Zagg keyboard for the iPad2

I finally got my Zagg keyboard for my iPad 2 and am very pleased with it. From a pros perspective, it connected with no trouble at all and types very well. I have another blue tooth keyboard for my droid X and while it works well, the set up was a little painful. I like the fit over my iPad, as it completely covers the device much like a turtle shell, so while in the case / keyboard, it is completely protected. From a con perspective, I wish the device could nest in the case face up when you are not using the keyboard, and the rise of the case means adjusting your hand position a bit to avoid having it rub the sides of your hands while you type. The keys are also a bit smaller than a normal keyboard, again, requiring a slight adjustment to typing style. On balance, I think it is a great device, making the iPad even more useful. I have only had it a couple of days now so the real test will be a couple of months from now when we see how much use it has gotten. At this point, the keyboard case has replaced my original iPad smart cover as the default cover and I am typing this review using the keyboard.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

It's been a while

I let a whole bunch of other projects get in the way of the blogging for quite a while now, as is clearly evident from the dearth of posts here. Over the last several months, I have used my droid heavily and the shine has come off the romance. :) It started shortly after the Froyo update, when the device went from rock solid to flaky. A complete reset seemed to stabilize it a bit, but it has never really been the same, even when brought back to factory defaults.

I can live with a little flakiness in a device, but when I rely on it as my primary means of navigation and entertainment when traveling, a random reboot in the middle of driving to the airport in a strange city is not really as funny as it might sound. Flakiness aside, I am also dealing with a hardware issue - the home button has decided to work... sometimes. Again - not the end of the world, but tedious none the less. I need to make time to get it into the Verizon store to see what the warranty (if any) will do for me.

You might think with these issues, I am no longer happy with the device - not the case. I am occasionally thrilled with it and amazed by it, and alternately ready to throw it out the window, but then, is that so unlike some relationships we might have with some family or friend? For now, I will keep using it and waiting on the contract to expire, or possibly repair my wife's broken screen on her old droid. Till then -

Kindle repairs...

So who knew - the Kindle 2 cover from Amazon seems to be causing breakage when opened incorrectly or dropped from a low height. The day before Thanksgiving I was out and about and had my Kindle with me when surprise - it fell. Now, it only fell from waist height and onto a wood floor, safely ensconced in the leather cover. No worries, right?

This is where I was surprised to find out that I had lost the top inch or so of the display. Completely surprised and suitably dismayed, I promptly tried the go-to remedy of reboot / restart with no luck. This was followed my a flurry of internet research leading to the discovery of the common problem and the fact that Amazon seemed to be offering repairs but sometimes charging 180$ of rthe service. Sweating the situation a bit, but comforted by the pattern I found of the cover as the culprit + cover sold by Amazon = some Amazon liability, I contacted support. After an email and then follow up phone call, they are shipping me a replacement at no cost, due in the 30th along with a mailing label to ship the broken one back at no charge. Way to go Amazon! additionally, the content will transfer to the new device with no problem and in the meantime, I can read where I left off using my iPod touch and the Kindle application. Sweet integration of technolgy.

Running an "Air Car"

I ran across a link to an interesting article today - a car that runs on air. Seems like an interesting idea to me, of course, there is a cost to generating the compressed air that has to be balanced against the elimination of traditional fuels. The article is at the HowStuffWorks site and talks through some of the challenges. 

The car will only be practicle for short commutes and is focused on city driving at this point, but like all the other ideas out there, a good start.

Wildcharge

While at work today, I finally came across an (almost) shipping version of what I have been hoping for. It's called Wildcharge and it offers true wireless power. There are a number of competing products that I've found as well indicating that the market may finally be ready! True wireless - I will buy it!

Verizon and my ppc-6700

So a while ago, I bought a new ppc-6700 from Verizon wireless to consolidate some functionality. I have my office apps, mapping software, photos, some tunes and oh yeah - a phone, all in one convenient device. Sounds good, right? I thought so. Then it happened. The screen stopped responding to input - bummer, but hey, I have the warranty through Verizon, plus the insurance plan so I'm covered. (I thought)

I went through all the troubleshooting steps in the manual and also the ones I found online, finally resetting it to factory defaults. When I took it to the Verizon tech, it took over an hour of explanation and repeating the steps to convince them to give me a replacement. Of course, none was to be had in the store but they would mail me a refurb device (I thought it was supposed to be a new one) in a week - quicker if I wanted to pay for it. No thanks, I'll wait the week.

The new device arrived! So I got it up and running and I moved all my stuff over. Then it began flaking out on me. At first, it was random - power cycling and so on. As time went on, it got worse and worse until it just shut itself completely off every time I left it alone for more than a matter of minutes. This is bad, especially when you use it for business as well as fun. Another trip to Verizon#$%@ This time, only 20 minutes to convince them it was broken since it would not stay on to troubleshoot - I suppose that's progress, right? Then I had to convince the phone rep that I did not want to buy another phone (I was eligible for an upgrade) but I wanted them to replace the phone again under warranty. Well, they are shipping a new one, we will see how it goes. I think the next phone I buy will be a mil-spec basic phone...

Got my new phone - wouldn't you know it, it failed also. Again Verizon hit me with the, why don't you just pay to upgrade line. Well, that's customer service. It took a mention of the better business bureau to get them to rethink their position. Finally I got a new phone. Let's hope I meet with more success then the last couple of times. At this point I have spent hours on the phone with Verizon and as much time in the store itself. Whatever happened to customer service? I guess it went the way of the dinos and bag phones...