Category: Cloud & Mobility

Cloud Computing and Mobile Technology

Amazon Reveals Cloud Music – Google Next?

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Amazon MP3 app on Droid
Image by scattered sunshine via Flickr

Amazon announced Amazon Cloud Drive and Amazon Cloud Player, a digital storage and music locker service. The first 5GB are free, 20GB is $20 a year(first year is free with the purchase of an album), 50GB is $50, etc.

The service will allow storage of any sort of file, but Amazon Cloud Player, which is available in the Amazon MP3 Android App and as a web-based player, only recognizes MP3 and AAC files. So no FLAC, OGG, etc. Shame, we like OGG.

Going forward, if you buy an album from Amazon MP3, it will be transferred directly to your cloud drive and does not count toward your storage allowance. Unfortunately, it will not import your previous purchases, so you will have to upload them. The MP3 uploader doesn’t support Linux, and there is no uploader on the Android app. Hopefully, Amazon or a third-party will rectify this, but we don’t see an API for third-party developers to build on yet either.

We’re curious to see what Google’s offering is for music. But this is perfect for Amazon MP3 purchases going forward. They are already storing the files anyway, so linking them into your account doesn’t cost them any space, which is why we’re surprised they won’t do it for already purchased files, considering they’ll have to store duplicates now.

It won’t beat Amazon S3 on functionality, but it does beat them on price. If they open it up to third-party app development and support additional formats, we’d put our media there, how about you?

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You and Your Android

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Android Logo
Image by Arvid via Flickr

Recently, several members of the Wisdom family got themselves Android(TM) based phones. We all dived wholeheartedly into the application phone lifestyle. The term smartphone isn’t quite accurate, and the primary advantage of these types of phone are all the possibilities inherent in being able to run applications to do almost anything with them.

We’ve always been fans of the open platform.  For all the wonderful things iPhones can do, there is still a lot of things that are restricted by Apple‘s management policy. In some cases, the Android is perfectly capable of doing those things, but no one has yet written an app for that. But in that regard, the Android will be catching up as its popularity increases. Or so we hope.

But there are adoption problems. A recent survey indicated that 73% of Android users are male. However looking at the numbers, as is sometimes the case in technology, all numbers show a larger percentage of male users. The Blackberry, which has widespread adoption, is not listed. Verizon’s big Android push this year has put the technology, which was previously niche, into the mainstream. Every provider is increasing its Android phone offerings. We’ll be interested to see how the demographics evolve in a year.

Sometime in the near future Android will offer a Flash plugin. And while we find Flash is less than ideal as a platform, its everywhere online. This will spur more Android adoption in the future.

To that end, to celebrate our newfound enjoyment of the Android platform, we’ll be introducing some Android posts here on Gadget Wisdom. Look out for them.

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Should You Still Wait to Buy a Kindle?

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Image representing Amazon as depicted in Crunc...
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Amazon is cutting the price of its Kindle 2 to $259, the second drop in the last few months. It is also offering an ‘international’ Kindle for $279, with shipping to begin on October 19th. Books downloaded internationally will cost an extra $1.99. This does free up a gap in the service, namely overseas, and connects Amazon to AT&T over Sprint.

Amazon has said  that Kindle books now represent 48% of total book sales when both Kindle and paper versions are available, up from 35% in May and 13% in February, but no statistics have been revealed on how many units have been sold, but Kindle owners seem to buy a lot of books.

So, with the latest price drop, is it finally time to buy a Kindle? Maybe. But we’d prefer it to hit around $200 before it becomes too tempting to resist, especially with the bulk of new e-book readers coming and Google’s E-Book initiative.

Competition produces innovation. Amazon has said it would not mind selling Kindle books to people with other E-book readers, which would be a smart move for the company. But either way, in another few months, the price will likely be where we want it to be. What do you think?

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The Problem with Verizon Wireless Apps

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Cellco Partnership D/B/A Verizon Wireless
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On Friday morning, we were sitting around with our Verizon phone and discovered a new Twitter app had appeared as available. Called Tweet-Tweet, it costs $1.49 a month or $3.99 for unlimited.

Get It Now/Media Center is Verizon Wireless‘ implementation of Qualcomm’s Brew technology, and the basis for applications on most of their phones. The program locks content rigidly and prevent unapproved data to be loaded onto the phone. This is to ensure the usage of their data plan, the ala carte version of costs $1.99/MB. Verizon is known for crippling features of its firmware, such as Bluetooth file transfer and unrestricted GPS access to ensure these services must use their applications.

We have a regular Verizon phone, but have considered upgrading to an organizer phone because portable data seems to be the way things are going. The problem is phones that are not phones. Phones are now cameras, music players, internet devices…everything in your hand. Having a Swiss Army Device is not always the answer. It can’t do everything well.

The most popular phone out there is the iPhone, which has mixed, even sometimes negative reviews as a phone. It is more a multimedia and networking device. Verizon doesn’t have an iPhone killer. Part of this is the Application problem. Verizon is too locked down, and its application store is limited.

The worst part is for the phones we use. You have to subscribe to an application? And pay data charges on top of that? For all we find Apple just as limiting as Verizon, they’ve approved thousands of apps you can download, and the creation process is extremely open. We don’t mind an approval process, but Verizon is shooting itself in the foot.There are rumors this may change, but innovation is slow.

Tweet-Tweet is useful for us. It is a simple, uncomplicated Twitter application that adds some functionality to our phone. We won’t be using it all the time, as the cost would be prohibitive without a data plan. But it allows us to check up on current status while away from our homebase. But it is not enough for everyone.

Skype Updates its Linux Offering

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Image representing Skype as depicted in CrunchBase
Image via CrunchBase

Skype, long lagging in its Linux support, after nearly two years of nothing, released version 2.1 in Beta, bringing with it a multitude of new offerings. It shows that Skype is renewing its commitment to cross-platform support.

One of the most important and significant fixes is Pulseaudio support. Most distributions of Linux now use Pulseaudio, so having Skype not cause a conniption when it is use is a major improvement. Improvements in audio and video handling also improve the overall experience.

The reason it took so long was a complete rewrite of some sections of the code, and likely the lower priority placed on Linux support, which got renewed interest now that so many embedded devices and netbooks had been running it. They are working on providing a native 64-bit version, but they currently have a helper application to set up the 32-bit libraries on a 64-bit system so it will work.

They say there is more to come soon. We’ll be testing this new version soon.

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Packing your Bag

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Five common USB connectors (left to right: mal...
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Recently, we did a post on behalf of Infrequent Flier on the subject of packing a bag with your mobile electronics. We wanted to explore the idea further, as such a bag wouldn’t just apply to air travel…there are considerations for every time you go anywhere. Here are some things to consider when packing your mobile bag.

  • Power
    • Chargers – Every day on the go we use several chargers. For our cell phone, our music players, our notebook. Try to unify these. Instead of four power bricks, use USB-based charging cables. Then you can only bring along a single USB to AC Adapter.
    • USB and Batteries – Several companies, including Duracell and Kensington, make USB portable battery packs, that can be charged via USB, and can charge mobile devices that have USB based cables. Sticking a small one of these in your bag can be critical in emergencies. You may also need to charge standard AA or AAA batteries. There are a variety of USB battery chargers, but we switched to USBcell, the battery has a built-in USB charger. We keep two of them for our AA-based digital camera.
    • Extension cords and Surge Protectors – There will be cases when you wish to share electricity with others. In this case, a cheap dollar store power splitter or multi-extension cord is useful to carry around. We recommend using the Belkin Mini Surge Protector, which has three outlets and two USB charging ports. Two useful add-ons to this would be an extension cord for hard to reach areas and/or a 3 to 2 prong converter in the event you find only two-prong outlets.
  • Cables
    • Network – Wireless is wonderful, but don’t be caught without a small network cable in case you have to physically connect to a network.
    • Earphones – Keep a pair of earphones in your bag. Not only will the people around you appreciate it, but a pair of cheap earbuds cna double as earplugs, reducing background noise so you can relax.
    • Headphone Splitter – Allows you to share the audio output of a device with a friend.
    • USB Cable – A standard USB cable to hook into peripherals should always be in your bag.
    • Retractable Cables – A variety of companies produce retractable cables now of varying qualities that can increase the space saving qualities of your bag. Ultimately though, a regular cable may be cheaper and is certainly more durable in the long run. Do your homework though.
  • Emergency Items
    • Blank CD/DVD – You never know when you might need to burn something or have it burned in a hurry.
    • Live CD/USB – With a bootable operating system on a CD or USB drive, you can turn any computer…for a time, into your personal system. Alternate options include a series of portable applications on your USB drive that would work with any Windows-based computer.
    • DropBox – Dropbox is a file syncing service that is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux that syncs the contents of a folder to its servers and can be used for multiple systems. If your computer goes bust, you can ensure your data was synced during your last network connection.
  • Portable Electronics
    • Cell Phone – We’re not going to tell you what sort of cell phone to get. There are a variety of options. Find the one that is good for you.
    • Portable Media Players – You can go with music, video, etc. You can even now use your cell phone. Again, scale this to your needs. We have two different ones, one small and one larger. The small, a Sansa Clip, is our ‘throwaway’ player. It is cheap, durable, and does what we want it to.
    • E-Book Readers – You can read information now on your cell phone or notebook, but there is a place in this world for dedicated devices. If you feel the cost is justified…otherwise, a good book is much cheaper and is even free at your local library.
  • Goodies and Misc.
    • Refreshments – Sticking a granola bar or some other long-lasting reasonable healthy snack in your bag will pay off in the long run when you are starving and need something quick. Equally useful is something to drink.
    • Pen and Paper – For when all electronics fail…or when you simply want to give your contact info to a less tech enabled person, stick these into your bag.
    • Cleaning Cloth – A microfibre cloth is perfect for cleaning the dust off your screen.
    • Wipes or Hand Sanitizer – You get dirty too.

Now, we are assuming you are lugging around a notebook of some sort. If you are a frequent ‘mobile warrior’, consider downsizing. Don’t lug around a 17″ desktop replacement, go for a 12-14″ screen…or even a netbook with a 10″ screen. These netbooks are inexpensive, and becoming popular for their easy portability. Remember, you can always come home to your fully functional machine.

Go smaller with your laptop bag as well. Try to find the smallest bag that neatly fits all of your things and make the hard decisions about what to leave out. No one wants to carry around too much.

In order to avoid needing to carry a spare battery, consider the following tips:

  • Dim the Brightness of your Screen – Many notebooks have a setting for dimming based on inactivity. Try to maximize your power saving options.
  • Go with an Extended Battery – Many notebooks have multiple battery options. Go with the best one.
  • Avoid using your Optical Drive -  Nothing drains power like the DVD/CD drive on your system. Try to copy the information to your drive before you leave, even if it is a movie or such you wish to watch on the road, you can rip it and delete it when you’re done.
  • Consider an SSD drive – These drives are not quite 100% yet. Their price is starting to come down, and the higher quality drives will eventually be cost-effective for the individual. For now though, the inexpensive ones have some problems, but with proper use(there are many tutorials on this), they can improve your experience. We’re waiting on this one though.

Do you have any suggestions of your own?

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Sirius Radio Impresses Us With its Customer Service

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Sirius Satellite Radio
Image by tbertor1 via Flickr

One of the mixed joys of being tech people is being called upon to help other people with their technical problems. So, when a family member returned from a long vacation to discover that their Sirius Satellite Radio in their automobile was not working, telling them to call, they asked us to take over.

We had called while they were away to negotiate their contract renewal. The first year came free with the car, and when it was time to sign an extension and actually give Sirius money, we spoke to them, analyzing their usage, and determined how to save them a little money by eliminating channels they weren’t even using. Ala Carte is a wonderful thing(we wish our cable company would see that).

We weren’t sure how long the thing had been disconnected from the service, due to the vacation. When we called, after a technical support technician had us sitting in the car, we discovered the identification number the radio unit displayed didn’t match up with the one they had on file.

And then we remembered that the dealership had taken the car in that summer because of a stuck CD in the slot-loading CD player on the same radio unit. They must have swapped out the unit. But if they did, how did the radio continue to work for months after that?

Ultimately, they promised to transfer the renewal to the new radio that we didn’t know we had, and for our inconvenience, which we also didn’t know we had from them, an extra year of service. Since they technically did nothing wrong, we’re impressed they did something like this. Although, considering the reports of their financial situation, they may need the money.

This extra year may cause us to consider additional radios and services. Certainly, we have a better view of the company than we did before. Now, if they could only get something for us to watch on their Backseat TV service.

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Asus Eee 1000HE

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comparison of the sizes of a package of handke...
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For those of you following the netbook craze, there is new Asus Eee out there.

Engadget has a roundup of various reviews. The HE is built around a new six-cell battery and offers over seven hours of battery life, and offers the standard compliment of features. PC Magazine declared it as dethroning the MSI Wind as the leading netbook, with a list price of $400.

In a related story, Eee PCs are expected in Walmart by years end.

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Kindle No Longer So Cost Effective

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amazon-kindle
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Not long ago, we were on a plane and someone across the aisle had Amazon‘s Kindle. The Kindle, if you’ve missed it, is an E-Book reader. And if anyone had the power to make electronic book reading take off, it is Amazon.

But the Consumerist reports that nearly 30% of books sold for the Kindle are now above $9.99, making them cost more, not less than the equivalent paperback. As one person put it…

300 dollars was supposed to be a sort of covenant between us and amazon. we backed their device and they would usher in an era of low cost/reasonably priced literature. Sure it wasn’t written in stone but the way they advertised it many of us believed it, otherwise this forum wouldn’t be as popular as it is. Instead what is happening is that we put ourselves out there for a company and they returned the favor by charging us even more for books then if we just went out and bought the printed version.

The idea of electronic reading is eventually the reader pays for itself in savings offered by buying electronic over print media, making print a luxury. The size of the Kindle makes it, from what we saw, much easier to read on than a cell phone, which certainly could do the same job of displaying text. It offers an always-on wireless connection to provide content.

But ultimately, it is a $300 toy, for which there are rumors a new version is set to be released on the 9th of February. Three hundred dollars can buy a lot of books…or even a netbook computer to read books on.

On a related note, for free e-books, the following site was suggested as options….feedbooks.com – Provides a variety of contributed as well as public domain e-books in a variety of formats as well as subscription based service. Looks good to us. We’re off to read Sherlock Holmes and not pay a cent…

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Taking Your Laptop on the Plane

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ThWhen you go to the airport with your laptop, you are forced to go through the annoyance of removing your laptop from its bag and placing it in a bin. However, the TSA last month announced the results of its initiative to encourage manufacturers to design checkpoint-friendly laptop bags. Below is an image of the friendliest styles of laptop bags.

Now, the problem is the most popular styles are these unapproved ones. Purchasing one of the approved bags will not guarantee that you can leave your laptop in your bag for screening. If the bag does not present a clear and distinct image of the laptop separate from the rest of the bag, you’ll still have to remove it.

The guidelines for these bags are as follows:

  • Your laptop bag has a designated laptop-only section that you can lay flat on the X-ray belt
  • There are no metal snaps, zippers or buckles inside, underneath or on-top of the laptop-only section
  • There are no pockets on the inside or outside of the laptop-only section
  • There is nothing in the laptop compartment other than the laptop
  • You have completely unfolded your bag so that there is nothing above or below the laptop-only section, allowing the bag to lie flat on the X-ray belt

The TSA does not endorse any specific bag. And these new bags that have been reviewed according to their guidelines will take time to flood the market, and will likely initially be more expensive than other bags.

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