This was one of the first shots that I took with my D60. I’ve had the camera for about 3 months now and it’s wonderful. I decided to start sharing some of my favorite photos. More pics to come.

If you have never heard of Google Voice or don’t have an account I suggest that you get one immediately. You have to request an invite and there might be a bit of a wait but it will be worth it.

Google Voice formally known as GrandCentral has become an essential part of my communication system.

I was one of the lucky few that were able to snag Google Voice access during the private beta because I was a GrandCentral account holder. As such I have had my number for over 2 years. However, before GC became GV I didn’t really use it because it was missing some essential features like SMS. But once the full conversion to GV came I moved forward and my GV number my primary number.

So what is GV?

• one number for life that connects all of your other numbers

Why would I want it?

• it’s FREE (you get a local number that you don’t have to pay for..so why not?)
• very easy to handle and take calls because that one number will ring all of the phones that you connect to it (home, mobile, work). you can even customize which number rings and when.
• every time you change an individual number you don’t have to redistribute that number since it’s linked to your GV number
• get unlimited calling if you are fortunate to have a carrier feature like (my circle or friends and family)

What are some of best features?

• sms – send and receive them on your mobile phone or via the web interface
• spam filtering – block callers or send them directly to voicemail
• voicemail – listen to your voicemail via email and get voicemail transcriptions
• call logs – search and manage your call history online
• contacts – manage and backup your contacts online
• groups – organize callers into groups and set custom greetings for each group
• cheap international calls

There are some frustrations with using GV such as

• dialing – it’s not always convenient to make a call from one of your phones using your GV number. you either have to dial your GV number hit 2 and then dial the number that you want. or you can initiate a call from the web browser. (there are 3rd party and now official apps to help with this issue)
• if you have your google voice number displayed as the incoming caller id as opposed to have the caller’s information display on your phone then you have to check online or use an app to see who called (wish they would sms missed calls)
• redialing a missed call is not easy without an applicaiton
• no MMS – if i want to send a picture message i still have to you my carrier number which can cause confusion.

This past week Google has officially released mobile apps for use with GV. Currently, there is only an Android version and a Blackberry version. I will do a review of the Blackberry version because I have been using it since it launched. The mobile apps really help with making and receiving calls on your mobile phone using your GV number. I would love to see a version for the Palm Pre because as of now it’s much harder to use my GV number with my phone. Most of my calls I initiate from the web (a pain sometimes).

Because GV is in it’s early stages there is lots of potential for this services to become great. I love my Google Voice but I know that it will only get better once new features are released. So again if you don’t have one please sign up and join the phenomenon.

http://idesignpre.com/
http://idesigniphone.com/

I like the look of both cases but I have 2 main complaints. The first is that the finish on each of the cases was already chipping when I opened the package. The quality of the cases appears to be cheap and I don’t know how long they will last. Second, the cases are really hard to put on and take off. It’s a struggle and anyone who wants these cases should be prepared for a battle.

But I have to admit they do look good once they are on. See for yourself. I will post pictures of the red case once I figure out how to get this case off.

3 Fingers – Swipe Left = Go Back One Page
3 Fingers – Swipe Right = Go Forward One Page
3 Fingers – Swipe Up = Go to Top of Page
3 Fingers – Swipe Down = Go To Bottom of Page
2 Finger – Pinch In = Zoom Out
2 Finger – Pinch Out = Zoom In

http://www.google.com/quicksearchbox/

Apparently there is a windows version if you install Google toolbar for IE but I hear the features are limited.  Via Lifehacker.

So I finally got my Pre in my hands and there are a lot of things to say about this device.  After playing around with the Pre non-stop since yesterday there is plenty to like and some things that really really disturb me.  But I must preface this article by saying that a lot of my complaints are to be expected as an early adopter.  I know that when I am one of the first to jump behind a new product that bugs and other issues are a given.  However, what I think is most important is whether taking into account all of the problems with this device, I think it’s something that I would want to see grow and give it the opportunity to do so.

Before reviewing my list of gripes please beware that I am very critical of phones and for some people these issues might not be that important.  But I don’t believe that requesting any of these features is asking for too much and I think that’s why it’s so frustrating.  In some ways I think that Palm adopted a lot of Apple’s mentality where oversimplifying things does more harm than good.   It seems like a lot of advanced features were neglected and a more user friendly, elegant interface took priority.  I’m just confused as to why we can’t have both.

The  Bad

• missing bluetooth profiles : can’t beam files or contacts
• can’t customize ringtones for emails, IMs and SMS
• can’t search email – this one hurts the most because i hate scrolling through email to find what i need
• no call duration in call logs -
• can’t save images from the web browser
• no video recording
• runs hot when charging
• no spell check
• no led notifications
• can’t delete multiple emails at once
• can’t mark all emails as read
• can’t copy and past unless text field is editable
• can’t forward text messages
• battery life ( although i’ve been on the phone constantly, so it’s not a good indicator of everyday use)

The Good

• multitasking – simply sweet
• notifications – hands down best job on any phone i’ve ever used
• User Interface – beautiful
• screen – nice and bright, great resolution
• push email
• integated MMS – love the fact that pictures i send and receive show up right in my threaded conversation
• web browser – good solid browser, does what’s expected
• universal search – good not great because it’s limited
• synergy – although all contacts imported from google it was painless and easy.  really fast and really convenient
• keyboard (front facing) + multitouch screen – great combination
• sync with itunes – let’s see how long this lasts
• camera – decent shots, fast
• accelerometer – quick fast rotation
• possibility of great apps (this is the great hope for this phone)
• over the air updates

So here is the bottom line folks.  I’ve seen a lot of talk about this phone and how it compares to the iphone or to the blackberry storm and there are a bunch of things to keep in mind.  This OS is brand new.  In saying that we have to give it time to really develop.  When the iphone first came out there were a ton of features missing that didn’t show up until the 3rd version of the OS.  So the Pre needs to be cut some slack in this regard.  I have faith that Palm, if they address a lot of these issues quickly they can really have a successful OS and device in the Pre. But only time will tell.  The SDK needs to come FAST and Palm needs to fix a lot of these oversights.

I have also been reading a lot of forums and seeing that a number of people are having stability issues as well as hardware problems.  Personally my devices has not locked up or had any physical defects.  But I do know that people are experiencing dead pixels on their screens, phone crashes and freezes.  I hope that these are just isolated incidents.  I can’t really address them at this point because I have been problem free in those areas.

Needless to say I am going to continue testing the Pre but I don’t think that it’s shortcomings are enough to warrant me returning the phone.  However, only time will tell as I continue to use it everyday.

]]> http://phenixascending.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/opera-10-beta-available-for-download-right-now/feed/ 0 phenixascending http://phenixascending.wordpress.com/2009/06/02/my-macbook-journey-hardware/ http://phenixascending.wordpress.com/2009/06/02/my-macbook-journey-hardware/#comments Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:49:14 +0000 phenixascending http://phenixascending.wordpress.com/2009/06/02/my-macbook-journey-hardware/ ]]> It’s been a few weeks with my Macbook and I must admit that it’s been quite enjoyable with a few bumps here and there.  I have a lot to say about the Mac OS and my transition from using a Windows based machine.  There are things that I love and things that absolutely frustrate me so I decided to share them. 

Specs:

• Apple Macbook Aluminum 13" model
• 250gb hard drive
• 2.4 ghz processor
• 2gb ram
• backlit keyboard
• everyting else std

I think that for simplicity sake I should really break this review into segments.  Thus, this portion will cover hardware functionality.  Look for the other parts of my review a little later but for now jusmp right in.

The keybaord :

• getting used to the command key and ditching ctrl (wasn’t as hard as i thought it would be. my finger and mind still wanders there sometimes but i’m getting better at it. but i would like to know what’s the point of the ctrl key again?)

• no backspace?? why not? and what’s up with that delete key (maybe i’m just accustomed to having the backspace key which also functions to delete in windows and i think the mac should have one as well.  but the delete key on the mac doesn’t really act like a delete key, but more like a backspace, so why not call it backspace. for example why can’t i hilight a file and click delete to send that file to the trash can)

• the bleeding around the backlit keyboard is uuugggly- this one is just purely aesthetics but it bothers me.  Because the keys are raised the light bleeds through the edges and looks quite disturbing to me.  It makes me focus on the light around the keys as opposed to the letters. I hope Apple changes this is the next release of the macbook.  

The trackpad:

• no visible buttons, only 1 button (not so bad once you get used to it but i find myself having to think about using the trackpad more than i should)
• multitouch generally - awesome for most default apps and gestures but a pain when using apps like photoshop.  this might just be my own thing, but i’m constantly using photoshop and most of the time i’m not rotating or enlarging my picture but i often end up doing so accidentally because of the multitouch gestures.  i’m sure i can disable this in photoshop but i’ve been lazy to do so.
• 2 finger scrolling – awesome. nice and smooth. and i love the fact that you hover over a scrollable area and you can just scroll without having to click. nicely done.
• corner right click – I can’t do that 2 finger press click thing!! my brain just doesn’t want to accpet that method. So I prefer setting a right click to the bottom right hand corner of the trackpad.  this works well for me.

USB Ports

• why are both ports side by side? (I’m annoyed because they are on the same side of my macbook and are side by side.  USB cords are sometimes shaped differently and don’t always fit nicely with eachother.

• where’s my SD slot? – so I seriously have to plug in my camera’s usb cable or get an sd card reader?  just lame.

Power Button

• love the pop-up options - love the fact that when i hit the power button it gives me the option to restart, sleep, or shutdown right out of the box.  nice touch.

Media Buttons

• why doesn’t that mute button look like a mute button ? (maybe this is just me but seriously, shouldn’t a circle with a line through the speaker be a universal symbol for mute? on the macbook keyboard the symbol for mute is just a speaker!! i still get confused about which button to press and sometimes hit the lower volume button. i know i’m being picky and will get used to this in no time but I’m just sharing some initial frustrations.)

That’s it’ for now folks.  Keep watching as I post the rest of my review.