Monday, February 28, 2005

Poor customer service

I wrote last time about having had a pretty good experience with Lakeridge Software. I thought that today I would write to even up the good support verses bad support score. For the life of me, I cannot get Dinarsoft (the company who makes MemMaid) to reply to my emails. Since I switched to my Dell, my old registration code for their software won't work. I will make a third request to their support today, but I am getting more than a little annoyed at their poor service.

They have a thing or two they could learn from Lakeridge! It seem's like Josh's Cluetrain (not his personal theory, but he's a great advocate) has left the station without a representative from Dinarsoft onboard.

Friday, February 25, 2005

A twisted thought...

There was a great web page and tool announced earlier this week that will generate a really cool graphical link  for your Gmail account.  I was on their web site when I had a really diabolical thought: what a great way to harvest valid email addresses! Now l am not saying that this developer is harvesting - as a matter of fact, I think it is a cool way to give back to the community...but just think what someone with ulterior motives could do with a friendly “service” like this!

 

A positive support experience...

I have been trying to make a conscious effort not to make my blog become too Pocket PC-centric. Since that’s the gadget of the week though, it’s tough! :^)

Today I had a good experience (well, it turned out good) with some tech support that I wanted to share with the blogosphere. I was having a lot of problems getting Wisbar Advance to install correctly on my Pocket PC. No matter what I tried, I could not get the application to install anywhere but in my Built-in Storage. I finally resorted to sending an email to their support email address out of sure frustration. Much to my surprise, I had a response within 5 minutes - and it wasn’t even a canned response!

The response to my question was MUCH faster than I expected and Chris came across like one of the good ol’ boys. He asked me good questions over a series of email messages without implying I didn’t know what I was doing (which I know from years of tech support can be a tough thing to do sometimes). It was nice to work with someone who took support seriously. I wish that every tech support request was this positive, but I’ve had more than my share of bad experiences with HP, T-mobile, and more! Kudos to you Lakeridge Software!

A twisted thought...

There was a great web page and tool announced earlier this week that will generate a really cool graphical link for your Gmail account. I was on their web site when I had a really diabolical thought: what a great way to harvest valid email addresses! Now l am not saying that this developer is harvesting - as a matter of fact, I think it is a cool way to give back to the community...but just think what someone with ulterior motives could do with a friendly “service” like this!

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

On ActiveSync

Just one of those days to stop and think about things I’m thankful for…

Microsoft ActiveSync has been receiving kudos from me over the last week. There are those times when it doesn’t work so well and times when it does and I guess I am in the heart of the good times now. When I first got my new Dell, I downloaded version 3.8, but I had a number of issues with file conversion (specifically for Word documents). I received a lot of errors about not being able the converter not working and as a result, the files wouldn’t sync.

When I had my lock-up last week and needed to rebuild my device, I decided to step down to the 3.7.x version of the software and ever since, syncing has been seamless. Documents and PIM data are always up to date and changes are reflected on my PDA the moment they are committed on my PC. It is a nice change back from the days of having to manually sync my Palm by hitting the HotSync button. I think that MS has got a better solution for PDA syncing than Palm.

Friday, February 18, 2005

SMT5600 is more like a PC than a phone

One of the things I like about the Audiovox is that it isnt just a black box like most all phones. What do I mean by that? Well, let me explain...
Most cell phones are just an appliance. They make and receive calls best and manage to do a few other things like check POP mail or browse WAP sites. Even in today's world of camera phones and the like, the expandability and customization of most phones is really limited. Sure, on my 3650, I can decide if I want the background to be blue or green, but on the Smart Phone platform, expandabitity is limited only by developers imagination.
Now I know there are SDK's available for Symbian and lots of phones can run Java apps, but they are nothing like the apps that can be developed for the Windows mobile platform. I am not a crazed Microsoft supporter, but I am all for using what works best and in my opinion, MS has got this space nailed! Out of the box, I can sync easily with my PC, listen to MP3 files, surf the internet (with a fairly good browser), pull down email at regular intervals, chat with friends, personalize my phone until the cores come home, and much more!
In summary, I am one of those people who won't run a device the way it came out of the box and I have been pleased with the flexibility of the Audiovox!

SMT5600 is more like a PC than a phone

One of the things I like about the Audiovox is that it isnt just a black box like most all phones. What do I mean by that? Well, let me explain...

Most cell phones are just an appliance. They make and receive calls best and manage to do a few other things like check POP mail or browse WAP sites. Even in today's world of camera phones and the like, the expandability and customization of most phones is really limited. Sure, on my 3650, I can decide if I want the background to be blue or green, but on the Smart Phone platform, expandabitity is limited only by developers imagination.

Now I know there are SDK's available for Symbian and lots of phones can run Java apps, but they are nothing like the apps that can be developed for the Windows mobile platform. I am not a crazed Microsoft supporter, but I am all for using what works best and in my opinion, MS has got this space nailed! Out of the box, I can sync easily with my PC, listen to MP3 files, surf the internet (with a fairly good browser), pull down email at regular intervals, chat with friends, personalize my phone until the cores come home, and much more!

In summary, I am one of those people who won't run a device the way it came out of the box and I have been pleased with the flexibility of the Audiovox!

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Back in the saddle

So, l searched the web for ideas about what might have caused the problem with my Dell. The only thing I could find was a posting on Aximsite that suggested I check to make sure the battery was fully seated - no dice! I performed a hard reset, built everything up from ground zero, and now things are back to normal...but this time I made a backup of my default build!!!

Doh!

I think it’s so ironic that just this morning I was thinking that my Dell has been the most stable Pocket PC I have ever owned and during lunch today I received the following error message:

A memory error has been detected. Press [the contacts button] to correct the error. If the system does not boot, press [Power]+[Reset] to clear all data in the memory and reboot the system.

Pressing the contacts button does not work, so I get to rebuild my handheld. Oh joy!

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

I love my new Axim X50v, but...

There always seem to be those features to an otherwise great product that make you wonder what was going in the engineer's mind who designed it. The Dell has a couple of those, but the one I want to share with the world today is recharging over USB. It's great that the Dell has this functionality [kinda].

I can't figure out why the charging completely stops when the device powers on. Why doesn't it try and trickle charge while it's in use? I had hoped that the USB cable would at least maintain the existing charge, but I have been disappointed. If you keep your Axim plugged in to the USB sync cable and powered on, the battery slowly drains. What I haven't yet established is if the battery drains at the same rate it would if the cable weren't even plugged in. Maybe some testing is in order.

Hmm...I would like to talk to the person (or team) at Dell that made that decision.

Sunday, February 13, 2005

I have been in PDA heaven!

So, at the encouragement of others, I decided to make the insane drive down to the UPS distribution center and pick up my PDA on Friday. I am very glad I did!

The Dell X50v is so nice! The VGA screen is absolutely amazing, the wireless connectivity is nice, performance is good, and the battery life isn’t as bad as I feared it would be. I have been very satisfied with my purchase to this point – it was worth every penny I pad for it!

I have spent the weekend getting applications installed that I used before my switch to Palm and getting everything tweaked the way I want it. Starting tomorrow, I’ll literally be putting it to work where I consider the weekend’s effort more play than work.

I will try and write up more of my experiences with the device and post them here.

Friday, February 11, 2005

World's Smallest 8GB Flash Drive

I think that this 8 Gig USB drive is a great idea. I would love to see the day when I can carry all of my personal files around with me everywhere I go. When I can have all of my data with me at school, work, home, or wherever I go, I will be a happy camper. I know this isn't the only way we can achieve this goal...you could easily carry everything on the hard drive of your iPod and services exist to allow access to your home PC over the internet...but they aren't as convenient as a USB drive! Even taking your laptop everywhere isn't as convenient as carrying everything in your pocket!

I already carry a USB drive, but my 512 MB unit is not enough for all of my data and I find myself having to judiciously decide what resides on it. Eight gigs is a really good step in the right direction though! That's enough space to carry all of my documents and a pretty good collection of multimedia content as well.

Sure, there are more than a couple of problems like loss, theft, security and other concerns, but I personally think we will see the portable media storage market grow stronger over time. Time will be the real test.

Sometimes I think I'm so pathetic

I was pleasently surprised that my Dell x50v shipment (that went out via 3-5 day UPS Ground) arrived at my house in 2 days! The bad news: I wasn't there to sign for it. The problem is that I live 22 miles (thanks to Google Maps) from the UPS customer center where the package is. The real pathetic thing: I can't wait until Monday to get the package and have decided to drive down to the facility in rush hour traffic after work.

It doesn't make logical sense, I know that, but when was the last time that you were able to make a logical decision about something as emotional as a BRAND NEW HANDHELD???

So later tonight, I should be able to spend some time playing with my new PocketPC - I'm about as giddy as a kid in a candy store. Now if someone would just buy my Palm on eBay!!!

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

Maybe I need professional help!

Well, I've come full circle on my PDA dilemma over the last 3 months (see posts from September and October). At the expense of my wife saying, "I told you so!" I have listed my Tungsten T3 on Ebay. As much as I have LOVED the stability of the device, the slide-out screen with GREAT resolution, fantastic battery life, and really simple synchronizing, I miss much of the multimedia experience of the Pocket PC platform. I guess old habits just die hard! :^)

This is the fastest I have ever turned around a PDA. I usually hang on to them about a year before I feel the itch, but this time around has been different. And you can absolutely guarantee that my wife is going to insist that I hang on to whatever I replace the T3 with for a decade or more! I would be curious how long the reading audience out there goes between PDA refreshes - how long can you hold on to a PDA before you have to replace it?

Audiovox SMT5600 Windows SmartPhone Review

This morning, I caught a review of the Audiovox I have been using over at Bargain PDA. I usually like their reviews and this one is no exception. I would agree with much of what they say, but do have some points that I differ on. I will be writing these up over on tinyscreenfuls.com and will post to this page when I do.

Monday, February 07, 2005

Test Driving the Audiovox SMT5600

I just posted my initial thoughts on the Audiovox SMT5600 over at tinyscreenfuls.com so go on over there and check it out. I'll share just my conclusion here as a teaser:

The general impression is favorable, but I am starting to wonder if a smart phone is for me or not. I will talk about this as well as breaking out many of the items listed above in future posts, so stay tuned…

Bought something low-tech over the weekend

As part of a counter-revolution to my typical digital drive, I purchased something this week that doesn't understand binary!

I haven't worn a watch in quite a while, but I recently came to the realization that I was constantly digging my phone out of my pocket or my PDA out of my bag just to find out what time it is. My frustration with having to do that finally culminated in a decision to buy a watch...but which one of 10 billion options? Josh recently purchased a Fossil MSN Direct watch - which is certainly the geekiest option…but I decided to choose something from the complete opposite end of the Fossil spectrum.

Although the watch I chose is not a purely mechanical (wind-up) watch, it's the first I have bought in probably 15 years that didn't include an LCD. It’s almost funny to think that there are actually moving gears inside! It can’t do email, remind me of appointments, connect to the internet, or even recharge – it only tells time. How 17th century! :^)

I've got George Jetson syndrome!

Last night in the kitchen, I looked down to find blood on the countertop.  A quick investigation found out that I had cut the end of my middle finger.  It didn’t even hurt at the time, but it’s amazing how much a very small little cut in your finger can effect your ability to type well.  We are such a keyboard society - I find it so completely ironic that we used to laugh at George Jetson’s finger problems on the old cartoon.

 

Later today I hope to post my first impressions about the Audiovox SMT5600…so stay tuned (my finger doesn’t impact the use of the phone since it’s all about thumbs!)  :^)

Friday, February 04, 2005

Trying out a smart phone

Josh from www.tinyscreenfuls.com has graciously loaned of his Audiovox SMT5600 for a while to give the Smart Phone platform a test drive. I will have a review of the device once I have been able to form an opinion. My first impression: this is the coolest phone I have ever used!

I'm open to any suggestions of must-have software or can't-live-without features!

Thursday, February 03, 2005

Who cares what I think? - The Office Weblog

Who cares what I think? - The Office Weblog - office.weblogsinc.com

What a great write-up! I couldn't agree with Marc more on this one. I have silently read his blog for quite a while now, but this post is worth commenting on. It is a concise rebuttal to an argument that absolutely drives me nuts!

Maybe I worked too long in IT and listened to one too many heated arguments about the supremacy of Linux over Windows (or vice-versa, depending on audience). From now on, maybe I'll just point people in Marc's direction!

Thanks Marc!

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

Cleaning up podcasts

The other day, I pulled down a couple of podcasts to listen to on the way down to school. One I have listened to a number of times in the past and the other was a recommendation from a friend. My experience made me want to petition publishers to consider cleaning things up some. Now in all fairness, I am one of the most conservative people on the planet, but I personally do not want to listen to someone rolling and smoking their marijuana or describing their intimate encounters in their podcast.

I would love to be able to listen to podcasts with my wife (or even kids) in the car, but I don't ever feel like I can. One of the podcasts I listened to made me squirm (just before I deleted it from my Muvo) and I was alone in my truck. I just don't think that's necessary and I'm not alone on this either. A good friend of mine who is more politically open-minded said that he too was downloading some podcasts that he would never listen to in mixed company (and has stopped listening to a couple of shows altogether).

The other thing I have noticed is that guys who do podcasts seem to slip even further down the path of vulgarity when they are joined by other guys. Adam Curry and Dave Winer seem to exhibit this behavior - together, they use far more colorful language than either of them do on their own. I think it's too bad because they are very intelligent people with some great ideas, but speaking like they do doesn't help convey that message.

Now I'm not calling for a rating system, censorship, or anything else, but what I am saying is that I have stopped listening to some fairly interesting programs because they can't keep it clean. I'll vote with my feet and listen to programs that are less offensive to me, but it's too bad that it's not going to include some of the most popular titles in the RSS world.

Isn't technology great???

I have been feeling so lousy lately that I have done very little that doesn't facilitate the sustaining of life. I haven't posted here in several weeks. Yesterday I went to the doctor finally to find out that I have a sinus infection. I am hoping that the drugs will relieve my misery soon.

What does this have to do with technology? Well, I have found that I can get quite a bit lying in my [almost] death bed. Centrino technology is a wonderful thing that will allow you to still die and get some work done from home while doing it...thanks Intel! In all seriousness, it has been good to be able to use my laptop wherever I am comfortable.