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Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Go GOOGLE! Way to respect the developers for Google I/O 2012
The new prices might be tough to swallow, but the restrictions on being able to buy 1 ticket and NOT being able to sell them should severely limit the abuse that occurred in years past where people basically hocked tickets which seriously limited the number of REAL developers that could attend I/O.
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Create your own machine in our Chrome Experiment.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
AR Glasses - A followup to "smartphone revolution is dead"
As far as AR (Augmented Reality, or the use of computer generated content to enhance our view of the real world) is concerned in this context. I think we are a LONG way from seeing AR Glasses replacing smartphones in the literal sense for a couple of major reasons. 1) Until we have a battery tech revolution, there's just NO way glasses will provide the housing and support needed to power the radios for high-speed, wireless communication (forget everything else even). 2) Fashion is a fact of life and I'm willing to be quoted as saying "the majority of people not already having a need to wear glasses are not going to adopt the fashion or hassle unless the glasses are as or more light and unobtrusive as a decent pair are not (without all the tech)." 3) There is SOO much more flexibility in the combination of a smartphone/tablet/belt-computer/etc.. AND AR glasses because you could work without the glasses, minimize battery weight in the glasses, reduce cost by minimizing the need to micro-scale EVERY aspect of the technology, etc..
More than 10 years ago I saw the future of computing and tablets were the first call I made that came to be. A form of AR will be my 2nd and I've kept quite on the public front while I sought out investors for patents and/or a product, but I think the technology as a whole has gone far enough for me to begin to share my vision publicly and it's really not far from what's already come to be in many places, but I'm yet to see the complete picture that I envision, come to be anywhere else and in the end, I DO see AR glasses becoming a standard at the desktop. I think I'll just have to write a paper here soon to go in depth, but that said, I just don't see it becoming the defacto-standard for mobile displays. I think we're more likely to see some sort of viable live-holography come to life and be implemented before that happens (and that is also an idea that a ways off).
More than 10 years ago I saw the future of computing and tablets were the first call I made that came to be. A form of AR will be my 2nd and I've kept quite on the public front while I sought out investors for patents and/or a product, but I think the technology as a whole has gone far enough for me to begin to share my vision publicly and it's really not far from what's already come to be in many places, but I'm yet to see the complete picture that I envision, come to be anywhere else and in the end, I DO see AR glasses becoming a standard at the desktop. I think I'll just have to write a paper here soon to go in depth, but that said, I just don't see it becoming the defacto-standard for mobile displays. I think we're more likely to see some sort of viable live-holography come to life and be implemented before that happens (and that is also an idea that a ways off).
Friday, February 24, 2012
The smartphone revolution is dead! So says "Think with Google" anyway.
In reply to:
<sarcasm>I agree that the "revolution is dead" because we've gone a few months without a major upgrade.</sarcasm>
Seriously people, do you realize how freakishly rapid progress has been with these mobile computers? Your expectations (+Think with Google) have been blown WAY out of proportion and you need to give the market a bit to catch up. The reason we're not seeing major innovations (like built-in laser projectors, dual-screens, etc..) more is because there's no incentive for the OEMs to provide these things when everyone is gladly sucking up every minor change that requires almost NO investment in R&D or manufacturing processes. When there's a significant reduction is purchasing of the incrementally improved devices rolling out, THEN we will once again see major change.
Android for example (as we've seen) is geared to do some very significant things in terms of hardware support and UI changes. Imagine for example a built in projector that could provide a 12" screen from a device less than 5" tall that used 1/2 front-camera(s) to provide minority-reports (can we say Kinect) like interactions. The tech is there.
The financial incentive to move forward just isn't yet. It's the EXACT same market behavior we see with Hard-disk storage capacities. What we see on the shelves is always 1+ years behind what the manufactures COULD do at a profit, but as long as they're cashing in on the current capacities knowing they can then sell you a larger drive 3-6 months later (doubling profit), why would they release the larger drives? Get it?
The Smartphone Revolution Is Over (For Now)
BY KIT EATON<sarcasm>I agree that the "revolution is dead" because we've gone a few months without a major upgrade.</sarcasm>
Seriously people, do you realize how freakishly rapid progress has been with these mobile computers? Your expectations (+Think with Google) have been blown WAY out of proportion and you need to give the market a bit to catch up. The reason we're not seeing major innovations (like built-in laser projectors, dual-screens, etc..) more is because there's no incentive for the OEMs to provide these things when everyone is gladly sucking up every minor change that requires almost NO investment in R&D or manufacturing processes. When there's a significant reduction is purchasing of the incrementally improved devices rolling out, THEN we will once again see major change.
Android for example (as we've seen) is geared to do some very significant things in terms of hardware support and UI changes. Imagine for example a built in projector that could provide a 12" screen from a device less than 5" tall that used 1/2 front-camera(s) to provide minority-reports (can we say Kinect) like interactions. The tech is there.
The financial incentive to move forward just isn't yet. It's the EXACT same market behavior we see with Hard-disk storage capacities. What we see on the shelves is always 1+ years behind what the manufactures COULD do at a profit, but as long as they're cashing in on the current capacities knowing they can then sell you a larger drive 3-6 months later (doubling profit), why would they release the larger drives? Get it?
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
I'm getting ready to defect.
Ok, maybe not quite ready, but it's a thought that's occuring more and more all the time for a number of reasons.
I'm seriously becoming sickened that I gave 4 years of my life to support this country and help maintain "freedom" when it's coming to this type of behavior. I don't care if there's some back-story here. The Police made it quite clear that they were arresting these people for DANCING. Notice how they wouldn't answer the mans question about what charges he would be arrested on? Also, the treatment of the camera-man at the end who was completely uninvolved and only observing. Thank goodness too because his bravery allows us to see the abuse.
More and more I'm seeing and sensing the reign of King Henry the VIII in this country and he is as responsible for anyone in driving people out of England to establish the UNITED STATES [not federation] OF AMERICA. Of course his neglected but conditioned daughter Queen Mary [aka Bloody Mary] perpetuated things, but the wheels were already in motion.
Someone tell me how I can make a real difference. I'm not being given a choice of president that will help, contacting representatives only results in canned replies and who knows if it makes any difference how many calls I make or letters I write, and clearly protesting is as risky now as it was if you did so as a person of black skin in the 50's. What options are we left with aside from non-peaceful "protest"? Would it matter anyway considering how many people seem to be content to let shit like this go on? If I'm such a minority in feeling this way, then I have no interest in further supporting this country with my hard work, financial revenue, and OBSCENE taxes (don't get me started on the Internal Revenue Scam). If I'm not a minority in my feelings, then I must conclude that I'm surrounded by others who at best are as lost as me in how to respond, but also aren't speaking out enough based on my observations (when did you last contact your congress person or a House representative?). In that case, I still fear I'm doomed and I don't want to be around when the country as a whole gets fed up enough that we end up with a nation wide L.A. Riot-type response (think Rodney King injustice inciting people to act out).
I'm seriously becoming sickened that I gave 4 years of my life to support this country and help maintain "freedom" when it's coming to this type of behavior. I don't care if there's some back-story here. The Police made it quite clear that they were arresting these people for DANCING. Notice how they wouldn't answer the mans question about what charges he would be arrested on? Also, the treatment of the camera-man at the end who was completely uninvolved and only observing. Thank goodness too because his bravery allows us to see the abuse.
More and more I'm seeing and sensing the reign of King Henry the VIII in this country and he is as responsible for anyone in driving people out of England to establish the UNITED STATES [not federation] OF AMERICA. Of course his neglected but conditioned daughter Queen Mary [aka Bloody Mary] perpetuated things, but the wheels were already in motion.
Someone tell me how I can make a real difference. I'm not being given a choice of president that will help, contacting representatives only results in canned replies and who knows if it makes any difference how many calls I make or letters I write, and clearly protesting is as risky now as it was if you did so as a person of black skin in the 50's. What options are we left with aside from non-peaceful "protest"? Would it matter anyway considering how many people seem to be content to let shit like this go on? If I'm such a minority in feeling this way, then I have no interest in further supporting this country with my hard work, financial revenue, and OBSCENE taxes (don't get me started on the Internal Revenue Scam). If I'm not a minority in my feelings, then I must conclude that I'm surrounded by others who at best are as lost as me in how to respond, but also aren't speaking out enough based on my observations (when did you last contact your congress person or a House representative?). In that case, I still fear I'm doomed and I don't want to be around when the country as a whole gets fed up enough that we end up with a nation wide L.A. Riot-type response (think Rodney King injustice inciting people to act out).
Why I'm selling my Samsung Galaxy Nexus and keeping the HTC Rezound
STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS
My SGN never got setup completely (thanks to the rediculously slow transfer required due to lack of sdcard) and even prior, I was so disappointed by the screen quality (so much hype about SAMOLED) and camera compared to my Rezound that it's now just sitting here waiting to be sold while I keep loving on my completely stock Rezound.
I tried using FTP server/client between my SGN and Rezound (over WiFi that proves capable of no less than 12Mbs using Speed Test to San Jose). I also tried using SMB to a maching on my network. I tried Bluetooth File Transfer (both phones do support BT 3.0 supposedly) and finally, I just pulled my sdcard from my Rezound (how nice it was to have that ability), used a card reader to copy files to a PC, then connected the SGN and used MTP to try and copy files onto the SGN. That was the final straw. HOURS later and I just couldn't migrate my files onto the SGN and that's when I decided enough was enough. I wasn't going to try and survive with a "Dev" phone that had no sdcard. Especially when I remember how painful my last two Samsung experiences were (Captivate and Charge).
The screen size is both a benefit and liability depending on my mood so I don't count it, and I'll take the glowing blacks and light bleeding of the Rezounds SLCD screen over the color banding and hashing I saw on the SAMOLED display any day in trade for the amazing colors and density the SLCD gives me. What's more is that it seems there was either a wireless bandwidth limitation or I/O limitation being realized somewhere because when I watched Tudors (Showtime series) via Netflix on the SGN under identical conditions to the Rezound, I never felt I was getting "HD" on the SGN. The rezound never took more than a minute to clean up and lose all the blocking and banding.
HDMI out (need an MHL adapter of course) is another missing feature for the SGN. The more devices I own with this feature, the more I come to appriciate it. I can see why it's so understated when so few applications truely benefit, but the Rezound has an incredible GPU and now OnLive works over Android so more and more, I see my "phone" becoming a truly portable "console" gaming system. Between that, Netflix, Google Video, and soon Vudu I hear, HDMI is a major feature the SGN lacks.
Also, with the extended battery I like how it feels in hand plus I'm getting 16+ hours with 3 hours screen-on and I've seen 26+ hours once when I forgot to charge overnight and only has about an hour of screen on the following day (bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, and 4G enabled constantly). To me, the SGN love seems almost iPhone fanboyish in light of the Rezound being available, but then that does assume my priorities toward the screen and camera which weigh heavily. To someone else those might not matter so much and that could change the equation significantly.
Even ICS was a bit disappointing because apps kept crashing ("Stopping"), especially the browser. In the end, the slightly buggy build of ICS on the SGN seems to be the only significant advantage the SGN has over the Rezound in my opinion.
I can only imagine what kind of experience I'll have when it gets S-OFF and then eventually a fully functional build of ICS. I'm still in awe of how incredibly smooth, snappy, and functional a completely locked, stock, Sense ROM is on the Rezound. The is the first device I've owned since the days of Windows Mobile 5 that I'm not "dying" to hack. I do look forward to a FULLY functional ICS ROM for it, but I won't be running a broken one (read, "NO CAMERA"). ICS just isn't bringing enough to the table for me to temp me that way. I do realize that I'm a rare breed though given my tendencies towards Sense. Heck, the only ROM I've ever been a signicant part of was the ZeusDroid project for the OG Droid and there's a good reason for that. In case that comes as a surprise, that's because I've always been more concerned with supporting developers than getting recognition. My time and loss at AllDroid.org is the ultimate proof. I'll leave that for another day though.
My SGN never got setup completely (thanks to the rediculously slow transfer required due to lack of sdcard) and even prior, I was so disappointed by the screen quality (so much hype about SAMOLED) and camera compared to my Rezound that it's now just sitting here waiting to be sold while I keep loving on my completely stock Rezound.
I tried using FTP server/client between my SGN and Rezound (over WiFi that proves capable of no less than 12Mbs using Speed Test to San Jose). I also tried using SMB to a maching on my network. I tried Bluetooth File Transfer (both phones do support BT 3.0 supposedly) and finally, I just pulled my sdcard from my Rezound (how nice it was to have that ability), used a card reader to copy files to a PC, then connected the SGN and used MTP to try and copy files onto the SGN. That was the final straw. HOURS later and I just couldn't migrate my files onto the SGN and that's when I decided enough was enough. I wasn't going to try and survive with a "Dev" phone that had no sdcard. Especially when I remember how painful my last two Samsung experiences were (Captivate and Charge).
The screen size is both a benefit and liability depending on my mood so I don't count it, and I'll take the glowing blacks and light bleeding of the Rezounds SLCD screen over the color banding and hashing I saw on the SAMOLED display any day in trade for the amazing colors and density the SLCD gives me. What's more is that it seems there was either a wireless bandwidth limitation or I/O limitation being realized somewhere because when I watched Tudors (Showtime series) via Netflix on the SGN under identical conditions to the Rezound, I never felt I was getting "HD" on the SGN. The rezound never took more than a minute to clean up and lose all the blocking and banding.
HDMI out (need an MHL adapter of course) is another missing feature for the SGN. The more devices I own with this feature, the more I come to appriciate it. I can see why it's so understated when so few applications truely benefit, but the Rezound has an incredible GPU and now OnLive works over Android so more and more, I see my "phone" becoming a truly portable "console" gaming system. Between that, Netflix, Google Video, and soon Vudu I hear, HDMI is a major feature the SGN lacks.
Also, with the extended battery I like how it feels in hand plus I'm getting 16+ hours with 3 hours screen-on and I've seen 26+ hours once when I forgot to charge overnight and only has about an hour of screen on the following day (bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, and 4G enabled constantly). To me, the SGN love seems almost iPhone fanboyish in light of the Rezound being available, but then that does assume my priorities toward the screen and camera which weigh heavily. To someone else those might not matter so much and that could change the equation significantly.
Even ICS was a bit disappointing because apps kept crashing ("Stopping"), especially the browser. In the end, the slightly buggy build of ICS on the SGN seems to be the only significant advantage the SGN has over the Rezound in my opinion.
I can only imagine what kind of experience I'll have when it gets S-OFF and then eventually a fully functional build of ICS. I'm still in awe of how incredibly smooth, snappy, and functional a completely locked, stock, Sense ROM is on the Rezound. The is the first device I've owned since the days of Windows Mobile 5 that I'm not "dying" to hack. I do look forward to a FULLY functional ICS ROM for it, but I won't be running a broken one (read, "NO CAMERA"). ICS just isn't bringing enough to the table for me to temp me that way. I do realize that I'm a rare breed though given my tendencies towards Sense. Heck, the only ROM I've ever been a signicant part of was the ZeusDroid project for the OG Droid and there's a good reason for that. In case that comes as a surprise, that's because I've always been more concerned with supporting developers than getting recognition. My time and loss at AllDroid.org is the ultimate proof. I'll leave that for another day though.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Outlook 2010 Export to PST - Another MS UI Screw-up
I had a need to export the entire contents of an Exchange Mailbox to a .PST and for the life of me could find NOTHING in the Outlook UI that even hinted at exporting aside from "File, Save As" which will let you save a single item as a text file.
So of course I Googled and ended up at SherWeb > How to export an Outlook 2010 pst file (Exchange 2007).
Below are the instructions provided on that site and I think they serve to prove how insanely lazy (or careless) MS is getting with Office; a fact I find interesting considering what a cash-cow it is for them.
I've highlighted the most interesting part which happens to also explain why I had to Google to do something which was incredibly obvious (even if still slightly flawed from a UX perspective) in previous versions of Outlook.
I'm not kidding. OPEN, then IMPORT to access EXPORT! You have to wonder what these people are thinking because that's a bit hard to call an oversight and beyond senseless any way you look at it. Thanks to the guys over at SherWeb for saving me the hours I might have otherwise wasted looking for this well hidden option.
So of course I Googled and ended up at SherWeb > How to export an Outlook 2010 pst file (Exchange 2007).
Below are the instructions provided on that site and I think they serve to prove how insanely lazy (or careless) MS is getting with Office; a fact I find interesting considering what a cash-cow it is for them.
I've highlighted the most interesting part which happens to also explain why I had to Google to do something which was incredibly obvious (even if still slightly flawed from a UX perspective) in previous versions of Outlook.
- Open Outlook 2010.
- Go to File - Open and then click on Import.
- Select Export to a file and then click Next.
- Select Outlook Data File (.pst) and then click on Next.
- Select the top-most folder, check the box Include subfolders and then click on Next.
- Click on the Browse button.
- Decide where you will export the .pst file and then click on OK.
- Click on Finish.
- A password box will pop up. Leave all fields blank and just click on OK.
I'm not kidding. OPEN, then IMPORT to access EXPORT! You have to wonder what these people are thinking because that's a bit hard to call an oversight and beyond senseless any way you look at it. Thanks to the guys over at SherWeb for saving me the hours I might have otherwise wasted looking for this well hidden option.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Logitech Revue - Why you shouldn't bother with it
My condolences to those of you unfortunate enough to have wasted your hard earned money purchasing a Revue, especially now that Logitech dropped the price to $99 though that's an understandable move on their part considering what a POS this thing is. I've owned 4 different Android tablets with roughly the same hardware specs and they could all do more than the Revue and FAR faster (especially web browsing which is the primary function of the Revue isn't it?).
I was lucky enough (or was I?) to have been given one thanks to Google I/O and I'm surprised that Google hasn't found a way to revoke Logitech's rights to use Google TV considering what a great job they've done and making it completely underwhelming.
The first deal-breaker for me and the reason I rarely use the Revue is because it's HDMI 1.3 and does not pass 3D. Ironic considering it was pretty much marketed along with DirectTV HD DVRs which are heavily pushing 1080p and 3D content. For that matter though, you can't really use it as it was intended with any decent settop box because of this limitation. I have to put the Revue on a separate HDMI input or give up 3D movies and that means that I can't use the Live TV features of the revue which makes it good for little more than YouTube and web browsing. For $99 that would be a decent deal IF it was a decent web browser, but it's painfully slow so even at $99 it's pointless.
If the 3.1 update ever releases, perhaps it was gain some value, but as long as it can't pass 3D through HDMI, this is a failure of a product in my eyes. Since it has ONLY HDMI connectivity it was clearly meant to be used in more high-end setups yet it's missing a key feature that prevents it from being used in those setups. I just can't see what Logitech was thinking.
So that said, "in weeks to come" is quickly closing in on "in months to come" and I still see no update.
Could it be that Logitech is just plain ripping people off? I mean, wouldn't a decent company, one with some morals, at least admit the reality of the situation if things had just gotten out of their hands? They've already proven to be dishonest with the "by the end of the summer" BS. They would have been better off saying that they had no planed release for an update then provided it, pleasantly surprising us all. They might have lost a few sales thanks to folks like me spreading the word about how useless the device is in it's current state (I mean, I can hook up my tablet or phone via HDMI, use a bluetooth KB, and have a better experience than the Revue provides), but at least they wouldn't have made liars of themselves in a way that pissed off so many people.
For once I'd like to see a company come clean and demonstrate some maturity and morals (ahh hemm, Verizon for example) instead of double-talking, back-peddling, and rhetoric-spewing their customers to the point of anger. Can they REALLY not see that they hurt their bottom line more with such behavior? Clearly their stats can't show it since they have no basis for comparison, but I'd think it would take little more than common sense to draw the right conclusions.
What does my opinion matter though? I've only got 14,000 members at my web site and a couple 1,000 people more listening to me on twitter and G+. It's not like I hold much sway when a company treats me, friends, family, and associates like this does it?
I was lucky enough (or was I?) to have been given one thanks to Google I/O and I'm surprised that Google hasn't found a way to revoke Logitech's rights to use Google TV considering what a great job they've done and making it completely underwhelming.
The first deal-breaker for me and the reason I rarely use the Revue is because it's HDMI 1.3 and does not pass 3D. Ironic considering it was pretty much marketed along with DirectTV HD DVRs which are heavily pushing 1080p and 3D content. For that matter though, you can't really use it as it was intended with any decent settop box because of this limitation. I have to put the Revue on a separate HDMI input or give up 3D movies and that means that I can't use the Live TV features of the revue which makes it good for little more than YouTube and web browsing. For $99 that would be a decent deal IF it was a decent web browser, but it's painfully slow so even at $99 it's pointless.
If the 3.1 update ever releases, perhaps it was gain some value, but as long as it can't pass 3D through HDMI, this is a failure of a product in my eyes. Since it has ONLY HDMI connectivity it was clearly meant to be used in more high-end setups yet it's missing a key feature that prevents it from being used in those setups. I just can't see what Logitech was thinking.
So that said, "in weeks to come" is quickly closing in on "in months to come" and I still see no update.
Could it be that Logitech is just plain ripping people off? I mean, wouldn't a decent company, one with some morals, at least admit the reality of the situation if things had just gotten out of their hands? They've already proven to be dishonest with the "by the end of the summer" BS. They would have been better off saying that they had no planed release for an update then provided it, pleasantly surprising us all. They might have lost a few sales thanks to folks like me spreading the word about how useless the device is in it's current state (I mean, I can hook up my tablet or phone via HDMI, use a bluetooth KB, and have a better experience than the Revue provides), but at least they wouldn't have made liars of themselves in a way that pissed off so many people.
For once I'd like to see a company come clean and demonstrate some maturity and morals (ahh hemm, Verizon for example) instead of double-talking, back-peddling, and rhetoric-spewing their customers to the point of anger. Can they REALLY not see that they hurt their bottom line more with such behavior? Clearly their stats can't show it since they have no basis for comparison, but I'd think it would take little more than common sense to draw the right conclusions.
What does my opinion matter though? I've only got 14,000 members at my web site and a couple 1,000 people more listening to me on twitter and G+. It's not like I hold much sway when a company treats me, friends, family, and associates like this does it?
Saturday, August 6, 2011
USB Device Not Recognized - Error 43
After HOURS of fighting this error, uninstalling/reinstalling drivers, mucking with my registry, restarting, blahh, blahh, blahh... I finally ran across a post that mentioned trying another USB cable. This sounded more crazy than not, but I was desperate at that point so I went for it. Low and behold, my device installed as expected.
Lesson: USB cables can go "BAD" (perhaps a damaged connector) and give you headaches.
Thanks to THIS post for the suggestion.
Lesson: USB cables can go "BAD" (perhaps a damaged connector) and give you headaches.
Thanks to THIS post for the suggestion.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
The lies from Verizon just keep on coming (regarding LTE and the Motorola Xoom)
The only reason I'm writing this post is to help others realize that Verizon has been and continues to outright LIE about the Xoom being a 4G/LTE tablet. Even when they say that it's "upgradable", they are at the very least, being misleading. Since March they've been saying that it's "LTE Upgradable", but that's not true because they still aren't providing upgrades. If they said "someday we might provide an LTE upgrade but by then this will be a sub-par tablet", then I'd say they're being more honest. By placing ports on the bottom, you're forced to buy another expensive accessory to use it in some of the more fundamental ways a 10" tablet should be used. Newer tablets (like my Toshiba Thrive [I also own a Samsung Galaxy tab 10.1 and have owned an Acer Iconia]) place the ports on one of the short ends so that you can prop the tablet up any way you like while doing anything it allows.
This isn't a bad tablet, but I made the mistake of paying the full $800 because I didn't want to use an upgrade and I did so under the impression that I'd soon be able to active it on the LTE network. I've since purchased an HTC thunderbolt which I can tether off of (cheaper than the LTE plan would be if my Xoom was LTE ready right now, and it's not). Now the xoom retails for $500 and is still sub-par compared my my $579 Samsung Thrive except for the fact that the Xoom has dual-band WiFi. That is LITERALLY the own objective benefit the Xoom has over the thrive.
Why bother giving VZW your money when you can do better elsewhere?
Today (2011-08-03) I spoke with @VZWSupport on Twitter and here are some of the replies I received:
@AllDroid 1/2: I hear your frustration. The Xoom LTE upgrade will be released soon. Here's a link for further details:http://bit.ly/jMGx42.
@AllDroid 2/2: Enter your email address to be contacted. We offer a trade in program to buy back the Xoom device http://bit.ly/rlIX2F ^EW
@AllDroid I'm sorry there's was an issue with the link being sent about the LTE upgrade on the Xoom. The link is: http://bit.ly/gEQ5qk. ^EW
@AllDroid The Xoom is 4G "upgradeable." The upgrade is coming soon to the device, and you will receive info on how to update. ^MSF
@AllDroid The Xoom has always been marketed as a 4G upgradeable device. Do you not like your Xoom, because I absolutely love mine! ^MSF
I think anyone who's been following the release of the Xoom would agree that it has NOT "always been marketed as a 4G upgradable device" and the image above is CURRENT proof. It doesn't say "will have 4G LTE network capability" or "upgradable [eventually we claim] to 4G LTE network capability". Also, if you look at the displays in-store, or watch the current commercials, you'll find that it is included in those collections which implies that it IS (not WILL BE) 4G/LTE capable.
Let's for a moment assume that Verizon has been completely honest about it not being 4G/LTE ready (wording I'm sure they've avoided because it is even more guilty of the point I'm making). When Verizon says "4G upgradable", I think we'd all agree that to mean we could go upgrade it to 4G. In the English language, that's a pretty clear message and there aren't many ways to misinterpret it. Really though, it's like someone telling a 10 year old boy here in the US that he can "run for president." In fact, he cannot because the point in time where that possibility exists hasn't occurred. EVENTUALLY, the Xoom will be 4G upgradable but right now a 4G upgrade is not available so to say that the Xoom is "4G upgradable" is not true and thus a lie.
It seems to me that this should be addressed by the FTC or perhaps a class-action suit could be filed to compensate those of us who have suffered a loss as a result of the lies Verizon has spread.
Fact: I purchased a Xoom under the impression (based on what I read from Verizon and what I was told by more than one representative in a Verizon store) that a 4G upgrade would be made available in the near future (notice "upgrade will be available" vs. "upgradeable").
Fact: I would not have purchased the Xoom if I had known that 5 months later an upgrade would still not be available.
Fact: I paid $800 for the tablet being reasonably sure that I was paying a premium because the 4G capability the device would have.
Fact: The EXACT same device is now selling for $600 from Verizon and the upgrade is STILL not available.
Fact: I now have an LTE capable phone I can tether with (a service cheaper than direct LTE service on the Xoom will be) and I have already purchased another tablet with more features and a better design for $579. While tethered to my phone, I have everything and more than I should have had for the $800 tablet I purchased 5 months ago.
Fact: Consumer technology like this has a very short life-cycle and the value my $800 Xoom has dropped by something like %50 (a loss of ~$400) and I still haven't seen the functionality for which I paid the premium.
Conclusion: Either Verizon KNEW they weren't going to provide the upgrade in a timely manner and they intentionally mislead people like myself so they could sell the hell out of the product (other Android tablets WERE available, some with better specs aside from the so called "4G upgradable" feature) or they didn't know it would take so long in which case they were negligent for advertising the Xoom as they continue to do even today, as a "4G" device.
I think there are a couple fair ways for Verizon to compensate me for this situation.
This isn't a bad tablet, but I made the mistake of paying the full $800 because I didn't want to use an upgrade and I did so under the impression that I'd soon be able to active it on the LTE network. I've since purchased an HTC thunderbolt which I can tether off of (cheaper than the LTE plan would be if my Xoom was LTE ready right now, and it's not). Now the xoom retails for $500 and is still sub-par compared my my $579 Samsung Thrive except for the fact that the Xoom has dual-band WiFi. That is LITERALLY the own objective benefit the Xoom has over the thrive.
Why bother giving VZW your money when you can do better elsewhere?
Today (2011-08-03) I spoke with @VZWSupport on Twitter and here are some of the replies I received:
@AllDroid 1/2: I hear your frustration. The Xoom LTE upgrade will be released soon. Here's a link for further details:http://bit.ly/jMGx42.
@AllDroid 2/2: Enter your email address to be contacted. We offer a trade in program to buy back the Xoom device http://bit.ly/rlIX2F ^EW
@AllDroid I'm sorry there's was an issue with the link being sent about the LTE upgrade on the Xoom. The link is: http://bit.ly/gEQ5qk. ^EW
@AllDroid The Xoom is 4G "upgradeable." The upgrade is coming soon to the device, and you will receive info on how to update. ^MSF
@AllDroid The Xoom has always been marketed as a 4G upgradeable device. Do you not like your Xoom, because I absolutely love mine! ^MSF
I think anyone who's been following the release of the Xoom would agree that it has NOT "always been marketed as a 4G upgradable device" and the image above is CURRENT proof. It doesn't say "will have 4G LTE network capability" or "upgradable [eventually we claim] to 4G LTE network capability". Also, if you look at the displays in-store, or watch the current commercials, you'll find that it is included in those collections which implies that it IS (not WILL BE) 4G/LTE capable.
Let's for a moment assume that Verizon has been completely honest about it not being 4G/LTE ready (wording I'm sure they've avoided because it is even more guilty of the point I'm making). When Verizon says "4G upgradable", I think we'd all agree that to mean we could go upgrade it to 4G. In the English language, that's a pretty clear message and there aren't many ways to misinterpret it. Really though, it's like someone telling a 10 year old boy here in the US that he can "run for president." In fact, he cannot because the point in time where that possibility exists hasn't occurred. EVENTUALLY, the Xoom will be 4G upgradable but right now a 4G upgrade is not available so to say that the Xoom is "4G upgradable" is not true and thus a lie.
It seems to me that this should be addressed by the FTC or perhaps a class-action suit could be filed to compensate those of us who have suffered a loss as a result of the lies Verizon has spread.
Fact: I purchased a Xoom under the impression (based on what I read from Verizon and what I was told by more than one representative in a Verizon store) that a 4G upgrade would be made available in the near future (notice "upgrade will be available" vs. "upgradeable").
Fact: I would not have purchased the Xoom if I had known that 5 months later an upgrade would still not be available.
Fact: I paid $800 for the tablet being reasonably sure that I was paying a premium because the 4G capability the device would have.
Fact: The EXACT same device is now selling for $600 from Verizon and the upgrade is STILL not available.
Fact: I now have an LTE capable phone I can tether with (a service cheaper than direct LTE service on the Xoom will be) and I have already purchased another tablet with more features and a better design for $579. While tethered to my phone, I have everything and more than I should have had for the $800 tablet I purchased 5 months ago.
Fact: Consumer technology like this has a very short life-cycle and the value my $800 Xoom has dropped by something like %50 (a loss of ~$400) and I still haven't seen the functionality for which I paid the premium.
Conclusion: Either Verizon KNEW they weren't going to provide the upgrade in a timely manner and they intentionally mislead people like myself so they could sell the hell out of the product (other Android tablets WERE available, some with better specs aside from the so called "4G upgradable" feature) or they didn't know it would take so long in which case they were negligent for advertising the Xoom as they continue to do even today, as a "4G" device.
I think there are a couple fair ways for Verizon to compensate me for this situation.
- Buy the device back with a reasonable decrease in value based on its condition/use (which is very little since I rarely used it while waiting for the upgrade and even less since I found a nicer tablet which is my primary), perhaps the full current retail of $600.
- Let me keep my Xoom, give me the upgrade but then give me unlimited LTE service for a period of time that is equal to the time that elapses between my purchase date, and the date I have my Xoom fully working ON THE LTE NETWORK (roughly 5 months as of right now).
- Give me at least $500 in additional device upgrade credits.
- Something of value along those lines.
"4G LTE network capability" says that the Xoom is capable of using the 4G LTE network which it WILL NOT be UNTIL the upgrade is available and HAS BEEN installed. The English language relies heavily on a concept called "tense" (quick read here). Either Verizon marketing "professionals" have something less than a 3rd grade reading level, Verizon is ignoring the significance of tense in their materials, or they're intentionally being misleading.
Not quite on-topic for the 4G/LTE issue, but along the same lines where "misleading marketing" is concerned, another item to take note of on this ad is the "3D holographic user experience". There is nothing 3D or holographic about this device. It has a standard 2D LCD display which renders application that regularly use a well known technique called "3D Projection" to communicate the impression of a 3D scene/object on a 2D surface. By adding "holographic" to their marketing, they are implying that this device differentiates itself in the context of 3D displays and in a market where "autostereoscopic" displays exist. This marketing is also very misleading.
Apparently Verizon is finds it perfectly acceptable to misrepresent their products to improve their bottom line.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Why would buy a game from the "Games for Windows Marketplace"?
"This software uses digital rights management software (“DRM”). DRM may limit the
number of times you are permitted to install this software on a computer and/or
the number of computers to which you may install the software."
We all know that the folks they CLAIM to be worried about just go and download from torrents and newsbin services anyway so once again, they are only causing us honest folk trouble.
Seriously, why would I go buy this game online for full price to be so restricted when I could go buy it from a local retailer, get the EXACT same game for no more cost, and NOT have that restriction (unless god-forbid, they've been dumb enough to put the same system on the retail products also).
Every heard of OnLive? Amazing service that's more and more appealing to me all the time. Think "Gaming in the cloud" meets "low-latency video streaming". An approach that means anyone with the bandwidth can game like they've got an incredible PC rig (forget weak-a$$ consoles) yet it still provides many of the same titles that consoles do. Best of all, you can play all the same games, games saves, have the same friends, etc.. whether you're in front of your TV or at a computer. Either way, you get the same experience completely.
We all know that the folks they CLAIM to be worried about just go and download from torrents and newsbin services anyway so once again, they are only causing us honest folk trouble.
Seriously, why would I go buy this game online for full price to be so restricted when I could go buy it from a local retailer, get the EXACT same game for no more cost, and NOT have that restriction (unless god-forbid, they've been dumb enough to put the same system on the retail products also).
Every heard of OnLive? Amazing service that's more and more appealing to me all the time. Think "Gaming in the cloud" meets "low-latency video streaming". An approach that means anyone with the bandwidth can game like they've got an incredible PC rig (forget weak-a$$ consoles) yet it still provides many of the same titles that consoles do. Best of all, you can play all the same games, games saves, have the same friends, etc.. whether you're in front of your TV or at a computer. Either way, you get the same experience completely.
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