Multitasking - leave it to your operating system

It is well known to technologists that multi-tasking, multi-threading and multi-core are a good thing for computers to do.  Your operating systems pretty much sucked if it could do only one thing at a time...but what about us?  Is multi-tasking as good thing?

The New Atlantis has quite an interesting article focusing on our lack of focus.  I am thinking long and hard these days on how to refocus my attention on singular tasks without interruption.  Turneth off thy WiFi!?

Something to think about...

FireFox 3 - Two Thumbs Upward

I have been using Firefox 3.0 for a bit now, both in the betas, release candidates and now the final version since Tuesday.  In this mini review I want to give it an unequivocal, if cliche, two thumbs up. If you have not grabbed the newest version you can do so here.

Not to sound like marketing firm for Mozilla, the non profit behind the Fox, I have found the version 3 is the best browsing experience in my many years of using the World Wide Web (I have used the Web way back to the Lynx and Mosaic days).  Some things I like...

Your Actual Favorites

To be honest I don't use web browsers' favorites or bookmarks features.  Ever since address bars started using autocomplete I really have bothered with bookmarking.  Plus, there are so many ways today to go back to sites you find (Delicious, stumble upon, etc).  Yet FireFox 3 adds a fun little feature which creates a list of you "Most Visited" sites - this little list reveals what, in fact, are you actual "favorites" - For me it is Facebook, Acts 29 Members Forum, My Blog Control Panel and Yahoo Mail (my wife's primary account where all our recent real estate correspondence is happening).  Of course these are sites I go to with the browser not the ones I read through RSS.  But it is cool to see what sites you visit most.

Awesome Bar - Yes, it is Awesome

FireFox 3 introduced something with what I thought was a cheesy name.  The "awesome bar" is an interface improval which combines the address bar and search bar together in a cool way.  The size of search and address fields are resizable with the mouse and allows you to click on a Favicon for site information - very cool.  Also it searches your recent browsing history in an intelligent way, dropping a graphically pleasing list of sites based on the letters you type.  It is like a smarter, more intuitive "auto complete" - So I don't think the name is cheesy any longer...I think the awesome bar is, well, awesome.

Saved Passwords

Ever ask your browser to save userID and password information only to see that your login was wrong?  Happens to me quite a bit.  Well Firefox allows you to save the password info even after you see that the login was successful - very, very well done and practical.

Forward and Back

The new way in which the browser handles forward and back is a bit different in that there is only one drop down list showing you the history of the sites you visited.  However, as you mouse down the list an arrow appears showing you whether this is forward or backward in your recent history - very efficient and elegantly implemented.

Save all those open tabs

When you close the browser, either on purpose or if it happened to choke on some badly code web site, you can rest assured that the tabs you had open will come back to you.  When you close the browser you can select the option to "Save and Quit" which will reload the tabs and state of the browser upon the next launch.  If the browser crashes, the tabs open prior to the crash will load again nicely.  I use this all the time as I open stuff in tabs I want to go back to later to read, or blog about.  There is also a new "Re-open Recently Closed Tabs" feature under the history menu for the times when you click the little "X" on a tab accidentally.  You can reload it no problem.  Tabs were an innovation FireFox brought to the browsing world...their handling tabs just leaped forward with Version 3.0.

Speed - Yes, believe the hype...it is very fast and responsive in loading pages. Apparently they fixed the memory leaks from Version 2.0 which would slow a machine down if FireFox were leaft open for long periods of time.

You can check out all the new features on the Firefox site - I haven't used the new "tagging" feature but that looks to be sweet as well.  The features I already loved stay nicely available too.  Here I am thinking of integrated field spell check and helpful right click menus for bloggers (Copy image, Copy image location, Copy Link, Copy Link location) are all still there. Additionally, all the add-ons should be available soon as well.

If you are a casual user you will like the new Fox. If you are a blogger or power user you need to stop internet exploring or going on safari and use FireFox 3.0 - you will not be disappointed.

POC Tech Bundle

Technology Motions...

• For the Firefox users out there, I am currently using Release Candidate 2 of Firefox 3.0.  The final version should be available for download on June 17th.  Apparently Mozilla Corporation, the non profit who produces the fox, is looking to shock the world and set a world record for downloads.  Be one on June 17 and be part of history...and Firefox 3 is awesome. I have greatly enjoyed RC2 - RC3 is up here. This is an area where Mac people and PC people can unite against the man...neither Safari nor IE for me for let Firefox 3 cometh to me.
• For Palm, Facebook Users - if you use a Treo or a Palm Centro, Palm just released a Facebook client that runs on your phone.  I downloaded it and it is pretty basic but very nicely implemented and pretty peppy as well.  If you have a Palm phone and you are hooked on Faceboo, you can get that here.  
• Of course I am sure you have read all the news on that other little phone that was announced on Monday. iPhone 3G. Amazing price on this thing, though AT crap T has raised its plan prices so it will actually cost you more after the 2 year contract.  But at least you feel like you are getting it for 199. This phone looks amazing...I still like real keyboards though.  We'll see - I may move to iPhone or wait another year.  We are contracted with Spring until Fall 2009.
• Electronic Notetaking - I have recently been using Microsoft OneNote 2007, digital notetaking software that was bundled with Microsoft Office. I will just say that it is killer - sort of like a moleskin that is searchable, etc. I have also been looking at Evernote which has an online client in beta which is accesible from any web browser.  It also syncs with a Mac OSX or Windows desktop client. Cool software category which is likely to get better.  Windows Mobile has a OneNote client and Evernote is on Windows Mobile, Java Phones and soon to appear on the iPhone.  I will still likely use a moleskin at red lights but having a "thought space" on my laptop that integrates with web browsing, e-mail, search etc is pretty sweet. Some other apps in this space: Google Notebook (web based) Zoho Notebook and NoteScribe...
  

Many infallible proofs...

More evidence has emerged that shows that those who use Macintoshes are religious devotees.  There is a show dedicated to those who have "born again" - delivered from PC Hell into Mac Heaven.  Again, I love the Mac and Apple products, but since I still confess Jesus as Lord and God I must...with conviction...call to my brothers to resist idolatry.  Worshiping a good thing as an ultimate thing is not good for the soul - MacIdolatry must be added to all "cult watch" ministries as many are becoming born again.  Which everyone knows is a term for "holy roller weird." 

To all those moderate, mainline Mac users - who owned Mac classics, talk to your brothers about moderation.  It is a good thing. 

Edwards - searchable, downloadable...sweet

The complete works of Jonathan Edwards are now on prepub for the Logos Libronix system. The price is a very reasonable 69.95 for both downloadable and CD-ROM versions. The Logos Blog has more information for those who are interested...but the following is what most of you will want to know.

Soon you will be able to have access to Edwards' most important writings in your Libronix Digital Library System. The Logos edition is based on the standard 1834 edition that was reprinted by Banner of Truth and Hendrickson, both of which are still in print.

You can put your order in now at the prepublication page. 

New Developments in the Church of Steve Jobs

Today there was a surprise announcement from the Temple of Mac in Cupertino.  High Priest Steve Jobs has done something unprecedented - he has allocated some of his priestly duties to another.  Upon hearing of the recent dedication of one MacIdolator Jobs himself investigated this paragon of devotion.  Upon obtaining precise details of the supereragatory act, Jobs announced that Charlie Rose would be named Associate High Priest of the Church of Appletology.  MacIdolators have been rejoicing with light beer and spontaneous iPhone calling and texting.  They were, however, unable to text the photos of Rose to one another due to technical limitations.  Job's announcement was brief but to the point:

If anyone would give up their face for the new AIR, and he makes a living being on TV where people look at his face, this sort of dedication has not been seen before in the annals of Mac history.  Rose's sacramentalism, to receive bodily pain in order to continue to receive grace from his AIR has touched all of us in the Mac economy worldwide.  We do hope and pray that his influence would be deep and wide in our community.

Rose refused to comment.  Insiders said that he always knew he was called to be a prophet and that his AIR save was out of calling, not self promotion.  Unrevealed sources say the only real statement obtained from Rose has been: Don't make me a hero, it was just the right thing to do. Full news of Rose's amazing, self-denying act may be found here.

(HT on the Rose story - Tim Dees) 

Jonathan Coulton on TWIT

Jonathan Coulton, who is an indie singer song writer who appeals to technoid geeks was interviewed on This Week in Tech.  I personally like Coulton's songs which are strange playful interactions with science, sci fi, biotech and dystopian futuristic views.  If you missed it I blogged on Coulton here a while back. I am a fan of the songs Chiron Beta Prime, The Future Soon and Skullcrusher Mountain. 

This interview would be of interest to: 1) indie music people 2) tech people/programmers and 3) Pastors who did their undergrad in Applied Computer Science and Physics, love tech stuff and weird creepy biotech and zombie humor (OK, me).

Enjoy...

Sighting: Apple Cult Behavior

More evidence that we should be concerned about our Mac Brethren. Here is what MacIdolators do in their spare time. Very nice.

 

AVP - Air vs. xPs

So, now that Apple has puffed up its chest and strutted in arrogant superiority once again, I wanted to throw my two cents in about how the buzz about the newest MacBook amounts to some hot gaseous substance derived from the name said product (ie Hot air).  I recently reviewed my new Dell XPS m1330 purchased right before the AIR Mac announcement.  With the specs of my PC so much in my mind I watched the AIR announcement with some interest.  I left with only one word - unimpressed.  Of course their will be MacIdolaters claiming that this machine will make you float through airports and reach some sort of quasi Buddhist enlightenment, but I feel this is a product which many struggle.  In this battle royal comparison review I will do two things.  First, show that the MacBook AIR simply does not match up to other devices - I will use my XPS m1330 to illustrate.  Second, I will speculate on why this Macbook needs work or it may just disappear into thin air.  Finally, I will laugh at my Mac friends - because I love them and they evangelize me - maybe I won't laugh too much.

The Matchup - AIR vs. XPS 

Features			Commentary
Size	H: 0.16-0.76 in W: 12.8 in D: 8.94 in W:3.0 lbs	H: 0.87 to 1.33 in W: 12.5 in D: 9.4 in W: 3.97 lbs	Both are small, but the AIR clearly wins the size competition.  The Dell is less than 4lbs and hardly a burden, but AIR is tiny even though its 3lb weight is not the lightest in the world. Advantage - AIR
OS	OS X Leopard	Windows VISTA	Commenting on this one is a religious affair.  I love VISTA, Mac folks love Leopard.  Just so people will not whine - Advantage - AIR
Screen	13.3 LED Backlit	13.3 LED Backlit	Both have screens using the bright, power saving, thin LED backlit screens. Advantage - Draw
Processor	1.6 GHZ Core 2 Duo	2.2 GHZ Core 2 Duo	Advantage - XPS
Memory	2 GB	3 GB	Even with VISTAs memory hunger, 3 GB still is better than two. Advantage - XPS
Hard Drive	80 GB, 4200RPM, 64 GB SSD option	200 GB, 7200RPM, 64GB SSD option	This one is embarrassing.  The XPS has the largest 7200RPM drive while the AIR uses the smallish, slow drive used in iPod Classics.  This clearly hinders the air as a serious primary computer which might be used for say...editing video.  Clear Advantage - XPS
Video Subsystem	144MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory	Dedicated Nvidia GeForce graphics with 128MB dedicated memory	Again, no contest.  The AIR has a shared video subsystem, the XPS a dedicated graphics card - Clear Advantage - XPS
Optical Drive	None, optional external SuperDrive	8X DVD+/-RW Slot Load Drive	Now, I know Apple wants you to think that not having this is a feature because you can use another computers drive wirelessly.  This however is ridiculous.  What if a friend hands you a disk and says - check out my wedding DVD/photos? You are out of luck.  Clear Advantage - XPS.
Input/Output	MicroDVI with adapters, one USB 2.0 port, one headphone jack	HDMI (high def video), VGA, 2 USB 2.0 ports, Firewire port (for dig video cams), Express Card Slot, Multi Card Reader (SD, MMC, Mem Stick), Fingerprint Biometics security, 2 audio headphone jacks for sharing, microphone input jack	No contest here.  The AIR has crippled I/O greatly limiting what you can connect to the machine.  Again showing this is not a good primary machine.  Clear Advantage - XPS.
Networking	Wireless N, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR	Wireless N, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, 10/100 Ethernet, optional wireless broadband from SPRINT, Verizon, AT&T	Yes, the world is wireless and both have the same wireless network features.  The XPS adds a hard Ethernet port and an option for wireless broadband - Advantage - XPS
Keyboard	Nice backlit keyboard with ambient light sensor.	Great keyboard, no backlight	Advantage - AIR
Track-pad	Large trackpad, mulit touch gesture support	Small trackpad, pretty standard	Now I use the keyboard for so many things that the idea of learning touch chords on a track pad to rotate a photo sounds stupid.  But the cool factor goes to the AIR though I don't see the point.  Advantage - AIR
Cool Factors	Ultra thin, Nice looking, integrated web cam and microphone	Thin, Nice Looking, included Express Card IR remote for multimedia and presentations, heat sensitive touch buttons for media and volume control, integrated web cam and microphone...fingerprint logins.	Advantage - XPS
Battery	Non Removable, 5 hour	Removable battery with multiple options. I purchased the 6 cell (4 hour) and optional 9 cell (6 hours)	Again, a non removable battery is silly.  No secondary possible on the AIR and you have to get Apple to get a new one.  Batteries loose capability over time so this again is a clear advantage.  Clear Advantage - XPS
Price	$1799	$1734	The price on the XPS includes the extra battery and a machine with far superior features. Clear Advantage - XPS

Bottom Line - The Macbook AIR is at best a secondary machine.  Its poor hard drive, no optical drive (though they say this is cool), no removable battery, crippled I/O options, underpower machine without dedicated video option.  This is a very limited machine which puts it clearly in a "second or third machine" option.  Yet with the price a very high $1799.00 for the baseline configuration it is priced in the high range for even a machine with some kick.  Yes it can fit in an envelope - great.  But I do not want to be able to mail my laptops...I want to be able to do serious computing tasks.  The question I was left with in looking at the AIR was this: How many rich MacIdolators are out there who want a thin Apple toy to supplement their MacBook Pros or iMacs? For I think they might be the primary market for this device.  For me, I would not trade my XPS m1330 for any MacBook - let alone one as anemic looking as the one called "AIR."  OK, I decided to not laugh at my Mac friends.

If you still want something to be excited about in Jobs' recent announcements, you can now pay 4 dollars to rent a movie to watch on tiny screens.  If you want to watch with friends in the living room, well you can pay another 229.00 bucks to do something as complicated as watch a movie on your TV...This is a "good deal?"  Good grief at least with something Netflix you can get your movies and watch them with friends without giving Apple another substantial chunk of your bank account.  I see why Wall street did not buzz after the recent worship service of the cult of Mac.  

For more on MacBook Air you can see the following:

• USA Today - Many laptops are lighter than MacBook AIR
  
• ZDNet - Yes, the MacBook Air is light. But so what-Dell XPS is a better deal on price (I agree)
• PC Mag - MacBook Air: A Nice Touch
• CNET - Mac Book Air Review
• Mahalo Search - MacBook Air Reviews
  

Review - Dell XPS m1330

 

A couple of weeks ago I purchased a new laptop for my work.  I wanted to get something that was both thin and light and capable of any computing task...say a machine under 4lbs which could handle non linear video editing.  Yes, I am that guy who has high demands for computers.  This past summer Dell released a lightweight portable with a high end geek factor to some pretty rave critical reviews.  This holiday season they offered 799.00 off of the high end configuration of that machine - the XPS m1330.  I dialed through the online configuration, watching my heart as to not love a machine and tumble into idolatry, tricked it out and clicked the button.  Due the the very amazing price break on the high end of this model, I kept to my budget and got way more horsepower than I anticipated.  The following is my review of the laptop - I am very pleased.

Packaging 

I have bought many Dell computers over the years for home and ministry, a few laptops, a few desktops, even an ole Axim X5 Pocket PC years ago.  What was most striking about the new deal when it arrived was its packaging.  Obviously Dell has gotten into design with the XPS line of computers and it showed opening the box.  Inside was not a plain box but well thought out packaging with an attractive tribal XPS design.  It did not waste materials so that will make the landfill worriers  rejoice.  Inside was the very helpful quick start guide but also some unexpected niceties.  First, Dell provides a small magnetic snap closure portfolio which is embossed with the XPS brand and designed for holding user manual, system DVDs, etc. A nice touch compared to a box to hold these materials; it will be a great storage place for all software DVDs and user support items.  Additionally, though not a full on laptop case, Dell provided a nice silver and black padded XPS branded sleeve to slip the notebook down into; only complaint here is that it has flap closure so it can not be accessed without removing if the sleeve/laptop is in a backpack.  Otherwise the sleeve is quite nice.  I knew Dell had done some good work from the packaging, but you know...you can't judge a book by its cover, so I cracked it open and set it up.

Hardware Aesthetics

The industrial design of this machine is pure elegance and beauty.  It is well deserving of the press buzz it received as being able to hold its sexy with the MacBook line from Apple.  First of all it is a thin/light notebook that is in the shape of a wedge - it is thinner at palm rest/closure than it is at the hinge.  The frame is made of magnesium alloy and the case is brushed aluminum which looks great and gives it a sleek, sturdy feel.  In fact, though it is the smallest laptop I have owned it feels the must sturdy in build quality of any of the machines. It is currently available in four colors: red, white, blue and tuxedo black.  I roll black on almost everything so you can guess the choice I made there. With the 6 cell battery the machine is small, and comes in at less than four pounds when configured with the new LED screen (more on that in a moment).  Here are the dimensions: (w) 12.5, (d) 9.4, (h) 0.87 to 1.33 inches.  It will not float off into thin air, but it is very small.  I also purchased an extra battery which extends the back of the machine when in use but has enough juice to play two DVDs on a full charge.  Some additional aesthetically pleasing features are the new touch sensitive, illuminating media buttons, metallic inlaid logo on the lid and screen as well and of course the color options are nicely accented on the machine.  Though important, the machine does more than look good. On to the real hardware.

Hardware Systems

As configured my 1330 has a smokin fast 2.2 GHZ Core 2 Duo with a 4MB Cache and 800MHZ front side bus.  It is fast and it feels fast.  Additionally I opted for the 7200 RPM hard drive so to be able to do high end tasks like video editing.  We have the 200 GB model which has a free fall sensitive which disengages the head if "dropped" and is touted as the world's largest 7200RPM disk for notebooks - at least for a few weeks.  It is equipped with a beefy 3 GB memory and has a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS / 128MB video card rather than using system memory for graphical tasks.  Input output options are simply amazing for a computer of this size.  On the left size are power, VGA, Ethernet, 1 USB 2.0, HDMI and 1394a firewire (for camcorders) ports.   On the right you have a security lock anchor, another USB 2.0 port, slot loaded DVD+/-RW drive, and the Express Card slot.  The front hosts two headphone jacks for sharing, a microphone in jack and an integrated media reader (MS, SD, xD).  Some unique extras which came as standard on this machine were a finger print scanner for easy, secure logins, a thin media remote control that tucks into the Express card slot, hardware WiFi switch and WiFi catcher...very nice.  The WiFi catcher shows you if there is an availble network even if the machine is completely turned off.  The WiFi is 802.11n and there is also an optional wireless broadband build in available for Sprint, Verizon or the slooooow AT&T.  I did not get the cell network deal.  The top of the screen features a web came and dual digital microphones for video conferences or skype video type calls.

One last word must be said about the screen.  I purchased the new 13.3 inch LED back lit screen which allows for thinner screens which are about 30% brighter than standard LCDs.  It cost a little more but was well worth it as the screen is gorgeous.  It is also better on battery life so this was another consideration in utilizing this screen technology.  The max resolution is a robust 1280 x 800 and the brightness is as advertised.  For those doing desktop publishing, image editing and/or video an external display can easily be attached via HDMI or VGA port.

Software 

My laptop came equipped with Windows Vista Home Premium so I must comment on Microsoft's most recent operating system.  Vista has received lost of press, not of it all good.  The main issue people face here is Microsoft's success.  Windows has a massive installed base and the amount of software, hardware, etc. designed to work with Microsoft's system is mind boggling.  So every new instance of Windows has huge compatibility challenges.  I say this only to say that Vista has taken heat for device support and software compatibility as people attempted upgrades.  All new PCs will ship and work great with Vista.  All that to say that I absolutely LOVE Vista. The UI is gorgeous, it is much more friendly in terms of usability than any version of Windows I have used.  Its integrated search is fast and found everywhere in the OS.  My favorite location which search is usable is in the redesigned start menu.  This feature is great for those who use keyboards and don't like having to mouse so much.  It the windows key which activates the start menu, I type two letters of the app I want to run, it finds it instantly, I hit enter and I'm off.  The start menu also searches your system (files, media, apps, e-mail, calendar etc) as you type.  Super fast, super helpful.  All my software runs fine on Vista and the only complaint I have is with "User Access Control."  This is a security feature that is designed to keep computer idiots from messing up their own machines.  It prompts you when you want to do something like install software.  It says "You are about the run X installation, are you sure you did that?" You just have to click a bit more with installs and customization.  It was annoying when installing all my stuff and customizing the start menu, but now it hardly every bothers me.  If you want the scoop on VISTA there is no better review than Paul Thurrott's on the SuperSite for Windows.  The integrated Dell software for media is nice, fingerprint software works without a hitch, and the Dell customization of VISTA (mobility center) is well done.  

Summary 

Overall, I am extremely pleased with this new laptop from Dell.  It is a leap forward for them in industrial design, contains high end components while maintianing a reasonable price.  Not everyone needs this type of laptop as a budget machine will do e-mail, documents and web browsing for a minuscule cost.  But for those who need power, want small and don't mind a high cool factor, the XPS m1330 is a great choice from Dell.  It has met my expectations so much that when Apple announced the MacBook AIR I simply thought - Why would I want that when my Dell crushes it feature for feature and for less cash.  Comparison is soon to follow.

Here are some additional industry reviews: 

• CNET - includes a great little video review
  
• Laptop Magazine
• PC Magazine Editor's Choice
  
• A YouTube Video Review
  

Technology on the POCBlog

Sometimes I have been asked the question "Reid, what are your hobbies?" - Usually it comes from men who spend time on the golf course, shooting animals, building stuff with power tools (or buying power tools), or hooking fish by a lake.  To be honest, my hobbies overlapped substantially with my work.  I like reading, ideas, philosophy, theology etc. I suppose I waste some time watching football as well.  But to be honest my favorite hobby-like activity is technology.  My undergrad degree was in Applied Science and Physics and I got hooked in the early nineties after getting an IBM PS/1 PC.  Now I only dabble with code these days (web sites, Movable Type installs, wrote a Visual Basic macro las year) but I still like gadgetry.  Again, it is sort of nice that this overlaps with my work as well. 

To be honest, behind the Bible, my laptop is the most important tool I own.  I communicate on it, write on it, design stuff for ministry on it, study Scripture on it (Logos Libronix rocks), read on it, listen and acquire audio content with it and, of course, blog on it.  My laptop, though only a tool, is a tool I constantly use.  I also like the little machines too, which helps me utilize it. 

So today I am going to have a couple of technology articles.  The first will be a review of my new laptop I received just a couple of weeks ago.  My current machine goes back to its owner (Fellowship Bible Church) here soon so I needed a new one to launch into the field with as a church planter. Second, will be a feature comparison of my new PC with the new MacBook Air - and why I am thankful I purchased the former and NOT the latter.  If gadgets and techno speak put you to sleep, hit the snooze button on the POCBlog and come back tomorrow :)

MacIdolaters line up to see their high priest...

The high priest of the Mac cult will soon be speaking to his enclave of followers.  The prophet will bear news about the wonders that the stainless steal, graven apple image will soon bring to worshipers worldwide.  Engadget has a great picture of the pilgrims awaiting the arrival of El Jobso to their temple.
 

According to Engadget, these five devotees showed up at noon yesterday for this mornings Keynote address at MacWorld Expo.  Some call them zealots, I remain convinced that what we are seeing is most properly called MacIdolatry.  As the brother John once said long ago, "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

What Will Bill Gates Do?

This is a funny video that Bill Gates put together to lampoon his soon departure from full time work at Microsoft.  If I find a better version of the video I'll rethink - but this one can be seen and heard pretty well:

Higher quality versions are available here - but you have to get through some of the initial keynote intro stuff. 

Cell Phone Usage

Al Mohler has an interesting article focusing on some research on cell phone use today.  I'm really not sure what his point is with the article other than stating the way things are today.  He does talk about parents limiting teen cell phone time but the article seems to be without a real conclusion.  Does cell phone proliferation bother him?  Does he lament the days without cell phones glued to us at all times?  I couldn't tell what point he wanted to make. To be honest, though there can be problems, I love cell phones.  Especially my little Palm Centro

I have to make sure I don't text and drive and I try not to text/e-mail while hanging with my wife or kids.  I actually saw a lady text messaging at Cracker Barell the whole time she was having breakfast with a little boy who looked like her son. I felt bad for the little guy.  Cell phones, like any tool we use in work and life must not dominate the other relationships in which we are called to invest.  E-mail, texting, twittering, blogs, facebook etc. can all be profitable and fun to use, but unplugging for silence and solitude must still remain a discipline for human beings.

I think maintaining some of the old disciplines (like writing, thinking, speaking, crafting arguments and presenting ideas) while merging them with new forms is a good thing.  Of course we can get swept into being sound byte, short text, trivial, disconnected and light person.  But this is not the work of cell phones - it is the fruit of undisciplined souls.  And we still have to deal with the "old" television demon which saps way too much of my time in BCS bowl season.

Anyway, C u ltr...

POC Tech Bundle 12.22.2007

Technology Bundle

• There is an interesting article over at Business Week as to whether Japan will drink the iPhone koolaid or not.
  
• Palminfocenter reports on Consumer Reports recent recommendation of the Palm Centro in its cell phone reviews.  I still love my little black Centro and glad it cost much less than an iPhone.
• Dell ups the resolution on its new XPS 1530 laptop.  They actually started this thing with the only option being a paltry 1280 x 800.  Now it has been kicked up a few notches with options of 1400 x 900 and 1680 x 1050.  Mind you I run my 15.4 inch Inspiron 6000 at 1920 x 1200.
• By the way...the Dell XPS M1330 and 1530 have some big discounts specials on high end models during the holiday - 799.00 off of the 1330 and 669.00 on the 1530 - see www.dell.com
  

Blowing away with the Wind?

CNN/Money has reported on Britain's ambitious plans to push most of its domestic energy production to off shore wind farms by 2020.  Though accessing the winds off shore of the British Isles seems to be a great idea, it for some reason provoked in me a question related to defense. Now, I am 100% for wind technology for the generation of power, but it I certainly hope they are asking some hard questions.  So here is my question:

What if they were to go to war with another nation at some point in the future.  If their power generation is hinged to off shore wind turbines, are these not a prime target for missiles, submarines or aircraft attack.  It seems to me that the Luftwaffe and the u-boats past should make the Brits think about this sort of thing.  Perhaps they have, at the least, the defense of these installations must be a high priority if that much power is coming from this sort of source.  I am sure they must have considered the terrorist issue as well.  Energy independence for every nation ought to be a top priority, but if you become dependent on a source that can be knocked out and not easily replaced or repaired, you better have some pretty substantial back up infrastructure available as well.

Guitar Hero - Will it Blend?

For the original wide screen version - see here Classic line - "Wow, Purple Haze"

RE: Greek

 
If it is all greek to you, there is a new project to help you study the Greek New Testament available from the Resurgence. 

RE:Greek - check it out. 

Gphones or Goophones

OK, one last tech post for this Saturday while I sit in the Detroit airport...Google announced last week and Open Handset operating system which is being called Android.  Not sure if I like the name but it is an interesting development. 

Here is a listing of some recent media coverage of the announcement.   

Palm Centro

 
The Palm Centro is the new entry level smart phone currently available exclusively from Sprint.  It is available for 99 bucks with a new two year contract and is available in onyx and recently released ruby.  The phone runs the most recent version of the Palm phone and PIM applications and fits nicely in both hand and pocket.  I'll give a quick run down of the things I like and don't like about this little device.

Hardware 

The hardware of the Centro is sturdy but does have the feel of a lower end device.  It is solid but does not feel unbreakable.  It has a plastic case which one expects for this price range.  The screen is small but very vivid at 320x320 resolution.  The device's dimensions are 4.22" (L) x 2.11" (W) x 0.73" (D); 4.2 oz = small.  There is a tiny QWERTY keyboard at the bottom of the device, a directional pad and four application buttons on the front assigned to phone, home, calendar and e-mail applications.  The buttons are fully user assignable so customize how you like.  The left side has volume buttons and a custom application button you can assign to any thing.  I believe a voice recorder is the default.  I set mine to launch the camera.  The right side has the microSD slot where you can put up to an additional 4GB of storage.  Mine has a 2GB card.  To place the memory cards you do have to remove the back cover which conceals the user replaceable battery which is rated at 3.5 hours talk time, up to 300 hours standby time.  The back has a speaker and the 1.3 megapixel digicam and camcorder - it records stills as well as video. The bottom of the device has the syncing port, small headphone jack (does not accept standard audio headphones but will with adapter) and charging jack.  A few quick hardware impressions:

• Small Keyboard - to be honest I am coming from text messaging on a number pad so the keyboard is a delight for me.  I would say I have medium sized hands so the small keyboard is an issue.  The keys however are quite raised and distinguishable so I have not had a problem here.
• Ear piece volume - there have been complaints in the past about the volume level of the Treos - Palm's flagship smartphone.  I will say the volume is plenty loud but I have experienced the volume changing without my doing anything.  It has faded low in the middle of long calls only to return again to the higher level.  May be my phone and I will check on this.

Overall the hardware has been great, easy to use and the right form factor.  Yes the screen is small for web browsing, but I do not want to do all my browsing on a phone.  I give the hardware 4 out of 5 POCs (whatever that is).

Software 

The biggest complaint these days against Palm is the aging Palm OS.  The OS has not had a major revision in years and is feeling dated against the modern handset systems such as Windows Mobile 6, Symbian and OSX/iPhone.  Yet to be honest, I love the Palm OS even though I know its technical and architectural limitations.  It is fast, simple and all the software I had bought in the past for Palm pretty much runs on my Centro.  I agree with the critics that Palm needs a new OS (and there Linux deal is much delayed as of this writing) but I don't find the Palm system to be a drawback to Centro.

• PIM - The basic Palm PIM apps (Calendar, Contacts, Memos) are easy to use and well integrated.
• Phone - the phone module is new to me but I can see why people love their Treos as it is pretty much the same app
• Messaging - the SMS application supports MMS (not on the iPhone) and is a wonderful threaded chatlike program.  It groups text messages into conversations which is just great.
• Web - the Blazer web browser is fast and does its best for such a small screen.  It supports two modes - fast and stripped down or full which includes style rendering.  The only problem I have faced is using my blog software fully to admin my Movable Type 3.2 install. 
  
• Audio - the included PocketTunes is great for playing audio and the little speaker does a nice job.  I have an iPod so I won't use this much but it is good software.
• E-mail - VersaMail is included and is working great syncing with my corporate e-mail (push through Exchange/ActiveSync) and with a couple of my POP accounts.  Could be better but very functional.
• Office Docs - Documents to Go is included giving access to Word, Excel, PPT and PDF files at all times.  Nice.
  
• Extras - There are some fun extras included like Handmark's OnDemand which has movie times, news, weather etc.  All stuff you could get online but in a nice simple and aggregated interface. The camera/pic/vid software is adequate doing the job nicely and the My Centro app provides quick access to user guide and support.
  
• Palm OS - Because this is the old Palm System there are numerous software titles available.  My very favorite is the excellent MyBible 4 by Laridian and the accompanying commentaries and resources.  I have four Bibles, a commentary and Greek/Hebrew concordance in my pocket again.
  

Service 

• This is the best part of having a smart phone - you can always access the net and e-mail from anywhere at any time.   Unlike the crappy AT&T EDGE service  that iPhone uses get stuck with, Sprint's data network is snappy and responsive.  A few weeks back I was listening to some bands with a friend when there was a tornado warning.  He pulled his iPhone to check whether, me my little Centro.  Granted his screen and browser were much better but I had the weather maps and forecast up while he awaited for the slow network to respond.  Additionally, the Sprint unlimited data plan added only 15.00 a month to my plan which is reasonable for the amount of use I am giving it.

Overall, I am quite pleased for the functionality I have in the Centro for only 99 dollars.  Sure its touchscreen does not flick and fly like the fancy iPhone but I also paid a whole lot less...and I feel good about saying no to Steve Jobs and yes to Palm. Plus, if Palm blows away in the next two years my investment was small and I can be in the market for another reasonably priced device in 2009 - maybe iPhone 3.0...and hopefully not on AT&T. 

For a very in-depth look, see the excellent review over at Engadget.