The View From Space

As noted in an earlier post I did a comparison of twitter apps  Twidroyd and Twitter for Android http://www.theviewfromspace.net/2010/06/twitter-for-android/

Now that I’ve had a chance to put both through the paces I’ve made a decision as to which one will be my working app.  The pros and cons noted earlier still hold for both so the deciding factor came down to speed and ease of use.  The winner for me was Twitter for Android.

Although there were definitely some features that I liked better in Twidroyd (like the bit.ly account inking), Twitter for Android came out ahead due to it’s faster updates and snappier screen refreshes.  Twidroyd appeared to clunk along when updating.  And once I got used to the Twitter interface it was much more intuitive than Twidroyd.  So while both apps perform their job admirably I’d have to give the nod to Twitter as I’m an impatient person and don’t like waiting around for my screen updates.  However, if you’re into tracking the traffic of  your bit.ly url’s  you should consider Twidroyd as it does allow you to link your twitter and bit.ly accounts.

Like The Mighty Casey in Mudsville, I’ve struck out in my search for a hard case for my Samsung Vibrant.  The only thing available at the moment is one made of soft silicone sold by T-Mobile.  Even though the basic model (Galaxy S) was released internationally a few months earlier I guess there’s enough of an external difference to make cases for each model unique.

So like the iPhone 4 early adopters  I’ll have to wait for the market to catch up.

I recently upgraded my 2 year old G1 to one of the latest Droid phones to hit the market, the Samsung VIBRANT.  I was in smartphone heaven.   Early on resisted the urge to blog about it for a couple of days to let the “new car smell” wear off.  Now I can take a good look at it and make some sensible evaluations of the phone itself.

Pros:

• It’s NEW (sorry couldnt resist)
• The 4″ AMOLED screen is simply captivating.  Personally, I’d put it on par with the iPhone’s Retina display.  Yes the iPhone’s display does look a little sharper due to it’s higher resolution but Samsung’s color replication has it coming in pretty close.  Both displays are absolutely mind numbing.  If you dont believe me, drop by a T-Mobile store and check out Avatar on one of their display units.  By the way my co-worker has an iPhone 4 and I’ve had a chance to look at both displays.
• This phone is LIGHT!  Weighing in at a miniscule 4.16 oz
• Android 2.1 (Elcair) installed with 2.2 promised.
• It looks like an iPhone 3G/3GS (although some may say its a negative)
• 5MP camera and the 720p video recording capability.  (WOW to the 720p video, the picture is sharp and the colors are vibrant… get it…)
• USB tethering built in.  So far havent gotten wireless tethering to work but devs are working on it and I envision it becoming available soon (Note 1:  Wireless tethering requires you to root the phone.  Note 2: I believe Verizon or Sprint offers wireless tethering for a fee, no root required only $$)
• Swype – allows you to enter words from the keyboard without having to lift your finger.  Once you get the hang of it you will rarely use the old hunt and peck method.

Cons:

• Bloatware put on by T-Mobile.  Although it doesn’t affect the performance it is a bit irritating as it cannot be removed by the average user.  One needs to root the phone and use an app called Root Manager.
• It looks like an iPhone 3G/3GS (although some may say this is a plus)
• This phone is LIGHT! Weighing in at a miniscule 4.16 oz (Sometimes it get’s a little precarious holding it and trying to text with one hand)
• There has been some noticeable lag when opening/closing some apps.  I got around this by rooting and using an app called minfreemanager.  It speeds up the opening and closing of apps.  So far so good.
• Like the iPhone 4 it’s so new that there aren’t any hard cases available.  There’s only a gel case that’s being sold by T-Mobile (ugh).
• While the video is great the audio is a bit oversensitive.  wind blowing pass the phone is picked up and sounds like a hurricane during playback.

Would I recommend this phone?  Absolutely!  Overall I can live with some of it’s shortcomings, and most of the cons could easily be pros depending upon personal preference.

Recorded this short video, vibrant and crisp colors.  Looks even better on the AMOLED 4″ screen.

What a difference a ROM makes.  Recently blogged about updating my G1 (HTC Dream).  Originally rooted and “updated” to a lower hacked version (1.5) which allowed access to things like WiFi tethering.

Well I’ve taken that to the next level and truly updated my OS.  This time to Android 2.1 (Eclair) using the hacks shown here.  It’s amazing what newer software can do for a handset that’s about 2 years old (archaic when dealing with smartphones).  The G1 is now snappy and responsive, opening and closing apps with little hesitation.  The original handset internal memory limitations are now overcome by utilizing the sd card as additional internal storage.   Now I can add apps to my heart’s content (or till the sd card fills up).

The biggest benefit for me was the ability to do WiFi tethering.  Eclair comes with built in USB tethering, great for a laptop but not so for an iPad.  Now I with Wifi tethering I can avoid using AT&T services for my iPad.

Is this something anyone can do?  Being a Geek my first inclination is to say yes.  However, looking back there were portions of rooting and flashing ROM’s that require one to have at least a rudimentary understanding of Linux and programming.  If you’re comfortable with computers and basic programming you’ll do fine.

Checking out the new (at least for me) Twitter for Android App.  Interesting interface, quite different from the iPhone.  

Pluses:

- Option to animate screen (floating clouds).  Nice little touch although I dont use it.

- Allows you options to sync your twitter friends info to your contacts list (All, only with existing contacts, or none)

- Home screen has up-to-the-second trending topics being posted

Minuses:

- No swiping, instead there’s a pull down menu that has the standard, reply, RT, etc buttons. 

- RT, it’s the new style that automatically RT’s once pushed.  To add comments you need to Share then select twitter.  Not sure if I like that.  Twidroid (my current twitter app of choice) offers you RT or RT with comment buttons.

- Min update interval is 5 min

- Exiting app removes sign in data and requires you to re-sign in the next time you open

- Although able to select bit.ly as url shortening service, no option to enter bit.ly API key to access account

For the time being I’ll be sticking with Twidroid.  Whether it’s because of familiarness or it actually outperforms Twitter for Android, I’m not sure.  Need more soak time on Twitter for Android before I can make a final decision.

If you’d like to download the app go to the Market on your Droid or visit this link

Now that the new iPhone 4 has been announced there will be folks standing in line for hours to grab one once it becomes available.  Me?  Nope.

I’ve found new life and capabilities in my aging G1.  Through various hacks I’ve been able to increase the internal memory and allow WiFi capabilities.  Talk about squeezing “you know what” from a stone.  Hardware wise the G1 can’t hold a candle to the new iPhone 4.  But amazingly it is a very versatile platform, and with the open source android OS there is much that is available to those that know how to access it.  Now, I haven’t programmed since I was in college, so I usually leave the heavy lifting to those that do it for a living or as a serious hobby.  I just leverage off their amazing work.
So I’ll be holding onto my behemoth G1 for a while longer, hoping to squeeze every last ounce of performance from it. And you know what? I’m pretty sure I’ve still got a ways to go…

My apologies, I’ve been semi off-line from twitter and blogging the past few days while flexing my rebellion muscles.

Now that AT&T has officially screwed over iPad customers with their “unlimited data” bait and switch tactics, many are looking for ways around AT&T’s misleading advertisements.  Earlier I wrote about evaluating a product called MyWi.  I recently purchased MyWi and have been using it to tether my iPad to my jailbroken iPhone on T-Mobile.  Problem?  Due to hardware limitations only Edge speeds could be achieved.  What to do?  Well I have a 3G capable G1 waiting in the wings.

So I went ahead and rooted my Droid G1 (akin to jailbreaking an iPhone).  This provides access to the Droid OS root and allows things like wifi tethering. Then found an app called Android Wireless Tether.  Right off the bat it worked seamlessly.  I now have a 3G WiFi connection for my iPad without having to kowtow to the AT&T behemoth.

Anyone need a jailbroken 2G iPhone?