Friday, May 27, 2011

HP Veer; size


I am now the proud user of the world's smallest smartphone, the HP Veer.

I'll be using this blog and my twitter account (@roneyii) to talk about this nifty little phone on an on going basis.

First disclaimer: The HP Veer is an AT&T phone and I'm on Sprint.
So most of my usage will be over Wi-Fi.


I don't think you can talk about the Veer without mentioning that it's small. A lot.
And I don't think you can truly comprehend just how small this phone really is without holding it.

And the size is the first thing I'm going to talk about.

A lot of people on various sites and forums have been trying to list the size as a negative.
Or when they do list it as a positive, they claim it's for other people like teenagers and women who have small hands.


Well I'm here to tell ya that I'm a man and I'm just under 30, and the size isn't a problem.

The phone actually fits in my hand better than my Pre.
I've been using a Palm Pre since June 6, 2009, before that I used a Palm Centro, and I had no problem transitioning to the smaller keyboard of the Veer.
I've used all of the webOS devices, and the Veer is probably my favorite keyboard so far.
It has a nice clicky-snappy feel to it.

I can two-thumb type on it with the same skill as my other webOS devices.


Alright, so the keyboard isn't cramped and I say that it's usable.

But what about the screen?
Isn't it small?

Well it's the same size as a Palm Pixi.
So if you've used a Palm Pixi, you've used a Veer as far as the screen goes.

And it just so happens that I have a Verizon Palm Pixi Plus.
The screen on both the Pixi and the Veer is usable.

Would I watch a two-hour movie on it? Probably not.
Can I surf the web and check my e-mail on it? Certainly.


Okay, so lets say that I believe you.
The keyboard works, the screen works.

Why would I want a small phone? Isn't everyone using big phones now?


Yes, big phones seem to be on the rise.
But you don't always need a big phone.

Let's say you're in the market for a tablet.
Like the HP TouchPad for instance.

If you have a 9.7" tablet, do you really need a giant phone?

And if you really do have a Veer and a TouchPad, you can do cool things like touch-to-share.
Just tap your Veer on your TouchPad and all of a sudden the web page you were viewing on your phone is now on your tablet. Size problem solved.



Out and about


So lets say that you're going out.
Where do you normally keep your phone?
Purse? Pocket?

Maybe you have one of those phones that's too big to fit in a pocket so you just hold it all the time.

My Veer fits inside my change pocket. It's that small.
That just freed up my entire left pocket.
How cool is that?

So now we go back to the comments of women wanting a small phone.
Women do tend to have smaller pants pockets than men.
If this thing fits in my change pocket, it'll fit in your pants pocket; regardless of gender.
It'll also fit in your purse, clutch, change purse, or bra.

I can slip this thing in a suit pocket and no one knows its there.
My keys make a bigger impact than this thing does.




That's all for now.
Next time I'm going to talk about power.



Did I mention that it's small?







Friday, May 6, 2011

Dream Job in the 24th Century

The other day on Twitter, @novacharter and @lilcutegirl86 were talking about money in Star Trek.

@lilcutegirl86 wondered why anyone would be a waiter in Ten Forward for free.


It just so happens that being a waiter in Ten Forward on the Enterprise-D is one of my dream jobs.


Let's accept for a moment that there is no monetary compensation for the job as @lilcutegirl suggests.
(We see Starfleet officers use and refer to money lots of times…)

What then would persuade someone to take on this job?

The benefits.

The Enterprise-D is the flagship. The best of the best.
Starfleet officers work really hard to be assigned to that ship.
But first they have to go through four years at Starfleet Academy before being assigned anywhere.

I've decided that you could skip college and go straight to the Enterprise; as a waiter.

As a waiter on a starship, you're a civilian.

You get all of the benefits of the Enterprise with only a fraction of the responsibility.

You get to chat with people of every rank and every department.
You can bring Riker a drink and find out what's going on in the ship; a newly assigned Ensign wouldn't dream of being so bold.

You get to boldly go…

You get access to the holodeck.

When the ship stops off at Risa, you get to say "I'm with the Enterprise".

Your job is pretty easy.
I've been a waiter before. Being a waiter in Ten Forward would be totally different.

You see, people go to Ten Forward not so much for the food, as for the people.
There are replicators all over the ship that will give you food. So most big meals will be eaten in private quarters.
We normally see desserts and drinks being served. No big orders.
(Yes, there is the rare exception)

You don't have to worry about money.
Waiters here in the 21st Century have to worry about people skipping out on their bills. Have to worry about earning tips, and having people stiff them on tips.

If there is no money, there's nothing to worry about.

And dishes? You just recycle them in the replicator. 

Basically your job is to help provide an atmosphere of relaxment and be there when they can't afford Guinan as a guest star.


And you know what? You can probably pick up some skills here and there too.
I mean look how far Wesley got before he entered the Academy.