It's all in my head

For the people that know me personally, the first question I'm usually asked is "What phone do you have now?”. I can easily go through 5 phones a year. I've owned every version of the iPhone as well several different Android phones including the Motorola Droid and the Samsung Galaxy SII. I've also owned one of the first Windows Phone to hit market which was the Samsung Focus. The Focus was great phone, but the OS at the time was like driving a car over a teenagers face, bumpy!

I was excited when I found out that Nokia was going to be releasing a Windows Phone stateside. I've always been a fan of Nokia hardware. I remember when I owned a Nokia 5110 and the 8800. Both were excellent phones!

I picked up the Lumia 900 on Friday the 13th and the hardware was exactly what I expected, beautiful! From the unibody construction, to the 8mp camera, to its 4.3 inch ClearBlack AMOLED display.

Now it was time to get familiar with Mango, Microsoft's latest Windows Phone 7 OS all over again. Mango brings to some new features that weren’t present before. Here’s a rundown of some of the new enhancements.

• Email and Messaging
• Social Network Integration
• Multitasking
• Groups
• Calendar
• Marketplace
• Maps and Local Scout

At least for me, these enhancements put Windows Phone 7 on par with IOS and Android. Every OS isn’t without its problems though. Here's a list of annoyances I've encoutered throughout the week:

• Viewing notifications no matter what application I'm using. There's no easy way to view all of your new notifications without exiting the application you're in using. You either have go to the home screen or go to the "ME" hub.
• Screen resolution of 800x480. This is a problem when trying to read text on the screen.  The text will start become pixilated when zooming in which makes it hard to read. This is a limitation of the OS and not the Nokia hardware.
• Can be sluggish. When listening to music and fast switching from surfing the internet and replying to text, the phone seemed to bog down and stutter. The fluid motion of switching from app to app was virtually gone. This might be due to the single core processor that’s in the phone, but again, this another limitation of the OS as it currently doesn’t support multi-core processors.

With the release of the Lumia 900, Nokia has found some data connection issues. Good thing is that it’s a software fix that Nokia has already released and you can get it NOW! If you purchase the phone before April 21^st, At&T and Nokia will give you $100 credit on your next bill for the inconvenience. A smart move!

I don’t play a lot of games and the small core of apps I’ve used on iOS and Android, I was able to find in the Windows Phone Marketplace, so as of right now, the Lumia 900 fits my lifestyle. I’ll continue to use the Lumia as my daily driver until the next phone comes out the peaks my interest. There are a lot of reviews for Mango and the Lumia. Be sure to check them out.

In case you haven't heard. Nokia and AT&T officially launched the much anticipated Nokia Lumia 900, Nokia's first Windows Phone for the U.S. market. There was a big event in New York where Nokia took over Time Square with the help of Nicki Minaj this past Friday. Ah Nicki Minaj and all her marmalade goodness! I'm sure she won't hurt sales at all!

There seems to be a Bruce Lee movie that was released last month from MediaAsia. As told by his brother, Robert Lee, the biopic Bruce Lee, My Brother will tell the story of Bruce Lee before he was forced to leave Hong Kong for San Francisco. I've always been a fan of Bruce Lee and I hope newcomer Aarif Lee does Bruce Lee justice. I don't know if this will ever be released stateside, but I'll eventually get my hands on it sooner or later. Check out the trailer.

The name of the school might be a bit misleading, but this isn’t your ordinary school. The Fishing School is a nationally-recognized youth development  organization that serves the young people and their families in Washington D.C. This school follows the philosophy “If you give a man a fish, you will feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will feed himself for a lifetime.” The school offers a variety of programs like English and math to science and technology to help young students get ahead. I’m very proud to say that my uncle Tom Lewis is the founder and president. The school was also on the show “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” that aired in February 2010. Please feel free to follow the links for more information and if you are in a generous mood, feel free to donate.

Date of Death, Tuesday August 17, 2010

Obituary 

Lieutenant Commander Jimmy Lewis 

LCDR Jimmy Lewis was born the 13^th of 15 children on September 3^rd1952 in Elizabethtown, North Carolina to the late Martha and Gaston Lewis.  He is a 1971 graduate of Elizabethtown High School.  Jimmy also held a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of New York and a Master of Science degree in Public Administration from the Central Michigan University.  He was united in Holy Matrimony to Shay Lin of Taipei Taiwan in August 1978.  They were the loving parents of 3 children.   He joined the United States Navy on 28 November 1972 and remained on active duty for 27 years, retiring in July 1999.  While in the Navy, Jimmy’s travels included Australia, the Philippines, Naples Italy, Honolulu Hawaii, Japan, Taiwan, Haiti, Canada, Thailand, and Guam. Having joined the Navy as an E1, Jimmy quickly climbed thru the ranks making E7.  Realizing his leadership, management and technical skills, the Navy promoted him to the Officers ranks where he held titles of Technical Control Officer, Staff Communications Officer, Network Operations Manager and Director of Communications, Telecommunications Operations Officer, and Telecommunications Branch Chief.  His military awards include: 

• Three Defense Meritorious Service Medals
• Two Joint Service Achievement Medals
• Two Navy Achievement Medals
• Two Navy Commendation Medals
• Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist Insignia

 Raised in a Christian home, Jimmy accepted Christ as his savior early in life. He was a faithful member of Capital Community Church (CCC).  Jimmy was also Head Usher at CCC. Jimmy leaves to cherish his memory, his loving and devoted wife, Shay, three wonderful children, Sandra Lewis of Sacramento, CA; Dexter Lewis of Leesburg, VA, and Tiffany (William) Figueroa of Leesburg, VA, Godson, Reginald Dexter Keeton of Jacksonville, FL, two grandchildren, Jaydelyn and Sonnee.   Four sisters:  Maggie Lewis and Sarah Singletary of Elizabethtown, NC, Ethel Evans of Bladenboro, NC, Sherby Lewis of Upper Marlboro, MD; six brothers: James Lewis (Kathryn) of Elizabethtown, NC, Thomas Lewis (Lucille) of Washington, DC, Edward Lewis (Gloria) of Temple Hill, MD, Arthur Lewis (Sarah) of Temple Hill, MD, Carl Lewis (Frankie) of Goldsboro, NC, Cleveland Lewis of Madison,GA, and a host of Nieces, Nephews, Relatives and Friends.