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I have had my new phone for 2 whole days now and I am feel like I have a good feel for it.  So I will share my first impressions of the phone.  I am sure over time some of these will change, but for now, here’s how I like it. (I LOVE it).

Keyboard:
One of the main reasons I wanted the Droid vs other Android phones on the market was because the Droid has a physical keyboard.  After using my enV 2 for two years I had fallen in love with the physical qwerty keyboard and considered it a must in my next phone.  However, as I have started to use the Droid with earnest, I find that I actually prefer the on-screen landscape keyboard for multiple reasons.

First, the physical keyboard is off-center on the device and causes my thumb and wrist on my right hand to cramp and hurt when I attempt to type more than one or two words. Second, the on-screen keyboard has predictive input and corrects my spelling errors.  Neither of these options are available when using the physical keyboard.  Third, the on-screen keyboard has haptic feedback and larger keys than the physical keyboard, which makes it easier for me to type quickly. And lastly, it is quicker and more convenient to simply use the on-screen keyboard.

I am honestly very surprised that I like the on-screen keyboard as much as I do, but for now, I think I will use it the most.

Homepage Screenshot

Launcher/Home:
Having a fellow geek for a husband, who is never happy with the status quo, means I often find out about options for our technology that “typical” users never see.  The Droid is no exception, and Matt quickly found out that you can change the launcher app (aka home screen) on the Droid.  While the original home screen was fun and useful, the Home++ home screen works a lot better for me.

It allows for up to 7 home screens instead of the standard 3, minimizes often used apps such as the phone and browser into smaller buttons that are constant at the bottom of your home screens, and allows you to hide the status bar at the top of the screen to provide more usable space.

Apps:
Like the iPhone, the Droid comes preloaded with an “app store”, the Android Market Place, where you can download thousands of applications. There is pretty much an app for anything you could possibly want to do on your phone and a large percentage of those handy-dandy apps are free.  The Market Place is also quite easy to use and installing applications is amazingly simple.  The Droid even sends you a friendly notification to let you know your download has completed, your app is installed, and allows you to open it up immediately.

I have used it to install multiple twitter apps, a flickr app, a ping.fm app, and a weather app and to update existing apps on the phone.  I am sure as I continue to use the phone and delve deeper into the market place, I will find even more useful apps.

Photo take with the Droid. Click to view full-size and see the blurriness

Camera:
The Droid  comes equipped with a 5 megapixel camera that offers auto-focus and a flash. However, whether due to user error or software bugs, I have not been able to take many pictures I am happy with.  They tend to come out blurry like the camera or subject has moved when the photo was snapped.

I am hoping after some further testing and searching online, I will be able to alleviate this problem.

Email, Contacts, & Calendar:
The Droid synchronizes with Google Contacts, Gmail, and Calendar nearly seamlessly. Your Google contacts are automatically pulled to your phone when you log-in to your Google account and you can manage them both from your phone or desktop computer. The Droid also allows you to merge your Facebook contact data in with this information.  You can choose to add all your Facebook contacts, or do what I did and only add information for contacts already present in your Google contacts list.

The Gmail app has push email so as soon as emails arrive at the Google server they are sent to your phone.  This can be both great and a pain depending on how many emails you get and how interested in seeing them you are.

The Calendar app is quite useful and probably one of my favorite features.  You can view all of your Google calendars and it even imports the colors you have assigned each calendar.  You can choose to view your events in agenda, day, week, or month format and the add event feature is quite comprehensive. I generally do a good job of remembering Matt’s and my schedule from week to week, but it is great to be able to have my calendar with me at all times.

Maps:
The Droid has a native Google Maps app that is amazing.  Not only can you do the typical maps stuff, but it provides GPS-based turn-by-turn voice navigation.  Matt and I tested it out and it is amazingly accurate and can even handle rerouting you if you make a wrong turn.  The voice it uses is a little synthetic, but otherwise it is fabulous.  I had hoped to get a GPS unit for my car this year as I tend to get lost, but the Droid’s Google maps app has totally fulfilled that wish!

Phone Calls:
So far I have done a lot more “playing” with my new phone than actually making phone calls, but what I have seen so far has been good.  There are multiple options for making phone calls, including a dial pad, contacts list, and home screen shortcuts.  The call quality is also great, though part of that may be due to the carrier not the phone itself.  I am also impressed with the speakerphone.  It is loud and clear and the person on the other end can actually understand what I am saying.  With a car dock, this could be a great hands-free setup to use when driving.

Display:
I love the display on the Droid.  It is bright, large, and responds well to touch.  My only complaint so far is fingerprints. I am sure this is a problem with all touch-screen phones, but I feel the need to compulsively clean my phone to remove all the fingerprints.  It is especially noticeable when using the phone in the sunlight.  The glare off the fingerprints can make the screen hard to read.  This is, however, a small price to pay to have such a capable computer at my finger tips (pun intended) virtually everywhere I go.

Facebook:
I would guess one of the most commonly used apps on most smart phones is Facebook.  However, the app on the Droid falls really really short of useful in my opinion.  The notification feature rarely works and almost never refreshes with out a forced refresh and even then it is flaky at best.  Also the news feed only refreshes in 30 minute intervals at the fastest.  In a world where people are carrying around smart phones and updating their status constantly 30 minutes is just not going to cut it.

The app does allow you to take and upload photos directly to your Facebook wall but you can use the camera interface for the same thing.  Or if you prefer you can use a service like ping.fm that allows you to add your photos to multiple sites at once.

I have been so dissatisfied with the Facebook app that I have stopped using it entirely and simply put a bookmark to the Facebook mobile-touch site on my home screen.  While it doesn’t give me nifty system notifications when someone does something exciting on Facebook, it is highly usable and is always up-to-date.

All in all I am highly pleased with my new phone.  It is capable of far more than I have described so far, and I am sure as I continue to use it, I will find more and more reasons to love it.

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I mostly use Ravelry to keep track of my projects, stashed yarn, and knitting needles.  Each user has a notebook that stores this information for them. In the projects section there is a list of all the projects you are working on or have completed.  There is a searchable database of patterns or you can add your own pattern.  Each project entry also includes information about the yarn used, (there is a search able database of yarn), the status of your project, the progress of your project, your rating of the pattern and yarn used, and information about what needles were used.  The project entry also contains a place to store images of the project.  You can upload photos you have taken directly through Ravelry or through amazing integration with Flickr, you can simply drop and drag photos you already have listed on Flickr .

The stash section has a similar interface and will allow you to keep track of yarn you have on hand, including information about the brand, color, weight, and number of skeins.  There is a searchable database of yarn available that has nearly every type of yarn, even that old neon green 1970’s skein you have leftover from your grandmother’s stash. Ravelry is also smart enough to reduce the number of skeins of a particular yarn if you list it as being used in a project.  Another great feature is the ability to search for patterns that match yarn in your stash. Ravelry has a huge database of patterns sorted by yarn, project type, etc.  This is a great way to make use of random skeins of yarn.

If all those great tools and helpful sections weren’t enough, Ravelry also provides an online community for knitters and crocheters.  Users can connect with friends and view their projects.  There are also groups based around different topics, geographic locations, events, etc.  And possibly the most helpful, Ravelry has a large online forum system.  This allows users to connect with others who are working on similar projects, ask questions of more seasoned knitters or crocheters, or find solutions to common problems.

Ravelry really is the place to be if you knit or crochet!  For me it is the perfect melding of the two parts of my life and personality.  The creative artistic knitter and the technical geeky webside developer.  It feels as though this site was built with me in mind.  If you knit or chrocet and haven’t checked it out yet — GO NOW! If you are already on Ravelry, you can find me at http://www.ravelry.com/projects/bemckimmy.

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Matt mentioned off-hand one night when we were discussing “the lap top of my dreams” that I should just get a netbook. After some thorough online research, I agreed with him whole heatedly, and eight months later I absolutely love my Lenovo s-10.

It has the same fit and finish as its larger counter part, but comes in a compact, portable size that lets me easily take it anywhere I want. The smaller screen took a little a getting used to, but for the most part there isn’t anything I use my netbook for that I need a larger screen for.  It also has a keyboard that is 85% of full size, but the transition to the smaller keyboard was quick and easy.  The only complaint I have about the keyboard is the placement of the right shift key.  The up arrow where the right shift key normally is, and the shift key is one space further to the right.  That has definitely taken some getting used to, and I would suggest Lenovo find a way to upday the layout so this important key is in the default position in the future.

Because I kept my desktop computer and use my netbook as a supplemental/travel computer, I use it mostly for surfing the Internet, word processing, and processing photos we take with our new camera.  For those purposes, it works like a charm.  The only time I have noticed the slower processor is when trying to do extremely processor heavy activities like design work or trying to access my computer at work remotely.  For any other day to day function the netbook has more than enough processor power.  As any good geek, I also made my first order of business to remove the Windows XP the netbook shipped with and replaced it with Ubuntu.  Ubuntu is designed to work more efficiently on less powerful hardware and does not come loaded with lots of unnecessary applications that slow the computer down.  Ubuntu is also more stable and secure, but that is another blog post.

Probably one of the biggest reasons I chose this netbook over others is the fact that it does not have a glossy screen.  All the other netbooks on the market at the time I purchased the Lenovo came with a glossy screen.  I have found them hard to use in anything other than low-light situations and love the fact that the Lenovo netbook does not have one.

Last but not least, I love the design of my netbook.  The red cover is attractive and eye catching.  For me, having a laptop that I enjoy the look of was just as important as having a laptop I enjoyed the functionality of.  Lenovo also makes other color options in case red is not your thing.  The only complaint I have is that the red cover has a glossy finish that tends to show finger prints.  A matte finish would be more practical.

All-in-all, I absolutely love my netbook and am very happy with my purchase.  I would and have recommened this computer to others.

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So if are a designer, developer, information architect, project manager, writer, editor, marketer, or anyone else who makes websites, even you freelancers, I encourage you fill out the survey. It will only take a few minutes.

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For those who don’t know, Firefox is an open source web browser that competes directly with Internet Explorer. Here is a quick list of reasons why you should download Firefox 3:

• Tabbed browsing — If you haven’t already been using Firefox, you will find tabbed browsing to be amazingly efficient. It allows you to have multiple web pages open within the same browser window, reducing the drain on your computer’s memory and allowing you to easy switch back and forth.
• More secure — With Firefox 3 you get pop-up blocker, parental controls, built in anti-virus software, and much more.
• Improved performance — In Firefox 3, web applications, such as Gmail run twice as fast as they did in the past. Also, Firefox 3 is more efficient overall so it uses less system memory, which allows your whole computer to run faster.
• Easier to use –  Firefox 3 has a plethora of new features that make it easier to use:
  • Star button: quickly add bookmarks from the address bar by clicking on the star to the right of the address bar; a second click lets you file and tag them.
  • New download manager: pause and restart downloads from within the download manager. also, search for past downloads.
  • Improved address bar: just start typing the name of a website or web page you visited, and it will automatically search through your history and find the correct url.

For more information, check out the Firefox 3 release notes!

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Even though I work in the technology industry, I have never considered myself to be a “real” computer geek, and I feel this puts me in a good position to review Linux from the perspective of a less technical, more typical PC user.

Pros:

Customizable:
Linux is highly customizable. Unlike Windows and Mac, you have total control over the user interface. I have my desktop setup to look like a mash-up of Mac and Windows, taking the best from both interfaces, while my mom’s Linux laptop is setup to look and feel almost exactly like Windows. There are numerous websites you can download themes from, or you can use the customization tools to create your own. It also has a lot of built-in “eye candy” so you can make your computer as flashy or plain as your heart desires, all controlled by simple on/off switches.

Price:
Ubuntu Linux is absolutely free. There is no astronomical licensing fee as with Windows or Mac, and a majority of the programs available to run on Linux are also free. This is made possible because Linux is an open source program. This means the source code or backend is open to programmers to use and manipulate and is not created for profit. The open source nature of Linux also allows for free software, because developers don’t have to pay fees to access the source code when creating their software.

Program Installation:
Installing programs on Linux is an absolute breeze. There is a very easy to use program that comes standard with Ubuntu called Synaptic Package manager, which allows you to search for programs by name and install them with the click of a button. It also manages dependent programs and ensures that they are installed at the same time. This makes adding new programs quick and painless. And because Linux is open source, there are a wide variety of programs available that will allow you to do nearly anything you could ever want.

Updates/Support:
Because Linux is constantly under development, it is constantly being improved and updated. As new features become available or security updates are completed you are notified and installation is as simple as clicking a button. Also, Linux has an amazing online support community. Because the primary users of Linux are members of the technology community, there is an abundance of people who have experienced and solved problems that might arise.

VirtualBox/ wine:
Using a combination of VirtualBox, a program used to run virtual instances of operating systems, and wine, a program that allows you to run Windows programs natively in Linux, I am able to run any Windows programs I still find necessary. While I have found open source programs to replace a lot of my Windows applications, there are still a few that I rely on, including Microsoft Money, Picasa, Adobe Photoshop, and Dreamweaver. Having Virualbox and wine allows me to have the best of both worlds.

Stability:
Linux is an amazingly stable operating system. It is a rare occasion that I have to restart my computer, and unlike Windows, Linux rarely crashes. I have been able to leave my computer up and running for months at a time with no loss of resources.

Cons:

Compatibility:
Because Linux is an open source program as opposed to a commercial offering by a large corporation, there are sometime compatibility progoblems. Often new programs and applications are not developed for Linux in the first round of production, if ever. While there are usually open source alternatives available, sometimes you just want to use a program you are familiar with that has all the features you are looking for. In addition to compatability issues with software, sometimes very new or vendor-specific hardware is not as well supported. However, common or even older hardware is usually very easy to use with Linux.

Availability:
For non-computer-geeks, migrating to Linux can be difficult. While it is becoming more common, Linux is not often installed on computers from the manufacturer. This leaves users to intall the new operating system themselves or with the help of their local computer geek. For someone who operates from the “plug-and-play” mentality, installing your own operating system can be very overwhelming.

Learning Curve:
For Windows users especially, Linux is a very different operating system. It is based on a different file structure, which can make navigating the folders and files on your computer difficult at the beginning. With the myriad options that come with customizing your Linux install, it is also easy for new users to become overwhelmed. While it allows you to set up your user interface in just about any configuration you desire, it can be time consuming wading through all the options and deciding what works best for you.

Conclusion:

All in all I have been very impressed with Ubuntu Linux 7.10 and would recommend it to anyone who is willing to learn a new operating sytem. There was just recently a new version of Ubuntu released, 8.04, which improves further on the current iteration, and I hope to upgrade soon. I cannot imagine ever returning to Windows and look forward to the future as Linux becomes even better supported and more widespread.

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Simply dial 1-800-goog-411, state your location, state the name or category of the business you are looking for, select the business you want from a list, and Google will connect you. It is entirely voice activated and does a pretty decent job with voice recognition. I used it for the first time yesterday to get the information for a local bowling alley while I was at a crowded mall and didn’t have any troubles.

As I said, this service has been available for sometime now, but after using it yesterday, I think it definitely worth a mention.

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To create your video you simply go to the Animoto website and walk through the easy 3-step process. First, you will need to select a bunch of photos you would like displayed in the video. They recommend no more than 15 for a 30 second video. With Animoto you can either upload them from your computer or grab your photos from a photo sharing sites like flickr, picasa, or photobucket. Next, you have the choice to upload your own DRM-free music or select from some of their tracks. Finally, you title the video and begin the production.

It takes between 15-20 minutes for the video to be encoded, and once it is complete you have quite a few options. You can either download the video to your local computer, email it to a friend, post it directly to Youtub, embed it in your website, or remix the video.

I created a Wii bloopers video to test it out, and it did a great job. Enjoy:

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Click through to see the clip.

In typical South Park style, this gets to the heart of a question many people have been asking… Are we too reliant on the internet. As someone who works in the technology sector, my gut response is no. But upon further inspection, I realize in some ways we are. I have had to instate an “unplugged” night every Monday to keep myself from spending every waking hour in front of the computer; I can’t confidently display/publish/send anything I’ve written without running it through spell-checker first; I don’t know how I would ever get to a new place without Google maps; and I can’t remember the last time I even turned on TV news or picked up a newspaper.

Instead of researching things ourselves and taking the time to figure things out, as a society, we now look to the internet to solve our problems for us. Even more disturbing, a lot of people have adopted the attitude that if it is on-line it must be true.

While South Park is meant to be a comedy poking fun at our society’s foibles, I can’t help but wonder, what would happen if the internet stopped working. What do you think?

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