Mobile Tech the New Old Fashioned Way

With my first real test of this new device being aweekend away, I can say that pretty much everythingthat I had need of was met.What were some of the things that I was able to do?Well, all of the usual Smartphone tricks. Of course,the two biggest noticable differences are having theqwerty keyboard as well as the screen being easilyfour times larger than my flip phone. Oh, and beingable to run various applications such as Word andExcel docs, streaming my favorite podcasts, watching avideo from my SD card and surfing the Net and checkingmy mail were all pretty much a breeze.One of the things that flatout impressed me was my newability to log into my Blogger account and post ormake changes! I have to no avail before so this was abiggie!So, what exactly do I mean by the New Old FashionedWay? Well, believe it or not, my new device isnt aTreo or a Q or even a Blackberry. this device is a2003 Hitachi G1000 running Windows Mobile 2002! Itruns only on the Sprint network that I happen to beon.Even better, I paid $65 for it!Now nothing personal, but all of these posts aboutusing the latest and greatest devices have been fun toread but my specialty is finding apps and servicesthat do more for less. I followed and researched thisdevice on Ebay for three or four months before gettingone.Now the drawback and why nobody knows what this deviceis. It is by todays standards, huge! At just shy of 6high and just over 3 wide, it is definitely a brick.If there is another problem I would say it is WindowsMobile 2002. I am not saying it isnt usable but if thenew WM5 apps are what are catching your eye, you willhave a problem with this. If you need a device fortesing the Sprint Smartphone arena, I cant believe howfunctional this device is including the camera andvoice dialing functions.Did I mention getting online without wifi whenever Iwant?

THE BEST IN PERSONAL TECH: NOW AVAILABLE HERE AT COOSBAYTV!

THAT'S RIGHT!

Now you can get the devices I post about right here at All Things coosbaytv...

Each week, I will mention a great new device that I believe to be a great value for the money.

This week, I start with a new mp3 player that gets a full page write-up in Information Week Magazine. Incidently, I get Information Week for the "Personal Tech Guide" and their great info on new devices. Check it out at www.informationweek.com!

The Kingston K-PEX 100 is available in a 1 Gigabyte and 2 Gigabyte device. "The K-PEX is an impressively small and lightweight media player that plays MP3 and video files. It acts as a voice recorder, includes an FM radio, exhibits photos, and can accept files from USB flash drives." Quoted by Barbara Krasnoff of TechWeb.

>> Music: Most MP3 players sound basically the same, and the K-PEX works as well as the others I've tried. A nice addition is the ability to switch the equalizer to settings such as pop, jazz, classical, or rock.
>> Game: The K-PEX comes with two games, which could come in useful when things get particularly boring.
>> FM radio: I was impressed by the FM radio, which comes through with less interference than with other portable players, but setting up the presets is a bit daunting.
>> Record: A nice, simple addition. If you want to record your voice, just hit the Record button. You can also record from an external source using the included line-in cable.
>> Video: The K-PEX runs videos, but only in the MPX format, so you have to convert any videos to that format using the Transcoder software that ships with it.
>> Text: Because I'm an enthusiastic reader, I was heartened to see that the K-PEX offers a text reader. Unfortunately, the text file I loaded was barely readable.
>> Photo: When you select the photo viewer, you get a list of your photos; select one for viewing. From there, you can use the cursors to go through your collection.
>> Host: This feature allows you to transfer files from a USB flash drive to the K-PEX, using the included cable.
K-PEX also comes with a rubber case, a set of reasonably good earbuds, and a USB cord for both transferring data and powering the unit. On the whole, this is a very neat little gadget.
(Quoted from Information Week).

The 1 GB model is $119.99
The 2 GB model is $169.99 and includes a FREE 256MB mini SD card
PRICING INCLUDES SHIPPING IN US!

email jay@coosbaytv.com to order yours today for Christmas delivery.

See something you want to know about or a device that you need an opinion on? Let me know at coosbaytv@yahoo.com.

WEEKEND WIND Episode 1

Gabcast! All Things COOSBAYTV #4

Have Your Documents & Media and Take them Too!

Today is a great day!

How do I mean? Well, let me say that I have solved another long standing problem with mobile tech...

Actually, I discovered some solutions that are working well for me and so I have to assume they will do the same for you.

I am talking about being connected to a PC to access anything you need from a remote device. In this case, I am referring to my iPAQ 1930 Windows Mobile Pocket PC.

Why do I (you) need this? If you are in sales or running your own company, having access to necessary documents or media content is the difference between getting more business or not!

How so? By completing a "To Do" list before it is created, and not "dropping the ball". More business is lost (actually never won in the first place) due to no follow through...

How do I know this? PERSONAL EXPERIENCE!

Back to this solution and what it means to you; instead of always carrying a cumbersome laptop you can now carry a PDA or (better yet) a smartphone and have all your business related materials always with you.

The problem with these devices has been limited memory and the amount of data they could hold. If you just needed OFFICE documents, chances are, you would be fine. Being in media, I however need to carry files that are much larger than the standard Word or Excel document! Audio and video files can quickly eat up a hard drive's space. So by accessing them from the iPAQ via an internet connection, I no longer have to worry about getting them on the device itself.

Now, if I run into a prospect or a new customer wants a service, I can log into my Orb or Avvenu account and send them the appropriate file to close the deal on the fly.

Why BOTH accounts? Well, if I had a Windows Mobile 5 device, I could get away with just the Avvenu but the iPAQ is WM2003 (3 years old). Avvenu will stream audio and video as well as give you access to any file or folder on your PC. Orb, on the other hand is strictly for media files and will stream to older devices (provided on the internet connection). Both require installation of their applications to the hosting PC. That PC requires a broadband connection. This also means that neither application needs to install software on the mobile device (this saves memory on the mobile device), and you can log in from any other connected source.

So, go to www.avvenu.com and www.orb.com and give them a try! Did I mention both have FREE VERSIONS?

That reminds me, I need to call Sprint and remove my Personal Business Connection that I have been paying $15/month for since these new apps do it all and more for free.

Enjoy and tell your friends where you heard this info, Jay

I do have to preface that while I could access the Aveenu account from my flip phone, the Orb account would not let me have access. I suspect it could detect that I was using a phone that didn't have media capabilities.

NEW WEEKEND FEATURE

Just a note to let you know that every weekend I will be adding an audio post by phone. So when you see this graphic "WEEKEND WIND", you'll know that it is another edition of my sharing whatever is relevant in tech for the week. It is an audio post so click on the play icon below the graphic and there you go.

For those of you interested in posting this way, I will be giving a detailed account of "How To" soon!

Thanks and don't forget to listen...

Jay

Posted straight from my phone with Nakama. Click to see more.

True to the MOBILE Music?

Although this isn’t a post about visual technology, it is relevant.

I have been a listener to KINK FM 102 for over 20 years (off and on). While living in Vancouver Washington for 5 years or so, my radio dial was always on 101.9 FM. Why?
Because Kink has remained “True To the Music”. I will say that I do miss the old format with more of my favorites like Icehouse, Texas and my local Portland favorite Tom Grant.

My problem has been for the last 10 years, I have lived in Coos Bay Oregon. This is over four hours from Kink’s home up Interstate 5 in Portland Oregon. While their frequency reach will roam as far as Albany Oregon, that is still three hours from me.

So, what’s a mobile techie boy to do? Look them up in streaming radio of course! Fortunately, Kink went to a streaming audio cast a couple months back. Now, I can listen again from the comfort of my own home. What’s more is I have tried to no avail to get the streaming cast on my Pocket PC. Well, that is not longer the case either! Whenever I happen to be near a Wi-Fi connection, I can continue to be “True to the Music”! I will not reveal the secret as to how I got this to work (until Les or someone gives me the greenlight to post a how to…). But, I assume this will also work for other internet radio stations as well.

Oh, did I mention we had Little Feat perform here in Coos Bay last night? This was a FREE outdoor show, courtesy of “Music on the Bay” Hey Les, I thought about you and the crew! It was a great time.

So, got to http://www.kink.fm/ and tune in!

Thanks, Jay

Skype as a landline service test (D-Link phone adapter on the way)

It has been a little more than a week with the new number for Skype and the only thing that has happened for sure is that the telemarketers have obviously stopped calling. I have only given the number to a few people and so far, no missed calls.
My wife is actually in her way home from an out of town trip. I had her stop at Best Buy and pick up the adapter and will set it up later tonight. This will allow us to use our old cordless phone even though it is hooked up to the Skype service. The biggest issue with Skype is using the service without any sort of physical phone (you use a headset connected to the PC).
What I don't know is how the D-Link device will handle this. I assume that it will allow the cordless phone to work as it would as a landline phone.

We should find out soon.

Jay