Google+ in the wild, part 2

Posted on July 20, 2011 by ET/Osky

One post does not make a series so here comes part 2. More on actually using Google+, this time with a focus on those Circles that everyone keeps mentioning and how you can use them when posting. If you haven’t read part 1 you can find it here.

Enforced sorting of friends and contacts

Do you remember the GMail slogan “Search, don’t sort”? Cool, now forget it. Google thinks that sharing and reading is better when your contacts are sorted in to lists, so does Facebook (if this was a scientific publication you would find a link to that Mark Z statement), the biggest difference here is that G+ has lists from the start. You will therefore be forced to place your new contact in at least one Circle, you could of course create one huge circle but no good will come from that so please don’t. Sorting people into Circles are surprisingly funny, it looks good, you drag and drop and get neat animations to keep you going.

As I should have mentioned last post but didn’t you will every time you share something decide who will see what. This is in my humble opinion very intuitive and I hardly notice doing it. Still it’s the same function that you have in Facebook with lists just enforced and more user friendly designed. This is how it looks (in Swedish, sorry bout that).

This post would be shared with “Circles” (that’s “Kretsar” on the left) and a circle called “Friends” (you guessed it, “Vänner” on the right). Note that since “Friends” is one of my circles, this post would be shared with them even without me adding it, I have already selected “My circles” where it’s included. So why did I bother adding them again? The little popup in the picture shows some settings that I can set for each circle unrelated to each other. This is very well though out if you ask me. It means that I can share this post with all my circles and it will show up in their stream (a.k.a Newsfeed if your that kind of guy/gal) but for the circle “Friends” I choose not only display it in their stream but also Notify them by ticking the check box. I can also select that for those in that circle that haven’t yet created an G+ account to get my shared post via e-mail. Nice! I’m guessing however that we’ll see some misuse of both these features so a quick pointer, don’t notify all your friends of everything you post. They will not be happy. Also, if your friend haven’t got G+, don’t e-mail share everything you post with them. They will not be happy. One could guess that Google are trying to draw traffic, users and continuously pulling you back…

Now it’s time to get into something very very important. If you don’t understand this you won’t understand Google+. Dramatic entrance eh? Plus uses what in fancy words are called “asynchronous friendlist” (I love that word! I’m using it several times a day right now). In simple words it means that your friends are not the same thing as people that are friends with you. There is no friend request in G+ you just add whoever you want. “What a!” I hear you screaming but hold on. What Google is trying to accomplish is a replica of the Twitter way of following people you find interesting, there is even a default circle called “Following”. If the person you found interesting enough to follow feels the same way about you, he/she can follow you back and put you in any circle applicable. So what does the following mean? Nothing really. Adding someone to a circle has two effects, you can easily follow any public posts they make and you can easily share with that person as described above. You will not see post with limited visibility (i.e. circles) and your posts will not show up in their stream. Your posts will instead show up in the separate “Incoming” feed for a person that you follow but that doesn’t follow you. Was that clear enough?

That’s part 2 folks, don’t know how many it will be but I have room for at least one more…
Oh! Almost forgot, now days you can +1 on any post here in the blog. Exactly what it does is not that clear, it will show on your Google profile, it might affect my search listings (but I don’t know how…) and I will get a bit happier. I consider it a tip-jar that doesn’t cost you anything to use :)

Google+ in the wild pt. 1

Posted on July 14, 2011 by ET/Osky

Not tired of reading about Google+ yet? Since I’ve been using it for a while now I figured I could share some thought on how it works, what you could do with it and maybe most interesting what Google need to do to make it work. First up, the conversations concept.

“Real life sharing and conversations, rethought for the web“

Catchy? You bet. Does it really differs from other services? Sort of.
Google does it best to convince us that Plus really is different, not another Facebook, not another Twitter and most certainly, not another Buzz. The use of “Circles” are one thing that is a bit different. Facebook has list and encourages you to use them, Google instead call this circles and enforces it. When adding a contact you have to put them in one or more circles. Those circles are then the basis on who you share with, what you read and how private you want to stay. All to mimic how you decide what group of people to sit with at the party and what story you will share with them. This is not a major different, no matter how many times it’s repeated that people don’t use the lists in facebook. Some do (me included) and others could. It’s how those lists/circles are used that is the difference (and to some extent the creating of circles that really is simple and quite fun, yes I like organizing things).

Because the conversation concept doesn’t stop there, just like I can tell you a story that you later on will re-tell for another friend plus will let you reshare a post to any of your circles. This means that what was once a private conversation could go very public. Google just reinvented gossip. The nice thing with G+ gossip is that you will be notified and you can also do a “this is a secret don’t tell anyone” by disable resharing. So far Google hasn’t found a way to stop your friends from spreading it manually i.e. copy it or just use good old fashioned verbal skills. Google should make the share/gossip possibilities much more clear. Not only because it’s a very nice feature but also, like it or not people are used to facebooks way of (not) dealing with resharing, it doesn’t matter how much better this is. I’m guessing that failbook.com are just waiting…

People will of course be upset, I’m sure we will at one time or another hear a threat about a class action suite. In my opinion the conversations/sharing concept is great but it has to be made very very clear, we all know that people don’t read the instructions carefully and that will always be somebody else fault.

I think I’ll take a brake here and let this turn into a little series of post. Looking at one thing at the time is much more fun :)

“Straight Male Gamer” told to ‘get over it’ by BioWare « No More Lost

Posted on March 30, 2011 by ET/Osky

Sometimes we see companies taking a stand, sometimes to get good pr and sometimes because it’s the right thing to do. I have no idea what’s the case here but BioWare does it. As with any good initiative it should be rewarded: consider this post my reward since I’m not really into RPGs.

Via: http://www.nomorelost.org/2011/03/25/straight-male-gamer-told-to-get-over-it-by-bioware/

Facebook goes fbmail

Posted on November 16, 2010 by ET/Osky

As everyone already figured out, Facebook is launching their own webmail service.
Haven’t tried it yet but the funny part is that I made some comments in discussions around the rumoured “Google Me” that what Google need is a decent dashboard/homepage, iGoogle just isn’t enough. I compared it to FB. Different services, one entrypoint. That’s what Facebook is good at, and Google simply isn’t.

Google obviously didn’t listen to me and I still use my different Google services very much separated from each other. Sure, I can connect everything with Buzz and that’s a small step in the right direction. Now facebook are taking a huge stab at one of Google’s user driving services. Where that will end up…I still have troubles seeing FB creating a better mailservice than Google given what they achieved so far but who knows?

For me its simple, no matter how big and powerful Google are/get, I still prefer trusting them with my data over Facebook any day. Trackrecords mean a lot and FB doesn’t have a cute one. We’ll see if I changed my mind in a year or so!

Google stole my blog post!

Posted on August 13, 2010 by ET/Osky

Well, maybe they didn’t steal it…but this is fun.

Yesterday I made a post about Chrome to Phone, at 12.00 PM Swedish time (CEST), at 19.25 PM (CEST) Google Mobile Blog (and Chrome and Youtube) made a post of their own…about Chrome to Phone.

Just proves that I’m always one step ahead! Do I get some commission now? :)

My blog post

Post made by Google Mobile

My post: http://einartysen.se/chrome-to-phone-a-preview-of-the-future/

Google Mobile post: http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/08/working-title-instantly-zap-links-maps.html (funny with the working-title as well :)

Finaly! FroYo OTA update

Posted on June 29, 2010 by ET/Osky

This is one good morning! I awoke, noticed my Nexus trackball was glowing and decided to check it out.

“System update available”

Now I’m finally running FroYo. Interesting is that I haven’t heard about anyone else going from EPE54B (“AT&T version”) to FroYo but right now I got FRF85B. I’ll post back when I’ve been using it a bit but I snatched some screenshots until then.

About Phone displaying my new Android version FRF85B: FroYo Homescreen

Android 1.6 baby!

Posted on February 26, 2010 by ET/Osky

Samsung said it can’t be done. Samsung said it won’t be done, because it’s impossible.

Donut for the orphaned Galaxy

Well shame on companies lying to its customers. Once again I had to turn to the small but great Android-Samsung community and Tada! My Samsung Galaxy now sports the sweetness of Donut (also known as Android 1.6). This is still old (Nexus One runs Android 2.1) but a huge step forward from 1.5, the Market is actually usable now.

Only bad thing is that I suddenly got my old keyboard trouble back. Swedish stock keyboard, or the in my opinion better HTC keyboard but then only in English. Never quite satisfied am I? :)

If you have a Galaxy and is out to root your phone Drakaz Galaxo ROM will do the trick. Just read the post below carefully (there are always a certain risk when rooting/flashing and it will always be your headache and no one else will take any responsibility for any trouble). Link to frandroid forum (parts are in french, but just scroll down and you’ll find English instructions: http://www.frandroid.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=116843

And whatever you do, don’t buy a Samsung yourself since the care for customers after purchase is literally non-existing.

The future of mobile electronics

Posted on January 15, 2010 by ET/Osky

Every blog and paper already published their summaries and lists of both the previous year and decade. I say let’s forget the past, and focus on the future. At least for a little while. I will tell you what you can (might) expect from the future of mobile electronics, maybe not in a year but in 1-5 this is the development I predict.

Since I got my first smartphone I’ve been convinced that it was only a matter of time before the rest of my friends and family followed me into the modern age (i.e. got themselves one of their own). iPhone started exactly that movement. Suddenly there where a phone easy enough, funny enough and produced by a company with enough market share (I’m convinced that an identical phone from HTC for example never would have had the same impact). So slowly my friends and family is jumping on the wagon. What the iPhone started now has turned into friends with HTC Hero, Windows Phone (old Windows Mobile), iPhones and devices from any and all brands. Of course that means that I’m now starting to plan my own jump off from the same wagon. Here’s what I want, and other will figure out in a couple of years:

Standard phone features e.g. calling, SMS (starting to feel very outdated but, for a few more years) and such
All my internet needs in a mobile device, including mail (and wave/other collaboration tools), streaming videos, streaming music, reading blogs and news sites
eBook reader (no use fighting it, sorry librarians and other “paperback-huggers” time to adapt)
Some games and other miscellaneous stuff.

To read books, extensive articles online and browse the web somewhat comfortable I need a bigger screen than my Samsung Galaxy got (3.2”). The problem is that already a phone of this size sometimes feel a bit clumsy to carry around. When I don’t have a jacket/bag, at a party or on the town, going to the beach etcetera. There’s also an economical aspect in this. My phone suddenly cost the same as an average laptop and that’s before the bigger screen and additional features mentioned above. Phones are easily lost, stolen or broken. Nothing strange there, it’s the same with all things we carry with us everywhere. I remember an interview with a scientist researching crime among youths in Sweden a couple of years back. He/she said that one of the reasons for the increase of robbery against individuals is that we carry much higher values on our persona. We stopped having cash in our wallets but instead we got expensive mobile phones, mp3 players and so on.

Solution? As everything gets combined into the same device (do they still sell mp3 players or cameras without a mobile phone included? :) ) I predict an excelling need for different products for different occasions. I will most likely in the coming two (ehm, one if I know myself) years change my smartphone for a “stupid phone”. That phone should be small, cheap and manage just the basic functions like placing calls, simple e-mail and maybe music. A revival of my old Sony Ericsson K750i maybe? :) At the same time I will buy a tablet that is more of a hybrid of today’s:

tablets (Archos 5-like);
ebook reader (nook-like);
smart phone (Nexus One-like);
netbook;
mediaplayer (iPod touch-like).

Combined in one?

This baby will follow me to work and longer journeys, but not on short trips to the town and such. Then once again I will be telling my friends and family: This is the future of mobile electronics!

This post was inspired by numerous blogs and news sites over the year and the pictures are standard ones that’s flooding the web. Any objections to me posting this pictures can be sent to me and I will sort it out. Special thanks to the Swedish site http://www.swedroid.se that always keep me in the loop on Android news.

Mac Mini, incoming!

Posted on January 11, 2010 by ET/Osky

I’ve just ordered my first Apple device, it’s a big day! The device in question is not an iPhone (bah! I would never).

My new baby

It is however a beautiful Mac Mini that hopefully will bring my never ending media playback issues to an end. I’ll give you the background today and the update on how it went when I get setup and tried it out a bit.

I have tried multiple ways to playback my media. I don’t think I’m being unreasonable, I just want to be able to play both my digital videos as well as the ones on disc. If possible I would like to be able to play my music as well, all of course through my Home Cinema system (not that fancy but now that I got it, it sure as hell shall be used). So far I’ve tried…

TvIX 6500 HD: A cute little box that was my last attempt at salvation. It should’ve been able to give me Full HD (1080p) both from the internal HD as well as over the network from my server. Well, it didn’t. Not very reliably at least. Xvid/Divx and DVD images worked just fine though. Managed to sell it without a major loss so, problem solved. Music interface was so bad that I only used it a few times, hence a separate solution for that, and no disc drive for DVDs and Music.

Home Cinema system with DVD player: Aside from not playing my digital videos it has so far spent most of the time since my investment back in the shop for repairs. Reason for that is that first the DVD playback wouldn’t work (or the remote), got it back with a new remote. Remote works fine, plays DVDs the first few tries and then both CD and DVD playback stopped working. Back to the shop. The biggest drawback however is that I need another device to play music or digital video.

XBOX360: I have a Microsoft Windows Home Server. One would think that MS figured out that their users might want to use their shining new XBOX as a Media Center (Hey, that’s what everyone did with the old XBOX). But no. XBOX360 is quite lousy as media center. Doesn’t play xvid/divx without some hacking (works but…strangely hard to accomplish), doesn’t play DVD images at all and the music interface is as slow as a turtle without legs. Microsoft, I did everything you wanted me to, got the server, Windows 7 and the XBOX360 and still I need workarounds or 3rd party software to free my files. Not good marketing strategy.

HTPC: Tried some different solutions (running the PC version of XBOX Media Center was one) under different OS version (XP, Vista and Windows 7). The media center capabilities are still crippled and I often found a need for a full keyboard to make things work. What I haven’t tried is to buy a full HTPC of the shelf. Since my experiences from running both stationary and laptop computers as HTPC isn’t exactly great I’m not that keen to pay the huge stack of money that a decent looking, decently quiet, remote controlled and working HTPC costs (in Sweden you’ll have to pay roughly 800-1000$). The reports on usability issues, regular playback problems and angry family members not being able to start a simple DVD didn’t encourage me either.

So what do I use today then? Feels ridiculous but I’m back to using my old XBOX. Yes, that’s correct, the one launched in 2000-2001 something like that. It’s huge, ugly, sounds like a tractor, can’t play any HD material and cheap me hasn’t got the cordless remote. I use the regular joypad instead. It does however presents all the capabilities I ask for in a media center, plays (almost all) DVDs and digital video files. Since it’s really quite outdated it’s not exactly foolproof but it works most of the times, it even plays videos in compressed archives. The music interface is not awesome but works, it’s just that the joypad isn’t that great as a remote.

I write to extensive for a blog, shame on me and poor readers. That was the background, the next time I might have become a Mac fanboy, who knows? :)

Stumbled on this review when I tried to decide if Apple really should get my hard earned money, sure pushed me over to the order button! http://www.mrobsession.com/osxmbc-review/

404 Errors

Posted on January 9, 2010 by ET/Osky

Just wanted to acknowledge that the move from my old blogger account obviously didn’t go as smoothly as I thought. As a result some links and referrals gave a 404 Error, page not found. Sorry! Good news is that the 100 or so pageviews of 404 made me react and now everything should be back to normal. :)

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