Why I care about CES to spot the trends not gadgets

Its that time again when every blog you read is about predictions for CES. Sorry... 

I was thinking about how I am not as excited as I would have been years ago. When I reflect on the year the only things the I reember is the announcements from the individual press conferences. The surface was announced by Microsoft after they publically stated they where not doing a big booth anymore. KitKat, iphone 5s, ipad air, chromecast, ps4 , xbox one, ooya, nexus 7 , s4, note 3, etc was all done in shows outside of CES! Yes it keeps bloggers busy but its much more exciting to get big news through the year rather than extravaganzas in the begging with CES and middle E3. of the year. I don't know what to look forward to. I guess it will just be to understand or discover the latest trends. So lets seee... 

• Wearable technology - I already heard of a hint from pebble with something big , but the spokesperson was on tnt saying that pebble is an accessory that wants to be simple.. This contradicts "something big" in the teaser. We will see. I am sure a ton of less known companies will make some attempts. I don't care much, unless it can be a company that will start a price war with Google glass. I would love a 500 Google glass. Motorola cheap phones makes me have hope that Google will continue to self subsidize their tech goodies 
• Cheap phones - speaking of Motorola, I am hoping like Oppo, ZTE, and BLU, the trend continues for cheap phones, now that smart phones are a commodity, consumers can win with common specked smart phones that will also lead to better mobile development , hopefully ending JAVA for once and for all . 
• streaming sticks - It's a continued race to the tv. Chromecast was hot for a minute but I defaulted to hooking my pc to the computer. I guess I wont airplay type functionality for all my tech not just apple. I see Belkin is taking a step forward but its twice as much! I am still looking for a device even my Grandma heard of. 

I am sure someone on at least Google plus has something I didnt mention. Lets get some good debate. 

Sermon Reflection: True Outward Praise

Luke 2:21-28c
The story of Simeon rejoicing that he was not going to die until he saw the SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST! We ended the year with a bold sermon that challenged our "conservative congregation:". We talked about outwardly praising GOD! We should be expressing our love for GOD because of all that he did for us. The shear thought and mention of JESUS name should spark praise and feelings of emotion. We was called to reflect on the blessings of the past year and even the blessings of this morning. Ultimately thinking about the blessing of being redeemed even though we don't deserve anything but hell. I PRAISE GOD FOR HIS MERCY IN JESUS NAME!
This hit home to me because I too find myself bottling up praise at times for the sake of being in control of my emotions, what a joke! I found myself weeping out to GOD in the mist of the sermon asking for forgiveness for my lack of humility. So what if it might be embarrassing. I remember laughing at the people "catching the HOLY SPIRIT" as a child and imitated the jerks and pulls and yells. Now as a child of GOD I rejoice thinking about the fortune of being overcome with emotion. The feeling of forgetting where you are and crying out to GOD in indescribable joy! Money , sex and alchohol cant give you that joy. Only GOD in the HOLY SPIRIT can give you that joy! We cant let our flesh get in the way of that praise!
I was reflecting on my past year. I grow in emotion with each press of the keys, I lost my maternal grandfather, but I found so much in him in myself. I felt belonging and connected like I never did before. His love for technology inspired me to become dedicated to this blog. ONLY GOD can bring his death to a blessing..I seen my mom reach a whole other level of spiritual maturity as she continued to share the GOSPEL with him through his last days and be a rock for both him and his loved ones! His death brought pain that created understanding needed as I dealt with my wife loosing her father! At the funeral she met a family she didint know she had. She learned so much about who her father really is and help her understand the complexity of parenthood that helped her and I future. We had a false positive of a blood illness for my son that gave me persepcetive of my love for him and we praised GOD when we found out he was ok! The list goes on and on, I chose the seemingly bad things that the world looks at as bad but made me rejoice! Simeon knew death was aproaching and the road ahead of JESUS but he rejoiced because he knew GODS grace! I rejoice for I know GOD is perfecting us and always showing grace for us whom he loves!
I conciensouly praise GOD around others , online , in person, etc.. I want people to see me smiling about my GOD! I habitualy follow every slip of a sinful complaint with a holy praise!
The pastor brought up how easy it will be for us to go to work and talk about the NFL playoffs, lets bring up when GOD caught that lonely soul that got saved sunday instead of continuing a life of sin. Lets spread the news about that last minute salvation people like my grandfather recieved before death. Im going to work monday to brag about how long GOD delievered me from drinking rather than how many times I lifted my weights. .. If I feel like Shouting in Church Im going to SHOUT ! THANK YOU JESUS ! AMEN!

How to get root and clockwork mod 11 (kit kat 4.4) on your Samsung Galaxy Mega i9205 international

I never approached this topic but I thought I would lend some help to the people that is out there hurting for a nice google play type experience on their Samsung Galaxy Mega, especially if you are like me and purchased the international (i9205) model. I hope this helps because it took a while for me to find it past the typical "search google" answer. Prayerfully you stumble across my blog and find a quick answer, +1 if you do. Thanks to XDA I didnt do anything, I am just trying to help people find the XDA post! I dont want the credit for all the hard work this developer did. Click Here for the instructions and yes everything works!

If you missed it : Click me
Detailed Directions : Click me

Remember ODIN is in the custom recovery zip folder

OH YEAH OBLIGATORY WARNING! IM NOT RESPOSABILE OF WHAT MAY HAPPEN YOU PROBABLY WILL BREAK SOMETHING USE AT YOUR OWN RISK! 

Please dont use this to pirate, just use it for legal positive hacking, geekness. GOD BLESS

Leaving Macbook/Chromebook/Nexus 7 for the Surface Pro 2: My Surface Pro 2 review

So after a whole year for debate I finally purchased the Surface Pro 2. I know as a techie, it is odd I would wait that long to get a new gadget but this was different. Let me explain. I have been using Macbooks for years and I was a self admitted, apple fanboy! I even grabbed the mac mini , and Imac just to finish the spread. Of course I had to compliment it with IOS devices from Iphone to ipads. Like most in the tech industry, if we are being honest, we grew bored of OSX and IOS as of late. I was waiting for ios 7 but it was new for the worst. So for the sake of my thirst for something new, I hoped on Chromebook, and wow here we go again! I became fully immersed in Google and I was loving the new updates and the tons of opportunity for tinkering. Then I hit another big wall. I find myself constantly trying to find workarounds! Google tech should be called the work around tech. In the back of my head I kept debating should I dive back into windows despite the biggest deterrent the $1250 estimated expense for getting what I want in the surface pro 2. After a year, GOD blessed me with my wife deciding I can have a Surface Pro 2 as a Christmas gift. Especially because I sold my Macbook,, Chromebook, and Nexus 7 to finance. So now I give you my first week review written with my SP2.

Initial impressions

The first thing I thought while taking the surface from its packaging was , "whoa is this heavy!" Now mind you before this I had a nexus 7 so I was use to a feather light tablet. I guess that's the curse of having it in a tablet form factor, people naturally expect it to weigh like a tablet. This is a real computer and you can feel it. It didn't feel as heavy as my Acer C7 Chromebook or even much heavier than my ipad 3 but it was definitely no ipad air or nexus 7 (duh!). I love the smooth metal. I give that reaction when I see a luxury sports car, like woah. The surface pro looks like something apple would make, trust me that's a compliment.

First boot up

The initial boot up was 15 seconds, this is amazing on first starts and it asked the usual set up questions. I know it isn't as fast as the log in for Chromebook, but I think its faster than the macbook. It's a lot faster than typical windows pc's so I was impressed. I thought it was cool how it automatically pulled in the desktop background from my actual desktop computer I have in the basement. It was all tied to my outlook account. Coming from apple and Google, of course I LOVE SYNERGY!

Initial Experience

I quickly became immersed in this gadget. It was fun again! I had the unfamiliarity with using touch on windows 8 in a new form factor. I also was impressed with the quick speed. I forgot how real multi tasking worked. I didn't have the pause state of ios, or the awkward windows of osx. I wasn't just regulated to tabs like in chrome but I was side by side with the snap feature. Watching YouTube tutorials on surface , (out of necessity) , on one side, and trying out what I learned on the other. It was great.

Lets break it down further to the things I like:

• Snap Windows / multi tasking - I just covered that above. To add, I like being able to research two things at once. I was in love as I was watching +MKBHD on YouTube while scrolling through my Google+ on the other side. I was showing off , switching between screens on one side while constantly watching my video.

• Type Keyboard: - It is weird that from my memory, the surface is the first gadget to be judged by an accessory that doesn't even come packaged with it. I guess because the type keyboard is specific for the gadget and its built by the same manufacturer. Anyone who pays attention know that Microsoft was trying to avoid the sticker price of a $1,000 tablet but every person covering it mention how you will be like me walking out about 1250 for a 128 gig with touch keyboard and tax. I am happy though because the touch keyboard makes this a laptop. I am typing on the keyboard right now and its phenomenal ! I LOVE a good keyboard and that's what I liked best about my Acer C7. I was thinking I was going to have to give it up when I went to the type keyboard but its nice. It has a plastic but mechanic feel to it. I like the sound of the touch keys and I can feel the keys spring back to my fingers. I have never been able to type so fast on a table. I forget that this is just an accessory! I constantly kept using my track pad rather than the touch screen. I guess its muscle memory. I like that I can touch with most of the items but when its something that needs precision , I can just use the trackpad. The keyboard also shines when it comes to the biggest headache of portable computing, filling out forms! I know apple is trying to fix this with key chain , but there is nothing like pressing tab to input in different fields, and I get less errors with a real keyboard, and for the few times I do error, I have the precision of the trackpad and cursor vs the pain of trying to use your finger (highlighting by accident, moving text etc).. .I don't want to leave this without mentioning, back-lighting. As a busy husband and father I am usually regulated to typing at night and the back-light helped me not wake my wife and kids while exploring my new toy! 

• GAMING BABY!!!!!  - Steam ,,,,,,,,,,, I just wanted that to marinate. I like other pc gamers are used to high graphics, but the built in i5 processor gives us console quality games (at leaste the wii u) and when I'm on the go,  I got a console with me. I was excited to install Mortal Kombat and Bioshock Infinite. Bioshock is set on low settings but still looks beautiful and console quality. Mortal Kombat keeps crashing forcing me to Google up the answer, I found out it hates the resolution so that wasn't a surface problem. The headache came with my Xbox wireless adapter. I don't know whats going on, but I guess its my device because now its not working with my monster desktop. So I used a ps3 controller with motion joy emulating like a xbox controller oh yeah baby! I wish it worked Bluetooth but from my knowledge so far, I have to choose between my keyboard and controller so im stuck on usb. I also got a emulator running roms from my 80s past... gaming is the show off part I was looking for , nothing an apple fanboy can do to outshine steam! 

• Networking- I got it hooked up to my home network. Windows excels at talking to my networked computers! I went into my gaming rig to get games and files I needed. I was amazing that it pulled up my playon folder on my monster desktop. I printed a document automatically with no drivers needed or copy and paste or an APP! 

• Less Need for APPS - Apple is genius. They managed to make the world expect everything to come as apps to make up for a lack of multitasking, flash, or customization. It worked. Almost every review you read will mention the lack of apps hurting the surface pro but they fell to note, it's A FULL COMPUTER!! Apps where invented because you couldn't just go to a website with flash, or download a legacy app. Guess what, I can here. I already mentioned steam. Instead of looking for an gaming app I just used steam and then when I wanted a emulator I just searched for it and downloaded it. When I wanted the big three browsers I just downloaded it! I then went to my school website flash based. I can get the full version of any site , I used to hate how even with a nexus 7, ign.com defautlted to the mobile version of the site.  I can just go to the actual website vs searching for an app in twitter, facebook ,google plus (save that for later) ... 
  

• Waacom Pen - man this pen is amazing! I cant believe how amazing this pen is! Microsoft doesnt tout it enough. That was what I been showing off the most, the pen makes people go wow! I can write out anything and it turns it into text. It even reads cursive writing! I was even drawing pictures of people and drawing on it! I like that its pressure sensitive and it rejects my palm. I ususally put my tablet down and opt for a pen and paper when I am trying to do a quick note, a quick number , and draw something, but this thing can make me paperless, this means a lot for a highschool teacher. I cant stress it enough try it!! 
  

Enough of the mushy stuff lets talk a little about gripes. 

Two days in and I refreshed because I downloaded some questionable programs. Programs not apps , closed ecosystems protect us from our stupidtiy but windows allows us to make catastrophic mistakes, but wow I still got to put it in here. I also had my chrome browser crash when I was running it in windows 8 mode.

Chrome needs help! Its sooo washed out. I am using it now because thats what I am used to using. I like chrome but the look of it is horrid. Not to mention the icons are just like you see on a chromebook so I have to use a type keyboard. I know I like it but its worth noting. It doesnt work in windows 8 mode unless you make it a default app, but once you do that internet explorer only opens in desktop mode so basically you have to chose. this is both of thier fault. Googele+ is single colum on IE and renders wrong. I guess google hates the surface. cmon google . The saving grace is the apps launcher on my desktop. I love that I can just click on the apps launcher to get all my google goodies. I still need a more pixel friendly chrome browser.

No pen slot - I cant find it, I havent been out so I have hope but I am nervous that my pen is not in one of my kids toys. It supposed to be held in the power adapter slot but if I got it plugged up , wouldnt I be most likely using my keyboard and NOT a pen? hmmmm

Track Pad- yes I praised the trackpad earlier for precision and highlighting the text but while editing this document I discovered that I need a clickable trackpad which will help it be easier to drag to highlight.

Why I am waiting on next gen Consoles, and sticking with my PC: A former console player.

I went to best buy to further research my newest tech toy I plan to get. (Best Buy is the go to place for hands on preview). I was looking at the surface 2 when I thought, "maybe I should go check out the ps4". I was under the impression I was going to be amazed once I actually get my hands on a PS4 for the first time. I was not amazed. Sure the controller felt awesome, premium in fact liken to something Apple would make if it did video games. I guess Sony has its swag back from the days when Steve Jobs said he wanted Apple to emulate Sony. The adolescent sells guys came by and said , "its awesome right" I responded , "yeah I guess, I mean I am a pc gamer , and got caught into the hype but now that I see it ,,,ummm" he laughed with the interjection, "yeah I'm a pc gamer too". I am now thinking , I am so glad it was sold out when I first wanted it, because now I think I will wait! Sitting at home playing on my pc I got to thinking of why I can wait, hope it makes you think as well.

Most games I play are on P.C. anyway.- I looked at the shelf for games I am interested in getting. The only one that stands out to me is the COD. Well thats not good because I can get that on my pc with arguablly better visuals. I defenitly dont want knack. On the xbox side , I hear that ROME is repetitive and boring, I am a FPS guy who pretty much play blockbusters to add to the conversation with my peers. I also play 2k , but once again thats on pc, I know its a port of the xbox 360 but I dont think graphical improvement on the game I own , will push me to a console. I mostly run steam games in big picture mode and sit in my living room using my xbox controller. Yes I know most pc gamers live by the keyboard and mouse, but I am a long time console player who is just used to the controler. I basically have the xbox one in terms of games with windows first console, the computer!

PC games are cheaper  after intitial investment. I know people make a big hub bub about  how much it costs to build a gaming rig but its overblown. Console makers sell at a lost because they know they will make it up with portions of game sales. Many will point out how you have to keep upgrading your graphics card but I have a hd 7770 purchased for $180 a while back and I can still get 50- 60 fps on my 1080p tv screen. Reviews of graphic cards usually involve powerful monitors, but if you are used to console gaming, 1080 resolution is not taxing on even budget cards. Most games are $59 and that price is pretty constant for most of the year. One of the best things I like about gaming on the pc is the cheap games. Its common place to get fairly new games for $30. I took this screen shot for example ..

As you see even big games like Batman , and Bioshock is at rock bottom prices! Earlier I mentioned Call of Duty, here top and bottom, the prices are different. During major Steam sales like in the summer and during cyber Monday, you can download blockbusters for $10 like I did for BF3 and Bioshock Infinite. 

Lets not forget the large quantity of cheap indy games. I don't play it but I like to know I could. 

I have all my media on my tv connected to my PC . XBMC is my xbox live. I was initially enticed by the media capabilities of the Xbox One. When I came home defeated from a failed attempt to purchase a Xbox One due to it being sold I whent to research how to turn my computer into a home theatre pc. Then I discovered XBMC. WOW . I used it with a combination with a program called PlayOn. The Playon lifetime subscription was less than the price of 1 year of xbox live and it enables me to connect, ESPN, Disney, Cartoon Network, Netflix, Hulu, etc. to any device. In this case xbmc pulls it up. XBMC also allows me to view live tv because I have a antenna hooked through my tv tuner card installed on my pc. The customization's of the media services with XBMC is amazing and too much to talk about here. I will make a post about this later. Of course if you don't have time to do all that you can just bookmark hulu, Netflix, etc to your web browser. I have a remote app on my phone giving me Xbox glass type control of my media. Its awesome! 

One less device to plug up! I know this is a little week but in a post Steve Jobs/Current Jonny Ive World, minimalism of gadgets is all the rage! I know I hypocritically have a huge desktop which is anything but minimal but I was going to have a pc regardless, why add to it? I also have the pc tucked behind the wall in the next room so all I have my tv visible. 

Now i know im missing probably the most praiseworthy feature of the Xbox One , the Kinect Voice commands. I do feel like I am missing out on the voice commands. To tame my envy by summing the feature up as a novelty that would prove to be worthless in the end, but if I am being honest, the little boy in me who watched the Jetsons will love for his dream to come true. Well if I keep tinkering maybe I can get a way for my pc kinect to do the same for me. The voice is still not enough to negate my first 3 reasons. Im not saying I will never get a next gen console but Im not loosing sleep trying to get one. Let me know what you think. GOD BLESS 

Sunday Reflection 12/17/13 Matthew 1:18-25

Matthew 1:18-25
This past Sunday we discussed the faithfulness of Joseph for sticking with Mary even though she was having a child that was not his own. He had to trust that JESUS was a miracoulus birth. Not only did he stay with her when he wouldve been looked at as right to divorce her, he married her and did not have sex with her until after JESUS was born. This touched on how Joseph had other plans like you and I have a life plan but GOD will interupt it at times to do his will in our life! We also touched on the importance of JESUS being born to a virgin mother because the sin is in the seed of a man. The pastor brought up a good point on how the devil want to attack the purity of Marry beucase he knows that the sin is in the seed but JESUS was not born of man so he was born blameless. HE didn't need salvation, one because he is GOD , and two because HE was not born into sin! Just like last week , JESUS is doubly covered! 

It was important for me to listen to this sermon because I too foolishly make plans at time for my life as if I am in control. It is almost as if I am telling GOD that I dont have room for HIM to make room to do his work in my life. I am not GOD I am not in control. I dont want to let my flesh and my foolish man negate what GOD has planned for me. It is funny too because GOD has a way of making room when he desires despite what we think! I want to be faithful to bend when GOD tells me to. I have to be sure to be focused on what GOD will is in the life HE gave me!

The story of JESUS is so amazing. When you dive into the BIBLE you realize just how beautiful the narrative of JESUS really is. The beauty is in the details as well like the VIRGIN birth. I keep thinking since the sermon and I touched on it last week, how darkness is on full attack! We have to be sure not sow seeds of doubt. A good enemy want strike hard in a way to see you coming. It is more effective to remove one screw at a time, weaken the armor a little at a time , then we will be destroyed. We have seen it from a Dallas episode being aired in Communist Russia, pamphlets spread by Lutherans across Germany, Vandals on the outskirts of the Roman Empire, Marriages between Hebrews and Syrians from the North, ,,,now that movie, that historical mini series, that lesson from that out the box teacher, that cousin who said she should be able to love, the book that said there is no real truth,,that website you can just click, your not actually touching,, hmmm the Kingdom of GOD is under attack! Im not one to predict the end of the world. I believe we don't know and our perception of the last days are relative, but we are under attack We pray for strength remember Mark 13! AMEN

Why I want a Surface Pro 2

I am one of those first world people who many hate because I get bored with perfectly good gadgets and normally I'm looking for the next cool thing I can tinker with. It is a very time consuming and expensive habit supplemented by the ease of resale on the international market (a fancy way to say ebay). This is one of those moments! I recently sold my nexus 7 and Macbook in order to raise $1000 for my next gadget, I was naturally thinking I can put that towards a new bigger, better, and what Tim Cook would like to call, "most innovative Macbook" ever. Something has halted my plans, I'm sure much to the delight of those geeks in Redmond Washington. I want a surface pro! 

I was thinking to myself, what can I tinker with the most, and whats an unfamiliar gadget I can learn. The saving grace for Windows today is its a tinkerers platform. If you like PC games , hacks, and unfortunately ability to pirate, you are best served using Windows. It is the performed platform for downloading those fringe apps from the web without the technical skill needed for linux. I was thinking if I grow tired with the tablet like I did with my ipad I can turn to the web and open myself up to millions of apps or what we first called it , applications. That is also the reason why I have no interest in the regular surface 2. The closed interface is taking the worst part of ios and adding more to the problem. With a full fledged computer like the surface pro 2 i5 Hasweel processor, 4 gigs of ram, graphics on chip, usb, and sd slot, I will never have to be faced with the wish that my tablet could do more! I know its heavy but not more than a Macbook, and I have a 6.3 inch phablet (sorry) , for browsing in bed. I like that its thin enough for me to not mind carrying it around. It also has all day battery life due to the haswell chip making it portable , which is really good for me as a teacher maneuvering from class to office and walking around grading. I can imagine setting this thing up in a meeting and seing the eyes, because I yet to see it in the wild, its so unfamiliar. 

That's the next big reason I want the Surface Pro 2. I dont know much about it. I have had ipads since its inception and it got to be ummm familiar. I first began using macbooks because I grew a tad bit familiar with my pc laptops. Now its different. People are angry about windows 8 but I like the bold step. Its so different.  I run my windows 8 on my desktop monster but its basically a media server / console. I boot straight into steam or xbmc. Walking around with the surface pro as my daily workhorse will force me to use windows 8 as a productivity tool. I am currently typing on a Chromebook, (no suprise to my frequent readers) , but my job uses office! I thank GOD that google apps allow me to save in word format but with the pro I can have the best of both worlds. I have the quickness of the pro , and I can go into chrome as I slowly transition back to my 90s home of office. I also look forward to using the gestures inherent to the windows 8 interface. I ddint get the point of the gestures so I didn't even try but the touch controls will make me excited to dive in! I also never used a Walcolm stylus. I haven't used a stylus since the OG windows pocket pc so I can look forward to spending extra time learning something new.  

I can picture me now, waking up early before my wife and kids , firing up my Surface Pro 2 , eyes wide open as I say to myself "I don't know whats going on" then "oh wow that's awesome" . Later blogging about the power of a ultrabook with the portability of a tablet, and the wow factor of the first ipad! Then in March, hastly trying to sell it in preperation for something new during Aprils Microsoft BUILD conference. Thanks Microsoft for giving me something to talk about! GOD BLESS

something to think about: Happy JESUS DAY!

This past week my pastor had me thinking about something very powerful. Now that its Christmas Season what are we going to do? We give gifts to sinners of darkness and don't share JESUS. My job has secret santa, no mention of JESUS, if your secret santa dies tonight where are they going? Lets take Christmas back,, Atheist are serious about Christmas, they are on the attack,,ie "seasons greetings" . I never see people hesitate to say they are not a believer , or that they think the Bible isnt true, why do we hesitate to say we believe? Darkness never been bashful , always bold! If it wasn't that serious they would not try to stop Christians from saying Merry Christmas.  Or better yet , Happy JESUS DAY! I know we have the intellectuals that want to point out the negative historical origins of Christmas, but that is all the more reason we can use JESUS to transform it into a beautiful celebration of the ultimate gift, our salvation. GOD did it already when he Repackaged our sinful nature into his image, worthy of heaven. I need some more family members in the family of CHRIST! Lets get on it! AMEN! GOD BLESS

Sermon Reflection 12/8

This was a good sermon about Matthew 1:1-17 "The Tree"

The sermon focused on 2 trees in our lives. We first addressed how Matthew went through the family line of JESUS. The pastor talked about how JESUS was twice qualified to be the savior due to Joseph through David's son and Mary through marriage. It was a lot of factual background for this sermon but in summation it addressed how from Abraham to David, they often predicted how one day a Savior will emerged from among them! This was amazing when we think about the foretelling of JESUS CHRIST! The unsaved who claim to know GOD don't pay attention that. This is all the good stuff.
Like our families JESUS family had a lot of dirt on their record. We can look at the prostitutes, murderers, adulterers, idol worshipers, you name it. This hits home for me!
We lastly touched on the second tree. We are HIS children! We are in GODS family! We have the blessing of knowing that we are all family in CHRIST so we can always be proud!

The dirty  family hit home with me. Living as an African American I am faced with so much hurt and disgrace in my family. My family has always taught me self pride and not to fit into the racist stereotypes for my race but I was inundated with negative contradictions to my parents teaching as I consumed media and interacted with my peers. Unfortunately even from some family members negative influence despite my parents attempt to shield me from it. I walked the border line of being ashamed of my association with the negative perception that comes with the skin im clothed with but what keeps me going is what my mom taught me, more importantly what my GOD tells me in the Bible! My tree contributed to what I am! I understand the history of my race leaning on GOD when this world seemed against them. Singing songs of faith and finding courage and dignity when no one taught them that but GOD! Not accepting racist beliefs that they where incapable of education and organization but educational and organizational institutions where led by GOD's people! GOD used that tree to make me who I am and I shall stand strong. My maternal grandmother hummed hyms in the morning, and my paternal grandmother told me to read proverbs every night. My mom was validictorian and father woke me up most mornings before he went to work everyday. My mom tauhgt me it was not cool to not know so even though I didnt go to church as a youth I began trying to read this Bible people talk about. The Jews in the old testament lauded their history despite the oppression, wickedness, and suffering. They felt they where children of GOD. I am a Child of GOD so why hold my head down. GOD shown grace to make me who I am! I'm typing comfortably inside my personal classroom on my laptop and its 12 degrees outside, I am fully clothed and thinking about how long do I have before my wife and kids will be waiting for me! The greatest part is that I am on here boasting about the LORD!!! HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT! I don't deserve it but GOD BLESSED ME! I don't have a criminal history GRACE! GOD gave me those grandparents, and parents! GOD chose me to type this , he set it all up perfectly! I didn't have to come from some elite family, I didn't have to have a Pious parent. HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT. My pastor kept saying it and it makes since!

Now to the second tree! I didn't ask my father to meet my mom and have me! They came to that... Lets bring it to a spiritual level, I didn't say , ok I'm going to live sinfully have some fun and get saved, no GOD CHOSE ME! HE said before I was born that I was going to be HIS. HE is my FATHER! I was prepared before hand. When my children mess up, they are still my child, when my child disrespects me, they are still my child, when my children need me , they are still my broken children. No matter what they do , they are sealed as my children, but I'm just a steward there is a greater father ,,,this is why I smile,,,,GOD said Im HIS child! THANK YOU FATHER! AMEN.. .

Using Skydrive to turn my Chromebook into a "real computer"

So the world has been going crazy about the new microsoft comercial claiming that Google Chromebooks are not real laptops! I found it hilarious , I know many in the tech community is upset at the negative tone of the adds but I remember the days cheering for apple when I saw the cool guy lay in to the stuck up geek pc. I love a little drama as long as it is something as unimportant as what billion dollar company make the best product. Here it is....

Well lets be honest. I know my techies know about chromebooks but when I tell some non techie about my chromebook they sometimes do respond like these actors er ummm people in the commercial. I do have to spend time explaining how google apps are much better than office for mobile work. I at a minimum have to explain how it can be a good alternative and with a sturdy keyboard its better than just getting an ipad. Sometimes this argument isnt goode enough for them so I resort to skydrive!

Many of us dependent on office more than likely because of our jobs, have access to a live account! On the video below I prove that I can use office on my chromebook! Try it out! This feels like apple in the 90's or early 2000's (that still feels awkward to say)..Once again I search for a workaround for office to show that I dont NEED Microsoft.. By the way, I recorded it using my Acer c710 chromebook using hangouts and then began typing this using Google blogger... I guess I can visit Venice Beach,,,GOD BLESS

Why I am geeked on google wallet card!

Google Wallet is here and ummm,,,,,,,,,,,,yeah!!

So on Black Friday I rushed to the mail box as the mailman left after reading on Google plus that people are getting their card early! I released a obnoxiously loud nerd snort as I opened the bland envelope. I flashed it to my wife's rolling eyes as she mumbles, you and your Google. Ignoring her, I instantly searched for a whimsical prop to serve as background to my shiny new card. Yes rotten bananas.

I can buy bananas with my new wallet card! 

Sounds familiar? I don't quite know why but I am ultra excited at a physical Google wallet card. The internet blew up about the news and I guess now I am adding to the madness.

First what is it: 
From my understanding, Google Wallet is a MasterCard branded debit card basically that is tied to your Google wallet balance online. Many people have a Google wallet account for online purchases, and giving money online. The balance is filled by transferring money from an connected banking account. The card is for people who do not have nfc phones or if the retailer don't have a nfc equipped register. The card can also serve as a bank card if we need to get cash from an atm. This seems like a snore so far but lets dive deeper and explore ways it can be useful.

Ways I think it can be useful. 

1. You can load it up for a safe limit and money for travel.  - I was thinking it would be useful to put a couple of hundred dollars that I know I can use for my toys, or maybe on a vacation in state somewhere. It is accepted where MasterCard is accepted making it usable anywhere. I like that its not tied to my actual bank account so I can just burn it out without fear of overspending or some kind of credit fraud. 
2. You can fill it from online business - I was thinking it would be useful if Google ads, and sales can be deposited straight to my Google wallet. I know I purchase things from my tech sales rather than my day job that way I can spend without guilt. Like the first one , I can use it for my toys paying for them from the money I make from ad sense. 
3. Online purchases- a few months ago Google made a strong push for us to make online purchases using Google wallet , effectively replacing Paypal. From my experience, many places did not have Google wallet as an option but if I can type my Google wallet credit card number and info I can feel much safer making online purchases. It gets even better as Google continues to track reward points and coupon offers with my purchases. Google wallet can be the ultimate shoppers card! 

This is why I am excited about this Google wallet initiative. I am hoping many of you are too so that I can proudly confidently pull out my card knowing I wont get judgmental looks like "this nerd is trying to use a fake card" .. haha GOD BLESS 

Atechieinchrist.com 

Sermon reflection 11/24/13 Ananias meets Paul

Acts 9:17-22

The past sermon spoke to me a great deal. The sermon addressed Ananias meeting Paul for the first time and the veil being lifted off Pauls eyes allowing him to immediately go out and talk about JESUS! The pastor used this scripture to have us reflect back to when we became saved! HE also used this to talk about how we should approach other new Christians, what we like to call "babys in Christ". The last part was used to address the immediacy of GOD! We need to follow GODS commands because they are not a suggestion.

Thinking back when I was first saved I like to smile. Its funny because the vision in my head is a distraught Kid angry at everyone, feeling lonely and driving to work crying. .. In my head I was contemplating how I wish it was all over and how no one could help me and while driving down a long neglected road I began crying out to GOD asking for deliverance. My eyes became open when I knew that I had a father in heaven that loves me and is there for me through thick n then and that's what JESUS was telling us. As I grew further in CHRIST he began to lift the scale more and more. 

I remember I used to listen to JAYZ chanting the words "hova" to his lyrics. My sister was upset because he was calling himself GOD and I defended it as if it wasn't really that serious,, I didn't know that I shouldn't allow anyone to even toy with the greatness of my father but again I say I had scales over my eyes! I now find myself in righteous anger, and sorrow, as I see the media making light at blasphemous monikers, claims, which craft, homosexuality, humanism, greed, etc... 

The next thing was how I know I have to be patient with new believers. I have to understand that most people drop out of the Church and become distant from the Church body because we are judging them with log filled eyes! Like I said I was a believer first but I was still listening to Jay Z. I still have things GOD is working on because if we was able to be perfect we wouldn't need grace. I thank GOD for HIS grace! Ananias approached Paul with "brother" showing him love as if he belongs. I need to make sure I consider my fellow Christians brother, family. There was a time when I had little desire to fellowship with other members of my Chruch but I see the deeper I devote myself to the LORD , the more I enjoy the company of my Church brethren. I am so happy to be apart of the mens small group and I am now trying to approach them more on a personal level. It's deep to think about who we rather spend time with and wonder if that is a reflection of our Christian walk. 

Today was a good example of following the immediacy of GOD! I know I have a habit at times of setting a schedule to when I am going to work on a certain aspect of my Christian walk. The pastor noted how the Bible never asked the disciples to do something if they can get around to it. I know I was putting off talking to a certain family member about a certain situation that I was putting off because I didn't feel comfortable at the time even though I kept feeling nudged by the HOLY SPIRIT. I had to stop telling GOD I was to scared , and say Yes! I feel better now and I am so glad I did! What have you been putting off? Have you said , "I'm going to start going to Church more next year" I'm going to tithe better next year" etc etc... When we are instructed to do something we do it. 

This also goes to spreading the Gospel. When we are truly saved , we already have what we need to spread. People need to hear the Gospel: 

GOD so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son JESUS CHRIST , who is Emmanuel, GOD on earth who promised salvation to those who believe in HIM, thus filling them with the third part of the trinity of GOD , the HOLY SPIRIT that makes us pure before HIS throne, and that those who do not believe will be destined to the pitt of hell, and only believers will have ever lasting life in heaven. AMEN .. 

I love typing that, the rest of the job is living a life that exemplifies the HOLY SPIRIT within you! From my experience , the way we live our life helps people to ask questions which allows you to spread this Gospel, and the Gospel inspires people to examine your life giving you a chance to prove it. 

There was a lot of information and topics in this sermon but it was so helpful , in our Christian walk. Over this thanksgiving break seize this moment brothers and sisters. GOD BLESS 

Sermon Reflection 11/17/13

Today we had our Elder preach because our senior pastor was out doing a guess sermon for his former Church. I was delighted to hear because our elder is well versed and passionate about the LORD so I am sure he will always submit as GOD use him to spread HIS word.
Today's sermon was from Galatians 2:19-20 and it addressed our understanding of JESUS SACRIFICE for us. He addressed how we need to be dead to ourselves so that we may live in JESUS. Paul is a perfect example of someone who can live flawlessly before the law but we are still blemished and far from perfection because GOD is perfection so we are all given the gift of Grace! He pointed out how we sometimes full ourselves into thinking we was actually doing something good, and looking down at others as if we got it together. We where forced to look out what part of us do we refuse to let die so that we can let JESUS rule more in our life. We was reminded how grateful we should be that JESUS forgave our debt and gave us new bodies to appear before the throne of GOD flawless even though we did nothing to deserve.
What an Awesome GOD so merciful and graceful! I get excited thinking about it. The thing the unsaved miss out on, is the beauty and happiness one receive when you realize that you don't have to worry if your good enough, smart enough , wise enough,,, you just have to understand humbly that its not about you, GOD chose you anyway! Its such a hard thing to accept because our flesh and society is built up on people working for a blessing, or because someone owes it to us, but GOD didn't owe us anything , we owed him and he forgave us anyway!
 I caught a Rhema word when Elder asked if it may be a gadget or something I want to get that takes away my worship of GOD. I reflected before that I worry about that thin line between being enthusiastic about tech vs worshiping it. I can only serve one god and I choose the ALMIGHTY GOD !
I was challenged with the looking down on people part of the sermon today. As I got home I got reminded of a recent facebook post that reminds me of a sinful nature causing discussion in the family. I tisk tisk as I must pray that I am attacking the sin not the person , and if I am being sure to look at my log before I preoccupy with someone else s sin, regardless if its blatant or not.

We hear the following often but its so crucial that we constantly think about it and reflect on it in all we do.

I have a sinful nature but GOD has saved me through the blood of JESUS CHRIST his only begotten son, GOD in the flesh sent to earth so that I may be saved and filled with his HOLY SPIRIT.

atechieinchrist reviews iphone 5s with Kreative

Today was a day I was pushing off for the longest. I talked about it but had to be fair and put the review on my blog. In an effort not to be the typical fanboy geek I interviewed Kreative and his new iphone 5s. Spoiler alert , he loves it! duh , just google returning iphone 5s, and you will probably come short of results. Kreative is a positive rap artist coming from Chicago land and can be followed at :
kreativesince83 on Instagram and twitter. This is for those average joes who is debating to get the iphone or not.  I pray you enjoy and comment! GOD BLESS !

Moto G is here! the cracked screen replacement and other reasons why it matters.

So to day I was surprised because I totally forgot about the moto g announcement. I know its just a cheap version of the moto x but I think there is much more to the story.

The moto G to me is googles attempt to disrupt the industry! I know TMobile has been championing that sentiment for a while now but google seems to be doing it more effectively , maybe they should team up.
The moto G has a 4.5 720 p screen, 1 gig of ram, a quad core processor, fm radio, almost pure android, and a guarantee to have kit kat running by january.

Ok I know the specs is nothing to write home about but its better than the typical Virgin mobile phone at that price, oh yeah i forgot to mention price ,,,,,,,$179 UNLOCKED!!! Are you kidding me! That is the catch. When I heard the price I instantly made a post about it. The thing that separates this from the other phones in that range is that the older phones that drop to similar prices usually are forgotten by the carriers. You may can get an old unlocked iphone 3g but it wont have ios7 or app store support. This phone does have google play store support and it will be updated by google I mean Motorola itself.
I was happy with this phone because at the least it will be the new cracked screen replacement. Usually the cracked screen will set you back $150 , why not just get a new phone. I once dropped my iphone in the toilet, before knowing the rice trick , and pondered paying $400 for a replacement. Not now, loose your phone , get moto g, phone gets flooded, get a moto g. Its a cheap phone that you can be happy to have!
So google is trying to disrupt the subsidies in America with first the $349 Nexus 5 and now the $179 Moto G. I feel this a great strive in trying to break through artificial value they place in phones just because it has a cell radio. I no longer have to keep renewing the obviously overpriced cell contracts so I can get a phone actually worth using without the sticker price. Sometimes Capitalism works perfectly, competition and competitiveness is a win for us customers!
Just my thoughts, GOD BLESS



*image from talkandroid.com

My first 24 with samsung galaxy mega 6.3 (unlocked international)

I will try to type this calmly and hold back my geeked up excitement for the SAMSUNG MEGA 6.3! I have the international version who doesn't like the ridiculous?

See it actually doesn't look THAT ridiculous , haha from that angle, (how many was able to focus with basement in the background? I plan to use the provided ear piece for my calling but it is funny how many times i used  as a regular phone because i had to answer before looking for my earpiece. I didn't know it was going to come with one but I guess most international phones do. I go through them a lot so I am going to buy a bluetooth so i can listen to my podcasts in bed (that's when they usually break). 

First Look

So below you will see the jarring effect of first glance. When i was doing the unboxing i was shocked when i pulled the cover off. The battery was also big, in fact, the battery is larger than the iphone 5 haha. When i powered it up i was happy with the screen. For some strange reason Samsung automatically dims the screen but i turned it up manually to get the full effect. I know its hype around the 1080 screen and retina but i (unlike most techies) don't care as much. Its good enough for my aging eyes. I am more concerned about the wealth of content that can fit of one screen and the brightness. 

Productivity

I am typing this post on it to give it a true test. My arm is growing tired even though it feels lighter than my old nexus 4 (what doesn't). I am typing in portrait, I tried landscape but my hands felt to stretched. I'm a average sized man 5' 10" 200 but this is a  challenge luckily the big screen allows space between letters in portrait mode helping me to type much faster. I do not believe I posted much using my nexus 4. I love the two screens. I was able to google something and answer it in hangouts. It felt gimmicky on the s4 but the bigger screen gives me two iPhone like screens on my one device. 

cool gem

I never understood the disdain for touch wiz until now. Coming from a nexus 4 and 7 has me use to the simple and quick so this touch wiz stuff is confusing but what I love is the "watch on" app! Not the tv guide crap (I don't watch tv really) but the remote! This thing is awesome! Ok for those who don't keep up with me. I like as few things to keep up with as possible thus me getting a phone that can be a tablet and phone. Now i can use this as a remote too! I also have google wallet to be..a wallet, kindle and play books for... books. Haha the Swiss Arny knife of technology.

boo on this: 

I am a chromebook user so I am used to slow processor's and overall tech is plateaus on what humans perceive as speed. That's why we use programs to test by milliseconds. That being said, this is a little too slow. I guess because I'm reviewing it I'm taking it to task more than usual but i have seen it stutter when i push more than 4 apps. That being said, as of now I'm most definitely getting the second generation of this when more ram and processing power is expectantly going to happen ( no inside scoop just common sense). 

Oh and I had to call att and tell them to switch me to a regular smartphone unlimited plan. I was on nexus before this but they still thought I had an iphone???I wasted a lot of tine trying to set APN but it was just their side they needed to be fixed. So I suggest you let At&t know after you boot up.

so my opinion so far

after 24 hours with this Samsung galaxy mega 6.1 i would say IT MAKES ME SMILE! I love how I'm not sacrificing much screen from my nexus 7 and it feels like half the weight, and bezels are small enough to fit more comfortably in my pocket. I am no Mobile gamer, its not fun to me so processor is less of an issue. I love the big screen for what i do, browse the Internet, google plus, text , listen to podcasts, google music. and read. Oh and show off new unique tech (check)! My hands hurt , I'm done.  GOD BLESS

Video of unboxing below!

atechieinchrist tries the imac, impressions after my first week

So its been a week since I  first fired up my new life with an Imac and this is what I have so far. Before we began I must admit I didn't spend the amount of time I usually spend with a device during a week because I have been oddly busy but I still played with it enough to get some initial impressions. The first thing that I like about it is what I am enjoying at the moment when typing this, the keyboard! The keyboard is awesome! I guess apple still pays attention to the keyboards. It has been a while since I used one of these small keyboards so I forgot how comfortable and springy it is. I like it almost gives it a machine like feel like with the classic spring keyboards and the chicklet keys are big enough and separated enough to minimize errors. I admit any error you find is my lack of skill in writing.

The next thing that I noticed is the bright beautiful screen. I know there is a lot of hype over retina but this screen is already beautiful on this 2011 model. I see the screens all the time in the local apple store but I guess the industrial atmosphere with bright lights drown out some of the wowness of the screen. When I bring it down to my dark basement it really enlightens me to the awesomeness!

I did not like the "magic mouse" this is thing is like a clown at birthday party magic. I am used to track pads and rolling marble mouse so this one sucks! Two finger scrolling is sweet but then I feel awkward deciding when to pick up or rub the mouse.

Back to the positive:

I love the drag and drop functionality in osx! I was able to drag the pictures above straight from my google plus post to blogger. I was also able to drag pictures from google to email instead of going through the whole attach files thing! This is saving a tremendous amount of time. 

I was first very impressed when scrolling through my feeds on google plus with chrome on my imac. It looks much different on here than my other devices with the beauty of the white space, uneven content oriented tiles , and 3 columns.

It looks like flipboard for social media! I was posting about its beauty when I ran into the problem with rendering. It may be the ram issue creeping up in this case or beauty coming with a tax but it was annoying having to wait a half of minute at times for new post to load up. I guess its ok if you read every post, but we know most of us have to skip over the spamy fluff that plagues google plus even though it does a much better job than facebook.

The final thing I wanted to mention was the camera. I know real bloggers invest in a really nice camera , a lamp and a mic. But for us that are starting out using this as a second fiddle to our day job, we need to start small. Well this is really small. It is better than most cheap webcams and I know I am in a basement but lighting could be better. *That can be another hook for me, the basement blogger! Here is a sample of the photo. 

The photo actually looks pretty clear and detailed I guess I was just thinking of the low light. 

I was excited to see Bioshock Infinite on here, but I am not sure if I want to load it up. I dont want to play anything blasphemous or offensive.

I know foul language is used in everyday life and I can put up with it if its telling an overall meaningful story from what I hear that is the case. Im going to pray about it. I also need to know if my mac can handle it. The apple community on google+ said go for it , I guess im apprehensive coming from a powerful desktop pc I am not sure if I can enjoy toned down graphics,, ,but thats the point of this right, to try it.

This is just one week of my experience , I pray I effectively relayed my experience. I look forward to adding another post after more experience, let me know if there is something you suggest I tinker with or addd. GOD BLESS

Will major announcements of android os be a thing of the past?

I like many are waiting by my nexus device anxiously waiting for kit Kat to be released while living vicariously through post of others with their nexus 5. I have noticed something trending, many of my internal android apps have been updating! Things that you usually have to wait for a new version for is now updating on the regular like the first one I noticed, Google maps. Now today I see Google keyboard, there was also recently text to speech. I for one love this modular experience in which I'm constantly getting update. That's a strong reason why I support chrome is. Yes I will miss the angst of waiting for that is release, but isn't it better to give your customers the best you have instead of creating a artificial development cycle?
This will also help with fragmentation issues, at least how customers perceive it. If I'm stuck with a outdated phone that came out in ancient history, you know 4 months ago,  I can still enjoy the latest features bypassing my provider via play store. Let me know what you think..GOD BLESS

A fandroid understands why iphone 5c works

I guess Im on a role for late reviews but I never got around to posting this video of the iphone 5c. I guess its indicative to my feeling about iphone 5c, I mean its noteworthy but ultimately it didn't excite me. I have to admit though I actually think this is more awesome than my initial impression, so apple fanboys, don't fret this is not a hate session, I have many positive things to say.

When I first seen the phone it was what I am guessing , a common reaction , "aw this actually doe's look nice! I scoffed at Apple saying its a special kind of plastic but I think they are at least sorta hitting on something with their assessment. I like the hardness of the plastic, there is was no bending or flexing of the plastic like you get with the galaxy phones. The hardness felt expensive. It was also very glossy giving it a rich look. You don't feel like your getting a Walmart prepaid phone when you grab this phone. I also like how the phone is recessed within the plastic. I first joked that all you need to do is put a case on the old iphone but a case cant replicate the look of the phone seemingly wrapped in hard quality plastic. I also like how the features of the phone shoot through the outside casing like with this black phone , you can see the black speaker gril shine through, the headphone jack as well. To be honest it gave me the feeling like you get when you see a really nice sports car! It gives you a pause!

The phone feels much more responsive on the iphone 5c. The iphone 4 seemed to be laggy with IOS 7 in my experience and its almost irritating with my ipad 3. I did'nt really like IOS7 until I gave it a go on the iphone 5C. I can know see the direction apple is taking. I always criticize IOS7 for being somewhat effeminate and childish like a cute toy my child would enjoy. The bright iphone 5c is playful in itself so when the two are married together it all just works! Its like watching a comedian in a drama. Watching them even performing well is somewhat annoying because its not a good fit, but when your watching something playful and funny like a comedy, they become your favorite actor. I liken that to Steve Carell in "Dan in Real Life" vs "The Office"..

So will I get it? nah I am still stuck on screen size, the same reason I watch movies on a 46 " TV vs a 27inch led monitor. So who does want it? Of course apple fanboys, but they will go to the 5s , I shouldn't have to explain how geeks want the best. I think people who want this are the biggest customer base in America grown ups who don't care for specs. I know me and bloggers, and especially geeks talk about specs ,and contracts but my father's case says it all. ..I told him to get a nexus because its unlocked, and he replied "why would I leave ATT? I been there for years". Contracts don't matter because most people are not restless like me. Most people don't calculate contract costs, like me. Most people don't need to upgrade their phone even if its working perfectly , like me. Im not most people, most people are like my dad! He had the iphone 3g that he was using until of course it stop working , so he said "this phone is fast enough". He wanted to get a new phone and found out this phone was only $100. Not $100 with a two year contract in which they are over charged and a high ETA, nope $100. He saw this phone on a commercial that his friends and family saw too. This the phone they was talking about on the news. This phone is shiny and people are going to say, "ooohh you got a new iphone?!" That there is Apple magic! GOD BLESS

ok hooray nexus 5 but LG G2 is still cool!

So now that everyone is talking about the nexus 5 I decided this would be a perfect time to talk the G2 :/ .... ok ok its kinda overdue / late but i recently seen the G2 and for a moment, it totally took my mind off the nexus for a while. What makes this even more interesting is how it came to my attention ..

I like many was not really thinking about the G2 much more than to think how this was going to translate into the next nexus,, (see what I did there?). The nexus 4 was based of the Optimus G so this is what we were expecting this time around. So I was walking through the media center at the school I work at when I noticed this phone with a big bright beautiful screen!

I had to be about 10 ft away but I noticed the phone lying on the counter with a bright screen! Woah! I almost screeched out, "what phone is that!" My co worker notified me that it was the G2 so I dropped what I was doing and asked him can I see more, so much more that I wanted to record it. This wow factor is missed on many of the redundant black slab phones. Specs are usually lost on the general public and noticeability is usually reserved to Samsung's horizontal home button and 3 icons, and of course apples home button and apple logo. As I was looking at this phone people came up behind me noticing that the phone's screen looked awesome. This reminded me of the led tv when I first saw it in a best buy. It somehow, stood out. Being able to see it from far away speaks for itself. The trailer for transformers was perfect for showing off the screen.

My coworker was also so kind to let me go through the phone, the knock feature was really cool, I enjoyed the quickness of the scrolling, I did not notice lag with the scrolling, the camera app was pretty cool with the ois. It seemed futuristic as the green blocks searched for a target to shoot and my shaky caffeine induced hands really put it to the test. I did noticed the knock didn't respond each time I hit so I am not sure if there is some smoothness to work out there. The buttons on the back felt ok to me. Not good not bad but I actually like the ,,,I'm so sorry for this ,,,, "selfie" usability that this button provides. I also like the smoothness on the sides and being able to do scrolling if I understand it correctly.

Check out the video of me trying it out below!

So hopefully you will take a break and maybe consider taking another look at the G2 , I would like to see the nexus 5 and the G2 screen together, ooops there I go again, haha GOD BLESS

haha nexus 4 next to G2