Do Smartwatches Make You Stupid?

Smartwatches (Image credit: theregister.co.uk)

The implied advertisement subliminal message:  "You need this.  You can't live without it."

The newest wave of technology apparatus has reached American soil.  Among the many offerings now comes Smartwatches.

Yes, they not only look smart, but, they are smart in the sense of having none other than a built in computer -- literally.

I don't know about you, but when I come home, at night I take my analog Timex watch off and leave it on the dresser where it stays until the next day.

Yet, I too am the same person who in the 70's was the first to buy an LED watch.  I have always been a 'sucker' for technology.  Was then.  Am now.

So, how important is it to have a smartwatch?  Will it change my life for the better?  Is it a fad?  And if so, what will it be replaced by in the next technology wave?

These are things I think about.  I haven't had a bad case of techno-lust for quite some time.  Not since 2007 CES did I experience a bad case of it.

That was the year of Nokia's N95 smartphone.  It was also the year for the introduction of Apple's first smartphone, the iPhone.

I didn't hesitate to buy the N95.  It was (and still is in many respects) the best technology I'd ever seen or wanted.

The price $800 wasn't an obstacle.  It's all about want vs. need.  I wanted it.

Do I feel anything akin to that today?  Nope.  In fact, I don't like most smartphones.  I'd rather have a phone with buttons personally.  I miss that aspect of the N95.

But time marches on.  Here come the smartwatches.  And now a new young generation swells with lust to have.  Their focus diverts from the smartphone.

Will the smartphone get left behind?  I don't think so.

But I am not convinced smartwatches will be anything as large a market as smartphones is.

So, is using a Smartwatch stupid?  I argue for the point that it is, unless someone can convince me otherwise.

If I need to carry any form of computing on my person, it will remain the smartphone if I can locate a decent one that lives up to my expectations.

Smartwatches isn't something that represents a life changer like the smartphone.  It's just proof that we can put silicon wafer chips into smaller and smaller form factors, that's all.  And I don't need to prove that by wearing one.

-- Dietrich

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So Long Google Reader. Hello Feedly, InoReader

by Dietrich Schmitz

If you depend on Google Reader, hopefully you've made plans for the switch being turned off, Monday July 1, 2013.

It was one of those tools that I found indispensable and used for the longest time.  I started using Akgregator, then BlogLines because it was always available from any PC with a login to the subscription.  Then I discovered Google Reader and have been using it since around 2006 to present.

The good news is that there are a few really good choices for you to consider as a replacement for Google Reader.

The first is Feedly.  I started using Feedly last year because it read my Google Reader subscription of RSS feeds automatically and the magazine format was nice and easy to use and read.

Feedly extension shown running on Google Chrome 28

Feedly comes in plugins for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox and the Feedly mobile application is available for Apple's iPad and iPhone and Android devices.

Another excellent contender for doing full-time duty and will probably be liked by many who are accustomed to the Google Reader layout and interface is INOReader.

I've got it installled and it automatically imported all of my Google Reader settings and was instantly usable because of its familiar layout, look and feel.

INOReader running on Google Chrome 28

It would behoove you to go directly to your Google Reader account to export to a file all of your RSS feeds, so that you can import them to another aggregator of your choice.  To do that open Google Reader, click the wheel at the far right, then click 'Settings':

Click the wheel on far right, then click 'Settings'

The click on the Import/Export tab in the Setting screen and click on "Download your data through Takeout" link.

Click "Download your data through Takeout"

Once you've clicked the link for Takeout, your screen will transition to Google Takeout where pressing the red button marked "Create Archive" will generate an archive.  Then click the Download button to download to your local drive:

After pressing Create Archive, select Download to download the archive to your local drive

That takes care of exporting all of your RSS feeds from Google Reader.  The OPML format is readable by many applications, so your reader should be able to import it without difficulty.

Well, if you've become as dependent on aggregators like Google Reader as I have, then you'll be relieved to know you have options now that Google Reader goes off-line on Monday.

Good Luck and happy feed reading!

-- Dietrich

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Control Your Own Destiny: Fork Ubuntu

by Dietrich Schmitz

I read yet another review by none other than Dedoimedo of  Distro SolydK, and whilst reading thought, gee where have I seen this before? 

Am I experiencing Deja-vu?  No, I am afraid not.

You see, SolydK is yet another knock-off, copy-cat, cookie-cutter, Distro with substantially nothing unique in the way of innovation that sets it apart from the growing 'thatch' of weed-like Debian/*buntu derivatives. (Image credit: randomcertaintyintheworld.files.wordpress.com)

Mind you, it's pretty.  But that's not innovating.  It's boring actually.

Someone please answer the fundamental question: Why do we need another Distro?, when, for example, Kubuntu would work just fine, and does, I might add.  Even Dedoimedo gives Xubuntu/Kubuntu rave reviews.

So, this phenomenon continues unabated.  There's nothing illegal about it but to my mind it is silly.  Yet my real concern lies with the purity of Ubuntu itself which I feel is greatly at risk.  Allow me to explain.

For the readers who have been following my string of stories centered around Canonical Ltd. and Ubuntu up to this point, I thank you for your active feedback in the comments section, and I hope you take what I wrote in the preceding stories and here constructively.  The whole picture can't be summarized in a single story. 

I greatly respect their loyalty and efforts to promote Ubuntu, despite writing stories which might be construed otherwise.  My biggest concern for the Ubuntu community has been that Canonical Ltd will skuttle/forsake the community's interests in an effort to monetize parts of Ubuntu.  To be specific, Canonical Ltd (for profit) has moved sideways for several years with Ubuntu on the Desktop.  It's accurate to say that their mass-market penetration in the U.S. has been ineffectual and thus had no effect on their profitability.

Canonical Ltd. has now turned to developing a smartphone running Ubuntu Touch.  This is a diversion from the Desktop markets which were front and center in their business plan up until only recently.  The ultimate success of a smartphone for Canonical remains to be seen and faces strong competition.  The risk of failure is high.  

For example, one need only look to Microsoft's initiative to create a successful market for Windows Phone to gauge the level of risk and associated high cost.  MS has poured billions of dollars into their partnership with Nokia yet today hold only a small market position against dominant Android OEMs and Apple's iPhone.

As each and every decision gets made, by Canonical, without true community consensus, I fear that Ubuntu will become sidelined to Mark Shuttleworth's ever-changing business plans.

In "Fork Ubuntu to Preserve Community Participation", I offered up the idea that Ubuntu is NOT a Community Project, yet Canonical Ltd. wish to have loyal community members believe that such is the case, even though Canonical is making all business-critical decisions on the future development of Ubuntu.  Unfortunately, the environment at Canonical is one driven by elitism and favoritism.

I submitted for your consideration in the same story the idea that the Ubuntu community should have an "arm's length" relationship with Canonical Ltd. by establishing a 'fork' of the Ubuntu code base to another 'community' managed Distro, say with the name "openUbuntu".  This would afford community members the same benefits that Fedora and openSuSE enjoy with their relationship to Red Hat and SuSE respectively.

The Ubuntu community could then exercise full control of obtaining consensus in making future changes to the direction and development of openUbuntu 'open source' applying all FOSS principles without conflict of interests.  Supported by Canonical, Ubuntu community members could interact with their governance but would retain full source code control of the open source version of Ubuntu.

I strongly believe that Ubuntu is at risk of losing a major portion of what made it a great Distribution in its early years.  The character is what made it so popular to begin with.

Please give this developing story your full consideration and let me know what you think.

Thank you.

-- Dietrich

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Moving Sideways

by Dietrich Schmitz

Opinions are like colons; everybody has one.  And so do I.  Daily, I see changes on Distrowatch.com and ask myself: "What does it mean for the future of Linux?". (Image credit: netanimations.net)

I wonder where it will be in five years.  Given the rapid pace of technology change, it's hard to fathom if things will even resemble what they are today.

In my private LA community, we 'chew the fat' and often one person or another expresses their favor for one particular Distro over another.  That is to be expected.

But I've reached the point where I don't want to keep switching Distros.  The younger Folk love to tinker and try various flavors and that's fine.  It's a great learning experience for anyone who has the penchant to do so.  Linux affords limitless opportunity to learn--a great thing.

No, I've decided to stay put with my favorite Distro.  It makes most sense to me.  I've given up on Canonical and see their business plans as being confused and misdirected.  My endorsement for Ubuntu is gone now because their preoccupation with Unity is totally lost on me--it departs from common sense GUI principles.  Combined with the fact that they have had little mass-market penetration in the U.S. and you see a floundering commercial Distribution.

No, Canonical is moving sideways as sugardaddy Elitist Mark Shuttleworth pours more IOUs into the balance sheet of a company in the red.

Say what you will, but he has taken the company down the primrose path.  Even now, with Ubuntu's Unity, they have spun off Ubuntu Touch in the furtherance of their Mobile Smartphone project.  Exactly how Canonical will differentiate themselves in the face of overwhelming competition coming from the likes of a multiplicity of Android OEMs, Apple's iPhone, Mozilla's Firefox phone remains in doubt.  That they face strong headwinds on that front is an understatement.

Quite clearly, the Linux landscape will radically change and there will be only a few Distros left standing five years from now.  Which ones?  It seems likely only the ones with the largest organizational infrastructure   and the ability to innovate will remain.  All of the smaller Distro Teams?  Well, they are merely drafting behind the big Distros and playing a game of cookie cutter 'me too'.  When you look at the situation as I have, there are only a handful of Distros which have something in the way of good technology to set them apart.  All the rest are merely copy cats.

That's right copy cats.  They aren't doing anything illegal mind you.  That's the GPLv2 at work.  But where will your Distro be in five years?  Mine will still be around, I am quite confident of that.  The rest are inconsequential 'side effects' of a licensing scheme which promotes experimentation.

And Canonical, moving sideways, will be gone in five years.

-- Dietrich

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Google I/O 2013: Voice Search on the Desktop Using Google

by Dietrich Schmitz

Alright, Apple may have a head-start with their iPhone Siri voice search system, but one of the neat things shown at the Google I/O 2013 conference last week is the new Conversational Search, which is now available in Chrome version 27 which was updated today.

If you've got that version of Google Chrome, you'll notice in the Google.com search field to right-most extent a 'Microphone' symbol.  Clicking that symbol will activate voice search.  I tried it by saying: "Open the pod bay doors HAL", hoping desperately to hear HAL come back with "I'm sorry Dave, I am afraid I can't do that".

But no....it dutifully complied by performing a Google search using that exact string of text and found the movie 2001 Space Odyssey at imdb.com.  I am disappointed. (kidding):

Me, using Google trying to ask HAL to open the frickin' pod bay door.

Clearly, it's not a perfect science, and given HAL recognized voice quite a few years ago, I would suspect that there is some serious intellectual property infringed patents at issue here.  Time to get the PAEs (cough trolls) on the horn, perhaps?  Put me through to Dewey Cheatum and Howe right now.

Anyhow, if you really want to see how voice recognition works correctly, here's a short Youtube video from the 2001 Space Odyssey showing Dave's mastery of voice activated search:

Alright so I kid.  But I couldn't help but think about this movie as I uttered my search in Google wondering if we are getting closer to doing what the fantasy of movie making did in spurring the imagination with wild and fanciful story telling mixed with surreal technology non-existent at the time of making this classic (1968).  Pretty wild stuff then and I would add still pretty wild that I sit here, one with something called a Netbook, using something called wireless, magically connecting me to something called a router and cable modem and something even more bizarre called the Internet.  Is this a dream?  I hope not.  It's a movie and it's getting better and better with each technology du jour announcement.

Okay enough of my carrying on, here's a video from the Google I/O conference demonstrating the use of this new Chrome technology for your viewing pleasure:

So, that's it, the hotkey ("Okay Google") didn't work for me.  I suspect that will be worked out in due course.  As is demonstrated, this technology appears to be on par with Siri.  As I mentioned above, Voice Search is available as of today in Chrome 27 for Windows, Linux and Macs and is also available in all Chromebooks.  Have fun.

-- Dietrich

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