Google in my pocket during Bond Quantum of Solace (the Bolivian Desert)

Posted on by Sol Young with 3 Comments

Besides an absolutely killer Aston Martin opening chase and an even better dog-fight and parachute scene later, two things stuck in my mind from the latest Bond movie, Quantum of Solace.

First, James Bond driving hybrids. Ford got lots of hybrid vehicle product placement (listen for the electric motor during takeoff and stopping).

Second, the Bolivian desert. I didn’t know there was a desert in Bolivia. That ignorance induced the whip-phone-from-pocket reflex to load up some Bolivian geography (sociological pressure kept me from lighting a bright screen in a theater). It wasn’t the movie’s doing, but the ability to supplement one’s experience with personalized metadata is finally here. I’ll remember this when future grandkids ask when we finally started wearing computers.

The movie was good. Not as good as Casino Royale, but I’m liking this style of Bond more than any of the others.

For those stumbling upon this post looking for more on the Bolivian desert try these blogs, photos, and maps:


View Larger Map

Posted in Etiquette, Flying, Google, iPhone, Life Streaming, Movies, Wearing

Always Plugged in…

Posted on by Sol Young with 3 Comments

Other than last weekend, I’m almost always plugged in. I pride myself on this. I carry around two phones, both with ‘net access. One is for work, and the other for personal, but both are pulling in information, news, and texts.

So I shut down for last weekend. Took no calls, just Twittered a bit and stayed in tune with email web browsing. And finally checked personal voicemail on Monday. Holy hell! 14 voicemails… Seriously?

Well – after not taking calls for the first time in months, I wished I had. In those voicemails were messages from family letting me know of my aunt’s passing. Anna, who was my mom’s midwife. An amazing person.

Voicemail is not the way to hear this. That sucks. There’s something to be said about staying connected.

Written on an iPhone on a slow-moving train.

Posted in Education, Wearing

Parting with the Google Phone T-Mobile G1 – The Verdict – Top 10

Posted on by Sol Young with 9 Comments

After a week of using the T-Mobile G1 – the Google Phone – today I give it back. I knew before trying it that it was junk. Playing with it was still fun. There are great features on this phone, but for the most part it’s a phone to leave behind.

Last Shot of the G1

During the week I used the phone as my primary personal cell phone. Usually I carry an iPhone for work and a Nokia N82 for photography and personal calls. Having the iPhone and G1 on me for a week made for some great comparisons and a little benchmarking.

I do not recommend this phone. You should probably not buy this phone. BlackBerry and the iPhone are both superior in almost every aspect.

The Good

  1. Great (for plastic) screen. Bright, smooth movement, and fairly durable. The Flashlight application is bright.
  2. Terrific email client (see remarks about keypad below)
  3. Market (aka Android App Store) describes exactly what systems (GPS, PIM, 3G, etc) an application requires before one installs it
  4. Excellent USB implementation – The G1 reports as a removable drive when plugged in to a computer, and charges from the USB
  5. 3G beats the heck out of EDGE – It’s about 75% of the speed of AT&T’s 3G here in Philadelphia, but it’s 4x faster than EDGE
  6. Amazon MP3 store integration
  7. 3 megapixel camera has better resolution than the iPhone or current BlackBerry units, but is still antiquated enough to generate smile fatigue
  8. Hardware keypad is useful for customers who aren’t willing to type more quickly on a virtual keypad
  9. “Chin” section reminds us of the 1995 Motorola phones – Great way to reminisce
  10. Google logo on the back
The Bad
  1. Not stylish
  2. Twice as thick as it needs to be – Slide-out screen reveals unfriendly QWERTY keypad, the culprit of this waste
  3. “Chin” section is unnecessary and uses up an inch of length
  4. “Chin” section gets in the way in landscape orientation while typing
  5. Lack of multi-touch, poor trackball
  6. Can only type with keypad, requires sliding out.
  7. T-Mobile data plan is slower than AT&T (arguably this will change, but for now it’s 75% as fast as AT&T)
  8. Too many buttons – Looks like a repurposed Windows Mobile device from 2002
  9. Weak initial application offerings – lack of apparent payment system for developer compensation
  10. Android isn’t ready for commercial release – this OS has great potential but its lack of a svelt, smooth, and exciting experience exudes a lack of design
The Verdict – skip this phone – it’s a 1st generation device that is botched by poor hardware design and a pre-release operating system. A G2 or G3 version with a slim multi-touch interface and polished UI will be worthy of your attention.
Posted in Android, BlackBerry, G1, Google, Google Phone, iPhone, iPhone 3G, N82, Nokia, T-Mobile

Found an Android in the Wild (T-Mobile Google Phone G1)

Posted on by Sol Young with 6 Comments

Yesterday evening while out with my wife an in-laws for dinner I spotted an Android. The Google Phone, or T-Mobile G1, was alone in the hands of a man at a table full of iPhone and BlackBerry owners.

This was a first. I’ve been using a G1 for a week, and other than the phone in my hands I have not seen another in use. This was exciting… I could actually interrupt someone’s meal to learn his thoughts on the device!

And I did. And the response was what I expected.

Me: “I see you’ve got a G1… I’m reviewing one. What do you think.”

Alex: “I’m returning it. Aweful. Getting a BlackBerry.”

Alex elaborated on what he didn’t like. He’s used an iPhone, but likes BlackBerry’s more. Mostly his beefs are with hardware:
– big nob on right side when screen is extended (hardware)
– feels cheap (hardware)
– lack of proximity detection so screen items are pressed during calls (arguably, this could be fixed with a software update)
– the messaging and email are weak compared to BlackBerry. Unreliable. (software and network)
– keypad isn’t friendly – not a fast pad to type on. (hardware)

I had hoped he would have some praise for it. Perhaps something I’ve missed or overlooked. But other than believing a future generation will be competitive, he had none. The apps and browsing didn’t matter.

I’ve come to appreciate the browser for stability and support of ajax (its use is still a disaster). I’ve also liked the implementation of the Market (the Android App Store). But if Alex is a read on consumers, these features don’t really matter.

Posted in Google, T-Mobile