Archive for 2007

 
 

My ideal smartphone

MUST have:

  • Bluetooth headset and data transmission (capability to share wireless internet and files with a computer).
  • Both WiFi and the phone network’s data transmission hardware.
  • Sync all contacts within the phone with any email client, with any web-mail client, and with any Palm or Windows Mobile device.
  • Sync all calendar information with any calender application or web calendar.
  • Easy to use interface (multi-touch or not).
  • Mobile internet browser that doesn’t suck (Firefox would be nice).
  • Free and open api to allow users to install and develop whatever applications they want for the phone.
  • Ability to play MP3 and AAC music files and turn any music file into a ringtone for the phone at no cost.

Not necessary, but nice:

  • Decent resolution camera built in.
  • Usable GPS receiver (so that Google maps mobile will work accurately).
  • Not cost an arm and a leg.
  • The ability to stream music from a webcaster.

MUST NOT have:

  • Restrictions on or fees for the software I can use or install.
  • A lock on which carriers I am able to use to own the phone.

Those are just a few ideas of what I’m looking for. Thus far, the closest production unit that meets the most of my requirements is the iPhone. However, the iPhone doesn’t compare to the promise and openness that the Google Android OS phones that are planned to be released next year will provide. The only downside to the Android is the fact that the shipped applications are written in JAVA… *shutter* … but the sins of the developers can be overlooked provided the promised functionality and extensibility are realized (and it doesn’t hurt that the OS is LINUX based and other applications can be produced in C/C++).

Reason Number 256 Why Google Rocks

They’ve just announced that they are planning on spending 10’s to 100’s of millions of their own research money to prove that renewable and clean energy creation is able to be brought down to the same, or lower, cost levels of current coal power generation. It’s an ambitions task, but will certainly be a huge push that could jump start the renewable energy market.

From a USA Today article, Larry Page was quoted as saying “Our goal is to produce one gigawatt of renewable energy capacity that is cheaper than coal… We are optimistic this can be done in years, not decades.” As part of this push to research and push the cutting edge in renewable engergy, Google will be hiring talented engineers in many fields of related study.

News like this certainly puts a friendly face on Google despite the fact that it’s becoming a HUGE company; I’m certainly looking forward to seeing how successful this project is so that I can eventually buy my own solar, wind, and geothermal energy creation solution for my house (when I eventually own one).

[as heard on NPR’s Marketplace, in other news Verizon may become more “open” to a broader range of phones come next year]

[Related news: NYTimes, NYTimes 2, CNN Video, BBC ]

The Nerd Handbook

Are you a self-proclaimed nerd, a dork, or a geek? Do you have a significant other than doesn’t understand your way of thinking or fascination with your computer and technology? If you answer yes to both of the above questions, you will probably want your significant other to read “The Nerd Handbook” to get a good glimpse into what it is to be your nerdy self. It’s a very funny read and is on-the-spot with all of the points that it makes about us technically inclined folks.

[via Sam Devore’s Blog]

Custom icons…

If you have an image file that you want to make into an icon, look no further than Bradicon! It’s a web-based icon generation tool that allows you to generate icons from just about any image file. The website provides both an “advanced” and a “simple” interface to their scripts, but the simple interface has produced the best results for me. Some hints that I have learned are to upload only square images to the site, otherwise it will automatically crop the pictures and make sure the pictures have transparent backgrounds.

CNN’s blogs use WordPress?!?!

See here at the bottom of their Political Thinker blog