Mobile Tech

The Cell Phone

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I have mentioned that I began using T-Mobile exclusively as my Mobile Phone service back in the end of November. Since then I canceled my old AT&T account. I still have a phone and account with Verizon sitting in a drawer. I used verizon before I went back to T-Mobile and I still have several months left on my contract. I have lowered the price plan I have but I have been slow to cancel the account. I wanted to be sure T-Mobile worked everywhere I went. It seems like it does, but now that I waited 2-3 months to cancel the Verizon account I am not sure if canceling is worth it.

In December I added up how much it would cost to keep the phone until the contract ran out, vs paying the $175 early cancelation fee. Back then it was cheaper to cancel the account, but I wasn’t ready to get rid of it at the time. I am known for changing cell phones allot, but I have never ever paid the cancelation fee. I don’t want to start now. Now it is March, I think it is cost effective to just keep the phone until the contract is up and then cancel it.

I bring all this up because I am trying to figure out what service I can use to solve a problem I have. I love my Treo 600, but it doesn’t have bluetooth. I want a bluetooth phone with internet access so I can use it to connect my laptop to check email and browse the web when out of the office or home. Right now I am on amtrak and am able to get my mail off the Treo, but it would be much better to download it right into my mail app (outlook 2003 for the PC, or Mail on the Mac). That way I could write real response to messages and not just the 1 line comments I can eak out on the Treo.

My options are to get another phone and service, or get another phone with bluetooth and swap the SIM card when I want to use it. I do not want to spend money on a new service. I can’t wait to get rid of my Verizon account as it is. FYI, verizon does not offer bluetooth phones and they have a really expensive data plan. The other option of swapping the SIM card can work, but it can get messy with all those small parts of the phone lying around while I am making the change.

The dilemma continues…

The iPod

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I have been avoiding the subject but I really do need a new iPod. I now have 200megs free on my 10Gig iPod. That is only by filtering out some music from the device.

I want to store other stuff on the thing, but I can’t since I have filled it up with music. I am looking at how much a 30Gig model might cost. I am thinking of cashing in some American Express Membership Rewards points. I found out a few months ago that I can buy stuff with those, and not just use them for travel tickets.

The debate in my mind continues…

The New Treo 600

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I finally got my new Treo 600 Tuesday night. It is really cool. I installed most of my programs onto it. My first complaints are as follows: Polyphonic ring tones, can’t they make a regular phone ringer sound also? I have 20 ring tones, and they all suck. I want a normal ring. You can’t find that on the internet, but you can find anything on the top 40. What is going on? Until I find a normal ringer sound, I am going to use really annoying rings as a statement of my dissatisfaction. Hey, I suffer through everyone else’s crappy ring tones.

The second and I think last problem with the phone is the lack of a good case. Palmone doesn’t have one, and no third party company has one either. I have a $400 phone with a crappy case. Give me a belt clip or something!!!

On the plus side, I think the internet connects faster on this Treo vs my 270 using T-Mobile. The screen is much nicer. The speakerphone is great, and of course it is SMALLER than my 270.

I just bought The Missing Sync 2.0 for the Mac. It allows me to use the internet connection on my mac to sync avantgo. It also allows me to mount my SD card on my mac and move files. It is a nice piece of software.

Now I await the IMAP version of snapper mail. Other software wish lists is the distinctive ring tone software that I had on my 270. They don’t make a 600 version of it yet.

The screen protector for the Treo is on order and I have to find a docking cradle. I am buying accessories. This device is a keeper. Until something better comes along anyway!

The Treo 600 Shipped

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I got an email a few hours ago saying my long awaited Treo 600 finally shipped out today. Fedex says that it will arrive tomorrow (Tuesday). Hopefully they are right. I hope I actually get good use of it. From what I saw when I had the AT&T Treo 600 for two days in november I think I will be happy. I will know tomorrow.

Maybe A New iPod???

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I have been pondering purchasing a new iPod. I like the one I have, but I am running low on disk space. Unfortunately I don’t use the iPod as much as I would like to, but sometimes it is a life saver on the train. I am trying to figure out if it is worth it to upgrade. I would make a few $$$ on my old one, and the new one would have a bigger hard drive.

I have over 9 GIG’s of music now. In order for me to get everything I want on my current iPod and still have drive space for other stuff I need to filter playlists in order to keep the music under 8 GIG’s.

I am starting to use the iPod as a portable hard drive. it is nice to drop stuff on it, and plug it in at work and use it. As a portable hard drive it is a bit expensive, but as a music player / personal storage, it is nice.

Instead of buying the new one, I am also looking at spending AMEX points for one. Not sure if I want to waste points on gear. A decision is forthcoming…

Gadget Update

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My PalmOne Treo 600 is on preorder. I hope to get it by mid march. Right around my birthday. Sooner would be nice, but I don’t have any faith in PalmOne since I have been waiting since October for this device.

Palm also announced they will not support OS X in the new version of the Palm OS. That pisses me off since they are compeeting with microsoft but only make software that works on Windows. Me having 2 Mac’s now doesn’t help matters either. I finally started using iCal & Address book. They are not so bad. I like that I can change the font and color of notes in outlook, but that is the only difference between the software that I don’t like. Thankfully a third party company says they will make sync software that will work with isync. I am going to try them out when I get the Treo 600. The software is supposed to sync with avantgo, a function Palm’s current software does not do. Unfortunatly the software from Mark / Space does not work with my current Treo 270, so I will wait a few weeks.

I am about to cancel my Verizon Wireless phone. I haven’t needed to use since December, except once. That constitutes a reason to cancel a $40 a month charge. I will take the hit on early termination fee. This will be the first time I have ever paid that fee, but I don’t want to wait until augist to cancel the phone. That will cost too much. Once done, I will have just my T-Mobile phone. Now I have to figure out how to use the Treo 600 with T-Mobile while connecting to my Powerbook so I have a dial up connection for it. No Bluetooth yet for the Treo so I will need a USB cable to do this. I am not sure if software exists to do what I want, but I will look.

Wrong Numbers

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Someone is beginning to piss me off. Some person keeps calling my cell number thinking it is someone else’s. I think it is just some stupid person not knowing they are making a mistake. The problem is that I got 3 wrong number calls from the same number last night. It is starting to drive me crazy.

There has to be a way to block 1 number from calling you. I have to look into that:)

Treo 600 Finally, Well Almost

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Yesterday Handspring (PalmOne) finally started taking pre orders of the Treo 600 for T-Mobile. I finally placed an order for mine. I got it for the discount price but I now have to wait at least a month until it actually ships. They won’t ship till early march. Who knows when that will be. hopefully I will have it by my birthday.

It was about time too. My Treo 270’s battery doesn’t hold a charge as long as it used to. it still lasts an entire day with usage, but since I am using the data services, I am sucking down the juice.

In the interum I got my old T-68i unlocked. I just got it in the mail today. It now works with my T-Mobile SIM. I can use that instead of my Treo until the new Treo arrives.

Free Gifts

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As a thank you for all the crazy work we have been doing, my company took Keith and I to Best Buy and we got gifts. To tech guys this is a very good thing!!! We both got HP Ipaq 1945’s. Keith was going to get a portable DVD player but the check out girl said some bad things about it, so he got the same pocket pc that I was going for. I had the 1910 before but it didn’t have bluetooth so I got rid of it for my Treo 270. I like the pocket pc, but wouldn’t have gone out and gotten one on my own. As a gift it was a nice surprise.

I got out my old Xircom Realport2 Bluetooth card, and am trying to configure it to sync with the pocket pc. I am also getting my Sony Ericsson T-68i unlocked so I can use it with the bluetooth on the pocket pc. I will play with this setup until T-Mobile finally releases the Treo 600 sometime in March.

Normally we get steak dinners for our major projects, but this was a very nice change of pace. It is nice to get recognition for job’s well done!!!

Lost Technology

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I got my dad a 512meg USB memory card when he got his new computer. I warned him about loosing it since it is so small. He laughed and said don’t worry about it. Well it is lost. My mom probably threw it out with the trash, but it is gone. I just got the replacement one for him and I hope that he doesn’t loose this one. I have to go over there in a while to give him the new card, and to see what is wrong with his computer. His Treo 300 crashes his new computer when he tries to sync it. I think one of his medical programs is screwing things up. I will find out soon enough.

Then it is card buying and maybe dinner with my sister. We shall see…

This entry was written while listening to High On You from the album “Greatest Hits” by Survivor