Jim and Cathy have arrived

After my creative photo session, Jim and Cathy arrived after a 15 minute delay at their gate.
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Waiting

Here are some random pictures while we were waiting for the arrival of Jim and Cathy today.
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She's Drinking Merlot!

That will be four dollars please.

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Is this mobile blogging?

While I admit that I am new to the world of blogging and even newer to the world of mobile blogging, I couldn't help grabbing an image of Sarah working on her laptop to load images from the camera and type out a blog post. While this has been a standard for mobile workers for years, is it still 'mobile'?

Given the powerful mobile phones and PDAs we have today, how many of us still think our laptops are mobile? I still think twice before bringing my laptop on a trip because it is bulky and the power cable/block are bulky too. The only time I bring them are when I will be gone during normal business days that might require that I use them. I wish my company would be open to the idea of letting us use a vpn connection on our mobile devices. Then I could forgo the laptop on trips and just carry my smartphone and small travel charger.

So let me come full circle and ask, is blogging from a laptop mobile blogging?

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Everything is bigger in Texas

This picture does not do this article's title justice, but my phone was all I had at the time I saw this big snake.

There we were, minding our own business, when out of nowhere a big (at least four foot) snake appeared in the street in front of my sister's house this weekend. I didn't dare go any closer to take the picture because that snake was very quick and seemed to be moving towards me as I got closer to get a better look at it.

My brother in law called his HOA and the City office of code enforcement to see if they could do anthing about it, but they both pointed the finger at each other. The snake probably came from the tall grass next to their house and it turns out that the land is owned by the land developer. It is the responsibility of the land owner and not the HOA or city code enforment to maintain the land and therby not create a haven for snakes. Welcome to home ownership y'all.

Don't let this little story scare you off from visiting the great state of Texas, but just be forwarned. Now you know why cowboys liked to wear tall leather boots in places like Texas.

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No nobody is beyond the reach of the TSA

This is the second time I have witnessed my grandmother being hand checked/frisked by TSA. I know they are just doing their jobs and I don't blame them for doing it, but it still cracks me up. I hope you can get a laugh out of these pictures too. (note: airline security is a serious matter and I don't want to give the impression that it is not important)
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Dinner out

Everyone arrived safely Friday and we all enjoyed dinner out at PF Changs in downtown Fort Worth. Good food and family; you can't go wrong.

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Texas, we have arrived

God bless Texas!

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Sleeping beauty

We just landed in St. Louis to drop off and pick up passengers. The adventure continues...
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The mother's day adventure begins

Here we are waiting for everyone to board and watching our bags get wet outside.
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Testing mobile blogging

So this is a post I am making from my BlackBerry Pearl, via email. The pictures are from dinner last Thursday when we were out with our small group at Famous Dave's. Just an expriment that might enable me to make more frequent postings.
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Blackberry

So I have changed mobile devices yet again, shocker, I know. There actually is a good reason behind this devices change. I have been on quest for the "right" mobile devices for my lifestyle. It needs to not only be a phone with internet access, but it needs to allow me to use my gmail email account and wirelessly keep my google calendar in sync. Most of the devices I have tried have successfully performed the first three requirements, but the wireless calendar sync has been a little more difficult than I thought.

A few weeks ago a found the mobile sync application that google has made available to its users. It is a free app that can be found at http://mobile.google.com. As of right now it only syncs wirelessly with blackberry devices. The application from google keeps your google calendar in sync with your blackberry device calendar. Now while I have tried goosync on my nokia 9300, it did not sync correctly all the time. So I tried google's mobile sync on an older blackberry that I had around. It worked and it worked flawlessly! It seems to automatically sync things as they change on either calendar. This is important to me because my wife and I tend to be busy people and have started using a google calendar that we share with each other to keep up with events. Sarah still uses a wall calendar to keep up with her schedule, but I am on the go so much and have an affinity for mobile technology that using my phone's calendar makes the most sense for me.

Having said all that, I have made the move to a blackberry for my personal device. I am using the original blackberry pearl 8100 on the AT&T network and I am enjoying it so far. I would never have thought I would become a blackberry user, but it is fitting my needs so far. I like the form factor and the fact that it has a camera is nice too. I am so committed to giving it a serious yet that I have ordered a case for it, the original lambskin case that will automatically lock the device when holstered.

So far I am running the gmail app and google sync on the device and hope to get a bible on it soon. I think my Laridian license will allow me to move my bibles I purchased for my windows mobile device a few years ago.

More impressions from a relatively new blackberry user to follow ...

Back on my Nokia 9300

I am back on the Nokia 9300 again and have been using it for the past week. I still like the form factor and have gotten over the lack of vibrate notification.

I am finally using a Goosync account to sync my local device calendar with my Google calendar. Sometimes it works, other times it syncs an hour off. Still not sure why. (If you know how to fix that, please leave a comment to this post)

While I use the gmail java client for my main gmail account, I have a secondary account set-up on the communicator's native email client as a pop account. I use it to send/receive file to/from my device. Today I used the device to take notes during the sermon at church. I then emailed the finished document to my main email account for "storage". While I could not view the document in html format from a pc, but it did import properly into Google Docs.

I have to admit that taking notes on a keyboard during a discussion or a presentation, is not natural for me or the others around me, but it is just an experiment for now.

Here is the list of apps loaded on my 9300:

*Gmail client
*EBook reader (no books installed yet)
*S80 bible reader with NIV.pdb
*Widsets

More to follow as I continue to use it.

Treasure the life you have been given

Friends, it is with a heavy heart that I report that my friend Marc Orchant has passed on. Marc passed earlier this week and was laid to rest yesterday. He was surrounded by friends and family to the end. If you feel lead to make a donation to Marc´s family, Oliver Star has created a paypal donation link for that. Matt Miller has also set up an Amazon Affiliate account and everything made in that account will be donated to the Orchantś. So if you are doing any shopping on Amazon, please use affiliate code zdnmobgad20.

I felt like I needed to share that to get some closure on my previous post, but to also take this opportunity to highlight the importance of treasuring the life God has given us. I believe that Marc did that, at least in the short and narrow part of his life that I was able to be a part of through his blogs and podcasts. I have been reading blog posts and comments about Marc this week and I have learned that Marc loved his friends and his family and people knew it. I know that may sound weird to say, but it is important to let those we know and care about that we do indeed love and care about them. Some people call it learning someoneś´love language´, but I think it can be something as simple as showing some kindness and even saying ¨I love you¨. My dad makes a habit of saying ¨I love you¨ at the end of our phone conversations and I appreciate it. My dad did not get the chance to say goodbye to his mother before she passed and I wonder if that plays a part in it because he started saying I love you more after her passing. I have tried to practice the same thing in my conversations also. Some people might think that ´cheapens´ the phrase by saying it so often, but I disagree. I believe that by saying it and we clearly make our feelings known, because if we don´t the other person may not know it. Life it too short for that nonsense.

So make sure that you tell those that you love, ´I love you´ more often and you might be surprised how much better life can be for you both.

Prayer Needed

While I cannot profess to being a prayer warrior, I do believe that prayer is good and necessary. God is all powerful and prayer is one way for us to connect with Him. With that out of the way, there is a friend of mine whoś health is in a critical state. Marc Orchant is a tech blogger who has some good insight on mobile tech and time management. (Google him) I call him a friend, but really he is more of a virtual friend, because I have never met Marc in person. Now that you know a little about Marc, he has suffered a heart attack and is currently in a comma. While his vital signs have stabilized, Marc has remained in a comma and it is unclear if he suffered any brain damage.

Please pray for Marc. For his recovery, for his family.

Thanks,

Foleo Thoughts and more

So now the mobile companion has been announced by Palm and there have been mixed reactions, but it seems like most of it is negative. I can appreciate the boldnest of Palm to venture out and try to establish a new device catagory. I think they are one to something, but it still has room to grow. The main feature that I would like in companion device is the ability to write/ink in slate mode, with the ability to transfer that handwritten input to text.

Palm, Inc. - Products - Foleo

I thought the Internet Tablet (IT) was going to be that device, but I am not a Linux guru and it has not been smooth sailing trying to set up the device to do what I want it to do. I have not given up on it and it does have many good features, but it does not meet my companion device criterea:

1. Easily mobile - laptops are mobile, but not easily mobile.
2. It is ready to use when I need it - the instant on of the Foleo meets that perfectly, the IT is good enough, but a normal pc takes too much time to be ready (even from standby mode).
3. Cost - my companion device is should not cost as much or more than my home computer. I understand paying for mobility, but don't normally need full pc functionality in my mobile companion. (This cost point has kept me out of the UMPC devices).
4. Works seemlessly with the host device/program - I have a couple programs on my pc that I cannot get ported over to my IT, like OneNote, and I think the companion device should be able to extend a portion of program's functions to be synced back to the host device/program.
5. Power lasts all day - I think it is not unreasonable to ask for a companion device to last all day while you are away from the host machine. Maybe that means a better battery or just a better use of the battery that the device has.

Without using the Foleo yet, I would dare to say that it meets criteria 1, 2, 4 and 5. The cost of the Foleo is a little disappointing given that is not overly feature laden. Overall, I am reserving final judgement on the Foleo, until it comes to market and I have a chance to try one. I also have enjoyed the inovative designs from Jeff Hawkins and crew every since the Handspring Visor, so if this Foleo is not "it" than I believe another iteration could get it done.

Have you found your companion device? What is your criterea for a companion device?

Review of the JAVOedge Desktop Charger for the Treo 750

Overview

The JAVOedge desktop cradle is a simple charging station made for your desktop, but don't star into the light.

Design

The overall design of this desktop charging cradle is simple. The cradle has a hard wired USB cable for data syncing and power port for plugging the cradle into a wall outlet for charging the device. When the cradle is receiving power its little blue light on the front of the charger lights up very brightly, but that is all it does. It stays lit the same bright blue whether the device is fully charged, not charged, or even in the cradle at all. If you could tell already, the blue light is a annoying. As a matter of fact, I have to keep the cradle in another room so that we can sleep at night. It also has a useless sync button, since Windows Mobile devices normally auto sense with the computer when connected.

OK, enough negativity. I like the molded device guide that helps to ensure that the device goes on the connector properly without any guess work. The low profile base extends from the back of the cradle to give it plenty of stability and a clean look.


Functionality

The cradle does provide a charge only option via the wall charger, a sync only option via the USB cable or both if the wall charger is used while the USB cable is used. To charge the device, you must use the wall charger. A USB cable alone will not get it done. It charges and syncs data well and is completely plug and play. Unfortunately, I was not able to test this on a Mac as I do not have one yet. As I stated before, the sync button on this model is useless and the blue light on the front of the unit does little for functionality or deign.

I wish the wall charger connector would double as a regular "Treo plug" wall charger. Instead, it is only useful on the cradle alone.


Conclusion

Overall this device delivers on what it promises, charging and syncing. The blue light can be annoying so be warned. I wish it had a slot to charge an extra battery like my Palm designed charger. It would be helpful for a power user like me. At a retail price of $32.95, you could find a comparable cradle for charging and syncing for less.

Mobile Meetup

Well, we have been here for a couple of hours and got one visitor, my friend Pat. Pat wanted to talk about taxes and I helped him reconcile an issue. Cool and I'm not even a CPA.

So, I was going to flash my n800, but it requires a full charge and it is still charging. I guess this will have to wait until later.

Antoine and I were talking about the next meetup and were thinking about having it at the NYC Nokia store... They would probably kick us out after a while, but it is worth a try. I'll make sure to post about it if we decide to go for it.

Devices

So I am back on a Symbian kick again. More specifically, a Nokia kick. I found a sweet deal on Craigslist; someone wanted a Cingular branded Treo 650 and he was willing to trade his Nokia 9300 and his Nokia e62. So we made the trade and it was a good trade for both of us. I used the 9300 for a few weeks and really like it's form factor. (More on that in another post) I jsut switched to the e62 a couple days ago and am using it for the first time without Good Mobile Messaging. So far so good. If you are not familiar with the Nokia line of mobiles, I highly recommend checking them out, www.nokia.com.

I would dare to say that Nokia is my favorite manufacturer of mobile phones/devices. What is your favorite device or manufacturer?

My device adventure updates

It has been way too long since I have posted here, so here I go...


I have been using a Nokia e62 at work on the Good Mobile Messaging server and it is a good device. After being a Treo on Good Link user for a couple years, I have to admit that the Good Mobile Message client on the Nokia e62 falls short because it does not have a good launcher screen with an agenda view. When I spoke with the folks at Good, they said it was in development.... we will just have to wait and see.

In the mean time, I am using a Treo 650 for my personal mobile and it is still a great device. I didn't realize how much I missed the Treo. When I used the Treo, it was with the Good Link client and it dominated the device. I had more of a corporate view of the Treo. Now that Good Link is off the device, I am looking at the device from a consumer perspective.

Here is my Treo 650 set up:

• After a fresh super-hard reset (or zero out), I inserted my personal mobile's SIM. [note: This device is an unlocked Treo 650, but this zero out works for all Treo 650s]
• I loaded the IBM Websphere Java Client, so that I could run the Gmail client and Opera Mini.
• I use the new Java client to download and install the Gmail mobile phone app. [note: The Gmail team does not officially support this client, but from my experience,it does work on the Treo 650.]
• I again use the Java client to download and install Opera Mini. I find that this browser make the EDGE connection a little more efficient for surfing the web.
• I beamed the Bible+ application and a bible from Sarah's Treo.
• Now I make my own simple version of a launcher, I move the apps I use most into the Main category. This allows me to leave the device on this category and I find that it makes my mobile use very efficient. It also allows me to add other programs and not junk up "my launcher".
• Finally, I add a device password for security. Everyone should do this.

I run a voice and unlimited data plan from Cingular, so this configured device is now a lean mean mobile productivity machine. I never thought an older smartphone would be "new again".

Have you every rediscovered something? (It does not have to be tech related)

New Device Announcements

There were several new mobile device announcements. The New Treo 750 and the Nokia E62 caught my attention. The Treo is long awaited update to the Treo 650 for the GSM mobile network. I actually got to check out a Nokia E 62 a couple weeks ago and it is nice. While I don't have a lot of experince with Symbian OS devices, I am tempted to get one when they are released on September 29. While thw Treo 750 is only available in Europe right now, I am sure it will come to America soonest.

What new devices are yall looking forward too?