TRENT SENSE: April 2012

Monday, April 16, 2012

Sunday, April 15, 2012

My Running Routine

Someone had asked me about my running routine, so I decided to elaborate a bit more on my original response:

Interval runs work for me. Whether I take a run, sprint, or walk break depends on outside scene, my mood, and music from the MOTOACTV. I keep walk breaks to a few seconds and try to meet distance goals on each run: complete 6mi by 1hr, 9mi by 1.5hr, 12mi by 2hr. I don't have set times for these interval runs, I simply go for as long as my body wants at any speed I choose.

The most crucial components on my runs are chewing gum, compression shorts, suitable shoes, sport sunscreen spray (especially on shirtless runs), shorts with an internal pocket for ID/key, GPS tracker, music player, headphones, sunglasses, and a hat. This may sound weird, but the gum serves as my alternative for water by preventing cottonmouth. Two sticks are enough for me and tend to last until the start of my 12th mile when I then dispose of it into a park trashcan.

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

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Quick Thought: Galaxy Nexus experience

The more I use this Galaxy Nexus, the more I miss my Note. After my review work is done, I am letting a neighbor test drive it for a possible purchase.

Lack of microSD support and USB mass storage STILL ticks me off to this day with this Google phone. After streaming music via Google Music almost soothed this issue, dealing with a buggy and unreliable Android Sync program on my Mac brought back my initial frustration.

Pure ICS is good eye-candy with the Roboto font, the solid gunmetal plastics don't really bother me, and I do like the button-less front with notification LED. However, minor lags in the UI and dropped calls from weak signal reception leave a bad taste in my mouth for vanilla Android.

Why in the world did Google and Samsung go backwards with this Nexus line when HTC granted a good start with the Nexus One?!! As much as I love both companies for Android and the Galaxy Note/S2, they REALLY put a stigma on the Nexus brand for me. As a result, I will be looking to sell my unlocked Galaxy Nexus to an interested neighbor who will take it for a test run during the coming week. Sadly, I'm looking forward to ICS enhancements to TouchWiz on my GNote and GS2 more so than ever playing with pure Android again. *end of rant*

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

Quick Thought: Windows Phone Potential in US Market

"It's about pleasing the masses who desire an easy user experience, not tech heads who want a complex DIY nuclear warhead in their pocket."

This was my response to a neighbor discussing the potential for Windows Phone in competing against iOS and Android. In my eyes, the OS does offer a clean, modern interface that's alluring and quite intuitive for daily use. The touch response is promising and even better than some Android platforms I've come across. The newest Lumia offers a larger ClearBlack display along with solid polycarbonate construction inspired by the memorable N9. These pros along with Nokia-exclusive apps and a growing Marketplace seem to give Nokia and Microsoft a fighting chance in the US market with this Lumia 900.

While a part of me still likes to have a bit of customization with my Androids to a certain extent along with usual perks (microSD, USB mass storage), not everyone seeks that. Most folks just want something that works with limited fuss...and the prospect of not having to wait for SW updates due to fragmentation could be another desire as well. In lieu of this, I believe Nokia and Microsoft have a chance in the US...a very good one.