RandomMuch

January 31, 2010

Open Challenge to Google: Please take Apple and it’s iPad down.

Filed under: Tech — Tags: , , , — Arturo @ 11:19 pm

So now that the hoopla is simmering down a little, let’s take a look at the iPad.  Plain and simple, it is an iPod Touch for sasquatches.  Rant all you want that the iPhone OS is OSX Light, but the iPad is NOT a tablet PC competitor.  No way, no how.  I read an article about how tablet PC makers are concerned that they cannot compete with Apple’s price point for the iPad.  They can’t put out a tablet PC cheap enough to compete with the iPad?  I say, “WRONG”.  If I see the iPad sitting next to a Sony Vaio tablet PC and the difference is $200 more for the Sony, I’m going with the Sony.  Come on!  A tablet PC or a huge iPod Touch?  Hmmmmm?  Easy choice for me.  IF they can make it only $100 more, even better.

Then it hit me.  If Google can put a decent alternative to the iPhone(I did NOT say iPhone killer), then why can’t they compete with the iPad.  Think about it.  They went to HTC for the hardware to run their Android software and we got the Nexus One.  It is in no way an iPhone killer, but spec for spec, it hangs with the iPhone really well.  Honestly the ONLY advantage that wins it for Apple is the App Store.  And maybe the GUI is smoother, but that’s more of a matter of preference.  Other than that, they match up well.  Now, what if Google goes to some smaller PC hardware company like Asus or MSI and works something out to put the Chrome OS on a tablet?  How awesome would that be?  Forget the high price for putting Windows on it.  I think they could manage to make it for $100 more than the iPad or even match the price.  I believe that tablet will KILL the iPad.  I will GLADLY pay up to $200 extra, just to have a Google Chrome tablet.  I’m sure they’ll have a camera.  I’m sure it will have an SD card slot or USB slot.  Can you say movies a la carte?  No more being tied down to iTunes.  And the coup de grace, at least for me, this hypothetical tablet will support Flash.  So rather than Internet Light, we get the FULL web.  Apple can paint as pretty picture as it would like, but tons of people noticed the blue lego icon when Steve-O pulled up the New York Times website.   For those of you who don;t know what that means, that’s what you’ll get on you iPad every time you go to a website that has a video which requires Flash to play.  Which is A LOT of them.  Not a problem for the Google tablet running Chrome OS.

PLEASE Google, hear my cries.  If anyone can bring Apple to its knees, It’s you.  I will gladly drop my Macbook and iPhone if you put out a tablet.  I’ll get the Nexus One.  I’ll get the Google tablet.  I’ll buy a desktop PC running Chrome OS.  I swear it.

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AC

January 28, 2010

iThink the iPad makes iSad… kind of.

Filed under: Tech — Tags: , , — Arturo @ 12:54 am

So, the iSlate is in fact outted. Only… it isn’t an iSlate. It’s an iPad. I personally think “iSlate” was a better name, but that’s why Apple employees have a cool job and I write a blog that few people read. *frown* I have read that this was probably one of the most anticipated launches of all time. I personally think the iPhone was more anticipated. But maybe that was just me. But whatever the case may be, or the name for that matter, it is official now. So let’s look at it, on paper, and see what I think.

So for the price of $499-$829 you get:

1Ghz Apple A4 processor, 9.7 inch widescreen, 1024 x 768 resolution, 16GB-64GB flash storage, 10 hour battery life, built-in speakers, microphone, WiFi, Bluetooth, with video and audio playback and optional 3G($14.99 for 250MB or $29.99 for unlimited).

More detailed specs HERE.

So, what does this all really mean. Let’s do this like my movie reviews… the good and the bad.

The good: Very portable at 1.5lbs and measuring 9.56 x 7.47 x 0.5 inches. You get all your favorite apps and usability of your iPhone/iPod Touch with a much bigger screen. Movies will be much more fun to watch. Books will be much easier to read. Websites will be more interactive than before. It is an iPhone/iPod Touch with more screen to play with, and for a low starting price of $499.

The bad: That is all this thing is… an Ipod Touch on steroids or an iPhone on steroids without the phone functionality. That’s pretty much it. It runs the same OS(operating system) as the iPhone/iPod Touch. Just like those devices, it has no optical device(CD/DVD player), no USB port, no SD card reader, and NO FLASH support. Like those devices, it is NOT the real web. It is Web 0.9 at best. If it doesn’t support Flash, it is not the real web. I’m sorry, but it isn’t. Sure, HTML5 is upon us and should be iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad friendly. But it’ll be a long time, if ever, before HTML5 completely overtakes Flash. And until then, many websites will still require Flash to function and unless Apple loosens the strangle hold, we will never have the FULL web on these devices. If the sound is anything like my 13″ Macbook Pro, which I doubt if it’s that good, it’s not good enough. My speakers are awful. I have to raise the volume almost all the way just to get decent sound for music and movies. Sometimes even full volume isn’t good enough. This thing doesn’t even have a camera. The iPhone has a camera. And I’ll bet my bottom dollar, that we see a camera on the iPod Touch by Summer. But the iPad didn’t get one from jump? Come on!

In the end it is a cool device. The potential for this product, future Apple products, and future competitor products is huge. But it is not the product I had hoped for. Granted that if it did run a full OS, like OSX, it would require a better processor, stronger graphics card, and more storage which would jack up the price. Making it more difficult for most people to get. But, it feels almost silly to covet this product so much, when it’s little more than HUGE iPhone/iPod Touch. Maybe since I am considering getting rid of my iPhone, this will be nice to have along with a regular cell phone. But when I have my iPhone 3GS and my 13″ MBP sitting side by side, I fail to see what I would use this for. I can definitely see how many people could use this product. My wife could use this to help teach her students. Our good friend who doesn’t have an iPhone and loves reading books could use this as an eBook reader. My best friend could take this on his out of town trips, instead of his netbook. But people like me that have an iPhone and MBP, I just don’t see the need. Don’t get me wrong, I would LOVE to get my paws on one. Simply because I love technology of ALL kinds. And maybe that;s why I am so disappointed. I was actually hoping for a product that would make me feel like I had to have it…. NOW. And all I can muster is, “I’ll get one later, if I have a few bucks to spend.” But for now, I’ll just have to hope that my family, friends, and readers take up a collection and get me the 16GB with 3G for my birthday.

–

AC

P.S.

Don’t be surprised if I end up getting one soon. I love tech too much. LoL.

P.P.S.

After a couple days of pondering some more and answering questions for my non-geek friends, I hve come tithe conclusion that until the iPad gets Flash support and a camera, I will not be getting one. I will gladly accept one as a gift, but since that won’t happen, I will wait patiently. I may consider just having my MBP modded. http://www.axiotron.com/index.php?id=modbook

January 26, 2010

OOPS! iSlate is outted early…

Filed under: Tech — Tags: , — Arturo @ 11:27 pm

Sorry Apple, but the cat is apparently out of the bag.  It seems that a certain CEO has had a MAJOR faux pas.  Forward to about 2:50 and here the Appley goodness just spew out the poor guy’s mouth…

http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?play=1&video=1396376379

–

AC

January 25, 2010

Abortion… Don’t talk about it.

Filed under: Personal Thoughts — Tags: , — Arturo @ 10:17 pm

OK, so I happened to Stumble Upon this article.  It’s an interesting look at the abortion issue.  And I will agree that the subject is something not to be discussed.  You either agree or you don’t.  Much like religion and most politics.  But I do take issue with three things about this article.

One: The author has the word “abortion” in there 7 times.  Abortion this, abortion that.  BUT… we cannot give our opinion on abortion?  You can use abortion as your corner-stone to make a VERY wide generalization about women’s rights, but we cannot counter that one point?  Really?  That’s how you debate?  Rant about something specific, but we can only counter with  simple yes or no answer to the only question YOU decided?  FAIL!  A debate is two-sided and open to any point.  What this person wrote was a rant and a bad one at that.

Two: So, basically the author says that if you think abortion is wrong then you are also saying that women are second class citizens.  I cannot think that abortion is wrong AND believe that women deserve full equal rights.  FAIL!  I see the conundrum, but the black and white attitude is so lame.  Along with the right to be a FULL equal citizen, I HAVE to give the right to kill a child at will?  NO.  Basically a woman can let it out of her pants at any time, get pregnant, and then choose to erase her mistake.  I don;t think so.  Which brings me to my last problem with this article.

Three: Another argument the author makes is that men have EVERY right to his own body.  He can do with it as he sees fit, ALWAYS.  So a woman can choose whether or not to have a baby, but men can’t.  A woman does not need the consent of the father to kill a child.  And if the woman decides to keep the baby, the father can not CHOOSE whether or not to pay child support.  Don;t get me wrong, I am in no way condoning men skipping out on their responsibilities.  But it is a double standard.  The woman should have the right to choose, but the guy HAS to accept her decision?  And pay accordingly?  FAIL!

I totally agree that women have it rough.  And having been raised by three beautiful, strong, independent women, I am very sympathetic to women’s feelings and opinions.  But I don’t have agree with them.  And I REALLY disagree with this one’s article.

–

AC

January 17, 2010

Help Haiti. We can make a difference.

Filed under: Personal Thoughts — Tags: , — Arturo @ 6:43 pm

I want to take this opportunity to ask everyone that finds this blog to PLEASE take some time and consider donating.  If you choose not to go through the Red Cross, then do some research and choose a charity of your own.  Every little bit helps and it matters to someone in Haiti.  Please Please Please consider it.

RED CROSS

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AC

Cloudy with a Chance of Awesome

Filed under: Movies — Tags: , — Arturo @ 5:43 pm

So I decided to try something new.  I am writing my review as I watch.  Either my title will be incredible foresight, or a total flop.

Much like Up was the best movie intro EVER, this one has the best message to kids I have ever seen in a movie.  And both statements include live action AND animated.  To add to that, the title of the movie is presented in the coolest retro-geek fashion possible.  I’ve literally LOL’d like five times already and it’s only like 15 minutes in.  I’ll check back in a few.

I absolutely LOVE Steve the monkey.  I will be rewatching this movie just to pay attention to everything he does.

I just IMDB’d this movie and it has an awesome ensemble voice cast.  Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Bruce Campbell, Mr T.,  Benjamin Bratt, Neil Patrick Harris, and Al Roker?  Seriously?  AWESOME!!!

Social commentary on how American society is obsessed with food and bigger portions?  I likey.

Classic lesson about how success can go straight to your head and make you do stupid things?  I likey.

Uh oh!  I hope Christian don’t attack this movie for the “implied Flying Spaghetti Monster”.

LMAO @ “He’s in a food coma.”  AWESOME!!

This movie has a high laugh per minute ratio.  It’s still about 15 – 20 minutes from ending but I find it hard to pull away long enough write these updates.  GREAT movie.

The man-eating chickens were creepy.

LMAO @ Chicken Brent.

OK, it’s over.  But even the closing credits have watchability.  I was right, this movie was awesome.  I honestly cannot think of anything wrong with it.  Maybe, the fact that it really is a kids’ movie, but that falls in the DUH category.  But all the kids at heart will love it.  The overall message will go a long way in helping kids if parents take the time to explain it to their children.  If you’re like me and it’s taken you this long to see it, go Redbox this flick right now.

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AC

Who hasn’t wanted to go Swimming with Shark?

Filed under: Movies — Tags: , , , — Arturo @ 12:08 am

We all fall victim to the marketing monster when it comes to movies.  We start seeing the trailers for the Summer blockbusters two months in advance and we can’t wait ’til opening day.  Few people make it a point to go back and watch older movies.  Mostly movie buffs like myself will do that.  A lot of people have never and will never see movies like Casablanca, A Street Car Named Desire, or Taxi Driver because they came out way before movie watching became a big part of their lives.  I do make it a point to catch up on old movies that I missed.  Especially since I have committed the sin of not seeing some of the greats.  Even some of the not so greats that deserve to be seen and discussed.  For example, I have never seen Taxi Driver.  I was very sleepy and dozed off during A Street Car named Desire.  I couldn’t make it through Citizen Kane.  And a few others that I will get around to, eventually.  One such movie was Swimming with Sharks.  I can’t remember exactly how I heard about this movie.  I found it on some “best of” list or someone’s “must see” list.  But however it was, I’m glad I heard about it.  I do not like movies that try too hard to be goth and dark.  *cough* Tim Burton *cough*.  But when a movie is genuinely dark without even trying, I am a sucker for them.

Swimming with Sharks is a 1994 film starring Kevin Spacey, Frank Whaley, and Michelle Forbes.  With a cameo by Benicio Del Toro.  Kevin Spacey plays Buddy Ackerman, an egotistical, horror of a movie producer that makes life a living hell for anyone he comes in contact with.  Frank Whaley plays Guy, Buddy’s young idealistic assistant.  Guy takes everything that Buddy has to dish out until he can’t take any more.  I can;t say more without giving away the twists so, let’s get in to the review shall we?

The bad.  The plot is pretty linear.  It takes a turn pretty early on and jumps back and forth from past to present.  The scenes from the present are the most interesting.  The scenes from the past are the same joke over and over.  But it does give you a feel for why the rest is happening.  The rest is just the fact that it’s dated.  Keeping in mind that this movie ws made in the mid 90′s and didn’t have a huge budget, you should be able to look past the quirks.

The good.  I love the turn it takes.  It feels very realistic, but still within the fantasy realm.  The end was not what I expected, but in a good way.  I imagined that someone saw Office Space and decided to explore the darker side of working a less than desirable job.  Most of us have or have had those jobs that’s for the money and not very fulfilling to the soul.  I have yet to see a Kevin Spacey movie that I did not like, and this one only reaffirms that sentiment.  You may remember Frank Whaley from Career Opportunities, but please do not judge him by that alone.  Keep in mind his roles in Pulp Fiction, Red Dragon, and especially Vacancy.

I liked this movie.  And I am really glad that it didn’t pass me by.  If, like me, you enjoy the occasional, or even more than occasional film noir experience, pick this movie up.  If you find yourself standing in Blockbuster without a clue what to pick up, look for Swimming with Sharks.

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AC

January 9, 2010

Piracy? Hmmm?

Filed under: Personal Thoughts — Tags: , , , , — Arturo @ 2:51 pm

Let me say first and foremost that I do not encourage anyone to do or not do anything.  You are your own person and make your own decisions.  I write this as my opinion and observation.  Take it as info only.

I am a gamer.  I admit it.  It’s part of my geekhood.  I am not stuck to the TV 24/7, but when I get some time, I’ll throw a game on.  The only reason I mention this is because the straw that broke the camels back was a game.  But this applies to games, movies, and music.  My review of the game, Darksiders, will be coming soon.

Here’s the problem, and I’m sure something similar has happened to you.  I had seen the trailers for these games, Darksiders and Dante’s Inferno.  I have a thing for the mythology of religion.  And both games deal with just that, so they caught my interest.  Darksiders was the first to come out, so I went and got it.  I rushed home and started playing.  It didn;t take long before I figured I REALLY disliked the game.  Here’s where the cheesing off comes in.  I called Gamestop to ask how much I can get for trade in value.  The response was “$20″.  I dropped $60 on this crap and the only recourse I have is to trade it in for $20 store credit?  REALLY?

So as to piracy, I say this.  If the RIAA, MPAA, and who ever governs game piracy really want to cut down on illegal downloads, I recommend offering some kind of option when we get crap instead of the entertainment we were looking for.  I’ve stopped buying music CD’s simply because most artists now make ONE hit song, make other mediocre songs to fill an album and sell it.  I hear the whole album and realize it sucks, but because I opened the package I can’t return it.  Same for movies and games.  If I buy a home theater system and it doesn’t have the power I was looking for, I pack it up and take it back to the store and get another.  But if you get a crappy game, movie, or music CD you are S.O.L.  I’ve gone to the movies and saw a movie that looked good in the trailers, but turned to be really awful.  But can I go get my money that was wasted?  NO.  The manager will say that I sat through the whole movie and they cannot refund money for that.  I know, I’ve tried.

So when there’s an option to download something for free, check it out, and then decide to buy it or not, I see the value in that.  Now when people do nothing but download for free and NEVER contribute, that becomes a problem.  But in the end it evens out for all those times we bought something that was subpar and had no other option but to keep it.  Right now, I have to check eBay to see if I can get a buyer for Darksiders, or bend over for Gamestop and trade it in.

–

AC

January 5, 2010

Hold the phone, the iPhone that is…

Filed under: iPhone/Cell Phones, Tech — Tags: , , , , , — Arturo @ 3:01 pm

Ok, geeks and geekettes.  It seems that the rumors were true.  Google has unleashed the Nexus One.  And by the looks of it, it is better than the Droid offered by Motorola via Verizon.

From what I’ve read, it is currently available through Google for $529 unlocked(GSM only).  Meaning you can buy it and use with T-Mobile.  Or you can buy it and use it with AT&T, but without 3G capability due to the frequencies it supports.  Your other option is to sign a new two-year contract with T-Mobile and pay only $179.  Now if you’re like me then you hate AT&T’s service, and you don’t consider T-Mobile very reliable.  Never fear, you will be able to get it through Verizon Spring 2010.  That’s right kiddies, just a couple months away.

I put together this little chart, please forgive the crudeness, I REALLY tried to get it to look better…

.                                                    iPhone                            Droid                                  Nexus One

phone size(millimeters)         115 x 62 x 12                   115 x 60 x 13                     119 x 59 x 11

phone weight(grams)              135                                    169                                     130

screen size(inches)                   3.5                                    3.7                                      3.7

processor speed                        600MHz                         550MHz                            1GHz

removable battery                    NO                                   YES                                     YES

talk time                                     5 hours                            6.4 hours                           7 hours

standby                                       300 hours                       270 hours                         250 hours

3G internet time                       5 hours                            N/A                                    5 hours

wifi internet time                     9 hours                            N/A                                    6.5 hours

video playback                          10 hours                          N/A                                    7 hours

audio playback                          30 hours                         N/A                                    20 hours

camera resolution                    3MP                                5MP                                   5MP

camera flash                              NO                                  YES                                    YES

camera zoom                             NO                                  4x                                       2x

video recording                         480 res @ 30fps          480 res @ 24fps              480 res @ 20fps

There it is folks.  In my opinion, the Nexus One takes it by a nose.  The only question now is how do the OS’s compare.  I know for a fact that the iPhone OS runs really smooth, but that’s because they limit you as to what you can and can’t do with it.  Android is almost as stable, but WILL allow you to customize and tweak it.

It is my humble opinion that just like Microsoft is losing customers to Apple, so shall Apple lose to open source like Linux and Android.  Only time will tell.

–

AC

Droid: It is but it isn’t an iPhone killer

Filed under: iPhone/Cell Phones, Tech — Tags: , , , , — Arturo @ 1:13 am

OK, so if you remember a while back a wrote not so much a review as a prediction of the Droid.  At that point I hadn’t gotten my paws on one, but I compared the proposed specs to the current specs of the iPhone.  The reason I did that is only because the Droid is the latest “iPhone killer” to hit the market.  Here’s the problem, there is no such thing and will never be such a thing as an iPhone killer.  And I’ll tell you why.  It is NOT because the iPhone is the be all and end all of cell phones.  Not in the least.  The problem is that the iPhone is so ahead of the curve that every one else is playing catch up.  Will the day come when iPhone is dethroned, of course.  Nothing lasts forever.  iPhone set the bar and while others are trying to reach that goal, Apple continues to improve on their winner.  So until someone has been in the game long enough, iPhone will not be “killed” any time soon.

That being said, the Droid is REAAAAALLY close.  I finally got to play with one for a few minutes.  I have grown tired of AT&T’s crappy service in my area and I want out.  This is not a reflection of coverage everywhere, because from what I’ve read and researched on my own, AT&T has good coverage in a lot of places.  But I get crappy coverage and I am tired of it.  Plus I am developing this anger towards Apple for their Communist hold they have on their products.  I totally get that limiting what you can or cannot do with your Apple product is one of the main reasons that they are stable.  BUT… when an iPod is only accessible via iTunes, and both the Macbooks and iPhones can only be customized with what Apple approves, I feel like I’m living in under a Techtator(that’s Tech Dictator for normal people).  The Droid is a great gadget for me.  I get away from the unreliability of Microsoft AND the techtatorship of Apple.  Google is the wave of the future.  I want a Droid so bad.  And I even want to sell my Macbook and get any laptop and run ChromeOS.  The only reason I haven’t is because the wifey has a strangle hold on her iPhone and paying for two separate cell providers makes no sense to me.  And please, darling, do NOT take this as an attack, I love you.

If you have Verizon already and want to feel what iPhone owners feel as far as having a great gadget, get the Droid.  If you have an iPhone with AT&T and are as tired of Apple or AT&T as I am, get the Droid.  I still think the iPhone is the best phone out there, but coupled with bad service, I can’t really suggest it better than the Droid.  Like I said, is the Droid a better gadget than the iPhone?  NO.  But is headed in the right direction?  HELL YES.  Is it better than the Blackberry and Palm phones?  HELL YES.  Is it worth leaving the iPhone behind?  If you have no problem with Apple or AT&T then probably not.  But if you feel like I do about Apple and or AT&T, then HELL YES.  For those of you that still want to wait, and even more so if you’re with T-Mobile, then wait for the Nexus One from Google.  I’ve read, at least, that it will be coming out with T-Mobile as of today as a matter of fact.  And it, I believe, will actually be even better than the Droid.

–

AC

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