Jeff Keeping It Real!

I have had the Google Nexus One for about a month now.  When I first purchased it I had no intention of going with T-mobile plan for data and just using the wi-fi connection.  I anxiously awaited FedEx two bring my package from Google and of course they did not show up until the afternoon.  I was eager to sign for my package knowing it was from Google.  I immediately took it to my office to open it.  It came in a plain brown box that had a caution sticker on the top that said caution lithium ion batteries do not load or transport package if damaged.  The FedEx sticker said it came from HTC America Houston, Texas.  I carefully slit the top of the box open to reveal a sturdy white box that was 8 inches by 4 inches that said Nexus One.  On the back was a sticker that said Nexus One with the IMEI number and serial number.  As I took the top of the box off I was immediately greeted by a beautiful black and gray device which was the Nexus One all tight and snug in the container.  I carefully took the Nexus One out of the box and sat it to the side.  I lifted off the first layer of packaging that gave way too a very nice neoprene case with the Android logo on it.  A quick reference guide and other documentation.  Peeled back the second layer to reveal a micro-USB connector cable, wall charger, dual ear piece headphones, 8 GB micro-SD memory card and a battery.

I opened up the back cover and inserted the battery and 8 GB micro-SD memory card.  Took the Nexus One and the power adapter and plugged it into the wall.  I was so excited I had to walk away from the phone until the indicator light turned green.  It took about five or six hours and yes I watched every minute it seemed like.  During this time I read the online documentation from Google.  I felt as though I was comfortable and ready to turn that Nexus One on and be able to connect to wi-fi.  The minute the yellow indicator turned green I unplugged the power cord held the Nexus one in my left hand.  Looked the device over top to bottom side to side.  At the top left of the device is the power button and I pushed it down with excitement.  As the device turned on with the nexus one X logo I was then greeted with a multitude of colors.  The device booted up I was given prompts to set the device up and to login to my GMAI L account.  During these prompts there was one that stated I did not have a sim card inserted and if I wanted to use wi-fi.  I selected wi-fi and it found my wireless router.  I selected it and was asked four in the pass key once entered within a few seconds my network assigned an IP address.  I was then able to login and finish configuring my Nexus One.  While connected to wi-fi I could do pretty much all functions except for make phone calls.

My e-mail, contacts and calendar synch’d with my Google accounts with no problem.  Not only with no problems but very fast.  I then connected to the Google marketplace where I was greeted with hundreds if not thousands of free downloadable applications for my Nexus One.  I quickly found Facebook and Seesmic for my Nexus One.  I enjoyed the live wallpapers which made my background interactive.  They were cool but needed something more my speed.  After extensive search I found Earth Live Wallpaper by Earthrot that gave me the ability to bring the universe to my wallpaper.  Now I have Jupiter rotating on my wallpaper and yes very cool.

The next morning at 0530 I took my Nexus One and went to Starbucks.  The Nexus One found the AT&T wi-fi access point I selected it and the Nexus One said it was connected.  I quickly and with anticipation launched the browser and nothing happened.  I selected the home page and was greeted with AT&T web page and the ability to login.  Once logged in through the website I had complete wi-fi access.  I quickly saved the new connection to my Nexus One and read the local newspaper online.  Over the next couple of days I was completely satisfied with my purchase of the Nexus One using wi-fi however, whenever I left the house and wanted or needed to make a phone call or access data.  It became painfully obvious I needed a voice and data plan from T-mobile.  I called them told them I did not want a contract only a month to month but needed unlimited text and data.  Basically I now have the coolest prepaid cell phone on the market.

Even with the new T-mobile service something did not seem right.  I was not getting full strength from T-mobile service and was frustrated quickly.  I finally called T-mobile to find out what the problem was.  Apparently when I activated my Nexus One without a SIM card it registered services differently.  T-mobile told me at that point that I would need to reset the Nexus One to factory specifications.  Lucky for me I use all Google services and did not have a lot of applications.  As I was speaking to the representative I was writing down the applications I did have downloaded.  He made a couple of adjustments told me how to reset my device and once I did that my Nexus One registered properly with T-mobile and Google.  I’ve then preceded to go into town that evening in order to try my service.  I had service where I did not have service before.  The transition from T – mobile to wi-fi was beautiful.  I now go from the office with wi-fi to the car which turns to T-mobile and back to wi-fi and notice no difference.  Well of course I noticed that speed difference between wi-fi and cell phone service.

I quickly determine that I needed an application that would connect to my corporate exchange servers.  After searching numerous forms the same application came up time and time again.  That was touchdown by NitroDesk this app said that it could connect to corporate exchange servers even with IT policies.  I went to the marketplace found touchdown and downloaded it to my Nexus One.  It came with a disclosure that said it was a trial version and to be sure it can configure and connect to your corporate servers before buying the full version.  The trial version was a complete version with a time limit.  Knowing my exchange server settings I felt confident I could get touchdown to work.  I went through the setup to register my Nexus One to my corporate exchange account.  I used the outlook web account settings and then asked me to accept the IT policy and create a four digit password (password for touchdown only not the whole device).  Once I did that I’ve received e-mail, contacts, global address list, and calendar data instantaneously as it happens.  I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the setup was and how quickly I started to receive data.

As I enjoy my social sites I needed to find an application that would post to ping.fm.  Once again after searching the marketplace and forums I found AnyPost.  After downloading and launching AnyPost it asked me for my Ping.fm account login.  Oh how sweet it was to make my first post using my nexus one.

I’d than needed to find a good RSS reader and hoping it would connect to my Google reader account.  And yes after searching and playing with numerous applications I have settled upon NewsRob.  It asked for my Google reader account login information once entered it pulled all my RSS feeds and allowed me to start reading.  One of the best parts is the ability to see feeds in HTML.

I did download a couple of games such as blackjack, word search and of course backgammon.  Instead of using Google talk only I downloaded eBuddy to pull in all my IM accounts so that I would be available no matter where and when I wanted. 

I plan to post pictures taken from the Nexus One at a later time.  I will also take some videos and post them to my YouTube account.

The Nexus One is sleek, sexy and highly functional.  After owning quite a few cell phones, PDA, laptops, and smart phones I must say the future is bright.

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UPDATE

I can’t believe I left out the worse parts of the Google Nexus One.  Thank you @AnthonyRusso for your comment.  Here we go.

I leave Wi-Fi on constantly due to having access to a Wi-Fi connection 10-15 hours a day.  As I stated above the best part is being able to walk out of the office or home and have the Nexus One switch with ease from Wi-Fi to cell data.  With my habits this means that I cannot get through a whole day without charging at least once before I put it on the dock station at night.  If I turn off Wi-fi and do not use bluetooth and use straight cell data plan from T-mobile then I can make it through from wake to bedtime without a charge.  I do not believe if you have a smartphone such as the Google Nexus One that you should be limited to cell data plan only.  There are times I believe battery manufacture are to blame for this.  They do not seem to be making progress as the rest of the electronic industry is.

Video is grainy and not as nice as taking and viewing pictures on the Nexus One.  I have not found a zoom feature while videoing which would be nice.

I still have not found a way to create sound profiles.  On my BlackBerry Storm I like to create custom sound profiles for specific times of day.  I have one specific for work hours that is basically vibrate only accept for specific contacts. 

Smudging or finger prints on the screen is a pain and requires cleaning.  I find I wipe the screen 2-4 times a day.  When I was using the lock pattern I found that the smudge gave away the pattern.  Not good.

The four touch buttons at the bottom are sometimes not as responsive as they should be.  Except that pesky search button it seems to get in the way all the time.

I am not finding a way to select text in an email to copy and paste into the other apps.

There is a cell reception issue but believe T-mobile is more to blame than the Nexus One.  I find a lot of dead zones in my everyday travels.

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Still with the negative features I am enjoying the Google Nexus One and look forward to the Verizon version in the next couple of months, I hope!

All the hype today is over Apple’s announcement of the new iPad multi-touch screen laptop/notebook/netbook/tablet computer.  Seems like an oversized iPhone or iPod to me at first glance.

You will want to buy the Google Nexus One because you are all in on Google services.  You are a user of Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Voice, Google Reader and many other wonderful Google services. 

With the iPad starting at $499 for a 16 GB and the Nexus one at potentially $179 for 16 GB.  Not to mention the size of the two devices.  One you can put in your shirt pocket while the other will need to be put into a binder essentially.  They both have Wi-Fi while the Nexus One has 3G for a price less than the iPad will be with 3G capability.  Where is the microSD slot on the iPad?  Don’t tell me once again Apple limits expansion of memory.

Either way it goes the technology is progressing rather nicely right now.  Thinner, light weight and more compact is pleasing to me.  If your an Apple/Mac/iPhone user you will kill for the new iPad.  If your like me and keep an open mind then you will want the new Nexus One.

I have switched to a Blackberry Storm with Verizon.  I have used BlackBerry devices for years.  The Blackberry Storm takes a lot of getting use to but is a powerhouse for business and pleasure needs. I have a lot of applications on mine and constantly adding and deleting new ones daily.  I have updated the OS to BBCrackman v5.1-141 a hacked version which has helped tremendously.

Here are the 13 apps I use daily on my Blackberry Storm.

• Viigo – Instant access to breaking news, entertainment, sports, finance, weather, flight schedules, restaurant reviews, games, local attractions, and more. Make navigating your day effortless with Viigo.
• Facebook – Hooked on Facebook®? Now you can take Facebook with you on your BlackBerry® smartphone wherever you go and stay logged in as long as you want. Download this free application today and take connecting with your friends to a whole new level.
• UberTwitter – A full featured twitter client for the BlackBerry Storm
• Slacker – Slacker is a free personalized radio service featuring over 100 expert-programmed genre stations and the ability to create your own perfect stations.
• RDM+ – connects your mobile device to remote computer with Windows OS and provides the ability to perform different tasks you usually do on your desktop wirelessly behind firewall and NAT.
• Qik – Qik enables you to share your moments live with your friends, family and the world—right from your mobile phone!
• StormYahtzee – StormYahtzee is your classic Yahtzee game with a modern twist. This is a really addicting, yet fun game.
• Backgammon – a game of luck and skill that has been entertaining millions of people throughout the world for centuries.
• BerryPopup – easiest way to preview incoming e-mail and SMS messages the moment they arrive. See what is happening without switching away from what you are currently doing.
• StormSlider – Now you can slide to unlock just like your iPhone / iPod Touch buddies
• MeterBerry – Everything you need to manage battery and memory on your Blackberry Storm.
• CaptureIT – application designed to help fellow developers and BlackBerry Storm  users share a picture of their screen with ease.
• AppleBerry Theme – one of the most popular BlackBerry themes ever made. This theme provides you with a world-class design experience, making your BlackBerry a true joy to use.

As you can see by these 13 BlackBerry Storm applications there is a diversity of work, fun, and plain interesting applications available.  I recommend all new BlackBerry Storm users bookmark the following websites/forums.

CrackBerry.com is for users and abusers of BlackBerry devices.

BlackBerryOS.com for all things BlackBerry and specializing in all things BlackBerry OS.

I found this post pretty accurate to my life A day in the life of a BlackBerry Storm power user.  In closing do not listen to the ones that say the BlackBerry Storm is a terrible device.  I am here to tell you that if you like technology and being connected then the BlackBerry Storm is for you.

Jack Dorsey CEO and Founder of Twitter talks about how Twitter was formulated in his mind.  Then he talks about his vision of Twitter.

 
A few things come to mind while watching this video.  The first and foremost is WHY does society care about there friends going to get a haircut?  Amazes me Twitter was thought up to help his mother find a purse.  He goes on to say he started to watch different agencies use short messages (SMS/text messages) to convey a message.  Now this idea sounds more like Twitter.

I watch tweets fly by and it seems there is a lot of talk about when Twitter was down last night or having issues again.  Seems to be a regular occurrence.  If this was your Internet provider you would have changed providers by now.  Sure a lot of people have jumped over to FriendFeed and other knock offs but if you look at there feeds a majority are from Twitter.

I think people these days are in a hurry and want simplicity.  They want to give people updates quick and on the go (160 characters or less).  I notice since using Twitter, FriendFeed, and Tumblr that I do not blog as much.  The other morning, 2 am, my brain was wondering why I use these easier services more than I post on Fam5?  The simple fact is I like the ability to post small random thoughts I have throughout the day.  As I am surfing the vast world wide web I want a way to mark things I enjoy and perhaps that others will find interesting. 

I have even tested a few apps (tinytwitter, twitterlicious, and twittoday) for my windows mobile 6 device.  Even though you don’t need an app to send tweets you can just text message (send updates to: 40404) your tweet to twitter. The apps allow you to read other tweets and reply to them.

Still trying to find my niche with Twitter.  Right now I just send little thoughts of the day or comment on other tweets.  I guess I need to get a family member or friend on Twitter and see if it changes my perspective.  I tried to put Twitter away a few times but keep going back to it because of how simple it is.

What about you do you use Twitter? 
If you do is it useful to you?  
What do you do with Twitter?

I can be found on Twitter @admiral70 look forward to following you.