The Unnecessary Public Show-Off Fanboy
Jul 12th
Everyone has heard the old saying “No one likes a show-off.” I however completely disagree with that. Different people are attracted to different things. Some people are attracted to wealth and power. To draw the attention of this crowd, people show-off their wealth and power with a brand new Ferrari. Others are attracted to athletic and competitive individuals. In order draw their attention, people will show-off their talents in sporting and competition events. While others are attracted to those who live a simplistic hippie life style. This can be shown-off by driving a hybrid and eating granola. The point is that showing-off is necessary for human advancement and procreation. If no one felt the need to impress others, we would still be in the dark ages. (You can’t tell me the Wright brothers didn’t have fame on their minds when they started building their first plane.)
With that said there is a line between jackassness and showing-off. Taking your Ferrari on an African Safari through starving villages would be a jackass thing to do. So would completely skunking a team of crippled kids at basketball. In fact, both these ideas are flat out stupid. Your assets are so unevenly matched with the “competitions” that it voids any real comparison. Also on top of that your audience is wrong. Very few if anyone would be impressed with your accomplishments. Those who are impressed with nice cars or athletic ability are not anywhere near either one of these activities.
This brings me to the unnecessary public show-off Fanboy. We have all seen these Fanboys. They are the ones that bring their MacBook Air’s to the bar or bring their Amazon Kindle DX to a Barnes & Noble to sit and read. (You can’t read any Barnes & Noble books on the Kindle.) The ultimate unnecessary public show-off Fanboy is the person who brings their personal iPad to work to replace their company purchased laptop.
I completely agree that taking your laptop, e-reader, or tablet to a coffee shop or library is completely acceptable. Coffee shops and libraries are designed to improve the experience of using these devices. I will even go as far as bringing your new gadgets to work for 1 day to show your work friends also does not make you a Fanboy. I think you should be proud but not too proud of your new gadgets. If you don’t have some pride in what you bought it means you just wasted your money.
Let’s get back to the Unnecessary Public Show-Off Fanboy. Why is someone who unnecessarily publicly shows-off their gadgets defined as a Fanboy? The answer to that is because people who publicly show-off their gadgets in an unnecessary way are doing it for one of two ways. First, they want people to notice that they are one of the 20 million unique users who own that particular gadget. They want to make the point that their gadget is so awesome it even works in the competitions lair. If they are really lucky, someone will strike up a conversation with them and maybe even get into a long debate about who’s gadget is better. One of the best ways to do this is like the example the Kindle in a non-Amazon bookstore. (Which to my knowledge is any bookstore.) The second reason they are doing this for is because they are so completely in awe of their device that they believe everyone everywhere needs to be in the same state of awareness of their gadget. The best way to accomplish this is through subtle but forceful showings of the device to a population of people who are not used to seeing such a beautiful and sleek looking gadget. Such as bringing a high end laptop to the bar where everyone will ogle over it. Both reasons are classic Fanboy ideals. Fanboys know that their gadget is in every way better than the competition and everyone needs to know the truth about it so that they too will realize that they need to go out and buy one for themselves.
Not only are these points Fanboyish but both of these points also cross the line into stupid and jackassness. What point is there to make about the competition by bringing your gadget into a place where your device’s weakness are enhanced and your experience enhancement is absolutely zero? Unless you have the Barnes & Noble Nook you should not be reading any e-reader in any Barnes & Noble bookstore. Do you read better at Barnes & Noble? Does the in-store Starbucks sell better coffee than the 6 other starbucks that are within a 2 min walking distance? No! You just look like an idiot! As far as the Fanboy’s Macbook Air that is taking up bar space next to me, I care about it as much as the crippled child who just got his ass handed to him cares about someone’s basketball skills.
I understand that this post comes across as attacking Fanboys but understand that is not my intentions. There is nothing wrong with being a Fanboy. In fact our economy relies on them. I am just telling you to not be a Fanboy who is also a jackass and an idiot.
Kindle-Android App
Jul 11th
Kindle (finally) released an app for Android. You can find the app here. The app syncs directly with your Kindle Account so you never miss a page. The app also allows you to shop and buy new (to you) Kindle books. The app also gives you full access to your archived items and allows you to add bookmarks. I have used this app and my favorite part about it the syncing capability. Being that I am a new Kindle owner (review to be posted soon), I can see the cross functionality of this app and how I will be using it in the future. The overall look and feel of the app is pretty.
Are you going to download the Android Kindle App? Or do you use something different?
The Pre Order Fanboy
Jul 2nd
Some people may argue with me that because someone pre-orders something does not constitute them as a Fanboy. However, let’s break it down. First let us use software as an example (videogames typically). I know many people who are Halo Fanboys and they don’t even know it. I know this because they are the ones who buy the “special edition” Halo sets that come with the little plastic figurines for who knows what reason… maybe they play with them, maybe they put them under their pillow, or maybe they just think that because it is the “special edition” it will be worth more someday even though the company mass produced the shit out of it… I don’t know. Anyway, for whatever reason they buy it. The other reason they are Fanboys is because they pre-order everything that is Halo. Software and videogames are not like gadgets, video games cost the manufacturer pennies to burn and print new copies. This allows them to print and burn millions and millions of copies. This negates any reason to pre-order software. 
You will always be able to find the game in stores without waiting. Unless of course you take your Fanboy status to the next level and create the wait by forming lines outside the store with other Fanboy’s before the release. When in reality you can just walk in 10 min after the store opens and the line of Fanboys gone and pick up a copy from the 3000 other copies still left on the shelf. For example, look at the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. (No I do not want to have a stupid argument over which game did better, if you think Halo did better than COD:MW2, then you’re right… I just don’t give a shit.) COD:MW2 sold more copies than any other game on the market on the first day. However, on that day, I went to the busiest Best Buy in Grand Rapids at 7pm and picked up a copy off the shelf. I even had the choice if I wanted buy the stupid toy or whatever it was that was in the Special Edition version. The next day I went to Target and Meijer (Meijer is a regional retailer similar to Walmart but better) and guess what? Both stores still had shelves full of copies still in stock… Case and point there is absolutely no reason to pre-order a video game or software unless of course you are a Fanboy.
Let’s switch gears to gadgets. Again most people will argue that pre-ordering a gadget doesn’t make you a Fanboy. You need to pre-order hot gadgets. The reason for this is because you either don’t want to wait in a long stupid line of other, ehem, people or you just don’t want to run the risk of the gadget selling out of stock. Both points on the surface are valid, we all hate long lines and we all hate it when things are out of stock. However, this still DOES make you a Fanboy. You’re telling me that someone who is going to blindly drop $200+ on something that no one other than the company has tested or used before is not a Fanboy? How about the fact that since you pre-ordered, you are one of the guinea pigs that will need to find the issues and fast! Most retailers only have a 14-day return policy. Sure the manufacturer usually has a 1 year warranty but manufacturers can be a pain in the ass to deal with and then you’re still out of a gadget 4-6 weeks during the swap and that is only of course if they acknowledge there is an issue.
The smart and logical thing to do, which is difficult and nearly impossible for a Fanboy, is to wait a couple weeks or months to buy the gadget. You will be able to do a proper comparison and review that was not done solely by the manufacturer trying to sell it. You can see if there are any wide spread defects such as reception or connection issues. But most importantly you can see the reason why you really want it. Do you want it because it is the next new toy or because you really will use it long term?
The great thing about this is everyone reading this right now knows and probably agrees with the rationality behind waiting. But we all also know that when the next gadget we can’t live without is released, we will put all logic and reason aside and rush out to be the first ones in line to buy it. Why? because we are that gadget’s biggest Fan(boy)!
Are you a Fanboy?
Jun 30th
A new Fanboy category was created because I felt my original post What Makes a Fanboy a Fanboyjust didn’t completely capture what truly makes up a Fanboy. So without any further explanation here is the first of many examples of being a Fanboy.
Are you a Fanboy?
You are possibly a Fanboy if you secretly deep down believe that the CEO of the company in question will contact you and personally thank you for your support and contributions because you checked the “Help make product x better by automatically sending usage reports and personal data to company A” box.
You are most likely a Fanboy if you say you are only enabling this “selfless” feature in order to help the developers find and fix issues. However in reality, you truly believe that once you check this box, the developers will take an unprecedented amount of interest in what you do in order to cater the next releases around your needs and amazing automated statistics.
You definitly reach Fanboy status if the first two points are met AND you believe that the company in question undoubtedly should hire you on as a consultant. The reason they should hire you is because you feel you are a true hardcore power user. You believe in fact that you have used their product in every possible way it was intended to be used and only you and those who agree with you know what needs to be tweaked for the next release.
Do not get this last point confused. There is a very thin but definitive line between knowing what needs to be tweaked and knowing what needs to be fixed in a product. We all of course know that if you acknowledge that there is a problem, your small group of fans will lose faith in you and your Fanboy status will be revoked.
Gingerbread? Yes, Please.
Jun 30th
Shortly after FroYo became available to Nexus One users via the OTA release, rumors are starting to pop up about the release of Android’s next update – Gingerbread (3.0). Many reports are indicating the upgrade will be made public in October of 2010 (6th update in the past 1.5 years for Android). The only two rumored upgrades will be that the phone will have a user interface overhaul to reduce the need for 3rd-party user interface configurations, and the picture gallery will be very similar to that on the Nexus One. But… apparently there will be some hardware requirements in order to run Gingerbread: 1GHz CPU, 512 MB of RAM and a display of at least 3.5″.
The phones that are currently available on the market (or will be soon) are:
- Nexus One
- EVO 4G
- Droid Incredible
- Droid X
- Galaxy S, Captivate, Fascinate, Vibrant, Epic 4G
- Desire
Once again, Nexus One owners can rejoice!
What features do you want Android to include in Gingerbread?
FroYo 2.2 Heading to all Nexus One Phones
Jun 29th
According to a recent blog post from Google, all Nexus Ones should receive the Froyo update by the week’s end. This is good news for many Nexus One users that have been waiting patiently for the OTA update since Froyo debuted in May 2010.
Here is the blog post from Google:
Monday, June 28, 2010
New Android 2.2 Software Update for Nexus One phones
Starting today, Nexus One users will begin to receive the Android 2.2 (codenamed Froyo) over-the-air software update on their phones. This update provides some great new features including support for making your handset a portable hotspot and support for Adobe Flash within the browser. For a complete list of everything we’ve included in Android 2.2, please see the Android 2.2 Platform Highlights.
In order to access the update, you will receive a message on your phone’s notification bar. Just download the update, wait for it to install, and you should be all set. This update will be rolled out gradually to phones – and most users will receive the notification by the end of the week . We hope you enjoy these new features.
Come back to GadgetMe.net for a full review and highlights of Froyo 2.2 on the Nexus One. Please leave comments regarding the update and what you think of it!
Notion Ink Adam to cost roughly $300.00
Jun 27th
Rohan Shravan from Notion Ink has posted an update on their blog about the Adam coming to market. Though the release date has still not been set or where it will be released first, he did hint at a few interesting points. First he mentioned that there will probably be 2 versions. 1 with a standard LCD Screen and 1 with the Dual PQ Screen (Pixel QI). The PQ screen of course being the higher end model. The PQ screen is not only a full color High Definition 1080p screen but it also can switch to a black and white ePaper mode which views similar to your e-reader but with a much faster refresh rate. It can either do this automatically or with the flip of a switch. (Pixel Qi vs iPad)
The next thing he hinted at was the price. Now he didn’t give an exact number but he did give a projections. “if we are doing well, we are talking about at least a business of 100k devices a month. That will amount to at least $350 million dollar of revenues in the first year itself” so what he is saying is if they sell 1.2 million devices in the first year they will have 350 million dollars of revenue. Simple math equates to roughly $300.00 per device.
If this device does make it to market this will surely give the iPad a run for its money. Check out the video links below and tell me what you think. Will this make the iPad outdated? (I hate the term iXXXX killer because the idea is stupid… there will always be people buying iCrap)
Microsoft is alive and well (very well)
Jun 27th
Microsoft posts some very interesting numbers about how they stack up against google and apple.
Barnes and Noble Nook Review
Jun 21st
I recently bought the new eBook reader from Barnes & Noble, the Nook. The device itself is 7.7″ x 4.9″ x 0.5″, about the size of a thin book. It comes in two versions, the only difference being the addition of a 3G radio with free AT&T connectivity. My version, the WiFi + 3G weighs in at 12 ounces, also about the same as a book. The Nook, unlike the competing eBook readers available, has two screens: a large greyscale E Ink screen for reading the text and a small color screen to aid in navigation. It has five buttons: a power/sleep button on top and one set of back/forward buttons on each side. The Nook runs Android from a Micro-SD card that is removable for easy hacking 
It also supports an additional Micro-SD card for more storage.
I’ve given it a good break-in by reading about 1000 pages in a little over a week (this is a great feat for me, since I didn’t read a single book from 2000 – 2009) and here are my results.
Reading from the E Ink Display
What makes E Ink screens so different from an ordinary computer screen? What makes reading a newspaper so different from reading off of a computer screen? The difference is that computer screens project light from a backlight through colored pixels and into your eyes, this means that all the light you see from your screen is coming from the backlight. The Nook’s E Ink screen, just like a newspaper, does not have a backlight; instead the surface of the screen actually reflects (white pixels) or absorbs (black pixels) light. All the light you see comes from the ambient light around you. This is much easier on your eyes since there is no difference in contrast between your screen and the room you’re sitting in. If you go out into the direct sunlight, the screen is very bright and easy to read, if you go in the house, it’s as bright as your walls. The disadvantage is that if you are in a dark room it’s as dark as your surroundings. I found this very annoying at first since I like to live in the dark, but I eventually got used to turning on a light behind me so I could read it. I was somewhat disappointed in the contrast of the screen, it’s less black and white and more dark grey and light grey. Overall though, the device did put far less strain on my eyes and I could easily read it for 10 hours without getting a headache. Although the screen is top of it’s class (most eBook reader screens are made by E Ink Corporation, and the one in the Nook is the best one to date), the screen takes over a second to refresh and flashes as it updates. This erratic refreshing is distracting and tends to interrupt my flow of reading when switching pages. I found that it is much easier to switch the pages in a real book without slowing down than it is on a Nook after a week of usage.
Navigation and General Usage
The Nook takes a novel approach to navigation by using a second, full color touchscreen. The bottom screen is vibrant and functional. When you are not reading a book, the screen shows a variety of options that let you purchase/download new content, play games, browse through your collection of books, configure your settings and even browse the Internet with it’s Webkit-based browser (these options are visible in the picture above). To get to your books, you touch the “My Library” option and it brings up a list of books on the E Ink screen. On the bottom screen you can also browse through the books by their covers, similar to navigating an iPod. To select a book using the E Ink screen you touch the up and down arrows and the item is selected. This is a fairly frustrating process since the E Ink takes so long to update, but eventually you get to the book you want to read and select it to start reading. From the bottom screen you can search for text, browse through the chapters or start reading where you left off. There is a little n on the device between the E Ink screen and the bottom screen that takes you to the Nook’s home screen when pressed. The bottom screen is a little sluggish to use and you will inevitably click on something when you try to wake up the screen or try to scroll through options. Overall the Nook has an unfinished feel, it seems like it was pushed to release too quickly and I imagine it will get better with future updates.
Portability and Handling
The device is very portable and at first it seems easy to hold, but after many hours of continuous use, it gets a bit annoying. I am constantly moving my fingers around, trying to find a way to hold it steady while still being able to access the back/forward buttons. If you look at the picture you can see the < and > keys. These are the keys that you use to move between pages. The keys themselves are well designed – you can hold the Nook by its keys without pressing them which is impressive, but they seem a bit counter-intuitive to me. I would expect the bottom key on the left to be back (or <), and the bottom one on the right to be forward (>), but this is not the case – the buttons are in the same order on each side. I find it difficult to press any of the buttons while holding it with one hand, so I hold it with two hands, but then the position of the buttons confuses me and I end up pressing the wrong one once in a while. While I do have some complaints about the design, I think it is easier to hold than the Kindle and the Sony eBook Reader and I don’t think we will see a much better design until the screen is flush with the case so that you can hold it by the screen itself.
Battery Life
The wonderful thing about E Ink displays is that they only require power to change what’s on the screen. This means that while you are reading the page, the device is in a very low power state. In my experience, I needed to charge the device every 2-4 days or so, although they say you can get better battery life by disabling the WiFi. The device is charged with a standard micro-USB connector (not a mini-usb) which is still a little uncommon, but will likely become more common in the future. One annoyance I had with it is the way it handles USB charging. I plug the Nook into my car, my computer, or my Chumby (a plush Linux touchscreen alarm clock thing) depending on where I am, but when I plug it in, the Nook informs me that the device is mounted by whatever I plugged it into and I cannot use it until I dismount or eject it. This is fine when I’m charging from my computer, but there is no way for me to unmount it from my Honda! To make a long story short, if you want to charge it while you’re reading it, you need to use a charging adapter (it includes an AC adapter) or plug it into your computer and unmount/eject it.
eBooks and other Media
By using the Nook’s built-in store browser, you can download books from Barnes & Noble and Google Books. They claim that over a million of their titles are available in eBook format and millions more are available from Google Books. Maybe they are more focused on a different genre of books, but looking through the titles on theoretical physics and string theory brought me much less content than I expected. The Nook also lets you load arbitrary files like pictures, music, PDFs, EPUBs and PDBs via USB or the Micro-SD card, which you can then view/play. Since I’m surrounded by other devices that handle music and pictures much better I have found little use for these functions, but loading documents is quite nice, although you will want to make sure there is a navigation system built in if you are using large PDFs since flipping through pages is painfully slow!
Conclusion
I was initially uninterested by the Nook (one might wonder why I bought it), but I decided to give it a shot and really fell in love with it. Sure it’s got some quirks, but so does my dog . All things considered, I do think that I am able to read much more effectively with the Nook than with a paper book. I also love the fact that I can put so many documents on one device. I have a book called “Daily Drucker” which provides an excerpt from the works of Peter Drucker (the father of modern executive behavior) for each day of the year. I can quickly read the excerpt of the day, then switch back to the other book that I’m trying to tackle. Overall I give the Nook a B+ (whereas a normal book gets a B). It does seem easier to use than the Kindle and the Sony Reader, although my exposure to these devices has been minimal. I would recommend it to anyone that wants to jump into the world of eBook Readers and can’t wait a year for the technology to mature.
