MobileViews Blog :: MobileViews Podcast 100. Last night I was on the MobileViews podcast for the 100th episode. Congrats Todd! #

Retailers are disabling NFC readers to shut out Apple Pay. Sigh, this is the exact opposite of what I hoped would happen. Apple Pay could result in fewer retailers supporting NFC payments because of stupid retailer greed.#

The more that I use Google's new Inbox Gmail app, more I am liking it. Reactions to it seem to be extreme, either love it or hate it, but I am seeing how it increases productivity. One thing I don't understand, however, is why Google put so much emphasis on archiving (Done in Inbox-speak) everything. So much of my mail is stuff not worth hanging on to but just deleting, so keeping it on Google's storage seems to be such a waste.#

CurrentC Is The Big Retailers’ Clunky Attempt To Kill Apple Pay And Credit Card Fees. I encountered this last week by accident when I attempted to pay for something at Rite Aid using Google Wallet. It was odd because the screen said that it wasn't processing Apple Pay ta that time. I've been using Google Wallet at a CVS near where I work, so I am going to be disappointed if it stops working there. #

Autumn Restores Fading Memories.#

I've tried email alternatives like Mailbox, but usually switch back to Gmail because I like the clustering/filtering of mail into Primary, Social, Promotions, Updates, and Forums. It looks like Envelope does the same thing but it is only available for iOS.#

Dan Gilbert Takes a Shot at Snyder for Signing Anti-Tesla Motors Law – Deadline Detroit. I find it disappointing that the Governor who claims to be leading Michigan forward continues to support "old school" protectionisms.#

iPad Air 2 vs. Nexus 9 How do you get benchmarks on a tablet that is not yet available? #

Android 5.0 Lollipop release date: November 3rd. Hopefully Motorola will get the release out for the Moto X soon after November 3. #

What's Apple doing with the iPad Mini 3? I am not sure Apple is committed to the iPad Mini. In fact, I believe if Steve Jobs were still alive and running Apple, there would not be an iPad Mini. The Mini is a response to the Google Nexus 7 and the reaction that it and other small screen tablets received, but I think it is going to be replaced by the larger screen smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy Note and the iPad 6 Plus. I wouldn't be surprised if the Mini were phased out starting at the end of 2015.#

Gmail vs. Bigtop It is interesting to see Google continuing to try and "improve" email. Gmail's labels and archiving functions were somewhat revolutionary ideas at the time they were announced, and I look forward to seeing what Google has in store.#

One of my pet peeves is tech Internet sites that write stories about kickstarters as if they are real products. Every kickstarter is an idea that is most likely not to become reality, but the stories that I see tend to make them sound like products you can go out and buy.#

I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the Giants swept the Royals in the World Series. The Royals have been running on an emotional high for a long time, and sooner or later they are going to crash. Last night's loss is the first time they have faced adversity since the beginning of the Wild Card game.#

I use something similar to this Zotac ZBOX pico pocket-sized desktop PC, it's called a Chromebox. [Disclosure]#

One of the most significant technology purchases I made this year was a nice monitor to use with a variety of computing devices. The primary computing device connected to that monitor is an HP Chromebox, but I also use it with my work notebook computer, and I have available ports to connect it to other devices. One of the consequences of mobile is that peripherals become where you spend your money, it's much more important to spend money on a good monitor and keyboard to use with multiple devices.#

Twenty five years ago: More Than My Stomach Was Shaking.#

I am wondering whether I will really use the keyboard cover with the Nexus 9. Perhaps given that it does have a digitizer like the Note 8, I would, but honestly, I don't think I have had much of a need to type with a tablet. If I need to type I use my Chromebook or Macbook Air.#

Jerry Pournelle: Win 10, Time Machines, Chaos Manor Reviews. Hopefully Chaos Manor is back for a long run. #

Notes On Using Radio3.#

MLB on Twitter: "For the first time since 2002 and the first time with the new format, we have an all-#WildCard #WorldSeries." I guess winning the division really matters. Not. #

The Guardian: "But the problem facing Apple, and evident in its sales statistics, is that tablets don’t wear out as quickly as PCs, and if they’re principally used to watch video, they’re not as susceptible to forced upgrade cycles"#

The old iPad 2 is still the most used iPad. The data in this article makes total sense. It took a while for people to get what the iPad is about, and so for most the iPad 2 is the first they bought. For many, I imagine the iPad 2 is good enough, particularly if all they use it for is to surf the web and read email. It runs iOS 6 well, so many don't see a reason to buy a new iPad. The percentages should swing to a newer iPad as the iPad 2 gets older, if people still buy in to the idea of having a tablet. The iPhone 6 Plus is also going to have an impact on iPad sales going forward.#

So, Nexus 9 (8.9 inch display, 32 GB WiFi) at $479 versus iPad mini 3 (7.9 inch display, 64 GB WiFi) at $499? If you just purchase based on specs, it looks like the iPad Mini is the way to go, if you purchase on ecosystem, then you are going to pick the one that you prefer. At 425 grams, the Nexus 9 is lighter than the iPad Air at 437 grams, but heavier than the iPad Mini at 331 grams. My Galaxy Note 8 weighs 340 grams, as does my Nexus 7. If I want a larger screen I will have to live with a heavier device. My 3rd gen iPad with LTE weighs 662 grams.#

Moto Hint Bluetooth Earbud Finally Gets It Right. This review seems to be contrary to what I have heard Leo Laporte say about the Hint. Leo says people have a hard time hearing him when he uses the Hint. What I don't understand is, if the Hint is supposed to fit so well to stay inside your ear for long periods of time, how is that possible without a custom design? #

Gizmodo: "The Most Important Nexus 6 Feature Is the Price." I think the analysis here is a little off. The big difference with the Nexus 6 is that it will be sold directly by carriers in addition to being sold by Google. Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint do not want to sell cheap phones, so I think the Nexus 6's price is being driven by the carriers and Google's apparent desire to sell more phones. I expect the subsidized price for the Nexus 6 will be north of $200, may be closer to $300. Google succumbing to the carriers is the biggest disappointment of the Nexus 6.#

Battery Life Is The Last Frontier in Mobile.#

Google Android 5.0 Lollipop released. In my opinion the last point made in this article is about what I am most eager to see in Lollipop, and that is improved battery life. We are getting to a point where there is not much left to do with mobile UIs, but there is a lot of room for improvement with battery life. #

Nexus Player – Google. Here is the "one more thing," I wonder whether Google has an inkling that Apple will announce a new version of Apple TV tomorrow? #

Nexus – Google.#

Android - 5.0 Lollipop.#

What's new in Android 5.0 Lollipop? - Liliputing.#

Nexus 9 detailed for Android Lollipop release - SlashGear. Interesting that the prices have not been revealed, I wonder why not? I doubt that Google will change the prices based on the iPad announcement tomorrow. #

Ventev Introduces Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 Certified Mobile Chargers. Faster charging may be one of the prime reasons for buying a new smartphone.#

'World's Best' Michigan license plate quietly replaced after police complaints. The visibility of these plates are really bad, and I am amazed they were released in the first place. In reality, the background of that white lettering in the picture is much lighter than in the picture shown. Whoever thought using white on a light background is a good idea ought to have their head examined.#

Apps Script – Google Apps Script.#

Om: "We badly need more story telling — not more news — in the technology ecosystem."#

Center for Research in Science, Azusa Pacific University has a ton of lectures on iTunes University. iTunes University is one of the of the best free education resources available today.#

Jeff Seidel: Blend of youth and veterans leads to Wings’ victory. The Red Wings opened the 2014-15 season with a victory over the Boston Bruins, who eliminated them from the playoffs last year. As I predicted, Ken Holland added nothing to the team during the off season, so it is pretty much on the kids to carry them this year.#

Nationals Manager Matt Williams on why his best pitchers weren't used in the 7th inning of game 4: "Because those are our seventh-inning guys" And that is what drives fans crazy, lack of common sense. If managers are going to be robotic, you might as well have a computer managing in the dugout rather than a man. #

Contrast how Mattingly, Ausmus, and Williams handled their bullpens with Bruce Bochy. Which of those managers has won the most World Series? #

Vice Sports: "The month-long campaign that paints everything from player's shoes to fields to penalty flags pink, doesn't actually result in a single dollar donated to breast cancer research. Yup, not a penny."#

Google Introduces New Hangouts App For Chrome — iTechTriad.#

George Gershwin's last piano makes U-M debut. I fell in love with Gershwin one summer at band camp when we played selections from Porgy and Bess. The Gershwin Initiative at U.M. is a wonderful thing. #

Cards are back in NLCS. My dislike of the Cardinals is also the classic compliment. I dislike them because they are so good every year. Normally, when I watch baseball playoffs if my favorite teams (the Cubs & Tigers) are not playing I root for the team that has not won the World Series, or at least haven't recently been in it. Consequently, I always root against the Cardinals.#

BTW, Ken Rosenthal's reference to the Dodgers as the Dollars in his piece above could also be used when writing about the Tigers. Maybe Mattingly and Ausmus can commiserate over a few beers about why their teams lost. #

Thanks Dave! for 20 years of blogging.#

Bobby Orbach: "When a PDA becomes as useful as a cellular phone or a Gameboy, then the world will embrace the technology." I don't know Bobby Orbach, but he sure nailed it in 1994. #

BTW, I think one of the coolest ideas that Dave has added to blogging are paragraph level links. You can really see how well that works in the link to the Bobby Orbach quote in DaveNet that I link to above. The same function exists on this blog, the hash sign here is the link--->#

DaveNet: "This thought formed in my head -- WHY???? -- doesn't he get it? We don't care anymore, we've all decided OS/2 is a dead-end."#

Google's Software Removal Tool Removes Crapware, Resets Your Browser.#

Wojo: Tigers team seemed built for big stage. No the weren't, and that is the real root of the problem for the Tigers. They convinced themselves they had a good team, but the reality is they aren't a good team. What ought to be asked is, if after two off seasons trying Dave Dombrowski has not been able to fix the bullpen, what makes you think he will be able to do so this off season? Worse, because he was attracted to the shiny pitcher (David Price), Dombrowski made the Tigers weaker by trading their center fielder and an emerging pitcher. Despite his successes, Price was clearly not the missing piece to push the Tigers to a World Series win this year, nor will he be for next year.#

Joey Yashinsky: "Let’s call a spade a spade. The Detroit Tigers were a slightly better than average club in 2014." #

Anthony Castrovince: "They [the Orioles] were simply a ballclub better assembled for October, with about 60 percent of Detroit's player payroll and 200 percent of its grace under pressure."#

Windows 10 Video Tour (Preview). I imagine this is the version of Windows most companies will move to from Windows 7. I do think people made much more of a deal out of the Windows 8 start screen that is necessary.#

This Century-Old Detroit Building Is Now the Cadillac of Office Spaces.#

Android and iPhone Keyboard Apps to Turbocharge Your Typing - WSJ. I use the stock Google keyboard on my Moto X, but I might give aitype a go. #

NFL extends 'Sunday Ticket' deal with DirecTV Cementing the fact that we will never be able to watch NFL games online at a reasonable price.#

Alaskan Composer Wins Pulitzer For 'Become Ocean' : Deceptive Cadence : NPR.#

What Happens at Band Camp… is the foundation for future success!#

What Playing Music and Tennis Say About Me.#

Moto 360 battery life boost confirmed. Feeling more confident about getting a Moto 360 in the future. I don't think I'll be using ambient mode a lot so I may be really happy with battery life.#

Detroit blogs you need to be reading.#