Observations about iPod Touch - second week

• PROS
• Does not complain about being low on memory (great compared to my HTC 6800)
• Great to have robust offline mail and calendar client
• CONS
• Lack of easy access to a file system is annoying
• Mute in one step?
• Editing dates in Calendar is not user friendly for all-day events (day of week not displayed?)

iPod Touch 4th generation - first week

I admit it:  I succumbed to Apple and purchased the latest iPod Touch recently.  Why?  My 3-year-old WM phone is extremely unreliable (i.e. flaky) and the battery life is poor.  Why not an Android phone?  The best Android 2.2 devices are still limited in Canada at this time and I didn't want to compromise.  Why not an iPhone 4 then?  I still think the iPhone will have certain hardware and software limitations, which Android devices don't have, and for the features that iPhone is currently the leader, an Android device will soon come out that will surpass.  Also, I did not want to commit to an associated 3-year data/voice contract to subsidize a new smartphone's cost, at this time.

My retail buying experience was poor, with the local Apple stores sold out of the 8 GB model and their staff telling me to come in when none would be available by the time I arrived.  At the suggestion of store staff, I purchased online from Apple which I should not have done:  Seems that Costco recently started to sell the 4th generation iPod Touch and there it is a couple dollars cheaper and comes with Costco's 90-day return policy for electronics.  However, delivery from the Apple online store was prompt, the device arriving in a few business days after my order.   

This is the second Apple product I've purchased (first being an Mac Mini, which was returned).  Again the packaging is like gift wrap rather than the industrial-style sealed plastic bags other electronics come in (like when you are buying frozen fish).  Immediately on powering the device, I didn't like that the connection to iTunes is required before proceeding further.

Make no mistake, in general I find the slick user interface light-years beyond the WM 6 user interface.  Some might call it eye candy but much of the UI magic provides important cues to the user and the navigation is intuitive.  However, I have some criticism: 

• hardware lacks a four-way navigation control.  Most of the time this is not something missed but essentially it forces the user to have both hands free to use the device.  Situations where alternative hardware navigation controls would be handy [ ;-) ]:  if you're on a bus holding onto a handle, or have a drink in your hand at a party, or carrying a baby!  I don't expect Apple to ever add this as Apple aims to have a minimalistic hardware design outwardly
• Quicktime launched in Safari is a less touch-friendly media player than The Core Pocket Media Player (TCPMP) 
• In comparision to my old WM device, I'm very surprised to find that iOS is slow to suggest words (for auto-completion) while the user types  
• There should be an Undo or confirmation in the default Mail program to prevent unwittingly Trashing mail; sure, you can pull it back out of Trash but it's just too easy to accidentally hit the Trash icon

Some bugs I found in the first week of using device and corresponding fixes:

• Summary list of mail items is present (including preview text) but mail content stops appearing when go to a mail item
• Configure to sync multiple Google calendars but sync doesn't appear to work even after killing the Calendar process and re-starting.  Fix:  Search for a calendar item you know exists and it seems to kick-start the sync or refresh process

Listened to Windows Weekly 175: Wrong Again Monkey Boy

• Netcast
• Comparison between China (accelerating development) versus United States (slow moving, a has-been?) and Google/Android versus Apple/iOS.  
• Google's Android Market is a "wild west" experience compared to Apple's App Store which is curated, consistent, and overall, a higher-quality experience.  However, the advantage for Google is the pace of development and change
• Google's Android Market can be viewed as being like YouTube where anything goes until it is reported as abuse or violation

Waiting for next cool gadget (definitely not like waiting for prostrate surgery appointment)

While I continue to suffer with the battery life of my 35-month-old Windows Mobile smartphone and look forward to getting an Android 2.2 device, I find it interesting that although members of our society feels like they are caught in a rat race, simultaneously we cannot wait patiently for the next new device. 

For tasks that need to get done, weeks seem to fly by while we are preoccupied with other things or procrastinating.  Outside, in our backyard, vegetables and weeds alike grow bigger with each passing day.  My wife's tummy is getting bigger.  On the other hand, I have a hard time keeping on top of all the things that need to get done.  And therefore the launch date of the next cool gadget will be here sooner than we think.

Here's to Android 2.2 in Canada, here before I'm ready  :-)

Listened to TWiT 261: Abandon All HPOA

• Netcast
• Economics of privacy have changed.  Before it used to be becoming public (well known) was expensive: You were either Marilyn Monroe or a shmoe.  Now, to stay out of the lime-light (keep your personal details private), you have to pay extra or make an extra effort 
• Is the reason that Android phones are selling more than iPhones is that iPhone is still restricted to AT&T in the US?  And AT&T reception is relatively poor?  And that people are still locked into contracts with other carriers (that don't have the iPhone for their network)?
  

Listened to This Week In Google 54: Wave Bye Bye

• Netcast
• Potential malware in Android apps 
• Vulnerabilities in the Safari browser in the iPhone, iPod Touch, etc. that also enable jail-breaking
• Need for firewalls (controlling outgoing traffic) and UAC for these devices 
• A certification process for Android apps, paid by developers of apps
• As with so-called free applications available for Windows, Linux, etc., any type of code that is not from a trusted source is installed at your own risk.  An application may not wipe out your data but perhaps worse, it can send your data to malicious users for their purposes.  Code to be wary of include Firefox Add-Ins, GreaseMonkey scripts, etc. that may not normally be viewed as "applications"

Listened to net@night 161: Felicia Day

• Netcast
• Introduced me to Felicia Day, who appears on many lists for hottest geek girls (e.g. The Top 10 Girls Geeks Love).  She apparently was on Buffy.  
• Funny videos (Game On, Do You Wanna Date My Avatar) starring members of The Guild, a comedy web series
• Which led me to watch Episode 1 of The Guild which was quite funny.  Will watch another episode when I have time
• From desktop publishing to YouTube, computers and digitization has polluted the world with paper (by users that didn't know how to use computers properly) but more recently, also put into the hands of people the power to express themselves and share/broadcast professional productions out of their basements, home offices, and backyards