AntoineRJWright.com

Probably one of the coolest links I came across today I just had to blog about now (and not while my Treo is sitting beside me and getting RSS feeds via QuickNews) is part of Palm's new marketing of the new Treo.

Check out onTreo.com and see for yourself. It's not at all the greatest thing for some, but really, its quite nice and fun at the same time.

And from a guy who has the phone in the ad, it really is that much on the device to do.Read More

The Circus of a Mobile Man
I am in the mist of writing a review for the new Palm Treo 680 and basically thought that I should take a few days away from my desktop and be mobile. One of the really important aspects of getting to know a device is knowing how to live with it. Unfortunately, as a reviewer, we only get these devices for a short time, and then have to give them back. Therefore, it is a bit of a usage circus in trying to make sure that one gets a review in that is not only more than a press release rewrite, but also something that people can look back on months from now as a good resource for a possible purchase decsion.

Another reason that I am spending time on the mobile is that I am not a fan of boot times. One of the things that I have never liked about Windows/MacOS is that it takes too long to get from a "cold" device to the program that you want to get into. I find that for me that I many times would lose what it is that I was thinking about doing when I wait thru the whole boot sequence. Again, mobile devices help there a lot because you just hit a button or two and you are in the application that you need to be in to get the informatiion that you want. That is my kinda circus, fun and relevant.

My last reason for writing tonite was to post a link to a weekly favorite of mine called the Carnival of the Mobilists. The Carnival of the Mobilists is one part a look at th mobile tech blogs who write relevant content, but in another light is a look at where mobile devices and mobile technology is going in relation to ther rest of tech and the web. For me, the entries always provide some good manna for thought.

This week's carnival is held at Fierce Wireless. I have visited Fierce quite a number of times and really like the content as well as the statistical analysis type information they bring. It is a bit different than other sites in that they talk more hard numbers than applied theory and use.

So that ends the circus play for me tonite. Off to post about the Carnival at MMM then off to bed.
~ sent from Treo via Mo:BlogRead More

Last Writes Before Bed
I was talking with my new boss today and I had the thought that he might wonder on how it is that I can be so busy outside of work. Is it that I don't have enough work? Surely that is not the case as I was there until 10 tonite, and will hopefully make it there earlier than usual to get moving on this project tomorrow.

No, I thought about this tonite and it was one of those things where I am unpacking the aspects of who I have been and finding out whom I am. I am wondering if there is purpose for beyond the contract time, and at the same time looking to what I can learn best right now. I am admitly trying to come to a decsion about this now so that I am not rushing about things later on. But I am thining about where I best work, and thee environments and workflows that work best with this brain of mine.

That being said, I have to say that it is mighty fun having a deadline and having no idea of how I am going to meet it. I two, one at work and one with freelance stuff. I have no clue how all of this will come together, only that it is what is on my plate right now.

The resoltuion is already made for the new year not to take more on myself that what I know that I can handle, and also to be honest about what I don't know that I can handle. The latter will surely cause issues with some folks who want an answer in the here and now, but if I don't know, I don't know.

This new Treo isn't half bad. I think that I might go for one despite the fact that it really isn't all the much newer than the 650 that I have. It would need a slightly bigger battery though. If I cannot get thru the day, then I will have an issue on the times when I like to take trips.

SHeesh, and here I thought that this would be a short one since I am on the Treo. LOL. Off to bed...
~ sent from Treo via Mo:BlogRead More

Probably one of the best things that has happened to me over the past year+ has been the addition (or addiction in the minds of some) to using email in almost any place. Whether I am just reading to catch up, cleaning out spam (way too often), or responding to various people and companies on various issues, mobile email has essentially become a vital part of my internet usage. And while it is that I did just fine without it, having email on the go is something that I would rather prefer.

To that end C|Net is offering a free course on using mobile email. From talking about understanding mobile email to the difference between email and instant messaging, this is a good workshop to get a hold of if you are looking at what getting email to a smartphone or wireless laptop can do for you and your ministry/organizational needs.

Course link at C|Net.

A couple of really good devices for mobile email are the recently released Palm Treo 680 and Blackberry Pearl. However, with a data card from your phone carrier, you can also get email and Internet on the go to your laptop or TabletPC.

Originally posted at Palm Addict.Read More

Mobile phone tech is something that I like. The ability to do almost anything anywhere is not only neat, but saves me a lot of time towards actually having time when away from work. However, I have noticed that there are three type of mobile users out there, and three types of phones that go with them.

Mobile as a voice point of contact or fashion statement:
These are the mobile phones like the RAZR that you can get for little to no cost. Many might have .3 or 1.3mpx cameras. Some even have the ability to store a number of songs for MP3 playing on occasion. But these are not by any means phones meant to do more than look good while you are talking on the phone. Nothing wrong with that, but just where these phones are, that is what they are made for.
> Examples: RAZR, LG Chocolate, Samsung Blade

Mobile as a voice point of contact and occasional entertainment object:
Many will call these feature phones or low-end smartphones. These phones are fashionable, like the first set talked above, but also pack in the ability to do more and hold more information. Unfortunately, these phones are just as "taxed" as their upper class smartphone brethren when it comes to data costs ($20-45/month on top of a voice plan). But what you gain is a phone that in a pinch can not just take the phone call, but also easily make that into an appointment or SMS to let others know of what is going on.
> Examples: Nokia N73, Audiovox SMT5600, Blackberry Pearl (review)

Mobile as a computer replacement:
These are your full out smartphones. They essentially do what the feature phone group does, but usually with the panache of a full mobile operating system, office applications, and ability to handle email just as easily as a voice call (usually because a thumb keyboard is present). Sure, the point of a phone is to take and make calls, these phones also see your data and the ability to communicate with more than voice as being just as important. The high cost of data services are an issue here, however many models come with wifi, enabling you to mitigate some of that cost of getting online (or even making phone calls) with free to low-cost hotspots.
> Examples: Cingular 8525, Palm Treo series, Nokia E62 (review), Samsung BlackJack (review)

Which one would work best for you? Hands down the last category (smartphones) works for a lot of people, but the cost to value equation is something that has to be considered. If you find that you do most of your computing at a desk or at work and have no need of a phone that can do the occasional viewing of Word/Excel or email, then a low end phone is really all that you would need. If you find that you need that ability sometimes, but mainly to view and not edit, a feature phone/low-end smartphone is something that would more or less work for you (when combined with a mid-range data plan). Wanna go mobile in nearly every respect, just get a smartphone and have that setup that just says that mobile is you.

No matter what you choose, the technology is clear in saying that being personal and mobile is the way to go. So whether that is a fancy new Treo (yes, shameless plug on my part), or something simple and elegant like the PEBL, make sure you get the face of mobile that best shows you to the world.Read More

Just reading an article at the Washington Post, and it has me thinking. I have so long wanted to go to an area where I knew that the technology boom would soon get to and then create a place where people could be empowered to succeed past the racial/social/economic lines that exist way to blatantly here in the US. And then I read this article. I wonder if a part of the death that has happened has also been in part a moving to that area to make that change. What if that change was to happen here? At the top of the heap where politics and policy drink with pride and prejudice, I wonder if that place where I have seen me changing the world, has me changed here?

To think, the site that I came to this link from only saw mobile web as the window? I see it as the door and the jump off to something a lot bigger than just a Windex into what can be...Read More

For me, the rest day has come a day earlier this week, and I think that my mind and heart are very appreciative of it. For I did have a mentally exhausting week of work, and Thanksgiving was well albeit a good deal of fun with driving in the rain, and so I am glad that today I was able to kick back, read a book and just chill.

Speaking of books, if you haven't checked out Google Book Search, you should. It's quite neat and a really interesting way to preview a book before purchasing it. I search for the Boundaries book that I am reading and this is what it came up with. Very cool.

At MobileRead, there has been a good subject going on about who wants to actually write a book. It is something that I know that I will try to do at least once before I leave outa here. But until then, I will continue to hone what I write and how I think in places such as blogs and news websites.

Yea, today has been a good day of rest. I am thinking about a new design for this site using a picture of tea as the base. It is something that I have been thinking about since learning how to skin this site. I am growing to like the different things that I can do to this site without having to spend an entire nite recoding the entire thing and then ending up with something that is not quite done, but so close that I can touch it. CSS is a big help there.

Ah well, happy Thanksgiving to all, and I do hope that beyond the food that you all have found rest and a few good deals.Read More

I really need to be on the road right now, but I want to get this out as it is something that I just posted onto a bookmark for a verse that I just bookmarked at eBible.

Something to remember about this holiday season is that we cannot go on thinking that we are entitled to the provision, but that it was a give of grace and mercy from God so that we might be able to walk with and in Him, rather that walk on Him.
- Deut 8:3

This holiday season really did have a not so great start. But, in going to the movies last night (The Fountain), I was confronted (again) with the though that running for life is not always (and rarely is, the best course of action. Heck, it's even considered prideful ("the price of life" perhaps). When I hold onto the though that my life at this time of the year is hard, I am preventing death to happen so that life is possible. Sure, mourning is always hard, and it is something that we all go thru in our own way. But we don't live to give thanks to life. We live to give thanks to the death that produces life.

And so while there is been a ton of death all around me the past many months. Instead of lie in wanting for life to hold on, I am willingly letting die those things that should die, and praying that if there is life to be gotten from death, that it is not the life that I want, but the life that gives life for others.

Crazy how a movie and a conversation can get you to this point of actually appreciating Thanksgiving. But for me, that is the case. (more pics of The Fountain)

Happy Thanksgiving to all. And if I didn't get ya this holiday, there are like 20 more before the end of the calendar year, so I am sure that I won't miss ya before that time :-)

Last pitched additon: nice prose at TM to top things offRead More

I have absolutely no clue why I just wrote that title. Oh well, I won't erase it, but maybe this post will go that way, or come out from that way.

Thanksgiving is soon to come and I for one have very little in that way of plans. Not because I don't want any plans, but I really don't want to do too much of the holiday thing. I will leave that for the end of the year and the fun to be had then.

I got a new toy. Yup, and that is all that I can say about it. LOL

Check out the devotional over at Trailblazin Ministries. It was submitted by the same woman whose poem I posted here some time ago. The devo is nice, and today was very much on point.

I wonder if I will get the new Nintendo Wii. There are a lot of folks who are standing in line and what have you, but I don't think it is worth all of that. But then again, I do trip over smartphones, so what do I know :)

Other than that, my prayer is for the ladies whom I spoke with this weekend who are going thru some transition times. I feel exactly what you are going thru and wish I had more than prayer to offer, but I know that God meets us where we need comfort, and His healing process begins before we even realize that we are hurting.

Wonder what I will do for lunch tomorrow...

Man, this post is getting all over the place. To bed I go, someone else can take over the funny stuff.Read More

Just came back from a fellowship with some folks from HCR. I kind of heard about it last minute, but it was good to get the call as to where it was happening and then to just get in some fellowship time. Besides the eats, we celebrated a birthday, had broke into some good conversation, and got some verse/spoken-word/song that was just a nice cap to the night.

I really need to have these fellowships more often. I find that it's harder to being that my schedule is wacky and that I have such a distance between work, church, and home. Maybe I just need to move, or find a way to get all those places to consolidate a bit better space wise.

Ah well, cheers and blessings to a good time, looking for more to come later.Read More

Nite of Jazz
At Infusions Tea Cafe and getting some rest in while getting in some tea too. This is almost like liv bloggng, but I am breaking in this new keyboard as being that it is different than what I am used to.
Heck, it is so much easier to use my thumbs than the BT keyboard that I might jut stick with the IR one. The keys are so difficult to type with and this breaking in process is a bit weird.

Back to the jazz. The woman who was just singing is ver good and just changed the vibe of the room. The sax player just commented on this keyboard. He's nice on the sax.

If this group has a CD, it is worth getting.

Ok, so they don't have a CD, or even a website, and their name is The Band.

Wow, gotta love when folks are honest and good too.
~ sent from Treo via Mo:BlogRead More

I was just reading this posting at TreoCentral and while in some respects, things illustrated here have been said in various places and in pieces, the picture that the user gives in the initial posting about how he used one device and then moved to another but did not find the experience pleasing tells a lot about what it is that we expect, rather than what it is that manufacturers expect for us to expect. Yes, the operating system, the abilities of a device or its software, the shape and physical design are all important. But when it comes down to doing what it is that we want to do, just working simply within the thought-flow that we have in our own minds and hearts is what makes or breaks any product.

So what does this mean in terms of usability (usability is #2 of the three pronged approach that I take when explaining and using mobile devices, website design, and general technology questions):
Usability means being both comfortable with the brand (confidence and expected quality), and then also making the jump to pushing ones usage to new areas without being intimidating. The Cingular 8125 that the person speaks of as the first Windows Mobile device is a device that is well and more advanced than both the Treo 650 that he had initially, and the Treo 750v that he eventually upgraded to. However, his perceptions and perspective of usability was/is that anything that improves my productivity has to be easy to use and manage and have little administration time in maintaining that productivity. The 8125 was not designed for this "type" of user, and therefore, despite the brand awareness (Windows Mobile being known more for being a shrunken OS rather than a mobile OS like Symbian and PalmOS are), the use was frustrated.

Palm used the Windows Mobile OS (operating system) but added usability and other tweaks to the default brand to more closely align the Windows Mobile experience with the experience that was already established and lauded on the PalmOS Treos. For this use, usability and productive increased as the environment while different, had enough familiar roads that the person was less intimated by the abilities of Windows Mobile, but encouraged to move on past the "no longer working for him" PalmOS Treo.

Therein lies the secret sauce of usability for mobile devices (and the Internet world in general). We know traditionally successful brands because they evoke a feeling that breeds confidence in what they can and will do for us. We are even willing to pay for that "feeling" over comparative devices that might be less because we associate a particular module of quality with that brand/company.

Usability is a heck of a thing to associate with a device, and if you can do it across various OSes, applications, workflows, etc. it makes for a heck of a compelling product. Even better, if you can improve my quality of life and I not know (so technically) what is going on and something "just works" then you have not only gained a customer, but a spokesperson towards the sauce. It was never about the spaghetti Prego would say, it was about the sauce and how just going into it like you would any another sauce would lead you into a taste that was clearly better than the rest. For mobile technology to get past the point of first-adopters, this picture would be the one to grab best.Read More

It is interesting to be sitting here at the AIGA DC Innervision event/meeting and listening to how design is being pushed and expressed in the graphic/print sector (inside of companies).

As a note, the people that I met tonite have been pretty cool. The food was also better than I expected in terms of making networking possible.

Mohawk and Sappi paper sponsored this event. Who knew that paper was so cool?

What is the heart of design? Is innovation a product of design too? The moderator makes for some pretty neat reflections on how design is so intertwined with design/brand. Makes me think about what more I could so here and MMM.

Hallmark's Mora Cullen is the first speaker on the night. Interesting to hear the points of design and culture. "Achieving Brand Cohesion by Design" is the thesis of what she does.

Campbell's Darralyn Rieth is the second speaker and speaks innovation from the in-house perspective. At the beginning of her speaking, she didn't seem so relaxed about speaking (maybe it was the tech end or the size of the crowd).

This event is where design creates a tribe of community connections. How design create that point where people look at things and the way they cause people to engage a brand/culture.
~ sent from Treo via Mo:BlogRead More

Missing Praise
I realized this mrning when I woke up that while it is that I am an ardent worshiper, that I have been missing praise. Not that it does anything but lift my own spirits, but that it is an aspect of me that has been missing for sometime now.
~ sent from Treo via Mo:BlogRead More

Something that I have gotten into the habit of not doing is posting here when at work. Unless I can do it from my Treo, or it is just something burning that I need to get out, for the most part, I will write a note and at the end of the day send that note to myself via an email. It has become a neat way for me to look back and see some of the stories that have made me think throughout the day and such.

Of course I do tend to forget those notes and have to look back at them when the week is done, but that too can be fun.

A thought that I have been having for a while has been whether to get a new mobile phone or not. One reason for getting a new one is to better utilize the data connection that I am paying for to do more with my phone/computing solution. I honestly don't like sitting here at the desktop, and so a phone that can keep me away from it makes me feel a whole lot better.

The phones that I have been looking a lot at has been the Treo 680 and 750. Both should be out on Cingular soon, and with my Christmas gift to myself this year being a phone, it goes to be that I will get one of those. Of course that was till today when I saw some reviews on the just released via Cingular Samsung BlackJack. Tis a nice phone and a preview and review already say that its quite a challenger to the already established phones out there. The only thing it doesn't have is the kitchen sink and wifi (for the US version), but I can get over that with having high speed data. Oooh nice, and its here now.

The difference between this and the Treo 750 is price. Simply price. Between the BlackJack and the 680, operating system, high speed data capability, and price ($50 more). Which do I choose right? Nah, that will be a note for another day.

Thanks for your words Alieen, I really do appreciate all that you have said today.Read More

In the Mist of My Own Storm It Seems
Here I am sitting in church and listening to a message about the storms that we can go thru (download the MP3 of the message at the Crossroads website). In some ways, I think that my day would have been better if I would have stayed home and didn't really do anything except for to make my heart and life idle. But I have to be here. I had to get that phone call that just thorned me, I just had to go thru all that my heart, mind and soul has for the past few months.

There is a piece of me that wonders why else I would see the title of a book so clearly when there were no lights on and a storm going on. Its because God wants me to knkow that he is here, he is my comfort. I don't have to be dismatyed at the state of my heart or my house. God is here...

I guess that the key question is "where is my faith?" Where are my eyes and heart if I am not mforted by the fact that God really is here, that God really is my comfort (john 14:26). I want so much for that faith that does change this matter of my heart.

So I can write and be honest even while the sermon is going on. In the mist of my own storm, its hard to see where I am going because my faith is not as clear as it should be in this.
~ sent from Treo via Mo:BlogRead More

Speaking yesterday about why it is important to remember to separate the presentation from the content when it comes to website design, I remembered that I made a note to myself to post about what designing in light of standards does mean for the web (that is very soon to come).

As some of you reading this might know (might not care, but you'd know), Microsoft has recently released version 7 of its Internet Explorer web browser. While most can say, yea ok, the release of this browser is significant in a couple of lights. One, MS has not updated this browser in about 4 years (5-6 if you want to say that IE6 was not really an upgrade to IE5.5). Two, with the introduction last year of the Firefox web browser (which 2 days after MS released version 7, Firefox released its 2.0 version of Firefox), MS has seen people account for security, as well as interactivity as being main components of website viewing.

Neither of these points are light (in weight), but in speaking about designing with web site standards, one must understand that for the most part, designing with standards and best practices has not been done because IE6 has not been a completly standards abiding browser. Now you might say so what, but if you say that you have a license to drive and you go out driving in a lane otherwise designated by the law, sure you get where you have to go, but you also cause issues for other motorists. In the same way, IE would show you the web, but it would not do it following the standards MS agreed upon (IE would only support a subset of those).

So when I say, "hey, its better to use HTML code to form your web page in the same way that you would a paper that you are writing for a class." It is not because I am trying to be difficult, it is because in light of making sure that the web stays as a place where anyone, anywhere, can use this malleable technology to get and share information. IE broke things with IE6, and has looked to fix those with version 7, however, many folks who made websites over the years didn't follow standards and there will be a relative level of hell to come because of it.

let's just follow the rules ya know, and then let people decide what shows up on a browser, not a browser.Read More

I waned this night from sleep to dreaming
Wishing so much that my rest would stay a peaceful conclusion
And yet those memories I have held back have infected me
They have made me to be sick like a flu that reoccurs each night
This time they win and my body is at its mercy
Each voice heard as plainly as I was there
Each tearing of pride and trust
Removing the veil I am very much exhausted
I need a rest from this strain
And yet it keeps coming
My mind sore as my throat
Each one gasping for air and swallowing tears
I wish that my heart wouldn't faint like this
Rather that I would meet wellness sooner rather than later
My heart has a scab that itches much
I wish to scratch and yet that would ensure more pain
That would ensure that the memories would linger
How I wish that my rest and waking would be healed
From these memories of good and bad that plague me.

Labels: poem

Read More

Web Design Chatting
I was in PA a bit earlier today and ran into a friend of mine (who was recently married) and we talked some about the latest project that he has going on in redesigning a website for a group he is involved with. And while I am always one to be happy about a redesign, a decsion that he made about doing the redesign somewhat disappointed me, but not because of anything that he did, but rather, how he was taught on creating a website.

The issue that gets to me is that of using tables to layout the website framework, and then fill in the respective cells with the elements on the page. Now, if you ever took a web design course, or someone showed you web design, chances are that they told you to do it this way becasuse it was easier in the short term, and there was rarerly a mention of browser differences in rendering a table. Sounds good right? Unfortunately, using tables is a big no-no in designing a website because long term, whether the site is a big one or a small one, there will be a decsion made about the content or layout that is going to make that table a very poor choice, and essentially a walled garden.

So what should one do instead of tables? Cascading Style Sheets, or CSS, is the recommended and best way to control the layout and presentation of a wabsite. If for no other reason in that it makes redesigning it down the line a hassle of only reworking graphics and not content+graphics, CSS allows you tto control the layout and presentation elements of a webpage, making for a website that is both pleasing to look at, and accessible for those whom might not be coming to view the website thru the same windows that you are creating it.

About CSS: is it hard to learn? To some extent it is. Using CSS is a lot like giving someone directions over the phone to a place they they are only familiar of because they know what a road looks like versus a sidewalk. In this case, you are writing words and definiing elements that tell the web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, S60, and a ton others) what and where content should look and flow like. Sounds complex, but basically using CSS means that you are seperating the content from the presentation. In this way, you are making the content always available, no matter if the person wants to see the pretty or not.

A more live demonstration of CSS in action is done on this site. Whenever you click the different styles noted at the very top of the page, you are changing the CSS file that governs the look and feel of the site. You can even go to the View menu and view this page without styles. Then you would see just a semantic document that in some respects looks no different than the page view in MS Word without the visual page breaks.

Just a little something that I thought to write about in light of that conversation. I am sure that other matters of design will come up more and more, and maybe then I would touch on them in such a way that this remains one of the more instructional ends of this website.
~ sent from Treo via Mo:BlogRead More

Congrats bro :)

More pics here.
Visit Demetri's website.Read More

What Real People Do On the Web
I am one of those weird people who does way more on my phone in terms of the web than most people I know who just use the web on a library computer. That's one of the reasons that I see a recent article from Read/WriteWeb as being both fun and important at the same time. While it is that I understand the crest of where tech is going, normal use is a lot slower to change, and really doesn't change unless there is some paradigm shift (like a AOL, or Google) that happens that really does make things easier. This won't at all change how fast or far with tech I go, but it does give some insight as to where the signposts are now for those things web and where people are.
~ sent from Treo via Mo:BlogRead More

Up Late With My Treo
Usually, a thought like this could be sent to Palm Addict, but I decided to be up and just do it here. I do have a post to do at MMM about a new site that emailed MMM about wanting to be linked there, and that is something that I will have to do from my comp as I am not really able to dig into editing the template for MMM on the Treo.

That is really the only area where my Treo can really be called lacking. Even though it is as poowerful as one, to some extent, it cannot really be called a mobile computer. Sure, it can do nearly anything that I need to do. But for some of the more development like tasks, or even for the occasional complex document or spreadsheet, it is quite hard to just make the PDA or smartphone the platform of choice. That is not at all a knock on them though, just an admition to it just not always being the best device for the job.

Of course, having said that I do admit that it is fun looking to see whether it can be the best tool for the job or not. I know that in late hours like this, it is best to have my Treo and post, rather than be on the ccomputer where temptation can reign a lot easier on a larger screen. There is also less of a chance of me just doodling around as the screen size and occasional accesiblity hiccups make browsing on the Treo not as fun as it could be. A faster data connection would help, but a new brower would help more.

I cannot help thinking though that mobile computing hasn't yet gotten to that real wow place just yet. Sure, there are new devices being rumored or released all the time, but there is nothing since the Treo 600 that has really changed the perceptions and expectations of people. Sure, you have the thinness of the Moto Q, and the utter power of the HTC Universal model, but the ease of use despite the bulky design is what makes the Treo a hard target. And even though models like the new TMobile Dash are near in design, and in many ways better, they still seem to lack some of the polish or ease of use of the PalmOS Treos.

Its fun to be back on a keyboard posting here. There is just a faster means now to get my thoughts out on this keyboard as I am not only comfortable with it, but it is also just a nice and quiet way to get some thoughts out on a late night when I should be getting rest for this sick body.
~ sent from TreoRead More

Back to MoBlog
Back to Mo:Blog. I need a bit more than what I was getting with just sendimg text messeges in. Though, if there is a better blogging client for my Treo, I would probably go for it.
~ sent from TreoRead More

submitted to Palm Addict, but it fits here quite well too

...I have not nearly been the PalmOS voice-about that I have been in times past. I believe that is in part of me having a device and system that works for me and requires very little in terms of hours in the "tweak and play" column of use. That is not to say that it is not exciting to hear about new or freshened applications, only that I am at a point where both from a usability standpoint, and from a purchasing standpoint, I am pretty much done with my Treo. Like my m515 did, it works and just meets my needs.

Now granted, I did write a recently published article at Brighthand (Where Will I Go) that spoke about where as a user in this static area will go if my Treo were to take a spill. Given that the 650 is largely been phased out of US carrier's hands, and the introduction of the 680 and 750 are not that far away, this is as good a time to look at my usage patterns and whether I need to stick with a Treo (PalmOS or Windows Mobile) or move to another device that would better fit my usages. Speaking about my m515 again, had this same question then and got a Zire71 when I really didn't need it and ended up missing the simple elegance of the m515 many times, despite the extra (and welcomed in spurts) features of the Z71. It's not so much about features when it boils down to it for me, its about meeting my needs as a user, and even extending or integrating them in ways that others just had not done before.

It's with that, and other mindsets that bring me to the question if whether a Treo, or any smartphone for that matter, is what the general market of computer/mobile computer users need. Sure, we can have access to email, news, calendering (PIM), and a plethora of other applications, but is it really those features that drive what people want to do with technology? I don't think so. Technology at its very core is a paradigm shift of thinking and use that seeks to solve a problem that would otherwise not be solvable easily. The cell phone is a technology that did so, not just for developing markets that had no legacy landline infrastructure, but also for people and businesses who otherwise would have a "larger world" to travel to get business done. The Apple iPod/iTunes combo is another item that is often quoted as being a technology shift that not just solved a problem with getting music to a device, but also simplified the idea of interfacing with that music so that playing music became the center not configuring it all the time to play it. For the general market, these schemes/shifts worked. And while see some measure of success with Palm going with the Treo-family route (nice portfolio of Treo products if you were to ask me), I don't know if it is what people want.

What I would see that people would want is a Treo 680-like device, that had connectivity that was seemless (a calendar that had the option of syncing to an online calendar as well as Palm Desktop as the default application, not an add-on, as an example), and a size that was appealing before touching it (most look at the 680 as huge UNTIL they get their hands on it). [People want something to just work and be effective and efficient; and right now smartphones are still a generation or two from that point.]

Those things can and should happen if general acceptance of Treos and smartphones in general appeal to the general consumer. Of course, low prices for both devices and services would help too, but I'd rather speak from the less political side of things on this Election Day (US) for a change.

edited: second to last paragraph for clarityRead More

I am borderline too tired now to type this, and Lord knows I will not be thumbing it. I figure that I will get out some aspects of this now, and then will expound further later in articles at both Brighthand and MMM.

Why People Aren't Going Mobile
There are two ways to look at this: culturally and technologically. The latter I will speak on first. Technology is a weird thing. For a long time it has been an issue of tech has been developed (paradigms changed) to solve a problem. In the past 20 or so years, the speed of innovation has actually outpaced the problems they are solving. And so many people are finding that they need to step back and assess tech before assuming it. Concerning mobile tech, people are either drawn to it because it offers some level of connectivity that makes things easier, or they are pushed from it because it is more expensive, not simple, and requires more attention to security and compromise than other mediums. Not a problem, and most definitely understood.

However its that cultural end of things that bug me. Not to say that every culture has to assume and use every mobile tech item in the same way, but I wonder why some aspects of mobile and not-so-mobile tech are so ingrained and just don't change. For example, I was talking to one guy today and he said that he'd love to develop for mobile tech, but for his audience (US companies) they have no need as they want things on paper and big screen before accessible and small screen. I have developed websites where the audience was people who used phones as their connection to the internet, however the site never addressed mobile use at all. Why is that the case that this culture has such a problem (or lack of being able to see, which is not necessarily a problem) with seeing the use and then use mobile tech. I don't know, but it does make for some frustrating times in trying to keep MMM relevant, and not be overly techie so that I just speak to the higher-tier of users all the time.

I guess to that end I will just keep plugging away at this site and wherever else I get to chat, and hope that things mobile become more than just a phrase of a madman.

Realizing Healing
I know, weird right. This weekend I dealt with a loneliness that I had not felt in many years. And while it is true that the feeling is still here (and writing does help), I am at peace with where I am and noticed today in coming home from work that I am healed from my relationship. But more than that, I am healed from the things that even led up to that relationship. Granted, working that healing out and using some of those body parts again will take some time, and I understand and receive that, but it is good to know that I can look my memories in the eye and smile.

As I said to myself when reflecting on some pictures on my photo blog, "nothing gets deleted from my memory except the pain of bad decisions." Good moments last forever.

A New Phone is More Likely A Need, Right
I realized that my Treo has been having some fits on and off the past many days, and with its inability to sync via cable, doing a clean (hard) reset and starting from scratch is a process that would really take the better part of a day to complete. I'd be better off (because of hardware issues in addition to the software ones) to get a new device. However, my choice of the Treo 680 is looking less and less like the route that I want to go. Part of that is because the operating system (OS) used in the 680 has not seen the kinds of updates that would lend towards a more modern smartphone, but then also because I am looking to spend much more than I did last year to make sure that I get something that just continues to meet the need. Weirdly enough, the Treo 650 I have does meet my needs, except for a few software (web browser could be better, some better stability, etc.) and hardware (faster data accessibility, slimmer design) items. There is one that is a Treo that could meet my needs, but I so loathe the OS that I am not sure that I want to do it.

Whatever happens though, I know I want to make sure that I keep the modus of accessibility, usability, and mobility true in device action and my work. A device that I have to sit and play admin on all the time is not at all where I want to go.

Now, off to bed, or something close to it.Read More

From UrbanWordz:

...If you’ve watched any television or read any news over the weekend, you have to have heard about Ted Haggard and the situation that he is currently facing (won’t go into details here, just find a news story @ yahoo or google). In light of that, I have done a lot of subconscious thinking and putting myself in his shoes. When I put myself in his shoes, in the situation that he is facing, I can’t help but to relate to him and feel utter disgust at my own sins. It’s not even that I’m disgusted at his sins, because I didn’t even give his a second thought; I could only think about my own sins and how disgusted they make me feel...

Read the rest.

I read LJ's posting a few times already and just have to say that its one of the best 'mirrors' that I have gotten in some time. Great post bro.Read More

Not that I would answer that question as a yes, but I don't see mobile blogging as big enough yet to be even considered a fad. When it is that mobile services do hit mainstream as the preferred way of doing things (speaking globally, not regionally), then it will be that mobile blogging will be more than just a simple picture and text affair, but an enabler to making the random and personal aspects of Internet communication that much more a workable thing.

One of the biggest hurdles to this has to be the devices and the device costs. Until smartphones, or phones with workable text entry systems get lower in price (happening now), this will be an issue.

Another big thing is blogging itself. Right now, there are so many blogging services and yet the only connector between them are the links that get us from one place to another. Blogs don't necessarily need to be on the same service, but there needs to be a MySpace-simple means of connecting them that makes community out of our random text notes that is more than just a tech doing a ping-back or trackback. In other words, fix the user interaction and people will come.

Another thing, which is most definitely a regional thing (US) is that you have to convince people either that mobile blogging is useful for their industry (a teacher who has kids with cell phones should see a positive benefit to mo-blogging for instance). Not so much that it makes anything else, but it makes interacting with life easier.

At that point, mo-blogging can become the kind of fad that can be said is declining. But not before those aspects of social integration and meeting are met.

Of course, if I can find some blogging software for my Treo that does not hiccup on occasion, then maybe I would have a more positive outlook to what can be done on a mobile device with blogging...Read More

My bro Jason just emailed me that he has a new blog. Very cool. Love the pic too.

Just go on and be careful, that first post is an eyeful :)Read More

Its been a gameplay since I got off the phone with Kyera, and you know, she was pretty mad at me. For a number of reasons, none of which that I will talk about here. But she was angry. I honestly could understand her end, but didn't take offense to it. I was happy to hear that she had some (many) angsts on a bro. To be honest, it is good to know that I am terribly flawed as a man and as a Christian. I know that many times it has been hard to say "Lord, where are the flaws?" But as I have been in this time of learning and pressing out, I realize how flawed I am. Not to say that I will never be perfected in Him, but that I do realize that there is a lot of work yet to be done.

I do wonder if I will ever be able to walk out on faith the way that I used to. I was once very brash with faith, if God said it is possible to believe, then I did. I did not hesitate to trust Him. Now I feel a lot hurt in believing and not sure if I can take those chances to believe like I used to. Not that He is not capable or able, but God's most def have to rebuild me in faith where I can walk out on it, but be even more responsible to it.

I am supposed to be going out, its Sat and a bro is tired. I was like this last week. Man, I hope that this isnt a sign that I am getting too old. Then again, I don't have much hair up top, I am already and ol' head.Read More

A Night Aside
Here I am finally able to use my new keyboard finally. Well, its kind of a temporary new as I got an infrared one similar to the one that I had worn out from using earlier this year. I like this model very much as the keys feell really nice and I am able to basically get up and running with it verry easily. Of course, the hold up had to be the issue of getting to a computer to download the driver and then install it. One would think that Palm would have made it such that all drivers for all accessories could be downloaded right from the website to the PDA, without the computer middleman. That would be thinking in mobile..

I am just getting in from seeing the movie Flushed Away with a friend from work. I have to say that it was one nice and funny movie, and moreso than some of the other animated flicks, this one had very little in the way of hidden adult jokes. Though the slugs were the best. Always coming up and they really made parts of the movie flow where there could have been dead parts.

My friend from work is pretty cool. We had talked about going to the movies tonite as we both had nothing to do and made it a movie night. I am glad in a lot of rerspects that it wasn't a date, but in my mind, it took me forever to get that thru. I am done with the evening, but in some ways feel a lot strange and as if I am in a new stage of my life. Not that I wanted to be in this stage, but here is where I am and like my friend said many times in the last week, just say "Jesus, I trust you" and then believe it.

So yea, this day and night have been full for me. But I am glad that I am home and warming up. Maybe in my bed some dreeams would come that would encourage or help me further along. Lord knows that I need to move on many things sooner and later, and so all the direction He can provide while waking and asleep would be immensely helpful.
- sent from TreoRead More

Stewardship Brings Thoughts
As I sit here now in small group, I am brought bac to the mentality of an article that I recently read about the American Christian. How does this person equate the giftings and stewardship of those times to these times when life and culture don't really match up? Concerning this topic of stewardship it is a worthy question. Does our responsiblity change its clothes but has the same function? Or, are we more accountable because "freedom" is more available? Romans 12:1-9 really speaks to this, but I wonder what more can be.

Since I ddint post this when I thought that I did, there just happens to be some room for adding to it. A post that I just read reminded me about a point of stewardship I mentioned where we aren't just to manage what we have but also to co-labor with others of similar vision and ability so that all would be blessed by the shared workload. It is this reasoning that made me to look for partners for MMM, and the same one that keeps me tginking that churches could do better to live and work together.

Now if I knew about this, I would have prepared something neat and off the wall. Oh well, there is always New Years :-)
- sent from TreoRead More

Seriously, I really should be sleeping, but I am not. I am pulling email off the server, reading about smartphones and mobile tech, and in general wasting time. This is one really big reason why I prefer the web on a smartphone rather than the bigger screen of a desktop/laptop; I know how to get off this thing and rest.

I have made a decision that I will get me an IR keyboard tomorrow to hold me over till the BT one comes. Aside from just helping me with being mobile and emails, I am falling behind on my news postings and at least with the keyboard, I will be able to get a text doc together with the news postings that I need to make. Heck, I will probably get it before I get into work (if I can pass a Staples) so that I can set it up on my desk and have it ready to be typed on throughout the day (I wonder if that would be considered rude or just forward-thinking, or both).

Realizing that my Treo will no longer sync via the sync cable (including the new one that I bought that charges and syncs), I am most definitely in the market for a new Treo. So far the contender is the Treo 680 and...well, there is nothing else that I would want nor that meets my needs nor is as usable. I had considered the Treo 750v, but I do not really want to go to a Windows Mobile device (even though this is considered to be a well done model). in any case, I will probably pay full price for the new phone (so as to keep within my current contract and pricing with Cingular) so that will be probably THE Christmas gift to me this year.

It will be good to finally have a new keyboard though, I could honestly say that not having one has made things hard when I am out and know that I can do emails, posts, and development, but not able to get much done with my thumbs. Hopefully, this new IR keyboard lasts a while (I tend to use these things pretty well).

A couple sites have come up a lot for me lately that have a nicely different tint to mobile tech: Gear Diary and MoDaCo. In both cases, they are covering mobile tech, but most definitely from a different set of angles. Gear Diary is neat though because it is a mobile tech site designed with women in mind, and has lead me to understanding more (and finding other sites) about women in technology and where aspects of hardware and software have been good and bad to them. Very neat.Read More