August 12, 2010 in Scott McClintock, Associate Writer (Victoria, TX, USA) | Permalink
January 11, 2010 in Scott McClintock, Associate Writer (Victoria, TX, USA) | Permalink
For the last two days, my iPhone has been turned off and riding around in my slingbag as a back up. I went to check on it today and I hadn't turned it off, so the battery was dead.
I have gotten more used to the menus of the Cliq, but the difference in speed is really getting to me. It's like going from a MediaCenter PC to a Netbook in terms of speed. You would think that all that sacrifice in speed would be great in terms of battery life. Not so...If you want to use this phone as it was intended to keep you fully connected with your world, you can forget about it lasting more than 9-10 hours (if you're going to run Meebo in the background, make that about 6 hours); at that point it shuts off. My iPhone can rock on all day without shutting off, but then again it's not polling as much in the way of social media.
The slide-out keyboard is ok...I still would like to see a MotoBlur device in a myTouch form factor...and weigh it down a little with a proper battery.
Compared to the iPhone the GPS is frequently off track, takes much longer to update, and of course runs slower. I had to take the crystal case off as the top part kept interfering with me using the keyboard.
All-in-all, I think this is a great device for high school students or early college students. If you want to be connected, this phone is your nirvana. I need my power, speed, and games back...I think the iPhone is going to win this one.
November 14, 2009 in Scott McClintock, Associate Writer (Victoria, TX, USA) | Permalink
I recently decided to purchase a Moto Cliq after seeing the cool new MotoBlur feature. I plan to write an in depth comparison after a week with the Cliq, but here are my thoughts between the two devices after just a day with the Cliq:
#1 - Battery Life. Under normal usage the Cliq was dead after being off the charger less than 12 hours. Granted it is pulling and polling data, but I think iPhone's push notification has a win in this category.
#2 - Keyboard. After succumbing to iPhone all-touch-screen interface, going back to a physical keyboard is very hard. Thankfully Android now includes an on screen keyboard comparable to iPhone's.
#3 - MotoBlur. Very cool, I haven't felt so connected with all my family and friends in a long time. It's going to be like every day is a holiday with everybody at my house.
#4 - Accessibility. Not as bad as Blackberry at burrying things in menus, but not as slick as iPhone.
#5 - Speed. Definently slower than the iPhone and after owning a 3GS, any step down in speed is noticeable...and irritating
#6 - Text Messaging. Sending out a group email or attaching a photo is so much easier with the iPhone. I haven't even figured out if I can send a group message on the Cliq...
To most readers, you would assume that the Cliq is already boxed up and ready to go back...not so. I will continue to use it as my sole phone for the next week and see how I feel then. Who knows, maybe I'll have to use both an iPhone and a Cliq...
November 13, 2009 in Scott McClintock, Associate Writer (Victoria, TX, USA) | Permalink
August 04, 2009 in Scott McClintock, Associate Writer (Victoria, TX, USA) | Permalink
Over the past few weeks, there have been several occassions I have had to stop myself from purchasing a Palm on eBay. At first it was a LifeDrive (I was going to customize it with a CF card and a bigger battery. Along with an update to allow larger SD cards.), then it was a TX, then maybe just a Z22 to keep in the drawer as a backup. What I have realized is that I am having a lot if anxiety letting go of the Palm OS Platform. It has been good and faithful to me for the last 5 years. I have been an iPod touch and then an iPhone user for the last year and a half - I keep reminding myself that this is a young platform...no where near the maturity Palm was at when I joined the Clie Legion. I rationalized that the reason I wanted a standalone PDA was so that I had a PDA without the phone intrusion like a Treo. I also realized that the simple thing that I wanted, I already had. I loved the functionality of the iPod touch and view it as a great Palm TX replacement and now with the iPhone, it's simply an iPod Touch with "anywhere" access. All I have to do is turn the phone part off and I have a robust PDA with speakers and camera built in.
May 24, 2009 in Scott McClintock, Associate Writer (Victoria, TX, USA) | Permalink
Like most of us, I really don't really realize how much my mobile device aides me in my day-to-day life; we tend to just take it for granted. Today, it actually struck me...
May 01, 2009 in Scott McClintock, Associate Writer (Victoria, TX, USA) | Permalink
When I first received my Mophie Juice Pack Air (JPA), it was in a brown cardboard box with a large recycle sign on it reminding me that this packaging was environmentally friendly. At first glance, I was unimpressed with new charging pack as I already had the PowerSlide from InCase. The JPA is definently smaller in thickness and height compared to the PowerSlide. The JPA has a glossy sheen to like the iPhone 3g does, thus making it very easy to lose grip of...I think I will remedy this shortly. The PowerSlide has speaker holes at the bottom for sound to pass through, while the JPA has a small gap at the bottonm where the charging dock is. I feared that this would affect the sound level when laying the device face down, but so far, I cannot really discren a noticeable decrease. The holes for access to the power, volume, and ringer switch are smaller on the JPA. You have to put a little more effore into finding and pushing the buttons. (This could also be because it is my first day with it. One thing that I like with the JPA is that the fit of the case does not mess with my screen protector. (On the PowerSlide the upper case's bezel cover slightly skews my screen protector casing an air bubble or two to appear.) The last thing that suprised me was when I plugged in the included micro-USB plug into my computer. (On the PowerSlide you had the hold the button down on the back for so long and do this and that inorder to get it to sync with it on.) Now I liked the mini-USB of the PowerSlide, the micro-USB is a little harder for to line up and get plugged in with a little effort. Unlike the PowerSlide, the JPA immediately passes through the connection to the iPhone and syncing begins. BIG THUMBS UP!!! In the end, I have decided that I do love my new white JPA from Mophie and gave the PowerSilde to my "always forgets to charger her phone" wife.
May 01, 2009 in Scott McClintock, Associate Writer (Victoria, TX, USA) | Permalink
April 07, 2009 in Scott McClintock, Associate Writer (Victoria, TX, USA) | Permalink
In the two weeks since our return from Houston, I have not plugged in my 3G iPhone once, and no its not dead. Ever since picking up my Incase Powerslider I have used it exclusively as my charger. I use my iPhone so much that I would have to charge it at least once during the day and then again at night. With the PS, I either carry the iPhone in the charger and enjoy a much longer battery life, or when my iPhone gives me the 10% warning, I slide it into a fully charged PS and I am still free to roam around cord free while my iPhone is recharging. I haven't tried the sync-through option because with MobileMe I don't really need to sync my iPhone except about once a month. The PS case has a nice non-slip grip to it and the battery indicator on the back is perfect. When recharging the iPhone, the base of the PS gets warm but not too warm. It is not so warm that you cannot cannot hold it in your hand. (For those of you that remember how hot a LifeDrive can get, this is no where near that hot.) My only gripe is that at the very bottom of where the two pieces slide together, there is a very minute wiggle room that creaks ever so slightly when squezzed. If this issue weren't there, I'd give this accessory a full five stars, as it stands, I give it a 4.8 out of 5.
January 20, 2009 in Scott McClintock, Associate Writer (Victoria, TX, USA) | Permalink