jesse middleton's ramblings |
common sense is not so common. |
What's echoecho?!
echoecho is an easy way to ask
and answer the question"Where are you?"
With a few simple clicks.
You can find your friends
anywhere in the world.
Was browsing around some of my RSS feeds and came across one of the neatest location-based apps yet. Instead of me constantly inundating others with where I'm at, echoecho lets others ask me where I'm at. I click one button and they get a map showing exactly where I've got my butt parked!
First and foremost I had no idea why they chose to go with a micro USB port instead of a mini USB one. My previous phones, over the past 5 years, have had mini USB. The only one that didn't was my iPhone and that's just an Apple thing (glare). But I pulled the phone out and tried to plug it into my other HTC charger. No dice. After a bit of research (and asking a friend of mine) I found out this: The micro USB plug is the new standard for charging in the EU. That's good, right? The reason it's still under my complaints is that the micro USB plug is much harder to get in (I know, that's what she said) than the mini USB ones of yesteryear. Second, they got rid of the hard buttons for call and end. I know that iPhone users love the fact that their phone has only a few buttons (home, sleep and volume) but as a frequent phone user I like the ability to quickly get to the phone app and end a call without having to poke around at the touch screen.Those are my only two complaints so far. My likes list is much, much larger. I'll spare the paragraphs and simply put the highlights in. I'm sure that I'll have a longer, more in-depth review later but right now I've had limited interaction with the device:
As I said, these are just a few quick thoughts on the new device. Follow my updates on twitter to hear a bit more about my experience with the device as I go. Also, check out this fun video from LandlineTV if you get the chance. It was quite humorous. Here are a few pictures from the unboxing of the device.
- Speed, speed, SPEED! The new phone is fast, real fast.
- The voice search/text entry functionality is better than any other mobile device I've had.
- It has a larger screen (even than the iPhone) that's crystal clear in almost any environment
- While live wallpapers are simply a novelty right now, they will come in quite handy when developers are coding new wallpapers to show live web cams, statuses of servers and home security system updates.
- The multi-colored trackball used for both micro-navigation and alerting you to new events makes it really easy to know what's up with your phone at a glance.
- The on-screen keyboard is worlds better than in previous versions. I have had so many less typos while on this device.
- Having a new way of showing all apps (getting rid of the drawer) and more home screens help when navigating the phone.
- The new phone supports syncing contacts, Picasa Web Albums and email for multiple Gmail accounts! That's a huge win.
- Settings from the phone are now backed up to Google's servers. Get a new phone, no problem -- All of your ringtones and wifi configurations are transferred wirelessly.
I've spent the last couple of days coming up with a mission statement. When I first dove into it, I had two thoughts:
I'm a huge proponent of letting people choose their own technologies, tools and solutions. I guess I'm also not your traditional IT guy. My focus is on technologies that make a difference in your world (both online and off). But making a choice can be complicated and time consuming. That's where your IT staff should come in. Take for instance document storage. I know, we all think this is one of the most amazing choices you'd have to make in your job. They are so many wonderful options. From an IT perspective I could tell you where you have to store your documents. I could say, "All financial documents go in this folder on the network." This would not go well. Some things are better off stored in a simple document repository. This is why we should provide a choice. We can't know every type of file or document an individual may deal with. This means that some people have different needs than others. This is where interviewing and time come in (two things many people seem to lack the ability to do). While providing a choice is a necessity, providing an educated and selected choice is imperative. You need to make sure you cover two things:
That's right all, I'm now living in Brooklyn with my lovely wife. We moved to Prospect Park South about 3 weeks ago and we're loving it. While the weather is turning colder, our apartment is warm (free heat) and we've got up both Christmas and Channukah decorations. Aren't we living on the edge? The other big announcement is that I've joined LivePerson (the chat company that powers 8000+ of the worlds biggest sites) as the Technology Trailblazer. My job is to make everyone else's job easier by bringing in new, awesome, fantastic and useful technologies to all of the sites (US, UK and Israel). I spent my first week in the 35th and 7th office and then hopped on a plane to go to Israel (Tel Aviv) to meet all of the awesome people there. Believe me when I tell you, they are all awesome! There are a million and one things that I would love to get completed for everyone here at LivePerson but I think I'll start with a few of the fastest and most useful changes. I'm sure I'll be posting more about my adventures soon. That's the quick update on my life. One thing I'd like to ask all of you is -- What new technologies have you brought into your professional life that have made your work and day go so much smoother? Have you brought in new content management tools, project management or email systems? Let me know, I'd love to hear about it. Update: I forgot to mention. If you're in the market for a job and fit one of these descriptions, let me know. We're a great company and we're looking for some pretty great people.
Not sure how many people who read my blog also follow me on Twitter but if you don't, I have a few big things to let you know:
I got married! Yep, that's right. My wife, Magdalena, and I got married on October 16th, 2009. We had a relatively small wedding (under 120 people) in Drexel Hill, PA. It was amazing to say the least and we were so thankful to share it with so many of our loved ones and closest friends.
Even better than the wedding was the day after. Magda and I have been together almost 5 years and now it's official. Shared health care, lower taxes and two rings on her finger and one on mine (that's weird).
We took a vacation! Now that's weird. I hadn't taken a real vacation (no work at all) in over 5 years. We took a minimoon (short honeymoon) and drove around Canada. We saw Niagara, Niagara on the Lake, Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City (we even stopped in to Providence, RI on the drive back). It was our first trip as a married couple and it was awesome.
We're moving to The Big Apple (NYC)! That's right. Philadelphia has been my home for the last 6 years (since I went to Drexel University) and I absolutely love it here (WE absolutely love it here). But right now is the right time to make a move. More details will follow this post about what we'll be doing in New York but one this is very clear right now, we are sad to leave Philly.
I know it's only a couple hour drive to Philly from NYC but it won't be like it is today. There wan't be "early morning" walks to IndyHall. There won't be quick nightcaps at National Mechanics or The Dark Horse Pub. There won't be crazy evenings on my awesome roof deck (BTW, the apartment is available) with some of the coolest people around town. I'll most definitely miss all of the above and more.
Magda and I will be close by. We want everyone to come and visit us up in NYC (got any ideas of where we could live, let me know) and we'll be sure to come back down to Philadelphia every chance we get. We're totally stoked for the move and everything new but we're also very sad about the move and everything that's staying here in Philly. We'll obviously still have our cats but they aren't too great at conversing -- Not like all of you.
As I said above... There will be more information coming soon but for now I just want to say that I love Philly. Everything from the Phillies, the Eagles, the IndyHallers, the crazy tech circles to the bums that yell at me on South Street in the middle of the night. I love everything about it. And if anyone who's reading this is contemplating a Philadelphia move, I say GO FOR IT. You won't regret it.
I'm a sarcastic thinker, a network architect, a writer, a technology consultant and now the Technology Trailblazer @LivePersonInc. I'm also interested.
