Monthly Archives: October 2014

Google Inbox app excels as Android device battery killer

googleinbox_batterydrain_20141029I’m still trying to use Google Inbox as my main interface to Gmail. However, I had to remove the Android app because it killed my Nexus 4’s battery by late afternoon. According to the Android battery usage utility, the Google Inbox for Android app accounted for 34% of all battery use today.

Interestingly, the Google Inbox for iOS app does not appear to be creating any extra battery drain on my iPhone 6 Plus. So, I’ll continue to try it there. But, it was jettisoned from my Nexus 4 as soon as the phone had enough of a charge to boot back up.

MobileViews Podcast 100

The MobileViews podcast launched way back on November 26, 2008 (under a different name). For episode 100, Frank McPherson, who was on podcast number 2, joins me (Todd Ogasawara) and Jon Westfall for a look backwards and forwards. Here’s the show run-down for episode 100.

Looking backwards and forwards with Frank McPherson

  1. From the T-Mobile G1 (first Android phone) to the Moto X, Nexus 6, and more
  2. Chromebooks, Chromebox, & Chromecast

News

  1. Jon bought both the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3. How does it compare to the old iPad 2 & iPad mini 2?
  2. He also bought Apple’s leather case for the iPhone 6 Plus. Worth the money?
  3. Thoughts about the iOS 8.1 and OS/X Yosemite updates.
  4. Jon and I were both traveling last weekend. And, we both took an iPhone 6 Plus on our respective trips. How well does it the new giant iPhone travel?
  5. The initial Windows 10 Technical Preview worked great on my Dell Venue 8 Pro tablet. The recent major update (build 9860)? Not so much.
  6. What is Microsoft Garage? And, why is Microsoft Research dabbling in Android apps?
  7. Jon’s rant: What is CurrentC? And, what does it have to do with CVS and Rite-Aid shutting down support for Apple Pay?
  8. Pebble smartwach, Samsung gear and other wearable tech spotted at… Sam’s Club? Yep.

Product tips

  1. Todd: PressureNet for Android. Note the discussion about the possibilities of using the iPhone 6’s barometer on the Cliff Mass Weather Blog. For weather wonks.
  2. Jon: Replay Video Editor for iOS: Video creation made super simple, super fast, looks cool.

MobileViews Podcast 99: New iPad/Mac speculation, connected devices, tips

Recorded: October 11, 2014

News
– Apple Oct. 16 announcements. New iPads – sure. iMacs – maybe. Mac mini – ? What happens to the iPod touch?
– Connected health devices. Ref: Mobile Health News & NPD
– Background content for Google Chromecast Ref: Google Chrome Blog
– AAA hands-free voice cognitive distraction ratings. Ref: AAA

Tips & Product Picks
– LEGO mini-figs to hold Apple lightning and other thin cables
– MMS support added to Google Voice. Enables support for, for example, Fandango movie tickets and other image based text messages. Ref: Google
– Diaries – the kind you might actually keep up with. Or for the young crowd: a social network of 1
— Day One (Mac OS / iOS; ). Reminds you to write entries, gives you prompts to get you thinking (i.e. “What was your favorite game in childhood”)
— Evernote (Especially emailed with tags – shorthand: @notebook #tag in email subject to auto categorize
— Automating your life: Hazel & Keyboard Maestro for Mac OS X, IFTTT, Dropbox as a go-between

Konspiracy Korner
Ref: Wall Street Journal – IRobot Introduces System to Help Machines Think for Themselves

MobileViews Podcast 98: Microsoft Windows 10, iOS8 mail app issues, Konspiracy Korner

Todd Ogasawara and Jon Westfall discuss:

Microsoft Windows 10 Technical Preview
— Why 10 not 9?
— Upgrade process
— Surprised that Metro UI was the default on my tablet.
— Tiles attached to the right of the new Start Menu
— Tiles can be resized, rearranged, etc.
— Left legacy list part of the start menu not touch friendly on an 8-inch tablet display
— Microsoft Bluetooth mouse works fine with Windows 10 tech preview.
— Works with the Bluetooth keyboard I use with the Venue 8 Pro
— Seems like a lot of configuration is done by typing into the Run command line
— Metro apps appear as floating windows on the Desktop.
— Can be resized horizontally but not vertically
— Prefer this much more than the Metro UI

More Apple
— Oct. 16 – rumor of new iPad announcement. Maybe Retina iMac. Yosemite.
— Apple’s mail app frequently crashes after the update. Others have noticed this too.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6538150

Say a final farewell to Lotus 1-2-3
So long Lotus 1-2-3: IBM ceases support after over 30 years of code (Ref: The Register (UK))

Product Picks
— Todd: Post-It Note Plus mostly worked as described. Was unable to get all 5 of my test notes to be recognized at the same time. But, the app let me manually add the missing note. Had one color recognition issue (yellow note)
(free)
— Jon’s Picks of the Week: TextExpander(Mac OS & iOS, $34.99 & $4.99) & Drafts(iOS, $4.99). A great combo for sending full responses on the go.sky

Konspiracy Korner
Satellites reveal hidden features at the bottom of Earth’s seas (Ref: AAAS Science)