slice of koh

Palm’s official blog states that Palm is looking for people to test out the new Palm Pre.  All you have to do is fill out their survey online, and they will let you know on May 8th whether you have been chosen to receive and test-drive a Palm Pre on them.

This phone has made me contemplate on jumping my provider especially since my T-Mobile contract is up at the end of July.  I really really want a Palm Pre.  I even own Palm stock because I believe in this product.  Palm, please choose me.

I tweet a lot more now since I have a mobile phone with data service.   Taking advantage of the G1′s Android, I searched around for a free application that would let me keep track of my Twitter account.  I first stumbled upon Twidroid which was a simple client allowing me to create tweets, read tweets, and reply to tweets throughout the day.  Twidroid added more functionality such as adding photos.  Alas, the increased functionality seemed to make it slower and buggier than the previous releases.

I only need a basic client, and I could care less about everything else.  Then my friend Varun suggests AndTweet.  I finally got around to downloading it.  It’s like night and day.  AndTweet is easier, faster, and less problematic than Twidroid.  I’m officially converted.

If you need a basic client, I would recommend AndTweet.

The rumored release date is June 7th.  The Palm Pre is the first phone that makes me want to switch to Sprint when my T-Mobile contract ends.  Don’t get me wrong.  I love Android, but it tends to be clunky and slow at times.  There are two reasons why I did not switch to the IPhone.

1.  I will never switch to AT&T’s wireless network.  (Sorry friend who works at AT&T)

2. I can’t type without a keyboard.

G1 seemed to be the answer.  Android is pretty cool OS because it’s open source.  The form factor is cool because I can have my keyboard slide out, and the screen has decent resolution and brightness.

Alas, after several months of using my G1, the negatives are catching up to me.  The more functionality (i.e. GPS, Wi-Fi, internet browsing) I use with the G1, the more gripes I have with the phone.  The decent screen became sub-optimal as I struggle to catch up with current events and pop culture due to low lighting or low resolution.  G1′s form factor is now feeling like an unnecessary brick as I need to carry a purse in order to keep my phone in one place.  The more I use GPS, Wi-Fi, and 3g networks, the more I realize how the battery life is inadequate.  (What kind of phone battery dies in 1/2 day?  It also doesn’t help that T-Mobile’s 3G network is not that much faster than Edge at times.

The more I read  and see screenshots about the Pre, the more I believe that Palm has a product that can compete with IPhone in both functionality and ease-of-use.  I have always been a proponent for GSM phones due to the flexibility it allows with switching between phones and networks.   Also, I have been a T-Mobile customer for nearly 6 years, and I would be sad to leave their awesome customer service.

That being said, if I’m paying for data service and a smartphone, I want something that works really well.  Am I excited for the Palm Pre?  Yes.  Am I counting down the days until it’s supposed to come out?  Yes.  Will Pre revitalized Palm?  I hope so because the stock price is nowhere near its early 2000s heyday.

Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu on the Madden 10 cover.  For the first time in Madden’s history, there will be two players on its storied (or cursed) cover.  

Larry Fitzgerald is one of my favorite players in the NFL, so I really hope the Madden curse does not rear its ugly head.  Previous Madden cover players like Donovan McNabb, Vince Young, and Shawn Alexander suffered injuries during their Madden cover season.

Nowadays, it is all about customize every single facet of your digital life.  From rearranging applications on your Facebook page to simply changing the wallpaper in your mobile phone, it seems like everyone wants to step out from the mundane default graphic settings.

On my G1, I use OpenHome which allows me to choose and download a wide range of themes for wallpapers, icons, and animations.  Currently, I have Super Mario on my phone.  My Gmail interface has various photos of mountains that changes depending on the time of day.  My Xbox 360 is currently on default as I have not really found any theme that suits my tastes, and I don’t feel it’s necessary to pay Xbox Live $5 each time my fickleness demands another theme.

Surprisingly, that leaves the internet browser as the last “window” that demands a significant share of my viewing time.  I switch between Google Chrome and Firefox depending on my mood or whatever I decide to click on first.  As I was curious if there is anything to “customize” my browser, I did a random search and found a nifty Firefox plug-in called “Firefox Personas“.

It’s really easy to switch your browser theme.  All you do is select the icon on the bottom left corner, you can dynamically browse through the different themes and choose the one you want.  They are even making it easy for anyone to create and submit their own designs into the library as well.   It only requires two images – one header and one footer.  After perfecting these images, you can test your custom Persona within Firefox.  Firefox even created a cross-platform PSD template to make it easier to create your own.

It looks like I will have some fun designing my own Personas this weekend.  It seems less time consuming than creating a WordPress theme.