Introducing The BarackBerry
January 23, 2009
Unlike McCain, who allegedly does not use a computer, President Obama is addicted to technology and especially to Blackberries. And he allegedly was very reluctant to give up his Blackberry upon being sworn in as President.
Do do?
Give him a BarackBerry, of course!
Here’s what he most likely will receive: a Sectéra Edge by General Dynamics.
According to General Dynamic’s product details page, here are some of the features that makes it different and more secure than our typical Blackberries:
- Secure phone, email, and web browsing via several different secure networks
- Designed to withstand rigors of everyday use
- Capable of connecting to GSM, CMDA, and WiFi networks
- Accepts various security network cards / keys
- Has classified serial and USB ports as well as unclassified ports
- Has an additional “trusted” display
- Sports a stylus (have you seen another Blackberry with a stylus?! I think not!)
How much? Ah, cheap at $3,500 (or so).
I want one. NOT!
(Click for a larger photo)
The Palm Pre: A Deaf Geek Wishlist
January 19, 2009
The Palm just announced its next big thing, and it’s a BIG THING:
The Palm Pre. (Not to be confused with the Palm Treo Pro.)
It has almost everything I want, and more:
- Large 3.1 inch touchscreen – 320×480 resolution HVGA display
- Slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard (and if you complain about old Sidekick-like sliding keyboards, wait till you SEE this!)
- GPS
- WiFi
- EVDO via the Sprint network
- Integrated IM, SMS, and email
- 3 megapixel camera with flash
- Three sensors: ambient light, accelerometer, and proximity
- 8gig storage (but no SD card slot)
- Wireless charging dock (yes, I said wireless)
- … and it feels like a smooth pebble in your hand …
I’ve looked at the iPhone and found it wanting for several reasons. I’ve been waiting with bated breath for an Android smartphone running on the Verizon or Sprint network that looks and acts better than Tmobile’s new “brick.”
But the Palm Pre might win my heart quicker than a beautiful Android phone. Since the Sprint Palm Pre is coming out the first half of 2009, and since rumors have it that a Sprint Android phone will come out around the same time, it may be a true race to see which one I pick.
There are some things I really like about my trusty (but becoming ancient) Palm Treo 755p that I hope will carry over into the Palm Pre. Let’s call it a Deaf Geek Wishlist:
- Chatteremail was hands down the best email program I’ve ever used. It was ultimately bought by Palm. Will it be used as the default email program in the new Pre? I hope so.
- I loved the Palm’s LED notification that lights up (or blinks, depending on how you set it) if you’ve got new email. Will the Pre have this too?
- Via Chatteremail, I could set the Palm Treo 755p to vibrate up to 9 times for a new email. I could even set it to vibrate 5 times for email from my partner and 3 times for anybody else’s. The iPhone and the Android G1 only vibrates one time for new email etc. Will the Pre be able to vibrate multiple times (ok, I know this isn’t sounding right, but stay with me please), and can this be customizable?
- I must have an IMAP connection that works in the background while the smartphone’s screen is off. Yes, like Chatteremail (again, that program!) does. Emails must be fetched from my IMAP account (like Gmail) nearly as quickly as they arrive — and not 5 or 10 or 15 minutes later via polling. And this must be done without having to set up or sign up for an Exchange server. If this cannot be done on the Pre, then the deal’s off and I’m running off with an Android phone.
- Will the Pre have videocamera capability? I hope so. I like recording quick video messages and sending them to my love and our children. I just wish there was a videocamera on front of the Pre as well so I can have a videophone conversation. Ah well, can’t have everything!
Finally, A Smartphone With Video Camera In Front
November 24, 2008
I’ve been waiting for a smartphone to come out with a videocamera installed in the front — rather than in the back.
Looks like I’ll be getting my wish. The new HTC Touch HD is now being sold in Europe, and it has a videocamera in front AND a 5.0 megapixel camera in back as well. Wow. It looks like an iPhone and runs on Windows Mobile. Has WiFi and wireless as well.
Wonder if I would be able to use it to do video relay and video-phone’ing with my friends and family? Hmm.
More info at Treonauts. Rather than repeat anything in that very informative review, just hop over there. I’m too sick and lazy to say anything more … :-P
This Perfectly Shows How I Feel …
November 10, 2008
… about the first phone to come out using Google’s Android platform:
(Click image for a larger version)
I’ve already blogged some preliminary thoughts about the Tmobile G1, the first Android phone. I want it so bad that it aches! However, I don’t like the phone unit itself that Tmobile used for its first Android phone. I’m waiting to see if Sprint or Verizon comes out soon with their own phones running on the Android platform. I’m curious if those phones would have built-in keyboards that you don’t have to slide out to use. See what happens (hopefully soon) …
First Google Smartphone Released on Oct 22
September 23, 2008
The first “Google Phone” has been announced! It’ll be released on October 22nd.
Google designed a new smartphone interface system called Android, and it will be available to just about any telephone network who want to use it on smartphones / phones. This would be similar to Palm’s operating system, Apple’s iPhone, or Windows Mobile — except that, of course, it’s from Google.
The real test is whether the Android operating system would be better than what is being offered on the iPhone. The iPhone has captivated the market, and Android phones would have a way to go to catch up. However, Android’s appeal would be its (future) availability on a variety of phones by different telephone companies (rather than just from AT&T / Apple), its variety of applications that can be easily approved and then downloaded onto any Android phone (rather than put up with Apple’s strigent and lengthy approval process for new applications), and its low price (Google isn’t charging much if at all for this new system, and as a result, Android smartphones will be comparatively low-priced).
The first Android smartphone is the G1, from T-Mobile.
If you’re thinking this looks like the Sidekick, you’re right. It does! There are some key differences:
- Touch-screen!
- WiFi built-in
- A much wider variety of applications that can be downloaded onto the smartphone
- GPS
- Listening to music
- Watching videos (YouTube and similar)
- 3G network
And some similarities:
- Screen that swivels or slides open to reveal keyboard
- Camera (a good 3.1 mp resolution, but no video)
- Push email (Gmail account required)
It’ll have the usual Google features – maps, gTalk (dunno about AIM but the user should be able to download an application for that), YouTube, web browsing, Gmail, etc etc.
How much? $179.
Yes, $179!
I’m thinking of getting one. Hmmmmm. Only problem? It’s T-Mobile. I think I’ll wait a bit longer.
Treo Pro Coming Soon!
August 21, 2008
A new type of Treo is coming out – the Treo Pro! Will the Treo Pro, coupled with the Palm Centro, be enough to stop Palm’s declining market share of smartphones? Palm smartphones are now 3rd in usage nation-wide. While the iPhone is in 4th place, it’s catching up fast.
Some quick specs — it’ll have built-in GPS (including navigation), run on Windows Mobile (not Palm OS – damn), have wi-fi (yay!), have 256mb RAM memory, 2.0 megapixel camera, 320×320 touch screen that’s flush with the rest of the body (easier to keep clean!), have a slimmer body (I think it went through the South Beach diet), 3G data connectivity (fast data speeds), microUSB connector (no more hunting for the right connector!), and more.
I’m disappointed that it’s running on Windows Mobile instead of Palm OS — I run plenty of programs that are Palm OS-only, like Chatter, Bonsai, Bubbles, and a few others. Plus, I’m not certain how I can set up push email on Palm devices running on Windows Mobile, like I have on Palm OS devices.
(Thanks, Treonaunts!)
EDIT 8/22: Here’s the official Palm announcement, and a followup Palm blog post being bemused at all the attention and adoration it’s getting.
Sniffs Coming To Your Mobile Phone Soon
April 8, 2008
Can you imagine reading an article on your mobile phone about the dwindling Amazon jungle — and smelling jungle / machine scents at the same time? Do you really want to? What if it’s a blog post about diarrhea-y doggie doo?
A Japanese phone company, NTT DoCoMo has made it possible for mobile phone users to “download” scents to a machine that works with certain mobile phones.
I’m not too sure about fragrance emitters. It just seems too jarring to experience scents as you read or view contents via the Internet. I’ll have to give it a try — way in the future — before I decide if I like this.
The same phone company already has technology to bring fragrances to homes and movie theaters. And they even have a mobile phone that emits a variety of fragrances to “provide a therapeutic experience.” That, I would like — preferably with alternating lavender, citrus, and other soothing scents …
While we’re at it, can we have mobile phones that clean / disinfect themselves?
Telling Time On Your Mobile Device
January 8, 2008
Got a hankering to know just exactly what time it is, whereever you are? Wanting to synchronize time with your pals but can’t decide whose watch / smartphone has exactly the correct time?
Go pay time.gov a visit on your mobile device / smartphone / pager.
But what’s that? Time.gov’s Java-enabled functions doesn’t work on your smartphone? (These Java pages make it possible to see the time in real time on computers and Java-enabled phones – with the seconds running.) Don’t fret. Almost buried in a corner of many time.gov pages is a tiny link saying “Disable Java Animation” — clicking on this link allows you to see a non-Java version of that page. In fact, when you find your time zone and then get the non-Java version of that page, don’t forget to bookmark it on your smartphone’s web browser so you can quickly refer to it again. But keep in mind that, unlike Java versions of these pages, non-Java time.gov pages only show the time at the exact time the page was loaded onto your browser – that is, the time isn’t updated automatically unless you refresh the page.
I know many smartphones – including the Palm Treos – can automatically get the time and date from the network. But leaving this functionality on can be a huge power drain for the Palm Treos (and possibly other devices) – so that’s where having a bookmark to time.gov can come in handy if you leave this functionality off.
I’ll make it easy for you. Here’s a list of links to the non-Java pages of the various USA time zones. Gosh, ain’t it interesting how many time zones there really are in the USA and its territories? And remember when Alaska’s number of time zones changed from the previous four to just two now?
Happy times are indeed here! (And yes, I had previously blogged about checking time.gov from your computer.)
List of non-Java versions of time.gov time zone webpages:
- Atlantic time zone
- Eastern time zone
- Central time zone
- Mountain time zone
- Mountain time zone (Arizona, non-Navajo, no Daylight Saving)
- Pacific time zone
- Alaska time zone
- Hawaii / Aleutian time zone (Aleutian Islands, no Daylight Saving)
- Hawaii / Aleutian time zone
- Samoa and Midway time zone
- Marshall and Wake Islands time zone
- Kwajalein Island time zone
- Federated Islands of Micronesia (Caroline) time zone
- Chamorro time zone
- Palau time zone
Someone Else’s Curve Thoughts
November 7, 2007
Remember a while ago when I suggested that the next big smartphone could be the Blackberry Curve 8310? Well, Jennifer over at TreoCentral recently did a review. Check it out. Money quote (from the Wrap Up section):
I see the Curve as a great Email machine that looks and feels great. The initial setup is simple (for me on a Windows PC anyway) as is the email setup. I really like the way the Home screen looks with the cute icons. All the little pics with the BB Dimension Icon theme are self explanitory and make sense. If I had several email accounts, I could see myself getting a BlackBerry device someday. It really excels in that department. For now though, from using the Curve for only a few days, I wouldn’t replace my Treo with it. I do like the Curve though.
Google Phone – based on the Sidekick?
November 5, 2007
The guy who developed the Sidekick in the early 2000’s is apparently leading the team that’s developing a new Google phone. Makes me cautiously optimistic that this gPhone will have a built-in keyboard, instant messaging, and a whole slew of Google mobile applications pre-installed. Plus, judging from how Google has been, and much like the Sidekick, the gPhone will be open to third-party applications that users can browse and then download onto the gPhone.
I can’t wait.
