Smartphones Still Can’t Replace Traditional Feature Phones…Yet

No Comments »Saturday, Oct 29, 2005, 9:31 pm

I am a huge fan of convergence devices like the Palm Treo 650, which I use as my daily driver PDA/phone. It is the blessing and bane of my existence. Sleek looking, robust, combining the best of what PalmOS has to offer…well the best Garnet can do at any rate…in a phone centric form factor that truly works well as a do-it-all device. But as much as I do like the Treo, it just doesn’t cut the mustard when it comes to functioning purely as a phone. When I want to use this device as a PDA it largely serves that role perfectly fine, when it’s not locking up or crashing on me that is. As a phone, it rather sucks. The problem with the Treo, like most convergence devices, is that it’s simply too bulky. Right now I’m testing out the Motorola RAZR phone for Cingular, and I am really amazed at how sleek this device is, and how it serves as an example of why Smartphones aren’t “there” just yet.
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Innovators, and The Evolution of Mobility

No Comments »Tuesday, Oct 11, 2005, 3:15 pm

Technology is an indomitable force. Like a perpetual wheel in motion that shapes our destiny; always changing, constantly evolving, and often reinventing itself. In the world of mobile devices, we are witnessing another such change as the transition from purpose-built PDAs to Smartphones take shape. And yet, as increasingly popular as Smartphones are becoming, the concept of a PDA phone remains an idea before its time. I forsee a time when all phones will be Smart devices that replace EVERYTHING from PDAs to MP3 players. Smartphones will become the ultimate universal remote in our daily lives. An indispensable tool that becomes as much a part of us as our clothes. But we’re only at the very beginning of this evolutionary journey.
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Treo 650 Delights and Disappoints

No Comments »Friday, Sep 16, 2005, 3:27 pm

I’ve been using a Treo 650 for more than several months now. Overall I adore it. It represents a near perfect combination of mobile computing and communication. Not the best marriage of those two qaulities, but a good compromise. However, during this time I have seen the best and worst this little gadget has to offer, and its worst aspect has a name; Garnet.

PalmOS Garnet is so wickedly unstable it has become a liability. For the past two weeks my Treo spontaneously resets itself while sitting idle. I can be walking around and suddenly I hear the unmistakable phone activation chime emanating from my pocket. Yep, Garnet crashed again. Other times the device will inexplicably freeze up on me while I’m in the middle of something. It just freezes. You can’t even shut the damn thing off. Which means I have to pop the battery cover off, poke the reset button, and wait for my Treo to regain consciousness.
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Apple Offers Mac Mini Test Drive

No Comments »Wednesday, Aug 31, 2005, 1:27 pm

Apple is offering a special thirty-day money back guarantee on its popular Mac Mini system, allowing anyone to “test drive” a Mac…worry free. If you don’t like the Mini, you can return it at the end of the 30 day trial period for a full refund. How about that?

This is another smart move by Apple. As cheap as the Mini is, there are still those who fear the unknown. Many PC users I speak with that are Mac curious always voice the same concern…”What if I don’t like it?” This should resolve one more hurdle. Of course, once the new Intel-Macs start arriving, the entire Mac vs. Windows argument will be gone forever, as those systems will be able to dual boot both operating systems.

iBook Stampede

Comments OffTuesday, Aug 16, 2005, 3:22 pm

There were several minor injuries and one person was taken to a hospital with a leg injury, fire Battalion Chief Steve Wood said during a 1 p.m. news conference. In all, 17 people were treated, the majority for heat- or diabetic-related problems, he said. Thousands of Henrico County residents and/or taxpayers stood in a half-mile-long line as dawn broke while others waited in cars parked nearby or milled about not far from the entrance to RIR. One official estimate put the crowd at 5,500. Other observers estimated more than twice that. Many had come prepared with books, snacks, umbrellas and chairs. The first car arrived at 1:30 a.m. By 6:30 vehicles were backed up on Laburnum Avenue about a half mile to Carolina Avenue.

A few years ago Apple struck a rather large deal with the Henrico County school district in Virginia to provide iBooks to all Middle-school students. The district decided to sell off 1,500 of these aging iBooks at a blowout price of just $50 per unit. The people you see in the photo were waiting in line to buy them as soon at the gates opened. The line was more than a half mile long!

By the way…is that Dale Coffing in the foreground?

My iPod is Dead! Noooooooooooo!

Comments OffThursday, Aug 11, 2005, 9:13 am

How do I compare thee to a summer’s day, with the smell of week-old road kill laying on the side of a highway? This morning, as I attempted to get my necessary gadgets in sync for another busy day, I noticed something strange about my iPod Photo; it won’t turn on! When I dock it with my Mac, it won’t launch iTunes. Plugging it into a wall outlet for charging has no effect. The bloody thing simply will not turn on. I even tried the ultimate quick-fix solution; swearing at it. Still nothing.

And this from a device that is less than three months old! I haven’t a clue as to the cause or solution to the problem. It was working fine last night, showing no signs of sudden infant death syndrome. Now comes the grim prospect of returning my pristine iPod to Apple, and being sent a scratched up refurbished unit. If that happens, the next iPod will go on eBay and will be the last such product from Apple I will ever own.

Needless to say, I am not a happy iPodder right now. Goodbye iPod, hello Zen Micro?

Apple Introduces “Mighty Mouse”

Comments OffTuesday, Aug 2, 2005, 3:46 pm

Apple introudces its first multi-button mouse…”Mighty Mouse” that is. Odd rodent superhero references aside, this is a major departure from Apple’s defiance to multi-button mice. The company has long argued that a single-button mouse is easier for consumers to understand and manipulate.

Mighty Mouse retails for $49 and is currently available from Apple’s online store.