Tatum and Denim blog

The OQO Model 02 is back once again and it’s settling in to Mobile Tech Manor as I write this.  The good folks at Dynamism and OQO took note of the cursor drifting problem I was having with the first unit that Dynamism sent me to evaluate and OQO stepped up and send a brand spanking new unit direct from Singapore.  I’ll have a lot to say about the OQO 02 when I get it built up to specifications (mine) but for now here’s a pic (two more after the jump):

Vlingo Corporation launches today with a beta version of a new voice technology for mobile phones. Vlingo Mobile is a voice-based interface for phones based on new technology developed by the company.  Vlingo was founded by speech expert Mike Phillips, formerly of Nuance, and the company recently recruited Dave Grannan, former GM at Nokia.  These people know speech and mobile phones and the demo they have posted of the speech interface in action is very exciting to me.  It is very impressive how the interface  understands natural language.  I have been saying for years that speech recognition will be the Next Big Thing (NBT) in mobile computing and Vlingo Mobile sure makes be believe that even more.  Complete press release after the jump.

Introducing vlingo:
A Breakthrough in Voice-Powered Interfaces for Mobile Phones

New Venture Backed by Charles River Ventures and Sigma Partners
Unlocks Mobile Data Services with First-of-its-Kind Technology

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (August 21, 2007) – Vlingo Corporation launched today with a beta version of its voice-powered interface for mobile phones made possible by breakthrough speech recognition technology developed by the company. Freeing users from tedious triple-tapping to text, search or download mobile content from their phones, vlingo gives consumers control over the mobile Internet with the power of their voices. Users do not need to change how they speak or memorize a list of commands. They can say what they want, how they want, and vlingo delivers the results – word for word. For carriers and mobile application providers, vlingo unlocks the pent up demand for mobile data services across all applications, delivering unrealized revenue opportunities. See a demo at www.vlingomobile.com/demo <http://www.vlingomobile.com/demo> .

Founded by industry-pioneering speech scientist Mike Phillips (a co-founder of SpeechWorks, now Nuance, NASDAQ: NUAN) and John Nguyen, and funded by Charles River Ventures and Sigma Partners, vlingo was created specifically to leverage these latest technical advancements in the mobile market. In April, the company recruited mobile industry veteran Dave Grannan, most recently a general manager at Nokia (NYSE: NOK), the world’s largest mobile phone company, as CEO.

“Consumers haven’t completely embraced mobile data services yet for one simple reason – they’re being held hostage by 12 tiny keys,” said Grannan. “Vlingo removes this obstacle of the past by giving consumers control over their phones with the power of speech. By opening up the potential for these mobile data services, vlingo gives carriers and mobile application providers a quantum leap in usability and the corresponding revenue opportunities with the only voice user interface ‘plug in’ on the market.”

Vlingo’s voice-powered interface lets users speak or type into any vlingo-enabled text box on their mobile phones – giving them access to all the information, entertainment and communication applications offered through today’s mobile services. Vlingo is easy to use, offering:

• No  limits on what you can say. Until  now, even the most “advanced” speech-enabled applications force  the user to go through specific sets of steps or a series of commands to  accomplish a task (for example, for most 411 services, the user first must  speak the city/state and then the name of the business). By contrast, vlingo  has no application-specific grammars or scripted interactions. Vlingo lets  consumers say what they want, when they want.
• The most accurate system on the  market. Vlingo  gets better with use. The vlingo approach  takes into account what each user has spoken in the particular text box within  a particular application, and dynamically leverages this knowledge to  continually improve accuracy for that user, and the entire  community.
• The ability to  freely mix typing and talking. In  situations  where people prefer to enter text using the keypad on the phone, vlingo allows  them to freely move between keypad entry and speech  entry.
• Simple API for application  integration. The vlingo technology makes use  of a lightweight library, which can run on the majority of 3G and multi-media  enabled phones to allow easy integration into a wide range of  applications.

Leveraging a new technology called adaptive Hierarchical Language Models (HLMs), vlingo’s one-of-a-kind approach allows carriers and mobile application providers to quickly and inexpensively voice-enable any application – without custom engineering or in-house speech expertise. Unlike conventional voice recognition technologies that require individual purpose-built applications and rely on constrained grammars and scripted interactions, vlingo’s open approach eliminates a traditionally costly and intensive manual effort. This advancement allows mobile application providers and carriers to integrate speech into any existing application with ease and at a low cost. As a result, consumers get quick, easy and accurate access to mobile applications, which translates into new revenue streams.

How it Works
The vlingo beta is currently available direct to consumers on the vlingo web site. Simply go to www.vlingomobile.com <http://www.vlingomobile.com/>  and click on the download tab.

Backed by Charles River Ventures and Sigma Partners, vlingo secured $6.5 million in Series A financing. As part of the financing, Izhar Armony, general partner for Charles River Ventures; Robert Davoli, managing director with Sigma Partners; and Jeff  Dunn, former COO of the Nickelodeon Networks group and chief executive of Nickelodeon Film and Enterprises joined vlingo’s board of directors.

Why tap when you can talk? Find out for yourself at www.vlingomobile.com <http://www.vlingomobile.com/> .

I am in a unique position in that I get to play work with many different gadgets.  As a true gadget freak I pinch myself every day.  As fortunate as I am using so many different devices can be tricky sometimes and I feel I have a good system that leverages the strengths of the many devices I use while minimizing the hassles.  It is extremely powerful to be able to grab a particular device before heading out and know that I am able to capitalize on the strengths of that device at that moment in time.  This would not work well if I didn’t have a system in place to make sure that I always have the information (data) I need with me, no matter what gadget I grab.  Here is a description of my system and how I use it with multiple gadgets.

Hosted Exchange Server

We’ve written about the benefits of hosted Exchange Servers many times because there is nothing more powerful for keeping multiple devices synchronized with the information that is needed.  This works so well because once the initial device configuration is done it is automatic.  You grab a device and connect to the web and your important information is automatically synced to the server.  Since all devices sync to the server it means that your information is the same no matter what device is being used.  It just works, and works well.  I regularly get contacted by people who sign up with a hosted Exchange Server for the first time and it is very fulfilling to hear how this has simplified their lives.  It is that impactful.  A hosted Exchange Server works well with Outlook on Windows-based systems, but it doesn’t stop there.  It keeps my MacBook Pro synced (mostly) using Entourage, a program I don’t really like but is worth the hassles since it keeps the Mac synced with the server.  Of course Entourage doesn’t sync notes or tasks but that’s a small price to pay to keep my email, contacts and calendar in sync with everything else.  Having an Exchange Server also works wonderfully with Windows Mobile devices, which not only keeps them up to date with everything else but also eliminates the need to sync the PDA with any one PC.  This frees me from the situation where the device I have with me is not the one that I am syncing the Windows Mobile device to, so the WM device is always in sync no matter what I am using at the time.  The hosted Exchange Server is the single best investment I have made to date toward my mobile computing nirvana.

FolderShare

FolderShare is a free service through the Windows Live program that keeps all of my documents synchronized across most of my devices.  It works on Windows-based computers and Macs so I keep all of My Documents synchronized on all three computers I use regularly.  It is simple to set up and once configured all of the My Documents tree is synced in the background everytime I am connected to the web.  It is fast and works with no intervention from me so I don’t forget to do it.  I always have the important documents I need on the Lenovo ThinkPad x61, the Fujitsu P1610 and the MacBook Pro.  It doesn’t work on Windows Mobile devices but I don’t want to carry gigs of documents on those anyway.  I make sure I manually copy important folders over to the HTC Advantage so I have the reference material I need on that device too.  I use a few Windows programs that save data in special locations so I make sure I backup that information into a folder in the My Documents tree so that FolderShare syncs it to the multiple devices too.  FolderShare is a great investment in keeping multiple gadget sanity, even more so because it is free.

Hosted BlackBerry Enterprise Server

I use the RIM BlackBerry 8830 and I wanted to leverage the strength of the BlackBerry with an Enterprise Server.  Mailstreet, my Exchange Server provider, offers a BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) for Exchange Server customers that works just like a corporate BES.  It makes sure that any changes made to my Exchange Server are reflected on the BES and the end result is my BlackBerry is always in sync with the server and thus all of my other devices.  It took a few minutes for the initial set up and after that it’s automatic.  Simple and fast, the hallmarks of a great productivity solution.

Bluetooth peripherals

I like to use external mice and keyboards with certain devices and going the Bluetooth route makes that easier for me.  Sure I have to repair a device if I last used it with another gadget but that just takes a few seconds and then I’m good to go.  I prefer the Bluetooth solution because it minimizes the cables I need to remember, something I am terrible at doing.  It’s really frustrating to forget a cable and then need it.

Pre-loaded bags

Ok, I admit this is a luxury but it works for me.  My gadgets come in all different sizes and due to my fetish with gadget bags I have a whole tree of them.  I like to carry the smallest bag possible with a given gadget so I keep the bags preloaded with the gear I normally take with the gadget that fits in that bag.  If I am going to carry just the HTC Advantage, I use the Victorinox mini-backpack, preloaded with the Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.  The Tom Bihn bag comes with the ThinkPad x61, the Booq bag carries the Fujitsu, and the Waterfield Designs bag the Macbook Pro on those rare occasions I carry the big gun.  Each bag has the accessories that I typically use with the associated gadget making it simple to grab and go.  I always carry an extra battery with every gadget so that stays in the bag.  Today’s batteries hold their charge when in the bag very well so I rarely have to remember to charge it up.  I religiously charge all batteries I use during the day at the end of the day and when they are charged they go straight into the appropriate bag.

Work smart

My system has evolved over time and it works very well for me.  Not everyone has to worry about keeping multiple devices in sync but for those who do this system will work well for you too.  I am always interested in hearing how others handle multiple devices so if you have a system tell us about it.

We are seeing so many different types of mobile devices hitting the market, no question it’s a great time to be a mobile worker.  Among the many choices that mobile consumers have to make is how to handle battery life with these devices.  Dead devices don’t help us very much when we are out in the field and battery life can be an obsession for that reason.  This is especially true for owners of UMPCs and Tablet PCs, devices that are designed to be light and thin and easy to use in the hands.  Most OEMs now offer multiple battery options to address the need for juice and it’s important for the end-user to carefully consider how they work and determine which battery option will offer the most bang for the buck.

Many devices can be outfitted with extended batteries and depending on how the consumer works these can be a real boon for providing the type of battery life that can get them through the day.  The key is how much additional bulk and weight these batteries add.  Devices that are used in the hands are particularly vulnerable to becoming too big and too heavy to be used comfortably so a decision to use one of these larger batteries can have far-reaching implications to the user experience.  Most of these batteries take two forms, a larger battery that replaces the standard battery, usually sticking out of the device by an inch or so, and slice batteries (mostly on Tablet PCs) that snap onto the bottom or back of the device.  These are typically pretty thin and cover the entire back of the device.  Slice batteries are nice as they only add a little thickness to the device so they can be handled easily by the user.  The question of how suitable these slices are in the long run lies in how much extra weight they add.  It’s been my experience that once a device starts to get too heavy to use for long periods comfortably then the user experience has been compromised too much.

A case in point is the new HP 2710p Tablet PC that has an optional slice battery.  This is a very thin battery that fits on the bottom of the convertible and provides a whopping 6-10 hours of battery life in conjunction with the internal battery.  This battery can make it possible to get through a whole day without charging and that is very nice when you don’t have to worry about swapping batteries or finding a power outlet.  Unfortunately this battery adds 1.24 lbs. to the weight of the device which takes it from a barely manageable 3.7 pounds to a monster at 4.94 pounds.  This is simply too heavy for me personally, I don’t want to carry a 5 pound device in my hands for much of the day.  The mobile device becomes far less mobile at this weight, at least for me.

The same is true for UMPCs, many that weigh in at 2 pounds or less, a weight that is quite appropriate for a device that will be used in the hands much of the time.  Add a 1- 1.5 pound extended battery and that mobility is compromised if you tend to use the device in your hands for extended periods like I do.  I acknowledge that every user is different, I’m just speaking from the perspective of what works for me.  I need the device to be light enough that it stays comfortable for hours of use.

Since I need the lightest device I can carry around, I usually opt for carrying an extra battery or two in my bag and swapping it in when I need it.  This keeps the handheld device as light as possible for prolonged usage and yet keeps my back covered with ample power.  I don’t mind carrying extra weight in my bag, it’s my hands that thank me at the end of the day for keeping the device as light as possible.

A jkOnTheRun reader who will remain anonymous as I don’t have permission to disclose his/her name sent me the following email with an interesting question:

I came upon your blog looking up Batman oddly enough, (yes I would probably get along great with your friend Marc).  For some time I’ve been looking for a low frills portable word processing device with little luck.  With your vast knowledge and experience in the world of so many on the go devices of the likes I’ve never seen, I was hoping you’ve come across something.
I am an avid note jotter and unambitious writer who constantly loses pocket size notebooks before I can type the important stuff into my pc.  Not only is writing in the tiny things a pain but it’s even worse to have to retype it all later.  A thing I put off so long it’s likelier I loose the notes or they get too worn in my back pocket to read.  My demands for such a device aren’t non specific but if you can point me in the right direction I’m sure I can pick something suitable.  I’m hoping there is a device in existence I haven’t found with my meager consumer research skills that has a large enough qwerty keyboard not to hit 3 letters a time and requires no OS boot time with enough battery life to be useful.  I don’t think it’s likely to find a word processor specific gadget in our multi tasked device world but that would be it’s primary use for me.  While video, mp3s, web surfing and various palm style apps would be nice I believe that would only add to the need for an OS, less batt life and more $$.  I hope I haven’t missed such a thing in your blog posts but if so please send me a link as I wouldn’t even know what to type into the ctr f to find it.  If you get time to answer this, thanks a lot!  Keep up the good work.

This is an interesting question and it’s good to get reminded that for some simpler is better if that fits their needs.  The first solution that came to mind is the Palm Foleo, which I think would make the perfect word processor.  Those who do a lot of writing could make good use of the Foleo.  Instant on, good battery life and it’s cheap.  If this reader needs to connect to the web or get email that can be done by connecting to a phone.  We may have discovered an actual niche for the Foleo.

I’m back home from the AT&T store to give you eight minutes with the 875U. I can’t overstate how large this AirCard is; should be fine for most notebooks, but UMPC owners will want to take this into consideration. I’ll be testing the actual power drain on the Q1P when using this card since it does have an internal battery. I’ve tried to use the card without the battery but it won’t work. Honestly, I’m on the fence with this device for my personal use. It might be just the ticket for some folks, but I’ll be carefully weighing the pros and cons over the next 30 days. I was very impressed by the download speeds when in an HSDPA coverage area; better than what I’ve had with EV-DO. But is that enough to overcome the bulk and potentially large battery drain?

The Plantronics Pulsar 590E Bluetooth headphones arrived yesterday afternoon and after getting it all charged up I threw it into my little bag and headed off to the old Starbucks.  The audio quality is quite nice but the jury is still out if the microphone is going to be good enough. I don’t plan to use the microphone much anyway so no big deal.

I decided to try and max out the HTC Advantage so here’s what I have going on as I write this:

Streaming radio through Resco Radio via HSDPA
Plantronics headphones via Bluetooth
ThinkOutside Bluetooth keyboard
ThinkOutside Bluetooth Travel Mouse
Web browsing in Opera (HSDPA)
Outlook push email (HSDPA)

I am surprised how well the Advantage is keeping up with the three Bluetooth devices running simultaneously.  Nothing is missing a beat, although the headphones drop out occasionally.  I haven’t had them long enough to tell if this is normal or if it’s because I am overextending my welcome. I do have to manually reconnect the headphones from the Advantage every time I turn them off and on again which is a pain. A great part of just carrying the Advantage around is I can get by with a small bag and it warms my heart to pull out the old Victorinox Swiss Army mini-backpack. Oh yes it does.

I am a big fan of notebook sleeves that can protect my precious cargo while keeping the package nice and light.  I was just informed by the folks at 10turio that they have a new stylish line of sleeves available.  These things look pretty cool, almost like a parachute, and come in a garden variety of colors for the fashion conscious.  19 - 22 euros.

Well the FedEx guy FINALLY appeared a few hours ago with the OQO Model 02 evaluation unit!  A big thanks to Dynamism for shooting the OQO my way for a short while so I can share my experiences with you.  You guys rock!

My first impressions aren’t very clear so far because I have spent the time since I got the unit getting my stuff working so I can do a good evaluation.  The biggest impression I have so far is how good the integrated keyboard really is.  You can type very well with the keyboard and the little track stick works as advertised.  Unfortunately this one has the dreaded "cursor drift" that a lot of tracksticks have and it’s driving me crazy.  Even though the OQO has an active digitizer when the cursor is drifting the digitizer does not respond to the pen.  I haven’t had time to research this to see if it’s a known issue yet but popping the screen up (or down depending on the state when it starts drifting) seems to halt the drifting.  I’ll have to see how this affects note-taking in ink.

I hooked up an external DVD drive to get the software I need installed and that went well, albeit pretty slowly.  I have installed Microsoft Office 2007 and OneNote 2007 but I have not been able to test it yet.  I am currently migrating my settings and documents from the Fujitsu P1610 using the Belkin Easy Transfer cable and that has been going for over an hour and hasn’t made very much progress.  I fear it is hung up.

The unit that Dynamism supplied is the OQO Best with Vista Ultimate, a 1.5 GHz Via processor, 1 GB of RAM, 60 GB hard drive, WiFi, Bluetooth and integrated Sprint EV-DO.  I don’t have a Sprint account so I probably can’t test that module out which might be a good thing as the OQO indicates "no WWAN detected".  There is a little pull-out antenna so I think the OQO is lying to me. 

I don’t have a dock and it’s been a gymnastic effort with cables everywhere to get the software loaded.  If I bought one of these I would definitely get the dock too, I think the OQO experience is not very complete without it.  The unit is beautifully designed and constructed and while it does get warm it’s not uncomfortable to hold, even while it’s banging the hard disk a lot.  The keyboard is nice and backlit with an ambient room light sensor that controls it which is a very nice touch.  I’ll have more to say after I’ve used it a bit but meanwhile you’ll find a few photos after the jump.

OQO Model 02 & Fujitsu P1610

Size comparison with a ThinkOutside Travel Mouse

Not much bigger than the MacBook Pro trackpad!

Backlit keyboard- Left

Backlit keyboard- right

We visit and write about coffee shops a lot on jkOnTheRun and I’ve been giving a lot of thought recently as to why that is.  Let’s face it, the beverages in coffee shops vary in quality a lot and are fairly expensive so even if you are a coffee addict these shops are not really places that you just have to go regularly.  I have a comfortable home office that is designed to make working much easier than working out and about so why do I go work in coffee shops so much?

After a lot of thought I’ve come to a fairly simple answer.  I go because as adults there is not really anywhere else to go.  Let me elaborate so you can understand what I mean.  We have three teenagers at home, 14, 17 and 18 years of age, and there is a constant stream of people coming in and out of the house all the time, what with friends, boyfriends and girlfriends making the rounds.  Most of the time my home office is not very quiet and there is always something going on that distracts me from working.  OK, maybe I’m actively looking for distractions but the end result is the same, it’s often difficult for me to work at home, especially during the summer when all kids are out of school.  I can work longer and better in those circumstances away from my office.

Once I came to terms with that fact I was confronted with the dilemma of where to go to work.  When I was a kid I could go virtually anywhere, the mall, fast food restaurants, and other types of shops.  Once adulthood is reached that’s not so easy, proprietors look at you with suspicion if you hang out too long and it’s just not cool to loiter in most places.  You can go to places like libraries but those are likely too quiet and let’s face it, Internet connectivity is pretty important to me and others who are trying to work online.  Say what you want about Starbucks they changed the way mobile workers get stuff done when they partnered with T-Mobile to put hotspots in most of their shops.

So it’s really a combination of not having anywhere else to go, needing a relatively comfortable place to work, and the critical need for Internet connectivity that makes coffee shops such a draw for me and others like me.  It’s not the coffee addiction (solely) that brings me back to the coffee shop regularly, it’s because I don’t have anywhere else to go to work.

UPDATE: I missed a fourth reason I patronize coffee shops.  They WANT me there.  As simple as that.

The ultra-portable PC has come of age.  The genre started getting serious with the debut of the Sony U series several years ago and has evolved nicely into the OQO Model 02 currently available.  It is now possible without question to produce a full-featured PC in a handheld package that is almost pocketable.  While these devices work just fine as stand-alone systems, they really begin to shine when coupled with a dock that transforms the handheld into a full-fledged desktop system.  This makes sense as it uses the expensive handheld as the "core" of the desktop and typical accessories like monitors, keyboards and optical drives round out the big system, extending the usefulness of the handheld. These systems work really well but I believe it’s time to take it further.

What if we expanded the role of the UPC into a real modular system.  Imagine a laptop form factor that is very light and has no CPU nor memory.  Basically a shell system with a typical laptop screen and full keyboard.  The magic starts when you flip it over and notice on the bottom of the laptop there is a rectangular port exactly the size of the OQO.  When you need a bigger screen and keyboard you simply pop the OQO into the "dock" on the bottom of the "laptop" and voila!  Instant laptop that uses the OQO as the brains and memory and transforms it into a full-sized laptop.

This concept can be carried to other form factors just as easily.  Pop the OQO or similar UPC into the back of a slate shell and have an instant Tablet PC.  Or instead of a dock you pop the UPC into the port on a desktop module that is basically just a hub for a desktop system.  Or maybe a true portfolio system that accepts the UPC into the slot and has a screen on one side of the portfolio.  Kind of a very smart day planner that doubles as a full slate PC.  These shell peripherals could have another battery to share with the core and provide extra long life without adding much in the way of size.  Since they use the handheld as the core all of your data, programs and operating environment are always with you no matter what shell you are using.

While I would love to claim this modular approach as my own it’s not, at least not entirely.  I remember IBM was talking up a modular system like this years ago but for the life of me I can’t remember what they called it.  If you know please post it in the comments along with any information you recall about it.  Their system had the core module as just a CPU/ memory module that required accessories to enable the usage of the core.  My concept differs in that the handheld PC is a full stand-alone PC that you can use while mobile when needed.  Dual purpose makes this concept very powerful in my mind.

MCC Computing sells a modular system today but as in the other systems the core is simply a CPU module that plugs into other devices such as handheld PCs, laptops, desktops and other forms.  It’s a slick system they offer but again it’s a design that requires another device to use with the module to be functional where as my concept doesn’t require anything but the handheld to be functional.  Let the user add other devices to work in tandem with it if needed.

TechDirt has reminded us about the IXI Corp, makers of the ogo handheld communications device.  They originally were to produce a core system like the IBM concept I described above but never were able to bring anything to market.  A new startup, Bug Labs, is supposedly working on something similar but no one is certain what they are doing.  Neither of these companies were looking at it from the standpoint that I am though, having the core as a full-fledged handheld computer.  This is possible since handhelds are small enough now that they can easily fit into other "peripherals" that leverage the PC part of the handheld.  What do you think, is this a viable product you’d be interested in?  Can you think of any other peripherals that would be useful to you and extend the usefulness of a handheld like the OQO?

It seems like everyone wants their device to look and act like an iPhone, as opposed to just getting an iPhone.  At least in the US.  Some clever folks in Brazil have written a utility for the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet that mimics the on-screen keyboard of the Apple iPhone.  You know, the keyboard that iPhone owners either love or hate.  Anyway, the keyboard that will run on the N800 is written in Python and looks pretty spiffy in this video:

Of course, it’s missing the predictive text algorithm that sets the iPhone apart from all other devices.

(via intomobile)

I love to share how my gadgets tools fit into my work days so it’s time for another "Day in the Life" article. In these articles I walk you through my entire work day and fill you in on how I use my gadgets to be productive.  Strap yourself in ’cause here we go!

Alarm rudely awakens me at 5:00 (yes AM) and I stumble downstairs to the first cup of coffee of the day.  Having grabbed the coffee I spin into my home office and undock (pushing the little button on the side of the dock) the Lenovo ThinkPad x61 and spin the screen around into slate mode.  Settling into the Man Chair, I turn on the news to check when to expect the day’s flooding and hit up Google Reader to check my RSS feeds that have come in during the night (don’t you internet people ever sleep?).  I also open up Outlook 2007 and process any email that came in overnight.  Both of these tasks work well in slate mode on the Tablet PC.  I have toggled the x61’s d-pad to page up/down mode (as opposed to scroll up/down) so I move down my list of Reader items by paging down one screen at a time.  Google Reader automatically marks that I’ve read each item I pass as it leaves the screen so I am free to interrupt this process whenever I want and not miss any unread items.  As I spin through the feeds I tag (star) any items I want to follow up in greater detail later.  Clean and simple and even with a couple of hundred items I process it in less than 20 minutes.  I finish my coffee and feeds at the same time and head up to shower and get ready for my day.

I am now almost ready to head out for my busy day but there’s a few things I must do and decisions I must make before I leave.  I grab the RIM BlackBerry 8830 and turn it on.  I always leave it turned off overnight so it won’t make any noise and disturb anyone.  It only takes a minute to fire up and grab any new email.  There usually isn’t any email because I’ve already checked it on the Tablet.  I set the phone for Vibrate mode because if I don’t do it now I’ll forget and embarrass myself in my first meeting.  Hey, it’s happened a few times.    I also enable the Bluetooth radio and turn on my headset, currently a Samsung WEP-200, and make sure it connects to the phone.  Once that’s done I drop the 8830 into the belt holster which automatically puts it in standby mode so I won’t accidentally hit the buttons and do something stupid like call Moscow.

I"m almost ready to go but first it’s decision time.  Today, like any day, I can take either the Fujitsu P1610 or the ThinkPad x61 with me.  I keep them constantly synchronized with FolderShare so it doesn’t matter which of them I take, I’ll still have everything with me.  I have two bags, my old Booq Boa bag which is small and perfect for the Fuji and a Tom Bihn Buzz Bag that I use with the Lenovo. I keep each bag loaded with the accessories I need for the appropriate Tablet so I only have to grab those that I use every day no matter what.  That would basically be the Sierra AirCard 595 I use for EV-DO Rev. A goodness.  I mentally do the "speed vs. mobility" exercise and today since I am not going in to Big Oil Co. and will be attending several meetings all over town mobility wins out and I grab the P1610 and throw it in the Booq Boa bag where it lives when away from home.  In this bag I keep an extra extended battery and some other accessories that I usually only use with the Fuji.  I grab the TomTom on the way out and head out to the car for the commute.

Fuji P1610 vs. ThinkPad x61

Tom Bihn Buzz Bag

Booq Boa Bag

Traffic isn’t too bad although it’s threatening rain so I’m glad I have an umbrella in the car just in case.  If I had brought the Tom Bihn bag I would have put the umbrella in the clever water bottle pouch on the side of the bag but the Booq bag doesn’t have one.  I have set TomTom to provide a route to my first meeting and a soft British female voice keeps me on course and aware of upcoming turns in plenty of time to get in the proper lane.  I arrive for my first meeting a little early so while sitting in the lobby waiting for my colleagues I check my email on the BlackBerry.  I have to admit the BlackBerry has changed my work habits for the better, because before getting it I would have pulled out the Fuji and connected to the EV-DO network to check my email.  Now I just use the BlackBerry for this type of email checking, something it is designed to do well.  I answer a couple of emails and then it’s time to head into the meeting.  I should point out that the 8830 with it’s small but nice keyboard has changed my habits for the better.  I’ve read that good email should be five sentences or shorter and I do find that when I compose an email on the BlackBerry I am concise and to the point.

I pull the Fuji (Miyagi) out of the bag and fire up my Time/ Billing software, TimeTTracker MX, and start the timer.  There’s nothing worse than failing to bill for time spent on a project and TimeTTracker insures that doesn’t happen.  I also fire up OneNote from within Outlook 2007 by clicking on the "meeting notes" icon while the meeting appointment is highlighted on the calendar.  OneNote fires up with the appropriate meeting particulars properly noted at the top of the page I will use to ink notes for the meeting.  The notes in OneNote will also be linked back to the calendar item should I need to determine that in the future.  I start inking my notes as I always do much the same as the other attendees are doing on their note pads using pens.  The main difference is my notes are already filed in the appropriate project file and of course my notes are fully searchable using the awesome search function in Windows Vista.

I use that search several times during the meeting as I have to find a few references from earlier project meetings.  OneNote finds them in less than two seconds in every case and my memory is refreshed with particulars of the matters at hand.  There is no substitute for this capability and it drives my whole effectiveness in doing what I do for my clients.  Throughout the course of the meeting I refer to documentation about the project that I have received from the contractor, something I can do because every single document or workstation screen image I receive gets "printed" into the OneNote project file using the virtual printer driver that is installed along with OneNote 2007.  I refer back to the latest status report and quickly point out some inconsistencies between that report and what we are being told in this meeting.  There is no argument so effective as one that is backed up by showing them their own report on my Tablet. This keeps the meeting on track and moving forward quite nicely and the two hours passes quickly. When it’s done I open TimeTTracker and hit stop on the timer which updates the time record and calculates the duration for billing purposes.

Now it’s back in the car, set TomTom for the next destination and off I go.  I have a half hour to kill so I ask TomTom to find the Starbucks nearest to my current location, which turns out to be 1.2 miles away from my current location and in the right direction to get me to the next meeting.  So it’s a quick stop for a "Venti triple sugar-free vanilla non-fat dry cappuccino".  I sit down, pull Miyagi out and hook up to the WiFi.  I process email in Outlook and fire up Firefox so I can check my Big Oil Co. email using Outlook Web Access (OWA).  I deal with some minor issues from both email accounts and call some folks using the BlackBerry.  I also check my Big Oil Co. voice mail and return calls dealing with some issues that need addressing.  The free time passes very quickly but I get everything done so that’s a lot of tasks that won’t pile up for the end of the day reckoning.

I get to the next meeting and repeat the process used for the first one.  During this meeting I get a phone call from another client and I set it straight to voice mail as usual.  Two minutes later the same client calls me again and I repeat the process, because I don’t like to interrupt time that another client is already paying for.  Wondering if there is some emergency with this other project I fire up the Verizon Access Manager and once connected to the EV-DO network I check my email in OWA which is always running.  Sure enough, the impatient client has sent me an email asking me "where are you?" and to call him right away.  The meeting I am in has a natural breaking point while the contractor loads up some other data to show us so I step out in the hallway and call the impatient guy.  It turns out he had a question for me that I am able to look up in my project notes and answer right away.  He’s happy as I hang up, shaking my head because as usual with this particular guy the question really wasn’t that pressing.  Don’t you just love clients? 

The meeting ends just before lunch time and although my 1 pm meeting is at the same location it is for a different project and involves another project team so I don’t ask them to bring lunch in.  I head out to a restaurant nearby and have a quick sandwich, and then I stop at a Starbucks to get some work done before I have to head back to the next meeting.  I get my coffee and sit down, opening the Fuji to laptop mode and pulling out the Bluetooth mouse.  One of the contractors I use has sent me 10 screen images that show before and after seismic images demonstrating the effectiveness of a particular process I had asked them to run on the seismic data.  The images were pulled from a 20-inch LCD monitor and collectively are over 5 MB in size and he sent them as separate images.

No problem for me, I open up PowerPoint 2007 and start creating a PPT file and insert the before/after images one to a slide.  I use this method a lot because it allows for easy toggling between the before and after pictures, thus making it quickly apparent what has changed with the new process.  There is no easier way to compare two images.  This only takes me 15 minutes counting the time spent adding my comments in the appropriate places for each slide.  Once that’s done I spin the screen around into slate mode and hit the rotation button to put it back in landscape orientation since the Fuji has automatically gone to portrait mode when I spun from laptop to slate configuration.  I grab the stylus and ink notes right on the PPT slides, mainly so I can circle in bright yellow the areas on the images that exhibited the greatest improvement with this new process.  That done, I spin back to laptop mode and email the completed PPT to the client.  He won’t see it until tomorrow morning most likely as he’s located in Scotland, but he’ll have it first thing.  The single greatest advantage in having the appropriate tools and mobile gear for me are moments like this.  I have been able to complete a major important task while waiting for my next meeting.  I find that if I use my time appropriately then my end of day cleanup is quite manageable and easily accomplished.

Now it’s time to head to my 1 o’clock meeting, which will last about 3 hours.  We cover a lot of ground and I take reams of notes in OneNote.  I am constantly referring back to earlier notes and screen images that have been captured in OneNote and more than once I realize that not only am I very fortunate to have such a powerful system for dealing with my work but that I have assembled the proper technology to leverage the most out of this system.  It’s one of the reasons I enjoy what I do so much, I waste very little effort on things that don’t matter in the long run.  It makes James one happy dude every day. 

Work day is over, I head back to the home office and sit down at the MacBook Pro, my main desktop machine.  I jump in QuickBooks for the Mac and do some financial stuff, and then go back into Google Reader to check RSS feeds.  That’s the beauty of Google Reader, it’s online so it’s machine independent and I can step in right where I left off no matter what machine I’m using.  My whole setup is designed to minimize the duplication of effort, from using Google Reader to keeping everything in sync using FolderShare.  I don’t have to think about these things, they just work as designed.

Later in the evening I pull the ThinkPad out of the dock and sit down in the Man Chair to watch some TV with my wife, and take care of some site business.  Kevin and I exchange emails about the site redesign (shhh, it’s a secret) and some other stuff.  I spin around into laptop mode and using my mobile desk I write some blog posts for the next day.  I also research and write some posts for the Houston Chronicle blog.  When I get tired it’s time to go to bed so I pop the x61 back into the dock for charging and call it a day.

Dan of ThoughtFix is a great guy that Kevin and I had the pleasure of meeting earlier this year.  I try to stay in touch with Dan regularly as he is very plugged into the mobile lifestyle and what it takes to achieve one.  In that vein, Dan has published this "Coffee with ThoughtFix" video where he discusses the need for "instant-on" for mobile devices and how important that will be for a mobile device to be a true lifestyle changer.  It’s a good video and Dan does a nice job with it but I have a warning for him- espresso maker + power on = steam generation.  I don’t think I’d make a habit of putting that Nokia N800 on top of the maker while it’s running. 

PC Magazine is always something I check regularly.  Agree or disagree with their POVs and reviews, they always have a lot of interesting information covering the mobile technology world.   Gearlog, the PC Mag blog, has informed us that the magazine now has a mobile version that brings the latest news to the little screen.  The site has been optimized for mobile device users and is worth a look.

You can access all the newest reviews and news, Editors’ Choices, and
columns. You can also get to product specific reviews via a drop-down
menu. It’s a convenient way to get reviews while you’re shopping, to
catch up on news during your commute, and to impress other technophiles with your dedication when you’re traveling.

Point your mobile browser to this location and geek away.

The Mogo Mouse is one of those cool ideas that you either love or hate.  The original MM is a thin Bluetooth mobile mouse that slides into a PC Card slot of your notebook for transport and charging.  Word has come out that the Mogo folks have released a Pro version of the mouse, the X54 Pro.  The new version updates the mouse to fit in the ExpressCard slot and adds some serious functionality as a presentation remote control.  The X54 adds buttons to advance through the slides of a presentation and includes a laser pointer in the front of the mouse.  $112.

(via engadget)

Although I’m showing Earthcomber on the iPhone, it works on multiple devices: Palm, Blackberry, Windows Mobile, even a standard cell phone that’s web-capable. Earthcomber is touted as "personal radar for your phone" and that’s a pretty accurate description. Although there are other location-based applications to find places and services in your location, I like Earthcomber’s category and sub-category approach. It’s a free service and easy to use, so give it a look when you’re out and about.

Good news for Verizon Wireless customers: the carrier cut a deal with Broadcom that will allow Qualcomm-based 3G phones to be brought into the U.S. market for sale. In case you missed it in early June,  Broadcom won an injunction against Qualcomm for patent infringement. The result of that court order was that no new Qualcomm-based handset models could be imported into the U.S. Qualcomm attempted to work a deal with Broadcom that would pay the company $6 per handset, but Broadcom turned that offer down. Ironically, Verizon Wireless was able to work the same deal with Broadcom directly: $6 for every handset imported up to $200 million in total.

Could this pave the way for the HTC Mogul to quickly appear on Verizon’s EV-DO Rev. A network? I figured that model phone would be exempt from the ban since Sprint was already selling it, but I’m unsure. At least this is one less hurdle for the Mogul to appear as the XV 6800.

My post yesterday that covered my quest for a handheld PC generated a lot of great commentary.  One thing that is very clear is how passionate mobile PC owners are about their gear of choice.  Based on some of the comments I feel it’s a good idea to clarify my thought process a little bit, and fill in how I currently use my mobile devices.

First of all, I am not looking to replace any of my current gear.  The Lenovo ThinkPad x61 is my main workhorse and I carry it with me when I am going to Big Oil Company for extended periods.  It is a great laptop in addition to the Tablet functionality and there is nothing better when I’m working at a desk and banging out endless long reports.  I carry it into meetings too and ink reams of notes about the various projects I manage and the search function is my main productivity booster.  Searching my ink is a must and the x61 is the best all-around Tablet PC I’ve used to date.

I don’t want to replace the Fujitsu P1610 either.  When I only have one or two meetings scheduled on a given day or I just want to run out to a coffee shop and work I grab the Fuji.  The combination of the small size and weight coupled with the functionality of the Vista Tablet PC bits are unbeatable in this scenario.  Grab and go comes to mind when I think of the Fuji.  I also use the Fuji when I want to sit in the comfy Man Chair in front of the TV and work the web, it’s so good in that scenario.  I use both the Fuji and ThinkPad almost every day in different settings and I don’t want to replace them.

I have enjoyed the utility of having an ultra-portable PC as I described in the earlier post and that is the functionality I miss.  Even the Fujitsu P1610 is too big to take everywhere, especially if I’m heading into a situation where I might not use a PC at all.  It is easy to take a handheld (read very small) PC at those times because it takes almost no effort to do so.  It’s great to have along, though, when spare time crops up and I have a device with me to make the most of it.  I’m not looking to replace anything I currently use, rather to augment them.

The OQO Model 02 with integrated EV-DO is definitely looking good at this point.  The size is right for what I need, and even though the integrated keyboard is not important to me I can see the utility of having it there.  As an experiment I visited the OQO web site and configured the setup I would need to be productive.  Here is what I found after the jump:

Here’s the configuration I made at the OQO site:

This includes the 1.5 GHz processor (I won’t skimp in this area), 60 GB HDD, integrated Verizon EV-DO, Vista Business, 1 GB of memory, WiFi and Bluetooth.

I added the executive bundle which brings the dock with DVD burner, extra standard battery, case, etc.  I also added an extended battery which I must have on all mobile PCs I use.  I added an extra AC adapter, something I also always do with mobile PCs.  This configuration includes an extended 2 year warranty for $150, along with the digital pen which OQO doesn’t include standard but you must have to use the ink functions.

That’s it, and as you can see this configuration would set me back over $3,000 with shipping etc.  Wow, that’s a huge investment!  So right now I’m still sitting back and thinking this whole thing through again.

The past couple of weeks I’ve been really missing the Sony U71 (don’t worry Ron, I’m not going to ask for it back).  I have spent quite some time trying to figure out why, after all I have no shortage of cool gadgets to play with use productively.  I have come to the conclusion that there is nothing more useful for me than the ability to pick up a device in my hand, head out the door and still have a complete computer to do anything I might need to do while I am running around.  That need was filled very well by the Sony U and I miss that portability.  I find that even UMPCs are too big for that kind of mobility, I really need a handheld device.  Based on my thinking I have been looking around to see what device(s) are out there currently that might work.  Sadly, I haven’t found any.

It is kind of funny that I can’t find the handheld device I want given all the diversity in the mobile PC world right now.  We have UMPCs of all shapes and sizes, from the standard 7-inch screen models down to the diminitive OQO.  The bigger devices are too big for the kind of mobility I am referring to.  I really want a device that will fit in one hand for ease of mobility and use.  Standard sized UMPCs just aren’t mobile enough for me.  After a lot of thinking about this I decided to list what I want in such a device:

• fit in one hand for usage
• screen size around 5 inches
• resolution of at least 800×600 (depends on screen size)
• full Tablet OS (XP or Vista)
• good buttons and controls on the front of the device optimized for hand usage
• rotatable screen
• at least 1 GB of RAM
• at least 60 GB hard drive
• good processor power
• decent touch screen that works well with inking
• integrated 3G (EVDO preferable)
• Bluetooth for use with peripherals (keyboards, etc.)
• WiFi of course
• dockable for use on a desktop

I look at this list and it seems to me that this shouldn’t be so hard to find but my investigation proves otherwise.  Every handheld device I’ve examined falls short, sometimes woefully so, in one or more key areas.  Let’s look at the current choices:

Sony UX- I used one of these for a while and I found the integrated keyboard to be near useless.  I also had trouble using the screen with the extended resolution (1024×600) as I found prolonged use to be tiring.  Too bad because it fits nearly all other criteria with the exception of the Tablet bits.

OQO Model 02- the OQO has a nice keyboard but I think the lack of a touch screen would make this handheld less convenient to use.  It’s pretty pricey too, although that’s not on my list.  I have been playing in the handheld realm long enough to realize that you have to pay to play.

Digital Raon Everun- this innovative device comes as close as any to meeting my criteria.  Unfortunately, until a Vista version ships there is no Tablet functionality which is important to me.

Nokia N800- I include the N800 even though it’s not really a PC because it delivers a lot of the functionality on the list.  I do feel I need a real PC so I can do anything that I might need to do on the fly and the N800 just doesn’t deliver.

Fujitsu U1010- this mini-UMPC looks really interesting and might be a good fit.  I think that the keyboard will be too small to be truly useful for someone like me who writes a lot and if that’s the case I’d rather it not be adding weight and bulk to the device.

FlipStart- too heavy and bulky plus the lack of a digitizer screen renders it useless to me.

Sadly, this is pretty much the entire list of available gadgets that I have to choose from, and as you see none of them really hit the mark.  Of all of these devices the OQO comes closest to fulfilling my needs, but I’m not sure it’s close enough.  Having a screen that rotates to portrait orientation is very important to me and I can’t recall anyone mentioning the OQO can do that.

Anybody got any suggestions for me?

Once again we find our intrepid hero goofing off hard at work in the neighborhood Starbucks. Today I’ve been playing around with the Nokia N800 since I’ve installed the Mozilla browser.  Specifically, I’ve been seeing how practical the new browser makes using Facebook and Google Reader.  Both sites work better than they do with the pre-installed Opera browser but my concern is how fast they work in practice because that’s a big factor in determining how useful the N800 could be for my mobile blogging platform.

I have to admit that while Google Reader is not a screamer performance-wise it’s more than adequate for blogging from feeds.  Everything displays and works on the Mozilla browser just like it does on my "real" computers and using it with the Stowaway Bluetooth keyboard is pretty slick.  Using the keyboard opens up the usefulness of all the Google Reader key shortcuts and it’s pretty sweet on the N800.  It’s pretty cool and even prompted a Starbucks regular to drop by to see the tiny computer.  Nice.

Facebook works so well, I even posted a video of it on my Facebook page.  Even viewing Facebook videos is nice on the N800, the only thing that doesn’t work (not surprisingly) is the web cam.  Facebook can’t find the web cam which I didn’t expect it would but I had to try.  Now that would make for a fantastic mobile vlogging platform if it did.  Everything else on Facebook works flawlessly, at least everything I’ve tried so far.  All in all I have to say the Mozilla browser is awesome!