Samsung Galaxy S II REVIEW

Nokia N9 UNBOXING & REVIEW

TRENT IS BACK...with an unboxing sneak peek

Reflection on my Fitness Endeavor

For a number of years I had taken up running every now and then, but never adopted a steady routine for the betterment of my own health. I purchased my Nike+ Sport Kit in 2006 with every intention of becoming serious about my cardio, but as luck, web surfing and Judge Judy episodes would have it, I succumbed to excuses and chose the relaxation of my sofa, TV, and laptop. During these years of intermittent physical activity, I also had my fill of calories via heavy portions either at home or at restaurants. I was successful in convicing myself that my half-assed attempt at physical fitness was sufficient, so I never felt the need to strive for anything more. In such bliss of self-afflicted ignorance, I was content, I was satisfied, I was whole...I was wrong. Overall, my weight loss pattern was up and down as I dabbled here and there in cardio in addition to weight lifting. The worst part came when I decided to focus solely on weight lifting and protein shakes while completely disregarding cardio altogether. I bulked up to Shrek dimensions and was not pleased with the result, but still too lazy to do anything about it.

It was late August 2010 and I had returned home from another weekend vacation at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware with my close friends with a lowered self-esteem. Seeing pictures of myself with the group at the beach house and the shore really put things into perspective for me. The potential for man boobage was extremely obvious on top of the chunkiness that resided in my thighs, midsection, face and neck. As much as I loved my father, I sure as hell did not want to end up reflecting his image at that point in my life of being 29! (Sorry, dad!) I could recall from previous years when a female colleague claimed that I reminded her of Michael Clark Duncan from The Green Mile and when a TRENT SENSE YouTube subscriber compared me to Cole Train from Gears of War...not my best moments. Instead of sinking into my own private hell of self-loathing and pity, I made my mind up to get the f**k up and get moving...LITERALLY!

Over the next few months, I took on a strict fixation to my own personal mission of physical redemption for my body that involved cardio seven days a week and a 1200 calorie diet. I am the first to admit that this was not the healthy route for the average person, but I needed a jolt of change to my lifestyle...especially amidst the stress of being jobless and dealing with issues on the homefront. Taking on my iPod nano and Nike+ Sport Kit was indeed a challenge at first with recurring shin splints in the first couple weeks, but I pushed through it! At this time, I believe that completing 4 to 6 mile runs was the initial goal. What had further inspired me was seeing a magazine insert about Al Roker completing 5 miles in 1 hour. At that point, I made it a daily goal to achieve the same, but I ended up running 6 miles in 1 hour!!  As time went on into the end of 2010, I had worked myself into the range of 9 miles per run!

During this period, I succeeded at going from 240 pounds to 200 pounds, but was not losing anymore despite my continued runs into 2011. I had hit a plateau, and the surest solution was the re-introduction of weights back into my daily fitness routine. This cardio/weightlifting duo with my strict diet from early January to May had caused for my body to be transformed with increased muscular definition and a weight loss to 170 pounds!

I DID IT! I had not only achieved the best shape of my life, but I had surpassed my physique from the early 2006 period when I was working out a few times a week! I was even in much better shape than when I was in the US Air Force in 2000! My silhouette was slender like the Na'vi on Avatar, and certain parts of my body took on a sinewy appearance with bulging veins! For the first time, I could honestly claim to have washboard abs...and have others support such a claim with boundless enthusiasm! I could confidently complete my daily 10 mile runs shirtless through the streets of Downtown Norfolk and Ghent and appreciate turning heads and exchanging greetings with fellow runners. Yes, in so many words, I felt like the "hot stuff" Donna Summer had sung about and was at liberty to sing along to Rod Stewart's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy"...and I had no qualms about it, even though I did maintain a bit of modesty to not seem like a complete moron. The worst thing about this physical transformation was my pants dwindling to only two pairs of 32 inch waist jeans after all the other pants and shorts at 36 to 40 inches were no longer a suitable fit for me. A great benefit was having the security to abandon my strict diet altogether and eat whatever I wanted as long as sensible portions were adhered to. In the midst of all the excitement of achieving such a milestone for myself, I did not realize my body had taken on the fitness routine as second nature to the point where I feel withdrawal on days I didn't run.

Upon posting physique pictures to Twitter and Facebook, I got questions asking how I accomplished such a change. For myself, the answer was a strict diet and daily weight training+cardio...but there were other crucial factors: STRESS and DRIVE. There were inevitable situations in my personal life that could not be helped, and taking on a fitness routine was definitely a godsend in providing an outlet. Weightlifting and running are enjoyable activities that calm my inner spirit much like meditation, so I have come to prefer being alone. As much as I hate sounding like an anti-social hermit in this regard, there is simply a concentration required that would be thrown off in the company of someone else. In the midst of relying on this outlet to maintain my sanity, there was an inner determination to keep pushing myself to my final goal. Recording daily logs of my running progress via Nike+, RunKeeper, SportsTracker, and Garmin Connect seemed like overkill, but it held me accountable for my own efforts. Being able to see improvement over time with timing and distance really inspired me to keep up the momentum. I should also mention the confidence boost received from physique photos taken before and during my continued fitness mission!   

At the end of the day, the most important ingredient in achieving any goal is drive. In addition to the obvious physical transformation, I am also proud of the fact that I accomplished it WITHOUT a gym membership or home treadmill! I held myself responsible for my own goal and chose not to depend on anyONE or anyTHING else to reach it. In sun, rain, Miami humidity, Ocracoke Island mosquitoes, snow, icy roads, and even slight sickness, I kept pushing myself to just do it even when I did not feel up to it! Now that I am maintaining a 175 pound weight with a great muscular definition on a daily basis, I am glad to say that the effort has paid off in more ways than one. My weightlifting and 10 mile runs have become a way of life to which my body has become acclimated, and I would have it no other way!

Trent Smith
TRENT SENSE blogger/YouTube host
http://about.me/trentsense/bio
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S II

Lyric Opera Virginia: "La Traviata" Behind the Scenes 2

Nokia N8 HD (WomWorld) - Hurricane Irene flooding

Nokia E7 HD EDIT - Hurricane Irene Progress

My 4inch Smartphone Arsenal

After using the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro in addition to the Nokia E6 and Samsung Galaxy Pro, I realized how much I had become accustomed to the large screen in everyday usage. At one point, anything over 3.5inches was considered huge, but supergiants at 4inches and above began to eventually take over the mobile phone market. Getting my taste of Android on the Samsung Captivate, Symbian S3 on the Nokia E7, and Windows Phone 7 on the Dell Venue Pro was enough to permanently rearrange the way I saw the general smartphone for my own wants. It was clear that for any future device to even become considered for possible adoption in my arsenal, its display had to be at least 4 inches...NO EXCEPTIONS!

I also discovered yet another key element of change to my smartphone usage: the death of the portrait qwerty bar form factor. From my first Palm Treo 680 to the Sony Ericsson P990 and P1i to the Nokia E62, E61i, and E71, I was quite familiar with that build and could not see myself doing without it. With devices like the Nokia E90, N97, N97 mini, N900, HTC TyTN, Touch Pro 1 and 2, and AT&T Tilt, the beginning stage of my waning dependence was taking place...and I had no idea at that time. I even went through a phase where I proclaimed disapproval of the sliding qwerty in favor of faster access on the portrait bar. However, even this argument began to lose water in lieu of my using the Captivate with the Freedom Pro bluetooth keyboard and being blown away with such wireless tech prowess. Gradually, the appeal that once inspired me to hold the qwerty bar in high regard was fading...especially as I was drawn more and more to large touch screens.

The dust had settled after taking my time with the Nokia E6 and Samsung Galaxy Pro, and I was over both models for different reasons. The E6 suffered from a touch screen that was too small while the Galaxy Pro's HORRIBLE resolution made the screen almost useless for any worthwhile use. But underlying those initial problems was the fact that my heart was no longer invested in supporting the qwerty bar anymore. Even the opportunity to finally have Android with a hardware qwerty failed to make either the Galaxy Pro appealing or the HTC Status worth my time at the AT&T Store. In regards to wanting a larger screen, the Xperia Pro fell victim to rejection due to its 3.7inch display. While its typing experience was not bad on the sliding qwerty keys, swiping through the OS in closed mode was not on the same level as my Galaxy S2 or Venue Pro. In a funny way, it seemed that my fingertips kept running off the edge of the XPro screen since I was so used to a larger surface area.

As a result, I always felt at home when I would return my SIM card to the Galaxy S2...I even found appeal with the Venue Pro after dusting it off and playing with it via WiFi in my home! The proof was in the pudding: 4inches would be my minimum requirement for adopting another phone as my own. Another interesting twist to the situation materialized as a result of my not favoring the Nokia E6 with its Symbian Anna OS: I used extra funds to purchase a blue E7. While much of my reasoning involved Symbian nostalgia, there was also the necessity of formatting microSD cards that had been used in a WP7 device. Thanks to the USB OTG feature, the E7 could still pull off this feat with a card reader despite its lack of an internal card slot! In addition to those positives, there was also the amazing build quality, sturdy slider, capable keyboard and 4inch ClearBlack display in case I ever wanted to have another go with the Symbian OS again...even in its future Anna and Belle versions.

With the addition of the blue Nokia E7, my supergiant arsenal seemed complete with the 4.3inch Galaxy S2 running Android and 4inch Venue Pro running WP7.  Since the Galaxy S2 basically measured up as a most perfect Android candidate while the E7 and Venue Pro offered the best of competing OS models, was there really a need to continue waiting for the unlocked GSM version of the Droid 3? Maybe not.

Trent Smith
TRENT SENSE blogger/YouTube host
http://about.me/trentsense/bio
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S II

Thanks to WomWorld Nokia

There aren't any words that can fully experess the gratitude I have for the staff of WomWorld Nokia.  Over the years, a partnership fostered via Nokia device trials eventually led to being invited to trips for various special events ranging from a tech trade show to a desert excursion to an exclusive movie screening. When I began shooting my first YouTube video in talking about my first Nokia E90 Communicator, I never imagined my destiny would involve such a worthwhile venture with WomWorld Nokia! For such an established company to put its trust in me to review phones and put forth a genuine persona in attending special events still feels surreal to this day.

Every time I've had to correspond with WomWorld staff via email in the early years, there was always a sense of professionalism, and this was further enhanced when I finally had the chance to meet staffers in person. There was Tom Messett and Adam Woodley on my first trip to Orlando, FL for the CTIA Wireless trade show; Donna Suffling and Kathy Garfield on the exploration of the Nevada desert; and finally James Whatley and Donna Suffling again at the Transformers 3 screening in Miami. Through all of the fun activity, it was also a great pleasure to meet Mindy Miller of Nokia who always added a dose of humor and sunshine wherever she went! The best part about meeting these people was how each of them allowed themselves to have a great time with all invited members. While letting loose in rampant conversation and endless banter was always a give in for the invited bunch, I never lost sight of how the WomWorld/Nokia team members all maintained focus on their work. It was definitely not unusual to hear of one of them staying up late or getting up early to be chained to a laptop for the sake of fulfilling pending duties. This kind of dedication did not go unnoticed, and I could not help but have respect for them all.

I an addition to giving thanks to WomWorld and its amazing staff, I must also thank each and every single soul I had the pleasure of getting to know on my trips. It was definitely an experience to be starstruck in seeing faces that were always appearing on social networks on my Mac. For a change, I could finally engage in smartphone-centered conversations that were two-way! I had lost count of moments at home when friends would either smile and nod as I went on and on about a phone. Being granted the opportunity to be with colleagues on the same level was one of those life experiences that made feel 100% whole.

Overall, my journey as a blogger and gadget enthusiast still continues even if I have slowed down quite a bit, and I am just grateful to be along for the ride. What I didn't expect was being told about how my uploaded videos had truly inspired others to either become bloggers or buy certain smartphones! This one part of all my excursions still remains the most memorable to me...aside from phone stress tests, a red-carpet media event for TF3, horseback riding, clubbing (with a sirloin slider on the dancefloor), chicken and waffles in Vegas, Nokia Maps scavenger hunting, quad racing, running in Miami humidity, alligator sightseeing, mine touring, a money-hungry taxi driver, a Lady Antebellum concert, and seeing The Edge from U2 and Tyrese Gibson IN PERSON!!

Without a doubt, if it weren't for WomWorld seeking me out with that email years ago to introduce me to an E75 and E71 review unit, I would not be where I am today.

Trent Smith
Sent from my Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro

HTC Inspire 4G: The Atrix Rebound

This was a word document being written on the Inspire 4G about the Inspire 4G, and the fact that I was typing on the virtual qwerty said enough in itself about its responsiveness. Even though its virtual qwerty was not really on the same level as Windows Phone 7, the 4.3inch width and word completion made up for it. With such substantial support for my hands, thumb typing never felt so good on any previous Android model I've used. What drew me to the HTC phone in the first place was the UI overlay of Sense feeling better than the MotoBLUR alternative upon trying demo units in an AT&T and Verizon store on the same day. Between the Motorola Bravo, Droid Pro/X, and HTC Incredible, it was quite obvious that Blur had a ways to go to even be on the same level as Sense. Tolerating another clunky UI overlay after TouchWiz on the Captivate was certainly not at the top of my list, and I was not going to start then.

In addition to the software prowess of HTC, the hardware was also a great find as well. A fantastic blend of soft-touch plastic and metal felt great on the Inspire's back and gave it a polished, high-quality presence. From the considerable amount of weight and feel of such solid components, I was actually reminded of the Nokia N8 for a brief moment! After being with the plethora of plastic from Samsung on the Captivate and Focus, the Inspire was indeed a great departure! Unfortunately, there was a snag in the promising hardware design that emerged from what seemed to be a faulty battery door. I struggled to pry open this door from the slot for about three to four minutes, and even bent my index finger nail backwards in the process! I eventually had to rely on a flat-head screwdriver to save the day, but at the price of having some damage done to the plastic slot. While the other door for the SIM and microSD slots was much easier to remove, I was relieved to know the battery door would only have to be opened that one time. After getting over that tragedy, I was overjoyed to know there was a notification LED included on this Android device! After SO many months of tolerating the lack of this most useful feature, I finally got it back with HTC. The 4.3inch SuperLCD screen was indeed a mammoth alternative to the 3.5 and 4inch variants I had used previously, and I was afraid of reliving the portability horrors of the HD2. Sadly, after the honeymoon period, I had to admit that the width and weight of the Inspire was too much. While daily handling of the Inspire was somewhat tolerable, running with it for RunKeeper GPS tracking was a different story. In the course of a run, the size and weight of the device was more noticeable than previous phones, and I also worried constantly about a potential fall damaging its nice build. Removing from my pocket to check cardio tracking progress felt more cumbersome since the 4.3inch screen required both hands to safely operate while running. A belt clip holster would have been an option, but at the sacrifice of my own comfort during exercise. As much as I loved its Sense UI, the Inspire once again reminded me of why I preferred the 4inch screen as a maximum for a mobile phone.

HTC's track record in camera quality for recording video with acceptable audio had not always been a good one, and the Inspire continued this with its offering on the 8 megapixel camera unit. My HD footage test in 720p was not only unimpressive from a visual standpoint with lackluster frame rates, but the tinny audio also played a part in this as well. However, taking still pictures was acceptable even with a dual LED flash that was stunningly bright.

Signal reception was no different than any other smartphone I had previously used. I experienced no dropped calls on AT&T 3G. Actually, there was a strange occurrence with the "H" for HSDPA appearing on the Android taskbar even though I was informed by an AT&T store rep that 4G had not been enabled for my area yet.

GPS worked amazingly well in my usage of RunKeeper for tracking outside runs and Google Navigator on road trips. Obtaining a signal lock happened fairly quickly and there was never any trouble in maintaining its accuracy in route recalculations.

The loudspeaker was yet another area in which HTC fell short for playing back multimedia files for both music and movies. While I was not surprised after once again considering HTC's track record, this was still disappointing to see such a large screen go to waste for the most part without any wired headphones. If audio feedback was not tinny, it was too low for adequate listening even at the highest volume levels. I did find a way to amplify sound with the placement of the corner between my thumb and index finger, but this proved to be an inconvenience in holding the phone for long periods. Even with on-board sound enhancements of SRS and Dolby in addition to standard EQ settings, the differences could hardly be discerned from the lackluster volume on the Inspire. To make matters worse, the mic on my Sony wired headphones did not work for voice calls and playback controls on my Sony bluetooth headset were useless. As a result, this brought on a rare moment where I found myself missing the Captivate.

The SuperLCD display was no competition to the SuperAMOLED from Samsung, but still was not too bad for granting an acceptable viewing experience for the HTC Sense UI. Seeing pictures and movies was indeed impressive on the 4.3 inch screen alone. If not from sheer color representation and visual clarity, the Inspire could at least stand apart with its screen measurements.

Battery life with the Inspire left a lot to be desired...a LOT! When I first read of the 1230mAh capacity, I was not ever expecting a full day of usage from the HTC phone. Memories of the HD2's battery began running through my mind, so I prepared myself for the worst. The latest Android offering from AT&T and HTC certainly managed to meet my worst expectations. The lackluster battery performance on one overnight charge barely got the phone past half a day before it was below 50%! There was no doubt that I would have to keep an AC adapter in my pocket to get any decent reliability on the phone. In retrospect, I may have had a faulty unit since other users online have accounted for decent battery life on their Inspire 4G units.

Overall, I really wanted to fully appreciate the pros of the Inspire involving the notification LED and its Sense UI, but the battery life, poor speaker quality, lackluster video camera and chunky size kept me from doing so. Honestly, the upcoming Atrix from Motorola was due to arrive with its laptop dock to AT&T, and I couldn't help but be tempted by what seemed to be a better upgrade at the time. Unfortunately, I really did not have much time to get comfortable with the Sense UI upon exchanging the Inspire for the Atrix after only a week. Usually, I would have felt guilty for such an action...but my admitted excitement over the new Motorola just could not be swayed. HTC made a considerable Android effort in the Inspire, but it was not enough to keep my attention. Maybe in the future I would have another opportunity to try the Sense UI.

Trent Smith
TRENT SENSE blogger/YouTube host
http://about.me/trentsense/bio
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S II

1080p SGS2 Footage - Direct upload

Nokia Transformers 3 Miami Premiere With Michael Bay

This video was created by my good friend CJ Wallis, one of the great folks I met on the WomWorld Nokia Miami trip!

Samsung Galaxy S II direct upload test (1080p)

Samsung Galaxy S II unboxing (European)

Dell Venue Pro HD camera test (720p)

Dell Venue Pro unboxing (AT&T 3G)

Motorola Atrix 4G: Final Opinion

Finally getting my hands on the Motorola Atrix 4G seemed like a fleeting dream as I continued to wait for the rumored release time of the first week in March. With the continuing agony of Nokia delaying the E7 in the same period, there was no logical reason that Motorola would keep its word on the new phone's availability. Owning the HTC Inspire had its perks, but I was always aware of it being an inevitable stepping stone to the Atrix. Just when mid-February arrived and the E7 still remained off the virtual shelves of online vendors, I thought it best to just focus on waiting for Motorola instead. As luck would have it, the Atrix release date was not delayed but pushed AHEAD to February 22nd!! If that was not the final nail in the coffin of my hope for Nokia's E7, then I don't know what else it could have been otherwise. As I walked out of the AT&T store with the laptop dock bundle in my possession, the situation felt so surreal. After days of anticipating this mobile gem upon seeing product demonstrations at CES, I was walking on air toward my Honda and eager to speed home for the unboxing!

Holding the main component of the body in my hand evoked a sense of solid craftsmanship. Once I attached the battery door, I was convinced I had found a worthy successor to the Inspire. Despite all the plastic that went into forming the Atrix, it still maintained an acceptable heft from high-end build quality. This was certainly not reminiscent of the lightweight, hollowed Samsung Focus. The form factor with its curved corners depicted perfect dimensions in being a bit smaller than the Captivate, yet still holding on to a 4inch screen. In comparison to the HTC Inspire's blend of soft-touch plastic and metal, Atrix's overall design seemed pedestrian and almost completely devoid of character. The sloping fingerprint scanner button on the upper back of the phone provided the only redemption from being a plain touch slab immersed in total boredom.

I did have concern for GPS on the first time I used Google Navigator on a 35 minute road trip. With the music app playing in the background, the GPS signal was lost for a total of FIVE times! To make things worse, once the signal was lost there was no sign of the Atrix retrieving it again. This resulted in the inconvenience of having to quit and restart the Navigator app in the middle of the road trip...not good. Upon the return trip in my vehicle, I did find everything to work normally with music playback and route recalculations as well. I was not sure if the previous mishap could have been due to my first time using such functionality on that particular phone. Either way, I was indeed overjoyed to be reunited with the RunKeeper app for my outside cardio sessions. Just like the Milestone I had reviewed, the Atrix proved to be very accurate in tracking my running route through Downtown Norfolk and flawlessly transmitted results to my online account immediately.

Signal reception on the AT&T 3G network was no different than other phones I had used previously. No dropped calls experienced on the Atrix. However, there was that same issue with the "H" being portrayed in the upper taskbar when I had been told by an AT&T rep that 4G had not been activated for my area yet.

Call quality on the earpiece was passable for the most part, even though more volume would have been nice. For voice calls, people on the other end sounded clear with no sign of interference.

A HUGE breath of fresh air came from the loudspeaker quality being SO much improved over the Inspire 4G! There was finally an acceptable amount of vivid clarity and depth in the playback of multimedia, and the Atrix could easily rival the Captivate's speaker. Volume range also surpassed what HTC had put into the Inspire, offering a fantastic dose of audio power for movie watching and music listening. Speakerphone calls also benefited from this great speaker as well.

Watching movies on the 4inch TFT screen was not really on the same level as the Captivate's SuperAMOLED, but was acceptable nonetheless. However, I did run into a peculiar problem where the Atrix was not able to playback every movie file I had installed via USB mass storage. This was certainly upsetting considering that the Nokia N8 and Samsung Captivate had NO trouble in playing these same clips. I did take time to research every file affected to see if there was anything in common, but nothing came to fruition. While this was unfortunate, having a movie player was not the primary reason for my acquiring the Atrix. Films that did work were presented with intuitive touch controls for overall playback navigation. Aspect ratio settings were very basic and not on the same level as the Nokia N8 or the HTC Inspire. There was only one touch command that would either shrink the video down to size or expand it to fit the screen. It was very convenient to be able to resume playback from the most recent placement instead of having to start from the beginning. The interface of the Gallery did offer a feature resembling Apple's CoverFlow when the phone was turned into a landscape position.

I have to admit that the Sense UI on the Inspire did offer some welcomed benefits for a more efficient music player. On the other hand, MotoBlur hardly touched the app and basically left it in stock-like Android form unless turned landscape to reveal a CoverFlow-like interface. Since I would not have been sure if MotoBlur could have delivered in the same manner as Sense or even TouchWiz, I was glad to at least not have the music player app mutilated by mediocrity. EQ features were plentiful and presented plenty of ways to customize one's listening experience.

The camera was great for still pictures and acceptable for HD video recording, but there were two issues I found fault with. There was an occasional purplish blotch that would appear in the center of certain HD videos, and the dual LED flash sometimes cast a yellowish coloring. Aside from that, I did determine the camera to much better than what I recalled from the HTC Inspire. The user interface was simple and intuitive at best for quick operation.

My impression of the laptop dock experience was mixed at best. As much as I loved being able to use a full hardware qwerty keyboard with an Android device, there were cons that did remind me of how much improvement could be done. Basically, I took on the role as a guinea pig for this new docking technology with a full expectation of potential pitfalls...especially after having read the Engadget review. Starting with the positives: the Atrix could be used with a hardware connection to a full keyboard and bigger screen, one could monitor phone alerts on-screen via convenient pop-ups, direct interaction with the phone UI could take place within the Mobile View window which could be expanded to full screen view, a native WebTop interface allowed access to features like a flash-enabled Firefox browser and shortcuts to specific functions on a Mac-like dock. All of these benefits combined really made the laptop dock a godsend in regards to owning an Android device! No longer did I have to be at the mercy of a bluetooth keyboard driver or be limited to a phone's 4inch screen for word document editing. Instead of relying on a mobile app like DocsToGo Word to grant me access to Google Docs, I could work directly with the actual Google Docs site as a webtop app! Being able to keep an eye on alerts from my Atrix seemed like a trivial issue, but actually added to the overall convergence experience I always wanted with a smartphone. With the dock, I could almost effortlessly transform my touch slab phone into a portable netbook-like device.

After the initial perks of owning the laptop dock with the Atrix, there were indeed some unfortunate negatives to tolerate in everyday usage. First off, Engadget was 100% correct in its primary criticism of performance being sluggish. If someone wished to browse multiple tabs on Firefox with YouTube videos playing to the hilt while bouncing to Facebook and Mobile View, he was in for a rude awakening if he expected acceptable speed. While being connected to a WiFi network did offer minor redemption (if any at all), it was clear that having a separate netbook or laptop would be the best alternative for the average customer. While I typically had only the Mobile View window open with two windows for Google Docs, I still noticed minor lags in operating scroll functions with a USB mouse or deleting multiple items with the backspace key. This same scroll lag also took place with the Facebook webtop app as well as the Firefox browser. It was clear that if one wanted to do any kind of browsing or multitasking with acceptable performance, MUCH patience was required...MUCH! Through my own personal testing, I discovered that a maximum of eight windows could be open at one time before a memory error was bound to appear and ask for something to be closed. Considering the smartphone nature of the Atrix and my own paltry usage requirements in managing Google Docs, the laptop dock still was not a bad option for a full qwerty and big screen...at least not for me. Another issue I encountered involved the flash-intensive Sports Tracker website with manual uploading of run data. Whether on WiFi or the AT&T data network, there was always an error. The built-in trackpad did not offer any multitouch gestures or scrolling capability, which brought me back to the primitive method of holding down a click button on a side cursor and scrolling on the pad itself! This issue was thankfully solved by a USB mouse that could simply be plugged into one of the two available ports. Using a bluetooth mouse was another option, but I lost patience in the midst of having connectivity issues with a Microsoft model I had. At the end of the day, a small USB alternative was less of a headache for me, so I returned the bluetooth mouse and relied on primary wireless linking with my Sennheiser MM400 headset for music and voice calls. NOTE: After further use of the Sennheiser model, I eventually decided to replace it with the Nokia BH-905i. Speaking of calls, any that were made to the Atrix automatically went to the speaker if no bluetooth headset was connected. I did not have a wired headphone set with a mic that could work with the Atrix, so I was unable to test such usage. When I did use the speakerphone in a quiet setting with the laptop dock, the call quality was less than impressive in comparison to a bluetooth headset alternative. Another big issue was the Atrix sometimes not granting 3G data access for webtop apps. Upon docking the phone and opening the laptop screen, Mobile View would show a pop-up stating that my AT&T account was being verified for use with WebTop. For reasons unknown, my account would sometimes not be verified and I was treated as if I did not have the appropriate tethering data plan when I actually DID! Clicking on Facebook or Firefox or any webtop app bookmark resulted in a most irritating page loading error. The ONLY solution to this problem was to simply turn off the Atrix and power it back on...an inconvenience, but not a deal breaker. Playing back music on the speakers was not the end of the world, but audio quality was a bit too tinny for my taste, and I depended on my bluetooth headset anyway.

At one point, there was a situation with my Atrix that resulted in the phone suddenly reformatting its own 16GB of internal memory without ANY logical reason! I had written a whole separate blog post on the issue (http://www.trentsense.com/2011/03/atrix-atrocity.html), and actually contemplated replacing the Motorola altogether. But at the time, I was smitten by the laptop dock experience and had yet to get the car dock, so I chose to call AT&T and get a replacement unit sent to me instead. Luckily, I had no further problems after that.

AFTER SOFTWARE UPDATE
Just recently there was an Android software update to version 4.1.57 on my Atrix from AT&T. Listed improvements included the following:

Bluetooth Improved multimedia experience with Bluetooth devices as well as the ability to use phone with additional headsets
Fingerprint reader Improved fingerprint reader performance
Battery Improved battery performance for longer battery life
Screen Display will turn off automatically now while charging directly on wall charger
Phone stability Improved stability resulting in fewer occurrences of touch unresponsiveness and/or programs quitting unexpectedly.
Car dock Improved performance of car dock and 3.5mm jack

Upon downloading the update, I first noticed that the MotoBlur date and time widget malfunctioned constantly on the homescreen and I had to do away with it completely. However, there seemed to be an unforeseen benefit to the update in regards to the Atrix's bluetooth pairing capabilities. Late one night, I came across an Engadget article asking readers to share what they thought was the best hardware qwerty Android. After reading a most interesting comment thread, I was inspired to try again to pair and connect my pocket bluetooth keyboard. Since I didn't have any luck after my first unboxing of the Atrix, I naturally expected the same outcome only to be forced onto my laptop dock. Thankfully, I was wrong!! It took all I had not to scream and wake up the house at that moment as my key presses registered on the Atrix screen! Not expecting for luck to strike twice, I took on the attempt to pair and connect my Freedom Pro keyboard that had been collecting dust for the longest time...AND IT WORKED!!! Unfortunately, my rejoicing was to be short-lived due to one huge problem in editing with the Google Docs app. It turned out that editing was only possible when the virtual qwerty was present, so my Bluetooth keyboards were useless!
After another OTA update for full access to AT&T 4G data speeds, the date and time widget no longer malfunctioned. Honestly, I didn't really find anything faster about the so-called 4G on the Atrix in real world usage when compared to 3G. Since the data was truly 3.5G and only "rebranded" as 4G, it was a little hard to take such an upgrade seriously anyway.

After finally getting the car dock, I was convinced that my growing Atrix ecosystem was the best option for me as an Android user. It was such a convenient method to dock the phone securely in landscape mode with a simultaneous connection to the charger and car stereo, and I absolutely loved it! The car home application worked wonders for providing a finger-friendly UI to operate while driving, and the dock itself was extremely sturdy in its construction. The locking latch at the top granted easy removal of the device, although getting the Atrix in position on the mini HDMI plug took a while to get used to.

With such custom accessories surpassing the Nexus One experience, I thought I was destined to be set for life with the Motorola Atrix...but I was wrong. As much as I favored writing with the laptop dock, it could NEVER replace the convenience of a built-in keyboard for the most optimum on-the-go word processing. Having to find a desk, table top, or use my own lap with a mini USB mouse proved to be more of a nuisance at times when I just wanted to pull out my handset and begin writing at a moment's notice. Charging of the Atrix while docked and the WebTop interface simply weren't enough to keep the phone worthwhile for my own mobile productivity. At the end of the day, I still yearned for a device that could grant me a capable touch OS on a large screen with an onboard hardware keyboard. When the cumbersome laptop dock was stored in my backpack, the Atrix was no different than previous touch slabs that could not fulfill my needs as a smartphone user. With this realization, I decided to sell my entire Atrix bundle and go with another hardware alternative altogether.

With my not keeping the Atrix, that was not to declare anything negative on its part as a touch-only device for daily usage. I got the most impressive use out of the high resolution screen in showing more information for web browsing and using apps like TweetDeck. The speaker remained one of the best for listening to multimedia and speakerphone calls aloud, and the camera was suitable despite occasional purplish coloring on video footage and a urine-colored LED flash. Fingerprint scanning proved to be more of a novelty that could sometimes be unreliable. The plastic construction was solid, but still had a slippery grip requiring a rubber case to prevent likely dropping. GPS worked better than ever before with my continued usage of RunKeeper and Google Navigation. With the appropriate updates, my Atrix turned out to be a most capable and competitive unit even when locked to the AT&T network. Unfortunately, I did get to a point where I could advise against purchasing anything more than the vehicle dock. While the multimedia and laptop docks did appear to be tempting buys, the pricing was simply too much for a sluggish WebTop interface that in NO way resembled netbook speeds let alone a laptop! To get the most out of one's money, the Atrix paired with a laptop/netbook via tethering proved to be a MUCH better option in the long run.

Trent Smith
Sent from my Dell Venue Pro
http://about.me/trentsense/bio

Nexus S: Underdone Galaxy S

When the Nexus S was first announced, I honestly DREADED the concept of the device being modeled after the Galaxy S line of smartphones made by Samsung. Going from the build quality of HTC with its superior blend of soft-touch plastics and metals to the plethora of plastics on Samsung felt like a death sentence for the Google Nexus line. When I read the specs from online, I did not have high hopes for the Nexus S being a suitable successor. Lacking microSD AND a LED notification light did not work in favor of the device at all. Having 3G bands for only T-Mobile at the time of release was another negative point against Google's latest unit, and I was not going to be surprised if I never took the chance to use it. However, after news came of a Nexus S version being capable of supporting AT&T 3G, my curiosity was piqued.

It was an amazing day to FINALLY have pure vanilla Android in my hands once again! After tolerating so many custom interfaces created by numerous manufacturers who thought they knew better, I figured I could be delivered now that Nexus S supported AT&T 3G. I could instantly relive the euphoria I once had with the Nexus One, and I was eager to get started in the unboxing and forsake my Motorola Atrix 4G. After about a couple days, my previous misgivings about the Nexus S specs were verified through my own usage.

One unmistakable aspect of that phone when I unwrapped it was PLASTIC, PLASTIC, PLASTIC! As much as I hated beating a dead horse, Samsung absolutely drove me insane with its plasticky build components. At the end of the day, it was not a deal breaker, but certainly a downer when the predecessor from HTC was superior in comparison. The major cons that followed the plastic were the lack of LED notification light, microSD expansion, and a custom vehicle dock. I was previously under the impression there was no desktop dock, but was informed by a Twitter contact otherwise. Nonetheless, having a new found awareness of that dock did little to redeem the Nexus S. The glossy battery door attracted tons of fingerprints and smudges, but it was at least great to see a LED flash included with the 5 megapixel camera unit. Video chatting was never a regular activity for me, so the inclusion of the VGA front-facing camera was not a big deal at all. Tactile keys for power/standby and volume control exhibited good feedback. Small slits at the back for the speaker did cause worry for audio muffling if the phone should end up on a flat surface. While the curvature of the design seemed to be intriguing in the specs, it really did not have much presence in person. At the end of the day, this just appeared to be a design fad to me...nothing more. Having the headphone jack and micro USB port at the bottom was convenient for placing the unit in a vehicle holster.

The typical smartphone features turned out to be no different from previous models I had used. Signal reception for AT&T 3G was reliable in my local area, but I would have been lying if I said I was not a bit concerned for the Nexus S competing in a market of upcoming 4G devices. Sound quality from the earpiece on voice calls was clear, even if there was a desire for a bit more volume every now and then. Playing back music on the speaker proved to have sufficient volume, but higher levels sometimes went on the verge of being tinny. Sadly, watching movies with the same speaker did not give the same well-rounded audio impression I remembered from the Captivate. GPS was definitely a pleasant surprise after the Captivate debacle, for it turned out that Samsung could finally manufacture sound hardware! Using Google Maps and RunKeeper on a daily basis gave me absolutely no trouble in navigation or cardio tracking, and that was a HUGE relief for me! Connecting to WiFi in my home was easy as expected, and bluetooth worked with my Nokia BH-905i without any problems. Unfortunately, I was unable to pair and connect my Freedom Pro bluetooth keyboard to the Nexus S. Attaching the phone to my MacBook via USB turned the Google phone into an external hard drive and allowed me to drag and drop multimedia files. Sadly, a little over 13GB of the internal storage drive was available after the first boot...causing me to miss microSD expansion on other devices. One accessory I thought would be a godsend was the wired in-ear headphones with the attached microphone and call button. Unfortunately, the ear inserts were much too large and were the only ones provided in the retail package. The ones I already owned were too small to fit. 

At the time I was using the Nexus S, I was missing the custom accessory experience I remembered from the Nexus One and its docks. Once I had returned the unit, I was surprised to find out from a Twitter contact there was indeed a Samsung dock made for the phone. On a future Best Buy outing, I noticed a custom desktop AND car dock on the sales floor for the Nexus S. I guess releasing the handset on Sprint really got Samsung to get on the ball in that regard.

Overall, the Nexus S was an underwhelming letdown due to a number of factors. The screen resolution paled in comparison to my Motorola Atrix at that time, and I didn't realize just how much resolution affected my daily usage until I set the two phones next to one another. It was eye-opening to see how much more onscreen content could be gained from the Motorola's increased resolution specs. The internal memory limitation from lack of microSD support was not a deal breaker, but more of a nuisance...and the same applied to the lack of HD video on the camera and less homescreens. To me, the absence of NFC chip implementation in local retail businesses really made that feature a needless waste of time. Future-proofing the Nexus S for use with an upcoming product not yet tried and true in the real world (at least not in my corner) was a huge risk that Google seemed to lose out on. At the end of the day, I would have been happier with a microSD card slot instead of a NFC chip I would most likely not use anyway. With those cons stacked against it, even the original Galaxy S with its TouchWiz UI appeared to be a much better option for a well-rounded user experience with acceptable specs. Unfortunately, that so-called successor to the Nexus One felt like a project that was rushed and incomplete...and no curved oleophobic display, custom docks, or stock Android UI with latest dessert-named updates could deter from such a sad conclusion. Unfortunately, my time with that review unit did cast a stigma on the allure of having stock Android UI. I could recall seeing it first when Google's Larry Page had it at a tech convention to show off new software features from the company, and I was of course intrigued. It was funny how that eventually worked out to be the total opposite to Symbian's problem on Nokia devices of great hardware with lacking software. I just was not impressed with the second Nexus device, and could only hope that Google and its next hardware manufacturing partner could deliver some kind of improvement to redeem the Nexus brand.

Trent Smith
Sent from my Dell Venue Pro
http://about.me/trentsense/bio

Nokia E7 review (WomWorld)

Google Nexus S (AT&T 3G) unboxing

Treo Nostalgia

After the experience with my first Atrix randomly erasing its own 16GB of internal storage, I had to next prepare my Nokia trial devices for DHL shipment. With the E7 and Astound being gone, I was left with a paltry backup selection: shattered Samsung Captivate, non-AT&T 3G Nokia 9300, and an old Treo 750. What was I to do? While the Nokia 9300 seemed tempting with its qwerty, it was not backbit and I couldn't bare to be stuck using its antiquated OS on a daily basis. Even if the Captivate was not hampered by a shattered screen, its lags TouchWiz UI and pitiful GPS reliability was enough to keep me far, far away. By process of elimination, the Treo 750 won out as a temporary phone until the arrival of the replacement Atrix.

Upon wiping off the dust layer that had been caked on its touch screen, I held its plastic body in my hand and stared in awe. I wondered what to expect after spending so many years away from it. Years ago, I had received this as a refurb unit from Cingular and was not happier. I could recall opting for the camera-less design in thinking it would be useful for my work environment at the time...but I was mostly left with camera envy instead. Quite a few blog posts had been written with its hardware keys, and I was excited to be back! The old generation bulk from the tried-and-true design of the Treo platform still felt familiar in the palm of my hand, and it was almost as if I had never left. This was one of the first phones along with the Nokia E62 that shaped my current affinity for hardware keyboards on mobile devices. My interest in smartphones was in full force, and this was where it all began.

Amidst high spirits, there was still apprehension of going without certain luxuries I became accustomed to on recent models. GPS, Wi-Fi, and camera were such ubiquitous staples in my frequent adoption of new handsets, so I eventually learned to just expect them all the time. Going through my Maps/RunKeeper debacle with the Samsung Captivate did awaken me to how I took such features for granted, but it was different to not have them at all. If there was any silver lining, it was being able to hunt for third party freeware apps for Windows Mobile 6 Professional again. Unfortunately, the dark cloud involved the possibility of certain apps being discontinued over time.

Overall, using a classic unit like the Treo 750 did have potential in being a rewarding experience from a nostalgia perspective. In a generation where one automatically expected capacitive feedback on a touch slab form factor, it did not apologize for its chunky dimensions or squared resistive touch screen. At one point, this seemed to be very popular in the corporate world from my work memories of insurance execs toting clunky belt clips. Whether it was Palm or RIM, there was no doubt of their huge role in how business people corresponded with each other. I figured that having access to a hardware qwerty after bidding farewell to the Nokia E7 would be good for me to gradually ease back in to all-touch on the Atrix. The funny thing is that I had previously come back to the Treo, but that seemed more out of leisure instead of necessity.

ONE DAY LATER
The replacement to my ailing Atrix had arrived via mail, and it was time to once again retire the Treo 750 to its resting place on my desk. I doubt that I would have lasted more than a week on it, but it still was not bad in serving as a basic backup smartphone. Considering its age and chunky design, it did perform quite well in keeping me connected via voice calls, SMS, and social networks. Surprisingly, I took to the small touch screen and stylus with no trouble at all and made the best of what I had with Windows Mobile 6 Professional. First thing I knew to do was enable the ClearType feature to smooth out the UI font and make it more appealing to the eyes. Setting up bookmarks in Internet Explorer for Twitter, Facebook, and Accuweather was done right after I changed the ringtone from that AWFUL AT&T Willy Wonka-Kiddie-Cartoon default. What really put a smile on my face was the setup of Microsoft Exchange to initiate syncing of my Google PIM data. In less than a couple minutes, ALL contacts, calendar entries and recent emails were on the Treo 750 and I was ready to go! Being reunited with the tried-and-true Word Mobile app paired with a compact qwerty seemed surreal...especially with a reliable spell checker!

Unfortunately, the setbacks of an old phone began to sink in after that: clunky UI, lack of notification LED, low earpiece volume, paltry support for video playback, lags performance with stereo bluetooth enabled, sluggish support for media on a 16GB microSD card via miniSD adapter. I absolutely did my best to tolerate every single con on the Treo, but the issue with music playback via bluetooth was too much to bare. I had to set aside the Sony DR-BT50 and continue listening to music aloud, and this brought me to the next issue with the Windows Media app. As to be expected, the Palm could not handle the expanded 16GB capacity of the microSD card I installed with a miniSD adapter. Playing over 2000 tracks of music in shuffle mode was impossible with Windows Media constantly freezing, so I had to play them one at a time. Playing videos was out of the question since their resolution was too much for the Treo to handle. Internet Explorer did prove to be handy in displaying mobile websites despite not having flash, and even its UI was more appealing and intuitive than Symbian. The YouTube mobile app was adequate in its execution, but the smallish screen did not inspire any desire to view videos. Earpiece volume for voice calls was not great, and I found the speakerphone to be ten times better.

After considering the age of the Treo 750, I was honestly impressed with how content I could be when giving it a fair chance. Not only did I get the sensation of a time warp, but I also maintained my connection with the hardware keyboard after the Nokia E7. Churning out two blog posts in a short amount of time on the Treo was proof positive of how much I still loved a great tactile typing experience. Using the qwerty bar form factor also reminded me of how convenient it was for one-handed usage. It almost seemed a shame to not have the opportunity to use Google Maps or search out a working version of Twikini, but I was ready to return to Android and its advanced amenities. At the end of the day, my old Treo 750 had stepped up to the plate as a capable backup. At the last moment when I was prepared to complete this post and switch my SIAM to the new Atrix, a thought had occurred to me: the Nokia E7 serving as just an offline word processor seemed silly. Despite its arsenal of specs in comparison to the classic Palm, the S3 slider's QuickOffice app did not have a functional spell checker. I was also shocked to find that I liked the typing feel a little bit more on the Treo. Instead of saving up money to buy the Nokia, I wondered if I was better off simply holding to my old, yet functional Palm for mobile blogging. It turned out that I would need more time to weigh the pros and cons to make a decision on that. Either way, I was extremely pleased to be back with Android on the Atrix and wanted to get back to my laptop dock and Nokia BH-905i ASAP!!

Trent Smith, blogger
Sent from my Treo 750
http://about.me/trentsense/bio