2muchtech

why I love my BlackBerry

2012-01-23T13:37:00.000-08:00

Josh Topolsky, Editor-in-Chief of the Verge, asked on Twitter if anyone in the world actually LOVES their BlackBerry, not just liked it.

My response was YES, because it's a smartPHONE not a little computer. And I want a smartPhone not a little computer.

My BlackBerry works as a phone. It does e-mail perfectly. You can text without errors because it has a physical keyboard. Contacts are seemlessly integrated into Calendar, E-mail, Phone. And it still does those functions demonstratably better than Android or iOS. It's a device that has stood the test of time for those functions. If those are the functions you want, it's beautiful.

Additionally, and very importantly, the latest BlackBerry is physically a wonderful device to hold, nicer at least to my hands than anything else out there.

I also own a Nexus S with 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It simply can't compare for the four functions of Contacts, Calendar, E-mail, Phone, not merely because it doesn't have a physical keyboard but because the interaction with those four functions are simply not as well thought through and hasn't gone through the inumerable revisions of the BlackBerry OS.

BlackBerry's are vintage devices, even in the newest model. There's a virtue in that vintage that some users appreciate and even love, but it's questionable whether it can survive in the market that way.

But everything else on the BlackBerry is a shadow of what's on other devices.

Why I just purchased the SAAB of Smartphones

2011-12-23T04:43:00.000-08:00

Why did I just purchase the SAAB of Smartphones, friends want to know. Or less accurately, why did I just purchase a new eight-track tape player in the era of Spotify?

There just aren't any physical keyboard phones out there, at least in the United States, other than BlackBerrys. The integration between e-mail and phone just works so right. The thing is first and foremost a phone with e-mail rather than a computer with a phone built-in. And it the nicest device in my hand--curved in all the right places, unlike the slab that is the current iPhone. Since it's the inanimate object that I touch daily more than any other, that's really important.

Yes, I've tried virtual keyboards. I have a Nexus S too. But for actually doing real typing, I simply can't get adjusted to virtual keys. Same reason I still use a ThinkPad. Can't get used to a trackpad.

Now, if anyone could find me an Olivetti portable ... I really miss the way that thing typed and Mom gave it away when I was off at college.

quick question on mass production and personal modifications

2011-09-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

There's something nice about modifying a computer in even the slightest way. I just yanked off the silly little cover to the headset jack and USB port on my ThinkPad X1. It was put there by the designers so the down-angled sides of the box would be flush, hiding the cutout for the jack and port. Now I'm happier with the machine and it's mine. Earlier I undid the keyboard and put a mSATA drive into the guts of the machine. You could argue that neither of these things would have been necessary if I'd bought the perfectly designed MacBook. True. But I wonder if setting up a computer so that it can be modified isn't a better design. I'm not suggesting such intentionality was present in the design of this laptop, but I wonder, what examples are out there of mass produced, personal products like computers and cars that are specifically designed with mods in mind? Some cars, certainly, like Jeep Wranglers. What else?

mSATA on a Lenovo Thinkpad X1

2011-09-22T03:54:00.000-07:00

There's a type of SSDs (Solid State Drives) called mSATA that takes the form of a mini-PCI Express card (LINK for more info).

For $200 (September, 2011) you can purchase an 80gB Intel mSATA drive (LINK to NewEgg). It's a minuscule thing!

I have just installed it on a Lenovo ThinkPad X1. I'm running a standard 160gB Intel SSD on the computer and now have a secondary drive in the form of the mSATA installed under the keyboard where the mobile broadband card would go. Unfortunately, it's either the mSATA or the mobile card, not both.

The user guide for the X1 has a pretty good explanation of how to do the install. One step you can skip is disconnecting the keyboard. You'll have to remove the keyboard but no need to disconnect it.

Remember that you have to format the drive after you install it and also that if you don't have it as the boot drive, make sure it's set as the second drive in the list for startup.

the URL to be able to download Skype onto your Verizon BlackBerry Bold 9650

2011-06-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

http://mobile.vzw.com/download/Bourbon/BB9650/Skype_mobile.jad

Because even though your BlackBerry 9650 is pictured on the Verizon/Skype website and the site says it's compatible, when you try to download through normal channels, Verizon and Skype will say your phone isn't compatible but it is ... sort of ... at least on my phone with BlackBerry 6.0 it does work but not very well. Takes FOREVER to connect a call. Only time I use it is when I have to take a Skype call on my mobile.

Thinkpad vs. MacBook Air: all in the boot times

2011-05-24T02:05:00.000-07:00

As of this morning, you can start ordering the new Lenovo Thinkpad X1, supposedly a competitor to the Apple MacBook Air. I'm currently on my fourth Lenovo X series, which is in some sense the original MacBook Air. It ditched a CD drive many years ago, offering a 3 pound device with its a style all its own (al beit black) when MacBooks (nee PowerBooks) were still 4-5 lbs at best and saddled with a build-in CD drive.

Unfortunately for Lenovo, the MacBook Air can't be beat because it has something even the new X1 doesn't have: the instant-on functionality of flash storage, just like a iPhone or iPad. That alone may be enough to get me to switch. The ability to flip open and start working on your laptop anytime can't be beat, certainly not by Windows which seems to randomly decide how long it's going to make you wait before it wakes up from Sleep or Resume.

Lenovo does offer "Enhanced Experience 2.0" which supposedly beats other Windows machines in start-up time. And there's some promise that the X1 will ship with an 80gB SSD with Windows loaded as well as a standard 320gB HD, allowing boot off the solid state drive. But Apple with flash memory is hands down a better offering. My switch to Mac may end up being all in the boot times.

Manual update Nexus S from 2.3.1. to 2.3.2 to 2.3.3

2011-04-09T05:15:00.000-07:00

If your Nexus S is stuck on 2.3.1 you can't upgrade to 2.3.3 without first going through 2.3.2. But FINDING a a link that works for the 2.3.2 download isn't as easy as the 2.3.3 download. I found 2.3.2 on MediaFire (via Software2tech).

I have no idea why Google can't seamlessly push out upgrades to its flock of Androids. But mine's finally upgraded.

Instructions on how to upgrade are everywhere. Here's one set of instructions.

10 reasons why not Macbook Air

2011-03-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

The new Lenovo X220 has:

That red eraser-like pointing stick thingy
Better keyboard noise reduction during Skype calls
Can't beat the keyboard for typing feel
It's black
More battery life
Bigger hard drive
No slip exterior (someone I know stuck fuzzy fabric to his Air so he wouldn't drop it)
More usb ports
No dongle to external video
No dongle to Ethernet

Yes, I definitely want to upgrade to the X220 from my rare X201s (which was an upgrade from an X61s, an X60s, and an X40)

Android vs. Blackberry

2011-02-26T08:29:00.000-08:00

I just bought an Android phone, a Nexus S, the "pure" Google phone without the additional skins and features that manufacturers like Motorola bundle in with their Android variants. I'll use it for its hotspot feature, for its seamless integration with my Google accounts, including Google Voice, and for Kindle reading and other functions for which the Android is really just a tiny tablet.

But I've kept my BlackBerry Bold and am surprised at how several applications that ought to be better on the Nexus are so much better on the Bold. This is mostly the challenge of physical keyboard vs. touchscreen. But it's also, I think, that the constraints of the BlackBerry force application developers to hone the functionality they provide.

Take Gmail for example. Google makes for BlackBerry a very nice application that allows you full access to your Gmail. It does need an update for BlackBerry OS 6.0 because the search function display doesn't work correctly. But compared to the native Android application, I find the BlackBerry Gmail application easier to navigate, easier to delete and archive items quickly, easier to see the threads of a conversation, and certainly much easier to use to compose messages.

Foursquare is another example. The ability to quickly check-in to places is much simpler, quicker, easier on the BlackBerry than with the Android app. Of course the Android app looks nicer, but it's not faster to use.

Applications that require scrolling and larger screen real estate, like maps or a browser, are obviously so much better on a touchscreen. But if you use a smartphone for basic business applications requiring accuracy and speed, BlackBerry has perception to counteract not functionality.

wonderful support from @AmazonWireless not so much from @attnetwork

2011-01-22T08:16:00.000-08:00

Bought a BlackBerry via Amazon Wireless because it was much less expensive than buying the upgrade through AT&T. The device arrived. Worked great. I threw out the packaging. And then a week or two later, the phone started malfunctioning, randomly turning on and off. This was definitely a hardware problem. I called AT&T to see if they could resolve the issue. The said that I could return it within the 30 day "buyers remorse" period but ... oops! ... I'd thrown out the packaging so no, I couldn't. I'd have to wait until the thirty day period was up and then go through the warranty services department. And in order to extract all this information from them and tell me that they couldn't help me, I had had to first go through a song and dance, giving them the IMEI number from the phone (twice) and going through the various procedures they wanted to go through with me to verify that I knew what I was talking about.

If Amazon is in the loop, always call them first.

I called Amazon second. What a different customer support team! No questions asked. Didn't need the IMEI number. Didn't question whether I knew what I was talking about. Happy to exchange the phone. Yes, it would be ideal if I had the original packaging but they could make an exception. What a joy to deal with Amazon (as usual) and what a pain to deal with AT&T (as usual). Amazon trusts their staff, doesn't require that they go by the book. AT&T requires its staff to follow a script in everything, from the way they say hello to the way they say good bye. Painful, painful.

Only challenge is that the BlackBerry model is out of stock at Amazon, so it will be a week. But with such good customer support, I'll forgive them that.

link to the little known app for BlackBerry for Quickbooks

2010-12-01T04:28:00.000-08:00

It exists! Here's the link for your BlackBerry: http://sbm.intuit.com/qbm/install/bb

You need to sign up for Intuit's Quickbook Connect service, which you can do from the Online Services drop down menu in QuickBooks (2009 and newer).

Intuit's fake BlackBerry "app" for QuickBooks

2010-11-30T03:26:00.000-08:00

Intuit has been making some progress bringing QuickBooks, their business level accounting package, into the new century for small business by creating some online services that link to the desktop software program. For example, the online document repository is nice, though I can't discern how you extract your documents if you decide to discontinue the service. And they have a partial online version of the desktop application--QuickBooks Connect--that allows other users to have access to key vendor and customer functionality. Very nice interface and as far as I can tell, good functionality.

When I opened QuickBooks recently I fell prey to their come-on about upgrading to their 2011 package, in part because of a suggestion that they had an app for BlackBerry. Talk about deceptive advertising! First, they imply that you need the 2011 version of the desktop program to run their new mobile applications (in fact, 2009 will work). Then they suggest that they actually have a BlackBerry application. But no. It's just a BlackBerry browser version of their QuickBooks Connect service. QuickBooks has such a monopoly, I suppose they can get away with it. I know there are lots of online accounting packages but I haven't been able to find one that is at the level of QuickBooks. They're either too simplistic or much too expensive and complex for my needs.

CORRECTION: Intuit sent me an e-mail for the link to the QuickBooks BlackBerry application, the real deal. It IS actually an app. Now it would be nice if one could find this link on the QuickBooks website somewhere ... or through a search engine ... and it would be nice if when you sign up for the Connect service, the link that one gets to got you to this app instead of to a link to use for your BlackBerry browser!

tactile familiarity (just replaced my BlackBerry)

2010-11-19T03:16:00.000-08:00

My BlackBerry died. Kept shorting out, in a sense--constantly restarting. I spent a while looking at Android phones, including the new "BlackBerry killer", the Motorola Android Droid Pro on Verizon with the same form factor as a BlackBerry. But I ended up replacing my BlackBerry Tour with the Bold, essentially the same phone. Why?

When smartphones become such an extension of ourselves, it's hard to convert to a different kind of tactile experience. Body part upgrade and replacement isn't easy.

My fingers are so used to the BlackBerry keys that even switching to a BlackBerry-like device such as the Droid Pro just didn't feel right, literally.

two extensions to my browser that I can't live without

2010-11-19T02:45:00.000-08:00

If you're not using LastPass, get it. It's a browser extension that generates random passwords and manages all your login information. Here's a NYTimes piece on it: LINK. Can't live without it. Plus, if you use multiple browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Explorer) you'll have the exact same access information all the time, regardless of which browser you're using.

Second, Bit.ly. Put their link creator in your toolbar and when you come across any article you're reading, it's an easy click to grab the title of the article (or any text you've highlighted) and create a Bit.ly shortened URL. You can then send it out via e-mail or twitter. Simple, super effective.

I use both of these products dozens of times a day.

No Vista woes but Windows 7 woes. Programs won't connect to Internet. Caused by new MacBook Air in the house?

2010-11-02T04:27:00.000-07:00

It is a weird coincidence that the day my wife's new MacBook Air appeared in our house was the day Windows 7 started acting up on my "original Air" the Lenovo X Series.

I went through about two years of Vista very happy. Few crashes, no problems. Windows 7 has been great, until last week. Then inexplicably I was unable to access the Internet from most programs other than a browser--Adobe Air programs like Yammer, Evernote etc couldn't connect.

I tried everything, trolling through Google search results based on phrases like "Windows 7 won't allow programs to connect" but found nothing that worked. Finally I resorted to using my Lenovo Rescue and Recovery program to roll-back my machine to a month or more ago. Now it's working fine.

Any ideas anyone as to what happened?

iPad is like a BMW 7 Series: fat and excessive

2010-09-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

A year ago or so I had a week with a friend's big, fat BMW. It was actually a 645i not a 7 series, but same point: I found it so fat and luxurious I actually felt nauseous when sitting down in the thing each the morning. I'm not trying to pull a Cayce Pollard here. I'm not thinking I've got some preternatural sensitivity. I really did find the steering wheel so meaty in my hands--which are not small themselves--and the sensation of being trapped inside the bathtub like interior of that car so constricting that it brought back childhood memories of delirium, when I had a fever of 104F and the world felt like the inside of a Dali painting. Also, there's such excess in a high end BMW, a level of perfection so far above where normal mortals live. Every stitch is in place. The leather is thick and heavy with wealth. All the switches click with a sublime feel that makes me think only of large quantities of delicious butter and steak and the morning after feeling of way too much expensive red wine. Nauseousness.

This afternoon I spent my first 15 minutes with an iPad and felt exactly the same way.

If you know me, you know I love technology. I just purchased a LiveScribe pen for example and am tickled with it. I have a BlackBerry filled with way too many apps. I use Twitter. I have to have the latest software version and am always trying new stuff. I buy almost all my books in electronic format. But I was surprised at how completely unsuited I am for the iPad. Here's why:

1. I do love keyboards. I love that tactile give of the keys. Hitting the glass of a virtual keyboard for even a short length of time makes my fingertips hurt.

2. The iPad is heavy. Really heavy. Let me say that more strongly: it feels like a brick, like you could use it in an exercise routine. My Kindle and the iPod touch in contrast are magically light, almost weightless. Holding the iPad made me feel again like I was in a childhood delirium.

3. I don't play games. My laptop is fine for the occasional movie. So all that functionality is wasted on me.

4. I find Flipboard frightening. That's the app that pulls content from everywhere and creates your own magazine. I am not a strong person. I am too easily seduced. Flipboard feels like being trapped in a doctor's office with an infinite number of the latest magazines and no appointment in sight. Get me out of here! But no, even though the door is unlocked I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE!

It makes sense that the iPad is devouring netbooks and consumer level cheap notebooks. It's the same price and incomparably more beautiful. It's like a taste of BMW for the price of a used Honda Super Cub. But the only use I've got for it is to show someone a presentation across the conference room table. For the most part, as Cory Doctorow says, it's just a consumption device.

@verizonwireless doesn't seem to know that Windows 7 is available

2010-09-08T03:53:00.000-07:00

Kindle 3 initial impressions

2010-08-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

I've now owned my Kindle 3 for a few days. Some initial impressions.

Dislikes:

1. It doesn't feel as well made as the Kindle 2. The back is plastic rather than metal. The smaller size makes Kindle 3 less easy to hold in my (relatively large) hands than Kindle 2.

2. The page turn buttons are not as good. They're small and I more frequently fumble clicking the next page.

3. The new five way navigation device is not as good as Kindle 2. The other buttons are too close and it's easy to slip and click a button above or below the navigation device.

4. I do miss the row of dedicated number keys. These are now accessible by the Kindle function. I frequently use the numbers keys to navigate to places in a book. These were eliminated as dedicated keys to reduce the size of the device.

Likes:

1. The higher contrast screen is wonderful. Finally comes close to matching a printed page for contrast. The Kindle 2 screen has too much grey in the background. Kindle 3 isn't pure black and white but it's close enough.

2. Kindle 2 was lightweight. Kindle 3 is even more so. Three Kindles = One iPad. And despite my criticism above, the smaller size with no reduction in screen size is nice.

3. The new operating system adds various tweaks that are positive but none significant enough to note here. I have no use for the function that lets you see what sections of books were highlighted by other people who own the same book.

4. Twice the memory is nice.

5. Page turns are marginally and noticeably faster. But I never had problems with the Kindle 2 speed.

6. The new carbon color is nice but I liked the white and silver of Kindle 2.

Conclusion? Very worthwhile purchase. $140 for the Wifi only version. Should you spend $50 extra to add 3G wireless? It is unlimited, forever but it's not essential--perhaps useful if you're going to be using the Kindle as a backup browser in places where you need to find some critical piece of info.

Waiting for my Waterfield Designs slipcase. Not going to buy one of those Amazon leather cases that make the Kindle look like a Moleskine when the case is closed.

Quick overview of 4 file sync services: Memeo, SugarSync, Dropbox, LiveMesh.

2010-07-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

I realized I'm used four file sync services. And this doesn't even include Google Docs or the miscellaneous Microsoft products (Sharepoint etc). Consolidation anyone?

MemeoConnect. Advantages: a nice interface for viewing of Google Docs. Particularly helpful if you want to "double-click" on a native Office file stored in Google Docs, edit it, and then seamlessly re-save it into Google without having to download and then re-upload.

SugarSync: Advantages: BlackBerry program that allows you to seamlessly sync folders with your BlackBerry and then using DocsToGo, view or edit documents.

DropBox: Advantages: Ubiquitous. Seems to be the most common file sync system.

LiveMesh: Advantages: Nicest interface, in my opinion. This is what I use the most. Even though it's Microsoft, there's a Mac client version. I haven't yet spent much time with the new www.docs.com versions of online Microsoft Office, but it's a different product than LiveMesh. Microsoft alone needs some consolidation among their confusing offerings. LiveMesh. docs.com. Sharepoint. Sharepoint Communicator. SkyDrive. No where on their site is simple explanation of why you'd want one versus the others. Egregious.

What do you see as key advantages? I'm sure there are ones they I've missed?

Microsoft, thanks for Excel 2010 and please keep me

2010-07-09T03:18:00.000-07:00

People I meet are frequently surprised when I pull out a PC rather than a Mac. Because I wear black t-shirts occasionally? I don't know. I suppose it's a compliment.

Microsoft captured me years ago for the Windows platform when Excel became unusable on the Mac after the switch to Intel. Running Excel on a Mac under emulation was too slow and it frequently crashed.

Just yesterday I sent an Excel spreadsheet to a client who runs a Mac. We couldn't get cell formats to stay fixed.

Further, even if the 2011 version of Office for Mac returns macro capability and works perfectly, Macs will still drive me crazy because I can't click and button and pop a particular window to fill the screen. They're always floating on the Mac. Plus, the ability to run two instances of a program like Excel is essential.

So, Microsoft, continue to make Excel work beautifully, flawlessly, as in the latest Office 2010 version, continue to make the Mac version not quite as good and you'll continue to keep me on Windows.

How to Fix a Stuck BlackBerry Trackball

2010-07-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

via lifehacker LINK

More about Microsoft Office online: you should give it a whirl http://www.docs.com

2010-06-14T05:42:00.000-07:00

I did a post on my other blog (accidentally placing it there instead of here) about the "icky" connection between the new Office online and Facebook--you have to connect with a Facebook account to use the product.

"Icky" is the word to use with Facebook--such creepy, uncomfortable associations now with the ad nauseum talked about violations of privacy trust. The connection to Office online--such a brilliantly executed product...its a little like being in the presence of a beautiful human being and seeing that person pawed by some disreputable character. Icky!

But try to avert your eyes from the strange gentleman off to the side that is 20 something year-old Facebook and engage with the beauty that is an amazing Azure development project in Office online: http://www.docs.com.

Use thoughts on Enhanced Gmail plug-in for BlackBerry

2010-06-02T04:44:00.000-07:00

The Enhanced Gmail plug-in for BlackBerry finally seems to be working. Even though it was released in August, it took until this Spring for the BlackBerry Internet Service to actually produce results, as far as I can tell.

What are those results?

Instead of having to use the (very good) separate Gmail for BlackBerry application, you can use the BlackBerry native e-mail application and get most of the functionality of Gmail.

What works: Yes, you can use a Gmail for Apps account instead of just a standard "@gmail" account. You get access to your labels, you can "star" an e-mail and your e-mails are threaded. You also get sync of deleted items, something that seemed to be missing before. In other words, it seems to provide full sync functionality.

What doesn't work: I'm not sure yet. Yesterday, marking items as read was only working from Gmail to the BlackBerry and not the other way round. Today, as I write this, I just tested that functionality and it is working. I'll report more as I test this thing.

But key: Google's own Gmail for BlackBerry stand-alone application, while really great, is a battery hog. Using the native BlackBerry application extends my battery life by hours. But you'll still want to keep that application on your device because there's nothing like being able to search all your mail from your handheld. And the interface is has some definite advantages over the native application (though some downsides too, like not displaying images).

Update: The lack of "mark read" updates from Gmail to the BlackBerry mail application is really really annoying. The improvement of battery life however is great, in comparison to hitting "refresh" all the time with the Gmail for BlackBerry stand-alone application.

Update 2: It's not that the "mark read" updates don't work. It's just that they take forever, hours even. Haven't had time to figure out on what frequency but it's many many minutes at very least and doesn't seem predictable. FAIL!

a few notes on @sugarsync @timr and GMail for BlackBerry

2010-06-01T04:32:00.000-07:00

Addendum to the previous post:

1. Still testing SugarSync. Certainly doesn't sync as quickly as I'd like to the BlackBerry platform but this may be due to challenges on the handheld end and no fault of SugarSync. In any case, for time tracking, I've gone back to the expensive but excellent Timr instead of trying to manage a spreadsheet synced between desktop and handheld.

2. Wiped my BlackBerry of all contacts and e-mail and reset e-mail using my Google Apps account into the BlackBerry native e-mail client. Working much better--before it was so slow as to be unusable--but still testing this.

BlackBerry, legacy, documents and @sugarsync

2010-05-30T16:33:00.000-07:00

RIM is in a bit of a Microsoft catch with the legacy distinction between its BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) vs. its consumer BIS offerings. (These are the two types of service that connect your BlackBerry to your e-mail.)

In order to provision the very most basic type of sync functionality you have to (a) be part of a corporation with BES installed on its servers (b) deal with managing outsourced BES or (c) deal with multiple add-on applications and various kludgey, fussy setups to get your mail, calendar and contacts to sync between your BlackBerry and your desktop. In either case, you won't have push GMail (which Android, iPhone and Windows Mobile, ironically, do have). BlackBerry has recently tried to fix this but their GMail fix slowed down my BlackBerry Tour to the point of unusability.

BlackBerry's danger is that they are stuck with BES as system that allows command and control security from the corporate IT center and seem loathe to provide effective and competitive solutions on the consumer end and small business end. Sounds a bit like Microsoft.

But there is one area of mission critical business functionality that BlackBerry is as behind the times as the rest of the mobile platforms and that's document sync. With the partial exception of Android, the ability to read and edit documents on a mobile platform and sync them back to your desktop is still only provided by add-ons. A company called SugarSync seems to be filling that gap most effectively. Combined with DataViz Documents to Go, you can get the sort of document sync functionality that BlackBerry should be offering natively. SugarSync doesn't offer document editing and DataViz only offers syncing via desktop cable or with a BES server, with its own software installed as well. But together, they're a great combination. Now I can have a spreadsheet, for example, of my time and activities log on my BlackBerry always in sync with the Excel spreadsheet on my PC. And my novel too can get more work done by being in both places at once. Further, SugarSync has the same backup functionality as offerings like Mozy and Carbonite, but with a far larger offering and full offerings for all the top North American mobile platforms.

a list of the best BlackBerry add-on applications for productivity

2010-03-11T18:08:00.000-08:00

My excuses for using a BlackBerry are (a) Verizon delivers great voice quality, as does the BlackBerry Tour (b) physical keyboard and (3) it doesn't seduce me with an almost infinite variety of wonderful time sucking applications.

Here are what I've found to be the core productivity applications. With the addition to the list of the wonderful Timr app for timetracking, I don't know why you'd want anything more (except true e-mail sync without a BlackBerry Enterprise Server ... grrr!). The following are in descending order of utility (to me). The first two get assigned BlackBerry function keys for easy access.

GMail. Specialized application. Not push mail but the next best thing. Great to have my entire e-mail database at my mobile fingertips.
Timr. My new favorite. Wonderful new application for time tracking with OTA sync to a Web interface.
Kindle. A beautifully executed BlackBerry application. You really can read an entire, full length book on a BlackBerry.
TweetGenius. Makes Twitter even easier to use than on a full sized browser. THAT is an amazing feat of design brilliance.
Pandora. Has worked wonderfully for me except when it once started blasting the Yeah Yeah Yeahs our of the speaker during a funeral service (really). Still haven't figured out what happened.
Google Sync. In the background, this syncs my Google Calendar to my BlackBerry calendar. Invaluable. Without this or something like this I'd have to ditch my BlackBerry. I wonder if RIM has any idea of the utility that Google delivers to their platform?
Google Maps. A lifesaver.
Bing Search. I've found it moderately more useful for mobile than Google.
Google Search.
PageOnce. This is a great tool for consolidating all sorts of information like airplane itineraries from multiple carriers and credit card transactions and balances. It's strange that their website isn't as nice as their BlackBerry application.
Evernote. It works ok for notes but needs a revision. Great for capturing photos of receipts and syncing them up to the cloud and then to my desktop.
Yammer. Super for posting Yammer updates to your company.
BeejiveIM. Excellent IM application that includes everything but Skype.
IM+ for Skype. Waiting for the new Verizon-Skype deal to hit my BlackBerry. This program does work fine but it's pricey.
Salesforce. Surprisingly how much data they make accessible through this application. Fast and nice. And with the Spring 2010 release, it's available on all platforms as a data access (but not comprehensive data editing) tool.Publish Post
Facebook. Adequate. Not great.
Google Voice. Useful occasionally for looking up voice mails poorly converted to text.

Primer on the lightest Lenovo ThinkPads

2010-02-24T02:43:00.000-08:00

UPDATED. Several people have asked me for a quick primer on the lightest Lenovo Thinkpads.

I've used the X series for years. It's the original MacBook Air in that it doesn't have a built-in CD-ROM drive. The CD drive comes either as an external like the Air or in a docking station "slice" that affixes to the bottom of the computer. Lenovo figured out well before Apple that people didn't need a CD drive most of the time. A quick overview of the lightest ThinkPads.

X100e

This is the latest form factor in the X line. With a starting price of ~US$500 it's a pretty good deal. Key feature differences are 11.6 inch display, a differently styled keyboard, less robust construction and generally a less robust feature set.

X201

The X201 is the direct successor to the X200, X61, X60, X40 and others before that. Like the X100e, it has no CD drive built-in. The screen is slightly larger at 12.1 inches. The new X201 adds a faster processor than the X200 and an optional trackpad in addition to the classic ThinkPad pointing device. It also appears to make more efficient use of its battery, closing the gap with the X201s. The X201 can contain up to 8GB of RAM (vs 4GB for the 201s) and can come with built-in cellular modem (not an option in the X201s). The X201 and X201s were announced February 24; they weren't on the yet on the Lenovo site at launch but are now. (Why announce machines if you aren't going to make them available for sale at the same time is beyond me. Apple tries to set a good example in this regard but no one seems to understand or listen, including Lenovo.) You should be able to buy a well discounted X200 or X200s for a little while but it appears not directly from Lenovo--those units are off the site as of March 1.

X201s (pictured at right.)

The "s" variants have always featured a slower but more energy efficient processor resulting in longer battery life (again, with the new X201, the "s" advantage here is narrower). The X201s is lighter than the X201 (about 0.4 lb or 0.24 kg) because of carbon fiber top and glass fiber sides (vs magnesium alloy all around in the X201). It also has Lenovo's antiflex "roll-cage" design in the casing of the screen to reduce flexing. And it features a 1440x900 WXGA+ 12 inch screen instead of a 1280x800 WXGA 12 inch. Visually the X201 and X201s are almost identical. The feature comparison chart and detailed spec sheet says no built-in camera even though the pictures show a camera. Annoying!

X201T

The tablet version of the X201 is the heaviest device in the X series. The latest version has an enhanced multi-touch, pivoting screen which can be ordered in a "SuperBright" version for outdoor use in strong sunlight.

X301

This machine goes directly up against competitors like the MacBook Air. A pricey unit no matter how you configure it, the X301 features a 13.3 inch screen which makes a very big difference over the X101e and X201. Unlike the smaller X series laptops, the X301 includes a built-in CD drive (also unlike the Air) but still maintains a competitive 3 lb +/- weight, depending upon battery configuration. Challenge with this machine (like the Air) is limited hard drive options. This machine needs to see a revision to include the multi-touch trackpad that the others now feature.

T410s

Not an X series, but Lenovo's next lightest ThinkPad, the T410s is essentially an X301 with a larger 14.1 inch screen and the option to choose a larger hard drive. It's surprisingly light. Quite a different beast than the other members of the T family.

Why buy any of these machines when they are generally the priciest PCs out there, often even more expensive than comparable Apple laptops? On the PC side, they're probably the best made laptops, the keyboards are second to none, and they have a classic look that in my opinion is comparable to Apple, though a completely different aesthetic.

BlackBerry device primer (for @rabble and others

2010-02-19T16:16:00.000-08:00

A few people has asked me for a BlackBerry device primer. Here it is. Not exhaustive but will help if you choose if you're buying one of these devices. Unlike Apple, there are subtle variations among seemingly identical BlackBerrys depending upon the country and carrier. More details at the BlackBerry site.

Basically, there are four form factors. All of them have the same software functionality--though some are now shipping with the 5.0 operating system rather than 4.x, depending upon carriers. The first two form factors are aimed more at consumers, the second two more at corporate, though those lines are blurry.

Pearl. This is the smallest BlackBerry. In both flip-phone (two almost identical variants) and bar-phone (four variants) it features the smallest screen and a SureType keyboard that has two letters per key. The keyboard works surprisingly well, once you learn to trust it. Some versions have Wifi. Some have GPS. All current ones have cameras.

Curve. This is the second smallest. It's often the cheapest and doesn't seem to be as well made as other full-keyboard BlackBerrys. Keyboard has smaller keys with gaps between them. Newest model has a trackpad instead of a trackball. GPS. Wifi. No 3G. Three variants currently listed on the BlackBerry site.

Bold and Tour. The original Bold was the largest of the current BlackBerrys. This has been replaced by one that is very similar to the Tour but not identical. Bold is GPS (in the U.S. that means AT&T and T-Mobile); Tour is CDMA (in the U.S. that means Verizon and Sprint). Tour2 (which might be renamed as a Bold for CDMA) will close the gap between the two by switching to a trackpad and including WiFi. All are 3G. These devices are the corporate workhorses of the BlackBerry line and are very well made.

Storm. This is a CDMA model and is the only BlackBerry without a physical keyboard. The Storm2 improved the SurePress "clickable" touchscreen and features surprisingly good typing feel. This is the only BlackBerry with a screen the size of an iPhone or Android phone. WiFi and 3G. Like the Bold and Tour, high quality manufacturing is evident.

Android is to Google Apps and GMail as BlackBerry is to Microsoft Exchange

2010-01-11T03:19:00.000-08:00

Forget the whole question of whether Android and BlackBerry can compete with the iPhone around apps. For the business user who primarily uses their smartphone for Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, the question is how easy it is to sync between phone and laptop. Unless RIM (BlackBerry) extricates itself from near monogamy with Microsoft and Microsoft Exchange servers, there's going to be a clear divide: if you have made the switch to Google Apps for Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, you're eventually going to make the switch to Android as well. IF you have a corporate IT department of some sort or use a hosted BlackBerry Enterprise Server, connecting your BlackBerry with your Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks is quite easy. But if you're using Google for these applications, there is no easy and complete solution. Instead, you have to cobble together various components, including Google's sync tool and the special GMail application for BlackBerry. But if you switch to Android, setup and sync with your main business productivity applications couldn't be simpler. Hopefully BlackBerrys will soon be able to sync better with GMail. But if not, any ascendancy of Google Apps is going to eat away at BlackBerry sales. (Same point made by Fred Wilson, AVC.)

I can get a new phone through Verizon in a few months . . . about the same time Google's Nexus One will launch with Verizon . . .

@evernote definitely wins award for easiest Win 7 install

2010-01-05T12:30:00.000-08:00

As noted in the previous post, I upgraded to Win 7 the other day. The upgrade from 32bit to 64 required a clean install so every program had to be reinstalled.

Evernote definitely wins the award for easiest install. Reason is that all your Evernote files are in sync between your computer and their cloud. Therefore, simple matter of just installing the new Evernote on the new clean drive and sucking down all your data from the cloud, organized just as it used to be.

Making use of Microsoft's new Mesh tool when switching computers or doing a clean install is also worthy of a mention. Any folders you have synced up to the cloud with Mesh can of course be dropped back down onto your computer. Different than Evernote is that you have to re-select the location of the folders on your computer which requires an extra step (I'm not suggesting Mesh should work like Evernote--different functionality).

Of course if one is using a Mac, none of these issues are relevant because upgrade paths have not required a clean install for a long time. Upgrading to a new Mac from an old one is just a matter of connecting the two with a cable and zipping everything from one computer to the other, programs as well as files.

New Years day Windows 7 64 bit conversion tale (not much to tell, fortunately)

2010-01-01T09:24:00.000-08:00

Upgraded my Lenovo X61s to Windows 7 64 bit. Had to do a complete reinstall rather than a simple upgrade because I was running Vista 32 bit. Everything went smoothly. A few points that might be useful:

1. I went out and bought a new harddrive. The Lenovo makes it simply to replace the harddrive and BestBuy had a 320gB version running at 7,200 rpm for just over $100. Great preventative maintenance.

2. Installed Win 7 Pro on the new hard drive. Took a surprisingly short amount of time to do this. Closer to 30 minutes than an hour.

3. Installed Mozy and downloaded from my most recent Mozy backup the essential files I needed.

4. Installed my copy of Office 2007. Again, no issues.

5. Found, to my great surprise, that it was easy to reinstall all the programs I use. The only disks I needed were for Office. Other programs included:

Google Chrome
Google Picasa
QuickBooks 2010 (way faster than 2009)
Fasttrack Schedule
MindManager
Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Dreamweaver
Skype
iTunes
Microsoft Mesh
BlackBerry Desktop
Postbox
and Evernote!

Only the Adobe products required deauthorization from the other computer, which is really just the other harddrive. Because I'd kept the old drive intact, it was a simple matter to switch it in again and reboot.

Still more files to take down from Mozy as needed but I think I'm good to go.

I had been quite happy with Vista, but Win 7 is so much faster on startup, shutdown and in operation.

Update: Quickbooks wasn't as easy as I'd thought. Of course I need to get a code from the company and you have to phone them for that. And of course they weren't open on Friday, January 1. And they aren't open weekends either. Adobe, as noted above and in contrast, simply lets you deactivate the previous version of the machine so that you can reactivate the software on the "new" machine. I guess Intuit likes that cost of a human touch.

History of the BlackBerry from Engadget

2009-12-29T11:34:00.000-08:00

well written history of the BlackBerry from Engadget: LINK

trials and tribulations of Comcast

2009-11-22T10:12:00.000-08:00

It's been months since our Comcast Internet service worked. It had worked flawlessly for years but last April the modem started going offline periodically. Finally gave up on it over the summer after at least 6 hours on the phone with their technical support, one in person visit from a tech, and switching out all our hardware. Regrouped in October because the alternate DSL service was so pitiful. One tech came in and found that the insulation housing for the cable going from street to house was stripped over a meter long section. We both agreed this must be it. Of course, 15 minutes after the tech left the modem went offline again. Two weeks later I scheduled another tech who immediately went to the pole across the street, replaced some hardware and voila, after at least half a year we have reliable service again. Moral: persistence pays. Amazement: Comcast technical support on the phone is always certain that it's you who is doing something wrong. They never think it could be a physical hardware issue. Have to add that everyone at Comcast was always nice about it and I picked up various credits along the way.

Dual monitors with Lenovo X61s and USB-to-DVI Adapter

2009-11-01T06:34:00.000-08:00

It is now possible to connect two monitors to an X61s laptop thanks to a nice little Lenovo gadget, the USB-to-DVI adapter. I just received mine. See Lenovo's Inside the Box blog (LINK) for a full explanation of new docking options. Strangely, I can no longer find the item on Lenovo's site for purchase. There is a page (LINK) but no way to purchase. Are they out of them? Already discontinued them?

Primer on smartphones for sole proprietors or small workplaces

2009-10-27T17:20:00.000-07:00

Several people have asked me in recent days to recommend a first-time smartphone. Common threads that you've asked for are:

a work phone for sole proprietors or people who work in a small workplace
a phone that doesn't rely upon enterprise tools like a BlackBerry Enterprise Server or Microsoft Exchange Server and therefore the ability to provision all features on your own
a focus on the core business functionality of a smartphone, to keep in sync with your desktop or laptop's mail, contacts, calendar, and not games and other consumer functions.

(Photo from Time magazine article, from L to R: iPhone, Motorola/Google Droid, and BlackBerry LINK.)

In this quick and decidedly not exhaustive review--that will be subject to corrections--I'll briefly summarize the four main types of smartphone prevalent in the United States with respect to their ability to deliver core business functionality. But to jump to the conclusion: I'd go for an iPhone on ATT, a Google Android device, specifically the Motorola Droid (or later ones with 2.0 software) if you're on Verizon, OR a BlackBerry, particularly on Verizon, if you need the best voice quality possible and lean towards the "phone" part of smartphone rather than the "smart".

First, the question of carriers. In the United States there are two big players: Verizon and ATT. ATT has had challenges with bandwidth, particularly in some urban areas, as it tries to deal with the load on its system produced by the iPhone. Verizon by all accounts seems to provide better voice quality plus better data throughput and high speed coverage over larger geographies. But the differences between the two carriers in these regards may or may not be noticeable to you or count significantly above other features. And quality in your local area may vary. You should talk to several colleagues who regularly make use of the features you need in the neighborhoods in which you'll primarily be using your phone. A block or two, even in rural areas, can make all the difference between carriers. If you want an iPhone, you're stuck with ATT. If you want a BlackBerry you can choose either. And if you want a Google phone, you used to have to go with TMobile but now you also go to Verizon. Yes, Sprint and TMobile are also out there, plus lesser carriers. There may be value in comparison shopping those carriers.

iPhone. You've of course heard of the tour-de-force that is Apple's iPhone. For flexibility, ease of use, number of mobile applications and sheer beauty it's hard to beat. Surprisingly, as of this writing it probably offers the best integration of PC or Mac to mobile device for the sole proprietor--but Android is right behind and will likely catch up with V2.0. If you use GMail, Outlook, Entourage or Mail, you'll find excellent tools to sync your computer with your iPhone. The two key tools are Google Sync, which gives you GMail, calendar and contact sync or MobileMe, which via a for fee subscription service can sync Calendar and Contacts with Apple iCal and Contacts or with Outlook. E-mail sync can happen via the IMAP protocol to virtually any server and then back up to your computer. Downsides of the iPhone: (1) too much distraction from all those amazing applications and (2) no physical keyboard, so texting while driving is difficult!

Windows Mobile. Microsoft is still struggling with Version 6.5 of its mobile operating system. Hopefully 7.0 will be the charm but that won't be out until late 2010. There is some very nice hardware for Windows Mobile but the operating system by everyone's admission is currently lagging the pack. The irony of Windows Mobile is that with the Google Sync tool you're in as good shape as the iPhone for Over the Air sync (OTA). Microsoft offers no such functionality for their own phones without the use of an Exchange server and you have to rely on their nemesis Google! You can also sync mail via IMAP, something you can't do with a BlackBerry.

BlackBerry. I use a BlackBerry but I have access to an Enterprise Server. The reason I use it is because I want a physical keyboard and I want a device with excellent voice quality. Unfortunately, without access to an Enterprise Server for synchronization, the BlackBerry falls short for the sole proprietor needing good sync capabilities between computer and smartphone.

First, for users of services other than Yahoo Mail, without access to a BlackBerry Enterprise Server, you are unable to sync your e-mail using the BlackBerry native mail application between your computer and your BlackBerry. Your e-mail will come into your BlackBerry but what you do on your BlackBerry stays there and won't sync back to your desktop. (This should change soon, at least with respect to GMail, but we're still waiting.)

Full-on Google users have the best sync options with a BlackBerry. With the Google Sync application you get Google Calendar and Google Contacts OTA sync, same as with the iPhone and Windows Mobile. But for BlackBerry, this product does not offer GMail sync. Again, the native BlackBerry mail application sync is only one-directional, up to the BlackBerry. There IS a decent way of accessing your GMail via a separate GMail for BlackBerry program, but it's not the same "instant push" e-mail that's available on iPhone, Windows Mobile and Android. Highly ironic as BlackBerry invented push e-mail.

If you're using a Macintosh your Addressbook application will sync with Google contacts in Snow Leopard (LINK) and then you can use the Google Sync application to sync the contacts to your BlackBerry. Google calendar sync from iCal to Google Calendar can be also accomplished (instructions LINK) and again you can use the Google Sync application to provide a sync to your BlackBerry.

If you're using Outlook, the best way to get OTA sync is to use the Google Calendar Sync tool on your computer, and the Google Sync tool on your BlackBerry. You're pretty much out of luck with contacts in Outlook except by cable or Bluetooth to your computer. UPDATE: There is an app that will sync your contacts from Outlook to Google, called GoContactSync.) There is at least one application, ThinkPost, that claims to solve the issue of no OTA contacts sync with Outlook but I haven't used it. For full OTA capability including mail, calendar, contacts, tasks, as a solo user you could also sign up for a hosted Exchange account for $20+ per month. Multiple vendors offer this including Sherweb, Intermedia and Mailstreet. Or you could store all your contacts in Google.

There are a crazy number of BlackBerrys, with some only at one carrier or the other, and subtle variations among them--for example, the "Bold2", launching soon from ATT is essentially the Verizon "Tour" with Wifi and a trackpad instead of trackball. But inside, they're all BlackBerrys. Features like Wifi and 3G connection capability may vary, but if you make sure you get a latest model, functionally they're the same.

Android or "Google Phone". Google is giving away its operating system to phone manufacturers (versus Microsoft which sells it). Why? Grab for market share and because Google's whole business model is different from Microsoft's. All indications are that Android is the operating system that longterm will nip most closely on Apple's heels, although BlackBerry has made some decent strides with its application store and has certainly maintained its dominant presence in the enterprise market even while producing big volume increases with consumers. I am less familiar with the Android offering and the subtleties of sync. You may want to get a phone with Version 2.0 of the Android operating system--launching now on the Verizon "Droid"--because that version should have all the sync tools you need to make sure everything stays up to date. Challenge with Android is that by year's end there will be a plethora of phones available (upwards of 20), all with different features and most not sporting V2.0. You really have to make sure that the phone you're buying and the carrier you're buying it from are delivering the features that you need. But if they do have the Version 2.0 sync features, getting your calendar wirelessly delivered shouldn't be a problem; your contacts, if in Outlook, may face the same challenges as a BlackBerry.

Summary

Sorry Nokia and Palm, but I don't have direct experience with your products. Nokia has little presence in the United States smartphone market. I do know that its e71 falls short on ease-of-use and setup, although its pretty, svelte and rugged. The new Palm operating system has received praise. It will be coming to Verizon at the end of the year. But the physical product itself feels cheap and Palm market share is losing ground on fears of Android.

(corrections welcome via comments)

HP is utterly bizarre too

2009-10-27T03:41:00.001-07:00

Following up on my last post about how bizarre Dell is, I went to the HP website for the first time in a while.

Who are the children running that company?

Its website is such a complete mess I found it impossible to figure out which computer I could possibly want. It appears that there are five models but in fact, clicking on any one of those choices unveils an undifferentiated variety. Amazing. And the pictures are so small you have no idea which computer to explore further.

And then I got an e-mail from Amazon this morning offering me a choice of HP laptops. But the e-mail just makes me want to run away screaming. There are 10 laptops listed. I can't tell them apart. It's like a used car flyer in a newspaper. These people think they have any hope of competing longterm with Apple? Amazing.

Dell is utterly bizarre

2009-10-26T17:57:00.001-07:00

Dell has a gorgeous new laptop . . . almost out. Pictures are on various blogs. The thing is thinner than a MacBook Air and has an intriguing and showy way of folding open. So, you'd think there'd be mention of the product on Dell's website? You'd think, but no!

Who are the people running these companies?

Another example: everyone knows the new BlackBerry Storm2 is launching. Vodaphone has it on their website. It will obviously launch with Verizon in the United States. The Verizon CEO wanders around Manhattan showing off the phone to random people. So, you'd think there'd be mention of the product on Verizon's website? You'd think, but no! Pictures are in obscure place on its website but are impossible to find.

Who are the children running these companies?? Do they really think they are capable of going up against an adult company like Apple? It boggles the mind . . .

annoying lack of attention to detail at "other than Apple"

2009-10-22T02:58:00.001-07:00

It is really annoying when companies I like can't live up to the attention to detail that is exemplified by Apple. Case in point: BlackBerry's comparison tables. Look at the difference in the way that the dimensions are displayed. OK. This is utterly insignificant and more than merely bordering on obsessive-compulsive. Guilty. But I just can't imagine Apple allowing these little errors to occur on their site.

BlackBerry Tour

BlackBerry Bold 9700

Size and Weight

Length	112mm (4.4”)	4.29"/109mm
Width	62mm (2.4”)	2.36"/60mm
Depth	14.2mm (0.6”)	0.56"/14.10mm
Weight	130g (including battery)	4.27oz/122g

UPDATE: HEY. They fixed it. :)

more on the "e-mail dying" meme

2009-10-19T08:10:00.000-07:00

There appears to be a bit more content of late in the "e-mail is dying" meme.* Probably this is driven by the Google Wage phenomena which purports to be e-mail as if had been invented today rather than last century. A shift from e-mail being yesterday to other communication tools--Facebook, Twitter and Wave, foremost--is said to be catalyzed by the always on capability of the Internet and handheld devices. The argument goes that the asynchronous nature of e-mail is now outdated, an artifact of a time when the desktop reigned as the hub of our electronic world. Today the desktop is more of a periphery, with the handheld becoming the personal communication device that we live with 24/7. My own BlackBerry barely leaves my body. It charges each night on my nightstand (in the new BlackBerry "bedside" mode). These always on and attached-to-the-body devices allow instant response. As declared in a WSJ article titled Why Email No Longer Rules, "Why wait for a response to an email when you get a quicker answer over instant messaging?"

But this whole "e-mail is dying" argument misses the point that you don't always want "instant" and even with 24/7 attached devices, can't always have it. Ever tried instant oatmeal? Icch! Ever been slapped for e-mailing in a meeting? Ever tried to say something comprehensive on Twitter?

The point is that the "e-mail is dying" meme is just silly. What's of course happening is that modes of communication are proliferating and some of them displace e-mail in certain circumstances. Despite Facebook, Twitter and Wave, e-mail will be with us for a very long time.

And there's still lots of room for innovation around e-mail. GMail is of course the best current example. Whenever I go back to using e-mail on Outlook, I do indeed feel like I'm in the last century. The product is slow. It crashes on me frequently, probably because I've got a few add-ons (Salesforce, Linkedin, Skype). It uses an old database form, allowing messages to be in only one place at a time via folders instead of infinite places via tags. Threading doesn't include outgoing conversations. Search is abysmal. When I use GMail, it's a joy. Spam is mostly killed before it comes to me, thanks to Google's servers. Conversations are threaded beautifully. The product gets continual tweaks, many of which I can toggle on and off via the "labs" function and all of which work perfectly, with no effect on performance. And there's even a great GMail app for my BlackBerry, though it doesn't offer the instant "push" of normal BlackBerry e-mail. I have to wait for it. But when I do, I can search for any e-mail in my database, I get to see conversations threaded, and the product just works. And I can take a few breaths before I have to respond. Someday, perhaps, the forced asychonysity of e-mail will be appreciated again for what it is after all the hyped up alternatives begin to taste like too much cotton candy.

* David Strom (LINK) and Jessica Vascellaro in the WSJ (LINK) on the "e-mail is dead" meme. And Farhad Manjoo on Slate has a nice little takedown of Wave (LINK).

GMail application for BlackBerry vs. GMail IMAP on BlackBerry

2009-10-14T06:06:00.000-07:00

My previous post was about how to set up GMail on your BlackBerry so that it uses the IMAP protocol. This post summarizes the difference between (1) the GMail application for BlackBerry that you can download to your BlackBerry via m.google.com/go on your BB Browser and (2) using the native BlackBerry mail program with IMAP.

Google GMail application

+ full sync with GMail, including archive, delete, read, unread

+ full search of GMail

+ threaded e-mail just like in the Web application

+ ability to star e-mails

- limited when BlackBerry is offline

- can be slow to get e-mail

- text only, not HTML e-mail

- flashing indicator light is limited to whether you have ANY new mail and once you open the application, light will go off regardless of whether there is read e-mail

BlackBerry native e-mail application with GMail IMAP

+ HTML e-mail

+ gets e-mail more quickly and consistently (I can't tell if it's as fast as true "push")

+ some aspects of two-way sync work (see below for exceptions)

+ can hold more e-mails when BlackBerry is offline

- some aspects of two-way sync do not work

- marking as "read" on the Web won't mark as "read" on the BlackBerry, which is really annoying; it does work from the BlackBerry down to the Web

- no threaded messages

- Yahoo IMAP mail is supposed to have true, unadulterated two-way sync with the BlackBerry, but you'll have to test that for yourself (LINK to Yahoo for information).

A decent post on the subject at BBGeeks: LINK

I've returned to using just the GMail application. The lack of true two-way sync on read messages is really a killer for me.

Update: according to Berry Review LINK via BBGeeks LINK true two-way sync with GMail will be coming soon. Who knows if this is for real.

How to set up GMail IMAP on a BlackBerry

2009-10-14T03:02:00.000-07:00

DISCLAIMER: See post that follows this one. GMail IMAP on BlackBerry has real limitations and only Yahoo really seems to work.

This post explains how to set up GMail IMAP on a BlackBerry. The instructions on the Google site will never help you get it set up correctly. If you don't want to preamble and background, skip down to the "Instructions" section.

Although a BlackBerry may be the best mobile device for e-mail, this assessment should probably be made only if you're running it off of a BES, BlackBerry Enterprise Server. With BES you'll get full two way sync with you desktop e-mail. Without BES, your stuck with BIS, BlackBerry Internet Service, the consumer version of BlackBerry e-mail. Although it uses the same application on the device, the interaction with mail servers is not as seamless as with BES. The touted advantage of a BlackBerry is that mail is "pushed" to you. Your device doesn't have to "reach" out to the mail server and pull the mail down. The result is that mail reaches you more quickly and without as much work on the part of the mobile device. If you delete an item on your desktop machine, it will still show up on your BlackBerry. In recent years, other mobile systems have launched push e-mail as well. Google recently announced two-way sync with push e-mail service between GMail and the iPhone and Windows Mobile devices. But it left off any special push e-mail with GMail for BlackBerry. With BES, you can get push e-mail for most any e-mail service, but it's not a two way sync.

If you want two way sync between GMail and BlackBerry and you're only running BES, you are left with two choices. First, you can use a special GMail application that you can download to from your BlackBerry browser using the address m.google.com/go. It works extremely well but doesn't allow you to change the frequency with which it gets your e-mail. Best I can figure is it's more than every five minutes but less than every minute. You can manually force it to grab your mail. It's a really good application. The only other drawback is that it does not render HTML e-mail. You'll probably want to have it set up on your device regardless because it allows you to see threaded conversations and search and find every one of the many GMail messages you undoubtedly have stored in your GMail archive.

The second choice is to set up GMail IMAP. IMAP is a mail protocol that allows two-way sync between a mail server and a device, whether a desktop or a mobile device. This way, if you delete an item on your desktop, it will also be deleted on the server and therefore also on your mobile device. However, it doesn't actually work as well as you'd think.

INSTRUCTIONS

Google's instructions (LINK) are incomplete. They say the following:

To integrate Gmail with the BlackBerry's email client, just follow these steps:
-- On your BlackBerry device, navigate to your home screen
-- Select the icon that lets you set up email (this can be called BlackBerry Set-up, E-mail settings, or Personal Email Set-up)
-- Follow the setup instructions provided on your device

Unfortunately, that won't work! The key is to put in your e-mail address and NOT put in your password. Here are instructions that work:

1. When you get to the BlackBerry Set-up screen, either on your BlackBerry or via the BIS setup screen on your computer (LINK).

2. Put in your e-mail address but NOT your password.

3. Click "Next" and you'll come to an "Additional Information Required" screen.

4. Select "I will provide the settings to add this email account."

5. You'll find a choice to indicate if this is your Work or Personal e-mail account. Select either.

6. At the next screen, select "I will provide the settings to add this email account."

7. Finally, you'll get to a screen titled "Set Up An Existing Email Account". Here you can put in your username and password. For Email server use "imap.gmail.com".

Unfortunately . . . see post that follows this one. GMail IMAP on BlackBerry has real limitations and only Yahoo really seems to work.

BoyGenius, Beejive have launched a great Twitter app for BlackBerry @tweet_genius

2009-10-04T17:37:00.001-07:00

The BoyGenius Report ("BGR") and Beejive have launched a new version of the BGR Twitter application for BlackBerry, Tweet Genius. For the next two weeks it's only available for those who paid for the Beta version, which I did. For that reason, I can tell you it's the best third party application (best application period?) that I've used on a BlackBerry. Makes the Twitter experience easily as good, if not better than on a desktop computer. Quite a remarkable achievement. How can it make Twitter even better than on a PC and Mac? The interface is simply easier to read and navigate than anything produced by Twitter, Seesmic, Twirl, Tweetdeck, Hootsuite--any of those. And using it on a mobile means you can grab read Twitter in those spare moments waiting at a bus, on the train, waiting for an appointment instead of wasting time at your desk.

My only complaint is that I wish it allowed the marketing of favorites for later review, particularly valuable when someone tweets a link to an article you think want to read but don't have time to at that moment.

BlackBerry Internet Service 2.8, sadly without GMail sync

2009-10-04T17:20:00.000-07:00

BlackBerry has just launched the latest version of "BIS", their BlackBerry Internet Service for those using BlackBerrys without a corporate BES or BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

BIS is the service that delivers e-mail through the phone carriers to your device. BIS 2.8 is their latest upgrade to this service. To take advantage of the new features you do have to be running a Version 5.0 variant of the BlackBerry software on your device--and this is not currently available at most carriers and for most devices. The biggest feature BIS 2.8 adds is 2-way sync for Google Contacts. But sadly, there is no indication that 2-way GMail sync is part of this upgrade. If you're just on a BIS account, you can get your GMail onto your BlackBerry in two ways. First, you can get it pushed to your device to show up in your BlackBerry's native mail program. But this is not a two-way sync. For example, if you mark a mail item as read on your BlackBerry, it will still show-up as unread on your desktop computer. This doesn't change with BIS 2.8. The second way to get GMail on your BlackBerry is through the GMail application. While this works well and produces full 2-way sync, it side-steps your native BlackBerry mail application and mail does not show up instantly but only whenever you manually force a connection or when the program chooses to check for new mail. Again, no change with BIS 2.8.

It would be very nice if the functionality of the new Google Apps Connector for BlackBerry Enterprise Server (LINK) made its way over to the consumer, BIS side. Hoped this would happen with 2.8 but it appears not. BoyGenius on 2.8 LINK and the BlackBerry manual for 2.8 PDF LINK.

Microsoft Mesh vs Microsoft LiveSync

2009-09-09T18:58:00.000-07:00

I've been a longtime fan of Groove, the peer-to-peer file sharing software invented by Ray Ozzie, also the creator of Lotus Notes and now Microsoft's Chief Software Architect.

Microsoft bought Groove and Ray came along with it--or rather, it bought Ray and Groove came along with him. He's been moving Microsoft in the director of cloud computing. It's about time and the next year should see lots of public results of those efforts.

I was also a fan of the little utility FolderShare which allowed peer-to-peer file sync between computers, including Macs and Windows. Microsoft bought that company too and it became Microsoft LiveSync.

The challenge with LiveSync and with the standard, small workgroup implementation of Groove is that peers have to have their computers on at the same in order to sync.

Microsoft has a new product in Beta called Mesh and it provides sync to the cloud and then back down to devices--Macs, Windows and Windows Mobile. Because of the cloud, peers don't need to be on at the same time. There's a light little app that installs on your desktop and provides a helpful little info window, including messaging updates. And Mesh will allow you to fully access your computer remotely from another computer, provided your computer has been left on and connected. Mesh looks like a winner.

I'm not sure where this leaves Groove. The extra security of Groove file sharing may no longer be enough of a value proposition. It will be interesting to see where this lands with Office 2010. Groove will be renamed "Sharepoint Workspace". News is supposed to be forthcoming soon, according to the Sharepoint Workspace Team Blog as of September 2, 2009.

(Two criticisms. First, Microsoft please, if you're in Beta with a product, the #1 news item on a Google or Bing search should not be an article from mid-2008! What is with your PR folks? Second, please, I can't stand the ads you guys run within products like MS Messenger and even within the Mesh Beta. Can't you drop those for the Beta? And I sure hope there's a for-fee option to get rid of those ads in the final Mesh. Messes badly with your nice and pretty interface.)

Managing the privacy settings on Facebook

2009-08-05T07:58:00.000-07:00

Facebook has grown to be a ubiquitous network, crossing the boundaries between work and personal. For me, this has only occurred recently. I've tried to keep Facebook as a friends network, people with whom I have close ties or with whom I could imagine having close ties. There's a lot of crossover between work and personal in my life, but also many cases with a clear distinction.

Recently, I've started to get more and more friend requests from people I don't know very well, people I hardly know at all, or people who are firmly in the domain of work. How to manage this? It turns out the Facebook now has pretty good privacy management tools. Key is to group your contacts by "list". Here's how:

1. Select "Friends" from the drop-down menu at the top of your Facebook screen.

2. Select "Create a New List" and name it something like "Work". This will become the list of names to which content restrictions are applied.

3. You'll see a drop down box to the right of each of your friends' names. Click this and you should see the option to select the new list you made, tagging friends as members of that list for whom you want to apply common restrictions.

4. Go up to your menu at the top of your Facebook screen, and towards the right select "Settings/Privacy Settings".

5. Select "Profile".

6. There are ten options, each with their own drop-down list. For the options that you do not want this new "Work" list to have access, select "Customize" and at the bottom of the dialog box, where it says "Except these People" type in the name of your list.

7. Make sure you click "Save" at the bottom when you've finished all your customization.

Voila! You have now restricted access to those on your work list to particular places in your Facebook. Good options might be "Videos" and "Photos Tagged of You". You might also want to restrict their access to your "Wall Posts".

Please use "thousands" formatting when doing Excel models

2009-07-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

Drives me crazy when entrepreneurs create financial models with "/1000" in order to create a format to show a worksheet in thousands.

Don't do that! Makes editing the modeling really risky because it's hard to trace where this formula has been applied.

Just use a custom number format to show the numbers in thousands as necessary. Here's one that works:

_($* #,##0,_);_($* (#,##0,);_($* "-"_);_(@_)

Ok?

elegant little counter-tech device for pencils

2009-06-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

A friend (from Microsoft no less) gave me this elegant little counter-tech device.

Salient facts about the Lenovo X series notebooks

2009-05-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

I get asked about my Lenovo X61s all the time because it's an attractive little computer with a full-size keyboard.

Here's a quick summary for those of you interested in these machines.

1. If you can handle a laptop without a trackpad but only that red pointing device, you can go with the X200 or X200s for a new machine or an X61 or X61s for a used machine (check out the Lenovo refurb site). (I can't use a trackpad because it instantly gives me carpal tunnel.) Difference is that with the switch to the X200 series, they went from a more vertically oriented 12.1 inch screen to a more horizontally oriented aspect ratio--with Lenovo's regret but unfortunately that's the direction other laptop makers are moving and therefore screen manufacturers. You need to get a removable base unit for these units to house the CD-ROM drive. Without the base, these units are a little over 3 lbs. The "s" versions are almost indistinguishable. They run processors which are slightly slower but have more efficient power consumption. They are very slightly shorter in height, very slightly lighter. Also, they have a more rigid screen enclosure. Only the X200 unit has a built in camera (for Skype etc) if that is important to you.

2. If you can't handle a laptop without a trackpad you can get the X301 (or the predecessor X300) which goes up against the MacBook Air. Unfortunately you can only get this machine with a solid state hard drive which raises the price--and you really only want the 128gB, not the 64gB drive, which raises the price further. It weighs about the same as the X200/X61 but has a CD-ROM built-in and a larger 13.3 inch screen.

Downside of Apple design: dongles galore!

2009-05-28T09:41:00.000-07:00

I use a Lenovo but have tremendous respect and love for Apple design. However, the number of dongles they've come out with to connect a notebook to an external monitor or projector is insane!

iPhone created New Yorker cover picture

2009-05-25T05:32:00.000-07:00

LINK

Lotus Evora

2009-05-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

An example of why the Brits do the best car reviews.

E-mail Fail?

2009-05-03T08:44:00.000-07:00

This post is inspired by a recent post by top internet technology venture capitalist Fred Wilson, titled "Email Fail" (LINK).

Basically, as I understand it, he's been struggling for years with an e-mail client that will handle masses of e-mail. Programs such as Outlook, Entourage and the like can't deal with the size of his e-mail archive. Thunderbird choaked. GMail is the answer but he can't get used to the way in which GMail threads all e-mail, without a choice to view e-mail in the more standard way.

I've said this before, but GMail works for me because:

- The threaded conversation interface is a true innovation--get used to it! Having all your e-mail in a conversation, with both the incoming AND outgoing e-mail all pulled together is so much more effective. To me, this is the "killer" feature that prevents me from trying anything else. This design is what truly distinguishes GMail from everything else.

- It can handle a seemingly unlimited amount of e-mail, seemlessly, without choking.

- The search capability is great.

- There are wonderful add-ons like GTD Inbox (LINK)

- It has you tag e-mails instead of putting them in folders allowing any e-mail to exist in multiple places

- Google for Domains provides great, small workgroup e-mail management services

- Being able to have all your e-mail searchable via the BlackBerry GMail client is wonderful (and so what if it's not "push" in the same way that the regular BlackBerry client works--a slight wall against crackberry addiction is ok with me)

- Google's junk mail filter seems to work better than any others

I also occasionally use Thunderbird via IMAP for:

- offline GMail (although I have found the offline GMail function to be perfectly useable)

- as a backup, just on the off chance Google loses all my data

Salesforce Mobile Lite: great value for non-profits (free!)

2009-03-24T05:06:00.001-07:00

If you are part of a non-profit, you should know that you can get ten seats of the "Professional" level of the Salesforce CRM application for free. Just yesterday they launched "Mobile Lite", a free version of their application for Blackberry and iPhone that gives you mobile access to all your data stored in Salesforce--contacts, organizations, tasks etc. Although you can only edit tasks from your mobile (versus being able to edit everything in the for-fee version) it's a wonderful application on both platforms and a great boon to non-profits. (It's also a great boon to anyone who's paying for Professional level Salesforce and above, because this Mobile Lite application is free for them too.)

Waterfield case for Kindle

2009-03-15T06:43:00.000-07:00

I never realized until yesterday why Waterfield Designs--the San Francisco briefcase and bag company that sews everything right in San Fran, where the "labor and rents are high"--was called "Waterfield". It's named for Gary Waterfield, the founder. If you have a Kindle (or really any other electronic device) you should take a look at their offerings. Here's their slipcase for Kindle 2 in brown. Just a simple thing, really, but beautifully made.

Kindle and brewing coffee

2009-03-15T06:40:00.000-07:00

I've had my Kindle now for about 10 days. For someone who likes multi-tasking, who likes capturing those tiny moments--like waiting for the coffee to brew, 10 minutes on the subway, 5 minutes waiting for a meeting to start--the Kindle is an amazing device. Instead of flipping through e-mail on a BlackBerry, reading a free newspaper, or staring into space, you can be picking up where you left off with Thomas Friedman, Thomas Hardy or whoever is top on your list.

For those who don't like using up little slices of time, ignore this note! But for those who do, the Kindle allows great thoughts, great language to insert themselves into your life in a way that I think significantly improves the flow of your thoughts and the firing of brain synapses that make life pleasurable.

Voicemail transcription compared: Jott vs. Google Voice

2009-03-12T15:54:00.000-07:00

Original text:

Brian Sheppard, the computer scientist who created Maven, described Scrabble, in the journal Artificial Intelligence, as "a game of imperfect information with a large branching factor," which means that no one can precisely control or anticipate the changing shape of the word tree.

Jott transcription of voicemail to text:

Brian Shepherd, the computer scientist who created Maven, described Scrabble in the journal, Artificial Intelligence, as a game of imperfect information with a large branching factor, which means that no one can precisely control or anticipate the changing shape of the word tree.

Google Voice transcription of voicemail to text (most significant errors in bold):

brian shepherd the computer scientist to created made and describe scrabble in the journal artificial intelligence at eighteen looking perfect information with the lord ranching factor which means that no one can precisely control or anticipate the changing shape and upward free

Further proof that Lenovo is the anti-Apple

2009-02-16T07:08:00.001-08:00

Lenovo just announced a new service that will create integration between BlackBerry's and Lenovo laptops called Lenovo Constant Connect (LINK). The first feature of this service is interconnection of e-mail between the two devices. Via Bluetooth, a user's BlackBerry will automatically update a Lenovo laptop's e-mail, even when the device is off, allowing synchronization of e-mail without use of WiFi or cellular service on the laptop.

But what's most interesting to me is the step that Lenovo takes with this product launch towards strengthening its position as the "anti-Apple" by making use of what has got to be the most amateur-looking corporate launch video ever.

The extreme geekiness of that video, the complete lack of attention to any style cues, is remarkable and in a bizarre way admirable and attractive. So post bubble! So depression sensitive. Scratch: nice clothes, nice background, nice furniture, nice camera angle. And don't even show the product in operation!

good, detailed explanation of BlackBerry Enterprise Server

2009-02-16T05:12:00.000-08:00

CrackBerry.com has a good, detailed overview of how a BlackBerry Enterprise Server works and what its features are. LINK

GMail nails it. Everyone else is wrong.

2009-01-30T00:47:00.000-08:00

I love Microsoft's Vista (hey, it's worked great for me). I like Word. I especially love Excel. OneNote is a little beauty. And even PowerPoint isn't so bad, despite the story that Steve Jobs hated it so much he just had to create Keynote or he was going to refuse to do his Apple keynotes ever again.

But Outlook is simply awful, at least for e-mail.

Searches are excruciating. The thing crashes frequently or hangs up. And there are a limited number of ways that I've found to customize the program--and many of them cost a bunch of money and make the thing even more crash-prone.

As Farhad Manjoo says in a recent Slate piece:

If you're still tied to a desktop app—whether Outlook, the Mac's Mail program, or anything else that sees your local hard drive, rather than a Web server, as its brain—then you're doing it wrong. (LINK)

You are. You're doing it wrong. And I would also sweep into that coffin other online mail systems too, like Windows Live or Yahoo Mail, and even Thunderbird for all you open source aficionados. Two reasons, and now Google has added a third, the final nail.

1. GMail uses tagging, not folders. You don't place a piece of e-mail into a folder to categorize it. You tag it. Which effectively means that any e-mail can be in an infinite number of folders. How can you live with that old way of organizing e-mail, the way that Outlook, Yahoo, every other program that I know uses? And in part because of this tagging, searches for mail have the beauty, speed and simplicity of a Google web search.

2. GMail threads your mail, always, all the time. What's great about that? You see all your mail, both the incoming mail and your responses, as part of a beautifully presented, threaded conversation. And that's what e-mail should be. It's not "messages". It's a conversation, asynchronous to be sure, but still a conversation. Once you've embraced that new reality, any other mail program feels like using a typewriter.

3. The final nail: offline. Google has just announced this week its offline feature, in which you can take your GMail offline from the Web and use it anywhere without an Internet connection, within a browser, just as you would if you were using a program like Outlook or Thunderbird.

The only use I have now for Outlook or Thunderbird--and I use Thunderbird for these purposes--is to backup Google's GMail servers. I am one of perhaps 17 people in the world who actually pay Google $50 a year for the privilege of having an ad-free GMail and with that they have a special up-time guarantee. But still, it makes me nervous that there is no GMail backup and so from time-to-time I'll download a copy of my GMail to Thunderbird so it sits on my computer. But with this final nail in the coffin, I'll probably remember to do that less and less.

PS: I do still use Outlook as a conduit out to my BlackBerry for contacts and calendar, but that's because I have a BlackBerry Enterprise Server that makes such over-the-air sync easy. The only thing that Outlook-BES really provides that can't be found elsewhere is contacts sync from Salesforce through Outlook and out to my BlackBerry. If Google/Salesforce filled that hole with a relatively low-cost option, I'd never have to use Outlook again.

Sync e-mail etc. on your BlackBerry to Outlook

2009-01-11T06:36:00.000-08:00

Two friends have asked me how to sync their mail on BlackBerry without a BlackbEnterprise Server or hosted BES account. And they've said they're committed to Microsoft Outlook. So besides telling them to dispense with Outlook (which many would say) here's what I recommend:

1. Run all your mail through GMail--if you aren't using GMail, forward all your mail to a GMail account. You can continue to use Outlook or the equivalent and get your mail from GMail through an IMAP (rather than POP3) protocol. IMAP can be enabled just like POP3 when you set up a new mail account in Outlook (or the equivalent). With IMAP, everything on Outlook will be in sync with GMail, because that's what IMAP does (versus POP3). Within GMail you can specify a return address for each of the e-mail accounts that you have, so if you have work and personal e-mail addresses, and set yourself up to get those e-mails through GMail, you can also reply from the e-mail address that the e-mail came in on even though it's running through GMail. With Outlook, not so easy--you will probably want to stick with one e-mail account in the reply field when you set up your GMail account in Outlook, but it doesn't need to be the GMail account.

2. Don't use the BlackBerry mail program but download and install the GMail for BlackBerry mail program (LINK). Sure it doesn't push mail to your BlackBerry as efficiently as you're used to on your BlackBerry, but in my opinion that's a small sacrifice for always having your mail in sync.

3. Calendaring is a little trickier but it works. You can download a program for Windows machines that will sync your Outlook calendar to your Google Calendar (Google Calendar Sync: LINK). And then you can download the Google Sync program for your BlackBerry (a different program!) that will keep your BlackBerry calendar in sync with your Google Calendar--and then by extension, with the Outlook-Google Calendar tool via the Google Calendar Sync tool. Comprendez-vous?

4. Contacts used to not sync at all between BlackBerry and GMail . . . but now they do! See this: LINK. Challenge then is how to get them into Outlook because there isn't an equivalent Google Contacts Sync to complete the loop like there is with calendars. Without a BlackBerry Enterprise Server, you'll be stuck here using the cable and doing a manual sync with the BlackBerry desktop tool.

Make sense? Well maybe it WON'T if you look at this complicated diagram. Double click for the full effect.

New Year's Resolution: Backup

2009-01-02T08:06:00.000-08:00

I just took delivery of the sweetest little hard drive. I'll use it to fulfill my New Year's resolution of having a complete backup of my hard drive so that if my laptop's hard drive crashes or is otherwise vaporized, I'll have a complete backup, ready to go on a new machine.

The drive is one of the nicest, highest quality drives I've seen, encased in that ThinkPad black rubber material, with a keypad to provide secure access. No power cord required; USB cable slots nicely into the side of the case when not in use. Slightly larger footprint than a deck of cards and less thick.

The drive is this one from Lenovo, profiled on the Lenovo design blog here: LINK.

Lenovo Android Phone

2008-12-12T07:22:00.001-08:00

Being a Lenovo fanboy, this is the phone I want: the TBA Lenovo Android offering. More on this BoyGenius scoop: LINK. Just might be able to get me away from BlackBerrys.

Dangers in the smartphone market?

2008-12-07T08:43:00.000-08:00

This isn't anything new--it's 3rd quarter news--but was recently posted on the WSJ in a short article about where the fourth quarter could be headed.

Tech companies sold 36.5 million smartphones—devices that can connect to the Internet and perform other tasks in addition to making calls—in July, August and September, according to researchers at Gartner. That’s 11.5% more than the same period in 2007, which is the slowest growth rate Gartner has ever recorded. Nokia sold 15.4 million of its devices, Research In Motion sold 5.8 million BlackBerrys, and Apple sold 4.7 million iPhones. Nokia’s sales for the quarter shrank 3%, RIM’s grew 81.7% and Apple, which introduced a new iPhone around the start of the quarter, saw its sales grow a staggering 327.5%. LINK

Main point: seemingly dramatic growth in 3Q (for RIM and Apple at least) but actually the slowest growth ever recorded in the sector. As the recession knocks these numbers back for the fourth quarter of 2008 and first quarter of next year, I wonder whether corporate buys are going to decrease more than consumer buys? If so, it will probably hurt RIM relatively more than Apple. I also wonder about the opportunity in the developing world, because it seems to me that's got to be one big growth opportunity for smartphones--low income consumers and small businesses for whom smartphones ARE the computer and on-ramp to the Internet. Nokia certainly has their developing world strategy dialed in--that's been their strong suit for a long time. Is this a mitigating factor in a recession and will this allow Nokia to keep pace or exceed Apple and RIM in future quarters? I wonder how good RIM's developing world strategy is? What's Apple's strategy? The iPhone is certainly the best portable device alternative to a laptop. I would think this would be the device of choice for anyone in the world who has no computer. Can Nokia match this with their latest high-end product offerings? Does RIM even care to be competitive with consumers in places like India, Russia, Brazil and Turkey?

Relevant to this discussion--for which I am not dialed in enough to have anything more than questions--is Lenovo's sales strategy which de-emphasizes growth opportunities in the U.S. and European markets and focusses on developing countries: see recent Fortune magazine article on this approach: LINK. What relevance does this have for the smartphone market?

See also this WSJ article on mobile phone usage in poorer nations: LINK.

Aside: at least in Munich, at the opening of the Apple store, what recession???? Take a look at this shot of panorama of the opening: LINK. Dramatic crowds as always! RIM, Nokia, Microsoft aren't worried when this happens over and over and over again?

GPS on Verizon Blackberry 8130 (Pearl), 8330 (Curve), 8830

2008-12-07T00:38:00.001-08:00

Finally, Verizon has cracked their door just slightly and deigned to allow its users access to the GPS chips in their BlackBerrys without have to pay $10 a month for the privilege of using their aesthetically poor VZNavigator program.

As of this writing, you can easily upgrade your Verizon BlackBerry Pearl or Curve (LINK) to the new BlackBerry 4.5 operating system and finally get GPS working on the BlackBerry maps program. However, Google Maps and everything else is still left without access to the GPS chip.

But those using the 8830 "World Edition" have been left out in the cold without an official upgrade. Rumor is that the 8830 is going to be the first of the current Verizon BlackBerrys to be phased out and that there won't be an official upgrade to the 4.5 operating system. But there are working versions of Beta upgrades out there--do a search for "8830 4.5.0.101" and you should be able to find a "pirate" download site with a copy or go here for example. Very nice thing is that it does seem to work and it unlocks GPS for BlackBerry Maps. About time.

I have to say that people would be shot at dawn at a place like Apple for allowing leaks like this to occur. But further, people would be shot at dawn for allowing such a completely haphazard, rumor strewn way of releasing OS upgrades as BlackBerry has of late. I fear for the health of RIM.

BlackBerry Storm gets the nod

2008-11-24T02:40:00.000-08:00

BlackBerry Storm gets--surprisingly--a pretty positive nod from MacWorld (LINK).

I finally got a chance to play with one the other day when I noticed one on the table of the person next to me at the coffee shop. I was both pleased by how easy it was to type on the thing--seems better than an iPhone to me--and shocked at the lag time for various functions, most noticably the switch from portrait to landscape mode. Felt very much like Beta software to me. This was before the recent 4.7 upgrade was available which apparently fixes some or all of these lag time issues.

Gorgeous Honda Super Cub

2008-11-23T11:52:00.000-08:00

Gorgeous Honda Super Cub at night on the streets of San Francisco. Among the very top designs of all time (perhaps along with the BlackBerry 7200 series!).

Old Design vs. New(er) Design (BlackBerry)

2008-11-23T09:37:00.000-08:00

My BlackBerry 8830 (the one on the right, below) started crashing a few days ago, so while I'm waiting for its replacement from Verizon I've been using my old BlackBerry 7250. It's been a pleasure to remember the good elements of this design that were lost when RIM made choices in favor of other priorities.

This device came out over four years ago, perhaps even more than five years ago. I found a review from April 2004 but couldn't easily find when the 7200 series was first announced.

First, it's amazing that the new release of the GMail for BlackBerry application works perfectly on the old machine. Certainly it's slower, but it's still perfectly functional. Isn't it wonderful that a device from almost five years ago can run one of the newest of applications?

Second, design of the old machine has a classic simplicity that I miss. It's simple black and silver. Its round shape fits well into my hand in a way that the newer BlackBerrys don't. (Admittedly my hands--and those of my wife who still uses her 7200 series--are relatively large and so smaller hands would find it less attractive.) It's lacking the SEND and END buttons that RIM added to BlackBerrys with models that followed (added so that they could appeal to a broader audience who were switching over from traditional mobile phones). Finally, its keyboard is designed for typing. Look at how much more closely spaced the keys are on the newer models. The 7200 series is a great example of elegant, purpose driven design in which form follows function to the benefit of both form and function. The 7200 series reminds me of Bang and Olufsen stereos or some of the classic designs from Braun.

I wish RIM would launch a special edition of the 7200 series, with the case and keyboard of the 7200 and the speed and screen of the 8830--or better yet, the new Bold. That would be a special device. Of course they never will. I wish I had time, skills and money on my hands to do a real mashup of the two. That would one worthwhile mod.

BlackBerry Storm and GPS

2008-11-21T03:15:00.000-08:00

I've written before (LINK) about Verizon's egregious locking out of Google Maps and other applications from the GPS chip on the BlackBerry 8830.

With the new BlackBerry Storm on Verizon, fears have been that they'd do the same. It appears that they haven't quite done this, but who knows? Until I hear definitive proof that Google Maps works on this device, I'd be suspicious. Here's what PC Magazine has to say in their review of the storm (LINK).

"Two GPS applications are on board, Verizon's $9.99 per month VZNavigator, (which gives you spoken, turn-by-turn driving directions) and the free BlackBerry Maps (which doesn't). The camera app is also GPS-enabled, so you can geotag your photos. I found the GPS to be unusually good at swiftly locking onto satellite signals. When it can't get a signal at all, the system resorts to a rough estimate based on cell-tower locations. The GPS is "unlocked," meaning that third-party programs on the phone can use it to find locations. But apps have to be written specifically for the Storm—the generic version of Google Maps for BlackBerry, for instance, couldn't get a GPS fix."

One of my personal connections with Obama

2008-11-19T02:42:00.001-08:00

From the always brilliant, Joy of Tech (LINK)

Nice little clock app for BlackBerry

2008-11-18T08:24:00.000-08:00

If any of you have older BlackBerrys (most of us at this point) and are envious of the new clock application you've seen in the newest BlackBerrys (shown at left on the new Pearl flip) you can buy from Vorino Software a very nice clock app that provides similar functionality (LINK).

More on Jawbone

2008-11-17T11:46:00.000-08:00

I've written before about how wonderful the original Jawbone bluetooth headset is (LINK) . . . and about the challenges of their latest model.

The old Jawbone worked perfectly for me (available from Amazon here: LINK). The metal ear-loops could be molded so the device stuck to my face (although the device was a pain to put on my ear).

The new Jawbone (Amazon LINK) at least for me, was almost unusable. The ear-loops can't be bent and simply didn't work for me. The device would fall right off my ear. However . . . if you want to spend the money, a custom molded earpiece is BRILLIANT. Avery Sound (LINK) send you two little globs of goo which you mix together an then press into your ear. Wait 15 minutes. It firms up (doesn't harden!). You pull it out of your ear, ship it back to them, they clean-it up, drill the sound hold and the hole to attach it to your earpiece, and ship it back. Voila. The Jawbone again becomes the best bluetooth earpiece, with greatly increased sound quality and sound volume because of the custom earpiece. Looks fine in the ear, but out of the ear looks pretty odd as the picture below shows.

Basecamp, Mobile and Mobile Project Management

2008-11-16T17:47:00.001-08:00

Here's a good rant from the NYTimes that asks more questions than it answers, titled "When the Browser Doesn't Cut it: Basecamp's Lack of Mobility." LINK

Any other suggested solutions to the lack of a mobile feature in 37Signals Basecamp? My current favorite toy, RTMilk (LINK) isn't anything as collaborative as Basecamp but it does have a fabulous BlackBerry (and iPhone) sync feature.

2009 Prius Spy Photos!

2008-11-15T06:44:00.001-08:00

More here from AutoBlog: LINK

E-Mail on the BlackBerry

2008-11-11T07:15:00.000-08:00

Several people have asked me recently how e-mail on the BlackBerry works.

Here's a quick overview:

BIS

That stands for Blackberry Internet Service. It's the standard service that's available when you buy a BlackBerry and sign up for a data plan. When you get your phone, you go onto a carrier-specific website created by BlackBerry and link your e-mail account (GMail, Yahoo, whatever) to your BlackBerry. The BIS will grab e-mails from your e-mail account and "push" them to your BlackBerry. This service does not provide any sync feature. If you delete a message on your BlackBerry it will still show up on your GMail account, Yahoo account or whatever service you use. Also, BIS provides no sync for Calendar, Contacts or Tasks. Those need to be synced manually via cable or bluetooth between your computer and your BlackBerry.

BES

BlackBerry Enterprise Server is software that is installed on top of a Microsoft Exchange Server (or Lotus Notes or other). It provides full sync service between the Mail, Calendar, Contacts and Tasks on your own computer, through the Exchange Server and to and from the BlackBerry. Clients that work with an Exchange Server--and therefore provide sync with the BlackBerry between your computer's data and your BlackBerry--include Outlook for Windows machines and Entourage for Macintosh. If you do have a BES, you can still make use of BIS for personal accounts. For example, you might sync your corporate Mail, Calendar etc. through BES but also grab your personal Yahoo mail through BIS.

Google

Google has created two interesting alternatives to BIS and BES. They aren't as complete as BES but if you're a sole proprietor and don't want to go through the dramatic expense and hassle of an Exchange Server with BES, they're a pretty good solution. Go to the site that Google has established for BlackBerry applications (LINK) and follow the instructions to download to your BlackBerry the GMail program and the Sync program. With the GMail program on your BlackBerry you can have full bidirectional sync of ALL your GMail. The previous version wasn't all that usable because there was no off-line functionality, but now that they've added caching and an off-line capability for recent e-mails, I find that at least with my Verizon BlackBerry I'm able to dispense with the built-in BlackBerry e-mail application (except for SMS). Of course, you have to be making use of GMail. Further, the GMail application also provides access to your GMail contacts, in a limited way and without editing capability. Note that it doesn't make use of the built-in BlackBerry Address Book application but does it through the GMail BlackBerry application. Additionally, the Sync program does a beautiful job of synchronizing your Google Calendar.

Note that if you are a sole proprietor or a small team (or even a large team), it's likely to make sense to go with an outsourced Microsoft Exchange with BES option. You can check this out at Apptix, Intermedia or other hosting providers.

RTM

Unfortunately, there's no Google sync for tasks. BUT there is a great program called Remember The Milk (LINK) which does a bang up job of syncing your BlackBerry tasks with the RTM task management website (if you sign-up for the $25/year premium option). Further, if you use FireFox and GMail you can integrate your tasks with GMail.

All together now

If you want to get really crazy, you can use RTM and the Google Sync applications on your BlackBerry along with BES and produce full sync, via your BlackBerry, back to your Outlook or Entourage client. Best way I know of using Google Calendar and providing a seamless sync back to an Outlook calendar so that your corporate team can see your calendar via Exchange Server.

IMAP and POP3

If you're wondering about IMAP and POP3 on the BlackBerry, none of the solutions discussed above make use of either of those protocols. Essentially, IMAP is a protocol used by programs like Outlook, Entourage and many others to access e-mail stored on a server and sync it between the client computer and the server. POP3 is a different protocol that downloads mail from the server to the client machine but doesn't provide the sync capability of IMAP.

UPDATE!

Google has updated their Sync program so that contacts are synced on a limited basis: LINK.

GPS, BlackBerry Storm, Verizon

2008-11-03T04:30:00.001-08:00

The egregious locking out of GPS that Verizon does with their BlackBerrys is well known--they only allow use of their own proprietary (and crummy) VZ Navigator program with GPS, for $10 per month, and even then don't allow the user to access the GPS chip from other applications (like Google Maps).

With the new BlackBerry Storm now on the horizon, Verizon has updated their Storm webpages (LINK) and there is no indication that things will be any different. Conspicuously absent is any mention of GPS except in the context of VZ Navigator . . .

(I've posted on this GPS issue before: LINK)

Excel 2003 vs 2007

2008-10-29T05:37:00.000-07:00

I've grown to really like the new MS Office, despite the crazy Steve-Jobs-would-have-fired-the-designer RIBBON thing at the top of all of the applications.

But conversions between Excel 2003 and 2007 result in horrible errors, with #N/A replacing some of the formula values. So, I now have to largely go back to 2003 for serious work that involves collaboration.

Anyone else come across problems like this?

Tasks, Task Management, GMail, BlackBerry, iPhone

2008-10-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

There's a wonderful product that others have certainly discovered but about which I just became aware: Remember the Milk. If you like traditional task management systems (like in Outlook) but want integration instead with GMail and your BlackBerry or iPhone, this is The One. Free version for the Web. Pro version for $25 a year provides the mobile-sync. Take a look: LINK. And if your life is superfractured among multiple platforms, seems to work perfectly back to Outlook (via your BlackBerry) if you're on a BlackBerry Enterprise Server. So, GMail <> Outlook task sync is the result. Why would you do that? I don't know. But it works.

WSJ BlackBerry Mobile Reader

2008-09-22T00:52:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I downloaded the Wall St. Journal's Mobile Reader for BlackBerry (LINK). It's a wonderful application! Allows full access to the WSJ in a format that I find even more accessible than the standard WSJ online Web version on a computer. That seems strange, that reading a newspaper is easier on the little window of a BlackBerry. But being able to quickly scan the headlines and dive deeper into the articles is something I'm more likely to do while looking at my BlackBerry in a few spare moments while I'm waiting for something than when I'm at my desk, on my computer. And "more likely" is equivalent to "easier".

Downside is that I'm now subjected to the WSJ's ghastly editorials . . .

New Jawbone not the best

2008-09-20T07:19:00.000-07:00

Splurged on the new Jawbone bluetooth earpiece. Would much rather have the old one. The old one, once I'd won the struggle to get it on my ear, stuck there perfectly. The metal earpieces could be bent for a perfect fit. The new one is easier to put on but I can never find a fit that works. And the new one has such a sensitive on-off switch that I can't leave it anywhere--shirt pocket, briefcase--without it accidently getting turned on. I've taken to carrying it in a little hard sided case that came with a laptop webcam. Sound quality? Seems to be better but for the first few days I kept disconnecting calls as I tried to get the thing to fit correctly onto my ear so I could hear.

Wonderful visualization

2008-09-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

The NYTimes, which really is tops for stuff like this, has another creative visualization, this time of the depressing loss of value by financial sector firms. (LINK)

Guide to IT for sole proprietor consultants

2008-09-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

I've received various requests in the last week or two for a review of the technology that I use to keep track of my life as a consultant to multiple clients and a sole proprietor. Forthwith, what I use for E-mail, Contacts, Calendar and Tasks"

(I generally try for products that are platform agnostic. I use a Lenovo laptop with Windows Vista but a lot of this applies to a Mac as well. I use a BlackBerry, so this is biased in that direction. Much but not all of the same can be accomplished with Windows Mobile or the iPhone.)

E-mail

GMail for domains. In other words, GMail set up with my own e-mail address rather than name@gmail.com. GMail has a different approach to e-mail, which includes always (and only) threa

ding e-mails and using tags rather than folders. Works for me and I couldn't go back to anything else. On the BlackBerry, the GMail program is pretty good for searching for e-mail when you don't have your computer handy. But it's intermittent and tempermental at best when using it to reply and compose. Reason is th

at it has to go out to Google's servers for everything and when it sends, has to connect right then rather than doing it asychonrously, when signal strength is adequate. Therefore, I have the BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) pull my e-mails from Google and push them to my BlackBerry. If you do this with GMail, you have make sure that you set up filters or everytime you send an e-mail, it will give you two copies of the sent mail--very annoying. You get the e-mail that you just sent listed on your BlackBerry. But you want a BCC of every e-mail sent from your BlackBerry sent to yourself at GMail or you'll lose your reponses. This results in a rebound back to your BlackBerry as new mail. Solution is to filter every e-mail from your own e-mail address, using the BIS online web interface, so tha

t it doesn't show up on your BlackBerry.

Contact Management: Salesforce

There simply isn't anything better than Salesforce and they keep making it better and better (though if you're on a Mac, you shouldn't ignore Marketcircle's Daylite). The basic version is now just $99 per year (you used to have to buy 5 seats but now only have to buy 1). PC syncing is good into Outlook so that you can bring your con

tacts down from the cloud (and then back up to your BlackBerry). There is no Entourage or Apple Addressbook equivalent on the Mac side. However, there's a recently launched free third party sync with GMail contacts. Doesn't work perfectly and produces problems (multiple contacts) when a contact has multiple e-mails, but it is a way to sync into Apple Mail via GMail since there is a way of syncing GMail contacts with Apple Addressbook.

Calendar: Google Calendar

Wonderful in the background and OTA (Over The Air) f

ree sync utility keeps this and my BlackBerry in sync.

Task Management: Outlook

I've finally returned to Outlook but only for task management and as a sync for contacts into my BlackBerry. You can sign up for an outsourced version of Exchange + BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) for $20 per user (www.mailstreet.com for example). You should be able to get set-up fees waived. Sounds kind of pricey but it is a pleasure and a luxury to have contacts and tasks always in sync between Outlook and BlackBerry. I ma

ke use of the BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) for e-mail rather than using BES because I use GMail--so I'm paying that $20 just for contacts and tasks. (Added benefit is that this provides a sync between Google Calendar and Outlook, via the BlackBerry but I don't tend to use my Outlook calendar at all.) Note that for e-mail, if you have different addresses, you can use BIS for some addresses and also use BES. BIS is what comes with every BlackBerry as the basic e-mail offering. But it doesn't offer anything for contacts or tasks. Note also that you could do this all with a Mac and Entourage instead of Windows and Outlook as long as you have the version of Entourage that connects to an Exchange server.

To completely obsess on this post of small larger meaning, here's a diagram:

Love Google Chrome; But have to return to Firefox

2008-09-03T05:27:00.000-07:00

Love the interface of Google's new Chrome browser. Love the way it creates a semblance of GMail etc. being their own applications (through application shortcuts). Love its speed. Love the tabs. Can't do without Firefox plugins, especially GTDInbox (LINK). So, back to Firefox for now. Some random comments on the subject here, including disturbing privacy/copyright issues:

Internet Duct Tape: LINK

Blog Traffic School: LINK

Google Chrome: Not just another browser

2008-09-02T05:21:00.000-07:00

This is a really big deal. Google Chrome's new brower. More thoughts on this later. In the interim, take a look at AVC (LINK) which explains why this is a big deal and at the Google Chrome comic book explanation of why and how the browser works (LINK).

Twitter Personal vs Business Use

2008-08-31T07:03:00.000-07:00

@matthewcornell asked "do you use Twitter for personal updates (I'm at the __) or quotes/information, or...?"

A few thoughts. Just yesterday my wife Liz and I were talking about this. I had set up Twirl on her computer so she would see my tweets and I also signed her up to follow a few other people I thought were interesting. These included @pearlbear who Liz doesn't know and who I only know via friends (though I think I've met her once). Liz remarked how strange it is that she now is following @pearlbear's move west across the country and she doesn't even know the woman. Twitter does produce a different kind of intimacy. People wonder if produces a somehow "false" electronic intimacy. In my opinion, any kind of connection between people is good. Twitter is a way to be connected to the lives of more people, more easily and what can be wrong with that?

Twitter does seem to divide between those who use it to connect personally with each other, both around ideas and around time and space ("headed to the coffee shop at Main and Hope"), and those who use it to pass tidbits of larger relevance back and forth. For my part, I tend to be following people who provide quotes and links valuable for my work such as @pkedrosky. When I joined Twitter I was amazed at how much more effective it is than other social networking systems at producing serendipitous connections to work-relevant people--for example the connections to the mobile-devices-for-good-crowd I know follow because of @Katrinskaya. Partly this is because you can follow people without the question of whether "friending" them is appropriate or not. There's a low bar to following and deleting a follower. I also follow those on Twitter who aren't work-relevant but are simply intersting, producing their own brand of haiku such as the irreverent and seemingly often drunk @warrenellis. Example of his latest: "Suck it up, hippie. Sarah Palin could break your limp wrist simply by flexing her womb. You Yank owl-huggers are in for it now."

Main point, that's been made by others: the Twitter limit of 140 characters forces a beautiful economy of language. If you can't say intriguing, relevant and catchy things within that limit, you're mundane and not worth following. A great practice for those working up to pitch movies or ventures, actually. Or those who need to be on TV or radio and come up with soundbites.

Salesforce and Google contacts sync

2008-08-05T03:16:00.000-07:00

I've been experimenting with the newly released sync between Salesforce and Google contacts. Released as a free application accessible even to the lowest Team edition users, Appiro's product (LINK) does a good job in my experience so far. Customization is limited (as is the documentation) but with my Google Apps account the sync both directions works well, with some exceptions.

> Occasionally a contact won't sync. Usually I understand the reason. Sometimes it doesn't make sense. After each sync, if there are exceptions, you get an e-mail with exceptions listed.

> As far as I can tell, it will only sync the main e-mail field. I have multiple e-mail fields set up in both programs, but there's no way to set-up custom field mapping.

I'll provide a more comprehensive report later, but good news is no lost data so far.

(And for BlackBerry users, who are still without an easy OTA sync without use of BES, one nice thing about the Appiro product is that all of your contacts are in this way synced from Salesforce, over to Google and then accessible using the Google Mail application on your BlackBerry. Not the speediest service (though for me a switch to Verizon has made all the difference) but at least you can access them in a pinch. To get my contacts into the regular BlackBerry addressbook, I still occassionally sync one-way from SalesForce to Outlook, and then via cable to the BB.)

(More CRM posts on my personal blog, written before I established this tech blog. LINK)

GTD for GMail

2008-07-29T03:11:00.000-07:00

There's a little outfit called Productive Firefox, a one-man shop that produces a very cool add-on for GMail that I can't live without. It's called GTD Inbox. Before you run away saying you've heard enough about Getting Things Done and you're just not competent enough to handle that level of obsessiveness, stay put a minute and listen. Even if you don't swear to the god that is David Allen (LINK), GTD is a wonderful add-on to FireFox and GMail. It creates an intuitive interface to categorize your e-mail and has all sorts of little nifty productivity features, like Hipster Print which takes the most recent 100 items in your inbox (or any set of search results) and prints a summary of these e-mails on one page. Also, the developer is diligent with his updates to the product, which is wonderful to see for a little shop.

Verizon and BlackBerry + GMail

2008-07-29T03:05:00.000-07:00

I recently switched from AT&T to Verizon. The speed increase, at least in my area of rural Massachusetts, is dramatic. I don't think that 3G on AT&T exists in our area and so if I was able to get the BlackBerry Bold (or if I picked up an iPhone 3G) I don't think I'd see any difference over the anemic experience I had with AT&T. But with Verizon the speed changes the functionality of a BlackBerry. GMail on the BlackBerry actually becomes usable. This is an application that fetches at least the subjects of your GMail and keeps your mail all in sync (deletions on the mobile delete on GMail). On At&T GMail was usable only as a backup, if I needed to search for an e-mail and didn't have my computer handy. On Verizon, I'm actually able to use it as my primary e-mail application, ignoring the standard BlackBerry e-mail. Along with the ability of this application to also search my GMail contacts, which are now in sync with SalesForce AND the BlackBerry-Google calendar sync I'm pretty much set.

(Of course the thing that sucks about Verizon is that they disable GPS on BlackBerrys, but that's another story. Win some, lose some.)

Verizon disables GPS on BlackBerry

2008-07-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

Just switched to Verizon, which is great for voice quality but wow, had no idea that GPS was disabled on this phone. According to Verizon, their navigator program uses cell phone triangulation Here's my chat with one of their reps:

Please wait for a site operator to respond.
You are now chatting with 'Ennis'
Ennis: Hello. Thank you for visiting our chat service. How may I help you today?
JS: why does GPS on my new blackberry 8830 ONLY work with Verizon's navigation system?
JS: are there any plans to open this access to other services (like Loopt and Google maps)
Ennis: I would be more than happy to assist you with that information.
JS: ok . . .
Ennis: Verizon disables the gps navigation system and uses VZ Navigator. The only difference is vz navigator uses cell towers instead of satellites.
JS: so VZ Navigator is different from other navigation systems that also cost $10 per month and use GPS? And therefore is only accurate to 1000-2000 ft??? why would I pay $10 per month for that?
JS: and on Verizon's website it says "Can I see the GPS coordinates while viewing a location's detailed info? Yes"
JS: so doesn't that mean it uses GPS?
Ennis: It has gps listed but no Verizon phone has the gps application only vz navigator.
JS: but VZ Navigator doesn't use gps?
JS: and so therefore, it can only be accurate to 1000-2000 ft
Ennis: Gps is traceable VZ Navigator only lists downloadable directions
JS: ok. this isn't making any sense. I'm wondering if there is any value to paying $10 per montyh
JS: if VZ Nav doesn't use gps--which you stated--it is of minimal value
Ennis: VZ navigator does not use gps.
JS: ok. then I won't sign up. thanks!
JS: (don't understand how a system can navigate without gps!!)
JS: since cell phone triangulation isn't very accurate!
Ennis: Is there anything else I can help you with today?
JS: all set . . . sadly! love my switch from ATT to Verizon for voice quality but didn't realize that the 8830 on Verizon doesn't really use gps, has no navigation program that will actually navigate!
Ennis: I do apologize for this inconvenience.

But perhaps there is some slim hope: for $4 per month (vs $10 for VZ Navigator), you can sign up for Loopt on some Verizon phones, but not BlackBerry . . . perhaps someday. Loopt is a location aware service that shows you and your friends on a map. It makes use of GPS.

PS: Of course, VZ Navigator DOES use GPS and "Ennis" doesn't know what he's talking about.

GPS vs. cell tower triangulation

2008-07-26T13:17:00.000-07:00

Great explanation here: LINK.

Steve Jobs' health

2008-07-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

I found this a rather remarkable little article about Steve Jobs' health. There's been speculation about whether he might have cancer again ever since he appeared at his latest keynote looking gaunt. Joe Nocera from NYTimes summarizes that state of knowledge on the subject in an article, and then concludes by saying that he got a call from Jobs himself:

On Thursday afternoon, several hours after I’d gotten my final “Steve’s health is a private matter” — and much to my amazement — Mr. Jobs called me. “This is Steve Jobs,” he began. “You think I’m an arrogant [expletive] who thinks he’s above the law, and I think you’re a slime bucket who gets most of his facts wrong.” After that rather arresting opening, he went on to say that he would give me some details about his recent health problems, but only if I would agree to keep them off the record. I tried to argue him out of it, but he said he wouldn’t talk if I insisted on an on-the-record conversation. So I agreed.

Read the article: LINK

Three Across Matra Murena

2008-07-21T16:16:00.000-07:00

Rootes-Chrsler.co.uk

Jalopnik (LINK) pointed me to one of my strange childhood car fantasies, the Matra Simca Bagheera. It was cool because it was a two door sports sedan with three across seating! Funny the things boys will obsess about.

Jalopnik noted (LINK) that the successor to the Bagheera, the Murena for sale on eBay (LINK) . . . ok, enough, back to work.

Good overview of MobileMe

2008-07-16T20:31:00.000-07:00

From Pogue, NYTimes: LINK

More on BlackBerry Bold and Thunder release dates

2008-07-16T05:57:00.000-07:00

BoyGenius is developing a reputation for reliable inside information. Post on release dates for BlackBerry Bold and Thunder: LINK.

First review of BlackBerry Bold, production build

2008-07-15T08:19:00.000-07:00

CrackBerry did an earlier review of a pre-production version of the BB Bold ("bb fangirls and boys iPhone") that they bought on EBay. But this BoyGenius review is the first review of what appears to be a production build of the Bold: LINK.

MobileMe and Google Contacts Sync

2008-07-11T03:39:00.000-07:00

NOTE: This link continues to get some of the highest traffic on my blog. This post was written in 2008 and the information contained below may therefore be dated.

No one seems to have figured out a good sync for Google Contacts until now. I haven't yet tested it thoroughly but Apple's MobileMe does seem to successfully sync Google Contacts, even my "Google Apps" contacts.

(See my post about another good Google Contacts sync, with Salesforce LINK.)

I am using a PC not a Mac. Downloading iTunes 7.7 puts a new item in Control Panel called MobileMe Preferences. That utility gives you the option to sync your MobileMe contacts with one of: Google Contacts, Outlook, Yahoo, or Windows Contacts. Trying it out of course requires you to pay the $100 a year subscription for Me.com (formerly Mac.com). Also, because Google captures every one of the addresses you e-mail to as a contact, you'll have a lot of "No Name" contacts in your MobileMe contacts. Looks to me like it would take me years to sort through my list of those . . .

AND once, you've done this, who cares? Well, you would care if you use Google and have an iPhone, but otherwise, for a PC user, does it really matter that you can sync Google Contacts over to .Me? They are both in the cloud rather than otherwise accessible.

And no calendar sync for Google Calendar! Only option is Outlook!

UPDATE for Mac users

As far as I can tell, on the Mac there is NO Google Contacts Sync! Does this mean that if you (1) temporarily set up .Me on a Windows machine, (2) set Google Contacts to Sync with .Me contacts, (3) set it to happen automatically, that you'll be all set or does that Windows machine have to be on for the sync to be activated even though all the sync is happening in the cloud (.Me <> Google)?? Is the ONLY way to get your Mac Addressbook to sync with Google contacts to have a Windows machine producing this protocol?

UPDATE 2

Apparently there IS an option for Macs, located within the OS X 10.5.3 Address Book application. See here LINK and LINK

The perfect pen for a ThinkPad user

2008-07-10T13:11:00.000-07:00

It's a TomBow Zoom 707

Best bluetooth headset (take 2)

2008-07-08T15:07:00.001-07:00

I've blogged before about what the greatness that is Jawbone1 (LINK and LINK).

Here's a review from CrackBerry of Jawbone2 that states what I expected: it's king again (LINK).

Update: now there is Jawbone Prime that is supposed to be great too. My Jawbone2, however, has been giving me problems and I can't figure out why--sometimes people can hear me really well, other times not. I'm unsure if something is wrong with the device and producing intermittent sound quality for my voice. Thinking about going back to wired . . .

New Porsche Targa is too beautiful for words

2008-07-05T07:02:00.001-07:00

GermanCarScene (LINK) via Straightline (LINK)

Wonderful explanation of a new startup: Gnip

2008-07-04T18:51:00.000-07:00

Can you explain your technology with such a simple analogy?

Explanation: Redeye VC (LINK) via Feld (LINK)

Gnip: LINK

Turning an iPhone 1.0 into an iPod Touch

2008-07-03T10:19:00.000-07:00

After you buy your iPhone 3Q (via the Apple Core LINK):

AT&T has confirmed that owners will be able to deactivate first generation iPhones to be used as Wi-Fi iPods.

“If the [original] device is not re-activated as a wireless phone after you’ve upgraded to iPhone 3G, it will still work as an iTunes player and can access Wi-Fi,” the spokesperson said.