After 5 faithful years of service, my cell phone started to show its age and its unwillingness to work reliably with my cell phone service, Verizon Wireless. Being that I’d made my cell phone last as long as it did, my wife and I decided to move to smart phones.

I upgraded to the HTC Touch Pro2 and I convinced my wife she should get the Motorola Droid. Within two weeks of our purchase, I’d traded my HTC in for a Motorola Droid of my own. I’m an avid Windows user and I’ve worked with a few Windows Mobile devices. But the features in the Droid were too compelling.

It’s been four months and I couldn’t be happier.

The Motorola Droid has successfully replaced all the gadgets I’d walked around with. It performs it’s primary function as a cell phone very well. The intuitive interface made it easy to work with right from the get go.

Of course, phone functionality isn’t it’s only feature. The multimedia experience it present made it very easy to move from my Sansa mp3 player to the Droid. I’ll be the first one to admit that it’s no Apple iPod. But, it does cover the basics and I’m able to play music as well as work with playlists. When it comes to media, it’s not music that I’m centered around. It’s podcasts. Using the Android Marketplace, I quickly found an application that suited my podcast needs, ACast. I’m able to easily manage and listen to my favorite podcast producers.

The Droid also easily took the place of my PDA. (Of course, that wasn’t too hard since I lost my Palm Zire about the same time that I picked up the Droid.) The contacts and calendar portions of this phone hook right into Google’s Gmail and Calendar applications. I can manage my contacts and calendar from my phone or from my computer using a web browser. If you’re inputting contacts into your brand new Droid, using the web interface will speed up the process.

Consolidating three devices down to one was great. But, the most liberating feature was that I wasn’t tied to my desktop anymore. With my PDA and my mp3 player, I was constantly connecting them to my computer to synchronize everything. Now, the synchronization happens over the air via my data plan. No matter where I am, my contacts, calendar, podcasts and music are all current. Syncing my podcasts was a daily ritual I followed religiously. Now, my podcasts just appear on my Droid as they get released.

I still consider Google Android to be an enthusiast platform. It’s been around for a year and a half and it’s already up to version 2.1 (soon to be 2.2). But Apple’s iPhone is coming up on its third anniversary.  The iPhone has obviously gone through many iterations producing an efficient, user-friendly interface. The Android is functional, but more utilitarian. It’s pretty, but not polished.

The potential that Google Android contains is its biggest advantage over the iPhone. Android is an open platform with a large group of developers flying the Google flag. Google is viewed as less restrictive and less tied to the DRM mindset. Each new Android phone I see seems to outshine it’s predecessor. Most importantly, the platform is not limited to a single manufacturer or carrier. Companies such as Motorola, HTC, LG and Samsung can be found on various carriers, such as AT&T, T-mobile, Sprint and Verizon. Competition not only drives innovation, it also promotes incentives and reduced retail prices.

Google Maps was another feature that quickly drew my attention. Google coupled this with a GPS and turn by turn navigation. Not only could I get a bird’s eye view of traffic conditions for the commute to and from work, but it’s also helped me concentrate on the road when I’ve needed to travel to a location I’ve never been to before.

Just as the iPhone has iTunes, Google Android has it’s own Application Marketplace. Once again, it’s not as polished as Apple’s software, but it does the basics. You can search for applications, read reviews and see how often an application has been downloaded. I’ve easily found an application for each of my needs and there’s always something new in the marketplace to fiddle with.

Motorola and Google are partners. Google can give suggestions to Motorola in designing the handset and Motorola can make suggestions to Google about functionality in Android. But, they don’t have direct control over one another. Rather than discussing what I’d like to see in the Droid, I’d rather break it into what I’d like to see from each team.

Motorola/Verizon

• Improve the camera. A smart phone with this much storage should replace the standard point and shoot. That means greatly improved reaction time and better quality pictures.
• Physical keyboard. I like the on screen keyboard, but I also like the real estate that a pop out keyboard gives me. The Droid keyboard was usable, until a put a protective case around the Droid’s exterior. The top row of keys became too awkward to use.
• Keep the updates coming. I’m a feature freak and the worst thing someone can do is sell me a device and stop releasing updates for it before the end of its life. I re-upped my contract for two years for this phone and I expect to get more than two years out of my phone. As new versions of Google Android get released, I’d like to see them come to my Droid.

Google

• The media player needs an update. It needs to turn into a polished media player which can complete with the iPod as a consumer device.
• Add more Gmail features to the Gmail application. Contact management should be friendlier and intuitive. (I’d also like to be able to use the same “send as” features on my phone as I do in Gmail… but that might be too much to ask for.)
• Variety for the navigation voice. People need more options when it comes to the voice that delivers the turn by turn navigation. I find it abrasive and a bit difficult to understand at time. I also can’t figure out how to get it to repeat it’s last instruction.

Overall, I’m quite happy with the decision to move to the Motorola Droid. The flexibility and ease of use has made life a little easier for my wife and me. For the first time in a decade, I can see the true emergence of the true smart phone and the role it will play in our lives. Our monthly cost may have risen, but not significantly. (Check to see if you’re employer has special deals with your cell phone carrier.) While it’s still higher than I feel it should be, I’m also gambling that cell phone services plans will eventually come to their senses… or to their knees… whichever comes first.

Video sites similar to YouTube and Hulu have been instrumental in showing the value of streaming video over the Internet. The public has proven they yearn to be free of the evening line-up and make TV fit their schedule rather than the other way around. Many broadcast companies and media outlets have added alternative methods for the distributing television shows, movies and other video content.

Current strides in multimedia delivery mechanisms are also showing the big conglomerates that consumers don’t always want to be tied to their computer when interacting with multimedia via the Internet.  Take for instance the Apple TV or Netflix‘s arrangement with Microsoft’s Xbox. People feel validated that they didn’t throw away $2,000.00 on a new flat panel, high definition TV. Let’s face it, the couch in front of the TV is more comfortable than the chair in front of the computer. Plus, it seats more.

My family has been enjoying (and by using I mean paying for) Netflix in conjunction with out Xbox for well over a year. (Netflix requires that you have an “unlimited plan” and Xbox requires you have a Gold membership. Very inexpensive for what you get.) Yes, we still enjoy receiving DVDs in the mail and actively manage our Netflix queue; but we’ve elected to receive only one movie at a time. I see little to no difference in the quality of a DVD in hand versus the same movie streamed to my home. DVDs allow us to see deleted scenes and outtakes. However, the streaming side of it means that we don’t have to tie up our Netflix queue with a few TV shows for our son. Wow does he love Kipper!

Netflix has really pushed ahead of its competitors. More and more Netflix enabled devices are being sold in the market. I’m not just talking about black boxes that connect to the Internet and your TV like the Roku. Some televisions are coming with Netflix baked right in!

I really hope companies like Netflix, Hulu, Boxee, Microsoft and Apple continue to forge forward and break new ground. We can’t get complacent because we’re not just there yet. These technologies are friendly to most, but not to all. One annoyance that pops up is the lack of subtitles.   Enthusiasts still want to be able to access the deleted scenes, outtakes and commentaries associated with the movies and TV series. Most importantly, there’s too much fracturing and bickering as to the delivery mechanism. There’s no one central place to get all of your movies and shows due to fragmentation. Not all of them are TV friendly.

Let me clarify that last point. I think it’s essential that media companies have their own methods for distributing their content. However, it’s just as important that they allow third party hardware and software vendors distribute that content as well. This allows the public to choose how they receive content rather than being forced to have multiple devices in their living room.

Mark my words. Our culture is moving away from physical media. Just as the current generation has thousands of songs and very few CDs, so it will be with the next generation with movies and TV shows.

This article is not meant to highlight the need for tighter programming practices, the constant bombardment of patches pushed into users’ faces or a need to move to a more secure alternative. These are all valid points that deserve consideration in the future. Rather, I would dive into the reasons behind “patching” and the imperative need for users to keep their systems up-to-date.

In any programming project, the bigger the undertaking, the larger the amount of resources that needs to be managed. In the case of Windows, this titan weighs in at 40 million lines of code. Over the course of the past twenty some years, the concept and design has been the work of thousands of people including Software Engineers, Quality Assurance Testers and so forth. If we focus on Software Engineers alone, we’ll see that they come from all walks of life. Having a wide variety of employees leads to age gaps, differences in programming styles and varying knowledge levels in the art of programming. By grouping them into various divisions, teams and work groups, Microsoft manages to get many different pieces of software out to the consumers. But even with a workforce this massive, the building blocks are still the individual people; people with flaws, bad days, knowledge gaps and demanding tasks deadline. Ultimately, this can lead to flaws in programs we use every day.

These flaws, also known as bugs, are greatly varied. Some bugs are very small that they are barely noticeable. Other flaws might prevent a program from operating properly or even at all. Critical bugs are those which if exploited, would give unauthorized users complete and possibly undetectable access to a computer and all the information it contains. An exploit is another name for a way a bug can be used to gain access to a system or make it do things it normally would not. (Wikipedia has a much better explanation.)

There are many ways in which bugs are discovered. Before a company officially releases a software product, it generally go through rigorous internal testing. After the official release, bug may be discovered by research companies or in the worst case, hackers. Each discovered imperfection is categorized, prioritized and cataloged. The severity of the flaw greatly affects when it will be fixed, tested and released to the masses. For instance, a bug where the background picture is off color has a lower severity than an issue with Windows permits a computer to be compromised.

There are two possible scenarios that exist when bugs are found in Microsoft Windows or one of Microsoft’s tightly nit programs such as Internet Explorer. The best case situation is that the flaw is fixed and distributed to the public before it can be exploited. The less friendly scenario occurs when hackers with nefarious intentions discover the flaw and start attacking computers before a patch can be released. Amazingly enough, the best case situation isn’t the most perfect. This is because Microsoft has empowered the user to decide how and when patches are applied to the Operating System. This makes sense in some cases, but not the general case. When patches are released, Microsoft strongly encourages everyone to download and apply them.

But why the urgency? Why should a patch be applied right away? Could it really hurt to hold off a day or so? The answer is a resounding YES! When a patch for Windows it is available to the general public and doesn’t exclude any particular group, such as hackers. Hackers immediately begin to tear into the patch to find out what is being patched and how. By doing this, they can easily understand (reverse engineer) the flaw and exploit it to gain unrestricted access to all computers in the world which have not applied the patch. For example, there were patches released the beginning of April for Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer. Exploits appeared on the Internet within three days of the patch’s release.

The same issue which plagues Microsoft Windows also affects other mainstream programs. Another example would be Microsoft Office. Various exploits have been found in all the Microsoft Office applications which can allow hackers to compromise machines by opening Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents created with the intention of exploiting certain bugs. An e-mail specifically designed to take advantage of a flaw in Outlook can easily give hackers and open door to your computer.

The key is to stay ahead of the hackers. One way to make sure your computer stays up to date is by turning on Microsoft Automatic Updates. This can be done from the Control Panel and opening System Properties. Once there, click the Automatic Updates tab and select the Automatic (recommended) setting. Most people choose the “Every day at 3:00am” option.

When it comes to Automatic Updates, “Set it and forget it” doesn’t apply here. Users should visit Microsoft Update on a regular basis to verify that there are no outstanding critical updates for Windows and Office. (If you don’t see a category for Office patches, there should be an option on the right to allow Microsoft Update to patch all Microsoft Products, including Microsoft Office.) Also, the Windows Firewall should be on by default.

Lastly, Automatic Updates, Firewalls and Anti-Virus software should be considered second line defenses. The first line of defense is the person sitting in front of the computer. Beware where you surf. Don’t say “YES” to a pop-up just because it’s too confusing to understand. Don’t open unexpected attachments in e-mails. Try to use common sense and if you have questions, ask or Google for answers.

If a majority of the computer in the world were kept up to date the amount of computer issues would reduce. There would be less botnet activity. Spam would decrease along with identity theft and other untold horrors.

Hulu.com is the combine efforts of various television networks and movie studios to compete with the YouTube and YouTube look-a-likes. One of the major struggles between major networks and video content sites is the control of copyrighted content. People want to be able to post clips and mash ups of their favorite shows whereas networks want to make money from their copyrighted material. If the networks can’t control the content, how can they monetize on the material?

Hulu.com makes its money from advertisements, similar to TV commercials. Each time you view a video, it’s preceded by a commercial, and if the video is long enough, may have commercial breaks. What makes these commercials tolerable, is the fact that there is a count down timer showing the amount of time left in the commercial. Oh, and while you can fast forward and rewind the videos, you cannot do so during commercials. New text/picture based sponsors are appearing on the site but I don’t find these intrusive either.

At the time of its public launch, Hulu.com had been populated with a wide variety of clips, complete TV episodes and a few movies. Even now it continues to amass more episodes and movies as it acquires additional distribution rights. Additionally, Hulu.com has a plan for adding new episodes to the series it hosts. Each new episode is added after it plays in Hawaii.

Access to new TV shows is an instant plus, there is another clear win here as well. Hulu.com is also populating its service with older shows. I’ve really enjoyed watching some episodes from shows I watched when I was a kid, such as Airwolf and The A-Team. If I had wanted to watch these elsewhere, I would need to buy each season or rent it. I would much rather watch the commercials rather than dishing out any money to see these shows.

Hulu.com has implemented this media content site very well. The ease of use and quality of content is very compelling. However, having controlled content does have its risks. The site is only populated with content approved by the cooperating networks and movie studios. Users are unable to add their own mash-ups and mixes to the site. Additionally, Hulu.com needs to weed through the red tape in order to add new/vintage content. This takes time.

The features available in Hulu.com seem to run along the same lines as any other media distribution site. It allows you to rate episodes and movies. Streamed videos can be seen as is, in a separate box or even full-screen. Likewise, preferred content can be distributed to social groups via e-mail or some other popular social networking sites such as Facebook, StumbleUpon and Digg. Users may also create play lists of videos they wish to watch. All these features look great, but there are no new innovations.

One of the features I wish to see developed relates to RSS. (If you’re unsure what I mean by RSS, have a look at this article I wrote.) In this instance, I found as I looked at the “Recently Added” and “Most Popular” categories for TV Episodes (not clips) and Movies, there was a friendly RSS symbol in my browser. I thought to myself: “How neat! Perhaps I can subscribe to feeds to specific TV Shows. Or, see when new Movies are posted.” Alas, I was disheartened. While the pages of these areas offer specific information I was looking for, the RSS Feeds are not as granular. Meaning, if I subscribed to the Recently Added Movies feed, I received a feed that listed all new content as it was added. Movies would be mixed in with newly added TV Shows and Clips.

Overall, Hulu.com is impressive with a vast amount of potential. This is the way TV was meant to be. The content should fit around the peoples schedule rather than the other way around. Now, just get it to stream to my XBOX360 and I will be ecstatic!

Here are some other shows available on Hulu.com that I recommend: Firefly, Eureka, The Pretender and the Original Battlestar Galactica.

UPDATE: Thank you to Ilya, a software engineer at Hulu, for an insightful comment.