My first official goal of my fitness quest: stop groaning like an old man when i do stuff like bend over or get out of my car. I'm not fucking ninety.

My Take on Owning an Android Smartphone

I recently joined the modern age and acquired a smartphone with a data plan. Prior to this tech milestone, I had been using a very simple Nokia flip-phone on a plan with T-Mobile. Aside from having a phone that would sometimes make me sound like I was making calls while submerged, my experience was positive. T-Mobile always provided me with solid customer service, and as far as I can tell the coverage was decent.

Things changed when my lovely girlfriend, Lauren (see image,) became a Verizon employee. To make a long story short, she was able to give me the opportunity to have a phone plan with data for less money than T-Mobile was charging. I'd been feeling the bug to get a smartphone, so I jumped ship. The following is a summary of my initial impression of what it's like to be both a smartphone owner, and an Android user.

First, I'm not sure if a lot of people are aware of what it means when somebody says the word "droid." Android is an operating system (OS), just like Windows. In the general sense, it is considered a mobile phone OS, but it is also used in mobile GPS units and some other gadgets. The OS is actually owned and developed by Google.

The term "droid" gets thrown around a lot lately, and in fact can be used in a number of ways. Motorola has produced a line of phones that are actually called Droids (Droid, Droid 2, and the Droid X.) Most people use the term to refer to an Android based device. The iPhone, which runs an operating system called iOS doesn't have an analogous shorthand nickname. You also don't hear people calling their iPhone an "iOS" based device. This is because there is only one mobile device that uses iOS (shhhh about the iPad), while there are numerous that use Android. The range of devices that are available with Android is comparatively vast, and in a significant way that abundance of variety is a reflection of what Android users value.

While both the iPhone and Android communities are rife with, for lack of a better word, hackers, it is my opinion that Android users are cut of a much nerdier cloth. The biggest difference between the iPhone and the Android fleet is in uniformity. Apple is the only company that makes the iPhone. Every iPhone 4 that rolls off the assembly line is the same. Every single one comes with the same apps, interface, music player, screen, etc. They're all identical.

Android phones, while they all are based around the same OS, exhibit immense variation. Even my phone, which is made by Samsung, has different varieties. The one Verizon carries is branded the "Fascinate." Sprint has the same phone, except it's called the "Epic 4g." Even though it has the same internal hardware as the Fascinate, the Sprint model has a slide out keyboard and a front facing camera. The Galaxy-s, as the hardware is called, is also carried by At&t and T-mobile.

The differences go even deeper with Android phones. Imagine that the iPhone was produced by companies other than just Apple, for a variety of different service providers (gasp, imagine that.) Each of these providers is going to want to set their iPhone apart from the others by tweaking it. Sometimes the tweaks come in the form of the Epic 4g with its significant external modifications. Other changes are embedded in the way you interact with the device: the interface.

With Android, cell providers have the freedom to alter the user interface. This can help make the phone unique, offering little bits of usefulness that other Android phones might not have. For the average (non-hacking) user, these variations might be the difference between being on Sprint instead of Verizon. Specifically, these differences usually are widgets and the overall "feel" an interface provides. iPhone users know what I'm talking about. Although the basic layout between the latest Android phones and iPhones is similar, the two Operating systems offer very distinct experiences.

The variation and freedom of choice offered by the Android lineup is refreshing when compared to the single offering from Apple. Conversely, the uniformity found in the iPhone might be its biggest strength. At this point, I'll finally dive into my first impressions of owning a "droid."

People have been hacking iPhones for as long as they've existed. The process is called "jailbreaking," and it offers users the chance to utilize their device's full potential. The analogous process with an Android phone is called "Rooting." There are similarities between the two processes, but for all intensive purposes they're the same. I decided to get an Android phone because of a couple of things. First, I had a distinct impression that the community of users was huge, helpful, and mischievous. Jailbreaking is the only way to do certain things to an iPhone. With Android devices, not only do you have the option to root, but the OS its self offers the user a degree of non-warranty voiding hackery that the iPhone can only dream of. I like to customize things and Android gave me that in a way the iPhone never would. The second primary reason for wanting to go Android is because of the bullshit exclusivity Apple has with At&t. One of my goals in switching providers was to pay the same or less than what T-mobile charged. That just wouldn't have been possible with At&t.

Since I started using my Fascinate, just a handful of weeks ago, I've had a mixed experience. The degree of customization options available to these phones is mind blowing. Through the Android Market (read: like the App Store,) you have access to something like 70 or 80,000 apps. The world is your oyster with Android if you like to constantly be changing your phone. Have a Fascinate, but want to make your interface look like an HTC Incredible? You're only a few downloads away from throwing the UI Verizon wanted you to have right out the window.

The options are seemingly endless. Aside from all the apps you can download, the visual tweaks you can do to an Android phone is incredible. Live wallpapers, custom icons, mountains of widgets for almost anything you can imagine. While these elements are all there in the iPhone, the control over how you interact with them is much greater on a droid.

It is my opinion that this variety is Android's greatest asset, and its greatest curse. Android its self, which is actually based on a modified version of Linux, is (like Linux,) considered "open source." What that means is, for app developers and cell providers, all the code for the core of Android is there for anybody to have. This concept allows cell providers to alter the OS's code (as long as any changes are available to the public) to establish a distinct user interface for a device that might be available on three or four carriers. It also lets app developers accomplish degrees of integration with their software that wouldn't be possible in a closed source environment.

Open source promotes development by all. Have a knack for coding and want to provide a tweak to Android that you think would benefit others? The opportunity is yours. Want to make money while you do it? Android has software that can integrate adds into your app for you. What I've found though is that in this never ending list of variations and modifications that any Joe on the street can do to their phone, they aren't all stable.

It's taken a while to come to grips with the fact that apps aren't guaranteed to be stable. The reality of owning an Android phone is that sometimes there are too many choices available. Since you dont know which app is going to both fill your needs and run smoothly, sometimes it feels like a minefield. At times you'll find something you've been looking for, or even something that was recommended to you by many in the Android community, and after installing it you'll realize that it only works right some of the time.

On the whole, the learning curve with this phone has been steep. People say it a lot, but the iPhone is much more user friendly and a lot less buggy. Now, keep in mind that the variation of the Galaxy-s phone that I'm using is in essence brand new. Even the iPhone had its problems when it came out.

One thing that keeps me going with my hacking adventures is this: there's no way it's this rewarding to mod an iPhone. The added complication makes it feel so good when you figure out how to do something you've been struggling with. I just don't think a lot of users will see the beauty in that struggle. Lucky for Lauren I get to figure everything out on my phone before I share it with her.

Thanks for reading,

Colin

Tried to go to the cabin yesterday. We got all the way there and i realized i forgot the keys. We tried to break in, but it was all in vain. Fail.

This is a test post from my phone.

More blogs to come

There are some things to blog about, they will appear here soon.

Coming attractions:

My take on owning an Android smartphone.

New workout progress, complete with a disgusting "before" picture.

Possibly a few thoughts on World of Warcraft.

I'm not going to be working on any of that crap today because I've already spent enough time on my ass in front of this screen. I also am going to the cabin today and I have some things to do to get ready.

P.S. if Emily Moore wanders in here, yes I am a little jealous of your blog. I hope mine is as lovely as yours someday soon.



I'll be back soon,

Colin

A moment of tribute.

The other day I was driving home from work, and I had a moment that I feel was noteworthy. I was on 2-15, in a decent mood, with nothing in particular on my mind. I was listening to X96, and a U2 song came on the radio. What happened requires a bit of backstory.

My sister got married to a guy named Randall Parr when she was 19. Long story short, their marriage ended in divorce after Randy had an affair with a mutal friend of theirs. This was years ago. The divorce was fairly amicable, but once the separation was final, Randy was no longer a figure in any of our lives.

This fact remained until, I think, last summer. I was at work when my sister (Taylor) sent me a text telling me that Randy had committed suicide in his apartment, not far from where I live now. I was absolutely devistated. There are a lot of reasons for this, but mainly I felt an intense sadness for whatever state of mind could have driven him to end his life like that. A graveside service (read: a meager funeral) was held, which I attended with my mother and sister. I cried like a fool. I'm okay with that, because I think he deserved all the kindness that was present for him that day. There was a lot. I even spoke at the funeral, something I'd never done before. Between sobs, I introduced myself, and explained that we never really bore Randy much ill will. I said that he was good, and that we would all miss him. I meant every word, and would have beeen longer and more eloquent had I not been crying so much. He hurt my sister, yes, but he did not deserve his fate. I was sweating like a pig in my suit, sobbing nigh uncontrollably, trying to say something to the people gathered in his honor that might do him justice. I broke my own heart. The memory makes me cry to this day. I'm glad I did it though.

The intensity of my sadness is enhanced by the thought that maybe I could have helped him. Maybe I could have told him that we didn't hate him, and that could have given him peace to move past whatever pain he felt. We don't really know why he would have killed himself, or if it even had anything to do with the aftermath of the divorce. The wondering is the curse of survivors of a suicide victim. During the years that I knew Randy, there are a few things that stood out about him as a person. He was unfalteringly sarcastic, and always scheming to make a joke. I was always fond of these parts of him. One other keystone of his personality revolved around his dedication to the work of U2. He loved the band. If his family had been at all sentimental, they might have played something at his funeral.

When the U2 song came on the radio, I immediately thought of Randy. It was a new track, and it occurred to me that it was a shame he couldn't be around to enjoy it. I have a pretty loose concept of the afterlife, but I feel that there's a possibility that we can share thoughts and experiences with the dead. Sort of like talking to somebody through a one way window. I wanted to share that song with Randy, so I turned the radio up, and cried until the song was over. It was a beautiful feeling. I hope Randy enjoyed the experience as well.

I almost forgot to point out a bit of irony. Part of the chorus said "Only love can leave such a scar."

I hope he has found peace in his rest. He deserved it.

Just made it worse

/highfive.

Borderline

I'm bored and confused. Being bored is unrelated to this post, I just thought I'd throw it in there, since these are supposed to be about my feelings. I'm confused because I'm not sure if I'm ready to start dating again. Why do I have to be hung up on things still? I am, and I don't know if I'm just having a bad day or what. I might need to give myself some time, but now I have somebody I'll have to explain that to. Hearts frustrate me.

Revelation!

It just occurred to me that I don't spend much time thinking about my eternal soul. Or worrying about it. Or even being concerned about it. Hmm.

Investigation

I just finished a book, I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, and I need something new. I have been pondering reading the Book of Mormon. I feel that reading it is something a person who claims to "have no taste for religion" should do. Unjustified aversions have never suited me. Hmm. Perhaps.

We should all ignore the irony in the sequence of books I'm reading here.

Insert cheesy cliche about new beginnings here [ ]

I'm blogging because I'm a writer, and this is what we're supposed to do. This place could be a fabulous outlet for my brain, and I'm not quite sure why I haven't utilized it. I guess I dont think people will read it. Perhaps they will if I talk about my crazy exciting life! Lawl.

Tonight is the second Friday the thirteenth in two months. I don't have any superstitions with the date, but I think it must be extremely rare to have two of them in such close proximity to each other on the calendar. I'm text messaging a girl that left her number for me in the drive through at work. She said she's actively LDS, so we'll have to see where this goes...

Having being dumped by Katie for being "headed in a different direction" than her, I definitely have my guard up. I am keeping an open mind, because not every person you date is supposed to be you soul-mate, or whatever lame-ass term you want to use. I let this girl know that I do, in fact, engage in moderate alcohol consumption, swearing, and that I'm not active in the LDS church. She's still talking to me, so that's good.

I've spent a good deal of time being lonely lately, and I'm going to make a conscious effort to not be needy or insta-boyfriend ish. To be honest, I'm not in a big rush to get into a relationship again. That said, it would be nice to have a semi-non platonic girl to spend some time with. Perhaps this is a start. If its not, thats okay. Its still extremely flattering to have a girl give me her phone number, without any provocation. Score one for Colin.