ATT Galaxy S Apps and Gripes

Major Gripe

To date still no 2.2 Froyo. Wake up AT&T the rest of the android world across the pond is WAY ahead of us. I want that better power management and the melange of other updates 2.2 will bring.

COOL APPS

Now that I have the out of the way Let's talk cool apps. My latest favorite is Vlingo an app that lets you speak and easily send texts or emails. No typing or swyping. Just talk and hit send. It will even read incoming texts (safe reader) like a female Stephen Hawking. I accidentally left this function on and was awakened to my phone reading a text from a friend who is overseas. Creepy but cool. It's a very mature app that is FREE.

Pulse is a very cool graphically hip news service that delivers technical news, dilbert, movie news etc.. It's a great diversion and looks great. It's FREE

Replica Island is a free game that I find very relaxing. You fly a little android around the screen It's simple fun and yes FREE.

Ringdroid is a great ringtone editor. Uses music and sound files from your phone. Easy to use, fun and yes...wait for it. FREE!

Google Sky and map came on my phone and whenever I am out at night and the stars are visible I give it a quick look. It is really amazing and accurate. You can even look at the stars during the day, inside but that er isn't quite so cool. BUT you can do it! check out the setting and various layers you can see planets turn on the red display for night vision etc. It's really worth the Zero dollars and cents I paid for it. You will find it a google.com. Yes. It's FREE too..

Ah such good advice to my many um ok no readers. But who cares, I have my little android friend to keep my happy.

Galaxy S synchronization

If you stumble on this post them you may be searching for a way to synchronize your android OS phone to your computer. A free app called doubleTwist does a great job. It's both MAc and PC.I tried Samsing Kies only to find that it is not enabled in the USA.

Double twist works great. It's very itunes like and intuitive. Right now, I think it is the answer.

Samsung Galaxy S

Last week I made the jump from the iphone to an android based phone. I am not looking back. I got the Samsung Galaxy S. Ten minutes after I had the device I knew I made the right choice for my needs. I am not going to list the specs, or gab about the brilliant OLED screen, the processor etc. I will mention that you CAN change the battery yourself without tools or an Apple employee. This only makes sense. Batteries ALL wear out and if you are a power user they wear out fast. You can get all the details and more at the Sansung website.

I am just going to concentrate the pluses and minuses I have discovered in my little world thus far. I know Samsung is working on some of these issue and that the phone was rushed to market. They have sold a couple of million of these, so hopefully the users groups will become even more vocal and helpful as the OS evolves.

As a small business person I need maximum flexibility. The android 2.1 OS that came with the device is fast, powerful and give me tons of options. In fact, I only have one gripe about the phone and that is the the Samsung Kies software is not activated for use in the USA. That leaves me without a powerful synchronization tool like my old iphone and itunes. Right now my phone looks like a data storage device to my PC. Oh and one other small thing is that my Google calendar does not update from the phone unless I choose google calendar each time I make a new appointment. A small issue but one that irks me.

I have not had a lot of time to check out the GPS but I believe there are still some tweaks coming soon. I did play with Google sky map on a nice clear night and I think the GPS was a bit wonky. It did work though and it was pretty cool. There are lots of options to choose from in terms of what data you want to see i.e. constellations, planets and other cool stuff out there.

The Apps available are great and very similar to the Apple world. I can see that one must be much more vigilant when choosing and installing Android based apps. This is a bit more wild west that Apple's tightly integrated and controlled world to say the least. One of the first apps I installed was "Lookout" a free anti viral, cloud backup program that gives me a bit more confidence. Lookout is also touted to help locate my phone if we become separated. You can back up your phones' data automatically which to me would be a real lifesaver.

The tight integration with Google is great as my G-mail accounts and Google docs are part of my daily life. I plan on writing more about the progression of The Galaxy S in the near future.

To me this phone is a definite buy. Especially if you have grown tired of the Big Brother like control Apple has devolved into. Right now, the Android world reminds me of the early days of PCs. The freedom of those times allowed for rapid technological leaps that today we take for granted.

ADOBE Premiere Pro CS5

LIKE BUTTER
Years ago Premiere used to have a black stallion on the box. Back then, as I sat in my cave huddled over an ancient CRT for warmth, watching my projects render excruciatingly slowly, I thought about that great irony. That horse didn't run. With the release of Adobe Premiere Pro CS5, ADOBE has finally stifled my usually unbridled sarcasm. They are at a point in their evolution where they almost totally get it. Really like they are SOOOO close.
EVANGELICAL FUROR
I want to let everyone know, right up front, that I too get a little queasy when I sit through an ADOBE TV presenter replete with bizarre facial hair and bobbing ponytail evangelizing their egocentric butts off. They gush happy speak and generally the love they feel for themselves and their product can make me a bit queasy.
I have been personally using this suite of products over the past few months and must tell you it truly has come of age. The Mercury playback engine and it's magical use of my video card's CUDA technology has made my older PC running native CS5 software my "go to" machine. I have two other edit suites with third party hardware running CS4. Each of these daily confront me with a ton of annoying little problems. CS4 was not"berry berry" good for me or my hardware vendors. The CS5 machine gives me little to complain about and lots to really like.
REAL TIME FUN
ADOBE says they started from the ground up with this version and I have to believe them. As I watch a project render I can see how well CS5 utilizes multiple processors. It is really really fast. CS4 just never cut it there. CS5 is conversant with wide range of formats and large projects open up to 10 times faster. That figure I got from them. If you have time to actually time this stuff out you need to get out more. There is native support for all the major players and I know for a fact that ADOBE is going to continue to be on top of the changes that occur almost daily in the digital world.
GUSHING PRAISE
I could gush about a plethora of other features, but for me the stability, speed and efficient use of ram are the big ones. Yeah, I know Ultra Key totally rocks. Sure it's totally integrated with After Effects, Encore, Photoshop and the rest of the gang. Oh, yeah did I mention you get On Location too. Very slick tool to have on a shoot or in the studio...I think they got Ultra Keyer from over there in OL land. If you have stumbled upon this missive you have read other stuff about Premiere CS5. So now, if you don't have it go get it. It's on the MAC and the PC. I have both and it is amazing on both.
NOW WE NEED TO GET COOKING
ADOBE forgot about one teeny tiny little thing. Titler. It is a vestigial afterthought. A leftover from times when hairy men warmed themselves in front of coruscating CRTs. In a word it stinks. With all the amazing upgrades, add ons and cutting edge developments this little app has been left to rot on the digital vine. ADOBE needs to take the very good and fast things titler does, mix it with a heaping helping of Photoshop, add a dash of After Effects and create a usable titler with a work flow that is not wholly linked to the project file.

Missing Bits:The Ipad Iphone

I want to firmly state that since I purchased my 1st gen iphone I have been really happy with the phone. Easy to use, synchronize and operate. It has a great screen and it basically made me forget the pain of the shoebox full of old cell phones (now donated to charity) that never really satisfied my needs. My iphone is now getting a bit long in the tooth and as I was shopping on line last night on it from the comfort of my heavily fortified bed complete with a warm wife and two dogs, I was struck by something. No, not by one of cohabitants of my king sized dream machine. I was struck by the audacity of Apple to ignore a mainstay of the internet world, Flash.
I want to go on record to the two or three people who may stumble on this missive, that I think it really stinks. Steve Jobs has done well reviving Apple by pushing industry standardization and especially the creation of the world of the ipod and iphone. Unfortunately, his quirky belligerence, when it comes to Adobe is pathetic. Yeah they have a competing product, Premier Pro and yeah it's probably going to erode Apples market share further with Adobe's next release unless they step up plans to revitalize Final Cut. Don't hold your breath. Apple as far as Final Cut is concerned appears stagnant at this moment.
That being said, I am seriously considering leaving the warmth and safety of my present iphone simply because I can't view the wonderfully optimized and animated world of flash websites.
I think the ipad would be a great way to sit in bed and plug in. Would I buy one with out FLASH capability? Nope. I can use my netbook and get the whole enchilada. I am certain as long as Steve Jobs (formerly one of my personal tech heroes) is at the helm we will not see flash on the iphone/ipod/ipad platform. I wish no ill fortune on Steve he's been through a lot. Perhaps too much. It could be time for him to take a permanent break from the secrecy, intrigue and compulsive dislikes and enjoy his golden years in peace.
I want Flash now. Not the promise of HTML 5 later.

Dragon Naturally Speaking 10

I have to admit right up front that I am a lousy typist. I took typing in high school and basically I've always been lousy at it. Recently, I have been forced to type my own scripts etc. Did I say that I am still a lousy typist?
Years ago I tried a Dragon speech recognition product and I have to admit I was really disappointed. Recently, on a whim I downloaded the free app Dragon Dictation on my iPhone from the people at Nuance. I was really impressed. It translated my voice to text very well and now makes sending texts and e-mails a lot faster.
My confidence buoyed by the amazing performance of this app I went in search of the Dragon Naturally Speaking 10. Over the holidays it was on sale and I thought it was time to revisit this product. I purchased the least expensive standard package which comes with software, [PC only] and a headset.
It installed easily and after running through the initial diagnostics I was on my way. It took a little while to get used to speaking aloud what I normally write in longhand and then type. But now, I realize, I will never go back. Despite the fact that my children chide me with taunts of nerd and air traffic controller.
This package works extremely well. In fact, I am using it places that I never thought it would be necessary or possible. And of course, I'm using it right now to write this blog. A few weeks back, while I was dictating a script I got a call from a client needing a graphic change. I opened up Photoshop found the text that needed to be updated highlighted and spoke instead of typed. I didn't have to lift my hand off the mouse and it worked great. You won't find that TechBIT on the box. I have to tell you it works great for me. You can even navigate your browser, something I really don't need but is kind of fun. There are tons of shortcuts and ways of cutting and pasting things like your signature or more standard boilerplate text items.
My wants are simple. Make my typing chores faster and easier. I read somewhere that Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 will increase your typing speed 300%. I know in my case it's way faster than that. I have to recommend this product. I've actually been telling all my friends about it. Even people who type really fast have been amazed at how much faster speech to text is. Another thing I've noticed is that although I'm a pretty good speller this product is better.
Now it's not all a bed of roses, many times I say a word such as by when I really mean bye and I am forced to actually type. Yes, I know there are ways to get around that but I don't mind typing a few words here and there. Sometimes, in the morning when my voice is a bit gravelly the product does deliver some very interesting versions of what I am dictating. More coffee generally sorts out those issues. You will notice that after prolonged use of this product your diction and enunciation will improve. I tend to speak quickly and can be a bit of a marble mouth. The product seems to learn with each session and has gotten significantly better over a very short period time. I recently found another headset I had used on one VOIP service or another and I think my accuracy has increased significantly. Perhaps the headset that comes with product is not of the absolute highest quality. It does work, but my new headset with a non-flexible boom microphone is better.
If you have not revisited speech to text I highly recommend Dragon
Naturally Speaking 10. It's relatively inexpensive and can really be a time saver
Bye for now... Hey that worked great!

Ikan's VX9 LCD Monitor

I recently received the ikan VX9 LCD monitor. The people at ikan are masters at building good quality production equipment at very reasonable prices.
The ikan VX9 LCD monitor has 1024x600 line of resolution. All signals are scaled to this resolution. I was skeptical at first but after reviewing other monitors in this price range that boast higher resolutions I was pleasantly surprised.
The picture is clean, saturated well and in the HD resolutions I tried there were negligible artifacts. Apparently this monitor is targeted towards the on location on camera market. It quickly found a place beneath my dual monitors in my edit suites. The 8.9" monitor is just the right size for my needs.
The viewing angle is tight so if you edit with clients you will want to seriously consider placement for maximum viewing benefit. Viewing angle is important, especially to producers and editors that need to collaborate.
The monitor comes with a battery mount for field use and ikan has lots of different mounts for the monitor itself. It only draws three watts max so it appears to be fairly efficient. There is also a 4 pin XLR type DC 12v-20v input for use with an external power supply. There are (4) 1/4-20 threads on all four sides of the monitor so you will have lots of options for mounting. The unit I received came complete with the monitor, power adapter, MA206 Articulating arm and the battery plate.
The VX9 supports HDMI, HD-SDI, Component and composite from 480i/59.94i to 1080P/30P.
The controls are straightforward and intuitive. I only looked at the docs to see their specs.
I know this is not a true HD monitor but I am really impressed by the picture quality. If you are looking for a relatively inexpensive way to monitor HD-SDI, HDMI signals you may want to consider the ikan VX9. I believe at the time of this writing they are selling for $1149.