Android – Jerad Hill Blog

How To Keep Your Pokemon Go Playing Kids Safe

Posted on July 24, 2016February 26, 2025 by Jerad Hill

Pokemon Go is what most would call an overnight success. The game takes advantage of wireless technology to allow the user to capture Pokemon and battle other Pokemon in real life. The game has received praise while at the same time been seen as controversial due to it’s augmented reality aspects. The game itself takes place on your phone, but it uses real life elements to augment the gameplay. The idea is to go out and walk around in search for Pokemon. The game uses Google Maps with a Pokemon world overlay in which you walk the streets, park or local mall in search for Pokemon to capture. It’s quite fun and a bit addicting especially if you used to watch Pokemon on tv. Pokemon the show was a bit after my time as a kid, but the game has been a lot of fun to play.

Played responsibly, the game is harmless. There isn’t any real violence in the game and a Pokemon battle simply consists of using the power of your Pokemon against another. In the App Store, the game is rated 9+ for Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence. If you are considering allowing your young children to play the game, I would recommend watching a gameplay video on Youtube first. However, it is far less violent than a Power Ranger episode.

The game is very consuming. Like most games, you have to be looking at your phone to play the game. The difference with Pokemon Go is that you have to be walking around to play the game, and this is where things can get a bit dangerous. The game also promotes interaction with other players. To power up, refuel or battle, you must be near Pokespots or Gyms, which are the same for everybody throughout the game. My family and I walked down to the local Junior College and saw 40-50 others walking around playing Pokemon Go. Each player was walking around looking at their phone. Prior to this game, you would simply think everybody was texting. Now if you see someone walking around looking at their phone, there is a good chance they are playing Pokemon Go.

Businesses are also using Pokemon Go to lure in game playing customers. Many businesses are located near a Pokestop and use Pokemon Lures to make that Pokestop more attractive to Pokemon hunters.

There have also been a few news reports of people getting mugged or robbed while playing Pokemon. Savvy criminals can use a game like Pokemon to determine where others may be due to the landmarks in the game being the same. Pokespots and Gyms are located at actual landmarks throughout your town or city such as a church or statue. There are hundreds of Pokespots and Gyms throughout my town.

My kids are too young to be allowed to go off on their own let alone go off to play a game such as Pokemon Go on their own. I have allowed my six and four-year-old boys to play under my supervision. I only let them catch Pokemon and powerup at the Pokespots. I would not consider a Pokemon battle to be too violent for them, but they have not leveled up past level five yet so no battles for them anyway.

Regardless, there are several things to look out for and to do to help your kids stay safe while playing Pokemon Go. Let’s take a look at what those are.

Remain Annonymous

I recommend not allowing your children to use their real names in Pokemon Go. Nobody can see your children on their Pokemon map, but if your children start to battle other Pokemon at gyms, their name could show up at that gym. Time will tell whether or not people actually get upset enough about losing a Pokemon battle to seek them out in real life, however, the possibility is real. For most, they will have to sign in to Google in order to sign up for Pokemon Go.

The developers of Pokemon Go have recently updated the game to require very few permissions from your child’s Google account. Depending on your level of technical knowledge, I would recommend that many of you create a specific Google account for your child’s gameplay. Pokemon Go may only require a few permissions for game play but there are other games out there that ask for permission to all of your Google account data for some reason.

Pokemon Go does not display any of your child’s or your information publically. The closest public information it will display is the username of someone who holds stature at a Pokemon Gym. There is speculation that in the future Pokemon Go will allow users to trade Pokemon in a similar way that kids would trade Pokemon cards in real life. If that becomes the case, the account holders username will become much more public, which is why I recommend using made up names over real names. Like most other games, the username is game specific and will not allow others any access to your Google accounts. For me, using a made up name for my children on Pokemon Go is good enough and I do have Google accounts created for my children so their gameplay of Pokemon Go and other games can stay specific to their own accounts. My oldest is getting to that age where he does not want his younger siblings ruining the hard work he has put in on some games.

Set Boundaries

The first thing you need to do with your child before you allow them to play Pokemon Go is to set boundaries. Chances are that your kids already have boundaries you have set for them such as how far away from home they can travel on their own. My kids are young so their boundaries are our yard. That would not make for a very interesting Pokemon Go session so if you are going to let your kids play, you want to make sure they understand where they can go and where they should refrain from going.

The map on Pokemon Go shows all streets, parking lots, alleyways and more. If it appears on your Google Map, it will appear in Pokemon Go. In the game, all paths look the same. A perfectly lit street can appear the same on the map as a poorly lit alley. Dead ends look harmless on the game until you find yourself at the end of one. It is important that your children understand where they are allowed to go and where they are not. Being that my kids are so young, we stick to parks and make sure to keep away from busy roads.

If you take your kids somewhere to play and plan to allow them to wander around a bit, make sure they know where to meet or what to do should they get lost or find you out of their line of sight. Use one of the in-game Pokestops as a meeting spot. It’s most likely a noteable area or landmark which will make it easy to find.

Pay Attention

It is easy to get fully engrossed in this game. More active areas with a higher amount of Pokestops and Gyms are more exciting. It is not common to see someone mindlessly walk across a driveway or parking lot with their eyes glued to the phone. Many players have headphones on so they can listen to music while they play or more easily hear Pokemon alerts.

I recommend you disable the in-game music. Disabling the music takes nothing away from the game and will prolong battery life. You can leave sound effects and vibration turned on. To get to settings, tap on the Pokeball at the bottom center of the screen. At the top right of the screen on the next page, a small gear will appear for “settings.”

It’s one thing to let your kids wander the streets with headphones on when they are paying attention to where they are going but when they are playing Pokemon Go, they will often be looking down at their screen. It is hard to be aware of your surroundings when you have headphones on and are looking down at a screen. I suggest you have your kids leave their headphones at home. They can hear just fine with sound effects and vibration on.

Stay Aware

Playing the game often means being near roads. Make sure your children stay on alert. If you are constantly reminding them to look both ways for cars without a phone in their hand, they will be even less likely to remember while playing this game. Big parks are your friend as Pokemon can often be found at parks.

Don’t allow your kids to go out in the evening in dark clothes. Make sure it is easy to see them by making sure they are dressed in bright clothing. We just returned from camping and gave our kids bright glow sticks to use as they wandered the campground at night. I couldn’t imagine letting my children play Pokemon Go after dark, but if you are going to allow your children to do so, light them up.

Stay On Your Feet

I mentioned before just how easy it is to get caught up in the catch of Pokemon Go. Don’t let your kids play the game while they skateboard, bike, or scooter. It’s just dangerous. They need their full attention to skateboard, bike, or scooter, and if they are playing the game, they can’t focus on being safe.

I live in Central/Northern California where it is set to reach 112 degrees this week. Playing Pokemon outside means it’s even more important to keep hydrated and protected from the sun. If you let your kids play outside in the summer heat, make sure they stay hydrated and properly protected from the harsh sun

Beware of Strangers

Millions have signed up and are playing Pokemon Go and the game draws all of us to similar locations known as Pokestops and Gyms as I mentioned before. Because of that there will often be other people at those locations. Unless there is a Pokemon lure at a Pokestop, people often don’t hang out at a Pokestop for long before moving onto the next one. Gyms however, can keep people around longer as they battle other Pokemon. The other day apparently someone drove into the back of a parked cop car while playing Pokemon Go. Go America!

It might be common for a group of people to go in the same direction in search of Pokemon. Kids need to be taught not to follow strangers even if they say there are more Pokemon where they are going. Don’t let your children follow anyone without you there.

Safety in Numbers

Don’t send your child out alone. Make sure they are with siblings, friends, other parents, or yourself. The game can be a lot of fun when played together, so keep everybody close. If there are Pokemon nearby, they are typically nearby for everybody. My boys and I all caught the same Pokemon from the same spot at the park. There are a limited amount of Pokemon at any given location, but there seems to be the same amount for everybody.

My kids do not have iPhones so they play Pokemon Go on iPods which require them to be tethered to the internet on my phone. If they wander too far away from me, they lose their internet and the gameplay stops. This is also another good way to keep kids close to you.

Keeping Tabs

There are a couple of ways to track your children’s whereabouts while they are on their phones. If they are on iPhones, you can use the “Find Friends” app to track their location or if their devices are signed into your Apple ID, you can use “Find My iPhone” to track their location.

Android phones give you a bit more data. Make sure the Google Maps app is installed and signed into on their phones. You can go to the history page in Google Maps to see everywhere they have been. Google also has a device manager app that will allow you to track all devices signed into your account.

The Pokemon Go game also has a player journal which shows all of the Pokemon collected, Pokestops and Gyms visited. You can review the locations they visited that way as well and verify the times in which they were playing by looking at the timestamps listed in the journal.

Highly Addictive

The game is designed to promote play. It is easy to get engrossed in gameplay and find yourself miles away from home. Be aware that your children can become addicted to this game. The game has only been out for about three weeks and there already has been a few players who have captured all of the Pokemon that there are to be captured in the game thus far. That would require at least a few hours of gameplay every day. School is out for most, so spending a bit more time in a game than usually might be ok, but the next school year is right around the corner. It will be interesting to see how this game changes the way kids wonder around with their mobile devices while on School campus. Even if school is not currently in for your kids, I recommend setting limits on the amount of time they can play the game. When school starts again, I would suggest tightening up those limits.

If your child becomes combative over playing Pokemon Go, it’s time to take a break.

Does Pokemon Go Cost Money To Play?

The game is free to play but there are in-app purchases that can be made. In most towns and cities there are plenty of Pokestops that you can visit to replenish Pokeballs and other powerups. However, there is plenty of money to be spent inside of the game so I recommend you set restrictions accordingly if you think your child will attempt to purchase upgrades from within the app.

On an iPhone or iPod Touch you can enable restrictions from within the Settings app, check out this video on how to do that. Once enabled, you can turn off the ability for your children to make in-app purchases. One of my Youtube channels “State of Tech,” has some additional videos to help parents manage their children’s mobile devices. Here is a playlist of a few videos for parents of children with mobile devices. I plan to keep this playlist better updated: http://bit.ly/stateoftechparents

Play Together

The game is quite fun. I enjoy playing it and really enjoy hunting for Pokemon with my kids. As parents, it is easy to prevent our kids from experiencing things simply because we do not understand them. Pokemon Go will be all that kids talk about once school starts back up so use this time to teach your kids how to play responsibly. Use this as a teaching moment with your children to help them better understand the world and how to be safe. Use Pokemon Go as an opportunity to get your kids out of the house and playing outside. Sure they are glued to a screen while playing, but at least they are outside getting accidental excersise.

And I’m Back on iPhone

Posted on January 26, 2016February 26, 2025 by Jerad Hill

To anyone who has received a blue chat bubble from me in the last 24 hours, I am back on iPhone. Last Summer, I wrote a post about how I won’t be buying the iPhone 6S or the iPhone 6S Plus. I went into detail about how Apple doesn’t innovate much anymore, blah blah blah. I was pretty adamant about my decision and did not see myself wavering. However, after some frustration I will elude to below, I decided it was time to go back to iOS for the time being.

When I sold my iPhone 6 Plus, I was using a Nexus 6 and was quite happy with it. My iPhone 6 Plus had become something I would leave behind for the Nexus. A few months later, I purchased the LG G4. The camera was nice on the G4 and the phone worked well. However, after a while, the phone became a bit slow and would lag on me. The camera would fail to open and I would have to restart the phone to get it working again. I purchased a Samsung Galaxy S6 and was plagued by the horrible battery life. I went for the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active which had a slightly larger battery but had lag issues as well. I moved on to the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, which was a great phone but had a lot of features I didn’t need that seemed to bog the phone down a bit. That led me to the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+, which was a beast of a phone, but I couldn’t justify having spent that much money on a Samsung phone. I also spent a few weeks with a Moto X Pure, but it would lag on me as well.

As of yesterday evening, I was using a Nexus 6P and had been since its release date last fall. I like the phone, but it has some minor lag issues that keep me from using certain features of the phone. I also notice that when I am using Android phones, I take fewer photos. I am not sure why as most Android flavors provide a more useful camera experience than the iPhone does. I guess the iPhone camera is just more accessible and there are less features in the way of using it as a camera.

My Nexus 6P was having major lag issues and I needed to make a change. I obviously had been through a lot of Android phones in the last year. Going through Android phones is a problem I have. I have lost count, but since Android launched in late 2008, I have owned over 60 Android phones. It’s pretty ridiculous. I should have kept a log.

I have found that Android is not a very consistent experience for me unless the device has 4 GB of RAM memory. There are very few Android phones that have this amount of memory. Most phones that do, lack something else. The only two phones that are a solid flagship phone that have 4 GB of RAM are Samsung devices. I don’t have anything against Samsung phones, I just don’t like all of the preinstalled software and lack of battery longevity.

The latest Nexus devices come with Android 6.0 installed. This is the latest version of Android which has some cool features. The problem I have with the latest versions of Android is that all of the other phones out there are still on a version of Android 5.0. Many App Developers have not even updated their apps to work on Android 6.0. It actually took my bank four months to support it. I use Sony Cameras and it took them six months to support Android 6.0. This simply doesn’t happen on Apple’s iOS platform. Even NFC does not work with my Sony cameras on Android 6.0 which defeats the purpose and was one of the reasons I complained about the iPhone last summer.

I also enjoy using a Smartwatch. I have had the Apple Watch in the past. I have also had a variety of Android Wear Smartwatches. I even spent a few weeks with the Samsung Gear S2 which is on Samsung’s own Tizen platform. Each watch lacked something. The only consistent Android Wear Smartwatch out there is the Sony Smartwatch 3 however, it lacks many features I have come to rely upon in a Smartwatch.

Last night, I put away my Nexus 6P and moved over to an iPhone 6S Plus. I know, the very 6S Plus I said I would not take part in. Having spent so much time this last year chasing an Android Smartphone that would not give me any problems, I decided it was time to throw in the towel and come walking back into the familiar arms of Tim Cook.

I also realize what I have done over the past year. I have not only wasted a lot of time on phones, I have wasted money as well. I just want current technology that works. Though the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus do not contain much over their previous versions, they work and they work well. The phone is fast and it does not lag. iOS has better memory management because it doesn’t allow apps to run when they are not doing anything. Android has become better at memory management over the years but it still takes twice as much memory for Android to provide an equal experience. The manufacturers producing Android phones are not putting enough memory in their phones to make for a seamless experience. There is enough memory for a basic experience but if you install a lot of apps and plan to use them, you will eventually run into issues.

I am not back on the Apple bandwagon and I don’t think I really ever was completely. Since Android came out, I have deeply desired for an Android experience that was as seamless as Apple’s iOS. Android 5.0 came very close to that as Android phones started coming packed with decent cameras around that time. One could even argue that Android cameras trump the iPhone’s camera in certain aspects of performance. For me, what it comes down to, is performance. I run two businesses, have three kids ages five and under. I don’t have time for a phone that has to be finagled into working. I am tired of having to delete apps from my phone that are known to use up more memory so that the rest of my phone operates better. All these years later, I still find myself sacrificing in one way or another to be on Android, and that simply shouldn’t be the case.

Sure the current iPhone is pretty basic, but it works. The Apple Watch is kind of ugly, but it works well and iOS developers support it. I am ready to start ignoring some of the Android phones that come out and just exist on iOS. I’m not ditching Android. That will never happen. I just won’t be on such a search for the perfect Android phone, which will result in less worry about whether or not my phone is going to work when I need it to.

Who knows how the next month or two will go. My iPhone could start to give me issues as well, but for now, I am back on iPhone and plan to stay there for a while. For now, it’s about saving time and probably some money. Though the iPhone is almost mid cycle before the iPhone 7 will become available, I will save hours of time and even some money by not fretting over the perfect Android experience. Only time will tell if I will end up eating my words again. All I am trying to do is share my experience with others and try to relate on some level.

What do you think about the current state of Smartphones?

Google Voice as a default

Posted on November 10, 2014February 26, 2025 by Jerad Hill

Google finally added full support for MMS into Google Voice which means that if you swap devices often as I do, instead of having to switch SIM cards back and forth, I can simply port my main cell phone number over to Google Voice and then point my number at any device I choose.

I tired this a few years ago but at the time, you could not send or receive text messages that included photos or videos. About a month ago, they added MMS support but images came through as a link that had to be clicked. That seemed spammy to me.

I think its time I give it another try. That means that I will transfer my cell phone number to Google Voice and have a random number assigned to my phone. Then if I want to switch between phones, I just log into Google Voice and point my number at another phone. Google Voice makes it easy to point your number at any phone. With Google Hangouts integration, I can get calls anywhere, even on a tablet or my laptop. This has been possible for a while now, I have just held off because I would not have been able to receive picture text messages.

I’m in a Google GLASS Slump

Posted on April 29, 2014February 26, 2025 by Jerad Hill

When I first received Google GLASS I was pretty excited about it. I loved using it, the only problem was that it was hard for me to use without prescription lenses. I have posted before about my journey through finding a way to use GLASS while needing prescription lenses to see at distance. Once Google made frames available for Google GLASS that could accept prescription lenses, I ordered them and had lenses made right away. You would think that I would have used Google GLASS every day since. The reality is quite opposite. My best guess is that I have used GLASS less than 5% of the time since I first had prescription lenses to see through.

People always ask me if I like Google GLASS or find it useful. I always respond with an optimistic answer suggesting that I have found ways in which it is useful to me. The issue is that GLASS is not useful most of the time. As I write this, GLASS is in it’s case, in the center console of my truck. It has sat there for the last 3 days. I had planned to wear GLASS during a dental procedure yesterday, that didn’t happen. I just have yet to desire to have GLASS on my face all day. Even when I wear GLASS, I take my regular glasses with me so I can switch back if I need to.

The best use case for Google GLASS is with those who have a more active work day. I spend about 7 of my 8 hour work day behind a computer. GLASS just becomes a distraction when I am trying to work. There is nothing to take photos of at my desk. I can’t listen to music with GLASS all day because the battery would go dead after a few hours. There is no reason to wear it at work. When I leave for lunch or to a meeting, I occasionally put on GLASS, depending on who I am going to meet with. It is a conversation piece and I like being viewed as someone who is on the bleeding edge of technology, because I often am.

I don’t like wearing it at home because my wife and kids often look at it rather than at me as if GLASS is doing something. Besides that, there is nothing going on that I would need GLASS for. I prefer most calls to go to voicemail after work hours. I don’t care as much about notifications or SMS after work either. I like to be there for my wife and kids. I do put on GLASS occasionally if I am going to do some sort of activity with my kids and I want to be able to easily take photos and video without pulling out my phone.

Photo and Video quality is not quite there either. I would like to be able to use the video from GLASS for more than just posting directly to social media. When I film things with my phone, I often end up using some of that footage in a project that I post later. Google GLASS only shoots in 720p and the quality of the footage is not that good. If I want useful footage, I’m better off using a GoPro camera.

I guess I feel like GLASS would be more useful if I led a more active lifestyle. I don’t make it to the gym often at all and lately my weekends have been filled with family events and little kid birthday parties. These things don’t make for interesting content for my social media followers.

Google GLASS was awesome to have when I was in the pits at Daytona 500 this year. When a lot is going on around you, Google GLASS is the best. It beats pulling out your phone and taking photos. I like the first person perspective Google GLASS gives you. It’s exactly what I was looking at. My problem is that it is not that often that I am looking at something interesting enough that I want to take photos with GLASS. When I was at NAB a couple of weeks ago, it was great. Capturing photos of what I was experiencing was a huge plus.

I have worked out with GLASS using fitness apps and trackers. That was a neat feature, but at the gym, it really draws attention to you. People don’t want to see a camera pointing in their direction while they work out. I normally take my glasses off altogether while I work out anyways.

GLASS does not yet replace the need to have your phone in front of you. Though you can have some notifications pushed to GLASS, you can’t simply leave your phone in your back pocket all day. You have to have it with you for the internet connection and ability to make/receive phone calls and text messages. You can’t use navigation on GLASS without your phone. GLASS is just another device you have to carry on you.

I have had people suggest that GLASS would be easier for me to get used to because I have worn glasses for the last 15 years of my life. I actually think that the opposite is true. I have always been a fan of thin framed glasses. I don’t like anything getting in the way of my view. I am not sure why. Perhaps I distract easily. Though I have gotten used to GLASS being in my line of sight, it is still a distraction and if I wear it for long periods of time while working on the computer, I get a headache.

I do believe that augmented reality is some form of the future. We can’t go on walking around with phones in our hands looking down from the world in front of us. GLASS gets our line of sight back up with the horizon. It allows us to get some notifications without going to our phones. I have also recently compared it to the smartwatch by Pebble. The Pebble Watch allows you to get notifications to your wrist so it’s out of the way until you get the notification. The prism that is in front of your right eye with Google GLASS is a bit of a distraction even when there is nothing to display. Though the watch had very limited functionality compared to GLASS, it held a batter charge for almost a full week. There really is no comparison between the two though, GLASS is in a different class as far as devices go.

I am still passionate about Google GLASS and enjoy wearing it. I need to find a way to make it more useful in the line of work I am in. I don’t want it to simply be something I wear to show people how technologically advanced I am. I want it to be useful and meaningful as a tool in my life that helps me stay connected to and share what is going on around me. Perhaps I just need to quit regular glasses cold turkey and not give myself the option to wear anything else. I will have to wear GLASS because that is all I will have with me.

Once again, time will tell as to what I will continue to use GLASS for.

Why I Currently Choose Android

Posted on January 6, 2014February 26, 2025 by Jerad Hill

I have been an Android user since Android first launched, however I have never been able to use Android as more than a toy to tinker with until recently. I have also been an iPhone and iPad user since both devices launched. Android devices were always lacking in some area that frustrated me and sent me running back to my iPhone. For years I would carry an iPhone and Android phone with me and often times I would just leave my Android phone at home.

There are a couple of things that Android and the manufactures of Android devices have not been able to compete with until recently. Android devices have been able to catch up to Apple because Apple has not really released any new and innovating features in a while. Apple seems to know what people want and will use. Android device manufactures seem take a different approach which seems more like a hit or miss approach to creating features people will use.

The first Android device to come to the market that I was truly able to switch to and use without needing the safety and familiarity of my iPhone was the HTC One. One of the main issues I had with Android devices was the horrible cameras they came outfitted with. I am a Professional Photographer and even when I am taking smartphone photos, they need to look like they came from someone who knows what they are doing. Every Android camera before the HTC One was less than desirable. Sure it might take a 1/2 decent (only 1/2 decent) photo outdoors on a bright day, but I need something that does a good job all around. The iPhone has always delivered on my expectations.

The customizations that most manufacturers make to Android has also frustrated me. The iPhone has always been simple and for the most part, kept out of your way. I feel like stock Android does this well, but Samsung, HTC, LG and the other manufactures out there add in so much on top of the Android Experience that it makes it hard to use. The powerhouse phones that they create end up running slow because of all of the features. Because of that, I have found favor in the Google Edition Smartphones that are available directly from Google. These Google Edition phones are from manufactures such as HTC and Samsung but only run stock Android, which means you get the nice hardware these manufactures provide and the clean software that Google provides in Android. The only manufacture whose devices I like with their default software installed is Motorola, which is owned by Google anyway.

I would like to outline some of the Android specific features that keep me from switching back to the iPhone:

Sharing: Sharing content to pretty much anywhere is easier on the Android. If I come across a website I want to save, send or post to a social network, I can do this on Android. On the iPhone, you are stuck to Facebook and Twitter in most cases. There are not a lot of options for sharing on iPhone unless you copy what you want to share and then post it directly through that app. On Android, I can share from one app to another. This allows me to share more content and spend less time doing it. When I use my iPhone, I find myself sharing less. I can take a photo in one app, edit it in another, then share it using the social network of my choice all without ever having to save the image multiple times throughout the process.

Photography: At times I feel that the iPhone still has the advantage when it comes to photography. Though I like the camera in the HTC One and don’t mind the camera in the Google Nexus 5 (my current phone), there are more apps for photo editing available on the iPhone. With that said, I am trying to process my images less. If I do anything, I adjust exposure and that is about it. I don’t like to throw filters over my images and make them look dirty. I go for color and clarity.

Multitasking: Android has always been better at multitasking. Even though the iPhone now has an easier way of switching between apps, it is still limited compared to Android. I switch around between apps often and being able to do that quickly is huge for me. I also dislike when I leave an app to do a Google search and then come back to the app to find what I was doing gone. This rarely, if ever, happens on Android.

Google Now: I have never found Siri very useful on the iPhone or iPad. This is mainly due to the fact that I don’t always want to speak my commands. On the iPhone, you have to activate Siri for commands to be heard whereas with Google Now, you simply have to have the screen on. With the Moto X from Motorola, you don’t even have to have the screen on. The phone is always listening for the command “Ok Google Now.” As I mentioned before, I want devices that get out of my way and let me get tasks done quickly.

Charging: I currently use the Google Nexus 5 which allows for wireless charging. I simply plop my phone down on the small charging pad and it begins to charge. It’s amazing and simple. When I need my phone, I pick it up and walk away. No cords to unplug or worry about snagging. I have wireless charging docks on my desk, nightstand and in my truck.

Phone & SMS: There are some need features built into the latest version of Android that make it much easier to search for businesses to call. On the iPhone, you have to do some sort of external search and then launch a call. On the Nexus 5, I can simply start typing a name of a business and it comes up. One tap and I am calling that business. I can also have Google Now launch a call for me, however I have had mixed results with this. I have not done much testing with Siri to see how well it does at launching calls to places that are not in the address book.

With SMS, Apple has iMessages, which is really nice for texting with others who are on Apple devices. I currently use the Hangouts app for Android which is the stock messaging app on the Nexus 5. It does a great job and soon will be a bit better and more open than iMessages. What I truly want, is a SMS service that works regardless of the device and apps you have installed. Google Voice was almost this, but you can’t send photo or video text messages currently on the AT&T network. If this changes, I can use Google Voice with the Hangouts app. Then I can switch between my iPhone and Android devices without having to switch SIM cards or anything. I just choose which phone I want to carry and point my number at that device.

Quicker Technology Advances

I know that Apple has some cool stuff up their sleeves that nobody has even thought of yet, but I get bored quick. Apple has the iPhone but Android has many options. There is just about something for everybody with Android. Apple has enough of a following that they can ride the wave for a while and save leading edge advancements for later releases. It’s all strategy and Apple is definitely good at what they do.

I will most likely at one point switch back to iPhone and iPad because I am confident that Apple will drop some amazing features on us that will once again take other manufactures a few years to catch up to. To be honest, I am not even 100% sure that the new features in the iPhone will be Apple’s next big thing.

As other smart device manufacturers scramble to come up with technology that will trump the iPhone, I will continue to enjoy some of the advancements. Not everything that comes out is needed. I think that over 60% of what Samsung puts into their devices is worthless and companies like LG seem to even be copying some of these useless features. In the end it seems to be all about marketing and what they can make look neat. I don’t need a phone I can waive my hand over to scroll a web page. That sounds idiotic to me.

Wearable Technology

I truly believe that smartphones are living on borrowed time. Companies like Google are messing around with wearable tech and the future is near. Why do we all have to carry about devices that cause us to focus on something other than humanity? I hate how my phone disconnects me with my environment. I am not convinced that Google Glass is the answer to that, but it is a huge step closer. I have tried Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smart watch and I think it is stupid. If I am going to spend money on yet another device, it needs to make it possible for me to use my smartphone less. Google Glass has done this. I can do a lot of what I would normally do on average with my smartphone with Google Glass. It can’t yet however replace a smartphone.

Going All Data

I think we are getting closer to a day where we will no longer need a minutes plan. Most of my communication with people is through email and text message. For the most part, you can do all of this through a data connection. The carriers already know that they can’t make money charging for text messages or minutes anymore. It’s all about the data charges. You could even get away with using an iPod Touch as your phone so long as you had a consistent data connection. I have a couple of friends that did this. In the near future, I don’t think we will need a cellular phone plan and I can even see phone numbers going away as well. If you could buy a smartphone and only connect a data plan to it, I would. However, this is not yet an option. Tablets can have data only connections, but not smartphones. The carriers will hold onto it as long as they can.

Why Care At All?

I am always posting about the devices I am using and I am sure it makes most people’s heads spin. Why can’t I just stick with one device and be happy? The truth is that I feel that technology should help us do our lives better and I will move in the direction of whatever technology adds to my experiences while at the same time getting out of my way. This is why I like Google Glass. Even though most of the world things it’s ridiculous, wearable technology is coming and will take over quicker than the mobile phone did. Remember when people used to say, “I don’t want people to be able to reach me at all times.” Now it is weird for someone to say that they don’t have some sort of a cell phone.

It’s also the future. Technology has driven the economy for the last decade and will continue to in the future. As we become more connected, more services and technologies will come up to assist in that. I find it empowering and very interesting. Each time I purchase a new piece of technology I see it as an investment in my future because I am on trying my best to stay on the forefront of the way all of this integrates with out lives. Modern technology was and is still a hard transition for our parents and grandparents because they were not raised with it. I don’t want to allow technology to outrun me. Though it is impossible to stay on top of it all, I will do my best.

I know that this post turned into a post about technology more than it did about why I use Android but I think it’s important to talk about. Mobile technology is part of our lives and these are the companies producing products for us to use and integrate with the world around us.

Right now, Android is better integrated with my life and lifestyle, so that is the platform I am using for both Smartphone and Tablet. We will see where Google, Apple and other manufactures take us as they continue to innovate and try to find the next thing.

10 Days with Google Glass

Posted on November 25, 2013February 26, 2025 by Jerad Hill

I recently was invited to take part in the Google Glass Explorer Program. For those of you who do not know what this is, it’s basically a beta testing program that Google has offered a small group of people to test out their wearable computer with an optical head-mounted display (OHMD). Google Glass is essentially a pair of glasses that has a built in computer and display. Google Glass works in conjunction with your smartphone truly make phone and internet connectivity hands free. Unfortunately, I was unable to secure a pair before my third child was born. That would have been awesome to use Google Glass during the birth of one of my children.

When Google Glass was first launched, I passed at the opportunity to purchase a it because I require prescription lenses in my glasses and there were no options available at the time. At the moment, I do not have prescription lenses, but I do have them on order from a optometrist in Pennsylvania who custom makes a prescription lens that adapts to Google Glass. There is a company that plans to make prescription lenses available to all sometime in January of 2014. A couple of days ago, I attempted to modify an older pair of my Rx glasses to fit in Google Glass, but I have always had minimal style frames, which do not have the stability to support the added weight of Google Glass.

Google Glass intrigues me because it gets my phone out of my hand. I often find myself holding my phone and looking down at it as I scroll through emails and anything else that I feel might need my attention. It takes my eyes off of the world and I know I am missing things. There have also been many times when I have wanted to take a picture of video of something and my phone or camera was not easily accessible. My reaction time is improving as I get more used to Google Glass and how fast it is to take a photo of something.

I currently wear glass about 50% of the time and my prescription glasses the other 50%. When I am driving or doing something that requires me to see distance, I need my glasses. I can place Google Glass over my glasses but it is not comfortable and I fear that they will fall off of my face and hit the ground. There is something cool about sharing in first person. When you take a picture with a camera you usually are holding the camera in a way that is not the same as you would be seeing it with your eye. As a Photographer, when I take a picture with a camera, I frame it up and try to make it look most appealing as a photo. When I use Glass, I am sharing from my perspective.

My life this last few weeks has not been very eventful as I have been home a lot doing as much as I can so my wife can rest. Emerson was delivered by cesarean, which of course has a longer recovery time. As much as I want to play with Glass, family is first.

Those of you who know anything about me know that I am mildly addicted to mobile technology. I mean I started a company that helps feed my addiction. Though I truly love Apple products, I know that there is a whole other world of innovation out there and I definitely moonlight in it. Since Google’s Android platform was launched, I have loved using it. Until recently, it has never been able to replace my iPhone but in 2013, it has. I currently use the Google Nexus 5 with Google Glass as my mobile tools of choice. I do have an iPhone 5S, which I purchased on launch day, but I am not very excited about what Apple is doing at the moment. I know that Apple will surprise us again next year, but not in 2013. Google has been doing some fun things with Android that I truly enjoy. Their current devices are beautiful and more useful to me than Apple’s current iPhone and iPad.

Google Glass however, is not perfect. Though I have enjoyed having it and the look other techies give me when they see it, it has came with many frustrations. My frustrations are inline with what others have shared, however I may be slightly more annoyed by them because I don’t have the time these days to deal with setbacks. I am always in production mode and when I’m not, I am at home with 3 kids. Life is busy, so I tend to get frustrated when things are not snappy.

Constantly Disconnecting – Google Glass connects to your smartphone and uses it’s internet through a bluetooth connection. This often drops which requires you to setup your Google Glass again. This is not a long process but it is an annoying process to have to go through. You typically notice it right when you want to do something with Glass. Today, I was in the middle of a run using the Strava Run app for Glass and it disconnected out of nowhere and I had to stop running to reconnect it.
Photo & Video Sharing Doesn’t Always Work – I don’t like to spend much time on tasks so when I take a photo or video that I want to share online, I want it to post fast. I have had about a 60% success rate with posting photos and a 20% success rate posting video. I am not sure if it is my phone or Glass that has the problem, but I would assume that Google Glass and the Google Nexus 5 would be able to communicate better than another manufacturer’s device.
Battery Life – Smartphones these days can usually last a full day on a charge without the need to plugin. Google Glass however can not last that long on a charge. If you are using Glass to answer calls, respond to text messages, take the occasional photo and do the occasional Google search, you will run out of battery before the afternoon. For many, that is not an issue because they can take Glass off and charge it while they don’t need it. For people like me, who plan to put Rx lenses in Glass and wear glasses all day, I will have to have another pair of Rx glasses on me so I can wear them while Google Glass is on the charger. I don’t plan to run the charging cable to my head so I can continue to wear Glass while the battery restores.
The Timeline – Google Glass presents updates to you on a Timeline. That timeline can get clogged over time as updates come in. If you connect a lot of Glassware apps, get a lot of text messages and calls, it will become a little overwhelming to find older notifications. I don’t believe that Google was intending for people to have tons of notifications in their Google Glass timeline but it can get a little overwhelming. You can delete items out of the timeline, but it takes more time than it should to delete something and then do something else.

Though there are other things about Glass that fall short from my expectations I have to keep reminding myself that this is technically an Alpha product and an invention none-the-less. Google Glass is something that has only existed in science fiction movies and now I wear it on my face.

The best feature of Google Glass is being able to take photos from your own perspective. There is no zoom, so you are limited to what you are looking at. There is something freeing about that, especially as a photographer. I am typically worried about crop, exposure, angles and a number of other things because of my professional background. With Glass, I can just share what I see. I also like the ability to overlay your screen onto a photo. Google calls this a Vignette (See the Kettle Kickoff photo below).

Google Glass obviously works best with the Google+ social network, but with the Facebook and Twitter app, it becomes a pretty powerful sharing tool. Google has recently opened up the Glass API which means a lot of developers have more access to develop apps for Google Glass. It will be cool to see what people come up with.

I feel like my Google Glass experience will become much more interesting after I get prescription lenses. At that point, I will be able to experience the world as I normally do through prescription lenses and Google Glass. I won’t have to either go semi-blind or wear Glass with my prescription glasses which is a bit too nerdy for me.

I will continue to share my experiences with Glass. If you want to head over to my Google+ page, you can see more that I have shared using Google Glass.

SmartPhone – HTC One Review

Posted on June 25, 2013February 26, 2025 by Jerad Hill

I have loved Android since it’s launch, however I had yet to be able to replace my iPhone with an Android phone because they felt unfinished as phones and the cameras in Android phones are garbage. Even today, most of the phones are horrible compared to the iPhone. When the HTC One was announced, I was skeptical of their new “Ultra Pixel” camera. My first HTC built device was the original Nexus One from Google and I really liked it, except for the camera and lack of apps at that time. When HTC was said to be back with the HTC One and that this phone was going to change everything for HTC, I wanted to believe it so when the phone became available I pre-ordered one. At this point I am somewhat ok with the app availability on Android and the HTC One camera is AMAZING in comparison to all other phones available on the market right now. The iPhone 5 still has a decent camera but the HTC One trumps it.

The HTC One is a beautiful device. It feels good in your hand and is easy to hold. It has a nice density to it. As far as design goes, it is a complete win. I am not sure how I feel about the touted “Zero Gap Construction.” The metal body is the bread to a machined poly center which seems a little cheap to me. Though one would assume zero gap means solid, it is simply three pieces press fit together and there is a minimal gap that can be seen when you press the device together with your fingers. Even though it is a mostly metal phone, I don’t want to scratch it so I keep a case on it. This keeps me from even noticing the tiny gap. Regardless, this is not a big issue with me as it has been with other reviewers online.

The front facing speakers was a bold move. I have no idea why most phones have speakers on the back. I don’t listen to much audio from the speakers in my phone but I do like them.

The display is super clear. They hit a home run with the HTC One X display a few years back and have continued to impress with quality display.

I am not a fan of Blink Feed, the phones built in news feed that you can’t really customize to well. I decided to set another screen as my default home screen so I rarely even see Blink Feed and am ok with that. I prefer to get my news through the RSS feeds that I subscribe to. Now that Google is discontinuing Reader, I am using Feedly to keep up with the websites I like to follow.

The HTC One camera has a feature they call Zoe which is basically a 3 second video that contains up to 20 images as well. A Zoe also has audio which makes for fun short playback videos. When you have fast moving action, like little kids running around, you can shoot a Zoe and then move the slider around to save a photo from your Zoe video clip. You can also share Zoe video clips to Facebook and Twitter. Now that Instagram supports video, I find myself posting short video clips to Instagram rather than recording Zoe clips.

What stands out above all of these kind of neat features is the camera. The camera is amazing and outshines all other camera phones currently on the market. As a Photographer and someone who wants to post clean/clear photos, the HTC One is answering that call right now. Everybody that I show photos to as I take them on the HTC One is blown away. When I post full resolution photos directly from my phone, people assume I took them with an actual camera.

Here are two unfiltered photos taken right from the HTC One default camera app. These photos have not been retouched at all.

Now these photos do not have the dynamic range of a full featured camera or DSLR camera but they are pretty decent photos. I have done side-by-side comparison photos with the iPhone 5, Galaxy S4 and the HTC One and the HTC One out performs in just about all lighting situations. Most importantly, the HTC One excels in low light situations. The small camera sensor in most phones are just too tiny to capture enough light in lower light situations but the larger sensor in the HTC One makes up for that. Though the camera only captures a 4 Megapixel image, it is more than enough as far as size goes for a smart phone. A 4 Megapixel image is about the size of an 8×12 photo. Very few people are printing their smartphone photos on larger than 8×12 paper. If you are, get a real camera please.

I recently purchased the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active phone and before that had a regular Galaxy S4. I had to return the phones with in a few days because I could not handle the camera’s inability to take photos in anything other than ideal lighting situations. The Galaxy S4 is so horrible in low light that I plan to write about it. If you are at all serious about the photos you take with your phone and you are ok with the Android platform, the HTC One is the best phone on the market to date. The iPhone 5 is great, but not as good in low light and the HTC One seems to capture more color dynamic range as well.

I have a series of HTC One tips that I posted on DailyAppShow.Com if you want to see some video of the phone in action.

Action Launcher Pro – Beautiful Clean Launcher for Android

Posted on January 10, 2013February 26, 2025 by Jerad Hill

Finding an organizational system for your Android Phone is hard. Each device manufacture does their best to create an app launcher and home screen that they feel is useful, however many fall short of being easy to use. Action Launcher Pro is a simple launcher aimed at making it easier for you to accomplish tasks.

My Android Phone is a Google Nexus 4, so Action Launcher Pro was not as much of a change as it would be for someone using a Samsung Galaxy S3 or a Motorola Android Phone. Action Launcher Pro makes it easier for you to access your apps so you do not have to have multiple app folders. One thing I have always disliked about the iPhone is that all apps go in folders or individually on a grid. Call me old fashioned, but I like a list. On my Mac I avoid Launchpad like the plague. If you have more than a few apps, it becomes hard to find what you are looking for. I prefer a list or a simple search alternative on my Mac and my Phones.

I have included several screenshots and a video of Action Launcher Pro in action on my Google Nexus 4 to give you an idea of how it looks.

This is my standard homescreen with some of my apps categorized. This is not a feature of Action Launcher, just the way I organize my apps. See my video for more details.

This is the app list screen which I absolutely love. I love having an app list and having that list easily accessible.

Easy to access menu to get you to System Settings and Customization. See my video where I show each of these features.

Customize your homescreens easily using this menu.

Settings for Action Launcher Pro make it easy to further customize your new Launcher experience.

All-in-all, Action Launcher Pro does what I need it to and it helps me get around my phone faster. I use apps for multiple purposes and it is a hassle for me to have to scroll through screens of app icons.

Action Launcher Pro for Android available in the Google Play Store