Time of the Tech

The last weeks have been a whirlwind. After patiently waiting for the Samsung Galaxy Note II to come out on Verizon for three months, I snapped. On Friday, November 23, 2012, which is also known as "Black Friday", I bought the HTC Droid DNA. Why would I buy the HTC Droid, if I wanted the Galaxy Note II? Two good reasons at the time. One, I wanted a large screen, the Droid DNA has a large 5 inch display with a stunning 441 pixels per inch. Two, I knew that the Galaxy Note II was coming out in less than a week, so if I had buyer's remorse, I could "easily" exchange the Droid DNA. Since the horrible exchange experience I suffered through is not the topic of this story, I will quickly summarize it: Two phone calls to *611 which is Verizon's customer support Three trips to three different Verizon corporate stores Two long nights of searching for a non-existing paper receipt Unnecessary stress on my sweet wife I will never buy something again, if I h

What an exciting month September 2012 has been for smartphones! We truly are spoiled. We got three major announcements in the span of a week, they were: Nokia announced the Lumia 920, their first Windows Mobile 8 phone, it will be a thing of beauty. Motorola announed the Razr HD, also a thing of beauty. Then Apple announced the iPhone 5. As part of the announcement for the iPhone 5, iOS 6 was introduced. iOS 6 is now the operating system for Apple gadgets (i.e., iPad, iPod, and iPhone) including some older generations. The biggest change in iOS 6 was the addition of Apple's own Maps app. Since there is only room for one native Maps app that meant, goodbye to Google Maps. After using Apple Maps for two days here are three quick thoughts. Thought 1: Overall this is a better mapping experience simply because of the addition of turn-by-turn navigation and its integration with Siri. The first thing I did to test out the new Maps app was to ask Siri, "Directions to the nearest Ta

When I buy a product I do not just look at its price and function, I take into account the culture of the company that made the product. How does the company treat its employees and customers? Are they like AT&T where they only care about quarterly profits? What is their CEO like? Does he jump the line for liver transplants just because he has a personal jet, like Steve Jobs? These are all important factors when I purchase a product. The Apple v. Samsung lawsuits should be illuminating to all of us regarding Apple's character. Recently, Samsung was found guilty of infringing on several of Apple's utility and design patents. Samsung was ordered to pay Apple US $1 billion. Now Apple wants to ban the Samsung Galaxy SIII. Will Apple ever be satisfied, they are already the most valuable company to exist? Apple is acting like an entitled monopoly. Moreover, the US patent system is failing us, and helping to create Apple's monopoly. There is no doubt that for innovation to

First off, let me give credit to whom it is due. I have gloriously modeled (or blatantly copied) the design of this blog entry, "three thoughts on ...", from Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl. Now back to my three thoughts. Google unveiled their first official tablet earlier this week, which is the Nexus 7 tablet. The device will debut for $200 and the hardware is manufactured by Asus. Thought 1: At 7 inches and $200 this is meant to compete with the Amazon Kindle Fire which is also 7 inches and $200. Amazon, Google, Apple, and Microsoft are all staking claims into different segments of the tablet market. Amazon and Google are competing for the smaller screen, E-reader, more affordable sector. Apple is dominating the higher end tablet sector. And the upcoming Microsoft Surface is vying for the tablet/netbook sector. Thought 2: The Nexus 7 will be a perfect device for anyone looking for an E-reader that can also function as a web browser. The Nexus 7 is clearly

This is a open letter to all those that keep on using the term "iPhone 5" to refer to the upcoming iPhone. I am surprised by how many of you are out there, people like the writers from the tech blog BGR.  The upcoming iPhone will be the "iPhone 6"! See and count: Original iPhone iPhone 3G iPhone 3GS iPhone 4 iPhone 4S Upcoming iPhone The iPhone 4S was the "iPhone 5". Furthermore, in terms of product names, Apple will mimic the iPod, which is what we saw with the iPad too. That means the upcoming iPhone will just be called the "iPhone". The differentiation will be through the use of the word "generation". Once the newest iPhone comes out, it will be the current generation iPhone.  So please no more iPhone 5 talk. I get what you are saying, but it sounds so wrong...

It has been six months since my last post. As expected, a lot has happened. The main thing is that I have been married for six months. As foretold, I do not have time for some of my previous hobbies. For me, that translates into less time for blogging and reading. But I paid for another year of this domain name, so I am going to put it to use. Back to the last six months....The most surprising phenomenon is the deterioration of my relationship with Google. I never thought my relationship with Google would be this way while Larry Page and Sergey Brin were in charge. I never thought I would warm up to Apple, after disliking most tactics used by Steve Jobs (e.g., partnering with only AT&T, App Store rejection policy). Please do not infer that I no longer value Google because I do. However, the halo that I perceived to be on top of them is now gone. I have always had great respect for Gmail, Google Search, and Google Maps, so I fully supported Google with their Android project e

I have been with Android since it's beginning on October 2008 with the introduction of the T-Mobile G1. After three years of prophesying Android... after converting many of my friends to the Android platform... right before the launch of the of Galaxy Nexus.. I betrayed Android. I bought an iPhone 4S on Verizon. Of course, I did NOT betray Android, it only feels that way because because a few of the Android converts constantly accuse me of being a "backstabber". And the multitude of iSheep*, above on their pedestals, give me a smug look like if they knew one day I would see the truth and that time is now. To be fair, I have always said, that the iPhone is the best phone for most people. I just did not happen to be that person, mostly because of my lack of respect for AT&T. The latest iPhone has debuted concurrently on AT&T,Sprint, and Verizon thus everything changes. Originally, I wanted to wait and see what the Galaxy Nexus had to offer. I wanted to expe

Today Apple announced their fifth iPhone, we have had, in order: June 2007, iPhone July 2008, iPhone 3G  June 2009, iPhone 3GS June 2010, iPhone 4 For this iPhone, we were all hoping for an iPhone 5, which is to mean, a redesigned phone. Instead we got an updated iPhone 4, we got the iPhone 4S.  What we did NOT get: A bigger screen, the iPhone 4S will be the usual 3.5". 4G! This is huge, can people wisely enter into a two year contract without 4G. 3G might be good enough now, but what will happen in a year with carriers shifting their resources to 4G LTE? When websites continue to demand more bandwidth? When our lives inch closer to the cloud? This launch reminds me of the first iPhone, the 3G technology was there, but Apple chose the safe route and went with 2G. When Apple released the iPhone 3G a year later, it rendered the first iPhone obsolete. Many mactards were "forced" to upgrade.   What we DID get: A dual core processor and bump in RAM

This Tuesday, October 4, 2011, Apple is going to announce the iPhone 5. The iPhone 5 will most likely go on sale within a couple weeks of the announcement. Maybe even within a couple of days! Verizon, Samsung, and/or Google will announce the Nexus Prime the following Tuesday, October 11, 2011. The Nexus Prime is expected to go on sale late October or early November. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the Nexus line of phones, think of it as the closest thing we have to a pure "Google Phone". The Nexus Prime would then be the "Google Phone III". * The next thirty days are the most anticipated days in the history of cell phones. If you are thinking of buying a cell phone in the next month, do not! At least not until you see what the iPhone 5 and Nexus Prime are about. Consider yourself fortunate that you are looking for a phone during this time. You have two phones that are finally worthy of each other. If we cannot get Pacquiao vs Mayweather, life ha

This coming Monday, June 06, 2011, Apple will be hosting its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). The following are expected to be big talking points: iCloud service. Apple's entrance into the cloud music arena, with the backing of all the major music labels and iTunes. Game over Google and Amazon... iOS 5. The next version of the operating system that runs the iPod Touch, iPhone, and i Tampoon  iPad. New Mac OS, "Lion". What is secret, but many including me want to know, is will the iPhone 5 be unveiled? Please Mr. Jobs, give me an iPhone 5 with Verizon's LTE network...  I do not care anymore about how you got your liver.

After months of waiting, the white iPhone 4 has finally arrived. While this seems like good news, let me assure you it is not. The timing is horrible and makes me question the motives of Apple. Once again, I am forced to put on my consumer activist hat. Please follow me on this journey: Question : "Thomas, currently, I do not have a contract with any cell phone carrier, should I get the white iPhone? I do love the color white and not many people have it..." Answer : "No. Apple has conveniently released the white iPhone 4 a couple of months before they will announce the iPhone 5. The iPhone 5 will be worth the wait, so if you buy the white iPhone 4, you will be kicking yourself by this coming September. If my prediction about Apple's horrible timing is correct, the iPhone 5 announcement will happen just as the exchange period on the white iPhone 4 expires." The only people that should buy a white iPhone 4 are people that really love the color white AND have h

I have had about a month to play around around with Apple TV which gives me more than enough time to write a proper review. So let us get down to the nitty gritty. Hardware The Apple TV design is beautiful and small. The specs sheet looks good:  A4 processor, HDMI output and b/g/n wireless support. The remote is also beautiful and small. If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can use those devices to navigate Apple TV. What did it need? A Blu-ray version or some method to reduce the amount of HDMI cords you need. If you are like me, you have one HDMI cord for the cable box, one for the Blu-ray player and one for the Apple TV. The Sony Google TV would have combined all three (TV, Blu-ray, Google TV) into one HDMI cord going into your TV, although it would have cost an extra $300 bones. Software The user interface is gorgeous and easy to use as you would expect from Apple. You have the ability to buy and rent movies/ TV shows from the vast iTunes library. You can sync up your iTunes

For the March/April 2011 issue, Technology Review  did a piece on the top 50 most innovative companies of 2011. Innovation can be tricky to define. But let us not battle like nerds over the minutia. To prevent trolls* from blasting a Time of the Tech produced list, we give you the top fifty innovative companies of 2011 list from Technology Review , MIT's world famous magazine: A123 Systems Akamai Amazon.com Amyris Apple Applied Materials ARM Holdings Complete Genomics First Solar Geron Goldwind Science and Technology Google HTC IBM iRobot Life Technologies Netflix Nissan Novartis Pacific Biosciences Roche Siemens Suntech Toyota Private Companies American Superconductor BIND Biosciences BrightSource Energy Calxeda Cellular Dynamics International Claros Diagnostics Cotendo Crowdcast eSolar Facebook Groupon Joule Unlimited Lattice Power Layar Lyric Semiconductor Novomer PrimeSense Serious Materials Silver Spring Networks SpaceX Square S

VS. The mobile phone war between Apple's iOS and Google's Android OS has been going on since days of the iPhone 3G and the HTC G1, way back..... in October of 2008. After much wailing, grinding and mashing of teeth, Android has overtaken iOS as the most used operating system on smartphones in the US. But with the iPhone debuting on Verizon, who knows what the outcome will be.... And yet, in spite of this uncertainty, a new war commences between iOS and Android, this time in the tablet sector. Like before, Apple drew first blood with the iPad.  A worthy Android challenger has finally risen in the Mortorola Xoom, but can the Xoom stand up to the iPad 2? You will decide. Check both of them out at your local stores.  The Xoom is out as of now, at Verizon stores, and the iPad 2 goes on sale March 11. Here's a breakdown of the basics: APPLE iPAD 2 MOTOROLA XOOM 9.7", 1024 x 768 resolution 10.1", 1280 x 800 resolution 1.34 pounds, .34"

In late August of this year my T-mobile contract will expire. I signed with T-mobile back in October of 2008.  My math is a bit rusty, but that sounds like a three year plan. Regardless... I will be a free agent! I will diligently look for the best phone, which includes exploring every option. One option is the iPhone 5, which should be out by then. It sounds odd for an Android disciple like me to even think of getting an iPhone. I've had the first Android phone, the G1. I've had the second Android phone, the MyTouch. I have the first "Google Phone", the Nexus One. I'm constantly spewing praises for Android, as if I were being paid. But even I know that the iPhone is a damn good phone. And with the iPhone 5 certain barriers to entry, could be taken down, they include: AT&T is no longer the only carrier. Bonus points if the iPhone can make it to T-mobile. The iPhone 5 is rumored to have a 4" screen.  All iPhones have 3.5" screens, which is the sm

So you think you are the only one getting dropped calls from AT&T?  Or you are the only one that gets shady customer care from AT&T.  Obviously, you're not alone. It's refreshing to know that even billionaires get hosed by AT&T. Check out the video to see what the teddy-bear-like Apple co-founder had to say about his AT&T experiences.  Skip to the 1:00 minute mark if you want to save time:

Call me weird, but when I buy a product, I take into account the reputation of the company. Does the company pay its employees well (not you Wal-Mart), does the company support X candidate or Y proposition, how is the CEO like?  So every now and then,  Time of the Tech will post CEO profiles to further enlighten you, the consumer, about the details of the head of a company.  Apple Inc., CEO: Name:  Steven Paul Jobs DOB:  February 24, 1955 (55 Years Old), Pisces Education:  Reed College, dropped out* after one semester. Memorable Quote: "I wish developing great products was as easy as writing a check. If that was the case, Microsoft would have great products." - May 2007 Other Endevours:  Co-founded Pixar, after merging with Disney Studios, Mr. Jobs is now on the Disney board of directors. Interesting Fact:  According to Forbes magazine (August 2010 edition), Mr. Jobs is worth $6.1 billion.  Also, people can e-mail Mr. Jobs, sjobs@apple.com, and he'll someti