iTunes Radio vs. PandoraOne

51zcTEnZ6ZL._SL500_AA300_.pngAs a followup to my iOS7 First Look I thought I’d post my impressions of iTunes radio and how it compares against PandoraOne.   This review will focus on the pay versions of these two products.  Why pay?  No ads to interrupt things, simple as that.

My initial thought was iTunes radio would end up putting Pandora out of business but after a week of comparison I’m starting to change my mind.

I’m a subscriber to the iTunes Match service that, in a nutshell, makes most of your music library available in the cloud and accessible from any iOS device or computer running iTunes.  I say most of your music because if the track is not available on iTunes it’s not going to be available in iTunes Match.  I have several spoken audio tracks that don’t qualify but it’s stuff I would not want to listen to most times anyway.

radio_1xFor $25 a year this is a great way to access your music no matter where you’re at.  An added bonus allows iTunesMatch subscribers to get commercial-free access to iTunes Radio.  Sounds like a win-win, right?

While iTunes Radio has similar functionality and a yearly subscription is half the cost of PandoraOne there are some differences…

iTunes Radioitunes_radio_-600x300

Pros:

  • $25 year (included with iTunes Match)
  • Easy access to purchase the song
  • Seems to have more variety in the playlists
  • Wish list for future purchases
  • Apple TV Integration
  • You can share and email stations to friends

Cons:

  • Multiple clicks to favorite a track
  • Same skip limit as PanrodaOne (6 per hour)
  • Audio Quality is a little muddy (this can be subjective)
  • Clunky interface
  • Does not always play right away (buffer seems smaller than Pandora too)
  • Must run iTunes
  • Stations based on artist very rarely play the artist

Pandora OnePandora1

Pros:

  • Easier to Favorite Songs
  • Audio quality is clearer
  • Lyrics & artist’s biography
  • Stand-alone desktop application

Cons:

  • $48 a year
  • Seems to repeat “liked” songs more (this could be both a Pro & a Con)

In conclusion at this time I still think PandoraOne is a better product.  It does cost more so if that’s an issue iTunes Radio is still a good product (and iTunes Match is worth the cost in my opinion), it’s just not a polished product.  If Apple continues to evolve as they have in the past iTunes radio could truly become a Pandora killer in the not-so-distant future.

Have you done your own comparison between iTunes Radio & your favorite streaming music app?  Tell us about it in the comments section below!

First Impressions – iOS7

It’s been a few days since Apple released their latest mobile operating system and now that the dust has settled I thought I’d post some of my first impressions about iOS7.  This is not a complete review, of which you can find all over the web by better writers than myself, it’s just a summary of my initial thoughts after using it for a few days.

Dynamic-TypeiOS 7 was unveiled at last Septembers World Wide Developers Conference and has been eagerly anticipated ever since.  With this new OS Apple has introduced a new look and feel which gives new life to some of their older devices (iPhone 4 and above is supported).  Visually everything seems somewhat flat and less cartoonish.  The typography used throughout (mostly Helvetica Neue Ultra Light) is clean and easily legible, although I did need to bump up the font size a touch to help with my aging eyes.

We all have our likes/dislikes with various products.  I’m going to focus more on what I don’t like about iOS7 (it’s a pretty short list).

Dislikes:

  • Smaller folder screens
    • You can only have 9 icons on a screen vs 12 in iOS6 (but you CAN have more than one page!)
  • Takes up more storage
    • 3.1GB needed to upgrade and you only get 2.8GB back
  • Parallax Effect
    • Not very smooth on the iPhone 4S or iPad 4th Gen, I ended up turning it off
  • No AirDrop on pre iPhone 5 devices
    • I was really looking forward to this feature but DeskConnect provides an alternative
  • No weather app for iPad
    • Plenty of 3rd party options but it’s odd not to have it on the Notification Screen
  • Spotlight
    • Only searches local data, no more Web or Wikipedia searches

With the negatives out of the way there are PLENTY of things to like about iOS7.

Likes:ios-7

  • Fresh new look
  • Bug fixes
  • Control Center
  • iTunes Radio
  • Slide anywhere to unlock
  • Multi-page folders
  • Safari Improvements
  • Camera improvements
  • Photo Collections
  • App Switching
  • iMessage Timestamps
  • Siri Improvements

Overall iOS7 introduces a lot of new and updated features.  I’m not sure where Apple is going to go from here but I think we have a few years before we’re going to see anything truly unique and revolutionary.  I have an iPhone 5s on order & I’m looking forward to seeing how some of the restricted features work on it (AirDrop, new camera, etc.).  I’ll be sure to post an initial look at the 5s once I get it in my hands & have some time to put it through the paces.

Swipe to Over Sleep

20130108-220254.jpgAfter using the iPhone for a while I’ve become quite fond of it but with any device there tends to be a few quirks. Case in point; the iPhone alarm clock…

The Apple iOS starts just about all phone interactions with a swipe of the finger. That swipe becomes second nature to a lot of us because we’re unconsciously swiping to unlock our phones all day long.

iphone_alarm_settings_380px

So guess what happens when your alarm is going off at 6 am and you grab your phone to silence it (in my case hit snooze a few times)? That instinctive swipe motion turns the alarm OFF! You have to press a small red button titled “Snooze” to silence he phone for nine minutes. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve accidentally disabled my iPhone alarm in the morning. I think I’m finally getting the hang of it though…

Who came up with the nine minute snooze threshold anyway? Three of the four alarm clocks I’ve ever owned all had the nine minute snooze. The fourth one had a seven min snooze. I want a 10 minute snooze so I can easily calculate how many times I can hit it before I REALY need to get out of bed…

Apple Style With Windows Functionality

I’ll admit I’m starting to get a case of Apple Fever.  After moving to an iPhone from the long favored Blackberry and actually finding a way to integrate an iPad into my daily routine I’m taking the next step…  I’ve purchased a MacBook Pro.

This is not just any MacBook, this is the 13″ model with the *new* retina display, 8GB of memory and a roomy 256GB Solid State Hard Drive.  Having used a 12.1″ Lenovo Thinkpad for the past 4 years the 13″ display on the MacBook seems a lot larger and the resolution (and clarity) of the retina display is nothing short of amazing.

The overall design of the Apple MacBook Pro is very nice.  Machined from a solid block of aluminum this thing is as solid as it gets.  No plastic to flex or creak and no flimsy screen to move around.  I’ve never felt a laptop as well-built as this is.

I mention Windows Functionality in the title of this post.  That’s possible because of a virtualization application called Parallels which allow you to run Windows applications right alongside the Macintosh apps.  It’s pretty much seamless and, so far, it just works.

I’m still in the “getting to know you” stages of the Macbook but I really like what I see so far.  Time will tell if this becomes my primary platform or if the limitations push me back to the world of Windows.  There are enough differences in how the two systems work that it’s going to take some time for the Apple Operating System to become second nature like Windows has become.

After I take this thing on an extended test drive I’ll go into more detail and post a more thorough review.  Stay tuned…

 

Catch Up Post, Yeah I’m Still Alive!

It’s been far too long since my last blog post so I thought I’d do a summary post detailing what’s been going on with my life…

Decided to try the iPad out again. Picked up a 32GB Wi-Fi unit and I’ll have to admit it’s far superior to the Gen 1 device I had years ago. Better screen, faster performance, and great battery life. I also purchased a Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover and the combination is great!  I find myself using the pair in meetings and when I’m out and about wanting to get online.

To go along with the iPad I added a Verizon “Jetpack” 4g Mi-Fi device to the tool kit.  After finding out my internal aircard in the trusty Lenovo X200 was not capable of being upgraded to a 4g data unit I took the plunge.  This is the device to have for mobile data.  Initially the battery life was pretty sub-par but the addition of the extended battery gives me all the time I need and the speeds are nothing short of amazing.

My son & I attended Dig IN A Taste of Indiana and I was VERY impressed with the event. GREAT food and a lot of variety. We’re going to make this an annual event and I encourage you to check it out next year (August 25, 2013).

International Geocaching Day was on August 18 and we made sure to log a cache that day to get a special badge on our online account.  The 2 caches we manage also got a lot of activity that day from the event.

Devour Downtown has come and gone. I was only able to make it to one place this year but Smokehouse on Shelby was a real treat.

If you’re looking for a location based app for your reminders the Checkmark app for the iPhone is one to check out (no pun intended). It reminds you of things when you are at a specific location vs date and time.  Very handy when you want to be reminded to do something when you get home or arrive at the office.

I’m working downtown with a new client and spending a few days during the week down ther  . It’s been a while sine I’ve spent this much downtown and I’m really happy to be doing it again.  Speaking of Downtown I’ve been going to King David Hot Dogs on a semi-regular basis. Not only is it a quick eat it’s delicious!  This is not your ordinary wiener.  This thing is a 1/4 pound beef dog that will fill you up.

I’m sure I’m missing a few things but as you can see the summer has been a busy one.  I was talking to Eddie V the other day & we want to start the Man fights Back Podcast up again.  Been far too long since we recorded an episode and I’m sure we have plenty of content to fill a few shows.  I’ve also thought about doing a weekly Podcast that summarizes the events on IndyScan.com. It’s still in the developmental phases but you might see it soon on the Blog.

Hope everyone is having a great summer!

-Andrew-

Apple Customer Support

Had to call Apple customer support this week for a client who had some equipment stolen. I was VERY impressed with how they handled the call. VERY helpful and efficient. Good example for some of the others to follow (I’m talking to you HP, Cisco & Microsoft!!)…

Not often I have ANYTHING to positive to say about support so I thought I would at least pass it along.

iPhone – Did I Make the Switch?

It’s been just shy of 3 weeks since I turned off the Blackberry and started testing the iPhone as a potential replacement.  In that time I’ve had the opportunity to install/uninstall software, test accessories, and perform an operating system update (all without issue or lost data).

Yesterday I wiped the Blackberry and turned it in (along with some ribbing from the guys at work).  I really didn’t think it would come to this but I’m going to admit it, I like the iPhone.

The iPhone is not perfect my any means (what piece of technology is?) but it’s preformed quite well during my testing phase.

While testing I made some mental notes along the way:

Pros:

  • Application Availability – If you can think of it there’s probably “an app for that”.
  • Build Quality – Solid with tight tolerances and attention to detail.
  • Screen Resolution – I can actually read PDF files now!
  • Overall Responsiveness – Very little delay between user input and system output.
  • Camera – Forget the Mega Pixel count, the optics are very impressive for a phone.
  • Audio Output – Loud and clear.
  • Messaging – iMessage, FaceTime & just about every Social App available.
  • Productivity – Full Exchange Compatibility (with the addition of a 3rd party application*)
  • Location Based Reminders – Arrive/leave a location and get reminded of something you need to do at that time (Example – Set the trash out every Wed when you get home from work).

Cons:

  • Battery Life – If you use the phone at all you’re going to have a hard time getting through the day on a single charge (I found a solution I’ll discuss below**).
  • On-screen Keyboard – I’m slowly getting used to it and the auto correct has not burned me (yet).
  • Data Network – I seem to lose 3G coverage more than I did with the Blackberry.
  • Software Limitations – Some Apps I could use (like a Wi-Fi scanner) are not approved for use by Apple Corp.  This is resolved by Jail Breaking, so I hear…
  • Siri – This has SO MUCH potential if it would just do more than basic functions.

* TaskTask a $4.99 app fixed the issue with Outlook Tasks not syncing with the iPhone.  This would have been a deal breaker for me if the app did not exist.  I live and die by my task list (Insert GTD fanboy laugh here).

** As discussed in a previous post the PhoneSuite Elite solved by battery issues.  I can use the iPhone all day without any worry of falling offline due to a low battery.

Some applications worth mentioning:

  • Remote Controls – I can now control Roku, iTunes, Media PC and the U-Verse DVR from the iPhone.
  • Games – Words with Friends is pretty addictive as are any of the EA Games titles.
  • Dragon Dictation – This app is built in and does an incredible job of turning spoken words into text.

So there you have it, yet another move to a new platform.  Let’s see, in the last 20+ years it’s been:

  • Pen & Paper
  • Casio Address Book
  • HP Palmtop
  • Motorola Pager
  • Motorola 2-Way Pager
  • Motorola Star-Tac
  • Palm (several models)
  • Windows Mobile (several models)
  • Blackberry (several models)
  • iPhone 4s

Who knows what the future will hold but it the past is any indication it’s going to keep getting better and better.

 

iPhone and Battery Life

This is part 2 of a series documenting my potential switch from a Blackberry 9930 to an iPhone 4s.  Part 1 can be found here.

After just a couple of days with the iPhone I’ve already noticed the battery life is nowhere near what I was getting with the Blackberry.  I know I’m playing around with it a lot but it’s also plugged into the laptop most of the time when I’m at my desk.

In the meantime I’ve ordered (and received) a case that has a built-in 21oo mAh battery.  The PhoneSuit Elite has enough juice to completely recharge a drained iPhone in approximately 2 hours.  It can also be used to keep the battery fully charged throughout the day.

The PhoneSuit adds a bit of bulk and weight (2.8 oz) to the phone (weighing 4.9 oz without the case) but that’s not a bad thing since I’ve come close to dropping the phone on more than one occasion (why is this damn thing so slippery?).  The case is easily removed should I need to slim things down and as an added plus it uses a micro USB cable for charging AND syncing.  That’s one less cable I need to keep track of in my gear bag.

I’ve had the PhoneSuit case for a few days now and I really like it.  I found lots of positive reviews online that made the decision to buy an easy one.  The case works as advertised and provides plenty of power to get me through the day leaving quite a bit of charge in reserve.  I could see getting 2 days of moderate usage without having to plug in for a recharge.

I also ordered a slim case for those times when I don’t need the extra battery capacity (or want the added weight).  If you’re looking for a phone case (or just about any accessory) don’t go retail, go eBay.  HUGE price difference and a lot of vendors offer free expedited shipping so you get your item in just a few days.  I ordered a case that retailed for $30 for only $2.99 on eBay.

I’m continuing to test the iPhone and upcoming posts will cover Applications, Siri, and Final Results of my testing.  Stay Tuned for more!

Is the iPad Compromising the IT Industry?

It’s kind of like the perfect storm…  The Internet has exploded in growth and its ubiquity directly corresponds to the Commoditization of “Connected Devices”.  It started with devices such as the iPhone and Blackberry and it’s spiked again with the introduction of the iPad.

Gartner announced this week: Without Proper Planning, Enterprises Deploying iPads Will Need 300% More Wi-Fi.  This is pretty serious if you’re the one responsible for making sure these enterprise systems work reliably.

I’ve been in the IT industry for a while now and I can tell you from experience the adoption of new technology has ALWAYS been a hard sell to upper management.  Then the iPad hits the market and the drive for adoption starts coming  from the TOP of the orginization.  The “Cool Factor” of the device made it the “thing” to have in the board room.

The fact that the iPad is NOT a laptop replacement is lost on the CEO, CFO, COO, etc..  I’ve seen people who once had to have perfection in their “productivity tools” all of a sudden accept the major limitations of their new toy.  These limitations are not only limited to the iPad, all the tablets being wedged into the corporate world have limited features and poor security.

To be fair, I’ve tested the iPad & it was a fun toy.  If you just want to surf the web and check your email it will do that just fine.  If you want to use your accounting applications, ERP system, or edit complicated spreadsheets it’s going to have its challenges.  I’m now testing the Blackberry Playbook which has similar limitations and a lot less available applications.

The only “Tablet” that I’ve ever used that, in my opinion, was worth anything was a Tablet PC where the screen could be rotated and reversed allowing you to use its 14″ touch screen.  This, to me, is the best of both worlds.  Full featured, powerful, and completely compatible with your existing workflow and environment.  Is it a little bigger than the iPad?  Sure it is but that difference is 100% worth it to me.

Do you have an iPad (or other tablet)?  Does it do everything you expect?