North49th http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com Most recent posts at North49th posterous.com Tue, 18 Jan 2011 07:42:24 -0800 Canadian carriers continue to fleece for data roaming http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/canadian-carriers-continue-to-fleece-for-data http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/canadian-carriers-continue-to-fleece-for-data
I'm taking my family to South Carolina for holidays this year and thought I would look at options with my cellular carrier for US Roaming.  I'm with Bell Mobility.  Turns out the options for data...suck!  They aren't "kinda high" or "a bit steep" or even "that could add up", they just downright suck.

Bell would be charging me $6 per MB for data use in the US.  To put that in perspective, each photo from my phone would cost about $2 to upload.  Since I will be on vacation that would kinda add up a bit, wouldn't it.  MobileJaw.com loads up at around 200k, so I could read 5 articles for $6 but a site like PhoneDog.com is just under 1MB, so to go there and then read 1 article it would cost me about $10-$12.  OUCH!!!

Of course, Bell, in there infinite gratuitous nature offer a wonderful deal.  I could pay $10 upfront and only pay $1/MB.  That still means it will cost me $2 to read an article on PhoneDog multiplied out by a number of sites and a week of doing so...ya.  Normally I would use about 230MB in a week on my cell, which would be $240...at best!

Before you defend Bell saying they have to pay charges to whichever carrier I am roaming on give yourself a shake.  Bell would have worked out a deal that is ridiculously low from roaming partners.

BTW, Bell isn't alone here; TELUS and Rogers are just as guilty, with Rogers looking to be the best option.  With Rogers you can prepay $60 and get 75MB ($0.80/MB).

A better option for data is to get an AT&T SIM card and load it up.  The SIM will cost you $25 and then $20 for 100MB but that is still $15 cheaper than the best Canadian carrier option.

The best option is to always find free WiFi but that isn't always the most convenient one.  Carriers need to stop fleecing for roaming.

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1148119/IMG_1757.JPG http://posterous.com/users/eK4vlzCflv Darren Humphries Darren Darren Humphries
Mon, 17 Jan 2011 06:37:36 -0800 Is the @Techcrunch and @Engadget drama for real? http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/is-the-techcrunch-and-engadget-drama-for-real http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/is-the-techcrunch-and-engadget-drama-for-real Recently there has been some back and forth between Techcrunch founder Michael Arrington and Engadget Chief Editor, Joshua Topolsky.  It's a wonderful drama with Arrington accusing Engadget of buying ads to increase site traffic (gads!) and trying to derail the acquisition of Techcrunch by the parent company of both sites, AOL.

Business Insider seems to be running a lot of coverage on this school yard fight, trying to call us all out at recess to watch the slap-fest.  While it may be mildly amusing to watch these step brothers duke it out I can't help but wonder if any of this is orchestrated. We really haven't heard anything from AOL and they don't seem to be stepping in to stop the fight.

While this may not be something that was cooked up in an AOL boardroom perhaps it is something they are allowing.  The truth is that this public rivalry is drawing attention to both sites...even if it is in a tabloid kind of way.

Personal opinion; Michael Arrington knows what he is doing and has cooked this up to draw attention to Techcrunch (and himself).  Engadget just has never seemed like the type of site to bother with this kind of bickering, while Arrington is...Arrington.

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1148119/IMG_1757.JPG http://posterous.com/users/eK4vlzCflv Darren Humphries Darren Darren Humphries
Wed, 27 Oct 2010 06:33:00 -0700 Palm marching out a happy half dozen? http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/palm-marching-out-a-happy-half-dozen http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/palm-marching-out-a-happy-half-dozen

Newpalms

 

PreCentral says that 5 to 6 new devices are planned for 2011.  That's a pretty safe assumption either way since HP has already said they will put newly acquired WebOS on a number of new products and in different form factors.

My guess is that after the Pre 2 we will probably finally see a slab-styled device like the Samsung Galaxy S phones with a virtual keyboard and large screen.  From there a slate, which has already been rumoured and discussed, followed by...who knows what!  An updated Pixi will show up, but not too sure where strategy will put that in the mix, timing-wise.

All told, it will be an interesting year for WebOS in 2011, whether that means profitability and long term success, who knows.

 

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1148119/IMG_1757.JPG http://posterous.com/users/eK4vlzCflv Darren Humphries Darren Darren Humphries
Thu, 01 Jul 2010 08:04:00 -0700 Receiving my second Microsoft MVP Award! http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/receiving-my-second-microsoft-mvp-award http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/receiving-my-second-microsoft-mvp-award

I just got an email to let me know I will be receiving a Microsoft MVP Award (Windows Phone) again this year!

The MVP Awards are given out by Microsoft in recognition for contributions to the technical community in educating and assisting others within a particular product category.  I'm honoured to be recognized two years in a row.

While the KIN did not fair well I am sure Windows Phone 7 will.  Either way, the next 12 months are going to be exciting with continual advancements from the top mobile platforms vying for our attention.

Mvp

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1148119/IMG_1757.JPG http://posterous.com/users/eK4vlzCflv Darren Humphries Darren Darren Humphries
Sat, 12 Jun 2010 10:00:00 -0700 Reporters That Don't Know Tech... http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/reporters-that-dont-know-tech http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/reporters-that-dont-know-tech

For the love of God!  If you are a reporter and write about technology PLEASE learn about it!!!  If you don't write about technology but are mentioning it, do your blame homework.

 
I hate to say it, but there are MANY reporters that look down their collective nose at bloggers.  They feel we are unprofessional and perhaps are sometimes correct (I'm a hack).  But reporters are far more sloppy with details that many bloggers.  Here's a nice example:
 
Virgin Mobile Canada has just announced availability of the HTC Legend and the Montreal Gazette was covering Richard Branson's visit to Canada:
 
Branson said he travelled to Montreal to see the Virgin-sponsored team race, and to unveil Virgin's new phone - the HTC Legend, Virgin Canada's first foray into smartphones.
 
 Errr...what?  Virgin Mobile Canada has carried smartphones for some time now including the Blackberry Bold 9700, a couple of Curves and Pearls, not to mention the Apple iPhone!
 
Please, if you haven't a clue about technology at least get someone geeky to show you that new site called "Google" or kindly ask them to look it up for you. Better yet, ask them to write it up for you.  Someone like...your local blogger!

 

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1148119/IMG_1757.JPG http://posterous.com/users/eK4vlzCflv Darren Humphries Darren Darren Humphries
Mon, 07 Jun 2010 10:57:52 -0700 My Biggest iPhone 4 Letdown http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/my-biggest-iphone-4-letdown http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/my-biggest-iphone-4-letdown I was really expecting Apple to go virtual with the newest version, the iPhone 4.  This would have allowed you to access your virtual iPhone from any computer.  You no longer need to carry the phone!

Well, maybe they'll announce the iPad 24inch!

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1148119/IMG_1757.JPG http://posterous.com/users/eK4vlzCflv Darren Humphries Darren Darren Humphries
Mon, 31 May 2010 09:31:40 -0700 My New Favourite Thing To Do With Smartphones! http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/my-new-favourite-thing-to-do-with-smartphones http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/my-new-favourite-thing-to-do-with-smartphones There are a TON of things we can do with our smartphones including; emailing, messaging, surfing, gaming, and so much more.  But of all the things I can do with my phones my new favourite is to take pictures.

With all of the phones I have used to date a few of them have had pretty decent cameras.  With 3 kids it's VERY handy to be able to snap photos with my phones, especially since I always carry them (the phones, I mean).  Some of the stand-outs for picture quality have been the Samsung Omnia, LG Eve and my current phone, the Palm Pre.

I'm really loving the camera on this Pre!  While it's only 3 megapixels it really is true that it isn't about the pixel count, but the pixel quality. :)  Of course, as you zoom in on a digital picture you are going to notice the difference between higher and lower resolution but how often do we realy need to do much of that?  It's about having clarity and good colour saturation with images on a screen, so a resolution of 4000 x 3000 really isn't going to be crucial.

Here are a few shots (I think I've already posted here) that are decent examples of the Palm Pre's camera.  Let me know your thoughts.

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1148119/IMG_1757.JPG http://posterous.com/users/eK4vlzCflv Darren Humphries Darren Darren Humphries
Sun, 23 May 2010 12:26:15 -0700 My Battery OCD http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/my-battery-ocd http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/my-battery-ocd Battery life needs to improve with most smartphones!  Sure, we all know that but I had to just add my 2 cents.

I don't know about you but I'm just slightly over the top worrying that I have lots of battery life.  If my phone gets to 50% I start to panic and look for a plug. In fact, I almost always have a charger with me...or a backup phone. :)

Today was the day for my Dad to go into surgery and I knew I'd be at the hospital for a long time.  Since my personal phone is a Palm Pre (which happens to have horrible battery life) I had to make a decision on whether to bring a charger or a backup phone. 

It's crazy I have to even consider this but it's the reality with far too many smartphones.  Battery tech REALLY needs to improve and phone makers need to do more in OS design to address this.  Old news, I know, but it's still a problem, so I still get to complain. ;)

I decided to just bring the HTC Hero with me as a backup as it actually does VERY well at stretching the battery.  I figured bringing a cord would still mean having to find a plug and waiting for the phone to charge.  

The Pre is now at about 25% and my battery OCD is kicking in.  Time to break out the Hero...to save my day, as it were.

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Wed, 19 May 2010 19:10:28 -0700 Another Palm Pre Pic http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/another-palm-pre-pic http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/another-palm-pre-pic
Cimg0033


Very nice colours from the camera on the Palm Pre.

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1148119/IMG_1757.JPG http://posterous.com/users/eK4vlzCflv Darren Humphries Darren Darren Humphries
Fri, 30 Apr 2010 12:14:48 -0700 Thoughts On Text Entry on my Smartphones http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/thoughts-on-text-entry-on-my-smartphones http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/thoughts-on-text-entry-on-my-smartphones Today on my way to lunch I thought of an article I wanted to write (not this one) just using one of my phones.  I had two phones (details on that in a second) with me, was considering which I would use and decided pretty quickly to scrap it.  Neither one was going to be easy enough to use to crash out any length of article.

I suppose I could back off that statement a tad, but it won't be by much.  Yes, I could have used either phone to create the article content.  Both have software keyboards with some level of error correction but neither does a particularly good job of it.  More phones all the time are using software keyboards and you would expect the experience to be better than it usually is. (grammar alert!)

The first phone I'll mention is the Samsung Omnia.  Yes, this is getting rather old at this point, but it's one that I like to use occasionally and one I had with me today.  It is a Windows Mobile 6.1 device with an on-screen keyboard.  The Omnia is generally a decent phone and fairly snappy but entering text is actually quite painful.  It's the one greatest reason why I put this phone back in the drawer for 2 or 3 months at a time.  The error correction is just not effective which means that for every line of input I have to correct WAY too much.

The other phone with me today is the HTC Hero, and it is much, much better for text entry.  The screen is capacitive, which does help a lot but it's the error correction that really makes a difference. Unfortunately, it isn't perfect and has enough hiccups to cause me to avoid long content.  The keyboard will occasionally lag and then cause the wrong character to be entered.  The only way around this is to type slowly...which is obviously a problem.  The error correction seems to be very good but that lag completely gets in the way of doing any serious typing.

While I am not generally a proponent of iPhone I do have to say that is does text entry quite well.  I have an iPod touch and don't have a problem at all in creating posts on it with its software keyboard. Apple error correction is almost magical; its not perfect but compared to most everything else it doesn't have to be.

Perhaps some of the new Android devices are much better, such as the HTC Incredible or Nexus One, but the Hero just doesn't cut it.  Windows Mobile may not fair so well.  A friend (name withheld to protect the innocent) has an HTC HD2 and while he loves the phone overall he is surprised that the text entry is not so great; not even up to the HTC Hero standard.  With its massive screen you would think it would be far more forgiving and easy to use, but not so.

Hopefully we will see the next gen of devices do better for text entry.  Clearly it isn't impossible, so why are some companies struggling with it?

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1148119/IMG_1757.JPG http://posterous.com/users/eK4vlzCflv Darren Humphries Darren Darren Humphries
Wed, 21 Apr 2010 16:46:14 -0700 Engadget Outs the Dell Lightning WP7 slider! http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/engadget-outs-the-dell-lightning-wp7-slider http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/engadget-outs-the-dell-lightning-wp7-slider
Delllightning

Look at what Engadget just posted:

It is the Dell Lightning, a Windows Phone 7 device with a beautiful portrait slider.  LOVE the look of this!!

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1148119/IMG_1757.JPG http://posterous.com/users/eK4vlzCflv Darren Humphries Darren Darren Humphries
Mon, 12 Apr 2010 07:39:52 -0700 Buying Out Palm? Hang on to that Tail! http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/buying-out-palm-hang-on-to-that-tail http://darrenhumphries.posterous.com/buying-out-palm-hang-on-to-that-tail The biggest challenge any company is going to have in buying out Palm is going to be convincing the executive team they are no longer in charge.  Well, I suppose this would be taken care of in negotiations but then the challenge is going to be to get the board to agree to a buyout and to convince them it isn't a merger.

This'll be an interesting story to watch.

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1148119/IMG_1757.JPG http://posterous.com/users/eK4vlzCflv Darren Humphries Darren Darren Humphries