Sunday, September 28, 2014

C'mon Google

Don't you love the new Google Drive? It's got a fresh look and easier to navigate.

Google's support article says "The new Google Drive is the same Google Drive you know and love..."


Don't believe everything you read on the Internet.

Our organization is a big user of Google Drive. Tonight I was uploading a new version of a PowerPoint to Google Drive. I was using the new Google Drive. I couldn't find the "Manage revisions" option.

Hmmm. Well there's a setting to "Leave the new Drive" so I tried that.

What do you know, there's the "Manage revisions" option.


I must have just been looking in the wrong place in the new Google Drive.

Nope. It's gone. "Please note that viewing and managing revisions is only available in the classic version of Drive at this time."


C'mon Google. Don't push us to new services without them being functionally complete.

Don't even get me started on "My Maps."

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Deja Vu All Over Again

My VoIP journey has been a long one. It actually hasn't been very painful, just long. And my wife loves the results. Google Voice has done a wonderful job blocking telemarketers and sending the transcribed voicemails to our phones via e-mail is a hit.

However (and you knew there'd be an "However"), Google has made it more "interesting" than necessary.

In a brief recap, my goal was to move off of AT&T for $50 per month onto VoIP for way less. I chose to use Google Voice on an Obihai OBi100. All of that worked great until Google pulled the plug on XMPP that Obihai used. I inserted Vestalink (ne OBiVoice) and that worked pretty good. I had 2 family members whose incoming calls were always choppy. The workaround was to give them the direct Vestalink DID number.

Then in a sweeping transformation of Google Voice, it seems that Google and Obihai kissed and made up.

The move back couldn't have been easier or smoother. I left Vestalink in place for E911 but I'll probably look at it again when my annual contract comes up for renewal.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

iPhone 6

If I'm anything, I'm NOT an Apple fanboi.

And the Android aficionados are giving Apple heck over the iPhone 6.


But still, there's a lot of innovation in the iPhone 6.

It has 128 gigabytes of flash memory. One Hundred and Twenty Eight Gigabytes! Enough for my daughter's pictures. Nice job.

Apple finally implemented NFC tap to pay. But in Apple's manner, it's not just the run of the mill tap to pay. Apple tokenized the entire transaction and used their TouchID as a second factor. Mechanically in the store it's pretty much the same as Google Wallet but under the covers it's much cleaner. Nice job.

And it has just been discovered that the iPhone 6 has hardware h.265 encoders for use by FaceTime. This will reduce the bandwidth required for over the air video by 50% while not reducing quality. Nice job.

I'm still not going to buy one.

Sunday, September 07, 2014

OnePlus One Doesn't Add Up

I saw my wife staring at her iPhone 4S the other day. I asked her what she was doing. She was reading an e-book on the Kindle app. Lord help her eyes!

This rekindled (pardon the pun) my quest to move her to Android. The new OnePlus One seemed like a good idea: big, fast, pretty, CyanogenMod ...


So I went to eBay and bought an invitation. Currently you can only get the black 64GB model.

It came in a couple of days. I had already been talking it up to her. She wasn't excited but didn't push back.

When it got here it was a different story. She didn't want to transition from iOS.

I knew what was good for me so I let the OnePlus One sit there for a few days. Still no movement.

I posted that I had one for sale on eBay, Google+, Twitter, and Facebook. I got a nibble from a former co-worker who had been playing with one at work.

We worked out a deal and we swapped phones - the OnePlus One for an unlocked 16GB iPhone 5S.

Seemed perfect.

Until she saw it. Her reaction was "The screen is so small." After I climbed down off the ceiling ...

The transition was easy. Well, as easy as anything is that involves iTunes. AT&T was very helpful giving me a new nano-SIM without activating it. Then when I was ready I just called them and it worked. Thanks!

I haven't exposed her to TouchID yet. LTE and 5GHz 802.11n are both nice. And it's light and thin.

DeviceApple iPhone 4SApple iPhone 5SOnePlus One
DESIGN
Device typeSmart phoneSmart phoneSmart phone
OSiOS (7.x, 6.1, 6, 5.1, 5)iOS (7.x)Android (4.4.4, 4.4) CyanogenMod 11S UI
Dimensions4.54 x 2.31 x 0.37 inches (115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm)4.87 x 2.31 x 0.30 inches (123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm)6.02 x 2.99 x 0.35 inches (152.9 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm)
Weight4.94 oz (140 g)3.95 oz (112 g)5.71 oz (162 g)
Body materialGlassAluminium
DISPLAY
Physical size3.5 inches4.0 inches5.5 inches
Resolution640 x 960 pixels640 x 1136 pixels1080 x 1920 pixels
Pixel density
326 ppi326 ppi401 ppi
Technology
IPS LCDIPS LCDIPS LCD
Colors16 777 21616 777 21616 777 216
TouchscreenMulti-touchYesMulti-touch
FeaturesLight sensor, Proximity sensor, Oleophobic coatingLight sensor, Proximity sensor, Oleophobic coatingLight sensor, Proximity sensor, Scratch-resistant glass
CAMERA
Camera8 megapixels8 megapixels13 megapixels
FlashLEDDual LEDDual LED
Aperture sizeF2.4F2.2F2.0
Focal length (35mm equivalent)35.00 mm
Camera sensor size1/3.2"1/3"1/3.06"
FeaturesBack-illuminated sensor (BSI), Autofocus, Touch to focus, Digital image stabilization, Face detection, Geo taggingBack-illuminated sensor (BSI), Autofocus, Touch to focus, Digital image stabilization, Face detection, Burst mode, Digital zoom, Geo tagging, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), PanoramaCMOS image sensor, Autofocus
Camcorder1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps)1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps), 1280x720 (720p HD) (120 fps)3840x2160 (4K), 1280x720 (720p HD) (120 fps)
FeaturesDigital image stabilizationDigital image stabilization, Picture-taking during video recording
Front-facing camera0.3 megapixels VGA1.2 megapixels5 megapixels
HARDWARE
System chip
Apple A5Apple A7 with 64-bit architectureQualcomm Snapdragon 801 8974-AC
Processor
Dual core, 800 MHz, ARM Cortex-A9Dual core, 1300 MHzQuad core, 2500 MHz, Krait 400
Graphics processorPowerVR SGX 543MP2PowerVR G6430Adreno 330
System memory
512 MB RAM1024 MB RAM3072 MB RAM
Built-in storage64 GB64 GB16 GB
BATTERY
Talk time14.00 hours
Stand-by time8.3 days (200 hours)
Talk time (3G)8.00 hours10.00 hours
Stand-by time (3G)10.4 days (250 hours)
Capacity1570 mAh3100 mAh
Not user replaceableYesYes
MULTIMEDIA
Music player
Filter byAlbum, Artist, Genre, PlaylistsAlbum, ArtistAlbum, Artist, Playlists
FeaturesAlbum art cover, Background playbackAlbum art cover, Background playbackAlbum art cover, Background playback
SpeakersEarpiece, LoudspeakerEarpiece, LoudspeakerEarpiece, Stereo speakers
YouTube playerYesYesYes
INTERNET BROWSING
BrowserSafari
Built-in online services supportYouTube (upload)YouTube (upload), TwitterYouTube (upload), Picasa/Google+
TECHNOLOGY
CDMA
800, 1900 MHz
GSM850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
UMTS850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz
FDD LTE700 (band 13), 700 (band 17), 800 (band 18), 800 (band 19), 800 (band 20), 850 (band 5), 900 (band 8), 1700/2100 (band 4), 1800 (band 3), 1900 (band 2), 1900 (band 25), 2100 (band 1) MHz700 (band 17), 1700/2100 (band 4), 1800 (band 3), 2100 (band 1), 2600 (band 7) MHz
TDD LTE2300 (band 40), 2600 (band 38) MHz
DataHSDPA 14.4 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, EV-DO Rev.ALTE, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, GPRSLTE, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS
Micro SIMYesYes
nano-SIMYes
Positioning
A-GPS, GlonassGPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioningGPS, A-GPS, Glonass
NavigationYesTurn-by-turn navigationYes
CONNECTIVITY
Bluetooth4.04.04.1
Wi-Fi802.11 b, g, n802.11 a, b, g, n, n 5GHz802.11 a, b, g, n, n 5GHz, ac
Mobile hotspotYesYesYes
USBUSB 2.0YesUSB 2.0
ConnectorProprietaryProprietarymicroUSB
FeaturesUSB chargingUSB chargingMass storage device, USB Host, USB charging
OtherTV-Out, Computer sync, OTA syncTV-Out, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA syncNFC, DLNA, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync
OTHER FEATURES
NotificationsMusic ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, SpeakerphoneMusic ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, SpeakerphoneHaptic feedback, Music ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone
Additional microphone/sfor Noise cancellationfor Noise cancellation, Video recordingfor Noise cancellation
SensorsAccelerometer, Gyroscope, CompassAccelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Fingerprint IDAccelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass
Hearing aid compatibilityM4, T4
OtherVoice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recordingVoice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recordingVoice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording
AVAILABILITY
Officially announced04 Oct 201110 Sep 201323 Apr 2014
SHOPPING INFORMATION
AccessoriesApple Earphones with Remote and Mic, Dock Connector to USB Cable, USB Power Adapter, DocumentationApple EarPods with Remote and Mic, Lightning to USB Cable, USB Power Adapter, Documentation
MSRP price$ 299