And the unlikely star of SXSW
Even after two and a half years, I still love my Droid X. It was the first phone that I owned that I didn’t have to do a battery yank every day. The picture quality is great for a mobile and, to this day, I’m still amazed at how often you need to take a quick snapshot or video.
The other absolute requirement, GPS and Google Maps, was also an unforeseen necessity. I can’t count the number of times that my Droid got me where I needed to go. Browsing has always sucked, but let’s face, browsing wasn’t the strong suit of the iPhone 4 or any other device with a 3.5” screen.
So why am I telling you all this? About a month ago, I was on my way to an appointment when I noticed that my Droid wasn’t connecting to GPS. Turns out, something went flaky on the RF, and the mobile hotspot isn’t working either. A couple of weeks later, like a cancer, an air-bubble-like spot appeared on the display.
Finally, the unthinkable happened — the phone froze-up and I had to yank the battery to reset. I can deny it all I want, but the reality remains: My phone is about to die.
Anyone in this same situation has two choices: Get an iPhone or get something else. Well, I guess a few folk may opt for the corporate-issued Blackberry, but that’s not really an option for me. First, the qwerty keyboard is practically impossible to use considering I only have half my right thumb. Secondly, I successfully navigated the 1990s once. Why do it again?
Any-hoo… my wife, my father, my brothers and virtually everyone that works at CMA has an iPhone. I understand its ease of use, its simplicity, its ability to integrate with my MacBook Air and still bring a high level of productivity into the business world. Every person who asks for a mobile phone recommendation, I tell them, “Get an iPhone!” So you should not be surprised that my first choice for a new mobile will be… the Samsung Galaxy S4.
The debut of the GS4 is March 14 (uh, today). Interestingly, Samsung is more tight-lipped regarding the GS4 than Apple was about the iPhone 5. Rumors include a 5-inch 1080p display, a 13-megapixel camera, quadcore processor and Jelly Bean. All of these are tech spec improvements from the GS3.
In addition to the new features that Jelly Bean brings, Samsung is rumored to be including eye-tracking software that allows the user to perform certain tasks by moving their eyes. Tres cool!
I hope the debut of the phone will be as cool as it appears to be. If not, that’s okay. I’ll get an iPhone. Honestly, the more concerning issue will be the change of data plans. I’m grandfathered into the Verizon’s old unlimited data plan. Kiss that bye-bye. Maybe I’ll go check out other carriers.
Just between you and me, the pink T-Mobile chick is much more persuasive at selling mobile service that the “Can you hear me now?” guy. SXSW — Having lived in Austin for seven years, the dates for South-by-Southwest will be permanently stamped on my calendar. SXSW originally started as a backroom music festival and has been overrun by the tech industry. It’s now one of the premier media festivals in the world.
Events include a full-blown film festival, music festival and technology developer conference, all packed into a downtown with about 20 square blocks of bars, restaurants and other nightlife. With the 50,000-student University of Texas forming its core, the city of Austin celebrates its counter culture (“Keep Austin Weird” is an unofficial motto) and doesn’t take any nonsense from anyone. (“Don’t Mess with Texas” is not a motto — it’s a philosophy.)
Without a Twitter or Foursquare making headlines, no doubt this is an off year for the festival. I understand that Al Gore had a talk about creating the Internet, and Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, showed a video of rocket technology designed return launch vehicles back to the launch pad.
But the biggest star of the conference is not a famous celebrity or businessman. It’s not even a rising director, musician or entrepreneur. The star of SXSW is an Internet sensation that no doubt you’ve seen. She has the expression of a father kicked out of bed for the 2 a.m. feeding, or a wife who just found out that poker night is more important than date night, or a child who has discovered for the first time that stuff costs money.
Yes, you know who I’m talking about. The star of SXSW 2013 is named Tardar Sauce, but we all know her as Grumpy Cat! Until next time, I’m off the grid @gregory_a_baker.You Might Also Like:
