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If you all haven't heard yet, I'm writing for Androidspin.com now, so all my Android-related posts will be displayed there from now on. Everything else tech related [and possibly tech ranting as well] will be put on here.

Follow me on Twitter, damnit. I want followers. Sort of.

I need to rant.

In the past 24 hours, I have been told that I am similar to two of the biggest CEOs in the Silicon Valley [two different people told me, at different times, that I'm _____insert CEO Here______]. And both references frighten the hell out of me. So I need to rant and get all this stress and fear of becoming a head case out of my system. Enjoy.

Steve Jobs

When you give a Powerpoint presentation, or any sort of presentation, for that matter, it's always nice to know that you did a great job. Especially when you put in 12+ hours into a 15 slide presentation of which 8 of the slides are pictures and or short snippets of text. However, being compared to an egomaniac that rules his company with an iron fist, as well as being a complete mental headcase is something completely different. Don't get me wrong, I love giving presentations about things I'm truly interested in and/or things that will change the future. I just don't like being compared to someone who is more insane than me.

Personally, I am terrified of Steve Jobs. I am. I've heard way too much about him to even want to be in the same room as him. Why? Because he's the Hare Krishna meets Great Buddha meets Free Thinking gone horribly wrong.

Now you're probably wondering, "Why would Will hate the creator of the iPod and the face of the technological future?" Here's why.

Steve Jobs is insane. Mentally and physically insane.

If one of the rules regarding company policy and inter-departmental communication is "Never look your head honcho in the eyes", there's a tip. At Apple, when you are to become an intern, they have a 3-4 day orientation period, of which day 1 is "Steve Jobs Day", where you learn ALL about your dear leader boss. You learn not to look him in the eyes, to tell him you're an intern, and that Steve LOVES interns.

Also, if you ask people on a DAILY basis "Who are you and why shouldn't I fire you?", your ego is eating itself. You need psychiatric help for that kind of nonsense.

Mark Zuckerburg

I admit, I have my moments where I am unable to accurately put the millions of thoughts in my head into one complete, grammatically correct, sentence. However, that does not make me an asshole CEO who invades people's privacy, and has no people skills.

If you don't know it already, I have around 10 trains of thought going in my head at any point in time. Sometimes more, sometimes less. These trains are all on their own thought process, leaving me with interesting responses in meaningful conversations:

"Are you bringing your camera, tomorrow, Will?"

"Yeah, I'm bringing my fish." [me]

"...Your fish?"

"Huh? What about a fish?" [me]

"You just said you're bringing your fish."

"No I didn't. We were talking about cameras." [me]

This happens a lot. It does. I don't mean for it to happen, but it does. My mind races so quick that it causes me to stutter. It drives me up the wall. But I digress.

I am not Mark Zuckerburg. I have people skills. I can talk to people and not have 10 billion broken responses and promises all loaded together in a cluster of fail. I am a human being, not a Zuck.

And if "The Social Network" has taught us anything, NEVER trust someone who has a business card that says "I'm CEO, bitch."

Good night, internets. May Wednesday be fruitful for you. FFFFFF no.

T-Mobile Acquisition--Please Read (#1)

This morning, as I was leaving a Deli in Studio City, I encountered an almost frightening news story on Engadget regarding ATT dropping $39 billion, yes--billion, on buying out T-Mobile. As scary as this may seem, it shouldn't be as bad as some people portray it to be.

First off, if you are a T-Mobile customer, please read this article regarding the merger: http://newsroom.t-mobile.com/articles/more-information-att-acquires-tmobile

Twatter is pissed.

If you haven't read about it, one of the lead devs up in the Twittersphere said that all new developers should STOP making knockoff Twitter apps, due to fragmentation and "user confusion".

More here: http://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-clients-2011-3

Quite frankly, I'm sort of torn between both sides of the theoretical argument. I use Tweetdeck, both the Google Chrome application, as well as the Android app. Why? Because I have two Twitter accounts, and two Facebooks. I need something that lets me post at ALL FOUR PLACES in one location, without having to bother logging in and logging out multiple times. ((No I am not living four lives lol.)) That being said, the standard Twitter app for Android only supports ONE account [tied to a Google account, no doubt]. The interface is flawless, yes, but it doesn't compare to some of the more functional third party applications.

But I digress, Twitter is right when they discourage all other companies to make something else. The Android market has indeed become a giant field of Twitter lookalikes. Don't believe me?

Proof: http://www.appbrain.com/search?q=Twitter

and

Chart Proof: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/03/16/businessinsider-chart-of-the-day-twitter-clients-2011-3.DTL

What do you think? Does Twitter have the right to put their foot down at this point in time? Or should the Twitter API remain totally open source?

I bought an iPad2. Here's why:

Ok stop, before any of you start forming opinions and sh*t, let me explain my reasoning. This post is NOT a rant thread, nor is it a hate-on-Motorola post. I had a long, drawn-out argument on Facebook that went absolutely nowhere. So this is going to be ME explaining myself before the Android community that reads my pitiful blog.

Let me start off with Android. If you haven't realized already, I love the Android platform with a passion. I really do. I've owned 3 Android phones since October 2009, and I've loved the rollercoaster ride ever since. I've been hopelessly addicted to the software, and I absolutely LOVE getting involved in all the Android gossip regarding future developments from Google and the developer community. It's awesome. I prefer the open-sourced Android platform, as opposed to the Big-Brother iOS. Have you seen the title of this blog?

However, there are a TON of things that Google needs to work on with their Android platform. Eric Schmidt, who I saw walking up to his office not 12 hours ago, even said that the platform itself was unfinished. Two of the main things that concern me are gaming and music, two things that Apple has suddenly become prominent in.

In this post, I'll discuss the MUSIC aspect, so I can try and stay on topic. The Android's native music system is seriously the same as having a basic SD-card-based mp3 player. [Plug in phone into computer, drag and drop files into SD card, hope and pray that the file is copied correctly, change mp3 ID tags if needed, enjoy at your own risk]. I mean, there ARE alternatives in the Android market, like Doubletwist, which is REALLY NICE. But that requires you have the app installed on your phone AND on your computer. Relying on 3rd party applications in order to get the full experience out of a device is basically saying "Look at what someone else does" instead of "Look what I can do!" And as everybody knows, having multiple different processes running in the background of ANY system uses more resources, which in turn depletes battery. When you have DoubleTwist installed on your device, you have not one but FIVE processes running in the background [Android Music, DoubleTwist, DoubleTwist sync, AirSync/Play, and WiFi Screen ON]. Google has a LOT left to work on in the Music department.

Now, I know that Google has taken a step forward in the music direction with their Cloud-Based music storage and streaming situation, and it TOTALLY tops Apple at this point in time. HOWEVER, the application is for Honeycomb [as of March 2011] and for select Android devices [thanks to some crafty developers]. But even then, that adds on 2 more processes to your system, which is BAD NEWS if you have a phone that has HORRIBLE battery issues [ahem HTC EVO, etc]. Google has the potential for a good music system, they just need to implement it.

That being said, let me get to my FIRST reason as to why I'm buying an iPad2...

1.) Giant. Music. Player.

Three simple words. Yes it's big. Yes, it shall play my music. If I haven't told you all already, I washed my iTouch in the washer. I did. And I'm still bitter about it to this day. Since then, I have used my phone [with appropriate 16GB SD card that I bought for 20 bucks on Amazon--great deal] for music, which has been a good and bad thing.

The good thing was that I had one less device to worry about. I had my music and my phone all in one nifty place. So I could seriously get out of class, respond to the emails and text messages, then plug myself in and walk to my next destination. Easy, flawless, transitions. However, the BAD side of this was that the battery was affected in a major way. On Wednesdays, when I am alone at work with a giant stack of papers to grade and no students to attend to, I plug myself in and get to work. After three hours, using stock battery, the total power has dropped 30%, which basically guarantees that my phone will die by the time I'm off work and on my way home [between 8:30pm and 9pm]. I mean, I have an extended battery and stuff, but I mainly use it for going on long trips [like San Jose trip I am on now--music has been playing almost all day, HD2 is at about 20%--booyah]. The extended battery has become a hassle as well, since I have to remember to flash a compatible kernel, as well as having a phone that is two times thicker than normal.

So I need a separate music player. Yes, one separate music player. Preferably a BIG GIANT ONE, so I don't wash it in the f***ing washer again. [No I'm not bitter.]

On to reason two...

2.) Organization Organization Organization

Have you ever used iTunes? If you haven't, then you've probably lived under a rock for the past few years. In my honest opinion, it is the most organized, fully functional, and dependable music player I have ever used with any computer. Everything is organized one click, and the ID tags AND the cover art is found in the application with a few clicks. Easy. No soul-searching for hours on end. It's all done for you. And when you plug an iTunes-compatible device in, your stuff is transferred from iTunes to your device. Quite ingenious. And efficient.

Android needs that. It really does. And I can guarantee that if Android HAD a reliable, native, and fully-functional music player I would most definitely have the Xoom in my hands right now. But I don't. I have an iPad2 in the mail.

That being said, I have now exhausted myself. I have yet another long car ride in the morning, and I need as much sleep as I can before I go on this trip.

So, good night Internetz. Stay classy.

FUN FACT: Walking around the Google campus in the Silicon Valley, employees had two of the following devices on their persona [from what we saw]:

~Nexus S [SUPER SAD FACE, YES EVEN AT YOU MISTER ERIC SCHMIDT]
~MacBook Pro [17 inches, either newest model or model from early 2010]
~iPad2 [with 3G, most likely Verizon--HOW all of them got one is a TOTAL mystery to me]

Motorola Gets Slammed Again

I've said before how I hate Motorola. I say it all the time. I don't trust their hardware or their software. I don't trust their "Droid" phones, and I HATE it when people, who have, say, an LG Optimus, or a Samsung Vibrant, tell me that they have a Droid. Thanks to Motorola, all Android devices in the hands of the average American Idiot have become grouped under the "Droid" cloud, regardless of the phone maker or the phone itself.

But I'm not here to rant about Motorola. I found this interesting editorial this morning. It's based off a comment on some website. Now before you go off saying that "it's only a comment" and "this isn't the average user", read the whole thing, then comment.

http://androidspin.com/2011/03/07/random-reboots-low-quality-cheesy-is-my-take-on-the-atrix/

My opinion regarding the Atrix and the Xoom [and virtually all technology] is this-- if you plan on bringing something brand new to the table, take price into consideration. Don't use all high-quality stuff and charge a TON for your product. The average American doesn't necessarily care about HOW their device works--they want it to be shiny. This is why Apple has such a gigantic market share in virtually all of their product markets. Yes, it is shrinking on some level, but in the long run, Apple will bring something else to the table and get that market share back.

I think Motorola needs to rethink their Atrix/Xoom strategy. They jumped in on their high horse right when Apple was getting ready for another wave of Tablet Wars. If they get someone who knows how to market a device correctly, a device that WORKS, hopefully they can get a foothold in the rocky mobile device AND tablet market. If not, it looks like they're going to be stuck sliding down the mudslide created by the iPad and iPhone.

MIUI vs. CyanogenMod Part 1: Introduction to a long series of posts.

Before I begin, this post is based off of the latest English build of MIUI [3/5/11] and CM7.

I'm also not going into specifics in this post. Just giving you all a brief overview. Enjoy.

Good-quality Android ROMs are hard to come by these days. They really are, especially if your phone is lucky enough to have creative developers that push out updates on a regular basis. However, having a lot of developers working on your phone and its associated software has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the software that's available to download. Oftentimes, multiple developers will base their roms off the same system dumps, modify a few things, insert a new kernel, etc, and call the rom their own without really bringing anything new to the table.

Now, this doesn't mean that I don't like a good stock Sense build from time to time. I just like having software that breaks away from the norm, bringing new features and more support to the table every month.

And the two software roms I'm going to talk about today [and in some more posts after this one] are MIUI and CyanogenMod 7.

I find myself having an internal conflict every time I flash a new rom to my phone. I can't decide whether to go back to something that's guaranteed to work [MIUI/CM7] or something that's new/improved/different. And oftentimes, I choose the option involving the reliable software [MIUI/CM7], because I know that when I flash it nothing will go wrong, and I can have my phone run for a full day without having to turn off my phone during a movie to conserve 2 hours of battery life.

Yet another dilemma arises--which should I choose? One is visually impressive, holding iPhone-like qualities as well as multiple features no other rom has. The other is open-sourced to the max, offering total reliability, minimal visual effects [which means less battery drain] and other little tweaks that only a true tweaker/hacker/anyone with moderate-tech-intelligence can access and modify.

Hopefully, the series of posts following this one help you understand the nuances and the little quirks of both of the software, so you will have a better understanding of the differences between the two.

Good night for now.

Ωπ

Woops.

Hi. You can thank my dad for this post. He actually reminded me that I had a blog, and apparently I haven't posted anything worth reading in like, a month. Well, not so much, but you get my drift.

If you haven't noticed already, I added the header at the top of the website. I tried my hand at basic photoshop and I'm like MEH about it.

Also, I've had an HD2 since early January. I've been loving it ever since. Also, I started working on a MASSIVE post about ADW EX a while ago, and the app has been updated like TWICE since then. I'm considering scrapping it, and just writing something worthwhile, but that's like an hour down the toilet. I'll probably finish it...in a month...or something. Yeah ok sometime soon. Don't hate.

Since it's 1 in the morning, and I have class in about 9 hours, I should probably go to bed...or something...yeah ok.

Btw, if anyone's reading this, PLEASE comment. It's nice knowing that people apparently read my blog.

OH and follow me on Twitter. I want followers. Shameless promotion ftw.

@GoCkillaz

www.twitter.com/gockillaz

[you need a Twitter account to follow me on Twitter. It's like that for a reason. Yep.]

And you wonder why I don't trust Samsung

Welcome back to the HTC Fanboy channel, here is your host--Will.

I've been an HTC fanboy for, say, 2 years now. This year will be my third. The experience has been great--both from the hardware point of view and the reliability of their software. And I have never, ever, felt that I have been gipped out of a worthwhile, updated, Android experience. Ever. Even when newer phones with amazing processors and amazing software and amazing batteries and amazing improvements etc. Even when T-Mobile barred my device with limits on OTA updates and newer software and tethering and all that jazz, I had the developer community behind me [thank GOD] able to release [somewhat] timely updates and all that jazz--way before T-Mo would even announce that an OTA was even in the works.

And you all wonder why I don't trust Samsung. Here's why:

A few hours ago, I came across a truly disturbing article talking about how current Vibrant owners will not be able to update to Android 2.2. Why? Because it will take any and possibly all spotlight away from their new "Vibrant 4G+"-- a device which is almost identical to the original Vibrant. The only thing this new device has to offer is a front facing camera and guaranteed 4G speeds. That's it.

I'm getting a LOT of rumors from people saying that the "Tipster" who released this information is just a T-Mo employee who had a bad day, and came home to stir up some rumors on the interwebs.

I sure hope that this isn't the case. I hope Samsung burns in the spotlight of HTC. Same for their iPhone KIRF Android phones.

Happy New Year!

Happy 2011, folks.

Hopefully, your New Year's Eve wasn't like mine, cramped in the back seat of this mini-Jeep/Hummer thing going 90mph on the freeway trying to make it to the fast food joint where my friend works two exits away [1.5 miles]. Oh, and phone AND iPod were dead, too.

All negatives aside, while I was playing DJ Hero II at my grandmother's house, Alpharev released S-Off [read: almost full root] for the MyTouch Slide. For those of you that own one--go see a super nerd who knows what he's doing. You don't wanna brick your phone. I haven't applied S-Off yet, and I don't really plan on doing it either, since I'm buying an HTC HD2 in a few days [read: the moment my paycheck comes in].

I have to go--school starts tomorrow. Will upload/write something interesting soon!

Ωπ