2011: Year of the iPad 2!

[irvinehomeowner]

Being a parent means literally your life is over.  I was trying to explain this to a friend of mine over the weekend who after 10 years of marriage still doesn?t have kids; and after 15 minutes of examples and illustrations of how hard the kid is a times, I just have to realize that no matter how much I tried, there is just no use.  Until he pops out a kid for himself, he will never know the blessings and challenges of being a parent.

Yes, the sooner you realize and stop fighting the fact that your life is NOT yours anymore as a parent the sooner you?ll find peace.  Your time, money, resources are NOT yours anymore; your friends, job, career, hobbies and ambitions are NOT yours anymore; if you thought being married has taken your identify away from you; wait till you have kids...!

Yes, singles and DINKs have a very hard time understanding the whole parent thing. I've had many discussions with Lane Meyer on OCReader regarding this... and AZDave is so oblivious he makes fun of the children in his IHB posts.

But... "life is not over"... it's just evolved and become better. Parenting isn't for everyone, but for those of us who love it... we wouldn't change a thing. Well... I take that back, I would probably want to be a father 10 years sooner because that's 10 more years I can have with my kids... and maybe my grandkids/great grandkids.

In saying all of this I?m not one of those dads who are glued to the phone while the kid is trying to get my attention; I?m almost always not looking at the phone while someone is in the room, and I know better to check it when the wife is talking.  But it is totally handy when the desktop and laptop is out of the question.  It is not a cure-all to being a parent, but it sure is handy in recovering some things that keep me sane over a difficult weekend.

As I've said before, my phone has replaced my brain. I don't have to remember stuff anymore because I can always look it up. No need for a phonebook or a computer to look up phone numbers of restaurants or stores. No need for GPS or written directions... just give me an address and I'll find you. What's the name of that actor in that movie I can't remember?

In a few years... they'll just Bluetooth into your head so you don't have to even type/touch the screen anymore.

Funny story... a friend of ours was trying to text someone and she kept having to re-speak into her phone because it wasn't translating her speech-to-text properly. Wouldn't it been easier if she just typed it (and hers did have a physical keyboard)?

P.S. All those things you like to do on Android... iOS makes it easier for non-techies (unlike us)... that's how Apple perpetuates their existence... touch screen phones didn't explode until after the iPhone came out.

 

[irvinerealtor]

Being a parent means literally your life is over.  I was trying to explain this to a friend of mine over the weekend who after 10 years of marriage still doesn?t have kids; and after 15 minutes of examples and illustrations of how hard the kid is a times, I just have to realize that no matter how much I tried, there is just no use.  Until he pops out a kid for himself, he will never know the blessings and challenges of being a parent.

RC,

1. I don't think the word "literally" means what you think it means.
2. I also respectfully disagree with the entire premise of this particular post. You can be a good dad, a good spouse, a good friend, and still enjoy your own life. In fact, I believe that if you're not doing your own thing at least occasionally, it will complicate your ability to be good at all of the other aspects of your life.  My .02c.

I hope your son and wife get better soon.
-IR2

edit to add: I did not see that IHO had posted up nearly the same sentiment, but glad to see that someone else shares my opinion.

 

[socal78]

It's funny how different parts of someone's posts can jump out at us. For me, it's this. Just a second while I copy and paste it into my chat box with Mr. SC. 

"I know better to check it when the wife is talking."

THANK YOU!!!


P.S. Allow me to return the favor? ... You give so much of yourself to be a good husband and dad. We all know a person does die to themselves to a large degree when they have kids... I get what you mean especially now that you're doing the "Terrible 2's!" Transitioning from no kids to your first is a huge leap. That's what maturity is - taking care of your responsibilities whether you feel like it or not. I applaud you for your valiant efforts of following through. That said, if it was my husband, I'd strongly suggest he go out for a bite with some friends, catch a 3-D movie, so on and so forth. He usually declines, but I'm always telling him he should go have some fun now and then. Maybe you will feel refreshed if you get a little break. Take care.

 

[roundcorners]

Appreciate the feedback all...  Someone before said that I?m not looking for advice in my posts... just because I don?t actively solicit it doesn?t mean I?m not looking for it.  As always whatever I post is open for input...

I know what you guys are sayin, it?s just that my kid is a difficult little guy...!  Things hasn?t gotten easier, every month since his birth just seem to bring new challenges.  Yes some things get easier, but other difficulties just creep in.  It?s not easier, just different...

But, yeah... the Android thing has been a huge escape for me lately, and the wife gives me a good leash for the interest... but as far as hanging with other fellas, they all got their own kids to deal with too...  Last night had to be the worst, the kid regressed back to a 2 month old, was still up around 2am...  Maybe we can have a TI guys hang out day at the District this summer for a movie & burger...


So back to Android talk... just listened to the new Mobile Nation podcasthttp://www.androidcentral.com/mobile-nations-podcast-episode-1-where-magic-happens


Nice to see the heads of state from Android, iOS, WebOS, Blackberry & Windows talk about the entire smartphone/tablet market in general.  The end of 2011 is going to be really interesting to watch... as iphone 5 comes head to head with Nexus Prime & Window?s Mango...

iOS5
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLJIef-e-7g[/youtube]
Funny... looks like Froyo all over again...  I wouldn?t call those true Widgets; and it's not true "multi-tasking" as far as "App-Switching"... but very cool

Mango
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW84_PMMffg[/youtube]
very nice... but, very simple request... can the Home screen tiles be -Centered-...!

Nexus Prime - can anyone say Quad Processors & Ice Cream Sandwich!!!

http://tech.uk.msn.com/news/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=158404961

P.S. All those things you like to do on Android... iOS makes it easier for non-techies (unlike us)... that's how Apple perpetuates their existence... touch screen phones didn't explode until after the iPhone came out.

IHO I hear ya... I know I?m not actually a ?techie? but I certainly identify with them more than Apple products/culture.  I mean, if you ever build your own PC, installed/configure a graphic card or modem on your own before; if you still know to this day at least 10 DOS commands; or were religious about de-fragging your hard drive then Android will feel more like home to you.  I?m this close to rooting the htc; just wait until I get a hold of my Sense update; if it?s not 3.0 then I might just dump it all together.


Toshiba?s Thrive
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TTB01sa9Gk&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

 

[roundcorners]

Anyone else saw this bit of Android News?

Over 500,000 Android devices activated daily tweets Rubinhttp://androidfc.com/2011/06/over-500000-android-devices-activated-daily-tweets-rubin/

Ok, so that includes phones & tablets, but that is a huge number...  and it doesn't seem to be slowing down one bit...


In case you haven't had time to check out the new Galaxy Tab 10.1, here is a On-line Simulator, it might not be what you think, but it gives you a good feel of how Honeycomb works, more than just watching a video...

http://www.samsung.com/us/simulators/galaxytab10/

It also looks like the Tab is coming to Big Red...!http://www.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-tab-101-verizon


Also... Archos G9 Video... goes hands on... Check out the WiFi & 3G-USB Stick Option... Sweet!!  IHO, looks like it will also have both Hard drive and Flash drive Option, the Hard drive will be heavier and 2mm thicker...
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnSSOhIinu0&feature=feedu[/youtube]

Have a good Wednesday... Droid Users...!  Oh, can you tell I had a full night's sleep... yeah..!


P.S.  did anybody else see this...?
Barnes & Noble Stores Becoming "Magic Places" For Angry Birds Usershttp://hothardware.com/News/Barnes--Noble-Stores-Becoming-Magic-Places-For-Angry-Birds-Users/

I guess it's using the NC's GPS, NFC & B&N's WiFi to make certain places "Magic"  sweet...!

Can't stop editing this post...!
A full video explaining the Magic Places process...
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ2_Lbny2m4[/youtube]

 

[roundcorners]

Big tablet news this morning is of course HP?s Touch Pad... yes the competition...

Just upgraded my Skype... this morning, and taking forever to import my Gmail contacts, almost done 96% and not have 150 new Skype contacts!!!

&

Yet another Google Maps Upgrade... better Street Views...

Talking about Street Fighter... was a little Curious what is in the Android Market...

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.brightai.ssfiv&feature=related_apps

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.phonegap.SSF4AE&feature=search_result

Anybody here play?

 

[roundcorners]

There is a lot of Android tablet news right before the long weekend hope I can do it justice on my small htc..

Vizio's tablet is going on resale at Walmart.. looking good... pre-order now, it'll be available on the 18th!

Acer is now announcing a slide keyboard tablet, looks like Azsus will not be the only one this Christmas...

Looks like Sharp will finally be coming out with the Galapagos Tablet/E-reader..

The middle-child Galaxy Tab 8.9 is finally getting some love, going to be releases soon, I don't see this taking off but should be a nice machine none the less.. 3G probably to AT&T

Was also looking on the web for some off brand low end tablets and came across these... Basic Android tan for under $300, some as low as $80...
http://www.lightinthebox.com/wholesale-Android-Tablets_c4781?litb_from=paid_adwords_display&gclid=COzAmsLn3qkCFUsZQgodimvgWg

Have a nice 4th Weekdend...!

 

[roundcorners]

Saw this over the weekend...

It's the new Microsoft Mango... wait, on the Galaxy Tab???  oh...!

Android Quick-App: Launcher7
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPXivxdJy-w[/youtube]http://www.androidcentral.com/android-quick-app-launcher7

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn2R9hH-4uQ&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]


Other Cool Android Launchers...

IOS Loader
AndroidLoader Brings Android Style App Launcher To The iOS

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J059n4EtA8[/youtube]


iOS 4.0 running on HTC
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE7UyLujSC8[/youtube]

 

[roundcorners]

I personally don't like anything Sony... I think they try too hard to be like Apple; they overcharge and their products aren't ergonomic or stylish... but to each it's own...

we'll just have to see how the coming S1 & S2 tabs do...  here is a preview...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmZD6bM0jcI&NR=1[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcO95XPIHpg[/youtube]

 

[roundcorners]

Just playing around with my latest Google Map update... 5.7...!  Which brings improved public transit navigation and better integration...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1NTXkd0dguQ[/youtube]


You can also download maps...
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSgcNTZ0afg&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]


All very cool...!  But the best part is...  Android users get all the ?checks? - the update just freed up another 8 megabytes... to!!!

 

[roundcorners]

Time to hit the beach (err.. IAC pool) folks, get your gear ready...

You know you?re not going to Hawaii without your new gadgets, I mean; if I had Google Maps in Maui, who knew which adventures we could of had off the beaten path...  This gives the Road to Hanna a whole different meaning... first I wouldn?t had to shell over $20 for that taped audio guide...  Just be sure not to check your work email while you?re snorkeling for the sea turtles with the family; or take that conference call while you?re cliff diving off Black Rock... have a fun weekend...!

 

[irvinehomeowner]

Seems like even Android users like the iPad:
http://www.bgr.com/2011/07/11/android-users-buy-the-ipad-over-google-powered-tablets/

I'm sure those are the less techy ones who are just after the wider app availability but that was the whole premise of my Year of the iPad 2 argument anyways.

 

[roundcorners]

Android in Spaaaacccceeeee....!

I still remember my Space Shuttle obsession days as a kid right around the Challenger accident... I had a dozen shuttles including a Shutter Transformer, I'm not sure if it was a Transformer or a Go-Bot...!  It was followed by my Satellite craze, and hundreds of following doodles, drawings and self-made comics...

The shuttle program will be missed, it is the end of an era, that my son will never see; I just hope, the space program will ignite something soon to capture the imagination of the next generation...


I saw these articles over the weekend...

Nexus S hitching a ride back into space on the final shuttle flighthttp://www.androidcentral.com/nexus-s-hitching-ride-back-space-final-shuttle-flight
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nl6lZbyLkzs[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8XjIkdUQns&playnext=1&list=PLD6FCD26DAD60BF4D[/youtube]


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

Isn't it funny how, a regular smartphone at $300 has more technology today than say an entire 30 year old space shuttle...?  Really cool...

 

[roundcorners]

Sleep is very, very important to the RC family; since having the kid, we guard his and our sleep like a hawk; this often times means that we skip out early from events, say premature goodbyes to friends and families and having to get my butt off the computer to get ready for sleep around 8:50 each evening.

So I was quite shock when I read that ?Some 61 percent of mobile workers sleep with their smartphones, with many of them waking up during the night to check them.?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-20066074-94.html

?Based on a survey of more than 3,700 mobile employees from more than 1,000 companies, the iPass Global Mobile Workforce Report (PDF) found that downtime may be a thing of the past. More workers (91 percent) are using their free time, both day and night, to check their smartphones. Among those, almost 30 percent check their smartphones three to five times an hour, and 20 percent check them five to ten times an hour.

Looking at the workers who sleep with their smartphones, 58 percent wake up at least occasionally during the night to check them, while 11 percent said they wake up every single night to check them. Among all the workers who sleep with their smartphones, 35 percent also check their e-mail first thing in the morning before getting dressed or eating breakfast.?

Ok, I wasn?t shock, but still that is amazing...  I trade oil ETFs; and oil is a 24 hour commodity; and I am guilty of sneaking a peak or two on occasions to see what oil was trading in Asian in the middle of the night; and I do check my htc first thing in the morning...

I am also a mobile worker so those phones are ALWAYS just a reach away...  But that has not stop me from drawing a few boundaries.  I AM completely powerless, I know; so I have relegated charging my phones downstairs, away from the bedroom.

If you just HAVE to have your phone with you constantly, here are a few tips & tricks I ran into recently...

Bedside mode Widget
http://www.androidcentral.com/android-quick-app-bedside-mode-widget

and

Pzizz is suppose to help you sleep, or take better naps during the day...https://market.android.com/details?id=com.pzizz.bundle

One more thing about mobile workers... did anyone else see the article of Tom Stuker, the 10 Million miles United Flyer?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z2dPHkOTRM&feature=related[/youtube]

Good thing, I didn?t see him using a  smartphone or tablet... I?ll be scared he won?t ever get any shut-eye...

 

[roundcorners]

Had a chance to check out the Toshiba Thrive and HP?s Touchpad yesterday at the Best Buy in Brea.  The Thrive is out early, I though it would be out around the 24th...

Unfortunately the Thrive just feels fat and flimsy; the back cover is heavily textured rubber/plastic.  It feels really cheap, thin and soft with heavy pressing.  It?s feel thick and lifeless; I know you can probably turn the keyboard vibration on but just really lifeless.  This is disappointing nothing really special; and not a lot of discount from the Galaxy 10.1 price.  The G-Tab still is the best pick as far as a ipad competitor.  I don?t know, you just get a slight chill when you pick up a G-Tab and the metal texture gives your fingers a slight change in temperature.  A couple of pros; from the video, you can remove the battery & full size USB ports...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LTWBK3X9Wo[/youtube]

The Touchpad isn?t much better; really feels like a over sized picture frame.  All plastic, rounded and also thick.  I don?t have the patients to play around with WebOS; but things seemed to be simple enough.  Nothing really eye popping or breath taking tickled; I eventually convinced everyone there who were checking out tabs to the G-tab booth.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SJhS8NcF9w&feature=related[/youtube]

Lastly...
This BB actually had an Coby Kyros MID7015; I mean for $175, you can?t really go wrong.  I don?t expect blazing fast dual core speeds; but for running Froyo, it?s just fine; things open up just a quickly.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBMtSWqya24[/youtube]

 

[irvinehomeowner]

Of the current Honeycomb crop, the Sammie is the nicest looking (and feeling) but I think the Asus Transformer has the most utility for me (rumors are a combo unit is going to be for sale here just like in Europe which saves you $50 off the keyboard dock).

The Thrive is gross... if you thought the Xoom was big... just look at the Thrive and it will make the Xoom look much smaller.

I love webOS (which RIM's Playbook QNX OS is similar to)... too bad they are falling behind in producing compelling hardware... just like the Pre, HP has to make competitive gadgets and can't just rely on the techie nerd plaudits of the OS. Instead of that smaller Veer or the Pre3, they should have made a touch-screen only phone ala iPhone/Galaxy S.

And where is MS in all this? Their Windows7Phones aren't doing so hot (lost 35% market share since the release of it) and the tablet OS (Windows 8) won't be out until next year.

I have the best of both worlds with Android and iOS... and since my iPhone is JB'ed... I can customize just like the Android guys.

P.S. Rumors of an iPad HD/Pro/Plus coming this September with the iPhone 5 (and the new iPods). It's supposed to have double the resolution of the iPad 2 (2048x1536) but some doubt Apple would do that so soon after the release of the iPad 2. However, I can see them doing that if they sell it for a $100-$200 premium over the iP2, making Jobs' wallet even thicker (because I would probably buy one and let the kids have the older iP2).

 

[irvinehomeowner]

And don't waste your money on the Coby... I think it's a resistive screen and you'll regret it because the end-user experience is not the same.

 

[roundcorners]

What a good morning; I love it when a bet pays off.  I have been holding Oil Shorts all week, getting whacked and today is profit taking for us people who think Gas is overpriced!

I have been swing trading oil for the past two years; and incorporating the smartphone in my trading has only helped.

I use Sharebuilder as my online broker - they have a really easy to use interface..
https://market.android.com/details?id=ShareBuilderMobile.android&feature=search_result

I?m not a day-trader so I don?t ?need? - ?Real-Time? Quotes; but a 5-10 minute delay is acceptable...

I use the stock Android, Froyo browser, it can tab between four websites; first site I go to is:

Yahoo Finance - Mobile/Desktop Version

Finviz

Tapas Talk for: Yahoo Message Boards

Yahoo - Detail View of my ETF

I then pick up my other phone to shoot out a few text messages to a few other home traders that I have meet over the years; funny thing, I have about four people I SMS, and I have never spoken on the phone with these people; the only way we communicate is over message boards and txt; well except for this guy who just moved into this huge house in Georgia ^_^


On my homescreens, I have the standard:

Website Bookmark Widgets

Standard Full page News Widget that RSS from BBC

htc's stock Stock Widget

Google Reader Widget that I use for up to the minute financial news...

I am always just a swipe away from knowing the current price of my ETF; I love the new flexibility that the htc now offers; I was trading shares on Monday, while sitting and looking at this...

Good Luck... all!

 

[sgip]

BTW there is a release finally of a Redfin application for Android. Curious if you have a pad of some sort with Android system running if it works on it.

My .02c

Soylent Green Is People.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

Just downloaded it.

From first glance, it's much better than the iOS one because this scales to the bigger tablet screen (the iOS one is iPhone sized so it's very grainy).

In addition, the summary on confirms it's built specifically for Android so it's a big improvement over the iOS one in both features and presentation. I would have joined the beta had I had an Android device sooner but I'm glad they finally released it.

The data is organized better and viewing the maps and photos on the tablet is great. Although the layout doesn't adjust for the tablet size, at least the things that matter enlarge properly.

I also put it on an Android phone and it looks good there (and you can tell it was designed with the smaller phone screen in mind).

Wow... if I were a realtor, I would totally use this as a tool while I'm out with clients... although it would be funny showing them stuff on Redfin because their tech is better than whatever real estate company I would be working for.

Hopefully Redfin comes out with their iPad version too.