Canyon R

On the verge of receiving my Nexus One I mused about posting a review after a week of use. I have tried to write this post THREE time. Three times I’ve tried to write about how much I’m enjoying my Nexus One and all the great things I’m able to do with it. But every time it was udeniably, unacceptably, and unrepairably BORING. I just couldn’t make it interesting or compelling in any way at all. There are many good reviews already available. I just didn’t feel that I could get a fresh or different perspective on any of them. I hope that you will understand that I tried, really tried to make it readable. The Nexus One is amazing and provides everything that a smartphone should be. I just couldn’t write about it in any way that I would actually expect you to read.

I’m on the eve of the next major gadget event in my life. Tomorrow my new Nexus One will be delivered. This is something I’ve been waiting for since shortly after getting my G1 almost 2 years ago. I want to take this opportunity to talk about my reasons for choosing the Nexus One. I hope to follow this up with a report after my first week of using it on how things have gone.

First, a bit of background. In 2007 I was a heavy Macintosh user and I had been an Apple fanboy since the early 90′s. I had lived through the dark times, survived OS 8 & 9, and then basked in the triumphant transition to OS X. Yet after proselytizing the Mac for many years, both personally and professionally, I actively avoided the iPhone when everyone around me was loving theirs. So when the android OS was first announced I was sure this would be a promising replacement for my aging blackberry and might give me the features I wanted without binding me eternally to iTunes. I had already heavily invested into the Google provided services and I hated AT&T with deliberate determination. (aside: this stems from them being SBC and not the AT&T we all grew up with.) Then when the G1 was released, three different people in my office bought them within a few days of each other. I was awestruck at what android provided, including copy and paste. I waited a month and a half until the end of our current cell phone contract, then my whole family went to T-Mobile to get new phones. My wife, unfortunately, picked a sidekick and my daughter got a windows mobile phone. But that was all a distant distraction, I finally had my G1. The early days of the G1 were a trying time, spent mostly waiting for applications to be released. Over the course of the last 18 months I have had uncountable twitter clients, to do apps, and notepads programs. I have watched the evolution of the ipod as a gaming platform, and the release of ever better android phones. All the while my G1 got slower and less stable.

So why, in the context of these problems and the ever widening dominance of the iPhone platform, would I choose to reinvest in android? I believe it will offer me the best solution for my needs. I will explore the three biggest factors in this conclusion: Integration, flexibility, and community. Yet to me the most telling point is that my biggest hesitation doesn’t come from the newly announced iPhone OS 4 or the recently released iPad but from the speculation that Google may release a Nexus One Pro with a keyboard. This speaks volumes about the decision I’ve made and how confident I am that android is the right solution for me.

As I said, even before my first android phone, I was deeply invested into Google’s services. GMail was my primary email, Calendar organized my time, and I practically lived in Reader. Since living with android and the integration into these services that it offers, I have become even more dependent on them and I don’t regret it a bit. My Google Contacts list is the way I keep track of the people I want and need to stay in touch with. Picassa is where my photos live online and Docs holds everything that the “My Documents” folder was designed to hold. Even when I had an iPod it’s biggest use was for Podcasts. Now I swear by Google’s Listen app. It’s Podcast done better that iTunes ever could. This level of integration has given me more than just a connected device, it’s really a connected system. A startling side effect is that my Laptop had become mostly just a host for my browser. The majority of apps I run are web pages turned to apps with Chrome’s “Create Application Shortcuts…” feature. I am almost living with Google’s Chrome OS already.

For me, though, this connected system really shines because it’s open and therefore more flexible than Apple’s solution. As an example I’ll discuss exchange integration. I recently started a new job where they offer the ability to connect a personal smartphone to the company’s exchange server, provided it supports certain security features. If I had an iPhone I would have to choose between syncing with my Google information or my work’s exchange server. On the android platform there are several exchange solutions, some baked in from the handset makers and others from third parties. I found Nitrodesk’s Touchdown and was elated. Not only did it provide a complete exchange solution, including all the security required by my company, but it kept all my work info separate from my personal Google stuff. It’s basically Outlook for android. This app, by virtue of it’s “duplication of built in features“, would never be approved onto the iTunes App Store, regardless of the number of users who would like it. I’ve found this to be the case numerous times with android applications. There are third party solutions for accessing Google Docs, Google Reader, and GMail tasks. How many solutions does the iPhone have for accessing iDisk or Mobile Me content outside of apple’s built in apps? And that’s when they eventually provide a solution.

But what, you may ask, about the future developments which are clearly leaning toward the iPhone. Most new apps are debuting there and it’s adoption rate isn’t showing any signs of slowing. To that I would answer with the community which has grown up around android and Google’s services. I can say it was liberating when I first Rooted my G1 and installed a custom ROM from Cyanogen. I was able to take my mobile computing into my own hands and, while excepting the risks involved, get better performance and functionality. Ever since then I have had a steady stream of new features and even updates from newer android versions that T-Mobile wouldn’t have sanctioned. And when there was a clash between Cyanogen and Google it wasn’t the Zero Tolerance policy that Apple has aggressively enforced. The end result was an amicable agreement that allowed new ROMs to be released and allowed Google to protect the components they had promised to their distributors. Because the parent company isn’t hostile to the moding community, many more high quality mods are available, including many impressive themes and several custom ROMs. This is most strongly evidenced by the existence in the android market of apps to download Cyanogen’s ROMs and third party themes. Both of which require a Rooted phone to work. Would Apple ever allow that?

I still maintain that the iPhone is a wonderfull solution, I tried to convince my wife that It would be a great solution for her needs just a month ago. She did eventually however choose a Blackberry 8520, which she has come to love. For me though the android philosophy is a closer fit and a better solution for my needs. So now I wait for FedEx to bring me my own Superphone and open the next chapter in my mobile computing life.

No it doesn’t make thousands of Julienne fries

I understand the problem everyone is having with Google Wave. I really do. From cries of “I don’t get it” to “This isn’t going to replace email” there is a roar of dissatisfaction with the initial release of Google Wave. I think this comes from people trying to set it into their current modes and methods. Wave doesn’t really replace any existing product completely. Wave won’t kill twitter or get you away from email. But I think Leo Laporte put it best on several of his Netcasts “Maybe for a paradigm shift it needs to be a product that we don’t get initially”. This sums up the disconnect many people feel with Wave. They have a hard time fitting Wave into their current view of work and communication because it isn’t the same as the tools they have used before. Read the rest of this entry »

On Organization has just posted my first column GTD part 1 – A 12 Step Program for the Disorganized. I really have to thank Phillip for giving me the opportunity to write something for his site. I also want to thank Bob Uva for letting me blather on about GTD to him while working up my first draft. I hope this is the start of a streak of columns for On Organization. Look for my next one, about my personal GTD system, some time soon.

I’ve been reading Mark Drapeau‘s Mashable column and am really excited about the Government 2.0 directions that he is talking about. I’m also frustrated, as he is, at the pace and lack of leadership that these efforts are receiving. But one of the most interesting parts was his description of A-Space.

The big development in IC social networking tools hitting the news recently is A-Space, essentially a mashup of Facebook, LinkedIn, and GoogleDocs designed to be an addictive work environment for analysts with access to sensitive human intelligence (HUMINT). A-Space will have status updates a la Twitter, subscriptions to updates, feeds and friends, activity streams, content management a la Sharepoint, a community grid tag cloud, RSS feeds from outside, drag and drop capability, discussion/question threads, a ’scrapbook,’ and widgets.

But most importantly he finishes with this revelation.

This system – frankly better than anything I know about in the private sector at the moment – should increase collaboration and analytical thinking.

Read the rest of this entry »

I have come to confirm my earlier impressions about Vista. I have determined that it has stabilized into a good “Power User” operating system. I still hesitate to endorse it outright, and will caution any prospective users, due to it’s many issues and complications. I don’t think it is justified for most typical users. For power users who will use it’s updated features, and are willing to work past it’s issues, it is functional and even positive.

My friend is definitely a power user. While not a professional Geek, he certainly enjoys the learning and doing parts enough to have grown well beyond casual use. He frequently trouble shoots his own problems, customizes his software configs, and tweaks his system in interesting ways. I know that when I get a call from him, either he needs a sounding board to bounce an idea off of, or he has a real problem that will require more than a reboot or a reinstall.

He has had his share of Vista complications. Foremost of which is Cannon’s decision to support Vista on it’s combo Printer/Scanner/Copier/Fax systems starting with the model directly after his. He was able to get the XP driver installed and he can at least print. Alas, scanning and faxing seem lost to him. His other major issue, which others have repeated, is installing software. His work around to the access issues he has encountered is to use the “Run As” command on the Setup.exe in order to execute it as Administrator. This has resolved the majority of his issues, although it did require several reinstalls of software he has setup before discovering it.

In the end he is genuinely happy with both Vista and his new hardware. I hope that others find Vista as positive an experience as he has. Unfortunately from the reports I have read, he seems to be among the minority.

I did my first official Windows Vista install on Tuesday night. A good friend wanted to “make the leap” with the new PC he was purchasing. His logic was sound enough. “I’m going to need to upgrade eventually, might as well do it now when the hardware is new and I have to reinstall everything anyway.”

I have just heard the first reports back and he described it as “Blown Away.” He seems to be enjoying Vista itself, beyond the new hardware benefits he is getting. I hope that my cautionary tales of Vista’s successes and failures helped him in having a positive, yet realistic, mindset for the transition. I will gather more in depth information tonight and we’ll see if the initial enthusiasm holds up under scrutiny.

This was originally written 4-28-2006:
I have recently reverted, taken a step back to an earlier time. You see, in my past I was an organizer. Not just that I carried an organizer but I was one. I organized things. I could be counted on tho make a dinner or a movie event with many people happen, I made lists, copied phone numbers and generally was organized all with paper. Things got done and I felt pretty good about it. I did carry an organizer, the smallest, slimmest one I could find that would take standard inserts (Compact Size). It had to fit into my pocket. If it didn’t I wouldn’t carry it around. I had addresses, to-do lists calendars and notes kept within it’s pages. Whenever a page would get too messy or full I would just rewrite all the important information onto a blank sheet.

This system served me well through college and up until I got my first “Tech Support” job. I was working as a bench tech at CompUSA and one of the other techs was trying to sell his palm pilot pro. This was in 1998 and I already had a newton message pad. But it had never really supplanted the organizer for all my planning needs. Now I had an opportunity to get a pilot. It even had the “upgrade card” to make it equal to a Palm III. I don’t remember how much he wanted for it but I knew it was a great deal. I also had to get an adapter to plug it into my Powerbook 3400. But once I had it up and running there was no looking back.

I completely digitized my organizer. Every scrap of paper, every phone number, every note went into the palm. I swore that I would carry it everywhere, and I did. I searched for a great belt holder and pen/stylus. I was going to be fully mobile. I’ve always considered myself a road warrior with nowhere to go. The palm accompanied me to the mall, camping, on job interviews, and even doing the laundry. You see my paper organizer was always with me and significantly larger so the palm was easy to justify and carry. I just never became as easy to use.

I upgraded to newer models and constantly searched out better programs and accessories. I read palm pilot news sites and discussed them on some of the first forums dedicated to palms. Yes I was a true believer and followed in the way of the palm. I ever wrote a short story almost entirely in graffiti. My whole life was in there and I could find no fault in it.

No fault, but always a nagging feeling. I was still looked upon as the organizer, but doing so seemed harder. I felt more pressured to look at my palm. I was always trying to justify using it more or buying another accessory. It had become an extra step in everything. I had to force myself to look at it to see what I had to do. I stopped writing in it as much.

Now I don’t mean to portray this as an overnight change. I have been using a Palm OS device for 8 years now. I have always found it useful but never inviting, functional but not empowering. I always felt I should be using it more than I was. The most productive I ever felt with it was when I found a program called MacNoteTaker the let me sync a folder of text files to it, edit them on the pilot and sync the changes back. This was true power and one of the few things I really miss when I went from a mac to a Linux box.

Now I find myself looking at my palm pilot, which is also my phone, only when I have to. Things have been lost in it’s to do lists and the notes are almost completely empty. Only the calendar and contact list are regularly used. I feel that after 8 years I could get a non-palm phone, provided it syncs my calendar and contact list on Linux, which none of them do, and be just as productive.

So now I’ve gone back to paper. I have found GTD and it’s working well so far (2 weeks in). I’m carrying a hipster PDA based on the templates from DIYPlanner.com and joined the 43 folders forums. But the real proof of my return to paper is this writing itself. It his being written on my first Moleskine, or at least the first draft is. I rarely write and yet I have spilled out 6 pages so far and I feel better about it than The entire short story I wrote on the palm (As I add “Finish Short Story” to my next action list).

I feel that in returning to paper organizing has become about the information again. I am worrying much less about what I am doing with that information and more about what I am doing. Hopefully this will help me make the most out of GTD and stop missing so many of the things I need to be doing. Plus if I start writing more then writing behind the keyboard should get easier.

You may ask why I have begun posting things I wrote back in early 2006. The short answer is that I wrote it intending to put it up and didn’t.
Other answers include:

• I need to clear out the Moleskine that this lives in before I finish it out and start another one.
• I hope that by finally transcribing the contents I can get some perspective on my views at the time.

I have one more long piece and a short one that I hope to get up soon. This is coming out in near first draft form. I have decided to do only minimal editing and just post it as it was written. I would love comments and feedback, as long as you remember that these were from a year ago and a lot has evolved since then.

I believe that a blog, like many other projects, benefits from a set of goals. This can help to both focus the efforts of the project and evaluate it’s success later on. This blog exists, like most other non-commercial blogs, primarily for the benefit of the writer. Therefor I set these goals as a target, a destination of sorts, for the journey as it exists.

• Expansion of writing as both a skill and a habit within my regular routine
• Journaling my thoughts and interests for my own and others review
• Communicating my realizations and conclusions on certain topics
• Generating a conversation with others who may find my ideas compelling
• Chronicling my experiences and exploits so others may learn from my mistakes

I also think there is value in stating what this blog isn’t and what I hope to keep it from becoming.

• A Diary
• The complete chronicle and record of the insignificant portions of my life
• A list of web pages I think are useful (For this I suggest my del.icio.us page)
• Links to content without attempting to contribute to the topic or discussion
• A money making venture
• An Ego centric tribute to my own greatness and intellect

I hope this will give us both a better idea of what I hope to achieve and avoid with this effort.

For the sake of full disclosure, I have started this blog 4 times in the past, in different forms. None of them has taken off beyond a few casual posts on a semi-regular basis. I hope to hold myself to a tighter schedule this time. I would like to post three days a week as a minimum. I’m not sure how realistic that is but as least it’s a good goal to set initially.