ChiaTown

Alas, my time as an Android owner has ended. I want to get this post out while my brain is still fresh with Android usage and learning the ways of the iPhone.

Well…there’s not much to learn…in true Apple fashion everything is pretty damn simple. Here’s what I see.

So, after 12 days with my iPhone I’m very pleased. The slow network annoys the crap out of me right now but I don’t know if that’s Apple’s fault or not. I love the integration with my Mac. I love the fact I’ll continue to get OS updates (unlike Android where you usually get one update per phone) to keep my phone on the cutting edge. I was a happy Android user for all these years (with a few gripes like when my Moment became useless or the non-smoothness of integrating with the rest of my Mac stuff) but I’m already in love with my iPhone and am glad I got it.

One final note…I have no idea why people would stay with AT&T or Verizon and spend so much more money for their plans when Sprint is so much cheaper. I’m just sayin’…

Quick addition to my Sprint plan note…One thing to note when comparing plan prices between the three major carriers is that Sprint’s non-peak hours are longer (start at 7pm instead of 9pm) and mobile-to-mobile is actually mobile to ANY mobile and not just same-carrier mobile. Thus I have a mere 500 mins/month plan and still have a hard time burning through them all.

UPDATE 1: (Oct 28 evening) So here are my data speed numbers. I knew it seemed slow, but this is ridiculous. Funny that I posted such a glowing review of the iPhone, and I generally love Sprint, but sadly the combination of the two (hm, two positives make a negative) suck donkey nards. Tomorrow is day 14 of “you have 14 days to return the phone” so I’ll be heading back to the Sprint store to see what they say and may be heading back to my Evo. I’ll keep you updated!

They abysmal speed of the iPhone on Sprint

Update 2: (Oct 29 morning) Returned from the Sprint store about an hour ago. I had some great discussions with the Assistant Manager there about various issues (the main one being the sluggish speed I’m experiencing). I even had my receipt and box in hand if I needed to go back to my Evo (why? I don’t really utilize streaming THAT often). Apple is working on a software update to help Sprint’s iPhone utilize Sprint’s network more efficiently and quickly. Also, while I was there I was pointed out a discount I’m eligible for and also worked up a plan to save a friend $25/month. Now that’s customer service! Yet another reason I’ve never wanted to leave Sprint.

So…I’ve got my iPhone, will deal with slow data for a couple weeks and will still be supremely pleased with my new toy.

How I love my smartphone! I know I know I promised to post the funny story of going from the momentous POS (and that’s not Point-of-Sale) Samsung Moment to the HTC Evo but I’ve been a bit busy lately. So much going on out there in the world since my last post. The rise of Google+ (you can find me here), the drop of the stock market, Apple pretty much printing their own money…it’s a crazy world.

The reason I’ve been lax in my duties is because I’ve been working on an iPhone app with the cool cats at Ecmodeyo. Our app LocaJot has finally been released and in less than a week we’ve already seen downloads from nearly two dozen different countries. Now that’s what I call exciting stuff!

You can check out LocaJot either by going to the website at LocaJot.com or heading directly to iTunes and seeing it there. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/locajot/id453391031

Working on LocaJot was a great experience and I’m looking forward to creating more apps. Some people may grumble “but there are already so many apps in the App Store now, you missed your chance” I say “oh no…not at all!” Reports show that smartphone penetration is still only 38% or so of mobile users. That leaves plenty of room for growth…plenty of room! I’m going to make sure I’m poised and ready to go with this growth, that’s for sure.

Sprint…you really need to get that iPhone…and soon. Reports say it’ll happen in September, so we shall see.

Google…you have a ways to go still cleaning up that giant mess of Android fragmentation. It would also be nice if each carrier and each handset manufacturer didn’t add so much of their own crap on the phone (which of course leads to delays when there’s an OS update out there as the carrier and manufacturer each go through and add/change their crap again).

Signing off for now. More posts to come! Go check out LocaJot and enjoy a small (1.2 MB…nice!) easy-to-use app that helps keep life organized as you create location-based notes. The map is pretty killer too.

Sprint raced out of the 4G gate a while back with it’s WiMAX offering as it partnered with Clearwire. A good move if you’re looking at the joy of having a few “firsts” such as the first 4G phone that Sprint was so proud to talk about. I now have an HTC Evo (that is quite a story in its own right…soon enough) and even though the phone has been out for over a year, it’s a pretty darn good phone. Not bad for a first! However, while Clearwire (aka Sprint) was expanding their 4G WiMAX network, AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile were working on their LTE offerings. Not first to market for 4G by any means, but having multiple carriers running the same technology certainly helps as it will help drive down prices for parts and equipment. This is probably why Sprint has decided to do a deal with LightSquared and get their own LTE 4G network going. Imagine Sprint trying to negotiate with various handset manufacturers…”please build us a CDMA phone (not too bad of a stretch since that’s what Verizon runs on) with WiMAX chips in there too”. I can see Spring losing a lot of interest from manufacturers with that pitch.

So now we’ve got Sprint supposedly in a big deal with LightSquared. Who did the due-diligence here? LightSquared has been under the microscope for a while now for having a network that has been screwing with GPS receivers. LightSquared’s spectrum is right there next to the GPS spectrum. Sooooo…Sprint is prepping a deal with a company that may not even be able to build out this LTE network? I’m still baffled as to why Sprint went along with that one. However, Sprint isn’t the only company to do so as NetTalk just joined the fray too and has signed on with LightSquared. Do they all know something we don’t?

I was curious as to what Sprint would do with their WiMAX network should they go to LTE. That’s a lot of build-out to just toss aside and move on. I think it was a smart move by Sprint to officially outline their enterprise targeted initiative for a WiMAX WAN solution. It’s an area that doesn’t have too much competition just yet (will it ever?) and the network is already in place. It’s been tested and now Sprint can offer it to enterprise customers. Good job! A WiMAX WAN for enterprise and LTE efficiencies for the cellular (mostly consumer-side) customers. Now to see if it really works as planned or now. What do you have LightSquared?

The following is an email I sent to some friends tonight. Needless to say, I’m still fairly frustrated to still have close to a year left on my contract while my phone (Samsung Moment) has already been discontinued (about a year after being introduced) and no longer supported. WTF?

====begin email===
So are we gonna kick it?
Gonna kick it root down.

So yeaaahhhh…I did a hard reset on my phone a couple days ago. Sadly, it seems to be working a bit better. Why do I say “sadly”? Because I’m irked that I bought a smartphone and can’t really use it like a smartphone. “It’s fine if you don’t have any apps on it!”

I’ve installed two apps on it. I’m going one at a time. First Google Voice, then Foursquare today.

I thought “well hell, if I already blasted it, I might as well root it and install Android 2.2″. Simple enough. I looked at enough tutorials. I watched enough vids. Looks easy enough. Download this, flash that, install this, do that…voila.

No.
Not really.
Sure, the steps are easy. But what freaking files do you use?!?!? Being an underground movement, you’ve got dozens of different kernels, ROMs, themes, etc. Which ones are good? Which ones are stable? Aaaargh!

Alas, I’m sticking with my discontinued Samsung Moment running Android 2.1 and slowly adding apps until I find the demon apps.

====end email====

And such are the thoughts of someone semi-proficient with making computers and phones do fun things. Feeling like a complete noob here.

In case you haven’t heard, AT&T has announced they will buy T-Mobile from Deutsche Telekom for $39 billion. This deal would make AT&T the largest wireless carrier in the United States.

Reaction to the news has been nuts already. Sprint’s stock (ticker symbol: S) is getting hammered in the stock market with a 13% drop (as of this writing) amidst very heavy volume. Speculations galore as to what will happen next to Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, the state of wireless in the U.S., and so forth. Even though I SHOULD be working on some other projects right now, I couldn’t sit by idly as everyone prophecizes Sprint’s demise. Here are a few knee-jerk thoughts to this news.

The web is abuzz with this news. I personally think it’s great for Sprint as it lets them focus on less competition and to continue their path that has already been digging them out of the trenches. The knee-jerk market reaction of killing the stock has not gone un-noticed by me (disclaimer: I snagged a few shares today on the news) and I find it quite comical.

CTIA starts tomorrow and there have already been leaks of some awesome new phones that Sprint will have (HTC Evo 3D and Nexus S 4G to name a couple). Let the marketplace go into a frenzy on this news and let them focus on a deal that may or may not happen and watch Sprint carry on with their turn-around plan and bank on everyone’s perception that Sprint will wither on the vine.

I apologize in advance for the brevity and hastiness but that’s what you get with a knee-jerk reaction. Live it…love it.

If there’s one thing to remember while coming up with a new business, a new app, a new service, whatever it may be…remember this one thing. Do one thing and do it well.

It’s easy to think of all the things you want to have in an app or all the services you may want to offer. “Why just cut hair? I want to add coloring, styling, sparkles, music…”

Ok, that was just a SLIGHT exaggeration but you get my point. You may absolutely ROCK at cutting hair and can build a huge clientele by doing so. You think “well if I add just a couple more services, I’ll be able to get even more people and make more money!” Yes…and no.

Initially, you may get some more people in the door. Great! Now think of the consequences of your actions. If you’re not prepared, a couple things could happen.

This holds true for services, for apps, for pretty much anything you’re setting your mind out to do. “I’m so good at multi-tasking blah blah blah”. Great…I’m proud of you. You can do six things at a 60% satisfaction level rather than excelling at one thing.

Slow down, take a breath. Think about making ONE thing great and do it well.

(this post dedicated to a biz partner with whom some killer mobile apps will be made with)

ps – shameless plug…please donate to my AIDS/Lifecycle ride…you can see the link/logo up and to the left.

Android phones, such a good idea but the implementation is abysmal. I like the thought of having competition for the iPhone and other mobile OSes out there…we have to keep innovation up and keep from having a monopoly.

The Android OS itself isn’t bad. Not as clean and refined as iOS (the OS on the iPhone) but that’s fine. It also gives me a bit more freedom to do what I like.

I’ve had my Samsung Moment with Sprint for a while now. I’ve taunted all my iPhone wielding friends as I was spending much less on my plan and getting to do so much more. Sure, I liked the design of the iPhone itself and the OS but not enough to spend so much more money and to have to deal with AT&T’s crappy network.

But alas, as each day goes by, I want to fling my Moment at a brick wall. It’s slow at times. Oh how I’d love to be able to upgrade to one of the newer Android OSes but I can’t. (Technically I can if I root the phone and update the OS that way). Rumor has it there will be no OS updated for the Samsung Moment on Sprint. Great…just great. Glad I spent all that money on a phone that is obsolete in a year and can’t be updated.

That…my fellow readers, is where Android is going to lose the battle. As smart phones become more prevalent and the novelty wears off, people will search for the practical phones to spend their money on.

What are our options?

Android

iPhone

Windows Mobile

For well over a year I’ve loved my Android phone. I was annoyed at the lack of apps but I didn’t miss out on anything TOO big. I was able to overcome some syncing headaches with my MacBook Pro…but still manageable. I was amazingly annoyed at the fact I could only run Android 1.6 while there were already phones out there running Android 2.1. Luckily I got the upgrade (another major pain as your phone is wiped clean and you have to start from scratch after the update) but that’s the last update I could get. Here I sit…with a phone that will only get worse and worse as iPhones users get to update their phones with each new iOS update.

I’ve been a fan of you Android, but having this un-updateable brick may be the last straw. You’re great in theory, providing an alternative and competition, but the practicality of HAVING to buy a new phone every year just to get an OS update is ridiculous.

By now Twitter is a well-known platform for sending out quick blurbs of info. In the beginning, it was more of a novelty for alpha-geeks who tweeted about being at the grocery store or what they just ate for breakfast. Big deal. However, as time has gone on, Twitter has been a viable tool for most anyone that knows how to use it effectively. Granted, it’s easy to get lost in the Twittersphere but done correctly, it’s just a great resource of information and can even be helpful.

To wit: Not only have I discovered great new music (huge music fan here) but it’s also helped with a few job leads, helped me meet some good people, and my latest greatest achievement has been fixing a giant snafu with Capital One that was pissing me off beyond all belief.

I’ll start with the good story, the useful story. In mid-January, Capital One decided to put a restriction on my account even though I made the payments I was supposed to make. I even had confirmation from no less than two different reps that everything was fine. Not true. I find they put a restriction on my account and they refuse to lift it. No less than two dozen calls over the next two weeks brings the same result…script reading “customer service” representatives hiding behind the “it’s our policy that once a restriction is placed, it cannot be removed” rhetoric. Even though it was THEIR mistake, they refused to fix it. I spoke with manager after manager with still no luck. A variety of emails were also sent, all of them having the same “policy” response. Fed up with this crap I called my bank and placed a stop payment claim with the fraud department because I didn’t get what I paid for with Capital One (use of my card). The calls and emails continued and all came back with the same result.

Finally, I hit the Twittersphere and voiced my displeasure with Capital One. Lo and behold, I get a message from someone named @AskCapitalOne asking if they can help. Sure…why not? We send a few DM (direct messages) back and forth (all the while my super anti-phishing guards are up making sure all is legit), she asks a few questions and I’m convinced she’s legit.

NOTE: never ever never ever give personal info away to someone you don’t know. She asked my name, street number (not even full address) and then asked if she could call me at my number (that I did NOT give…this helped ease my mind a bit). She called and we went through a couple more security questions…some I intentionally answered wrong to make sure someone wasn’t just collecting my info. She clearly had my account info in front of her and we proceeded. I recounted the past few weeks of frustrations and she said “I can see all that here in the notes” and then proceeded to lift the restriction. I checked my account again while on the phone with her and it was true, restriction was lifted.

This experience alone proves a lot:

Companies should seriously consider using Twitter to help their business in one aspect or another.

Sprint shall soon be adding $10/month to users of 3G smart phones. They already did that for the 4G phones and I didn’t care that much as I don’t have a 4G phone. In fact it’s one of the reasons I didn’t go out and snag a Samsung Epic. The phone looks cool as hell but not worth $10 more a month for me.

You’ve seen me singing Sprint’s praises on Chia Town for quite a while. Blazing fast network, good customer service (after fixing the crappy customer service they were known for), and GREAT prices. I laughed at my friends who were paying AT&T boatloads of money for crappier service. Alas…such is not the case.

Sprint’s timing is REALLY bad. They announce this just as Verizon is about the get the iPhone. Perhaps Verizon isn’t as bad as AT&T in some people’s minds and a defection from Sprint to Verizon for the iPhone alone won’t be such a big deal. I had planned on sticking with my Android phone (a Samsung Moment which increasingly seems like a big heavy brick as I look at the new phones coming out…but I’m still happy with it) with Sprint because it just makes sense to stick with an affordable plan on a good network.

But now this.

Seriously Sprint, WTF? Did the Clearwire debacle go so badly that you’re trying to recoup losses and are sticking it to your customers? You have to remember Sprint, the only reason MANY people stayed with Sprint was because it was night-and-day cheaper than the competition. AT&T had exclusivity with the iPhone, Verizon had a big fast network, Sprint had…well Sprint had Android phones and a price that couldn’t be beat.

I’m seriously questioning this move. I love Sprint. I love their service, I love their customer service, and I love the tenacity they’ve shown to rebuild after getting beaten down. I applaud Dan Hesse for taking the helm of a sinking ship and getting things back on track. Good job!

But WTF Sprint? This may be the single biggest thing to get people to defect. It’s not like Sprint has the biggest market share as it is to toy around with. Under this price change, the other carriers will now be CHEAPER. Cheaper I say! I was fine settling for a cool phone (but not a “holy crap this phone is awesome” phone) because I had a good network and a stupidly cheap plan to use it on. Now I can pay less AND get a better phone, Android or iPhone?

I don’t know what you’re doing Sprint. Maybe you’re making boatloads of money from NASCAR or from your LBS (Location Based Services) offerings, but this makes no sense to me.

To be an entrepreneur or to stick with Corporate America…quite a question, huh?

Just recently a friend (this one is dedicated to you Eggman) sent me an article that was basically bemoaning the fact that being an entrepreneur does not give you freedom but instead does just the opposite. Being an entrepreneur, having lived in the Corporate America world (and also the government world, non-profit world, etc) I have seen all sides and know what does and does not work for me. The question remains though…does being an entrepreneur give you freedom?

The simple answer, yes.

Then again, it could be no.

I’m sticking with the former however. It DOES give you the freedom that you hear about. What you DO with the freedom however dictates what your life will be and what free time you have (which some people mistakenly associate to freedom). “Freedom” does not equal “Free Time”.

Life as an entrepreneur may or may not consist of the following:

So which is it? You read article after article about “getting your freedom by being your own boss” yet you may know entrepreneurs who never have time to do things with you because they’re working until 11pm every night.

It’s what you make of it. It’s how YOU decide to structure your new company and how you decide live your life.

I think you see my point here. You can choose to be a slave to your own company or you can structure your company around your life. The choice is yours. Having your own company isn’t for everyone. It requires discipline and it also requires you to know yourself. Many people have fallen for the “freedom” schtick thinking “freedom” means they can work  two hours a day and screw off the rest of the day. Sure, you have the freedom to try that. The freedom of being your own boss means you’re free to make your own decisions and this freedom can overwhelm people if they don’t know how to handle it.