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The gadget geek in me is jumping up and down, but so is the designer side of me. It’s very cool to read about and look at photos of past technology, crazy inventions, and (what were) futuristic ideas. At the same time, it is amazing to compare the designs from various dates such as 1874, 1940, 1972, and 2010. Design and the technology printing those designs was constantly changing as well. People were creating new ways to share ideas and information. Layouts changed from plain, standard column text to full page ads and articles with lots of photos and flexible regions of text.

Something that everyone should check out: Popular Science Archives

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Personally, I think it’s missing quite a few important systems/games, but it’s still an interesting timeline.

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Well, I’m in the group of tech geek Apple fans who can’t wait any longer for iPhone to end its AT&T exclusivity. As soon as the DROID reviews started coming out, I knew I had to have it. Luckily for me, my “new-every-2″ came up the day before the DROID release. That, paired with an online discount of $100 made it a sealed deal.

I was expecting much less than I got. First, advice to other buyers…never go by the in store models when it comes to the over all feel. I don’t know what it is, but the in store models never feel the same as the actual model that you buy. It was the same case with my Alias. When I felt the Alias, it felt flimsy and light. It also seemed like the hinge would snap easily. When I got the actual phone, it felt substantial with a strong hinge. It lasted me two years and still looks brand new. The same exact thing happened when I went in to see the DROID (after I had already clicked “checkout” online). It felt like a Zune, or some other plastic junk. When I received it in the mail, it was much heavier than I thought it would be. It was solid and sturdy. If you want to test a phone before buying…try to find someone who has one.

Yes, as I admitted in the first sentence…I’m am an Apple fan. I have been waiting and waiting for the iPhone to be added to Verizon’s offerings. There are rumors it might happen next year, but I am sick of waiting. I have been holding out for “the” smartphone. Given the reviews, DROID sounded like a solid phone.

As many reviewers said, yes, the camera is junk. But as they also said, it is most likely not the hardware, but the software that is the issue. I have a feeling this will be fixed soon because there are already rumors of a firmware update on the way. Other than that, my only other qualm with the phone is that the camera button is right in the same location where I would normally have my hand when holding a conversation. Every time I call someone, I feel my hand press down on the camera button. Luckily, it’s not a big deal because you have to press and hold the button and it takes a little time for the camera to start.

As far as interface and software goes, the DROID is different then the iPhone, but not in a bad way. It’s just different. I found myself trying gestures that the DROID just doesn’t recognize. It’s going to take a little while to get my iPod Touch motions out of my mind. As far as syncing goes, I have a Mac so the iPhone software syncs nicely with iCal, Mail, iTunes, etc. But I also use Gmail for my personal mail. I also sync my iCal and contacts to my Gmail accounts so making the move to Google Accounts on the DROID was a piece of cake. I can still use all of my Mac software and then have it sync as usual to my Google Accounts. When I go to use my DROID, the syncing with the Google Accounts is automatic and all of my changes are there as well.

The Android Market is nice, but missing a lot of key apps that I have gotten used to on my iPod Touch. Thing is…it’s relatively new. I’m sure everything that is missing will soon be added if Android phones take off as it looks they will.

The keyboard is nice, but not necessary. The on screen keyboard is more than adequate, especially if you’re used to the iPhone/iPod Touch keyboard. One thing that is nice that can’t be found on the iPhone OS is the suggestions as you type. Very convenient. Yes, they try to auto correct or suggest words as a little bubble, but on the Android OS, you get an actual scrolling list just above the keyboard from which you can quickly select words.

What else? The issue of the drag/drop media is not really an issue for me. I am not usually far from various music devices. If I’m not near anything, there are several apps on the Android Market, including Pandora and Slacker Radio. That’s more than enough to keep me satisfied.

Those were the major items that concerned me. If anyone is looking to buy one and has specific questions, feel free to ask. So far, I am more than happy with my purchase. I’d give it a 9/10 with a little room for the OS to grow. I can’t wait for the OS to reach the top of its game.

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The other day, I watched the trailer for the new game, Red Dead Redemption. It’s a Rockstar game that is set to be released some time this fall. From what I’ve read, it is basically Grand Theft Auto, but set in the West during the late 1800s. Usually I’m not into stuff set in the “old West,” but the graphics caught my eye right away. If the graphics are already that good in the trailer and it’s supposedly a huge, open world game from Rockstar, I couldn’t help but be excited. I posted it on Facebook and hours later I get the comment, “You spend so much time in worlds that don’t exist.” Of course it was a joke, not a jab or anything, but I started thinking about why I instantly felt like I had to defend myself.

I’m surprised that given what a digital world we live in, video games still receive such harsh stigma. I’ve loved video games since the first time I played the text game, Zork on our first computer, a tiny Apple II when I was 5. From there I went through several gaming systems including the Turbo Grafx 16, several Game Boy models, several Nintendo models, a Sega Genesis and every one of the Playstation models (PSX, PSOne, PS2, PSP, PS3).

I think the reason that I love video games so much is the challenge. I think another big part of the appeal is that it is the perfect blend of art and technology. Two things I’m very interested in. As time goes on, the challenges get harder and the graphics only get better. The art is no good if the programming isn’t smooth, but even that is making huge leaps. Last year produced some of the best video games I’ve ever seen (Little Big Planet, Bioshock, Metal Gear Solid 4, Grand Theft Auto 4, Fallout 3, SKATE, Burnout Paradise, Uncharted, etc.). This year is supposed to be even better. When you think about how much time and work goes into creating a game, I don’t see how anyone couldn’t appreciate it.

Even my uncle, who is a carpenter by trade, but a programmer in his spare time, appreciates the games. He can’t believe how much the quality of the games improve over just a few months. The worlds are becoming huge and the details are becoming much sharper. The highlights, the shadows, facial expressions, movement of plants in the wind, it’s all advancing at a crazy rate.

I think it’s funny to say that I “spend too much time in worlds that don’t exist” because I only ever have time to spend a few hours ever few months. Before last week, the last time I had saved my game was in the first week in January. That’s 4 months of not even touching a video game. And that’s my average. Every now and then I get into a game for a few days, for a few hours at a time, but that’s usually when I first get it. I’d love to spend hours playing and actually finish a game or two, but I don’t like to steal away from quality time with John, friends, or other family. And in no way do I believe the worlds exist or any of that. I’m not one that dresses up and goes to conventions or meetings or the like. For me, video games are amazing works of art that let my brain take a break while at the same time, making it work extra hard. Instead of bills and appointments and anything else, I’m thinking how to get to a checkpoint while avoiding disaster or in which order to complete quests, etc.

I also am extremely picky when it comes to games. If I play at someone else’s house or at an arcade, I don’t really care how bad the graphics are or how horrible the script is. It’s an entirely different case if I’m the one buying the games. If I’m going to play a game, I need to buy it. Renting just doesn’t do it for me because if I’m going to start it, eventually I want to finish it and I don’t like having a deadline over my head. If I’m going to buy it, it at to at least have an 9/10 if not 10/10 rating. Sometimes I give in if it’s 8.5 or 8.75 if little defects won’t really hurt the gameplay (like the Guitar Hero/Rock Band games).

Now I’ve tried things like Second Life and gaming online, but it gets old quick. I had a friend who played 1/3 of an entire year on World of WarCraft in college. Now that’s “living” in the world. I just like to visit. I am also someone who likes to game on my own. If people want to watch that’s fine, but if there’s some sort of puzzle or such, I want to tackle it. There’s no challenge in Second Life. It was very cool at first to see what people were setting up, but where’s the challenge? I’d rather get some mental stimulation from a game from time to time and spend all the time I can with friends and family, face-to-face.

I will always love video games. They will only continue to improve and they will only get more difficult. It’s a challenge that’s fun and entertaining and can be turned on and off whenever I like. If you’re skeptical, I suggest you give them a shot. And if you’re going to, at least pick a decent game on a decent system before judging it too quickly. I’ll guarantee that you’ll walk away with at least a tiny bit of appreciation.

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They tell us where to eat, how to find friends, when to make a left turn.

Oh, and they can also make a phone call.

What a great starting set of lines. It’s so true. With the dawn of the Apple App Store (and subsequent app stores), you really can get software that perform almost any function that you need at any given time. What, you don’t have Midomi? Even then it’s only a few clicks and problem solved. You can find restaurants, keep track of expenses, make calls, text, update Twitter, check sports scores, etc. all from your cell phone. I think what’s even more impressive is that these services aren’t even limited to Apps on a smartphone. There’s numerous services you can sign up for that let you access information without even having a smartphone, just by using simple SMS (text messages).

I think I could live without my phone, my computer, etc. pretty easily for a set amount of time, but being the gadget freak that I am, I’d start to feel withdrawals within a few days. I have been in the habit lately of trying to avoid plugging in my computer on the weekends (unless I have a job deadline). I also try not to use it too much at night. During those times though, I find that I still have to check my email, Twitter, etc. I just use my iPod Touch. I think it’s a good compromise. I do not own a iPhone or other smartphone (although I may update this Summer). I find that I can achieve a perfect balance between my cellphone (Samsung Alias with flip QWERTY keyboard), my iPod Touch, and my laptop. I use my laptop most days, for the majority of the day. When I’m not “plugged in” I use my cellphone’s SMS capabilities on the go or my iPod Touch if I happen upon a wireless hot spot or in my apartment.

If I don’t need wireless, I prefer my iPod Touch. I keep track of my expenses, track notes, play games, write drafts of blog entries, listen to music, etc. If I need to say, update my Twitter, Facebook, Netflix Queue, etc. and I don’t have wireless, I can easily do all that and more from my cellphone via SMS. I could “live without” my phone, but I certainly wouldn’t want to.

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1. Top 10 Social Networks For Entrepreneurs – Mashable
2. Self-healing polymer advance could mean scratch-free iPhones – Ars Technica
3. The Elements of Social Architecture – A List Apart
4. A Group Is Its Own Worst Enemy – Clay Shirky’s Writings About the Internet

Useful Apps/Sites:

1. Project Dragonfly “…experimenting in real time with your ideas in 2D and 3D… ”- Autodesk
2. Path Finder “The Mac OS X file browser with moxie.” – Cocoatech
3. MacJournal “Mac journaling and blog software” – Mariner Software
4. Blip.fm – Be a DJ Online (listen to different music online)
5. XPenser.com Track personal expenses (by SMS, email, etc.)
6. Dial2Do.com Access different services via cellphone (voice commands)

Exciting Tech News:

1. iPhone OS 3.0 – http://bit.ly/OvdwI
2. iPod Touch 2g Jailbreak – http://bit.ly/h00Gn
3. Google Voice – http://bit.ly/DcmXa
4. Sirius XM iPhone App – http://bit.ly/aYGMY

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Part III – Boxee – Right now, Boxee is a good app for those who have a Mac, or perhaps AppleTV, but I’m not sure it’s quite there yet for Windows/Linux users. It’s getting a lot of coverage lately so I’m going to cover it in this series.

Boxee, unlike the options in the previous post, is freeware based off of the opensource XBMC media center. Unless you’re simply going to run Boxee off of your Mac, it take a little bit of installation procedures to get it working on another system. Here’s a few links to those installations here:

1. MacOSX Installation
2. AppleTV Installation
3. Linux Installation
4. Windows Installation (USB Patch – Windows still in development)

Boxee is simply huge. It will pick media from your computer or give you various options of where you want to look for media including the web. Built-in, Boxee streams from services such as Joost, Last.fm, ABC, CNET, CNN, CBS, Hulu, Comedy Central, YouTube, MTV, Flickr…and sooooo many more. From music to photos to television and movies. If it’s accessible to your computer/internet connection, you can watch it through boxee.

Recently there has been talk about Boxee offering a set-top box in the future.

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Recently, I downloaded the public beta of PlayOn. With this installed on your PC, you can access any number of shows from CBS, ESPN, CNN, Hulu, YouTube, and in the works, content from Netflix. You can purchase the beta for $30, but for now, I’d hold out to see if they add Netflix. The trial lasts for 60 days. My guess is if enough people catch on, they’ll have Netflix up and running before the next two months is over…especially with everyone expressing the same thoughts in blogs and comment threads. Very cool though. Only thing I’m thinking is putting together or getting a cheap PC to stream from so I can use my laptop while watching content. The stream gets a little jumpy when I run too much else while PlayOn is running. Other than that, it’s pretty cool.

NOTE: At first, the beta kept giving me an error that the files couldn’t be found, etc. etc. For anyone who might run into that problem, they sent me a link to a fixed beta and now it works just fine. It seems to only happen on certain machines.

When I was reading blogs listing PlayOn, many comments suggested getting TVersity, a free app that streams conent. It’s pretty useful, but unlike PlayOn’s Hulu streams which feature full-length episodes, TVersity, as far as I can tell, pretty much only pics up clips of episodes. Basically, you can see the same sorts of stuff that you can get on Miro and such…podcasts, RSS video feeds, miniclips, YouTube clips, etc.

What else…all my songs, videos, photos, etc. are backed up on an external drive which show up nicely in the PS3′s XMB. Now, I can view videos from the drive on our TV. I have a Mac so I hadn’t bothered to look for media hub type solutions, but with NullRiver’s MediaLink I can easily see my iTunes playlists instead of having to download my songs from the external drive and then go about ordering songs into playlists. Doing that will all my music would fill up the PS3′s whole drive in no time. Instead, with MediaLink, I can easily see and play all of my playlists without having to copy the media. Same goes for photos and iPhoto.

Finally for now, there’s the beautiful looking PlayStation Network Store. Easily to navigate. My only qualm with the store is that not all of the content has previews. At least, for the most part, people post videos of most games on YouTube somewhere. I’ve downloaded several of the PSClassics (PSP/PS3), demos, themes, videos, and PS3 games. They all work seemlessly. And with my PSP and Remote Play, I can view most content from anywhere I have a wireless signal.

PlayStation = Beautiful Hardware. Simple as that.

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