11/11/2009 Martin Cecire Droid Review
- I have had the droid for 4 days now and have liked this device from the moment I took it out of the box. It is a very solid feeling phone and fits in my hand well. The Droid may look awkward to some, but it feels very comfortable. The only complaint I have with the physical design of the phone is the lock button on the top of the device. Along with the swipe to unlock it can get repetitive, but after constant playing and texting with the phone it is still not on my nerves. (that is arguably the only consistent negative) We all know how amazing the screen on the Droid is, it has been one of the most talked about parts of this phone. Therefore I will skip that part to begin with.
Lets start with typing since it can make or break a device. I enjoy typing on this device. Maybe because there are three different ways to do it and each has its own purpose and strengths in my eyes. The virtual keyboard in portrait view is the least accurate, however is good for short answers and one handed typing (walking or driving). The virtual keyboard in landscape view is much more accurate and laid out very well. It is quick, easy to use and takes up the entire 3.7 inch screen (biggest keyboard the phone has to offer). One feature that allows faster typing on the Droid's keyboard is the text autocorrect. This feature does a great job and is almost always right. It also displays a list of words that you may be trying to type and highlights the closet match.
Finally we come to the physical keyboard. Possibly the most disputed feature of the device. I actually like the keyboard for a number of reasons. I feel like I am the most accurate typing on it but it does take away some speed. It is also the easiest to edit text while using the physical keyboard ( YES you can edit text, copy, paste, etc.). Text editing is available using both virtual keyboards but you need to go into the menu to do it, while the physical keyboard has shortcuts to do it. The worst thing in my opinion about the physical keyboard is that it is off center. This makes the typing a little more awkward and a longer learning curve. The directional pad that offsets the keyboard is not a total waste and is useful for some navigating, but I have not decided if this is a useful trade off.
Android 2.0 / Marketplace
First of all I love having three home screens and widgets. The home screens are set up as a 4x4 grid and each icon takes up a 1x1 space. Widgets can be 1x1 or up to 4x4 and all in between. These widgets are extremely useful to me for information right in my face. They range from memo's to weather to sports to social networking, most of which you can find free.
The notification bar is very nice. Any notification goes on the top bar, which can be dragged down to display the notifications. When selected it will open that notification.
Some other points.
Google nav: AWESOME, quick and accurate.
Apps available: plenty and quality. Large amount free.
Easily customizable ring tones and notifications
Haptic feedback on 4 dedicated keys is very nice
Voice search is the MOST accurate I have every experienced
Bowser is gorgeous and fast
Camera is NOT as bad as everyone says (put it on stability mode)
Video recorder is GREAT and the sound quality it records is perfect and undistorted (even in a large football stadium)
UI is fast and smooth
There is a way to get 7 home screens instead of 3
Call quality is crisp and clear.
Some negatives
Physical keyboard does not have auto correct (not that I have found anyway)
In some applications the back button quits the program instead of going to the previous screen.
Unlocking can be annoying to some
Email is a touch harder to set up then a BB
Overall
Awesome device. Solid and comfortable.Sleek and fast. The many perks outweigh the few possible negatives. I came from a storm, that worked well by the way, and love this device.
11/5/2009 - Ugh...
- Well the first day since the Yankees won the World Series consisted of what nearly turned into a fight between a Yankees fan and a Red Sox fan. It was a tad distracting especially while in the gym. Anyway it basically started with some bad comments made by Yankee fan guy, and Red Sox fan guy getting irritated, then the 2 of them both shouting nonsense at one another. People if you want to have a good educated fight Red Sox fans this is what you say.
1.) They spent $3,000,000,000 since 2001 yes 3 billion.
2.) They have never been under the luxury tax line while no other team has been over it 2x in a row … well until the Mets this season.
3.) AROID … Come on really how can anyone like this man….
4.) Give some kind remark about Rivera, Jeter, Posada, and Pettite it will make you seem more credible.
5.) Make fun of AROID again.
6.) In a world where corporate greed is terrible and people hate Wall Street, people are somehow okay with a team taking 500million in taxpayer money to only spend it on a 1.5 billion dollar stadium, and 500million on player… One of those who took a substance that is a felony (AROID)…
7.) Ask them what they think of the Patroits and when they say they hate them because they always win … well I hope you can figure out an insult.
8.) I'm tired going to bed … think of another good one.
11/2/2009 - Magic Mouse
- Well, after switching from my beautiful logitech bluetooth rechargeable mouse. I have to say the Magic Mouse is a welcome change to the cramping that my hand went under day in and day out on that, but that is another story with my own mouse issues. The best feature I have to say is the scrolling, it is fantastic. It really is fairly intelligent in that the fast I swipe back the quicker the page scrolls down. It's a simply and elegant solution to the annoyance that was cleaning the "nub" on the Mighty Mouse. Biggest let down, simply I can't pinch the sides and expose. I miss it and want it back. Apple please expand on the multi-touch features so I can do some weird gesture and make expose go into affect. Not just that customizable gestures would be an added benefit. Dropping $70 on a mouse should justify Apple expanding the gestures that are supported with the Magic Mouse. Another love of this mouse I have is how well it slides on nearly any hard surface. So far any and every surface, I take that back it didn't work too well on carpet, the mouse has worked wonderfully. The profile, that being the low profile that the mouse has, I feared was going to be another hand cramper. Instead it more like resting your hand on a slightly curved piece of glass that glides on any hard surface. Overall a very welcome change from the Mighty Mouse that made me feel like I had to keep only 2 fingers on it at any given time to make it function properly. Design wise, the mouse is beautiful. It looks like the offspring of current Apple products, which is exactly the way it should look. It makes the current bluetooth keyboard look outdated, and makes me want an aluminum and glass keyboard to match. Get rid of those plastic keys and give me something much prettier. Lastly, it feels so far as a welcome improvement over the Mighty Mouse, if you have a buttonless fetish that is of course. There will be those that say eh to the Magic Mouse, well that will actually be a lot of people. On the other hand after first being skeptical then giving the mouse a chance, I am glad I did.