kct's digital world

Blog transition is over!

2005-12-18T20:24:00.000-05:00

The blog migration is generally over so come on over to Kevin 2.0!

Sundays are made for maintenance

2005-12-18T08:43:00.000-05:00

Not just our own catching up and planning the week, but I mean our computer maintenance as well. A recent post James wrote about defragging and performance has me rethinking my weekend workload. We're all so busy during the week, that's it's difficult to keep the PC's running at top speed; we simply don't take the time to maintain them. It's a vicious cycle because we demand performance during the week, so we can't skip the weekend tuneup.

Here in the house we have two laptops for work, two personal laptops, two desktops, two PDAs and various digital cameras, iPods and more. Every single one of those devices are expected to function perfectly and quickly. Is it fair to expect that from our beloved devices if we don't show them some love in return? After the jump is my common sense, but important approach for each Sunday going forward!

Clean off the desktops on the PCs by moving (or removing) any data files, downloads, etc.
Clean out the Recycle Bins
Check the installed program list and wipe out anything not used in the last two months
Run the Disk Cleanup function and free up space.
Run a Disk Defragmentation on each
Run Windows Update. I have this scheduled, but the laptops aren't always on during the scheduled time.
Run updates for all virus and anti-spyware programs.
Defrag all external hard drives and iPods
Review all new data and pictures on Compact Flash and SD cards; archive, burn or delete as necessary
Review PDA data and remove as necessary to save space, i.e.: notes, downloads, podcasts, installation files, etc.
Turn off the satellite receivers overnight to automatically receive any new software updates.
Back up one PC per week using Norton Ghost and an external hard drive.

While all of this is going on, I'm going to enjoy my Sunday morning coffee from WaWa and read a good old fashioned newspaper. Call in personal maintenance by unplugging for a short while!

Skype 2.0 beta debug info?

2005-12-16T12:33:00.000-05:00

Interesting experience with the Skype 2.0 beta yesterday while on a video call: when I let my cursor hover over the video frame, a bunch of program data appeared. James and I were chatting about our podcast with Dave when this happened, but he couldn't replicate what I was seeing. We did check our Skype versions and they were both version 2.0.0.43. Hmmmm....

There's some interesting info here; CPU usage, call quality, error codes, codec information and more. Maybe I can stop using Task Manager? ;)

I can still replicate the popup window today, so it must be something unique about my version. Is anyone else seeing this? If not, click the picture for a full size shot and let me know what you think.

BLINK: we like it, mostly

2005-12-16T09:17:00.000-05:00

Have you noticed any upgrades to the credit card machines at retailers across the country? Did you recently get a new card from your credit card company? Look for "Blink" on both your cards and store card readers; methinks this will be big.

Blink appears to use some RFID tag in your card, so you don't have to swipe and sign anymore. Barb and I went to get some coffee (at WaWa, of course) and Barb tried her new credit card, which is Blink-able. She passed the card over the reader, we heard a short tone, and a receipt popped out of the cash register indicating that the purchase was complete. No signing, no verification of identity, nothing.

We like the ease of use, but this type of technology should raise your awareness for your credit cards. Lose your card and you'll have to report it lost as soon as possible. We need to start embedding these in the reloadable Gift Cards; those magnetic strips don't last long in my opinion.

SPAM: the game

2005-12-15T18:41:00.000-05:00

Some of the Junk e-mail I get is actually amusing. Is there nothing that folks won't promote? Since most of you use spam and junk mail filters, you may actually be missing out on some funny notes! Just take these Subjects from the last few hours in my Outlook:

"You Need a Credit Card" - Really? Just how do these folks know this? Besides, the smartest thing I ever did was pay off all of my credit card debt a few years back. I now use an American Express and pay it all off each month.
"Personalized Golf Balls Guaranteed to Arrive by Christmas" - That's great, but around Christmas time we pretty much have a foot of snow on the courses, so why rush the golf balls. Oh, and since I only play golf about four times a year, my handicap is about a 30; I don't think having my name on the balls is really going to help.
"Take our Nationwide Candy Survey!" - Gee, that's really sweet, but I think I'll pass. If you're going to use the World Wide Web to market your surveys, why not make them Worldwide Candy Surveys?

I think I just invented a new game based around junk e-mail. Anyone else want to play?

Folks appear interested in HD over WiFi

2005-12-15T15:47:00.000-05:00

Looks like I finally got an original post up on the new tech.memeorandum.com site. This morning I wrote up a post on HD Beat showing what the limitations of WiFi are when streaming HDTV using the Windows Media Extender functionality of the Xbox 360. Seems like the timing is right for more "pushing the envelope" with high-def television based on the interest in the story!

I said it back in the summer, and Robert Scoble echoed the thought on a Tablet PC podcast: 2006 will be the year of HDTV!

Is anyone using "private RSS"?

2005-12-15T11:06:00.000-05:00

When I say "private RSS" I mean an RSS feed that's specifically for certain folks only. We all use what I'd call public RSS for site feeds, podcasts and more. I'm thinking of folks like press contacts that get embargoed news under NDA, for example. Why send out e-mails to these folks, when they could subscribe to your "private feed"?

There's the issue of trying to drop folks that don't belong there; if someone broke news before they should have for example. How do you get rid of that individual? Do you change the feed? I don't know, but I'm betting someone like Dave Winer or Steve Rubel does. Anyone?

Tech giveaways galore

2005-12-15T06:24:00.000-05:00

Maybe it's because of the holiday season, but it seems like there are plenty of contests and giveaways this time of the year. Here's a few for you:

On the MobileTechRoundup podcast, we're giving away the prize of your choice from our sponsor. Anything on their website is up for grabs. Contest details in the show notes of the last show.
Mobility Today is giving away a Palm Treo 650 phone to a reader. Check Dave's site for the easy to enter contest details.
Computer Outlook, the tech radio show out of Las Vegas, is giving away over 250 products this month including a Gateway 21-inch monitor, a Magellan RoadMate 800 and more. Details here.
Engadget is running a "Five days of Giveaways" series; at this point, there are only two days left, so hurry!

Tablet PC Pen replaced

2005-12-14T18:05:00.000-05:00

I broke my Tablet PC pen about five months back and I really ripped Toshiba for it on a podcast. Frankly, I was upset because the pen broke so easily and because of the impact on me. The pen itself still works, you see. I can ink all day long on my Portege M205. What I can't do is keep the blasted pen in the holder, so I'm always afraid I'll lose it and be totally hosed.

I still attribute the issue to a design flaw. The part that broke is the only part that keeps the pen in its spring-loaded holder. See the picture to the right; my broken pen is the one in the middle, while I have two new pens next to it; one on each side. The spring shouldn't be activated by the flimsiest part of the plastic. Let's go back to the design room and change that, can we Toshiba? Anyway, I got two new pens today and while one is exact replacement, the smaller reserve pen should actually win a design award. Find out why after the jump.

The smaller reserve pen is every bit as function as its larger siblings. It still writes in digital ink on the screen, and it even has a button on the side. This button is useful as a right-click on the screen so you can use context menus. About the only function the reserve pen doesn't have is the eraser function on the end opposite the tip. Honestly, I can live without that; if I lose my main pen, I'll want the ability to easily ink. I can always edit or erase with another method.

The real design achievement is how you store the reserve pen. If you remove the main battery from the Tablet, you'll notice something I overlooked previously. There is a small set of plastic holders built in to the side of the battery compartment. Wouldn't you know that the reserve pen fits there like a glove? All you do is snap it in place and it's out of sight, but never out of reach. Replace your battery and you've got a spare Tablet PC pen whenever you need it!

I'm still disappointed over the initial design flaw that the main pen has. It cost me $54.00 for the new pen, the reserve pen and a pen tether; that's $54 I wouldn't have spent if the main pen holder was better designed. Having said that, I'm feeling better that I won't lose my Tablet PC pen; even if I do, the reserve has me covered!

CommuteCast #38 now available

2005-12-13T15:28:00.000-05:00

I think we need to hire a full-time podcast producer; Barb and I recorded this show back on November 30th. It only takes two hours to post-produce and upload the podcast, not two weeks! Too many blogs and podcasts, not enough time.....anyway: hope you enjoy the show! We should have another one up this week (assuming I do my post-prod work!)

Bookeen giving free WiFi cards with Cybook

2005-12-13T13:04:00.000-05:00

Just got a note from Bookeen, the folks that make the Cybook standalone eBook reader:

"For new year holidays, Bookeen offers a Wireless LAN compact Flash Card with every Cybook bought on its online shop. The Cybook ebook reading device has been designed to provide the best e-reading experience. Now, it also gives you access to your favorite broadband wireless Internet services.
Thanks to its 800x600 color display (either in portrait or landscape mode) and its embedded Internet Explorer application, you will be able to browse your favorite web sites, seated comfortably in your couch or while on the go. You will not need anymore to be at your desk to read and answer your emails. You will even be able to access all your ebook files stored in the hard disk of your computer. This last feature will virtually unbound the storage capacity of the Cybook."

The Cybook is a nice device that I had as a demo unit last year; one of the minor issues I saw with the device was a dial-up modem connection for downloads. There was a card slot on the device and it's nice to see Bookeen throw in the ability to use it for free! The Cybook with WiFi costs $399 this holiday season, which is roughly 40% less in cost than last year.

Podcast reviews on iTunes

2005-12-13T09:33:00.000-05:00

Apple seems to have snuck in a new feature into iTunes: podcast reviews. I say "snuck" because I didn't see any announcements just yet. Trust me they're in there. So what can you do?

Rate a podcast from 1 to 5 stars
Write up to a 6,000 character review

I would expect that we see some new podcast rankings based on user feedback in the near future. I'm not sure that's as good as the subscriber-based rankings; let's face it: you're not likely to subscribe to a show that you don't want to listen to. Why waste your bandwidth and disk space?

On a related note: if you like the MobileTechRoundup podcast that I do with James and Dave twice per week, you can write an iTunes review by clicking this link. Oh, and the new episode just went live at 9 am this morning too. This was a fun one, so don't miss it! We've got a big giveaway contest going right now but you have to enter by December 20th, so don't wait!

Yahoo-bulator 3.0 available

2005-12-12T15:29:00.000-05:00

Konfabulator (er, Yahoo! Widgets) is available in version 3.0 now, and the timing couldn't be better. I had just downloaded the prior version last week to use one single widget. Don't you know it just kept choking on my Window Media Center PC? I never figured out why, so I'll give version 3.0 a spin.

What was the widget I wanted? I'm looking for a widget that shows a picture file from an internet website; namely the very site you're reading. My webcam snaps a pic every 300 seconds and short of reloading my personal blog every 5 minutes, I wanted to know if the pic ever caught me semi-unaware. You know us bloggers: we're always sitting around in our underwear in front of our keyboards....

Cyberphone moves up the alphabet

2005-12-12T14:57:00.000-05:00

Speaking of Skype earlier today, the folks over at Cyberphone are moving from the Model "K" to the Model "W". Sort of reminds me of the early Henry Ford days...anyway, these are the USB handsets that are Skype compatible. I personally like to use a USB headset to keep my hands free for martinis and blogging (not necessarily in that order), but I wouldn't mind trying out one of these new models to feel the experience. Frankly, we'll all be using VoIP with headsets or handsets before we know it, so why fight it? More details and specs after the jump.

According to the VoIPVoice Shop:

The Cyberphone-W USB handset is slightly smaller, weighs a little less and has even more fantastic features when used with Skype.
The handset differs from its predecessor with more keys, more visible LED's and with wideband MP3 quality sound, Skype users can make Skype calls like never before!
Fully integrated with Skype technology and available exclusively for Skype users, it is just like using a regular telephone.
The Cyberphone-W is a two-piece handset and base powered by the USB on the PC.
Access and use Skype direct from the telephone and benefit from unique features including: voice activated dialing and voicemail alerts.

The Cyberphone "W" sets you back $59.99 which includes delivery. This phone doesn't work with Macs, but that should change in the near future. If there's a need to be hands-free like me, you can purchase an optional mini-headset.

Skype button for WordPress

2005-12-12T11:40:00.000-05:00

This may be old news for some folks, but I think it's worth a repeat. Not too long ago, Six Apart announced support for Skype buttons. These are the active buttons that show your Skype on-line status for your readers. As you know, I'm in the midst of moving this blog and I decided on WordPress as my platform. A little digging yesterday unearthed active Skype buttons for WordPress as well, so I'll be trying it out in my sandbox.

The WordPress implementation is a Plug-In that you can find here. I'm not sure if you need the full-blown WordPress platform or if you can use this (and other plug-ins) on WordPress.com. There's more info from Skype on this that will help get you started as well.

XM hardware sales tomorrow

2005-12-10T11:04:00.000-05:00

If you've waited for satellite radio hardware prices to come down, you can stop waiting. Staples has XM hardware discounted up to 70% starting tomorrow, per the local ad I just received in my Sunday paper.

The Delphi XM Roady2 receiver (which I personally use) goes for $14.99 tomorrow. Likewise, the portable Delphi MyFi radio is only $134.99 after rebate. That's the hand held model that you can use in your car or your home and it has a built in FM modulator. This unit also records up to 5 hours of music without being docked to anything; other than the antenna, of course. The unit comes with full auto and home kit, so you get it all at a deep discount. I seem to remember this unit around $300 when it first hit the streets!

Snow: the day after

2005-12-10T09:41:00.000-05:00

Picture as promised yesterday. Although it was cold here, the sun did melt a good amount of the snow. This pic is from over our garage looking out to the entrance of our development. My back is sore, but somehow Barb's back is fine. Odd, since she probably moved more snow than I did.

The snow didn't stop the USPS of course, and I received my leather iPod nano case from Sena Cases yesterday. I'll have a full review and pics up before the end of the weekend....weather permitting, of course!

Snow

2005-12-09T12:35:00.000-05:00

Eight inches of snow last night and our driveway is 75-feet long. Barb and I just shoveled most of it. Can someone remind me why I walked past all of those snowthrowers on sale this past summer?

I'll snap some pics later for those of you in warmer climates.

Video of streaming HDTV to an Xbox 360

2005-12-08T17:36:00.000-05:00

What can I say; it's a video kind of day. Aside from the new webcam, I also used Barb's digital camera to record a video today that you can see on HD Beat. I'll warn you now: the video quality isn't great and the file is 75MB in size. I wasn't going for quality, which was easy since I don't have the equipment to make an Oscar-winning film! :)

I went for concept with this, because it isn't something you see every day, however it is something you WILL see every day in a few years. What is it? I recently built up a base Windows Media Center PC and added HDTV capability to it for under $1k. The entire step-by-step process is over at HD Beat.

Now that I have the machine built and running well, I've started to stream the HD content (both live and recorded) to my Xbox 360 via WiFi and Windows Media Connect. This video basically shows you that it can be done, and I outline one or two "gotchas" in the commentary. If you've got the time and the bandwidth, check it out!

kct-cam is up!

2005-12-08T11:03:00.000-05:00

Well, THAT was easy! I'm using a new Logitech QuickCam FUSION for the camera and some free software to FTP images every 5 minutes to my web server. I might have spent 15 minutes getting this set up....perhaps a step-by-step post will be forthcoming if there's interest.

Blog upgrade is in the works

2005-12-08T10:21:00.000-05:00

I've been busy as usual between my various activities, but didn't want anyone to think I had forgotten about this blog. In fact, some of my effort is around moving the blog to a WordPress.com account and modifying the overall blog theme. Oh, it will still be technology related, but I think I've got a new twist! ;)

I also may try some things out here before I truly implement them on the new blog, so come on in and play with me in the sandbox! First up is a new webcam I just purchased; I may integrate it with the new blog. More to follow....

Giving thanks

2005-11-27T20:46:00.000-05:00

I'm a little late on this one, but the Thanksgiving holiday gave me some time to clear my head and think about what I'm thankful for. The list is fairly extensive because I consider myself a very lucky individual. I hope you took (or can take) a few minutes to give thanks for what you have and where you're headed. My list is after the jump...

- I have give thanks to Barb. She lets me spend countless hours between work and hobbies to let me do what love to do. Actually, it's not "countless" since she and I just went through a basic week and figured that I'm on the computer for about 14 hours per day, every day of the week. Ouch! I definitely spend too much time "working" and I don't want to jeapordize a happy future with her.
- I also have to give thanks to my many supportive friends that read what I write and let me go on and on about some of the silly things I do. Of special note are great folks like James, Dave, and Paul.
- Along the same lines are the folks that I only know through their comments to my blog; great folks like Mike, Josh, Kay and so many other great people that read what I write or listen to Barb and I on our commute.
I'm very thankful for the opportunity that Weblogs, Inc. has given me as the lead blogger for HD Beat. Matt and RJ help fill the blog with great posts and the readers make it all worthwhile with their feedback and comments. I'm especially thankful for the fantastic support and environment provided by Jason, Brian, Judith, Barb, Shawn and Jade.
- A special thank-you has to go out to my ex-wife. Our son Tyler lives with her most of the time and she does an outstanding job taking care of him and helping him to be the 8-year old version of me. Hopefully, he'll turn out even better; if he does, he can thank his mother.

I hope you each enjoyed your Thanksgiving; take some time to thank the important people in your life. At the very least, make sure they realize they are important to you!

Time for a break and a change?

2005-11-27T15:51:00.000-05:00

I've taken some time off from the personal blog, but I haven't taken time off from blogging. No, there are plenty of posts on HD Beat and if you're interested in building an HDTV WMCE PC for under a grand, take a look at my current series in progress. The Media Center machine is all set in the house, so we can now record high-definition television. Next up will be to use an Xbox 360 to stream the high-def content throughout the house, but you'll have to tune in to HD Beat for the details!

I've also used this time to think about my blog: where do I want to take it, how much time do I want to (or can I) spend on it, etc... One of the decisions I've made is to move the blog. Yup, in the very near future, I'll be powered by WordPress.com basically because I can do more with that platform. Blogger has been great to get me started over a year ago, but I've outgrown the functionality. I'll be forwarding folks from the kctsdigitalworld.com domain, so there's no URL change unless you use kctofel.blogspot.com. I'll handle the RSS feed as well, so there should be no impact to subscribers.

I'm still thinking about how often I want to blog and if want to make this more of a personal blog. I'm open to thoughts on that one, so suggestions are welcome!

Samsung i730 to get WM 5.0 upgrade?

2005-11-17T14:13:00.000-05:00

News that the Samsung i730 SmartPhone might get a WM 5.0 upgrade in the spring might tip me in favor of that device over the Palm Treo 700w. Where are the VGA SmartPhones for Verizon Wireless? Will I actually have to sacrifice VGA for EVDO? I'd rather not since I have EVDO in the Tablet...

Kevin & Scott: you're the first team to arrive

2005-11-11T18:17:00.000-05:00

It's the WINStock Amazing Race and Team Philly has reached the pitstop first. Kevin & Scott traveled from Center City, Philadelphia over the Outercrossing Bridge to Staten Island, over the Verrazano, under the Battery Tunnel, up Broadway the wrong way (ouch!) and then spent 90 minutes going the last two miles to the parking garage.

Ana at the front desk indicated that we were the first to reach this pit stop. What have we won for our effort on this leg of the race. Nothing but pride. :)

One other solemn note: our route took us right alongside of the World Trade Center location. It was extremely moving to see nothing there other than the American people that still visit the site to this day. As tragic as 9/11 was, I am thankful that my route took me past. God Bless....

I'm outta here for the weekend

2005-11-11T10:15:00.000-05:00

OMG, how busy can one be? I did my full-time 40 hour job this week, published a Commute-Cast with Barb, recorded and published two MobileTechRoundup episodes, wrote a good 30 posts or so on HD Beat and now I'm off to the Big Apple for the weekend (take that Om Malik! ;) ) BTW: you can always see when the latest MoTR podcast is available in my sidebar now. Thanks Feedburner!

This weekend is the big "WINStock" blogger retreat at the AOL \ Time Warner offices at Rockefeller Center, so I'm outta here at noon today. I'm really looking forward to meeting up with some of the extremely talented bloggers at WIN; it should be exciting and fun!

Enjoy your weekend, folks!

MoTR episode 3 is live!

2005-11-08T13:30:00.000-05:00

MoTR 2 is 32:50 minutes long and is a 22.5 MB file in MP3 format.

Click here to read the full show notes and to download or listen.

Selected Topics from this episode:

Nokia 770 hits the United States this week and we have more thoughts on the specs.
Do you need voice services, data services or both?
Dave reports that Palm has patented a vCard popup function on the Windows Mobile Today screen.
Is unsecured WiFi going to become illegal in Westchester County, New York?

Watch for MoTR every Tuesday and Friday.

SUBSCRIBE: Use this RSS feed with your favorite podcatcher.

Open WiFi: close it or advertise it

2005-11-04T21:30:00.000-05:00

Barb is out for the evening at a special function and I've got Tyler and Sydney. What's the easiest thing to make for dinner? Reservations of course! We headed down to the local pub for something to eat; just me and the kids. It's nothing fancy, just a place for good food.

While I was waiting for the bill, I pulled out my Dell Axim and (like I often do) turned the WiFi on. Sure enough, there was an open WiFi network in the pub, called (what else) "Linksys". I did use it for a few minutes and I hit a few sites, I left a few comments; I even downloaded a podcast.

I've discussed open WiFi networks before, and while you can argue both sides of using it for free or not, I've got a new message for everyone: If you have a WiFi network, do one of two things so we don't have to debate the ethics: either close it up or advertise it as open. If folks did one or the other, we wouldn't have to make a decision to "borrow" bandwidth or not and we'd all sleep much better.

Nokia 770 available in U.S. next week

2005-11-04T15:00:00.000-05:00

Om Malik just broke the news a little while ago on the U.S. availability of Nokia's Internet Tablet. How ironic that we just spoke about this device on MoTR? We figured the device will run about $300, but there's no word on the exact price just it. It fetches 245 Euros overseas and that's around $292 over here, but we'll see. You'll be able to order direct from Nokia starting on 11/10.

The device is appealing to me based on it's small form-factor and apparent ease-of-use. I've never owned a Linux device (the 770 runs a flavor of Debian), but I have used Opera, which is the browser out of the box. Nokia is betting heavy on WiFi here since there is no cellular or other broadband capability; odd for a phone company, but the old days of cellular service are over. 3g data schemes like EVDO and EDGE as well as WiFi and soon, WiMax, are what Nokia figures we'll all use for connectivity.

Hmmm....$300....Christmas is coming, but everything I can do on the 770 can be done on my Tablet or PDA....hmmmm....thoughts? Anyone?

UPDATE: I was just reviewing the official product specs of the 770 and noticed this; too bad my cellular carrier cripples the Bluetooth in their phones! "The Nokia 770 Inernet Tablet is designed to meet Bluetooth Specification 1.2, Dial-up Networking, Generic Access, SIM Access, File Transfer, and Serial Port profiles. To ensure compatibility with other devices with Bluetooth technology, check with the device manufacturer. Bluetooth is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc."

MoTR episode 2 is live!

2005-11-04T09:15:00.000-05:00

MoTR 2 is 31:29 minutes long and is a 21.7 MB file in MP3 format.

INTRO: Based on “Time v2.1″ by Meta Sektion, additional mixing by James Kendrick.

HOSTS: David Ciccone, James Kendrick and Kevin C. Tofel

TOPICS:
Hello, hello, helloooo...
Thank-you BatteryGeek Inc. for sponsoring MoTR!
BatteryGeek product testimonial by Kevin.
Sony's new car stereo with 1-gig of flash storage.
Nokia 770 Internet Tablet now available in Europe for under $300.
E-mail from Mark on prevelant audio services for consumers.
What do the MoTR hosts use for listening to music?
Freeware of the week: ppcPodcast from Geoff Denning.
Dave and Kevin want a Burton jacket. James does too, but it's too hot in Houston for jackets.
Does the world still need Fax machines?
Bonus freeware of the week: ePrompter manages up to 16 differnet e-mail accounts (tip via Paul Manoogian)
Don't forget our contest giveaway! Use this link to send us a screen-shot of your MoTR subscription and you could win the DSP-500 from Plantronics. Entries due by 11/8.
Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye!
Watch for MoTR every Tuesday and Friday.

CONTACT US: E-mail us or leave us a voicemail on our SkypeLine!

SUBSCRIBE: Use this RSS feed with your favorite podcatcher.

Yes, CNET, I read you too

2005-11-03T22:15:00.000-05:00

Although I've been blogging for a shade over a year, it's really been the past 6 months that my blogging "career" has taken off. I might not blog too much here on my personal site, but I can put out anywhere from 3 to 10 posts a day over at HD Beat. That gig has really helped me become a better blogger; I still have a LONG way to go, but I think I'm providing value based on comments my posts get.

Today I found out that something I wrote on HD Beat was excerpted over at CNET, which is another positive sign, and a first for me. Is it a big deal? Nah, not really; especially to you folks. Did it make me happy? Yeah, just a little. It fits in nicely with my goal of a career transition and validates in a small way that I'm on the right path, which is nice to see every now and then. It made me smile so if you read this, give a little smile up for me, would ya? Besides, everyone could stand to smile a little more. ;)

Is there a virus in the blogosphere?

2005-11-02T18:00:00.000-05:00

See, I thought it was just me. I've been sick as a dog since the weekend. Now, it seems that my RSS reader is filled with other "germy" bloggers. Chris Pirillo just announced that a cold is kickin' him around (he give a rather 'cutesy-wootsy', but logical, description that you just have to read!). I was IM'ing with Jason over at WIN, er AOL, today and he isn't feeling well either.

Is it me or is someone spreading a cold virus around the blogosphere? C'mon Symantec, don't you have something to combat this?

iPod nano cases for pre-order at Sena

2005-11-01T16:45:00.000-05:00

Got an iPod Nano? Need a case? Of course you do and so do I. I've taken good care of my little four-gigger, but she's in need of some serious protection. As I mentioned a few weeks back, one of my favorite case manufacturers has one coming soon. In fact, SenaCases is now allowing you to pre-order a custom, leather case for your nano in your choice of ten luscious colors. I'm a pretty traditional kinda guy, so I usually opt for the tan.

Sena is offering the pre-order cases at a 10% discount, so you can order one today for $25.19 and expect it to ship around the end of November. As usual the Sena design team thinks of everything. There are cutouts for your headphones and for the hold button. There is full screen protection and if you unsnap the case, it looks like you can USB synch the nano without removing the case. I'm gettin' one, how about you?

MoTR episode 1 is live!

2005-11-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

MoTR 1 is 32:00 minutes long and is a 21.9 MB file in MP3 format.

INTRO: Based on "Time v2.1" by Meta Sektion, additional mixing by James Kendrick.

HOSTS: David Ciccone, James Kendrick and Kevin C. Tofel

TOPICS:

Thank-you BatteryGeek Inc. for sponsoring MoTR!
BatteryGeek product testimonial by James.
What is MoTR all about?
What mobile gear do the hosts use on a daily basis?
MoTR giveway, thanks to Plantronics. Use this link to send us an e-mail on or before November 8th. Place a screen-shot in the e-mail that shows us you're a MoTR subscriber. Duplicate entries will void your chances, so no cheating! One random winner gets a brand new Plantronics DSP-500 headset.
Watch for MoTR every Tuesday and Friday.

SUBSCRIBE: Use this RSS feed with your favorite podcatcher (iTunes link coming soon!).

Welcome my father to the Digital World!

2005-10-31T11:30:00.000-05:00

What a fun way to get folks involved in digital technology. Yesterday, I stopped over at my parents house for dinner, since today is my father's birthday. I'd been kicking around doing an interview with my dad, since his uncle has a unqiue connection to the 1952 movie "Stalag 17." The story doesn't stop there, however. There's a "Hogan's Heroes" connection as well, so I asked my dad to tell the story and sure enough: we did a podcast!

The interview-style podcast is only 12 minutes long and is featured over at Cinematical.com. Cinematical is a sister-blog to HD Beat on the Weblogs, Inc. network where I also write as the Lead Blogger. 'Nuff said: if you have 12 minutes, head on over and listen to the podcast. C'mon, you've gotta have 12 minutes: you just got 60 minutes back yesterday! ;)

Set your clocks (and cars) back

2005-10-30T09:45:00.000-05:00

While Dave Winer wonders if his Mac will automatically adjust for DST [his original post on this was deleted], I can tell you that our 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid did not. This is actually surprising since the clock settings are on the touch-screen navigation system, which is hooked up to the GPS system.

Even more amusing is the nav system has a multitude of other functions; one of which is a full calendar where you can type in up to 100 memos or reminders for certain days. You'd think that a vehicle as advanced as this would have the calendar function integrated into the clock adjustment for DST, no? I did.

All it takes is one Press Release?

2005-10-29T18:30:00.000-04:00

Strange how a press release has sudden impact. See, I applied to "The Hive" back in June when it started. If you don't know what "The Hive" is, it's basically an on-line community to keep communication open between Microsoft and owners of technical websites. I've had my blog out there for over a year now and I thought I could apply and gain acceptance. Well, I was one for two. I could apply, but I was promptly turned down. And I was OK with that. I'm not as prominent as many other leaders in the on-line world, so I fully accepted the rejection. (Yes, I definitely got a rejection!)

Here comes the funny part.

Yesterday was the press release for our new mobile technology podcast, "MobileTechRoundup". Less than six hours after the press release, I received a very kind e-mail from one of the folks over at "The Hive" stating the following:

"Hello Mr. Tofel,

We're not sure how this occurred, but a review of our records shows that in June your application to The Hive forum was disapproved. This was obviously an error. Please accept our apologies for the mistake. We would very much welcome your participation in the Hive. Your credentials are approved and should be available for immediate login."

First of all, "Mr. Tofel" is my dad! ;) In any case, I've logged in and I'm a proud member of "The Hive." I don't really care how this happened, but it got me laughing. Do you think it was coincidence that I got this note right after the press release? I don't know and I really don't care, but I thought it was worth sharing.

Regardless of the circumstances, I'm glad to be a member of "The Hive." I fully expect it will give me a unique perspective on Microsoft's approaches and I'll be sure to share them here when I can!

Dave Winer is a little TOO proactive

2005-10-29T10:00:00.000-04:00

From this morning's Scripting News:

"Don't forget to turn your clocks back this morning. Windows machines do this on their own. It seems my Mac does not."

Uh, Dave: it's actually at 2 a.m. tomorrow morning. Then again, it won't hurt to be an hour early for everything today!

I hope this explains it!

2005-10-28T20:15:00.000-04:00

I'm completely thrilled by the updated podcast. I had such a blast doing techADDICTION with James for the past 10 months and it's exciting to add Dave as a co-host to the new show.

Hopefully, this explains my lack of blogging here on the personal site. Do you forgive me? ;)

techADDICTION podcast re-launches as MobileTechRoundup

2005-10-28T14:40:00.000-04:00

Recognizing the growing public need for mobile technology news, “techADDICTION” co-hosts James Kendrick and Kevin C. Tofel add another mobile device expert. David Ciccone of the leading iPAQ enthusiast site, “Dave’s iPAQ”, joins the three-person bi-weekly show now known as “MobileTechRoundup” (MoTR).

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB via PR Web Direct) October 28, 2005 -- Currently enjoying an audience of tens of thousands around the world, the “techADDICTION” podcast is adding a third host, increasing the frequency of shows and re-launching independently as the “MobileTechRoundup” show. David Ciccone, owner and editor of the Dave’s iPAQ website, joins “techADDICTION” co-hosts James Kendrick and Kevin C. Tofel for the new “MobileTechRoundup Podcast”. The three mobile technology experts will record and release two 30-minute shows each week, starting with the inaugural episode on November 1, 2005.

“People are more connected and more mobile than ever,” says co-host Kevin C. Tofel. “Our goal with the new show and additional host is to bring a broader perspective on mobile technology. The public is already riding the technology curve as more people utilize mobile devices everyday, ranging from cell- and SmartPhones, Personal Digital Assistants, Tablet PC’s, iPods and numerous other small but powerful devices. Our goal is to educate and entertain our listeners by providing timely news, commentary, tips, tricks and product reviews to maximize the benefits of mobile technology.”

James Kendrick offers this insight about the MoTR Podcast: “The addition of Dave Ciccone to the show is very exciting and I am thrilled. MoTR will be an informative podcast covering all facets of mobile technology with a humorous delivery by the three hosts. Kevin, Dave and I don’t just talk about gadgets and mobile tech; we show how they can be used in innovative ways to make the listener’s life a little easier. Most gadget consumers have limited budgets and on MoTR we tell listeners what works and more importantly what doesn’t, so if we save listeners some of their hard earned money, we’ve done our jobs.”

In addition to the show launch, “MobileTechRoundup” is proud to announce an advertising partnership with Battery Geek, Inc. Battery Geek, Inc. becomes the first sponsor of the new podcast, which will feature ads and product reviews of the company’s external battery technology.

For additional information on the new mobile technology podcast visit www.mobiletechroundup.com.

About “MobileTechRoundup”:

MobileTechRoundup is a bi-weekly podcast devoted to educating consumers about mobile technologies and best practices for using those technologies.

Contact:

Kevin C. Tofel
Tel: 215-913-3347

About Battery Geek Inc.

Battery Geek Inc. specializes in super long life external portable lithium ion rechargeable battery packs for laptops, portable DVD players, iPods, Sony PSPs, cell phones and many other portable electronic devices. They offer a distinctive ultra high density lithium ion battery technology featuring very long run times at reasonable prices. They also offer a free battery audit service on their website to try and help consumers select the right battery model for their personalized requirements. For further information, please visit http://www.batterygeek.net .

Contact:

Melissa Badillo
Tel: 306-791-5138

# # #

video iPod: good case for Windows Mobile iTunes

2005-10-14T20:15:00.000-04:00

So let's think about this for a second. Apple says "Let there be video on iPods" and it was good. Apple says "Let there be downloadable videos on iTunes" and it was good. On the third day, Apple rested and it was good. What does it mean?

For most people, it means more money to shell out; both for the video iPod and the content. Hey, Apple is a business, so I'm OK with that. It's just that I think it means more. I think it means there IS a Windows Mobile version of iTunes coming. Not just for music mind you, but for videos too.

Can anyone tell me what the resolution of iTunes videos are? Yup, they're QVGA or 320 x 240 on the new video iPod. Good. Now can anyone tell me what the most prominent screen resolution is of a Windows Mobile device? If you said QVGA or 320 x 240, you'd be right. Add the fact that Windows Media Player for Windows Mobile devices is one of the least advanced of the internal applications and we might be on to something here. My take is that we'll see iTunes for Windows Mobile before the holiday, along with plenty more QVGA content.

You might think that Apple wouldn't provide content for devices that compete against their iPods, but think about how many Windows Mobile devices are out there would love to show off a $1.99 video?

Tablet PC show goes independent

2005-10-12T14:15:00.000-04:00

Big news in the both the Tablet and podcast worlds: James and Marc are mixing up the Tablet PC Show podcast and going independent! New shows will be hosted right on James' blog and the new show looks to be called "OnTheRun with Tablet PCs". Looks like you can subscribe just by adding the JKotR feed to your podcatcher. Here's wishing the best of luck to James and Marc on the new show as well as best wishes to TPN for supporting the original show.

Congrats boys!

Wives Of Tableteers Talk Tablet PC

2005-10-10T13:00:00.000-04:00

I'm all for sharing the Tablet experience, but Barb's quite happy with her HP Pavilion DV4170 she just got. Unless she's willing to let me upgrade to a new tablet and take the M205 tablet off my hands, that is! Seriously, I think it's great to see spouses try the Tablet. I've yet to find someone to pick up a Tablet and say "Nah, that's not for me." If you really want to have some fun, try giving a Tablet to the kids and see what happens! Microsoft: are you paying attention here? I see a whole new marketing plan: "The family that inks together is linked together."

An "-ology" you've never heard of...until now!

2005-10-09T21:00:00.000-04:00

Well, there's plenty of "-ology's" out there; they're the study of various things. There's physiology, kinesiology, and even Scientology (you're welcome Tom Cruise). How about the study of Tablet PC's? Simple: it's Tabletology, the newest Tablet PC blog from Olga and Lynette!

What a great Tablet PC resource site that covers various aspects of Tablet PCs in various locations. I especially like the pics of the Tablet in different places; in fact, it's given me an interesting idea that I'll implement within the next few weeks (thanks ladies!). If you're looking for another great Tablet site to add to your favorite RSS reader, give Tabletology a click. I'm sure you'll do what I did and subscribe to their RSS feed.

What is Google searching for?

2005-10-09T16:15:00.000-04:00

I typically look at my website stats several times per day. Today is no exception, but there is something different. Someone (or something?) over at Google in Mountain View, CA was on the site a short while ago. If you click the image above, you can get an up close look. I know that Google spiders the site, but those hits have never showed up here before. Either something has changed with the spidering, which I doubt, or someone was looking around.

Hey, that's cool; that's why I write: so people will read. Quick hint though: if you're looking for anything in particular here, just use the Google search box I've added to search the site! ;) What's really interesting is that all of the OS, browser and resolution stats are blank or unknown. Google, what are you hiding from?

Google Reader review

2005-10-09T08:15:00.000-04:00

Brad Hill over at The RSS Weblog has a good overview review of the new online Google reader for RSS. I find it similar to, but much slower than Bloglines, at least initially. I only imported about 100 feeds via OPML and it took a few hours for everything to appear. That could be due to everyone hitting the "Google Grid" at the same time during the ramp-up. For now, I'm sticking with Onfolio because it provides so many advanced functions. Hmm...I smell a review post coming!

Goodbye eReader...on the PDA that is!

2005-10-08T20:15:00.000-04:00

Looks like I'm giving up the most used app on my Dell Axim X50v. Surprisingly, it's eReader! I read books wherever I am, whenever I have time. Since I carry my Axim with me everywhere, it's the perfect eBook reader for me.

With the Windows Mobile 5.0 powered Palm Treo 700W due out in two months, I'm already trying to get used to living without my 3.7" VGA screen. As a result, I decided to install eReader on my Tablet, and so far, I'm happy with the outcome. Sure I can't carry books in my pocket, but I can see more words on the page and the res is even better!

What are you using these days to read eBooks?

I finally got to interview a billionaire

2005-10-08T14:30:00.000-04:00

I had the very fortunate opportunity to interview Mark Cuban for HD Beat earlier this week. If you have any interest in high-def television, I recommend the read; not because it was me who was interviewing, but because Mark is a very bright man. Forbes estimated his net-worth at $1.8 billion last year. Hmm...last I checked my net worth, I think it was on the plus side, but just barely! ;)

Seriously, Mark is a great interview because of his intelligence and candor. In case you don't know who he is, he co-founded HDNet in 2001; a network devoted to nothing but high-quality high-definition programming. Mark also owns an NBA team: the Dallas Mavericks, so to get any of his time was just huge for me and I'm very appreciative.

TinyScreenfuls.com: Blogger.com Finally Adds Trackbacks. Er, "Backlinks"

2005-10-08T13:00:00.000-04:00

Nice to see this implemented; I just turned it on for my blog. One disappointment though: you need to click it to see if there ARE any trackbacks. It would be nice if it told you if there were any and how many there are. I hate clicking links that provide me no value.

One nice feature for any Blogger users: if you are reading a Blogger post somewhere and want to blog it on your Blogger blog, there is a link to let you do that. It creates the trackback and also creates a post on your blog. That's how I did this post: via the original post at TinyScreenfuls. I also think thats a record for using "Blogger" and "blog" over and over in the same sentence. ;)

AOL: "You've got blog!"

2005-10-06T15:45:00.000-04:00

If you follow the blogosphere at all, you're already aware that AOL purchased Weblogs, Inc. Network (WIN). I contribute to HD Beat for WIN, but there's not much more to contribute to the story. Are you shocked? You pretty much know what I know and vice versa. So why write about it then? Simple: it illustrates why I thoroughly enjoy writing for WIN.

WIN appeals to me as a blogger for two reasons. First, it's generally a transparent entity. That's why I said earlier, "you know what I know." The transparency goes from the top down. You can often find Jason (the co-founder) discussing some details of network traffic or advertising revenue right out in the open on his blog. I don't get internal e-mails from WIN that say "OK, Jason said X, but it's really Y."

Secondly, there's the organization itself. It's generally horizontal; there's no "inter-departmental" strife that you see in corporate America today. The org is nimble and empowered through and through. There's a minimal amount of framework in place; just enough to let everyone do what they need to do and focus on doing it well.

So what will be the outcome of all this? I couldn't tell you; I didn't get the internal memo! ;) Congrats to Jason, Judith, Bryan, Jade, Peter and the rest of the WIN team. The hard work and the business model are a lesson waiting to be learned by thousands of other companies.

HDTV "Easter egg"

2005-10-05T08:15:00.000-04:00

Most, if not all of you, know that I contribute to HD Beat as the lead blogger covering HDTV. I typically don't do much self-promotion on that here, but this is something you just have to see. Apparently NBC has a sense of humor because they tucked what I could call an "HDTV Easter Egg" into last night's episode of "My Name is Earl".

The picture above is what the HDTV or widescreen viewers saw. If you look closely on the left of the screen, Earl's brother is holding up a sign that says "High Def Rocks!" We've got a close up of the sign over at HD Beat, so click the post title for the full scoop.

Gee, I remember finding the Easter Eggs in the Atari 2600 "Adventure" game. Does this mean I need to record all of my high-def programming and start looking for these things? ;)

Sena case for iPod nano coming soon

2005-10-03T14:45:00.000-04:00

Long time readers (heh, I can say that now that "I'm one") will know that Sena Cases won me over a long time ago. Ever since the first leather Sena case for the Dell Axim X5, I was hooked. I got one for the Toshiba e805 and have one for my current PDA, the Dell Axim X50v.

Now that I picked up the iPod nano, I've tried to be very careful with it, which isn't easy. It's so small and thin that you forget you have it. I reached out to the good folks at Sena and sure enough, they'll have an iPod nano case in the works. I don't see mention of it yet on their site, but they confirmed that it should be out in a few weeks. Additionally, it should be available for pre-order even sooner; perhaps as early as this week.

I often take advantage of the pre-ordering because Sena gives a discount to pre-orders. I already believe in the quality of the product, so I don't mind pre-ordering and saving money at the same time.

Holy crap! I'm a year old!

2005-10-03T14:30:00.000-04:00

I just realized that it's October already. Son of gun, wouldn't you know that I started this blog on October 1st, 2004; one year ago this past Saturday! I can't believe I missed that and more importantly, I can't believe I've been doing this for a year.

It's always fun to "go back in time", so if you click the post title, you'll see the very first profoundly silly post. Thanks for tuning in this past year. I hope you learned something interesting here; I know I do every day.

Keep your Intel Pro 2200BG drivers updated

2005-10-01T17:45:00.000-04:00

James wrote about various WiFi issues with the Intel Pro 2200BG chipset back in August and I had to revisit it today. My 802.11g connection is sporadically dropping and disconnecting again.

I did find that there are some newer drivers; the latest version is 9.0.2.31 from Intel. I've just upgraded about an hour ago, but still seeing issues. It's as if the WiFi chip decides to drop me and do a scan for nearby networks. Quite a few WiFi networks have popped up at my neighbors houses lately, so I'm wondering if this is a network contention issue. If you've had the problem, do you have multiple WiFi networks in range of you?

I've tried to exclude the other networks but it doesn't seem to matter. Intel, what's the deal? Oh, and to my neighbors: please set up some type of security on your open WiFi networks!

nano is smaller than you might think

2005-10-01T16:00:00.000-04:00

I couldn't wait for you guys to tell me if I should get one, so I grabbed a black, 4GB nano after work. First impression: it's smaller than it looks on TV. It's super-fast in terms of music transfer over the USB 2.0 cable. 615 songs took a mere 3.5 minutes. Yowza, that was quick! The sound quality is excellent, even with the included earbuds. Overall, I'm very happy with the purchase.

To help illustrate the minuscule size of this thing, I put it next to some of my gear that's easily recognizable. Here's how it looks next to a Dell Axim x50, a Compact Flash card, an EV-DO modem in the PCMCIA form factor and a Toshiba Tablet PC pen. Keep in mind that I can just fit the Axim in a shirt pocket; with the nano, I can carry it in a jeans coin pocket with no issue at all.

As far as thickness, well, there isn't any. I should actually call it "thinness" because that's more appropriate. Here is a side-shot of the nano in between the Compact Flash card and the EV-DO modem. Yeah, see the slim silver thing in the middle there? That's the nano! As an experiment to see how intuitive and simple the iPod is to use, I handed it to my eight-year-old son, Tyler. He's never held an iPod before, so I did this on the Commute-Cast podcast on our drive home yesterday. Hop on over and see what he has to say in episode 35!

iPod nano: a must have?

2005-09-29T11:15:00.000-04:00

I'm considering a nano purchase this week. After all of this time with my beloved 1st gen, 15GB Dell DJ, I may finally make the move. There's a couple reasons for this, and I'm curious if you agree or I should save my $249.

1. For me, smaller is better. The nano is much smaller and lighter than the DJ.
2. 15GB is nice, but I don't have that much music. 4GB ought to be fine.
3. Using the DJ as an external drive is clunky from a software and driver perspective.
4. I can eBay the DJ to offset the cost of the nano.
5. No iTunes support for the DJ.
6. I prefer a flash-based player over a hard-drive player. I already messed up one DJ when I used it on our tractor. Vibration = unhappy hard drive.

Am I missing something here? Are there any additional compelling reasons? What do you think? Should I wait to see if iTunes for Windows Mobile comes out instead?

Microsoft Windows Vista: day 1 is uneventful

2005-09-28T18:30:00.000-04:00

So I added another partition to the Tablet PC last night. You didn't really think I bought the Ghost & Partition Magic bundle just for a backup strategy, did you? C'mon, I LIKE livin' on the edge! ;)

So far all I've done is to install the latest beta build. The install took 70 minutes and required minimal user intervention. In fact, all of the intervention was up front. As others have reported, the Tablet Input Panel floats on one side of the screen or the other. Not sure if I like that yet, but I'll play for a few days to see.

Right now the biggest impressions I have is that the look and feel is....well...."XP-ish". That and we're going to have to get some beefy graphics cards with plenty of dedicated memory in our notebooks. The new visualizations look to be fairly intense. Don't get me wrong; they're effective, but they are going to require some decent hardware for the full effect.

I haven't had much time to kick the tires just yet, but so far, it looks like most of the upgrade is under the hood. Time will tell.

I finally have a backup strategy

2005-09-27T16:00:00.000-04:00

On a recent techADDICTION show, James and I were chatting about backup strategies and I realized I really don't have one. Ironic, isn't it? 15 years in the I.T. industry and you would think I'd have learned from other's mistakes. I finally decided to do something about it today.

I went out and purchased a Norton bundle of Ghost & Partition Magic. I needed Partition Magic because I need a place on my Tablet PC for the Windows Vista beta. In fact, I'm downloading Vista right now; can't wait! Ghost by itself was $70, but when bundled with Partition Magic, both were had for $99 minus a $20 mail-in rebate. Not a bad deal over at CompUSA.

I was planning on using my 15GB Dell DJ as my backup device since I always have it with me. The DJ is a little flukey though, while you can use it as a removable storage device, it seems to require certain software, so I decided to keep it simple and try something else. More after the jump....

I remembered that back in January, my son Tyler and I recycled a laptop hard drive. I dug around my spare parts graveyard and sure enough, I still have the USB drive! I've already Ghosted my Tablet image onto the small drive so I feel much better about re-partitioning the Tablet and installing Vista later.

One other aspect to my strategy is to see if I can take advantage of the bootable SD slot on my M205. I'd rather not carry any emergency disks or my Ghost CD if I can help it. I'd much prefer to boot from a small SD card since my Tab has the capability to do so! Has anyone tried this method?

I'll be doing incremental backups along the way now; likely every weekend, so I'm never too far out of whack if the Tablet goes belly up. That already happened once before and I don't feel like rebuilding again. The whole Ghost approach might also help with the lack of Tablet PC OS disks from the OEMs that James was speaking of a few weeks ago. Any thoughts?

Palm Treo 700w: what apps won't work?

2005-09-27T12:15:00.000-04:00

On the surface, most people will read this question and say "What you mean? It's going to run Windows Mobile 5.0 dummy! All apps compatible with that platform will work!" Yes, you'd be correct; well maybe not for the dummy part, but that remains to be seen! :)

What I mean is: what prominent applications won't run correctly on a 240 x 240 screen? The HP hw 6515 has a 240 x 240 screen, just like the Treo 700w will and there are some issues in terms of application compatibility and screen res. Most WM apps are designed for a 320 x 240 screen, or QVGA. Heck, that's the most prominent screen on the market, so that makes sense. Some apps also work on a 640 x 480 VGA screen (Oh how I love VGA on a mobile device!). So what about these square screens? There aren't a ton of square screen devices out there yet so what is the compelling reason for a developer to work in 240 x 240?

My guess is that we're going to see a bunch of top-notch apps that just won't play nice with the Palm Treo 700w. Some of the better software shops are likely creating updates for their apps so you can use them on a square screen. In the meantime, will we all be scrolling up and down for those extra 80 pixels?

Hands on review of the Roku PhotoBridge HD!

2005-09-24T21:45:00.000-04:00

If you have an HDTV set and are interested in streaming audio or video content to it, check out my hands on review of the Roku PhotoBridge HD1000 and Art Packs. I spent some quality time with the unit and wrote up my thoughts for HD Beat. There are plenty of pics and comments.

I'll also have the unit for a few more days, so shoot any questions to me and I'll try to get you the answers. Hey look! Barb and I are on HDTV, er....sort of.

Treo 700w screen resolution

2005-09-24T14:00:00.000-04:00

What an amazing week for Palm, Microsoft and Verizon. We finally got confirmation that there is indeed a Windows Mobile 5.0 Palm device and it will run on the Verizon Wireless network. The timing is perfect as I was just saying in our last CommuteCast podcast that I need a good SmartPhone. I love my Axim X50v, but my chunky and clunky phone has to go. The new Treo should be a perfect match for me, especially since I'm an EV-DO addict!

Tons of folks keep wondering about the screen res on the new device. Guess what folks: there are two and only two possibilities: 240 x 240 or 480 x 480. These were the only two screen resolutions supported on square screens when WM 2003 SE was born. WM 5.0 hasn't changed that as far as I know, so it's a 50-50 shot on the screen resolution.

My gut feeling tells me that the Treo will have a 240 x 240 screen. As much as I would like to see the higher res, this device will be pricey enough and a 480 x 480 would add a good premium. I also think that the first few folks that have actually seen the device would have noticed the clarity if it was 480 x 480. Since those who have actually seen the device haven't had an eye-popping experience with the screen, it's likely it's the lower of the two resolutions.

Rita bears down on Texas coast

2005-09-22T11:15:00.000-04:00

I'm working from home today and I wish I wasn't. I have The Weather Channel on right now and it looks like more gloom and doom for the Gulf Coast. Folks just can't get out of the Houston area fast enough due to massive traffic.

I'm very concerned for my good friend and techADDICTION co-host, James Kendrick, who is directly in the path of the storm. He's blogging his perspective on the storm and I recommend giving it a read for the insider view. Barb and I hope James, Sheri, the kids and the dogs are safe, along with all of their neighbors who are toughing it out. We'll be praying for y'all.

Google "grid" grows with WiFi

2005-09-20T13:15:00.000-04:00

Hmm....Google rolling out WiFI. I guess we shouldn't be surprised. I downloaded the Google Secure Access Client which sets up a VPN connection. I also read the EULA and privacy policy. All of the security is done by going through Google gateways via the VPN. Ok, that's fine. So now Google will get ALL data from our network traffic and not just the data that goes through their page servers?

From the Privacy Policy:

We understand and respect that you are concerned about your privacy, that's one of the driving reasons why we created Google Secure Access. Using insecure networks, such as public wireless networks, can leave your internet traffic open to snooping by others in the vicinity of the wireless network. Google Secure Access helps address this problem by encrypting all traffic from and to your machine and passing it from the insecure network through a trusted gateway. If you choose to use Google Secure Access, your internet traffic will be encrypted and sent through Google's servers to the internet, then received from those servers to be encrypted and sent back through our servers to your computer.

In fairness, later down in the policy Google indicates that they don't keep too much of that valuable info:

Google may log some information from your web page requests as may the websites that you visit. We do this to understand how Google Secure Access is being used and to improve our services. Google Secure Access does not log cookies and strips potentially sensitive query data from the end of requests to help better protect your privacy.

The "grid" continues to grow....

Registration open for the LG VX9800

2005-09-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

If you're looking for the phone they showed off at the MTV Video Music Awards, you can stop looking. The LG VX9800 for the Verizon Wireless network will be out next month, but you can register with Verizon for it starting today.

The 9800 is an EV-DO capable phone that has a side-flip design that hides a QWERTY keyboard. It's not a SmartPhone, so I don't see all that much use the keyboard once you get your contacts in the phone. Perhaps you can type URL's in easier? [Sorry, I just never got into TXT messages!] There is also the obligatory 1.3 MP camera as well as Bluetooth and a mini SD slot. Look for a price of $299 after a $50 rebate and a 2-year contract.

It's official: EV-DO in 2006 Dell notebooks

2005-09-19T21:00:00.000-04:00

UPDATE: Dave's iPAQ is reporting that HP has worked out an EV-DO deal in notebooks also with Verizon!

Computerworld is confirming what I heard earlier today. Dell is planning to integrate EV-DO, or high-speed celluar data connectivity into select notebooks. The built-in EV-DO card will work on the Verizon Wireless network. I've had EVDO from Verizon for about three months and I've accomplished so much more because of it. If you want to know what I mean, take a look at my "day in the life" post from this weekend.

Hopefully, this deal will do two things. First, I hope that bunches of folks sign up for the EV-DO service so the price begins to drop. I signed up in June for unlimited broadband at $79.99 a month. I put 2 GB through the service in my first month, so it's certainly worth it. Earlier this month, I was pleased to find that Verizon dropped the price to $59.99, which is a little more tolerable. Hopefully, we'll see a price in the $30 to $40 range within the next 6 to 12 months.

I also hope this deal expands to other PC makers. Wireless broadband is an amazing thing and I hate to hog it all! ;)

Otterbox starts an otterblog...er, weblog

2005-09-19T17:45:00.000-04:00

I love the Otterbox that I won from a Dave's iPAQ contest. The first thing I did when I got it was put a my Dell Axim X50v in and then submerge it underwater for three hours. Yeah, I live on the edge. The good news is: the Otterbox kept my baby dry as a baby's bottom. The even better news is: the fine folks over at Otterbox have joined the blogosphere! Here's an exerpt that sets the stage:

"What we would really like to do with this blog is create an open forum for our customers to talk about our products. Over the past few months we’ve gotten some great testimonials from divers, foresters, mountain climbers, students, soldiers, and others using our cases for their professional and recreational activities."

For you companies not paying attention: this is what you need to be doing! Open up a direct line-of-sight to your customers and then listen. James and I spoke about customer service in a previous techADDICTION show. I don't know if Otterbox was listening, but you can bet I'll be reading their blog. Welcome to the blogosphere Otterbox!

techADDICTION Podcast #22

2005-09-19T15:30:00.000-04:00

Welcome back to techADDICTION #22- We talk about mobile goodness from all walks of the tech world. This show had a TA first with a correction for something we said in error on the last show. JK is stalking Robin Williams, Kevin won’t say how his day is going and both of us are scratching our heads over the PalmSource deal. Enjoy the show and leave cards and letters on the blog and don’t forget to leave us a message on the techADDICTION Skype line.

00:00 Intro- James Kendrick & Kevin Tofel

Kevin’s blogging his typical day (he thinks we care so just go along with him on this)
iPod Nano error

04:20 Access buys PalmSource

Windows Mobile Treo

09:00 Sprint PCS Vision Smart Device

15:25 GeekPod 100 from batterygeek.net

21:00 Message from The Media Center Show

22:00 Fujitsu P1510D- now with Tablet Edition

Pictures on TabletPC 2

31:10 PocketPDF

34:30 Skype calls

Tim from Japan loves techADDICTION
Garry from Ohio teaches his wife how to use Skype
Len from Connecticut with backup advice

45:00 Wrap up

Dell Latitudes to get EV-DO?

2005-09-19T11:30:00.000-04:00

Yeah baby! Now that the EV-DO infrastructure has expanded, it's time to see EV-DO client proliferation! MobileTracker indicated early this morning that we could see an announcement from Dell about built-in EV-DO in some Latitudes. Looks like the deal is brokered with Verion Wireless, but we'll have to see.

If you don't think this is huge, think about how much built-in WiFi has provided mobile computing. Take the same concept and apply it to whole regions of the country. Can you hear me now? Good!

A day in the life of a blogger & podcaster

2005-09-17T20:40:00.000-04:00

My good friend and techADDICTION co-host, James Kendrick, has previously written some great "day in the life" posts. James focused those posts on his primary mobile computing device to show how useful the unit is. I loved these posts as they were so effective in showing the benefits to the Toshiba e805 and Sony U-70 that James highlighted. I decided to do something similar, but take a different perspective. Rather than focus on a single device, my focus is to share a single day's worth of activities with several devices and technologies and bring perspective on the effort put in to weblogging and podcasting. It's more time consuming than people think but mobile technology makes it all happen. Here we go!

7:30 am: The SPOT Watch is beeping. I woke up with just 6 hours of sleep. I was up until 1:30 am working on some RSS issues for a website. Luckily I was comfortable until the wee hours of the morning because I was on my couch using my Toshiba M205 Tablet PC via the 802.11g WiFi network in the house. Time for a shower and some coffee.

Continue with me on my day after the "Read More!" jump.

8:15 am: My son and I jump into our Highlander Hybrid vehicle to attend his soccer game. Barbara and Sydney head to swim lessons, so we're going separate ways. On the way, Tyler likes to watch the navigation map and asks if we can use the nav system on the way home so he can hear the car talk to him. We stop at WaWa to get me a cup of coffee that I pay with by swiping my debit card at the register. No cash for me; it's a digital world!

9:00 am: Tyler is playing soccer while I'm on the sidelines with the Tablet PC. I fire up my EVDO card so I can get my mobile broadband connection from Verizon Wireless. I check some statistics on websites and respond to a few e-mails while watching the game. I also check some RSS feeds in Onfolio to get some blog ideas for later today. Meanwhile, Tyler's mom decides she wants to buy a laptop, so we do some shopping at HP.com. No purchase yet, but we narrow down some choices.

9:20 am: I do my lead blogger duties over at HD Beat and activate a previously written post.

9:55 am: I fire up another web browser window in the Firefox Beta 1 of v 1.5 and get ready to buy some concert tickets for Keith Urban. These go on sale in 5 minutes.

10:04 am: I've got two good seats for the show and the printable tickets are already in my e-mail.

10:15 am: We're back in the Hybrid where I choose "Home" as our destination. I have it saved in memory so I don't have to type it again and again. The pleasant sounding woman starts talking and I follow her directions. Tyler thinks the nav system should show us all of the other Hybrids on the map so we can wave to them when they pass us. He'll be addicted to RSS feeds within a year, I predict.

10:45 am: The Hybrid is dirty so we re-route the nav system to the nearest car wash and do another cashless transaction.

11: 15 am: It's an early lunch for me. No real tech involved, but as I read through the weekend paper retail ads over lunch, I start to think about how many of these retailers have RSS feeds? I can have the ads delivered to me and even use Onfolio to filter for specific products only. What a time saver. Looking through the ads on televisions gets me thinking of an HD Beat post.

11:50 am: Lunch is done so before I start "work" on my day off, I check stats for various websites I contribute to. I also look for updated stats based on the RSS work I did last night (or was it early this morning?) to make sure everything tests out OK.

12:30 pm: I jump on the couch with the Tablet PC and pound out a good post for HD Beat on how the HDTV market could bring back the TV repair industry.

12:45 pm: Oh no! I forgot that I took digital pics of the touchscreen in the Highlander Hybrid for that blog. Heh, I actually took the pics while driving yesterday! Time to write up a post and insert the pics.

1:00 pm: I run upstairs to the desktop to check our techADDICTION Skypeline. I pick 3 VMs and e-mail them to James, which will send a copy to my Tablet as well. I grab the VMs on the Tablet and insert them into OneNote, which I use to gather thoughts for the podcast.

1:45 pm: I've got my thoughts down in OneNote and send them to James. Time for a microphone check in Skype, which we use for the techADDICTION show. The Plantronics DSP-400 USB mic is working well.

2:20 pm: James and I start to record techADDICTION #22 over Skype with MixCast. James has already imported the Skype VM clips and our show music.

3:20 pm: While we're doing techADDICTION, I get an e-mail from another HD Beat writer, R.J. He tells me he has a post ready to go, so I paste it in Word for a spell check. Looks good, so I publish the post while finishing up the podcast. What would I do with out my Tablet PC and wireless network?

3:40 pm: techADDICTION is done, but the work doesn't stop. James takes off to do the post-production work and I hit the web to research some other things for our podcast. I fire iTunes up to listen to some music over the Plantronics while I'm working.

4:00 pm: It's nice outside, so rather than be cooped up, I set up the Tablet in a shady spot. The WiFi doesn't quite reach, so it's back to EVDO connectivity. No reboot needed, just a dial out using Verizon's included software for EVDO. I switch from iTunes to Nascar.com so I can listen to the MRN broadcast of the Craftsman Truck race while I work. Sweet!

4:45 pm: My podcast follow-up research is complete. Time for a 15 minute break, which for me is relaxing and reading an eBook on my Dell Axim X50v. I try to find the time to read one book a week and usually succeed because I take the Axim everywhere; even to the rest room. When I don't have a good book, I catch up on some digital magazines with Zinio Reader on my Tablet. Ooh! This month's PocketPC Mag just came in on Zinio, cool!

4:50 pm: My reading break has to get cut short. I just got an RSS notification that Acer has a new LCD HDTV on the way with wireless media streaming built in. Gotta write it up for HD Beat!

5:05 pm: The Acer post is up. 15 minutes: not bad. Back to my book. Oh wait: college football in HDTV. Time to sit in front of the widescreen for a while!

7:15 pm: I see that techADDICTION 22 is in the queue to go "live". I always like to preview the show notes that James does and they look great as usual.

7:30 pm: While I'm scanning my latest RSS feeds on technology and HDTV, I fire up iTunes and sure enough, techADDICTION 22 is on the way! We just finished recording the show four hours ago and already it's out there for the world. Awesome.

7:40 pm: A quick check of HD Beat stats as well as personal blog stats and now it's time for a late dinner. Time to hibernate the Tablet for a quick start up later.

8:10 pm: Dinner is over and cleaned up; time to wake up the Tab and check e-mail. There's one from R.J. informing me he's got a post on Microsoft IPTV. A few quick grammar fixes and I activate his post. I'm doing the editing as I listen to rest of today's podcast. Sounds good.

8:25 pm: It's time to call it a day. Some final browsing of sites that I found while reading RSS tech feeds and I'm done by 8:30.

That's it. Just another simple day off for a blogger and podcaster. I say "day off" because it's Saturday. If you want a really crazy day, just pick a weekday when I try to cram all of this (and more) while taking kids to school, working my day job and trying to spend some time with Barbara. Not as easy as it sounds, but somehow, we in the blogosphere make it happen every day.

It wouldn't be possible without the many technologies that help us work efficiently and without the support of significant others that never seem to get enough of our attention. I hope you enjoyed this "day in the life" post; please be sure to let me know what you think.

Is Microsoft building Gadgets or Widgets?

2005-09-13T17:15:00.000-04:00

Over at PDC, they're kicking off a new Microsoft site for Gadgets. Here's an excerpt from the site:

What are Gadgets? Gadgets are a new category of mini-application designed to provide information, useful lookup, or enhance an application or service on your Windows PC or the Web. Examples might include a weather gadget running on your desktop or on your homepage, an RSS Gadget that pulls in your favorite feeds, or an extension of a business application providing just-in-time status on the pulse of your business.

There are three types of Gadgets: Gadgets for Windows Sidebar, Gadgets for Start.com, and Gadgets for Windows SideShow.

Now, just for fun, I want you to play a little web-based "Mad Libs" and replace all of the bolded words with your choice from the following list:

Widgets
Google Sidebar
Konfabulator
Apple
Yahoo

What do you think? How does this breaking story sound now?

eBay outbid me for Skype

2005-09-12T12:45:00.000-04:00

I thought Skype was only worth $2.5 billion, so eBay got 'em for $2.6 billion. I didn't have any stock shares to offer either, so that didn't help me with the deal.

I can't say I'm surprised that Skype was bought, but I'm outright dumbfounded as to the value. We're talking about a company with $7 million in 2004 revenues, $60 million in expected 2005 revs, and $200 million forecast for 2006. Clearly, it's not the current financial rewards that brought a ton of cash, so it must be synergies in eBay, PayPal and Skype that, when combined, will bring a huge future cash flow and remove barriers to consumers of the company's services.

The most important part of this deal to me is: the telecoms need to take note and embrace VoIP solutions such as Skype. Yes, it used to be that voice services were cellular and landline territory. Now that we've got a data infrastructure between broadband and 3G wireless, you can carry data AND voice. Don't shortside yourselves by ignoring the Skype phenomenon; instead, find a way to integrate it with your current offerings. If you don't think you can do that, you won't be around in 5 to 7 years.

Can a TabletPC act as a TV remote?

2005-09-12T09:45:00.000-04:00

I've wondered about this for some time for a couple of reasons. When I'm on the couch in front of the TV and using my Tablet in it's "slate" configuration, the IR port is directly facing the TV. That got me thinking about this since there are several PocketPC applications that provide remote control functionality. The Tablet's larger touchscreen seems like it could display a killer remote interface.

I've done some digging for an out-of-the-box solution, but came up empty. The closest I could find were applications from Promixis (shown to the right) and Meedio; they either need more configuration or they require some external type of IR device, such as a USB UIRT.

Is it a Windows XP limitation that won't allow remote control software to use the IR port directly? If so, that doesn't make sense to me. Perhaps the IR ports aren't "consumer grade?" I know there has to be something out there for what I want to do: can anyone help?

techADDICTION Podcast #21

2005-09-11T14:45:00.000-04:00

It's techADDICTION time again!

We had an Apple session with discussion of Apple’s recent announcements of the nano, RoKR phone, and Harry Potter comes to iTunes. If you can afford it, that is. WiFi cameras, backup solutions and Ian Dixon on Channel 9. It’s all here on techADDICTION. Comments welcome and call the Skype line as we love to hear from you. Enjoy the show!

Highlander Pic goes to Mirror Project

2005-09-10T07:30:00.000-04:00

Wow, I completely forgot about "The Mirror Project" and my good friend Paul reminded me of it when he saw the pic I took for our podcast. This is the picture we're using as the cover art for the show since we now record it while driving the Highlander Hybrid.

Catching myself in the pic was completely inadvertant but was a good fit for The Mirror Project. If you're not familiar with the project, check it out and snap a unique pic of yourself in some reflected surface. Then, just name it, write up a description and submit it. There are some incredible photos in the project too, so browse away! Thanks for the head's up, Paul; I need to read your blog more often!

You would think Apple invented the flash drive

2005-09-07T18:30:00.000-04:00

Yes, the big news of the day is that the Apple iPod Mini is gone and that the iPod Nano is here. Oh, and the ROKR phone that works with iTunes is out too.

So what's the big deal? Yes it's small and thin and light. Yes it works with iTunes. Guess what, it's a flash drive based player. Sure it's got a large audience, but all this hype? What ground is Apple breaking here?

New Hybrid site

2005-09-02T17:15:00.000-04:00

No, we're not building a network of blogs here. ;) However, Barb and I thought we could build a little community site for Toyota Highlander Hybrid owners, so we just put one together.

Check it out if you're looking for our hybrid experience!

Ultimate mobile technology

2005-09-02T13:45:00.000-04:00

Talk about wonderful timing. Just as the gas prices really began to spike, our 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid arrived at the dealership. Barb and I traded in the 2001 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab, which was only getting 13 miles per gallon. The new Hybrid should get about 30 miles to gallon and has a cruising range of about 525 miles.

So far, we've driven 100 miles on less than a quarter tank of gas, averaging 29.7 miles per gallon. This is right in line with what the EPA estmiates of 27 highway and 31 city.

Over the next few weeks, Barb and I will be blogging about our experience. There are just TONS of amazing technical features in the vehicle. This is the first time I've truly appreciated a vehicle not just for it's mechanical ability, but for it's "smarts" as well, since the entire hybrid system is computerized.

If anyone has any specific questions about the vehicle, please drop us a note and we'll give you our opinion. We will also be firing up the CommuteCast podcast and do some recordings in the vehicle itself.

New Skype beta has Call Forwarding

2005-09-01T15:15:00.000-04:00

You read that correctly: version 1.4.0.47 of Skype forwards calls to a number of your choosing when you are not on-line.

Between EVDO and my WiFi network, I generally am on-line a majority of the day. It's nice to see that I can still catch Skype calls when I'm off-line too. Forwarded calls are billed at normal SkypeOut rates.

techADDICTION Podcast #20

2005-08-29T14:00:00.000-04:00

The techADDICTION Show #20 (MP3 - 18.4MB - 53:54 min)

LISTEN HERE

We’ve taken a two week summer vacation, but we’re back and we’re not alone! Joining us today is Steven Hughes from Boston Pocket PC.com! Listen in as Steven shares his extensive list of gear, as well as his thoughts on different mobile technologies. See if you can guess what Steven does for a living and listen carefully to learn the secret he uses to save up for the next mobile device! We round out the show with some Xbox 360 chatter as well as Steven’s thoughts on the OQO and other portables.

Don’t forget to leave your comments on our Skype line and to add us to iTunes!

Google releases Google Talk client

2005-08-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

Ready to take on Skype, Gizmo, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! IM with voice, Google introduced their new Google Talk client yesterday. I already like the fact that I can customize my status; something I've ranted about with my favorite VoIP client, Skype.

Google Talk integrates with your Gmail account to show you new messages and also pulls in your Gmail contacts. So far it looks good; I can't tell you how it sounds just yet because I haven't used the voice feature. More to follow on that as well as recording possibilities from the client. There are no recording features built in, but Google tends to be pretty open with their clients. My expectation is that the APIs will be availalbe for extending the application.

What a great community!

2005-08-23T14:30:00.000-04:00

You know, there are just oodles of great people in this world I may never meet. I will communicate with them, but I will likely never physically meet them. Take Mike from Rochester, NY or Fahad from far-away Pakistan. They both sent me birthday wishes a few weeks back, which I greatly appreciated. Both are readers of my blogs and faithful podcast listeners as well.

Speaking of podcasts, take the talented James Kendrick who co-hosts techADDICTION with me. James is 1,500 miles from me and yet we talk almost daily. We "met" while posting to a Pocket PC enthusiast site a year and a half ago.

Most recently, Steve Hughes reached out to me because of something I said on one of our recent techADDICTION podcasts. Steve contributes to the popular Boston Pocket PC site and heard that I didn't receive a USB BlueTooth adapter James had sent me. Wouldn't you know that Steve had a few lying around and offered me one at no charge?

I just received the adapter yesterday, so thanks Steve! Once I get a few minutes to work with it, I'll reciprocate with a review. What a great community that's made of people like Steve, James, Fahad, Mike and the many other great people I may never meet. Think on that one the next time you're posting a comment or blogging on your latest passion. In our own little way, we're all shaping lives everywhere.

SkypeOut test cuts the mustard

2005-08-22T13:30:00.000-04:00

I've been an avid Skyper since late last year, slowly adding services as they become available. I'm a little behind on the SkypeOut service, simply because I didn't need it. Most of the folks I stay in touch with have the Skype client running on their workstations.

I took the SkypeOut plunge yesterday to call my parents (who are only 15 minutes away) and have to say that Skype is definitely a complete package. Short of no 911 support and some minor tweaks I'd like to see, I'd say that Skype can replace a land-line for sure and a mobile phone if one has mobile broadband like EVDO or EDGE.

The conversation with my father was clear and without echo. Sure, it sounded slightly distant and "tunnel-like", but I could use it on a constant basis with no issue. If you haven't tried the SkypeOut service, you'll have to ante up ten euros (or the equivilent), but that gets you roughly 10 hours to make calls from your PC to a phone. Not too shabby!

Why would you want to blog professionally?

2005-08-21T15:00:00.000-04:00

Over at ProBlogger.net, Darren Rouse has a great theme going on called the "31 Days to a Building a Better Blog Project." The series is a must read; not just for current and aspiring professional bloggers, but for any blogger out there. The tips and concepts are a valuable addition to whatever blogging experience you might have.

Darren's project is rather timely for me. Three short months ago, I decided to pen a career transition plan with the lofty goals of leaving the corporate world so that I can blog and podcast full-time. I'm happy to say that I'm on my way and actually ahead of the schedule I've put together.

I'm still working my current job; it pays too darn well to just drop like a hot potato. However, the techADDICTION podcast that James and I started back in February continues to gain listeners and my free blogging has turned into source of income through a great opportunity with the Weblogs, Inc. Network. You can find daily musings and opinions on high-definition television through HD Beat.

As things move forward quicker than I anticipated, I got to thinking about two key questions this morning. Why do I want to make this transition? What do I expect from it? Here are my thoughts to those questions; hopefully they will shed some light on anyone else considering this same type of transition.

There are multiple reasons that I'd personally like to make this change. Your reasons may be different, but the key point here is: make sure you know your reasons and better yet: write them down. If you keep them on paper, you can go back in time and re-evaluate your rationale. The fact is: situations change all the time. If you keep something on paper, it becomes static and gives you a baseline to measure against.

My main reasons for this plan are: freedom, enjoyment, less politics, and control. Let me tackle these one by one and start with freedom. I truly don't expect to put in less hours with a blogging and podcasting career. Content must remain fresh and dynamic. As a result, there are no "set schedules" or "amount of hours". When I think of freedom, I think of being able to take a walk with my family for an hour whenever I wish. I think of immediately blogging a great idea in the middle of the night because I can't sleep and I don't want to lose the thought. I think of being able to responsibly speak my mind to anyone who is willing to listen.

Enjoyment is an easy one. Simply put: I absolutely love to read and write. For quite a while, I was reading an eBook per week. That number has probably dropped to one book every two to three weeks, but that's because there is so much great content to choose from on the web. Writing about what I'm reading is simply a logical and fun extension to me.

Politics. What an ugly word to me, personally. It seems that no matter where you look in corporate America, the politics permeate every nook and cranny of organizations. Blogging with and for the right folks removes the hierarchies and brings about flatter organizations. I just want to provide outputs that are valuable, it's as simple as that.

This brings me to control. If you reduce or eliminate the politics, you gain personal control; it's an inverse relationship for me. If I'm successful, I want it to be due to my efforts as well as the support from those around me. If I fail, it's because my content is not appealing or I'm not updating my content enough or because I didn't market my content as well as I could have. Note that now I can take total responsibility for my successes as well as my failures.

If you get a chance, drop on over to Darren's project and see what tips and tricks you can find. You might not want to blog professionally, but I'll bet you will learn a bunch from the project. As for me, I'll keep up with my written plan and make sure to evaluate my progress on a regular basis. After all, I'm in control, right?

Digital world collides with nature

2005-08-21T10:45:00.000-04:00

XBox 360 ruckus

2005-08-20T17:00:00.000-04:00

Looks like I caused quite a stir when I questioned Microsoft's decision not to have DVI or HDMI cables for the Xbox360. If you get a minute and have any interest, check out the lively discussion I started at HD Beat.

techADDICTION Podcast #19

2005-08-14T16:00:00.000-04:00

The techADDICTION Show #19 (MP3 - 20.6MB - 59:50 min)

LISTEN HERE

Join us for a delicious, tasty start to our 19th show! Well, you have to hear the intro to understand that. We recap the updates since our customer service episode last week and then jump right into the mobile tech. There's something for everyone as we discuss Apple's iPod helping Microsoft get richer, leaking HP PDA's, computers with soul, PSP enhancements and more! As an added bonus, we play the full version of our intro music, "Konundrums", courtesy of One-Egg-Ticket! Don't forget to leave your comments on our Skype line and to add us to iTunes!

I'm ba-a-a-a-ck!

2005-08-13T16:45:00.000-04:00

What a crazy few weeks its been! I've stepped away from the blog for a few reasons, but I'm back. It's always good to take a break, even when it's not one by choice. Here's the quick update and reasons for the absence.

I've had the opportunity to become the lead blogger over at HD Beat, so if you go there you can see I've upped my output significantly! I try to pump out ten good posts a day; sometimes I hit the goal, sometimes not, but you can always count on some good HDTV info there.

I also had some issues with my Tablet PC over the past few weeks. I wanted to run the recovery disk and rebuild it, but my external optical drive wouldn't power up. As a result, I tried working with Toshiba support several times over a two-week period, but that didn't work out. Thanks to a local computer repair shop, I got a brand new drive that I swapped with them. The Tablet is rebuilt and I'm back! :)

James and I recorded techADDICTION #19 today, watch for it tomorrow. Barb and I havne't done a Commute-Cast in a while due to the crazy schedule and Tablet issues, but I'm sure we'll be back soon too! Thanks to everyone who inquired about us. Rest assured, all is well!

Commute-Cast goes to Outback

2005-07-22T14:45:00.000-04:00

Join our commute to Outback Steakhouse. We're dining out because the kids aren't here! Random sightings of cows and meat-packing plants, a fake Detour sign, and many more bicycle riders than usual. There's a sprinking of tech with RFID-tagged PJ's, an upcoming review of a new PVR solution and more!

Win an iPAQ 6300!

2005-07-21T08:45:00.000-04:00

This is great for two reasons:

1. The Dave's iPAQ podcast is up for one the TOP awards at the Podcast Awards site. He's up against Adam Curry, so this will be a tough battle, but if you've listened to Dave, Jack, and Steve, you know that they put a top-notch show together week after week. You can help support the gang there by voting daily over at Podcast Awards.

2. If you subscribe to Dave's podcast through iTunes, he is giving away an HP iPAQ 6300, courtesy of Microsoft! What a deal! All of the details are in a special, short podcast that you can find here.

techADDICTION #16: Josh Bancroft guest appearance

2005-07-19T09:30:00.000-04:00

What a special treat! James and I were just starting the show and we noticed that Josh Bancroft was on Skype. Leave it to your techADDICTION co-hosts to just make a live Skype call during the show. Josh runs a fantastic website and has some great audio and video podcasts there. Join us as Josh shares his thoughts on mobile devices and also celebrates the EVDO rollout in his hometown of Portland, Oregon!

Thanks Josh for joining us live and thanks to all of our subscribers for their continued support!

A missing Skype status?

2005-07-17T17:30:00.000-04:00

Now that I have an EVDO connection, I'm basically wired to the web during every waking hour. I generally keep Skype up and running the entire time and after a few weeks, I've realized that even though I'm on-line most of the time, I'm not always available for a Skype voice conversation. The issue is: I may be available for a text chat via Skype, but there is no status to indicate that.

I realize that Skype is generally viewed as a VoIP client and rightfully so. However, I don't want multiple IM clients or accounts; I'd prefer to use Skype for everything. To effectively do this, I need an additional status message, such as "Text Only". I could use "Not Available" for this purpose, but I think most people would think I'm not available for text or voice. What do you think? Am I asking for too much from Skype?

New TLD filled with "mobile goodness"

2005-07-11T14:30:00.000-04:00

Looks like the .mobi TLD (or top level domain) is a go. This domain is intended for websites specifically geared towards mobile devices such as cell phones and PDA's. The intent is that since these sites should work natively with the screen size and browser platform of mobile devices, they should be faster and simple to use.

Look for the new .mobi domain to become available in late 2005. Hmm...."www.kctsdigitalworld.mobi", huh? Looks like alphabet soup to me.

Commute Cast is back!

2005-07-09T19:45:00.000-04:00

Barb and I took two weeks off due to crazy schedules, but we're back. We did a completely unscipted show on the way home yesterday. No notes, no topics, no plans, nothing! Hmmm...it may be one the best shows yet as a result!

Anyway, be sure to give it a listen and let us know what you think. We chat about XM satellite radio, Barb's new laptop purchase, and the status of new Hybrid SUV order. Oh, and there's another CompUSA customer service story in there somewhere too!

techADDICTION #15 now available

2005-07-07T13:45:00.000-04:00

This was a completely different show for us, so James and I hope you enjoy it. Instead of using Audacity, we went with a "live" method; namely: MixCast Live. As a result, I get caught multi-tasking as you can hear me pounding away on my Tablet keyboard! Oops!

Anyway, this one is totally unscripted and we spend the entire show talking about what mobile technology is "in our bag". Get all of the juicy tidbits and specification in techADDICTION #15!

15 days of EVDO: worth it?

2005-07-06T19:15:00.000-04:00

When I tell people that I'm forking over $80 a month to Verizon Wireless for EVDO access, most of them look at me like I'm strange. Then again, most of these same people look at me that way all of the time. In any case, I'll let you be the judge.

Do you think I'm getting my $80 worth a month in just the first 15 days? Here's the usage so far during the first 15 days:

Yes, those numbers are correct. Almost a full Gigabyte of bandwidth in just half of the first month. It is expensive, don't get me wrong. However, the idea of being connected anywhere at anytime continues to be well worth it.

Now that the Samsung i730 Windows Mobile phone with built-in EVDO is out, I have a feeling that many more you are about to agree with me.

New laptop inna house!

2005-07-04T19:45:00.000-04:00

We finally got another laptop in the stable. After a few weeks of research, we opted for the HP DV4170 which was on sale for the same price at both Best Buy and CompUSA. The notebook costs $1,399 but there are $200 worth of rebates, bringing the final price to $1,199. This unit was a PC Mag Editors Choice with lower specs.

The DV4170 is configured with the following:
- 15.4" Widescreen BrightView that runs a max res of 1280 x 800
- Intel Pentium M 740 chipset (1.73 Ghz with 533 Mhz FSB)
- 1 Gigabyte of RAM
- 100 GB hard drive at 4200 RPM
- 6-in-1 digital medial reader
- Intel PRO Wireless 802.11b\g
- DVD +-R\RW & CD-RW optical drive

The nicest feature is the remote control that fits in the PCMCIA slot. You can remotely access your movies and music; even before boot up!

Live8 blog coverage from Philly

2005-07-02T10:33:00.000-04:00

The folks over at Weblogs, Inc. have a crew of bloggers all set up with press passes backstage today in Philadelphia. I met up with Jason, Karina, Brian and gang last night at the Hard Rock Cafe in Philly and I can vouch for this gang: they are prepared to bring you the best blogging coverage of the event.

Logistical discussions last night ranged from grabbing extra power cords from CVS to building WiFi antennas from Pringles cans to increase the signal. Whatever it takes, this crew knows how to get the job done! The event hasn't even started yet and there are planty of "all-access" photos and comments from the team over at live8insider.com. Check it out!

techADDICTION #14 is here!

2005-06-30T20:00:00.000-04:00

The techADDICTION Show #14 (MP3 - 21.1MB - 61min)

LISTEN HERE

Kevin and I are happy to present this 14th edition of
techADDICTION, the podcast all about mobile gadgety techno-geek stuff.
In today’s show we talk about the Handango Partner Summit I recently
attended in Miami and recap my impressions while they are ~~fresh~~ still
in my mind. In this show we talk about no fewer than ten different
mobile gadgets, analyze the ringtone business and respond to some good
email and Skype calls. Enjoy the show and tell us what you think on the
techADDICTION Skype line. Thanks to One Egg Ticket for the sweet theme music!

Full show notes after the jump!

00:00 Intro- Kevin Tofel & James Kendrick

01:45 Impressions of the Handango Partner Summit

Frank Gocinski spreads Tablet love at the Summit

Motion LE1600; Sahara i213; HP tc4200; HTC Universal; Blackberry 7100t; 7250

Diane Dumas’ Motorola Razr; Hal Goldstein, Publisher of Pocket PC Magazine

21:15 Ringtones are big business

Mobile TV will be huge

26:30 Intermission message from The Podcast Network

27:45 Broadband phones

RazrBerry?

How fast is EDGE? (70 - 135 kbps)

JK sent Kevin his dongle, someone steals it!

Samsung i730

Big screens for big pipes

40:50 Recyclable WiFi

43:00 Sony Cybershot DSC-T7

45:15 Emails and Skype calls

David wants to run two browsers

Where’s Paul Manoogian?

Phillip from the UK makes his first Skype call ever to techADDICTION

Al from Rhode Island tells us about Yahoo Messenger beta with voice

techADDICTION groupie at the Handango Summit

Paul from London Skypes from his Pocket PC

59:10 Wrap up

Zinio Reader upgrade available

2005-06-30T18:45:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm basically completely digital. This includes my magazines, which I subscribe to through Zinio.

Zinio reader works tremendously well on a Tablet PC that runs in 1400 x 1050 resolution. I can get both pages of magazine, side-by-side! Zinio has hundreds of magazines with digital editions and they just upgraded their software. My version went from 1.6 to 3.1 today; no word on what functionality was added OR what happened to the 2.x version! ;)

If you download Zinio, they will include a free copy of Business Week. This gives you a nice trial to see if digital magazine reading works for you.

Interview with Michael Smerconish

2005-06-30T14:15:00.000-04:00

Wow! Thanks to the great work of a volunteer press agent, Barb & I will be on live radio tomorrow morning around 6:30am! Vince Kershner asked to help us out with press releases and scheduling when he heard about our Podcast To Troops idea. This morning Vince contacted us with an interview opportunity on the largest talk radio show in Philadelphia! We'll be live with the prolific and passionate Michael Smerconish tomorrow morning. We'll see if we can the audio file for everyone outside of the Philadelphia area. Hopefully this opportunity will provide more great messages to our Armed Forces overseas!

If you haven't left a voicemail for the troops yet, please consider doing so this holiday weekend as we celebrate our independence.

The official, full press release is after the jump!

Kevin Tofel and Barbara Braeunig (designers of Podcast To Troops) will
be on the Michael Smerconish/WPHT 1210 am radio show, tomorrow Friday
July 1st, for a live interview at 6:30 AM EST.

This 10 minute segment will talk about http://www.podcasttotroops.com/
and how a podcast transfers actual voice mails of support to the troops
that can listened to, by them anywhere in the world via their internet
connection, portable or desktop. Anyone who wants to send a message of
support to the troops can phone in their message to the website and
leave a message for all of those serving to hear.

I hope that you will consider having them as guests on your program,
especially at this 4th Of July Holiday.

Michael Smerconish (www.mastalk.com) is a frequent guest on CNN, Fox
News and MSNBC, (and substitute host for Fox News' Bill O'Reilly) for
his political/social commentary and the author of Flying Blind.

WPHT ( http://www.thebigtalker1210.com/) is the premier news/talk
program in Philadelphia.

Please listen in at 6:30am EST to 1210 AM and enjoy this couples
grassroots, non profit work in supporting the troops!

Contact:
Vince Kershner
Vindication Entertainment Inc,
610.385.0005
cell 610.587.0791

Both guests are available over this Holiday weekend