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Big Sound from a small package: The Jawbone Jambox

2012-01-21T18:45:56Z

From moment that I started to open the box, I knew that I was going to like the Jawbone Jambox. The packaging is brilliant and has some personality to it. For those not in the know, the Jawbone Jambox is a small, portable wireless stereo speaker that can be used with a tablet, cell phone or any other device that can stream over bluetooth or through a 3.5mm stereo jack.

This little device has actually been on my wishlist for sometime, so while normally I am an early adopter for these types of things, I'm somewhat late to the party with the Jambox. As I write this post, I'm sitting in a hotel room in San Francisco, listening to my Jambox connected to my laptop through bluetooth with Pandora running. That might sound like a complicated setup, but one of the outstanding features of the Jambox is that they have really focused on simplicity and ease of use. Both in using it and connecting to it. The idea is that you connect your Jambox to your mobile phone, your iPad (or any bluetooth tablet), or your laptop. You can connect to these devices through bluetooth or via a audio cable.

Let's face it, the sound coming from the speakers of your phone, your laptop or your iPad do not provide a great listening experience. You really have to use headphones if you want decent sound. The Jambox solves this by providing quite compelling sound from such a small package. The other really great feature is that it runs on a internal lithium battery that can keep a rather impressive charge. So this thing can roll with you where-ever you want to go.

The other great feature is that it also acts as a bluetooth speaker phone. Great for a quick conference with multiple people or if you just don't want to be tied to the phone.

I've used wired portable speakers before, but the Jawbone is a clear winner for several reasons. The first is great sound (especially, considering the size of the speaker). The second is the ease of use and ease of configuration. This device will definitely be a part of my travel bag.

Lightbox is THE Instagram Alternative for Android

2012-01-19T00:11:01Z

As someone who has moved from the iPhone platform over to Android, I have never had 'app envy'. Sure, the iPhone boasts a few more apps, but nearly all of the apps that I use on a regular basis have also been available on Android as well. Then came a photo sharing app called Instagram (http://instagr.am). This app went completely viral on the iPhone and it seemed that everyone was using Instagram to post photos to Facebook from their iPhone. One of Instagram's appeals was that it applied a retro-like filter to photos which created some nice effects. Suddenly, Instagram was everywhere.

While there have always been photo sharing apps on the Android platform, they never seemed to get the traction or have the appeal that Instagram had. Recently, a app called Lightbox has come on to the scene and is starting to make waves as a decent alternative and in some ways even trumps Instagram. Lightbox offers several effects filters and has connections into the major social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, & Flickr.

Beyond filters and photo sharing, Lightbox is going a step futher and creating a photo journal, almost like a photo blog, giving users a unique URL and provides the ability to share lightbox 'profiles' across social networks as well.

In my use of Lightbox, I find that it is both elegant and an overall highly polished experience for taking and sharing mobile pics.

Galaxy Nexus Review (on Verizon Wireless)

2011-12-20T21:16:32Z

My journey to Google's Android mobile operating system started with the introduction of Google Voice a little over two years ago. I moved over from the iPhone and I have not looked back. I'm still a big time Apple fan and use Macs for nearly all of my personal and professional computer desktop/laptop use. I made the switch to Android with the introduction of the Nexus One and I have been loyal to the Nexus line of phones since their debut.

Which Android Phone?

2011-10-24T23:18:14Z

When asked about what cell phone to buy, I will either recommend an iPhone (now the 4S), or a specific device running Android. Depending upon what web services you use (if any) and your technical aptitude, generally points me to make a specific recommendation. I wrote a rather lengthy comparison just under a year ago that compares the iPhone to the Android platform and even though some things have changed, the general tone of the article remains the same.

Did Jeff Bezos Just Take the Baton from Steve Jobs?

2011-09-29T20:55:34Z

Admittedly, I'm a sucker for gadgets. In defense of my gadget addiction, I cling to the notion that pragmatism is closely aligned with my purchasing behavior. In other words, I do not buy a gadget simply to have something new to play with. So, when the Amazon Kindle was released four years ago, I ordered one because I thought that an e-ink device paired with the Amazon library was going to be a winning combination. While I had some criticism of the first version of the Kindle, I was an immediate fan. My biggest criticism was not around the product as much the Amazon distribution model, only being available on Amazon.com. Of course, since the first version was released, you can now buy a Kindle at Best Buy, Target and other retailers (great move). All of the sudden, I see Kindles everywhere.

Social Privacy

2011-09-26T03:21:33Z

Social privacy seems as though it falls into the oxymoron camp, no?

Perhaps you've seen this request floating in your Facebook stream (or perhaps you have reposted it to your own status update):

*******************ATTENTION FRIENDS*** ******************* **Do me a favor: Please hover over my name here, wait for the box to load and then hover over the "Subscribe" link. Then uncheck the "Comments and likes" choice. I would rather my comments on friends' posts not be made public. Thank you!! Then repost if you don't want your EVERY MOVE posted on the right for everyone to seen

So, let me get this straight: in order to control the privacy of your posts, you are asking each of your 200+ Facebook friends to act on your behalf to control your privacy settings on a social networking site. Color me crazy here, but I don't think that's the way it should work. Take it another step further, and you should also be doing this on behalf of your entire friends list, 200+ times. By the way, since you have no control over your friends' behavior, don't count on anyone to actually follow these instructions.

Is there a better way?

Let's first discuss the concept of 'social privacy', then we can come up with a pragmatic approach. Whatever your term of choice whether it be social media, social networking, or social sharing, the one thing that is consistent is the 'social' aspect. The first rule of thumb is that ANYTHING you share on a Internet web site has the potential to go anywhere and everywhere. You think you have some element of control, but know that you really don't. That being said, you should take a look at your privacy settings on any site that you share information on.

Specifically, with Facebook, click on arrow next to the 'Home' link in the upper right corner. Then click on Privacy Settings. Under 'Control Your Default Privacy' should be 'friends'. Also, under 'Limit the Audience for Past Posts', click through the settings that put all of your historical FB posts to the audience of your friends only rather than 'Public'.

In brief, Facebook made some changes in a response to both Twitter and Google+ to allow more of a broader sharing mechanism beyond just your 'friends'. The sharing mechanism in Facebook was fairly straight-forward. For some reason, the social networking site with nearly 800 million users decided that they needed to placate to networks of a much smaller size. Rather than listening to their users, they are trying to play the "me too" game.

It was no coincidence that the same day that Google+ was opened up to all users was the same day Facebook made drastic changes to the way privacy works (again).

The reality is that there are now three social sharing sites that are here to stay. Facebook should not be threatened by Twitter or by Google+. Users will naturally gravitate towards the services where they feel most comfortable and some of us will continue to use all three.

That being said, Google+ has a pretty natural way in which to control who sees what. It's not full-proof, but there are even warnings if you try to share something that someone intended to be private when they originally posted an update to a specific audience. When in doubt, don't share something if you want to maintain the control over who sees it.

My point in all of this is to say that there really is no such thing as social privacy. Sure, there are veils in place to segment your friends into a more natural and real-world environment. Just understand that they are veils at best.

Cutting the Cord - Part II

2011-09-02T15:48:33Z

The cord is cut! Or in my case the satellite signal has been removed. In the first part of this series, I discussed our current DirecTV setup and the rationale behind making the switch. In this post, I will detail the installation effort and discuss my initial impressions on the new setup.

Cutting the Cord - Part I

2011-08-31T15:14:11Z

I've been a DirecTV customer for approximately six years. Prior to that in San Francisco, I was using cable television. It seems that either cable or satellite service is as essential as phone service. Of course, it's not but here in the comforts of our first-world expectations, one might think that having 300+ channels of entertainment is more of a right than a privilege. Then, there is the opposite spectrum of those who removed television from their homes all together, shunning any form of pop-culture and information overload.

Google+ Review

2011-08-06T05:29:51Z

I've been using Google+ now for just over a month. That new car smell has just about gone away. If you follow me on Twitter, Facebook or Google+, than you already know about my enthusiasim towards Google's third attempt at the online social space. The euphoria has gone, but has my enthusiasm for the service also wained?

Introducing 'The Savvy List'

2011-07-31T16:15:20Z

If I was a celebrity (I'm glad I am not), I would be raking it in on product endorsements. If I'm passionate about something, I share it and promote it. I'm often asked for advice on why I have chosen the products that I have. So, why not keep a master running list of the products & services that I use and am excited about? Where appropriate, I will link the list to my review if one exists. I've added a page to my site navigation called 'The Savvy List':

http://www.puhala.com/the-savvy-list/