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The Midlife Second Wife ™

~ The Real and True Adventures of Remarriage at Life's Midpoint

The Midlife Second Wife ™

Tag Archives: smartphones

How I Learned to Stop Worrying (Sort of) and Love the DROID. And yet …

26 Thursday Dec 2013

Posted by themidlifesecondwife in Product Reviews, Technology

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Android, Apple, Droid, Droid Razr HD, iPhone, smartphones, technology, Verizon Wireless

The DROID RAZR HD's "self-portrait-by-screenshot"

The DROID RAZR HD’s “self-portrait-by-screenshot”

Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Boomer Voices program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

When I was younger I was a worrier. Now this might run counter to most people’s experiences, but I’ve found that the older I get, the less I worry. Maybe it has something to do with the wisdom that accrues with age. Or maybe it comes with the realization that in my life’s narrative arc—divorce and cancer being two notable plot points—anything else is small potatoes. (I’m not thinking of the global concerns that keep me—and you too, I suspect—up at night, but that’s fodder for another post.)

In my own little corner of the world, I have learned to let go, explore, and question old habits. Take my iPhone habit, for example. I’ve been a Mac girl ever since my first Apple desktop back in the 1980s, and I can state, unequivocally, that I’ll never trade in my Mac for a PC. But after three months of testing the DROID RAZR MAXX, I have to admit that I seriously thought about trading in my iPhone for the DROID.

Thought about it…agonized over it…but ultimately decided that although I’ve kinda sorta stopped worrying about the DROID, and can say in all honesty that I do love it, I’m not in love with it. You know what I mean?

In an earlier post on this topic, I said the clincher for me would be cost and security, and I promised to write one more post on the DROID to let you know how this all settled out for me. So let’s talk.

The DROID lists for $199.99 But then so does the iPhone 5S (at least, the one with the least amount of horsepower—16 GB). To lock in the price for both, one must commit to a two-year contract with a wireless provider such as Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint.

As for the new low-cost option Apple released this year, the plasticized iPhone 5C with a list price of $99.99 plus a two-year contract, I say good. Those who have longed for an iPhone but couldn’t afford one are benefiting from Apple’s decision to enter the lower-end market. It’s not for me, but I like that it exists.

As for contracts: I’ll have a word or two about wireless providers in my final wrap-up post for the Verizon Boomer Voices program, so look for that in the coming days.

Back to my comparison exercise. With cost eliminated as a factor, we’re left with security. And this is where I do sleep better at night with the iPhone.

Apple is famous (some might say notorious) for its closed operating system, which limits the seemingly endless opportunities presented by software designers who are free to contribute to Google’s Android system. That’s why the DROID can practically butter your toast for you. But what the iPhone lacks in options, it makes up for in security. According to a recent article in the MIT Technology Review, a study at North Carolina State University revealed that “changes manufacturers made to the stock Android software were responsible for more than 60 percent of the security flaws uncovered in phones from different handset companies.”

In years of using an iPhone—indeed, in years of using a Mac—I’ve never once experienced a security issue. Malware and viruses were things that happened to other people. That means something to me. One could say that with Apple, security derives from simplicity.

In design and functionality, the DROID lacks that elegant simplicity. Because the DROID’s open operating system allows it to do so much more than the iPhone, it arrives with a certain amount of baggage—numerous mysteries to unlock before one can give in to its charms—although the tutorials and videos, accessible from the DROID’s Help icon, are a nice touch. Some of that baggage, however, includes the risk of a security breach. At this stage of my life, I just don’t need the hassle.

So there you have it. I’m staying with my iPhone. But I was thrilled to have had the chance to experience the Android operating system, and for that I have Verizon Wireless to thank. As for those of you who want help buttering your toast, I am happy to recommend the DROID RAZR MAXX HD. It’s really a cool, fun phone.

PREVIOUS TMSW POSTS ON THIS TOPIC:

“Do DROIDS Dream of Electric Sheep?”

“DROIDS RAZR MAXX HD Vs. the iPhone”

Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Boomer Voices program and will be provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

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DROID’S RAZR MAXX HD Vs. the iPhone

30 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by themidlifesecondwife in Product Reviews

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Apple, Droid, iPhone, Motorola, product reviews, Siri, smartphones, technology, Verizon Wireless

The DROID RAZR HD's "self-portrait-by-screenshot"

The DROID RAZR MAXX HD’s “self-portrait-by-screenshot”

Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Boomer Voices program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

I’ve learned a lot about my iPhone since using the DROID RAZR MAXX HD. (Gosh, I wish Motorola’s smart phone had a simpler, more elegant name.) In an earlier post I shared some thoughts about the DROID, which I’ve been testing for nearly three months, and the iPhone, which I’ve owned for more than three years. In this post I’ll say a word or two about the differences in the two phones, including the battery life and the network speed. For those of you wondering if I’m ready to jump the Apple ship, there are two major factors I’ll be considering first: security and cost. After I’ve talked with a representative at my local Verizon Wireless store to compare apples to oranges, as it were, and after I’ve reviewed some issues concerning malware and the DROID, I’ll render my final verdict.

Before I begin, I’d like to revisit two aspects of the phones covered in my earlier post—sound and syncing—and you can blame a representative at the Apple store and David Pogue of the New York Times for the redundancies.

At the Apple store, I learned that I’m not able to use the Cloud to sync my iPhone with my MacBook Pro because of my iPhone’s outdated operating system. This is why it’s so clunky for me to get photos from my iPhone to my laptop, and why the Android’s seamless operating system allowed my pictures to magically appear on Google+ (and hence my laptop). Moreover, I am unable to download the current iPhone operating system precisely because I have too many pictures on the phone. There’s just not enough room, and so I’m taking the time to (laboriously) delete photos from the iPhone’s camera roll.

Having iOS 6.1.3 will not only allow me to Cloud-sync my iPhone with my MacBook Pro (calendar, apps, and photos), it will also allow Siri to do more for me than I previously imagined. Siri herself told me that she cannot open Facebook (something the DROID can do on command) even though I asked her nicely: “I can do that if you update to the latest version of iOS.”

“The Voice-Off: Android Vs. Siri,” the title of Pogue’s insightful “State of the Art” column for the August 21, 2013 edition of the Times, taught me even more about Siri and the DROID’S voice, which I call “Gigi.” I prefer Gigi to Siri for a number of reasons. I happen to think her tone conveys more warmth, although Pogue notes that this fall, with i0S 7 (which will probably become available as soon as I’ve updated to iOS 6-whatever), “Siri will gain a more pleasant speaking voice.” But Pogue maintains that Siri has it all over Gigi when it comes to a sense of humor. He asked his Siri, “Who’s your daddy?”. She replied: “You are. Can we get back to work now?” Here’s the dialog when I posed the same question to my Siri:

Me: Who’s your daddy?

Siri: What?

Me: Who is your daddy?

Siri: My daddy?

Me: Yes, Siri. Your daddy.

Siri: That’s what I figured.

Pogue pointed out another thing I’ve come to prefer about the DROID: as you dictate a question or a command, the words appear on the screen as you say them. Siri won’t transcribe what you’re saying until you’ve finished saying it. Pogue’s thorough assessment is so wonderful that I encourage you to read it.

These Are Phones, Right? Well, How Do Those Work?
While we’re on the subject of sound, I should say a word about the intrinsic purpose of the DROID and the iPhone: their ability to make and receive phone calls.

For clarity and ease of dialing, the iPhone wins hands down. I don’t care for the distracting way the DROID runs through my contacts when I’m entering a telephone number similar to that of another person. I also prefer the iPhone’s quality and clarity of sound during a phone call.

Now what I’m about to say next has nothing to do with the DROID or the iPhone, and everything to do with one’s wireless carrier. The company I’ve been with since the beginning (I won’t name it here but you can guess), has scant receptivity in one of my favorite towns. It also kept dropping calls when my husband (who uses the same provider) and I tried to have a conversation while he was on a business trip. (Our conversation improved markedly when I phoned him back using my Verizon-Wireless-powered DROID.)

Size Matters. So Does Speed. And Longevity.
At first I found the DROID RAZR MAXX HD too large for my hand, too alien. I quickly grew accustomed to its girth and actually prefer it to the iPhone. I simply find the DROID’S larger screen easier on the eyes, and find myself reaching for the it to view websites and photos when my iPad isn’t at hand. The iPhone feels far too small to me now.

Network speed has been iffy with both of the phones. The DROID’s 4GLTE is supposed to be the fastest thing going, but I haven’t always found this to be the case. Still, it’s faster than my iPhone’s 4G, which takes longer to pull up emails.

The battery lasts longer on the DROID than on the iPhone, which I seem to have to charge on a daily basis. I’ve gone several days without charging the DROID. This is an important consideration during an unexpected power outage.

What Next?
As I noted at the start of this post, the final clincher for me will be cost and security. I’ll be back with my final assessment after I’ve done additional research. For now, given that I’ve addressed sound and phone function in this post, I’ll let David Pogue have the last word and leave you with this sobering thought from the conclusion of his article:

Cellphone speech recognition is getting better fast. Very soon, we’ll do less talking through our phones—and more talking to them.

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Do DROIDS Dream of Electric Sheep?

25 Thursday Jul 2013

Posted by themidlifesecondwife in Product Reviews, Technology

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Blade Runner, Droid, iPhone, Motorola, Philip K. Dick, product reviews, smartphones, technology, Verizon Communications, Verizon Wireless

Marci Rich, DROID, Verizon, Motorola, The Midlife Second Wife

The DROID RAZR MAXX HD. Photo taken with the my iPhone’s camera.

Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Boomer Voices program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

Here’s what came to mind the first time I powered on Motorola’s DROID RAZR MAXX HD, a smart phone that I’m testing as a member of Verizon’s Boomer Voices program: the science-fiction thriller Blade Runner, directed 30 years ago by Ridley Scott. It wasn’t so much the resonance with the product name and the title of the film’s source material, Philip K. Dick’s dystopian novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? as it was the vision that appeared on the screen and the sound emanating from the device.

The first to appear on the touch-screen was Motorola’s red, Batman-like logo, followed by the voice of the DROID—robotic and synthesized—saying (by way of introduction, I guess): “Droid.” Then, immediately after, a lightening-laced, fractured vision that could have been a split-second scene from Blade Runner. After all that, finally, a flickering-red-power-star-encased-in-a-diamond image came into view, signaling that your smart phone is ready to receive you now.

I’ve used an iPhone for years. Turning it on has never been this much fun. Score one for the DROID.

But is fun enough? I’ve been paying close attention to the similarities, differences, pros, and cons ever since returning from Chicago at the end of June, where Verizon Wireless hosted my program colleagues and me to a day-and-a-half of training on this device and related products. Here are a few of my loves and—since hate is too strong a word—dis-loves when it comes to the DROID RAZR MAXX HD:

Voice-Recognition Software
This is, by far, my favorite feature of the DROID RAZR MAXX HD. After unlocking the phone, all I have to do is swoop my finger from the bottom of the screen to the top and Google appears, ready to search at my command. I click the microphone and ask it do to my bidding. For example, I asked Gigi (for that’s what I’ve named this miraculous feature, deciding it made a fine derivative of Google): “Call the Rocky River Public Library.”

“Calling now,” she replied. And just like that, I was connected.

Oh yes, I know all about Siri. I have an iPhone 5, after all. But it’s been my experience that Siri pops up when I least expect her, and when I do need her she’s difficult to find. Google’s voice-recognition software on the DROID RAZR MAXX HD is easier to use. Her tone is slightly more pleasant and human-sounding than Siri’s, too. You can almost hear the smile in her voice.

Again, shades of Blade Runner.

I’ve also had more success with the DROID’s voice-activation in getting to websites than I have with my iPhone.

Google Now
While we’re on the subject of Google, let me just say that I love the “smart cards” that appear beneath the search field when I do that upward swoop thingie. Yes, you do have to allow Google certain permissions for these actions to work, but I’m over that. I like being able to see what’s on my calendar for the day, what the weather is like, and some of my most recent Google searches. If the screen gets too crowded I can simply swipe them away.

For those unfamiliar with smart phones and their operating systems, I should take this opportunity to point out that Google owns Android, which is a Linux-based operating system. Unlike Apple’s operating system, Android is open-source, which means that other developers can create software for it, yielding myriad choices in apps. Apple is an organic entity unto itself—it’s apples to apples all the way. I’m not saying that its closed-system philosophy is a negative—quite the opposite, actually. I’ve been a loyal Mac user ever since purchasing my first desktop back in the late 1980s. But it has been fun to experiment with a different operating system. (Fun. There’s that word again.) We’ll come back to that.

High-Definition Screen, Color, and Instant Photo Uploads
The high-definition screen of the DROID RAZR MAXX HD is a thing of beauty. If you’re reading this review on a DROID RAZR MAXX HD, ask Gigi—er, I mean Google—to pull up a website showing the color spectrum. What do you think?

I actually wonder, however, if the colors I’m seeing are true-to-life. Here’s why. Schopenhauer and color theory notwithstanding, when I use the DROID camera, the image I’m about to shoot doesn’t appear as real—as true-to-life—compared to the camera of my iPhone; the colors seem off. That’s when I look through the viewer, but I’ve noticed it on some of the resulting photos as well. Here’s a picture I took of my iPhone with the DROID. Contrast this with the photo I took of the DROID with the iPhone above. I set each shot the same way, with the same background. I auto-adjusted the color, as I always do, in Photoshop before saving the final image. The backdrop of the iPhone shown below is closer to real-life, and this shot was taken with the DROID. That said, the colors of the iPhone itself are way off. This could be because I’m taking a picture of something with a lit background—even though I cut the brightness of the iPhone’s screen back.

The DROID’s screen in the picture above, taken with my iPhone, is closer to what my eye sees. I hope I haven’t confused you too much. (Can we get a philosopher to weigh in on this?!)

iPhone, The Midlife Second Wife

A picture of my iPhone 5, taken with the camera of the DROID RAZR MAXX HD

I have to wonder if I’m willing to sacrifice visual veracity for ease and speed in uploading. When we were in Chicago, one of the tech trainers set up my DROID so it would automatically upload the photos taken with it to my Google+ account. Talk about magic! This feature saves me the trouble of having to email my iPhone photo to myself, or of having to attach the iPhone to my laptop in order to download images to iPhoto, which I then have to save again to a designated file on my laptop. Once the DROID picture appears on my Google+ page, all I have to do is download it. That’s all. I absolutely love the time this saves me.

I haven’t even begun to tell you other important things, such as the size and shape of the DROID versus the iPhone, the network speed, the battery life, and overall ease of use. I’ll be back again to share more of my thoughts on the DROID RAZR MAXX HD. For now, I’d like to ask your opinion on this:

I’ve often thought there are are two kinds of people in the world, and that they can be summed up in three categories:

  1. Those who prefer Coke over Pepsi
  2. Those who like coffee more than tea
  3. Those who are passionately pro-Mac versus those who are PC

What do you think? And if you are a devoted Apple fan, would you ever change sides? Even for one product? Let me know in the comments below!

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