The Legal Hokey-Pokey

WOW… what a week!  I’ve had such an intensely busy schedule that I actually thought I wouldn’t have time to write this entry.

First off, yes the device is AMAZING!  I read a TON of articles and reviews before getting it, including many about what apps I should download to start off since I’ve never owned an Android phone.  I’m going to address a couple of the “concerns” I read that were consistent in the reviews and give you my swing:

1. Other Reviews: “Battery Life is Bad” – This I found to be… true.  I decided early on, before I even got the device, that I would simply run the device in 3G mode except when I really needed the 4G and that I would leave WiFi turned off unless I knew I needed/wanted it.  Well, after following that model consistently, I still find the battery life to be terrible.  Maybe 5-6 hours before a charge/battery change is needed.  For most folks, that is completely unreasonable.  For me, I’m ok with it.  I have a spare battery that I always carry.  Ordered it before I got the EVO.  Anticipated this as an issue.  Spare battery solves this issue for me.
2. Other Reviews: “4G Coverage is Spotty” – This I found to be… true.  Even though I live in the greater Seattle area, the 4G coverage is spotty.  Part of the spotty/inconsistent service is the commonly known issue of penetration for this WiMax technology.  Most places indoors you can’t use 4G, or rather, it’s pretty useless inside.  For me though, as I mentioned above, I rarely would choose to use 4G unless I’m streaming video (up or down).  Recently I went to the Seattle Sounders match only to find that an unfortunate 4G outage was happening for the first 30-40 minutes of the game.  At first I thought, “WOW!  I have FULL 4G bars right now! a-streamin we shall go!” But then when I went to upload I kept getting errors.  I did find out from my Sprint friends that there happened to be a short outage happening, which DID turn out to be very short, but just happened to be when I was trying to upload!  Go figure.  That aside, I can’t get 4G in my condo in Shoreline and even inside my office I can’t get any 4G bars.  I’m pretty confident in saying I’d RATHER not be paying that $10 data premium for services I can rarely use.
3. Other Reviews: “WiFi is weak” – This I found to be… true.  In my condo I have a b/g/n router that is 15 feet from my couch and I still only get 2 out of 4 bars of signal strength, nothing in between me and the router but air.  I also noticed I often get send/receive data transmission errors when connected to WiFi.
4. Other Reviews: “Harsh Voice Quality” – This I found to be… false.  I think the voice quality is great!  And even though my original device had a faulty microphone (got a replacement a week later when new stock came into my store), I use my Bluetooth 99% of the time and I could hear and be heard very clearly.

So, here are some of my own points of interest and findings:

1. Flexibility: I never had any issues customizing my BlackBerry devices LIKE CRAZY, but most people don’t want to spend nearly as much time as I did playing with their BlackBerry.  With that said, my EVO takes customizing and flexibility to whole new level.  I can literally take every application off of my screens and rearrangement wherever I want them, including cool widgets (widgets allow you to “operate” the software without opening it).
2. The Camera ROCKS: That’s right! It rocks!  And not because it’s an amazing 8mp, but actually because the quality of photos it takes is wonderful!  The 8mp only really says it takes large pictures, not that it takes nice pictures.  But the EVO photos are fast, crisp and colorful.  Great job HTC!
3. Screen Protectors: Ok, as I hope you can tell, I LOVE my mobile devices, however, for all three of my past touch screen devices I have purchased screen protectors all to simply rip it off within 24 hours of installing it, essentially flushing $10-25 down the drain.  I recently saw a review of the scratch test of the EVO and it seemed to fair pretty well and since I knew I wouldn’t be striking mine with a knife, sandpaper, or any other intentional actions I’m comfortable with it not having a screen protector.
4. Cases: As  you can imagine there are a TON of cases available for this device.  Right now I have the Seidio Innocase II with holster.  I also have a beautiful white leatherish/weaved material case I got from the Sprint store that has cool silvery metalic edges.  And I also just ordered a third case.  Yes, perhaps overkill, but the cases are like accessories to a wardrobe!  The third one I ordered is also a Seidio, but is an “exclusive” offered by Amazon called the Seidio Innocase Active Case.
5. Size: I LOVE the size!  Folks have aired some complaints that they’ve thought it was too large of a device.  Of course most of those folks haven’t really used it for longer than 5 minutes if at all.
6. The magic of the web: Coming from BlackBerry land I’ve had spotty (at best) experience with mobile web browsing, but the EVO is one mean internet surfing machine!!  The EVO comes with a native browser that works well, but it was recommended on several blogs that I try Dolphin Browser HD.  It’s amazing!  Tabs so you can open multiple pages, super fast graphics and layout loading, very accurate page rendering (layout), and the COOLEST feature of all is the “gesture commands” you can use.  This means you can touch a little command “button” in the lower left and then by swooshing out a “G” on the screen it instantly moves me to Google.  If I swoosh “N” it opens a new “tab”.  And you can train it to open any bookmarked page like this.  Pretty cool and fast way to navigate.
7. The Power Button: I don’t like it.  It’s on the very top of the device and is almost completely flush with the body making it a little difficult to feel even if you’re pressing it down.  You use the button A LOT since it’s the only button that will lock/unlock/awaken the device from sleep.  With that said, my new case coming has a button enhancement that should make finding it and operating it a little more seamless.
8. Linking people in your life: One of my favorite “gadgets” is Favorites.  In here you can drop in a few of your friends.  But because the EVO address book “links” your friends through their various identities (you can link you Outlook contact to their Twitter profile, their Facebook profile/info, Flickr, etc.  By all their accounts together and dropping a few of them into this gadget, the gadget tells me whenever they have activity on any of their linked accounts.

Overall, very pleased with the device regardless of my airing of complaints at the beginning of the article.  I guess mostly because I knew what I was getting into with each of those items before purchasing.

Next article to come: EVO/Android software! .. continue reading ..

I love my BlackBerry.  It does (most) everything I want.  With that said, I get technology envy.  It’s not a healthy condition to have, but like alcoholism and bulimia it’s something that requires professional help to overcome.

I’m about to give in to my technology envy after having my BlackBerry Storm2 for only 6 months.  My Storm2 is wonderful!  Best BlackBerry I’ve ever owned!  With that said, BlackBerry is quickly falling behind in technological advancement.  That’s NOT to say it’s not the most trustworthy and secure device on the market.  You’ll never hear me argue that point.  It is, everyone knows it.

So, what’s the latest/greatest allure?  The HTC Droid EVO being released by Sprint on June 4th.

I have to give it a try!  The specs for the device tell a general reader that if it performs they way it’s promised to it will be the “perfect, most advanced device” on the market.

Here’s a rundown of the specs that make me drool:

• Main display: 4.3” WVGA (800×480) 65K colors (HUGE!!)
• 3G/4G capability (4G only in certain markets right now, mine is one of them)
• Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ QSD8650 (1GHz) processor (fastest mobile processor on the market)
• Google Goggles (Search the internet by taking a picture instead of typing words)
• Google Navigation (FREE navigation software powered by Google Maps) (Also comes with Sprint Navigator for free)
• 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot capability – connects up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices
• 4G data speeds (WiMAX) – peak download speeds of more than 10 Mbps; peak upload speeds of 1 Mbps; average download speeds of 3-6 Mbps
• Capture and share HD-quality video (720p) from your phone
• Live video sharing with Qik
• 8MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash and 1.3MP front-facing camera (DUEL cameras, one front, one back to do mobile video conferencing!! WOW! 8MP on a mobile device??)
• FM radio and Amazon MP3 store

Crazy, right?

So, what am I worried about losing?

1. Worried about Microsoft Exchange integration – I know it’s technically possible natively and through third-party apps, but not nearly as seamless as BlackBerry
2. No “memos” integration between device and Microsoft Exchange.  I use the Notes feature in Outlook a lot, which shows up on my BlackBerry as “Memos”.  I have yet to find a way to sync those to my anticipated Droid
3. Nervous about lack of applications developers – I KNOW what apps I have for my BlackBerry and have been able to acquire them over years, porting them from device to device, but I’m just not sure about the thoroughness of apps available to Droid
4. I promise to miss you Verizon!  I have friends here in Seattle who work with Sprint and who are active in the local Social Media community.  I’m really looking forward to supporting them and their efforts to integrate into the local community.  I have yet to meet anyone from Verizon supporting events or participating.
5. BlackBerry Messenger has become a staple in my life.  Instant communication with other BlackBerry users without the device battery drain of “normal” instant messaging systems (thanks to the superior “push” technology of BlackBerry)
6. I promise to miss you Verizon! I know I’ve already said that, but I made the mistake once of switching carriers and suffered for one year with AT&T before returning home to Verizon’s superior coverage and clarity.  I can’t say that I’ll be affected by “poor” Sprint coverage or service or clarity.  I’ve never had Sprint, but I do know they don’t “have a map for that”.  I’m relying on my best friend who tells me he’s always had Sprint and has never had issues with service in the greater Seattle area. (He also enjoys the more inclusive pricing structures with Sprint)

Ok, so there you have it.  I’m going to give my BlackBerry the ol’ heave-ho!  I never thought I’d say that… but yet again, there’s always the possibility of buyer’s remorse.

So, should I just ditch my BlackBerry and fully commit?  Or should I keep it during the 30 day trial period knowing I’ll be able to switch back if for some reason the Droid fails me?  HELP!

First off, let me just say that I’m a Verizon junky.  I love Verizon.  They DO have a Map for That!  Great service, great devices (I have the BlackBerry Storm2) and reliable connections and speeds.  That’s my disclaimer!  (I hate AT&T, dislike T-Mobile and have never really thought much about Sprint except that they run on the “same” network technology as Verizon, just not as thorough of service coverage).

On December 8th I went to the Social Media Club Seattle event on the Microsoft campus.  Well, there was an “after party” sponsored by Spring 4G.  I’ve never been much of a Sprint guy, but thought I’d go and check it out anyway.  I’ve heard some good things about 4G WiMax and really wanted to see what it was really like.  That evening they had a 6 computer work station setup with Sprint U300 4G dongles (aircards that plug into your USB port) and I could not believe it when I did a speed test (the first and only thing I went directly to do) and saw it clock at 3.2 Mbps.  At the time I was told that was “a bit slow” by the Sprint rep, since apparently “good” signal strength can yield around 7-9 Mbps!!  That’s INSANE!  That’s 2x-3x faster than my home cable internet service… and it’s over the air!!  So, fascinated by the speed I experienced, I introduced myself to Jon (District Sales Manager) (@WSthHouse)and David (Store Manager at Northgate Way) (@Bonjour206).  These two are amazing guys.  Very nice, very straight shooting all around fun to hang out with.

So, I kept up twitter conversations with the two of them and a few days later David came to a #ColdPavement event in Belltown to hang out and so I could pick his brain some more.  I was basically digging for the weaknesses of 4G.  I did find out that some buildings do have penetration issues, so in those situations you’ll really need to be closer to windows (not so appealing an idea).  Other than that I couldn’t tell what the downsides could be since the service is only $59.99 a month (and completely mobile, unlike my home service).

After some thought of the subsequent days I decided that Friday night (last night) I’d take the plunge, go to the Sprint Northgate Way store and grab me some 4G.  Why not?  I’m going to be temporarily moving into a rental condo (I own it, but it’s been rented out over the past three years) and I don’t want to sign up for TV, telephone and internet while I’m trying to sell the unit.  So, this three inch dongle (three inches of speedy joy) could make that situation a lot nicer.

HOWEVER, Friday afternoon I discovered online through several different forums that the U300 has been having driver issues with Windows 7!  Ot oh!  I have Windows 7 on my laptop! YIKES!  I shot David a text message asking what his proposed work around would be… “No problem, a new update software update was released on Dec 14 with Windows 7 drivers.  You’ll be fine!”  Phew!  Saved the day!  Just when I thought I’d have to drop the whole thing, David rushes to the resque.

So, I get to the store around 5:30pm.  David is with a customer.  One of his sales monkeys RUNS over to ask, “Hey! How can I help you guys today?” (I brought my friend Josh with me, @JoshITGuy since he’s an IT Consultant and pretty savvy on networking and computer stuff)  I just told him that we were waiting for David and would browse while we waited.  Keep in mind Josh is also a Sprint junky.  Has been with Sprint for a long time (albeit one minor blip when he jumped ship to AT&T for an iPhone only to find out that AT&T sucks… that didn’t last long fortunately).  So, of course while “we” are browsing Josh is drooling over the BlackBerry Tour on display (with a dead battery unfortunately) and frantically wondering if David will be able to upgrade his soon to be obsolete 8330 to the shiny new Tour!

So, after about 15 minutes of wait for David to finish up with a customer (found out later he had been on a customer support call for a customer for 1 hour 10 minutes), he came over and we started the process.  He took us to the display and started showing us around the speed tests and all that, but I stopped him to say I’d already gone through it and had already made up my mind.  David ran into the back room and came out with a shiny black box that had my new toy inside.   Amazingly helpful, he says, “Well, this could take a few minutes to get setup because I’ll have to activate it and there’s a ‘Welcome’ message on there that I’ll have to get removed.  For some reason, just like with our phones, Sprint puts a welcome message on the aircards.  This doesn’t affect the 3G cards, but for some reason it prevents the 4G card from connecting and can be problematic if I don’t take care of it before you leave.” (WOW, it takes guts to admit that there’s a glitch in the system, even if you know how to get it resolved).  So he takes 15-20 minutes on the phone with a support rep to get this all taken care of, he says things are working fine.  But, I had my Windows 7 laptop WITH me.  (Smart cookie I am… make him get the software and make sure it’s working before I leave the store.)  So, he tells us that the software will take a little time to download and install.

So, while the download and install is taking place the three of us run out to grab a quick bite to eat and return to my laptop within the hour to have pristine Windows 7 compatible software on my laptop.  We walk in, install the software and within 15 minutes we’re connected to 4G and smokin the interwebs!

Oh, did I mention that while David was working with the customer support on the phone he was setting up my friend Josh with his new BlackBerry Tour?  Yeah, miracle worker!  He was able to get Josh’s renew date bumped by a few days to have him walking out with a powerful new BlackBerry Tour… all while on hold for my “Welcome Message” issue.

So, I got back late last night to the house I’m staying at on the top of Queen Anne hill in Seattle, immediately cranked up my laptop and plugged in the dongle.  Immediately went to the Speakeasy Speed Test site, fired it up, hit test… ONLY 1.8Mbps.  I was devastated (and very tired).

This morning I woke up, went down to the laptop again, did the speed test three times: 2.8Mbps, 3.4Mbps, and 3.8Mbps!  WOW!  Holy smokes Batman!  I’m stoked!

(In the image above, the Green number is my tested download speed and the Red number is my tested upload speed)

So, after a thrilling customer service experience with David and a great (and fast) experience with Sprint 4G, I’m a happy boy!

Did I mention that I’m happy?  Just want to be sure you understand that.

So, just as a disclaimer, Sprint 4G is not all that widespread yet.  It does cover most of the “I-5 corridor” from Bellingham down through Lakewood (just south of Tacoma) according to the service maps.  And it’s in a few other markets around the country.  But if you have this service and this dongle, it also does connect to their 3G data service too (although seems much slower in comparison now that I’m spoiled).  Take a stroll over to the Sprint Coverage Maps to see if their 4G service is in your market yet.

Good luck and happy surfing!

UPDATE: I forgot to mention the efforts that my dear friend Brian Westbrook put into making the Spring 4G “SMC After Dark” party work out flawlessly!  Great job Brian!