Rational Geekery

Last Sunday I posted about the brilliant Chrome to Phone. I love it, and the C2P extension is now installed on all my machines (I use Chrome on the Mac, Ubuntu and Windows). However it's not long before you start wishing the sync was two ways - with the ability to push pages to the desktop from your phone.

The excellent Android browser allows installed apps to add extended services to the "share page" function, so you can easily save urls to your bookmarking service (I use delicious) as a way to move pages to your PC based browser. But then you have to go to your delicious page to retrieve the url, which In my opinion, is a step too far.

I'm sure it's only a matter of time before Google harnesses the power of the Android Cloud to Device Messaging (C2DM) framework (2.2 "Froyo" only), and offers two-way sharing, however if like me you can't wait, there is a snazzy app in the Android Market that allows for a handy workaround.

Again it's an Android app and Chrome extension combo. Download the android2cloud app from the Market, and then install this extension. Enter your logins and allow both the extension and app access to your Google setup. Now the option to send a page to your browser (via. android2cloud) appears in your Android browser "share page" list. Simples.

When you share a url using android2cloud it will automatically open as a new window in your browser. It's exactly what I wanted. It's just a shame it's not integrated into the official Google app - although I'm confident this will come soon.

Hat-tip recombu.com

Earlier this week my good buddy Donald Strachan sent me a message telling me to check out Google's Chrome to Phone feature. I did and it's class.

You simply hit the new button on the Chrome browser, and whatever page is open in your browser window, will be pinged down the internets to your Android handset. C2P is simple and brilliant.

Want to carry on reading that post on the can? Just fire it to your phone.

My first test was to check out a local geocache location on Geocaching.com, hit the link to open in Google maps, and then using C2P I sent it to the phone -- the phone beeped and when I unlocked the screen, Google Maps had launched with the pin highlighting the position of the cache. Within 5 seconds I had directions from my current position. It worked brilliantly and was totally James Bond.

This is exactly the sort of innovation from Google that made me choose the HTC Desire over the iPhone 4. I can't wait to see want else Google has planned for geo-location based services in the future.

Oh, and of course C2P is another reason to use the excellent Chrome browser... :)

*To save my fingers and your patience, I shall refer to Chrome to Phone as 'C2P'

A month ago I wrote about how my next cell will probably be an iPhone. But last night I took delivery of a HTC Desire. Within half-an-hour it was rocking Froyo (Android OS 2.2) and I was downloading a few apps I had shortlisted beforehand.

So why did I do it? Why did I decide against Apple's handset?

iOS is without doubt the best operating system in the market. The best apps are on iPhone, and the intuitive user-interface is unsurpassed. But recently I've craved for something new. Something I can tinker with -- to expand my experience.

And that's it. I got an Android phone because I was desperate to try something new. I have access to a 3GS (my wife carries an iPhone) and an iTouch, so I can still toy with iOS apps and features. But now I also have access to the massive Android ecosystem -- a platform that is growing at an incredible pace.

There are drawbacks. I don't get to use Reeder or the official Instapaper app, nor any of the great camera apps I've bought for the iPhone. But I do have alternatives, and I'm confident that apps will come soon that are just as good, if not better. After all, the Android OS is far more open, allowing developers to be more creative.

I know, by using Android I will have to be more careful with security. And I won't have the natural integration with my Apple computers. However breaking free of Apple's walled garden has its appeal. I'm a natural tinkerer, if not a hacker.

It's been less than 24hrs with the Desire, but it's clearly a really good phone. I'm coming to terms with the non-iOS UI, and finding out what the phone can do. I have a Instapaper client (Hard Copy) and a decent RSS reader (FastReader -- I plan on trying the free ones before getting FeedR, which is supposed to be the daddy), and I really like the native HTC Sense twitter and flickr apps. Give me a week with it, and I think I'll be as fluid as I am with iOS.

Over the next few weeks I'll write about some of the choice apps I find and how I'm finding living with Android.

BTW. I picked up an unlocked phone, which means I don't have to deal with Vodafone's BS.