Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts

Monday, May 23, 2011

The secret life of geeks : Happiness is....


A pre-order HTC flyer tablet based on the latest Android Honeycomb OS and as importantly, the fabulous white case it comes in
I got my Flyer about 10 days ago, what a boost to the ego it was to receive it before the plebs got their hands on this piece of kit. The un-boxing experience had a sense of déjà vue since it wasn’t that different from the ipod classic. White minimalism, product image gets center stage on the lid, no reams of paper aka the user guide, but instead, the standard guarantee and quick start guide, power jack and headphones. Finally the piece de resistance, the Flyer White and pristine sans screen protector but with a brushed aluminum digital stylus! We like that!
Inserting the sim card was a bit of a struggle since the back flap isn’t super easy for people with bitten nails to access. No Micro-SD card included. Black mark for HTC there since including a memory card wouldn’t have dented the 500 plus GBP price tag.
On switching the device on you’re met with the usual HTC splash screen. Swipe the ring to unlock the screen, input your Google credentials and you’re ready to go. Unless you have a yahoo mail account then it gets a bit complicated to say the least. A Google search (surprise, surprise) unveils the manual credentials to install your yahoo account. Not too much of a stretch when you’re a geek, but God help the nulls. Next comes the all important transfer bit, you’d imagine in this day and age, devices would be able to talk to each other…Oh no. We’re a bit choosy about the company we keep in this house hold, the Flyer doesn’t talk to his poor cousin the HTC Windows phone which doesn’t really see eye to eye with el Mac who is in a constant sulk with Symbian…Sigh! And I thought I was out of college. Oh well, someday we’ll all kiss and make up, but until that happens, it’s each for itself.
Luckily on the software side, everything’s hunky dory, Facebook is totally ok with sharing all your contacts and every other piece of your life ,whether you like it or not. The result, Google is able to sync everything to well, Gmail. Glad someone’s getting along. Having said that, I was pleasantly surprised to see a pre-loaded bookmark to the Amzon music store in HTC’s music player. Wonder how long its going to be before they get their knuckles rapped by the friendly Android down the street. With 150k plus apps in it’s market place, Android is a pretty reliable first port of call for all your app fantasies. I’m at about 30 as we speak.
I’m still not a 100% convinced as to why I abought a tablet sure I’ll figure it out some day, but until then here’s to the flyer, full marks…so far.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

‘Fondle slabs’ and other pieces of kit


Do I or do I not join the ipad ranks? Do I or do I not succumb to the totally unfounded notion that I need to have the ability to connect on the move, over and above my ‘always on’ smart phone. Will I become a walking talking font of creativity if I have my fondle slab’s in grabbing distance incase that life changing idea strikes me and I need to record it before it flitters away. I think not…
However there are some that would vehemently disagree especially those who queue up for hours outside the Apple store four times in a row to get the ipad 2 and still don’t manage to. Why on earth would anyone waste four evenings of their lives (especially pertinent for us who’re not getting any younger) waiting to get their paws on something that’s going to be out of date in 3 or 4 months anyways? Do you or do you not shell out 500 big one’s to feel cheated in a few months? Yet another of life’s existential questions.
I for one will probably fall prey to the onslaught of the pad. Not because I’m a follower of the cult of Jobs but because technology has a way of molding the environment we live in. You either get on board or get left behind. Imagine a world where Facebook currency is legal tender. Paulo alto replaces DC. Zuckerberg runs for president. Scary thought for some (ok maybe the Zuckerberg bit would be) but for other’s it means a world where we’re a global village, boundaries become redundant, connectivity is a human right and we’re all plugged into making the world a better place. Orwellian night-mare or Utopian dream. I choose the latter…do you?