Green Mesh

Droid Tips & Tricks: Two docks and an app that makes one free

2009-11-21T01:18:17Z

There is a multimedia dock and a mobile navigation windshield dock for the Droid.

I found free app in the Android Market, DockRunner, that puts the Droid into the multimedia dock mode without the charging base.

The multimedia dock mode turns the face of the Droid into a large clock, with basic weather, and quick access to the alarm, music and a night mode.

The mobile dock simplifies the display for navigation and use while suction cupped to the windshield. It comes with with a power supply.

Droid Tips & Tricks: A compass used in apps augments reality

2009-11-20T14:23:57Z

The built in magnetometer (compass) on the Droid is used in apps like Google Sky Map and street level navigation.

The sensor provides information to the Droid about how the position of the phone is changing, useful when GPS is static.

Google Sky Map is an app that uses this to plot a real-time perspective of heavenly bodies. It works inside and out because it uses the strong magnetic force of the earth to orientate.

Google's street level navigation uses the compass to give you perspective when standing in one place.

Other sensors detecting gravity, an accelerometer, proximity and ambient light give app developers tools to develop interesting ways for us to interact with our environment.

And there there are several compass apps you can download from the Android Market if you just want to look at a compass.

Droid Tips & Tricks: Beware of magnetic cases, a generic solution for war Droids

2009-11-19T00:35:42Z

Aside from your hand or pocket, there are two ways to carry a Motorola Droid available from the Verizon store.

One is a hard plastic snap in holster where one face of the phone is exposed and the other a horizontal leather holster.

The open face holster warns to place phone face in to prevent scratching it. Personally, I worry more about a scuffed camera lens. A scratched face is usable.

The horizontal solution lacks a belt clip that locks and unless you are fat the brunt of shock to the phone will twist it over your hip bone. It leaves no room for a waist belt lens system.

I needed a padded, secure case that is water resistant (a flap), a belt clip that won't come off when you are crawling and a vertical pull out so that the phone is grabbed securely on the longest side. This makes it less likely to get dropped.

The generic holster websites are swarming with holsters "specifically for the Droid", but many have magnetic closures. Many of these sites combine BlackBerry holsters with Droid.

A magnetic closure on a Blackberry automatically puts it to sleep, while on the Droid it puts it into a docking mode, something that is directly opposite of what you want to accomplish with a holster - prevent drain of the battery.

I found a generic case at Target today that works perfectly for the purpose. It says Golla on the case and is probably for an iPhone, but they are the same size.

As an added measure of lens protection, I sewed in the cleaning cloth you get with the screen protectors, as eventually the nylon in the case will damage the lens surface.

Droid Tips & Tricks: #Droid Twitter feed - photos in print, a live stream

2009-11-18T13:37:22Z

The morning started with a last minute do or die! (in my mind) trial of live streaming from the Droid.

It worked!

At first, our web platform wouldn't update the code embed fast enough, but our graphics editor Chris Glass took the risk and let the update cook. After awhile, I started seeing positive comments in my twitter feed scrolling across the viewfinder of the phone in Qik and I knew something was happening.

Live streaming from a phone, while using voice on another phone to communicate with the office, is somewhat awkward taking into account that the live microphone is on the first phone. I think we will communicate via the twitter feed layer in the future.

And then former York Daily Record correspondent Greg Gross walked by and said to me, "I saw that on the YDR site and it looks good". He later said that it wasn't buffering and jerky like live cams usually are.

Later in the day

I had several photos on my desktop and asked Brad Jennings, my photo editor, to pick.

I had provided one photo from the Droid for a web update earlier in the day. Brad picked the Droid photo among others from a Nikon D2HS.

It's nice to capture a moment, once!

I have been using a BlackBerry Storm (3.2 MP with an excellent camera and powerful flash) for about a year for still web update photos. Before the BlackBerry, I used a Samsung Flipshot (3 MP) and before that a Samsung SCH-A990 (3.2 MP).

It saves time not booting up a laptop and a photo can be published in a few minutes from camera to website.

The (5 MP) still image that comes out of the Droid opens in Photoshop as a 2592x1936, 14 MB, 300 px/in image.

The live stream was in the 480 pixel range using Verizon's 3G. Different size streams can be obtained depending on the service and using WiFi over 3G.

paulkuehnel: Three photos from same shoot r on desktop, 2 r from Nikon D2HS, editor picks #droid pix. Open in PSD saz 14.4 MP http://twitgoo.com/55ush

paulkuehnel: Zebra sky and cherry candy. http://twitgoo.com/55ssx

paulkuehnel: Hard to imagine a web editor pulling a useable 100 pixil macro thumbnail out of a (5 mp) fon pix #droid

paulkuehnel: First live video feed from #droid & vz 3G to ydr.com someone walked by and said it looked good. I was just happy it worked.

]]> paulkuehnel: Nice touch #droid when in SMS, a green dot tells you can move over to g-talk and not use SMS. A nice bit of bedtime. Freeness

paulkuehnel: Bridge on main street in spring grove is buying some time until replacement http://twitgoo.com/55s7s

paulkuehnel: I was referring to the screen of the #droid for the twitter feedback in #qik so that the operator knows what's going on

paulkuehnel: #Qik pushes twitter feedback directly layering on screen during live video stream #droid so people can comment

paulkuehnel: Qik - paul test video by paulkuehnel http://qik.ly/qtpV

paulkuehnel: Qik - paul test video by paulkuehnel http://qik.ly/qthe

paulkuehnel: Qik - paul test video by paulkuehnel http://qik.ly/qtnF

paulkuehnel: BoAnn Myers received the spruce as a 5th wed ann gift, 35 years later it shines on continental square http://twitgoo.com/55p9i

Droid Tips & Tricks: York Daily Record streams first live 3G phone video

2009-11-17T21:32:28Z

It's a moment in a journalist's career akin to watching the first man walk on the moon.

Someone FINALLY made a cell phone, an operating system and combined it with a wireless network that can reliably stream acceptable live video that isn't the size of a postage stamp.

The video in itself isn't that great, but the first "photograph" in 1839 wasn't too great either by today's standards. It sure beat sitting for a painting.

Next comes refinement and integration into our Brightcove video platform.

On Monday, Brightcove will release a massive upgrade supporting a native video player on the iPhone.

So Droid and the iPhone might be able to play together in the near future.

Droid Tips & Tricks: Three live video streaming apps, one streamed well

2009-11-17T07:30:33Z

There are a few solutions for replacing that bulky live TV truck with Android, your 3G data connection and a streaming Flash window embedded in a web page.

I tested Qik, Bambuser and Ustream.tv

All three apps worked well interfacing with the Motorola Droid running Android 2.0.

All three offer some form of interfacing with social networks and manual embedding.

For me it came down to which service streamed the best and gave the largest picture. Qik was the only service that worked well at the time of testing.

Of course, none of my testing is scientific. The results could have varied due to many things at the time of testing.

Qik embeds as a single stream and the flash window turns into an archived copy, while Ustream.tv embeds as a specific channel and the window lets the viewer know that it has the potential of being a live stream. Ustream.tv also has a revenue share plan.

Exciting concept! More testing and a work flow to come.

Broadcasting Live with Ustream.TV

Droid Tips & Tricks: #Droid Twitter stream today

2009-11-17T04:16:45Z

Some testing today of live streaming and a Droid photo zoomed in from a moving car.

paulkuehnel: Deaf & partially blind, she likes to help people and listen to their problems. Reads their lips & prays for them http://twitgoo.com/54tmp

paulkuehnel: If i time it just right i can sit here http://bit.ly/9mhZ0 interact with my subject and avoid interacting w mall security

paulkuehnel: Live cut Christmas trees!? http://twitgoo.com/54swn half way zoomed on steady shot moving 35mph shot from t hip droid

paulkuehnel: Come 2 the conclusion: there are 2 droid reviews. 1 by iPhone users who want it 2 b an iPhone & those who dnt have an iPhone and like it.

]]>
paulkuehnel: Mobile record http://ustre.am/:aNym

paulkuehnel: ok ustream is working, but it's cloppy compared to Qik (paulkuehnel live › http://ustre.am/89J5)

paulkuehnel: Hey @paulkuehnel (paulkuehnel live › http://ustre.am/89J5)

paulkuehnel: Ignore all these live streaming #droid tweets.. testing and deleting

paulkuehnel: Live #Droid Ustream.Tv http://www.ustream.tv!

paulkuehnel: Qik - paul test video by paulkuehnel http://qik.ly/qpah

paulkuehnel: Qik - Mobile video by @paulkuehnel http://qik.ly/qpY7

paulkuehnel: Google AdSense cont 2 poll via handset app update push for Taskiller 2day ad appears w update. Small, app runs the same "good" #droid

paulkuehnel: How often do you see a development story where the trees stay and the houses may go http://twitgoo.com/54uih

paulkuehnel: @andreacecil what a concept I'm drinking sugar made from plants like most animals do http://twitgoo.com/54tok

VIDEO: Celebration of the Articles of Confederation

2009-11-16T01:01:21Z

Life is easy today not worrying about a king lopping off your ear or a day in the stocks.

It's the time of year we remember York's role in adopting the Articles of Confederation.

Droid Tips & Tricks: Listen is a search way to think podcasting

2009-11-15T15:26:35Z

There are many apps in the Android Market for podcasting. I choose Google Listen first because I want to understand the philosophy behind Google's push into the smartphone business.

Once telling a friend how much I enjoyed podcasts using a BlackBerry Storm, he seemed surprised thinking that people could only receive podcasts though the iTunes store.

Actually "podcasting" or rather the idea of streaming programmed content has been around since the AM radio was invented and people gathered around a wooden box with glowing tubes to hear a favorite program. Eventually, portable AM radios made this programming mobile.

Using the app Podtrapper, on my Blackberry, I downloaded and cached podcasts over the wireless connection after going down a static list in the app or entering in a URL that I obtained from a search engine.

Once it was set up, the phone updated automatically. It was my self-contained portable transistor AM radio, only I was the station programmer.

Google's Listen podcasting app begins as a search, then you can stream and cache the programs all from the phone.

Once you find a podcast you like, the podcast falls into the directory and automatically updates as new podcasts appear in the series. You can also search by most popular and most popular term searches. Your search terms are saved as bookmarks.

Updated podcasts will stream from one to the next in your updated series.

Closing the program leaves you right where you left off in a particular podcast.

You can obtain more (previous) episodes from a single touch.

You can add a URL from a podcast found in the wild.

Listen has pulled me out of my box of podcast listening because the search and play is so convenient and all from the handset.

The search begins with podcasts most recently updated so you aren't wasting time looking at something that hasn't been updated in 300 days.

Listen turns podcasting on your Droid into a live feed for podcasts, updating what you like and giving you a quick mobile sample of the latest of what the world has to offer.

Droid Tips & Tricks: Google AdSense beta in apps and a vote "Good" or "Bad"

2009-11-15T14:52:24Z

It's interesting to watch the evolution of Google and how they plan to extract revenue out of "free".

Open source operating system, open app development for the masses, and free services... and along comes Google AdSense.

I received an automatic update push this morning to my handset for an update of a free app I like called Taskiller.

Taskiller is very useful on a multitasking phone. After a day, you realize just how many programs are running and Taskiller provides a quick list, quick kill of apps running in the background.

This particular upgrade came with a notification of an AdSense beta roll-out. There will be an option to pay for an ad free version.

The Android Market already runs a rotating ad on the home page.

I can vote on Google's concept after a detailed description, whether I think this is a good or bad idea.

Working in a business where advertising fuels my paycheck, I voted GOOD!

It's a warm fuzzy, for a jaded consumer like me, when a huge corporation asks my opinion before moving ahead.

Droid Tips & Tricks: #Droid Twitter stream today

2009-11-15T05:14:16Z

Using twitvid.com as a video service off of twitroid on Droid provides the choice of two different mobile stream sizes along with the Flash that comes up on desktop browsers for the same link.

A cool universal feed for directly posting twitter videos from Android phones. The Flash page also includes an embed for the flash video.

Allows downloading and posts Droids HD video.

paulkuehnel: Liking twitvid.com it builds a mobile non-flash video feed in two different sizes for mobile viewing for drect feeds into twitter droid

]]> paulkuehnel: Berries in full glory http://twitgoo.com/543mx

paulkuehnel: Lucy the cat has me in a love pin, her eye probes on full force. http://twitgoo.com/541o7

paulkuehnel: She has a full head of steam! http://twitvid.com/6D49A this is what geeks do on a Friday night. This is where my luv of boilers began!

paulkuehnel: Trying to get a 40 year old steam engine running and listening to podcasts http://twitgoo.com/538rm

Droid Tips & Tricks: The totally synced mobile Google Calendar

2009-11-15T01:01:48Z

The native synced calender for the Droid is Google Calendar.

It does everything the web version can do with the addition of swiping between days and months. Tap on the bubbles and you can edit and save your entries in all the fields.

Map and address links sync directly with Google Maps and it's turn-by-turn navigation.

Like my BlackBerry, phone numbers in the calendar link directly to the phone for a quick call.

For a squeezed journalist, it is a sweet time saver to look at the schedule and setup navigation in one tap and then call the person in one tap when the address is wrong.

Initial links from the phone menu button include agenda, that gives you a rundown of the days events, week, month, new event, today and settings.

Settings allow you to define ring tone and vibrate for alerts and notifications that update in the notifications shade.

You can layer multiple calendars.

I layer my work and personal calendars, so both streams are separate and synced

A widget placed on the desktop can give you quick access to the the calender and it is updated with the current event.

There is a separate calendar link labeled Corporate Calendar for Exchange users.

Droid Tips & Tricks: Free turn-by-turn navigation is Google maps animated, on steroids

2009-11-13T17:37:55Z

The free turn-by-turn navigation on the Droid is familiar Google Maps unleashed as a mobile navigation tool.

This evolution for turn-by-turn navigation incorporates Google's street view photos that move along with you real-time.

Using a button on the navigation screen, you can toggle between the map view and the street level view that follows you along with important details from the the map layers. Tiny pop-up bubbles appear to give you evolving information about your streets.

You can also swipe your finger across the screen and see around you, change elevation and zoom forward in the street view.

You can request a search by voice recognition.

"Maps of restaurants" will give you restaurants in your GPS location; a map of push pins to explore as well as a directory with star ratings and links.

You can also navigate from a point on the map of your choosing. Look over the map and touch the location. Great if you can't find an address and want to just look at a map and point.

Route searches include transit maps, pedestrian route and traffic condition updates.

There is also a list of turn by turn directions for those who prefer running their brains in manual.

The updates and reroutes have updated without lag over the week I've been using it. The maps have this soothing, liquid transition about them leading you to believe that there is some nice buffering in place, but the reroutes are also immediate leading me to believe there is a good network in place.

The voice is adjustable from the phone's media volume toggle and is amply loud and crisp.

There is also a suction cup windshield mount available as an accessory, that places (it's a magnet) the phone in the mobile mode and alters it's function for driving.

While using the phone for navigation without the mobile cradle, notifications from your multitasking operations continue to come in as a vibration and the subtle blue blinking LED status light.

My monthly cost for using this smart phone is actually $10 less than my previous smart phone due to the fact that I don't pay for navigation now.

Look for this navigation in other phones running Android 2.0.

Free and excellent are a good combination.

Recycled plastic used for railroad ties and bridges

2009-11-13T15:46:26Z

The U.S. Army has contracted two bridges made from a thermoplastic composite and recycled plastic. To demonstrate its strength a 70-ton M1A1 Abrams tank was driven across the bridge at its official unveiling in September.

According to Axion, the company with the contract to build the bridge, its recycled plastic railroad ties are actually longer-lasting that typical creosote-treated wood railroad ties.
news.cnet.com

Every year we make enough plastic film to shrink-wrap the state of Texas...An estimated 14 billion pounds of trash, much of it plastic is dumped in the world's oceans every year... theskinner

Droid Tips & Tricks: A totally mobile, refundable, app store you can author

2009-11-13T13:38:11Z

Android takes the future of the app store and hands it over to the developer, consumer.

It is an entirely mobile app stream where refunds and updates are all accomplished from your handset. It starts with a search field but also breaks down into categories of most downloaded and types of apps.

I like the "Just in" category. For me, it serves as an alternative news feed of the latest apps which are just pouring in these days. I check the "Just in" app feed for a look at what people are developing.

There is little risk when reviewing a paid app because uninstalling them automatically credits your purchase immediately.

Once your card of choice is saved into the Android Market, the purchase and credit is a one button affair.

Access to the Android Market is via an icon on your mobile desktop and the refund is instantaneously obtained by Settings>Applications and choosing the app from the list

If feeling rogue, you can opt out of exclusively downloading from the Android Market and download from the wild through an opt out check.

Once you have your zillion apps downloaded, updates are received automatically through the notifications shade from the top of the home screen from where you can update all your apps from the wireless connection.

Once you have paid for an app you don't pay for it again.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the Android Market is the open door for those with the skills to develop apps.

It's the rebirth of the mom & pop corner store, but this time for the geek.

It's like Walmart charging you a small fee to access their retail network to sell your ideas and hard work from your corner store, globally.

Anyone with the skill set, ambition and a great idea can be part of a global economy that seems to be more and more dominated by corporations that force you into consolidation and the sucking sound of a single revenue stream to them.

This is what I love most about Droid.