Posted via email from tweets and tech

Posted via email from tweets and tech

Posted via email from tweets and tech

Posted via email from tweets and tech

Posted via email from tweets and tech

Posted via email from tweets and tech

There’s too many things to play with on this camera

Foggy Chicago

Foggy Chicago in HDR

Foggy chicago with depth of field filter

Old fashioned foggy chicago

Posted via email from tweets and tech

I am not a photographer, as you should be able to tell by these pictures. The One X has an 8 Megapixel camera, and it’s a pretty good sensor (to my eyes)

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First took a few shots outside my window, with auto settings, and with HDR. I thought it was pretty decent – the One X has what seems to be extremely fast capture. It might just be the way they have the camera setup. When you take a photo, it doesn’t show a preview of the result, it just continues the live feed. I’m guessing this is related to the One X’s ability to take photos while in video mode (I haven’t bothered trying, since I don’t video things)

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Above is a set of pictures I took using burst mode on the One X. It lets you capture about 20 or so images (adjustable) for as long as you hold down the shutter key, and after, you can select the “best” picture. In practical terms, it just means “jumping shot mode”

There’s also built in panorama mode. Again, the quality is acceptable, and the stitching doesnt look too ridiculous (except for when there are walking people. Uy.

So maybe I was dicking around with HDR a bit…

I’ll probably find a picture of a flower or something to try out the macro settings too. That’s basically all people ever macro, right?

“Don’t touch the butt”

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It is now May 1, 5PM CST, and at last I can officially tell you, dear reader, what my mysterious package contains!

HTC was gracious enough to send me one of the first HTC One X’s to try before it was released on AT&T. Since Friday afternoon, I have been using the One X and getting familiar with how it feels and works and all that good stuff. In the next few days (if I am diligent) I’ll be posting some of my thoughts and opinions of the device. (Disclosure: HTC provided me the device as part of the HTC Elevate program, free for keeps)

So I’m not a phone reviewer by trade, but I’ve read enough of these to know that half the fun is the unboxing. So let’s get started!

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The One X comes in what appears to be a standard sized box that contains the One X, a charger, a USB cable, a SIM ejector, a quickstart guide, and some manuals, the latter of which i’m sure nobody actually looks at. The cable and charger are white – as the One X comes in both Black and White, I imagine that the black version is bundled with a black charger and cable.

First thoughts upon actually seeing the phone: OMGOMGOMGOMG. Second thoughts: OK this is quite large, but not as massive as I’d have thought a 4.7in screen would be. The device is a flat slab with seams only around the screen and the SIM slot. It’s quite light, weighing in at 4.55 oz compared to my HD7s (5.71 oz) or the Nokia Lumia 800 (5.01 oz). It feels great in the hand. I am really fond of devices that are dense and have some weight to it, and the One X has that perfect combination of weight and balance. The fact that it’s ultra thin (8.9mm) is also nice. Since the phone is large, thin, and flat, it doesnt make my pocket bulge out ridiculously.

The front sports what i think are laser drilled speaker ports that also hide a dual color notification LED (handy!). Beside it is a 1.3 Megapixel camera, while the amient light sensor sits just to the left of the AT&T logo. We’ve got 3 capacitive buttons, back, home, and the “multitasking button” (more on that later)

On the top, we’ve got a noise cancelling mic and a power button, both on the front “lip”, while the back “lip” of the top has the SIM slot and the 3.5mm headphone jack. I don’t think I like where the power button is – on such a large phone, it’s hard to keep a good grip of the device while poking with your index finger on the back. Because it’s on the front edge, my finger also isn’t long enough to hit the power button. Had the button been placed on the back, or on a flatter top edge, it would be more accessible. Putting the button on the side would be the other alternative, as Samsung and Nokia do.

The backside has the much touted 8 Megapixel camera with an LED flash. The ring around the camera is plastic (for better or for worse, I’m not sure yet). The laser drilled speaker port sits just below the Beat Audio logo, and just to the right we have the HTC dock connector. If you’re curious, resting the phone on the back puts the contact on the edge of the camera, since it protrudes just a teensy bit. Doesn’t stop me from being nervous about scratching the lens, though.

The microUSB port is on the left side, while the volume rocker is on the top half of the right side. The microphone sits on the bottom lip of the phone. The volume rocker also makes my life difficult. Perhaps again it is because the phone is too large (or my hands are too small), but when i pull the phone out of my pocket, my middle and ring fingers sit right on the rocker, where they pinch to get a good grip on the phone so I can press the power button. I inevitably change the volume a ton, which is not really what I want.

Bored yet? If you skipped that section, I’m not hurt. The proverbial thousands of words just compressed into those pictures anyways.

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Turning stuff on is really the most exciting part of getting new things. The One X has a 720p screen, and it is phenomenal! I cannot believe how good it looks. Everything is crisp and ultrasharp. The screen completely outclasses the 480p screens mandated on my Windows phones. The wallpaper that was selected by default was a really smart thing to do, showing off the screen.

AT&T’s got this new “Ready2Go” thing on the phone that lets you set things up on the computer before you start using the phone – it seemed to go pretty well, except then i couldn’t actually get the settings over. Perhaps I didn’t follow the instructions. I like the idea, but the execution? Not so much.

So far, the phone has been working really well. It’s really smooth, it flies on the AT&T LTE network, camera is fantastic (though photographer is not). It just feels great in the hand, too. I havent decided yet if this is going to be my daily driver, but it certainly is in the running.

Pausing for now – this is more text than I’ve written in ages. I’ll be sharing a bit about the camera later on. If you want me to try certain things or to focus on a particular aspect, tell me! Or if I’m too wordy, tell me that too, so I can put less effort into making this look like I tried really hard.

TL;DR; Haiku:
HTC One X
My hands are too small for this
Giant touchscreen phone 

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meta Welcome to the new Byronasaurus Blog! WordPress decided to get rather clunky on me, and I didn’t care to deal with it, so I decided to try moving blogging over to one of these new-fangled services. You’re probably reading this on Posterous since it’s where I wrote it, but it’s also being cross posted to Tumblr (in case I decide to move to that, hah, indecision) and the old blog for safekeeping. How’d you like that throwback with the Haiku leadout?

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Nicole Scherzinger – Don’t Hold Your Breath
This is actually a fantastic track. It’s got a really good chorus (so I think at least, it’s easy, and catchy). Plus, Nicole Scherzinger sounds exactly like how PCD did (ha! get it?) and of course, she’s still good as ever. It really feels like a good summer track, but Wikipedia says that the track will be released 3/20/2011. Also it says that she’s going to be in MiB III. Ooky.

Katy Perry – Part of Me
Starts out with a drumbeat that reminds me of “The One that Got Away”, and then starts a guitar riff that sounds like “California Gurls”. Part of Me is reported to actually have been from the same studio sessions as the rest of Teenage Dream, but it got cut. Which is too bad – it’s a good track, easy listen. I guess it feels too similar to some of the other stuff.

Avril Lavigne – What The Hell
Avril Lavigne is fun to listen to, even if everything is super annoyingly catchy (I guess that is the point). She’s still as good as ever at writing songs that get in your head. “What the Hell” was released 1/11/11 (clever), though it premiered on NYE. It really just reminds me of high school, for some reason. Er, not my own experience. Just the stereotypical one. Somewhere.

LMFAO – Party Rock Anthem
“Party Rock Anthem” was also released on NYE. It is, like the rest of LMFAO’s tracks, party oriented. Feels a lot dancier than a lot of the stuff from their first album, Party Rock. Probably because of all the synths. Probably also a bit more approachable due to the lack of SHOTS SHOTS SHOTSSHOTSSHOTS SHOTS.

Panic at the Disco – The Ballad of Mona Lisa
I love Panic at the Disco for everything they do, because they make great music. They kind of took control of their own identity in their sophomore album, doing less emo stuff and some more happy sounding things. They dropped the exclamation mark from the name as well. The band lineup’s changed from the last album. Brandon Urie’s still around (hence the recognizable voice), as well as the drummer. Supposed goal is to go to a more pop sound, though this song really seems to hearken back to the first album, which I approve of. “The Ballad of Mona Lisa” was released 2/1/2011

Frankmusik – Stereo World
Frankmusik’s working hard on his album, to be released shortly. For those who don’t know, Frankmusik busted into my library last year and has quickly become one of my favorite artists – with some great synth tracks. Kind of reminds me (in terms of tech) of Owl City but not so saccharine (good thing). Stereo Love is such a happy song and I love it. Unfortunately, it’s not going to be on the next album – he’s released all the tracks that were cut in downloads and EP’s. This track was out in mid January (and makes me want to dance every time I hear it)

Taio Cruz – Higher (ft Kylie Minogue and Travie McCoy)
There are actually a bunch of versions – one with just Taio, a duet with Kylie, a duet with Travie, a collab with both, and another with K3 (some Flemish girl band). Highly catchy song, I imagine good for play in a club/dance scene. I like the version with Kylie in it because I think she is awesome and makes good music etc. This version was released 2/1/2011

Sean Kingston – Won’t Stop (ft Justin Bieber)
Ok I don’t actually like this song (well, yet, maybe). And that isn’t just because Justin Bieber is in it – he has some songs that are fun to listen to. I haven’t listened to it that much, because it was released maybe a few hours ago (2/3/2011). And c’mon, who wouldn’t be amused at Justin Bieber a) autotuned to hell and b) with a mid-pubescent voice and c) rapping with said mid-pubescent voice. Oh Justin Bieber, you embarrass yourself, but it seems to work for the ladies (if they are between the age of 4 and 17).

Colbie Caillat – I Do
Everyone loves Colbie Caillat! And you can’t not like her after listening to “I Do”. It’s a silly song about weddings (she says it’s a joke) but it is absolutely a joy to listen to (ukelele!) and she’s a beautiful singer, as usual. The song is planned to be out 2/7/2011, and the album on 5/3/2011.

Lots of good albums to look forward to this year! If I can manage to keep my interest in blogging high, maybe you’ll hear about them before your friends who don’t have the joy of knowing me and reading my fantastically interesting blog posts. Also as usual, ask me if you want anything! Dropbox is generally full of what I’m listening to for the week, so just ask for access.

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