Spice Mines of Kessel

Android tip : Android Not Connecting to the Mobile Network

2012-01-19T20:38:00.001-06:00

This tip provides one way to troubleshoot your Android phone or device when it cannot connect to the mobile network.

If you have signal, but cannot connect to the mobile network, take a look at the 3G icon next to the signal indicator. Are both of the arrows (i.e., the up and down arrows) either white (on) or gray (off)? In other words, are both arrows constantly in the same state no matter whether you are trying to use the mobile network or not? If this is the case, then put your device in airplane mode, wait a few seconds, and then turn off airplane mode. Here's how:

From the Home screen, hit the Menu button on your device.
Tap the Settings option.
Tap the Networks option in the settings menu.
Turn on airplane mode.
After 5 seconds or so, turn airplane mode off.
Tap the Home button on your device.
Wait for your device to establish a connection to the network.

Basically, what you did is make your device reestablish a connection to the mobile network. Now open the web browser on your device and see if you are able to browse the Internet. Hopefully, if this worked, you should now see both of the arrows in the 3G icon alternate on and off. Furthermore, you should now be able to use the network.

If this doesn't work, then you should try rebooting your device.

There are a host of reasons as to why your device is not connecting to the network. Hopefully, this tip will provide you with the assistance you need to get connected.

Home Security by Boba Fett

2011-09-01T13:05:00.001-05:00

Recently, my wife and I moved into a new apartment in Edmond, OK. So far, we have enjoyed the apartment and the surrounding area. I must admit that we are still a little overwhelmed by the change of moving from a rural town to a bustling metropolitan area. There are so many choices of restaurants, grocery stores, department stores, auto repair services, and the list can go on and on. With this move to a big city, there comes the concern for home security. After all, a much larger population usually comes with an increase in crime rate. Our apartment does not come with a security system, but a couple of features add to the security, namely, doors with two dead-bolt locks and the fact that we are on the third floor. For me, those features aren't enough, so I decided to hire the most notorious bounty hunter in the galaxy for my home security. The picture attached to this post shows him in action.

Now, the question is this: Does he do a good job of keeping the place secure? Well, to answer that, I'll cite a particular incident with my wife. We were coming into our apartment from running errands, and upon seeing the armed and dangerous figure poised for action, she gave a sharp gasp and a quick jump. Even the maintenance guy for the apartment complex gave him a double take--that coupled with the comment, "Whoa, that's cool." Whether Boba Fett does his job or not, he's good to have around just to see the reaction of folks entering the apartment.

The Mess of Passwords Simplified

2011-08-23T13:04:00.001-05:00

Have you ever been asked to provide a password that must meet several requirements, making it nearly impossible to remember? After all, a password must be secure if even the creator can't remember it. The below comic demonstrates a method for remedying this password mess.

This comic was originally posted on XKCD (http://xkcd.com/936/). Click the image to see a larger version.

HP to End WebOS and Sell Its PC Business

2011-08-19T14:05:00.001-05:00

In a set of shocking developments that could send the entire PC industry reeling, Hewlett-Packard today revealed that it will kill off its Palm webOS mobile system and devices and explore its options for selling off the business. But it gets worse: HP isn't stopping with webOS. The company plans to follow IBM and sell or perhaps spin off its PC business as well...

(Read the full article, written by Paul Thurrott.)

I read the above article while perusing my daily news feeds. To be honest, I wasn't so shocked about the WebOS news. After HP bought Palm, I suspected that the WebOS platform would fizzle. It had great potential, but it just couldn't compete with the likes of Android and iOS. Now, the news that did shock me was the announcement that HP is planning on selling off its PC business. I have never really been a fan of HP computers, but I do recognize that the computers they make are popular and that they are big in the PC business. I am curious about who will decide to purchase the HP PC line and what effect it will have on the whole PC market. Perhaps other PC makers, such as Dell and Lenovo, will step up and make a grab for some of the customer base held by HP. Perhaps the future buyer of HP's line of PCs will do something to improve not only the business, but also the computers themselves. Either way, I hope something good comes out of this for the consumer. In my opinion, the PC market in general needs a better contender than the offerings currently available.

What are your thoughts on this? Feel free to comment below.

App Spotlight: Random Mahjong

2011-08-15T18:50:00.001-05:00

Title: Random Mahjong
Developer: Paul Burkey
Price: $1.93 (free version available)
Platform: Android

For years I have enjoyed playing a game of Mahjong. Depending on the number of tiles in the puzzle, it can be quite challenging. On nearly every device I have owned in the past, I looked to see what selection of Mahjong games were available. Most of the time, I download one of them.

Recently, I came across an app for the Android OS called, Random Mahjong. I downloaded it to my HTC Evo to give it a try. Immediately, I was impressed with how well this game was designed and how well it worked with the platform. It didn't take me long to realize that this game was a keeper. In fact, ever since I downloaded the app, which was early last month, I have played it nearly every night before I go to sleep. I told my wife about it, and what did she do? She downloaded it... and enjoyed it. Random Mahjong is not just a simple Mahjong game. It has two types of gameplay: Standard Game, and Quick Game.

Standard Game gives you three difficulty levels, easy, medium and hard, to choose from. You then begin with a board that has a small amount of tiles on it, where you remove as many tiles as possible. If you complete the board, you advance on to another board with more tiles. You continue on this pattern until you run out of tokens (you lose one token for each failed attempt to clear a board, and you gain a token for clearing a board on the first attempt). The maximum board size is 152 tiles. Once you reach that size, each board that follows is the same size. Every time you clear a pair of tiles, you build points. The object of Standard Game is to build up as many points as possible before you run out of tokens.

Quick Game has two modes: Custom Level, and Preset Level. Custom Level simply allows you to build a board by setting the difficulty level and the number of tiles. The game then randomizes the layout and all you have to do is clear out the tiles. You do not gain points for clearing tiles. This game mode is for those who want to play a certain level of play and just play. Preset Level mode is similar to Custom Level except that you choose a difficulty level and a size category for the board. Each difficulty/size configuration has several premade boards you can play. With this game mode, you can start from the first board in the easy/tiny configuration and work your way through each board, progressing through the boards all the way to the last hard/big board.

There is a lot of Mahjong to be played in Random Mahjong. So, if you like Mahjong, this app is definitely worth its price.

How to Securely "Wipe" a Hard Drive Using Ubuntu 11.04

2011-08-11T17:54:00.006-05:00

When you sell or pass on a hard drive to another person, it is a very good idea to make sure all of your data is removed from the drive. In doing so, you basically have two options: format the drive or wipe the drive. Wiping a hard drive is far more aggressive than a simple format and it ensures that you securely remove all data on that hard drive. The process is somewhat simple and requires some use of the Terminal. Unfortunately, with Ubuntu's new Unity interface, this process takes a little longer than is necessary due to some curious changes to the way a user is to access applications. To begin, download Ubuntu and put the image on bootable media* (instructions are on the Download page of the Ubuntu website), and then follow the steps below.

Before you begin, your computer will need to have Internet access in order to install the wipe command. Also, please make sure you have all important data on the drive backed up. Wiping a drive will permanently remove the data, leaving no possibility of data recovery. Finally, this method of wiping a drive is only meant for magnetic storage media of hard disk drives and not solid state storage media, such as SSD drives or USB flash drives.

Boot your computer to the media with Ubuntu.
When prompted, choose the option to "Try Ubuntu."
When the Ubuntu desktop appears, you will first open GParted. Click the Ubuntu logo in the upper-left corner of the screen to activate the Dash. When the Dash paarears, type "gparted" (without quotes) into the Search field and press the Enter key. Note: if only one partition exists on the drive, you may skip steps 4 and 5, except to take note of the partition location (e.g., /dev/sda1) and close GParted.
Mark all partitions for deletion and apply the changes. (A guide to steps 4 and 5 can be found in the Intermediate Partition Actions section of the GParted Manual.)
Create a new partition with the default settings and apply the changes. Take note of the partition location, as it will be required for wiping the drive. It will be in the form of /dev/hda1 or /dev/sda1. Close GParted.
Next, you need to enable the Universe software source. Using the Dash again, type "synaptic" into the Search field and press the Enter key.
When the Synaptic Package Manager opens, dismiss the introduction pop-up. From the Synaptic main window, click the Settings menu and then choose the Repositories option.
In the Software Sources window, check the box to enable "Community-maintained Open Source software (universe)." (A visual can be found in the Repositories section of the Ubuntu Help site.) Click the Close button.
You will be notified that you need to reload the sources. Do so by clicking the Reload button in the Synaptic Package Manager window. It may take a few minutes to reload. Close the window.
Now, you will install the wipe command. Using the Dash, type "terminal" in the Search field and press the Enter key.
At the prompt, type, sudo apt-get update and press the Enter key (wait a few moments for the prompt).
Next, type, sudo apt-get install wipe and press the Enter key (wipe will take only a minute or two to install depending on your Internet connection speed).

Now that you have the wipe command installed, you are ready to wipe your hard drive. There are a host of options for wiping a drive, but to keep this post aimed at a relatively simple approach, I will mention two different ways to wipe your hard drive. You can either choose to perform a thorough wipe or a quick wipe of your drive. The thorough wipe will of course take considerable more time to complete (based on my usage of the wipe command, a thorough wipe could take roughly one hour per 4GB of data, which means a 500GB hard drive might take a little longer than 5 days to complete).

To perform a thorough wipe, enter this command in the Terminal:

sudo wipe /dev/[partition location from step 5 above] (example: sudo wipe /dev/sda1)
If asked to wipe a special file, type, Yes, to do so.

To perform a quick wipe, enter this command in the Terminal:

sudo wipe -q /dev/[partition location from step 5 above] (example: sudo wipe -q /dev/sda1)
If asked to wipe a special file, type, Yes, to do so.

And now you wait...

After the wiping process completes, a partition will need to be recreated on the drive. To create a new partition on the drive, simply repeat steps 3-5 above. You now have a hard drive that has had all of the data stored on it securely removed. It is safe to be passed on to the next user.

NOTES:
* As an alternative to downloading Ubuntu and putting it on bootable media, you can install the hard drive you need to wipe into your existing computer (via SATA or IDE cable) and begin with step 3 above.

A Few Shortcomings of the Amazon Appstore for Android

2011-08-03T17:53:00.001-05:00

I've been using the Amazon Appstore for Android (Appstore) for some time now. Whenever I'm looking for a new app for my Android device (an HTC Evo from Sprint at the time of this writing), I do begin with the Appstore. I like the Amazon system and the ease of discovery the Amazon website provides. The Appstore provides the necessary features I expect from an appstore, namely, remember my purchases, provide a simple method to update my apps, and help me discover new apps for my device. While the Appstore does those things quite well, there are several ways in which it falls short of being truly competitive with the Android Market.

Before I get to the shortcomings, I'd like to highlight a few features of the Appstore that I find to be notable. First off, the Appstore app itself has a relatively clean and user-friendly interface. The home screen offers users to see the top 100 paid apps and the top 100 free apps, browse the several categories of apps available, search the Appstore using a search bar, and see the current free paid app of the day, which segues to the next notable feature. Every day, the Appstore features an app, for free, that normally is a paid app. The apps vary from day to day, but I'll often find a useful app that just happens to be a free app of the day. Finally, and I think this is the most notable of the notables, there's the feature to test drive an app before you buy it. This feature is truly impressive. Test driving an app allows you to use the app in your computer's Internet browser without having to download it onto your Android device. I'd like to see a test drive feature on other app stores, such as the Android Market and the Mac App Store. Now that I've highlighted a few good things, it's time to take a look at some things that could use improvement with the Appstore.

I mentioned earlier that one of the features I think is necessary for an appstore is that it remembers my purchases. The Appstore does that quite well, and furthermore, it remembers my free purchases as well. The questionable part of this feature is that it remembers all of the apps I purchased, even the ones I have long uninstalled. I find this problematic because it can cause confusion with the updating process. When I don't want an app anymore and uninstall it, the Appstore app puts the uninstalled app in a list on the My Apps screen when an update is available for that app. This is especially annoying when some of these uninstalled apps are light versions of apps I eventually paid for. The Appstore app lumps all of those apps in with the number of apps that I currently have installed that have an update ready to install. This makes it look like I have a bunch of apps to update when I may not have any to update at all. Here, the Appstore falls short because there is no way to remove those unwanted apps. The Android Market automatically removes uninstalled apps from the list of my apps. I would appreciate a way to clear out that list in the Appstore app. It couldn't be that hard to implement. It could be as simple as adding a remove function to a menu that pops up after a tap-and-hold of one of the listed apps. If Amazon insists on keeping this feature in the Appstore app, then I think they should at least distinguish these apps from the currently installed apps that need to be updated. Now, I can only speculate as to why this feature is even there in the first place. I assume it's there to get the user to download the app and try it again after the developer updates it. I can see good intentions for that, but I still would like the option to clear items out of that list.

Speaking of updating an app, when a developer does update his app, the Appstore provides a relatively simple process to get said update. For most users, that will suffice, but some of us like to see what was updated. The Appstore app does not provide this functionality. In order for me to see what the developer updated in an app, I have to go to the Amazon website using a desktop browser. I find a lot of useful information in a developer's change log and I really would like to see that information on the device on which I'm installing the update. The Android Market presents this information in the app's description, if provided by the developer. Again, this can't be difficult to include in the Appstore app, yet it has been absent ever since the Appstore was made available.

Another issue I have with the Appstore is that apps can be slow to market. Apps submitted to the Appstore go through an approval process, much like with the Apple iTunes App Store. This, of course, delays the release of new apps and app updates. I know this is a part of how Amazon manages the Appstore, but sometimes the delay is a bit excessive, as in days or weeks. From a user's point of view, this means I have to wait that much longer than the rest of the Android users--at least those who only use the Android Market--to enjoy new features or bug fixes in an updated app. Until Amazon decides to expedite the approval process, this issue will be present. I suppose it's just inherent with an app-approval system.

This last issue I have with the Appstore may not actually be Amazon's or the Appstore's fault. It may just be an issue with the Android operating system; however, I only experienced it when I installed the Appstore. This issue came from having two different sources for Android apps installed on my Evo. I have a mix of apps downloaded from both the Android Market and the Amazon Appstore. When I installed the Appstore on my Evo, I went through and replaced my existing apps with the ones offered through the Appstore. One by one, those apps were updated by the respective developers. I then received notification that I had updates in the Android Market to install. When I went to install those updates, I noticed that the apps needing to be updated were apps from the Appstore. Out of curiosity, I tried to update some of those apps through the Android Market. After the package downloaded, I was given this error: "Package file is invalid." The apps, of course, would not update because they need to be updated in the Appstore. The only way I have found to remedy this update conflict is to first uninstall the app from the Android Market and then install the app from the Appstore. Unfortunately, this work-around does not work for all apps. I have only seen this issue occur with apps I had previously installed in the Android Market and then later installed them in the Appstore. As I mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph, I'm not sure this is Amazon's fault. However, this issue could be very confusing for some users who might not be able to differentiate from where apps need to be updated. I know it confused me at first and I consider myself to be fairly technical.

These are just a few of the shortcomings I have found with the Appstore. Though they may be annoying to me, I will still continue to use the Appstore because I do have a lot of apps I purchased through the Appstore and, overall, I am satisfied with the Amazon system as a whole (i.e., the Amazon.com retail experience). As far as usability is concerned, I think that the Appstore is best suitable for downloading new apps and not replacing apps already installed through the Android Market. On that condition, I would not be at all tentative in recommending a new user to try the Appstore (but not as a Market replacement). Plus, I think that the discovery methods on the Amazon website could be quite helpful to a new user trying to find new apps. After all, the potential new user might get his or her new favorite app for free as an Appstore free app of the day.

A Review of Star Wars: Splinter of the Mind's Eye

2011-08-01T18:13:00.001-05:00

Recently, I read somewhere that Amazon.com was getting a new wave of many Star Wars books for the Kindle that were not available electronically before. Among those titles was Star Wars: Splinter of the Mind's Eye (SotME), by Alan Dean Foster. I had never read that book before, so I bought it.

An interesting thing to note about SotME is that it was written before the release of the movie, The Empire Strikes Back. That is significant because as the author was writing the book, he did not know that Leia is Luke Skywalker's twin sister and a force user (revealed in Return of the Jedi), and most importantly, that Darth Vader is Luke's father. This lack of knowledge gave this book a very unique feel to it, even awkward at times given the way the Star Wars story played out in episodes 5 and 6 of the movies. For instance, the interactions between Luke and Leia at times are like those of two people discovering the romantic feelings they may have for each other. Sometimes, it's a little too much, but it works for this book given the fact that the author was building upon what little information he had concerning the Star Wars universe.

SotME follows a single plot line, which is contrast to nearly all other Star Wars books I have read. The only exception that I know of is I, Jedi. Typically, when you read a Star Wars book, you follow two or three different plot lines that eventually come together or provide a segue to a sequel book. This book almost exclusively follows Luke and Leia from start to finish. I wasn't too fond of the single plot line in I, Jedi, but it worked out pretty well in SotME.

If I could provide any criticism for SotME, I would point out that the story progression is a little slow and drawn out. The book spans 12 chapters, but doesn't get to the main point to the plot until the 12th chapter. Then, the book quickly winds down to the resolution. This does give the book an adventure feel, where the heroes are put in a tough situation that gets worse and they must work their way to overcome their dilemma, but the story could have had more substance. For instance, the story could have had a parallel plot line that showed how Darth Vader was made aware of the events going on in the story, rather than just have him show up at the end with only Luke and Leia's speculation as to how he knew where they were going. Perhaps if the story followed Darth Vader, it would have provided a little more suspense in the race to the main object of the story's conflict.

The author of SotME certainly had his challenges with the lack of a Star Wars expanded universe from which to form the story of this book. However, I do feel that he did a relatively decent job because there is some good storytelling in this book. Overall, I enjoyed this book. It's at least worth a check-out at the library, if it's available. On a scale of 1 to 5, I would rate it a 3. It's an interesting take on the Star Wars universe, but I probably won't read it again anytime soon because it just seems a little too disconnected from the entire Star Wars story line.

What Will I Do with the New Netflix Pricing?

2011-07-29T13:33:00.001-05:00

Recently, Netflix had changed its pricing model, splitting the by-mail DVD service from the streaming service. What that means is that Netflix charges for the streaming service and the DVD service separately. For example, my wife and I pay for both streaming and one DVD by mail at a time. Previously, we paid just under $11 per month for that service, but starting this September, we will have to pay $8 for the streaming service and an additional $8 to have one DVD at a time mailed to us, bringing our total to $16 per month. We are not too excited about the price increase, but we will continue to pay for the services.

The way I see it is like this: even though the price for our Netflix services has increased, it is still cheaper than cable. Currently, we do not subscribe to any cable service. I just can't justify the price for what few channels I'd half-way be interested in watching. Netflix allows me to pick the show/movie I want to watch when I want to watch it, and it does it at a very fair price. To be honest, the streaming service is almost, but not quite, enough to simply drop the by-mail DVD service. I wish that Netflix could get newer titles and keep titles for the streaming service (many streaming titles expire without explanation). I'd be willing to pay more for that kind of service.

NOTE: I've heard rumors that Netflix may be increasing their rates again either by or in 2012. Perhaps they're just rumors, but Netflix price increases have all but become a trend in the past year.

Sporting the Boba Fett T-Shirt

2011-07-28T16:30:00.001-05:00

Last week, my wife and I went to Scottsdale, AZ on vacation. While we were there, we stopped by an Old Navy store at the Promenade Shopping Center. Initially, my wife wanted to go there for, and I quote, "a belt." Well, we walked out with several items and no belt. I suppose I wasn't too worried about that since I found a little gem for myself. As I was perusing through the selection of t-shirts, I happened to come across the pictured Boba Fett t-shirt. Since I am a Star Wars fan and Boba Fett is one of my favorite characters, I had to get the shirt. Besides, they had only one in a size that would fit me. I consider that good incentive to buy.

Dusting Out the Mines

2011-07-27T18:02:00.001-05:00

Well, it's been several months since I put the Spice Mines of Kessel on a hiatus. I think it's time I dust out the Mines and remove said hiatus. I'm going to narrow the focus of this blog from here on out, which I think will resolve the issue I had with this blog in the past. I think I tried to cover too much material for a one-man-with-a-full-time-job operation. I'm going to continue to purge out a lot of my older posts. From now on, I am going to try and keep the focus of this blog to my hobbies and interests. Hopefully, that will keep the posts on this blog more personal rather than broad and generic. If I find something interesting, helpful, or just plain cool, there's a good chance I'll post it. Finally, I will still keep a blend of Star Wars in this blog since that is where I got the inspiration for the name, Spice Mines of Kessel.

It is my hope, without guarantee, that this new style to the blog will keep me posting material. I also hope that the future content will be of some interest to you, the reader. Thank you for your time and I hope to have you back again.

Hiatus in the Mines

2011-01-10T15:41:00.000-06:00

This blog is now on a hiatus for an undetermined amount of time. During this time, several older posts will be moved to a different blog; otherwise, the content will remain. I will continue posting to my Twitter feed (@spicemines). You may also feel free to visit my personal web page.

My Favorite Technology and Gadgets of 2010

2010-12-31T11:29:00.001-06:00

2010 was a really good year for me technology-wise. There were nine (I honestly couldn't find a tenth) primary things that made an impact on me personally during the year. These items range from physical gadgets to websites and services. So, without further delay, here they are.

9. The Revised Common Version Website
I have spent the greater portion of 2010 working on the RCV website. All in all, I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. This website gives me a place I can go to read, search, and study the Scriptures from the RCV. Perhaps in 2011 I will figure something out to make it better.

8. 3G Broadband
Most of you out there won't think anything of this one. Chances are, you've had access to 3G cellular data since about the time it was made available to the public. But for those of you who are in a similar situation as I am, 3G is currently something to celebrate. I live in a rural area and technology on the level of 3G--let alone 4G--is almost nonexistent. Internet access is very limited, and that to both providers and speeds. Well, I just recently switched to Sprint as my cellular provider and I have been submerged into a world with 3G data connectivity. To give you a reason for my rejoicing, I had previously used T-Mobile for my cellular provider. In my area (and at the time of this writing), T-Mobile is still on the antiquidated GSM technology. It is awful slow with speeds comparing to that of dial-up Internet access--at least, that's how it was in my area. After switching to Sprint and buying an HTC Evo, I have been able to increase my mobility and decrease my dependency on wifi access by almost always having access to decent speeds via Sprint's 3G network. Now, I patiently wait for 4G.

7. Audible
Prior to this year, I had not given any thought to listening to audiobooks. I had quickly dismissed it as not really reading. After giving Audible a try, my mind quickly changed. I began reading Star Wars books via Audible on my iPad and HTC Evo. After the first book, I bought every Star Wars book in which I was interested through Audible. For me, a good Star Wars book on Audible is like watching--that is, with my imagination--a six-hour Star Wars movie. In addition, audiobooks have changed my daily commute to work. With a 35-minute commute one way, Audible provides me with a great selection of books to fill that time with good reading.

6. Kindle

I do not own a Kindle, but I do have the software installed on my desktop, iPad, and HTC Evo. I will also have it installed on every subsequent compatible device I own. The Kindle, and that includes the software and online store, has completely changed the way I purchase books. Now, when I am looking for a new book, I go to the Kindle store first. It's not very often that I pick up a paper-bound book to read. The Kindle software allows me to organize my books and keep entire collections, all within one single device. It's really nice to be able to carry an entire personal library in my pocket and always within easy access for reference or on-demand reading.

5. HockeyStreams.com

When I was in high school, I played ice hockey. I had attended camps, classes, and many practice sessions since I was about 11 years old. Hockey is my favorite sport. After high school, I fell away from the hockey scene. I had discovered HockeyStreams.com back in October of 2010 and I was immediately hooked. I don't have a TV and that also means that I don't have cable, so online streaming is the only way I can watch hockey games. HockeyStreams.com gave me an affordable way to access any hockey game I wish to watch. I am now back to being a hockey fan, thanks to HockeyStreams.com.

4. Netflix
Netflix changed the way I watch movies. For a mere $10 per month, I can have one physical DVD on hand and stream any number of movies and TV shows that are available. To me, that's a great price for the use I get out of it. There are, of course, other pricing options that allow you to have more DVDs at a time. Not much more needs to be said about Netflix, for it's really that simple and that great of a service. Moreover, Netflix is available on a host of devices (e.g., Apple TV, iPad, Roku Player, and many more).

3. Google Voice
Google Voice is one service I use every single day, and that multiple times. In fact, my primary phone number comes from Google Voice. I don't even give out the number that actually came with my Sprint service. Google Voice is a remarkable service that handles just about everything you need to do with a phone number. For instance, nearly all of my text messages are handled through Google Voice. I even get an online archive of all of my text messages and I don't have to delete any messages to free up space on my phone--the only exception being the text messages I get from services that require an actual cell phone number (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, Blogger). Plus, I can search through that archive to find a past message I want to reference. That in itself is fantastic, but Google Voice goes beyond that. Google Voice also handles your incoming and outgoing phone calls. Incoming calls are first routed to the phone or voicemail greeting of your choice via contact groups you set up. This means that depending on the number calling you, you can have the call routed to your home phone, mobile phone, or even send it to voicemail without you having to intervene. Any call that is sent to voicemail, will be transcribed into text and either sent to you via SMS message or e-mail. One final feature of Google Voice that I'd like to mention is the ability to place VOIP phone calls from within your Gmail inbox for free or at very cheap international rates. I'm only scratching the surface on the capabilities of Google Voice. Furthermore, being a Google service, Google Voice is constantly upgraded, which means it can only get better.

2. The iPad
This device changed my perspective on mobile computing. Now, I know the iPad will appear in just about every mainstream media top technology list, but it does demand a spot in mine. With the iPad, I was able to do a majority of my mobile computing tasks without needing to lug around a heavier laptop. In my opinion, the iPad is a great device to have on hand for doing some work on demand and in just about any place. It's easy to manage at a desk, at a table, on the couch, and in bed. It has completely revolutionized my personal book reading experience. Since I bought my iPad, I have only purchased digital books--whether in electronic text or audio format--and sold most of my hard copy books. I really like the idea of carrying around my whole library in one simple device.

1. The HTC Evo
Ever since I bought my HTC Evo, I have yet again changed the way I think about mobile computing. The iPad was the device that initially revolutionized my personal mobile computing experience. Now, the Evo has one-upped the iPad by being a mobile platform that I can carry in my pocket. Just about anything the iPad can do, my Evo can do. With the Evo, I am connected at any time of the day at just about any place I could want to be, whether it be, e-mail, text messaging, Internet browsing, Facebook, Twitter, voice calls, contacts, calendars, blogging, etc. In addition, I do almost all of my daily reading on my Evo. With the Evo, I no longer have to carry around an additional bag or case that may not always be convenient. In a nutshell, I can say that the Evo is the device that truly brings my digital life to my pocket. I can't wait to see what device comes along that will replace it.

2010-12-28T08:21:00.001-06:00

Samsung may unveil an Android-based media player to rival the iPod Touch at the up-coming CES. http://bit.ly/hpnqiv

2010-12-21T16:50:00.001-06:00

Today, I got to see the updated Android Market on my HTC Evo. I think the new market looks much better than before.

2010-12-14T11:00:00.001-06:00

Need a dictionary for your Android device? Try the Dictionary.com app (http://bit.ly/gKLWcF). Includes a thesaurus and word of the day.

2010-12-07T13:57:00.001-06:00

Looking for a Twitter client app for your Android device? Give TweetCaster a try. http://bit.ly/e409Vr

2010-11-25T10:09:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving! May you have safe travels and a blessed day.

2010-11-22T09:51:00.001-06:00

I think it's neat that Netflix offers a stream-only plan for $8/mo., but I wasn't so keen on the price increase of the existing plans.

2010-11-17T12:34:00.001-06:00

Google Docs for mobile devices is now rolling out. Devices are limited to Android 2.2 and iOS 3.0+ (iPhone & iPad).

2010-11-17T09:49:00.001-06:00

Now that the Beatles are available on iTunes, Apple needs to offer a yellow iPod loaded with Beatles music.

2010-11-16T15:11:00.001-06:00

Download the Center Ice Radio app for Android to listen to live NHL games on your mobile device. Requires Flash.

Four Android Apps to Use for Daily Reading

2010-11-02T13:30:00.000-05:00

I do a lot of reading. In fact, I can spend around two hours a day reading a mixture of text and audiobooks. In addition to books, I also like to read various news and blog sites. In this article, I will feature the apps I use to accomplish my daily reading on my Android device, an HTC Evo.

Google Reader

Google Reader is not an app installed on my Evo. Instead, I use the web app with the Android web browser. The web interface is quite a bit more simplistic on the Evo--as with other mobile devices--than it is for the desktop browsers. Upon first opening Google Reader, it gives a list of the most recent headlines from all of my feeds. I don't begin there. I usually tap the Feeds button to see a list of my feeds and then tap each feed to read the respective headlines. Individual headlines can be expanded to either the short version of the article or the full article, depending on which the provider uses. Reader provides several sorting options, the ability to mark all as read, and the ability to search. From the feeds list, Reader also provides the ability to add additional feeds to the list. Reader is simplistic and it gives me easy access to my various news and blog feeds. That is why I use it.

FBReader

In addition to news feeds, I read a lot of e-books. E-books come in many flavors. One such flavor is the EPUB format. I like EPUB books because of the open EBUB format and because EPUB files are easily read on many different platforms. Android is no exception. There are several e-book readers available for Android that can read the EPUB format. My personal favorite is the free FBReader. Out of the box, FBReader gives access to various online e-book sources, one of which is my personal favorite online e-book source, FeedBooks. In addition to access to online e-book sources, FBReader can also get books from the SD card attached to the Android device. This process is quite simple. Simply put the e-book files in a directory named, Books, on the SD card and FBReader finds them automatically. I really like FBReader's simplistic interface. It doesn't get in the way when I'm trying to open a book or read a book. FBReader provides several customization options to change how the app looks and the behaviors for navigating a book. Again, as with Google Reader, I use FBReader for my daily EPUB reading for its simple interface and easy access to my books.

Kindle

Another flavor of e-books I regularly read is the Kindle format. Android conveniently has an app available (only Android 1.6 and up) for reading Kindle books provided by Amazon Mobile, aptly called, Kindle for Android. The Amazon Kindle Store is a resource that provides a wealth of titles to acquire--whether free or for purchase. Kindle for Android is a very solid app that easily proves itself that it was designed to read books. Accessing books and reading them is very fluid and intuitive. The app provides access to the Kindle Store so that additional books may be downloaded. In doing so, the app simply opens the Android browser and goes to the Amazon Kindle Store and then the purchases/downloads are wirelessly delivered to the Kindle for Android app. My favorite feature to the whole Kindle experience is Amazon's Whispersync. With Whispersync, I can purchase a book and have it delivered to my Evo, while also being able to access it on my iPad. It goes even further than that. Let's say I'm reading a book on my iPad and I stop reading as I'm ready to begin reading a new chapter. Because of the way Whispersync works, I can pick up reading the book exactly where I left off on my Evo. Whispersync saves my previous location on my iPad and synchronizes that information with the Kindle app on my Evo. Whispersync also does the same for bookmarks, highlights, and notes. That is a very nice feature and it makes Kindle for Android, in my opinion, the best e-book reader available for Android, as far as reading text is concerned. I'd even venture as far to say that I think the whole Kindle experience is the best way to read e-books on any device the Kindle app is available.

Audible

Finally, I read one other flavor of e-book, namely, the audiobook. I have only recently begun to read audiobooks and I must say that I really enjoy it. Audiobooks provide great entertainment while on long commutes to work, school, or wherever. My favorite place to get audiobooks is at Audible, a subsidiary of Amazon. Audible provides the best selection of audiobooks. It's also the best place to get Star Wars audiobooks. I was quite excited when Audible released its media player for Android, Audible for Android. When I purchase a book on Audible.com, it immediately shows up in my library where I can download it to my Evo from the Audible app. From there, I can begin listening to the book with a simple tap of the finger. As with the other apps I have written about in this post, the Audible app has a simple interface that gives easy access to the available media. The library has several sorting options. Furthermore, the app provides access to the Audible store for the purchasing of new books, along with Audible news and listener stats. The listener stats are pretty neat, as I can see how much I'm reading. While listening to a book, I have the option to see the details and a description of the book, a chapter listing, and the bookmarks I have set. Playback controls include a timeline slider to quickly go to a certain location in the book, a play/pause button, a bookmark button, and a button for scanning back 30 seconds, which is very handy for a quick refresher between listening sessions. Audible for Android is one of the most used apps on my Evo. Audible just by itself is a great service, but to have Audible on my Evo is even better.

I am very pleased that I am able to accomplish my daily reading with an Android device. The portability is a great convenience. There are many more reading apps available for Android, but these are the four I personally use. If you are a reader and/or are interested in reading e-books, I encourage you to try one of the apps mentioned in this post or browse the Android Market for one that suits your preferences.

2010-10-20T13:22:00.001-05:00

...And one more thing: the new MacBook Air with 13.3" or 11.6" models, solid state, instant on, better battery, starts at $999.

2010-10-20T13:03:00.001-05:00

Today, Apple announced iLife '11, FaceTime Mac, and gave a sneak-peek demo of OS X Lion, where iOS features come to OS X.