All posts by Dexter Johnson

Technology, style, fitness and health. http://dexjohnspc.com , http://topnotchmalestyletips.com and listen to the Whaddup Tech Podcast http://bit.ly/WhaddupTech
Multimedia, Technology

Cable…Yes, You can live without it!

One word, NETFLIX.

Throughout my life I have always thought of cable television as a necessity, generally all American families have it through some company or another.  Growing up I had cable; yet, when I got to college and graduated I looked back and realized that I watched cable less and less.  My best friend had changed to the internet…meaning, the massive amounts of digital media available (how you get it is out of my control) can be obtained at little or no cost.

I began researching “Set Top Boxes” a while back and saw several that could do the job.  What is a set top box?  It is virtually a streaming media hub that connects directly to your tv via HDMI or RCA.  My product of choice happens to be Roku.  With this player I pay for internet and use the Roku player as my media source.  With this product I can add all sorts of channels to the device, part of my lineup consists of:

  • Netflix ($15/mo.)
  • YouTube (Free)
  • Revision3 (Free)
  • CNet (Free)

Most “channels” that you can link to the device are actually free and any box that you buy will more than pay for itself.  With most boxes supporting Netflix you will automatically have tens of thousands of titles available to be instantly streamed to your home or delivered directly to your mailbox.

So, yes….you can live without cable.  Ask yourself a question, “How many shows on tv do I really watch?”  Most would name a few and more than likely they can be found on Netflix or Hulu and those without cable really aren’t behind socially on the “latest.”  You can save money, choose when and where (device dependent) you want to watch and create a television/media experience that is completely catered to the individual, something that cable will NEVER do.

Set top boxes(examples):

  • Roku
  • Boxee
  • Apple TV
  • Google TV
Technology

iPad 3 Coming Soon!?

Honestly, will the Apple iPad 3 really be more of a device that you use on your couch versus your workplace?  I currently use an iPad(1st generation) at work.  The primary uses of the device are to take notes and now receive and manage all of my email since Outlook’s configuration files have gone awry on my desktop pc.

I have mixed feelings about the product to be honest.  Yet, since we are being honest here Apple has created a fantastic product; however, the launch cycles of this company highly irritate me.  They seem to be irrational with their consumer.  For example, every device they release seems to have shortcomings that are identified by the general public then are later resolved, but to think the problems would’ve been addressed before production and by determining what the public would like to see.

iPad – 1st Generation

  • No camera
  • Thickness
  • No advanced VGA output
  • No USB port

iPad – 2nd Generation (resolved those problems)

  • Resolved the camera with front/back cameras respectively
  • Thinner and lighter (not by much)
  • VGA seems to work with every app, not just with a video or presentation
  • Still lacks usb support (input)

Apple honestly fixed a lot within a year then re-released the product for the same price that users “just had” to buy.  The incentive for me to own a tablet isn’t very high, unless I can control the file system and have access to everything (Android-based tablet).  On the other hand, when they are released the typical Android tablet that has good features and high processing power tend to be costly.

So, the iPad3 if it’s features are superb will probably continue to dominate the market, thanks to it’s loyal culture of fans, but don’t think that Google will sit around and let it’s tablets fall to the wayside.  Everyone doesn’t need an iPad, but in those cases you can use one of the Google-powered tablets…

Check out this article that explains why Android will gain significant marketshare: http://scobleizer.com/2011/06/15/why-android-will-gain-huge-tablet-marketshare-later-this-year/

Technology

Android Vs iOS

This has to be one of the most heated debates in the cyber-world….  Let me start off by saying that I am typing this post on my Motorola DROID X.  iOS is another attempt that Apple is making at trying to dominate a sector of the industry. Although, there was a time when it did….Android currently makes up 49% of America’s marketshare.  Apple is insensitive to its consumers and forces them to download and buy  only what they see fit… from a company that has success because of the consumer the smart thing to do is to make sure they are happy.  All of these new features that iOS 5 boasts about having are features that Android has been having and currently has in use. On the other hand, I guarantee that Google will not file a lawsuit since so many features were stolen!  Open-source will always reign supreme over a company that only sells its software with hardware, hence why Apple will never have majority in the PC market.

Technology

Twitter….the new Facebook

I don’t follow that many people on Twitter but they all seem to say this it is the new FaceBbok. Let me be the one to break it to you…FaceBook isn’t going anywhere soon. Why? FaceBook serves a completely different purpose…you are suppose to seemingly build a profile full of pictures, life events, and more and interact with people and meet new ones. Twitter on the other hand was designed for a user to post a short blurb about how the weather is, what they thought of a movie etc. On my timelines I see full out conversations that should have been on Facebook or better yet a SMS.

Technology

Windows 8…Good or Bad?

Windows 8 seems conceptually to be a sound idea. However, Apple has already taken this business model and ran with it. Everyone is trying to be more and more mobile with every software release;however, it doesn’t mean that you should take the POWER completely from a user and dumb the OS down. Examples with the App Store on the latest Macs….FCP X was released as a download from the store…. No install disc or packaged file….. I don’t know about you but I want backups for my software.
Although, there are talks that the tiles native to Windows Phone will not entirely make up the newest version of Windows, I am really eager to see the finished product because Windows 7 is so polished.