Categories
Mobile

Review: Two Weeks With Verizon’s BlackBerry Pearl 8130

Three weeks ago, I ordered my new phone to replace the Motorola Razr V3C that I’ve had for the last two years: The BlackBerry Pearl 8130. It arrived via FedEx a couple of Tuesdays ago, and I’ve been using it ever since. What follows is my review of the Pearl and my thoughts on it […]

Categories
Mobile

The Open Handset Alliance, or Why Open Standards are for Losers

So Google made a big announcement on Monday about the much hyped gPhone, or lack thereof. For what seems like years now, people have been speculating about an ad-supported phone to be given away by Google. Reality turned out to be a little more boring, but much more significant than a free phone. Android The […]

Categories
Wireless

Grand Forks Finally has High Speed Mobile Internet (EV-DO)!

I received a very nice surprise when I opened my Razr phone this morning and saw the little “EV” symbol instead of the usual “1x” one. At some point in the last 12 hours or so, Verizon Wireless silently enabled their BroadbandAccess (EV-DO) network for the Grand Forks area. Word has it that it’s also […]

Categories
Technology

Something I’d Like to See: A REST Web Service for My Phone

I’m a big believer in the potential of integrating VOIP technology with business applications, as you may have gathered if you read my recent post on Asterisk and Adhearsion. However, right now I see most of that potential reserved for businesses with the need (and cash) for an on-site PBX system. Microbusinesses, small businesses, and […]

Categories
Mobile

Searching for My Next Phone

As I sit here waiting for some maintenance work to be done on our Mazda, I’m enjoying the free WiFi and doing a bit of research on new mobile phones. I’m due for a new one in a couple of months, and given that the iPhone is a no-go here in Verizon country, I wanted […]

Categories
Mobile

On the iPhone Hype

I have Talk of the Nation on in the background here at work right now, and it seems that even NPR is getting in on the iPhone hype. Momentum has been building for Friday’s launch of Apple’s first mobile phone for months now — something you’ve likely seen if you’ve recently read websites devoted to […]

Categories
Technology

Staying Flexible: Living a Loosely Coupled Life

There’s a term we use in programming and development to describe system interfaces that are designed with maximum flexibility in mind. They are said to be loosely coupled. In plain English, it means that applications have stable and consistent ways for other programs to communicate with them. More importantly, since there are clear boundaries that […]

Categories
GTD

Getting Things Done with Backpack, SMS, and Google’s Apps

I have to admit: I love the Getting Things Done productivity system, but I’m not very good at sticking with it. At some point in the process, I forget about the single, trusted place to put down all of the “stuff” in my head (ideas, to-dos, etc.) and end up with multiple dumping spots. Random […]

Categories
Fun

NBC is Missing a Marketing Opportunity with The Office

If you saw last week’s episode of The Office (you do watch The Office, right?), you’ll remember that one of the plot points revolves around a homemade “Rockin’ Robin” ringtone created by one of the characters. It’s extremely funny, so if you missed it, I recommend downloading it from iTunes. Anyway, I think NBC is […]

Categories
Apple

Wow – A Free Apple iPhone!

I had to laugh at this email message that got through my spam filter earlier today: It’s hard to read in this smaller version, but the subject line reads “larry, our 2nd shipment of iPhones has arrived. Claim yours today.”, and the highlighted text in the body says “Get your revolutionary mobile iPhone – Free […]