on Windows Mobile/Web OS though.  However, after doing more research on the technology being used in the new Nexus One I was sold.  The Snapdragon CPU alone was worth it imo (cpu speed has historically been the weakest part of most devices, and of course balancing it w/decent battery life) and the fact that there were visual notification options (external led and trackball notifier).

So, what does this previous iPhone 2G and 3G user think of Android and the Nexus One?   Hit the jump to get my part 1 of 2 on my experience.

PS3 Slim Quickie: Harddrive Upgrade in less than 5 mins (video)

here's an updated harddrive upgrade video for the PS3 Slim.  Fast and easy, can be done in less than 5 minutes.

Keep reading for the embedded video or click here to go to youtube page.

gadget pr0n: my Google Nexus One and super cheap data...

yesterday was a big day for me. it was the first time in almost 2 years that i bought a new phone. the features and cpu in the Google Nexus One were too tempting! However, i decided to buy the more expensive unlocked version since I have a great plan at the moment and suspected that my $5.99 plan would get me full 3G.....

and it did! :)  my previous plan worked just fine on my jailbroken iPhone 3G but I only got EDGE on it since the 3G was AT&T's bands, not T-Mobiles.  However, to my delight, once I popped my SIM in I got a nice 3G icon and some up and down arrow action. SCORE!!! My savings from not having to switch data plans would let me save the amount I spent on the phone. :)

here's some comparison geek pr0n with an iPhone 3G and PSP Go.