I’ve been talking about this with a few people recently. Android really seems to be that perfect middle ground between the iPhone’s beauty and usability and Windows Mobile’s customization and power. Everything about it is well done and, being that it’s a rather new operating system, it’s designed around a high speed, touch screen world. That’s the problem with Windows Mobile. It’s so old and Microsoft rested on their laurels for so long, that it just doesn’t meet the needs of a user today. The interface still isn’t finger friendly and there’s a certain beauty that’s still missing from it all. The problems aren’t only skin deep, though. Hell, the fact that text messaging is still such a struggle for the OS is ridiculous beyond belief.

I don’t like how the iPhone locks you down to the old mantra of “Apple’s way or the high way” and I hate how Windows Mobile struggles to get anything done. Android is that fine balance of power and beauty and it’s won me over. The iPhone never wow’ed me like this and neither did any other mobile OS. It’s all about the world of Google, now and, even though they may hate my privacy, I’m going with Android when I can afford to do so.

I think Sony had a lot to do with this growth of the industry. While Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis did a decent job of growing the number of people owning consoles, the perception of these consoles being nothing more than toys really didn’t dissipate until late in the life of the PS1. It took another generation, though, for things to full swing in the opposite direction. With the introduction of the PS2 and some of it’s more mature titles, namely Grand Theft Auto, views of games being nothing more than colorful plumbers jumping on mushrooms changed and people began to realize that these devices could entertain adults, too.

Sony left that pitch still hanging, though, when Microsoft came around and, once and for all, solidified the position of video games as a legitimate form of entertainment for people of all ages. The combination of the Xbox 360 (the first console released this generation) and it’s online service, Xbox Live, people from all walks of life started coming together to play video games. Multi-player games, such as Halo and Call of Duty, brought large groups of people together, virtually, and gave them all something to talk about the next day. Some of those people were in a classroom and some were around a water cooler. For the first time, kids and adults were sharing the exact same experiences. Who made a great headshot on their friend? Who crushed their co-worker in a game of Madden? These questions are now just as common as reactions to the latest movies or songs.

It’s been a fun journey, when I stop to think about it. For those people who don’t get it or think that people like me are immature because we play these games, you need to realize things are a lot different now. Exit out of Farmville, log off of Pogo, and close that DS, and take time to recognize the fact that we’re all gamers, whether we think it’s dumb or not cause these games really aren’t a kid’s toy anymore.

This past birthday, Melanie bought me a Blu-ray player and I, instantly, ran to the Netflix website and upgraded my account to include Blu-ray rentals. It was a match made in heaven as I added a ton of new releases to my queue and enjoyed the beauty of the amazing format. Things haven’t been as good, though, lately.

Here is a screen shot of my current queue:

Notice all of that red telling me that the various movies are temporarily unavailable. It’s not a great feeling to sit here and see that. Netflix is a great service, but are they maintaining inventory to keep up with demand or just sitting back and expecting us to deal with it? It’s still way too early to say I’m going to cancel my account, but it does make me consider the other options out there, such as Blockbuster’s service. They don’t charge extra for Blu-ray,which is nice, but I’m not sure how quick or reliable their shipping is, either.

When you use an iPhone or see one in use, you can’t help but be amazed by the beautiful fading and sliding transitions. You’re bound to have a similar reaction to some of the nicer Android phones out there. Then, in comes Windows Mobile with its bland interface that lacks customization abilities or any animation, whatsoever. It drives me nuts. Presentation may not be everything, but it does count for something.

The problem with WM is that there’s a lot of power locked behind an out dated interface that fails to inspire or hold one’s attention. Sure, there are masks put on it by companies like HTC, but even those replacement interfaces feel tacked on and never really seem to truly blend in with the rest of the operating system. This isn’t a problem that can be fixed by a mask, either. It runs throughout the system and always manages to rear its head at one point or another, despite how thorough of a masking job has been done.

My eyes were really opened to the importance of presentation, and specifically, animation in this article that I read a few days ago. It’s an interesting read and explains how exaggerated animations are important in creating the illusion of speed and an overall better “feel” to the device. It’s worth a read. What I find interesting is that, while using various test builds of the next version of Windows Mobile (6.5.1), I’ve witnessed Microsoft implement some of these exaggerated animations, particularly with scrolling, and then proceed to remove them in a later build. Don’t they get it?

This isn’t meant to be a full length article. I want to post more, but don’t wish to creatively drain myself. To keep a balance, I’m hoping to discuss aspects of my life or thoughts on the world around me in a way that stimulates discussion

I must say, though, I have been legally purchasing music more and more often because of Amazon. These guys just get it. They offer great quality files in a format that is universally supported by every single media player out there. How can it get better? Well, when they sell brand new albums at $3.99, it definitely gets better.

That’s what happened, today. I actually illegally downloaded the new Paramore album, “brand new eyes”. Before getting a chance to give it a listen, a tweet from Amazon’s MP3 Store appeared in my Twitter feed. They were offering, for a limited time, the album for only $3.99. The CD and iTunes versions are selling for $9.99. How can anyone say no to an entire album for a measly four bucks? You can’t. I deleted the illegal download and bought the album from Amazon. Why? Because these guys just get me.

Even in the two minutes worth of use, I was quickly able to realize how bad the keyboard is. Now I used to own a Samsung Blackjack (a phone with notoriously small keys), so I’m ok with a cramped keyboard. The problem here, though, isn’t down to the size of the keys or even how close they are. The real problem is two fold. First of all, the keys near the edges, especially the left side, were particularly hard to press. In the case of the ‘A’ key, I kept missing the key, outright, and hitting the raised edge immediately to the left of it. It was very frustrating. The second problem rests in the texture of the keys. They have a VERY rubbery feel to them and it was actually difficult to slide my fingers from one key to the next. A co-worker of mine, who came over as I was looking at the device, came to the same conclusion very quickly. He was amazed at how bad the keyboard was.

The rest of the hardware is also questionable. While the device is closed (keyboard is hidden behind the screen), it’s not that bad feeling. I’m actually quite amazed at how small the device is and how the screen, somehow, still appears to be so large. Great work on that front. Once you slide up the screen to reveal the keyboard, though, you’re greeted with plastic that feels rather thin and is somewhat sharp along the edges. I honestly got the impression that I was almost holding a cheap Chinese knockoff of another device. The perceived build quality is abysmal. Why weren’t those edges smoothed out and why does it have to feel so cheap in the hand?

I honestly can’t make any fair judgments about the software on the device, so my conclusion here is based PURELY on the few minutes I had with the hardware. Overall, the Palm Pre is going to suffer because of its hardware. It just feels cheap to hold and the very inefficient keyboard frustrated me in such a short time, so I can’t imagine having to deal with it on a daily basis.

Well, I finally found a gadget I like. Simply Weather , from Blue Onion Software, is a little simplistic in appearances, lacking any glossy graphics and what not, but works very well and shows all of the information I could expect to see in such a small space. If you’re like me and looking for a weather gadget, this is the one to use.

Apples advertisements started it all, without a doubt. You know the ads I’m talking about: You have the cool, hipster guy representing the Mac and a brown suit wearing geek playing the role of the PC. The spots are clever and very noticeable, which every company wants from an ad campaign. The problem is, though, that they are becoming more and more repetitive and lacking any real substance. The gist of any of the new Mac vs. PC ads is the same throughout: The PC will freeze and crash and the Mac won’t. We get it. You’ve made your point. However, besides the one commercial about facial recognition software being in the latest iPhoto, the Mac ads lack any real indication of some of the benefits of going with a Mac. Instead, Apple just keeps screaming “PCs suck because they freeze a lot” until it’s blue in the face. The premise is becoming slightly annoying.

Microsoft’s commercials have really picked up where the Mac ads left off. First, they had the whole “I’m a PC” campaign which was supposed to inspire us all to be proud of using a PC. It wasn’t exactly as successful as the big company from Redmond wanted, but it was cute enough. The current campaign and the one to follow the aforementioned campaign, is the “Laptop Hunters” series of ads. In these commercial spots, we’re invited to tag along as specifically generic people run around town looking for the right laptop for their needs. They all consider a Mac, but ultimately choose a PC since the Macs are too expensive, have small screens, are only about aesthetics, etc. The problem with these commercials, though, is that the people we’re following aren’t nearly as likeable as the characters in the Mac ads. Ok, Lauren was pretty personable, but the others weren’t and toed the line of being annoying and obnoxious. When you’re trying to win people over in an “I’m the cuter puppy” war, you generally want to make sure your spokespeople are likeable. Good old Microsoft: Corporate geniuses who are incapable of appealing, on that level, to the consumer.

So, what’s the point here? If I had to say one thing about these advertisements, it’s that they need to ramp it up. Why? Because the more audacious they are, the more people will whine and moan about every single little detail in every line of the script. For now on, Apple needs to have Justin Long (the guy who plays the Mac) say nothing but “You crash!” for the entire 30 seconds of each commercial. As for Microsoft, they need to pick people who really hit a nerve. The next laptop hunter should be a womanizing guido who says “Hey, oh!” and “You know what I mean?” after every other sentence. Maybe have him slap the saleswoman’s ass once or twice for good measure.

In all seriousness, though, the endless slapping match between Apple and Microsoft is getting a little tiresome. Apple’s advertisements have lost their point and Microsoft is trying to out-Apple Apple. I want the Apple ads to remind me of all the cool, hassle free features available on a Mac and I want Microsoft to stop trying to be cute and just play the mature, to the point role that has won them so much success in the corporate environment. If that doesn’t work, the least they can do is get Steve Ballmer on the air. He’s always entertaining.

My first Xbox 360 unit was only three months old when it decided to take its own life. On a glorious day, when I was off from work, I decided to play some MLB 2k7. Maybe my Xbox knew how bad the game was and decided to give me a hand; I couldn’t tell you. Whatever it was, though, the console decided to stop reading any and all media. Neither games nor movies would work anymore. Back to the store I went and home came a replacement.

Xbox number two didn’t fare much better. In fact, it decided that not only should I not play Project Gotham Racing 3, but I also should not get my disc back. The DVD drive simply lost all power. I have no idea how this happened, but there I was, with a screw driver, prying open the tray to get my darn disc back. Another trip to the store was in order and I was already feeling the pain and anguish of knowing I was going to be stuck in this relationship, continually coming back for more abuse.

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…If the iPhone “just works”, then a standard Windows Mobile installation just makes you want to put your head through a wall. Maybe it’s not that horrible, but its close enough to make anyone realize, pretty quickly, that work is needed. If you put in that work to tweak the experience, though, what you’ll get is what I love: A mobile phone that works with me instead of forcing me to change my ways.

One of the most critiqued areas of Windows Mobile is the user interface. It usually requires too many clicks. Even worse, for touch screen devices, most of the OS isn’t very finger friendly, requiring either a stylus to reach those tiny touch points or a knife to stab yourself in the chest and end your misery. The great thing about Windows Mobile’s interface, though, is that it’s not like the iPhone’s or Android’s…

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