Sunday, September 19, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Why You Should Not Buy the Samsung EPIC 4G Phone from Sprint
1) After searching, I could not find a way to capture Audio. With my Moto W490, it was 2 menus and about 5 button presses in all, and I thought THAT one was a crappy phone
2) I don't know how to terminate an application. There doesn't seem to be a way.
3) This whole idea of a gmail phone is a bit risky. On gmail, you enter a strong password each time. But, with your phone, once you've set your account up, anyone can get into your gmail if they know the 4 digit pin to unlock your phone. Nuts!
4) You send 2 emails each time you send one from your phone. Go figure. Obviously the geniuses at Google don't work in the marketing department.
5) I could not find a way to use the "Call phone" feature that gmail has. Obviously, the geniuses at Google don't work in the marketing department. If the phone is being marketed as a gmail phone or a google phone, you'd expect them to delight the customer with this thing up and ready. Go figure.
6) I cannot select text (like a phone number) in the Email application or the gmail app.
7) When using the gmail app, you don't get email address completion - which is ridiculous - on the PC, if you're using gmail, that's one of the best things about it. WTF? Really? WTF are they trying to prove to the world?
8) In the mail application, the delete button doesn't delete the email. Go figure. Should you make your stuff intuitively easy to use or what?
9) Sprint cannot import your contacts from your SIM card you used with an older phone.
10) After umpteen attempts, this phone has failed to pair with my Plantronics 233 bluetooth headset. With my Moto W490, it takes about 5 seconds. Also, the EPIC SPH-D700 doesn't find my Moto when looking for devices. It looks like it can only pair with Sprint devices. WTF?
11) It's not clear how to sign out of the email. I've got gmail and Email running and now, each one has an orgasm when a new email arrives.
12) With the gmail app, you can't zoom in. You can with the Email app though.
13) The phone is delivered to you (if you're as unlucky as me) with the USB Debugging enabled. Somehow, this doesn't prevent Linux from accessing the SD card. But, Windows has no clue what to do unless you put on your geek had and go into Notifications and turn USB Debugging off, so that, next time you plug in the cable, you can select the Mass Storage option.
14) There is no way to rightclick. With the advanced technology available, you'd expect they'd have figured out a way (like Apple) to use multitouch to implement this, but no. In fact, it seems like multitouch only applies to zooming.
15) Blogspot does not work cleanly. I could not tap in the post area and start entering text. It was terrible.
Go iPhone guys! Go iPhone!
2) I don't know how to terminate an application. There doesn't seem to be a way.
3) This whole idea of a gmail phone is a bit risky. On gmail, you enter a strong password each time. But, with your phone, once you've set your account up, anyone can get into your gmail if they know the 4 digit pin to unlock your phone. Nuts!
4) You send 2 emails each time you send one from your phone. Go figure. Obviously the geniuses at Google don't work in the marketing department.
5) I could not find a way to use the "Call phone" feature that gmail has. Obviously, the geniuses at Google don't work in the marketing department. If the phone is being marketed as a gmail phone or a google phone, you'd expect them to delight the customer with this thing up and ready. Go figure.
6) I cannot select text (like a phone number) in the Email application or the gmail app.
7) When using the gmail app, you don't get email address completion - which is ridiculous - on the PC, if you're using gmail, that's one of the best things about it. WTF? Really? WTF are they trying to prove to the world?
8) In the mail application, the delete button doesn't delete the email. Go figure. Should you make your stuff intuitively easy to use or what?
9) Sprint cannot import your contacts from your SIM card you used with an older phone.
10) After umpteen attempts, this phone has failed to pair with my Plantronics 233 bluetooth headset. With my Moto W490, it takes about 5 seconds. Also, the EPIC SPH-D700 doesn't find my Moto when looking for devices. It looks like it can only pair with Sprint devices. WTF?
11) It's not clear how to sign out of the email. I've got gmail and Email running and now, each one has an orgasm when a new email arrives.
12) With the gmail app, you can't zoom in. You can with the Email app though.
13) The phone is delivered to you (if you're as unlucky as me) with the USB Debugging enabled. Somehow, this doesn't prevent Linux from accessing the SD card. But, Windows has no clue what to do unless you put on your geek had and go into Notifications and turn USB Debugging off, so that, next time you plug in the cable, you can select the Mass Storage option.
14) There is no way to rightclick. With the advanced technology available, you'd expect they'd have figured out a way (like Apple) to use multitouch to implement this, but no. In fact, it seems like multitouch only applies to zooming.
15) Blogspot does not work cleanly. I could not tap in the post area and start entering text. It was terrible.
Go iPhone guys! Go iPhone!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Microchip Delivers Where TI Fails
Finally, I achieve my wireless dream, with some help of course:)
In TI's defense, it must be noted that TI's target board consisting of the MCU, radio, crystal and chip-antenna is about the size of MCP's radio board. MCP is using a trace antenna, then the radio board goes into a daughter pigtail that plugs into a full-fledged development board. Unseemly, but functional.
In TI's defense, it must be noted that TI's target board consisting of the MCU, radio, crystal and chip-antenna is about the size of MCP's radio board. MCP is using a trace antenna, then the radio board goes into a daughter pigtail that plugs into a full-fledged development board. Unseemly, but functional.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Microchip Quality Policy
Do they have one? Listen to this presentation by GK and you really wonder :
http://techtrain.microchip.com/webseminars/ArchivedDetail.aspx?Active=147
http://techtrain.microchip.com/webseminars/ArchivedDetail.aspx?Active=147
Microchip Thermosat Example
Okay, they show you how you can take an 80's mechanical thermostat and put their parts in. But, why not go all the way and put a link in explaining how you can add ethernet or Wi-Fi connectivity so you can monitor and set this thing from anywhere in the world? How to set a 6 digit PIN, etc.
If you're out for the day, you sure want to turn the device off (or set the target so that you sae energy) and you want the thing up and running 10 minutes before you return home - so you'd ideally like to send the thing an email over the internet (how do you do a secure transaction unless you have the ability to put an embedded HTTPS server into your thermostat?) before you leave work.
Why not put together a demo showing how you can accomplish all this with products readily available from MCP and give the source code away and show people how to hack it and include the cost of developing this in the cost of the product? Some people see things as they are and ask why; I see things as they may be and ask why not.
If you're out for the day, you sure want to turn the device off (or set the target so that you sae energy) and you want the thing up and running 10 minutes before you return home - so you'd ideally like to send the thing an email over the internet (how do you do a secure transaction unless you have the ability to put an embedded HTTPS server into your thermostat?) before you leave work.
Why not put together a demo showing how you can accomplish all this with products readily available from MCP and give the source code away and show people how to hack it and include the cost of developing this in the cost of the product? Some people see things as they are and ask why; I see things as they may be and ask why not.
What Microchip Doesn't Teach You
Okay, they have a PIC that you can directly connect to an RF45 ethernet jack. Nice. Now, what you want to do is go wireless. Or, even before that, how about putting an end-to-end demo like this :
Requirements - laptop or desktop, router or modem with multiple ethernet ports, demo board
Now, how do you connect this demo board to the router and get something to look at on your PC. Where is the source code so you can customize it?
Ultimately, any application has to have a wireless backup just for security reasons. You simply cannot depend on a wire that people can snap. Always build in as much autonomy as you can. Energy harvesting is definitely a plus. This is why TI is ahead of Microchip and will continue to remain so.
Requirements - laptop or desktop, router or modem with multiple ethernet ports, demo board
Now, how do you connect this demo board to the router and get something to look at on your PC. Where is the source code so you can customize it?
Ultimately, any application has to have a wireless backup just for security reasons. You simply cannot depend on a wire that people can snap. Always build in as much autonomy as you can. Energy harvesting is definitely a plus. This is why TI is ahead of Microchip and will continue to remain so.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Customers
Maker,
Thanks for the info. I would like to get this setup working in our lab in x y so that we can do a better job of debugging yield issues. How do I get these boards and software?
Thanks for the info. I would like to get this setup working in our lab in x y so that we can do a better job of debugging yield issues. How do I get these boards and software?
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