500 Words Every Day Challenge: #18 Distractions

September 18, 2014
3 min read

Today I’ve decided to use prompt from 500 Words Every Day Challenge on Lift.do. I’ve been writing at least 500 words for 17 days already and it’s the longest I’ve managed to do that and the theme of todays prompt Distractions – is very important part of this process.

Just now, as I was writing this post, I’ve reached for my phone and started reading Twitter, so it shows, how hard it is to stay focused while writing, but the problem of distractions arises even before you begin typing your first words. You have to choose time and place to write your post. I’m usually planning to write just after lunch. After working all morning, it’s a good way to clear my thoughts and focus on something different and also, if I didn’t have time all day, I still have evening to write something last minute, just before bed. In terms of place, I usually write at coffee shops or at home. It’s easier to focus at coffee shops, since there are less things asking for your attention, but if I’m referencing something a lot, I prefer writing at home, since there is big monitor, which makes working with multiple windows a lot easier.

The biggest distraction for me are messages, Twitter and Pocket queue. First two are on my phone and the last one is on my laptop. When I’m referencing something, it’s hard not to go to Pocket and read something not related, but also very interesting. And I have to stop myself from grabbing my phone and checking Twitter every couple of minutes (it doesn’t help, that I like to read every single tweet). I also like to answer messages right away, so I’m pretty much given up trying to remove this distraction. As I’ve already mentioned, I couldn’t resist checking Twitter even writing post about how bad the distractions are and regarding articles saved in Pocket, this time I’m not distracted by them, because I don’t use the browser writing this post, so it’s harder for me to slip.

I’ve tried to use couple of distraction free text editors on my laptop, but they didn’t stick. The one good application I did like, was Evernote for Windows 8.1. (Metro version). It’s the Evernote client for the tablet side of Windows, but it works great on a laptop, even without touchscreen. It’s the same old Evernote, but it occupies the whole screen. So that’s a plus. Recently, I’ve been writing all those posts in Word. I have Office 365 subscription, I love this version of an office suite, and it saves all my documents to OneDrive, which I now use instead of Dropbox, because of this great integration.

Sometime distractions, even help, when you write your post, then change your attention to Twitter and then return to your post, read it and have some new thoughts, you just have to be aware and don’t make those distractions too long or often. If you are not a heart surgeon, all those messages and notifications car probably wait a couple of minutes. It doesn’t take too long to write 500 words, so try to enjoy yourself. Just figure out, what works for you.

LG G3

September 17, 2014
4 min read

Last year, I had to make a choice between 4” iPhone 5S and HTC One. This time it was much harder choice – iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus or LG G3. I looked at LG at a store and so I was ready for a bigger phone and watching Apples presentation I was leaning more towards 6 Plus. But considering my use of a previous phone and iPhone 6 Plus prices and the fact that LG G3 was free, I made my choice in favor of the Android device.

iPhone 6/6+ sale date for Latvia wasn’t announced, but here are the prices on the grey market:

First of all, LG G3 is smaller than the iPhone 6 Plus, because there is no Touch ID in the front, so the bezel is smaller, it’s actually not that bigger than my HTC One m7 with 4.7” screen, so it was comfortable in my hand from the start. The only different thing – all the buttons are on the back of the phone, but after about an hour I was very comfortable with that and considering how you hold phone this big it makes a lot of sense. And I use knock to unlock a lot, it’s just easier to knock on the screen two times and the phone comes out of sleep. It is also lighter than the iPhone 6 Plus, but that’s because it is plastic instead of aluminum. It doesn’t feel as premium as some aluminum phones do, but you can use it without case (which is not the case with iPhone, you really should use a case, just to not have this camera sticking out, which Apple photoshops out of every picture).

I’m surprised how many people are comparing 5.5” phones to iPad Mini. Maybe some uses are similar, but the phone this size is much smaller even than the iPad Mini.

 

Regarding the phone itself. The screen is gorgeous, it’s QuadHD, maybe even too much, I can’t even imagine what the battery life would be with 1080p screen. Similarly to TVs there are two 4K videos loaded on the phone, which look outstanding, but you probably won’t have access to more such high resolution content, so it’s nice to brag about, but maybe not that useful.

I didn’t have time to test the camera, but a couple of shots I’ve made looked good and the focus is instant. It’s laser focusing system and it seems to work very well. As soon as you tap the screen, the phone focuses and takes the picture. Much faster than HTC One m7 and pictures look a lot better. I also think HTC made a mistake sticking to 4 mega-pixel camera with additional camera for focusing later. There is a mode in LG, where you take a photo and after that pick a point to focus and it works great.

Battery life is a great improvement over my HTC One, I had to charge it two-three times a day and then leave it charging all night. This one lasts me all day from 6:30 to midnight with some 20-30% remaining. Also, you can change the battery on the go, I’ll probably buy another battery and won’t have to worry about the charging for a long time.

LG’s software on top of Android isn’t that bad, but I still changed the launcher to Nova, because of all the gestures I can do, otherwise sticking with default launcher is a good choice.

Kudos to LG Electronics Latvia for giving me a gold phone and it’s gold with black, unlike iPhone, which is gold with white front. Gold with black looks so much better.

One more thing

September 15, 2014
4 min read

It has been almost two weeks since Apple announcement and I still have not written about the Apple Watch. After rewatching the Watch part of the presentation, reading a crapload of articles, listening to a lot of podcasts and most importantly thinking about the product, I’m ready to give my opinion on the product. (As if anybody cares).

Before the announcement, I actually was convinced Apple would show a wearable, but not a watch, something else, something different. This time, I think, Apple made Samsung’s product.

The Next Chapter in Apple’s History

It is hard not to notice how excited Tim Cook was presenting this product, he chocked a bit a couple of times and they’ve received standing ovation after the first video introduction. Straps looked great in that video, I didn’t know historic value of some of them, but you can read about that in a great piece by Benjamin Clymer. I was worried about magnetic strap, but it seems it’s pretty solid.

Tim Cook talked about Digital Crown, how you cannot just use touch screen for most things, because your fingers would be in the way of content, so you zoom in and out or scroll through the list using this crown. However, later Kevin Lynch used the Digital Crown only handful of times and actually scrolled a lot on the screen (probably, not even that, but the Demo was scrolling on the screen).

They’ve also showed 11 minute video, which, if you believe Tim Cook was made this morning and Jony Ive narrated it (that part was true, I guess). There were a lot of functions showed and that’s not a good thing, in my opinion. Sending someone a heartbeat, so he feels it on his wrist, why would you do that?! In addition, in the video, Ive said the phrase “using GPS and Wi-fi from your iPhone” – I can see how the watch uses the GPS from the phone to save battery life, but why Wi-fi? There was a moment with hundreds of photos on the screen of the watch, why would you do that? I’m rarely nostalgic enough to want to see photos right away on my watch and if I’m showing someone, I’ll pull out a phone. Another thing is Stocks widget. Maybe I don’t get something, but who needs to look at the stock price on his wrist? Tim Cook after presentation, maybe, but that function is there, just to feel the screen, nothing more.

They have mentioned Siri couple of times, but used it only one’s. Speech recognition is one of the strong sides of Android Wear, so Apple has very good competition in that space. You can also read your Twitter timeline, on a watch. Again, something that’s done best on a smartphone, and would probably be painful on a 1.5” screen.

The one thing I like about that watch is it’s fitness and health capabilities. I would use it as a fitness tracker, the app looks great and it seems like there are many great ideas in that space. Again, there are different devices for that kind of usage.

Two things unanswered:

  • How much would the model you will actually want would cost. Starting price at $349 sounds a bit pricey, as it is, but it’s even more interesting how much the best one would cost?
  • Battery life. The phrase Tim Cook used was “It’s simple to charge at night”. Everyone seems to think it will last a day, which is okay, compared to Android watches (most of them can last a day), but still, many of us were thinking Apple would do something different.

I’m sure they’ll sell a lot of those, but I can’t see the real use for that watch, especially at such a price. It looks somewhat good, it’s thick, but as often with Apple products, looks good. It doesn’t do much of the interesting stuff, I think Google Now on a watch is more advanced. The only interesting thing I saw was Fitness capabilities. I won’t buy one, because I’ve decided on my next phone, and as you can guess, it won’t be an iPhone. More on that later.

iPhone 6: First Impressions

September 10, 2014
3 min read
Maybe you don’t know, but Apple had an announcement yesterday. I’ve poured myself whiskey, opened Twitter on my laptop and Live Keynote on the iPad. If you were watching the event live, you’ve probably noticed how bad the streaming was. I’ve rewatched the begging of the keynote today before writing my thoughts on the new iPhone.
So, two new phones – 6 and 6 Plus. Naming is better than the iPhone 6 Pro, or whatever adjective they could have used regarding the size, so that’s a plus. 
The rumors were true regarding screen sizes – 4.7’’ and 5.5’’, that is logical change, after using 4.7 inch phone for a year, iPhone 5 feels like a toy in my hand. Interesting choices in resolution – 750p in iPhone 6 and 1080p in iPhone 6 Plus. Apple didn’t get in the race with Android phone manufacturers with latest QuadHD screens and I think it was a right choice. iPhone 5S screen looks great and 6s screen in terms of ppi is the same. Name for the new screens is a bit odd – Retina HD Display – something Samsung could have come up with. Great use of a bigger screen with Plus being more like an iPad with two column view and additional keys on a keyboard (I’m actually not sure about that, my first reaction was – they’ll surely be in the way, but I’ll have to try it out, for sure). Reachability – interesting function, after Hands-on many are saying implementation is not that good, you have to toggle it every time you tap on the screen. I also think Back button (regardless of the controversy around it) is the better option. Also double touching vs double tapping – two very similar gestures, which do very different things. 
The all new A8 – 2 billion transistors, I think Murdoch’s tweet pretty much sums it up, I still don’t get why he would write that:

The camera has the same 8-megapixel sensor with some things improved. The IPhone 5Ss camera is one of the best on the market, so why fix something that isn’t broken. Nice call. Photos shown in the Keynote were beautiful, but those are made by professional photographers, still I’m sure it will produce great pictures for everyone else. A lot of focus (no pun intended) on Video capabilities, I don’t shoot a lot of videos, so not so interesting to me. While Android vendors make shooting 4K videos with the phone a reality, Apple doesn’t do it and in my opinion, that’s the right choice, no need in 4K video recording. OIS in iPhone 6 Plus definitely the thing to consider choosing one of the phones. 
Battery life is the same for iPhone 6 and even better for the iPhone 6 Plus. I’m not sure the same battery life is enough for heavy users, so again, something to consider choosing between two phones.
Otherwise, both are great phones, smarter, faster, better, thinner, larger. Everything got better and they look good (except the camera bump, but you will get used to it, I guess). 
Last observation – Beats music is now on the second screen of every iPhone, at least in all the Hands-on pictures. 

On anticipation and celebrities tweeting

September 9, 2014
3 min read

It’s September 9th finally and I’m very much in the anticipation of Apple presentation. This time I’m really interested in company’s announcements. I’m not sure why, but it feels like something big is coming (and it’s not a pun on the screen sizes). I try hard not to read the rumors. Yes, I know there will probably be two new bigger phones with 4.7 and 5.5 inch screen and there probably will be some kind of wearable. This is the information you get without even trying. All the websites and podcasts are talking about that. But I try not to open “news” about upcoming products. If all those mock-ups and information about internals are true, then I would rather be surprised during the presentation. If all this information is false, then what’s the point of reading and posting it. (I know what is the point for publishers, I’m not that stupid). I’m just waiting for Apple to impress me. It’s like going to watch a movie, when your expectations are too high, you probably would not enjoy it. So, if you can, you should isolate yourself from all this talk, which is of course easier said than done, because of the Internet.

It’s hard to find links about something other than Apple event. Everybody tries to get his last minute predictions. It’s interesting how predictions work. If you didn’t guess – nobody will care, maybe your biggest haters, if you get something right, you can for the rest of your life link to that triumph.

But this time, I feel like Apple has outdone itself. There is no hint in the invitation to journalists. Just “Wish we could say more.” That’s the first time, as far as I can remember, we’ve always gotten at least something to deconstruct. Also big room, a lot of journalists, even Gizmodo is invited and some fashion press.

One more thing, I’m considering what my next phone will be and that’s the last presentation I’m waiting for. Last year in a similar circumstance I’ve chosen HTC One instead of iPhone 5S and still think that was a right choice. There is plenty to hate about HTC One, but until iOS 8 I’ve enjoyed Android more, let’s see how it changes with the new OS and then the update to Android, later this year.

That’s not a celebrity you’re following on Twitter, it’s an assistant  Why would anyone think that celebrities are tweeting? First, they do not care. Why would Britney care about Twitter and what somebody is saying about her. Second, I don’t really care what Britney talks about. Fans enjoy her account as it is, I am sure. They retweet and mention her. If she was, indeed, writing herself, I don’t think much would change. All her fans would continue following her and those who weren’t interested would not be interested in any case. Maybe mentioning in the bio, that someone else is writing on behalf of celebrity would be nice, but that will never happen.

Extensions on iOS

September 8, 2014
3 min read

Extensions on DF

Finally, iOS users will have a glimpse at what Android is about for a long time. I don’t mean it in a bad way, competition and parity is a good thing. The concept of Extensions on iOS is one of the reasons I’m still using Android, combine it with a bigger screen and you have something to offer to those open to the change.

The ability to install custom keyboards alone is a big one. There are not a lot of good keyboards, but there are a couple of interesting ones. SwiftKey, Swype and TouchPal are pretty similar with some subtle differences and I go back and forth between SwiftKey and TouchPal. HTC’s keyboard is good, but they have problems with Russian. Also, there are a couple of interesting choices, like Minuum Keyboard or Fleksy, each of them brings something new to the experience. And also Google Keyboard is a very simple and nice choice. Two of the best features are word prediction, which saves a lot of time and also gestures, when you type by swiping, personally I don’t do it all the time, but it’s very fast. And typing using iOS keyboard on my iPad after using Android phone is not a great experience at all. That’s one thing.

Another one is connecting to Apps, like editing photos using different Apps right in a Camera Roll. You can do that on Android by Sharing menu. I don’t open VSCOcam by tapping on the icon, I select the photo I want to edit in my Gallery app and then share it to the app, edit the photo and then Share it to Instagram from VSCOcam. It works great, so that would also bring great feature to the iOS. Third thing everyone is excited about is 1Password and its ability to fill out forms and passwords in Safari and other Apps. On the Android we have LastPass does just that. I don’t remember my passwords and after they’ve introduced that feature, I’ve started using LastPass even more. Before that, I would sometimes want to do something and then decide to do it later, on my PC, now I just do it on my phone more often, because of how easy it is.

Again, there is nothing wrong with that. I love that companies copy each other, but use different implementations. It is competition, which is always very good for the consumer. Android could’ve copied something from iOS, like smooth scrolling, for example. (Easier said than done, but as a user, I don’t care a lot about how hard it is, Apple somehow managed to do it and I would like similar or better experience on my Android phone).

There will also be widgets on iOS now. That was probably the most advertised features of Android, by users, but I don’t find myself using a lot of widgets. Everywhere you see mostly weather, stocks and sport scores, but it takes too much space and I don’t think you need to see weather every time you unlock your phone.

Yesterday I dind’t post anything, but I did write 500 words, so it’s 8 day streak. 

Charging the watch two times a day

September 6, 2014
3 min read

There are some news on the smartwatch front – reviews for the Moto 360 came out and all your dreams will come true with this watch. Its battery life will last for about… 12 hours. Are you serious Motorolla? This is not even funny. I guess most geeks would be ok with charging it every night, but then charging it in the middle of the say also. Someone has to remind this company they’re essentially making a watch. A WATCH. I have this beautiful, old watch from the USSR. It has to be wound up… Every two to three days. I’m now very interested in what Apple will show us on September 9 event. Probably won’t buy it, but still, it’s interesting to see if they’ll show how it’s done.

image

Since I’m in the market for a new phone, I’m looking closely at what companies are announcing this week. Interesting that many don’t mention release date or prices. It shows they just want to show whatever they have before Apple. Which is fine, I guess.

Samsung showed two phones – Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge. First is similar to the previous one and like most of their products is boring and has problems grabbing attention. Second one, at first glance, seems more interesting. It has this curve screen, but like with many samsung products, again, it doesn’t know what to use it for, so you are mostly presented with setting for the new cool feature.

Nokia presented low end and middle end devices with flagman class camera. It’s interesting in theory and it does cover my needs – camera and battery life, but it’s a Windows Phone. I love how it looks, but even by Android standard, new apps don’t come out fast enough.

The most interesting device so far is Moto X. As I can see they’ve corrected everything they’ve done wrong. I’m not sure about the bigger screen, 5.2’’ is by no means too big, but still most people consider 4.7’’ a sweet spot, so we’ll see. They’ve also improved the camera, it now features 13-megapixel sensor, that is standard in flagships nowadays. That was actually the biggest problem with the previous model. I love wooden and leather backs, that’s probably the main reason I won’t buy this phone – it probably won’t sell officially in Latvia and buying it from someone, you would have to be OK with whatever they’ve chosen and it would be hard to find the one I’d like. But I have a couple of friends who already decided that Moto X will most probably be their next smartphone.

Up until that point it looks like, nothing has come out, that I would like or would be able to get and the only announcement, we have left, if I’m not mistaken, is the one on September 9th.

This post almost didn’t happen, posting it last minute, but still, the streak is going on. It’s six days now, I think it’s the longest I’ve been writing something, especially the 500 words (and yes, this paragraph also counts towards this number).

500 Words Every Day Challenge: #5 Morning

September 5, 2014
3 min read

When I hear the word morning, first I think about this beginning of the day, which brings you all the new challenges and experiences. You open your eyes in complete silence, the sun starts filling your room with light and warmth. You don’t rush or think about work, you just slowly go to the kitchen, make coffee, enjoying every bit of the process, the smell of the drink you enjoy so much fills the room, there is one of your favorite podcasts playing in the background, creating perfect combination and then you sit down to read a book or some long thoughtful article. Maybe you go for a run, if you get up before the sun does it’s unforgetable experience. Yes, that’s how I picture my perfect morning and now, back to reality.

Five days a week (on Saturdays my day starts even earlier) at exactly 6:31 radio starts playing on my phone, as silently as possible, It’s not intended to get me up as fast as possible, it’s just a signal, I should get ready to get up, so I open my eyes just stay in bed for a couple of minutes with music playing in the background. Most of the time, the curtains are still closed, so it’s dark. I don’t have to get up right away, but the music doesn’t let me close my eyes. At 6:37 there is smooth vibration on my wrist. Fitbit Flex telling me, now it’s time to get up. I don’t remember when I’ve started to use those uneven times for the alarms. I turn off the radio and there is complete silence in my room and it’s still dark. There are occasional sounds coming from the outside – cars getting started, dogs barking or birds singing. Nothing that makes you nervous, just usual sounds. There is one small problem, especially if it is autumn – it’s cold outside the comfort of the blanket. I love to sleep with my window open, at least a bit, regardless of the temperature outside. That way the air is fresh all night long and the blanket keeps me warm. So as fast as I can, I log my weight and walk straight to the shower, where I make the water as hot, as I can handle.

After the shower comes the moment when I feel like I’ve finally woke up and this day can get started – I get out of the shower and stand on a warm floor. Yes, that’s the feeling – I open the doors of the shower, I feel this cold air and then I step on a warmed floor. Then, regardless of the weather I go outside to say hi to my dog, who’s waiting for me every morning. After that morning routine begins, I make a breakfast – something simple, like sandwiches or scrambled eggs. I make coffee, but don’t drink it. I then combine two great things in life – coffee and driving. You share this moment with others, as they too, drive with the cup of coffee in their hands and you wave “Hi” to the person in the nearest car. And both yours and his or her days start with small, but pleasant experience.

This post was written for Lift’s 500 Words Every Day Challenge. Prompt #5.

My thoughts on smartwatches

September 4, 2014
4 min read

You know you have a problem, when one of the best designs in the category looks like this:

image

Or almost round Moto 360. As most of the people don’t use their watches to see time, your product should look good on the wrist, there is no other way around this.

It’s not the best practice to draw some kind of conclusions based on personal anecdotal evidence, but I’ll do just that right now (you could feel it will be this way, by reading the begging of the sentence). I do wear a watch, it’s analogue, pretty big watch by Tomy Hilfiger. I love watches, I use them (I don’t even notice what time it is when I pull out my smartphone), I also wear the Fitbit Flex on the other hand and like a watch, it is an accessory for me, I have a couple of different color bracelets. If they’d looked ugly (like most smartwatches), I wouldn’t even consider wearing them. So that’s my thoughts on design.

The other important thing is what do you use the watch for. On IFA Samsung showed Gear S, which is mini smartphone strapped to your wrist. It’s bulky, 2’’ screen is just too big to wear on a wrist. It has standard wristband and you can change it, which is good, I guess, but won’t help you much. Here is a promotional video of the device.

Let’s look at possible uses for the device from this ad and some hands on from different blogs:

  • Notifications – there are two types of people, in my opinion, those who have too many notifications, so their wrist will constantly buzz (many tech journalists complain about that) and then, there are those, who don’t have as many notifications, so you can just pull your phone out of the pocket. I’m in the latter category and I don’t see a point in this idea of getting notifications on my wrist.
  • Accept or Make calls – this one looks cool, from my understanding, you can’t do that on many smartwatches, but if you watch the promo video, you’ll see, you have to keep your wrist close to your face and in that case – why even bother? – just use a phone with loudspeaker turned on, or better yet Bluetooth headset.
  • Easy text input – let’s repeat this one more time. Easy. Text. Input. Using the QWERTY keyboard on 2 inch screen. Do you even hear yourself Samsung? After using bigger screens I can’t type on the iPhone, let alone the smartwatch.
  • Navigation – this one is interesting, but again, you could just as well use your smartphone. Also, using my phone for navigation, you just see how it drains battery, what about the smartwatch? Will it drain the battery as fast? My guess would be – yes.
  • Music and Tracking Activities – I’ve combined these two, just because it makes sense. Here again, will it be able to keep charge while Bluetooth and GPS are on? If it can, it would be one good use for this watch.
  • UV information – this is just ridiculous, but maybe someone needs it, I just won’t even comment.
  • Tracking Sleep – when I first got my Fitbit Flex and started tracking sleep with it, for about a week I felt uncomfortable wearing it while sleeping, I can’t even imagine wearing 2’’ phone on my wrist.

I think the best you can do with the category of devices you wear on your wrist is some kind of health and fitness use. Without this watch and notification bullshit.

Apple PR and The Verge 2.0

September 3, 2014
3 min read
Great report on Apple PR. A lot of things I’ve heard for the first time, most of them are not surprising, but often you just don’t think about them.
The big problem, in my opinion, is that tech journalists and bloggers try to look objective too much. I think you just can’t. You can try, but still you’ve got some opinions and thoughts on every subject, so I think you have to be true to yourself and your readers, they should understand where are you coming from. If you use Android phones all the time and then you decide to review an iPhone or iOS, I don’t think you could be objective, but that’s ok, you just have to explain to your readers/listeners/watchers where are you coming from and what should they expect out of the review.
Opening Daring Fireball, I expect to see mostly articles and links about Apple and probably somewhat skewed in favor of Apple. And that is neither good, nor bad. You just have to accept it.
Regarding Apple itself and its practices. I, personally, can’t blame them, if “journalist” is ready to suck up and believe whatever the company in question says, it’s his problem entirely.
There is also this practice to advertise your unwillingness to play by Apple’s rules, which is not good, in my opinion. Shitting company, not getting to this company’s events and then writing all over the web about that and how objective you are, isn’t probably a great idea. If you are not on good terms with the company, it doesn’t automatically mean you are objective.
The most interesting thing Apple has done, regarding PR, in my opinion, is its ability to engage non tech people (as some say “normals”). A lot of my friends, who don’t follow tech news and don’t care about new gadgets, apps or services, know that something will happen on 9/9. Many of them think, Apple will start selling iPhone 6, some know it will be only presented, but most are informed. They don’t know and don’t care, that today Samsung will present something (but they will). Samsung tries hard. In social networks, advertising all over the city, but they are mostly known, as this other phone you get when you don’t have money for an iPhone or in some cases “the iPhone from Samsung” (yes, I’ve heard that a lot).
 
In other news, The Verge became responsive. Even as people talk about the App economy and are in love with apps, I don’t think a website should have its own app. I didn’t download The Verge app (or an app from any other blog or magazine for that matter), because I either read their stuff in aggregators (mostly Flipboard), or in Pocket (where links from Twitter and other social networks end up). It’s not intuitive and convenient to open every news site and blog app to keep up with the news. It’s more intuitive to just open browser and go to some site. There is concern about those moments when you don’t have Internet connections, but I think they are rare and you can leave without the Verge for a moment, or just send page you need to Pocket.