I recently discovered this piece of artwork by Tomasz Jedruszek on the Internet.  Mind, meet blown.  I love this.  It tells so much of a story.  I totally dig it.

And I’m going to have to dig into more of Tomasz Jedruszek’s art…

Originally published at Vox Bomb. Please leave any comments there.

Documenting the fall of Man, several links at a time…

• California:  still broke
• Chuck Norris is one of the top trending topics on Twitter right now.
• Former boxing champion probably murdered by his wife, finishes career 40-10.
• Mexican drug gangs continue to have their way with the Mexican government, refuse to take them out to dinner or call them back.
• North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has life-threatening pancreatic cancer, transition team includes a marionette.
• Google announces their plans for an operating system, thus entering the awkward “missteps” phase of the company’s life.

And the march continues…

Originally published at Vox Bomb. Please leave any comments there.

I am eight days into living with the Bold and I’m still loving it.  The Bold is living up to its reputation as a high-end communications device; its keyboard has continued to prove to be an elegant input tool, and the built-in processor and 3G network speeds are more than satisfactory for the tasks I have thrown at it.  For the last week, I have gone through and tried out different apps and themes, as well as learning (or re-learning) some tricks to make using the Bold a rapid-fire experience.

So I thought that I’d share some of these apps, themes, and tips, and I hope others will be able to share their own as to what made their BlackBerry (Bold or otherwise) be a zen-like experience.  There are a number of “Top 10″ lists and whatnot; this is basically a list of what has worked for me.  As always, your mileage may vary.

Apps

These apps are really tailored to what you use in your every day life.  Here’s what I have found integrate great with my daily workflow.

• Facebook.  Just about everyone in the world is now on Facebook, and it’s a great way to stay in touch with family, friends, and people with whom you have networked.  While I have always liked the Facebook application from RIM, the latest version (1.6) is a big leap forward in usefulness.  It integrates better with some of the recent changes on the Facebook site; the UI received an overhaul for improved navigation between friends, messages, photos, and more; and there is an option that allows the built-in Contacts, Calendar, and Messages application to be tied in with Facebook.  For example, I was pleasantly surprised to see my wife’s Facebook picture show up on my screen when she called me; her contact picture on my phone had been downloaded from Facebook via the application.  Here’s another nice feature:  I have my personal GMail account on my Bold.  Facebook will send me emails when someone on Facebook comments on my status or the status of a friend I have commented on.  Now, those emails come through to my Bold as Facebook messages, and when I read them, they are open directly in the Facebook app and are automatically deleted off of the GMail server (I would do that anyway, so it saves me a step.  To turn this feature on, go into the Facebook application, then use the Menu key to go to Options, then make sure Leave email notification messages on mail server is unchecked).  All in all, if you use Facebook, this application is a must-have.
• Twitterberry.  There are many Twitter applications, and I’ve tried a number of them, but the one I keep coming back to is Twitterberry.  It has a simple and clean interface, and its look / color theme is aligned with the Twitter web page.  You open right up to the text box to type in your tweet, and Friend and Public timelines, among other views, are a mere click away.  The only thing it is lacking right now is a ReTweet option, which is becoming all the rage on Twitter, but hopefully a future release will add this functionality.  It may not have the plethora of features of Übertwitter, but it’s leaner and meaner.
• Pocket Informant.  I’m an old school Windows Mobile user; one of my earliest PDAs was the Philips Nino (4MB of memory!) running Windows CE 2.10, also referred to as the Palm-sized PC.  As those awkward first steps for Microsoft turned into the Pocket PC (and later Windows Mobile), I latched onto one of the platform’s earliest 3rd party PIM applications, Pocket Informant (sometime around the 4.x release).  I was glad to see that WebIS ported the product to the BlackBerry platform, and their high standards for quality have not suffered in the transition.  Pocket Informant on the BlackBerry is not as full-featured as the Windows Mobile counterpart, but it already is an improvement over the anemic built-in Calendar / Contacts / Tasks application.  If WebIS’s past history is anything to go by, this application will only improve greatly with age.  Definitely worth the price if you use your BlackBerry heavily for organizing your life.
• Google Maps.  This app makes most of the Top 10 lists for BlackBerry devices, and for a good reason.  With the built-in GPS on the Bold and a number of other BlackBerry devices, Google Maps is a great (and free!) way to obtain accurate directions.  Enough has been written about this application elsewhere; quite simply, it’s a must-have.
• QuickLaunch. QuickLaunch is worth every penny of its $4.95 price tag.  Assign it to a convenience key, and you have one-touch access to a customizable menu that can contain links to websites, applications, texting or dialing a contact, and more.  Also included are two built-in options for searching Google or Wikipedia; the former eliminates (for my purposes) the need for the Google Mobile application; the same functionality (and better convenience) is in QuickLaunch.  This is an awesome utility.
• App World.  There’s no reason not to have this freeware application that is RIM’s answer to Apple’s iTunes store.  There are large number of applications (freeware and not) available on App World, and purchases can be handled easily via built-in Paypal screens.  App World keeps a record of what you’re downloaded, and updates can easily be grabbed from the My World screen.
• Pandora.  There are a number of Internet radio applications available for BlackBerry devices; Pandora, with its amazing Music Genome Project technology, offers unique ways to discover new bands through your favorite artists.  Check out the site and see for yourself.  Another great music app is Slacker.  Slacker is unique in that it installs a Windows application on your device’s memory card that can run and cache music channels to your device when you connect via USB.
• eReader. The best eBook site and software I’ve used for years is eReader; its DRM is the most balanced out there (use your credit card name and number you used to purchase the eBook to unlock it; if you change credit cards down the road, you can reset all of your eBooks to the new card number), and the BlackBerry version allows you download books from you online library of purchased content.  The screen and resolution on the Bold makes for a solid reading experience.

Theme

I’ve tried a few themes on the Bold, but found one that was a truly solid and useful experience:  HTC 2.0 - Bold Edition.  It has the aesthetic of HTC’s Home screen for Windows Mobile that I love.  The theme integrates with QuickLaunch (via a faux-Start button in the top-left corner, a la Windows Mobile), freeing up a convenience key.  The app bar along the bottom actually rolls over to a second “page” of 6 icons, and flows in a silky-smooth motion reminiscent of a touch screen device (there is also a nice graphical touch in the way a translucent box and tiny green ball appears over the currently selected application, as well as the icon changing to its alternative form).  In the center of the Home screen is the date and time in the HTC style hearkening back to an old clock with the flipping numbers.  The Home screen also includes an icon for changing the volume profile (I’m amazed at how many themes don’t have this; I find this feature vital for a Home screen) near the top-left, just under the faux-Start button.  On the right side near the top is a spot for an application, based on whatever order your applications are in when you click the Menu screen from the Home screen.  The first listed application will be the one on the top-right of the screen, and the second through thirteenth will be the ones that appear on the app crossbar.  I have the built-in calendar app first; when it is highlighted, the center of the Home screen displays your Agenda (your next 5 meetings).  Rolling over the Messages icon will have the Home screen display unread messages.  It this thoughtful consideration to layout, design, and functionality that make this theme a big winner in my eyes.  Also, it has a great price of $2.99.  I’ve never paid for a theme before, but this one was worth it in spades.

Tips

Here are just a few tips that I have picked up that have made my (BlackBerry) life easier.  There are a ton of shortcuts available in the BlackBerry OS; as a BlackBerry user, definitely take some time to familiarize yourself with them. I’ve included some personal preference tips as well.

• There is an application switcher (similar to ALT + TAB in Windows) for the BlackBerry OS.  You can assign it to one of the convenience keys, or you can use the shortcut ALT + BACK key (not the Backspace key, but the button with the looping arrow to the right of the trackball).  Continue to hold down the ALT key when the App switcher pops up, and use the trackball to move between the open applications.  Let go of the ALT key when you’ve reached the application you wish to switch to.  This is useful if you want to see what applications may be open (and draining your battery life).
• Go to your Options screen, and then Advanced Options.  From here, go to Browser.  For Default Browser Configuration, make sure the option is set to Internet Browser.  Having this set to BlackBerry Browser will force your Internet connection to go through your company’s BlackBerry Enterprise Server, which may be subject to whatever Internet usage policies (and site blocking) that is in place (on the flip side, it will also allow you to reach Intranet pages).  You may also see more 513 Errors on web pages that a site is too large; using Internet Browser as your configuration should make the Browser so much more useful.
• Using the last option, I have found that the Browser in BlackBerry OS 4.6 is actually incredibly useful; so much so, I have ceased using Opera Mini.  Browser is more convenient to use, as RIM does not provide an API to switch your default browser  I don’t care for two different browsing experiences; one from applications opening a web page (using the built-in Browser), and then Opera Mini.  As the new Browser provides Desktop-like view on a large number of pages, I am just sticking with it for now.
• Speaking of the built-in Browser, hit the “F” key to bring up the “Find” dialog box on a web page.
• I don’t like having my emails and SMS / MMS messages to be accessible through separate icons.  Change this by going into the Messages application, then press the Menu key to go to Options.  Select General Options, and then scroll down until you see SMS and Email Inboxes.  Use the trackball to set this option to Combined, and save.
• Want to display emails and SMS / MMS messages in a more visually pleasing fashion?  Again, go into the Messages application, then press the Menu key to go to Options.  Select General Options, and then scroll down until you see Separators.  Change this option to Stripes and save.  This will have alternating messages be highlighted in a different color.
• Don’t forget to enable Javascript support in the Browser by opening the application, and going into Options, then Browser Configuration, and then check off the Support Javascript option and then save.

And that’s it for now.  Anyone have more tips / applications / themes they want to share?

Originally published at Vox Bomb. Please leave any comments there.

As you may have noticed this week, I joined Tumblr for some alt-blogging madness.  Until I can get a decent plug-in (non-widget) to feed in the entries via RSS from my Tumblr account into the sidebar, I’ll be posting some weekly highlights from the site.  Feel free to check it out and let me know what you think.

• Michael Jackson Commentary
• Drug-dispensing robots
• Bert and Ernie rapping
• My keenest observation from the Michael Jackson memorial

Originally published at Vox Bomb. Please leave any comments there.

It’s Friday.  Treat yourself to some free MP3 lovin’.  My latest Your.Music.Weekly column is up at Inside The Circle.

Originally published at Vox Bomb. Please leave any comments there.

Pretty funny video (some with inside jokes), done in a kind of Robot Chicken-style.

Originally published at Vox Bomb. Please leave any comments there.

The title says it all.

Originally published at Vox Bomb. Please leave any comments there.

Those narrowed eyebrows, the confident look in her eyes, and the strong stance and finger-placement… yes, Madeleine is ready.  Ready indeed.  Watch out, world.

Originally published at Vox Bomb. Please leave any comments there.

… but I recently got a chance to play around with one for an extended period of time.  A couple of close friends of mine have one, and while hanging out a few nights ago with one of them, we discussed the phone and I had my hands all over the G1 like a state Governor.

Loaded with the latest “Cupcake” build (version 1.5 of Android), I was very impressed with the operating system.  The touch interface is smooth, and I love the idea of widgets on the “desktop.” The G1 hardware is pretty slick as well.  While I can understand the success of the iPhone / iPod Touch, I will never use it as my primary phone for the simple fact that it doesn’t have a keyboard.   The G1 nails this, with the flip-up screen that reveals a comfortable keyboard to type on.  The right-side of the device (while using the keyboard) which contains the call and navigation buttons was a concern for me; I thought it would be awkward to hold, but alas I was mistaken.  The G1 is easy to hold and navigate either way, and even using the touch interface one-handed (using your thumb to flick through the screens) is easy.  The Apps marketplace had a healthy number of applications available, even if certain ones (like a decent one for Facebook) cost money, albeit cheap.

I was surprised that Google Chrome was not ported yet to the G1, and the included web browser was disappointingly simple but functional.  The Phone application did not provide vibration feedback when dialing a number, and I did not find a setting to turn this on.  Perhaps there’s a third-party application for this, but I was disappointed by the lack of this feature.  I did not test call quality- it wasn’t my phone, after all.

The G1, in my hands-on, limited time with the device, really impressed me.  This is especially true considering this is a first generation product.  I really, really like the G1.  Would I replace my BlackBerry Bold with it?  No, I wouldn’t.  The first reason is that I need a BlackBerry, as one of my roles at work is as a BlackBerry administrator.  I could get away with a device that is a BlackBerry Connect-enabled device, but the Bold is an extremely solid phone and swayed me from going in that direction (without regrets, I might add).  But let’s say I didn’t need a BlackBerry for work.  I would still have major reservations due to the fact that the G1 runs on T-Mobile.

Let’s set aside the possibility of unlocking the phone.  Buying one unlocked it expensive and if I purchased one on contract I would need to remain with T-Mobile for a while.  I’ve been an AT&T user for almost 4 years and I love their coverage.  T-Mobile, being a smaller carrier in the US, doesn’t have the coverage of AT&T, and I don’t want to wind up in a situation where I’m in a dead zone when I need coverage the most.  Another caveat is the 3G coverage.  I love the 3G speeds on my Bold; coming from EDGE, I don’t want to look back.  T-Mobile’s 3G network is still a work in progress and I have heard that it is not that great in my area.  I’d rather wait for T-Mobile’s network to mature before taking that plunge.

But in all honesty, I’d rather wait until a G1 successor arrives on AT&T.  It’s inevitable that an Android phone will makes it’s way to AT&T, and should the opportunity arrive to possibly obtain one down the road, I would consider it.  That means that I’ll never own a G1, as I am (happily) locked into my Bold for the foreseeable future.  But Android was impressive, far more than Windows Mobile has done in the past few years.  Using Android made me realize how far behind Microsoft has fallen with their mobile OS, and how far Google has come with their open source effort.  Impressive work, indeed.  If only their phones were on a better network…

Originally published at Vox Bomb. Please leave any comments there.

The collapse of the Internet is now in full swing; I have created a Tumblr account.

Now, with all of these different social networking sites and different accounts I have (such as Twitter and Facebook), along with this blog, what’s the point of yet another foray into the morass of Web 2.0?

I figure the key is giving each site its own identity.  Twitter is like my SMS for the web.  Facebook is a more personal (and private) playground for friends, family, and Internet pals.  Tumblr, at least in this experimental iteration, will display my more irreverent side, and use my mobile phone camera try to capture the oddities and plainness of everyday life (I’m currently using the tag line “Recording the Fall of Pop Culture”).  In short, it will suck.

But still, feel free to hit me up on Tumblr.  Anyone else using the site and what has been your experience with it?

Originally published at Vox Bomb. Please leave any comments there.