common sense tech

Samsung's latest flagship phone, the Samsung Galaxy S3, is about to launch in the US. I'm excited! But I'm also confused. Is this my dream phone, one that I can use with both AT&T and Verizon? Getting a straight answer has proven tough.

In the past, swapping a phone between the two major networks had been hard because they use different technologies for their 2G and 3G networks. Verizon uses CDMA (as does Sprint), while AT&T uses GSM (as does T-Mobile).

But in the full 4G world, both are using … Read more

It was big news this week that most Android phones haven't yet been upgraded to the latest Android operating system. Developers also seem to still prefer writing apps for Apple devices, despite Google's predictions. That's sure embarrassing for Google. But does it make that much of a difference to the Android user? I'll offer myself up as a reality check.

The statistics on the sorry situation come from Google itself. Only 7.1 percent of devices that have recently accessed Google Play are listed as using the latest Android 4 "Ice Cream Sandwich" version … Read more

I can't wait for Windows 8 to arrive, not really for the new features but because it's an excuse to start over with my computer, to lose all the crud that builds up over time to slow it down, crud that maybe software developers themselves could prevent.

In particular, I'm annoyed with all the programs that load themselves when I start my computer. They're like guests you invite over for a day who instead decide to move in permanently. Go home! Or don't come over again until you're invited!

I'm a longtime Windows … Read more

I love Outlook. Don't judge; I'm not alone. It's an outstanding tool for handling e-mail and my calendar. But what if you want to view your Outlook calendar when away from your desktop? I've found Google Calendar Sync is an awesome solution.

I know there's Microsoft Exchange that many companies use for syncing Outlook to other devices. I've never been in an organization that used it. Instead, my life of syncing Outlook to a phone started years ago when I'd use Microsoft ActiveSync to have Outlook talk to my Windows Mobile phone.

Oh, … Read more

I was at the relaunch of Microsoft's Bing search engine yesterday, covering it as part of my "day job" for Search Engine Land. Blogger extraordinaire Robert Scoble was sitting next to me and got a kick out of how I had three different phones going: one Android, one iPhone and one Windows Phone. He then noticed I was running Windows 7 on my MacBook Pro and using Chrome as my main browser. Yes, I'm a mixed-up boy.

I thought it would be interesting to reflect why I'… Read more

Two truisms. Change is good. People don't like change. Lately, the latter one has been winning with me in relation to tech. I feel like the constant pace of intended improvements is making things worse, not better.

I know, I sound like a curmudgeon. I also know I focus on change that leaves me dissatisfied far more than change that's improved my life. But still, the negative changes have recently built up enough that I've got a litany to get off my chest.

Maybe I'll feel better for doing it. Maybe others will feel better … Read more

Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice took on Apple and publishers over charges of e-book price fixing. Depending on what you read, those parties are either guilty as charged or are the only thing holding back the greater evil of Amazon.com. I don't know who's right. I do know, however, that the e-book model itself feels pretty broken.

Over the past few years, I've gone from paying $7 for paperback novels that I could read anywhere, lend to others, or even resell, to paying $10 for the novels in e-book format with none of … Read more

A few months ago, I dropped my phone in the back of a cab. It got turned in, and I recovered it the next day. Phew!

But it was a much needed wake-up call that I hadn't enabled any type of "find my phone" or "wipe my phone" services on it. Don't make this mistake! It's free and easy to do for the iPhone and Windows Phone; a little more work and maybe some slight expense for Android.

All the services I'll cover below allow you to do these things:

"Why does everything on the new TV look like video out of a bad soap opera," my wife asked me, about a day after our new set arrived. "You're crazy," was my response. I figured the move from a 40-inch set to a 55-inch one was taking some time to get used to.

As it turned out, she was right. After a few more days, even I conceded that unless "Game of Thrones" was now being shot in the same studio as "The Young and the Restless," something was wrong.

It … Read more