Introduction to Linux

So yesterday, I started a new project, about an old laptop. But I think that before I actually start talking about the project itself, I will take a few minutes to introduce Linux to the readers. While I know that those reading who are geeks and techies know what Linux is, those who are not in that category may not. Linux being very powerful and full of qualities, this may come as a surprise. Given the misconceived notion of complexity Linux is not popular amongst mainstream users. I am not even sure how many people out there know that Apple’s OS X is based on Linux code.

So what is Linux? It’s a base of code used to develop a series of operating systems called Distributions or Distros. At the base, most linux use the same code or Kernel and features are added on top of the Kernel to form a Distro. But before I bore and loose you with technical jargon, let me say this;

Linux is a FREE, legitimate and fully functional alternative to Windows and OS X. Since it is community developed, the development of the software is tailored to the user’s needs. Also, Linux is very flexible and lean. This means that it is perfect for use with older hardware or in a resource conceous environment, making it perfect for a project like mine.

So which version or Distro to chose? For modern hardware, I would suggest Ubuntu. It is easy to install, user friendly and easy to get used to. For older hardware, I would suggest downloading a few Live CD’s and see which one works best for your specific hardware.

In order to explain how Linux compares to Windows and OS X, let’s take a look at a few common scenarios;

1. Office use: Linux comes with free Office productivity applications embedded which will allow you to work on your documents. You can also use the pretty awesome OpenOffice.
   
2. Web Browsing: Most if not all websites will work fully as well as in a Windows environment.
   
3. Multimedia: With VLC from videolan.org, you can view all videos and listen to music like you would on any other device.
   
4. Printing: For the most part, printer vendors develop and make available drivers for major Linux distributions.
   
5. Gaming: This is the most controversial aspect. Most modern and popular games are not available under Linux due to the lack of users on the platform.
   
6. Development: Linux offers tons of apps and features that are beneficial to programmers and power users in general.
   
7. Network and Infrastructure: Linux offers a free or low cost alternative to Windows Server with similar or even improved features.

So, in the end, Linux is a free alternative to Windows with excellent support from a vast community of developers and a user friendly graphical interface. Given the fact that most versions are available in the form of a bootable CD or DVD, you can experiment without affecting your existing setup.

Geek's Treasure

Sometimes, old junk may be a good thing. It may seem odd that a blog on technology would publish a post about something old and outdated. However at times, finding an old piece of software or hardware may be a good thing. The reason why I am mentioning this is because such an incident happened to me yesterday.

As I was cleaning up my home office, I came across a really old laptop. It used to belong to my notary who got a new one a while back and left me the old one, without the hard drive, to be recycled. I clean the office two to three times a year because I no longer have a huge volume of hardware. I got rid of a lot of it when I transitioned from consulting to working full time as a specialized technician for a hospital. But since I still do some consulting from time to time and because I am a geek I still have a small lab at home.

So back to the old laptop. One may wonder what can be done with a 10 year old laptop with 512 MB of RAM and no hard drive?  A perfectly fine live Linux box. My objective is to render the laptop functional and then donate it.

Over the course of the next few days I will blog about this project. I will review one or two distros of Linux, test modern and media heavy sites on the old clunker and see if it can be used as a standalone station for day to day use for a light user.

So let's see what this old recycled laptop can do!

Social Media Advisory

In today's world where people seem to be glued to a screen from wake to sleep, and where social media replaces interpersonal relations, one can only wonder how we got there.

As a blogger, I am the first to admit that I spend way too much time connected online. However, given current social habits, I feel as though I don't have a choice if I want to share with you my opinions. In an era where blogs are replacing personal journals and in which the term "too much information " is no longer relevant, the uninitiated or those who are not yet enslaved by technology can easily get lost and confused. And those in the know, become addicts to digital contact and content.

So what can be done about this? My first suggestion would be to impose yourself a disconnect time on a regular basis. Be it every day or once a week, reserve yourself some downtime. Ideally, shut down all of your connected devices and partake in an activity that you enjoy and that has nothing to do with either your routine or your digital activity.

This is very important for you so that you can decompress, rest and bring some diversity to your life. There are many benefits to doing this.

At first it may be very challenging and may seem daunting but the reward is worth it. Here are a few ideas for you;

1. Once you get home, put your phone and tablet in your office and don't use them until the next day.

2. Rather than using the alarm on your phone, use an old school alarm clock and do not let your digital devices into your bedroom.

3. On the commute to work, if you are not driving, read a free newspaper or book rather than checking emails or social networks.

4. If you use your phone as a music player during exercises or while training, put it in Airplane Mode, or get a cheap mp3 player and leave your phone at home.

5. Challenge yourself to invent or introduce a new activity to the kids in order to get them off the TV or video games for a few hours.

6. Spend a day in a no coverage area.

The bottom line is that as much as it is a great benefit to it, digital content cannot be allowed to take over or control our lives and actions. If this was to happen, we will risk losing our identities and unique personality traits to become robots.

Samsung Gear Fit Review

One trend that we saw continue at this year's CES is the smart watch craze. It seems that every major phone vendor is offering at least one smart watch. This is a good thing because it means that prices are bound to go down and products offered should be better.

This brings me to the topic of the day; the Samsung Gear Fit. As a geek, I decided to get a smart watch a few months ago. I chose the Samsung Gear Fit because it was really inexpensive at 90 dollars. So for the price of an average watch, I managed to put a smart watch on my wrist.

So what does a smart watch do other than show the time? It turns out that quite a bit! To sum it up, here is a list of Standard features;

1. Watch, timer and alarm
2. Pedometer, Heart Rate Measure
3. Sleep Monitoring
4. Media Remote Control
5. Display of SMS, Email and Incoming Call Notifications

And these are just the standard features. The watch communicates with most Samsung smart phones via Bluetooth to sync and transmit information. Some of the other but also cool features are;

1. Customizable clock face plate and background
2. Link to calendar and phone contacts and call logs
3. Personalized applications.

Once the phone and watch are paired, you can use Samsung’s Gear Fit Manager to change apps and watch settings. You can also install additional apps onto the watch such as the Calendar and Phone Launcher.

However not all is perfect, unlike more expensive models the Samsung Gear Fit does not incorporate a speaker or microphone into it. So if you get a call and answer it off your watch then you go to the speakerphone of your phone. The watch is great for dismissing calls without removing your phone from your pocket and for checking emails and SMS messages on the fly.

In the end, the Gear Fit is a cool gadget that is primitive in comparison to some of its competitors. The fact that it only syncs with Samsung phones can be a disadvantage to some but at 90 dollars, its a viable alternative to a classic watch for geeks on a budget.

Choosing a router for your home

One of the issues I see most in my consulting practice is users suffering from poor networks in large homes. I see 4000 plus square foot homes with cheap and inadequate routers way too often. As with anything else these days, there is a plethora of choices when it comes to buying a router. From the 30 dollar basic router to the 350 dollar powerhouse and everything in between. So what to choose?

First off, look at your current setup. If you are using a router embedded in your modem which was provided by your service provider, this is the worse case scenario. If you are replacing an existing router then look at how old it is and what features it has. The idea is to improve your current setup.

Then you need to look at the different bandwidths offered by today’s routers. There are two main technologies available on the market today. Wireless N and Wireless AC. Wireless AC has speeds that rival those of wired connections, provided that the device connecting to the Wireless Network also has a Wireless AC receiver. My personal recommendation is to stick to Wireless N if you are buying an entry-level or mid-range router. If you are spending more than 200 dollars on a high end device then by all means future proof and buy a Wireless AC capable device. One important aspect is to see if the device offers dual band connectivity, which is used to better manage wireless traffic on networks with multiple wireless connections.

Next, you need to look at the antenna situation. Some routers have embedded antennas that you do not see and cannot adjust. This type of router is good for small or open spaces where positioning of the device will not affect the quality of the connection. On the other hand, you have routers that have one or more external antenna that you can rotate and therefore adjust the direction and signal strength. Also, most modern routers have 2, 3 or even up to 6 antennas. Another clear advantage is that these antennas can be replaced with stronger ones with long cables to ensure optimal placing.

Once you choose your connection type and strength you need to look at the wired connections on the device. If you do file transfers between wired devices or if you have a media server, then you will want to make sure that your new router has Gigabit Ports embedded into it to ensure fast file transfers between devices. Also, you may want to have usb ports if you intend to share printers or storage devices across your network and use the router as a server.

So what about brands, there sure are a lot of them. From the mainstream ones such as Linksys and D Link to TP Link, Asus, Netgear and Trend NEt to name a few. Currently, Linksys and Asus seem to be offering the best combination of features, performance versus the asking price.

So there you have it, a short guide on how to choose a proper router for any situation in a residential environment.

GoFundMe.com review request: USB storage on the cheap, and a Lamborghini as a bonus!

So my crowd funding campaign yielded its first donation! This means that it's review time. Our donor requested a comparison of inexpensive USB keys that cost 5$ or less.

So I went on NCIX.COM to see if I could find at least one USB drive that fit the criteria of being inexpensive. Turns out that I got 4 different ones!

So they are 8 GB each, which is not a lot of storage space for today's standards where you can get a flash drive with a capacity of 128 or even 256 GB.  Also, there of four contestants are USB 2.0 rather than the faster USB 3.0 connection.

So here is what I will look at in the comparison;

1. File transfer speed for documents, audio and video files.

2. Build quality and resistance to accidents.

3. Personal opinion.

And the contestants are;

1. Kingston DataTraveler 101 G2 8GB Capless USB Flash Drive Red

2. Patriot Xporter Pulse 8GB USB 2.0 Hi Speed Small and Stylish Flash Drive Blister

3. Silicon Power Firma F80 8GB Waterproof USB 2.0 Flash Drive - Rugged Metal

4. Kingston 8GB USB3.0 DataTraveler 100 G3 USB Flash Drive

So let the testing begin!

1. Kingston DataTraveler 101 G2 8GB Capless USB Flash Drive Red

This is a USB key at its simplest form.

2. Patriot Xporter Pulse 8GB USB 2.0 Hi Speed Small and Stylish Flash Drive Blister

This device combines looks and simplicity. However the plastic cap is easy to misplace.

3. Silicon Power Firma F80 8GB Waterproof USB 2.0 Flash Drive - Rugged Metal

This is the most durable of the foursome. It is a unibody aluminium device which makes it solid. Its design makes it look sophisticated and fits well on a key chain due to its understated color and shape.

4. Kingston 8GB USB3.0 DataTraveler 100 G3 USB Flash Drive

This one is the best of the four in terms of performance. I was surprised to buy a USB 3.0 rated USB Key for less than five dollars, let alone one from a brand like Kingston. It uses a capless click mechanism to hide the tip of the key.

Speed test results:

1. Kingston 8GB USB3.0 DataTraveler 100 G3 USB Flash Drive
2. Patriot Xporter Pulse 8GB USB 2.0 Hi Speed Small and Stylish Flash Drive Blister
3. Silicon Power Firma F80 8GB Waterproof USB 2.0 Flash Drive - Rugged Metal
4. Kingston DataTraveler 101 G2 8GB Capless USB Flash Drive Red

Without any surprise, the speed test was won by the sole USB 3.0 device and by a large margin. All 4 keys were plugged into the same USB 3.0 port on a computer running Windows 7 to transfer a folder containing pictures and videos totaling about 2 GB.


In conclusion, my recommendation when choosing an inexpensive USB key, get one which is USB 3.0 if you can since it will greatly improve transfer times. As far as durability is concerned, most products will last as long as you do not abuse them or pass them through the wash cycle. If you need a specific look, then you may also consider this aspect when making your choice. If not then don't forget that most USB keys are not a fashion statement, unless you get this;

Have a nice weekend!

Utopian Dreams of Connectivity and Content

As a blogger and geek, I read a lot of stuff online about the tech world. Sometimes, I come across an article, ad or clip that inspires me to publish something of my own. This was the case when I heard an ad for Crave TV, on the radio of all places. Yes that’s right, the radio, just like in the 20th century. I regularly listen to the radio on my commute from the train station home since it only lasts five minutes. Sometimes, in that 5 minute span I will get to hear something interesting on CHOM, my station of choice here in Montreal.

So one morning, I hear this ad for Crave TV, which promises endless TV possibilities for a measly four dollars per month! What, TV for 4$ per month?! This got me thinking, and not about subscribing. It got me thinking about what is the true potential of the web in this very digital era.

The debate of traditional (Radio, Set Top TV, print) versus digital and modern (online) media has been going on for the last decade or so, if not longer. Ever since popular services such as youtube and netflix have become mainstream commodities and household names, one can only wish for a permanently connected world with free or inexpensive access to content.

Currently, the portrait of the communications world has it that service providers control, for the most part, both traditional and modern media services and outlets. This means that the same provider that sells you a TV service for say 60$ per month is also your internet and phone provider. The catch 22 situation is very obvious, but for those who fail to see it;

Your service provider has no financial benefit in offering you digital content due to the potential loss of traditional media revenues. This causes a situation in which the consumer is left at the mercy of big telecom and its profit driven policies and mentality.

So here is my as well as many others’ ideal situation; to get an internet connection at a reasonable price with an unlimited bandwidth and high speeds. And as far as content goes, a borderless approach governed by an international and independent organization would be appreciated. After all, if Big Telecom would follow this model, then maybe they would not have to worry about content piracy so much. I know that I, for one would not mind paying say 20 to 25 bucks a month to get access to an updated, diversified and readily available digital library.

But hey, for now, I am stuck with an internet connection that is on par with that of a developing country, no cable tv as I refuse to pay 60$ to watch stale content and a Netflix account. At least I can still dream of a world where fair access to content on a universal network becomes reality….

Anti virus software choices : free vs paid

So, as most people, you may be concerned about the security of your computer, tablet and smart phone. So you decide to get an anti virus software.

But you may feel confused with all of the different options available. First and foremost, you may hesitate between a free anti virus such as Avast or AVG and paid software from the likes of Norton and Trend Micro, to name a few.

Here is my two cents on the subject:

There is no reason to pay for an application of which you can get a free equivalent. That's right, in my humble opinion, paid anti virus software is a scam and extortion scheme.

Why? Because if you use a minimal amount of caution and common sense when surfing the Web, then you will not need anti virus software, let alone an expensive one. The ultimate proof of my theory is the fact that most anti virus software is sold at deep discount on boxing day and through the year. If the product was so good in the first place, there would be no reason to discount it.

I personally use Avast Free antivirus. I have been doing so for many years and I have also installed it for numerous residential and business clients as well.

The quality of the virus definition database and the frequency at which it is updated is on par with the paid offerings.

So what about the premium features such as malware and spyware protection? There are free applications available for these as well. You may have to install an extra app or two but it will be a complete solution and it will cost you ZERO.

One thing that also is a feature of both the free and paid applications is their ability to function across multiple platforms such as Windows, Mac and mobile. However the paid products will only cost more whereas the free applications will remain free regardless of the amount of devices you install them on.

Initial Applications; What to install right after installing your Operating System

Since I was installing operating systems on both physical machines and in a virtual environment lately, I also got to install some applications and services. This inspired me to write up a list of useful and sometimes essential applications that you may want to install after a fresh install of Windows, or any other operating system.

Anti Virus: This is the most important application to install. You should have a stand alone installer that does not require online access. You should install this BEFORE you connect to a network or the internet. My recommendation is AVAST. I have been using AVAST for almost a decade and it is an excellent free anti virus application.

Video Player: Windows includes MEdia Player, Apple includes iTunes in the basic installation. However these are very basic and limited in terms of features and compatibility. So, VLC by videolan.org is a universal media player which will play back anything you throw at it.

Virtual Optical Drive: This tool is very useful as a lot of software is shipped medialess as download on demand. By installing a virtual drive you will be able to open such applications (commonly .iso files). I personally suggest MagicISO as a free and complete solution.

Internet Browser: Unless you are happy with Internet Explorer in Windows or Safari in OS X, you should install your favorite browser. Be it Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, install your browser and set it up with your favorites.

Adobe Plugins: You will need Adobe’s Flash Player and Acrobat Reader regardless of your operating system (Mac or PC). Go to Adobe’s website and get the latest versions. Don’t forget to install the Flash plugin for each of your browsers as they are independent, specifically for Windows.

Windows Updates: Install windows updates or update OS X to the most recent versions. Reboot as required, and be patient.

Device Drivers: Go into Control Panel, Device MAnager and make sure that you have all of the latest drivers. If needed go to the vendor’s websites for your devices and download the most up-to-date driver packages. The reason this is done AFTER the windows update process is due to the fact that Windows will install some drivers during the update process. If the drivers are hard to find you may want to visit pcidatabase for further assistance.

So here you have it: a list of steps to install essential and useful applications after installing an operating system from scratch. You can download the applications from the inks in each section of each step.

Windows 10; A Preview of Things to Come

So I wrote about Microsoft’s dismissal of Windows 7 yesterday. This prompted me to try out Windows 10 since it seems that it may become the operating system of choice in the months to come, once it is released. Since I have a Microsoft TechNet account I downloaded a 90 day trial and set it up on a VirtualBox virtual machine. I will also install it on a physical machine in the weeks to come. The objective of this commentary is to introduce windows 10 and see how it fares in comparison to the disliked windows 8.1 (aka Windows Hate).

My first contact was very easy and straightforward. Other than a slight change to the GUI, the installation and initial setup are the same as Windows 7 and 8 which asks you to set up your hard drive and installation type.

On first boot, the initial configuration asks you to sign in with your Microsoft Account and pre-installs any application you may have bought from the Microsoft Store. This step installed One Drive for me.

So, what’s up with the start menu? Well it’s back but it looks disfigured. In an attempt to please everybody, Microsoft designed the start menu in a way that it mixes some of the good from Windows 7 along with the bad of Windows 8. On the left you see a section that somewhat resembles the original start menu from Windows 7 while on the right you get the eye candy heavy tile design of Windows 8 features. This can be seen in the video at the bottom of the page.

One major annoyance is the continued pattern of using your Microsoft Account as a sign in. This can be circumvented but the default sign in method is not intuitive and to me at least, is an indication of Redmond’s “Big Brother” ambitions and agenda. Yes, it may lead to cross device application and file unity but I still prefer having more control over how I log in to my local PC at home, regardless of weather it is online or not.

The power user features such as Windows Updates, Control Panel and Remote Desktop Connections are hidden out of sight. They can be found in the left section of the unified start menu under System Settings. Still, I feel as if I have to make an extra effort to get to tweak my PC as opposed to having the Control Panel in plain sight as it was in Windows 7.

As a first comment, I would say that the return of a Start Menu that looks like a messy plate of mashed potatoes and gravy is not sufficient of an effort. I sure hope that the finished product will look and feel more intuitive. However, knowing that Microsoft often rushes unfinished and unpolished solutions into production I will not hold my breath as I wait. Meanwhile I will continue to explore Windows 10 as I enjoy my 90 day trial. At least I can thank Microsoft for giving me material to write about in abundance.

The Microsoft (big busines) Way of Doing Things

Last Thursday, I was reading about Microsoft and the surprising fact that Windows 7 was entering Long Term Support. Given the unpopularity of Windows 8 and 8.1, this may be a decision that seems harsh.

However I am not surprised since Microsoft , as well as other industry giants seem to be eager to upset and act against their customers ' wishes and best interests.

With the disappearance of the Start Button, and the hiding of many settings and features regularly needed by power users and systems administrators, Microsoft ensured that their biggest customer base, ie businesses, would avoid Windows 8 . I guess that the rapid announcement of Windows 10 and the eminent return of the Start Button prove that the latest version of Windows was a failure.

But what is the most striking and aggravating of all is that Microsoft took a perfectly good product  (Windows 7) and decided to shelf it on the discontinued rack.

By deciding to no longer develop and implement new features such as Direct X into Windows 7 it will force those who want or need these features to upgrade to Windows 10 once it hits the market.  And this, to me, is just as wrong as Apple deciding that certain versions of ios and OS X would not be compatible with older devices even though they would be technically capable of handling the updates.

But then I guess that when you are in a position of near monopoly, who cares about a few thousand annoyed customers? I know that I would.

Online Storage Solutions

Online storage was briefly mentioned during my Google Experiment series. But the reality is that online storage has so many offerings that it can become difficult to choose a solution. I personally use 3 different services; the obvious Google Drive, Dropbox and One Drive from Microsoft. One may ask why I would need three products that essentially offer the same thing; online storage.

I initially started with Dropbox as it allowed me to sync pictures and videos taken from my various smart devices to it. You can do the same with Google Drive, but since my wife and I both have our own Google account it would meant that our family pictures and videos would not be centralized. I use a single Dropbox account for my phone, my tablet and my wife’s phone. This way, every time someone takes a picture it gets backed up. And no, you will not find any scandalous content there. Another advantage is that I can share a folder on Dropbox with my family members who live far away so they can download the kids’ exploits as they wish without having to nag about getting emails with pictures. And unlike Picasa, I do not have to send a link for them to access the photos and videos.

Then came One Drive, which I got simply to use Office Mobile from the Android App Store. Since the microsoft solution was the only one that I could access the Free Office suite, it was a logical choice. However I no longer use this since I write predominantly using Google Docs. Given the fact that it is free online storage I will keep my account with Microsoft especially that I use it for work purposes.

Google Drive was the online storage solution that I started using last, during my Google Experiment. What started as a tryout has become a regular feature for me as I now write with Google Docs and the work gets saved to Google Drive automatically. I know that the camera sync feature is also good, but as I explained earlier I find it impractical since you cannot centralize your data.

So what about iCloud? Quite frankly I never used it and I do not intend to. As with many of Apple’s offerings I find it to be too Apple centred in the way it functions. In assisting a friend to migrate from an iPhone to Samsung Android phone, I got to see the drawbacks of using iCloud as a data store and recovery service. But that will be a post of its own in the days to come.

In the end, given the fact that most online storage, or cloud, solutions are free it is best to find the one(s) that suit your needs. Just don’t forget that you are storing your content online which exposes it to potentially unwanted exposure and access. So don’t store compromising pictures and videos or confidential documents on these online storage sites unless you feel comfortable with taking the risk, regardless how minimal, that they may fall in the wrong hands.

Customer Service, an experienced shopper's opinion

I started my professional career as an electronics sales representative, many years ago. As I learned along the road, both technically and skill set speaking, the most important lesson I did take home was that offering the best customer service will go a long way. I saw people who had excellent technical skills and knowledge get fired or under perform due to the lack of people skills. I also saw the opposite, individuals being highly successful while having a very basic understanding of technology.

You see, one can always go get information online or in a manual. But one cannot learn how to present it. Most often cases people skills are deeply rooted within our values.

So where am I going with this? In the era of online shopping, we see retailers close their doors on a regular basis, allegedly due to their inability to offer identical products at a competitive price point. In reality, it may have more to do with the lack of competent representatives.

I shop a lot, both online and, less and less, in brick and mortar stores. Why? Because I am fed up of getting dismal service that is nowhere near the standards to which I serve my clients and I was taught to service others. Nonchalant and impolite individuals who will assume that you will buy from them just because you came into the store leave me unimpressed. I much rather not spend time on driving and money on gas. I may as well buy online from the comfort of my home.

So in a world dominated by online shopping, why do I bother to complain about customer service? Because service also extends to e-commerce and most vendors have a contact center where you can speak (sometimes to a real human being) and ask questions. And most vendors offer good quality service.

So here is my list of good and bad customer service experiences. Other than the categories, I offer no true ranking of vendors and stores.

I will list a criteria at the bottom of the post.

The Good;
- Groupon
- Microsoft
- NCIX.com
- New Egg
- Dell
- Toys R us
- Costco
- Sports Experts / Atmosphere
- Air Miles

The Bad:

- Future Shop
- Best Buy
- Canadian Tire
- Tiger Direct
- Amazon
- Wal Mart

The “Avoid like the Plague”
- Micro Bytes
- Canada Computers
- Hotwire.com
- Target

The Criteria;

- Politeness of staff
- Speed of service
- Make an effort to offer a reasonable solution
- Provide concrete and adequate information
- Ability to answer concerns in an honest manner
- Variety and Quality of products offered
- Price

Crowd Funding; Begging for the 21st century or legitimate endeavor?

Crowd funding, it is a relatively new method of amassing money to achieve a goal. or is it just begging modernized for the 21st century?

First, let's establish what crowdfunding really is, or rather what it is supposed to be;

It is the action of raising funds to pay for a project,  using social media. Investors and donors donate a certain amount of money in exchange for a predetermined good, service or even a share in a business. The person or group of people who are raising funds describe their project and how the amassed funds will be used on a presentation page to attract potential investors.

However, due to the growing amount and liberalism of crowd funding sites, the quantity of campaigns has risen dramatically while the quality and purpose of said campaigns can only bring questioning and dismay to serious investors who want to back emerging products that actually have a chance for success.

In my research which I completed in order to establish my own crowd funding campaign as a trial experiment, I came across some shocking, surprising and even repulsive crowdfunding campaigns. From women promoting porn sites and offering devious services, to students asking for college money one is bound to find all kinds of sketchy causes that are being promoted. But then again, there is always hope as I also came across people and groups raising money for valid charities, causes and business ideas.

To do a trial, I set up a crowd funding campaign of my own and see where it brings me. I will attempt to raise money for a testing lab. I will set out to raise 5000$. I will use the funds to pay for items to review and demo based on the investors demands and requirements. To bring a social awareness component to the campaign, I will donate the products to charity once they are reviewed.

To get more info on my campaign, or to make a donation, click here.

To get a deeper insight on the campaign itself, visit the Campaign Page and FAQ.

The Smartphone and the Freezer, an unexpected match!

So, my wife decided that she wanted a new phone. 

I totally get it since her Samsung Galaxy Nexus was slow and sluggish. Also her screen was cracked. However, rather than asking for a new phone, she decided to dump the old one in the freezer, rendering it dead and unusable! If she would have asked, then I could have used the old phone for experimental purposes or sold it. Now i’m stuck with a paperweight!

So after spending 45 minutes on the phone with our provider, I had decided on the LG Nexus 5, in Red. I wanted a free phone with the latest version of Android. Nothing as big as my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 but still something capable of running most of the apps an intermediate user might need without putting a dent in one’s pocket nor causing carpel tunnel syndrome.

On first contact, the phone is intuitive and seems solid. Migrating was a breeze thanks to Google’s account import wizard. It transferred emails, contacts, etc. in a few minutes.

Being a pure Google phone, there is no vendor embedded apps or interface. Coming from another google phone, there is no adjustment to take into account. All of the icons and shortcuts are located in the same place.

The phone is fast and responds well installing apps from the PlayStore is easy and quick. I installed some of the basic apps such as Facebook, DropBox, Skype and VLC. I also installed NextIssue, a subscription magazine reader.

When reading magazines the text looks crisp and is easy on the eyes. Same goes for videos. Taking pictures is simple and the output is good. Pictures come out crisp and vivid. On one note, the switching between cameras is not intuitive, but it is a minor flaw.

Battery life is decent for the average user, but a power user may find it to be insufficient. Call reception is on par with other models. The phone can be plugged by Bluetooth to a headset or speaker/dock. The sound is good when listening to music through both headphones and Bluetooth.

Overall, the LG Nexus 5 is a good option for intermediate users as it combines a good feature set with a low price tag. As far as durability goes, one needs to consider that every phone needs to be cared for. This also means not dumping it in the freezer. Same goes for not dropping it in the toilet and pool. And if you really want to guarantee survival, buy a OtterBox or LifeProof case.

Concluding the Google Experiment

I am glad that I completed the Google Experiment! I got to discover some new apps and tools as well as exploring features in some applications that I already was familiar with.

You will find a presentation that summarizes the various steps of the experiment.

Thank you for reading and I hope that you got a chance to see something new.

Google+

The Google Experiment Part 5

So this is the last part of the experiment. So I want to highlight a few of the unexpected extras that I ran into while exploring Google’s offerings. I saw three nice surprises that I want to highlight.

The first one is Online Dictation. It is a primitive yet efficient speech recognition system accessible free of charge. It is very simple and does not have any of the advanced features offered by, say Dragon Naturally Speaking, but it does work well without learning your speech profile. It is available through the WebStore.

The second find for me was the WebStore itself. It allows you to link all kinds of applications to your Chrome App Launcher. There are tons of free and low cost apps available for all sorts of usage. From games to productivity to media tools. Everyone is bound something useful and to their liking.

Last but not least, is a little extension called Chrome App Launcher. It is a tool that allows you to launch and linked application from your quick launch bar. It is very useful as it turns your desktop into what Chrome OS does, meaning a depository of Google Apps. You can quickly start all of your apps.

In the end, even with Chrome OS failing to impress, my experiment as a whole is a success. For the last few days I used Google applications exclusively or almost. The only thing I was unable to do using a Google application was to edit my invoices which were designed using Microsoft Publisher. But given the variety of offerings from the Web Store, I am sure that I will find some free app which will allow me to circumvent this. I wrote, did my budget, posted to Blogger, all using Google’s apps. Tomorrow I will publish a slideshow summarizing my experience. A slideshow created with Google Slides of course!