Tony Thomas' Techtrends

Kindle Fire Review

2011-11-20T08:17:00.000-08:00

I had a chance to demo the new Kindle Fire at my local Staples store yesterday and was very impressed. For $200, you will be hard-pressed to find a better media consumption device.

The key thing to remember is that the Fire is not a Google Android tablet. It is primarily a book reader with many additional features that allow you to consume various types of media, including movies, music, games and applications. You won't find any Google applications on the device and the Amazon App Store only offers a fraction of available Android applications. In addition, you won't find any cameras, GPS, Bluetooth, 3 or 4G, or other niceties on the Fire that you will find on your typical Android tablet. And if you are looking seriously at the Apple iPad, it may or may not be adequate. It really depends on what you want to use it for. But keep this in mind: it is less than half the price.

That said, the Kindle Fire has a lot to offer. If you are an avid book reader, the Fire offers a great reading experience with color screen, backlighting and crisp text. (The battery life is decent but nowhere near that of the e-Ink Kindles.) If you love movies, the Kindle Fire offers a great movie-watching experience on a small screen. If you love music, the Fire has you covered as well. In addition, many of the top apps and games are also available on the Fire. The Amazon ecosystem provides a very wide range of media to consume.

And since the unit is heavily subsidized by Amazon, you get great hardware ( dual-core processor, great screen, etc.) at little more than cost. The memory is the biggest limitation with only 8GB onboard. The accelerated Silk browser is adequate, but judging from the benchmarks I’ve seen, it is hard to say whether the acceleration feature lives up to its hype. When you get one, you may want to experiment with turning acceleration off and see what the performance is like.

If you are looking for a true Google Android tablet, you need to look elsewhere. The Samsung Galaxy Tab would be a much better choice since it does offer all of the Google applications, dual cameras, GPS and more memory.

But if your objective is getting an inexpensive media consumption solution, the Kindle Fire will fit the bill quite nicely.

Amazon Kindle Fire: A Smokin' Hot Deal!

2011-09-28T20:31:00.000-07:00

Amazon dropped a bombshell on the tech world today by announcing their new Kindle Fire Tablet at an unbelieveably low price: $199 for a 7” color tablet? No, that is not a typo. $199.

Just hours before the announcement, analysts predicted that the new Kindle Fire would cost between $250 and $300. Bezos and company have delivered a tablet that is not only affordable, but also provides a compelling multimedia experience. They bypassed the familiar Android UI and cooked up one of their own to highlight Amazon’s expansive offerings.

One exclusive feature of the Fire is the new Amazon Silk (tm) accelerated “split browser”. It uses an application on the tablet along with an application in the cloud to dramatically speed up web page loading. Using Amazon’s Elastic Computing Cloud (EC2) technology to do the heavy lifting, it also incorporates predictive algorithms to push content to the browser, making it even faster.

While the specs don’t compete with other Android Tablets (only 8GB of storage, no camera or microphone), Amazon is leveraging its massive cloud capabilities to provide books, music, software and movies in a way that no other competitor can--except Apple. And, they are doing it at a fraction of the price of the iPad 2. It seems that the folks in Cupertino are well aware of what is coming as news reports state that they have cut iPod 2 production by 25%.

However, it does include a multi-touch 7” IPS screen with Gorilla Glass (tm) and a dual-core TI processor--features not seen on such an inexpensive tablet. It seems that this tablet is heavily subsidized by Amazon, as they probably expect to recoup costs from increased sales. Battery life is up to 8 hours. Not bad considering its size and price.

Will this change the tablet game? I think so. First of all, it signals the re-emergence of the 7” tablet size pioneered by the Samsung Galaxy Tab, plus puts downward pressure on future tablet pricing. This is good news for consumers and multimedia aficionados

The Kindle Fire is available for pre-order now and will ship November 15th.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051VVOB2/ref=famstripe_kf

Why Android Tablets Aren't Taking Off

2011-09-26T05:39:00.000-07:00

I was watching an Apple iPad television commercial the other day and it showed some killer applications and how they can be used to improve your life.

I believe that is the missing link in the Android tablet puzzle.

The real reason that Android tablets aren't keeping up with the iPad is that few compelling tablet applications exist. What Google and Android developers need to do is to develop applications that take advantage of the capabilities of the tablets that are out there. They need to go beyond Angry Birds and give us applications that provide the WOW factor that will move tablets.

Android also needs to address vertical markets. For example, Apple owns the music creation market. Android isn't even in the game. Why can't someone come up with an Android program similar to Garage Band? That would give musicians a reason to seriously consider Android.

The bottom line is: people do not buy hardware -- they buy solutions.

Google and Intel: An Interesting Combination

2011-09-15T06:09:00.000-07:00

It looks like Intel and Google are getting together to make Android run on Intel iron. This is an interesting development since Microsoft is also going to make an ARM version of Windows.

Intel has to get into the game because of the booming market for phones and tablets vs. the stagnant market for PCs. Their Atom chip, while wildly popular in netbooks, has never caught on in the mobile market. That is about to change. Atom/Android phones are expected in the first half of 2012.

What I would like to see are x86 phones and tablets with standard architectures that will allow you to run your choice of OS or even a combination of OSes. How about multi-boot with Windows 8, Android and Ubuntu?

I can dream, can't I?

Will Amazon Make the 7" Tablet Attractive?

2011-09-07T19:09:00.000-07:00

Most of the Android Tablets introduced recently are 10.1" to directly compete with Apple's ubiquitous 9.7” iPad. The fact that most of them have failed to gain widespread acceptance has confounded tablet makers.

Enter Amazon. Their new Color Kindle will sport a 7" screen and is clearly targeted at Barnes & Noble's popular Nook tablet. It will reportedly run a custom-skinned older version of Android 2 and will serve up books, movies and music. The 7" form factor was popular before Honeycomb and Tegra 2 machines were introduced, primarily because they could run Android phone OSes like Eclair and Froyo. The smaller size makes 7" tablets more portable--even pocketable--and easy to hold in one hand. Many large tablets are homebound due to their size, bulk and awkwardness.

Google officially frowned on the smaller tablets and encouraged licensees to wait for Honeycomb and the big screens. As a result, there are only a handful of mainstream 7" tablets out there: the Galaxy Tab, B&N Nook, The Dell Streak and the HTC Flyer. While it has been form factor that has been largely ignored by major manufacturers, cheap, 7” Chinese tablets abound, rebadged by companies like Coby and Archos/Arnova.

Can 7” tablets catch on? Samsung recently demonstrated a 7.7” tablet in Germany, but it is unclear whether it will ever be introduced in the US due to Apple’s patent infringement crusade. Since Steve Jobs has boldly declared that Apple will never make a 7” tablet, it is one form factor that Android could truly dominate.

Should Google Buy T-Mobile?

2011-09-02T06:23:00.000-07:00

It would certainly be a stretch, but what if Google bought T-Mobile?

That would make sense since T-Mobile was the first carrier with an Android phone and it doesn't offer the iPhone.

In addition, it would give Google an end-to-end solution. It would also be a great way to challenge Apple.

Google certainly has deep enough pockets to afford it and there probably would not be any regulatory challenges.

Hmmmm....

Are Netbooks Dead?

2011-08-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

Netbooks were all the rage in 2007. I was an early adopter and bought an Asus eeepc 4GB Surf shortly after it was introduced. I have since bought a few other Asus eeepc models.

What do I like about netbooks? They are “cheap and cheerful” (less than $300) with just about the right amount of computer power for web surfing and other routine tasks.

They are also compact and typically have USB ports and an SD card slot for external storage. Display sizes vary--although most are in the 8.9” to 11” range.

Battery life was once a concern, but newer designs usually provide between 5-8 hours of juice between charges. The only complaints that most people have about netbooks are their relatively slow CPU/graphics and their smallish keyboards.

What happened to the netbook market? Tablets. Beginning with the Apple iPad, tablets began to intrude into the “small and inexpensive” market segment, diluting market share.

Since that time, the major electronics manufacturers have been obsessively focused on capturing some of Apple’s success. The results have been mixed.

Samsung has reportedly shipped over 2 million of their 7” Galaxy Tab. New 10.1” tablets from Asus, Acer and Samsung seem to be selling well. Moto’s Xoom, on the other hand, stalled out of the gate and Blackberry’s tablet seems to be floundering. And, last week, HP’s Touchpad went down in flames and took the entire hardware division with it.

Can Netbooks make a comeback?

The new Asus eeepc X101 may signal the return of the netbook. At $200, it sports a 8GB SSD drive, Intel® Atom™ N435 processor with 1GB of RAM, webcam, 2 USB ports, Micro SD card reader, and MeeGo Linux OS . An enhanced version will also be offered with Windows 7 Starter and a 250 GB hard drive.

With their low-cost, wide range of applications, and built-in keyboards, I would not count netbooks out just yet.

The End of the Steve Jobs Era

2011-08-25T05:10:00.002-07:00

Steve Jobs was a visionary. He was the driving force at Apple. His successes are legendary. The Apple II. The Macintosh. Pixar. The MacBook. iTunes. The iPod. The iPhone. The iPad. His attention to detail was unparalleled.

Where will the new ideas come from? Who will bring them into existence? That remains to be seen.

One thing is certain.

Apple is going to be a very different company without him.

Addendum: Steve Jobs passed away 10/5/11. Our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues at Apple. Requiescat in pace.

Hey Google: How About An Android Store?

2011-08-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

With its recent purchase of Motorola Mobility, Google has suddenly become a giant player in the hardware game. It now has a good selection of cell phones and a tablet—all running Android—to take to market.

Apple's secret weapon (aside from its ecosystem) is its prized Apple store: a nice, comfy, non-threatening, environment where you can ogle the shiniest new goodies from Cupertino and even buy them, provided you have enough cash or plastic.

What if Google took a page from Apple's playbook and opened up an Android store? Not only could it carry the latest Motorola products, but also products from its other Android partners including HTC, Samsung, Acer, Asus, Sony Ericcson, et al. It could partner with Amazon to sell gift cards good for music and Android software purchases. What a concept!

Not only would they be able to demonstrate their support for their Android partners, they would be able to manage the Android retail presentation and user experience. With big box stores shuttering and downsizing, this could give Android a much needed boost as it goes up against the mighty Goliath called Apple.

Let the Games Begin!

2011-08-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

It seems that the device that no one wanted a few days ago has turned into one of the hottest sellers of the year! All of a sudden, everyone wants a HP Touchpad. The price may have something to do with it. Only $99 for the 16 GB and $149 for the 32 GB model.

Even with a cloudy future, many are willing to take the plunge into the world of Web OS on the cheap. Will the touchpad ever be able to run Android reliably? That certainly remains to be seen, although I am sure it is definitely a possibility given the large mobile device hacking community on web sites like xda-developers.com.

Get them while they are hot because it doesn't look like they are going to last long. From what I have heard, Best Buy is sending all of their warehouse stock back to HP. Local retailers everywhere seem to be sold out. I just checked eBay a few minutes ago and there is a lot of bidding action going on in the $150-$200 range for the 16 GB model.

I guess this demonstrates there is a demand for low-cost tablets. If they can get the price down to $200 or so for a new Android tablet, I think people would buy it.

Update: I dropped by my local Best Buy store and they confirmed that they were sending all of their stock back to HP. HP will reportedly be selling the discounted Touchpads direct. When I went to the HP Store web site, I found the Touchpad for $99. When I clicked on the link, however, I received this message: "We're sorry, the page requested was not found." Bummer. If you explore a bit more, there is a notification list that you can sign up for.

Flash: 8/21: Best Buy has done a 180 and has decided to sell their HP Touchpad inventory rather than send it back to HP. I called a store in Cleveland, OH and they said they only had 5 this morning and they were sold in a matter of minutes. Staples is sold out within a one hundred mile radius. Office Max is also sold out. So, don't get your hopes up!

Why I Returned My Motorola Xoom

2011-08-19T06:09:00.000-07:00

I bought a Motolora Xoom tablet shortly after it came out. I kept it a week and returned it.

Why?

1. I found the screen to be smoky and foggy. Not really clear and bright.

2. The product build was nice, but a bit heavy and bulky for my tastes.

3. Honeycomb was not ready for prime time. There have been some revs since I tested, so things may be better now.

4. The SD slot did not work. It is unacceptable to release an unfinished product. (From reports I have read, it still doesn't work.)

5. The price was too high. At $599, it was overpriced. Since then, the price has dropped $100 and that makes it a better value. Same price as the entry level iPad.

Now that Google has bought Motorola Mobility, they really need to fix the Xoom and make it a worthy competitor to Apple's iPad.

The HP Touchpad Has Been Knocked Out by the Apple iPad

2011-08-18T18:54:00.000-07:00

In the blink of an eye, it was over. The HP Touchpad was on the mat. Knocked out by a formidable foe--the venerable Apple iPad. It wasn't supposed to end this way.

Back in February, the Touchpad was supposed to be the "iPad killer". A Palm Pre on steroids. In the end, it was too little, too late. Unimpressive design. No rear-facing camera. A UI that was too similar to a game of solitaire.

Unlike the Apple iPad, the design was not slick enough. And unlike Android, it wasn't open source or easily hackable. Overall, a big yawn.

Not only is HP getting out of the tablet game, it is also getting out of the PC business. Yep, the #1 computer company is going the way of the dodo bird. Amazing. Move over IBM. You'll soon have company on the enterprise software and data couch.

Thirty years after it began, the PC era is officially over.

My question is: What is going to happen to that huge stack of Touchpads sitting in Best Buy's warehouse?

Update: The 16GB model is being blown out for $99 and the 32GB model for $149. At those "fire sale" prices, they are selling out quickly.

Google Says: Hello Moto!

2011-08-15T06:17:00.000-07:00

Google has acquired Motorola Mobility. With a stroke of a pen, Google has become a major player in the patent wars. Why? Moto’s patent portfolio reportedly contains nearly 15,000 granted patents and nearly 7,000 pending applications.

Now, things are going to get interesting. First of all, we need to gauge the response of Google’s Android partners including Samsung, HTC, Asus, LG, Acer and Lenovo. Secondly, it remains to be seen how Android’s nemesis Apple will respond, especially since they are on a patent litigation binge right now. Interesting times ahead. Stay tuned!

Why I Like Linux

2011-08-13T22:29:00.000-07:00

I am a big fan of Linux. If you are not familiar with Linux, it is a powerful operating system that is used on computers, embedded devices like set top boxes, video game consoles, and even cell phones. For example, if you have an Android phone, you are actually using a version of Linux.

Linux is the creation of Linus Torvalds, a Finnish software engineer, who created it as a free alternative to the expensive Unix operating system. It is maintained by a large consortium of programmers from around the world. Linux is a vital component of the Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) movement.

I have been a Linux user since the late 90s and have used it on many computers. Here are some of the reasons that you may want to run Linux on your computer:

Speed: If you are frustrated by bloated and laggy operating systems, you will find Linux blazingly fast, even on older hardware.

Size: Compared to commercial operating systems like MS Windows and Apple OSX, Linux is very compact. I have been able to install it (as well as a suite of applications) on machines with comparatively small (4GB) hard drives. Most versions will run well with 512MB memory or even less. There are even smaller Linux distributions like DSL and Puppy Linux that can run from a thumb drive using less than 128MB of RAM .

Stability: I have found Linux to be a rock-solid operating system. Many of the servers that comprise the Internet run Linux for this reason. Most Linux distributions will provide amazing stability with very little maintenance.

Security: If you are plagued by viruses, malware and spyware, you will find Linux to be a breath of fresh air. It is designed for maximum security and such intruders simply do not exist in the Linux world.

Customization: There are dozens of Linux distributions to choose from that are tailored to different needs. The most popular "distros" include Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora, Debian and Mandriva. Many can run on a wide range of hardware including desktops, servers, notebooks, netbooks and embedded devices. There are also versions for different CPUs such as x86, ARM, PPC, etc. Once you pick a distribution, you can easily customize the UI to fit your needs, unlike commercial OSes that are more “one size fits all”.

Price: Linux is free. And, there are thousands of free and open source programs for Linux, many of which rival their expensive commercial counterparts. I run free apps like Firefox, Chrome, Open Office, Libre Office, Acrobat, Skype and many others on my Linux machines. And with the increasing popularity of cloud-based apps like Google Docs, it really doesn't matter what OS you use as long as you have a browser and an Internet connection.

If you have an old computer lying around and want to bring it back to life, check out Linux!

For more information on Linux, visit:

http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major

E-Reader or Tablet -- Which Is Best?

2011-08-10T06:17:00.000-07:00

I am asked frequently whether I favor a dedicated e-book reader (like the B&W Kindle or Nook) or a tablet device for reading. Since I own and use both, I thought that I would compare the advantages and disadvantages of both types of devices as e-book readers. Let’s look at six important areas:

1. Size and Weight: The e-book readers win, hands down. They are very small and light, unlike most tablets.

2. Versatility: Here, tablets rule. Not only can you read books, you can surf the net, play games, check your e-mail, watch movies, listen to music and much more.

3. Readability: E-Book readers have a decided advantage here. The non-reflective e-Ink displays of the Kindle and Nook allow for reading booth indoors and outdoors and in varying light conditions. Their high-contrast, high-resolution B&W screens are hard to beat. Tablets have the advantage of superior graphics, the ability to display items in color and reading in low light.

4. Battery Life: The e-book readers crush tablets in this area. A Kindle or B&W Nook is good for 3+ weeks of reading without a charge. Most tablets can only provide 6-10 hours of juice.

5. Speed: Tablets trump readers in this area as most of them have fast processors (even dual-core) and superior UIs. If you have to jump around a book or need to consult multiple sources while doing research, they are far better than the dedicated readers.

6. Price: The B&W e-readers are easy on your wallet weighing in at less than a Benjamin and a half. By contrast, most tablets are in the $300-600 range.

The pendulum definitely swings towards dedicated readers for pure book reading, while tablets are capable of a lot more. If you are looking for a device that gives you the best of both worlds, check out the Nook Color. It is an inexpensive tablet that is designed for book reading.

Spotify: First Look

2011-08-06T13:03:00.000-07:00

I just signed up for Spotify about a week ago. If you haven’t heard about Spotify, it is UK-based service that allows you to access a massive music library of 15 million+ songs. And it is free. What is the catch?

You have to listen to audio ads every once and a while. If you want the ads to go away, the service costs $4.99 a month for the Unlimited Plan. You also get unlimited streaming. For $9.99 a month, you get the Premium Plan. That gives you mobile access, offline access of your playlists, better quality sound (320 kbps), and exclusive content. Not bad prices for the size of the library.

So far, I really like Spotify. It has a very cool interface and also allows you to listen to the music in your iTunes library (albeit with ads). You can create playlists and import them from iTunes and Windows Media Player. Plus, you can share the playlists that you create with users on Facebook, Twitter or Windows Messenger. You also have the option to log into Facebook and check out what your friends are listening to. That turns it into a really social experience.

What is really cool about Spotify is that I have been able to find and listen to really obscure music and some stuff that I owned on vinyl over 30 years ago. It is also really handy for listening to songs and albums that you are thinking of buying. Sure beats those 30 or 60 second snippets on Amazon or iTunes.

In any case, if you love music like I do, you need to check out Spotify. You will not be disappointed.

Here is the link to get a free invitation code:

https://www.spotify.com/us/hello-america/fb_comb/

Life on Google+

2011-08-04T15:10:00.000-07:00

After being on Google+ for just a few weeks, here are some observations:

Techs Rule: You'll find just about every famous technology celebrity on Google+, plus a lot of wannabes (like moi). You name them and you'll find them. My biggest circle at this point consists of tech celebs. Most of the other circles are pretty sparse.

Don't Expect To Find Your Friends (Yet): Most of my friends and family are MIA on Google+ and it may be that way for a while. It does not seem to be a popular spot for the technologically-challenged or average Internet user.

Animated GIFs Are Back With A Vengance: They should call Google+ "The attack of the animated GIFs". It makes for a unique user experience--but it gets old very quickly.

It Would Be Nice If You Could Add Your Facebook Friends: However, that isn't going to happen soon. FB is protecting its walled fortress. As they should.

Getting Added To Circles Isn't Easy: Right now, I am following 10X the number of people that are following me. And since it isn't easy to find new people to add to circles, you can't blow up your list of followers as fast as on FB or Twitter.

Of course, we are still in beta. Let's see how things look when it opens up to the world.

Xara Designer Pro and Photo & Graphics Designer 7

2011-08-01T20:04:00.000-07:00

If you have priced professional-level graphics packages lately, you know that resale prices are through the roof. Some popular packages will cost you as much as a down payment on a nice car!

Xara Designer Pro and Photo & Graphics Designer buck that trend. Now at version 7, the Xara programs are easy to use, fast and powerful. Their display rendering engine is one of quickest and most faithful available. And the results that you can obtain with these programs are nothing short of amazing.

I have been a loyal user since 1996, and Xara keeps getting better and better. The programs offer a solid set of tools for vector and bitmap editing and I typically use them for DTP, web design and compositing. Xara unseated Corel as my primary “go to” package for that type of work.

Version 6 did throw me for a loop since Xara did a major overhaul of the interface and it took a while to find out where all of the tools lived. Those new to the program should not have a problem figuring out the interface because it is well-designed and quite intuitive.

New features in version 7 include magic erase, live copies, edit inside groups, improved anchoring, magic snap, widgets, improved page management, quick preview, sitemap support, HTML5 video and more. It would take quite a bit of space to describe all of these new features, so I urge you to check out their web site for details. Professional designers will want to specifically look at Designer Pro 7 since it has the prepress and 4/c capabilities that you need.

If you are in the market for an affordable graphic design and editing package, I urge you to check out Xara 7. The power and ease-of-use of these packages will surprise you. And the price tag is easy on the wallet.

www.xara.com

The End of Optical Media?

2011-07-28T06:15:00.000-07:00

I heard a news report yesterday that Ford will be the first major car maker to cease putting CD players in new vehicles. And someone told me today that Apple has pulled the CD/DVD drive in the latest iteration of the Mac Mini. Does this spell the end of the optical media era?

If you have been to a Best Buy or Walmart recently, you may have noticed the shrinking movie and music sections. In fact, Best Buy is reporting that they are going to be shrinking may of their big box stores into little boxes selling mobile electronics. I'm sure that this has something to do with shrinking demand for CDs and DVDs. You don't need much floor space if you are selling phones, mp3 players and cards for tunes and movies.

This will be an interesting trend to watch.

K is for Kindle

2011-07-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

I bought an Amazon Kindle 3 WiFi on a whim back in February. Since then, it has become a daily travel companion. Why? First of all, over 3500 books can live in this diminutive device. That means that I no longer have to tote a bunch of dog-eared paperbacks, bent magazines, or heavy hardbacks around. And, as the TV ads say, the 6" non-reflective E-ink(tm) screen is amazing, even in bright sunlight. The contrast-ratio is much better than the Sony Reader that I used to carry. The ability to change the font-size means that you can go from small to large type in seconds. It is also sips electricity. You can read for a month or so without a recharge. Try that with an iPad or other tablet.

Getting new books into this device is dead easy. Since it has built-in wifi and Whispersync(tm) technology, you can purchase a book and start reading it in less than a minute in most cases. One thing that I didn't know before I bought it is that each Kindle comes with a unique, modifiable, e-mail address that allows you to send books, PDFs and other compatible files to it via e-mail. You can choose which e-mail accounts it will receive data from, so you don't have to worry about spam.

Kindle books are usually cheaper than paper books and many are free. The money that I have saved in buying paper books and paying shipping costs has made the Kindle a real bargain for me. Plus, with the Kindle software, I can also read my books on my computers, iPod Touch, Galaxy Tab and Blackberry.

Other features include built-in stereo speakers, a headphone jack and a built-in mp3 player. That makes it easy to listen to music or Audible (tm) audio books on the go. Some books allow text to be read aloud using a computerized voice. This isn't something that I use but it is a great feature for the visually impaired. It also has a built-in dictionary that allows you to look up definitions while you are reading and an experimental web-browser. I recommend the browser only as a last resort as it is slow, has a monochrome screen and does not always display pages correctly.

The Kindle 3 sells for $139, but you can also buy a 3G version for $189 if you want to be able to download books or magazines away from a hot spot. There is also a subsidized version for $114 (Kindle with Special Offers) if you don't mind reading ads.

There are rumors that Amazon is planning to introduce an Android tablet this fall. I hope that it doesn't mean that the Kindle 3 is a goner, as its E-ink(tm) screen, light weight, low-cost, and amazing battery life make it a more appealing reading option than heavier tablets.

www.amazon.com

My Galaxy Tab Wi-Fi 7"

2011-07-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

Several months ago, I picked up a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7" Wi-Fi. It has become my everyday traveling companion. Smaller and lighter than a netbook, the Galaxy Tab is a great tool for surfing the web, checking e-mail, listening to music, and running a wide range of Android apps. To me, the 7" form factor seems ideal. I find it amazing that more Android tablet manufacturers don't embrace this form factor since it is much more transportable than a 9 or 10" model. In fact, if Apple offered a 7" iPad, I might be tempted to get one. If you are looking for a relatively inexpensive ($350) Android tablet, check out the Galaxy Tab.

http://www.samsung.com

Patent Wars: Who Wins, Who Loses?

2011-07-19T05:57:00.000-07:00

Apple's recent lawsuit against HTC is a disturbing trend in the world of technology. While I respect a company's right to protect its intellectual property portfolio, the recent trend of litigation for the purpose of annihilation is a zero-sum game. Patent portfolios have suddenly become profit centers. Microsoft now gets $5 for every HTC Android phone sold. A consortium of technology companies including Apple, Microsoft, RIM, Sony and Ericsson paid $4.5 billion to outbid Google for a tidy stack of Nortel patents. Apple is suing Samsung and Samsung is suing Apple for patent infringement. Where is all of this heading? I suspect it will lead to fewer choices and higher prices for technology products. And we will be the ones paying for it.

A Look at Libre Office

2011-07-18T05:35:00.000-07:00

When checking out the latest version of Ubuntu Linux, I discovered that they are no longer bundling it with Open Office. Instead, it now comes with a program called Libre Office. What is going on, I wondered? After a bit of detective work, I found out that Libre Office is a actually a fork of Open Office.

It was initiated after Oracle bought Sun and many of the OO developers bolted to start this new project. In the meantime, the Open Office code base was donated by Oracle to Apache, and it became part of the Apache Foundation Incubator project. So now, users have a choice. Either use Open Office or Libre Office.

I installed Libre Office on my Thinkpad running Windows XP and, as you would expect, it looks just like Open Office. It also runs just like OO. All of the functionality that you have come to know and love is there. As the two projects continue to evolve, the feature sets will eventually diverge.

The good news is that there are now two free options for those looking for an office suite with much of the same functionality of MS Office.

http://www.libreoffice.org/

http://www.openoffice.org/

Google+: First Look

2011-07-10T20:09:00.000-07:00

I finally scored my Google+ invite thanks to my friend, Neal Campbell, of GeekBrief TV fame. After surveying the G+ landscape for a day or so, I would say that it has real potential to shake up the social networking world. Right now, it seems to be a real geekfest, given the large array of techies that are participating in the closed beta.

I like the concept of "Circles"--a simple way to identify and target the different classes of people in your life: Family, Friends, Acquaintances and famous folks that your are just Following. "Sparks" is like a RSS feed on steroids and it allows you to quickly find information of interest to you by category. "Hangouts" allow for group video chats with folks in your various circles.

Photos seem to be an integral component of the UI design and it is easy to upload them and incorporate them into "Feed" posts. If you use Picasa, you will find that photos from your library are already there and available to upload.

I think that the real power of this new platform is the potential tight integration between it and other Google applications like Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, etc. It can only add to the popularity of the Googlespace and I look forward to its public release and future development.

Xara Xtreme Makeover

2010-08-15T14:41:00.000-07:00

Xara is well known for producing high-quality, low-cost, graphics programs that are jam-packed with functionality and features. Their new offerings: Xara Photo and Graphic Designer 6 and Xara Designer Pro 6 are no exceptions. They continue to offer superlative capabilities at a price that won't break the bank.

Version 6 is the biggest makeover of the Xara UI that I have seen since I first started reviewing it back in 1996. Gone is the pedestrian Windows interface that we have come to know and love. In its place, is a shiny, new, charcoal-colored interface with revised icons, fly-outs and buttons. The design gallery now has a hierarchical arrangement. There were numerous drawing tool improvements, enhanced pressure support for tablet users, an enhanced text tool and a great new vector-based photo-editing capabilities.

As always, using the program is a dream. The screen refreshes are lightning fast and, with a bit of creativity, there is very little that you cannot do using this program. It exports to a wide variety of file formats including JPEG, TIF, Adobe Photoshop, scalable vector graphics, PDF, EPS and many more.

While casual graphic designers will probably be more than happy with the feature set of Xara Photo and Graphic Designer 6, professional graphic designers will appreciate the more advanced feature set of Xara Designer Pro 6 which includes all of the capabilities of Xara Web Designer 6 plus support for CMYK, color separations, Pantone, PDF/X., multi-core processors and HD photo import.

Xara Photo and Graphic Designer 6 is only $89 US and Xara Designer Pro 6 is $299. For the capabilities that both of these programs offer, they are an amazing bargain!

www.xara.com