You touch the right spots (iOS 4.3 preview)

Part of what I've been looking forward to see in Honeycomb is the transitions between open apps. It's like an alt+tab using your fingers. The transitions are apparently great in HP's touchpad (i.e. the video keeps on running through the thumbnails). Same is somewhat true with the demos of Honeycomb, including the drag and drop between windows.

I've complained about how the iOS will lag against these new features on Honeycomb, but come on, Apple knows better than that.

Here's a hands on video featuring the new iOS features:

• The five finger "close" gesture will close your current app and return to home (the counterpart of tapping the home key)
• A 4-finger scroll upwards is the equivalent of the double tap on home, revealing the apps that are open for multi-tasking
• While a 4-finger towards the left or right scrolls through open apps.

It looks great. Good sign of things to come.

Rumor has it, the ipad 3 may not even have any dedicated buttons, just a screen. I can see that working. Again, a step ahead of the competition. Damnit. This iOS upgrade will help with the catchup, but it of course will not be enough.

Scream for Ice Cream

Already there are details on Honeycomb's successor, Ice Cream, which is supposedly marrying the best of Gingerbread and Honeycomb.

Here I am considering a Gingerbread phone (Sony's Xperia Arc), looking at a Honeycomb tablet, and praying for a Honeycomb phone by the end of the year, and already there's a successor! These aren't just minor changes between versions either, each upgrade is a whole new experience. These transitions are incredibly fast and is a clear indicator for me that Android is the way to go.

Here come the tablets! One after the other, manufacturers are coming out with tablets that will feature the new Honeycomb OS. As I've noted before, the iOS just fails in comparison against this beast from Google. Every other competitor of the iPad before these tablets were running the wrong OS (read: Windows).

Honeycomb as an OS works. It works better than the iOS on the iPad. And as it can be used by any manufacturer, this just might be the tipping point that will strengthen the second wave of the tablet revolution.

The first real competitor of the iPad was really the Galaxy Tab. But inconspicuously, it differentiated itself from the iPad through one glaring difference: the size. To a point, that was kind of clever. It tried to define a new category and decided not to go heads on versus the Apple pioneer.

One area where the ipad is still untouchable though is the price. Brian Chen from Wired.com has a good theory as to how Apple does it: as Apple does everything in house, from OS development to retailing, they eliminate a lot of costs along the way.

My love's a revolver, an iphone killer

I'm overdue for a new phone, but I'm holding on to my money till a Honeycomb phone arrives. If rumors are true, a version will materialize by Q3 this year: the HTC Revolver. Not much news about it, except for the fact that it will have the new OS.

I was supposed to get an iphone 4 by Christmas last year, but I put it on hold to balance out my spending. Good thing I did! Right now, prices of the iphones are dropping. Stocks are also starting to build and promos are popping up left and right. That only means one thing: there's probably going to be an iphone 5 soon. Already, Engadget reports a bigger 4-inch screen for the iphone 5 (in contrast to the current 3.5 inch screens). Other sources also point to a slide-out keyboard, which will be a first for the iphone series. The iphone will probably go the route of the ipods in terms of diversification: the 5 will be the touch, a new iphone nano will be the nano, and the 3Gs and 4 will be the ipod classic. Fearless forecast, Iphone 5 out by July.

Very exciting news for Apple, BUT I'm still going to wait for that Honeycomb phone. Still am clueless even as to what sense a Honeycomb OS will be of use to a small device, but I'm really after the technology. I need an Android phone that will match up to my iphone. No other smartphone is up to par up to now. The Nexus S is a close second. There are no concrete competitors in the near future. So, I'm pinning all my hopes on the Revolver and its Samsung and Google phone counterpart.

Here's Google's official Honeycomb video preview. Not as impressive as the Xoom hands on, not as sexy as a Mac, but full of potential.

Worth the wait, I tell you. Don't buy an ipad! As for me, I'm sticking to my 3GS for now.

Get it together

So what's going to ruin the Xoom? Business. At $800, getting a Xoom is just ridiculous. Also, reports have it that WIFI will only be enabled with a plan. What? That's just a bunch of crap.

Their superbowl commercial wasn't as existing as I thought it would be either:

But not to worry, Samsung has already announced the protégé to the Galaxy Tab, the lousily but practically named Galaxy Tab II. This pretty young thing will also sport the promising Honeycomb OS.

Motorola Xoom Superbowl ad teaser

Remember that post about Honeycomb? The video in that was the Motorolla Xoom.

Here's a sneak peak at their ad coming out for the Superbowl.

If you were Apple fans in the 80s, doesn't this seem a bit familiar? Apple is the new Microsoft. Ha!

I swear, this is a genuine ipad competitor. Well, at least from what I've been reading. I reckon when the big guns (apparently, Motorolla is not a big gun) get their hands on Honeycomb. Tic-tic-tic. The end is near.

Will post the full ad when I find it.

Honeycomb on the horizon

Google is coming up with Android Honeycomb soon and there's been a lot of good reviews on the net. Things are looking very promising. This early, I can say that I am definitely not going to buy an ipad. It just seems to be lagging in features—actually, as it always has.

High on the praise list for Honeycomb is how widgets don't have to snap to a wide grid. This means that your tablet is already starting to work more like how a computer's user interface works. There will also apparently be options at the top of the screen where you can toggle menus and other application options. Again, computer behavior floating to the top.

This is the most fluid Android OS I've ever seen by far. Check out this hands on video from TechCrunch:

The obvious fault of early Windows tablets was that it was a computer OS shoved into a tablet. The processing power in the tiny devices just wasn't strong enough, rendering these early renditions too slow. But beyond that, using them they just didn't feel right. It was a mouse and keyboard centric world trapped in a touch interface (they even wanted you to use a stylus).

Apple started it right. They picked a behavior and built the tablet around it. Even the applications were built specifically for how the tablet was used. Although they were immensely successful at creating a new category, they now have to evolve faster than Google.

Google is already moving in the right direction. The ipad just isn't fulfilling its potential. Although for some people, simplicity is a distinct advantage, when Google cracks how to fully maximize the tablet, opening it up to a universe of applications that the ipad just can't hack, Google's OS will rise the way Windows 3.1 once did.

It doesn't help that Steve Jobs is sick.

The future of the ipad will mean that MacBooks will be rendered obsolete. If you can edit photos and videos on an ipad, when they reach 15 inches and more, when they have the processing power neatly hidden in a thin sheet, why would you still need a laptop? Google's laptop quite frankly sucks and failed with the critics. They've got nothing to lose moving into this direction. Incidentally, it was earlier reported that ipad sales were actually bigger than MacBook sales in 2010. So it looks like this is really the way to go.

So the question now is, who will get there first? And remember, there are two dimensions to this race: operating system and hardware. Honeycomb is definitely getting close to the ideal state. If Google can keep this pace and decent hardware options appear, watch out Apple, the end is near.

Streaming video to my HD TV

I used to own an HP laptop. To watch movies on my TV, I just connected my laptop to the TV via a VGA cord. It worked pretty well, except that my laptop was all the way beside the TV and to control any features I had to crawl towards my console. I actually thought of buying an expensive wireless mouse to solve that problem.

Well, that laptop is dead and I now own a MacBook Pro. And as you MBP users know, we don't have VGA ports.

Been watching video on my laptop the past few months, while my TV gloats in the background. Decided to maximize my assets. So I searched around for an alternative and found the WD TV LIVE.

Seems like a good idea.

First of all, it's pretty cheap.

Second, it plays a wide range of file formats. The only exception would be "protected" file formats, but what pirate would have that right?

It also has a remote control and a DVD-like UI.

I'm looking at buying one this week and looking forward to testing it out soon.

Zeitgeist 2010

I saw this video a few days ago and decided to share it still.



We're a month into the year and I think it's a great time to reflect on the hopefulness and ambition we had 30 days ago.

It's going to be an awesome year. It's totally in our hands still. Keep on going. Don't stall. Do it now.

Incidentally, I started a FB page that should keep you inspired through the year. It's called GV Quotes (also, follow it on Twitter). It's actually a project I started a few weeks ago. The purpose is really just to share positivity. Like it. Be a fan. Contribute.

11 months to go. Let's do this people!

Armchair Creative

Stumbled upon this article about being an armchair creative from the99percent:

But the thing is, the time I spend in the armchair is usually some of the most creative and productive time in my whole week. I go there when I need to stop and look at the big picture, or think through a complex problem that has me stumped. (Are you an armchair creative? by Marc McGuinness)

Basically, it suggests that you should have a place at work where you can take a step back and change the view. This for me is usually lunch time (which is why I never have lunch in our building) but it can also mean any place that will allow you to take a breather. Hopefully, that little break will allow you to see what you are working on from a different perspective and thus allow you to take a more creative approach.

I often also encounter this when I conduct field checks or attend conferences or workshops. A day away from work actually allows me to see the bigger picture, making me see other ways of doing or approaching things. In many cases, it actually makes me realize WHY I do what I do. I focus less on the specifics and more on the reasons or end goals and that makes a big difference.

Another angle I got from this short article is that where you work and how you "dress up" your workspace actually affects how you perform. Personally, I like changing things up to avoid the monotony. This appeals to me now because I have a lot of projects pending (outside my day job) and working in my room may not always be the best alternative. I'm probably going to set days where I work in cafe shops or other public places to keep the juices flowing.

I'm looking forward to a very productive & creative year. I hope it is for you as well.

Scott Pilgrim DVD Extras

If you liked Scott Pilgrim vs The World, check this out: alternative scenes for the movie from the DVD extras.

Enjoy!

Getting fit through Google

Stumbled across this video from Google:

If I only had an Android phone, I'm pretty sure that I would get that wifi weighing scale and pedometer. Actually, there should already be a pedometer app by that time.

I think autosync is a good thing. I used to (because I haven't been running in a while) really appreciate Nike+ tracking my workouts. A visual representation (especially using graphs) of your workouts can actually encourage you to push yourself more. Seing how much (or how little) you run at x pace through y distances and z times plotted in tables, graphs, or even through a "wall" can help you plan and set goals better.

If you think about it, it puts the work of a personal trainer into your hands. It's a great idea.

Of course, this is another example of how Google runs our lives. But again, I'm not complaining. I really am just waiting for Android to match up to the flawless UI that my iphone provides. I digress.

For now, I am stuck with Nike+ (which by the way is connected to my Apple devices) and I have no way of monitoring my weight. That still works, but I'm sure I'll get more progress if more of my activities were tracked.

What gets measured, gets done.