Chrome is Busted

Why is Chrome a bust on My mobile devices for me?

Whenever I am scrolling around a regular web page in Chrome (not one optimized for mobile, as so few of them are), I usually have to zoom in on the text just to be able to read it, even though I've got a pretty big mini sized tablet for a phone (a Samsung Galaxy Note II).  Now that wouldn't be so bad if only the menu didn't come down and butt it's head right in the way.  I'll have to take a look at what kind of menu does this, but usually they are all text.

So I zoom in to view something, read text, and suddenly I can't because there's a big-ass menu in the way.  Doesn't Google use its own browsers?  Don't they see this?  Don't they understand how absolutely ridiculous this is?  Or do they think mobile means tablet?

Then, I try to scroll around, and even though I'm not swiping hard, I move to one side or the other and the page disappears.  Then, I have to load the stupid thing back up again.  And then I swipe up or down to get back to where I came from quickly, but not overly quick... and the same thing happens, the browser thinks I am throwing away the page?  C'MON GOOGLE!

Really, Google, you need to get with the program here.  No other browser is so phone unfriendly.  I should be able to disable this "feature", yet can't seem to.  At least let Me turn up the speed of My scrolling so that I have the ability to use Chrome at all.  But your browser just throws away pages constantly for me, as if it is a good thing when I haven't even been there but a second or two?  There are all sorts of ways for you to identify what I am trying to do and you ignore every one.

Now, mind you, I have really come to enjoy Chrome on the PC.  But Google, you don't seem to get mobile phones at all.  Not in Chrome or in lots of other apps.  Google Voice Search is pretty darn pathetic, for instance.  Play is had to navigate on a phone and doesn't hold a connection (ever) when all the other apps do.

What is wrong with the 800 pound Gorilla?  Have you grown too big that all you can do is evil, now?  Because Google is losing touch with its own products.  Now that you own Motorola, don't you think you should address some of the android phone's short comings like poor UI responsiveness, memory leaks and security?

Sure, we all want better cameras too, but a phone camera is a phone camera, the lenses suck.  The speed required to grab good sports photos is still yet to come, and I have a quad processor Note II!   It's better, but it is far and 6 dimensions away from being right.

Get with it, Google.  You've had your eye on Apple and Microsoft and others have targeted the customer.  We are what it is all about, and you don't seem to be listening at all.

-The squeaky wheel!

Nostalgia

There are just some things I really liked about the Google Motorola Droid X that I don't have on My Samsung Galaxy Note II.

Even though My Note II is faster, has more memory, accepts more storage space, does duo-tasking and is just plain a lot more reliable, My Droid X had an easy slip-off case that allowed Me to easily slip it into a multimedia dock so that I could instantly see 720p recorded video of My son at his games or swim meets.

When I picked up the Note II we added an Otter Box case for protection.  These communicators are more expensive than a computer, after all.  But the full protection of the OtterBox Commuter Series Hybrid Case for Samsung Galaxy Note II also means that it is not nearly as easy to take off as the old tiny Droid X and its case was.  It actually provides a hard case, as well as a thick silicon inner shell to absorb shock.  Plus parts of that inner sleeve are acting as plugs to keep water and dirt out of the ports.   Taking the Note II device out of the case is a chore, so I haven't even bothered to even check out the multimedia dock that Samsung offers for the Galaxy Note II.

Certainly, the Note II offers better video quality (1080P) than the Droid X did, but I really do miss the convenience of throwing the ol' Driod X in a doc and watching My slideshows or video.  And since it becomes a critical move to protect our devices, we all know it is a stupid idea to not get an industrial strength protective case and screen protector film to shield our investment.  The very idea of then having to undress our devices to put them in a multimedia dock so that they are a more effective tools (clock, alarm, getting recharged and we giving us access to the files through our computer) is kind of ridiculous, then.  Because each time we undress these things, there is always a chance for a slip-up.

Just one look at the Samsung Galaxy Smart Dock Multimedia Hub and you know that you won't be able to fit the Galaxy Note II in there, in its case.



So what, then? Perhaps it's time for Samsung to start designing smart multimedia docks with cases in mind? Because as it is, they can't seemingly sell many of these since the cases have to be so sturdy and hard to take off as they are. Maybe Samsung should team up with OtterBox or even create their own bullet-proof style cases and offer a smart multimedia dock that will accomodate those things?

It sure would be nice.

My Wife's Cherry Droid X has SOLD

SOLD

This Droid X was not used much, she never gave out her number and just used it for contacting the family, for email when away from the PC and a GPS when out of town.

Mint condition with a new charger and USB cable in the original box.  Protected by a red rubbery elastic (vinyl?) case and a screen protector for the life of the phone.

SOLD - If you would like to know the whole spiel, see the listing at http://swappa.com/listing/EDK018/view

The 25 Top Essentials..

My Note II has become an integral part of my life.  I can't even imagine life without it.  And even the smaller Galaxy screens seem too tiny for me, now.  But I wouldn't want to carry around anything bigger in my cargo pants.

I have also noticed that I tend to hit the right keys more often, even though I have big hands with big fat fingers and I'm not particularly coordinated with the finger action, either (all my friends beat Me when we are gaming).

My wife's Droid X has sold for $75.00 on Swappa (http://swappa.com/listing/EDK018/view), but I cannot force myself to sell mine, yet.  I became kind of attached to my Droid X over the two year carrier contract.

Even though the battery on my Note II goes all day long, usually no matter how much I use it, it is often really low when I take off to go to work and I leave it plugged-in at home to charge while working (because I don't want to bring the charger and lose it).  But I do grab the old Droid X so that I can browse and check email, etc., on breaks.  I almost don't mind that I can't use it as a phone anymore (the Note uses that number & phone plan, now) because I'm not allowed to have a phone on me at work.

What are my favorite apps?  Writing this blog entry I have come to find out that is quite a long list.  Some of the essentials are actually already there, the Samsung Camera is astounding when compared to My old Droid X.  But I see that 41 mega pixel camera that the Nokia Windows has and I wonder why the android didn't do that.  I always thought the Windows phone killer app would be that they would allow bullet-proof Virtual Private Network (VPN) access to your Windows desktop/laptop computers screens & files.  But No, they finally addressed the camera issues.  I might just grab one of these when I upgrade my business cell, now.

Still, my Note II comes with some great photo tools and the quad processor (and decent memory) allows Me to run virtually anything I want, even doing a couple of things at once (like checking My already downloaded email while on hold).

These androids are great tools compared to the old smartphones of yesteryear, though.  Yes, I do mean the single processor Droids... any single processor "smart" phone.  And yet, there are fantastic apps that are a part of the OS itself that those antique models share.  The stock Gallery on either device is absolutely killer, for instance.  You cannot find many competitors to that one.  But that is a part of the android experience.  What apps would I recommend a user have?

The list is really too long.  Too long to list in a single blog entry, anyway.  Let's just start with the essentials...

Some of my favorite essential android apps are the same as when I had the Droid X, only updated since then.  And they run much faster on the quad processor enhanced Note II, as well.  But they open up the device to real usefulness by allowing it to become more of a tool.

The Top 25 Essential Apps for Android

1. By far, I use Kuffs Password Safe Pro the most and rely on it the heaviest.  With all the passwords I have to remember, and the security I have to maintain, Password Safe Pro is an absolute life saver.
2. Lookout keeps the Note II secure, as well.  I had tried another anti-virus/anti-malware program for portable devices, but this one stays free without bugging the hell out of Me.  Gotta like that.
3. It would seem so obvious to many that having the Play store on your device is a give, but there was a time when I had a tablet that wouldn't run it and I really, really, really missed it.  I don't even use that tablet anymore.  Anyone want a used tablet for free?  
4. PayPal... as a web designer I would not be able to function without PayPal. I do wish the mobile app would support more than one PayPal account, though.  I have a business account so that I can accept credit card payments, but I also need my free personal account so that PayPal doesn't double charge and take a fee out of My reseller commissions.
5. Amazon Mobile ...If ever you need something for your mobile device, a charger, etc... check out Amazon.com.  They offer the lowest prices on device gear and necessities. To have the whole Amazon store on your device and giving the very best prices on device accessories, makes the Amazon Mobile app a shoe-in. If you have a larger tablet, get that version for better display support (I have a couple of android tablets, as well).
6. Dropbox!!!  I cannot emphasize enough how valuable this app is.  Many device and PC apps support the cloud now, and it seems that they all start supporting Dropbox first.  This is a good idea, as they offer a great free Dropbox account to get you started.  It isn't that they are the only game in town, but they are one of the best with ways to upgrade your account for free, including linking your Facebook account to more easily share folders with friends on Fb and more.   
7. Google Drive is an important app to have on your Android device as well, allowing you to access your Google Docs and more.  But why does Google dislike us trying to brand ourselves with keywords when Google itself always chooses keywords for it's products?  LOL
8. SkyDrive is also a staple, this cloud service is a part of the Microsoft network and allows Live or Hotmail to be and do much more, from your phone.  Cool.  Plus, as with Dropbox & Drive, SkyDrive is supported by most software that supports the cloud.
9. Wifi Analyzer is a great tool, especially when trouble shooting connectivity problems with your local network.
10. Fing is a great network monitor and toolbox for checking your LAN and viewing who is connected.
11. For bigger issues with network providers, Speed Test is an essential app, and can also verify that your network provider really is all that they say they are.
12. Elixr is probably the best and most complete little monitor and toolbox.  But it does seem to have an interface that is sort-of hard to get aquainted with, with non-standard icons/buttons.  But some other apps won't do all it does, either.
13. System Tuner also offers lots of neat monitors and tweaks.
14. One of the best android tweakers is Spare Parts+, it really allows you to set a great deal of things you can't using any other app.   
15. Without a doubt, you cannot go wrong with ES File Explorer.  This is a very powerful tool that allows you the flexibility you need to find exactly what you are looking for, and makes an awesome file manager.
16. I also like Android Sensor Box, because it is easier to use than some of the other apps that do absolutely everything, when you just want to check or monitor your sensors.
17. Sometimes programs will have memory leaks on any computerized device when they aren't written well enough.  I use Memory Booster to manage my memory and currently running apps.
18. When I think that something may be slowing down the system, I might tap My Advanced Task Killer so that I can manually kill any non-essential apps that I don't need and haven't assigned an exception.
19. Polaris Office is My go-to office app, and it came with My Note II.  
20. But I also have OfficeSuite Pro from when I registered it on My old Droid X.  Either of these is really good.
21. I really love CamCard, because I can easily take a photo of someone's business card with it and it will magically turn it into a contact.
22. S Note is vital for playing with the stylus.  Not that I do it a lot, but as an artist I love that I can play with graphics and do kooky handwritten stuff with My phone.  This app also came stock with the Note II.
23. Alarm Clock Extreme Pro is my only and absolutely essential alarm clock.  In fact, without this device running Alarm Clock Extreme Pro, I would be late all the time.  But now it's a very rare occassion.  Even then, its only because I didn't set the alarm!  I also upgraded it with the Timer.
24. Chrome.  Sure, you can use any browser, but Chrome is working flawlessly with My laptop, saving my bookmarks (favorites) and filling in the info I let it have when I come to forms.  It just plain works right.
25. I want to say Gmail, but gmail comes with every android phone because android is a Google product.  I want to say the GPS, but again, that is standard equipment, here.  I want to say the Camera or the Gallery, but I've already knocked them off the list as well.  But there is another little gem I've been missing... the All In One Toolbox.  Try it, you'll like it!

I haven't even touched on the camera apps, image processing or video editing tools.  I'm not even speaking about books or MP3 & sound software.  But I think that would be a great start for anyone wanting to put the right applications on their device to enable it to be more of a use, more of an indispensable tool.

Blogger Changes

Sorry Google, I just do not like the new Blogger editor or dashboard formats.

Ever hear of the blank page syndrome?  You would think that you would want to have bloggers post here, but then you make it harder for a writer to get started writing.

Damn, I hate this new interface.

Blogger is finally working?

This is a test.  It appears to be working. Cool.

My wife upgraded my Droid X to a Samsung Galaxy Note II for Christmas (Thank you, Maria! What an awesome gift. Love it, love her.)

So what was this test about?  I have never been able to use the blogger app as well as I expected to be able to.  Whether this was a misgiving of the software, my device or me, I'm not sure.  But I started this post on my Asus Android EeePC Transformer TF101 tablet (with keyboard) and left it there, and then ran the blogger app on my Note II and picked up right where I left off. 

That's cool.

I suppose the test is mostly for myself since I gave up trying to use the app with my Motorola Droid X because of the tiny software based keys.  The fact that I am around 6"2" and have large hands also means that I have big fat fingers that rarely hit the right keys. 

I tried using a the Merkury Innovations physical Bluetooth keyboard that is so often on sale for half-off at Kohl's Department Stores (as I work there), but that keyboard didn't work with my old Motorola Droid X.  Luckily, the Galaxy Note II's large 5.5" 720P resolution High Definition tablet-like screen is much bigger and easier for my big fat fingers.  And that same Merkury bluetooth keyboard that I bought for my Droid X works just fine on my Note II, as well.

I suppose that the initial test was primarily about whether or not the Blogger app would work, as I have had difficulty connecting with Google's Blogger servers in the past, which is primarily the reason I haven't been blogging much for a very long time. 

Thankfully, now that I have my Transformer tablet and my Note II phone/mini-tablet both working flawlessly with blogger now (as long as this gets posted, of course), it looks like I can resume my blogging adventures.

This is a great big deal because I don't like using my noisy Windows PC/laptop anymore,  unless I am creating a website, doing video or using Photoshop, etc...

I have come to rely on my android devices for all of my web browsing, searching, gps, maps, directions, camera,  video cam/calling, remote controls, music, even when selecting a movie or TV show to watch, now.

I guess you can say that I am a big Android OS fan.  And now Samsung's Galaxy Note II has finally taken the aches of being an early adopter out of the picture, as it is so easy to use and lots of fun!  It even works as a phone better than the Droid X ever did (which the Droid X did pretty well).

Anyway, cool.  This was a successful test and I will start blogging here at Blogger more (as well as check out the apps for blogging at WordPress and Tumblr, too).

Rock On!

Blogger Changes

WOW, has Blogger changed! 

I hadn't posted anything to any of my Blogger blogs since last year.  That's when Google deactivated my AdSense advertising, though they never stated why.  I know why, I had been showing Google Ads for about a year and I was probably approaching the hundred dollar mark in earned commissions for displaying their advertising, where they would actually have to send me a check.

But just like last time, they wiped out my account, refusing to pay me a dime for publishing their ads on my blogs and such.  Heck, I'm not posting their competing ads on my real websites, those are business sites.  I'm not about to invite anyone to do business elsewhere, that's just stupid.  Unfortunately, that's what they want, they want to post Google AdWords on my business websites.  If I just post them on my blogs where I'm having a bit of fun and sharing stuff with the world, they get all upset and ban me from AdSense.

Its ridiculous, and Google does this exact same kind of bullying all the time.  I administrate several Google Groups, but I am looking for a new home for them because Google refuses to develop the platform and allow me any ability to administrate the groups easily, always giving the Google Groups a lower priority than any other Google operation so that things take forever to work and administration of any one group is the daunting chore from hell.

I really believed in Google at one time, primarily because they treated people better, much better than bullying them around like Microsoft used to do all the time to smaller businesses (it was there way or the highway).  Google has become a clone of the 80's/90's version of Microsoft.

It's really a shame, too.  I have an Android phone and everything Google does is all tied together in a huge F'n knot.  You can't get away from Google no matter how much you want to, no matter how hard you try.  The result is that Big Brother from 1984 that we were all afraid of, always screw'n with us, no matter how right we are, always taking advantage of us, taking things out of context and wagging it's spiney index finger at us.

Heck, I came here and logged in to take off the AdSense crap and now I don't know where to customize the blog design because they "improved it?"  It's not an improvement if it is less useable by the humans that use it, Google. 

SHEESH!