Kian Ryan (.NET, Android, Geekery)

Well, I’ve had this handset for almost 24 hours now, so its probably time to give a few first impressions.

For those following my Twitter stream probably already know I’m impressed with this handset. I loved my G1 (running Android 1.6), but the advances in 18 months are just amazing. The look and feel of the device alone is significantly more polished than its predecessors and Sense UI just adds some nice overall touches to make a truly complete experience.

Looking at the hardware, the casing is very solid and quite gripped, with an almost rubber texture on the back. It doesn’t have the plastic feel of the G1, myTouch or Hero whilst being significantly thinner and lighter. The difference in weight is pretty significant, I keep having to check my pockets to make sure its there. The screen is possibly the best mobile screen I’ve seen – looking at photos and watching videos has an amazing feel to it. It does suffer from the direct sunlight problem that all screens in this class do, but so far its not really been a problem. The snapdragon processor is certainly snappy – its put up with everything I’ve thrown at it so far and not really battered an eyelid. Audio is … impressive. Normally I am completely underwhelmed by audio on mobile phones, music is something I’m very picky about. My usual mp3 player is a Sansa clip, paired with Sure SE-210s and my listening tastes range from Rock to Classical and Spoken Word. Hooking up the headphones to this handset I was impressed. It’s about as good as the Sansa clip, which is am impressive standard in itself. Im probably going to be switching to the Desire for day to day listening, and keeping the Sansa for trips away, where I might need to conserve battery. My only complaint about the audio is that its a tad quiet. I don’t usually expect to need to top out the volume for music playback, but I’ve got a feeling that’ll get addressed in the next firmware revision.

Battery so far has been fine. Just don’t be a numpty and leave everything turned on all the time.

The software experience is solid, with all the usual stuff you’ve come to expect from Android with some 2.1 niceties thrown in. The social integration which comes with Sense UI is surprisingly good, I’m using the Twitter integration (widget and app) now and the ability to link contacts to various social networks is great. The software keyboard is pretty darned good as well – I’ve written this entire post in the WordPress application, and its guessed happily at most of the words with only a few corrections. Coming from a G1, I wasn’t sure how I would cope with no hardware keyboard by so far the larger screen and excellent software make up for that.

So yes, colour me impressed.

I’ve just finished watching this evenings debate, votes and reading of the DEB. I’ll admit that I had lost hope a few weeks ago of this bill being voted down, but some things became clear as I was watching this evenings proceedings.

It’s bloody confusing.

I don’t watch BBC Parliament that often, but I’m usually capable enough of following what’s going on. But as this evenings clauses were being voted on I a admit to struggling keeping up with which clauses were which and at one point both @thehodge and I were wondering what on earth was now being voted on and whether the desired response was yay or nay. The whole process is wrapped up in so many layers described as “tradition” and “process” that from the outside, it looks completely archaic and more about posing than genuine debate. Many of these layers also take up time, precious time.

The numbers didn’t add up.

189 aye, 47 against. There had to be … 40 in that chamber at most? I believe the other 190 odd were hanging around outside. If this is so, why did they not partake or at least sit in on the debate? 20,000 people wrote to their MPs – at least some of those outside must currently represent some of those constituents. Did they not feel it part of their obligation to partake on their constituents part? Or did they just not want to show their face on camera and be noted as present? Have we got a catalouge of who voted and who was present as we did for yesterday? I think this is a major failing of the system, that MPs can just turn up and vote, without partaking in any debate on the issue.

The house was packed earlier in the day for PMQs

BBC News photos show a packed house for what was nothing more than posturing and arse-waving. Those MPs were there then, where were they for the DEB debate? People are losing trust in their MPs for reasons like this. A friend wrote in his blog that politicians have “lost track of what is actually meant by trust” (I’ll link once I get permission). In the whole, we don’t care if you’re sleeping with a footballer’s wife or dating one of the cheeky girls. What we want is for MPs to take an interest in matters their constituents have an interest in, to engage the house on those issues and work for us. It still feels like, even after the whole debacle of the MP expenses that MPs are failing to understand that they are there to represent constituents. Constituents are not just a by-product. There is an election coming up – it would do well to remember that.

How many MPs actually understood the bill, or the implications of the bill?

Some of those that spoke clearly had no real understanding of technical, social or economic issues of the bill before them. A few did, and Tom Watson really must be applauded for being one of the few voices (along with around 20 others) who genuinely understood what this would mean in a few years time. As some of the blog have already pointed out this morning, certain clauses will certainly cripple aspects of a growing economy – the complete opposite of what this bill was meant to achieve. It fails to help promote potential new business models and revenue streams and actively works to support pre-existing industries. Clause 8 is potentially disturbing as we now have the potential for a “great firewall” of our very own. At least there’s the protection of a judge, but considering the way our current libel laws work I can see this heading in the same direction very quickly.

Something else which actually dawned on me is that if this is how the DEB bill is debated (an area I have at least some knowledge on, so therefore can comment from an informed position) – are other bills handled the same way? Are bills on energy or economics debated with the same lack of understanding by politicians, and then voted on by a horde dragged in by the party whip? Quite a log of those debating the DEB were only given one side of the argument – the statistics given to them by the record industry, which have been debunked time and time again. Is politics simply a case of those with the most money winning all the time by being the voice in MPs ears? That has horrible implications.

My MP is Ruth Kelly. Who didn’t turn up for the vote or debate. Unsurprisingly since she is standing down at the next election, as many others are. But until the election they’re still our MPs. I would have had a little more respect for her, irrespective of her vote, had she actually turned up to the debate.

There’s a general election coming up on May 6^th. So far, I’m feeling “stitched-up” by all of the major parties. The party I had expected to stand up for my rights, the Lib Dems, failed to do so. Quite a few vocal Lib Dem supporters are also feeling rather stung and disillusioned with their own party. One blog post won’t make a blind bit of difference and I don’t really expect anyone of note to read nor take notice of this, but one hopes ever so slightly that this may be my Cesspool of the Potomac.

Type: Blog Post (Markdown) Blog: kianryan Post: Title: Taking a Digital Fast. Pings: Off Comments: Off Category: LifeTrack

Eugh.

That’s a term I dislike. But a “Digital Fast” is the one LifeHack have adopted so I’ll settle with it for now. The idea is to take a 24 hour period completely disconnected from the Net to a) prove that you can do it, and b) to get a bit of life back and put your priorities straight.

But they make it sound like a chore.

Go have a read of the article, and then come back.

My partner and I had an online break recently for a whole two days, and it was one of the most refreshing things we’ve done for a long time. I had spent the week working for a client based in London, and with things still flying around up North it was a very hectic week. Fun, but hectic. Deciding that we really needed was a few days break I booked a couple of days in Kettlewell in the Yorkshire Dales (we recommend Littlebeck B&B). It was on a bit of a whim, and the place came on the advice of a friend. This was not intended as a “Digital Fast”, just a couple of days out of the rat race for a bit of R&R.

I got back into Manchester on Friday evening, Cat picked me up and off we went. Driving up, the usual run of Twitter and GMaps was happening until we got north of Skipton. Then all we got from GMaps was a grid, a blue line and an arrow.

“Follow the line! Don’t lose the line!”, so long as we followed the line we were OK. There was a map somewhere in the car if we got really stuck.

But the signal was dead. No 3G, no GSM. Nada. And as we hit Kettlewell it didn’t get any better. No Wifi in the B&B, Wifi in one of the pubs if we got absolutely stuck. All we had was each others company for a three day period.

And it was awesome. We woke at a reasonably casual time, wandered downstairs to a most hearty breakfast, casually strolled around the village, drank tea in a nice little tea-shop and ate at some rather nice pubs. No pressures, no connectivity, just the gentle countryside and company.

We even had snow on the Sunday, which made the whole thing even more picturesque – and did cause a bit of worry about getting back for Monday. Trapped for another day? Oh dear… Alas, it turns out the roads in that area are gritted and cleared more religiously than most major towns and cities so at that point it was easy travelling to get home.

We will be doing it again – next time hopefully for longer. A week, maybe two. It’s nice to have that feeling of gentle isolation.

So, if you are planning on taking your “Digital Fast”, and feel like it will be more chore than pleasure – why not disappear to the Dales or the Lakes for a day or two and enjoy what’s there instead? Enjoy your time away.