Long Story Short

As Apple announces the product it has planned to compete in the watch space, all of the major and many of the minor players in technology have now checked in. Wearables are now available from Apple, Android’s vendors, Garmin, Fitbit, Shine,and more.

But the question burning in your mind is, “What would it take in order to sell Tom a smartwatch?” No? That wasn’t your question? Well, maybe you would rather answer the question at the end of the post?

I have worn a Rip Curl Tidemaster surfer watch for years. I got it on the cheap via Ebay. It tells me whether the tide is coming in or out, and whether the tide is a neap or spring tide. It tells me the date and shows me the phase of the moon. By twisting the bezel, I could even time my heat in a surf contest in the event I wanted to compete. Basically, it does everything I want a watch to do. A smartwatch would need to be at least as smart as this dumb watch – and as attractive and convenient. (I think I’ve replaced the battery twice in ten years.) If it added some features like tracking my walks and ocean swims, number of waves I caught, and surfing speed all the while looking as good as my old Tidemaster? Hmmm. I’d think very seriously about a purchase. But right now those ugly, clunky looking, do nothing, battery draining, expensive smartwatches fail to entice. What are you watching and waiting for?

I enjoy technology and talk about it a great deal. But there are more important issues. Today I’m going to talk about one of them. Freedom.

Now that I’m sixty and officially old I feel a certain compulsion to talk about “when I was a boy”. When I was a boy, the United States was often referred to as the land of the free. The state in which I spent a great deal of my childhood had the motto “Montani Semper Liberi”, Mountaineers are Always Free. When someone told you that you couldn’t say that or do that, it was considered almost patriotic to reply, “Why not? It’s a free country.”

But is that still true today? There is reason to think not. ABC news reports that Brandeis University has reneged on its decision to award an honorary degree on Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Why? Because she criticized Islam. Dan Cathy has stopped his financial support of groups defending the unborn. Why? Because, it threatened the expansion of Chick-fil-A into urban markets. The New York Times reported that CEO of Mozilla was fired. Because he failed at his job? No, because he had provided financial support to Proposition 8, a California ban on same-sex marriage. The LA Times reported that a photographer, Elaine Huguenin, who does not believe in gay marriage could be forced to participate in what she believes to be a sin. Why? Because she runs a business and as such cannot have her religious beliefs protected. The Supreme Court’s decision not to hear her appeal, is one indicator that Christians may have to deny their faith in order to run a business in the United States. Another indicator, is the provision of the Affordable Care Act that requires employers to provide healthcare that includes contraceptive means that some consider abortion – even if the employer believes that the taking of an unborn child’s life is murder. Hobby Lobby, a Christian business, has fought this all the way to the Supreme Court. Had they lost it would have meant that Christians would be denied their right to incorporate their business, if they want to remain consistent with their values.

Following their victory, the President has sought other ways to force this on Christian operated businesses.

The United States has long since passed into a secular, post-Christian culture. We have religions of every stripe, but none that dominate the civil landscape. Congress continues to be primarily those in the Judeo-Christian tradition, but includes Buddhists, Muslims, and a Hindu. 16 percent of Americans aren’t affiliated with any religion. Eighty percent are Judeo-Christian in name, but I doubt very many of those are even claiming to try to live consistently with their professed faith tradition. (How many Catholics do you know who agree with the official position of the church?) Nearly a third of our population seldom or never attends church.

I can’t say whether we have started a downhill skid in protecting freedoms because we no longer have a moral consensus. If that is the case, then we never really had freedom. We just had a dearth of people with whom we disagreed. But as our populace becomes more diverse and more polarized, protecting religious freedoms and freedom of speech should be a high priority if we want our democracy to survive.

Perhaps you are a defender of the political correctness police state. But what happens when you are in the minority? Will you be happy to give up your livelihood when your political or religious views are no longer in vogue? If we think less about our right to get what we want and more about another person’s right not to give it to us, maybe we’ll be able to take a step back from the edge. But today’s climate of culture wars seems to be all about different sides trying to force their point of view down their opponents unwilling throats. If we keep that up, it is democracy that will choke.

Congratulations on your new iPad Air.  You now have arguably the most powerful computing and entertainment device per ounce on the planet.  But the hardware is only a small part of the story.  There are a few things you should know before you start using your iPad.  The first is how to set it up to run the Google services with which you are already familiar.  The second is how to wade into the vast and sometimes confusing plenitude of iOS applications that will turn your humble iPad Air into the powerhouse it was born to become.

If you haven’t set up iTunes on your PC, do this now.  This little article doesn’t cover the full scope of how to make iTunes into the best media manager your computer can have.  If you haven’t already set up iTunes to organize your media library, you may want to take the time to organize your media metadata.

For purposes of this article, we’ll assume that you want to use Gmail, Google Maps, Google Calendar, and Chrome on your iPad because they are the best apps at what they do.  The problem is that Apple thinks you should be using Apple Mail, Maps, Calendar and Safari.  Now, all of those are good apps (well, except maybe Apple Maps), but they’re not of much use if your laptop and/or desktop are running Windows.

Similarly, most people are using MS Office or a fake Office package like Libre Office for creating and editing spreadsheets and documents on their computers.  I love the Apple iWork software suite but those programs haven’t exactly taken the world by storm.  You can save files in Office formats to Dropbox or iTunes for editing on your PC but that interface is just clunky.  (Apple users can sync with iCloud and the transition to their Mac is seamless.)  So let’s assume that you paid for MS Office or are using Libre Office.  What app should you be using to edit and view these on your iPad?  Those are the hurdles the tips below seek to overcome.

If you’re reading this on your iPad, you can simply click on the hyperlinks for the apps you’ll need and the App Store will open and give you an opportunity to download that app.

Tip #1

Use your Gmail address as your Apple ID.  You don’t have to use an Apple email address for this.  If you’re going to share apps and media with other family members create an Apple ID that everyone can share (and use different Apple IDs for Game Center only).

Tip #2

Install the Gmail app to handle your emails.  You can’t delete Apple’s Mail app from your iPad.  I just moved it to a back homepage in a folder I created named Apple.  I put the Gmail application in my dock at the bottom of the home page.  To do this, go to a homepage you don’t plan to use and drag (long press till the icons get the shakes and then move your finger to where you want the icon to go) the Mail app up off the dock and onto the home page you don’t plan to use.

Sign into Gmail with your account information.

Tip #3

Install the Google app and place its icon somewhere handy.  Siri doesn’t work that well.  Google voice search is relatively flawless (although still nascent).  Google Now piggy-backs on this app and works very well in iOS.

The Google web apps, like Google Calendar, can also be accessed from the Google app.  Later on, we’ll talk about how to marry your Google Calendar to your Apple Calendar app.

Tip #4

I think it could be reasonably argued that Google Maps are superior to Apple Maps.  Install, Google Maps.  In North Carolina, I haven’t run into any issues with Apple’s Maps, but it has been widely reported that other users weren’t as fortunate.

Tip #5

If you use Google tasks, the app that ties that into iOS Reminders costs money. gTasks HD is $4 in the App Store.  I don’t use Google tasks.  iOS Reminders works very well.  In fact, the one use for Siri that I often take advantage of is to ask Siri to set a reminder for me.

Tip #6

Chrome can sync its bookmarks wherever you use your Gmail to sign in to Chrome.  The good news is that this includes your iPad.  Once it is installed, you can teach Gmail and many third party apps to open links in Chrome instead of Safari.  If you really love Safari, you can have iTunes sync your Safari bookmarks from your PC to your iPad.  If you really love mobile Safari and not desktop Safari, you’ll want to use a secondary service like Xmarks to sync your bookmarks between your desktop browser and desktop Safari which can then synchronize with mobile Safari through iTunes.

I recommend sticking with Chrome if you don’t like mucking around with other services and settings.  However, you will need to sign into Chrome.  Then, in Chrome on your desktop, go to Settings and hit the ‘Advanced sync settings’ button.  In the dialog box that opens be sure that Bookmarks is checked.  Then, in Chrome on your iPad, tap the three lines in the upper right hand corner and go to ‘Settings’.  Under Settings>Google Apps>turn on any apps that you want to open by default when you hit links in Chrome.  For example, you can have Chrome open Gmail by default when you touch an email address link or Google Maps by default when you touch an address link.

Tip #7

If you have oodles of storage on your iPad or a relatively small music library, you can very easily sync your music with iTunes on your computer.  Also, any music you buy from iTunes does not count toward your 5 GB iCloud limit.  So, if you buy all your music from Apple, iCloud is a viable choice but not if you also want your library to play on an Android device.  Apple’s cloud service is affordable and you may just opt to do it that way.  The primary advantage of the iTunes and iCloud approaches is that the number of plays and ratings syncs between your iPad and your computer.  But if you have a larger library and/or choose to buy from less expensive stores like Amazon, you may prefer to use a different cloud service.

Google’s Play Music service is free.  I still control my playlists and library through iTunes, but I used Google’s Play Music service to upload all of my songs and playlists to the cloud.  I can then access all of my music on my Nexus 5 or iPad.  (This gets back to the importance of having your iTunes library organized which was mentioned earlier.  If your iTunes library is a mess, your Google Play Music library will be an exact replica of that mess.  Fix your library before you download Google’s Music Manager desktop software.  You’re welcome.)

On the iPad I use gMusic 2 (as in “We’ll take $2, please), but recently Google added their own iOS app called Google Play Music and it is free (ugly, but free and it works).  If you subscribe to Google’s All Access, you can listen to virtually any album you want or create radio stations after the manner of Pandora Radio.  The additional service isn’t cheap but it is convenient.  But if you only want access to your songs in the cloud, Google Play Music does that for free.

Tip #8

FaceTime is awesome if everyone you know is on an Apple device.  Statistically, that is unlikely.  Hangouts works on both iOS and Android devices and can even be added as a Chrome app to your desktop.  Hangouts handles several people in the same conversation very well.  Skype works on iOS, Android, and Windows devices.  There’s nothing wrong with FaceTime but you’ll want to add Skype and possibly Hangouts.  After all, they’re both free.

Tip #9

There are a lot of ways to synchronize your office work between your computer, your iPad and the cloud.  If you use macros or are a power user of MS Office, the iPad does not yet boast that kind of capability.  However, it can do basic editing and makes up for the power it lacks with the portability it affords.

Approach A:  Use Apple iWork apps and Dropbox

Using this approach, you can open a document or spreadsheet from your Dropbox in Pages or Numbers respectively and then save a version back to Dropbox from the menu in Pages or Numbers.  Awkward but workable.  The plus side being that Pages and Numbers files are always available offline.  Of course, to make this work you’ll need to have Dropbox installed on both your computer and your iPad.  (Mac users can synchronize their iWork files seamlessly using iCloud.)

Approach B: Use GDrive and Quickoffice

Now that Quickoffce is free, the easiest way to sync files between your computer and your iPad is to use Quickoffice to read and edit your Office documents on your iPad and MS or Libre Office on your computer.  One has the option of making a given file available offline on one’s iPad, if one knows in advance that one will be without internet when future access to the file is required.  However, I’m not a huge fan of the Google Drive web app for working with documents and spreadsheets.  I think of the webapp more as a convenient way to take notes than a top notch editor.  But my Google Drive has never lost my edits.  This is the lowest friction (easiest) approach for users of Windows and Android.

Approach C: Use Skydrive

I believe the best office suite on the web is Microsoft’s Skydrive.  CloudOn allows one to edit Skydrive documents on the iPad.  CloudOn even displays a simplified Office-style ribbon.  I just hope you have good eyesight if you decide to go this route.  The best app for viewing or sharing Skydrive documents on the iPad is the Skydrive app itself.  However, if one goes to edit a Skydrive file from the Skydrive app the file will be passed to the browser and one must edit the file using the Skydrive ‘Edit in browser’ option.  The Skydrive web app frequently loses my last set of edits and tells me I need to refresh my connection.  Whether one chooses to use CloudOn or the Skydrive web app this approach requires an internet connection.  But users who want a Microsoft Office-esque interface at all times will choose Approach C.  Likewise, if one seldom expects to do office work on one’s iPad this approach will work well.

If I have to develop a document or spreadsheet with more complex formatting or equations while mobile, and some work must be done offline, I’ll use Approach A.  If I have to develop a document or spreadsheet with more complex formatting or equations while mobile and access to the internet is always available, I’ll use Approach C.   But typically, I stick with Approach B and I think that Approach B will suit the vast majority of iPad users.

Tip #10

Use GoodReader ($5) to manage the files you have stored in the cloud and, bonus, to read and annotate PDF files.

Picture Perfect Tip #11

You can use Dropbox, Skydrive, or Google+ to automatically save your iPad and phone pictures to the cloud.  All of them also allow you to download those pictures to your iPad as well.  Pick a service and set up auto upload to make sure you always have your pictures with you.  My favorite service for this is Dropbox, but they all work.

Complete disclosure.  I only use Dropbox as a kind of holding cell.  I have a script set up to move any media in the Dropbox Camera Uploads folder to the watch folder for Lightroom (but this would also work with Picasa or Windows Photo Gallery).  That way I don’t take up all of my Dropbox storage with pictures.  Unfortunately, that means I don’t have all of my pictures available on my iPad’s Dropbox app.

Google+ allows one to not upload full size pictures but to upload pictures that are scaled down.  These smaller versions are fine for viewing on the web and the iPad.  Why scale them down?  Because the smaller versions don’t count at all toward your storage limit on Google+.

Google+ Settings>Camera and Photos>Auto Backup>Auto Backup On

Google+ Settings>Camera and Photos>Auto Backup>Full Size Backups Off

Google+ Settings>Camera and Photos>Auto Backup>When to back up photos>Over Wi-Fi Only checked

Google+ Settings>Camera and Photos>Auto Backup>When to back up videos>Over Wi-Fi Only checked

Do the same thing with Google+ on your Android phone and you will see all of your phone’s pictures on your iPad’s Google+ app!

By having auto upload enabled for Dropbox, I automatically feed all of my pictures into Lightroom where I can edit and print the full resolution gems that I shot with my iPad.  By having auto upload enabled for Google+ (but down-sized), I have unlimited storage for sharing and viewing on all of my devices.

Tip #12

To use the Apple Calendar app with your  Google Calendar entries, open the Settings app.  Then ‘Mail, Contacts, Calendars’>’Gmail’ under ‘ACCOUNTS’ and then make sure that Calendars is turned On.    Turn on your Calendar and any other services you want while you’re there.

Tip #13

The last thing you might consider is adding the Find My iPad app.  After all, now that you have this baby set up to do your bidding it would be a crying shame if you lost it.

Tip #14

Load up with all of the other apps that make your iPad fun!

Netflix*****:

Pandora Radio****: you already know this one

Kindle*****:

Movies by Flixster**: movie times and trailers; aggregates critic and audience reviews

Tunein Radio Pro****: make your iPad an internet radio – listen to stations from anywhere in the country or world

Yahoo Weather* for the option to see radar maps and video weather forecasts

Angry Birds Rio HD*****

SketchNotes**** for typing and or scribbling on your iPad (exports as a PDF)

Once you have all the apps you want on your iPad, you can arrange them to suit your behavior and use.  Long press any app icon until it starts to wiggle.  Drag similar icons on top of one another to form a folder.  While the folder is open, edit the default name to be a name of your choosing.  Then drag other similar apps into the folder.

I put all of the Apple apps I don’t use into one big Apple folder.  Then I drag that folder to my second home page.

Drag the default apps from the dock to the Apple folder.  Then drag the apps you’ll use most frequently onto the dock.

When all is said and done, you should end up with an arrangement similar the one shown in the picture above.

10. Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0
($249)

I know.  You can’t believe I’m picking a lower spec tablet in my top 10.  But don’t think of this as a tablet.  Think of it as the best RF universal remote money can buy that happens to have a pretty decent tablet thrown in.

9. Microsoft Surface Pro 2
($899-$1020)

Just as iOS has the drop on Android when it comes to power user apps, so Microsoft has the drop on Apple when it comes to getting work done.  The Surface Pro 2 is a full on Windows 8 in tablet form.  Yes, you have to pay an extra $120 for the Touch Cover 2 keyboard.  Now the kickstand has a second position to make it even more useful.  Run two apps side by side.  This is the tablet for people who have invested in Windows software.  Anything you can run on a laptop, you can run on this.  I really enjoy using this.  It is very responsive.  Still, it is a lot of money for what one gets.

8. MacBook Pro with Retina Display and the Intel Haswell i7
($1,999-$2,499)

Apple provides the best built laptops.  You’ll pay a serious premium but what you get is both a tool that can get some heavy-duty work done and look awesome doing it.  If you’re over needing optical disks but haven’t reached the point where you see the value in a touch screen laptop, look no further than here.  Svelte, powerful, and up to 8 hours of battery time.

7. GoPro Surf Bundle
($399)

Stick this super little camera on your surfboard and capture the action from a dolphin’s eye view.

6. Google Chromecast
($35)

Want to watch your Google Play Media on the big screen?  No, well then, how about Netflix, Youtube, Hulu Plus, HBO GO, or Pandora?  It’s hard to blame this device for not supporting Amazon Instant Video when it only costs $35.  My sister just loves hers.

5. Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro
($1,099-$1,599)

If, like me, you’re not a Windows 8 hater, this might well be the best value in a laptop.  For only $1,599 you can get the Intel i7 with 8 GB of RAM.  The unique flexibility of use as a tablet or laptop or a movie stand is just a fun bonus.  The processor speed is still a good bit slower than a MacBook Pro but for most users this will be more than enough.

4. 2013 Nexus 7 (32 GB)
($269)

The best value in a tablet is the Nexus 7.  The 32 GB is a full $230 less than an iPad Mini with Retina display.  The screen is beautiful.  You have full access to the Google Play App Store apps and it supports Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Youtube, and Hulu Plus.  With the Kindle app it makes a great indoor ereader as well.

3. iPad Air
($499 + $100 for each extra 16 GB of storage + $130 for cellular and GPS)

If you’re in the camp that wants a larger screen on their tablet and have no problem paying for it, the iPad Air is simply the best tablet money can buy.  But remember, the tablet is only part of the expense.  One reason developers are inclined to develop for this platform first is because users have been shown to be more likely to part with their money for those snazzy apps that make the iPad Air so attractive.

2. Motorola Moto X
($525, or $99 under contract)

While not the winner of the specifications battle, the Moto X has some features that set it apart from the crowd.  It is not too big for your hands or pocket.  It listens for your voice even while it is sleeping.  When you pick it up or pull it from your pocket the lockscreen lights up with the notifications you want without your having to touch a button.  If you’re buying a phone under contract to a carrier, it is hard to beat the Moto X.  You can even design your own color combinations.

1. iPad Mini with Retina display
($399 + $100 for each extra 16 GB of storage + $130 for cellular and GPS)

The first iPad Mini was okay but too pricey for the lower resolution screen and outdated processor.  The new iPad Mini fixes that by slingshotting its screen past the pixel density of the full size iPad Air and matching it in performance related specifications.  While the Google Play store offers almost all of the most important apps, the iOS App Store still leads with power user apps.  Most developers offer their apps on iOS first.   The most improved device of 2013.

In many respects Google’s Android apps best their iOS competitors. On Android, Google Voice can be integrated into the dialer. Defaulting to Chrome, Google Voice, Gmail, and Google Maps is another plus. But there is one area where Android cannot or does not compete. For all of us who commute or exercise to podcasts, having a good podcast manager and player is very important. Downcast on iOS is the gold standard of podcast players.

When I’m getting ready for work, I often watch Tech News Today the way others watch the morning news. But once I’m ready for work, it is time to walk the dog. Now, I want to turn off the screen and stick my phone in my pocket – but still hear the podcast playing. I don’t want to waste battery life on the screen I can’t watch. I don’t want to accidentally hit a touch screen control while it is in my pocket and lose my place in the podcast.

When I come back inside I want to resume watching. When I get in my 2013 Subaru Outback, I want the Bluetooth stereo controls to work on my podcast app. Downcast does all of this and more. It also lets me swipe to advance a custom number of seconds forward and a different setting for swiping to go back. It lets me double tap the screen to pause and resume. These features are nice when one is bumping along as a vehicle passenger. Some players only offer tiny buttons that are a challenge to hit in a bouncing car.

Since my wife goes to work much later in the day than do I, I like to use a regular old Bluetooth headset while I’m getting ready for work. Two of the eight podcast apps I tested didn’t even work with that headset (Pocket Casts and OneCast).

Many Android podcast apps allow the user to play videos on an external video player rather than with the app’s native player. External players may offer back some of the functionality the native player lacks. MoboPlayer ($4.99) and MXPlayer ($5.70) for example allow for swiping to advance or go back and double tapping to pause. Sadly, neither player responds to the Outback’s Bluetooth controls.

Another feature I appreciate is having a video preview as I scrub to a new position. For example, during the millionth stamps.com commercial I can just scrub forward until the lower third no longer shows that the podcast is in commercial.

So I decided to test eight Android podcast apps against how I use them and decide which one would become my daily driver (and walker and . . .)

As you can see from my table, none of the apps that work with my car’s stereo controls (YMMV) also continues to play the audio when I turn the video screen off. Neither of the external video players I tried worked with the car’s stereo controls so, even though ACast can use an external video player, it doesn’t solve the problem of losing control when I get in the car. Although, one option would be to use ACast with an external player and control playback with the broad screen gestures that are available in MXPlayer or MoboPlayer, for example.

MXPlayer allows one to swipe to scrub forward and back as well as to swipe up and down on the left and right of the screen to adjust screen brightness and volume, respectively. MoboPlayer allows one to scrub by swiping. If one taps the screen then the controls appear on the OSD. One can then double tap to play or pause. If that works better for you than using your car’s stereo controls, you might prefer a cobbled together solution along those lines.

I have decided to use Podcast Addict as my Android podcast manager. Swipe gestures don’t work, but when I’m in my car all of the stereo’s Bluetooth controls do work so I don’t need swiping and tapping. I’ll miss that it doesn’t continue to play the audio when the video screen is off and the convenience of swiping to advance or go back as I view a video.

[UPDATE (2013-11-21): I discovered that the audio on a video podcast will resume in Podcast Addict. One just needs a headset attached and to hit the Play button after the screen has been turned off.]

1. Podcast Addict ($2.99 to remove ads)
2. DoubleTwist (free)
3. BeyondPod  ($6.99 to remove ads)
4. ACast ($3.99 to remove ads)
5. iPP Podcast Player (free)
6. DoggCatcher ($2.99 to remove ads)
7. Pocket Casts ($3.99)
8. OneCast (free)