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The app is free for users but seems to be partially ad supported. Instead of ads in the app they are shown in the taxi during your ride on the screen of the terminal used to swipe credit cards. The app is linked to these terminals and actually notifies you when the meter is turned on (in case someone else has stolen your cab). At the end of the ride you can rate your driver. You can also set up payment for fares through the app in order to get electronic receipts.

From DC there are about 5 choices in taxi companies you can book. (In Oakton, I only get one choice.) I like this app so far and plan to continue using it when I need a taxi.

The app is available on iPhone, Android and Blackberry.

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My Augen GenTouch78 Android tablet took a fall and is now broken for good.  I spent a lot of time tinkering with this thing to get it to be remotely usable and now due to a freak accident, it is no more.  Technically it’s not dead yet because I can still turn it on.  However, the area where you charge the device is screwed up so once the battery dies, it’s done.

I have a friend that has funerals for her things she can no longer use.  I’ll spare you that and instead focus on lessons learned (and things I knew but ignored).

Lessons Learned:

• You’re not going to get a quality tablet for $99.  You just won’t.  Not only was this device poorly constructed from very cheap plastic but the software was missing some important components, namely the Google Experience which is really what most Android users brag about.  So even if you want a cheap tablet it may be cheaper than you want.
• Don’t buy devices from companies of which you’ve never heard.  You have no track record to rely on and you don’t know if the company will be around to support the device.  Shortly after releasing the GenTouch78, Augen went out of business.  And the augen.com domain is now on sale.  As a result, there is likely no way to get this device fixed.
• Fragmentation of the Android OS is very real.  Even if a new update of the Android OS is released, users have to wait until their device manufacturer or the carrier issues their own version.  Even if you manufacturer doesn’t go out of business you may never get an update.
• Google doesn’t care about tablets especially the cheap ones.  When Google announced Honeycomb earlier this year, they made a big deal about how previous operating systems were meant for phones and shouldn’t be run on larger devices.  That is fine, but it doesn’t appear that Honeycomb has taken off at all since then.  I do hope that with Google’s recent acquisition of Motorola Mobility that some quality devices will be produced.

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I set out to find a case that protected the back of the device as well as the front that didn’t cost a small fortune.  My buddy TBlack hipped me to this Gilsson case that’s only $20 at Amazon.

The velcro closure keeps the device in place while using it at a variety of angles.  The outside of the case looks really good while the inside (of mine) has a few stitching mishaps.  It’s not perfect but it doesn’t look incredibly cheap.  The case also does a good job of hiding the fact that there’s an iPad inside of it.  For this price, this case is an excellent deal.

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Android Honeycomb Demo

Honeycomb looks promising. The apps and widgets are designed for the larger screens and the navigation is sleek. The interface also takes advantage of larger resolutions.

Many have pointed out that current Android tablets are using an operating system designed for phones so they are essentially “blown-up” phones.  I can agree with that sentiment from playing with my “knockoff” tablet but the fact that this guy from Motorola mentioned that their competitors are doing this make me wonder if Honeycomb will be available to other manufacturers when these other devices are released.  (Obviously Motorola, Vizio and others have a head start.)  If all the Android tablets (eventually) run Honeycomb wouldn’t that even the playing field?

Many of the manufacturers of the tablets being shown at CES are Google partners so their tablets come with the Google Experience.  I’m really interested in how Honeycomb will run on nonpartner devices but that will come in due time.  If the current situation with tablets being released without the Google Experience carries forward, many of the apps demonstrated won’t even be available on those nonpartner devices.

I don’t know if Toshiba is a Google partner but I noticed their demo device does not have 3.0 running on it but instead 2.2 (Froyo) though they say it will be released with 3.0. There were a lot of tablets shown that were running 2.x and will be released running that version. Consumers will need to really pay attention to a device’s specifications before buying it to make sure they get what they want because there is a lot of room for confusion in the market for Android devices.

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I ordered an Augen GenTouch78.  It’s a 7 inch device that runs Android 2.1.  I read a lot of reviews and only saw minor complains (i.e. reflexive touch screen as opposed to multitouch) but nothing major that would have prepared me for what I was going to receive.  It took me a while to realize that there were no Google applications (GMail, GTalk, YouTube) included on the device.  While Android itself is open source, Google’s programs that run on Android are not.  Manufacturers of Android devices need to license the apps in order to include them in their builds.  Augen had not done that and in fact had gotten into trouble with earlier releases of the GenTouch78 for including Google’s apps.

I also read that none of the inexpensive tablet manufacturers have licensed Google’s apps thus far.  This also includes Market which is the official app store for the Android environment so not only can you not have Google apps but that pretty much excludes most other popular apps as well.  There are certainly alternative app stores but none of them have anything close to the more than 100,000 apps listed in Google’s Market.  I looked all over the internet for direct downloads of apps but rarely found anything worth downloading.  In fact, most links to Android apps link directly to the Market app store.

After practically pulling my hair out trying to prepare the device for my nephew, I decided that I could not give it to him.  He would not have been able to do most things he wanted to do: namely download games and watch videos.  I ended up giving him a netbook with Ubuntu 10.04 LTE installed which he loves.

I still have the GenTouch78 and have been playing with it and am now trying to find apps for myself (i.e. Twitter client, Facebook app, Flickr, etc.).  There is hardly anything outside of Market.  It is clear to me that Android is nothing without its Market app store.  I had considered an Archos tablet for myself but it also does not have access to Market without doing a mod.  Clearly I had not read enough beforehand but that was because I had no idea that Android could come without the Google apps especially Market.  How long will it be before Google gives tablets its blessing?  Or will they?  Until then it might be wise to hold off on buying one, especially a cheap one, unless you really want to get hands on in trying to make it work.

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I mentioned my purchase on Twitter and several people asked for my opinion.  My first impression based on the device having to charge initially for 6 hours via USB or 15 hours via light source was that this is not a “solar charger”. It’s actually a rechargeable battery.  That is not a problem but calling it a solar charger is a little misleading.  I saw direct solar charge options when considering this device but those were a little more costly.

The Juice Bar battery charges a variety of gadgets as it came with 12 connectors. Of the connectors that I mainly use three of them: USB Type A, USB Mini-B and iPod/iPhone. I’ve also started carrying the PSP connector as that one works with several gadgets I have. I’ve used the device to charge my iPhone, iPod, and Motorola RAZR which I have recently started carrying again. It has about an hour and a half of charge which works for all of the above devices. I’ve recently resurrected the RAZR and have not located its charger and the Juice Bar is the only thing I have that delivers enough power to charge it.

I tried the Juice Bar at work but the first real test was at a conference I attended in Orlando a few weeks ago. Being that my iPhone doesn’t have the best battery life, having this charger comes in handy. I charged the Juice Bar at night and would bring it out when the iPhone battery starting dying. On the last day, I had forgotten to charge the JB so I tried to grab whatever energy I could from the flourescent lights. Being that I was catching the plane, I decided to use it to keep my iPod alive instead of my iPhone.

For the most part I am happy with the Juice Bar. The one complaint I do have is that the iPod/iPhone connector is kind of loose so movement disconnects it. I have used the USB connector with an iPhone cable to avoid this.  That said, it is a convenient item to carry around.

Bonus: I decided to keep the other connectors around even though I don’t use them. One day my friend got into my car with her dead Blackberry asking if I had anything that would charge it. I handed her a standard USB cable because last time I used a Blackberry that’s what they needed to charge. It didn’t fit. She had a connector that I was not familiar with. So I went in the trunk and got my Juice Bar connectors and sure enough one of them fit. She was able to get enough charge while we were at a restaurant to make a few calls.  Now she and our waitress want one.

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Here are the features I noticed:

• Unified inbox. Finally!
• Emails are grouped by threads.
• App folders.  I love the folders but I wish they looked like folders instead of boxes with miniature icons.
• Camera zoom
• Can view photos by places in camera roll.
• Camera now asks if it can know my location. It’s good that they have added this feature back.  We should be able to decide if we want to geotag our photos instead of it automatically being done for us.
• Can see what apps have requested my location.  In addition, an indicator on status bar shows when apps have access to location.
• Birthday calendar. Creates a calendar of contact’s birthdays.  Incidentally, I also figured out how to sync multiple calendars with Google Sync so I can now see Facebook Events, Facebook Birthdays, and other calendars I have in Google Calendar.
• Syncing notes.  Unfortunately, I’m using Google Sync which does not have Notes functionality.  If I were syncing to an actual exchange server I would be happy with this.
• Edit playlists
• Group SMS messaging
• Google suggestions in Safari. This comes in handy when trying to look something up quickly.
• Spell check. I can see a red dotted line under misspelled words while composing email messages.

Features I read about that I can’t find for iPhone 3G

• Multitasking.  I knew that feature was not included already.
• View photos by Faces and Events
• Rotate photos
• Game center
• Ability to search web or wikipedia from home screen
• Home screen wallpaper
• Bluetooth keyboard support

Most of these missing features, I don’t care about at all.  However, I am upset about the Bluetooth keyboard support.  The home screen wallpaper seems easy enough a feature to be included so I was a little disappointed about that as well.  Many have speculated about a unified notification center but that remains to be seen.

Many argue that the older phones are not capable technically of handling many of the new features which seems reasonable.  To some extent, though, I think Apple intentionally leaves features out to serve as a proverbial carrot to motivate users to get the newer versions.  The carrot on stick motivation technique has never worked for me.  In everything, my loyalty depends on how I am treated.  In August, I will be a free agent in terms of phones and cell carriers.  I will be weighing whether or not I should stay with iPhone or move to Android.

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CLEAR is a wireless internet service that boasts speeds up to four times as fast as 3G. It is completely mobile and works anywhere within the service area. It does, however, require a new type of wireless card to get access to the network.

If CLEAR catches on it could change internet service as we know it. Right now people pay for an internet connection at home, one on their mobile devices and many times wifi at locations such as cafes, hotels, airports and the like. The beauty of CLEAR is that one would be able to pay for one internet service plan and use the same service all over the metropolitan area. The user’s connected devices could also be used in other CLEAR service areas.

The service area is larger than I would expect for the initial launch (I thought it would just be in the District alone) but still does not include where I live. When the service is expanded to my area, my internet service provider should expect an “it’s not me, it’s you” letter from me.

In the meantime, CLEAR will be broken in this week as it will provide internet access for the core events of Digital Capital Week, a 10 day festival in Washington DC focused on technology, innovation and all things digital in our nation’s capital.

CLEAR uses a technology called WiMAX. WiMAX (worldwide interoperability for microwave access) refers to a standard designed to provide high-bandwidth wireless services on a metropolitan scale – think public WiFi on steriods. Reportedly, WiMAX download speeds rival that of a traditional DSL connection. WiMAX differs from WiFi in that while WiFi tends to work in a radius of about 30 meters, WiMAX’s footprint is 3 kilometers. What does that mean to you? Essentially WiMAX can easily blanket an entire city to provide wireless access. Not only that, the network speeds are not greatly compromised as with WiFi at the outer limits of coverage.

More than a year ago Xohm launched it’s WiMAX service in Baltimore. There have been numerous launches all over the country since then. During that time Xohm changed it’s name to Clearwire and rebranded the WiMAX service as CLEAR.

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• organizing applications by folders
• improved mail: unified inbox, organize messages by threads, open attachments in third-party apps
• iBooks
• create playlists on phone
• 5X digital zoom
• tap to focus video
• view photos based on who’s in them and where they are taken
• home screen wallpaper
• give apps as gifts
• spell checking
• wireless keyboard support

Of these features, those that interest me are the ability to organize applications by folders, the unified inbox (about time), ability to create playlists on the phone and wireless keyboard support (should have been there generations ago).

Since there are over 100 new features, that leaves many to the imagination.  I hope there are features that improve the communications and productivity aspects of the phone.  Here are features I hope are included:

• ability to turn off geotagging in photos or otherwise remove geotags before transmitting photos
• synchronization of notes and tasks
• pop-up notifications consolidated into a notification bar (like PalmOS and Android)
• easier way to toggle on/off wireless and Bluetooth
• Bluetooth file transfer
• ability to use phone as storage device

I understand that Apple’s way is to build from scratch but other phones already do many of these things.  So until I see features I can actually use, the verdict’s out.

Photo Credit: Adam Jackson / Flickr

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This is a product that was so ahead of its time. I’ve had a Bluetooth Stowaway keyboard for several years (maybe 3).  I will gladly use it with my iPhone when the functionality is supported. I wonder if the company will start making these again as I can see increased demand with all the new tablets coming out.

As an aside: I’ve been able to successfully use my keyboard with Linux and Playstation 3 as well as the original Palm device for which it is meant.  I have not been able to successfully use this with Windows and I have no idea why.

See my post on amplify.com.

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Phone

The phone quality is pretty good.  I like the loudspeaker mode as it was pretty easy to hear my phone calls.  With other phones it has been somewhat difficult to hear on speaker mode above background noise.  Another feature I like about the phone is the audible caller ID alert.  Though some names sounded strange others were pronounced very well.  This is a neat feature though I’d probably never use it in real life.

There was one day when my calls kept dropping but this only happened when talking with one person in particular.  It did not happen with anyone else I talked to that day or any other day.

Messaging

The first thing I tried to do after inserting my SIM card was send an MMS message but found that I could not – this is most likely because my AT&T account is set up for my iPhone.  The next thing I did was set up Mail for Outlook to use Google Sync to synchronize my calendar and address book.  I was happy that my calendar and contacts were synched.  Included were photos for any contacts for which I had photos attached in my Google contacts.  I then set up Express Mail for two of my GMail accounts and one Yahoo mail account.  I was not as happy about the email client since not many emails were displayed and the emails are displayed in plain text format.  I also did not like that individual mailboxes were displayed instead of one box containing all email and SMS messages (like Blackberry).  The phone also does not seem to support IMAP so I could not organize my mail.  It is likely that Mail for Outlook supports multiple folders but I can’t use this with my GMail accounts.

Browser

The browser can render an entire website but not necessarily the same way it would be viewed on a computer screen.  Navigation in the browser takes a little getting used to but includes a thumbnail window to see what you are looking at in context of the page.  Some pluses of the browser are that it supports multiple browser windows (similar to Safari on the iPhone) and that it supports Flash.

Bluetooth

The phone is has full Bluetooth capability.  Not only does it allow you to use stereo Bluetooth headsets but it also allow you to access files on the phone via Bluetooth (OBEX).  I transfered my images and video from the phone that way.  It syncs the address book, calendar, notes, text messages and bookmarks via Bluetooth as well.  In addition, I was able to  share wifi or other internet connections with other devices via Bluetooth.  I did this with my Palm LifeDrive.

Media

The device can play audio files.  I was able to play my voice mails that I received in email.  I did not use the phone much for audio but there is an included audio player.  In addition to audio, the phone plays video.  The miniSD slot can be used to expand the phone’s memory to hold more media files.  Other helpful apps included are QuickOffice and Adobe PDF viewer which allow you to view various email attachments.

Camera

The E71x’s 3.2 megapixel camera has scene modes that allow you to change the picture taking settings (i.e. portrait, landscape, night, close up, etc.) much like that on standalone digital cameras.  There are various settings for flash, timer, white balance and color settings as well.  The camera has a light instead of a flash.  It stays on a while most likely to prevent red eye.  The camera does pretty decent quality video as well.  While shooting video the light stays on.

Apps

I installed Qik right away and Twibble (a Twitter client).  I tried to install Gravity several times with no success.  I eventually installed Google Maps, which I used to find my way to Assateague Island, Virginia from Pocomoke City, Maryland.  It is a good alternative to the fee-based AT&T Maps service.  I also installed the GMail Java app, Google Mobile and Fring.  I definitely preferred the GMail app to the included email client.  Fring allowed me to make VOIP calls via AT&T’s 3G as well as wi-fi connections.  It also allowed me to connect to Skype and all of my IM accounts.

There are a lot of apps included on the phone including games, XM radio, MobiTV and mSpot Music.  I never used them so I offer no opinion of them.

Verdict

I really enjoyed this phone primarily for the media features (i.e. photos, videos, etc).  I also enjoyed being able to retrieve the files via Bluetooth.  Another feature I liked was the ability to sync my calendar and contacts as I am not one to enter this information into the phone by hand.  It’s a pretty decent phone to use for business and for fun.

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Setup

Setup was extremely easy.  It requires no special software on your computer or phone.  All that is required is to set up an Exchange Activesync account using one’s Google email/calendar credentials.  Before doing this, however, it is important to back up contacts and calendar on the device and upload this information to Google.

Functionality

If I create a new event on my Google Calendar online I am able to see it on the iPhone calendar application within a few seconds and vice versa.  I noticed that changes to contacts seemed to take a few minutes to sync.  I now keep my calendar and contacts in sync without 1) having to pay for a service to do this, 2) connecting to the office and 3) connecting my iPhone to my computer for synching.

Limitations

Google Sync currently only synchronizes contacts and calendar items.  It does not synchronize mail through the Microsoft Exchange Activesync protocol but instead though IMAP, so two accounts have to be set up on the phone to get both mail and calendar/contact information.  The only features that I would like to see added are the ability to sync notes and tasks.

If you still use Outlook you will need to download a separate tool to synchronize Outlook with Google Calendar.  The verdict is out on syncing contacts directly, however.  Plaxo will synchronize calendar, contacts, notes and tasks with Outlook for a fee, however.

Google Sync is a good tool for businesses and individuals that cannot afford to run Microsoft Exchange in house especially when used with a Google Apps hosted domain.  Google Sync is available on iPhone, Blackberry, Nokia and Windows Mobile phones.

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Geotagging

Digital cameras store images in a format called Exchangeable Image File (EXIF).  EXIF files can be TIF or JPEG format but they also include information about the photo including the type of camera used to take the photo and the camera settings.  The EXIF specification also allows for GPS coordinates to be included.  Adding geographic information to photos is called geotagging.  Phones that can geotag photos include Blackberry, iPhone, G1 and Palm Pre.

Geotagged Images Online

With the iPhone there was a limitation in the API used to upload and email photos that stripped GPS and other data when the photos were uploaded directly from the phone.  This can be seen as a flaw by some and an accidental security measure by others.  However, the API was fixed in the iPhone 2.1 update so all EXIF data is now being transmitted depending on what application you are using to upload the photos.  In addition, if you save the photos on your computer the data remains in the file so if you subsequently upload those files anywhere the location data will go along with them.

If photos are uploaded to Flickr, the service can automatically geotag them based on EXIF data.  However, I am not so much worried about sites like Flickr.  Flickr has the ability to hide EXIF data and many image hosting sites strip EXIF data from the image it shows (probably in the interest of saving bandwidth).  But what happens when one uploads photos to blogs or other sites?  Anyone, especially stalkers or other people with ill intentions, can view the photos’ EXIF data to find out where the photos were taken.  One seemingly innocuous photo could result in people knowing the exact GPS coordinates of your house.

It looks like many phones will allow you to turn geotagging off.  However, this feature cannot be turned off on an iPhone without turning off all location services.  At one point the iPhone’s Camera application would ask to know your location.  This was a good way to opt out of location data being stored in the photo.  However, the application no longer asks for permission and automatically stores the location data in each photo.

What Can Be Done

The most important thing is to be aware when you are geotagging photos.  On the iPhone it is likely that turning off location services completely is not a convenient option.  If you are saving the photos on your computer and then uploading them, you will have to edit the EXIF data to remove the GPS coordinates before uploading the files.  Many image editing programs will allow you to do this.  However, if you are uploading images directly from your phone, you are sending your GPS data to the internet.  I just checked the App Store and there aren’t any apps to remove geotags.  (I did see three apps that claim to remove all EXIF data though.)  Your best bet would be to not directly post anything from private locations unless you know for sure that your geotag data will be stripped.

I do not have access to other GPS-enabled phones at this time but will try to get my hands on some for testing.  From a cursory look on the internet it appears that Blackberry and Pre have an option to enable geotagging which probably means it can also be disabled.  I did not immediately find information on whether geotagging can be disabled on a G1.  I will definitely look more into this.

Are you unwittingly sharing location data?

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It is my experience in Europe and other locations outside the U.S., that the phone and the service are separate.  You buy a phone, then you buy a SIM card that ties you to a carrier.  Technically, this is possible in the U.S., however, there are only two major GSM carriers (AT&T and T-Moble) except that because we buy phones from the carriers they are able to lock them to only work on their networks.  Think about it, you’re less likely to switch networks if you have to buy another phone.

Because the carriers lock the phones, they also get to remove features that they don’t want you to use.  For example, I had a Motorola RAZR on T-Mobile and I was able to transfer contacts and files to and from my phone via Bluetooth.  I could also use my phone as a modem via Bluetooth.  My father had the same phone on Verizon that would not allow files to be transfered at all and Bluetooth could only be used for headsets.  Another example of blocking features when I was on Sprint, I bought a Nokia phone (don’t remember the model) because the Nokia literature said that the phone was internet ready.  When I got the phone from Sprint, however, that functionality had been turned off.  Because Sprint would not take the phone back, I canceled my internet service and suffered that phone for a year and promptly left when the contract was up.

These days all of the carriers have phones on their networks that allow tethering but they disable this feature because they want to charge extra for it.  Should that not be included in the already “unlimited” data plans to which those users have subscribed?  Many carriers are still charging for ringtones instead of allowing customers to store their own on the phone.  Many other features have been disabled or forbidden as well.

I switched from CDMA to GSM because I thought it was a little closer to freedom but carriers still lock down the phones. True freedom would allow me to use whatever phone I want on whatever network I want.  That requires a change to the way the wireless carriers operate in the United States.  If the carriers have no control over the phones the actual wireless service will be forced to get better.

I just signed this petition to free my phone.  You should too if you want:

• The freedom to choose any phone on any network.
• The freedom to choose among many carriers in a competitive, low-cost marketplace.
• The freedom to access any Web content, applications or services we want through our phones.

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