Why Google Reader Matters

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Frank

Many pixels have been spread across the Internets the last two weeks over Google’s announcement that they are shutting down Reader. I have been using Reader ever since it first became available, so I am amongst those who are disappointed by the announcement.

The reaction that I first saw on Twitter suggests that few understand Google Reader’s true value. Most tweets that I saw were along the lines of “what is the big deal, there are plenty of alternate RSS readers available.” While this is true, what is overlooked by that point of view is how Reader acts as a backend for many third party apps like Reeder.

I read my RSS feeds on my smartphone, tablets, work and home notebook computers, and I don’t want the same items that I have already seen appearing an every device. If I mark an item as read on my smartphone, I don’t want to see that same item on my notebook computer.

The value of Google Reader is that it provides the backend capability so that when I mark something read in Reeder on my iPad, I don’t see it as a new item in Reader on my notebook. Reader provides that capability by centrally storing my subscriptions and which items in my subscription feed that I have read.

If I switch to one of the OS X or Windows RSS readers, I will only be able to read the RSS feeds I subscribe to on my notebook computers, unless I am willing to weed through items I may have already seen on my other devices. If I switch to one of the other web based RSS readers I then won’t be able to take advantage of the many mobile apps available for iOS and Android.

Feedly is a popular alternative, and there are Feedly apps for iOS and Android, and Google Chrome and Firefox extensions for notebook computers, so I can use it on one of my several different devices. For now Feedly is still using my Google Reader account, so it is acting the same way as Reeder, but after Google shuts Reader down Feedly will apparently store my RSS information on their own servers and make it available to my account that I will then access on these different devices using their app.

The problem with using Feedly is that means I will have to use it on my iPad rather than Reeder, which I have grown fond of using. For its part Reeder has statedt hat Google’s announcement does not mean the end of the app, but I have not seen any details for how Reeder will mange RSS subscriptions.

Google Reader matters as a centralized RSS synchronization server, which enabled a coral reef of third party apps to grow around it. Shutting down Reader breaks up the reef, causing each of the different apps to scramble to find an alternative.

Hopefully, some other third party will provide a RSS synchronization service that provides similar functionality as Google Reader. It will be difficult, however, because the management of RSS updates coming from tens of thousands of web sites is a large scale problem best suited for the likes of Google that already has the computing power and web crawling to gather the information. Microsoft, which has Bing, could provide a good replacement as I imagine Yahoo could. My fear, however, is that they will follow Google’s lead of viewing RSS as an artifact of the past.

Posted in News, Opinion | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

User IDs and App Stores

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Frank

Google recently released Version 4.2 of Android, or as they like to call it, a new “flavor” of Jelly Bean. One of the cool new features in this version of Android is the support for multiple users on a tablet, the feature is not available for smartphones. Basically, you can make it so that different people can use the same Android tablet but have a different set of applications and home screen configurations.

While Android 4.2’s support of multiple user ids is new to tablets, it is not new to computing. Windows, OS X, and Linux all support multiple user ids and the concepts of separate configuration settings for each user for many years. What is new, however, are application stores that come bundled with tablet and now desktop computers, and I think that the model being used for app stores and multiple user ids for computers is broken.

Setting up a new user on an Android tablet requires creating a new Google account that includes access to the Play store. Each new user on a tablet only sees the default Google apps and they need to then access the Play store to install any additional apps. According to the documentation, Android is smart enough to not actually download and install multiple copies of the same app, but a user still must go through the process of installing the apps she wants, which can be a time consuming process.

Windows 8 follows the same process as does Android. With earlier versions of Windows, at the time you install a new app Windows prompts whether to make it available to all users of the PC, or just the user that is installing the app. Now that apps are tied to a store the installation of a new app is restricted to the user id currently installing it. In order for a new Windows 8 user to install apps from the Windows store a Windows Live account is needed.

Apple has taken a better approach with their App Store for OS X by requiring a separate administrator logon to access the store, purchase, and install applications. The applications that an administrator ID installs are available to all users of the computer, with each apps’s settings separate so that different users have separate app experiences.

I think Android and Windows 8 need to borrow Apple’s concept of administrator access to their app stores and for the management of apps on the device. I would like to see a special administrator app management setting that allows one to check-off which apps a user id sees and can use on the device. If you want to set up a user id on a Nexus 7 for your child that restricts them to only playing Angry Birds, you should be able to lock down that ID so that all they see is Angry Birds and no other app, including the default apps that come with Android.

The process of simply checking off which apps an administrator assigns to a user id will be more efficient than having to manually install additional apps, and provides a simple way to manage access and spending on an app store.

My recommendation may come across as too restricting, but I think given the personal nature of tablets that if a person is to have complete control they should have their own device rather than sharing with another person. It seems to me that the scenario for tablet sharing will typically occur with one “power user” or administrator, and other “regular” users. Think sharing a tablet within a family or between young children with whom you don’t want to allow full and uncontrolled access to apps or the Internet. In this scenario it makes sense to me to provide administrator tools on the device to allow that “power user” to control the apps that other users of the device can use.

Posted in News | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Nexus 7 Deceased

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Frank

Slowly the battery indicator began to shrink and no matter what I did I could not get my Nexus 7 to start charging. It was as if it had decided to slowly commit suicide and mock me throughout the process. I desperately tried different combinations of power adapters, cables, (including the original Nexus 7 charger and others) and outlets with no luck. Finally, with about 5% battery remaining I decided to call Google. I made sure to retain enough power on the device so that I could wipe it before returning it to Google.

Google Support utilizes the call back feature that is available in Google Voice. I entered my name, email, and call back number, along with a brief description of the problem on the web page, and in a matter of seconds I received a call on my phone from Google. The support person asked me whether I tried various combinations of power adapters, as I had already done, but did not spend too much time troubleshooting and went straight to the return authorization process. I think the call back feature is much better than having to wait on hold listening to bad music, although I realize that if Google Support was busy the return call would not have been so fast.

I was sent an email with a link to order a replacement device at Google Play, along with the RMA information and a UPS shipper. The broken Nexus 7 needs to be received by Google within 21 days or they will charge my credit card for the full price of the replacement unit. When I went through the process of ordering the device on Google Play I was required to provide my credit card number, Google places a “hold” on the $249 price and will release it once it receives the defective unit and determines the problem is covered by their warranty.

The replacement Nexus 7 arrived two days later and the next day I shipped the defective device back to Google. The entire return process was painless, but the rebuild of the new Nexus 7 took more work than I expected because none of the apps that I use were automatically restored to the device. Fortunately, the Play store tracks all the apps that I install so it was a simple matter of going down the list and selecting the ones to install. I am not upset that the Nexus 7 failed, in fact, I am a bit surprised that given the high number of different devices that I have used throughout the years this is one of the first device failures that I have experienced.

Posted in Experiences | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Why Do All Nexus 7 Covers Have Latches?

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Frank

Ever since I took possession of my Asus Nexus 7 I have been in search of the perfect case. What I want is a Nexus 7 version of the Invellop case that I have on my iPad. The Invellop case is faux leather and fits snugly around the iPad, adding little bulk. What I really like is how when I fold the cover back behind the case the cover lies flat against the bottom of the iPad.

The first case that I bought for the Nexus 7 is the Blurex Ultra-Slim case, which fits snuggly on the Nexus 7 and doesn’t add too much bulk but has what for me is a fatal flaw, a latch on the right side of the cover. When I fold the Blurex cover back behind the Nexus 7 the latch is right where I hold the Nexus 7 in my right hand, making it very uncomfortable to hold.

Recently I decided to look for another Nexus 7 case and found the Devicewear Ridge case for the Nexus 7. The main selling point of the case its ability to hold the Nexus 7 in six different landscape positions on a table top. For me the main selling point is that it did not have a latch on the right side where my hand sits, but it does have a latch at the top and bottom of the cover. Why is it that every Nexus 7 case has a latch to secure the cover, when the iPad cases seen to be able to use the magnet, which the Devicewear case has, to keep the cover closed?

https://i0.wp.com/farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/8075053341_d4cf204659_n.jpg

After using the Devicewear Ridge case for a few weeks I think I now know why the latches are needed. It might be that if the magnets are too strong the device will turn off when you fold the cover back behind the Nexus 7. I’ve been experiencing this situation where I’ll be reading with the cover folded back behind the Nexus 7 and all of the sudden it turns off. After some experimentation I find that as I start to unfold the cover the Nexus 7 will turn back on. If I am right it might mean that because one of my required use cases is to be able to fold the cover of the case behind the Nexus 7, I’ll not be able to use a case that automatically turns the Nexus 7 on and off.

In the short term I need to decide whether to stick with the Devicewear case or switch back to the Blurex case, it’s really a choice between two annoyances. Long term, I guess my hunt for the perfect case continues.

If you are interested in check it it out, you will find the Devicewear Ridge case at Newegg for $25.25.

Posted in Experiences | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Introducing Near Field Communication (NFC)

Posted on September 7, 2012 by Frank

Most devices today come with multiple wireless communication capabilities: WiFi and mobile broadband (3G or LTE) for Internet access, and Bluetooth for connecting to peripherals like headsets, keyboards, and mice, and all of these capabilities have existed for many years. Near Field Communication (NFC) is another form of wireless communication that is slowly appearing on devices, most of which run Android. NFC first appeared in the Samsung Nexus S, and is also available with the Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus 7 tablet. I expect all new smartphones being announced this year to include NFC, so if you buy one later this year or early next you may find you have a device with NFC and wonder how to use it.

One nice thing about NFC is that its name clearly defines the function it provides, unlike WiFi or Bluetooth that provide little insight into the fact they provide Internet access and connection to peripherals. Near Field Communication provides wireless communication between devices that are in close proximity with each other. In fact, it is often the case that for NFC to work the devices must be physically touching. NFC is also capable of reading data stored on relatively small tags that are usually in the form of inexpensive stickers, and as you will see later, software running on devices that support NFC can read and take action on that data.

You might know of a close relative to NFC, RFID, which is commonly used in retail and warehousing to help identify what and how many of a particular product is available. An important difference between RFID and NFC is the distance at which the two work. RFID chips can be read by devices that are as far as a few meters apart, while NFC only transmits as far as 4 inches. The distance limitation of NFC means that in order for it to be used in a hack, it requires near physical contact meaning that if NFC is to be exploited social engineering will be a key component of such an exploit.

To use NFC on my Samsung Galaxy Nexus I first enter the PIN on my phone, then place the back of the phone on a sticker that has information that the phone will read. You hear a sound indicating that NFC is in use, and once the information is read I remove the phone from the sticker. An app on my phone called NFC Task Launcher uses the information to automate a number of different tasks on the phone.

As is the case with any form of wireless communication, it is important to have a basic understanding of how it works to both take advantage of the feature and to protect yourself from those who make want to also take advantage of it to do harm. In the case of NFC one important thing to note is that at least in the case of the Nexus devices running Android NFC is on by default. In my experience the NFC radio has a very low drain on power, but you might wish to turn it off and only turn it on when you want it to be explicitly used.

On Android devices running Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) or Jelly Bean (Android 4.1), you turn NFC off by going into Settings then selecting More under Wireless and Networks, and tapping the checkbox next to NFC, as shown in the screenshot below.

Screenshot_2012-09-07-12-41-13

I have found NFC to be a valuable feature on my mobile devices, and therefore opt to keep the NFC radio on at all times. In another article I will provide specific examples of how I use NFC with my Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 7.

Posted in What | Tagged , , | 1 Comment