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.

The long awaited Android 2.2 FROYO update for T-Mobile’s Samsung Vibrant is finally here… for some.
Althought the update is “readily” available to all via the quirky Samsung Kies Mini PC app, it is not currently available through an OTA (Over The Air) push.  There are a few issues I see with this rollout to “all”

Issue #1: How many of you out there know how/where to get the Kies app?

Issue #2:  I guess the first question should have been how many of you out there even KNOW what the Kies app is?

My point exactly.  The only ones who can tell you what Kies is and where to find it are the geeks who have already been flashing their phones (for all you normal people out there, Kies is software provided by Samsung to flash software updates to their many products).

Issue #3:  It ONLY works on PC’s.  So all you MAC and Linux users, sorry you’re SOL.

While technically T-Mobile is correct in saying that they’ve rolled out the Android 2.2 Froyo update for Vibrants, they’ve done a disservice to their average user. The majority of those who know about Kies have most likely flashed their phone with a custom 2.2 ROM and have no need of the upgrade. The vast majority of users probably won’t upgrade until Tmo comes out with an OTA that makes it a 1 button install.

It’s an unfortunate situation in which many customers bought the unit early on with the promise that the Vibrant would receive the FROYO upgrade as soon as it came out or shortly thereafter.  What this delay and “limited” release does is sour many of the first adopters to purchasing these phones as soon as they hit the market.

The next time it’s going to be a lot harder for them to shake loose the $$ from my hands.  I’m predicting that many will wait until the manufacturers and service providers start offering sweetheart deals in order to get rid of inventory, I know I will.

Installed the ZAGG maximum protection shield on my Vibrant 3 days ago. Here’s some thoughts on the product.

Price: The full body protection unit was $20 at Sams Club. About what I’d expect.

Ease of installation: Overall it was easier than I expected. It comes with all the necessary installation materials: solution, squeegee & cleaning cloth. The only dislike I had was the tiny instruction sheet. The print was way too small.
In fact due to my cock eye, I initially installed the back film crooked. Even after a day it was easy to remove, reset the position and lock in place.

So after allowing the film to dry for 4 days I find that the back is fairly smooth, while the front still shows some orange peel. The instruction says to allow up to 5 days for all the minor imperfections to smooth out, will give it another day our do to see how it sets.

As far as usability goes, the front screen is just as responsive as without the protector. Though it is slightly tackier than the glass, but that may be due to the film still setting.

In the area of protection, I haven’t intentionally taken my keys to my screen yet, but the back does feel firmer and overall the phone does feel a bit stronger (the stock plastic back really feels flimsy without the film).  In fact the manufacturer claims that it is scratch proof (see video below).  Also, if you do manage to damage the film they will replace it free.

Recently installed an app called Double Twist on my Vibrant. This allows you to wirelessly sync your Android phone to your iTunes library.
What it consists of is 2 apps on your phone (double twist airsync which is currently $0.99 on the Android Market for the first 10,000 downloads, regularly $4.99. And a double twist player, $Free) that syncs with a free Double Twist app that you install on your computer.
The computer app not only hooks into your iTunes library but into any HD that’s currently attached to your machine.  It has a familiar iTunes looking interface which allows you to select playlists, videos and podcasts for syncing to your phone.

The phone interface is straightforward and easy to use/understand.  The first thing you’ll need to do is enable your phone’s WiFi so that it turns on and off along with the app (Settings section).  This allows you to pair your phone to your computer via a private code generated by the phone app.  Syncing is easily accomplished by selecting what playlist/video/podcast you’d like then hitting the sync  button.  Presto it sync’s via WiFi.  No need to atach your USB anymore (unless you’re recharging).

One limitation is that it will not transfer any DRM locked items.  So if you didn’t iTunes Plus some of your older content you wont be able to sync it to your Android.

Having flashed a custom Froyo (Android 2.2) ROM onto my Vibrant, I was now giddy with excitement over the new capabilities my phone inherited with the new software.  WiFi Calling, WiFi hotspot (although I already had this installed), FFC support, plus a host of other improvements.

The ROM, called Onyx (like the gemstone), is based on a beautiful black setting.  This was flashed on top of the stock 2.2 kernel.  Unfortunately it’s been found that the stock RFS format on the Vibrant can become corrupt.  To overcome this I flashed a custom kernel call Dragon.  What this does is avoid RFS entirely by formatting the entire system as ext4.  This is not only much more reliable than RFS, but is much quicker in terms of I/O.  As such it has been used in a lagfix called Voodoo.

So now my Vibrant is running much quicker and smoother than it ever could on the stock system.  A dragon with a black onyx.  What a potent combo.

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.

Okay so the FFC camera has arrived.  Time for my camera pre-op.  I wonder if I should have it sign a release waiver.