The View From Space

Recent events (most notably the impending aquisition of T-Mobile by AT&T) have started me rethinking my strategy regarding smartphones.

The T-Mobile /Android combination was, and still is, Nirvana for Geeks.  Cheap plans with soft data caps, easily rooted Android smartphones (like my Vibrant), and stellar customer service makes for one great environment (they even provided tech support when I ran an iPhone on their network).

Now I’m reading that this may all go away in a year or two.  Step in AT&T with their unfriendly, even hostile attitude towards super-users (if you’ve ever rooted an android phone or jailbroken your iPhone you know what I’m talking about) and even unfriendlier data plans.  If the planned acquisition goes through, all Tmo 3G phone users (except those with the new LG Optimus G2x) will eventually have to switch over to ATT 3G phones to get 3G data access on the ATT network.

So now my dilema, once the transition takes place, do I stay with ATT and live with whatever restrictions they place on my geekiness?  Or do I take a hike and see what Verizon, Sprint or even the smaller carriers have to offer?   I’m even looking at the iPhone again.  If I’m going to be locked down I might as well do it with a device that meets most of my needs/wants (note that no phone met ALL my wants, that’s why I rooted my phone in the first place).  I guess going the iPhone route makes my decision WAY easier, choose 1 of 2 carriers.

The upside to all of this is that the takeover isnt envisioned to happen for 12+ months.  In that time I’ll have a chance to look at all the options provided  by the other carriers. 

Besides in another year it’ll be time for a new phone anyway right?

Based on the recommendations of the highly regarded IT Guru @ryankanno and Social Media maven @GeeWhy I purchased the Yubikey and LastPass security system.

While the added layer of security is well worth the cost ($45  for 2 keys and a 1 year subscription to Lastpass), the biggest benefit for me is the fact that Lastpass encrypts and remembers all my login passwords, so I dont have to!

Will provide a review once I have a few days of use under my belt.

Being a certified Android Flashing Fool it was inevitable that I would one day brick my phone with a bad flash.  Well, it happened not once but twice.  With the help of a Norse God named Odin I was able to return my Vibrant back to stock (and without even resorting to a human sacrifice)

While they don’t condone or promote flashing custom ROM’s, Samsung does provide users with a way to bring your phone back to stock form.  Check out the Vibrant Directory on the XDA forums for numerous posts about using Odin (includes links to download the program, the required files to bring it back to stock, as well as how-to videos showing the procedure).

And if you’re interested in flashing a custom ROM (Or even jumping the gun and flashing a stock version of Froyo (Android 2.2)) on your Vibrant the same Vibrant Directory will also provide the necessary files.

Now that the front facing camera is working, it’s time to find me some good video chat software.  Originally stumbled across an app called Fring.   While it was a good start, the app has a lot to be desired.  Grainy video and an almost comic book interface.  Not quite my style.  The one redeeming quality was the loop-back test, quite a good feature as it allows you to test your setup without another handset.

While perusing the xda forums I happened upon a few folks mentioning an app called Tango. So, doing my best lemming impersonation I followed.  Boy was I glad I did.  The first thing you notice is the definite difference in picture quality vs Fring.  The image filled the screen and it actually looked good.  Plus the interface was much cleaner.  It also allows you to switch back and forth between the front and rear camera.  The only issue (and one the I’ve brought to the attention of the Tango Dev team) is that there isn’t a loop-back capability.  They liked the idea and hopefully we’ll see one soon.

What might you ask makes this so different from the apple Iphone 4 facetime app?  The main difference is that you can run it on a 3G network, you don’t need a wifi connection (by the way you Iphone 4 folks can run Tango too).  Of course the video/audio may be choppy depending upon your connectivity.  But it works.  So while it currently isn’t much more than a novelty item, the video chat capabilities are definitely available.  Even without a front facing camera, you can use Tango to stream live video directly to someone.

So get your groove on and Tango the night away.

Let’s just hope that there isn’t a video chat app out there called the Quickstep.

A couple of days after the Vibrant surgery and the patient is none the worse for wear.  The mod itself is a simple matter of replacing the existing camera unit with the newer one (it’s the same camera except with the ffc attached).  All mounting holes and spaces are still intact from the international version.  The only physical change to the phone is the removal of the paint that is covering the hole.

The last step is to flash an Android 2.2 based ROM.

If you’re interested in the mod see the xda-developers forum at:  http://bit.ly/csbfDN

For a 2.2 based ROM check out the Team Whiskey site at:  http://bit.ly/9ziLXY (ROM called Obsidian) or http://bit.ly/d64XMp (ROM called Onyx).  There’s also some 2.2 based ROM’s on the xda site (a little searching will uncover them).

Here’s a few pics of the procedure.

One downfall of being an avid Android geek is feeling the inherent need to continually upgrade ROM’s and Kernels. In a never ending quest for speed and capability I’ve gone through at least 10 ROMs and 3 different kernels for my Samsung Vibrant.
My latest combination is the Bionix Fusion 1.1 ROM with JACs Overclocked (OC) / Undervolt (UV) Kernel and Voodoo LagFix.  Will this be my last flash?  Probably not, when the Devs come out with a better, faster, cleaner ROM I’ll be standing in line to download and upgrade.

Whether you’re looking to enhance your Android or Win smartphone with just a cool theme or if you’re adventurous enough to do a full ROM/Kernel change,  http://www.xda-developers.com/ will have something to suite your tastes.

Shot this nice panoramic view from my hotel room while staying at the Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of Oahu.
The built in feature of Android 2.1 comes with the standard camera app and seamlessly integrates up to 8 standard shots into one panoramic picture. You don’t do much more than click on the first frame, pan slowly across then click on the last frame (if using less than 8). It automatically senses the edge of each shot and takes the next.
The picture shown here was only 6 frames wide.

Here’s one I took that uses the full 8 frames

Not for me …. The very thought promotes an unsavory mental picture … but for my Samsung Vibrant. 

Having owned one for my G1, I was impressed by the durability and protection offered by these snap-on hard shell rubberized phone cases.  They were sturdy while the rubberized skin offered some padding for those inevitable drops as well as providing a great non-slip grip.  

Now I see that Body Glove is coming out with a similar shell for my Vibrant.   If the quality and fit is anything like that of the G1 case then I think this will be a great accessory to have.  Although the $30 price tag does give me reason to pause.

The Devs have been hard at work and are close to creating a stable Wifi Tether for the Samsung Vibrant.  You will have to root your phone first though.  I’ve been running the last 3 experimental versions and haven’t had a problem yet.

Note: Eclair (Android 2.1) already has a built-in usb tether capability.  But where’s the fun in that?

Recently been invited by Google to participate in beta testing of their new Android App Inventor software.  It’s a web based app developer that doesn’t require in-depth knowledge of Java, C or C++.

Quite a novel concept.  It’s based on visual blocks that are shaped liked puzzle pieces, each block represents a line of code or a statement.  Statements/pieces can only interact with other statements/pieces that “fit”.  For example:  A  <when – Button.Click – do> statement/piece, can be connected to a  <Call – Sound.Play> statement/piece.  So when a button is clicked a sound is played.

This is a great way to get kids (or newbies) to start programming, they can create apps by visually building them.  Statements that fit will lock together like puzzle pieces.

If you’d like to participate in the beta or would like to learn more click on over to the App Inventor site and request access.