I want everyone to take a few minutes and watch this video keeping in mind that there’s 2 world we could be living in in the next few years.  An app driven world or a lifestyle type of world.  As far as an app world goes I mean every task has it’s own app like in iOS.  You want to chat on IM, you have to open a 3rd party app like IMO.  On the other hand then there’s a lifestyle and I know that’s not the proper term but it’s the best I can come up with right now.  A lifestyle driven world has everything encompassed into 1 service, similar to Google.  My 1 ID gets me into all my services.

So watch the video and I’ll get into it more after.

Hopefully you watched at least a portion of the video.  If you did you might understand more of what I’m talking about now.  I prefer the lifestyle all inclusive world where all my apps act as one cohesive service.  I want my phone to be my central hub with a hub and spoke configuration.  I want my phone to talk to my TV and car as well as my fridge, mirrors and counter tops.  With the multi app driven world when I get into my car I would have to punch in to my GPS where I’m going or even with iOS I have to punch the address into Google Maps or any other map app I’m using.  But with a lifestyle driven world I should be able to get into my car and have my phone tell the onboard GPS or the map app in my phone what’s next in my calendar and ask if I want to use navigation to get there.

I’d like to see my front door unlocked as I approach it which is a lifestyle service versus an app that I have to activate then click to unlock the door.  I want my phone to block all unknown numbers as well as work people from calling at night after say 9pm but still allow my family and friends to ring me.  Plus if my calendar indicates who’s watching my daughter on a certain day I’d like them to be able to ring in and over ride all do not disturb settings on my phone, even if my phone already knows I’m in a meeting an is set to push all calls to voice mail.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I want “it” all and I want “it” rolled into one beautiful package that just works.  I want all my services to be streamlined into my lifestyle and not chunky and needy.  I’m going to go back to using Android for a few days.  I’m still an iOS lover but I’m just not feeling it’s classic 2008 mentality.  I’m going to hop on the Android ICS train for a few days at least and go for a ride.  I hope it will be as easy to use as my iPhone or I’m going straight back to my iPhone.  I just feel like Android is much closer to this lifestyle driven ecosystem with it’s “open” OS.  I hope car manufacturers, mirror manufacturers and GPS makers can create a way to make Android and iOS work seamlessly with their respective devices.  Most importantly I want a solid presence, red or green, busy or available and I want to be able to see when someone receives and reads my text messages just like in iMessage.

I think one of the big data hurdles is going to be interfacing with the cloud so again, Google has the edge with Drive.  They have the edge with email, IM including presence, with calendar and contacts and with so many other little things.  I’m just waiting impatiently to all come together, then I’ll redo my entire house with Corning glass.

So where is the app with all the localized information I need to help deal with my father in law who is suffering from Alzheimers. Where’s the app that will summon a service van?  Where’s an app that will help me find my father in law when he’s lost?  Where’s the app that will help me find a good neurologist that specializes in the elderly?  For pete sake, where’s an app that does anything?  There are a few out there but have low ratings if any.  I want something that helps me track medication, history and the doctors we go to. This community needs support and we need it now.

The elderly community is growing every day and is going to grow exponentially in the next decade, just like the birth rate did post WWII.  Many of these folks are tech savvy and ready to use apps to help ease some of the burden from family members needing special care.  Let’s see some apps already…

There were a lot of heavy hitters at this event and I was lucky to meet a few of them like Andy Morgan and John Young plus I got to hang out with the always fun Jennifer (JD) Davis. But none of this was the pleasant surprise. As I was getting ready to go Ralph de la Vega walked toward me and stopped right in front of me, I was shocked but figured he was going to talk to someone around me or turn around and talk to one of his handlers but NO, he looked right at me and introduced himself. I was shocked, I really never thought the CEO of one of the largest wireless telecoms in the world would come over to chat with me. I can’t get into what we talked about, I don’t want the AT&T hit men after me but I can say this, Ralph was a pleasure to chat with. He was so cordial and so pleasant.

Now let me explain why I’m swooning. I love when a CEO will stop and chat with their customers. Ari the CEO at Phone.com has been known to get on to Facebook in the middle of the night on a weekend to help a customer. That means so much in my book, it means a company is really there for their customers and Phone.com really is.

I talked to the Uber CEO Travis Kalanick on Twitter last week after I posted a question about them and he answered. I love that, it shows how he’s human and the company is accessible.

So when I got to chat with Ralph it made me feel more connected to AT&T and with all the interaction I’ve had in the last few months from Meredith Red, my local AT&T contact & now friend, Georgia Taylor – the head of media relations for my area and lastly Jennifer (JD) Davis who I’m not sure of her title but is just so personable. So with all of this lately I’ve really gotten the feeling that AT&T is changing. The company in my mind is humanizing themselves. They are really working to change their image and it’s working and Ralph really locked it in for me, I’m drinking the Orange AT&T Kool-Aid and liking it.

As a side note, it’s all because of my amazing AT&T contact that I want to thank.

When I walk around using the iPro Lens I get asked about it all the time and everybody thinks it’s the coolest thing.  I’ve included a picture I took with it and you can see the quality of the lens.  I’m not a photography buff but this makes it look like I am.  Many of my pictures look like they were taken with an SLR and by a professional.

The general set up is a phone case with a 1/4 turn slot on surrounding the camera lens and 2 lenses that attach to it.  The case also has an attachment on each side to screw the case to a tripod or to the lens carrier in the shape of a small cylinder.  It’s super portable and the best set up I’ve seen.  I only have 1 single complaint about the gear and that’s that the iPhone case is sharp at the top and bottom but it’s never been a problem for me, I just don’t particularly like that aspect of it.

I’m absolutely in love with the iPro Lens and don’t go anywhere without it now.  It’s been the best addition to my gear in the last year.  By the way it costs $200 on the makers website SchneiderOptics.com.

I also got a Sirui Series P monopod from Argraph that I used in conjunction with the iPro Lens.  It was amazing in Barcelona, I was able to get coverage I never could have before and my videos are much steadier then they have ever been.  I was very happy with the weight and size of the monopod as well as having it around in case I needed to swat at any thief’s.

Specifically I have the Carbon Fibre model P326 and it sells for $140.  It includes a little compas (I used that a few times in Barcelona) and it’s attached to a wrist strap.  There’s a rubber foot that twists back to expose a pointy spike for use on all terrain and any type of thief.

I highly recommend the iPro Lens and P Series Sirui monopod from Argraph.

For transparency, I got both units to review.

The feel of the phone in my hand is nice, it’s very thin and feels smaller then it really is.  It’s a tad slippery but not overly and I like the shape of the camera grill area.  I’d prefer if it said Quietly Brilliant under HTC on the back of the phone but that’s because I’m a tad big vein.

IceCream Sandwich on the One X is leaps and bounds better then what I imagined and I might try making it my daily driver for a few days, yes the phone is that good.  The transitions are nice, the screen is amazing and the reaction time is as good as or better then my iPhone.

Now that I can take it out and about I’ll test the battery life but just from using it at home I think it will make it through the day and then some, but we’ll have to see.

The camera is mind bogglingly good, I’m happily shocked at the quality.  It has some effects built in to allow me to make pictures look a certain way.  I didn’t really like having to go into sub menus to switch to the forward facing camera, I use this all the time with my daughter to keep her occupied so I like it to have easy access.

I’m going to play with the One X a lot more and hopefully use it during CTIA next week to see if it will stand up to the rigger of a busy day at a trade show.  My initial assessment and thought on it is that it’s a wonderfully fit device that will be considered one of if the not the single best phone of the year.  Consumers who buy this now will be happy with it for at least 12 months if not longer.

I forgot to mention that the only thing I see it missing is NFC but who knows when we’ll really start seeing that technology take off… If ever.

Disclaimer, AT&T let me borrow this device for review.  They’ve bought me lunch in the past and I’ve had a few drinks on their dime.  If that’s a problem then don’t hesitate to not read my blog.

I wanted to warn you all about a scam I almost fell for this morning.  I saw a bunch of friends on Facebook all had posts saying they signed up for a summer promotion from Ray-Ban to get free sunglasses.  I know it sounded too good to be true but come on, it was all over Facebook, how could it be a scam?

As I filled out the form I should have known, it asked for my home address and mobile number.  That all seemed normal except for the fact that I put in my Phone.com number into the mobile section and it bounced it and said it needed an actual cell phone number.  That’s when I should have been alerted but I wasn’t, I was a sucker and put my actual mobile number in.  Silly me I know.  I should have known that if they were being so pushy about actually getting a real mobile number, something was up, but my lust for free sunglasses got the better of me and I hit submit.  Then I saw the next screen with the small print saying I was going to be signed up for a $10/month bidding and ringtone service.  UHHH, I’ve been scammed and I’m a sucker.  All in the name of eyewear.  I took a screenshot and here’s the fine print.  Hopefully I didn’t finish the signup process or they honor the STOP sms I’ll send.

I wanted to alert you to this in hopes that you won’t fall for it like I did.  If you have already let me know and if you’re already getting text messages.

The service is fairly simple, and well described by its name.  IFTTT allows you to link together two services, so that a pre-designated action on one service will trigger another action on a the second service.

Confused?  How about a few examples….

IF (I change my Facebook picture) THEN (change my Twitter picture also)

IF (I post a new blog) THEN (tweet a link to the new post)

IF (A specific stock hits a designated price level) THEN (email me notification)

The possibilities seem endless.  A quick search on the IFTTT site proves that they almost are endless!  Users can create custom tasks or add pre-built tasks (called “recipes”) made by other users.  The recipes available range from broad (Receive a text message if it is going to rain tomorrow) to specific (Get email notification any time a local apartment listing is posted on Craigslist) and from helpful (Backup all Facebook pictures I am tagged in to Dropbox) to silly (Receive a phone call anytime you text “Bad Date Rescue”).

The list goes on and on.  What’s your favorite usage for IFTTT?

 AT&T has basically turned the entire space into a giant WiFi hotspot (they cover the space of 45 football fields!).  So if you are headed out for some festival action this weekend, here’s a few tips on how to maximize your experience.

CHECK THE WEATHER

If you don’t yet have a weather app on your phone, download one now and keep tabs on weather predictions for the festival.  Add “Coachella, CA” to the locations you follow to keep up-to-date.  Temperature predictions for this weekend are currently upwards of 100 degrees!

CHECK OUT THE SONGS

Look up bands ahead of time on YouTube to see if you like any music that you may not have heard before.  Better yet, check out a Spotify playlist.  Many users have created Coachella playlists so you can get in the mood before the shows!

CHECK YOUR BATTERY

You don’t want to be halfway through the day and run out of charge on your phone!  Make sure you head to the festival with a fully charged phone.  Don’t forget to bring a charger with you, or invest in a solar charger so you can fuel up without an outlet.   You can also take advantage of the charging stations at the festival, some of which even provide chargers for you.

CHECK OUT COACHELLA APP

Of course, there’s an app for that!  The Coachella app is available on iPhone and Android.  You can see the performance schedule, look up the venue and parking maps, view the shuttle maps and even create Coachella postcards!

And here’s the PC Mag graph.  

Disclaimer, AT&T has given me devices to review.  I’ve gotten a t-shirt from them and they’ve bought me a hotdog in a bagel once.  Is that enough for the IRS???