The Lg Voyager

Well my Christmas present came in around the New Year, and luckily for me, it was a LG Voyager. After carefully deciding weather or not to switch to AT&T so my lost dream of owning an iPhone could of been realized, I decided I would keep with my native Verizion network and get the next best thing. After an online purchase from vzw.com, I became the coolest kid on the block (after the kid down the street who got the iPhone).


There were many reasons for not switching to AT&T, the main one being the price. For me to switch, I would of haven to paid for the cancelation of my contract, which would be around  $200, then would have to open a new contract at AT&T, that with all the features that I would of needed (unlimited text, internet, and a reasonable amount of minutes), would of costed me around $120. This shocked me considering that on the AT&T website, they advertise the basic iPhone plan as a measly $60. Also I have spoken with many of the people who are on an AT&T network, and they told me that they are always out of the service area; and while on vacation in northern Virgina, I was the only one who was able to get service out of my family (most of which have AT&T). AT&T's slogan is "The network with the fewest dropped calls", which is true, because they never get a signal to drop.


While I have many complaints about the network that the iPhone runs on, i have very few complaints about the iPhone itself. With its full html browser, and integration of tunes and music, its a born winner and a true marvel of innovation and technology. And if that was not enough, its intuitive touch screen interface and sleek design only adds to its overwhelming desirability. With that being said, I do have some complaints. Why Apple rushed out the iPhone before it was given 3G compatibility amazes me. Even medium priced phones are equipped with 3G these days, and if Apple is going to make anything priced that much, it should have all of the latest technology. Also when used as a phone, it is very large and doesn't feel like a phone should.


Now that i have explained my reasoning behind not getting the iPhone, let me tell you that the Voyager did not win completely by default. Granted that I orginally did want an iPhone, but i really do love my Voyager now that I have it, and I would not trade it for anything, iPhone included.


Verizion has a much better network, meaning that it has more regional towers in the area, and after having Verizion for 4 years, I have never had any complaints about the call quality and the reception, they have always been phenomenal. With that in mind I was relieved to know that i was able to keep my beloved network and still have something comparable to the iPhone. This is where the Voyager steps in.


Physically the Voyager is impressive. It has a attractive flat black finish, and stands really no bigger than the original iPod nano (although it its almost 3 times as deep, and weighs considerably more). On the front of the phone it's screen takes up almost the complete side, leaving space for only an push in "send", "clear", and "end" button. It is split almost directly down the middle where it opens clamshell style. The inside has a considerably smaller screen, and retains its eVey roots, although it has larger buttons.


The front touch screen is very responsive, and once calibrated correctly, is almost fussless. The icons with all the important features are nice and large, which makes it easy for you to click on just one of the icons. At the bottom of the screen there are four icons display "Text", "Phone", "Contacts", and "Menu". These icons are constantly displayed, unlike the shortcut menu, which is only activated when you click on empty space in the homescreen.


Texting and emailing come easy with its open-up full keyboard. However asides from when I'm texting, i hardly ever use the full keyboard, as i find it easier and more stylish to use the touch screen.


The main reason that i bought the phone however was because of its full html browsing, much like the iPhones. By opening up the shortcut menu, you are presented with a browser icon that takes you to the world wide web in all its glory. When you click on the icon, it takes around 3 seconds to load the homepage, then when you type in a website, you can go to any site that you would be able to on your computer, and in reasonable time at that. The websites take no time at all to load, and you can scroll up and down the sites with the touch screen, and you can zoom in and out as necessary.  The main thing that i want to stress is the speed of the internet on Verizion's EVDO network. While in Houston, I was in full EVDO network and all the websites loaded, pictures and all, in no more than 10 seconds.


It also has a built in music player, which honestly cannot compare to the iPhones, but it gets the job done. The onboard software lets you search by artist, album, or song, and if you dont have a million songs on your card (they can go up to 8 gigs by the way, which is equal to the iPhone) it suffices. The camera is surprising good for 2 megapixals. The camera has a great autofocus feature that makes sure you get just the right lighting and zoom in. In theroy you can print your photos via your bluetooth enabled printer, but i have yet to do so. Verizion however, did not chose to cripple this phones capablities, and you can send files and pictures via bluetooth.


The phone comes with the PC connectivity cord (which you can charge off of) and the music software in the box. When i bought mine though, i was given a bluetooth headseat and a 1 gig memory card free. Thank you Verizion.


Overall, i love this phone, and is by far the coolest and most useful thing that i have gotten this year (which includes a video camera, new laptop, a new pc, and a PS3). It is the one thing that i really do use everyday. Between its cutting edge touch screen, full html browsing, music capabilities, and gps navigator, this phone is amazing, and i can honestly say i feel no shame when i pull it out next to someone with an iPhone.

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New Year.

Hey everyone, its almost the new year which promises to bring a new wave of technology for me to write about, and yall to read about. Thanks for all the loyal readers out there, i couldnt of done it without your suggestions and reads.


As for  the lack of new posts lately, I have been overwhelmed by the holidays and family time, but new stories are on their way.


   
thanks everyone.
       Michael

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gOS

Well everyone, I have seen the future of computing. It goes by the name of gOS. With a hefty load of online apps, this quick, responsive, and intuitive interface is amazing. Simply amazing.


It runs on the Linux platform, and if you can get over the non-windows theme, than you will absolutly love this. After a quick and relativity easy install, the gOS is ready to go. You can either choose to replace your existing desktop, or partition your hard drive and run it along side of your windows. (when you boot it gives you the option to load Windows or gOS) The first thing I noticed was that it loads abnormally fast. If you have ever used a Mac, you know how fast those load compared to Windows, well gOS is that much faster.


It has a clean astecticly appealing interface, with a scrolling dock on the bottom part of the screen (much like Mac) and a search bar on the top right-hand portion of the screen (also much like Mac). The windows have nice rounded edges, and feature the minimize, restore, and close buttons on the left-hand side. Even the default background image looks very Mac-essc.


When you download it, it comes installed with all the apps you will probably ever need for your online life, Mozilla web browser and email client, GIMP image editing, Open Office as a replacement for Microsoft Office, a DVD player, Pidgin IM, and iPod syncing software. All of these programs work great as replacements for their much more expensive counterparts. Plus with all of these programs being third party, open source programs, their are many extensions available for download to help enhance their usefulness.


Along the bottom dock, it contains all the web apps that it comes preloaded with, such as a Gmail, Youtube, Facebook, Firefox, Thunderbird, Google Calenders and Docs, and the very useful Online Help fourm links. With just one click, you can readily access all of your accounts and the services that these popular websites offer.


When you left click on your mouse, it brings up the "Favorite Apps" list which has most of the online based applications on hand. Alternately if your right click the mouse, it brings up a Windows start-menu-like list that has all of the programs that you have installed on your computer. These combine to make a very useful and handy tool that provides quick access to everything you need.


As for the Linux platform, when your online, which is how gOS was meant to be run, the experince is no different, if not better. Firefox allows you to download all the necessary applications to play embedded file types, such as Java, Flash, and Quicktime, so you can access and enjoy the full spectrum of the World Wide Web. While the online aspect is the same as every other platform, the offline is cross between Mac and Windows. The only downfall is that many of the programs you buy will not be able to run on the Linux OS, so your pretty much limited to what they provide you with, or what you can find online.


Even with this limitation, as long as you plan to use this for a mainly online lifestyle, that you will be very pleased with your free download, but if you plan to do more offline based computing, such as photo editing and game play, this is definitely not your best option.


The creative masterminds behind the gOS have come to provide us with a cheap, beautiful alternative to the almost unusable Windows, the over-hyped and overly- expensive Mac, and the to far off Linux platform. Centered around the ever more shifting online lifestyle, the gOS is a must have for anyone daring enough to break from the Windows and Mac dominated world.

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Michael's Tech News Christmas '07 Wish List

Alright, here it is. The first annual Christmas list from Michael's Tech News. Let me say that this year was a tough one, nothing really has caught my eye in the technology department that is in a reasonable gift giving price range. So after much deliberation, here is the Christmas list for '07.


Sirius Satellite Radio's Stiletto 10 Portable Satellite Radio-
This do-all radio will be sure to replace my iPod after the holidays. With your paid subscription to Sirius, you can receive commercial free radio anywhere, and it also allows you to store your shows with play, pause, and rewind features. And with a few accessories, it has the capability to be mounted to your car and be played through your speakers. If you already have a subscription to Sirius, the $119 price tag is very bearable, but if you don't you either pay $13 a month, or $142 for a year, making the burden a little harder to bear. But if you can afford the price tag, this is a great gift for anyone, and especially those with a car, a love of music, and a hate of commercials.

Garmin Nuvi 200W GPS
Who hasn't been in a hurry to get somewhere and gotten lost late at night ? Well with this very handy device, that can be a thing of the past. With only having a one time fee, and easy install, anyone who has a car will be able to use this everyday. This new version has 3D mapping and comes preloaded with points of interest, like ATM's, and it can stay charged for up to 5 hours. At $249 dollars it is still in a gift giving range, generous as it may be.


Photoco Photoshare 7" Digital Photo Frame-
For all the mothers and grandmothers out there who love to display pictures of their children and grandchildren, welcome to the 21st century. All you have to do is plug in your SD card from your digital camera and it automatic shuffles through them and plays them as a slide show. You do have to plug it in to the wall, which limits where you can put it, but finally a way to show off your photos. 'Cause honestly, nobody likes to look through photo albums.


Western Digital 500GB External Hard Drive-
For the Techie out there, here is something sure to satisfy, external storage. As a hard-core user of the computer myself, i can honestly say that hard drive space goes by fast (i have already used up around 750GBs) and with people being able to record high def TV from their computer, space is sure to go by even faster. All though it will not have the "WOW" factor when opened, it is very utilitarian, and the recipient will be sure to thank you months from now.


Assassin's Creed-
This has to be the hottest game of the holiday season. It has amazing, that is AMAZING, graphics, smooth game play and a compelling story line. It is avaliable for both PS3 and Xbox 360 and runs $59 at everywhere that sells video games. While its not intended for the little ones, due to its pretty intense scenes of blood and gore, its not so unreasonable that a 14 year old couldn't handle it. On the plus side, it is pretty clean in the potty-mouth department with little to no vulgarities.

Brain Age 2-
The sequel to one of the most innovative games in years is a hit. Brain Age 2 offers new ways for you to enhance your "brain age", or mental agility. If you already have a Nintendo DS, than this $19 game is a must. And unlike most video games, this is one that adults can also find enjoyable.


Things you might notice missing from my list are, the Apple iPhone, (with the iPhone 2 sure to follow soon, why waste money on something with little memory and very slow internet browsing?) Sony's PSP 2000 (no sense in upgrading for something a little slimmer and more scratch prone), and any number of the now affordable BlueRay players. (if blue ray takes off, it will be on the back of the PS3)

Note: Some other items are certainly missing, a new Sony Vaio notebook, plasma tv, and a Xbox 360 Elite, but things of this nature were omitted on purpose due to their exorbitant price range.


While these gifts might not be for all, in my opinion (that is of a 17 year old techie) these are some sure pleaser's. Hope that this list has been of help to you, and a Merry Christmas to all

Flip Video Camera.

Well as some of you know, I have been excited about getting my birthday (which is Dec. 6) present, a Flip Video camcorder. And after much pleading, I managed to receive it early.


First of all, let me say that I love it. It wonderful. The idea and premise behind this thing was simply ingenious. To have a small, easy to use camcorder that is also simple to use, is like Prometheus giving fire. It has good video resolution, granted its not great, and when played on the full screen view on Youtube, it does look a little pixely. However when played on the standard Youtube viewing size, it looks wonderful. These videos are stored on a built in 2 or 1 gig flash drive, which elimintates the need for buying SD cards, as an AVI file (which for those who don't know, is the standard file for videos for all Windows systems, and can be watched on almost all major media viewing software, and more importantly, is easily converted into other formats for ipods and psps).

The camera itself is a nice size, large enough to be sturdy, but no overwhelmingly clunky. It is about the size of an ipod, but around two and a half times a fat. It does however, seem very light to the touch. The Ultra series comes in five colors, orange, pink, green, black, and white.(Mine is white with the silver inlay) and asides from its relativity large thickness, is quite ascetically appealing. The front is slightly parabolic, and very shiny (which worries me about scratches); while the back is flat, with a 2 inch screen, 3 buttons( on/off, play,delete), and a 4 way navigation (up, down, right, left) button. The screen is hard to view in bright light conditions, which is to be expected, but still, being able to show off your videos in broad daylight would be nice. There is no on-screen menu, simply turn on, and choose to record now, or press "play" to scroll and watch your saved movies. The coolest thing, and the reason for its name, is the flip out usb adapter. When you move the slider that holds the arm in place down, the usb adapter springs up perpendicularly to give it somewhat of a "L" appearance.


The Flip comes with built in software, and is plug-and-play compatiable for xp users. All you have to do is plug in the usb adapter and after a quick, one time hardware install, you are shown the on board video editing software. All of this takes about 10 seconds. The video editing software itself is subpar, you can't really do much with it except for save, take snapshots of videos, and add music. The only real shining light of the software is the one-click uploading to Youtube, AOL video, and it even lets you send to private email address. Just choose what movie you want to upload, (you can do multiple at the same time) the choose how you want to share your media, then click upload. Done. Finished. Click and walk away. Granted this does take a little longer than saving the file to your hard drive than uploading to Youtube from the site, but is much, much, much easier. You can even send via emails, which Pure Digital has crafted wonderfully. Instead of sending your video as an attachment, they upload your video to one of their servers, then send your recipients a hyper link to the address. This saves time, and sidesteps the maximum file size that most email providers inflict.


Overall, I give it two thumbs up. Asides from minor flaws, such as video quality (which i must again must say is okay, just not as good as what is available on the market from mini-dvd camcorders), the size, and the on board software, the Pure Digital Flip Camcorder is a beacon of hope in this years lacking Christmas market. For around 120 bucks, you can pick up a wonderful gift that keeps on giving, and will certainly be used everyday.

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Flock

From what i hear, im not the only one that is, well, flocking to flock. After recently downloading the browser, i have to say i am thoroughly impressed.


For those who don't know what is is, Flock is a internet browser built on Firefox technology.(supposedly it was made by people who worked on Firefox) It incorporates popular social networking add-ons and extensions from firefox, and combines them into an elegant application. It has a sidebar which tells you Facebook, Youtube, and Freindster friend updates. It also has your online favorites from del.icio.us (which im addicted to now) and magnolia. To add websites to del.icio.us or magnolia, all you have to do is click and drag the url from the navigation bar to the sidebar. A very nice addition.


You can even do the same to send links to your Facebook friends. Got a good YouTube video? click and drag it to the friend you want to send it to on the sidebar and val ah!
Asides from these add ons and ascetics, it is fundamentally the same as Firefox, and i haven't noticed any real difference in speed.


It also has on-click blog editor. There is a icon on the top of the browser that lets you write your blogs in a separate window, put your tags on it, then click a button to publish. After you enter your blog website log in i.d. once, all you have to do is choose which blog to upload it to and your done. The editor can hold what appears to be an unlimited number of profiles. (i already have 4 on it) This i have to say is my most used feature.


Like Firefox, it stores your log in and passwords to websites like Myspace and Hotmail, which after using once, can't imagine living without.
For me, and others who live on their blogs and social networking sites, the Flock browser is a must. With is ascetically pleasing interface and handy features, it makes bloging (which according to my spell check is in fact not a word) social networking, and overall internet browsing a breeze.

Flock can be downloaded at www.flock.com

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More on the Social Networking War

i found this article on social networking war. its pretty interesting.

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