Technology Archives - Page 6 of 34

Friday Tech Roundup: New Parent Tech

July 6, 2013April 14, 2020Jeromey Balderrama

So my tech roundup is a bit late due to my adventures in new parenthood. As you can imagine, I’ve been pretty much out of the tech news stream (and I also think it’s been a slow week due to the July 4th holiday), but I’ve made a lot of tech discoveries being the first time parent of a newborn.

When I haven’t been holding m new daughter or catching up on sleep, I’ve committed some thought towards how we want to capture and share our special moments. I’m not sure if Facebook is the best vehicle for this, in large part that I’m not quite sure if I have a true awareness – let alone control of – who would see all of the content. I use Facebook as a social media public face, and am extremely sensitive to Facebook over-posting. Given this stance, splashing multiple pictures and videos per day is the last thing I want to do.

However, I do recognize that there is a segment of people in our lives (namely our families and friends who live further away), who wouldn’t mind an avalanche of pictures. So with that I have prepared two vehicles for social media sharing:

Clara’s Tumblr Page – I think Tumblr provides the perfect vehicle for the two of us to submit these bit-sized chunks that Clara-admirers can scroll to their hearts content. The app is a joy to use, and I love that the both of us have an easy way to publish.
Flickr – Given that Picasa is all but dead, folded into Google+, and that I currently use Google+ as a de-facto backup for my phone’s pictures, I’ve decided to use Flickr. I love Google+ in concept, but the reality is that their notification system is too overreaching. I’d like to think I’m a reasonably smart guy when it comes to technology, but I still can’t figure out how to post things to my circles without them receiving a notification (be it in email or on Google+). I’d like to simply push content out and if people see it: that’s great – don’t notify them. Anyway, so I’m back with Flickr, and do think their re-design is pretty compelling. The only problem I have is that Flickr has become a virtual ghost town, I’m not sure if people are viewing these images or not. Oh well. I’ll keep pushing my higher quality images to Clara’s Flickr Set.

Speaking of pictures, I can’t rave enough about the Nikon D7000 that we bought for the baby. My hope was that we’d have a camera that could take some high quality images, but not be too difficult to use. For the most part I’ve been keeping the camera in “Manual” and have produced some images that have made us pretty happy. I’m excited to learn more about the camera and start playing with some other lenses.

On the email front, I borrowed the “Dear Sophie” idea in the Google Commercial only to find that I had to lie about Clara’s age in order to create an account. I understand there are terms of service, but I found it a little surprising that Google advertised a method of using Gmail that requires you to break their terms of service. So yes, Clara now has an email address that I’m hoping to periodically contribute to.

Mobility speaking, there have been two apps that have been pretty helpful during Clara’s first week of life: iBaby and White Noise Lite. We’ve been using iBaby to track all of the feedings and diaper changes, and the only major complaint I have is its (or any similar apps) inability to share this data across the cloud in some way. I’d love for both Bethany and I to be able to contribute to the same data set through each of our devices. I’m majorly tempted to go back to using a Google Spreadsheet. As for White Noise, for new parents that are using the Happiest Baby methods, this has made all the difference. We have this app on each of our phones (as well as a docked phone we’re using as a music player in the nursery), and I love that I can press a single button and have white noise blaring through the speakers.

Friday Tech Roundup: Windows 8.1, Vine’s Crash & Burn, Creative Cloud Fail

June 28, 2013January 28, 2021Jeromey Balderrama

So Microsoft released a preview of Windows 8.1 on Wednesday, and of course my bleeding edge heart was quick to install it on two of my computers. I made the mistake of and ignored the warning against installing it on my work computer. I learned the hard way that Enterprise Edition requires the CD to upgrade (as I think it takes you to Professional Edition), and I ended up having to reinstall all of my software, but at least it was a good opportunity to have a clean slate. My regular edition of Windows 8 upgraded just fine, with everything in tact.

I don’t know how, but Microsoft managed to make the Start Screen worse. When they announced it was a button, I realized that they were not bringing the menu back, but it still seems like the interface was hacked together. at the last minute. When I set up my desktop, I like to put my taskbar on the top of the screen, yet there’s no way to configure the start menu to come in from anywhere but the bottom. Now I have start buttons in two corners of the screen, basically eliminating the quick-switch on the upper left hand corner. However, in re-sorting all of my programs, so that my desktop that was previously out of the left hand side, it’s all the way to the right. It just seems pretty half-baked. At least you can boot directly to the desktop now, and the people at StarDock have already released a beta version of Start8 that restores the functionality I’ve enjoyed. Start8 was still the best $5 I’ve ever spent. I’m looking forward to playing with 8.1 some more to see what else they’ve (hopefully) improved.

I took my first Instagram video this evening, and the interface was awesome. Pretty much the only feature that I’m missing from Vine is the ability to embed videos in other web pages (like my blog), but that should only be a matter of time. You can tell Vine is in a panic mode, even before this story about Vine shares plummeting since InstaVine showed up last week. They’re backed into a corner, and are swinging in every direction, pushing out 2 updates in the same week after not pushing out for three weeks they were released their Android version. I’m not sure what Vine can do to save themselves at this point, except for making their app experience more compelling than Instagram. Maybe they can be the first ones to introduce the novel concept of allowing people to mute videos on playback. I still believe that Vine’s demise is the result of a repressed desire to have a quality video app on Android.

Well that was quick, Adobe’s vaunted new Creative Cloud has already been pirated. I thought one of the benefits of their rental-only model was that it would curb piracy, but it doesn’t appear to be the case. I despise Creative Cloud, and it’s not because I support piracy or fear the future – but rather that it takes away Adobe’s incentive to improve their software, no longer compelling you to buy the next version. Subscription services like Creative Cloud (and Office 365 similarly) are to software what “Green” is to company revenues: it’s about making money while trying to appear forward-thinking. Software manufactures are enticed by the constant revenue streams these rental models provide. As they project revenue, they can count on your $50 per month regardless of whether they put out good releases that month or not. They can talk all they want about how this enables them to continue to push out constant updates, but in reality it’ll allow them to grow complacent and justify replacing innovative updates with incremental bolt-tightening updates. The worst part about is is that you can spend $600 over a year and should you decide to cancel your account, you have nothing to show for it. At least when you bought the software, you have an (albeit outdated) version that you own.

Paula Deen’s new opportunity

June 22, 2013November 5, 2023Jeromey Balderrama

You’ve probably heard the news that Paula Deen was fired from her Food Network show. I don’t think I have enough of the full story to warrant an opinion on whether her firing was the most appropriate result (although I do think there’s more below the surface). Truth be told, I’ve never really watched one of her shows, although I may have enjoyed a recipe or two. However I think it’s safe to say that Deen’s career in traditional broadcast media is essentially over – but while one door closes, another one opens for old media outcasts: New Media.

I realize that Paula’s first foray into YouTube wasn’t that successful, her future lies with the video service. Deen needs to create a channel, put a camera in her kitchen and create bite-sized (no pun intended) cooking videos for her audience. With the proliferation of mobile devices, YouTube is the first place people go to get instructions. The ability to have someone demonstrate to me in the environment (like in the kitchen, for example) and go at your own pace by pausing is transcendent. YouTube has been invaluable with helping me re-grout my shower, patch our bathtub, and fix my lawn mower. The recipe books we have in our kitchen go unopened because any time we’re craving to cook something new, we go straight to the Internet. Paula can produce the same content she’s done on the Foot Network for years, at a fraction of the cost. Not only will she go where her audience is at, but she will give it to them in a format that would be more valuable to them.

Deen just needs to look to people like Adam Carolla and Leo Laporte when it comes to finding success in new media, which goes back to why podcasts are so great. You can find niche content, in a long format that isn’t convoluted with commercials. Hearing Bill Simmons lament the NBA Pre-Game Show format assures me that in terms of quality of content: new media guys understand what makes this format better than the traditional broadcast format. It’s only a matter of time before more traditional media folks embrace this, in one way or another.

Friday Tech Roundup, June 21

June 21, 2013November 5, 2023Jeromey Balderrama

I’m going to try something new here, and do a little recap of tech news, developments and my take on various tech news stories for the week.

Facebook announces video for Instagram

Normally I detest Facebook’s propensity to blatantly copy features from their competitors, but in the case of of InstaVine and in the interests of having a good video sharing product on Android: good on them! I may hold a lot of unfair hostility towards Vine, but I can’t get past the terrible first impression they made upon Android users. If you’re going to make users wait for months later than your iOS users, you better make a pretty good first impression – but between the very limited functionality (like not being able to search), the problems with capturing and playing video (audio out of synch) and the lack of worthwhile options (like muting your videos by default): all you did was give me all the more incentive to look forward to something else.

If Twitter seems unwilling or unable to quickly improve their app, I’m more than happy to spend time with an app that can. Instagram is giving me most of what I’m looking for, with a bigger user base. I’m more than happy to put my video eggs in that basket. That said, I hope this is a wake up call for Vine and Twitter, as great products come from competition.

Feedly updated with Cloud sync and app support ahead of Google Reader shutdown

When Google announced they were shuttering Reader, I remember freaking out as I drove home. In terms of getting my information: Reader was where I got the majority of my news. Given that I consume it on multiple computers, my phone and tablet, I was concerned about how I was going to be able to sync my feeds. I began my quest looking for the replacement, and am happy to be living in the Feedly space. They’ve really stepped up and have done a great job welcoming Google Reader refugees, and have been very open about their roadmap and where they want their product to go. They don’t deliver the exact same functionality of Reader (yet), but they are a great alternative that will soon get there. I previously thought I was going to be counting down the days until Reader was shutdown, but I’ve been so happy with Feedly that I’ve all but forgotten.

Falcon Pro removed from Google Play Store

I don’t use Falcon Pro (I’m more of a Twicca man), but this news is distressing nonetheless. The way Twitter has turned the table against the developers – on whose backs they built their service on – irritates me to no end. While Twitter’s app has greatly improved, it still lacks a ton of features that their advanced users – who also have used Twitter the longest – count on every day. By relying on these apps early on, people like me learned how to use Twitter reading from oldest-to-newest, and have come to rely on Twicca for this continued experience. This back & forth between developers and their apps need to stop. Just be satisfied that 80% of your mobile users are using your app, you don’t want to piss off the other 20% with stupid stuff like this.

I’m not buying an Xbox One

June 11, 2013August 23, 2017Jeromey Balderrama

The Verge (which is now my favorite tech news site) has some excellent write-ups for all of the video came console news that happened yesterday between the Playstation 4 and the X-box One:

Xbox at E3 2013: everything you need to know

Sony PlayStation 4 at E3 2013: everything you need to know

xbox_one_frontview

I love my Xbox 360, so much so that I actually justified having two of them at the same time – largely due to the Media Center functionality. I’ve gone to great lengths to digitize our movie collection and offering them through the Media Center Extender My Movies plug-in. I (begrudgingly) pay for an Xbox Live account to unlock features like Netflix, ESPN and my Xfinity content – content for which I feel I’m paying double for one thing. I’m not a huge gamer, but over the 7 years I’ve owned an Xbox I’ve accumulated nearly 2 dozen games (1/3 of them being that year’s version of Madden). In all the hours the Xbox is on, I’m only playing games less than 25% of the time.

Given my love for streaming media through my Xbox, I was eagerly anticipating the reveal of the next-gen console. After digesting the reveal from a few weeks ago, combined with the data we learned in yesterday’s E3 announcements, I find myself more drawn to the PS4 rather than the Xbox One, boiling down to a few, key reasons:

Xbox One is going to require internet connectivity to authenticate the games. I know we live in a connected world, but the Xbox is a device that I use for relaxation/recreation. That doesn’t help when I want to take it up to the mountain cabin where 1x internet is spotty at best, or when I want to take my Xbox when I travel to blow off steam in the hotels. Internet is pervasive, but unless the Xbox can navigate one of those quirky hotel WiFi interfaces, you’re hosed. I realize Microsoft wants to appease the game manufactures (especially since they get a cut from game licensing), but this has been done at the expense of their customers.
XBox 360 games won’t be able to be played on the Xbox One. Given that I have nearly 2 dozen games, I’m going to have to leave/put another box below the TV. In an era where I’m looking to consolidate devices, this is the last thing I want.
Xbox One wants to give you the full TV experience, but the best it can do is supplement your cable box, not replace it. So again it’s not helping me consolidate the number of boxes under my TV, and to make matters worse it’s going to use the crappy IR Blaster hack to navigate the cable box. The Blaster experience is barely tolerable on the Slingbox, but is absolutely unacceptable when I’m sitting in the same room.
They’re charging you $500!

Over the years I’ve detested Playstation 3 for various reasons, but yesterday they made a very compelling case to reconsider them. They have a response for pretty much every problem I have with the Xbox for $100 cheaper. Even if the PS4 doesn’t deliver the streaming experience I want (and there’s no indication it doesn’t), I could get a Roku and PS4 and still save money. Given that Xbox is already saying “screw your old games” with the One, I might as well go out and get the cheaper next-gen box.

So thanks for the memories, Microsoft. It’s been fun – but I think you’re learning the hard way that in the effort of being everything to everyone, you’re everything to no one.