Frog In North Georgia » Technology

Kindle Fire Product Review

Christine Eclavea Mercer — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:25:18 +0000

Of all the things I researched about the Kindle Fire, the one thing I didn’t investigate was the casing. As it turns out, the back and sides of the Kindle Fire are housed within a rubbery feeling substance, similar to no-slip or gel grip pens. I find this texture itchy and annoying. So it’s good that I decided to wait until after I received the Kindle to order a case.

I saw several Kindle models in person. All of them were either mounted to a display in a store; or they were in a case. So I never touched the back or sides of them. I had intended to purchase, or sew a sleeve. But after discovering the weird textured plastic, I chose a book style cover instead. I like the idea of an ereader resembling a book, since its primary purpose, for me, is reading.

Proprietary

I have a love hate relationship with proprietary technology. I love the ease of use and hate the limitations. In this case, I don’t love the fact that I cannot use every Android application available on my phone, HTC Droid Incredible 2, or purchase ebooks from other vendors. But I do love that I can sync seamlessly with my Amazon account. And I don’t have to worry about storage and backups.

A Kindle is practical for me. Having used Google Books, Kindle for Android, and Nook for Android, I had pretty much tossed the other two in favor of the Kindle software. Also, one pays for freedom: I don’t have time for the maintenance involved with a tablet. As it is, DH reminds me about the poor maintenance of my pc.

Typing and Consumption

Presently, I use technology to consume information far more often than I do to disseminate it. I blog less, shop online more. Test software less, read more.

That said, I do still need to type more than a few words to blog and email. Typing on the Kindle is awkward for me. I wrote a few paragraphs of this post on the Kindle Fire, found it awkward and my hands fatigued, and decided I could thumb type faster on my phone, and much faster on a keyboard. I am a very average size person, with average size female hands. I wear a medium glove, but can wear a small glove if it has a longer finger shape or is fingerless. I provide this information for your reference. I suspect that DH, who loathes typing on my netbook, will prefer typing on a tablet. But I haven’t shared my tablet with him yet. (I really should share the National Geographic and Bon Appetit magazines.)

Screen Size and Color

Compared to my Android phone, the HTC Droid Incredible 2, the screen of the Kindle Fire is enormous. Compared to a magazine, or a 23″ monitor, it’s not so enormous. Still, I find the Kindle Fire screen suits my needs. I most definitely don’t want to haul my monitor out onto the porch. I can read text and view magazine photos clearly. There is a strong glare in the sun. And the screen picks up fingerprints easily. Both of those can probably be remedied with a screen protector.

WiFi

WiFi works, but isn’t exemplary. It drops occasionally. And I find it sluggish if there’s other traffic on the network, like streaming video. I would blame the network. But I can pick up the Droid, and it’ll work just fine.

All in all, I’m pleased with the Kindle Fire. It works as advertised.

Kindle vs Nook for Android

Christine Eclavea Mercer — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 13:07:32 +0000

I’m pretty sure ebooks have saved my brain cells from additional deterioration. That temporary atrophy that comes from parenthood, lack of sleep, and frustration. Or perhaps that statement is redundant.

I’ve been reading on the Kindle for Android for months. I chose it because I wasn’t able to make the adjustments that I wanted with the Google reader. And DH had good things to say about the Kindle software. So it was an easy decision.

This week I became frustrated with the (meager) selection of magazines available for reading on the Kindle. So I decided to try the Nook for Android. I had previously browsed a magazine in the Barnes and Noble, hoping to purchase an ereader at a later date. And it was really slick. Unfortunately, the price was and still is pretty high as well.

The Nook for Android is nice. Terrific even. I understand completely why my SIL raves about her Nook. The interface is clean, and intuitive. It took minutes for me to find the software, install it, and download a book. And it looks like a book.

Ironically, one of the books I tried to read on Google reader has been scanned for Nook. Pamphlets on Agriculture in Guam, by William Edwin Safford, which sounds like dry reading, but isn’t. The OCR, or whatever technology is used, created a lot of misspellings. But, being able to adjust the font makes it legible.
The super irritating thing about the Nook for Android is that it refers to the Merriam – Webster Dictionary, that tries to force you into a paid subscription, and thereafter spams you with lots of JavaScript and popup boxes. It is a huge interruption to train of thought. It discourages me from using the dictionary. And it is just plain greedy when you’ve already charged the reader a high premium for a propriety device, and the book.

My book buying experience with Nook for Android wasn’t great either. At the end of the sample, there isn’t a link to buy the book. And there isn’t one on the sample menu. You have to return to the main menu, then you can buy the book. Choosing the buy book option got me an error. To buy the book, I had to find it again in the virtual store. Then buy it.

I did not feel encouraged. And am now disinterested in buying the Nook Color that I’ve coveted for several months. Nook looks awesome. Kindle actually works.

And now I can read library books on the Kindle. One might think having access to free books (not really free, since we pay taxes) would prevent me from buying books. But instead it gets me into a mood of wanting a greater selection. And then I buy books in addition to checking them out from the library, more of them now that I don’t have to find storage space or lug them around.

So my personal assessment, at this moment, is that Nook beats Kindle in attractiveness; Kindle beats Nook in useability. And both Kindle and Nook have better features than Overdrive.

HTC Droid Incredible 2

Christine Eclavea Mercer — Fri, 27 May 2011 00:11:02 +0000

It’s official. I love the Droid. It did take me days to become accustomed to the virtual keyboard. And I am still getting used to it. But the interface is clean. And I don’t think I can do any more tasks without scaling up to my netbook.

The only application that I haven’t been able to find is a decent check register that will sync with Quicken.

I had a terrible time trying to find an address app that will actually display the location, the physical address for snailmail. Where you might like to visit another human being in person. Turns out it was there all along (unsurprising). It’s called People.

I downloaded an app called Red Laser that reads barcodes. It looked up a book upc and found it at my local library – now that is useful!

MySQL and WordPress

Christine Eclavea Mercer — Thu, 26 May 2011 00:40:49 +0000

I tend to think that caring for my children full-time these past two years has turned my brain to mush. But yesterday I managed to crash this blog’s database, mysql, and repair it without having to restore a backup.

That probably sounds like only the second half of the event required knowledge. But to crash a system, you must overload it. I am a master of asking a system for too much. Being a geek, I thought, eh, this will be fine. But it wasn’t. And down it went.

An hour and a lot of cursing later, I had changed the options settings, and brought everything back online. I am exceedingly pleased.

I am equally happy to have setup this blog with WordPress for Android. I had been able to connect Android to WordPress.com, and Blogger. But not self-hosted WordPress. Yay. Maybe its Android that will save this blog, as I type beside the bathtub.

Turning off WiFi and using 3G solved the problem of timing out during authentication. After setup I connected to our home WiFi, and am enjoying the speed. Possibly perceived more than real.

Crazy Busy but Good

Christine Eclavea Mercer — Mon, 23 May 2011 17:50:11 +0000

We have been crazy busy. It seems to have become the normal pace of life. The school year is almost over. We have a new (to us) van. And I have a new phone.

As usual, I’m hoping I’ll be blogging again more regularly. This time, because I have a new phone. I downloaded the WordPress for Android app. But getting it set up is slow. I had a Blackberry for two years. I would really like to get a new phone annually, instead of every other year. But life hasn’t worked out that way.

I’m getting used to the Android OS. So far I have downloaded a ridiculous number of applications, including AP News, Evernote, and Overdrive (for checking out library books). I have the Droid Incredible 2. It came preloaded with Amazon’s Kindle app, which I like. Except they don’t seem to have any magazines that I want to read. Boo. But for ebook reading it is nice to always have a book with me. Unfortunately, if the book is a pdf file, instead of a newer ebook style, the fonts can be too blurry or small.

Honda Odyssey

The van is a Honda Odyssey. I have now joined the legions of moms everywhere driving minivans. I’m sure my mother is laughing in her grave at my tragic uncoolness. It’s blue. And has many of the features that I loved about my old Jeep – high up so I can see everything, hauls lots of kid-stuff – plus a car-like suspension. I’m surprised by what a tight turning circumference the Honda has for such a long vehicle.

Blog Updates

Christine Eclavea Mercer — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 09:00:37 +0000

In the five months sabbatical I took from this blog, most all of the software I used to run it became outdated. I had more than a dozen upgrades to perform before I could even begin. First, I had to change my password to both the host and the blog, to even be able to login. Boo.

I expected it. But it still wasn’t what I hoped for. I was hoping that only a few upgrades would need to be performed. What I got was typical: hours of backing up, upgrading, deleting obsolete tools and otherwise cleaning up.

The most sweeping tool changes appear to be on Twitter – not blog software, but what I had used for communication. Apparently, you can’t have a widget, unless you’re paying for it. And if you want to make a clean break and start over from scratch, you’d better start clicking. Because there is no way to unfollow en masse. I have used tools to do this previously. Those no longer work. And so far, I haven’t found new tools to replace them. It seems that Twitter has no interest in allowing this on their site. But, I’m out of touch, and hoping that I’m wrong and just haven’t found the right software yet.

Even the blog theme needed an upgrade. Though there doesn’t appear to be much change, on the design end of it anyway.

Blog Catalog noticed my new activity right away and immediately started emailing me advertisements. I hate falsely flattering emails.

Just now, I got a Flickr error trying to add a picture. Oh joy. Guess I’ll figure that problem out.

Blog Site Cleanup

LG HBS-200 and Asus Eee

Christine Eclavea Mercer — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:05:03 +0000

Today’s bit of technological happiness is that I connected my LG HBS-200 bluetooth headset to the Asus Eee HE. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner. I’m not using it to talk on the phone. And it sounds great.

[LG HBS-200]

Setting it up was a little weird. It was discovered fine. But it wasn’t actually communicating. And I find it strange that it was a two step process to get it connected. But it really wasn’t a big deal, and only took a minute. Maybe that is standard for a laptop. But on my phone, this new one and the last one it was a one step process, just discover and an allow prompt comes up.

I am really enjoying being able to walk around and listen at the same time. Previously, I was using a wired headset, which was annoying. I like to lift weights while I watch tv. So that made it impossible. Today I loaded the dishwasher and watched House. That was really nice.

I have really enjoyed this headset for over a year. I’ve been using it less recently, because I’ve not been listening to music on my phone. But I’m sure I’ll use it a lot again now that I’ve connected it to the Asus. The LG HBS-200 is comfortable. I have trouble getting any kind of headset or earpiece to stay on, because I have a slightly small head. And this one does not fall off.

Blog Site Cleanup

Christine Eclavea Mercer — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:30:52 +0000

If you’ve read here before, you’ve probably noticed the changes: a return to a very clean theme for one. I am also cleaning out categories, removing and adding better tags, and updated my about page.

Mac vs. PC by Ed Yourdon

I have been neglectful in the blog admin, busy with other things. But now, I’m housekeeping around here. The giant list of categories across the top of the screen has been reduced to two rows… and continues to dwindle. I brought back the Technology category, which I dropped last year when I started the blog I later dumped. Apparently, I like my geekery here, informal, and in the first person, which is how I get the best responses to it.

I upgraded WordPress to the latest version, and installed All in One SEO, and am beginning to learn it. And I added a very helpful Flickr plugin. Hopefully, better, easier to find content will follow. I’m definitely not accustomed to having the Flickr plugin. I didn’t think to use until I’d been editing posts for an hour.

My category rename task has become an all-around post cleanup task. I don’t need really short posts – that’s what Twitter is for. And I’m reminded that this blog once ran on Blogger, where categories and tags are as one. Bleck.

Air Force and Social Media

Christine Eclavea Mercer — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:58:47 +0000

When I stumbled on this article at Mashable, I wondered how I had missed it. I mean really, New Yorkers terrified by a military fly-by is certainly news. Then I realized the flyover happened a few weeks after my Grandmother’s death. So that explains how I missed it.

[Air Force One]

DECLASSIFIED: The Air Force’s Social Media Spin Machine

Specifically, the AP reports on a special unit of the Air Force called Combat Information Cell that could best be thought of as a brand monitoring team within the organization. That unit became especially important back in April, when the Air Force used Air Force One in an ill-advised flyover of Manhattan in the name of a good photo opp.

It’s amusing to me that I’m getting my news via Mashable. Not entirely of course, but I tend to read something there and then hop to a news article of a similar theme.

I’ve been getting the gossipy news via Twitter. Somebody mentions it, then I’m off to an Associated Press story to find out what the fuss is about.

My two favorite feeds right now are Mashable and Problogger. It’s sort of geek-news, news and gossip meet at a party. I embrace my dorkiness.

As for the Air Force tracking public opinion with Twitter, I say, Go Air Force. Let’s not forget that these are the same geeks involved with the original internet at DARPA, the Blue Cube in the Silicon Valley, and the OSI which in my mind doesn’t fall far from the NSA tree. The men in black are great in movies. But the men in blue exist.

Test of the Emergency Frog-cast System

Christine Eclavea Mercer — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:08:24 +0000

This is a test of the Frog should stop messing around with her domain emergency broadcast system. That, of course, is an unrealistic expectation, because she has also been known as geekgirl and pcbunny. That was way before spam filters. It was a joke. And I had to give it up when spam filters arrived on the scene because they threw out all my mail as porn.

No sense of humor, spam filters.

So, I have fixed my configuration problem, caused by the fact that I dumped two domains that weren’t doing it for me and moved my files for this blog. All was well with that until I changed the redirect. That confused WordPress, which is the content manager for this blog, and I had to give it directions to it’s new home. Aka, reconfigure WordPress settings to match.

Voila, I give you as a test, if anyone else is still reading, a photo of my little rock star. She is four, claims to have several boyfriends, doesn’t mind the real boyfriend (her words) kissing their other friend and has organized them into a little band. They play away on abandoned instruments, a child’s xylophone and bells and sing their own version of “American Pie.”

Preschool love, it’s all about the kissing on the cheek and giggling. I call the band She’s Giving Dad a Heartattack.

Oh, those are hair sticks in her hair. She modeled them for me for an article on how to make them (not published yet). Impossible for me to photograph them on my own head.