tech

4 features the Droid should already have

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  1. A solid SMS client – I love the look of the SMS client but sometimes it takes forever to load (and occasionally crashes). The very nature of SMS requires speed (heck, the first S stands for short!) and the Droid SMS client misses the mark.
  2. Gmail Tasks integration – Tasks isn’t a Labs feature anymore. It’s enabled by default in Gmail. So why isn’t it built into the Android Gmail client? Big fat zero on this one.
  3. Google Apps calendar integration – not there yet. Instead, you have to share your Google Apps calendar with your Gmail account’s calendar to see your Google Apps calendar on the Droid. Weak.
  4. A great music player – the built-in player barely has more than shuffle and repeat. It’s also ugly. I’ve seen three year old flip phones with better music players than the Droid.

This list makes it sound like I hate the Droid. Not at all. I’m very happy with it. The Gmail client, for the most part, is amazing, the browser is almost as good as a desktop browser, the actual phone software is responsive and easy to use, and the user interface is clean and easy to understand.

The four features I mention simply should have been better at launch. If you own a Droid, your list is probably different than mine (if so, be sure to share in the comments!). I’m also sure we’ll see fixes for these things with future updates.

Be sure to use the comments to ask questions, and to talk about what you like and what can be better about the Droid!

Google Wave first look

Google Wave is going to change how people collaborate on the web. Think a combination of email + IM + image sharing + chat + more. I should be getting an invite soon and will do my own first look at that time.

For now, check out what Lifehacker has to say about Wave.

My new Twitter strategy

I’m sick of Twitter being about numbers.

As of today the number of people I’m following is about 2/3 less (700 down to 280ish). I’ll probably whittle that down to closer to 150 by the weekend.

Why?

I want Twitter to be about the conversation.
I want Twitter to be about learning who someone is, what makes them tick, and how we can connect.
I want Twitter to be about creating real relationships.

If you’re ready to chat, follow me on Twitter by clicking here.

What is a browser?

Watch this video then let me know if you knew what a browser was!

Twitter + Facebook = Seesmic

Short and sweet. If you use both Twitter and Facebook you should be using Seesmic Desktop.

seesmic-desktop

Why?

  • It looks good and doesn’t use a lot of memory
  • User lists – you can make lists of users to be sure you don’t miss their tweets
  • Facebook status – update your Facebook status from within Seesmic
  • Facebook comments – someone comments on your status? You can comment right back from within Seesmic (no having to log in to Facebook)

But, what do I know? Try Seesmic Desktop for yourself, follow me on Twitter then let me know what you think.