Tech, Politics, and Whatever’s Relevant

I suppose I should be ashamed that despite trying my hardest effort to resist buying one, I only lasted 2 days. That being said, the iPad has been one of my best impulse-buys in a very very long time.

The primary reasons why I had kept telling myself not to get one were:

• I already own an iPod Touch

• It doesn’t support multitasking
• No Flash Support
• Touch-Screen Keyboard
• I had no idea what to use it for

Design and Feel
Seeing the iPad in person is completely different from seeing it in photos. The high-resolution screen is crisp and beautiful, and it responds to hand gestures flawlessly. The product is thin and light, and carrying it feels as natural as carrying a folder. Testing out the demo unit in the Apple Store was all I needed to be assured that I could find a use for it.

By now everybody knows that the iPad looks like an over-sized iPod Touch/iPhone, and runs a modified version of the iPhone OS designed for the beefier processor and large screen. The device contains an accelerometer that will rotate the screen as you rotate the device. I was very surprised to find that there is a switch on the side that will lock the screen in place so that you won’t accidentally rotate the iPad when you move it, which comes in handy when you try to get comfortable or want to read laying down. For me, this is huge because trying to use Opera Mobile on my on my phone would be frustrating at times because the screen would rotate unintentionally.

As said before, the device is very responsive to touch, and the glass surface minimizes friction so that it’s easy to use hand gestures when swiping.

At first, I did not like the fact that the screen does not come out to the edge of the device. Upon further usage I made the realization that without the black border, there wouldn’t be any surface to hold the iPad. I do find that I accidentally turn the iPad off when I don’t mean to when reading in landscape mode, and that obviously the iPad will get smudgy after awhile, but that’s expected.

I do have to say, that I despise the on-screen keyboard. There isn’t a good way to use the keyboard when holding the iPad, or when it’s in portrait mode. Fortunately, the response time for the touch screen is very short, so there isn’t the lag that’s present when using other touch screen devices. However, I don’t see how the keyboard could have been designed any better.
DESIGN: 8.5/10

iPad as an eReader
Because the iPad is marketed as a Kindle-killer, one would expect for it to be an excellent eReader. It does not disappoint. The screen in itself shows why the device could revolutionize the way we receive printed content, and even a couple of weeks after it’s release, the apps back that claim up.

Reading an e-book is arguably clearer on the iPad than reading the book in print right in front of you. Pictures in the included Winnie-the-Pooh e-book are some of the sharpest images I’ve ever seen on a computer screen, and it’s really something that you have to see in person.

All of the gestures in the iBook app are very natural. Swipe your fingers across the screen, and you turn the page. Swipe the other way, and go back a page. Rotate in landscape, and view two pages at once. You can buy books in the Bookstore, and there is even a very large assortment of free classics such as Frankenstein, A Tale of Two Cities and Heart of Darkness.

Something that really surprised me was the Zinio app which you can use to subscribe to magazines or purchase each issue individually. This was one of the things that I had always thought the iPad would be used for at some point, but didn’t expect this to be something ready at launch.

The app works just as advertised. Download (the app itself is free), install and create an account. You can then browse it’s large library of magazines, make your purchases, and then browse the magazine naturally as you would a physical hard-copy. The magazines are crisp, and the colors are much more vibrant than their physical counterparts. My only gripe is that each page needs a short pause to render, but it’s a minor inconvenience.

I was disappointed when I found out that the iPad syncs with iTunes because that would mean that there wouldn’t be a way to add pdf support… But low and behold, GoodReader ($0.99) solves that problem. GoodReader will allow you to upload your pdf’s using iTunes, and then be able to display them in it’s app after syncing. At .99 it’s a minor setback for something that one would expect to have native support for, but it’s not a deal-breaker in the least bit.
iPad as an eReader: 10/10

iPad as an Internet Browser

The iPad was also touted as being designed around internet browsing, and for that it’s… Okay. The lack of flash support leaves you feeling as if what you are viewing is slightly gimped, and the touch screen makes typing anything a chore. Websites that do not have any flash objects do look very good, and you can zoom in and out of each page fluidly.

iPad as an Internet Browser: 6/10

Apps and Games
Right now the app selection is still quite small, and most iPad apps are more expensive than their iPhone/iPod counterparts. The apps that do make use of the iPad’s hardware look great, while using the apps designed for the iPhone don’t, and are difficult to use since you have to reach towards the middle of the screen (remember that alot of the iPhone apps are meant for thumbs.)

The included apps made by Apple such as YouTube and Mail are great. Games seem to be a mixed bag. I purchased Let’s Golf! but was very disappointed. I’ve never really viewed the iPhone as a legitimate gaming machine, and I don’t see the iPad as very different. I could be biased though because I tend to dislike casual games which are all the iPad offers, at a price.

Other apps are quite clever. The Wikipanion app is extremely convenient for looking up a quick Wikipedia article without having to go to the browser. Zinio and GoodReader (mentioned in detail above) are both great, as well as the Weatherbug and Marvel comics app.
Apps: 9/10
Games: 4/10

Overall
How much I enjoy and use the iPad wasn’t something that I expected when I bought it. I’ve found that I use it when I wake up before getting out of bed to view the news, check my mail and other things that I used to use my phone browser for. It offers much more freedom in that I can leave my desk and browse the internet or watch YouTube from my couch.
Overall Score: 9/10

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Replacing the keyboard on the HTC Touch Pro is a lot easier than it sounds. It will require a bit of patience, but the entire process can be completed in about 10-15 minutes. I’m not responsible for any damage which may be caused to your phone.

1. The first step is the obligatory battery-out, flip over and ensure that you are grounded as to not damage any of the electrical equipment step.

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2. Using a Torx #6 bit, unscrew the 4 areas indicated on the above picture.

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3. This is most likely going to be the most tedious step. Push the keyboard away from the base, as shown in the above picture. Be sure to pry evenly along the frame. It should separate with a pop, but do not pull it completely away because there are a couple of ribbon cables connecting the keyboard to the base.

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4. Carefully hold both pieces of the Touch Pro about an inch and a half away from each other, and disconnect the sliding ribbon cable (the longer cable that is disconnected in the picture above.) Gently disconnect the smaller cable where indicated above.

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5. You should now have a setup that looks similar to above (I know, this isn’t a real step.)

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6. Using a very small flathead (what I used in the video) or screwdriver, remove the screws indicated above. Be aware that the fastening pattern may differ on your phone.

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7. Now you have completely removed the keyboard on your Touch Pro, where you go from here differs depending on what you are doing.>
   • If you are swapping keyboards from another phone, follow these exact steps on the other phone, and reattach the working keyboard on the phone that you intend to continue using.

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8. Set they keyboard in place and refasten the tiny screws in a similar pattern that they were when you unscrewed them to remove the keyboard.
9. Gently reconnect the thin ribbon cable that attaches the keyboard to the base of the phone.
10. This step is a bit awkward. Holding both ends of the phone, separate the keyboard from the top part of the phone (as if you were sliding it outward) and gently tug on the slider cable. Holding the base with your dominant hand, connect the cable to it’s designated place on the base of the phone, and then press both sides of the phone together.
11. Using your Torx tool, refasten the screws on the outside of the phone.
12. Reattach the battery, turn on and test the phone

Guide and a more helpful video coming soon…

As a starting note, I’m currently procrastinating on studying for my Network Theory Exam in 6 hours. It’s currently 2:32am and I’m at the JPL Library on the UTSA Campus. I’m tired, so this entry may not be as well written as I would like.

It’s hard to go anywhere (or watch anything on TV) and not hear the economy being mentioned in some way, shape or form. People are spending less, as a result corporations are earning less, and cutting jobs. As more people are unemployed (or scared to lose their job), there are less people to spend money, and it’s a vicious cycle. As many people may or may not know, I’ve always had an interest in finance and economics. Investing was something that I wanted to try but thought wasn’t really feasible unless I had a large amount of money to lose.

September came, and the stock market started to plunge. I had about $1,000 saved up from working over the summer that I wasn’t going to use immediately. I was considering opening up CD Savings Account to try and accumulate interest but wasn’t really sure if putting a grand away for a year to gain $20 in interest was really the way to go. As news started to be more and more focused on the economy and stocks losing value quickly, I started to consider looking into putting that money into stocks that I believed (more like hoped) had bottomed out.

As I researched stocks, I was looking to find a broker too. Everybody’s seen the e-trade commercials with the talking babies, so I was considering going with them if only for the brand recognition. While looking into review for them, I found Scottrade (www.scottrade.com.) Only $7 a trade (as opposed to $12) with no maintenence fee’s and a minimum deposit of $500 (as opposed to $1000.) Essentially I was just looking for somewhere that would let me make my own decisions.

So I opened an account using the minimum starting amount of $500, and the fun stuff begins. Initially I had chosen TMA (Thornburg Mortgage), Best Buy, Dell, MGM and NVidia. The first was a Mortgage company based out of New Mexico that was once trading at $250 a share, but was down to $1.50 a share. I think that Best Buy was a very successful and well run company that had been halved during the crisis so I felt that it would bounce back. Dell, MGM and NVDA were all stocks I felt were undervalued and would perform very well in the coming months. (Below you can see how well I did). Unfortunately I could only afford 5 shares of Best Buy, and 10 shares of Each Dell, MGM and Nvidia.

About two weeks after words my account dropped from $450 to around $370 and I did what probably anybody else would… I begun to wonder if I made the right decision to invest. In a bit of risk taking, I started to contribute more money and buy more stocks. I’ve always been a fan of Sprint, and upon hearing of the upcoming Palm Pre cell phone, I decided to purchase 50 shares of Sprint and 18 of Palm. Ford was doing the best out of all the US Automakers so I bought stock in them.

Finally amid the bailouts, values of many banks dropped drastically, so I started to buy shares of Wells Fargo.

So how did I do? Pretty well actually. With a total investment of $852, I’ve made a total of $459, a 53% jump in less than 6 months. What CD will get a rate like that? This gain was primarily fueled by Sprint, Palm and Wells Fargo. My portfolio is listed below. As with anything I have made some mistakes though…

Mistake 1: MGM. When I initially bought MGM, I bought it at $10/share. The share price rose to $12 among speculation of their new CityCenter project. At this time I felt like the price would not go much further, so I sold. The share price continued to rise and finally topped around $17/share. Had I sold then this would have been a $70 gain as opposed to $20.
Mistake 2: MGM Part 2. The share price fell to $9 amid speculation that they would not be able to pay for the CityCenter project. Thinking this was a bottom I rebought 10 shares. The share price fell all the way to $3.50. Smart.
Mistake 3: TMA. I thought this mortgage company would survive the housing crisis being that they only dealt with Superprime clients and jumbo loans. They wound up getting delisted and went bankrupt two weeks ago.

In closing would I recommend investing? Yes and no… If you have money saved that you would like to do something with, that you could afford to lose, then yes. If your like me and have trouble saving, money in stocks also has the added benefit of being less accessible, making you think twice about taking money out of your account. I wouldn’t recommend investing to my parents though only because I’d feel responsible if they lost a lot of money.
I’m not a market professional (obviously) and I’m not to be responsible for any losses you may incur.

A couple of months ago, I started looking into building a Media Center PC. The only real requirement I had was that the computer be small and compact, yet powerful. After realizing that building a small PC would take more of an effort than I’d like, I started looking into Mac’s. Because of it’s small size, S/PDIF output and aesthetic design, I quickly settled on the Mac mini.

I’ve never used a Mac before purchasing this mini, so working with this setup was a completely new experience in more ways than one. I have found that I slightly prefer OS X to Windows (surprise surprise) if only for the convenience and simplicity. It’s also nice to be able to emulate Windows, which I’ll get to at a later time.

So here’s what you’ll need:
• Mac mini (I’ve found the 1.83Ghz model to be sufficient)
• Bluetooth Keyboard and Mouse (RF will suffice)
• 32″ or larger LCD HDTV w/ a VGA or DVI input
• Receiver with Optical Input
• Optical Cable (one end must have a 3.5mm optical connector)
• VGA Cable
• Wireless Router (For Internet)

The reason I recommend an LCD screen is so that burn-in isn’t a factor as it would be with plasma screens. Now that you know what you need, everything else comes pretty easily… Actually this is really easy… Connecting everything should be pretty self explanatory. Things that may not be so obvious will be explained below.

Connecting to the TV

If you have a HDTV manufactured recently, odds are your going to have either a DVI or VGA input. The Mac mini has a DVI output, but it also comes packaged with a DVI->VGA connector. Once you have everything connected (I’m not really going to insult anyone’s intelligence by explaining how to do this ) the Mac should recognize your TV without having to configure anything. The only thing your going to want to do is change the screen resolution.

System Preferences -> Display. The recommended resolution for a 720p TV will be 1366×768.

Connecting to the Receiver
There really isn’t much to say on this one if you go the S/PDIF route. If your receiver doesn’t have an optical input, or if you don’t have a receiver and want to use the TV for sound, you can use a 3.5mm to RCA cable.

Mouse/Keyboard

Because of the range and flexibility they provide, I recommend using a Bluetooth Keyboard and Mouse over their wired counterparts. RF will also work well, but with the added inconvenience (albeit small) of a having to use a receiver.

So once you’ve gotten this far, you have the basics down. Provided you have a Wireless Router, you can now use the internet on your TV (great for Youtube), listen to music through your stereo (or home theater), play DVD’s, watch videos and work from your couch.

It really is alot easier than it looks… More to come next week.