What do you get when you give an idiot a tablet...?

...a customer review of the Kindle Fire on Amazon.com, that's what.

I'm not sure why, but I'm interested in the Kindle Fire. As you may (or may not) know, I sold my last tablet after 5 weeks and bought a Chromebook (which I still love). My reasons were that I didn't feel the capabilities of the Honeycomb powered tablet would replace my netbook. I didn't like all the fingerprints, didn't like the apps that were primarily written for smartphones, and couldn't imagine trying to do anything that required serious amounts of typing (blog, anyone?) on the Xoom. However, there were many things the Xoom did well. Reading magazines on it was great, watching movies and HD Youtube videos was fantastic, and catching up on news with apps such as Pulse were very enjoyable. I thought it was a great piece of hardware, but at $400 I felt it was too expensive for a device that only met some of my needs and would ultimately end up being a content viewer.

So, even though I decided I'm not a tablet person, I find myself interested in the Kindle Fire. I'm already an Amazon Prime member, so it's a great way to access content that I'm already paying for. I think the smaller form factor would make it more comfortable to hold for watching movies and reading, and (most importantly) I can justify paying $200 for what would be purely an entertainment device. When I tried out a demo unit at Best buy I was pretty impressed with what I saw. The pre-loaded movies looked crisp and played smoothly, the user interface seemed easy to use, and magazines...although a bit small, looked great in full color. I think I may have to pick one up.

Which brings me to the reason I'm writing tonight...and the reason for the harsh title of this post. You see, when I'm interested in purchasing something that costs more than, say, $50, I do my homework. Yes, Martha, I'm a gadget nerd so I actually enjoy the research and reading. The great thing about shopping online is being able to read the customer reviews, and Amazon has gone to great lengths to make customer reviews relevant to the products they sell. They even have a link on each review that tell you whether or not the reviewer actually purchased the product from Amazon.

I am shocked at how many truly idiotic reviews there are for the Kindle Fire on Amazon.com. One reviewer swears that they were told by Amazon that the Kindle Fire was not compatible with their Apple Airport wireless router, and they could never get it to connect. Several others were upset that they didn't know the Fire required a wi-fi connection. And many others complained that the Fire was not suitable for their children, ranging from 3 to 9 years of age, because the one-click content purchasing feature makes it too easy for their children to rack up purchases on their credit cards. There was the guy who was angry that Christmas was ruined for his wife when the Kindle arrived in a box that said Kindle Fire, even though he didn't choose to have it gift wrapped. He was equally angry that Amazon would have the audacity to send a welcome email to the email address of his wife that he supplied at the time of purchase so the device would be ready to work right out of the box. Then there's the one-star rating written by a reviewer who had horrible customer service from Barnes and Noble and swore up and down that she'd never by a Nook Color again. Yes, she gave the Kindle Fire a 1 star rating because she didn't like B&N's product.

I brought up similar issues with complaints about the Chromebook, but these reviews are just jaw-droppers. After reading these, it's clear that I need to invent a tablet that runs circles around the iPad, is tough enough and easy enough to hand to a 3 year old, has to be waterproof, come with free always on 3g/4g/wi-fi connectivity, comes with a free lifetime warranty that covers anything, comes with free music/movies/books/apps, and costs $15. I'm gonna get to work on that, right after I finish riding my pet dragon to the moon.

How Steve Jobs made me a rock star...

It's been several weeks since the passing of Steve Jobs, and although I wanted to tell this story when he died I felt the Web was a bit overwhelmed with Steve Jobs stories, so I decided to wait. Between reading his newly published biography and working long hours, I've found some time to write...so, here it is.

Back in 2005 I updated my iMac and installed some new programs as well, one of which was called Garage Band. I have been a self-taught guitar player since 1991 and the idea of plugging into my computer and recording music intrigued me to say the least. I knew computers were being used in the recording industry for years, but most of those programs were expensive, complicated to use, and required special hardware interfaces in order to get the sound from the instruments and/or voice into the application. I bought a special cable at the Apple Store so I could plug my Strat in and started playing around with the program.

I was like a kid in a candy store. With Garage Band I could create drum tracks, and then record as many different guitar tracks as I wanted. I could choose different guitar sounds, amplifier types, and pedal effects. I was so impressed with the program that I brought my brother-in-law, Mike, over to check it out. Mike is more of a lead guitar player where as I am a rhythm guitar player, we'd jammed together a handful of times over the years and had similar tastes in music. He was as amazed as I was at the power and simplicity of the Garage Band application. We would sit at the computer and take turns with my Strat laying down tracks and drinking large quantities of beer. We saved all the songs we worked on and burned a few to a disk. Mike took it with him and let our friend Tim, a self taught drummer, listen to our project. He was blown away, he couldn't believe that what was on that disk was just the two of us, one guitar, and a bunch of beer. A week later, Tim called us and announced he had bought a drum kit, that night the three of us got together and jammed for the first time.

A couple of weeks later I was at a party and ran into my friend Fern. I told him about Garage Band, our project, and how we had started jamming and, the part I was most excited about, how we had started writing our own songs. "You guys need a bass player?" was his response. I didn't know he was a musician, and later it would become evident that Fern was our secret weapon...a trained musician and awesome bass player.

Weeks of jamming, writing, and drinking ensued and at some point while drinking tequila with my friends the name King Karl was uttered, and the band was officially born. Over the next three years we would write nearly 20 original songs, get paid to play in Tucson bars, and at our peak in 2008 we would be selected as a top five finalist for a televised battle of the bands put on by our local Fox station and held at the historic Rialto Theater. I made our music video submission on my iMac using iMovie and iDVD software. To me, playing on the same stage where I saw many of my favorite bands, from 311, to Cake, to Disturbed, and even Megadeth, was literally a dream come true. I was, on a small scale and for a short amount of time, a rock star.

As so often happens in life, King Karl stopped playing music in 2008. Careers, family, and...well, life...ended our band. We were all friends before the band and remain friends after, and we love talking about the good old days.

I've told many people over the years how my Mac turned us into a rock stars. It wasn't until the passing of Steve Jobs that I actually thought about it, but if it weren't for Steve, it is highly likely that our band would never have been created, let alone be successful. If he hadn't help start Apple, re-create the company with the original iMac, and continue the evolution with OS X and iApps like Garage Band, then five 30-something guys from Tucson would never have the great memories of writing, playing, and performing original music together. I'm still reading Steve Job's biography, and I was tickled to find out that he was a music lover. I wonder what he would have thought about our music. He probably would have hated it, but would have been pleased that he had a hand in sparking our creativity.

Thank you, Steve Jobs, for making me a rock star and giving me my 15 minutes of fame.

Video for "T.V. Song" that got us into the Tucson Music Melee in 2008

Made on my iMac.

The long overdue Chromebook initial review

It's been three weeks since I purchased my Samsung Series 5 Chromebook from Amazon.com. I realize that three weeks time is a bit long for an initial review of a product, but better late than never I always say. Ok, I never say that...forgive me.

My new Chromebook arrived in a very nice, dare I say Apple-like, white box which contained the Series 5 3G Chromebook, the charging cable, a display adapter, and a very small plastic bag with very little in the way of paperwork and instructions. I plugged in the device and to my surprise it powered on as soon as I opened the lid...very slick! After signing in with my Google account information, I quickly connected to my network. The device then started to download updates. Once that was complete, I was off and running. Everything you have read about the Chromebook booting fast is true, less than 8 seconds from a cold boot and a near instantaneous wake-up from sleep. All my bookmarks, settings, theme, and web apps were automatically brought in when I logged into the Chromebook for the first time. Keep in mind though, if you use the Chrome browser on another machine and you want all your settings to transfer over you must enable google sync in your web browser's settings.

There's a lot to like in the little Samsung Chromebook. I really like the build quality...it's not Apple Aluminum but it doesn't cost $1400 either. The device is lightweight, but not a featherweight. It's the perfect size; large enough for a spacious display and a very good full size keyboard, but small enough to take anywhere. The battery life is truly amazing...8.5 hours on a full charge means not having to lug my charging cable with me everywhere. And compared to my old Samsung netbook and my Dell 17" core i7 work laptop, the Chromebook produces little to no heat so you can use it on your lap without burning a hole in your dermis. Consequently, the cooling fan is quite small and makes little to no noise. And lastly, although I didn't think I'd use it as much as I have, the Verizon 3G connectivity is a fantastic feature. It's liberating to know that if you aren't close to a wi-fi network then you can jump on the Verizon network and get stuff done. The price of the device includes 100 MB per month of free 3G data for two years. This will work in a pinch to send off a quick email or occasionally check Google+, but when you run out you can purchase more data starting at 1GB for 30 days for $20...no contract, and it doesn't renew automatically...pay as you go.

Which leads me to my list of dislikes. The process to register/buy more data with Verizon is quite slow. There's also currently no way to buy more data ahead of time...you have to wait until you run out then go through the lengthy process of buying more time. To be fair, Verizon says they are working on speeding the process up, I hope they succeed. There also is some network quirkiness that happens when you opt to purchase the 3G Chromebook versus the model with wi-fi only. I had to check with other users in the Chromebook community to verify that this behavior was normal. What happens is when your Chromebook connects to a wi-fi network it simultaneously connects to the Verizon 3G network. My first thought was that this would cause conflicts, but I was told it's a feature so that if your wi-fi goes down you can keep working and prevent data loss. You can disconnect from either network manually in the network settings, or you can disable the wi-fi or 3G altogether. however, when I close the lid on my Chromebook and then wake it back up, it will automatically try to reconnect to Verizon even if I manually disconnected it from the network. I don't think this is impossible to live with, I just think that I would have liked the network settings to work a bit more independently and I'd like it if it remembered that I disconnected a network before it went to sleep.

Some other things I don't particularly care for are the weak internal speakers. I knew they were weak when I bought the machine so I don't feel deceived, and the Series 5 is not intended to be a full multimedia powerhouse. I prefer listening to music and movies on headphones anyway so it's not a big deal. Likewise, I kinda wish the keyboard was back-lit, but again at this price point I don't feel it's a problem. I do wish they would have designed the power cable a bit better. The cable and "brick" are nice and slim, but the plug that goes into the machine is very, very small (not Motorola Xoom small, but small...) which makes me paranoid that I might bend or break it accidentally. My old Samsung netbook had a similar sized cable and brick, but the plug was full (normal?) sized. Not sure why Samsung went with the smaller plug, perhaps with the great battery life they figured people wouldn't be lugging it around with them every day.

As far as Chrome OS goes, I only have a couple of niggles. Performance was sluggish on some Flash-intensive websites, and the file manager was too basic in my opinion. One great thing about Chrome OS is how fast updates are released, and in the three weeks I've had my new Chromebook I already downloaded an update that drastically improved Flash performance and added several new and welcome features to the file manager. The OS will continue to get better, stronger, faster (like Steve Austin!) as time goes on. One thing I'd love to see in Chrome OS is USB printing support. Currently, you can't plug a printer into a Chromebook and print anything. Again, I knew this going in and I don't feel cheated. Google Cloud print allows you to print to a printer connected to any other computer on the Internet (like my Mac at home), but that computer has to be on, and you have to be logged in to your Chrome account with your Chrome browser open for it to work. There are allegedly some printers coming out that will be able to cloud print right out of the box, without a computer connected, via wi-fi or ethernet. There are many of us though that have to travel for work, and it would just be simpler to be able to go up to any brand name USB printer, plug in the device and print a document. I wish we lived in a paperless world, but unfortunately we don't yet...my company is proof positive of that.

Now that I've done my complaining, there are a few things I'd like to see others in the blogosphere quit complaining about when it comes to the Samsung Chromebook. For one, stop complaining about the lack of HDMI support. If it's that big of a deal to you, than you can get the Acer Chromebook which has an HDMI port. And although I just brought it up, stop complaining about the lack of USB printing support. I would like to see it, but I'm not complaining about it and I surely don't feel that I was deceived in some way or led to believe by Google that I could plug a printer into the device. Stop complaining about the price. At $450 with 3G connectivity, the Chromebook is a bargain when you consider that a 3G iPad will set you back at least $600, most Android smartphones list for $500 to $700 full price, and the MacBook Air will cost you at least $1100 and doesn't offer 3G connectivity. Finally, please, please stop complaining about the lack of off-line capability in Chromebooks. If you absolutely have to have a computer that will work without a network connection, then don't buy a Chromebook. It's that simple.

If, however, you are like me and find yourself always near wi-fi or in a Verizon 3G area, and the idea of a sleek, well built, lightweight machine that boots almost instantly and lasts all day on a charge sounds right up your alley, then go ahead and jump in. Chances are you're already living in the Cloud with your PC or Mac.

Why does CNET hate Google so much??

Google+ is now open to everyone!

So the big news today is that the Google+ project announced a group of new updates including update #100 which opens their social network to anyone and everyone, no invite required. As an active Google+ user, this was great news to me since I now am hopeful that more of my friends and acquaintances will give G+ a try.

But apparently not everyone thinks this is good news. Over at cnet.com their headline reads "Google opens its social network to all," which is followed underneath by two other links that say "Do you want another social site?" and "The minuses of the +". Really, CNET? Really?

This is the second time I have questioned CNET's objectivity...the first is what I feel is consistently biased reviews and negatively charged articles regarding Chromebooks and the Chrome OS. To be fair, they tend to be somewhat unbiased about Android...but they have to be considering Android's market share.

So what's up at CNET? Are some of them bitter because Google wouldn't hire them? Are they miffed because they didn't get a G+ invite? Are they upset that they didn't get a CR-48 Chromebook when the project started?

I have started notes on a blog post about Google+, the idea for that post came up many days ago before the big news today. I will save my thoughts on G+ for that post. I'm also planning a full product review of my Samsung Chromebook after I've had it a month, so keep an eye out for that.

In the meantime, my friends, I urge you to continue to be open minded and give Google+ a try if you haven't already. I also encourage anyone who's genuinely happier using Facebook to continue to do so.  I also urge you to question what you read online and be on the lookout for bias and opinions that aren't grounded in sound logic. As for me, I've decided I'm officially done reading articles on CNET. There are plenty of other sources on the Interwebs [sic] where I can get timely, unbiased, and level-headed tech news and reviews.

Keurig Platinum: Geeky Techno Coffee bliss

Geeks and caffeine go hand in hand, and my weapon of choice to blast away drowsiness has always been coffee. I've been around coffee, in all it's varied forms, my whole life. The aroma of coffee brewing was always the first thing I smelled when waking up as a kid. It kept me awake when cramming for finals in high school, and when working midnight shifts in the military. I like many different varieties, even your run of the mill Folgers and Maxwell House...as long as it's plenty strong and very fresh.

I've had my share of good (and bad) coffee makers over the years. The last one was a Cuisinart that was very, very good. One thing always bugged me though; since I'm usually the only one in the house drinking coffee I always seemed to be wasting a lot of it. I'd brew either 6 or 8 cups, have a mug or sometimes two, then the rest would go down the sink. Short term, not that big of a deal. Long term, it adds up.

Earlier this year a friend introduced me to the Keurig system, and two months ago I bought their Platinum brewer. The Keurig system uses what the manufacturer calls K-cups to brew coffee one cup at a time...one K-cup makes one cup of coffee. After you brew a cup, you throw the K-cup away. There is an accessory filter you can purchase that will let you use your own bulk coffee with this machine, but the whole point is the convenience and freshness...going away from the K-cup would negate these benefits in my opinion. This brewer has a 60 ounce water reservoir and is fully programmable and will brew a choice of 5 cup sizes ranging from 4 to 12 ounces. You can also buy other K-cup beverages for use in this machine, such as tea and hot chocolate (my son's favorite).

Beam up my coffee, Scotty!

After two months of use, I am very happy with the Keurig. The per cup price is higher than the per cup price using bulk coffee, but there's no waste so over the long run I believe I will be better off or break even. If you compare the per cup cost to say, a cup of coffee at a trendy coffee shop, then it's very economical. The individually sealed K-cups mean that the coffee is always fresh, and means you can keep a variety of different blends and flavors on hand without having the flavors you rarely use go stale. It also means I can have a cup whenever I want without having to brew a whole pot. The technology works very well, the LCD display is easy to read and the menus are easy to understand. The blue lighting is pretty intense and reminds me of something your might find in a J.J. Abrams Star Trek production. The LEDs beneath the water reservoir also have another unique function: They will blink on and off when the water in the tank gets too low. Although some might find this annoying, I think it's a great idea as it's much easier to see from across the room than the small text on the LCD. And besides, wouldn't it be more annoying to go back for your second cup and find that your brewer's not ready?

So, whether you're a drowsy Geek looking for a jolt while you knock out that last few lines of code, or just a coffee lover who adores convenience, the Keurig Platinum brewer is a fantastic machine. At $179 it isn't cheap, but it makes great coffee with single serve convenience. This is just one of the many different machines Keurig sells on their website and in select retail stores. With over 200 varieties of coffee, tea, hot cocoa and iced beverages there is bound to be a K-cup flavor that you'll love. Oh, and Dunkin Donuts just started selling their different coffee varieties as K-cups, which is icing on the proverbial cake for me.

My Chrome experiment terminated...

It's just a day away...

I didn't even make it a week. What started as my Chrome Experiment, where I was going to attempt for two weeks to only use the Chrome browser and cloud services for all my computing needs to see if I was a good candidate for a Chromebook, came screeching to a halt today when I ordered a Samsung Series 5 Chromebook with 3G from Amazon.com...I know, I know...not very scientific but allow me to explain.

To put it bluntly, I found it ridiculously easy to use just the Chrome browser and cloud services for my day to day, non-work-related, computing needs. The only time I thought I ran into an issue was when I wanted to load the images of my Motorola Xoom onto Craigslist. I used the card reader on my iMac...the Chromebook has one as well so I thought it a good simulation...and uploaded the images to Picasa. On the Craigslist website it didn't give me an option to use a URL for the photos, so I was thinking "damn, I've got to download them and then upload them." Then I came to my senses and just uploaded them directly to Craigslist direct from the SD card. I think you can do this with a Chromebook, but I don't sell on Craigslist very often so it's not a deal breaker.

That's it, that's the only thing that has been remotely an issue. What made me pull the trigger was the positive reviews from current Chromebook users and the great community over at Chromebook Central. The more I read about their Chromebook experiences the more I realized that the Chromebook was in fact what I had hoped my Xoom tablet would be. Ultimately, I guess I thought that Android 3.2 would be different enough from the version on my phone that I would have some greater capability and features. The things I really like about it...quick boot/quick wake from sleep and long battery life...I will now have in my Chromebook. I will also have 3G coverage in a pinch, something I didn't have with my Xoom.

The other thing that made me pull the trigger was my trip to Best Buy on Labor day. I wanted to see for myself what so many Chromebook critics were claiming...I wanted to see what kind of laptop I could buy for $450 at Best Buy. To be fair, they had some pretty good deals going...such as the 15.6" Samsung laptop with an i3 processor for $380. But most of the laptops they had in that price range were all larger and heavier than the Samsung Chromebook and had no where near the 8.5 hour battery life. And they were all running Windows 7...a great improvement over Vista but still a pain at times to deal with (anti-virus software, system updates, hard drive defrags, etc.).

So, my new Chromebook will be delivered tomorrow. As with any new gadget, I'm looking forward to getting to know my new Chromebook and how it meets my needs. I honestly believe I will be much more happy with it than with my Xoom. Perhaps I shouldn't declare my Chrome Experiment dead...or even concluded. Maybe I should think of this as Phase 2 of my Chrome Experiment...more to come.

Complaints...the essence of human nature? Chrome Experiment sidebar

As part of my Chrome Experiment I've been trying to read as much as I can about the Chromebook and Chrome OS. Aside from tech-writer blog posts and online magazine articles, I've found that there's a wealth of information available from the people who have purchased Chromebooks. You can find many of their stories as product reviews on Amazon.com and BestBuy.com as well as on Chromebook Central, the official google groups Chromebook forum. But, there's a problem...human nature.

I've pointed this out to friends in the past: You have to read user product reviews very carefully and consider the source of the information. It's in our nature as human beings to complain when something doesn't work the way it should, and unfortunately there are many of our fellow humans that will write up a complaint without thinking things through logically. Examples:

• The member on Chromebook Central who rated his initial experience as negative because when he got his new Chromebook home he couldn't set it up...because he doesn't have wi-fi at his house. The specs clearly state the device has no ethernet port, and if you need ethernet connectivity you will need an adapter.
• The poster on Amazon.com that proclaimed the Samsung Chromebook to be trash even though it was evident he doesn't own one or hasn't used one.
• The poster on Amazon.com that tried to warn us all to stay away from Chromebooks because when he got his home he couldn't connect to his wi-fi network. He didn't mention if he tried to take his new machine to another location and connect to a different network, and he didn't acknowledge the fact that it could be his wireless router.

There's another problem with product reviews: Fanboys (or girls). Fanboys often are so dedicated to one manufacturer or one product that they will fail to accept any problems or shortcomings a product might have. Examples:

• The poster on Chromebook Central that said he wasn't impressed with the performance of the Chromebook because it wasn't any faster than his MacBook. (News flash, Google never said it would run circles around Mac hardware)
• The poster on Amazon.com who stated the hardware felt pretty solid, but would be better if the case was all aluminum (a la Apple laptops).
• That same poster, along with countless others, who have stated they felt the device was overpriced for what you get. I keep seeing $200 to $250 thrown around as a desired price point. Many of these reviewers complained that they could buy a similarly sized Windows laptop for the same money with more capabilities.

The thing is, if you look at just the star rating on any given site for any given item, you are not getting the whole picture most of the time. Amazon.com's site has a great feature that shows you in a product review whether or not the poster is a verified purchaser...a great way to judge the credibility of the review. But if you look at the Chromebook rating on Amazon you'll see it has 4 out of five stars overall, with most rating it 5 stars (63 out of 136 were 5 stars). If you read all the one star reviews, that's when you will see who's objective and who is not. You also must consider this: You'll never see a product review that says "Eh...it's ok." For every product review you read, there are more than likely hundreds of other people happily using the product who didn't feel the need to write about it. To be fair, there may also be others who didn't care for the product but not to the point to write a formal complaint.

That being said, I'm feeling more and more inclined to buy the Chromebook because of the positive reviews I've read. When I'm reading the reviews, I want to read the 1 star reviews and I want to know about legitimate complaints, such as hardware failure or bad customer service experiences. However, I'm more interested in objective reviews, people who state if the device works as designed. I also like to read about people who use the Chromebook so much more than they expected that they have all but forgotten their main computers (notice that I said main computers, because the smart shopper realizes that at this time most of us will not be able to completely replace a full featured computer with this device). As for the complaints, I just find most of them laughable. It won't run circles around your Mac? It's never going to, it has an Atom processor. Browser tabs crash when you try to watch high definition video with 25 other tabs open? Close some tabs. You wish it cost $200, yet you also wish it had a solid aluminum case like a Mac? You can't have both. You can buy a Windows laptop for the same price? Fine, go right ahead...Norton will send you a thank you note. You think that $350 to $500 is too expensive for these devices? Have you priced (full price mind you) an Android phone or iPhone lately? Sure, I wish I could get a Ferrari for the price of a Toyota, but I'm not going to get on a Ferrari forum page and complain about price.

My advice is to always read the description and specs on any product...know what you're buying before you buy! Find the user's or owners forum (there's one for almost anything), talk to people who use the product on a daily basis. Somewhere between the chronic complainers and the always faithful fanboys you'll find the information you need: objective, logical, and fair.

Chrome Experiment Step 1: Web Apps

You got to get yourself some Web Apps!

I've been using Google's Chrome web browser (and the Linux non-Google branded version called Chromium) for over two years. Like many users, I got hooked on using it because the minimalist interface is easy to use and it's fast...really fast. Although Firefox has gotten faster and Safari boasts similar speed, Chrome has been my browser of choice. So when I decided to start my Chrome Experiment in order to find out if I was a good candidate for a Samsung Chromebook, I knew the interface wouldn't be a challenge for me. But I realized there was one thing I would need to have if I wanted to conduct a proper Chrome experiment: Web Apps.

Chrome Web Store

Chrome Web Apps are available in the Chrome Web Store. When you open a new tab in Chrome and click on Apps, you will see an icon that says Web Store. The Web Store is where you can choose from thousands of web apps that work in Chrome. These Web Apps are integral to the Chrome OS that runs on the Samsung and Acer Chromebooks, however, you can add these web apps to the chrome browser on any machine. Before adding, select the app you're interested in and read the description and user reviews as well as system requirements. Although most of the apps are written in HTML5, some (such as the new Netflix web app) are not compatible on all operating systems...bummer for Linux users.

According to Wikipedia, "...a web application is an application that is accessed over a network such as the Internet or an intranet." This thin client type architecture is the main idea behind the Chromebook. This allows the operating system to be very lightweight, allows for better performance on less powerful (and less power hungry) processors, and allows users to work in the cloud without having to worry about storing files locally (think that isn't a benefit? ask anyone who's lost all their data in a hard drive crash what they think of local storage). An added benefit is that web apps do not require the user to upgrade the software, upgrades and added features are installed on the server and pushed out to users automatically. Some drawbacks include web browser compatibility issues, potential privacy issues from the company running the servers, and the fact that most web apps don't have the slick user interface and robust capabilities found on locally installed software application suites.

As you can see from my screen shot, I downloaded several web apps for my chrome browser that will help me with tasks I perform on a daily basis. I'm using as many of them as possible to try and find any shortcoming with the interfaces. At first glance, many of the web apps may appear to be nothing but shortcuts to webpages. However, there are several new apps, such as Google's gmail and Docs web apps, which are now in beta testing to allow for offline editing of documents and emails. HTML5's new Offline Storage Database API makes downloading web apps to local storage for offline use possible. This will address what many critics have said is the achilles heal of the Chromebook: The lack of the ability to work offline. To be fair though, unless you are a hard-core road warrior who spends a lot of time on airliners traveling for your job, more likely than not you will be able to find a wi-fi connection or, if you opt for the Chromebook version with 3G connectivity through Verizon Wireless, you will be able to find a Verizon signal. A third option that many laptop owners use is the ability for their smartphone to double as a wi-fi hotspot. A final option is the use of a ethernet to usb adapter, which will allow the Chromebook to be plugged into a network or modem via ethernet cable...could be helpful in an office where there's no wi-fi and an iffy 3G signal.

My point is, the capability to work offline may not be the deal breaker that some have made it out to be. Here's an idea, when you're on a plane with no wi-fi, listen to some music or read a book or magazine. Besides, you know the person next to you is watching everything you do on your laptop when you fly...

Got my head in the cloud(s)...

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm not quite sure that tablet computing is right for me. I think my Xoom runs Android very well, but even with an external bluetooth keyboard I don't feel that I could use just my Xoom for everything I want to do. Case in point, I want to start an online Master's degree program next year at Arizona State University. I will be traveling a lot for work, so I need a portable system. As I mentioned in my last blog post, the current version of Android for tablets is not ideal for school work, or work work for that matter. My trusty netbook has served me well, but it's processor is fairly slow and even running Ubuntu it's definitely not fast. And don't get me started on the annoyance of having to reload my wireless drivers after every system update. So I want a new laptop...I would love a new MacBook Air...but $1100 is a lot of money.

So I started looking at newer netbooks and lightweight laptops and while on Amazon's website I came across the Chromebook. If you aren't familiar, it's a laptop (made by Acer or Samsung, your choice between two similar machines) which costs between $350 and $500 depending on make and model that runs Google's Chrome OS. Chrome OS is an operating system based on Linux, but the only user interface is the Chrome browser...almost identical to the Chrome browser many of us use on Windows, Mac, and Linux machines. It's essentially a terminal for cloud computing...most (but not all) of your data will be stored in the cloud...think gmail, Google docs, Google calendar, et al. It's a radical departure from the current operating system/software applications paradigm that has been the foundation of personal computing since the Apple II.

I think I'm a good candidate for a Chromebook...most everything I do on my personal computers involves the internet. In addition to the more common google services that I use everyday, I am regularly on Google+, Youtube, Pandora, Cnet, Engadget, Facebook, Twitter, and numerous other news and information websites. I generally don't play computer games, and I use Microsoft office only when I have to. I do use iTunes and iPhoto on my Mac, but I also use Picasa. However, most of the authors of the online reviews I read think I shouldn't get a Chromebook. Most said the Samsung Chromebook was very well made, but too expensive for what it was capable of. Most reviews also said Chrome OS was a great idea that wasn't ready for the mainstream. David Pogue, whom I admire greatly, was less than enthused in his Chromebook review for the New York Times. There were a few writers who thought the machines were not only a great idea, but were great at doing what they were designed to do. Dana Wollman at Engadget wrote a very positive and, in my opinion, unbiased review of the Samsung Chromebook that you can read here.

After reading all the reviews I could find, the big question I have to ask myself is this: Is cloud computing right for me? Can I use a machine that, with little exception, can only be used when it has a wi-fi or 3G connection to the Internet? Can I use a machine that has limited local file storage options? Can I live without (gasp!) Microsoft Office? In order to answer these questions, I've decided to run my very own Geek experiment. Starting yesterday, I'm going to attempt to live "in the cloud" for two weeks. For two weeks I will only use my Chrome browser and it's associated apps and extensions for my personal computing needs. I do have a work laptop running XP that I will undoubtedly have to use in the course of my daily duties, but if I don't need it then I won't use it...thanks Microsoft Webmail!! If I can successfully live in the cloud exclusively for two whole weeks, then I will purchase a shiny new Samsung Series 5 Chromebook and retire my netbook.  Besides, Arizona State University's online campus says they encourage using Google Docs because it's so easy for students to collaborate. So who knows, perhaps the Chromebook will make the ideal partner in my higher education endeavors.

My first month with Xoom...wants versus needs

It's been a month since I purchased my Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi, Moto's first (and only) entry into the ever-growing tablet market. I may discuss a bit of the Xoom's specs in this post, but I won't bore you with all the details as this tablet has been reviewed numerous times across the Web. If you'd like to see the full specs, check out Motorola's website here.

I purchased the Xoom mainly because I got a deal...like most Americans, I'm a sucker for a good deal. I would not have considered a Xoom at the full retail price of $499 for the same reason I wouldn't consider an iPad purchase at full retail price; and that reason is I didn't need it. With access to many different computers, an Android smartphone, and my Kindle I feel I have all the tools I need to work, surf, and play.

But the Staples coupon for $100 off changed my mind and I chose the Xoom because at $399 I felt I was getting a lot of tablet for the money. High-Def display, 32 Gigabytes of storage, a microSD card slot, front and rear cameras, Android 3.2...an iPad with the same amount of storage would cost at least $200 more and wouldn't have a microSD slot. In my mind, a bargain...sucker!

What do I like most about my Xoom? For starters, it's small, lightweight, and very portable. The battery life is very, very good and will stay alive on standby for what seems like forever. For these two reasons alone the Xoom would make a great companion on a long flight provided you didn't need to get any work done (covered in the next paragraph). I love how fast it wakes from sleep...just like my Android phone. If I'm on a Wi-Fi network, the Xoom is the quickest way to jump online and get information. The browser is commendably quick and uses tabs a la Chrome, but many times I am directed to mobile versions of websites when I want the full version. I downloaded Opera which is doesn't tend to do this, but using Opera isn't as easy as the stock browser. What really makes the Xoom fast at getting Web info are individual apps. Not all are created equal, but many such as the USA Today app work very well and give you near instant access to both video and text. Two more of my favorite apps are Pulse, an app for reading news and information from many different sources around the Web, and Zinio, the magazine reader app that has been around a very long time. The Google + app for Android is also packed full of features, all of which work great...on a phone. You can huddle with it but not hangout, even though you have a front-facing webcam. The webcam, by the way, works pretty well and is primarily there to let you video chat via Google Talk. The Youtube app is also well done and HD videos look great on the Xoom. I had to do a mild hack, but I even have Netflix on my Xoom now. Music, movies, books, magazines, games...it really is a multimedia powerhouse.

What do I like least about my Xoom? I've found out my mild ADD hates fingerprints, and that beautiful display is made of shiny glass gets full of fingerprints as you use the device. That being said they clean off very easily (hint: a soft microfiber cloth like those that come with sunglasses works very well). I hate the keyboard, or do I hate the lack of a keyboard? Ok, I hate typing on the virtual keyboard on the touchscreen which is QWERTY only in the sense of the word. It seems typical Android but I think the keyboard on my Evo 4G is better laid out. No matter which way I try to orient it, typing on the Xoom is a pain. To be fair, I don't think I would enjoy typing on any tablet computer. Many would point out that they aren't made for that and I'm not stating otherwise, I guess I'm just saying I type when I'm online more than I previously realized. There are bluetooth keyboards that can be used with the Xoom which would make this a moot point, but I haven't tried them yet and I'm not sure the tablet itself is ideally suited for creating text documents. Which leads me to my next complaint, lack of either an office suite or proper access to Google docs. There are some apps available that will allegedly produce and edit documents that are compatible with Microsoft Office (the still reigning champion of office suites...that's for another post) but my past experience has been that rarely are these "compatible" software suites fully compatible with Office. I however am a user of Google docs, which should come in on a giant white horse and save the day at this point, right? Nope, the Google docs app for Android is just horrible. You can use it for viewing your files in the cloud and that's about it. When you try to create a new text document you don't even have any of the formatting options available so you're essentially writing in Notepad. Go to the browser on the Xoom and you're taken to the mobile version of the Google docs website which again doesn't let you format anything. Click on the bottom of the page to go to the desktop version of the site, and you see the full Google docs website...but you can't type anything in the document! At this point, there's no way (that I can see) that anyone in school, college, or a writing profession could use a Xoom as a replacement for a laptop or desktop.

Ok, so after a month I've formed some opinions about tablet computing, which is what this post is mainly about since I haven't used any other tablets and can't objectively compare the Xoom with the others on the market. There are others with more cash flow than I who have done the comparisons, just do a Google search.

First off, in my opinion, no one needs a tablet...there, I said it. They are very cool, hip, sleek, portable, stylish...and no one needs one. I will maintain this opinion as long as there are cheap laptops and netbooks on the market that will do everything a tablet will do and as long as the tablet computer remains ill suited for work.

Secondly, if you spend any time at the store messing with tablet demo models, you will probably want to buy one...not because you need it, but because you want it. There's something intrinsically intriguing about holding a small, thin, lightweight device that holds more computing power than desktops did 10 years ago. When holding a tablet and flicking through apps and screens you immediately see yourself sitting in a Starbucks with an overpriced coffee beverage wearing the latest styles from the Gap while pretending to enjoy reading the New York Times on your trendy new device.

What I would like to see is a tablet with real capabilities. I believe I would enjoy tablet computing more if it had a real operating system a la Linux or even the new Chrome OS. This improvement would allow users access to more powerful productivity suites either locally or in the cloud and would make any tablet equally great for work and play. I now have to decide if what I like about the Xoom is enough to keep it, or if I should sell it and my netbook and step up to a MacBook Air. The Air is a fast boot/long standby device that is lightweight and extremely portable, just like my Xoom...but it's also a real computer that has all the capabilities that my Xoom lacks, albeit for a much higher price.

So, it comes down to wants versus needs. After my bargain purchase I had ideas of selling or giving away my Samsung netbook...I thought my tablet would be a viable replacement. I was wrong. 

Hey HP, what if...

So, everyone is talking about the (impending) death of webOS and the devices that HP had developed to run the operating system. The fact that HP is getting out of the mobile OS and and the consumer PC market all together still seems like a crazy move to most of us outsiders. I'll admit, although I didn't have a Pre or a Touchpad, I hate to see webOS go. You see, webOS is the decedent of the original Palm OS, which I have fond memories of. Although it was rudimentary by today's smartphone standards, the palm pilot (I had a Handspring, actually) and later the Treo were pretty good devices back in the day. I also enjoyed the fact that the Palm desktop software always played nice with my Macs. Honestly, the main reason I didn't get a Palm Pre when they came out on the market was because the keys on the keyboard were just so small. I think I would have enjoyed the OS, although my sister went through 3 different Pre's that failed or broke for various reasons. No matter how good the OS is you have to pair it with good hardware. See Apple and HTC as examples...

Today CNN.com posted an article titled "HP: More discounted TouchPads coming, $75 smartphones in Europe" In this article CNN quoted a statement issued by HP which said in part that they were discontinuing the webOS products because "WebOS devices have not gained enough traction with consumers."

Here's the kicker: The HP touchpad is virtually sold out everywhere. At $99 to $149 the HP servers couldn't keep up with the demand. According to several news reports, Best Buy had 270,000 Touchpads that they couldn't sell...they were asking HP for their money back.

Without spending days researching the numbers, let's just say that Amazon bought at least as many. And let's suppose that HP had at least as many in their warehouses available for direct buy.Yes, Martha, that's at least 810,000 Touchpads out in the wild. Seems to me that's a whole lot of traction...an almost instant customer base. One could argue that these customers don't care how the tablet performs, they just want a deal. But still, you now have 810,000 potentially new customers, many of which may be trying webOS for the first time.

So, HP, what if you simply write off your losses and continue to support and develop the Touchpad and Pre 3 phones? You've now gotten exposure to close to a million new customers...could be an opportunity to grow the brand and improve the OS. Perhaps you could be the first company to develop a sub-$200 tablet that people who can't justify the price of an iPad will want to buy. Just an idea...oh, and my consulting fees are dirt cheap if you're interested.

Feelings

Most of my family and friends are pretty shocked at my recent purchase of the Motorola Xoom tablet. "I thought you were a Mac guy?" they say. They also said the same thing when I got my first blackberry instead of the first gen iPhone, and they said the same thing when I got my Evo 4G instead of an iPhone 4. Simply put, I am a Mac guy. I drank the kool-aid...sorta.

After three iMacs, an iBook, and three iPods I definitely consider myself a Mac guy. Having had an original iMac running both Mac OS 8 and OS 9 gives me some street cred I believe. I've had great success with their hardware and the Mac OS X operating system has a great user interface with the power and security of Unix at it's core. I was serving the kool-aid to friends long before the iPhone was introduced and successfully converted several of them from PC to Mac-dom. It's many of these friends and family members who have heard me heaping praise on Apple that question why I'm using Android. Sometimes I fear they think me a hypocrite.

Truth be told, I'm not a hypocrite and I've always told people they should use what they want and what they like. There was no way in 1999 that I was going to convince any of my hard-core PC Gamer friends that they should switch to a Mac. Some people need a PC because of specific software they need to use for work or school, some people scoff at the price of Mac hardware, and others (my mother-in-law included) try a Mac and just don't get it because they're too set in their Windows ways.

Simply put, I didn't buy in to the iPhone initially because I didn't want to switch to AT&T. Now that Verizon carries them, I would again consider an iPhone except that I personally like my Evo 4G better. I'm also a user and a big fan of most of Google's services (their kool-aid is a different flavor) so the Android OS makes more sense and makes accessing my information easier and more seamless hence the purchase of my Xoom (the fact that it was $200 less than a comparable iPad didn't hurt either).

Yesterday I stopped in my local Best Buy and out of curiosity I picked up an iPad 2 they had on display. Light, apparently well built, a familiar user interface, apps that seem well developed. As I held it I got the same feeling from the device that I got the first time I used or held many of my Apple devices, a feeling noticeably absent from my Xoom. I then stepped over to the Apple computer display and checked out the new MacBook Air ultra-portable laptop computers. Light, apparently well built, a familiar user interface, apps that seem well developed. That feeling...

That feeling is why I'm posting tonight. I think that feeling is why Apple continues to succeed. Can you actually engineer feeling? Do they teach feeling at engineering school? Can a product developer pick up a product or a piece of hardware and decide what feels right and what doesn't?

In the automotive world there have been many manufacturers who have done everything in their power to surpass the the BMW 3 series automobile. Many have come close...building cars with all the necessary equipment, features, power, and luxury...many for less money. But nothing comes close to the Ultimate Driving Machine according to automotive journalists. Owners and fans of the marque agree...there's just something about the way a BMW feels, the way it drives. This feeling is ultimately what made BMW famous for making fantastic automobiles. The unfortunate (or fortunate, if you're a BMW accountant) side effect is that you also have non-drivers, non-car lovers, non-car fans...that buy BMW cars simply because they want to appear to be well off, stylish, or trendy. They don't get the feeling of the car, they just use it as an appliance. As such, people who get the feeling...who really enjoy the feeling of a well engineered automobile...are often shunned as wanna-be's who want to appear well off, stylish, or trendy.

I think that is what has happened with Apple. They have engineered some amazing products that have that feeling that so many of us gadget-lovers crave. They have also become the hardware of choice for people who want to appear smart, trendy, well-off, and stylish. With the demise of the HP Touchpad and Google's acquisition of Motorola Mobility, the entire tech blogosphere is searching for the answer to one single question. Who will dethrone the iPad?

My answer? No one. Because although my Xoom has better specifications, and my Evo is more practical to use with Google services, neither of them have that feeling that we gadget-lovers crave. Until any of the Tablet manufacturers figure out how to engineer that feeling, they will never catch the iPad just as no one has surpassed the BMW 3 series since 1975. Oh, and did I mention that Apple is working on the iPad 3? It's all about that feeling...

JQ

Inventory (Or, why I love Specialization)

To Combine or Specialize, that is the question...

The first thing my wife asked me when I bought my Motorola Xoom Wi-fi three weeks ago was "So, you're going to sell your netbook now, right?" My quick "No" reply was not received well. I explained to her that I wouldn't get any real money for a netbook that's over two years old that only cost me $225 back then. Besides (and more importantly), the thing still works. Earlier this year I turned it into a dual boot machine by loading Ubuntu Linux on it and it's now a very, very capable little machine.

I've always had a problem getting rid of things...I believe it's because I was raised by a step-father who kept all kinds of crap. "You never know when this will come in handy" was his mantra. I kept an Apple iBook for 5 years after the on-board video on the motherboard went bad. I have an old cell phone in the closet complete with all the packaging that I have kept for the last three years as a "backup" phone. Yeah, like I'm really going to go back to a plain phone after having an Evo 4G...

But with Tech gadgets it seems like I have an even harder time of letting go of items, which kinda bothers my logical sensibilities because so many of the newer gadgets are specifically designed to replace several other items. With that, I present my current inventory of techno-gadgetry and my explanation as to why I am so enamored with Specialization.

Inventory:

Apple iMac 3.06 GHz Intel Core i3

Apple iPod Classic 80 GB

Apple iPod Shuffle 4 GB (not shown)

Samsung Netbook N130 Dual boot Windows 7/Ubuntu Linux

Garmin Nuvi 255w GPS

Amazon Kindle Wi-Fi

HTC Evo 4G from Sprint

Motorola Xoom 32 GB Wi-Fi

Fujifilm Finepix J38 12.2 MP Digital Camera (not shown, used for photograph)

Dell 17" laptop Intel Core i7 running Windows XP (not shown, work computer, technically not mine)

As any tech-savvy reader can see, I have many devices that can all do the same thing. I can read Kindle books on my Kindle, my Xoom, my Evo, and either of my computers. I can Skype Video chat on the iMac, my Evo, and the Samsung Netbook (even on Linux) but not on my Xoom...yet. My Evo and Xoom both have GPS with turn by turn navigation...just like my Garmin. And lastly, my Evo has an 8 megapixel camera that takes great pictures...just like my Finepix J38...and shoots 720p High Definition video...just like my Xoom.

So, why not ditch all this crap and have one gadget to rule them all? Arguably the Xoom is a great candidate for the best all in one. But it doesn't have a keyboard. Yes you can buy a bluetooth keyboard and take it with you but if you're gonna do that then why not take a netbook? Most of these things can play music (even the Kindle) but none of them hold as many songs or sound as good as my iPod.

The thing is...I really like Specialization. As cool as my new Xoom is, I'd rather work and type on my netbook. As great as my netbook is at the $225 price point, if I don't need portability I'd rather use my iMac as it's incredibly faster (don't care for the keyboard though...that's for another post). I can read Kindle books on multiple devices, but reading on the Kindle is simply a joy. And although I can use my Evo in the car for navigation, the Garmin is simply better and less distracting...plus it has real time traffic updates.

So you see, many of my favorite technology devices are specially designed to do one thing better above all else. When something works well, is reliable, and is affordable then I don't see any reason to get rid of it. In fact, I wish there was more specialization in the tech marketplace. Why does my Xoom need navigation? Who's going to mount one to their windshield or worse, try to hold the thing while driving? Why does my Evo need a forward facing camera? Up until recently there was only one main-stream app that took advantage of that camera and it wasn't Skype. We don't have the bandwidth in most of our country to support high quality video conferencing via cell networks...and again, I hope no one is going to try a video call while driving a car, so why can't we leave video calling to computers and tablets? A little more specialization could make the products we love better while reducing costs, which would go a long way towards purchasing more gadgets...like the Google Nexus S I have my eye on...

JQ

my tech two cents...the intro

Disclaimer: This is my second attempt at blogging. The first attempt was conducted in secret and only shared with my sister, who gave me mostly positive feedback. Since we are blood relatives, I believe she was either biased or attempting to protect my fragile male ego. I appreciate and love her either way. That first attempt was in early 2010...

It's now the summer of 2011 and so much has changed with my career. I had a fairly technical job for twenty years in the Air Force but I realized that I didn't want to work on airplanes forever so I finished an IT degree in 2004. Now that I'm retired I'm working on aircraft yet again...not ideal but my training and education made me a perfect candidate for the world of unmanned aircraft...much of which is IT driven. In between (and during my military career) I had my own business as an IT gun for hire, focusing on small businesses that didn't have their own IT staff. I even worked as a customer technology consultant for a major shipping company for several months...a dream job that just didn't pay well at all.

So, technology is in my blood...computers, gadgets, aerospace, telecomm, automobiles, motorcycles...as such I'm constantly bombarded by friends and family with technology questions, usually regarding computers, operating systems, smartphones, and everything Apple. My family thinks that my IT degree means that the answer to any computer problem resides in the forefront of my brain function and that I can troubleshoot any issue over the phone in 10 minutes or less. I can't...I tell them that every time but they refuse to believe me.

In addition to my education I've had experience with many different types of computers and systems. My first computer was a first gen iMac...you know, the candy colored one with the 6 gig hard drive, a 333 MHz Power PC processer and (gasp!) no floppy drive! Now of course I used computers before that...mainly at work in the military, mainly Windows 2000 and the occasional Win 98 box. I bought that Mac because everyone I knew with a Windows machine was constantly having to tinker with their computers to get them to work. So I started with Macs early, way before it was popular or stylish to be seen using one...way before Apple invented the iPod, and way before they turned an iPod into a phone or a pad. Apple changed their operating system to a unix based system right around the time I was doing my internship and learning AIX and Tru64 unix. I had a handspring with Palm OS way before Google thought up Android, and I was the first in my family to own a cell phone. I believe the quote from my wife was "What do you think you're a big shot? A doctor or a drug lord or something? Having a cell phone is unnecessary and I will never have one!" That was 1998...thirteen years ago and judging by her cell bill, about a billion phone calls ago...

So, imagine my surprise when my wife...the one with the anti-technology manifesto...suggest I start blogging. She says I'm a great writer...debatable but since she's the second member of the family to encourage me I have decided to give it a go. I've decided to start writing about technology because it's what I know...and because nobody likes politics right now. By all accounts I'm now tech blogger ten million and one in the known universe. I don't imagine I know more than the other ten million tech bloggers out there, but perhaps my opinions on technology developments, gadgets, computers and operating systems will enlighten and inform someone. If anything, it will give me something to do in my spare time and with luck my writing will improve as time goes on. If all else fails, I'll bribe my wife's friend into teaching me some blogging chops...she's brilliant and very well followed in the blogoshere.

So, that's the idea. I'm calling it my tech two cents for now until I find a less lame name for it. Wish me luck. And away we go...

JQ