Sunday, August 28, 2011

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

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

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.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

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

Saturday, August 13, 2011

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

Saturday, August 6, 2011

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