Posts Tagged ‘Technology’

A Long Overdue Thunderbolt Review-type-thing

June 23rd, 2011

Two months ago I said I would write something about the Thunderbolt..it was only supposed to be about two weeks but life happens I suppose. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to cave-in and buy the thing but I found a coupon for $50 off and thought, “well, this might be good!” I bought the phone only a few weeks after I decided to root my original DROID (which from now on will be referred to as OG, Original Gangsta) and install cyanogenmod 7. Being the happy owner of one of the best Android phones to ever come out I had high hopes for what was supposed to be Verizon’s new super flagship phone as well as the first phone to use their 4G LTE network. What I got from it was a mixed set of feelings that make me miss my OG sometimes.

Let me get this out of the way first, I like this phone a lot. It’s a great device, it’s fast, it’s sexy, it’s big..but it’s not perfect…far from it, and most of the reason is due to the crap software that is on it…let me explain.

The UI and Software

My OG ran stock vanilla Android (what devs call AOSP: Android Open Source Project). This basically means it’s the bare Android OS with no added UI tweaks and no added bloatware crap (with exception to some Verizon apps). This is the best way to run Android for the most part because it’s not using the CPU or RAM to run some fancy/ugly user interface over top of it, it’s not going to have built-in apps syncing crap in the background, it’s just plain ol’ vanilla ice cream (and I like vanilla ice cream). And it works! It doesn’t waste CPU (meaning it’s faster) and it doesn’t background sync unnecessary apps constantly (meaning battery savings) unless you install them. But of course, HTC and other companies want to change it to suit their own phones and needs.

This is a Screenshot from a Nexus 1 running AOSP 2.2

Now, the Thunderbolt (as with many HTC phones) doesn’t do AOSP Android, they use Sense UI, it’s their own user interface which they designed to put on mobile devices for a “sleek” and “unified” look.

This is Sense UI

While some people like the look (which I don’t think is terrible mind you) and the feel, I don’t like it, I hate it. There are several reasons I hate it actually the first and most important being that it’s clunky and slow to respond VERY often; it feels like my OG before I rooted it…this shouldn’t happen on a 1Ghz phone with 700+MB or RAM. So what I did to “fix” this was install ADW.Launcher and use that as my home app. It’s faster, and it looks and feels more like a stock phone now. Second, they package a whole mess of crap in with it; they have a “friendsteam” which gathers your Twitter and Facebook and whatnot into a widget on your screen and displays it and updates it for you; a weather widget (which is actually nice, but i should have a choice to remove it); and their own Facebook and Twitter syncing built in. This is stuff I’d like to install on my own and not have running in the background constantly asking me to log in and sync; if I want Twitter and FB, let me install them myself. They also use their own MMS app which is very slow compared to the AOSP app.

You might be thinking, “man, this is cool that it’s all built-in, why are you hating on this?” Because I like to be able to choose what to have installed on my device. Because of these built in apps (which mind you, aren’t really apps, they’re more like utilities) I have two Facebook apps, and two Twitter apps and it’s kinda dumb to waste space on stuff like that. I also find it annoying that they START UP WITH THE DEVICE…even when I DON’T USE THEM. What a waste of CPU and battery. Once CM7 is released for the phone (not Alpha-builds) that will be my savior. Verizon is also guilty of bundling tons of bloatware with this device. When I received the phone it was PACKED with tons and tons of useless crap..and you can’t remove this stuff! I’ve written about carriers loading bloatware onto phones before, this shit needs to stop with Android.

The Battery

Smartphones are notorious for having crummy batteries. My OG was actually pretty great before the last few months of using it. I used to get over a day with it and I was happy. When deciding on a new phone every review I read had the same complaint with regard to the Thunderbolt: The battery is terrible. Now, I’m never far from a power source, and I have around 4 or 5 micro-USB chargers from my older devices and ones that I found around the lab, so this wasn’t too much of an issue for me. My first day on the phone I got through the entire day of heavy use and texting without it dying, it got to about 5% by midnight (from 8am or so). The second day, same thing. On the third day that’s when it ended. Without using it too much I made it to about 2pm before it started dying on me, I charged it and it was low again by 9pm. Now I see what the complaints were about. I tried using task killers to kill unwanted tasks, I synced data less, I lowered brightness, nothing helped. I read around online and found the best way to get more mileage was to turn off 4G. I figured, I don’t need 4G all the time, so it’s fine, if I get more battery time out of it this is what needs to be done. After turning off 4G, I get through the day again. A few weeks ago an update was released that helped the 4G radio consume less power, so since then I’ve actually been able to leave 4G on and get through most of my day with it…so good on them for fixing that.

The Hardware Itself

This is where the phone really does come out. This phone has some weight to it (it’s heavier than my OG which was a brick) and it’s got that big bright screen. The screen makes it so easy to read things on and to watch videos, the rubberized back makes it easy to hold, the weight makes it feel like you’re not going to crush it in your hands. It is a nice, solid phone. It’s also fast when you need it to be. Playing games, running apps, downloading, it just runs fast (especially with ADW.Launcher). Of course Verizon’s network helps too, I get 4G everywhere in NYC, and the 4G speeds are really good (EVEN INDOORS! Take that WiMax!). I have plenty of space on the 32GB MicroSD card they give you and on the internal storage (8GB but only about 2.5 are available). The only complaints I have about the hardware and design: no dedicated camera button, I really miss this, but it’s fairly minor; the bluetooth volume is super low, I’ve read that it only does it with some headsets but my Jabra is so low I cannot use it; and the GPS takes forever to lock on, sometimes 5-10 minutes. Now, some of this is probably software-based so a fix may be in line (apparently there might be an update in the next month or so to address some of these issues as well as the random reboots caused by the last update) but until that fix is out these problems will remain.

Overall

So to sum this up in a few lines (TL;DR); I really like this phone a lot, it is a great phone by design. The 1Ghz Snapdragon processor and the large amount of RAM really make this phone fly with apps and games and with Verizon’s 4G it really is a speedy phone in all faces. However, the phone has many kinks due to some bad software that comes bundled with it and a broken update from HTC. Most of it’s issues are solely based on the software so hopefully we will see fixes for them in the future.

4 comments »

Posted in Phones, Reviews

Tags: android cell phone Hardware htc reviews Technology thunderbolt

That didn’t last as long as I was expecting…

April 18th, 2011

I decided to upgrade to the Thunderbolt after all. Main reason: I got $50 off from a web coupon. I’m going to write a little bit about it after I’ve used it a bit more.

Some first impressions: This thing is super fast, it’s got a nice feeling to it (not as solid as my DROID but still pretty well built), and the screen is really really nice. The battery life isn’t as bad as everyone says it it…I got a full day out of it with fairly heavy use…we’ll see if that continues though. I hate SenseUI…so I replaced it with ADW Launcher right away and I’m waiting for CyanogenMod to come out for it (it’s currently being worked on). So expect some sort of review in the coming days/weeks…

1 comment »

Posted in Hardware, Phones

Tags: android cell phone cyanogenmod new purchase Technology wireless

T-Mobile, Big Red, Samsung, and Moto dump on the Open Handset Alliance

July 16th, 2010

Let me set the stage up for those who don’t know much background. In 2005, Android, Inc. (a small company in Cali) was acquired by Google. Android, Inc. was a start-up whose business was in developing software for mobile phones. In 2007 Google helped fund the Open handset Alliance (OHA) which is a consortium of several technology companies whose purpose was to develop open standards for mobile devices. Motorola, Samsung, and T-Mobile and among these companies. These companies should all be first in line to make phones more open and free, right?

Well…

Yesterday’s post has already shown us that Motorola should really rework some of their business practices, but it also puts them in a precarious position in the OHA by going against what the OHA is exactly trying to stop, carrier and corporate lockdown of mobile devices. Some even think that because of the eFuse Moto should be asked to leave the OHA, and I’m not entirely sure that they’re wrong in asking this. If they are supposed to abide by the OHA terms, they should. No deviations.

Now for another punch in the OHA/Android face, T-Mobile and Verizon are now installing “junkware” in their new Android phones that cannot be removed in most circumstances. The LA Times blog is reporting that, “the Droid X comes loaded with several nonstandard applications for Google’s Android, most of which cannot be removed” and that T-Mobile’s new Samsung Vibrant is also loaded with some extra apps that cannot be removed. What kind of apps are installed? Here’s a few snips:

Among the [Droid X's] so-called junkware is a Blockbuster video app and a demo for an Electronic Arts game called Need for Speed: Shift….The EA racing game, which provides limited functionality and a large button on the introduction screen urging players to buy the full version, can be removed…

Skype, which is included with other Android handsets Verizon sells, is a permanent fixture, as is a utility called City ID. The latter program provides location information about phone numbers on the incoming call screen. But it works for only 15 days before asking users to pay $1.99 per month…

The T-Mobile Vibrant phone from Samsung, meanwhile, has four of these extra apps staring you in the face.

One is the movie “Avatar,” permanently loaded onto the device…Another is a live video channel called MobiTV — good for only 30 days. The third is a link to install an EA game called The Sims 3: Collector’s Edition. The last is an outdated version of Amazon’s Kindle app.

There’s also Slacker Radio, which cannot be used before providing an e-mail address, and a button leading to Gogo Inflight Internet’s website, which includes a one-month trial for Web surfing (only on plans that provide the service).

Try as you might, none of these apps can be uninstalled.

That is an awful lot of software to load onto a phone that runs an operating system that is supposed to be “free” and “open” for it’s users. The fact that most of them cannot be uninstalled is the most enraging part. I’m also sure that these apps take up a good deal of storage space.

Samsung, Motorola, Verizon, and T-Mobile are completely going against the principles of the OHA which they are all (with the exception of Verizon) a part of. But I’d probably blame the carries more because in the end, they are the one’s with final say on what is loaded on their devices.

So, should all of them be asked to leave the OHA? I’d say that if they continue this trend then yes. The OHA should give them an ultimatum to stop and they should take it or leave. If the OHA fails to even deliver on that then what is the point of the OHA? If you’re not going to stand by one of your most basic principles then you have failed.

While I don’t think this is worse than the eFuse in the Droid X, it certainly is something that needs to be resolved just as rapidly. Putting a few small applications on a phone specific to your company is not really a problem, not allowing your customers to remove them is.

3 comments »

Posted in Hardware, Rant, Software

Tags: android cell phone open source stupid Technology

iPad : {Insert feminine product joke here}

February 1st, 2010

So I was supposed to write about the other 2 posts on TUAW regarding the iPhone wish list, but I figure I should just skip that and go right into the iPad, the latest gadget from Apple. For the last year I’ve been seeing rumors about the all mysterious “Apple tablet” that they’re working on. I couldn’t go one day without some site I browse having something about this damn thing. I actually was hoping that it would be something more than “a big iPhone.” I think my hopes got too high, and when I saw the announcement online I was just confused.

First thing, I’m really not a tablet PC type of person anyway, so I was hoping that it would at least have something different than other tablets, or even something so good that I might even want to get one. Lets face it, I do like my Apple products; my 80GB iPod, my old 40GB iPod, my MacBook Pro, the lab machines, the servers, etc. I enjoy using them for the most part and I believe that Apple does make quality products. And you already know my disdain for the iPhone from my last two posts, so you can’t really say I’m a fanboy; meaning I’m not going to buy everything Steve Jobs says because he said to, NO. I’m going to buy a product I feel has a use in my life, and that I will like to use. And the iPad just doesn’t do it for me.

There are many things that they should/could have done differently with it, but they didn’t. I admit, it’s very nice looking and I can see some uses for it (below) but I just don’t think it’s practical for most.

The iPad would be an excellent control for, say, a media system or a professional presentation. I can see people buying one of these for their office to use as a datebook or a replacement for magazines and newspapers or even to control things in their office (lights, music, etc). Using it as an eReader or an internet device when on the road? I just don’t see it. Reading the screen would probably be like reading a book on your computer screen, you’ll go blind. Why is the Kindle so popular? It uses e-ink and doesn’t blind you with back lighting. That’s the whole point of it. Don’t get me wrong, using the iPad as a magazine or newspaper reader would be great, you can’t do that shit with e-ink but $400 for a magazine reader? I don’t know…

I also don’t see people buying this thing as a gaming device. (Yes, I know that’s not the point of the iPad) Sure, it can do some nifty graphics and tilt functions, but it’s so big compared to a Nintendo DS or a PSP. And those systems won’t make you look like an idiot steering a box in public. And about the games and apps; all iPhone apps work on it, great, now I can have an iPhone sized app running on my 9 inch tablet, way to utilize the screen space. Yeah, you can zoom in, but what happens when you zoom in on things that weren’t meant to be zoomed in on? That’s right, it looks like a piece of mosaic.

The drawing features are nice. I can see many artists or designers wanting this to sketch out things on the fly and be able to send it to someone without a scanner or whatnot…but why not take that a step more? Make a deal with Wacom and allow it to become an actual Wacom tablet. Charge like $50 for an app that when you plug it into your PC it shows the screen of the PC and allows you to draw on it! Genius! That would actually make it multifunction; hell I’d consider buying it then.

Speaking of multifunction, I must say this:

HAHAHAHAHA!

They didn’t learn that people really wanted multitasking. I know many folks who were very pissed off about this and I just ask them, “you’re surprised?” Good luck on the next update.

Oh and another one: Think they’d learn from their AT&T problems?

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Unfortunately, sticking with AT&T was inevitable; the iPhone is AT&T only, so why in the hell would they move to another carrier? If they released a new iPhone for Verizon then I’d see it to be more plausible…until then, enjoy your AT&T iPad users!

Oh and the name…iPad? You’re fucking Apple! You couldn’t have used one of the much better names like iTablet or my personal favorite, the iSlate? You went with the name in which MadTV did a skit on already making the joke that everyone is making now? Wow. Someone missed that joke from like 3 years ago. That’s why people are making those jokes, not really because of the maxipad/pad reference, but because it was already a stupid joke on MadTV.

I’m not saying that the iPad is a failure, or it’s a completely useless product, because it’s not. I’m just giving my $0.02.

1 comment »

Posted in Hardware, Rant

Tags: apple ipad Technology

My Impressions on Windows 7

May 6th, 2009

With Windows 7 RC1 being released to the public soon (not just developers) I thought I’d write a little something about my impressions of Windows 7 since I’ve been using it.

A few months ago Windows 7 build 7000 came out, I signed up for the beta and downloaded it. I figured I’d give it a shot. I had been using Windows XP on my MacBook Pro for a bit and I wasn’t really into Vista much so I decided, what the hell. I installed the 32-bit version on my computer (I know my laptop is 64-bit but there’s a weird issue with installing 64-bit windows on this version of the MBP, can be fixed but didn’t know at the time) and began using it.

The first thing I noticed was the look and feel of the OS. It’s very aesthetically pleasing; much nicer than XP and a small step up from Vista. I noticed that the taskbar at the bottom was now like the dock in OS X, programs show up there when running (icon only) and you can “pin” the icon there permanently for later use; also, if you mouse over the icon you get a small snapshot of the window or program running, clever. Windows 7 ups the graphics a bit in some visual effects which drastically challenges your graphics card at times, but of course the effects can be disabled; however, I only noticed this issue with it when attempting to run Windows 7 in Parallels (note to self, don’t try again).

Another thing I noticed about 7 is that it’s fairly speedy and responsive. After installing my MBP drivers on the system the computer runs very nicely; no hiccups, no glitches, no lockups, very solid. I began testing some small duties on it after a bit: typing, searching, surfing, etc. I have yet to install and heavy programs like Premiere Pro or Photoshop yet, but that’s only because I don’t need to…I use Mac OS for that. The main use of my Windows install is for Steam. I installed steam and Left 4 Dead (among other games) and the games play fine. I have had only one lockup playing Left 4 Dead and I don’t think t was a Windows issue. The game loads FAST so I have no complaints about that.

I’ve also been using the latest Windows Media Player on it; another program which I used to avoid at all times. The new WMP is pretty nice; it plays what I want it to play, and it looks better. I even like how it organizes your music when loaded up with album art.

One surprising thing I was very happy to find was when I was repairing my girlfriend’s Sansa View media player. In Windows XP you can load it up like a regular drive, or using windows media player, it only gives the option to open or play, thats really about it. I was shocked to see that when I plugged the player into Windows 7 it gave me a window with the correct product, the ability to update the firmware, sync pics music and videos, play, etc. This made me very happy to see it had built in Sansa support (and if it didn’t at first it downloaded it from the internet!). It made it so much easier to fix the player and organize the music on the player.

Now Windows 7 isn’t completely without it’s problems. While the interface is beautiful it does do some work on your graphics card at times. I have an ATI Radeon x1600 with 256MB video memory in my MBP, the graphics did hang sometimes (not too much) but it was definitely doing something. It might also be about the drivers, ATI has released some Windows 7 beta drivers, but again they are only beta. Another thing I noticed was that I couldn’t install some programs; MacDrive and Symantec EndPoint Protection. This is possibly the case in Vista also, but it did kinda suck that it wouldn’t install them. The system also still complains a lot about security issues which gets annoying after a bit, but you can decrease the sensitivity of the annoyances to a certain extent.

So, the good definitely outweighs the bad here and I’m looking forward to seeing Windows 7 when it’s complete. I believe that if this beta is this good, then Windows 7 has a damn good change of being “the next XP.” Overall, I’m very happy with Windows 7 and I’m very happy to see a Microsoft OS that functions well and is easy on the eyes.

Note: I am running Windows 7 build 7000, I have not installed 7100 or RC1. I may have to update if anything changes with later builds, but for now I’ll leave it at this.