Slate: Will the Broadcast Flag Break Your TiVo? Paul Boutin. But never mind the industry gossip. How will the broadcast flag affect your viewing? It’ll be an annoyance for some, but it’s not the end of the world some tech reporters predicted. Instead, it’s more like the Big Four networks’ last stand against their competitors. [Tomalak’s Realm]
What is Google worth?
Experts at Wharton weigh in on whether the search engine champ’s strengths–its technology and brand–can offset economic and financial risks. [CNET News.com]
Manhattan’s Dead Cell Zones
Last month, a hotline recorded calls from New York cell phone users to log places they can’t get a clear signal. Nearly 5,000 calls showed the busy city center may be one of the worst places to place a mobile phone call. [Wired News]
Device Options…
I keep rethinking my Treo thoughts…
Bluetooth is far too compelling to pass on and I could easily manage with either the Tungsten 3 or the Sony UX-50. I’ve checked out the Sony, but prefer the way the Tungsten works more, even without Wifi and the keyboard. In messing with my Dad’s Tungsten T last night I remembered how well I know graffiti. With access to my phone, I would be able to have online data access as needed… wifi has mainly been used in my home or office where I have my laptop anyway. Sync and file transfer over bluetooth are very cool as well.
The other main issue is that the Sony costs about 600 bucks, the Tungsten is 400.
Only 80,000 Switched Telephone Numbers
Only 80,000 people applied to switch their telephone numbers to new carriers on the first day… [textually.org]
iPod Jack
Person wearing iPod spies passerby wearing iPod. Walks up to stranger, unplugs own headphone jack, motions for stranger to do same. Both plug into each other’s iPod’s and dig 30 seconds of what a total stranger is listening to. Smile, unplug, continue on with their respective days. Apparently iPod jacking is a rising meme on college campuses, small communities, etc. [birdhouse.org]
AT&T announces it’s EDGE
The carrier said the network would provide customers with average data speeds of between 100 and 130 kilobits per second.
The carrier noted the network technology is now available in areas served by its existing GSM/GPRS network, which AT&T Wireless said covers approximately 215 million potential customers across the United States, as well as in Puerto Rico and Bermuda. The carrier plans to deploy EDGE technology throughout its Caribbean properties in the near future.
Pricing for the high-speed data service will be similar to AT&T Wireless’ current GPRS pricing, including an unlimited access plan for $80 per month [RCR Wireless News]
Verizon cuts back on WiFi
Verizon is scaling back their plans to convert a thousand New York City pay phones into WiFi hotspots by the end of the year, cutting their target back to just 500. The reason, they say, is that coverage will be good enough with only 500 hotspots, something which is hard to believe. They’ve probably found that it’s costing more than they thought it would, and besides, they probably want to focus on building a customer base for their high-speed EV-DO cellular network which would more or less be in competition with WiFi hotspots. [Gizmodo]
Hannah Elizabeth
Just one week ago today we welcomed Hannah Elizabeth into our world. She weighed in at 9 pounds, 6 ounces and measured 21 inches long.
Life has not and will not be the same. Ashley and I are beside ourselves with joy and excitement and yes a tad sleep deprived.
Squeezebox
The team at Slimdevices does it again…
The new Squeezebox sports a complete hardware redesign, built-in wireless networking capabilities and your choice of digital outputs. It’s available now for $299.
Imitation as Flattery…
The interface is amazingly similar…
Who needs editors?
: Microsoft responds to Google News with Newsbot. I’ll have to live with it for a few days to judge its news judgment. [via JD]
Knowing you’ve made the right carrier choice…
As I’ve now mentioned many times I am switching to T-Mobile and actually have a phone and data plan active with my previous number forwarding from Nextel until 11/24. They seems to be the most sophisticated in understanding a few things…
- Users want to be in control of a rich feature set and wide choice of devices.
- Plans should be flexible, competitively priced and offer add on options so you can enhance your service without having to jump to a significantly higher tier.
- Coverage should obviously be good.
I’ve been feeling good about this so far but today I am very pumped with a new discovery. Within your account settings on the site, you can create a web interface login for multiple email accounts. These same accounts can then be accessed through the WAP function T-Mobile calls T-Zones. You can create accounts for corporate mail – Exchange and Notes and actually connect to mail and calendar services without having to run a desktop client which is an amazing advantage. In most cases server software is required for this level of functionality and ends up involving your IT department with which most end users don’t have much leverage unless they are more senior in their organizations.
In my case I can now access my work Lotus Notes account through a more sophisticated web interface than was made available by IBM directly. The iNotes interface on Windows is comparable but on Mac, it is a wretched experience. Not anymore…
T-Mobile takes it another step. Accounts set up through the web client can be queried and utilized as though they were regular POP accounts, something you can’t do usually with Lotus Notes. Now I can – which means I can use any device connected to the T-Mobile network to check my work email. On my phone (Sony Ericsson T-610) I can also set up POP or IMAP accounts – 2+ the one built in for the phone by default. This is faster and richer than the WAP experience and actually takes advantage of the network connectivity by allowing scheduled checking of messages for each account.
Even better – I now know that I can use a Treo 600 connected through T-Mobile and SnapperMail to stay connected to my email in the very near future. I can’t wait!
How to connect your Palm to Phone for a GPRS data connection
I’ve spent some time searching and fussing with my phone over the weekend and thought I would share in detail how to can connect my Palm to my phone in order to take advantage of the GPRS data services.
Equipment:
Palm Tungsten C
Sony Ericsson T-610
T-Mobile Unlimited Data Plan ($20/mo)
Sony Ericsson T-610
T-Mobile Unlimited Data Plan ($20/mo)
The details…It’s simple to do, just follow along.
There are several data plans I’ve discovered as a new t-mobile
customer…
You get T-Zones when you sign up which is a walled garden free limited wap service on your phone. You can upgrade to T-Zones pro which gets you more – picture messaging etc…
Then you have the unlimited data plan which I am using which is 20/mo. Finally there is the hot spot (wifi) plan which I don’t have with them though I have used it in Starbucks on a pay as you go basis.
For my set-up, I tested the infrared to phone without the data plan active and was able to use the phone in GSM mode to make an outgoing call to a local ISP. You set everything on the Palm side and the phone receives a signal through the infrared port and makes a phone call to the number…logging you in as though you were connected to your ISP with a phone line… you are just a cellular one.
When my unlimited data plan became active I tried a new way…
Here are the details:
- On the Palm use the Connection (in prefs) setting for IR to
PC/Handheld - On the Palm again in Network create a connection for T-Mobile…
Select the Connection IR to PC/Handheld in the drop down.
in Details…
Connection Type – PPP
Idle Timeout – Never
Uncheck query DNS and manually
add 216.155.175.170 and 216.155.175.171
IP address – automatic
Connection Type – PPP
Idle Timeout – Never
Uncheck query DNS and manually
add 216.155.175.170 and 216.155.175.171
IP address – automatic
You’ll need to modify the script
next…
Send: AT&F
Send:CR
Send:AT+CGDCONT=1.”IP”,”APN”
Send:
Send:
Send CR:
Send:ATD*99#
Send CR:
Wait For: CONNECT
End:
Tap OK twice.. and if infrared is active on your phone it should
connect.
I assume that a bluetooth connection would also work with the same script. I think you would just choose the connection as Bluetooth once the devices are paired and hit connect for the same functionality without the line of sight limits.
I’ve see the Blue light…
and no not the Kmart blue light special.
Bluetooth. I am not sure what the issues with the adoption are, whether it’s marketing or what, but now that I’ve taken a taste from the wireless well there is no going back. I’ve been messing with my phone – sending files, contacts and even calendar items back and forth. Through iSync, I can keep my phone connected wirelessly and in sync with my computer and my Palm (though this still needs to connect via USB… more on that in a sec.) Apple has implemented this extremely well – even with the D-Link adapter I purchased today. I presume it will be at least as good with it built in on my other machine (the adapter will go to our iMac) after the spots are removed…
For some reason, I am beginning to think it is for greedy business reasons, Palm has chosen not to develop drivers for any OS 5 device and their SDIO Bluetooth Card – the ONLY Bluetooth SDIO card even available for Palm. The drivers only support OS 4 and the most recent device supported is the Tungsten W which runs 4.1. I actually tried to get the card today and force the drivers from the Tungsten T to load, but can’t find the card anywhere… I checked 2 Staples, Best Buy and TekServe. No one has it. It’s online, but I was hoping to try this and return it quickly without incurring shipping charges if in fact I would have found it. All the newer devices with it built in are OS 5 and the Sony UX-50 even has wifi and bluetooth together.
Bluetooth allows you to replace cables like USB for basic connectivity but it also allows for device to device connections without having to be within line of sight like infrared and regardless of type (pda, computer or phone…). With some creative software you can use the locality of the technology (10 meters or so in range) to control devices based on your behavior. I’ve just started playing with Salling Clicker which truly enables the digital hub function of your computer. Through bluetooth, you can control all kinds of functions… like locking the system as you walk away, pausing music or movies when your phone rings etc. You can also manually control software like itunes or powerpoint as you might expect a remote to work, though again without line of sight limits.
Through the basic coolness and convenience factor of bluetooth I’ve been thinking about it as a necessary wireless component to any gadget. It’s just too good not to have.
It’s official: G5 supercomputer ranked 3rd fastest
As expected, Virginia Tech’s “Big Mac” supercomputer cluster, built with 1,100 Power Mac G5s, officially ranks third among the world’s 500 most powerful supercomputers… [MacMinute]
Testing the Smartphone’s Smarts
Some user notes from a new user coming from the Sony Ericsson T-616 (the north american version on the T-610)… Should be interesting to follow along in the coming weeks and see if the phone lasts given the 30 day return policy the author notes.
Some early observations: The MPx200 isn’t for everyone. The software is as much data-centric as phone-oriented. For people that want to do lots of SMS, instant messaging or Web surfing from a cell phone, Microsoft’s software serves up good features. Phone features are good, but I find the T616 more straightforward for making calls or receiving them. The MPx 200’s display resolution is refreshingly clear and crisp. [Microsoft Monitor]
One or Two pieces…
Are you a one or two piece person??
Do you want it all (phone, PDA) in one or would you prefer the potential flexibility of two devices?
As I have been writing, I really dig my T-610 phone… It’s very powerful and can serve as a modem with the right data plan for my laptop as well as a bluetooth PDA with and without wires. My current PDA, the Palm Tungsten C will never connect to my phone unless I use IR, which will work but is slow and you actually have to have the devices lined up.
The current options for bluetooth enabled Palms are basically the Tungsten T2 or T3 or the Clie UX-50. Only the Sony has a keyboard, but the T3 has a killer screen. The Sony is $600 with a $50 rebate which is pretty expensive, though it also includes WIFI.
Thinking back to the Treo 600… I’d be able to use one device as phone and data connector (email and web) and swap the SIM card back to my T-610 for bluetooth connectivity on my laptop when needed.
I would still retaining my “other” phone keeping me a two piece (or even three piece) guy.
Feature Discovery…
The more I’ve messed with the T-610, the more I really like it.
I tried my Bluetooth Headset this morning after a full charge (needed 8 hours!). It was very easy to pair and seems to be a good addition, though I am wondering if instead of the Plantronics, I should have just gotten a Sony Ericsson model. It’s lighter but the battery only gives you about 2.5 hours of talk time instead of the Plantronics 8 hours.
While doing some reading on my phone I discovered a feature built-in called QuickShare. QuickShare lets you use Bluetooth or IR to transfer ANY file between phone, PDA and computer. I tested this by beaming a picture I snapped yesterday to my Palm… it opened right into my Photos app. I then beamed a bunch of events from my DateBook to my phone… awesome – right in! With bluetooth and iSync, this beam action won’t be necessary, but very cool to know it works. QuickShare immediately makes the phone much more friendly in a multi-device world…
Unlocked Smartphone unsafe
Keeping things nice and consistent, the MS Smartphone is also capable of secretly sending out to everyone in your contact list… Thanks to some magic from AT&T Wireless, it appears that this is quite possible on the recently released device, the Motorola MPx200.
iPod Rocks…
Great idea for a great product…
iPodrocks.com is Apple’s latest effort to win the hearts and minds of teen consumers interested in its iPod digital music player. It’s a new Web site and a fierce bit of guerilla marketing that combines high-impact graphics and animation along with several popular music tracks, and is chock full of creative ways that teens can try to convince their parents of how much they want, need and deserve an iPod this holiday season. [MacCentral]