OlderSibling.com

Motorola Droid Razr Review

2011-12-02T08:02:00.001-08:00

You might have read about Motorola's newest addition to the Droid series: the Droid Razr. You may have also heard it has off the charts performance specs, a brilliant display, 4G LTE service, yadda yadda yadda. The aspect of the Razr we're most excited about is Bluetooth 4.0, but then again, our company designs Bluetooth software.

However instead of covering all the bells and whistles, I want to focus on what's wrong with the Razr (like a proper pessimist should).

First off it's just too big. The screen size is great for navigating the web, but I feel like I'm holding a etch-a-sketch up to my head when I'm talking. My last phone was the original Motorola Droid, and maybe it's just because I'm familiar with it, but I like the size of that. I also like the size of the iPhone. It fits neatly into your jeans without having corners clearly jutting out.

(To avoid feeling like I'm talking into a tablet, I would get one of those Bluetooth headsets, but I hate those people that natter away on those things while walking down the street. I hate even more the people who just wear those things around even when they're not yammering into it.)

Another problem I have is on the home page. Thing are getting too convoluted. I want an interface with icons for a few of the apps I use most. The Droid Razr has a large screen and instead of making the old Android interface larger and icons more manageable, the Motorola and Google people have just tried to cram more stuff in there. My advice to Motorola: larger icons, simpler views, and less crap. My advice to Google: keep your tablet and phone platforms separate. Make the development process basically the same, but force devices to choose whether they want to be one or the other.

Problem #3: it's fricken expensive. I believe the iPhone 4S should still be the gold standard, but the Razr costs 50% more PLUS you don't have a choice of carriers.

Considering these problems my recommendation is not to buy the Razr. Either wait a few days (two new A-list Android phones are reputed to be coming out on December 8th) or buy an iPhone 4S. Unfortunately for me, I'm stuck with this thing for two years.

Cheers.

Top Tech Accelerators

2011-11-22T17:43:00.000-08:00

Since I've done some research on tech startup accelerators, I thought I'd put it down on paper. There are no statistics behind these rankings. It is just my subjective list based on reputation, hearsay, successful graduates, mentors, and other rankings. I've excluded accelerators that have a more focused approach (for example they're only interested in companies that deal with music or the cloud), as well as those that were outside the U.S., and those that require companies to be at a more advanced stage.

For the most part these programs provide $10,000 - $25,000 in exchange for their guidance, expertise, office space, and 5-10% stake in the companies they accept.

In order:
1) Y-Combinator - Silicon Valley
2) TechStars NY - New York
3) 500 Startups - Silicon Valley
4) TechStars Boulder - Boulder, CO
5) AngelPad - San Francisco
6) TechStars Boston - Boston
7) Excelerate Labs - Chicago
8) TechStars Seattle - Seattle
9) NYC SeedStart - New York
10) DreamIt Philadelphia - Philadelphia
11) DreamIt NY - New York
12) LaunchPad LA - Los Angeles
13) The Brandery - Cincinnati
14) BetaSpring - Providence, RI
15) i/o Ventures - San Francisco
16) LaunchBox Digital - Durham, NC
17) Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator - New York
18) Tech Wildcatters - Dallas
19) MuckerLab - Los Angeles
20) LaunchPad New Orleans - New Orleans
21) AlphaLab - Pittsburgh
22) Boom Startup - Salt Lake City
23) The Next Big Thing - Greenville, SC
24) Founders Co-op - Seattle
25) Capital Factory - Austin

Motoral Razr and Blue Smart

2011-10-27T10:55:00.000-07:00

Motorola's newest Android phone is the second phone (behind the iPhone 4s) to be enabled with a Bluetooth 4.0 chip. We're very excited about the product and particularly the Bluetooth ability, but disappointed that it comes with such a hefty price tag -- $300 with a 2 year contract with Verizon. By comparison, a 16-GB iPhone 4s is $200. While the Razr boasts 4G LTE, it may price itself out of a lot of sales. It's available for pre-order starting today, and will ship by the November 10th. (I'll provide a review when I receive mine.)

In other Bluetooth news, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group is re-branding Bluetooth 4.0 as Blue Smart. I love the move of distinguishing Bluetooth 4.0 from older versions, as I believe the low energy aspect of 4.0 will make this technology revolutionary. But really, Blue Smart? I think they could have done a little better with the name.

Our new Android App

2011-10-24T12:15:00.000-07:00

We have completed an alpha version of our new Android App SpotLoss. The free app uses Bluetooth Low Energy to tell the user when a device comes into or leaves a relative area. The app will alert users when a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) enabled fob or BLE cell phone either comes in close proximity to the user or leaves proximity (depending on the users settings). Uses for this include telling the user when his or her friends might be close by, notifying the user that they have left their keys or cell phone behind, or alerting a parent if their child wanders too far away. We are very excited about this new app, and believe it will be revolutionary.

The main problem is that there aren't any Android smart phones that support the Bluetooth Low Energy specification yet. (Though there should be soon.)

In the mean time, we're developing an iOS version of SpotLoss as well as the hardware fobs that can be used with our apps. The new iPhone 4S is the first cell phone to include Bluetooth 4.0, which has BLE abilities.

SpotLoss

2011-07-01T09:15:00.000-07:00

We recently shifted our company's focus from OlderSibling, which is proving to be relatively bug free and self sufficent, to something we call SpotLoss. SpotLoss uses cell phone apps and Bluetooth Low Energy chips to keep users from losing things (like their keys, their phone, or their children), and to help user find the things they've lost. SpotLoss is an innovative technology based on a simple, straight-forward design. If anyone would like a web presentation, please call us at 607-222-8641 or write to our marketing director Kelly Wiess at kelly at oldersibling dot com. We truly believe it will be a revolutionary product when we introduce it at the end of the 2011.

In other news, we had an exciting week networking out in Silicon Valley. We met with one of the employees of Y-Combinator (okay, he's technically an intern and he's my cousin...but we still met with him) and the wife of Larry Page, the founder and CEO of Google (yeah, she's my cousin too).

Crowdsourcing and crowdfunding

2011-02-01T14:59:00.000-08:00

We are experimenting with crowdfunding because, while we believe we have an excellent idea, we don't make any money. Zilch. Plus, until we become profitable, we'd like to pay the people who come up with all of our great ideas. Right now we don't.

So to bridge the gap, we've created a funding campaign on IndieGoGo, a crowdsourcing site for startups. You can check it out at http://www.indiegogo.com/OlderSibling?a=80148&i=addr. Of course, this feels a little like begging, so to counteract this we have some gifts for investors. If you're interested in adding your bit to our fledgling (but growing) company, please check us out here. We're working hard to make sure every penny counts.

2010-12-16T07:11:00.000-08:00

A short video tutorial on signing up for www.oldersibling.com

OlderSibling's Evolution

2010-12-13T08:54:00.000-08:00

As the user base for OlderSibling continues to expand, we are getting more feedback from you, our users. We have tried to add features in response to your requests such as live updating and text message alerts, and we are in the process of designing and implementing additional suggestions.

More and more people are realizing that the benefits of location services outweighs any tripedation regarding divilulging their location to software (particularly to software that take steps to ensure that the users' privacy is not breached). As you can imagine, their are millions of ways your location, or some items' locations, could be beneficial.

So, as we grow, we remained focused on two main goals:
1. Making location based software and web services that are fun and useful.

As mentioned other places we are working on software that will help you find the items that are most often lost like your keys, remote, or wallet, by using your smart phone. We also have a slew of other projects that we are either building or experimenting with, like automatically turning on lights when you get home, or turning down the thermostat when nobody's in the house.

2. Keeping your location data private.

In fact, we only use your data for two things. We show it to you and the people who you have identified as your friends, and we use it internally to hone our location algorithms. Other than that, we do absolutely nothing with it. We don't sell it. We don't even let anyone else see it. We appreciate you using our services and we know you want your personal data kept private (as do we).

By focusing on these two goals, and by continuing to implement the excellent suggestions of our users and employees, we hope to expand our business even more in the coming months and years.

In other news ...
We are in the process of expanding our organization by hiring for the following positions for our offices in Binghamton, NY:

Chief Business Development Officer (CBDO) - This person's role will be to cultivate and grow the OlderSibling brand, provide input on the company's direction, and recruit funding from outside investors. Compensation will be based on performance, experience, and include a 1% - 2% ownership of the company.

Software Developers - We are looking for developers who have experience coding in some or all or the following languages: Python, Java, Javascript, AJAX, and HTML5. Applicants should be creative and enjoy working with others.

If you are interested in either position, please email your resume to jobs@oldersibling.com.

Cheers,
Kelly
kelly@oldersibling.com

Phase Two and Three

2010-09-15T10:22:00.000-07:00

We're now working on two new products/services in addition to our social Bluetooth chip web service (www.oldersibling.com).

First, we're developing a site similar to www.oldersibling.com that is targeted towards employers tracking their employees. By using proximity location, employers will be able to keep track employees time sheets without lifting a finger. Unlike www.oldersibling.com, this will be a subscription based site where employers can purchase Bluetooth enabled ID cards through us. Tentatively, the site will be www.virtualpunchin.com, though that's not set in stone yet.

In the second project, we're putting together an Android app that can be used to find lost Bluetooth enabled items. For instance, you could use your wife's phone to find your phone, or use your laptop to find the remote control.

In regard to all three projects, we are still working with Nordic Semiconductors on incorporating Bluetooth Low Energy chips. These chips will allow Bluetooth capability to be inserted into almost anything, without having to worry about recharging or changing batteries.

We truly believe that our software and Bluetooth Low Energy will be revolutionary in object (and personal) location. Stay tuned...

Bluetooth Low Energy

2010-06-07T10:59:00.000-07:00

We've started working with Nordic Semiconductors and their Bluetooth Low Energy chip prototypes and using it with OlderSibling.com software. So far our project looks like the inside of C3PO, but by the time it's worked out, there should be some compelling reasons to use our website.

Our goal is to be able to have inexpensive Bluetooth devices that can use OlderSibling software without having to be recharged. With batteries that last a year or more, these device could either be fitted with replacement watch batteries, or be disposable.

Stay tuned for more on our progress.

New features

2010-05-17T08:08:00.000-07:00

We've fixed a few bugs and rolled out some new features including:

Now users can signup or signin using their facebook id.
It is possible to add computers to the same location. Now, for example, both computers in your house can be shown as one location rather than two.
We're working on a mobile version of our website. (Go to http://oldersibling.com/ using a mobile phone.) This uses the phones location process to pinpoint the user's location.

We're also beginning to increase our user base by promoting ourselves to family and friends outside the company. If you discover any issues, please mention them to us and we'll do our best to solve them.

Finally...

2010-05-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

We've finally launched the beta version of OlderSibling.com. We are extremely proud to have reached this milestone and are going out tonight to celebrate. But before we do that, here's a blurb about our site:

The site focuses on location awareness (i.e. seeing the location of your friends, colleagues, etc.), but uses Bluetooth proximity, rather than GPS or other more expensive technologies. This eliminates the need for cell phone apps as well as GPS chips and WiFi to perform location searches.

A few aspects make this kind of location awareness preferable to GPS, or WiFi and cell tower geolocation.

First, Bluetooth Low Energy chips will begin to be widely distributed by Texas Instruments and Nordic Semiconductors later this year. This will allow anything to have a Bluetooth chip in it without the necessity of recharging it. The chips run on a watch battery and should last a year or more. A chip could easily be attached to your key ring, placed inside your child’s necklace, or imbedded in an employee ID card – all at a cost that makes these items only nominally more expensive.

Another important aspect is Bluetooth technology isn’t as intrusive as GPS. Seeing someone’s position requires their Bluetooth ID AND a detector (i.e. a Bluetooth enabled computer). So, for example, an employer could see when his employees are at work (if they had an Bluetooth enabled ID card), but nothing outside of that. And while there are certainly still privacy issues, it is much easier to navigate them when using proximity location awareness, rather than the currently available invasive techniques.

What was I thinking

2010-03-05T09:05:00.000-08:00

There's no better way to guarantee that something won't be done, than to estimate a completion date. So at this point, OlderSibling.com is still not finished.

On a separate note, I think OlderSibling.com should be up and running by March 14, 2010.

We've almost made it!

2010-02-05T15:03:00.000-08:00

Around this time next week, you should be able to check out our new web site www.oldersibling.com. Here's a brief description:

The Smart Location Service that doesn't require a smart phone. (It also doesn't require GPS, any software on your phone, or technically even a phone at all.)

I've used this description about fifty places because I'm too fricken brain dead and lazy to think of anything original right now.