So, here's a thought:
iPad is the undisputed tablet king. No, that's not the thought, I just needed to lay that out as a bit of exposition.
iPad is the best tablet on the market today. But perhaps that says more about the industry than it does Apple's own design and marketing prowess.
Perhaps iPad is the best because tablets are not the future. Perhaps tablets existed to help us transition to larger screen phones. Apple capitalized on this the most. Other manufacturers, meanwhile, realized that this wasn't part of the long term tech end game, and put out half-hearted attempts or nothing at all.
Think about it, though: what were the best non-iPad tablets? The Nexus 7 lineup were the only good selling flagship tablets. Why did these devices sell well? Primarily, they sold well because they were (are?) cheap, but still work well enough. Google and Asus didn't build the Nexus 7 to radically alter what a tablet is or what we could/should do with it. The Nexus 7 is/was simply a device designed for content consumption.
I think size is relevant as well to this idea. Non-iPad tablets have never really been successful in the ~9-10" range, but sell acceptably in the sub-8" category. This is reflective of the idea that the tablets are for media consumption; these tablets are for doing things on the couch or in bed. iPad, on the other hand, tries to be more with its 9.7" screen. There's room to do more than just read and watch videos. Sure, the Surface Pro 3 has succeeded (on a curved grading scale) at being a "productive" tablet, but I would argue that particularly because of its unoptimized operating system, it's actually a touchscreen laptop, not a tablet.
One of the biggest problems with iPad, though, is that despite Apple's best efforts to make the tablet useful, and despite excellent efforts from developers, iPad is still not the *best* tool for a lot of jobs that I do. There are CAD apps for iPad, but my computer is better for that. There are video editing apps, but a Mac would be better for that. I can bang out a paper, blog post, or long email on my iPad, but my laptop is better for that.
I'd say there are only two areas where iPad is equal or better in experience to a laptop/computer, and those would be photo editing and music making. The caveat here is that I'm talking about photo editing for people who have insufficient experience with Adobe Lightroom, Aperture, and/or Photoshop for the desktop. User-friendly photo editing (you know, for amateurs) is excellent on iPad. Music making follows the same line, in that powerful composing apps like Logic Pro are only available, or just far better on a laptop/desktop. Even some of the more serious elements of Garage Band are just better with a mouse than with a touchscreen. That being said, there are some excellent composing apps like Novation Launchpad, Beatwave, and Figure for just goofing around with music, or composing amateur electronic beats. I imagine apps similar to Finale would work pretty well on a touch interface.
In any case, where tablets are great is reading, web browsing, and watching video. But really, for these things the best device for the task is the one that you have with you. And as a culture, we always have our phones with us. This is why Samsung is putting heart rate monitors on their flagships, and Apple, HTC, and LG are putting motion trackers in theirs (but that's a post for another day).
Because of this, our phones have been steadily growing in size, to the point where the 5.7" Samsung Galaxy Note 4 no longer seems like the giant it once did. I can definitely image a world and a day where the value of the tablet is miniscule. With proper interconnection between large phone, computer, watch, and television, there would be little need for the tablet.
So here's my thought: perhaps Google recognized this, and that's why they didn't make a more serious play at the market. I mean, they literally didn't update the Nexus 10 for three years. And the Nexus 7's were always meant as budget devices. Perhaps Google saw the long haul even as well all held out with our 3.5" iPhones claiming superiority. Perhaps Google was willing to watch the tablet market slip to Apple, because they knew it wouldn't matter in the long run.
And look, they may be starting to be right. Apple's iPad sales are slipping. Consumers aren't upgrading their iPads.
And sure, Google released the new Nexus 9 with HTC, but by most reviews and impressions, the tablet is a very budget device released at too high of a price point. I also think it's worth noting that the tablet only comes in 16 or 32 GB, which seems to place it in a less serious light than iPad, which you can get in 16, 64, and 128 GB.
Samsung hasn't been so willing to surrender the market, but I really hope that their tablet releases (up until the Galaxy Tab S) have not been an honest effort at winning the market, because they've been terrible across the board. The latest tablets from Samsung are only notable because of the thinness, light weight, and excellent (if oversaturated) screens.
This is just my thought, though. Let me know if you agree, disagree, or your feelings are more complicated than that in the comments. Do you think tablets have a future? Do you do awesome things with your iPad?
Monday, November 24, 2014
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Innovation, Iteration, Adoption, and the Nexus 6
"Nexus 6 is too big for right now, but right sized for the future"
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| Image Source: http://i-cdn.phonearena.com/images/articles/ 146377-image/Google-Nexus-6-unboxing.jpg |
As for me, I think that this same basic idea is the problem that Android has always had to deal with.
One of the beauties of Android is that there are multiple OEM's that use it as an operating system on their devices, so we see many iterations of devices every year. Manufacturers compete with their own previous models and also with each other in order to produce the best devices (or the ones that sell the best). This leads to a much more rapid rate of improvement over companies that control the hardware and the software of their devices (Blackberry, Apple). I attribute the rapid rate of improvement in Android since Gingerbread to this rapid iteration of devices.
The problem, though, is that this rapid iteration doesn't always end up like manufacturers intend. For example, NFC has been essentially standard in Android phones for years, but only now are we starting to see the potential of a real mainstream roll-out or adoption of the technology. Qi wireless charging has been available on many Android phones for years, and it still isn't really being adopted on the mass market. I fear the same thing will happen with the recent quad-HD screen trend as well; we won't have mainstream quad-HD content for years, if we get it at all.
It's great to be on the bleeding edge of technology. As a geek, I love this kind of stuff. But you have to also be able to see that adaptation and change take time.
This is what Apple has been good at since the launch of the iPod. Apple doesn't invent that much new technology (although they like to make it seem like they do, if you watch their keynotes). What Apple does is adopt technologies at the right time so as to make an impact. Their slow iteration approach has worked better for them to this point (I feel that they are suffering from this, now, but that is a post for another day).
This is what ties us back into the article that I started with at the top of the page; the Nexus 6 is too big for today. Yes, there is a "but," but it remains to be seen how important that will be. The question comes down to how soon will society change so that the Nexus 6 is perfect?
The OG Samsung Galaxy Note was ahead of its time. Samsung's strategy of throwing everything at the market and seeing what sticks payed off with that device, and as a result, they essentially own the "phablet" market. The thing is, though, that until last year (and more so this year than last) did the large Note size phone really hit the mainstream. It was too ahead of its time, and most people weren't ready for it.
Meanwhile, Apple didn't make the jump to the larger screen phone until now. And while they didn't make the best optimizations for their device, you cannot say that they are too early to the large device market. A 5.5" phone is no longer the weird monster phone that the OG Note was in 2011.
In case you're not an Apple fan, I also think that Android Wear was an execution by Google that was actually timed appropriately. I think Google waited long enough for companies like Pebble to drum up support and awareness for smartwatches, and then launched a product that just works better (with Android).
So, yes, I think the Nexus 6 captures the current track of technology. I can definitely imagine a future where we return to having a smartphone and a laptop. I can especially imagine this as the current movement towards ecosystems continues (smart homes, Android TV w/ chromecast, Continuity + Handoff, etc). Or perhaps the future is one where tablets still exist, but they're more of a one per family media consumption device, or only used for specialized artistic (or otherwise) tasks.
Again, the question is: is that future coming soon, or is that future a year or more off?
Because I can say that right now, the Nexus 6 is just too darn big.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Downbeats Reusable High Fidelity Hearing Protection Review
I love music. And as one of my favorite music professors always says, live music is always better than dead music.
Just in the past year and a half, I've really started getting into the live concert scene. Let me rephrase that, I've started getting into the live rock concert scene. I've always been a frequent attendee of wind ensemble and orchestra concerts.
I've also always have had a mild case of tinnitus, or ringing in the ears. This ringing is evidence of hearing damage, and it irreversible.
Needless to say, going to rock concerts without hearing protection left me with a few nights of extra-ringing ears, and almost certainly hearing damage as well.
More recently, I've actually been experiencing perforations of my ear drum and even just this year a full burst. Because of all of this, I decided to get my hands on a pair of ear plugs.
The problem for me is that I can't just wear any old foam earplugs. I'm a bit of an audiophile, and those regular earplugs just make everything sound muffled, which for me defeats a lot of the purpose of going to a live show in the first place.
That's where the downbeats come in. They are a special type of ear plug that lets most of the sound profile in, but cuts the volume to a safe level (they advertise 18dB noise reduction).
Spoiler alert: they really do work as advertised. I wore them at a five hour metalcore concert this past weekend and I'm happy to report that I didn't have ringing ears after the show. I also was able to hear all of the frequencies, just quieter. I could still feel the music, and it wasn't *quiet* by any means, but it was not a damaging loudness.
One thing to note is that unfortunately, these earplugs cut out conversation almost completely at a concert event. Conversations are hard at a concert event generally, because of all the noise, but these made it noticably harder to hear. I found myself removing one plug if I wanted to talk to my friends.
Related to conversation, these earplugs tend to make you talk even quiter than normal. Because of how they sit in your ear canal, you end up hearing your voice pretty loud in your head, so you talk quiter to other people with them in. It's really a minor inconvenience, though, considering that these save your hearing. Again, you can just remove one when you feel the need to talk, and that solves the problem.
The downbeats fit pretty comfortably, which is to say that I could wear them for the whole five hours of the show. To me, they feel like in-ear headphones. You definitely notice a pressure in the ear canal, but it's not terribly unpleasant. That means a lot from me, because I *despise* in ear headphones, because I find them incredibly uncomfortable.
Luckily, even though these earplugs sit very similar in the ear to in-ear headphones, they stay in much better. One of my biggest fears in getting fancy earplugs was that they would fall out while I danced, jumped, headbanged, and otherwise moshed at the show. I am happy to report that these earplugs stayed in very well, and I never once had a problem with them slipping out or feeling loose. These are earplugs that I would recommend for metal, hardcore, rock, punk, etc shows.
The downbeats also don't stick out from the ear very far, which is nice because you don't have to worry about catching a bump from the crowd and shoving the earplug too deep into the ear, damaging the ear drum (rock shows get intense). This also means that the downbeats are pretty inconspicuous, so you don't have to worry about everyone in the crowd knowing you're wearing earplugs.
I didn't have any problems removing the downbeats from my ears after the show, although I have read reviews that said people did have some trouble with this. The included carrying case is also a really convenient storage system for when you take the plugs out, which is always a bonus. It's made of metal, and could definitely take a beating, although I didn't subject it to one.
Overall, these are highly recommended by me. I liked everything about the product, and I look forward to taking them to more shows in the future. But even if you choose not to get this product, or if it doesn't work for you, wear earplugs to concerts, people.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Large Screen Optimizations
It's interesting to see Apple finally battle Android OEM's in the giant phone space.
To my perceptions, Apple's strategy to justifying the larger screen is to fit *more* of whatever content you're working with on the screen at once. This can be seen in the two columned landscape view. This can also be seen in the Messages app, for example, where contacts' photos are displayed. This is really smart, especially considering that the brain can't actually multitask. There is some argument for more than one window, but I'm not convinced of the user experience of that on a phone screen: A laptop, yes, a tablet, maybe, but not a phone.
On the other hand, Samsung and LG have opted for putting more apps on one screen as the justification. Samsung has opted for windowed apps on their Note devices, which are their truly "large" screen devices. This "true multitasking" is more reminiscent of traditional desktop operating systems, and thus sits better with the "windows types" as I refer to them. Sony and LG support certain apps working in small windows, but they are not nearly as well developed as Samsung's offering, and honestly I'm okay with that. LG and Samsung also support a split screen function, which I actually think works okay, though I argue that given proper app store support a la Apple, this split screen wouldn't be necessary.
Google, in partnership with Motorola, on the other hand (yes, I have three hands) seems to have made no justifications for the big screen. Stock Android 5.0 is as Lollipop on the Nexus 6 as it is on, say, the Nexus 4, 5, or 7. This is not the right strategy for a truly consumer device, but the argument could be made that the Nexus program has always, and still is, about developers and OEM's not consumers.
How do you want your large screen to be used? Do you even want a large screen phone? Let me know in the comments.
To my perceptions, Apple's strategy to justifying the larger screen is to fit *more* of whatever content you're working with on the screen at once. This can be seen in the two columned landscape view. This can also be seen in the Messages app, for example, where contacts' photos are displayed. This is really smart, especially considering that the brain can't actually multitask. There is some argument for more than one window, but I'm not convinced of the user experience of that on a phone screen: A laptop, yes, a tablet, maybe, but not a phone.
On the other hand, Samsung and LG have opted for putting more apps on one screen as the justification. Samsung has opted for windowed apps on their Note devices, which are their truly "large" screen devices. This "true multitasking" is more reminiscent of traditional desktop operating systems, and thus sits better with the "windows types" as I refer to them. Sony and LG support certain apps working in small windows, but they are not nearly as well developed as Samsung's offering, and honestly I'm okay with that. LG and Samsung also support a split screen function, which I actually think works okay, though I argue that given proper app store support a la Apple, this split screen wouldn't be necessary.
Google, in partnership with Motorola, on the other hand (yes, I have three hands) seems to have made no justifications for the big screen. Stock Android 5.0 is as Lollipop on the Nexus 6 as it is on, say, the Nexus 4, 5, or 7. This is not the right strategy for a truly consumer device, but the argument could be made that the Nexus program has always, and still is, about developers and OEM's not consumers.
How do you want your large screen to be used? Do you even want a large screen phone? Let me know in the comments.
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Thoughts on Nexus and Android Lollipop
I felt like compiling my thoughts on Android Lollipop and the latest Nexus devices. Here they are:
Nexus 9:
I really like the size decision for the Nexus 9. As I've stated previously, I think the size was more of a necessity for Google rather than a conscious decision of the perfect size for a tablet. That being said, I think that for me, it would be the perfect size. I often find that my iPad Air feels too large for what I'm using it for, by iPad mini's in the past have felt too small for what I want to do with them (and again, as I said previously, the mini size [~8"] is rather too small when modern phones are ~5-6").
Related to size, but not the same, is the aspect ratio. I know a lot of Android fans were unhappy with the decision to forgo the 16:9 aspect ratio in favor of the 4:3 aspect ratio. I, however, am a fan. Yes, this does make the tablet less space efficient for video watching, but it arguably makes it better in every other respect. I think the biggest advantage of the different ratio is that it truly differentiates the tablet from just being a big phone, something that Android tablets have struggled with traditionally. The disadvantage, though, is that the more tablet-like aspect ration will make the lack of true tablet apps for Android more of a glaring issue.
That being said, I don't think this is the tablet to compete with, or beat, the iPad. The biggest advantage of the iPad is more and better apps. I really appreciate Android's far superior scaling abilities, meaning that phone apps will at least work without being the disgusting iOS blown up what have you. The problem, though, is that most apps have a true, dedicated iPad layout, or even separate app on iOS, which just leads to a better experience. Until developers back Android as a tablet platform, OEM's will never be able to compete with Apple, even if they were to make superior hardware (which, based on early reviews, the Nexus 9 is not).
Nexus 6:
The Nexus 6 looks like a crazy awesome phone. Basically, if there's a spec that you are looking for in a phone, it has it. But I'm not looking for the biggest, baddest specs, I'm looking for a great experience.
The Nexus 6 is too big. Google's big arguing point recently is that they fit a 6" screen in the footprint of iPhone 6 Plus. But iPhone 6 Plus is too big as well, so I'm not really sure why they want to use this as a defense. The larger screen also makes one-handed use harder, even if the footprint is that same, because the finger has to cover more real estate.
I would also argue that the quad HD (2K) screen is unnecessary. Something higher than 1080p might be necessary just because of the screen size, but there's not a real benefit to full 2K other than padding the specs. This is one thing that I appreciate Apple for doing, which is refusing to continue with the pixel race.
I don't really the overall look of the phone either, even though I think the design is pretty solid. This is definitely going to be a more durable phone than the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 before it. But, then again, it should be given the cost.
I'm up in the air about the phone. I am more than ready to eat my words once I feel the device in hand, but I'm also not holding my breath.
Nexus Player:
I feel like the idea of the Nexus Player is what Apple TV should have become already. But that's just it, it's an idea, not a full execution, and Apple likely is working through a similar idea, and they're just waiting to reveal it until the idea is fully fleshed out.
Games are a great idea. There are so many wonderful, console like games on mobile platforms, and I really want to play them on a TV with a controller. A potential problem is that the power in the box could be very fragmented, making the gaming experience poor. The voice search is also an incredibly good feature. I honestly think it's the best feature available on the Amazon Fire TV. I love the feature, and it definitely will make the intentional search process better than what's currently available on Apple TV.
Even though the interface is borrowed from the Fire TV, it looks great. Google successfully made an interface that's easy and intuitive enough to navigate on the television. This is surprising to me, honestly, because Google isn't exactly known for making great interfaces, especially on the first iteration. But perhaps this is a sign of the new, post-material design Google. If that's the case, I am very hopeful for the future.
The biggest issue that faces the Nexus Player is whether or not developers will support Android TV. The device and operating system has great potential. But it's just that: potential. Google TV had great potential, too, but the support just wasn't there. Gaming on Android TV will only be as good as the support for games from developers is. Apps will only work as well as developers make them work. I really hope the developers jump on this great new platform, because the potential is truly amazing. But I remain skeptical.
Android Lollipop:
I think the design has grown on me. Initially, I really hated the new look of the OS, and was left wishing for the return of Holo. However, like with iOS 7, I now quite like the design, or at least am used to it enough that I don't hate it. And the features are certainly nice, and absolutely worth it.
The most important thing about Android Lollipop and its look is that finally we have a cohesive design on Android. Google tried in the past, but they never fully succeeded in making an OS that looked like it was truly designed together, not as separate pieces. Arguably, they finally did a better job than Apple at making a cohesively designed mobile operating system. Like it or not, I think material design is one of the most important updates to Android. Material design is the reason we got Android 5.0, and not Android 4.5.
The new multitasking looks great. I like the card approach, and I think that having chrome tabs and Gmail emails (and other things as supported by developers) open as separate multitasking cards is going to be really useful. I don't want to say that it'll be huge, but it'll be nice. Someone else had argued that this was Google attempting to better tie Chrome OS into Android. I'm not sure on how I stand on that point, besides to say that it'll make switching back to the right page easier.
Google Now is probably my favorite part about the Google ecosystem. And that's understandable, considering that it's essentially the main driving force behind a lot of their products. The more I use it, the more it does things "auto-magically" for me, and I absolutely love it. The nice thing with Android is that Google Now just does more on that platform.
I love the lock screen notifications on Android Lollipop. It is absolutely a feature taken straight from iOS, but that's not a bad thing. It's a useful tool, and a great use of the lock screen. For me, it's more useful than lock screen widgets. Google's implementation isn't the most elegant, but it's the best that they could do given the existing notification paradigms that exist on Android.
One thing that I love about Android in general is developer support for interactive notifications, widgets, etc. While these features now exist on iOS, I haven't seen the adoption that I have on Android. There are literally widgets for anything and everything on Android. There are only a few widgets on iOS, and most of them aren't that good, in my opinion. I also haven't seen many developers take advantage of interactive notifications on iOS, and those that have haven't really done it that well. Apps like GroupMe just launch you into the app if you press "reply" from the notifications actions.
These are my thoughts on the Nexus and Android Lollipop announcements, but I'm interested in hearing yours. Let me know what you think in the comments.
One thing that I love about Android in general is developer support for interactive notifications, widgets, etc. While these features now exist on iOS, I haven't seen the adoption that I have on Android. There are literally widgets for anything and everything on Android. There are only a few widgets on iOS, and most of them aren't that good, in my opinion. I also haven't seen many developers take advantage of interactive notifications on iOS, and those that have haven't really done it that well. Apps like GroupMe just launch you into the app if you press "reply" from the notifications actions.
These are my thoughts on the Nexus and Android Lollipop announcements, but I'm interested in hearing yours. Let me know what you think in the comments.
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Big phone, small tablet
I whipped this post up real quick as part of my daily journaling. Give it a read, and tell me how you like it.
iPad Mini 3 is barely an upgrade. Apple seems to know that the small tablet is giving way to the large phone, just like Google acknowledged at their Nexus announcement.
Then again, Google switching from the the Nexus 7 to the Nexus 9 could just be that the Nexus 6 isn't different enough from the Nexus 7 to still be able to sell them both.
That being said, I think that's a trend in the market overall, and we will see that reflected in sales numbers and new product announcements. Tablets are useful, but people won't use them if their phone is "good enough" for the task.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
iPad Mini 3 is barely an upgrade. Apple seems to know that the small tablet is giving way to the large phone, just like Google acknowledged at their Nexus announcement.
Then again, Google switching from the the Nexus 7 to the Nexus 9 could just be that the Nexus 6 isn't different enough from the Nexus 7 to still be able to sell them both.
That being said, I think that's a trend in the market overall, and we will see that reflected in sales numbers and new product announcements. Tablets are useful, but people won't use them if their phone is "good enough" for the task.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Inbox by Gmail Review
I hate email.
Okay, so that's not exactly new: most people hate email. But I want to emphasize that I am very much one of those people. The constant notifications are awful, but necessary, but there haven't been great solutions to dealing with them as of yet.
And I have to use email. My job as an independant contractor essentially relies on email, and timely response to it. So I essentially have to have email connected with my phone and with me at all times.
I picked up Mailbox almost two years ago, and I particularly appreciated the user interface and features of the app. In particular, the focus on getting to "inbox zero" (having no emails in the inbox) was great. It only improved with auto-swiping features which automatically filtered mail as it came in so that you wouldn't have to deal with frivolous email immediately.
The biggest problem, however, was that the filtering didn't go far enough without going so far as to make me miss that one important email per day. That's where Inbox by Gmail comes in, and I'm happy to say succeeds.
I first heard about Inbox by Gmail the day it was announced and knew that immediately I wanted to try it. Google Now does so many things "auto-magically" that I figured it would work wonders with email. I applied for an invite and received it about a week ago, and have been testing Inbox every since.
Inbox by Gmail is an invite only public "beta" right now, and I managed to get an invite directly from Google (score). I say "beta" because it's incredibly stable, but it's not released for the general public the way that standard Gmail is. If you want your own invite code, keep reading for details on how to enter to win one.
Inbox is everything I loved about Mailbox, but better.
It really was what I was expecting: Google Now auto-magically sorting my email, only notifying me for truly important emails. I spend so much less time triaging emails, you have no idea. Google is very intelligent at sorting emails, and so far, I haven't received any frivolous notifications, nor have I missed important emails (my biggest fear).
The fewer notifications that I get is also great, because it means slightly improved battery life over what I was experiencing with Mailbox. I feel like I do check my email a few more times per day with Inbox (I had an "email hour" with Mailbox, where I would essentially delay all emails until nighttime), but I definitely have the app open for less time on any given day.
The app also has a clean interface that looks quite refreshing. Mailbox looked bad by no means, by Google's "material design" is pretty nice looking. I haven't experienced problems with the animations slowing down my phone either, which is a bonus. The icon also looks good, even on my iOS device.
Another thing that I like is that Inbox has a dedicated web app, so I can have the same experience on my phone as I do on my computer. It doesn't translate perfectly, since the interface definitely feels designed for touch interaction rather than mouse, but the consistent UI and UX is appreciated. Mailbox had this to a certain degree with their Max OS X app, but I don't yet own a Mac, so this is useless to me.
One downside on the UI side of things is the lack of dedicated iPad app, or optimization for the iPad screen. You can still run the scaled up version of the iPhone app, but it looks atrocious, and I've taken to just using the regular gmail app. I feel like the Android side of things is a little bit better, but this was an unfortunate oversight on Google's part.
What I miss from Mailbox is the quick swipe to delete feature. Inbox focuses more on their "done" feature, which is essentially a swipe to archive option, but I receive a lot of email that deserves deletion more than archival, and I wish Inbox made it easier. The feature does exist, and you can still do batch deletion, it's just not as fluid as a swipe gesture is.
The snooze feature also isn't as well worked as Mailbox's, where you can customize what "tomorrow" or "later today" or "this weekend" mean. It's still a nice feature in Inbox, and I use it frequently, but it's not as well thought out as I'm used to with Mailbox.
A nice feature that Inbox does include that Mailbox does not is reminders in the inbox as well as pinning emails to the inbox as a reminder. This works with your Google Now reminders to turn your inbox into the to-do list that it basically already was. This is a departure from the "inbox zero" philosophy, but one that I find to be useful.
So what do I think: am I going back to Mailbox? No, I think overall, my best experience with email has been with the Inbox by Gmail app. I won't be switching back unless it is to try new features that Mailbox may reveal. I think the best, most powerful feature of Inbox is Google's intelligent auto-sorting of email that only notifies you when you really need to be notified. That's been the game changer for me. I no longer feel like I need to buy a smartwatch just to triage email. That's an incredibly powerful feeling.
Now, about that invite:
I still have one invite for Inbox available, and I'm looking to give it out to you, my interested readers. To qualify, just leave me a comment with what service you use for email management and how that works for you. I will pick a winner at random from the comments section and contact you about the code.
Okay, so that's not exactly new: most people hate email. But I want to emphasize that I am very much one of those people. The constant notifications are awful, but necessary, but there haven't been great solutions to dealing with them as of yet.
And I have to use email. My job as an independant contractor essentially relies on email, and timely response to it. So I essentially have to have email connected with my phone and with me at all times.
I picked up Mailbox almost two years ago, and I particularly appreciated the user interface and features of the app. In particular, the focus on getting to "inbox zero" (having no emails in the inbox) was great. It only improved with auto-swiping features which automatically filtered mail as it came in so that you wouldn't have to deal with frivolous email immediately.
The biggest problem, however, was that the filtering didn't go far enough without going so far as to make me miss that one important email per day. That's where Inbox by Gmail comes in, and I'm happy to say succeeds.
I first heard about Inbox by Gmail the day it was announced and knew that immediately I wanted to try it. Google Now does so many things "auto-magically" that I figured it would work wonders with email. I applied for an invite and received it about a week ago, and have been testing Inbox every since.
Inbox by Gmail is an invite only public "beta" right now, and I managed to get an invite directly from Google (score). I say "beta" because it's incredibly stable, but it's not released for the general public the way that standard Gmail is. If you want your own invite code, keep reading for details on how to enter to win one.
Inbox is everything I loved about Mailbox, but better.
It really was what I was expecting: Google Now auto-magically sorting my email, only notifying me for truly important emails. I spend so much less time triaging emails, you have no idea. Google is very intelligent at sorting emails, and so far, I haven't received any frivolous notifications, nor have I missed important emails (my biggest fear).
The fewer notifications that I get is also great, because it means slightly improved battery life over what I was experiencing with Mailbox. I feel like I do check my email a few more times per day with Inbox (I had an "email hour" with Mailbox, where I would essentially delay all emails until nighttime), but I definitely have the app open for less time on any given day.
The app also has a clean interface that looks quite refreshing. Mailbox looked bad by no means, by Google's "material design" is pretty nice looking. I haven't experienced problems with the animations slowing down my phone either, which is a bonus. The icon also looks good, even on my iOS device.
Another thing that I like is that Inbox has a dedicated web app, so I can have the same experience on my phone as I do on my computer. It doesn't translate perfectly, since the interface definitely feels designed for touch interaction rather than mouse, but the consistent UI and UX is appreciated. Mailbox had this to a certain degree with their Max OS X app, but I don't yet own a Mac, so this is useless to me.
One downside on the UI side of things is the lack of dedicated iPad app, or optimization for the iPad screen. You can still run the scaled up version of the iPhone app, but it looks atrocious, and I've taken to just using the regular gmail app. I feel like the Android side of things is a little bit better, but this was an unfortunate oversight on Google's part.
What I miss from Mailbox is the quick swipe to delete feature. Inbox focuses more on their "done" feature, which is essentially a swipe to archive option, but I receive a lot of email that deserves deletion more than archival, and I wish Inbox made it easier. The feature does exist, and you can still do batch deletion, it's just not as fluid as a swipe gesture is.
The snooze feature also isn't as well worked as Mailbox's, where you can customize what "tomorrow" or "later today" or "this weekend" mean. It's still a nice feature in Inbox, and I use it frequently, but it's not as well thought out as I'm used to with Mailbox.
A nice feature that Inbox does include that Mailbox does not is reminders in the inbox as well as pinning emails to the inbox as a reminder. This works with your Google Now reminders to turn your inbox into the to-do list that it basically already was. This is a departure from the "inbox zero" philosophy, but one that I find to be useful.
So what do I think: am I going back to Mailbox? No, I think overall, my best experience with email has been with the Inbox by Gmail app. I won't be switching back unless it is to try new features that Mailbox may reveal. I think the best, most powerful feature of Inbox is Google's intelligent auto-sorting of email that only notifies you when you really need to be notified. That's been the game changer for me. I no longer feel like I need to buy a smartwatch just to triage email. That's an incredibly powerful feeling.
Now, about that invite:
I still have one invite for Inbox available, and I'm looking to give it out to you, my interested readers. To qualify, just leave me a comment with what service you use for email management and how that works for you. I will pick a winner at random from the comments section and contact you about the code.
Apple announcement thoughts
I wasn't particularly overwhelmed by the iPad/Mac announcement by Apple this month. I also was not underwhelmed, per-se. I suppose you could say, in the famous words of Jon from Front Page Tech, I was simply "whelmed."
I think iPad Air 2 is a logical upgrade from iPad Air, and it looks really nice in a lot of ways. I appreciate that Apple is really trying to save the tablet and define a role for it.
The iMac with Retina 5K display is super killer, and I think it was something that Apple had to announce. They've been catching a lot of flack recently for not improving the screens on iPhone to HD quality. While I will still argue that that spec doesn't matter, this was a little jab back that Apple can still build the best display in the industry.
I was most disappointed by what I didn't see, though, not what I did see. Apple missed a great opportunity today to nip the Nexus Player in the bud by at least announcing an Apple TV update with voice search and an open app ecosystem (with games). And they didn't take that opportunity. Voice search is hard, yes, but I think that their Siri system would be good enough for the task. Even just using Siri dictation to perform the search would be better than typing. Opening up the app ecosystem is something that Apple is going to have to do if they want to stay competitive in the TV space, though.
One reason for avoiding the game announcement could be that it will not rival console quality, and Apple is about experience, not features. The lack of app support is still surprising, though. Another issue that they could be working for is that the hardware in Apple TV boxes is pretty old compared to modern iOS devices, so the experience would be pretty poor, even if developers made significant optimizations.
In general, I guess, it just seemed to me that Apple gave us everything that we were expecting, and nothing more. And it doesn't look like there's anything else that might come of it. I'm excited by Google's announcements, though, because there's huge potential for more to come when developers get on board (if developers get on board).
But those are just my thoughts. Let me know what you think in the comments below.
I think iPad Air 2 is a logical upgrade from iPad Air, and it looks really nice in a lot of ways. I appreciate that Apple is really trying to save the tablet and define a role for it.
The iMac with Retina 5K display is super killer, and I think it was something that Apple had to announce. They've been catching a lot of flack recently for not improving the screens on iPhone to HD quality. While I will still argue that that spec doesn't matter, this was a little jab back that Apple can still build the best display in the industry.
I was most disappointed by what I didn't see, though, not what I did see. Apple missed a great opportunity today to nip the Nexus Player in the bud by at least announcing an Apple TV update with voice search and an open app ecosystem (with games). And they didn't take that opportunity. Voice search is hard, yes, but I think that their Siri system would be good enough for the task. Even just using Siri dictation to perform the search would be better than typing. Opening up the app ecosystem is something that Apple is going to have to do if they want to stay competitive in the TV space, though.
One reason for avoiding the game announcement could be that it will not rival console quality, and Apple is about experience, not features. The lack of app support is still surprising, though. Another issue that they could be working for is that the hardware in Apple TV boxes is pretty old compared to modern iOS devices, so the experience would be pretty poor, even if developers made significant optimizations.
In general, I guess, it just seemed to me that Apple gave us everything that we were expecting, and nothing more. And it doesn't look like there's anything else that might come of it. I'm excited by Google's announcements, though, because there's huge potential for more to come when developers get on board (if developers get on board).
But those are just my thoughts. Let me know what you think in the comments below.
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