Going satellite for television: ditching Comcast for DirecTV

Recently, we switched from Comcast to DirecTV for our television viewing. The package we chose is much cheaper than Comcast and the picture quality is vastly superior. Even the standard def channels look better than the cable equivalents do.  (Which, btw, I am perplexed that certain channels, like H2, do not seem to have an HD option.) The receiver box, a DVR, is also much nicer than anything from Motorola that Comcast foists on its customers.

The DVR, called ‘Genie’, can record up to five programs at the same time. Which means you can record four programs and watch/record a fifth channel at the same time. A very nice feature. Genie also has a half decent user interface, though it is still confusing in places.  There are also ‘apps’ available, including games and a Facebook client. Interesting, but I have not yet used them to any length of time nor can I see myself doing so in the future.

We wanted it in our bedroom as well, so we got a client box. The box, much smaller than the Genie (which is HUGE, original XBOX huge) and ‘dumb’, comparatively speaking. As it turns out, Genie is also a server. It can serve up video that you recorded on the Genie and pipe it to any client in the house. A nice feature. There is also an additional piece of hardware and matching software that lets you stream DVR programming to just about any device in the house.

DirecTV also has Android and iOS applications that you record programs while away, and also watch selected programming away from your home.  Also a nice feature.

While the hardware selection you get is really nice, better than cable’s offerings, it’s the programming that really matters. So, how do they stack up?

Well, OK, as it turns out.

For all of Comcast’s shortcomings-are there are a ton of them-they do seem to excel in programming.  We had a hundred plus channels to watch on Comcast. They were of many types and I only watched a couple of dozen with any regularity.

DirecTV, on the other hand, is heavily tiered. We got a middle of the road package and, thus, lack what were basic or ‘enhanced’ channels on Comcast. Things like Sprout and Hallmark Channel on Comcast are on a higher tier on DirecTV.  That’s fine, I chose the package we have and get all of the channels we want (but Sprout.)  Here’s the rub, though: a third of the channels, perhaps more, that we get are shopping or all ads.  The program guide is littered with these things.  With the sheer number of such channels, I would expect a bigger price differential that there is.

Overall, I am pleased but I have realized that I am not really saving much over my previous Comcast installation. I still have Comcast for Internet access, which is eighty dollars (US) a month. Add the fifty for satellite, and I am back up where I was with cable a few months ago. Admittedly, one of the reasons we dropped Comcast was because it was going up to $180 next month—so I am going to save, just not as much as I had hoped.  The Best Buy salesman said we could get Comcast internet for half of what we do…not true. It would have been if we were new to Comcast, but we are not and I do not want to cancel and re-sign since I would lose my email address, which I do not want to do.  If anyone has suggestions, please feel free to offer them up.

Now, what channel is Food Network again?

A OneNote look alike for the Mac

I’ve been a OneNote fan for many years now. I use it at home, on the go and at work. The problem with OneNote, however, is that Microsoft has to release it for Mac OSX.  That’s quite a shame, really, since OneNote is, simply, the best note taking and organizing piece of software yet released. It is versatile and really easy to use. It is, without a doubt, THE best part of Office and the best piece of software the Microsoft has ever released.

Until recently, I thought the only thing that could come close to OneNote on the Mac was EverNote. They, however, jumped the shark with the rewrite of the platform a few years back. It lacks the versatility that it once had . 

Well, I am happy to report that I found a worthy replacement: Growly Notes.

Growly Notes resembles OneNote in many ways, especially in the Note taking feature-the most important part of the software.  It uses the same tabbed metaphor as OneNote, though the tabs are along the side of the page instead of the top.

Just about everything is there, save for the diagramming and line graphics in OneNote. I don’t use them all that much, so I would not miss them here. You can embed objects, import images from a scanner or camera and perform screen clips, just like OneNote.

One major difference I have found, however, may prevent many from using Growly Notes: lack of a sync feature.  There is no cloud service and I have found no way to sync notebooks across devices. As the software is Mac only, there is no conduit to sync to anything on a non-Mac device.

I am still in the midst of testing the software and, aside from the data sync, it is looking really nice and a worthy replacement for OneNote.

iCade Jr: arcade fun for your iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

Since getting the iPhone 4 a few months back, I’ve managed to get a few accessories for it, either through purchase or gifts.  One of them really brings out the kid in you: the iCade Jr.  iCade, for those who do not know, is a mini arcade cabinet sized for the iPad. It has a real joystick (that would look at home in an actual arcade cabinet) and four buttons arranged in a diamond pattern. The device uses bluetooth, so it could really work with any bluetooth enabled tablet.

iCade Jr. is the same as iCade, only sized for the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and 4s. Or, actually, ANY similarly sized and shaped, bluetooth enabled device. (The iPod Touch works as well.)

Of course, the games themselves need to be compatible with the device and, sadly, most are not. There is a list of compatible games on the iCade Jr. web site.

I have purchased the Activision Atari Collection ($4.95 in the app store) and it works like a charm. The ability to play Pitfall, as it would have been on the Atari VCS, on my phone is pretty damned cool.  The collection also includes games from Imagic as well (Atlantis, anyone?)

Even though the device is diminutive, it really does ‘feel’ like the real thing…in miniature. I find that it has to be played on a table top and not one’s lap, not a big deal, but limits its portability. Some of the games need to be played with the phone rotated, so having phone sit sideways on the device is kind of a let down, but, once in the game, you really don’t care.

The biggest disappointment, however, is also a big plus: it is NOT a dock and has NO physical connection to the phone. There is, however, a slide through for your charging/data cable, so it does make a cool ‘dock’ to charge the phone.  This, by the way, also makes it more universal.

At it’s current sales price of $9.99 at thinkgeek.com, you could buy to use just as a cool charging station for your device.  I’m guessing, though, that there are games on the Android side that will work with the iCade.

One caveat: while the iCade should work great with the iPhone 5, the top may not shut all the way since the iPhone 5 is taller.

Lastly, since the device IS bluetooth, you can ALSO USE THE DEVICE with the iPad. So…prop up that iPad and use the iCade Jr. as a controller as well. And, for under ten bucks, it’s a rather cool controller.

iCade and iCade Jr. are from ION Audio and can be purchased from retailers like Target, BJ’s Warehouse and thinkgeek.com.

You can find a list of compatible iOS games here.

Windows 8/RT on your iPad? Sort of, with Smartglass for XBOX

The Windows RT environment (the old “metro” for those of us who liked that name) is a rather elegant and clean interface.  It is one that lends itself to a variety of devices, from smartphones, computers and tablets and the video game consoles, specifically, the XBOX.

During the last E3 game conference, Microsoft demoed ‘Smartglass’, its answer to the Wii-U and other handheld and console combos, like Sony's ill-designed Vita and PS3. In a nutshell, Smartglass is a means to present secondary game play or other information from the XBOX to a second screen. It also lets you remote control your XBOX.

At is simplest level, Smartglass is an application that works with the XBOX. There are version for Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, iPhone and iPad and Android.  You can get the app from the respective app store.  Windows 8, during install, however, found my XBOX and automatically configured Smartglass.

I also checked out the iOS version for iPad.  Boy, the Windows RT environment would work very, very well on iPads.  Forgetting for a moment that I was actually using RT on an iPad, I was really drawn into the application and found myself doing things that are actually easier with Kinect or a controller, like navigating the XBOX dashboard.

Since I do not yet have any SmartGlass enabled applications, I was limited to checking out things like the new browser and getting stats and other information. Using the iPad as a remote control was pretty cool and really useful for text entry since it will take advantage of the iPad on screen keyboard.

The new browser for XBOX is nice. I was able to browse to sights I visit the most, like Facebook, the Verge and my own blog. Each rendered correctly and videos played correctly.  Using Smartglass on iPad made browsing really easy..but..here’s the thing, if I want to browse, I’m probably going to actually use the iPad for browsing and not the XBOX. However, the browser does open up more content for your big screen (like Vimeo and the commercial networks) so it does have SOME utility. And, if you do not have a secondary device, you CAN use the controller to enter the URL, but it is a pain. You can use Smartglass to set up favorites and pin them to the dashboard and THEN use the controller.

One of the things Smartglass will do is show you your most used/played games and apps.  The recents page will show you played or used recently and you can tap on the tile to restart the app or game.

Smartglass really shines with the XBOX store. You can browse the store on the secondary device while the XBOX is doing something else. You can purchase music, apps or video in Smartglass and it will show up on the XBOX.

Smartglass also lets you manage your XBOX account and avatar. You can customize your avatar on the iPad and it is updated almost immediately on XBOX. I think I prefer this over customizing the avatar directly on the XBOX.  I can use the funky XBOX controllers for games, but anything else? Forget it, I have the worst time.  Using touch on the iPad is more intuitive and convenient.

Perhaps the easy access to your gaming achievements is the coolest thing about Smartglass. You get complete breakdowns, by game, of all of your XBOX achievements. Now, I love to play games, but stick mostly to the Call of Duty games on XBOX, but, I can imagine, others play a plethora of games so this feature is probably going to be the most important to these users.

Overall, Microsoft did an excellent job of bringing the RT environment to iOS and making it useful. Smartglass is, very likely, the nicest looking and smoothest iOS app out there.  And, best of all, it is free.

Using Windows 8: Be one with the mouse and don’t worry about touch

(For reference, when I speak of Windows RT or just RT, I am referring to the ‘metro’ or Windows 8 store style.)

Since it’s release, Windows 8 has been equally praised and panned. Haters have heralded it as the death knell for both Microsoft and Windows. Recently, Microsoft said it had sold 40 million copies. 40 million.  That’s slightly better than what Windows 7 had done at this point in its release. While hardly the runaway hit that Microsoft hopes for, Windows 8 has, nonetheless, done well. Now, it is true that the majority of those installs are on new computers and tablets, and there is no number on how many of them have now been downgraded to Windows 7 or earlier (shudder!)

Still, there are millions of people using Windows 8 and, I am guessing, the vast majority of them have already figured out how to live with and even love the new RT interface.  RT apps are, for the most part, just nice (gorgeous, perhaps) to look at and use. Many are prettier than anything from any of the competition, including Apple.  Just look at Cookbook. It is stunning for a piece of software.

So, what are the basics you need to know when using the RT interface?

Well, for non-touch devices, you really just need a two button mouse with a scroll wheel, pretty standard these days. And, if you have ever moved things around a photo or art app with the mouse, then you have already mastered Windows 8.

Closing an RT app

There are many ways (keyboard shortcuts do work, like ALT-F4) but the best and easiest way is to place the mouse at the top of the screen, hold down the left button and drag the app to the bottom of the screen and let go. In one swoop, you’ve closed the application. 

Switching to another app

Move the mouse to the upper left corner and the last app you used (provided it is still open) will show its tile. Move the mouse down and the list of currently running RT apps will reveal their tiles. Simply move the mouse the one you want and click it. You can also close an app here by right clicking and choosing CLOSE.

Charming, to the last

Moving your mouse to the lower right corner will reveal the charms bar. From here, you can search, share data or access hardware and settings.

But, where do I go for the Start page?

When you are in any other app, move your mouse to the lower left to access the Start page.  Alternately, if you have a Windows keyboard, press the Windows key.

Ok, this IS Windows, how the hell do I see more than one app?

Microsoft may need to rethink the name of the product when the ditch the desktop altogether. However, there is a way to see TWO (oohhh, ahhhh) apps at once, though one will be much smaller.  Open the first app you want to use, then open the second (it can be a desktop app too.) Switch back to the first app (an RT app) then drag it down like are going to close it, but about midway down, move it to the left or right side, like you would dock a Windows 7 window. The application should rest there, though dramatically smaller, almost like a sidebar. Next, switch to the second app (by moussing to the upper left, and then selecting the app) and it should fall into the larger section of your screen. Viola! TWO, count ‘em, TWO apps at the same time!  Now, keep in mind, not all Windows thingies will be available, such as drag and drop and not all RT will work in this mode. But, hey, it is a start.

Your scroll wheel is your friend

Now, since RT was designed, primarily, with touch in mind, the applications are linear. That is, most of them will scroll sideways instead of vertically.  They are meant to be swiped left and right. So, no touchscreen means these apps are difficult, right? Well, no.  If you have a mouse with a scroll wheel, you can use the wheel to ‘swipe’ left and right. It works surprisingly well.  You could use the scroll bar at the bottom of the screen, but what fun is that?

OK, that’s nice that I can scroll over on my Start page, but what if I want to see it all at once? (Huh? I can name my groups too?)

Easy. Along the very bottom of the Start page is the scroll bar. In the very right hand bottom, you will see a small box with a minus sign. Click it. Go on, you KNOW you want to. Ah, there. Doesn’t that feel good? Oh, what’s that? You see all of your tiles? Well, yeah, you are supposed to see them. This gives you two things: the ability to see all of your tiles and…check this out…you can name your groups of tiles.  To do so, arrange the tiles the way you want. Next, click the minus sign in the scroll bar. Move the mouse over each group and right click. In the options bar, click the ‘Name group’ button. Enter the name for the group in the box and press ENTER. The name appears over the group. Pretty cool and a nice way to organize your Start page.

One way of seeing all of your apps, desktop or RT, is to right click anywhere on your Start page and click ‘All Apps’ in the lower right of the screen. Every app that is installed on your computer will be displayed. Even the hidden Windows desktop apps (like Command or Character Map) will display and will be grouped as well.  Right clicking an app reveals more options. You can, for example, pin to the taskbar, open in a new window, etc.

It’s a mystery…where DID I put that file?

Perhaps the nicest feature of Windows 8 is its search ability.  From the Start page, just begin to type. The search bar pops up on the right side and a real time search commences as you type. You can specify the types of files to be searched or let Windows look in all files.  It will break down the types of files that it found your search term and display it in the info bar along the top of the screen. The search is quick and reliable. It was an eye opener for me and I’m glad that Microsoft finally put Bing in my computer.

So, we’ve seen some pretty cool stuff and it is all in the RT side of the house. Your mouse is your best friend in Windows 8/RT on a PC.  Touchpads seem to work as well, but, for us diehards, the mouse is still our trusty companion.