DROID phone and Other New Tech

Wow it has been a long time since I've done this. Got distracted by a few things. Trying to get back on to new and exciting technology.

First up is the new DRIOD phones, well to be more accurate "Android" based phones. I like 'em so much I ordered myself the Verizon version. They have at least 2, the DROID, and the DROID eris. They have some really cool, and fun apps, like the screen fogger. You start the app and it makes the screen look like it's fogged over. Then you draw on the screen with your finger, you know, like you used to do the storm door or the car windows in the winter when you were a kid. To make the screen "re-fog" you blow in the microphone. Yea, I know stupid, but it's kinda funny. There's a "shotgun" app that simulates using a pump action Shotgun. Then there's a barcode reader app. This thing will read the barcode of a product and then search for prices! COOL! no more wondering if this or that store has the best price when you run up on something in a mall! Those who like to shop will like that one. Google maps, and various other apps I never got to play with. My only bone to pick with Verizon is that they undercut their brick and mortar stores with the instant online rebate if you go to Verizon.com. I think they should let the stores do that as well, 'cause if they did I'd already have mine. I've had bad experiences filling out rebate forms and mailing them in, so I don't do that crap any more. Anyway, more on that when it comes.



Second, Google Voice, and Wave. I haven't had a chance to work with wave, but I've begun to see where it could be very handy for many things. However, the cool app of the day is Google Voice. This thing allows you to either setup a number with Google, or just use the services for existing phones. I picked the number. What this does is allow you to give out ONE phone number for getting in touch with you. Then you can direct certain people to certain phones. Like when work calls, you can direct them to your cell, or your home or both. If family calls they can go to all three phones (or more), if pestering telemarketers call they can go straight to voice mail, or nowhere! hehehe. I like that last part. But wait there's more! You also have the option of having Google transcribe your voice mail so you can read it! Very cool when you're in noisy or very quiet places. You can also listen in on a voice message as its being left!

Yea, I know what yer thinkin'. These two can work together, an android based phone is definitely going to work with Google based tech!

Third, yea there's a third, Kubuntu 9.10. VERY disappointing. I'm using it now, but it STILL SUFFERS from the STUPID problems the last TWO versions suffered from. Looks like I'm going to jump ship over to Fedora, It has issues as well, but it doesn't have the same issues across three versions of the distribution!! STILL cannot use VOIP softphones, NetworkManager still cannot access my wireless and generally stinks (and, no Fedora's KDE has no issues like this). The install was very kludgy, as it didn't give me a change to select software, or it blew past me and I didn't notice. I did both an upgrade, and a clean install, neither were sucessful in fixing some of my problems. Of course I still have the same home directory as I've never reformatted the /home partition. However, the problems I deal with are device related, as the connections, especially from the VOIP perspective work just fine as defined in apps like twinkle and ekiga, I just can't get any sound. Anyway, I'll put Fedora on at some point and run it through it's paces.

Speaking of Fedora, I'm just about ready to try it out at work again, I noticed the network manager has gotten LEAP capabilities, so we'll see about that. I also noticed some Change Control tickets on fixing some things with a couple of email servers, which could explain why evolution could never hook up with it. If I can get evolution to work and the wireless to work at work, I'll be ALL SET to dump windoze even at work! Oh happy day . . . .

Oh, have I mention here before that I really don't like windoze? (Windows to some of you). I guess that's enough for now. I'll have to tell you about the Finish of the flag football for Michael, when I can.