Tablet Keyboard

One of my places has been my Android tablet, an Acer A100. I have had both good and bad times with this unit, but, generally, more good than bad. Writing has been one of the bad, primarily because of it's lack of a keyboard. Since I took touch typing on an IBM Selectric typewriter (yes, one of those) in high school, I have preferred typing to hand writing. It doesn't help that my handwriting is so bad that even I can't read it much of the time. The on-screen keyboard although OK for single finger typing just doesn't cut it for any type of creative activity. I have been looking for a reasonably priced (e.g. < $99 dollars) keyboard--preferably in a case. Well, I finally found one. It's a MiniSuit Keyboard Stand Case for Google Nexus 7 FHD 2nd Gen (2013). Yes, I know it's for the Nexus 7, but it fits the Acer A100 like it is made for it. It is a bluetooth keyboard that sell on Amazon for $21. That's reasonable, real reasonable. I charged it, paired it with the A100 and it is working great. The case is nice and the keyboard can be folded back so that the tablet can be used without it when you want.I'll write more about it as I get more experience with it.

OneNote Fixed

With the most recent update to this excellent note taking program, Android tablets broke. Microsoft has fixed the issue and, I must say they have a winner. I am a long time fan of this program and,with the upgrade to the mobile platforms it is really quite nice. It has always been an excellent note taking platform on the PC. The mobile platforms and SkyDrive add a dimension to the system. I'm working on some articles about social media creation using various tools and one which will play prominently is OneNote. Watch for it.

OneNote still messed up on tablet

I haven't given up on OneNote quite yet for my tablet but it is very frustrating that Microsoft hasn't fixed it yet. I'm resorting to other alternatives, but they just aren't as good. I have started to use my Ubuntu netbook--yes I do have one of those--with SkyDrive to create content, but this post is being written on my Acer A100. I have even considered a Windows 8 tablet or iPad, but just can't justify the cost. More in the continuing saga.

OneNote on Android Tablet gone to Hell

The last "upgrade" to OneNote failed for my tablet. This sucks since OneNote is an excellent program and the tablet was one place it worked well. Noe Microsoft has screwed that up. It's very frustrating and I'm actively looking for a viable alternative. So far no luck. One thing that keeps me from purchasing a possible alternative is the hope that this is only a temporary glitch. More later. 

Reading eBooks

I'm reading books on Kindle (not the device, the app) and finding that books from BookBub are pretty good. I get the free ones as I don't like the idea of paying for them or I check them out of the library. It's working pretty well for me as I can put them on the smart phone and the tablet and work through them wherever I am.

So my parents come into my room unannounced...

http://t.co/1EhE5GBcJW

Baret Steed is tired of Facebook. She’s had an account since she was 13, but isn’t a fan of the fact that the social network now includes not only her friends, but also her parents, aunts, and uncles. “It’s almost like they’re the only ones on there,” she says. “All your relatives are constantly commenting on your stuff. I appreciate the gesture and wanting to keep up with my life, but it’s kind of annoying.”

Yep. There should be no expectation of privacy on the Internet for kids from their parents.

Working from Home -- Another Place

Since Yahoo restricted work-at-home options for their employees, there has been a great deal of discussion. I like this place for work occasionally as it provides the flexibility needed to make work-life balance, well, balanced. But the bottom line on Yahoo's decision will be whether it is good for business -- read profitable. Since providing this additional place for people to work is primarily a personnel decision and people are expenses, the effect on productivity, retention, hiring, job satisfaction will be the ultimate test of this decision and all the debate in the various places will be moot. One can by cynical and say that this might be a move to get higher-priced talent to leave so that the company can hire H1-B personnel, but I can't make that comment as I have no knowledge. The profit equation will be the deciding factor for Yahoo. You can probably tell that my personal opinion is that it is the wrong decision and I know that, were I looking to change jobs and join Yahoo, this would definitely be a negative factor in my decision.