Why You Should Go Social...No, I Mean All The Way

In the waves of online identities and our need to communicate, we are having a rebirth of society.  Societies functional aspect is beginning to open the door to many avenues of being connected.  I have been passing an idea back and forth in my head and it is becoming a common thread in which I revisit quite frequently.

We now have dozens and dozens of possibilities for each of us to experience.  Whether you place your status into your communities or participate in geotagging mobile apps you are actively participating in the the new society.

It's not hard to imagine why some people are more into it than others.  I mean, for what it's worth, its a bit revealing.  I sometimes get a feeling that everyone knows a little too much.  Maybe they know more than I would like them to know.  I am sure this is true.  But this is the exact feeling of insecurity and blinding faith that is driving the social driven communities to thrive so well.  It's not so much what you are putting out there but it is more about how much people are interacting.  It's a communal therapy session. Good times, sad times and middle times....all shared among friends.

Years ago you couldn't have told me that I would eventually be in touch with just about everyone I have ever met and more.  I would have said something crass and levitated to an idea of virtual worlds where everyone is a mask, hiding it all to misinform.  Virtual worlds failed because the real thing is much, much more interesting.

I understand why you haven't joined facebook.  Heck, I even understand why you can't remember your email address.  I know you don't really care about the things that I do.  It's why we are friends.  It's the ol', "Why do I want to tell someone what I am doing all the time?" question.  It's frightful, and new.  We don't like new unless it's something we can read reviews about it and get a 30 day free trial.

For the most part, participating in the online social arena is a healthy lesson in humility, honesty and altruism.  Facebook would not be so successful if people didn't have their own views and their own world revolving around them.  If you decide to join in the new society you must make the most of it and this may help.

When I say, "go social, and go all the way", I am merely making a suggestion to lend your hand in building the new society.  I have a few ideas to get your foot in the door in a small way.  Seemingly so, if you dive into the deep end you may drown in too much information and find yourself a slave to your online ego.  Let's begin...

Step 1
Your first thought should be about your audiences.  You should have many concerns. One of the most important is your current employer.  You family and friends play lightly on your visibility and enjoy your banter but your employer is quite the opposite.  Many people have lost their jobs due to excessive posts about extracurricular activities.  You are ahead of the game if you already think you should keep your personal life....well.....personal.  Be smart.

Step 2 
Define your goal.  My first experience with online communities were Beta versions of AOL in the mid 90's and all I wanted to do was learn.  Many people today chose to just stay connected with family.  Others use Twitter to stay ahead of breaking news.  Do you want to know something?  Chances are that with the right tools and the right amount of interaction you not only have the power to learn, but to participate.  It's important to know what it is you want to find by immersing yourself into a new community.

Step 3
Finding the best communities.  It is important you allow yourself to enjoy the communities that are already established and fun!  Facebook is a great example.  It is the benchmark in which most social communities compare themselves to.  You can find your friends relatively easy and it will be like playing an old video game you haven't played in years.  It's communicating and its fast.  Go play.

Step 4
No need to be shy.  You are here and you plan on staying around.  Speak up and often.  It's the sharing of info and news that make it a community.  Be helpful and engage people.

Step 5
Relax.  Social networking is easy.  Your willingness to interact with others should become second nature very quickly.  Don't buy into the hype where you need to be on all the time or you will miss something.  Keep your personal life and do not try and replace online relationships with in person relationships.  It's a new society now but personal friends are close to priceless.

Step 6
Expand who you are.  It is your responsibility to be the first person to post something about YOU on the web.  Google yourself.  Find anything interesting?  Well....you should have.  The new business card should be a Google search page.  No more paper squares.  Maybe you don't want to be found.  If so, privacy is a concern for any prevalent site.  If you can't find a privacy statement then maybe the site you are using is not concerned about it at all.

Last step
Start a blog.  Write about your passion.  Find people who share these passions.  Learn from the new structure of society and be there to help others.

I haven't made any assumptions here about who will read this but if the unassuming social media newbie runs across this entry then I wanted to give them a nudge.  I am not saying it is for everyone but there are a few things to keep in mind for the uninformed user.

The biggest tip of all is to be helpful.  Your online social presence is a result of your online relationships just as your in person network is a result of your personal relationships.  You are in control much as in everyday life.  Knowing the difference is a key to thriving in the new society.

@Foursquare And Why It Should Succeed

I join a few sites here and there and check them out just to taste the diverse flavors the web has to offer.  One of my new favorites is @foursquare.  Combine all the 'dwindling' geotagging sites that are dull and uneventful and add a reward system and you have Foursquare.  Include a few goal-driven perks and make it super easy to access via my Nexus One and I am all in!

Foursquare isn't a 'new' social playground, matter of fact it's been around since March 2009.  It's a 'rapidly growing*' free service that allows location-based tracking of your destinations through-out the day.  You may ask why.  You possibly think that this is just another big brother site.  It's very close, but it also has the many privacy options you would require to fly anonymous and still enjoy the "game".  Yes, I used the term "game".  Don't be surprised because that is exactly what this is.  There is a score and other amenities that you can flaunt as you progressively move around your city and show off your achievements.

Let me explain further...

I am not a big fan of geotagging my twitter updates with locations and neither do I care to float around on Latitude or Google Buzz like a balloon head with no body.  I set them up, looked around then disabled them.  I also had an interest in Loopt.  Loopt is a popular geotagging software based around SMS and friend proximity.  It also grew a bit tiresome.  No matter what service you choose to show people you are at the mall, you are just at the mall.  Your presence fades as the tweets and status updates flood over your modest comment and no one ever remembers you were there.  Here is where Foursquare comes in.

Imagine for a second you can leave you mark at your location.  In the past, you would have carved "LLS <3 WKS 2010" into the table with your dinner knife.  Future visitors gawk at how you spent so much time there when they see this archaic display of territory.  You are a part of that place.  You are linked to it's history.  OK, now imagine Foursquare as the table and your mobile device as the dinner knife.

Foursquare allows you to leave your mark via the web and even leave a comment or suggest a "To-Do" at this location.  The most interesting feature is the mayorship you can acquire.  A mayorship is the equivalent of being a local at one location.  To gain this status at any one location you need to have checked in more than anyone else.  When other's visit this location they can see that you are mayor and even connect with you.  It is quite possible the mayor has left a little nugget of knowledge that you can find out about a new place.  The mayor has no responsibilities as a real mayor.  Its purely social and says I have been here more than you and that makes me just a little bit cooler!  Well, maybe not....

Whether you are mayor or not, you still have other rewards to seek.  The other aspect of this location tagging adventure is the badges.  Even as I type, I know the excitement that takes over after receiving one of these coveted markers and it makes me smile.  I want them all.  There are some that seem impossible and take time like checking in at 50 different venues.  It's tough but fun.

With all that said the only thing that is required of you is to 'check-in'.  You will find areas where your local hamburger spot hasn't been added as a venue.  It's OK, just take a moment and add it.  Every mobile app I have seen allows for you to add venues on the fly.  In some cases, it will automatically find the address and you just give the name.  Besides, after you add a 'new' venue and check-in, you only need one more check-in at that location before you can claim mayor!  Yes!  If you obtain mayor of 10 locations at once, you get the Super Mayor badge.

What about safety?  The safety concerns of alerting your public status to others that you are not home is not a good idea whether it be from Foursquare or any other site.  Upon creating an account, please visit the privacy section and define the level of notification you want the world to see via Twitter or Facebook and even Foursquare.  It is ready to link to all your social sites and unleash gobs of info about your whereabouts.  Be careful!  Be SMART!

With all the geotagging ideas out there,  there seems to be something appealing about this to me.  Loopt, Gowalla, Google Buzz and Google Latitude are informative but I don't get much incentive to continually interact.  Every morning, I wake up, grab my phone and check-in for breakfast.  Check-in when I get to work.  Check-in at lunch.  Check-in when I come back to work from lunch. Then, I finally check-in at home. It seems a bit much and I agree it seems exhausting but it is quite the opposite.  One click....and I am checked in. The apps, which are available for any 'new' phone, auto-find venues close to you so you don't have to search.  I can start to see where other sites just missed the boat on reward driven experiences.

So, next time your out-and-about, think of all the places you are passing that presently exist on Foursquare.  Your city is already filling with a collection of 'local' mayors all supporting the city in a mini-marketing campaign.  Users 'swarming' concerts at arenas or speaking conventions.  Knowledgeable people leaving advice, or 'virtual carvings', to share with newcomers at a favorite restaurant.  I believe this hierarchy of active users can push other new users to 'want' these virtual status symbols.  This user competition may be the advantage that could bring Foursquare closer to center stage.  And yes, I will be there; as mayor of your favorite place!

Web Awareness: How To Protect Yourself Against The Web

We've all seen them, some of us have been unfortunate to have them.  Finding yourself with a virus or malware application that will run rampant on your computer is only a click away.  There are a few things you can do to give yourself the power to interact with the web and not worry about malicious attacks on your personal stash of family photos or media libraries.  I have been the victim once or twice and know there is no real advice that is full proof.  I will do my best to help!

These tips are provided for users who may have never thought about these type of issues and can be boring for the advanced web surfer but I will keep try and stay short and entertain as well.

First, lets set a few things straight.  You are to blame.  Your lack of knowledge about computers is what I want to try and drill into your mind.  Nothing, short of a blatant hacker who has isolated you for some type of gain or as revenge, is done to your computer without you either acknowledging the action by clicking the mouse or hitting the enter key.  Your actions are directly related to being safe on the web.  Understanding this, I will give you a few things to think about next time you see a pop-up window or a 'legit' site.  Giving you the knowledge to identify 'careless' tendencies and cure these bad habits on the web will keep your computer healthy.  It's in your hands.

---

Being an adventurous soul, as most of us are, we want to see, do and read everything available on the web and there are 'other' people who want prevent this or worse, steal from us.  Virus writers tend to be bored, intelligent beings that hold the idea of creating the most unstoppable bug and unleashing it on the world!  In other cases, malware coders want your stats.  They want your histories of web pages, your tendencies, your intimate details; all to be polled for Ad campaigns.  In some cases, these bugs can cause pop-ups or other website navigation issues.  In the worst case scenario failure of the computer altogether is possible.

Here is a checklist to better prepare you when using the Web.

1. Know Your Sites -  Your ability to observe is key.  The easiest way to lead yourself astray is to not clearly identify where you are.  Sure, everything looks the same and I remember this button and that button.  Your familiarity with your daily sites is the most common duplicated feature for attackers to take advantage of.
   
   My policy is to always have the URL (website address) clearly in view.  If I am on eBay, I expect to see http://www.ebay.com and not http://iwanttostealyourmoney.net/ebay.  Even a less obvious detail would be to find yourself looking over a URL that says http://www.ebaysite.com. You are indeed on the wrong site and need to leave this page immediately.
   
   
2. Clicking Your Mouse - Your mouse and keyboard are really to blame.  Some time ago, many browsers began supporting security features that prevented any action to take place on your computer without you first giving permission.  This is a tricky subject.  For example, how do you know when you give something permission to carry out an action on your computer?  Most attackers choose this ambiguous notion to misguide users to do things they normally wouldn't do.  If you have been presented with a pop-up that says, "My Site would like to do something.  Please click OK or Cancel." You may find yourself unsure what is about to happen and rightly so.
   
   As a web developer I know I can tie malicious actions to either the OK or CANCEL buttons so this is a no-brainer;  close the window altogether.  If you "know this site" and all is well, then go forward with your action.  Otherwise, leave the browser immediately and mentally high-five yourself; you may have just saved your computer!
   
   
3. Protect Yourself - It's a little late in the game to say you can't afford virus/malware protection because there are several leading edge applications that are FREE and very useful.  AVG, Microsoft Security Essentials  and Spyware Doctor are just a few that can help prevent the little nasties from your computer.  However, anti-virus software does not protect against YOU installing something you are not 100% sure is safe.  Frequently, attackers hide bugs in files that look like valid files.  What to do?  When it doubt, delete it out!
   
   I am always asked by friends and family who have 'unknowingly' obtained a nasty bug and my first question is always, "What did you last install?"  Ha!  Don't shrug your shoulders.  If you can't remember what you are installing on your computer, then you shouldn't be installing anything on your computer.  Screensaver packages, background wallpaper generators and unmonitored free software (in general) are breeding grounds for new malicious software creators.  This leads me to my next point!
   
   
4. Researching Software - Be smart, computers are awesome tools and can do great things.  Read about your software first and look for peer reviews.  If you find no information, then this is usually a bad sign.  No information is bad information.  Good, healthy software applications have robust descriptions and reviews mainly because their writers have paraded their new vision or new tool to many people.  The reviews can be numerous and whether positive or negative immediately may show signs of malicious actions and consumer complaints.
   
   How do I research software?  Google it.  Again, no search results means pass by this software.  Special cases include you knowing the person, or team who developed the site.
   
   
5. Spam - Your email inbox is an open invitation for anyone to contact you about sex medication, narcotics, russian brides, western union scams and just about everything you don't want.  It's amazing the amount of Spam that is blocked before it hits your inbox.  Millions upon millions an hour get cut off before it gets to you.  So, what do you do?  You don't open anything unless you are expecting it or you know the sender.  Everything else is white noise and should be 'Marked' as Spam for future filtering purposes.
   
   You can also help in building trust with your friends and family by not forwarding Spam.  For example,  other people's ideas on "How to prevent a heart attack by coughing" or "Skyway to Heaven"(untrue explanation of Disney ride) are considered Spam.  Do you ever wonder why some people never reply to these?  Because they don't read them.  Help all your friends, including me, by sending only pertinent messages that you expect replies to.  If you are the one forwarding me emails with "FW:FW>>>FW:FW:" in the subject line I will not open.  Matter of fact, the priority in which I open and respond in has now sent you to the bottom.  I understand you are trying to help. I understand you want to help others but by forwarding false information you are lowering your value as an email contact and this could cause issues in the future.
   
   
6. Simulated Actions - Twice today, I have already been in contacted by two people who have been duped into downloading Software to help "clean" the bugs supposedly reported.  I have seen this so let me explain.  Out of no where, a window pops up and the status, address and navigation toolbars are hidden and it looks like a valid Windows application.  Some cogs spin and a progress bar about half way down the window shows progress.  Alongside the progress bar a counter is increasing and the number is alarming.  Add to the fact that beside this rising number is the term "Security Risks." Immediately, everyone is alarmed.  Even me.  BUT, I quickly see this is a web page designed to simulate something real so I think I am in imminent danger.  How tricky is that?  There are some smart people out there trying to spread their bugs.
   
   Be careful to take your time to make decisions that could penetrate your computer.  This simulated action is going around fast because it states you must make a decision or your computer will be no good anymore.  That is simply not true.
   
   
7. Backups, Backups, Backups - Do this today.  You will eventually download and install a virus.  The ideas of trickery and misleading designs are getting stronger and smarter.  You will use your back up several times PER computer.  Yes, you will own more than one computer and you data collection will grow as you move to each new system.  It is imperative your data is transferable and backed up regularly.  It's just smart.  Don't let those 11 years of digital photo albums get erased by a bug that you, yourself, downloaded.

Some of these are basic ideas that can help even a novice computer user.  You need to be the responsible one in the relationship.  The computer will not install a virus or download a malware program by itself.  Understanding that you are the gatekeeper can be a powerful tool in helping you navigate web.

Good luck out there!

Nexus One: Day 14 - Andoird 2.1 & my Fav Apps

Here we are again.  Only this time, I am no longer overwhelmed by my thick thumbs and have conquered the touchy-feely HTC touchscreen.  I now utilize the haptic feedback for the keyboard and can navigate this device with my eyes closed. Well.....almost.

In this demo I take 4 examples of ways to help yourself with the Nexus One.  This is not without saying that this functionality is also found in other mobile devices (especially other Android-based phones) but I feel the Nexus One has made it usable and easy and HERE is proof.

Whether you have seen these options before or possibly never seen them, this demo can give you insight on how to make the Nexus One more useful for you.  Get rid of the TomTom and put away your foreign language pocket dictionaries.  This phone (on phones like it) may very well do both and it's all free.



Thanks for checking out the demo...!

Please Rob Me?! 8 Ways To Be More Responsible Online

What?  Really?  A site dedicated to informing the public of your adventures?  You can not just walk out of the house and take the same non-precautions your parents did.  C'mon people, this is the 10's....uh, ok.  ;)   I fall into the range of kids that our parents rarely locked the door so this could be a tough sell.

Being responsible online is a bigger issue than one may think. Sites like http://pleaserobme.com/ stand for awareness (more than information) about a growing issue with the unbeknownst user wanting to graffiti their new Buzz update on the latest diner.  Or becoming mayor of the local Waffle House on http://foursquare.com.  It is this carelessness that can get your house uncovered, smothered and robbed!

Being proactive about your location safety can come in many forms.  One of most important no-no's is a series of updates stating an upcoming vacation or long absence.  With the uprise of twitter and Buzz, we have become maddened by the clouding of the non-essential, blotter style news that we are drifting into a pirates haven.  Thieves can have a twitter account, right?!  @iWantToRobYou......suprisingly not taken!  Makes me feel a little warmer inside....

Here are a 8 safety topics I would recommend to learn more about.  Take a second, buckle your social seatbelt and stop punching away on your phone for one minute.  We really don't need to know every time you pass by the boutique or tech shop to tout your thin, online ego...

1. Privacy Settings - Find them quick.  From foursquare to twitter to Buzz to facebook, you have a ton of privacy concerns that have already been brought up by the above statements.  Trustworthy sites make it easy to protect yourself. Make yourself aware of the depth you would like to provide to the public, if any.  Once you begin looking around, you may be surprised to see how much is actually out there.
2. Mobile Settings - Yes, your phone has a GPS.  Yes, I see you on my Latitude.  Yes, I am now bored with your location.  All phones ask who you would like to see your location.  Spending time with this familiar feature can provide easy access to turning this ON and OFF quickly.  
3. Your Updates - My personal policy is to update statuses mentioning my attack birds frequently so a would be robber will be deterred from getting pooped on relentlessly by my birds.  They are well fed.  Otherwise, I stick to ambiguous comments about the locations I am at.  I have nothing worth stealing so most of my updates are open but the advantages to being open, as opposed to anonymous, are yet to show themselves.  Use your own common sense on this.  
4. Pictures - It's always best to post pictures of your vacation when you return.  This can be a heartfelt gesture to your family and friends but your social network can include many people who don't need to know you fell off your bike in Times Square and here's the picture to prove it!  Wait til you get home, organize them and then post!  At least mobile pictures can be ambiguous...use playful comments.  Post a picture of Burger King and say, "Man, I love this place!" Then post to facebook.  Don't say, "Man, I love this place....looks like imma stay here til dinner time.  (So you can rob me!)"  
5. Digitally Cleanse your following - facebook is safe(?).  Don't quote me but at least you can confirm friends.  Unlike facebook, twitter and Buzz can become a hassle trying to cleanse your followers by hitting 'unfollow, block, report' just so you feel better.  It's the comparison to barnacles on a boat.  Spam followers inflate your following but when real people come through and notice you are not tending your flock, you lose a little social capital.  Stay on top of your followers!  It's time to clean house! 
6. Easy Target Syndrome - Yes, you!  The guy in the red shirt who hasn't looked up at this thread one time.  You are so busy with all your friends business you are forgetting you need to take some time to protect yourself.  This point is really easy to explain.  BE CAREFUL!  The police will not respond to "@911 Help Me!"  Lock your doors.  Tell family, friends and neighbors when you may be out of town.  Have a safety net for times there may be problems.  Give your landlord notice, tell pops you will be gone and don't stay gone for extended periods and notify twitter of every move. Well, unless you have menacing attack birds ready to poop on anyone who enters your home!
7. Google Yourself - Nothing represents a good old fashion confidence boost like a Google search on yourself.  For the most part, you will likely find other people in the world that share your name and yes, they do exist.  Google is probably the most comprehensive search tool available.  However, using other sites can only improve your technique for finding out who is talking about you.
8. Google Alerts - If you are web conscious already you probably already use Google Reader or Google News Alerts to scan comprehensive results and spoon feed these reports to you at an alarming rate.  Setting up a Google Alert is easy and can immediately send you details of when your name is found on the web.  Don't be shy!  Try several types of searches.  For example, I use "lucaslshaffer", "Lucas L Shaffer", "Lucas Shaffer" and "Lucas Lamberto Shaffer".  If any of these terms cross the wire, Google alerts me and I can be there before anyone else.  Be Smart!  This is very useful on many levels...

Many of these are common sense but still reflect a big part of what you CAN and CANNOT control.  You pretty much have the power to handle your online visibility and it's 'your' responsibility to monitor your online social life just as it is to monitor your in-person social life (if you still have one, yikes!)

Nothing is more important than the safety of everyones family and friends.  Take the time to learn to protect yourself, as well!

Nexus One: Day One

I am glad to say I now own the nexus one.  I saw an interesting piece of data come across the twitter feeds that said that only 80k have been sold.  So, of course, this means that not many people have it.  I must admit, I know of no other in my circle of tech geek friends.  I feel priveldged to be at a point with T-Mobile service to add such a great mobile device to my arsenal.

Well, here it is.  My first person demo of the nexus one.  I had no idea I would spend over 5 minutes just walking through some of these 'simple' details.  I first check out the animated logo as the phone turns on and then dive right into the basic operations.

After a quick look around, I flip it sideways and enjoy the high quality screen on landscape and jump right in to a few Google staple applications including Gmail, Calendar and Goggles. Without further adieu...



I plan to do a more in depth look at the nexus one which will uncover some things you may not be aware of.  For example, I would like to profile some uses with the camera options (much like iPhone) and also the auto-connect to Picasa Web Albums.  Until then....

Nexus One: The Arrival

Even as I sit here, I am thinking about the progress of phones and the ergonomic gadgets that I have used to enhance my life.  And yet, this is my first touchscreen mobile device.  So, if I sound incredibly in awe at times and mention something many are over already then just rejoice in my pilgrimage.

The nexus one was a bit of a mythic creature where the insides are working bits and pieces of a brand; a company of such importance in my life I had an immediate attachment to this out the box.  Needless to say the overnight shipping was a dramatic series of status updates and tweets to stir the excitement for myself, among others.  I refreshed the tracking screen on Fed Ex many times in an effort to electronically tap the driver on the shoulder and ask him to hurry.

AND it 'finally' arrived in less than 24 hours.....I am already impressed.  I was heading to lunch as I refreshed my Blackberry and saw the "delivered" status.  I got that feeling my my chest where I can't think about much more than, "What now?"  My wife signed for it as the driver awoke her from her slumber. (^.^) I took a short lunch and swung by the apartment and BAM....

There it sits on my dinner room table.  Oh yeah.  I know what a Lithium battery warning mean.  Not my first overnighted tech gadget.  It might as well say, "CAUTION:  Lucas will be angry if you open this before he gets to open it!"  At least that's what Whitney sees.

I snatched it up, threw it in my truck and rode back to work.  It's like carrying a ticking bomb, except you cant want for it to explode and all the shiny screen bits get thrown at you like rice at a wedding reception.

I made it back to work, grabbed up a friend, Scott (G1 Owner), and we opened it up!

First thing Scott said was, "It looks like cologne."  He's right.  It was two boxes; one for the nexus one and the other for a docking station.  Both of these boxes share the same design.  A great idea or at least I like the prestige of the originality of the packaging as a whole.  Clearly, white is the obvious dramatic effect that reflects the google.com white space we all see every day.  "nexus one" in lower caps on the front and each shade of the Blue, Green, Red and Yellow bottom edge of the boxes match the "Google" logo colors and it's sharp; quaint, but effective.

As you can see here.  Very cool.  And just as Scott said, it does kinda look and feel like cologne packaging.  But it's heavy and solid and looks great as a desk display.  (lol)

Wasting no time, I pulled the phone box open to get my hands on this device.  Beautiful....peaceful, ready.  I stumbled through the directions only to find that the battery is bone dry and it needs to be charged.  Ok, no problem.  I have it.  I OWN it.

SO, I looked at the exterior and checked out a few more features and put it in my hand. It has a good weight.  Much like the iPhone but a bit more solid(?).  The matte finish makes the reflection of the screen stand out a bit.  The controls on the very button are part of the screen and not actually buttons as I assumed from the pictures.  I am impressed.  I haven't even turned it on yet.  This is going to be good.

The track ball is standard.  Nothing impressive, my Blackberry has a trackball and I have mastered the little rolling decision maker.

One of the offers was to engrave the nexus one with a statement or phrase or signature to the back of the case.  I thought for a moment and then decided on 'lucaslshaffer'.  I have recently focused all of my energy into creating a persona around this formal name cluster that I thought it fitting to put just that on my phone as it will be the point at which the world will connect to me.  And thru lucaslshaffer is what most people who know me now will see on the screen.  So, here it is...

Alas, this is just the arrival.  I have already began to put together the next post including video using my Flip (Thanks Whit!)  As for the charging station, it was standard. It was high-gloss and allows the nexus one to stand up and face the user at a slant.  It also has an audio output.  The 3.5 mm jack converts in to component L/R RCA jacks and is ready to play music at a corresponding input.  I will include some other pictures on the bottom of this thread.  

More to come as I struggle to find time to keep this blog and do many of the other things that are necessary to keep my head above water.  And my wife happy!