M Sho's Sports and Tech

5 NFL Draft Winners

2012-05-11T23:15:00.000-04:00

Green Bay Packers: Of course I'm going to list them as winners. They address a huge need at OLB, DL, S, CB and bolster their OL with a solid developmental pick in Datko. Did the reach on a couple picks? Maybe. But Ted Thompson seems to know what he's doing.

Pittsburgh Steelers: They addressed their terrible offensive line with their first two picks and then helped their depth in the front 7 on D with the next two. Add in some potential role player on offense in the late rounds and you have the mixture for a great draft.

Buffalo Bills: Don't look now but the Bills are building a formidable defense. Adding what I think was the best CB in the draft and a solid OLB prospect in Bradham where great moves, as was helping Fitzpatrick with O-linemen and and WR weapon.

New England Patriots: Did they reach for players? ~~Yes, maybe,~~ Probably. Did they get players that Belichek will turn into studs on defense? Yes. Look out for the Brady bunch this season. They might be able to stop someone.

San Francisco 49ers: What do you do when you're defense is great and offense pedestrian? Add playmaking ability to the offense. Randy Moss wasn't a draft pick but will help Alex Smith, as will A.J. Jenkins, even if no one thought he was a first rounder. James is a play maker that can lineup in the backfield as well as split out. Match these guys with Vernon Davis, one of the best TEs in the NFL, and Michael Crabtree, who hasn't preformed as well as some thought, and you have a dangerous offense. Provided Alex Smith can get the job done.

HTC One X Review

2012-05-11T22:56:00.001-04:00

So I haven't posted in months, sorry. Graduating and finding a job isn't fun. I'l try and post every day. On to the article.

AT&T's version of the HTC One X is full of problems. It's also the best Android phone I've used. The 4.7'' S-LCD 720p is a bit too large for my medium sized mitts to handle one-handed, but the display is gorgeous and is matched only by the iPhone 4s in my opinion. It's clarity and read-ablitiy, even in direct sunlight, is simply outstanding, although HTC's auto-brightness is a bit too bright. The form factor is a simple grand slam. The polycarbonate unibody phone is exceptionally thin and light and while the Droid RAZR is thinner, the One X feels great in hand. The camera's picture quality isn't top notch; it doesn't quite reach the level of the Xperia Ion, but the lightening fast speed almost matches it.

The One X takes forever to charge, yet the 1800 mAh battery last me throughout the day with an impressive amount of screen-on time. The storage capacity leaves something to be desired. The phone only has 16GB on internal storage, of which 12.1 GB is available (2.2GB for apps and 9.9 GB for phone storage according to my HOX). But it comes with some free dropbox space and combined with services such as Google's Play Music, Pandora, TinyShark, and Spotify. I don't see myself filling it anytime soon.

One thing that does completely suck is the multi-tasking abilites of the of the phone. They're non-existent. If I go to the home screen from the stock browser and then back to the browser, it reload's the page. No caching here despite the 1GB RAM. This doesn't bother me but this could be a real deal breaker to some.

Did I mention that I'm about to be on my 3rd One X? The first one had a 'dead zone' right in the middle of the screen that extend from edge to edge. I couldn't dial the 1, 2, or 3 keys on the dialer. This also left me high and dry for typing in my standard security pin. Something I got past for a day with the face recognition unlock. After using my 2nd HOX for 2 hours, I discovered that any call I made had to be done over speakerphone. That was because I couldn't hear anyone unless it was on the back speaker. Restarts and factory resets didn't fix either issue.

HTC put together and amazing, yet flaw device. The form factor, combined with the internals it has, would be a flagship for any company. The flaws of the device are not small either. My hardware issues are not the only ones. So I guess the question is would I recommend this phone? Absolutely yes.

NFL lockout over...for now

2011-04-25T19:08:00.001-04:00

Judge Nelson has lifted the NFL lockout. The NFL is of course filing for a stay from Judge Nelson. Let's hope fr the sale of football it gets denied.

Christian Ponder should be a first round pick

2011-04-18T15:46:00.001-04:00

Christian Ponder should be taken in the first round of the upcoming NFL draft. A knock on him is his numbers went down from his junior to senior season. Well, his numbers went down due to being injured and playing through injuries for the majority of that season. Fluke injuries I might add (injured on a tackle attempt his junior season, an awkward landing directly on his elbow resulted in a bursa sac injury that lasted throughout in his senior season). His junior season is a far better view of his ability. I honestly believe he can be the most successful QB in this draft provided he gets the time to learn the system, like the Packers did with Aaron Rodgers. In fact, his play and measureables remind me a lot of A-Rod. Look at his numbers in his junior season compared to Rodgers season at Cal.

Completion % - Yards - YPA- TDs - INTs
Rodgers - 66.1% - 2566 - 8.12 - 24 - 7
Ponder - 68.8% - 2717 - 8.23 - 14 - 7

Rodgers was measured at 6'2'' and 223 and Ponder measured in at 6'2'' and 229 at the NFL Combine. I don't think size was an issue when Rodgers was winning the Super Bowl and being named it's MVP. Here are some other combine numbers:

Combine - 40 - 20 - 10 - Vert - Broad - 3 Cone
Rodgers - 4.71 - 2.75 - 1.65 - 34.5'' - 9'2'' - 7.39
Ponder - 4.63 - 2.62 - 1.57 - 34'' - 9'8'' - 6.85

Doesn't say much of a QB's ability to throw it, but Ponder was regarded as having one of, if not the best throwing sessions at the combine.

Ponder is athletic, has enough size (6'3'' 229 lbs.), he's smart (Already has an MBA, is working on a second Master's in Sports Management and scored 35 on NFL's wonderlic where the average for QBs is 25), and accurate (61.6 career completion %). He has shown toughness by playing through injuries in his junior and senior years. His leadership is unquestioned. He was the MVP of the Senior Bowl. As a Packers fan, if Rodgers was 30 instead of 27, I'd want the Packers to take Ponder at 32. If he gets the chance to learn the game from the NFL perspective, look out for Christian Ponder as a top 10 QB in the NFL in 3-5 years.

So I haven't posted in a while...

2011-04-18T14:48:00.001-04:00

No I haven't forgotten about this blog. I've been short on time. Hopefully I'll get some posts up within a couple weeks, since I graduate with my bachelors in 2 weeks and I'll have a little more free time.

Kansas City to get Google's 1 Gbps fiber optic internet

2011-03-30T13:33:00.001-04:00

Engadget has reported that Kansas City has been chosen as the winner in the lobby for Google's first fiber optic network, which can reach speeds of 1Gbps. It should be operational sometime in 2012. For comparison, the United States current average is 3.9 Mbps. South Korea is the current leader in average internet speed, at a relatively blazing 14.6 Mbps. Google says this isn't the only city that will get the amazingly fast internet connection, and that other cities are in the works.

Apple's WWDC is June 6th...no new iPhone?

2011-03-28T16:21:00.000-04:00

Apple has scheduled their WWDC for June 6th this year, and the rumor is that there is not going to be an announcement about the next generation iPhone. The 3G, 3Gs, and iPhone 4 have all been announced at Apple's developer conference. Does this mean a delay in the arrival of the 5th iteration of the wildly popular phone? Who knows, but I for one hope not.

AT&T finally fixing Atrix's and Inspire's upload speed

2011-03-26T14:26:00.000-04:00

The folks over at Engadget are reporting that the Motorola Atrix 4G and HTC Inspire 4G are going to have their HSUPA activated in April. HSUPA is high speed upload packet access. It basically allows these phones to achieve a higher upload rate. For some reason, AT&T blocked it on these two phones it advertises as 4G. Which is really more like 3.5G, but that's another post. I'm not sure weather to praise AT&T for fixing it relatively quickly when customers started complaining about it, or to condemn them for something that should have been enabled on a "4G" phone.

First half of elite 8: Big stars live up to the hype, except Jimmer.

2011-03-25T15:56:00.003-04:00

So I watched some of the games last night, and it was my first real look at Jimmer. I wasn't impressed. I know he's good, but he just didn't play like it last night. Look at what Williams did for Arizona and what Walker did for UConn. They put their teams on their backs and elevated them to victory. Williams was 11-17 overall, but 5-6 from 3 point land. 32 points, 13 rebounds(6 on the offensive glass), 2 assists and 2 blocked shots. Amazing performance. Kemba Walker started off 0 for 5, but came back to finish 12-25 for 36 points, 4-8 from 3 point land, and he scored 22 second half points, including 12 straight at one point. Started off slow, but finished strong and led his team to victory. He was on the court the entire 40 minutes. Jimmer started off slow and finished the same way. He only shot 3-15 from long distance, some of them terrible shots far off the line. It was like he was just content to stay on the outside and miss jumpers. And in the overtime? Disappeared. 0-2 from three, and had 2 turnovers. This is a sweet 16 game; a lose and go home, win and have a chance to play for the national championship game. Big time players need to step it up in big time spots in big time games. I guess I just expected more from "The Jimmer".

Why AT&T's purchase of T-mobile shouldn't be stopped

2011-03-24T16:35:00.000-04:00

So an article from The Economist details why they believe it should be stopped before it really begins. They argue that by combining AT&T and T-Mobile they are going to eliminate choices and start a new duopoly with Verizon, something AT&T was broken up for in the past. Then they list the numbers. AT&T with T-Mobile would have a 39% market share. Combined with Verizon, it goes up to 70%. Not nearly high enough numbers to be considered a duopoly. Here's some more numbers:As of December 2010, Windows OS has a 90% market share. Mac is at 6%. Over 96% of the personal computer market share is between two companies. How about the internet? Google dominates the search engine market with nearly 85%. Yahoo brings in over 5.5%. So 90% of the personal computing market is dominated by 2 companies. Android and iOS bring in over 50% market share. McDonalds and Burger King have 94% of burger chain market share. Should we prevent companies from expanding because, when combined with another, they own a large majority of the market?

3D this...3D that...

2011-03-24T01:54:00.000-04:00

3D technology is coming back big, 3D IMAX movies, ultra slim 3D HDTVs that can play 3D sports broadcasts, designer 3D glasses so you can see those movies and sports in style, 3D handheld gaming systems that don't require glasses, cell phones that can display as well as record 3D movies in 720p that can then be displayed to your fancy 3D HDTV. Really guys? I don't need everything popping up at me. Now the occasional movie? Ok. Avatar was actually a really good 3D experience. But for every Avatar you get a My Bloody Valentine 3D. Do I really need my portable gaming system to have 3D? Not to mention you have you hold it so close to your face your arms might get tired before the battery dies (2-4 hours reportedly). Do I need a TV that requires me to wear glasses to watch a football game? I enjoyed the Super Bowl on a regular 2D TV just fine, thanks(GO PACK GO!). And now cell phones that display their content 3D. And if that recording of the goofy guy at the store isn't good enough in plain old two dimensions, then these new phones can record it in 3D for you to play it to your friends. I don't need 3D on every gadget in my life tech industry. The same goes to you, movie industry. What do you guys think about the 3D revolution? Leave me a comment below, I read them all.

Google Falling!

2011-03-23T10:40:00.000-04:00

The might Google has lost ground in the king of search engines race. According to comScore, the giant fell to 65.4% of the market for February, down from 65.6% in January. Bing moved from 13.1% to 13.6%, and Yahoo went unchanged, staying at 16.1%. The point I wanted to bring up here is I'm surprised at Bing. I thought it would have passed Yahoo by now. I think it is much cleaner and easier to use, as well as giving better results than the once king of searching. I guess I'm just really surprised that people still use Yahoo. So, which search engine do you use? Vote in the poll to the right, or you can leave a comment below.

NFL Rule changes

2011-03-22T15:29:00.000-04:00

Multiple places are reporting the new rule changes in the NFL. The kickoff moves forward to the 35 yard line from the 30. The other big rule change is that all scoring plays are now viewed by the replay assistant upstairs to make sure they are scores. The scoring play change is an alright change, I don't have any problems with it. However, the kickoff change is a huge deal, and I don't like it. Yes change is good, but why change what isn't broken? The owners want to reduce injuries. Injuries on kickoffs are part of the game, and and injury can occur on any play, not just kickoffs. What this is going to lead to is a reduction in the amount of decent players such as linebackers, safeties and corners (fast guys who can tackle) a team needs, because if they have a kicker that can put it out of the end zone (which a lot now can), they don't need gunners to run down the field to tackle that return man. They essentially eliminated Devon Hester and all other return specialists. Way to make the NFL less exciting.

More March Madness...madness

2011-03-22T14:22:00.000-04:00

Ok so I'm not doing totally terrible in my bracket. Actually, I think I am, but according to ESPN, I'm doing better than 99.1% of the 6,000,000 brackets filled out on their site. Here's the first post, picking the Elite 8 from the Sweet 16.

Sweet 16

Ohio State v Kentucky

I like Kentucky, I really do. However, Ohio State is just dominating. A lot of people thought they would beat George Mason, but not dismantle them the way they did. I think Ohio State gets it done here.

Marquette v. UNC
I want to pick the upset, but I can't. UNC is going to be ready to play. They have the better athletes, and that actually means something now.

Duke v Arizona
I don't think Duke would win if Coach K wasn't their coach. It will be close early and often, with Duke slipping behind b around 8, before they pull it together in the 2nd half to take the victory.

UConn v SDSU
San Diego State plays amazing basketball. Until I started typing, I thought I was going to pick them over Uconn. It's going to be the Kemba Walker show. He's had some good rest and will be ready light it up Thursday.

Kansas v Richmond
No offense to Richmond but, Kansas all the way.

VCU vs. Florida State
I'm not going to lie, I haven't seen a VCU game. But if Florida State can preform anywhere near the level they did on offense against Notre Dame, they are going to be a tough team to beat.

Butler v Wisconsin
Butler is my pick here. They have some serious momentum after a close game with ODU, and knocking off Pitt. They feel like they can topple giants right now. Hard to see them have a let down.

BYU v Florida
Jimmer, baby! Even with BYU losing one of their top players, they've played well, certainly beyond my expectations. I don't think Florida is going to be ready for the intensity of the game, no matter what Billy Donovan says to them in the locker room before it.

So there you have it, my picks for the sweet 16. Here's are the elite 8 machups according to me. Let's all laugh on Saturday when I'm totally wrong.

Ohio State v UNC
UCONN v Duke
Kansas v Florida State
BYU v Butler

More Tablet news

2011-03-22T13:42:00.004-04:00

New Samsung Galaxy Tabs....8.9 inch and 10.1 inch. They are seriously super thin, just a hair thinner than the new iPad 2. They also boast the same battery life, a 1GHz dual core processor, 3 megapixel camera in the back with a flash and a 2 megapixel camera up front. Oh, and the 10.1 will also be about the same weight as the iPad with the 8.9 inch even ligter, at just over a pound. (10.1 is 1.31 pounds, iPad 2 is 1.3). Once again, it looks as if everyone is adapting to Apple's pricing model, 16GB wifi only -$499, 32GB - $599 for the 10.1 inch, while the 8.9 inch is $30 cheaper across the board.
I can't wait to play with one of these. This could be a serious competitor to the iPad 2's stranglehold on the tablet market. This is what the first Tab should have been. June 8th is the ETA on these, so look out for some sweet gingerbread. Oh, and hopefully Samsung's touchwiz 4.0 doesn't screw it up too bad.

Thanks to Engadget for the details!

RIM finally does something right...

2011-03-22T07:49:00.001-04:00

I had a blackberry, and I loved it. However, until recently with the torch, they hadn't been keeping up with the Apples, HTCs, LGs, ect...and some could argue they are falling way behind the smartphone game outside of power business user. Well, according to Engadget, they finally did something right, even if it's not a new smartphone. It's the pricing for their upcoming Blackberry Playbook tablet.
If you're familiar with the iPad, you know, the device that is currently dominating the tablet market, then you'll know the prices already. $499 for the 16GB wifi model, and going up another $100 each for the 32GB and 64GB models. Finally a tablet that can challenge the iPad, price wise anyway.

EVO 3D specs leaked...WOW

2011-03-21T20:29:00.003-04:00

Sprints EVO successor has leaked, and it's huge. 4.3" screen, qHD resolution, 1.2 Ghz dual core processor...wow is all I can say. This thing is going to be a monster.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that is has dual 5 megapixel cameras with flash on the back for recording your own 3D. As well as 1080p playback for 2d content and 720p for 3d. *swoon* No ETA on the release date, but I'd say early summer.

5 minute reviews: 3DS, iPad 2, Moto Atrix

2011-03-21T17:41:00.001-04:00

So my local best buy had a nintendo 3DS available to play with. It was cool...for 5 minutes. The system has to be held up to your face to see the effect correctly. And after 5 minutes it started hurting my eyes. However, when I first got the right viewing angle, all I could think was, this is cool. Would I buy it? Not if I had a DS already, because I'd honestly play it with the effect off. Although, of they had a better game that some lame plane game in it...

iPad 2: cool. Same as the first one. Best tablet I've played with. Again, no need to upgrade if you have the original.

Moto Atrix: amazingly fast Android experience. Wish I had more disposable income to buy one to play with it. Feels solid, but a bit cheap due to being plastic. Come on Moto, brushes aluminum for flagship phones. Almost makes me want to switch from iOS.

March Madness and some NFL tidbits

2011-03-21T15:51:00.000-04:00

I'm not a big college basketball guy, but the Noles made it to the Sweet 16! I thought with their defense they would play Notre Dame close but wow. If we can keep our offense anywhere near that productive, I think we can play with anyone in the country!

Now for the NFL....seriously? What are you guys thinking? Just get a deal done. Yes fans will forgive you, but you're hurting the product by dragging this out.

AT&T-Mobile

2011-03-21T15:43:00.001-04:00

So, you've all heard that AT&T is going to buy T-Mobile. Some hate it, I like it. I have AT&T. I don't have a lot of problems with it, and I'll probably keep it for the foreseeable future. I'm excited to see what's going to happen with T-Mo's HSPA+ network that is already deployed and and AT&T's which is upgrading now.