Mobile blogging at NCT4G

This is an experiment in creating a blog via my Android device. I am sitting in a quiet corner waiting to present at the North Carolina Technology 4 Good conference. Jim Ray and I will be talking about cloud computing. The presentation itself is an experiment since I used Google Sites to create and share the content. I tried to use the Google Docs presenter but it was too limited in how it could display stuff (e.g. I want to click on a logo and jump to a url).
So this conference has a lot of talks on using the web to support a non-profit organization. For example, Jeff Stern spoke on how social media is being used at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham.
Well, back to mobile blogging...
Not sure if it is a great fit for me and my HTC Inspire. The version I am using to compose this does not have all the easy widgets and composition editing I have on my laptop. PLUS I am still slow using the soft keyboard, so this is taking longer then I like. I will need to go back later to add links.
I don't want to use this to create simple status updates... that's why I have Twitter.

Mobile Device Dilemma part IV

I finally upgraded my mobile device from a Blackberry Bold to an HTC Inspire. Many of the trade-off issues are documented in parts I-III. The four Blackberries below are my last four mobile devices (photo courtesy of HTC Inspire).

My AT&T contract for the Bold was due to expire this April and that is the trigger for me to upgrade. In the process of getting the Inspire I considered a few other options. Below are my factors in deciding to go with the Inspire.

Atrix - This device was available at the same time as the Inspire and while I liked the screen resolution, I was not attracted to the screen size. However, the main reason for not going with the Atrix was I would not take advantage of the peripheral  options like the laptop and multi-media dock.

Infuse - This was a close second for me in my decision process. However, I did not want to wait until May/June to get the device and the Samsung build quality and Android update frequency had turned me off. I was attracted to the Super AMOLED + display with Gorilla Glass but not enough to wait.

Samsung S2 - While announced for Europe at the Mobile World Congress, this device was probably in the late summer for AT&T. Not sure I would get that big a boost from the dual core. I was intrigued by the Near Field Communication Chip but I think that will be something I latch onto in my next phone two years from now.

Thunderbolt - The "4G" from AT&T is a joke out of the box. If I was willing to take my family plan over to Verizon, I could have jumped on LTE. However, I decided that where I live in Raliegh would not light up until mid summer and did not want to wait.

Given all the above options, I chose the Inspire because of HTC build quality, and the fact that in a few weeks I will root the phone to get much faster network data speeds. Stay tuned for my adventures in rootville.

Twenty-four hours later:

• I am still getting used to the on-screen keyboard but can see myself going up the learning curve.
• The battery life was a concern before purchase, but is not really an issue for me now. I have the power saver enabled and have not run low yet. With my typical use, I got a full fifteen hours.
• I have been downloading some apps and widgets from the HTC Sense Hub and the Android Market. Very easy. Instead of using one of the six alternative screens beyond Home, I find myself opening up the all apps and scrolling around. Figuring out a better way to get to a specific app is something I need to work on.
• I saw a post on malware from Android Apps and decided to purchase an anti-virus app (Anti-Virus Pro)
• Finally, I am disappointed that there is not a tighter integration with my Google Apps account. Gmail, Calendar, and Contacts are well integrated, but others like Docs are based on a web interface and you have to manually create a bookmark or shortcut to quickly access. 

Mobile Device Dilemma part III

I was sitting next to a colleague recently who was evaluating a Galaxy Tab. I have been toying with the idea of getting a Galaxy Tab and using  it as a replacement for my cell phone, and seeing the run through of the device spurred me to seriously analyze the pros/cons and make a decision. In addition to being able to browse the internet, take good notes, and almost act as a PC in the meetings I attend, I would like the Tab to have the following:

• Google Voice Support - I moved off of Skype to Google Voice in my home office and it seems to work just fine. If I had a Tab I would like to install Google Voice and make and receive calls. The buzz on the internet seems to indicate that YES you can do that and NO you cannot. Not sure who is correct. Oh, and I would need to be able to use my blue tooth headset to talk over Google Voice.
• Pocket-ability - I need the Tab to go with me just like I carry my cell phone and that seems a bit awkward. I currently throw my cell phone into my shirt pocket or inside jacket pocket and the size of the Tab does not seem to allow that. I have seen pictures of Tabs stuffed into jean pockets but that does not look comfortable. Of all the roadblocks to the Tab this might be the deal breaker.
• Price - The $600 list price is high. But we all know the real cost is in the 24 months of voice/data under contract. So would $600 + X < $300 + Y?  Where X is a large enough data only plan and Y is the current voice plus data that I have? Gets complicated since I don't know how much data I would use per month to support VOIP. But I would only have to save $12.50 a month to hit break even.

In addition, my current dilemma over waiting for a faster network (documented in part II) plays into this. If all of my requirements above were satisfied would it make sense to wait 6-12 months for a Tab 2.0 that supported HSPA+ or LTE?

It really helps to write all this down in a blog post. I am not going to get the Tab.
It would work well as a device when I was going to a business meeting as my destination or on a business trip when I carry my briefcase / backpack. But not as a "Constant Digital Companion" (remember the phrase and where it was coined). Eventually I want to have a device that is with me 24x7... much like my wristwatch.

Nokia Concept Wrist Phone

Currently, my Blackberry is with me much less and I want to be able to train myself to have my next device with me and able to support me with more assistance. How far should this go? A recent article in the NY Times "Growing up Digital, Wired for Distraction" argues that for many teenagers the limit has already been exceeded. But I don't want to SMS 1,000 messages a day (or the Twitter equivalent). I want the device always with me, to be monitoring my situation in the background, and gently interrupting me with suggestions that keep me on track.

And that leaves out the TAB.

a mobile device dilemma Part II

Since last December when I shared the small family crisis caused by the way the cellular industry has conspired to keep me off of Android a couple things have changed:

• AT&T has begun to offer some good Android phones. I would seriously consider the Captivate for my use.
• Rumors of Verizon taking on the iPhone persist. If that happened I could move the family over and my wife and daughter could stay on the iPhone while I could pick and choose from a wide variety of Android devices.

However, my decision continues to be complicated by the fluid nature of the service provider landscape. Now it is the emergence of higher bandwidth networks. For most of what I do on the mobile device a solid 3G connection gets the job done. But if I could get 2-10x the bandwidth via HSPA+ or LTE then should I wait until the right Provider/Device/Price comes along on one of those networks?
Because of the financial impact of disengaging my family from 3 two year contracts on AT&T my easiest option would be to stay with them and face a simpler choice:

1. Wait until this September when I am eligible for an upgrade discount and jump on the Captivate and use 3G
2. Wait until AT&T roles out HSPA+ in early 2011 and hope there is a nice Android device able to take advantage of that network.
3. Wait until AT&T roles out LTE in 2011-12 and hope there is a nice Android device (by then it will have a 2GHz processor and an mega-mega pixel camera) able to take advantage of that network.

Obviously these three choices represent the constant agony of the early adopter... whatever is in my hand is obsolete and the nice new shiny gadget is always over the horizon. BUT that feeling is tempered by my frugal side so that I tend to upgrade about every two years. I am tending towards option 2 with some caveats:

• Since AT&T has not announced any concrete steps or devices towards HSPA+ (unlike T-mobile) I am afraid early 2011 could easily become late 2011.
• With AT&T moving off of an unlimited data plan, will HSPA+ carry a double premium? First a higher $/byte charge then 3G, and second, my natural tendency to play with the technology and do video conferencing on the device until my first monthly bill comes in (Ouch!).

Decisions Decisions.
What would you do?

a mobile device dilemma

The exclusive deals that device manufacturers are making with service providers will ultimately cause a family crisis for me.

Today my family of three is using an AT&T unlimited family plan. On that plan we have three devices:

• Blackberry Bold - me
• iPhone 3GS - wife
• iPhone - daughter

I picked the Blackberry last year when my old one died. It was not my ideal choice. I really wanted to jump on the Android bandwagon. I am an avid Google user and wanted to have a state-of-the-art experience of integration. Alas, I did not do so at the time because:

1. AT&T did not have an Android device (I suspect they may never have one).

2. The T-mobile HTC G1 was not a game changing device

However, at that time my wife/daughter were using dumber devices mainly with voice/texting capabilities and I probably could have migrated the family over to T-mobile.

BUT since I got my Blackberry (which has OK Google apps), my wife/daughter became iFans. At this point, I would have to pry the iPhone from my wife's cold dead hand.

So you see my dilemma. At some point there will be this wonderful, amazing device (like an HTC HD2 running Android 3.x) on a service provider like Verizon and I will either have to ignore it, convince my family to abandon their iPhones, or split the family unit into separate accounts ($$$).

I had hopes that Google's push for an open network would have worked out. Being able to purchase any device and activate on any network (radio compatibility assumed) would make this little family crisis in the making disappear.

mobile check-in

As a road warrior I am always interested in anything that will improve my experience in the airport. I recently saw where Delta Airlines and the TSA have teamed up to trial a paperless boarding pass at the Memphis airport.  The traveller can download an electronic boarding pass that is displayed on the device. The TSA has a 2D bar code scanner that verifies the boarding pass and Delta uses its current gate scanner. So as a time saver, the time at security and at the gate is not reduced, however I save the time in line at a kiosk to pick up a boarding pass. 

Getting the TSA and Delta personnel familiar with the mobile device is a good step to what I hope will be the next big change... Near Field Communication. Instead of using an optical scan the NFC enabled device can be waived over the reader and convey equivalent information as the 2D Bar code. So why is that an improvement? 

1. In an NFC enabled device the eBoarding Pass is kept as encrypted content on a separate chip that is more secure then the device general memory. Hackers can attack a mobile device in several ways and could steal or corrupt the information. The NFC devices resist unauthorized access.

2. NFC will be used primarily for electronic replacement of credit/debit cards. Using the tap and go ISO 14443 based interaction will become second nature to users of the device.