Tag Archives: Michael Montez

Motorola Droid: Part 01 – Initial Thoughts

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My Droid arrived on Monday. I had it sent to my office, but I was sick on Monday and Tuesday, so I didn’t get my hands on the device until Wednesday. Cracking open the Amazon box reviled the Droid packaging. Having been an Apple user (iPods mostly) I am used to elegant, well thought out packaging. Motorola did not put too much thought into the packaging. The box is thin and feels like cheap cardboard.

But I didn’t buy the phone for the packaging. The device itself is fantastic. It has a good weight in my hand. It’s a hair taller then the iPhone and the same width and height as the iPhone. Compared to my old phone (Sony Ericsson w350), the phone feels like a brick in my pocket. However, eliminating the iPod, phone, camera, and video camera from my bag is a huge benefit.

The screen on the Droid is bright, crisp and sharp. The audio on the phone is loud. The screen is responsive, but there is a learning curve coming from the iPod/iPhone interface. Software for the phone is fantastic. I have several gmail accounts. I put all of them into my phone and added my Facebook account. The phone pulled all my active contacts from all my gmail accounts and my Facebook account and created contacts for each person. I only had to move one or two phone numbers into the phone. That was a killer time saver and now I have all my contacts backed up in the Google cloud.

Having access to a slide out keyboard is awesome. Using the on-screen keyboard is fine, but I prefer to slide out the keyboard and type away. Also, the camera flash is a nice feature. I look forward to documenting this Christmas with just this one device.

I’ve spent that last two days just getting used to how the phone works and researching some apps. So far, this is one of the best smartphones I have played with. If you are in the market, and have never had a smartphone, I would suggest you start with the Droid or some other Android based phone (myTouch, Droid, etc.). If you have been using an iPhone for the past few years, you might want to stick with it.

I have yet to plug the phone into my computer and get some music on it. I will also be downloading some apps from the Android store. I’ll be posting my experiences with these in the coming days.

China is pretty cool

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Artists perform during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games at the National Stadium, also known as the “Bird’s Nest”, on August 8, 2008. The three-hour show at Beijing’s iconic national stadium was set to see more than 15,000 performers showcase the nation’s ancient history and its rise as a modern power. (AFP PHOTO / Olivier Morin)

So the opening ceremony was amazing. Good luck to London, home of the 2012 games, you have  quite a show to try and top.

I have been watching the games on a 60″ LCD HD TV with full surround (thank you Jon) and I must admit that if you have the means, I highly recommend it. It’s the only way to watch live events.

Upgrade

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This week I have been trying to make some upgrades to my technology. Two major upgrades are currently underway, my computer and my blog.

1. My Computer

So i was thinking of getting a new notebook and giving my brother my old computer. But I can’t seem to part with my Dell Inspiron 700m. This is a great machine with a killer screen. It is light, 4.5lbs, and has a very small footprint, about the size of a manila folder. The power is lacking and my hard drive is FULL.

I decided to keep my Dell and upgrade some parts. I want to max out the RAM (2gb vs the 1gb) and replace the hard drive (250gb vs 40gb). The goal is to get all the data off my external hard drive and onto my notebook.

So after some procrastination I finally purchased a new hard drive. Opted for the free shipping and one week later, my hard drive arrived. I grabbed the box that my computer came in and started digging around for the install disk…there are none. My computer has a hidden partition that contains the operating system and the computer came with no Windows XP CD’s/DVD. Instead, there is a piece of paper telling me that I need to go to support.dell.com/hdrp – which was not working. After much searching, I finally find a form that will allow me to request a copy of my operating system CD’s. So god knows how long it will be before I get to upgrade my computer.

If you have a copy of WinXP SP2, I would like a copy. I already have a serial, just need a copy of the disk.

2. WordPress

Version 2.5 is a major upgrade for wordpress. Mostly, it is ascetic improvements and the user experience is greatly improved. Using the back-end is now very pleasant.

If you write a blog and you host it yourself, you need to be using WordPress. Since I moved to WP from Movable Type, I have been very happy. If you want a free blog to replace your blogger or livejournal account, I recommend wordpress.com. However, I ran into a problem this week when I upgraded to version 2.5.

Part of the magic with the upgrade is the increased use of AJAX. But the AJAX image upload they used is not playing nice with my hostgator server. In fact, it is not working with a lot of people’s servers. So far, no solution. I spent three hours looking for an update and manipulating code on my server.

I have technology blue-balls.

Goodbye Facebook and MySpace

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Hello loyal and new readers. I wanted to let you all know that I am leaving several social networks and focusing all my efforts into my web site. MichaelMontez.com will be the only place you need to go to stay updated on my happenings. Facebook and MySpace are great, but I am duplicating a lot of info and images here so I really don’t need to do that.

I hope you will bookmark my site and visit often.

2008 – Year of the Fight

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So welcome to another year. What are your plans this year. I never really make any resolutions because I am pretty sure I won’t stick to them (and then I don’t – circle circle circle). So this year I think I will set some goals. In no particular order (as they pop into my head):

  • Fix my eye – I have this bump on it and I am ready for it to go away
  • Eat less/better
  • Move more/faster
  • Focus at work – yeah, I’ve been super slacking and it’s time to stop
  • Fight for what I want – I’m pretty passive, I need to be more aggressive -
    this will also require FOCUS
  • Learn to play piano – how, I don’t know, but I’ve always wanted to learn
  • Get a passport
  • Travel – I may move New Zealand from a “move to” to a “must visit”
  • Sell “the ring”
  • Get into the black – no credit card debt
  • Play in a World Series of Poker Event
  • Develop my design eye – I need to refocus – I hope photography and design mags will help

That’s a good start – I appreciate your support in all these areas.

Long Day, Short Week

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My Monday was spent in beautiful San Diego, CA. I had to visit the station and teach some people about publishing on the Internet. We are building an Intranet for the marketing dept. of XETV/XUPN. Guess who’s in charge? More work – yeah. Ok, as you know, I don’t like work or working. I am lazy. Just give me a paycheck and send me home early.

The reason for this amazing work ethic, who knows. In fact that was the topic of discussion during dinner w/my parents on Saturday. Questions like, “Why do you hop from career to career?” “Are you saving money for retirement or a house?” The answer, I haven’t found a job that I am in love with (who has) and no.

I have a new homepage. You may have noticed…what do you think. It’s in its bare bones stage…more links to come…stay tuned.

This week is Turkey Week 2003. I will spend my Thurs-Sat in Sanger, CA. Original home of Brian Buller and Matthew Hinojosa. Sanger is a cool place to visit. Very relaxing, affordable, and friendly. As far as I know, no one hates me there…yet. A full post-Sanger report will follow.

And finally, Matthew is on his way to Aussi-land. If I know his travel habits, he should be home before Brian and I return from Sanger. Perhaps him and Brian will travel across Mexico and visit a Taco Bell. In the meantime, I will use Matt’s room as my primary location for watching porn and masturbating. Have a nice trip Matthew.

I do not want this…I need it!

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Today, at lunch, I was walking to the juice place to get a smoothie. I saw three people with iPods. There are iPods all over. I see them everywhere I go. The receptionist has one, she bust it out before she goes to lunch, and she loves it.

I have come to the following conclusion…I do not want an iPod…instead, I need an iPod.

I have raved about them before, but now, I need one. It’s like crack in my system. I’m such a victim to the marketing. I want to carry all the music in the world with me. It looks so pretty, it sounds so clear, and the software is easy to use. Why don’t I have one of these wonderful toys?

In other news. I will finally be creating a web site around this Blog. I hope two things happen: 1) I actually get it done and 2) I hope it blows you away.