Many of you know that I am gung-ho about the value of Flipboard Magazines. Here is a post from Jeff Bullas which documents great reasons for creating your own Flipboard Magazine. Recently Flipboard has upgraded their bookmarklet which gives even more ways to maximize content you flip into magazines, including choosing the exact image and size, plus the ability to call out products. Link here for my own post on the value and tutorial on creating a Flipboard Magazine.

Today I want to test the tracking of Flipboard links to a web site (in this case, back to this blog) via Google Analytics and Google's URL Campaign Builder. The basic idea is that I will be able to insert an image / page into Flipboard and easily track it back to this blog. From a marketing vantage point this adds huge value to any online referral source. I will update this post in a few days with a report on whether the Google Analytics Campaign Builder worked as desired. (update on November 18th: Using Google Campaign Builder I have been easily able to track Flipboard magazine referrals to my site)

If you just want to view my own magazine, here is Lake Superior Waves

One content item I like to post into Lake Superior Waves is information and photos about the Northern Lights, which are quite viewable here in northern Minnesota. One way I keep myself informed is via the use of a Northern Lights app on my Android smartphone, Aurora Alert.

Thus, when conditions are optimal, you will often find the NorthStarNerd viewing the nightime skies and photographing the Northern Lights. However, given optimal viewing is often at 2:00 or 3:00 am, determining whether it is worth getting out of a warm bed is important. I want to minimize my lost sleep!  The app, Aurora Alert, is well worth the price of admission ($1.99). It brings together in one spot data from NOAA and other government web sites which allow one to receive both a Aurora Borealis forecast, and know the exact current conditions. One place the app shines is giving the user an alert that is geographic specific to one's exact location. Here are a few screenshots taken from my own smartphone. Click upon any image to view at full size and resolution.

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My Phone's Home Screen, and Current Northern Lights Conditions

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The Northern Lights Forecast and Ovation Aurora (web page)
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The Alert Settings and my Preferences.
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Here is a photograph from a recent night spent photographing the Northern Lights. This picture was taken in Duluth, Minnesota up on Hawk Ridge. The trees in the foreground are illuminated using "light painting". Click upon the image to view at full size and resolution.

Google / Motorola may be attempting to do with hardware what Android is doing to the software operating system world … a revolution! Project Ara is attempting to develop modular compenents for smartphones which incorporate open hardware design. Imagine this idea for a phone:

• GPS navigation is important for you? (add a higher end GPS module to your phone)
• Video is NOT important for you? (remove video camera module from your phone)
• Pay for only the modules you install 
• Phone is customize for your needs and tastes
• Open source community designs new modules

Sound interesting? Read up on Project Ara.

I've signed up with Motorola to be a beta tester. I'll report back at the project progresses. At this point I've installed the Ara dScout app to my smartphone and have complete the three requested "missions".

Bloatware! Anytime you purchase an Android Smartphone it comes with all kinds of pre-installed apps. However, more often than not you rarely use these apps and to make matters worse … these same apps take up valuable memory / storage space on your phone (or tablet). 

There exists a fairly easy solution. Via your settings menu, select the uninstall option for each application, Your device will confirm whether you actually want to delete the application, and should also inform you that the factory installed version of the app will be installed in place of the version you are deleting. Accept the noted actions by selecting "yes" and you are almost done.

You have to visit the Google Play store for each app and toggle off the "allow automatic updates" box (see image). This action will prevent the newer version of the apps from reinstalling over the factory version. Please note that the factory version of each application almost always uses up much less storage, and has the capabilities needed to use the service. Surprisingly, most people including myself feel the older version of Google Maps is much better than the new version. Smartphone and tablet apps are becoming similar to regular personal computer software. As the apps age they acquire more and more features, which often make them less use friendly … bloatware.