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Must Have Apps For the Samsung Galaxy Nexus 4G

JustJon — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:00:37 +0000

The Nexus phones have always been Google’s flagship line of Android phones and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus 4G is the first in the line to utilize Verizon’s high speed LTE network. Utilizing a 4.65 inch HD Super AMOLED display for vivid displays and a dual core 1.2 GHz processor with 32 GB of memory to run even the most demanding of applications.

All of the apps below can be loaded directly from the Android Marketplace by clicking install on the web page or by loading them via the Marketplace app on the phone. Most of the apps are free, so no cost is incurred downloading most of these applications.

Apps

Angry Birds – The popular game is a quick addiction and a great way to pass the time while knocking down the pigs.
Advanced Task Killer (ATK) – ATK is a great way to kill apps when not in use to free memory and save battery life.
Astro File Manager – An easy way to view the file and directory contents of the Droid.
Barcode Scanner – When you come across a UPC or QR code and want to look it up, this is the best app for scanning and reading them.
Bump – A fun way to share contact information with people by bumping your phones together. The future of business cards.
Connectbot – SSH client to connect to remote servers.
DroidLight – For those times when you really need a flashlight, instead of using the screen to illuminate, use this app to turn on the LED flash on the back of the Droid,
Evernote – Stay organized by writing and syncing notes with the Evernote website and apps for desktop and other mobile devices.
Google Sky Map – The app I always use to demo the phone. Run the app and point your phone at the sky to get an Augmented Reality view of the constellations overhead.
HBO GO – If you subscribe to HBO, you can watch the Sopranos, The Wire, Game of Thrones, True Blood, Sex and City and all your other favorite HBO original series, in addition to select movies, streaming directly to your phone.
Key Ring – This great app scans the barcodes on your rewards cards (or any card with a barcode, like a gym membership), so you don’t have to carry the cards. When checking out, just hand the phone to the cashier and let her scan the UPC from the phone.
Kindle – For those times when you want to read and don’t have a book available, the Kindle app has a built-in bookstore and can whisper sync with your Kindle and other Kindle apps.
Layar Reality Browser – A variety of information can be seen by activating layers in this browser to gain all types of information around you.
Mother TED – Mother TED gives streaming access to every TED Talk released online, sorted by name, category, etc. and streams them to the phone in very clear audio and video.
Netflix – Watch all the streaming movies and television programs with your Netflix streaming account.
Pandora Radio – A streaming music app, like Last.fm, that allows me to listen to radio stations based on a band or song I like.
Seesmic – A nice looking Twitter client that allows the monitoring and posting of tweets from multiple accounts.
Shazam – When I am listening to the radio or in a store and wonder what song I am hearing, I let Shazam give it a listen and it comes back and tells me who I hear.
Shop Savvy – When you are shopping and want to compare prices, scan the UPC barcode with this app and get prices from around the web and local brick and mortar stores to see where you can find it cheaper.
Spotify – An extensive library of music at your fingertips, available for streaming any time and any place.
TV.com – Streaming access to clips to CBS and Showtime shows are how the app is promoted, but the real lure is the classic TV shows you can watch. MacGuyver, Beverly Hills 90210 (classic), Twin Peaks, Family Ties, and others to select from make this a worthy app to install.

Android phones just keep getting better and better, and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus 4G is no exception. And as the phones continue to come out, so do great apps.

Amazon Kindle Touch 3G

JustJon — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:00:56 +0000

Sometime last year, I started reading books on my iPad. While it was convenient to have a book collection that I could carry everywhere that took up much less space than my bookshelves, it was tough to read on the iPad for multiple reasons, so I decided to get a Kindle to contain my books.

The question I am most often asked is why I got a Kindle when I already have an iPad, an iPhone, a laptop and whatever other digital means to read books that I possess. While it is true that I could read on all these other devices, there are multiple reasons I prefer to read on the Kindle Touch rather than on any of the other devices.

E-ink While the other devices all use backlit screens to display information, the Kindle Touch uses e-ink, which essentially is closer to reading paper on a screen. It is easier on the eyes to read than the iPad screen, especially when reading before bed.

Form Factor The Kindle Touch’s 6″ screen is smaller and lighter than the iPad and conveniently fits in a pocket. Fitting in a jacket or jeans back pocket means I can carry the Kindle Touch with me everywhere when I know I will have some time to read.

Less Distractions The Kindle Touch is a device created primarily for reading. Although it can play some games, play mp3s and surf the web, when reading a book, there are no bells, whistles, popups or any other notifications that distract from reading a book. There are no other apps running at the time that will take a reader outside of the actual reading, which cannot be simply done when any of the other devices are connected online.

Sharing Across Devices In addition to having the Kindle, I have the Kindle app on my iPhone, iPad and laptop. When I purchase a book via the Kindle or email a book or document to it, that book can then be found in the Archived section of the menu, so the same book can be read across devices and only needs to be purchased or emailed once.

Whispersync In addition to being able to read the same book, if the device or app is internet connected, it will create a virtual bookmark to where the last place in the book was read, which can then be picked up by another device if it is online and go straight to that point in the book. Admittedly the Apple iBooks app does this as well, but it is a very handy feature.

Customizable Font Sizes While I personally like the smaller print, when showing the Kindle to people of older generations, who have trouble with small print, they appreciate the ability to increase the font size to a size that is more readable to those who have trouble reading the smaller letters.

With all the benefits of the Kindle, I have one complaint. When reading a book, it doesn’t display page numbers, just a location number and a percentage of how far into the book the reader is. The iBook app gives number of pages and how many pages left in the chapter, a feature I really liked, but has no comparable feature.

The Kindle Touch I own also has the “special offers,” and I am often asked how the advertisements affect the reading experience. The ads are only shown as a screen saver when the Kindle is not in use or a banner at the bottom of the screen when on the menu screen to select a book to read. They do not appear when reading and have no effect on the actual reading experience.

The Kindle Touch 3G is a great device for consuming books. Thanks to the features above and the integration with the Amazon store, giving access to every book I would want to read no matter where I am, my voracious appetite for reading can be sated by this small device.

Recap: The Walt Disney World Marathon

JustJon — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:00:18 +0000

I started running after a brunch in February 2010 then ran my first half marathon in January 2011 at Disney World. A year later to the day, I ran my second marathon around Walt Disney World and through its theme parks for another 26.2 miles.

Waking up and taking a 3:30 am bus from my hotel to the race for a 5:30 am start was an early start for the race. A chilly 50 degrees made it a cold start to the race. As the flames shot into the sky and the race began, a large full moon hung over the course as we ran out towards EPCOT. After running a loop through EPCOT, we headed up the road towards the Continental Hotel and through the backstage leading into the Magic Kingdom at the 10 mile mark. Running up Main Street USA towards Cinderella’s castle before turning off into Tomorrowland and Fantasyland, leading back through the castle into Liberty Square and Frontierland and back out to the backstage area.

With the race half over, a long stretch of backstage road loomed before us. While most visitors don’t get to see this part of Walt Disney World, it was a boring stretch for the run, which passed by the waste reclamation center. The smells were less than pleasant as we passed it and continued through the employee areas towards the Animal Kingdom. As we approached the Animal Kingdom, cast members stood along side the road cheering us on with some of the animals by their side. We ran through the Animal Kingdom and through the Hollywood Studios before heading back towards EPCOT. Running through the countries of EPCOT World Showcase and returning to the Future World before heading to the finish line right outside of EPCOT.

26.2 miles around the Walt Disney World property was a bit tougher than I expected. Between the cold weather before the race and the 80 degree heat by the end was rather dehydrating. Parts of the race were rather narrow as well, since Disney parks weren’t necessarily made for over 20,000 runners to pass through over several hours. Overall, my time was 5:07:04. I had hoped to surpass my NYC marathon time, but unfortunately I took an extra five minutes.

The big differences I found between Disney and NYC was the energy of the race due to onlookers. Because there was such a long stretch of the race that wasn’t open to supporters, there were no one cheering on the runners for long periods. Also because of the openness of the course, we spent a long time running by wooded areas, where runners chose to “water the trees” rather than wait till they got to the porta potties or wait on line for them.

Running Disney World was a great experience and I look forward to doing it again, after I complete the Coast to Coast again. Since I’ve run the half and full marathons, the only place to go is to run the Goofy, which would be running the half and the full in the same weekend. In the meantime, I’ve decided to take a break to let my body heal and not run any races until the Bronx Zoo in April.

I Am Running The Walt Disney World Marathon

JustJon — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:00:09 +0000

On January 8, 2011, I came down to Florida to embark on my most ambitious run to date. For 13.1 miles, I ran around Walt Disney World and through the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT to complete my first half marathon. It was an amazing experience that drove me to run three more half marathons over the course of the year and the NYC marathon. Now I’ve returned to Florida to run the full Walt Disney World marathon.

Originally, I had planned this to be my first marathon, but the opportunity to run the NYC marathon was one I could not pass up. Instead, this is my second marathon, but one I don’t see being as challenging due to geography and weather. Regardless, I trained as hard for this as I did for my previous marathon and I look forward to doing my best as I run through four Walt Disney amusement parks for 26.2 miles.

I got the statistic from Nike Plus that .1% of all people run a marathon. Not only am I proud to be part of that .1%, but it just drives me to run further and run harder to make the most of the experience that so few people will ever experience. I plan to enjoy the experience and attempt to surpass my previous marathon time as I move amongst the athletes that are also among the .1%.

Review: The Cult of LEGO

JustJon — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:00:06 +0000

There have been a few books about LEGO and its adult community, and even a TED Talk about it. The problem with each of them is that they are not written by Adult Fans of LEGO (AFOLs), but by outsiders who are looking in. Some have received praise, but they just come across as exploitive of a community that is not very mainstream. The Cult of LEGO is the first book written by an AFOL for adults.

The Cult of LEGO is written by John Baichtal and Joe Meno. Baichtal is a contributor to such periodicals as Make Magazine and Wired’s Geekdad. Meno has not only run LEGO conventions and has had his designs produced by LEGO, but is also the editor-in-chief of the AFOL magazine BrickJournal. In all fairness of disclosure, I had an article I wrote about Touristbot in BrickJournal issue 14, and I am friends with Joe.

The Cult of LEGO is a glossy, oversized book that displays its information well. The format lends itself well to the plethora of pictures that adorn the pages that accompany the prose. The book starts by breaking down the history of LEGO and the LEGO company. From there, we learn about the adult LEGO community and some of its quirks, from its terminology to some of its members to some of the custom pieces they use. The rest of the book focuses less on the community and more on the creations. Baichtal and Meno show us the creations and remixed culture that has grown up around the plastic bricks along with those people who grew up playing with them. Art, animation, sculptures, robots and complex brick creations are abound and show the limitless potential of the brick.

My qualms with the book are minor, and have more of a focus of an AFOL. Many of the projects displayed in the book are slightly older and many were popularized on the web previously. The former is a caveat of publishing and the latter is more of an issue of being part of the scene they are writing about when the focus of the book is people unfamiliar with the community and bringing them in. Since each topic in the book is limited only to a couple pages, the book is not go into too much depth with most of its coverage, but it is enough for the casual reader and gives a jumping off point to look for more information online.

The Cult of LEGO gives a great feel for the creations and community, but does not teach how to create them. It inspires the imagination and shows the breadth of what can be made with an assortment of LEGO bricks and an open mind. It’s a great place to start for people who want to move beyond building what’s in the boxes and is a beautiful looking book for those who are already part of the LEGO community and want to see more of it.

Road To The NY Marathon: Jingle Bell Jog

JustJon — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:00:01 +0000

Over the course of the year, I have been running assorted races under the New York Road Runners in order to gain automatic entry into the 2012 ING NYC Marathon. My ninth and final race for 2011 to gain entry into the marathon was the Jingle Bell Jog around Prospect Park in Brooklyn, NY.

When receiving my race kit, I was given a pair of silver bells to attach to my sneakers. This made for a jingly race with thousands of others wearing their bells too. The race had originally been scheduled to be four miles, but was shortened down to a 6k (3.7 miles) due to construction. We started out in the middle of the park and ran out to do a loop around Prospect Park before turning back onto the road we started on to the finish line.

The race itself wasn’t a tough run, having done two loops around the park during the Brooklyn Half Marathon, but the cold weather didn’t help. My overall time for the Jingle Bell Jog was 32:28, a respectable time to end the season on.

I have now completed nine races and volunteered prior to the NYC Marathon, which gives me automatic entry into the 2012 Marathon. I plan to run one race in the beginning of January before taking a few months until my next race. I’ll do some light training after that until I start preparing for the races for the 2013 NYC Marathon 9+1.

Road To The NY Marathon: Join the Voices

JustJon — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:00:15 +0000

As the year starts to wind down, so do the number of races I have left to qualify for the 2012 ING MYC Marathon. Having procrastinated with the races during the year, I run up to December needing to complete my 9+1 for automatic entry into the marathon. The Join the Voices race to benefit brain cancer research was my latest race, and one I knew I wouldn’t do well from the start.

When I woke up 45 minutes before the race, I knew there was a problem. I had slept through my alarm clock and had to race to get ready and get to Central Park. I sped down the highway into New York City and just barely made it after the race started. Unfortunately, the other complication is that I had picked up my friend Jocelyn’s race bib, so she was forced to wait for my arrival before she could run as well. For that I am supremely sorry, but Jocelyn was nice enough to forgive me once she finished the race. Having forgotten my iPod and Nike+ GPS watch, I had no clue how I was doing on the course, but having run to my car then run to the race, I knew I wasn’t going to do as well as I usually did.

Even with the late start, I thought I was moving pretty well along the race path. Unlike the previous week’s four mile race, we didn’t start out running uphill and the course wasn’t too bad until I reached mile 3, where there were two hills and the fatigue of the morning started to set in. I was forced to slow down running up those hills, but I was able to run the race to completion. My time was 50:39, with an average pace of 10:08, a pace I normally have for longer race, like half marathons, but all that matters to me is that I was able to get there in time and run it to count for next year.

With one more race to go next weekend, I’m looking forward to finishing out my racing season and getting ready for 2012. Can’t wait to run next weekend with bells on. Literally.

2011 Geek, Tech and Social Media Book Gift Guide

JustJon — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:00:47 +0000

Last year, I had so many books that I thought would make good holiday gifts for those who were so inclined that I decided to make a separate list of books that would make good gifts. Books ranging from technology to social media to graphic novels that expand the mind and/or entertain. These books may be available on Kindle, Nook, iBooks or your favorite digital reading platform, but are definitely available in old school paper format.

1 ) Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
With Steve Jobs’ unfortunate passing this past October, there was a swell of people interested in the life of the iconic founder of Apple. Isaacson’s book is the official biography that Jobs assisted with to help preserve the story of his life so that he could share it with his family, and the rest of us get to learn about the man as well.

2 ) Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
A futuristic Willy Wonka type adventure filled with 80s nostalgia as the world goes on a treasure hunt to win the estate of a secluded billionaire. A fun read in the vein of the movies like Midnight Madness and it’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

3 ) Cult of Lego by John Baichtal and Joe Meno
A beautiful, glossy book showing off the history and millions of possibilities of what can be built with some plastic bricks. From its humble beginnings to the complex things people build now and the people who build them, the Cult of Lego is a comprehensive look at LEGO and its community.

4 ) Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh
The founder of Zappos writes about his business history and the culture he created with Zappos. The importance of company culture and how to build a solid one is something every leader should know, and Hsieh does a good job of outlining how they created theirs and how they maintain it ten years later.

5 ) Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
With all the attention being paid to the Hunger Games trilogy recently, the obvious comparisons to the superior Battle Royale are often made. Japanese students in an alternate future fight to the death as a totalitarian government shows its power to the populace. A gripping novel that has recently been retranslated to English and inspired an action packed movie that producers have been trying to remake for an American audience for years.

6 ) Y the Last Man by Brian K. Vaughn and Pia Guerra
All the men on Earth are suddenly struck dead for no apparent reason, save Yorick and his monkey Ampersand. Together they attempt to travel to find Yorick’s family and his girlfriend as society reinvents itself with no male populace. Taking the story in unique and interesting directions over the course of the series, Vaughn and Guerra bring us a compelling story of what could happen.

7 ) Milk and Cheese: Dairy Products Gone Bad by Evan Dorkin
Collecting 20 years of the classic strips by Dorkin, this hardcover collection is mindless fun and brilliantly written containing a wedge of spite and a carton of hate. This book will make you want to grab your gin and scream MERV GRIFFIN!

8 ) Backyard Ballistics by William Gurstelle
It’s always important to make things and learn how they work, and what better way to study than building catapults, trebuchets, match powered rockets and other assorted ballistical weapons? Informative, educational and fun at the same time, but it goes without saying that kids building these devices should do so under parental supervision.

9 ) Reamde by Neal Stephenson
The latest novelist by cyberpunk and techno thriller writer Neal Stephenson has a virus targeted at an online world that transcends the virtual and creates a worldwide adventure. It is hard to put down any of Stephenson’s novels and this one has received the same popular and critical acclaim that his previous novels have received.

Are there other books you think would make good gifts? Are there ones you think I left out of my list? Let me know below. And to see non-book gifts, check out my geek and tech gift guide.

2011 Geek and Tech Gift Guide

JustJon — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:00:09 +0000

Every year, we look out and try to figure out to get for that special person in our lives, but aren’t quite sure what to get for one reason or another. If that person in your life is a techie or a geek, here is a list of potential gifts that may help you decide.

1 ) iPad 2
Having played with different tablet computers over the last couple of years, the iPad is still my favorite. It outsells Android tablets 24 to 1 and with good reason. It’s easy to use and has over a half a million apps available to purchase and use from the iTunes store.

2 ) iPod Nano – 6th Generation
I recently purchased an iPod Nano to have a small iPod to run with. The light weight and touch screen ease of use makes it the perfect small mp3 player. Perfect for listening to music, audiobooks (including at 2x speed) and FM radio. And there are kits available to wear it as a watch.

3 ) Nook or Kindle E-Reader
While tablets are great for a wide variety of tasks, reading on the backlit screens can tire the eyes. That’s why e-ink readers are better for reading. By being more book like, they are easier on the eyes and better for reading. The two major players are Barnes and Noble’s Nook and Amazon’s Kindle. Both have their advantages and both will sync with their respective apps on the computer (Mac and PC), tablet and smartphone.

4 ) Doctor Who Character Building TARDIS Mini Set
Right now, Doctor Who is one of the hottest shows, both on US cable and worldwide. What better way to give a gift to your Whovian than give them a little TARDIS to build of their very own. As an addition, it comes with minifigures of both the eleventh Doctor and his companion Amy Pond.

5 ) Star Wars Force FX Lightsaber
What better way to battle or give in to the Dark Side than with one’s very own lightsaber. A more elegant weapon from a more civilized age that has a detailed metal handle, LEDs that animate the lightsaber being turned on, and movie accurate sounds for on, off, clashing and the hum of the blade.

6 ) iCade Cabinet for iPad
If the recipient already has an iPad and likes vintage arcade games, then the iCade makes a great gift. The iCade is an arcade cabinet shaped case for the iPad that has a bluetooth joystick built in to play games on the Atari app that is available for free in the iTunes store (with additional games available for purchase in the app)

7 ) Super TV-B-Gone Kit!
For the giftee who likes to both build things and likes the occasional prank, there is the TV-B-Gone kit from the Make Magazine Makershed Store. Build and solder the parts for a device that will turn off any and all tvs with the push of a button. Of course there are plenty of other kits available, for the less chaotically inclined.

8 ) Jawbone Jambox
Everyone seems to have smartphones these days, and on them are our music libraries and streaming music services, but the built in speakers are poor at best. All of these phones have bluetooth built in, and the Jambox is a bluetooth stereo speaker to carry anywhere any listen to music or watch videos with a much higher quality stereo sound when headphones are not an option.

9 ) Star Wars on Blu-ray
Earlier this year, they Star Wars movies were released on Blu-Ray. Both the original and prequel trilogies are present, plus assorted deleted scenes and documentaries. The only thing missing from this set is the original trilogy without George Lucas’ additional changes of the last decade.

Are there any other gifts I should have included in this list or you are buying for the geek in your life? Let me know below! And of course, you can always buy someone a gift from my etsy store.

Doctor Who Character Building Tardis Mini Set

JustJon — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:00:02 +0000

As a LEGO aficionado, as well as a Doctor Who fan, it’s obvious I would be interested in any TARDIS building set. Having build my own LEGO TARDIS that lit up and played the Doctor Who theme, I was intrigued when I heard there was a company releasing official Doctor Who building sets and picked up the Character Builder TARDIS mini set.

I have tried out other alternative brick building toys before, and I have never found one that quite stacked up to the quality of real LEGO bricks. The Character Builder bricks themselves have a slightly more rigid feel to them than LEGO bricks, but seem to stack and adhere to each other well. The biggest problem I have with the set is how the panels and the top are all specialized pieces specific to the TARDIS shape. LEGO bricks and plates are made to be used and reused for a myriad of uses as opposed to being specifically used for one particular set in a single way.

When I assembled the set, I attempted to put the lamp on the top, it popped off and would not stay on. I tried different pieces and none of them would stay on that peg. I was forced to use glue to keep it on, which is something I have never had to do with any brick building toys before. I don’t know if it was specific to my particular set or a problem that plagued the set in general.

The TARDIS mini set also came with two minifigures. The eleventh Doctor, as portrayed by Matt Smith, and Amy Pond are both represented in minifig form. The figures are both about the same size as a LEGO minifig, but are specialized likenesses that look like cartoon versions of the Doctor and Amy, as opposed to the more general representations that are reusable for other characters.

Overall, I like the set. There is a good attention to detail, from the paper insert to represent the inside of the TARDIS to the general look and feel of everything, and looks like one would hope the TARDIS and the characters would look. While it is not up to the quality standards of LEGO, it is a great gift for any Doctor Who fan who would like to build a small piece of the Doctor’s universe.