Crazy From The Seat
Below are my rantings and ravings from my trip back from New York on jetBlue on Monday morning. I typed my feelings of frustration and rage into my Droid as a way to cope. It was too early to start drinking. :-) My musings are stream of consciousness with little care of grammar, so 'reader be ware'. Keep in mind that I was in a seriously bad mood for reasons I do not wish to share at this time. I'm not usually this 'insane' when I travel. I have transcribed my Droid notepad text into the post below. BTW, next time I drive. :-)
I just got though Newark Airport security, and I'm sitting in the waiting area for my flight. Thank God, the security guard didn't call the FBI on me! I had a bottle of Diet Coke in my laptop bag! I know, it's my fault. I am well aware that you can't bring soda bottles through security, but REALLY! It's just a damn bottle of soda... At least the gentlemen was polite about telling me about my infraction. He held it up between his gloved index finger and thumb and said, "NOT ALLOWED!" He then proceeded to toss it in the trash. Lucky me, twenty yards after security there was a Hudson News where I could buy another bottle of Diet Coke for only $3! What luck!
...Now I'm on the plane an hour into flight. There are two annoying [CENSORED] sitting next to me eating stinky homemade food. They also had to ask for two snacks each from the flight attendant. Lady is on her second cheese blintz and Tera Blue chips. They're eating like its their last meal. I sure hope not. Maybe they know something I don't about this trip. Two kids in front and two kids behind. Little [CENSORED]wont stop kicking back of my seat. At least the screaming stopped. Why do people have kids? I'm glad my folks did, for obvious reasons, and I guess if people all stopped having kids the human race would end, but still...
... Twenty minutes later, and the brat is still kicking the back of my seat, the cabin stinks of farts or a dirty diaper or fumes from the lavatory. I'm on a flying school bus. The crazy old lady next to me, dressed in a baby blue velor jogging suit, is dancing in her seat while watching a mortgage refinancing commercial on the jetBlue TV. KID STOP [CENSORED] KICKING MY SEAT OR IN THE OVERHEAD YOU GO, [CENSORED]!! I want off this [CENSORED] plane. I have to pee, but I can't get out. I'm seated in a window seat because jetBlue gave my aisle seat away to some weird looking woman. They did this even though I reserved an aisle seat 7 weeks ago. [CENSORED]you jetBlue! My legs are cramping. I'm gonna die of a clot in my leg before this flight is done. I just know it.
...Ha! Some guy just bumped his head on the bulkhead getting back into his seat. DO IT AGAIN SILLY MAN!
... I think I have Uromysitisis poisoning . A rare and dangerous syndrome that you can get from holding in your pee. Seinfeld got it in an episode where they were searching for Kramer's car in the mall garage. I need to go. I could wake up the loons next to me, so I can get to the bathroom. I hope the weird woman is enjoying my aisle seat. I can't do it. I can't wake them up. Were making our decent. El Capitain will put on the seat belt sign soon. Its now or never.
...[CENSORED]! The crazy woman next to me wouldn't wake up. I guess it was the two smelly cheese blintzes, the bag of Tera Blue chips, and the chocolate chip cookies that put her out. I was up and ready to move, but she wouldn't budge and then "DING! Fasten seat belts please for our decent into..." Gotta shut off my Droid now. It could bring down the plane you know.
...On the ground now waiting for a gate to park this stupid plane. I WANT OFF!
...In the terminal FINALLY! Actually, it wasn't such a bad flight. It was on time and not much turbulence. I wonder what the nice lady next to me on the flight was eating. It looked and smelled delicious. Ah, there's a bathroom. Orlando International is so clean. It's good to be home.
Nexus D’oh! II
It looks like my concern that the Google Nexus One would supplant the Motorola Droid as the top Android phone was unfounded (in sales at least). According to an article on Gizmodo, the Nexus One only sold 20,000 units during the first week of sales and 80,000 in the first month. Compare those numbers to the Droid: 250,000 in the first week and 525,000 in the first month of sales! Only the original iPhone beats the Droid at 350,000 and 600,000.
I guess the lesson learned here is: you have to advertise your products! Apple and Motorola/Verizon inundated television with commercials for their phones. Google’s marketing plan so far is to have text and image ads all over the web via Google AdWords/AdSense. Combine the lack of television advertising with the fact that you can only purchase the Nexus One through Google.com, and you have a recipe for disaster. You can go to any Apple or AT&T store and hold an iPhone in your hands, or you can visit the Verizon store for a demo of the Droid. Being able to actually use an expensive product before purchase means a lot. Not to mention that stores and salespeople have a vested interest in making you buy their phone. When Verizon or AT&T gets you in their store, they can do the hard sell, and they can up-sell you service plans and accessories. When you go to google.com/phone, you will see an awesome demo of the Nexus One, but all you have to do is close your browser when you've had enough.
Selling consumer electronics is not like launching Google Maps. The Nexus One can’t be in ‘beta’ for 3 years. If Google search goes down, so what? Users will switch over to Yahoo! or Bing. If a user’s Nexus One locks up, they are going to want immediate customer service. When you shell out a couple hundred bucks for a phone and it doesn’t work, you’re not going to be too pleased with searching a support forum for answers.
Unless Google finds a partner to help them sell and service the Nexus One (T-Mobile is the Nexus One network, but they don’t provide customer sales or support), the Motorola Droid will continue to be the Android top dog (until the next big think comes along in about 10 minutes ).
The Future is Almost Now
Last night I was reading about the history of the BlackBerry, and I was (once again) struck by how fast technology moves. The article described that Research In Motion (possibly the coolest tech company name), the maker of the BlackBerry, started out producing two-way pagers before developing the now ubiquitous Blackberry smartphone, and this made me nostalgic for my old beeper. Man, I loved that thing. I wore it on my belt like a pocket watch. It was so simple. One triple-A battery would last weeks, and the device was always on. When introduced, the pager was cutting edge, but now I look back at it as 'a simpler time'. A time when life moved more slowly. A movie only cost $7, and you would only lock one deadbolt on your front door. Ah, beepers... You future was so bright... Right before 'easy' access to the web came about, my brother bought me a device that hooked up to my TV, and using the paging network, would display news and sports stories. I wish I remembered the name of the service. I think it was in business for about a year before "You've got mail!" hit the scene, and we were all cursing AOL and that damn busy signal.
Kaypro Portable Computer
I used to think that nostalgia was something old people felt when they heard a replay of Amos & Andy radio plays, but my generation, which is not so young anymore, can get misty-eyed about 8-bit Nintendo and the IBM PS/2 Model 25. Case in point, The DigiBarn Computer Museum contains some of the coolest old computers, and I can spend hours reminiscing on that site. "A Kaypro portable! NO WAY!" Remember the original Cray supercomputer? I have more computing power in my digital digital watch than the original Cray!
This is a wonderful time for technology. Competition is driving innovation up and keeping prices down, and we're finally seeing some Star Trek tech come to life. My Garmin sweetly guides me home, speaking to me in dulcet tones, "In 300 feet, stay left on State Road 417..." My Droid listens to music and identifies the song. It tracks my progress while I walk the dog and maps it on Google maps. I can virtually fly over New York City and zoom in on my old apartment building in 3D using Bing maps, or I can just view the streets from eye level using Google Street View. I can set my phaser on maximum and vaporize my enemies with just a push of a button! Well, maybe some day. For now, I'll have to settle for using the Droid to scan bar-codes, translate my spoken words into foreign languages, and doing visual searches on the web with the camera. Still, vaporizing my enemies...***sigh ***
Buyers Remorse
To some extent, I always regret what I purchase. As much as I may love the item, parting with my hard-earned cash always takes a toll on me. As a result, I am VERY critical of every good and service that I purchase. I wouldn't have it any other way. When you buy a car, rent a DVD, or dine out at a fancy restaurant you have not only purchased that good or service, you have also purchased the right to bitch about it!
I have noticed that some people never negatively criticize something they have purchased, a sports team they follow, or anything on which they have spent money, time, or energy. I assume that they subconsciously feel that their choice of purchase reflects on them to a very large degree. Not me. I'll tell you straight up that I purchased a Chrysler PT Cruiser in 2002, and it was the biggest piece of crap that I've ever owned, but others would never admit it. They would defend the Cruiser and tell you how great it is despite their deep hatred for the car. This mentality is completely foreign to me. What's the use of being alive if you can't complain about living?!
If you are a regular reader of BackingIn, you know that I'm a Microsoft enthusiast, but don't get me started on how much I hate Microsoft Outlook. I live for the New York Mets, but I could do a thesis on why they suck out loud. I bought a 2009Volkswagen Rabbit, and it is a great car, but it gets horrendous gas mileage and the fit and finish are sub-par. I own a Motorola Droid, and it is way cool, but rest assured, I will give you a true assessment of it below.
Nexus D’oh!
I owned the hottest Android-based smartphone for exactly 33 days. Today, Google announced the Nexus One Android phone. Google created (now administered by Open Handset Alliance) the free, open-source smartphone operating system, called Android. Multiple phone manufactures build Android-based smartphones, but Google stayed out of the hardware business until now. I own the Motorola Droid. Motorola has a massive marketing campaign pitting the Droid against Apple’s iPhone, and by the reaction of my friends to my new phone, it appears that the marketing is paying off. People know the Droid, and it selling very well. Technology moves very fast, and I knew that I wouldn’t have the leading-edge phone for very long, but 33 days?!
Google will really blow the wind out of Motorola’s sales with the Nexus One. The Nexus One is thinner, faster, and has a better screen than the Droid (and the iPhone!). Nexus also has specific hardware and software features like 3D and voice to text for all input fields. Not to mention, that when people think about the iPhone’s biggest competition from now on, it will be the Nexus One.
