... And the day came when I found myself without any kind of mobile connectivity, unable to make a simple phone call. For those who wonder, it feels like being out without glasses. Or pants.
The long story short, by noon I was signing papers at a Verizon Wireless joint in a mall.
During the months that preceded such an unprecedented event I periodically harassed Verizon and Sprint representatives that can be found in quantities in my whereabouts. I would routinely shake one of my Google-dispensed phones before their faces and ask them for the best deal in town.
Surprisingly, it didn't play out with Sprint. Wherever I went I got the same lame answer - Google or Shmoogle, you need a 2-year contract with us.
It was hard for me to imagine myself having quite a few free and unlocked phones and being on a long term contract with a carrier at the same time.
Two weeks forward. I'm enjoying my good ol' Droid and writing this blog post. I'm on month-to-month contract with Verizon free to leave any time. My Picasa Web Albums are in the gallery again and I can reliably type complex passwords.
Is EVO better than Droid? In some respects. Is it worth the 2-year commitment to Sprint provided you have options? I don't think so.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
EVO vs Droid
For the past few weeks I've been enjoying HTC EVO 4G that Google lightheartedly passed out to all 5000+ participants of Google I/O during the conference. I've been comparing it with Motorola Droid that Google carelessly passed out to all 5000+ participants of Google I/O before the conference.
For those who reads the news from the bottom, I'm strongly considering the switch to Sprint.
The nitty-gritty comparison details are below.
Call Quality
I use Google Voice and it works well on both phones.
Coverage
No substantial difference in the parts of Washington, DC area where I dwell.
4G
For many, me included, it's a marketing gimmick as 4G coverage is not widely available yet.
3G
Same speed on average.
Operating System and User Interface
Droid comes with a stock 2.1 Android while EVO rocks HTC Sense. I found Sense to be buggy(er) that the stock version. The most annoying thing is EVO routinely "forgets" it has an SD card, the only workaround being to reboot the phone.
The stock Android 2.1 Gallery application comes with Picasa integration baked in so that you can access your Picasa albums right from the Gallery. Sense's gallery replaces that with Flickr and kinda breaks the smooth Google experience.
The built-in Sense widgets look nice and work as expected most of the time. Some of them, such as Weather widget, lack functionality while others, like Calendar, don't behave as expected.
The integrated Clock application that includes the timer and the stopwatch among other things is definitely a plus.
7 home screens of Sense are something that I've yet to feel a need for but the home screen overview via pinch zoom-out is a nifty feature that I use a lot for no reason.
More often than not I wish I could replace Sense with the stock Android and remove much of the bloatware that comes pre-installed on the phone.
Hardware
Even through EVO boasts 1GHz processor (vs Droid's 600 MHz one) I don't see eye-popping difference in the performance of the two phones under my typical usage pattern.
8 megapixel camera with 720p recording works as advertised and is probably the best camera I've seen on a smartphone. Auto-focus is fast and in many cases focuses correctly in a wide range of distances. With my Droid I have to manually select macro mode for close-ups.
720p video looks good for a smartphone and can be viewed in HD on YouTube with a fair amount of pleasure. The 3gp format is problematic for non-linear editing but QuickTime Pro does the basic job of cutting and gluing.
Overall I find the camera to be one of the most compelling reasons for using EVO.
Screen
EVO's 4.3" screen is gorgeous. Large and clear. Easy to tap on correctly. You'll enjoy it.
Keyboard
We all know that EVO doesn't have a physical keyboard. It happened to be less of a problem than I originally thought though. One of the side advantages of a big screen is you can tap-type on it with fewer mistakes reasonably fast. The virtual keyboard that comes with Sense is tangibly better that the stock Android one. Auto-correction works well in many cases. You have to look at what you "typed" though - sometimes you are up to surprises.
The auto-correction somehow does not apply to search and some other input-heavy areas and there I found a lot of room for improvement of my thumb-typing skills.
The Looks
EVO is an eye-candy. Designed after iPhone, it's basically perfect.
Conclusion
I'm sitting on the fence and looking at EVO's territory. Two more weeks to go before the final decision is to be made.
For those who reads the news from the bottom, I'm strongly considering the switch to Sprint.
The nitty-gritty comparison details are below.
Call Quality
I use Google Voice and it works well on both phones.
Coverage
No substantial difference in the parts of Washington, DC area where I dwell.
4G
For many, me included, it's a marketing gimmick as 4G coverage is not widely available yet.
3G
Same speed on average.
Operating System and User Interface
Droid comes with a stock 2.1 Android while EVO rocks HTC Sense. I found Sense to be buggy(er) that the stock version. The most annoying thing is EVO routinely "forgets" it has an SD card, the only workaround being to reboot the phone.
The stock Android 2.1 Gallery application comes with Picasa integration baked in so that you can access your Picasa albums right from the Gallery. Sense's gallery replaces that with Flickr and kinda breaks the smooth Google experience.
The built-in Sense widgets look nice and work as expected most of the time. Some of them, such as Weather widget, lack functionality while others, like Calendar, don't behave as expected.
The integrated Clock application that includes the timer and the stopwatch among other things is definitely a plus.
7 home screens of Sense are something that I've yet to feel a need for but the home screen overview via pinch zoom-out is a nifty feature that I use a lot for no reason.
More often than not I wish I could replace Sense with the stock Android and remove much of the bloatware that comes pre-installed on the phone.
Hardware
Even through EVO boasts 1GHz processor (vs Droid's 600 MHz one) I don't see eye-popping difference in the performance of the two phones under my typical usage pattern.
8 megapixel camera with 720p recording works as advertised and is probably the best camera I've seen on a smartphone. Auto-focus is fast and in many cases focuses correctly in a wide range of distances. With my Droid I have to manually select macro mode for close-ups.
720p video looks good for a smartphone and can be viewed in HD on YouTube with a fair amount of pleasure. The 3gp format is problematic for non-linear editing but QuickTime Pro does the basic job of cutting and gluing.
Overall I find the camera to be one of the most compelling reasons for using EVO.
Screen
EVO's 4.3" screen is gorgeous. Large and clear. Easy to tap on correctly. You'll enjoy it.
Keyboard
We all know that EVO doesn't have a physical keyboard. It happened to be less of a problem than I originally thought though. One of the side advantages of a big screen is you can tap-type on it with fewer mistakes reasonably fast. The virtual keyboard that comes with Sense is tangibly better that the stock Android one. Auto-correction works well in many cases. You have to look at what you "typed" though - sometimes you are up to surprises.
The auto-correction somehow does not apply to search and some other input-heavy areas and there I found a lot of room for improvement of my thumb-typing skills.
The Looks
EVO is an eye-candy. Designed after iPhone, it's basically perfect.
Conclusion
I'm sitting on the fence and looking at EVO's territory. Two more weeks to go before the final decision is to be made.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Google I/O Aftermath
Last week I was fortunate to attend the Google I/O event in San Fransisco. Now when the emotions are settled down there's a chance to have a sober look at what happened and what effect it might have on us and the software industry.
The central place at the conference - its "booth" was located right in the middle of the second floor - took Android. Coincidentally the pivot of the second day keynote was also Android. At 100,000 new device activations a day the platform is no longer something to sneeze at. Android 2.2 Froyo was one of the few things that were announced and released during the event.
Another manifestation of the growing strength of Android is the fact that Google bets its new Google TV initiative on it. Yes, all those computers that we customarily call TVs are going to run the operating system with the green robot logo.
What was strangely missing from the keynotes was Chrome OS. My reading is either it's totally not ready for anything (though they did screw up the Google TV demo with a straight face no problem) or there's a change in the wind blowing high in the executive ranks. After Google Phone initiative was suddenly dropped I wouldn't be too surprised to see Chrome OS going out of business and Android taking its place.
Quirky and fragmented as it is, Android is making its way into our lives. If you are a developer you might want to jump on the bandwagon - there's still room and it's going to get big.
The central place at the conference - its "booth" was located right in the middle of the second floor - took Android. Coincidentally the pivot of the second day keynote was also Android. At 100,000 new device activations a day the platform is no longer something to sneeze at. Android 2.2 Froyo was one of the few things that were announced and released during the event.
Another manifestation of the growing strength of Android is the fact that Google bets its new Google TV initiative on it. Yes, all those computers that we customarily call TVs are going to run the operating system with the green robot logo.
What was strangely missing from the keynotes was Chrome OS. My reading is either it's totally not ready for anything (though they did screw up the Google TV demo with a straight face no problem) or there's a change in the wind blowing high in the executive ranks. After Google Phone initiative was suddenly dropped I wouldn't be too surprised to see Chrome OS going out of business and Android taking its place.
Quirky and fragmented as it is, Android is making its way into our lives. If you are a developer you might want to jump on the bandwagon - there's still room and it's going to get big.
Friday, April 9, 2010
How to Upgrade Spring Security 2 to Spring Security 3
The short answer is you have to plunge into it head first.
The Problem
You have a working Spring Security 2.0.x setup and want to upgrade to the latest as of the time of this writing version 3.0.x. You did a (re)search on the Internet and found basically nothing. You are puzzled.
The Solution
You are not gonna like it but you have to get your hands dirty, figuratively speaking, and make it happen the hard way.
Now when I'm done with the upgrade I keep asking myself the same question. How comes the supposedly best-of-breed enterprise-class software breaks backward compatibility in such an intricate, outrageous, in-your-face way?
Understandably Spring Security is the only game in town for the security-heavy shops on the EJB-less enterprise bandwagon. This is a classic vendor lock-in scenario in its uglier manifestation. A (re)design decision made by a few talanted developers is going to reverberate in the enterprise for years.
The enterprise is obsessed with compatibility and continuity. How can I recommend Spring Security to my next enterprise client with a straight face?
The Problem
You have a working Spring Security 2.0.x setup and want to upgrade to the latest as of the time of this writing version 3.0.x. You did a (re)search on the Internet and found basically nothing. You are puzzled.
The Solution
You are not gonna like it but you have to get your hands dirty, figuratively speaking, and make it happen the hard way.
- Remove the old libraries and drop in the new ones. You gotta get a lot of red in your IDE.
- Make the red go away. The 3.x distro contains a file named class_mapping_from_2.0.x.txt. It can save you a search or two.
- Update your Spring Security config files so that the schemaLocation ends with spring-security-3.0.xsd. If you have a validating XML editor you'll get a fair amount of red wavy lines right away.
- Make the red go away. Refer to Security Namespace Configuration section of the manual.
- If you happen to use an IDE that understands Java code in JSP pages, such as MyEclipse, hunt for the red there and exterminate it. Otherwise proceed to the next step.
- Deploy your application. It'll blow up. That's OK. Have a look at the log. There was a lot of shuffling of the properties (defaultTargetUrl etc) among various classes between versions 2 and 3. Move the offending properties in your SS config file as needed.
- Your application should now deploy fine. Run it and see if it bombs. It it is it may be because you didn't do a good job at step 5. Now you should have a good indication of where to look at. Have a look and resolve.
- If you made it this far you are done. Congratulations!
Now when I'm done with the upgrade I keep asking myself the same question. How comes the supposedly best-of-breed enterprise-class software breaks backward compatibility in such an intricate, outrageous, in-your-face way?
Understandably Spring Security is the only game in town for the security-heavy shops on the EJB-less enterprise bandwagon. This is a classic vendor lock-in scenario in its uglier manifestation. A (re)design decision made by a few talanted developers is going to reverberate in the enterprise for years.
The enterprise is obsessed with compatibility and continuity. How can I recommend Spring Security to my next enterprise client with a straight face?
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Don't Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth
In the rightful effort to disseminate the up-to-date Android technology Google has embarked on something officially called "device seeding program for top Android Market developers".
ActionComplete has been steadily approaching the 50000 downloads mark and has an average rating of 3.97 so here I am playing with a new toy.
Google couldn't go the straight way and decided to introduce an element of surprise by pseudo-randomly sending out Nexuses and Droids. It feels like developers in the US got Droids while other developers got Nexuses.
The Droid I got came with a complimentary one month of free Verizon service, both voice and data. A very smart move as that was the only way for them to make me try the Verizon network.
By now I've already used around 10 days of that free month and can report the initial findings.
The Phone
Fast. Functional. I always try to come up to a triad... This time it's going to be a dynamic duo.
I realized why it has that sunken chin. That's the only place where you can safely hold the phone in landscape without hitting the touch-sensitive buttons. Even with that in mind I still touch them a lot in very inappropriate moments. I'm yet to figure out why I keep sending empty emails now and then.
Oddly enough, the keyboard is less convenient than that on G1. The upper row is quite close to the slid-out top of the phone and you end up touching it a lot with your thumbs. The buttons are almost flat and the press response is minimal.
The good part is the phone is fast. And very functional. You can actually do what you are supposed to be able to and it usually works as advertised. You can get the directions to your lunch destination before you arrive there. You can view house prices in Zillow application for Android while driving at 40 mph. Believe it or not, but Droid in fact Does.
Which logically brings us to the the next review item - the network.
Verizon touts itself as the best network in the States (who doesn't?). Here in DC it might well be the case. The data network is always in 3G mode wherever I am. The connection is fast and reliable. The maps load promptly as you drive, voice-assisted navigation works well most of the time.
To keep its network fast Verizon puts some restrictions in place that are not typically found on other networks. You can't upload a video over 3G - it'll sit in the queue until you get a Wi-Fi connection.
The Conclusion
I found my attraction to the phone growing with every single day. Maybe it'll even become my primary phone after the free honeymoon is over. Who knows?
ActionComplete has been steadily approaching the 50000 downloads mark and has an average rating of 3.97 so here I am playing with a new toy.
Google couldn't go the straight way and decided to introduce an element of surprise by pseudo-randomly sending out Nexuses and Droids. It feels like developers in the US got Droids while other developers got Nexuses.
The Droid I got came with a complimentary one month of free Verizon service, both voice and data. A very smart move as that was the only way for them to make me try the Verizon network.
By now I've already used around 10 days of that free month and can report the initial findings.
The Phone
Fast. Functional. I always try to come up to a triad... This time it's going to be a dynamic duo.
I realized why it has that sunken chin. That's the only place where you can safely hold the phone in landscape without hitting the touch-sensitive buttons. Even with that in mind I still touch them a lot in very inappropriate moments. I'm yet to figure out why I keep sending empty emails now and then.
Oddly enough, the keyboard is less convenient than that on G1. The upper row is quite close to the slid-out top of the phone and you end up touching it a lot with your thumbs. The buttons are almost flat and the press response is minimal.
The good part is the phone is fast. And very functional. You can actually do what you are supposed to be able to and it usually works as advertised. You can get the directions to your lunch destination before you arrive there. You can view house prices in Zillow application for Android while driving at 40 mph. Believe it or not, but Droid in fact Does.
Which logically brings us to the the next review item - the network.
Verizon touts itself as the best network in the States (who doesn't?). Here in DC it might well be the case. The data network is always in 3G mode wherever I am. The connection is fast and reliable. The maps load promptly as you drive, voice-assisted navigation works well most of the time.
To keep its network fast Verizon puts some restrictions in place that are not typically found on other networks. You can't upload a video over 3G - it'll sit in the queue until you get a Wi-Fi connection.
The Conclusion
I found my attraction to the phone growing with every single day. Maybe it'll even become my primary phone after the free honeymoon is over. Who knows?
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
iPad First (and Last) Impression
In this post entitled starting with a lower case letter I'll talk about my first impression about the device that purportedly is the future of computing - iPad.
The best way to get a hands-on experience with the new Apple toy is to head to one of your local Best Buys as they tend to be less crowded than Apple Stores.
In my mind I was picturing an iPad as a laptop-screen-size device so it took me a while to find the demo stand featuring those puny things. The tablet is smaller that you might think it is.
But hey - it's not something to be upset about. It weighs way more than you expect! Take a 700-page book and you know what an iPad feels like in your hands.
The browser seems to be fairly limited even for what it officially supports, which does not include Flash.
The screen has a netbook-like resolution of 1024 x 768, which sits somewhere on the border between a smartphone and a computer, and does not always displays web applications correctly. Native applications have a clear edge over web applications on iPad - they generally look nicer and perform better.
I had high hopes that iPad would be a great device to run rich Internet applications... I have high hopes Chrome OS will give rise to great devices to run rich Internet applications.
The best way to get a hands-on experience with the new Apple toy is to head to one of your local Best Buys as they tend to be less crowded than Apple Stores.
In my mind I was picturing an iPad as a laptop-screen-size device so it took me a while to find the demo stand featuring those puny things. The tablet is smaller that you might think it is.
But hey - it's not something to be upset about. It weighs way more than you expect! Take a 700-page book and you know what an iPad feels like in your hands.
The browser seems to be fairly limited even for what it officially supports, which does not include Flash.
The screen has a netbook-like resolution of 1024 x 768, which sits somewhere on the border between a smartphone and a computer, and does not always displays web applications correctly. Native applications have a clear edge over web applications on iPad - they generally look nicer and perform better.
I had high hopes that iPad would be a great device to run rich Internet applications... I have high hopes Chrome OS will give rise to great devices to run rich Internet applications.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Sexier than iPhone, Tougher than Droid
This year's CTIA Wireless trade show saw not one but two smartphones poised to eclipse the current market leader iPhone.
Both Samsung Galaxy S and HTC Evo 4G are beautifully designed devices harnessing the full power of Android 2.1 platform. The design of both phones is clearly inspired by the target rival, which is just fine.
Hardware of either device is top-notch and beats iPhone hands down. 720p HD recording, front-facing camera, 1GHz processor... You name it and it's likely there.
On the software front both Samsung and HTC decided to go with a custom user interface overlay on top of a stock Android. The customizations seem to be well thought out and add to the charm of the devices. The downside is most likely you'll have to forget about upgrading to the latest Android versions when they become available.
Integration with major social networks such as Facebook and Twitter is baked into either device.
Both phones seem to be "Google experience" devices meaning that all the good stuff from Google you come to expect from an Android phone such as Google Maps/Navigation, Gmail, Calendar, and the like is going to be at your fingertips.
Android Market is the source of more than 30,000 applications that can augment the out-of-the-box experience for either phone. A number of useful apps come preinstalled. Galaxy S features Swype - a soft keyboard input accelerator for smartphones.
The phones will be available later this year, presumably before the next-gen iPhone is announced, and the price is currently unknown. HTC Evo 4G is going to be offered by Sprint while Galaxy S is currently not tagged with a carrier. As it's a GSM phone it's reasonable to expect it to be available from either AT&T or T-Mobile in the US.
If you don't have a smartphone or your iPhone contract is about to expire you might want to have a long and close look at these devices. This is the first time I recommend an Android phone over an iPhone to a friend.
Both Samsung Galaxy S and HTC Evo 4G are beautifully designed devices harnessing the full power of Android 2.1 platform. The design of both phones is clearly inspired by the target rival, which is just fine.
Hardware of either device is top-notch and beats iPhone hands down. 720p HD recording, front-facing camera, 1GHz processor... You name it and it's likely there.
On the software front both Samsung and HTC decided to go with a custom user interface overlay on top of a stock Android. The customizations seem to be well thought out and add to the charm of the devices. The downside is most likely you'll have to forget about upgrading to the latest Android versions when they become available.
Integration with major social networks such as Facebook and Twitter is baked into either device.
Both phones seem to be "Google experience" devices meaning that all the good stuff from Google you come to expect from an Android phone such as Google Maps/Navigation, Gmail, Calendar, and the like is going to be at your fingertips.
Android Market is the source of more than 30,000 applications that can augment the out-of-the-box experience for either phone. A number of useful apps come preinstalled. Galaxy S features Swype - a soft keyboard input accelerator for smartphones.
The phones will be available later this year, presumably before the next-gen iPhone is announced, and the price is currently unknown. HTC Evo 4G is going to be offered by Sprint while Galaxy S is currently not tagged with a carrier. As it's a GSM phone it's reasonable to expect it to be available from either AT&T or T-Mobile in the US.
If you don't have a smartphone or your iPhone contract is about to expire you might want to have a long and close look at these devices. This is the first time I recommend an Android phone over an iPhone to a friend.
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