Why Android Will Beat iPhone and BlackBerry??

[A.Nonymous]

Very good point! I've been in IT for about 15 years and I've met lots of bright self taught and formally trained programmers, analysts, network admins etc who I would not in a million years consider tech savvy because they were unable or unwilling to 'connect the dots'. Or they get that blank look when shown a piece of hardware or in the insides of the very computers they were working with for months, sometimes years. Yeah, you can be in the business and NOT be tech savvy (by my definition).

Then there are those who aren't in the computer business, but yet are tech savvy in that they are not only able to analyze / identify a problem, but are willing and able to troubleshoot it themselves using various resources, mostly online. And while they may not succeed for lack of experience or knowledge of a particular piece of hardware or software, they are still able to grasp the principles and articulate the issues to someone like myself who's job is now half as difficult. Not many can do that.

I would qualify that as simply having poor critical thinking skills. I work with a guy who I'd consider a pretty sharp guy. However, his critical thinking skills are piss poor. If someone gives me a problem, I spend time gathering lots of info about the problem, formulate a hypothesis, rule stuff out, then figure out how to test my hypothesis before I even talk to the user. He talks to the user and immediately starts throwing solutions at the wall to see what sticks.

The other day someone calls because they claim a certain web based app won't print to a certain printer. They say another person is having the exact same problem with the same printer. This once worked, but now doesn't. He has them print a test page. It doesn't work. Then he prints a web page. It does work. Then he prints a web page again. It doesn't work. Then he prints a page from the app, it works. He tells me all of this and tells me it makes no sense. I conclude that the printer is what the problem is since it's the common denominator and since we had issues with it previous where idiot users have unplugged it or jostled the network cable. His response is to call tech support for the web based app and start contacting tech support for the printer as well. He spent 3-4 hours on the problem and I have no clue what he ended up coming up with. No critical thinking skills at all.

 

[mrspeedmaster]

Very good point! I've been in IT for about 15 years and I've met lots of bright self taught and formally trained programmers, analysts, network admins etc who I would not in a million years consider tech savvy because they were unable or unwilling to 'connect the dots'. Or they get that blank look when shown a piece of hardware or in the insides of the very computers they were working with for months, sometimes years. Yeah, you can be in the business and NOT be tech savvy (by my definition).

Then there are those who aren't in the computer business, but yet are tech savvy in that they are not only able to analyze / identify a problem, but are willing and able to troubleshoot it themselves using various resources, mostly online. And while they may not succeed for lack of experience or knowledge of a particular piece of hardware or software, they are still able to grasp the principles and articulate the issues to someone like myself who's job is now half as difficult. Not many can do that.

There is no real definition of "tech savvy" here. I hire programmers and architects all the time. I've met some brilliant people but mostly, a lot of wanna-bees. I call them code-monkeys who would fail to do anything productive without Google search queries. I've given analytical tests and locked interviewees in a room with no access to computers and most of them fail. I get the impression here, that many consider tech savvy to be a person who can built a white-box computer from scratch. Thats what I hear. Being able to drag-n-drop files thru a SD vs using iTunes is tech savvy. I also hear about rooting phones, adding wallpapers, customizing their GUI.

To me, none of that is even remotely tech savvy. Tech Savvy to me is about grasping concepts, being able to have out-of-the box problem solving skills to handle a problem. Being able to exploit the technology in a meaningful way.

Here is a simple test scenario. Without using Google or any search engine, here is an example of a scenario I ask my colleagues to test their analytical creativity:

Using 3 devices: 1) iPhone./Android, 2) a cheap $250 netbook like an Dell Mini9. 3) an electronic unlock keypad.

Build me a system that locks the doors of my house using location vicinity when I drive away from my driveway. It unlocks the doors when as I drive up. When I leave, if there are any intruders via motion detection, send me a SMS alert to my iPhone and allow me to call 911 with pertinent info. Motion detection cannot be a physical device. It must be whatever is on the netbook. In the event, I lose the phone, I should be able to add a different phone (as the authenticating unlock phone to my house) only through the workstation at my office desk. Furthermore, you can't develop any custom app on the iPhone using Apple's SDK or Google's SDK. It must be completely HTML5 or web-based. You can't buy any 3rd party app or solution. It must be home-grown.


if you can give me a realistic, real-world example of how you solve this problem, then I can say you are tech savvy. Otherwise, just more google-monkeys. Guess what, all my mac,iPhone-fanboys in my close circle can do this after 20 minute brainstorming.

 

[A.Nonymous]

There is no real definition of "tech savvy" here. I hire programmers and architects all the time. I've met some brilliant people but mostly, a lot of wanna-bees. I call them code-monkeys who would fail to do anything productive without Google search queries. I've given analytical tests and locked interviewees in a room with no access to computers and most of them fail. I get the impression here, that many consider tech savvy to be a person who can built a white-box computer from scratch. Thats what I hear. Being able to drag-n-drop files thru a SD vs using iTunes is tech savvy. I also hear about rooting phones, adding wallpapers, customizing their GUI.

To me, none of that is even remotely tech savvy. Tech Savvy to me is about grasping concepts, being able to have out-of-the box problem solving skills to handle a problem. Being able to exploit the technology in a meaningful way.

Here is a simple test scenario. Without using Google or any search engine, here is an example of a scenario I ask my colleagues to test their analytical creativity:

Using 3 devices: 1) iPhone./Android, 2) a cheap $250 netbook like an Dell Mini9. 3) an electronic unlock keypad.

Build me a system that locks the doors of my house using location vicinity when I drive away from my driveway. It unlocks the doors when as I drive up. When I leave, if there are any intruders via motion detection, send me a SMS alert to my iPhone and allow me to call 911 with pertinent info. Motion detection cannot be a physical device. It must be whatever is on the netbook. In the event, I lose the phone, I should be able to add a different phone (as the authenticating unlock phone to my house) only through the workstation at my office desk. Furthermore, you can't develop any custom app on the iPhone using Apple's SDK or Google's SDK. It must be completely HTML5 or web-based. You can't buy any 3rd party app or solution. It must be home-grown.


if you can give me a realistic, real-world example of how you solve this problem, then I can say you are tech savvy. Otherwise, just more google-monkeys. Guess what, all my mac,iPhone-fanboys in my close circle can do this after 20 minute brainstorming.

That's not that difficult though assuming you know HTML5 or some web based coding language. I don't because I'm not a programmer, but I could sketch out what something would look like in about 10 seconds (assuming the lock is IP enabled). I would not be able to actually code it though so I would fail your test. That's a simple problem though.

I'm still looking for the "statistics" on how tech savvy iPhone users are as compared to Android users for no other reason than to see how they defined tech savvy in their survey or study or whatever.

 

[darreno1]

I would qualify that as simply having poor critical thinking skills. I work with a guy who I'd consider a pretty sharp guy. However, his critical thinking skills are piss poor. If someone gives me a problem, I spend time gathering lots of info about the problem, formulate a hypothesis, rule stuff out, then figure out how to test my hypothesis before I even talk to the user. He talks to the user and immediately starts throwing solutions at the wall to see what sticks.

The other day someone calls because they claim a certain web based app won't print to a certain printer. They say another person is having the exact same problem with the same printer. This once worked, but now doesn't. He has them print a test page. It doesn't work. Then he prints a web page. It does work. Then he prints a web page again. It doesn't work. Then he prints a page from the app, it works. He tells me all of this and tells me it makes no sense. I conclude that the printer is what the problem is since it's the common denominator and since we had issues with it previous where idiot users have unplugged it or jostled the network cable. His response is to call tech support for the web based app and start contacting tech support for the printer as well. He spent 3-4 hours on the problem and I have no clue what he ended up coming up with. No critical thinking skills at all.

IMO, you can't have poor critical thinking skills as you put it and be tech savvy. It's a necessary ingredient. Knowing specs and being able to impress with knowledge is one thing. However understanding and putting that knowledge to practical use is another and is where 'savvy' comes in. There are tons of people in here who can follow simple instructions and achieve root but ask those same people what root really means, and I bet most don't have a clue. Anyway, that 'sharp' guy you mentioned above won't last too long at my job.

 

[mrspeedmaster]

That's not that difficult though assuming you know HTML5 or some web based coding language. I don't because I'm not a programmer, but I could sketch out what something would look like in about 10 seconds (assuming the lock is IP enabled).

Lock is not IP enabled on any phone. Most people who took this test usually go that route and make that same assumption.

 

[darreno1]

To me, none of that is even remotely tech savvy. Tech Savvy to me is about grasping concepts, being able to have out-of-the box problem solving skills to handle a problem.

Here you really haven't said anything different to what I said above. Grasping concepts is the key here and is what leads to effective problem solving.

Being able to exploit the technology in a meaningful way.

I believe this is bordering on being creative. I think one can be savvy without necessarily being creative and vice versa. Also being savvy to me transcends any one particular field. It's a mindset.

 

[mrspeedmaster]

Here you really haven't said anything different to what I said above. Grasping concepts is the key here and is what leads to effective problem solving.

I wasn't arguing your point. My post wasn't meant to be rebutting your point.

I was pointing out many of the definitions of what many people call tech savvy. The definitions I've read on various threads seems like a bunch of kids who work at Best Buy think they're savvy because they can build a windoze gaming rig.
I agree with you. You need to have analytical, creative and critical thinking skills in technology to be classified as "tech savvy"

I believe this is bordering on being creative. I think one can be savvy without necessarily being creative and vice versa. Also being savvy to me transcends any one particular field. It's a mindset.

This I disagree with you. You need to be creative to solve a problem. You also need to have some level of technical competencies that you can leverage in solving those problems. You then innovate with whatever domain experience you have at your disposal.
Most of the problems I deal with on a day-to-day basis cannot be found on online-forums, FAQs, help sites. But the culmination of domain experience and creative thinking can solve problems.

If I asked someone to build a system that generate "press quality" billboard ads for every possible sizes for all the various airports in different languages and pull various artwork from different stock photo agencies, that person would have to have sysadmin, database, programming, cloud computing, storage expertise, & hardware expertise. They would also need to be platform agnostic - Unix, Mac, Windows.

Being creative without the expertise to back it up leads to pure conjecture. Hence, the "tech" part of "tech savvy." You do need some prior competencies.

Back to the phones.

This whole, "Android is a Bugatti/Iphone is a PT Cruiser" thing is ridiculous. Tell my wife that her old Motorola Backflip is a Bugatti.

 

[darreno1]

I

This I disagree with you. You need to be creative to solve a problem.

Yes and no. It depends on the problem. In your field most likely yes. In mine (mostly consulting, deploying, setting up hardware, and troubleshooting hardware and OS glitches) not necessarily. Sometimes the solution is black and white and no creativity is needed to solve it except experience (gained from using analytical skills on a similar problem), good documentation, a process of elimination, and time. Other times, yes, when the problem is intermittent or new, you may have to formulate a theory that may involve recreating a certain situation to get to the root cause. So some creativity does come into play.

You also need to have some level of technical competencies that you can leverage in solving those problems.

Totally agree.

 

[muab]

There is no real definition of "tech savvy" here. I hire programmers and architects all the time. I've met some brilliant people but mostly, a lot of wanna-bees. I call them code-monkeys who would fail to do anything productive without Google search queries. I've given analytical tests and locked interviewees in a room with no access to computers and most of them fail. I get the impression here, that many consider tech savvy to be a person who can built a white-box computer from scratch. Thats what I hear. Being able to drag-n-drop files thru a SD vs using iTunes is tech savvy. I also hear about rooting phones, adding wallpapers, customizing their GUI.

To me, none of that is even remotely tech savvy. Tech Savvy to me is about grasping concepts, being able to have out-of-the box problem solving skills to handle a problem. Being able to exploit the technology in a meaningful way.

Here is a simple test scenario. Without using Google or any search engine, here is an example of a scenario I ask my colleagues to test their analytical creativity:

Using 3 devices: 1) iPhone./Android, 2) a cheap $250 netbook like an Dell Mini9. 3) an electronic unlock keypad.

Build me a system that locks the doors of my house using location vicinity when I drive away from my driveway. It unlocks the doors when as I drive up. When I leave, if there are any intruders via motion detection, send me a SMS alert to my iPhone and allow me to call 911 with pertinent info. Motion detection cannot be a physical device. It must be whatever is on the netbook. In the event, I lose the phone, I should be able to add a different phone (as the authenticating unlock phone to my house) only through the workstation at my office desk. Furthermore, you can't develop any custom app on the iPhone using Apple's SDK or Google's SDK. It must be completely HTML5 or web-based. You can't buy any 3rd party app or solution. It must be home-grown.


if you can give me a realistic, real-world example of how you solve this problem, then I can say you are tech savvy. Otherwise, just more google-monkeys. Guess what, all my mac,iPhone-fanboys in my close circle can do this after 20 minute brainstorming.

Hmmm, Mrspeed it sounds like a very large portion of your defined tech-savvy-ness would be what I would think of as "creative skills" or perhaps "creative problem solving". I can see from the sounds of your job those kind of skills would be highly valuable whereas perhaps other valid tech-savvy-ness would be of little use.

Many engineers I know would be highly stumped by this sort of problem, but they design complex RF circuits or even satellites. They are not really creative at all, but I think quite tech-savvy.

If we were to put all smart phone users through a complex battery of tests I would bot be at all surprised to find a higher than average distribution of "creative capacity" among the iPhone group.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, most ad/marketing/design people I work with seem to pop out the chute equipped with an iPhone.
As I also mentioned, they tend to be very intelligent, very creative but not usually to tech-oriented.

Hmm, so we might have an interesting effect or balancing act here. Creativity on one line, knowledge of technology on another, and..hmm... perhaps time/willingness/ability to tinker on the other... I suspect if we could actually measure those we might see some interesting relationships between those categories and smartphone usage.

And, for all the fanboi talk, we can probably take half the Droid crowd and toss them because they bought the Droid when someone told them it was an iPhone killer or because it had more "megawatts" than an iPhone.
We can likewise toss more than half of the iPhone crowd because Apples marketing is so damned effective.

The remaining quantities might actually use more than 25% of either phone's capabilities.

Okay...someone go get bloody government grant and we shall fund the study. ..


Cheers

 

[Monima]

you forgot Flash and looking long term music store with simplified media to stream from home, also google has google apps which apple doesn't, I know it sounds repetitive, along with the AOSP and rom development.

Companies could actually use rom development to customize android to increase business production. As an example Best Buy is talking about making a table for in store use based off 2.2. While apple does do something similar with their stores, the use of google could be used in any business and even in academia

Unless Apple contracts out a second manufacturer, they won't ever be able to fill enough demand to satisfy the market. Together HTC, Motorola, and Samsung can.

 

[muab]

you forgot Flash and looking long term music store with simplified media to stream from home, also google has google apps which apple doesn't, I know it sounds repetitive, along with the AOSP and rom development.

Companies could actually use rom development to customize android to increase business production. As an example Best Buy is talking about making a table for in store use based off 2.2. While apple does do something similar with their stores, the use of google could be used in any business and even in academia

Unless Apple contracts out a second manufacturer, they won't ever be able to fill enough demand to satisfy the market. Together HTC, Motorola, and Samsung can.

Those are all excellent points.

As I have stated in earlier posts I think it is beyond argument that Android will be dominant among all smartphone OS offerings by a substantial margin.

The iPhone will always be (or for many years at least) the most profitable product, in my opinion. It has by far the most well-defined brand, and Apple is quite good about brand purity. This equals sustained sales and excellent profit margins for Apple.

God I love to see intelligent marketing

 

[mrspeedmaster]

As I mentioned in an earlier post, most ad/marketing/design people I work with seem to pop out the chute equipped with an iPhone.
As I also mentioned, they tend to be very intelligent, very creative but not usually to tech-oriented.

The problem here is many fall into the problem of "type-casting" certain users and dismissing their "tech-orientation." Being able to root and add wifi-tethering to their phone (which I do on all 3 of my Android handsets) doesn't make a person tech savvy.

Like another poster mentioned, following instructions is monkey stuff. We have a term for wanna-be mechanics: grease monkey. Wannabe programmers are : code-monkeys. Wannabee sabre rattling forum posters who call themselves tech savvy tend to be "google-monkeys"

When I was younger, I had the same elitists attitude. As a DBA in my younger days, I used to laugh and look down at all the people who used Microsoft Access, Filemaker, and even MYSQL. I vehemently hated Filemaker (owned by Apple) the most because it was so friggen locked down. I called it a toy. The same arguments Android fanboys make against iPhone. The thing is so fricken locked down. I ridiculed people who called themselves DB consultants who only worked in Filemaker or Access.

Then when I had contracts for clients who used Filemaker, I had to hire a FM DBA who, again, I looked down at his skill-set. One day, during an onsite review, they guy gave the most impressive consultation I saw. The clients (very, computer illiterate, non computer savvy Apple users) got stuff done. This is for a client who generates over 15 million in revenues. It was like an epiphany. Their entire distribution was done on a "toy" database. The ease-of-use I saw with my own eyes was amazing. If I had to do the job, I would have done over-kill with an Oracle DB, Java,etc... It would have cost the client at least $60K using a "real database system" with a team of 30 engineers outsourced from India.

His whole consultation and cost to the client was less than $800. I would have used a sledgehammer instead of finessing toothpick to solve their problem. The end user was able to point-n-click in their "locked, wall garden" app and created shipping forms, generated a web base front end in a matter of minutes. That level of ease-of-use was pure genius. So my epiphany was that I never look down on what others consider "lower, lesser tech."

On another note, do I look down on this consultant and the clients? No. I hate to use the granny metaphor but one of the client was a 60 year old lady who could barely fire up Firefox but she got things done with their "locked down" system. She may not know how to add an attachment but she sure knows how to handle distribution of her company products all over the world. She has a different skill set than what I have but I can't see myself doing her "job" Building her an "open system" couldn't help her at all. In fact, it would have been counter-productive; learning a new system,etc...

perhaps time/willingness/ability to tinker on the other

I will give you that. Android is much "funner" for tinkering around. But tinkering around doesn't make a system better. Nor do some people want to dedicate the time to do so. Some just want it to "work"

 

[muab]

^----...Excellent post Mrspeed. All very valid points.

In the firearms world there is a saying: "Beware of the man with only one rifle...he probably knows how to use it."

A novice can also have just one rifle and both people may look a lot the same...if you catch my drift.


I think a great deal of the emotion we are running into here is this:

iPhone is a the dominant brand (even though no longer dominant in sales) and this makes the iPhone crowd cocky, and makes the users of the chief competitor a little defensive...especially when the chief competitor has more horsepower.

A fair quantity of iPhone users that one may encounter at a party or social gathering are clueless (because Apple's marketing is so effective they are BETTER at getting a broader audience to spend a large quantity of cash on a device they barely understand)--Kudos to Apple.

A lot of guys on this forum encounter ONLY these iPhone party dwellers and thus have castigated the entire breed of iPhone users.

Thus, they make anecdotal leaps that might not be the case if they ran in different circles.

I have observed similar trends in other fields.

And yes, I agree completely (and said in an earlier post) that a lot of very tech-savvy guys are all done screwing with bells and whistles in their day job and they want a smartphone that works with a minimum of fuss and the iPhone fits that bill nicely I think.

Cheers

 

[mrspeedmaster]

A lot of guys on this forum encounter ONLY these iPhone party dwellers and thus have castigated the entire breed of iPhone users.

Thus, they make anecdotal leaps that might not be the case if they ran in different circles.

That is changing. I noticed on my Facebook feeds, a lot more people are using Android phones. Only 3 out of 40 or so Android users in my circle would I call intelligent or savvy. The rest are clueless cougars who only got them on discounts or was tied to their corporate/family plans. $40 Moto Droids, $29 Vibrants go a long way of attracting the bottom of the cesspool.

I also notice a lot of dim-wit iPhone users as well.

The difference is, people with iPhone know what their phone are capable/not capable of. They know they have an iPhone and it comes with a web browser. Many people with back-flips, Cliqs, Eris,Arias have no clue they have smartphones. I have to show them the Android marketplace when I see them. Many still do status updates via SMS instead of a dedicate app or whatever came with the phone. Some still have this fear of downloading apps because they think there is a charge associated with it.

At least Verizon Android users (Droid1/DroidX) know they have Android phones. The VZW marketing does help. It will be a matter of time where a lot of people have Android phones and don't even know it.

And yes, I agree completely (and said in an earlier post) that a lot of very tech-savvy guys are all done screwing with bells and whistles in their day job and they want a smartphone that works with a minimum of fuss and the iPhone fits that bill nicely I think.

Exactly, and many people don't want to acknowledge that fact so the stereotyping continues.

 

[Niir]

Tech Savvy: Using the tools best suited to the job you need to do. Knowing what tools are available to do the job you need to do.

Whether its coding languages, operating systems or hardware I would say KNOWING what options are available and what they do best is ''tech savvy''.

 

[A.Nonymous]

IMO, you can't have poor critical thinking skills as you put it and be tech savvy. It's a necessary ingredient. Knowing specs and being able to impress with knowledge is one thing. However understanding and putting that knowledge to practical use is another and is where 'savvy' comes in. There are tons of people in here who can follow simple instructions and achieve root but ask those same people what root really means, and I bet most don't have a clue. Anyway, that 'sharp' guy you mentioned above won't last too long at my job.

In my job, he'll probably last longer than I will because his spinning his wheels generates billable time which generates revenue. I get a task and I solve it in 20 mins. He gets the same task and it takes him 3 hours. If we're billing this particular client $200 an hour then my solution cost them about $60. His solution cost them $600. Which solution would my company rather present?

Lock is not IP enabled on any phone. Most people who took this test usually go that route and make that same assumption.

So this is basically just a standard dumb lock that has no electronic components then? I'm now starting to dream up a Rube Goldberg machine.

you forgot Flash and looking long term music store with simplified media to stream from home, also google has google apps which apple doesn't, I know it sounds repetitive, along with the AOSP and rom development.

Companies could actually use rom development to customize android to increase business production. As an example Best Buy is talking about making a table for in store use based off 2.2. While apple does do something similar with their stores, the use of google could be used in any business and even in academia

Unless Apple contracts out a second manufacturer, they won't ever be able to fill enough demand to satisfy the market. Together HTC, Motorola, and Samsung can.

I disagree with this, but I know where you're coming from. I think most companies are not going to screw with developing a custom ROM for android just to use in their business. That takes a lot of time and money and I don't know what you could possibly include in said ROM that would justify that expense. Then you have to support that ROM and can't depend on your carrier or the phone manufacturer to do so. The possibility is certainly there, but the expense would be enormous and I don't know what a business would gain from it that would make it worthwhile.

I also don't think Apple is running into issues satisfying market demand right now either. Their phones may be backordered at times, but customers seem willing to wait.

 

[mrspeedmaster]

So this is basically just a standard dumb lock that has no electronic components then? I'm now starting to dream up a Rube Goldberg machine.

There are a few solutions and ways to go about it. One of the ways does involve using web technology but the authenticating mechanism does not validate against an ip address. We all know cellular ip address change all the time (dhcp) so it is out of the running. The test question gave some possible hints on how to solve it. Actually, the question is very clear cut and does give some blueprint on how to do it.

 

[A.Nonymous]

There are a few solutions and ways to go about it. One of the ways does involve using web technology but the authenticating mechanism does not validate against an ip address. We all know cellular ip address change all the time (dhcp) so it is out of the running. The test question gave some possible hints on how to solve it. Actually, the question is very clear cut and does give some blueprint on how to do it.

The issue I run into is that it's a dumb lock. I could (assuming I could program in HTML5 which I can't) make a web based app that's only accessible from one IP (the IP of the small laptop). I could set up your phone to generate an SMS when it comes within or leaves a certain location and I could set up the software to generate a lock/unlock request based on that SMS. I could set it up so that it only accepts an SMS request from XYZ cell phone number and you could only change that from the laptop. That part wouldn't be too complicated assuming I had programming skills.

The system would go something like you leave >> phone sends SMS >> SMS tells the lock to lock >> the lock locks. When you arrive, the opposite happens. You could easily set up SMS generating events in the system.

The main issue is how to open the lock. It's a dumb lock. Traditionally the only way to lock or unlock it is to put in a key and turn it or turn a switch on the inside of the lock. I confess I'm at a loss as to how to make that happen remotely without some sort of complex mechanism. I suppose I would not qualify as tech savvy by your definition.

 

[mrspeedmaster]

I could set it up so that it only accepts an SMS request from XYZ cell phone number and you could only change that from the laptop. That part wouldn't be too complicated assuming I had programming skills.

The system would go something like you leave >> phone sends SMS >> SMS tells the lock to lock >> the lock locks. When you arrive, the opposite happens. You could easily set up SMS generating events in the system.

You are very close but the problem is the netbook does not have a 3G card and does not have the ability to receive SMS. I'll say this. I would only use SMS as a challenge-response mechanism in the authenticating part. Meaning, the phone communicates with the netbook one way but the netbook can asks for a follow-up token response. This token response could be an SMS.
Since the netbook can't receive SMS, it can still send out an email which is received as an SMS on the phone. E.G. 555-555-1212@vzw.com or 555111222@cingular.attw.com type emails will be received as SMS.

Here is another hint. The question mentions something about location awareness.

 

[A.Nonymous]

You are very close but the problem is the netbook does not have a 3G card and does not have the ability to receive SMS. I'll say this. I would only use SMS as a challenge-response mechanism in the authenticating part. Meaning, the phone communicates with the netbook one way but the netbook can asks for a follow-up token response. This token response could be an SMS.
Since the netbook can't receive SMS, it can still send out an email which is received as an SMS on the phone. E.G. 555-555-1212@vzw.com or 555111222@cingular.attw.com type emails will be received as SMS.

Here is another hint. The question mentions something about location awareness.

It doesn't need a 3g card to receive SMS. All it needs is access to an email server with an SMS gateway. I could easily set up a program on Android to send an SMS based on location. That's no issue. The issue I run into is how to open the lock without a key and without a human hand to flip the switch.

 

[xboxkid]

The i Phone 4 doesn't even look cool... it just looks awkwardly flat on the front, then the back scratches up. Then you have the issue of the front being made of glass... dear god, how could that possibly be a good idea, one drop and that front is DONE!!! I held one and i was scared because i felt like i was gonna crush it by holding it. Thats just the appearance, not even mentioning on how most android phones simply bend over the i Phone.

 

[mrspeedmaster]

It doesn't need a 3g card to receive SMS. All it needs is access to an email server with an SMS gateway. I could easily set up a program on Android to send an SMS based on location. That's no issue. The issue I run into is how to open the lock without a key and without a human hand to flip the switch.

Good rebuttal.

Here is an answer from a guy who happens to be a Blackberry user. He answered it in 5 minutes with specifics (which language/tools he would use). I had some questions but he was able to articulate a satisfactory answer:

Netbook would run Linux. For motion detection, he would run a cron job that captures images every 15 seconds through the front camera using imagemagick. Any difference would be sent out to the phone as a message with an encrypted link to view the/capture the image. Phones can be added to the authentication list on his desktop workstation via a secured tunnel (nothing complicated here).

The phone would run a HTML5 browser like Mobile safari that would post to the netbook via HTTP protocol (aka simple web form). The netbook; running apache would get the form post from the phone with the location coordinates. Mobile Safari and certain Android browsers would allow lat/long to be acquired and posted back to the server. The netbook would calculate the coordinates within a specific range and validate a boolean unlock method. No app was needed to be written for the phone. The web app would refresh periodically or send the talk back during regular interval refresh or thru a jquery event handler. To authenticate that it is truly from the phone, it sends out an SMS with an embedded link (Challenge/response).

To unlock the door, a spliced RJ45 cable would be connected to the electronic lock's bypass. The RJ45 cable would be connected to the laptops eth0 port. The netbook's server would run PHP's shell escape command and run an arp or wake-on-lan to generate a signal to the Rj45 cable to trigger a bypass unlock . It would be soldiered onto the lock's mechanism.
--- end of answer

Well, a few other people would use a serial cable. I had questions on the ethernet port activity trigger random unlock. Wouldn't using an ethernet cable cause it to accidently unlock and lock? His answer was to enable and disable the network interface thru a shell command when he did his WOL (Wake on Lan). Some people suggested using a hardwire to one of the netbook's LED notification to send the signal.

Answer was not perfect but it was satisfactory. Some of the people who failed the test were the type who were locked into certain methodologies. 70% of the people who failed assumed the netbook had to run apps as root. Hence, they never even considered using a web cgi solution. This prevented them to explore that avenue (above). This curtailed any ingenuity or critical thinking. You don't need to run root based on the answer given by the Blackberry owner. I had more "sledge hammer" and overly complicated type answers that showed no creativity.

This type of questions are very, very basic. My best friend failed a Google interview. Given the set of questions, I would have failed too. I'll give out tests that are a bit more specific. For example, if they're applying for a database work, I would ask a different set of questions I would ask a web developer.

 

[Niir]

you are talking about a fraction of a fraction though.

I would say in this day an age tech savvy in a general population sense is anyone who wouldnt buy a PC from a highstreet retailer.

anything else is just basing your definition of your experience without taking into account the wider context of peoples general knowledge.

 

[muab]

you are talking about a fraction of a fraction though.

I would say in this day an age tech savvy in a general population sense is anyone who wouldnt buy a PC from a highstreet retailer.

anything else is just basing your definition of your experience without taking into account the wider context of peoples general knowledge.

I think there is some strong truth to what you say. Mrspeed, A.Nonymous and I have been kind of exploring the different directions that what we think of as "tech-savvy" can be expressed. Not sure if you caught all of the posts.

From what I see of Mrspeed, you are correct in some of your assertions.

He is in apparently a pretty demanding technological field and he has developed a filter from personal experience that defines "tech-savvy" in a very specific way. Yes, that would be a small fraction of a fraction to be sure.
And I think most of us would feel his criteria is pretty demanding, but I think his point was that in his circles the truly "tech-savvy" people by his definition use iPhones at least as often as Android phones.
This was to rebut some of the earlier comments that all (or nearly all) iPhone users are non-tech-savvy posers.

Since we are having a hard time finding any good solid info defining the comparative "tech-savvy-ness" of iPhone users versus Android users we have all been offering our own experience and anecdotal evidence.

Since Mrspeed is an Android user AND an iPhone user, and he has rooted wifi-tethered Android platforms, works in technology etc.. his perspective is pretty informed.

I think his point above regarding some of the lower cost Android phones is very salient. The average iPhone buyer has been fairly well educated about the iPhone through Apple's amazing marketing. The iPhone is also THE BEST phone from the standpoint of branding. (I can explain this if any care to hear what I mean) so people really know at least the key bullet points of what they are buying. Since Android overall is much less focused brand-wise, there are people buying inexpensive Android OS devices who have never realized they can browse the internet or install a bazillion free Apps.

Before anyone gets riled up though, recognize neither he nor I are suggesting the iPhone is better or more powerful than, say, the Droid/Droid2/Droid X and similar phones.

It would be interesting, though, to see Mrspeed spend some time in a university crowd, say in a school with some great tech and engineering programs, and see how the distribution of savyness (at least latent savyness) and smartphone distribution differs from his current world.


Cheers, and good day to you all

 

[A.Nonymous]

Good rebuttal.

Here is an answer from a guy who happens to be a Blackberry user. He answered it in 5 minutes with specifics (which language/tools he would use). I had some questions but he was able to articulate a satisfactory answer:

Netbook would run Linux. For motion detection, he would run a cron job that captures images every 15 seconds through the front camera using imagemagick. Any difference would be sent out to the phone as a message with an encrypted link to view the/capture the image. Phones can be added to the authentication list on his desktop workstation via a secured tunnel (nothing complicated here).

I'm not familiar with the program imagemagik. I would fail the test right there. The thought of using a webcam on the netbook occured to me, but you didn't specifically say that it had one and not all of them do. Personally, I'd restrict access via IP myself and use an SSL tunnel too.

The phone would run a HTML5 browser like Mobile safari that would post to the netbook via HTTP protocol (aka simple web form). The netbook; running apache would get the form post from the phone with the location coordinates. Mobile Safari and certain Android browsers would allow lat/long to be acquired and posted back to the server. The netbook would calculate the coordinates within a specific range and validate a boolean unlock method. No app was needed to be written for the phone. The web app would refresh periodically or send the talk back during regular interval refresh or thru a jquery event handler. To authenticate that it is truly from the phone, it sends out an SMS with an embedded link (Challenge/response).

Why not have a GPS program like Locale or Tasker send an SMS directly to the site or netbook via an SMS gateway? No need to authenticate anything. If an SMS is sent from XYZ phone number you can lock/unlock the door.

To unlock the door, a spliced RJ45 cable would be connected to the electronic lock's bypass. The RJ45 cable would be connected to the laptops eth0 port. The netbook's server would run PHP's shell escape command and run an arp or wake-on-lan to generate a signal to the Rj45 cable to trigger a bypass unlock . It would be soldiered onto the lock's mechanism.
--- end of answer

But you said it was a dumb lock. Or at least I said it was a dumb lock and you made no effort to correct me. If you can splice a cable to it then the lock is technically an IP device. I could assign an IP to that cable and have a much simpler system that would generate an unlock code based on SMS entirely and bypass the netbook.

Answer was not perfect but it was satisfactory. Some of the people who failed the test were the type who were locked into certain methodologies. 70% of the people who failed assumed the netbook had to run apps as root. Hence, they never even considered using a web cgi solution. This prevented them to explore that avenue (above). This curtailed any ingenuity or critical thinking. You don't need to run root based on the answer given by the Blackberry owner. I had more "sledge hammer" and overly complicated type answers that showed no creativity.

I wouldn't assume you'd run Linux on the netbook. It's a very niche OS. I figured you were running something like XP Home. I don't mind admitting I would epically fail your "tech savvy" test even though I've got a programming degree and 8-10 yrs experience doing desktop and server support.

This type of questions are very, very basic. My best friend failed a Google interview. Given the set of questions, I would have failed too. I'll give out tests that are a bit more specific. For example, if they're applying for a database work, I would ask a different set of questions I would ask a web developer.

Sounds very complicated to me and not basic.