Wednesday, January 30, 2008
phone geeks
Today at lunch, I am not sure how we ended up on the topics, but we were discussing how long it takes for mobile to boot up (for example my blackjack takes over a minute)... just to show how how bad it is, here is a picture of the design team racing to see whose phone is fastest and the slowest... yes designers are a sad lot :)
Sunday, January 6, 2008
wm media player update...
In an earlier posting, i said that it was frustrating that i could not listen to music while doing something else... it turns out that if you did deep enough, there is a setting to play audio in the background. i suppose that a blackjack is primarily a business device, so having that is the default is understandable.
It is frustrating that the outlook integration is so good and the media is so amature. the blackjack plays aac files, which windows media on the pc doesn't recognize, so therefore i can not add them to the sync list or create any kind of playlist. i can add them as files via the file manager, but i can only listen to one song at a time. songs not on a playlist are viewed via a file manager and there is no way to play an entire directory or shuffle the entire library.
Another gripe, i was watching some movies on the airplane today... they have been compressed below dvd compression. the longer i watched, the further the audio lagged behind the video.
I still maintain that the ff / rw search is bad, even once you figure out how it works.
It is frustrating that the outlook integration is so good and the media is so amature. the blackjack plays aac files, which windows media on the pc doesn't recognize, so therefore i can not add them to the sync list or create any kind of playlist. i can add them as files via the file manager, but i can only listen to one song at a time. songs not on a playlist are viewed via a file manager and there is no way to play an entire directory or shuffle the entire library.
Another gripe, i was watching some movies on the airplane today... they have been compressed below dvd compression. the longer i watched, the further the audio lagged behind the video.
I still maintain that the ff / rw search is bad, even once you figure out how it works.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
killer app
I find myself always wanting to check e-mail while I am driving... obviously not safe. (given the fact I have three kids, I am very good about resisting the temptation) I think it would be cool to have a text to speak app that would read my e-mails to me while I am driving. I realize that this is not really that revolutionary, as I know there are applications that will do this on a desktop. I am not sure if smartphones have the horsepower to to run something with good enough sound. it would definately be a nice addition to windows mobile...
Thursday, December 20, 2007
windows mobile / outlook integration
It has been maybe two weeks or so since i have been using the 'sleeker' (which seems to mean shinnier, not thinner... but i assume that i can not complain too much, as the battery life is great) blackjack 2. Brett's iphone is truly an engaging device, but i can honestly say i have no buyer's remorse. The syncronization of outlook via the network is cool. i have noticed that i get e-mails on my phone faster than i do on my laptop with a wired connection. when i need to add a number to my phone and i am sitting at my computer... i plug it into my outlook contacts and voila it shows up on my phone. the same can be said with 'tasks.' a feature i did not used to use but use all the time to keep everything i need to do straight. ditto for the calendar. i have even started to use the outlook calendar for my personal things. there is no need to plug in or connect via bluetooth to do a seperate 'sync.' the only feature that seems to be missing, is i wish that i could sync my corporate outlook with my wife's hotmail, i mean windows live. bottom line... windows mobile's integration with the corporate outlook server rules.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
iPhone reflections
So as Chris mentioned, I totally got an iPhone. I have to say... I had been anticipating it for 5 years ever since the first rumors hit the net in 2002. I kept my T610 for 2 years over contract on T-mobile just so I would be free to switch to Cingular the day it came out. And I did. I got my iPhone at the 24 hour apple store in NYC. Turns out that by 2:00 am, the line that had been waiting all week long line, had all got their iPhones and gone home. But unlike other product debuts (Wii, PS3) their were plenty of iPhones left, and NO lines at ALL! So having purchased my iPhone I was on my way. (not sure if this says more about Apples ability to purposely exceed demand and not have people fighting in parking lots or.. just them being over ambitious about sales figures)
I have to say.. the iPhone is truly the most satisfying piece of consumer electronics I have ever owned. and on a number of levels...
1) Physical design. looking at the iPhone, you see a shinny piece of black glass, a stainless steel bezel, and beautiful chunk of natural aluminum, and a simple section of black plastic. And thats it. It looks more like a piece of jewelry then a gadget. And for this reason alone.. all other cell phones are dead to me. There is something very honest about the approach to materials here. No paint, no plating, no pad printing. Even the logo on the aluminum is laser etched.
2) All in one device... Just as i had held onto my T610 for an extra 3 years, I also held on to my old ipod, my old camera, and avoided getting a GPS unit for my car, and... bought a iMac, rather then a laptop when it came time to replace my aging ibook. Convergence devices arguabley attempt to do all, but fail at doing each. But this is not the case with this device. It is not the best device out there for each of these functions, but it does perform all of them with completely satisfaction.
ipod.. best ever indeed.
camera.. good enough for flickr (which is how I share photos).
GPS unit ... not really, but The Google maps application allows me to get a good map, get directions, find stores, and have traffic updates (I don't need live turn by turn directions).
Laptop... honestly, this iPhone is more powerful then the ibook that put me through grad school a few years ago (620GHz vrs 500GHz 8GBs vrs 6GBs). And with the web browser and email, I have 90% of the applications I would ever use on the go with a laptop.
3)MAGIC.. I still (6 months later) take this thing out of my pocket and 'slide to unlock' and just stare at how magical it is, I might not even have a reason to use it. (I feel kind silly for this one, but its all emotion). I love that there are no buttons. I think of the iPhone as one giant blank canvas. The entire face is both display and input at the same time. on a call? the entire face is one giant phone key pad (all input). Watching a movie? the entire face is all movie (all display). The entire device is perfectly arranged for whatever application it is running. And because there is no hardware excess (no surrounding buttons), the device essentially becomes that application. The way it almost transcends its physical form is beautiful. I've seen other devices that are going touch screen, but that alone is not the magic. It as Chris would say, "you are only done when there is nothing left to take away."
4) Limitless future.. This potentially is the most interesting. The ability to craft and upload entirely new applications, and entirely change the user experience is amazing. Being a seasoned apple owner.. I can't tell you how exited I get when my Apple tells me there is a software update. Over the course of owning an apple the software continues to remain fresh and current. My Blue and White G3 that sits under my desk originally loaded on OS9, but today loads up in Tiger and looks nearly identical to my new iMac that sits beside it! (Have you seen OS9 lately? wow) In this same way, the iPhone too will continue to update and remain current. My T610 was a relic locked in 2003 when I retired it earlier this year.
I have to say.. the iPhone is truly the most satisfying piece of consumer electronics I have ever owned. and on a number of levels...
1) Physical design. looking at the iPhone, you see a shinny piece of black glass, a stainless steel bezel, and beautiful chunk of natural aluminum, and a simple section of black plastic. And thats it. It looks more like a piece of jewelry then a gadget. And for this reason alone.. all other cell phones are dead to me. There is something very honest about the approach to materials here. No paint, no plating, no pad printing. Even the logo on the aluminum is laser etched.
2) All in one device... Just as i had held onto my T610 for an extra 3 years, I also held on to my old ipod, my old camera, and avoided getting a GPS unit for my car, and... bought a iMac, rather then a laptop when it came time to replace my aging ibook. Convergence devices arguabley attempt to do all, but fail at doing each. But this is not the case with this device. It is not the best device out there for each of these functions, but it does perform all of them with completely satisfaction.
ipod.. best ever indeed.
camera.. good enough for flickr (which is how I share photos).
GPS unit ... not really, but The Google maps application allows me to get a good map, get directions, find stores, and have traffic updates (I don't need live turn by turn directions).
Laptop... honestly, this iPhone is more powerful then the ibook that put me through grad school a few years ago (620GHz vrs 500GHz 8GBs vrs 6GBs). And with the web browser and email, I have 90% of the applications I would ever use on the go with a laptop.
3)MAGIC.. I still (6 months later) take this thing out of my pocket and 'slide to unlock' and just stare at how magical it is, I might not even have a reason to use it. (I feel kind silly for this one, but its all emotion). I love that there are no buttons. I think of the iPhone as one giant blank canvas. The entire face is both display and input at the same time. on a call? the entire face is one giant phone key pad (all input). Watching a movie? the entire face is all movie (all display). The entire device is perfectly arranged for whatever application it is running. And because there is no hardware excess (no surrounding buttons), the device essentially becomes that application. The way it almost transcends its physical form is beautiful. I've seen other devices that are going touch screen, but that alone is not the magic. It as Chris would say, "you are only done when there is nothing left to take away."
4) Limitless future.. This potentially is the most interesting. The ability to craft and upload entirely new applications, and entirely change the user experience is amazing. Being a seasoned apple owner.. I can't tell you how exited I get when my Apple tells me there is a software update. Over the course of owning an apple the software continues to remain fresh and current. My Blue and White G3 that sits under my desk originally loaded on OS9, but today loads up in Tiger and looks nearly identical to my new iMac that sits beside it! (Have you seen OS9 lately? wow) In this same way, the iPhone too will continue to update and remain current. My T610 was a relic locked in 2003 when I retired it earlier this year.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
product idea
there are plenty of bluetooh enabled car for voice... i don't know of any that support music.... i should be able to stream music from my phone to my car... i know that there are stereo bt headphones, so it seems that technically it should not be hard at all.
WM media player
i was sitting in the car trying to feed the baby and decided to listen to some music on my blackjack 2. i have been frustrated that there was no way to scan through a song or movie... turns out there is... you have to push and hold. i am not sure what made me think of that... i guess as a designer i have designed enough press and hold double functions to reduce the visual clutter of too many keys. so i am glad that i scan through media. not so impotant on a 3 minute song.... very important on a 2 hour movie.
i am however bumed out that i can not listen to music in the background. on my itunes enable slvr i can listen and do other things. note to the wm team, i may want to surf the web or post to my mobile blog while listening to music.
i am however bumed out that i can not listen to music in the background. on my itunes enable slvr i can listen and do other things. note to the wm team, i may want to surf the web or post to my mobile blog while listening to music.
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