2011: Year of the iPad 2!

[jvna]

If the monthly cost for an iPhone wasn't so high, I'd switch her to an iPhone.

I'm thinking that the cost for T-Mo voice service is the difference... as all carriers have the same charges for data plans.

Why is it more expensive for the iPhone? I didn't think carriers charged an i-premium.

I should've saved my comparison, but from what I remember...

TMo - Family Plan
3 lines 1000 minutes shared $60
1 unlimited data with 400 txt/pic msg $25
taxes/fees ~$8.50
corporate discount ($8.50)
----so about ~$90/month

ATT - Individual
1 line 900 minutes $60
unlimited messaging $20
data 2GB/month - $25
possible corporate discount ~($9)
taxes/fees ~$8.50
----so about ~$104.50/month

 

[irvinehomeowner]

Yeah... it's T-Mo's service plans... they are cheaper compared to the 3 that actually carry the iPhone... that goes for even if you were to go to the Galaxy S2 (a phone that everyone has except for VZW).

If T-Mo were to carry the iPhone, it would be no more expensive than their Android phones.

With Family plans, it's harder to compare because T-Mo is known for having one of the cheapest Family plans. Individual plans are more comparable with T-Mo only being $5 less than ATT.

When you factor in stuff like minutes, unlimited texting and unlimited data... the picture changes a bit.  And... T-Mos (and ATTs) 4G isn't "true" 4G... but the same could be said for Sprint's WiMax and even to some extent VZW's LTE (LTE Advanced is actually "true" 4G).

You can compare all 4 with this site:
http://www.myrateplan.com/wireless_plans/

 

[roundcorners]

Should have listened to U, at the BB at the district, they dont have the 8.9... but I'm growing fond of the old 7" again... Cant wait till the new one comes out... It is just the right size.. Excuse me.. Gotta run to the Costco here.. Get some cases of water & power bars for those lovely people on Alton... Have a good weekend folks...


Edit.. the nice folks were able to break one 8.9 out they have 4 in stock... thay thing is sweet!

 

[irvinehomeowner]

The more I use my 10.1"... the more I think that 7"-8" is the best size... esp if it runs 1280x800 rez under Android.

I've been playing with the HTC Flyer and the touchscreen performance is horrible. Hopefully the 7.7" Galaxy Tab gets released in the US but I really hate how Samsung prices their products.

Did you just see that AT&T is releasing ANOTHER Galaxy S II phone? It's called the Skyrocket and the difference between this one and the one they *just* released a few weeks ago is it has a bigger screen (4.5 vs. 4.2ish) AND... it has both 4G LTE and HSPA+. I would be pretty irritated if I got the first S II from AT&T... but luckily... you can return it. Fragmentation *within* the same model in under a month... that's got to be a record.

 

[roundcorners]

I think I remember talking about changing different Scenes on the Android phones before, right?  BTW does IOS5 have this function now?

The basic concept behind this is, say for work, you generally wear work cloths, you change when you get home and you wear different accessories on the weekends, different shoes, different watch, right?  Going out at night you get dressed up for the occasions... so WHY have the same exact phone for ever one of those occasions???  I mean you already have the same, exact looking phone with 10 strangers you see walking around around already...

HTC Sense... changing Profiles & Scenes...
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kax24GN1458[/youtube]



I just learned about Sprint ID, it goes one step beyond just changing your Profiles, it actually changes what apps are on your phone, that is very sweet...
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zJBKZge_KY[/youtube]


So being Halloween today... (& I'm even not a big Halloween person); I get to do some customizations just for this past weekend and today...  I have a profile labeled "Holidays" and I can customize it for Thanksgiving & Christmas coming up... and tomorrow, I can simply go back to my "Work" profile and all my widgets, clocks,  apps return to normal work mode...

http://www.androidcentral.com/halloween-clock-give-your-home-screen-spooky-halloween-look

http://www.androidcentral.com/light-grid-live-wallpaper-adds-some-halloween-fun-your-android-device

http://forums.androidcentral.com/wa...s/125616-themes-halloween-launcher-theme.html

 

[roundcorners]

Why is this bad??  This is about the "normal" pace for Samsung... it's been about a month!  that is a long time on planet Android!!!  What, you want Android users to have to WAIT 1.5 YEARS? for new hardware?  & God forbid, be forced into the same Screen size, AGAIN!  Choices... my friend... options is the spice of life!!!

The more I use my 10.1"... the more I think that 7"-8" is the best size... esp if it runs 1280x800 rez under Android.

I've been playing with the HTC Flyer and the touchscreen performance is horrible. Hopefully the 7.7" Galaxy Tab gets released in the US but I really hate how Samsung prices their products.

Did you just see that AT&T is releasing ANOTHER Galaxy S II phone? It's called the Skyrocket and the difference between this one and the one they *just* released a few weeks ago is it has a bigger screen (4.5 vs. 4.2ish) AND... it has both 4G LTE and HSPA+. I would be pretty irritated if I got the first S II from AT&T... but luckily... you can return it. Fragmentation *within* the same model in under a month... that's got to be a record.

 

[jvna]

Seems the untethered jailbreak for the iPhone 4S (IOS5) and iPad2 are in the works.
http://www.redmondpie.com/jailbreak-iphone-4s-5.0.1-ios-by-iphone-dev-team/

From Twitter:

    VERY preliminary 4S JB: twitpic.com/76vcp4 twitpic.com/76vct2 (Huge missing pieces prevent public release. LOTS of work left)

As you can see from MuscleNerd?s tweet, the jailbreak is ?very preliminary? and is still some time away from a public release. There are no ETAs for this so we expect you all to show a little patience and let the Dev Team do their work.

Although we believe him completely, the two photos that MuscleNerd shared in his tweet verify his claim of the iPhone 4S jailbreak. The first screenshot shows root access on the iPhone 4S (codenamed N94) on iOS 5 whereas the second screenshot shows Cydia 1.1.1 running on iPhone 4,1 (which is another name for the 4S) with a Siri prompt at the bottom. You can see the two screenshots below:

 

[Irvinecommuter]

Why is this bad??  This is about the "normal" pace for Samsung... it's been about a month!  that is a long time on planet Android!!!  What, you want Android users to have to WAIT 1.5 YEARS? for new hardware?  & God forbid, be forced into the same Screen size, AGAIN!  Choices... my friend... options is the spice of life!!!

The more I use my 10.1"... the more I think that 7"-8" is the best size... esp if it runs 1280x800 rez under Android.

I've been playing with the HTC Flyer and the touchscreen performance is horrible. Hopefully the 7.7" Galaxy Tab gets released in the US but I really hate how Samsung prices their products.

Did you just see that AT&T is releasing ANOTHER Galaxy S II phone? It's called the Skyrocket and the difference between this one and the one they *just* released a few weeks ago is it has a bigger screen (4.5 vs. 4.2ish) AND... it has both 4G LTE and HSPA+. I would be pretty irritated if I got the first S II from AT&T... but luckily... you can return it. Fragmentation *within* the same model in under a month... that's got to be a record.

As a person who just got an Galaxy SII, I don't really mind.  The bigger screen is not much of an appeal to me and the LTE thing is nice but 1) I never use my phone without Wifi and 2) LTE rollout on AT&T will take awhile.  I rather keep the $50-$100 in my pocket. 

Also...it looks like the S2 will get ICE early 2012...maybe as early as January
http://www.uswitch.com/mobiles/news/2011/10/galaxy_s2_to_get_ice_cream_sandwich_in_january/

 

[roundcorners]

In case you didn't know I am a YouTube junkie, but maybe not what you might have in mind.  Yes I can easily argue that if you can't find it on there, I'll have a hard time believing if it even exists.

YouTube is certainly one of the best inventions out there, and having it mobile in your pocket opens up a world of imagination and wonder that was once only limited to the desk computer.

Lately I've been using it a lot with the kid.  We can be reading an illustrated childrens book on fire-trucks, tugboats, or say the most random things like a balloon/puffer fish or a praying mantis and we can instantly find a short clip of the subject on the site.

We can be talking anywhere of an abstract activity such as a man sliding down a pole or someone scuba diving or a man ridding an elephant and all of it can be a teaching moment illustrated by actual moving picture.

I can see the wheels turning in the kids head as he often asks follow up questions and often we are on a rabbit trail of two or three videos clips.

Watching real interactive video with follow up questions and incorporating as many physical senses can really cement a learning moment and spark the imagination.  I think it is a powerful tool in early education.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsfyjH-pY4Q[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU26AIZQ100[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrxmYVY1yo8[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-FUeUsyQIQ[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DCar-x99E4[/youtube]

 

[roundcorners]

If you're at all an Android XDA nerd of any kind then you are familiar with the name SassiBob.  If you aren't then it is my pleasure to introduce her.

She has been our Android "mascot" of sorts for news, reviews and tips.  She also has a second channel for Android Gals.  So, if you're a female Android user and the little robot is not treating you well, then maybe a few SassiBob videos might do the trick.

I do enjoy a few Bob videos here and there, she does have a dry sense of humor, she can be a little edgy but not (too) vulgar and she can be taken to the office.  She talks fast so be ready to take notes if something perks your interest.

Aren't Android People Cool...?  Do "i"-phans have such a mascot...?


XDA Channel

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLxRRscFLjs[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B450kDuItCw&feature=relmfu[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfcfckILNHo&feature=relmfu[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNgv8uo_o7A&feature=relmfu[/youtube]



Android Gals

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX4mRareqf8&feature=related[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXSxxIxQGQQ&feature=related[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCht2i0U0-A[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3NTHoxEWaA&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=w6NBAEZQivI[/youtube]

if you made it to the last video... Pink Cheetah Keyboard... FTW...! Android RULES...!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=CWkS5COKRTc[/youtube]

 

[roundcorners]

I know Halloween is over... but i just couldn't help it, this is seriously creepy, I found this Animated GIF app to set my wallpapers...

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.direxar.animgiflivewallpaper2&feature=search_result


And used these pictures as my live Android Wallpaper from Gustaf Mantel...


Stanley Kubricks Most Immortal Scenes...http://www.fastcodesign.com/1664907/animated-gifs-capture-stanley-kubricks-most-immortal-scenes

Dr. Strangelove:

2001: A Space Odyssey:

help Siri...?

A Clockwork Orange:

The Shining:

Full Metal Jacket:

I landed on the Twins because it centers well... I've cropped the picture and my home-screen is completely empty; except for the twins...  you do need the App for the animation to work; I tried to just download the GIF and set it as your wall-paper... these will automatically run, not like "live" wallpapers that are interactive... but these sure take a lot less CPU power...

Veeery Creepy... I had a hard time sleeping last night, too many images of blood filled hallways, so... if you're interested but don't like creep here are other other Animated Gifs from Gustaf Mantel...

I totally imagine this as the perfect Ice-Breaker at a party when you whip this out; or how cool you'll be with your friends, clients and family.  This again, demonstrates the ENDLESS creative possibilities only with your Android device...!!!

http://iwdrm.tumblr.com/- here are just a few I also like...

?If you wake up at a different time, in a different place, could you wake up as a different person??
Fight Club (1999)

The Precogs are never wrong. But occasionally, they do disagree.?
Minority Report (2002)

?On the other side of the screen, it all looks so easy.?
Tron (1982)

?I wonder if it remembers me.?
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

?Micro-changes in air density, my ass.?
Alien (1979)

?And the eye-in-the-sky is watching us all.?
Casino (1995)

?I have all the characteristics of a human being: flesh, blood, skin, hair ? but not a single, clear, identifiable emotion, except for greed and disgust.?
American Psycho (2000)

?There is no clock on my business!?
True Grit (2010)

?She might have fooled me, but she didn?t fool my mother.?
Psycho (1960)

"Los Angeles, November 2019, Part III (I, II)?
Blade Runner (1982)

?We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented.?
The Truman Show (1998)

?Mr. Corleone is a man who insists on hearing bad news immediately.?
The Godfather (1972)

?One down, a couple billion to go.?
Contact (1997)

?I saved Latin. What did you ever do??
Rushmore (1998)

?I think we?re just gonna have to be secretly in love with each other and leave it at that, Ritchie.?
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

?I had two heart attacks, an abortion, did crack ? while I was pregnant. Other than that, I?m fine.?
Le fabuleux destin d?Am?lie Poulain (2001)

?Come! It is time to give the Machine-Man your face!?
Metropolis (1927)

?You know what capitalism is? Gettin? fucked!?
Scarface (1983)

?You?re no messiah. You?re a movie of the week. You?re a fucking t-shirt, at best.?
Se7en (1995)

?Look, there?s two women fucking a polar bear! ? Don?t tell me these things. Not now man.?
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

?Looks like me an Vincent caught you boys at breakfast. Sorry about that. Whatcha havin???
Pulp Fiction (1994)

?What do you do for recreation? ? Oh, the usual. I bowl. Drive around. The occasional acid flashback.?
The Big Lebowski (1998)

?That?s my ride.?
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

?I fantasize about a massive, pristine convenience. Brilliant gold taps, virginal white marble, a seat carved from ebony, a cistern full of Chanel Number 5, and a flunky handing me pieces of raw silk toilet roll. But under the circumstances I?ll settle for anywhere.?
Trainspotting (1996)


^ - choose life... choose Android

 

[roundcorners]

There is something extraordinary when a bunch on men gather together.  No I'm not neccessarly referring to a bunch of guys on Super Bowl Sunday, a group of guys hanging out at the bar after work or even the dads huddled together at a four-year old birthday party.

I'm talking about a group of men coming together, stepping out of their isolation, their comfort zone, leading with their weekness confessing to one another, fighting for each others hearts and praying for our love ones.

We've certainly don't gather enough times as it is throughout the year and within the larger group our smaller band-of-brothers took almost 2-months and a whole bunch of Google+ postings to come up with the time and location to meet.

Sure I was the only one with the Android robot and got bagged-on all night because of it, but which robot came through when all the other iPhones and Blackberries were searching for that one street name or email address that no one could find.  Which robot was able to wire some Paypal on the spot to a hurting bro; and which bro was able to Google up and purchased tickets to an upcoming event, of course the Android.

I know a lot of you guys out there are programmers, you manage data- bases and know the term "junk-in, junk-out".  I look at how I spend my time and money and am always disgusted at how much of it I waste, see what I do on-line, the non-stop superficial G+ chatter, sure there are a bunch of smart, whitty people but not one single person truely, deeply know and cares for one another.

Then there are those moments when just one IM or text message that just stops each one of us in our bussyness.  "I just got layed-off!", " My daughter was born pre-mature with a defect, please pray", "The wife is crying, can you come over..", "my neighbor just died in his sleep and I am trying to console his wife".

Sure we live in "the modern world" where most things can be summurized in 144 characters, I've also accepted that but that doesn't mean guys can't go wide and deep and still speak volums of blessings into each other's lives.

So I encourage anyone reading this, I continue to struggle with the whole "Irvine Isolation" syndrome and I'm no where near Irvine; it's difficult and it's uncomfortable.  And each one of us have every reason to be busy but there is something almost supernatural when we choose to take the time and gather as broken guys.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

I should have named this thread "2011: Year of the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4S":
http://www.bgr.com/2011/11/04/iphon...one-at-top-3-u-s-carriers-iphone-4-still-hot/

Even the older iPhone 4 is in the top 3 sales.

Analysts estimate Apple will sell over 25 million units in the 4th quarter... that's crazy. The iSheep just keep on buying.

And no weird animated gifs from me... RC... I wonder about you sometimes.

 

[roundcorners]

This is the only chart I need to see...http://phandroid.com/2011/11/03/and...-nearing-50-percent-in-latest-nielsen-report/

And no weird animated gifs from me... RC... I wonder about you sometimes.

BTW, have you seen, any of these Iconic movies?  My post clocked over 100+ reads yesterday, apparently there are some who appreciate what the artist is trying to do...

 

[irvinehomeowner]

Always a moving target with Androidians... I was talking single model phone sales and you show me OS installations?

Let's get back on topic with some rumors/news:

1. Possibility of TWO new iPads next year, an iPad 2S (a thinner version of the current iPad 2) to be released in March and an iPad 3 with Retina Display (2048x1536) to be released sometime in the 3rd quarter. This makes sense as it seems they can't scale the cost/technology of hi-rez panels in time for a yearly refresh so they'll do the update method then and then the full change later.

2. Nook Color reduced to $199, the new Nook Tablet at $249... which is basically the same as the Nook Color but with hardware and OS upgrades.

3. Xoom 2 and Xoom 2 Media Edition announced but not sure if they'll both hit the US. The Xoom 2 is a thinner version of the Xoom and the Xoom 2 ME is an 8.2 version (ala Galaxy Tab 7.7). They both look pretty nice and will be ICS-ready.

4. The ASUS Transfomer Prime is scheduled for official announcement on Nov 9 but no one knows if it will actually be available for sale that same day. It will be the first Android tablet to use the Tegra 3 quad core chip and will be thinner than the first Transformer. Even the keyboard dock has been redesigned and the hardware will look similar to the new UX21/UX31 ultrabooks with their starburst aluminum exteriors.

 

[jvna]

I'd like to have a look at the ASUS TF Prime.  Microcenter.com is taking $50 off any advertised price on any Android, Windows or Blackberry tablet $299 and up.

 

[roundcorners]

The text messages started to roll-in Friday evening, much like of what I wrote on Friday morning; it was one of those messages that stopped everything I was doing.  I received a SMS that one of our beloved Pastor's son had an aortic rupture.  If you're like me who forgot what the aorta is and had to Wiki the condition up your not alone; I literally broke down in tears as I read how serious the condition is and how bleak the prognosis usually is.

We prayed off-and-on as a family into the night; and before we went to bed, the last message we received and forwarded was that he survived the operation and is somewhat stabled; we were all exhausted.  The RC family spent the rest of the cold, wet weekend sick at home.  I forgot how cold it gets up here; we pretty much have the heater on from November to about April.  The kid has been fighting a lingering running nose and unfortunately acted up again.

We didn't feel right checking him into church child care as we are running nose Nazis with other children, so we decided to stay home.  The wife ran all the errands as I am more the home body.  So to entertain us I decided to maintain the "sick" theme around the house and watch Contagion.  Ok, I watch Contagion on the desktop and Android, while the kid played quietly.  I know, I totally sound like the ever absent dad, who is totally checked out in the head; but I assure you; I do pause the movie the movie enough to play with the kid that it basically took the entire Saturday at home to finish the movie.

Between the desktop and Android, it must have started and stopped about fifty times; some instances I might have only gotten one or two minutes in before having to attend to the kid.

On Sunday it was much of the same story; the kid was still sniffling but that didn't stop us from worshiping with newsong remotely on the live broadcast.  Watching live on the desktop while, listening and playing with the kid is so convenient, when considering the long drive in the rain.

During the live-stream we leaned more detail of what happened Friday afternoon at the hospital and into the early morning.  It sure was a miracle that his life was saved... take a look at this picture I took during the service...

We live in exciting times don't we.  I love technology, more specifically I love what good men can do with technology; it can repair a torn heart, it can spread a prayer request instantly across the globe, and it can broadcast a miracle for the world to see.

I'm so sorry guys; I know I've been off writing about my own things lately & thanks for indulding me... there sure has been a whole lot of Android news that I've missed to covered...  I've got to run to a few meetings but this was today's huge announcement of the Nook Tablet...

newsong app
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.subsplash.thechurchapp.newsong&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5zdWJzcGxhc2gudGhlY2h1cmNoYXBwLm5ld3NvbmciXQ..

AC Live Blog...http://www.androidcentral.com/barnes-noble-nook-tablet-liveblog-9-am-est-6-am-pst

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXzNTw1A6G8[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=492aoPe4nQ4&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

how did I ever survive 8:30am meetings without Youtube??? I don't know...

Specs:

-Size: 8.1 inches (H) x 5 inches (W) x 0.48 inches (D) Weight 14.1 ounces (400 grams)

-Display: World?s most advanced 7-inch VividView? Color Touchscreen 16 million+ colors, high resolution IPS display ? 1024x600, 169 PPI Fully laminated with no air gaps for remarkable clarity and minimal glare ? read indoors or outside.

-Operating System: Android? Gingerbread

-Power: 1GHz TI OMAP4 (dual-core) processor with 1GB RAM

-Extra-Long Battery Life -  Installed rechargeable battery, Charge from a wall outlet using in-box power adapter and USB cable, Up to 11.5 hours of reading or up to 9 hours of video with power save mode on and wireless off

-Memory: 16GB built-in memory, Expandable memory up to 32 GB with microSD? card

-Connectors: Universal 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack, Charging port, Expandable microSD slot

-Microphone: Built-in microphone for Read and Record? stories and more

-Connectivity:Wireless connectivity via Wi-Fi? (802.11b/g/n) FREE Wi-Fi? in all Barnes & Noble stores

-Browser - Over Wi-Fi, enjoy enhanced Web browsing experience to access even more content.

-NOOK Tablet supports Adobe? Flash? Player.

-Supported File Types: Load ePub (including Non or Adobe DRM) or PDF file types from your computer or microSD card Other documents: CBZ, XLS, DOC, PPT, TXT, DOCM, XLSM, PPTM, PPSX, PPSM, DOCX, XLX, PPTX

-Watch videos in: MP4, or Adobe Flash Player format, 3GP, 3G2 MKV, WEBM (Video Codecs: H.264,
MPEG-4, H.263,VP8)

-Load photos and create personal wallpaper: JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP

-Play audio on built-in mono speaker: MP3, MP4, AAC, AMR, WAV, OGG (Audio Codecs MP3, AAC, AMR, LPCM, OGG Vorbis)

-Pre-Loaded NOOK Apps? - Netflix, Hulu Plus?, Pandora?, Chess, Crossword, Sudoku, Media Gallery, NOOK Friends, Email Book Reading and Sharing on Other Devices

-Read NOOK Books? seamlessly across your NOOK? devices, smartphone, computer or other mobile device, with FREE NOOK Reading App? software. These include iPad?, iPhone?, iPod touch?,

-Android? devices, Mac? computers and Windows-based PCs, laptops or netbooks. NOOK Tablet syncs last page read, highlights, notes and bookmarks. For more information on free NOOK software, please visit


I guess the only thing missing is the Camera... and that is where the G-Tab 7+ comes... for... $399

http://www.cellhut.com/Samsung-P6200-Galaxy-Tab-7.0-Plus-Unlocked-Quadband-GSM-Tablet-31950.html?u=2&ppc=26438&name=Samsung-P6200-Galaxy-Tab-7.0-Plus-(Unlocked-Quadband)-GSM-Tablet

http://www.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-tab-70-plus-available-nov-13-499-preorders-start-oct-23

$150 for the extra Camera?  I really have to see both in action and in person...

 

[irvinehomeowner]

I hope your pastor's son recovers well and your son gets over the sniffles.

Like you, I believe technology has done more for connecting people but it can cause disconnects if not properly managed. I was having a conversation with another parent about how kids have so many gadgets today... DSis, PS3s, XBoxes and iPods and how worrisome that is. I have to always check in on my kids to make sure they are YouTubing "appropriate" videos. But even though we have every electronic a kid can want, they often still love to play outside with the neighborhood kids. Just the other day they went into the house to get plastic zip lock bags so they could go outside and collect leaves... I don't think there is an app for that. We went to a birthday party that was Wii-themed, they had multiple video game stations and while the kids seemed to enjoy it... they still have more fun at the ones you can run around at like Pump-It-Up or JumpNJammin. So I'm not too worried.

As for the new Nook Tablet, I'm actually a bit disappointed in B&N. They've had a quite a long time to improve the Nook Color and all they did was pretty much an internal hardware update. Now... I realize the irony in that because Apple has done that more than once... however, B&N is not Apple... and they need to compete with Amazon and Kindle too.

The Nook Tablet is a better product... but I'm not sure if it's $50 better than the Kindle Fire. At minimum, they should have added a front facing camera to allow video chatting, or a rear camera so they can do quick videos/pics... that would have at least been one thing more than the Fire. But... it does has more storage and expandable storage... it will be interesting to see how this plays out because I think the 7-8" tablet market is actually a very relative category. As long as Apple stays in the 10" range (which Steve Jobs adamantly said would be the case), a company could make some nice inroads in this form factor (I'm looking at you Samsung with your Galaxy Tab 7.7").

I have to give it up to Asus... they are really keeping on updates. Just got another OTA over the weekend which fixed some issues with the keyboard dock battery, updated the browser and added an App Backup application... presumably to be used in conjunction with an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich. Backup all your apps to an SD card or flash drive, wipe Honeycomb, install ICS and restore all your apps. Nice forward thinking. Can't wait to see real in-depth reviews of the Prime this week... looks like I can probably Craiglist my TF+Dock for about $450-500 so I won't lose much on the upgrade.

 

[roundcorners]

Thanks IHO I have had this topic in the back of my mind for quite some time, I'm glad you brought it up.

This is a TED talk that our Pastor Dave played for our church one Sunday.  Keep this in mind, Dr Z, is not a Christian but he is confirming everything Christian social psychologists have known for years.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMJgZ4s2E3w[/youtube]

I think technology like money is neutral tool.  It is inherently neither good or evil.  It is the love or the over indulgence of it that makes it bad.

Boys are more socially awkward than ever because their dads are never present in the first place or they are so checked-out on the computer or smartphone that they miss those critical opportunities to teach and affirm their sons of social/relational skills and more importantly the instillation of Godly masculinity.

IHO remember my Question to Irvine wives thread?
http://www.irvinehousingblog.com/forums/viewthread/5110/

The social awkwardness is just the outwardly expression of what they never received from their dads as far as knowing they have - what it takes, when it really counts.  And that goes for everything, girls, jobs, wives, careers and life.

The kid at two and a half is constantly testing his strength against mine.  He is already asking the question if he got what it takes even now; he needs to know if he can throw a ball like daddy, if he can run as fast, shout as loud or jump as high.  You miss those opportunities to affirm your son and your son will always be searching for the answer...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBEgrU90tbw[/youtube]
http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_2?asin=B002VA38OM&qid=1320771057&sr=1-2

This is one book that changed my life, IMHO, this is the answer to Dr. Z's problem...

Sorry to go all PC - "Christian" on all you guys... but there is also a great movie out call Courageous right now...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9VT_NBIVfs[/youtube]

I think every dad should see this movie...

 

[irvinehomeowner]

To get back to Android tablets, I want to see how these two are:

- Huawei 7", branded as the T-Mo Springboard
- Toshiba Thrive 7"

They are both 7" Honeycomb tablets that run 1280x800 resolution... not the 1024x600 on the Galaxy Tab 7+. And they both have USB/HDMI ports and SD card expansion.