Captivate vs. iPhone: Ease of Use

To start off the ease of use discussion, I'll mention that I had been using an iPhone for a few weeks and had gotten used to how an iPhone worked.

At first, I had trouble getting used to the iPhone interface. It took me about three days to feel more or less comfortable with it. I still had trouble figuring out some of the settings, but for the most part, it has a very clean interface and is easy to use. Apple does a very good job of just making things work.

Switching to an Android-based phone, I felt clueless again. It took me about a week to feel relatively comfortable with the phone. (Part of this was my e-mail setup, which will be covered in a later post.) I'm still finding settings I didn't know were there. Google has done a great job of making sure their services just work. It's everything else that you want to do with the phone where the complexity starts.

There is one ease of use point where the Captivate beats the iPhone: notifications. Rather than having a notification pop-up on the screen and having to deal with it right now, the Captivate has a notification area. It displays an icon (or multiple icons) at the top of the screen. A simple flick of the finger and you can see your notifications.

In short, the iPhone has a much better "it just works" Mac OS feel. Android feels more like using a really polished Linux machine or a combination of Linux and Windows. Apple clearly wins this category. It should be noted that different phone manufacturers modify Android. The Captivate ships with Samsung's TouchWiz user interface.

This is the third in a series of posts. You can find the first article here.

Domino's Pizza new "delivery status tracker" is a great idea. Shows you where things are in the process.

Domino's Pizza new "delivery status tracker" is a great idea. Shows you where things are in the process.
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Captivate vs. iPhone: Overall Design

I mentioned in my previous post that while some felt the plastic feel of the Captivate was too light, I prefer having a lighter phone, though to be fair, the Captivate is only 0.3 ounces lighter than the iPhone. I was not able to get a good feel for how heavy the iPhone 4 was due to it being cabled to the stand at the AT&T store. The Captivate has a sleek looking design that some have compared to the older iPhones at a quick glance. The phone can slip easily in your hand, so I recommend getting a soft case. I bought the Body Glove Clear Soft Shell Case though I wish my local AT&T store had a case with a belt clip.

While the iPhone does boast a higher resolution display, the bigger, 4" AMOLED display on the Captivate is beautiful. It is nice and bright, though in limited full sun use, it was hard to see. Part of this could be due to the default settings of dimmer the screen as needed.

The mini-USB port is at the top of the phone. My last phone (as well as the iPhone I tested) plugged in at the bottom. That has taken a little getting used to. Samsung included a nifty feature when the mini-USB port is not in use. Rather than leaving the port open or having a rubber flap that tends to break, they have a plastic sliding cover. In theory, it was a good idea. In practice, I tend to forget to close it. It also takes a little extra shove to open completely. The one big flaw with the mini-USB port is that it does not use a standard mini-USB plug. This is a bummer as I have a number of mini-USB cables. It was nice having one plugged into my docking station and another in my bag.

The power button is on the side of the phone. Both my last phone and the iPhone I tested had the power button on the top. This isn't a problem, but I find that I'm still having trouble quickly turning on the phone.

I love that the iPhone 4 has both a front and rear facing video camera. This was a big draw for me. The Galaxy S, which the Captivate is based off of, has both video cameras. Sadly, AT&T did not have Samsung include the front facing camera in the Captivate. I suspect that it was to give the iPhone exclusivity in this department, at least for AT&T phones.

Overall, I prefer the look and feel of the Captivate to the iPhone 4. Previous iPhones are a closer call for me. The bigger screen of the Captivate ultimately wins in my opinion, even over the front facing camera due to the fact that the screen is used all of the time whereas the front facing camera is used for limited applications.

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Why I Chose the Samsung Captivate

I recently took the plunge and signed up for two more years with AT&T. I had been using the HTC Wizard and was long overdue for a new phone. I needed a smartphone and it had to be on AT&T due to the shared-minute plan I am on. My original plan was to get either a BlackBerry for its great e-mail and notification capability or an iPhone because of the great apps. I assumed that I would end up with a BlackBerry because it had a physical keyboard.

To help determine if an iPhone was right for me, I borrowed a friend's iPhone 2G. Unfortunately I could only keep my $30 unlimited data plan by going straight from my current phone to a new phone so I used the iPhone in WIFI only mode.

It took me a few days to a week to get used to the virtual keyboard. If it weren't for Apple's error correcting, it would have taken much longer. I was definitely much better in landscape mode, but still not as fast as with a physical keyboard.

After playing with a number of free applications and determining that the virtual keyboard would be good enough, I realized that my decision was between having the notifications of a BlackBerry along with the ability to tether for free and having a great mini computer that had an okay e-mail program. I wanted to get the iPhone, but I was torn.

It was at that point that I started looking into Android. With Android, I could get some of the same (or similar) apps as the iPhone. I also had the openness to install any application I wanted without rooting or jailbreaking my iPhone, which I refused to do. Android phones exist with all major U.S. carriers, so I would have the ability to keep my apps and switch providers, if I desired. I was intrigued.

My choices switched to the iPhone or the Samsung Captivate. I had the ability to play with the Captivate before it was available for sale. I also played with the iPhone 4. While some feel that the Captivate is too light, I enjoyed the feel of it much better than the iPhone 4. In fact, I enjoyed the feel of the iPhone 2G better than the iPhone 4. The bigger screen on the Captivate also helped typing on the virtual keyboard.

After much thinking and research, I settled on the Captivate despite the lack of the front-facing camera. I still wish AT&T had included it, but the openness of the Android platform (both apps and carriers) as well as the integration with Google swayed me.

I picked up my phone the day it came out. While I've had some issues with it, I still think it was the right choice. Stay tuned for more on my experience with the Samsung Captivate.

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Wise Words

How Romantic

"Amazon Remembers" has a sense of humor

"Amazon Remembers" is a service of the Amazon iPhone App, where you take a photo of an item that you might want to later buy from Amazon.Com (or which you want to price-compare) and a human being will look at it and find a match (or something VERY close) on their website.

This is what I sent:


This is what the "Amazon Remembers" user recommended.


Clearly, NOT a Phillies fan. :-)

CT Town Legalizes Ice Cream Trucks

When you think about the various threats to our way of life, what do you think of? Terrorism? Drugs? Silly Bandz? I am guessing nowhere in your list is the humble Ice Cream Truck. In fact, typically it is a staple of the childhood experience - the saccharine-sweet jingle sounding from its speakers, the stampedes of hungry kids clamoring for a rocket pop, the parents looking on sadly knowing their waistlines can't withstand another sugary assault until swimsuit season is over.

But for Stratford, CT - a neighboring town to two Mod-Bloggers - Ice Cream Trucks have been illegal for 27 years. Why? No one seems to know. Perhaps someone in 1983 feared Communists were attempting to undermine America with doctored fudgesicles. Either way, we're glad to see the law is being repealed and "pop goes the weasel" will soon be playing in Connecticut neighborhoods again.

Took the words right out of my mouth

From Real Life Comics.

They're So Punny

From Sheldon Comics.

Share the Road.Org

I posted a few weeks back that Connecticut is not a good place to bike.  The fact is, riding the trails is great, but the issue is riding the roads.  For years, cyclists have tried to get the CT DOT to improve roads, create bike lanes, and put programs into place to increase awareness among drivers.  I have one friend who has faced irate/aggressive drivers here, who has been run off the road no less than a dozen times.  (One time, by a soccer-mom who saw it as her civic duty to "teach him a lesson" that bikes were not allowed on roads.)

Finally, Connecticut is starting to get serious about cyclists and encouraging bikes as alternative transport.  To that end, they have created a new website which collects the rules of the road, and reiterates the important principles for cars and bikes to share the road.  Combined with an bus-ad campaign, hopefully this will make it better to roam on two wheels in the Constitution State.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from The Bike Nomad

Briefcase-toting Commuter Bike

One of my dreams is someday to have a job where I can bike to work.  (Unless I get the dream job where I can work from home full-time, maybe on the Great American Novel.)  But for now, that would be a 33 to 40 mile ride each way - not really doable twice a day, every day. But for millions, biking to work is not only a good idea but a way to save money and stay fit.  

A problem which has plagued work-riders for years has been the question of what to do with your briefcase.  A whole industry of backpacks, messenger bags, saddlebags, and hybrid bags have sprung up around this problem.  But what if you could simply slot your briefcase into the bike itself?  One company dared to dream, and made it a reality!  I wonder if they have a Camelbak pack fit for hot coffee, too?

Posted via email from The Bike Nomad

Did we need Amazon Prime?

A Glimpse Into Russia

The dealings with the spy ring recently have given us a good view of what is going on inside of Putin's Russia. In particular this piece about Anna Chapman is very telling. Not so much for the spy talk, but rather for what the Duma has become, and what life as a Russian looks like under the reign of Vladimir Putin.

Rather than politicians, the Duma is now increasingly being filled with celebrities (and at least one terrorist) meant to help enforce the positive image of Putin, the man who now clearly has almost sole power over all of Russia's decisions.

How depressing that Russia has sunk to this. It is such a far cry from the hope for true progressive freedom that so many Russians held when I was last there, ten years ago. It was said at that time by many that Russia needed a benevolent dictator who would guide the country through the intial years of progress. So many areas of Russian life were so chaotic at that point. Sadly, with Putin's record it seems they recieved the dictator, but not the benevolence.

Court strikes down FCC ban on unscripted profanity

One things TV does NOT need more of, it is profanity. Slowly, networks have been allowing more profane images onto their screens and have been flirting with adding profane language as well in the service of "realism" or "gritty feel." During the George W Bush years, the FCC got very aggressive, especially after the so-called wardrobe malfunction. But now a 3 judge panel in NY has overturned FCC rules against profanity in "unscripted" events. This is likely to free to networks to allow any level of profanity at events like award shows.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals did not have the power to strike down the 1978 Supreme Court decision that affirmed the FCC's right to police the airwaves for objectionable content. But it reversed the aggressive stance the agency took starting in 2004 that found even a slip of the tongue that got by network censors was a violation subject to fines for the stations that aired it.

The court said that policy on so-called fleeting expletives was "unconstitutionally vague" and created a "chilling effect" on the programming that broadcasters chose to air. The court echoed complaints from network executives that the FCC's standards were nearly impossible to gauge, noting that the agency allowed the airing of the f-word and s-word in broadcasts of the World War II movie "Saving Private Ryan" but not in the PBS miniseries "The Blues."

What I want to know is what an "unscripted event" entails. Specifically, how does this ruling affect reality TV shows like SURVIVOR which technically are unscripted, but are all over the airwaves?

Not even this could make me ride the NYC subways

Haven't had any time to fact-check this...

...against scripture or history, but I find this illustration to be fascinating. It is one artist's conception of the universe as understood by the ancient Hebrews, purely off of Old Testament scriptures.

This would have scared me silly as a kid

And I'd still have loved it!

New Comic Discovery - Mal & Chad

Definitely worth a look, in the tradition of Calvin and Hobbes. Check it out! No login required.

Randomness - Baseball Dogs

Nothing profound here. Just ready for break from World Cup Mania.

Star Wars on your GPS

I'm not a big fan of TomTom GPSes, but this is GREAT.

Folding Bike as a It's Own Lock?

I love bikes and love folding bikes most of all.  So I was fascinated by this idea, pointed out to me by Keswick Cycle.  Essentially, a bicycle engineer has designed a folding bike that wraps around a pole or bike rack, and allows you to secure it with a minimal locking mechanism.  Then, when you're ready to go, you use a ratchet to lock it back into place for secure riding.

Brilliant!  If I were a bike lock company, I'd buy the design today either to patent it and build it, or to get it off the market ASAP.

Posted via email from The Bike Nomad

iMovie for iPhone

Not bad for a first try. Melodramatic fish are always a good test.

Privacy in our Brave New World

I played for World of Warcraft for quite a while and enjoyed it greatly. Some of the people who were in various guilds with me, I still keep up with through occasional emails even. But I was always careful about the information I gave out, being aware of the risks of information security in our day and age. One feature of WoW has always been a fairly unpleasant experience on the forums. Trolls and flamebaiting are the norm. Most players simply don't bother to post there unless it's necessary or they really enjoy 1)trolling or 2)yelling at trolls.

However, Blizzard has just announced that in order to combat the forum trash, they are going to be using a new RealID system which will no longer allow you to post as one of your toons, but rather will put your name on every post. As in, your real life full name.

This has set off quite a storm as many argue that this is clearly setting up for all kinds of trouble. Privacy issues abound with many worrying about what information others might get, what ramifcations are possible, and even what this means for female gamers who are already stalked on occasion by zealous players. The biggest argument that those for this change have put forward is that you really can't get much of anything from just a name. Enter the poor Blizzard employee who volunteered his full name, assuring the masses that nothing was wrong with the system. The information gathered on him in only 5 minutes should serve as a warning of the power of the internet.

Sadly, most of the Gen-Y types who have grown up on Facebook and Myspace seem to have no concept of just how much information about them is available and how it can be used against them. In this instance, I want to say "Eh, it's a game." But it's more. It's a mentality that allows access to information that strangers have no business having. This poor Blizzard employee, who closed the thread after too much information about him was posted, is undoubtedly wishing he could take back that post. Anyone who cares now knows his entire family, address, phone number, pics of him, as well as several traffic violatations he has committed. And all from giving a name out on a forum.

I know we live in a world where it's more and more difficult to maintain privacy. But the willingness of so many to give others such power over them is truly saddening to me. Again, Wow is just a game. But if we are willing to let our privacy erode like this just to play a game, then how much will we be willing to let it slip for things that really matter to us? How much more will we compromise?

Yes, the bar IS that low nowadays

Happy Birthday, Nomad!

All of us here at Mod-Blog would like to wish Nomad a very happy birthday.

Thanks for all of the great posts and for being a great friend.

(Photo by Stéfan at http://www.flickr.com/photos/st3f4n/4053190473/)

Giving the Golden Retrievers Equal Time

A Dachshund Learns to Dive!

Sad but True

Sung to tune of "America the Beautiful". From Townhall.Com.

Let's leave the nuclear fireworks in the Past

Happy Independence Day!

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. --Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.

He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers.

He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature.

He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states:

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing taxes on us without our consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury:

For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses:

For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies:

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:

For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.

Gulf Oil Spill drives Southerners to the Jersey Shore

It may have been inevitable as BP and the Federal Government have fiddled while the Gulf of Mexico has been fouled by the oil spill. Southern tourists who would normally vacation along the afflicted shores of the Gulf are seeking other destinations. And many are headed for the Jersey Shore. This is good news for New Jersey tourism, but may be extra-bad news for Gulf towns whose only real economy is serving tourists.

Local tourism officials can't provide hard numbers, but cars from Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and other states below the Mason-Dixon Line appear to be in greater supply at the Shore this summer.

"I'm hearing a lot more southern accents this year," said Susan Martin, a reservations manager at the Golden Inn in Avalon. "And I just love the sound of it."

There has been an increase in the number of Southerners booking rooms, Martin said. They don't say why they are coming, she said, but many have identified themselves as first-timers.

The newcomers are finding their way largely on their own, say those in the tourism industry. New Jersey this year eliminated its national multimillion-dollar Shore promotional campaign, leaving resort towns complaining even before the gulf disaster about their inability to compete with rivals such as Ocean City, Md.

"Pre-existing Condition" Plans began July 1

"ObamaCare" has begun as the requirement for states to offer alternative plans to anyone denied health insurance for a "pre-existing condition" went into effect. If you need health insurance and are in this boat, check out the healthcare.gov website to see what your state offers. For example, my home state is offering a plan to anyone uninsured more than 6 months and unable to get coverage.

Why Microsoft killed the T-Mobile Sidekick

Prior to the iPhone, the best SmartPhone for someone who didn't need Outlook access was arguably the T-Mobile Sidekick. It provided excellent cloud capabilities (all contacts, calendars, photos, etc. were synced auto-magically) back when "the Cloud" was still conceptual to Microsoft and Apple. It was a good phone with strong battery and antenna. It had an excellent screen, a unique design, and an excellent hard keyboard. And it had the cheapest unlimited data plan out there, appealing to low-end users. Then, it was bought by Microsoft who promptly let the servers die, losing customer data, and then turned it into the Kin. Which they promptly killed, in favor of Windows 7 phones.

Why did Microsoft buy such a valuable piece of technology and then abandon it? Insiders claim it was a combination of factors: (1) the psychotic obsession with making every operating system a branch of Windows (pushed by the release by 18 months), (2) the internecine squabbling within the Microsoft mobile division amongst managers, and (3) a complete lack of actual vision for what the behemoth wants to produce for a phone.

Overall, it appears that Microsoft simply never saw the Apple/Google SmartPhone revolution coming. So, every move in the last 3 years - Windows Mobile 6.X, the Windows Phone 7 announcements, the Sidekick/Hiptop/Kin moves, the Microsoft Courier project - are all signs of panic as they try to figure out how to proceed and who to copy. Expect more casualties in the months ahead.

Rest in Peace, Sidekick. You will be missed.