September is always a great month in the Lawrence Household, especially here in Australia.

Firstly, it's the month where any bonus I get, is paid. Then there's my Oma's and Dad's birthday's in the first week, Father's Day near the beginning of the month, Leah's birthday towards the end, and in a grand finale we have my birthday, a public holiday week-end and the school holidays.

With all those bonuses and birthdays, it's no surprise then that this is a common time for gadget refresh. Often the resolution of a number of months soul-searching "Do we really need it, can we really afford it" and research "eBay, vendor websites, physical stores, reviews, and of course Twitter"

On Saturday then I refreshed my camcorder, with the Canon HF100. This provides true HD (1080/50i and 1080/25p) like most of the other camcorders on the scene, but there's a couple of other reasons I chose this model:

• Flash memory - the camcorder records directly to SDHC cards. An hr on 8GB. This speeds up the capturing process: Just slip the card from the camcorder into your laptop and edit - sweet.
• Mic and Headphones sockets - For interviewing, or any decent sound, you want to be able to plug in a powered (directional) mic and monitor the sound.
• Good low light capture, and video light
• Accessible and comprehensive manual controls (WB, Focus, Aperture)

Of course there are other features I'm coming to appreciate as well (e.g. sub 1 sec startup), but those were my criteria. Interestingly the only other cameras which had all of those features together, were the Sony's. But they required a change to Memory Stick (expensive and I have none) and were expensive.

I bought the camcorder with the Canon Stereo/Directional Mic DM100, which fits neatly into a "Mini-Hot Shoe." Like the Rhode Video mic I already have, this provides a powered, shot-gun capability. However, unlike the Rhode, it is powered from the camcorder and has 2 stereo option settings (90 deg and 120 deg).

The Canon also has the seemingly unique feature of add-on converter lenses, both for Tele- and Wide-angle.

Yesterday Charis was playing at the Castle Hill Orange Blossom Festival with her School Band. I took the opportunity to test out the camera (in HD) and mic. Here's their rendition of Phantom of the Opera - note you can turn on the HD video by going to the Vimeo website.

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Update using MSI or CAB (this updates PDA or Smartphone running WM5 or WM6).  For more information on the update: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/949168

(If you’re unsure – MSI is the easier update option.  Just have your phone connected to your laptop over ActiveSync before running it)

Thanks to my good friend and Technical Account Manager, Lyndon Higgins for this reminder.

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This evening I watched the Guy Kawasaki & Steve Ballmer Keynote, to discover that SteveB uses the same laptop as I do...

That's right, the Toshiba Portege R500 (a.k.a. the "Rapier")

Check out the Keynote, and watch Steve interact with Guy about his "that's heavier than my laptop" Macbook Air. "Where's the DVD Drive?"

Love his work.

For more on this fantastic laptop, check out my other posts here, and here.

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Well, when they said the announcements at Mix08 would blow us away, they weren't wrong....

I'm excited about all of the mobility announcements. It's clear that the Internet, Social Networking, and Gen "C" is combining and extending to the most portable platform we have available today.

A summary of the mobile announcements made this week:

• Silverlight 2.0 with mobile extensions. Just think of Rich Internet Applications reaching right into your pocket.
• Silverlight on Nokia mobile phones. (See my Previous Post) Beyond being able to develop applications for the desktop (WPF), web (WPFe - Silverlight), Mobile devices (SL2.0), but for the most popular mobile device platform on the planet. All in the same IDE!
• Exchange Active Synch on the Apple iPhone!!! Excuse me? Calendaring, Tasks, Email, Global Address List, all available on the iPhone!! (Thanks to my great buddy Johann Kruse for this news)

So not only is Web 2.0 extending to our pockets, but applications and devices are interoperable now like never before.

Now if Apple can put 3G and a GPS onto the iPhone as well as EAS, a decent keyboard, and some battery life, I might even be tempted to buy one...

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No, no, this is not about the Windows Mobile 6 campaign, which could take you to one of the wonders of the world...

Rather it's about the i-mate Ultimate promotion*

As quoted by i-mate:

i-mate’s Ultimate experience – call for applicants

i-mate Australia is running an online experience to help launch their new Ultimate range and provide a comprehensive view of the features and capabilities of these new products.

On the 31st March five people will be sent to a beautiful Byron Bay villa to work remotely for five days with the i-mate Ultimate 9502 & 8502. We will be filming their experiences and posting this with Blog diaries on the Ultimate Escape web page.

The five participants will experience the benefits of working out of the office, in a very pleasant environment.

What’s in it for the participants?

1.       Receive an i-mate ultimate 9502 or 8502.

2.       Spend 5 days working in a beautiful Byron Bay villa

3.       Work with likeminded people

4.       Promote yourself and/or your business through the Ultimate Escape web site

5.       Make a difference by showing that work is something you do, not a place you go. 

To enter simply email apply@theultimateescape.com with details, links, resume, projects, videos, photos or anything else to convince us you’re the right person for the job.

The Ultimate Escape will be hosted by technology evangelist Alex Zaharov-Reutt

For more information about this exciting adventure, please visit www.theultimateescape.com

*Note: This promotion is not a Microsoft activity. Whilst the technology used on the i-mate Ultimate range of phones is Windows Mobile 6, no activities, opinions, monies, or prizes are provided by Microsoft. If you do decide to enter, please understand that you will be working directly with i-mate Australia.

I know there are many readers of my blog interested in Mobility matters, and certainly in blogging about playing, er, working with cool new technology...

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Yes, you read right!!!

SonyEricsson, arguably one of the most popular mobile platforms in the globe since the early '90's has announced the "Experia X1" their Windows Mobile Device.

You heard it here first

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For Christmas I was fortunate enough to get everyone in the family a Zune, including myself. I got one of the 2nd Gen 80GB Zunes, and I have to say it is an awesome device.

No doubt you already have your personal preferences about media players. Some, like the convenience and ease of use, not to mention the all encompassing "i" of the iPod. Other's prefer the flexibility of being able to choose their own sync software, or use the "Plays for Sure" ecosystem with Windows Media Player.

This post isn't to compare devices, or even give my feelings about why I personally think the Zune is quite literally the best music player on the market at the moment. (Yes including the iTouch)

Rather, this trip saw me use the Zune in "anger" for the first time. i.e. It was the first time that I had the opportunity to need long term battery life, a pocketable device, and one which will meet all my media needs (music, sharing pictures, keeping up-to-date with podcasts, and video) for a couple of weeks.

The first stress test of course is battery life. Could I get from Sydney to Seattle (12hr40 + 5hr + 2hr) without needing a recharge?

The short answer is a resounding "Yes!!"

For the flight, I didn't use the Qantas media system at all. Mainly because the "on demand" system wasn't working, and secondly because I wanted to listen to my music and catch-up on other interests (writing a letter, preparing work etc).

So for the long haul, I started listening to the Zune from 20 mins after take-off, and stopped 20 mins before landing. Some 6 hours of that was light classical music through the noise cancellers to help me sleep.

To be honest I didn't use the Zune at all whilst in San Francisco. I'd mislaid my Zune headphones at home, and didn't want to sit in an airport with the noise cancellers on.

On the Seattle flight I watched most of "Hot Fuzz."

So, er, that's 2 hours of video after 12 hours of audio.

So if you have a need for a great, pocketably small music device, with a sweet interface, easy syncing, and amazing battery life; you won't go wrong with the 80GB Zune II.

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My 2nd to last post was about my great new laptop, the Toshiba Portege R500. You'll remember I commented on all of the features it has which the new Macbook Air is missing. That despite the marginal difference in thickness, and less weight.

Yet, of course, the "Air" will be making headlines in sales this week, and that got me to thinking about why. Of course there are some inalienable conclusions in the different ways the two computers were described to the public. And these differences are reflected even in the way owners talk about their machines.

With the Mac, announcements are kept as closely guarded secrets until the annual meeting of the acolytes in San Francisco. Then it gets the treatment of the presentation guru himself, Steve, in a keynote speech no less. Besides all of that, the computer gets a great name. The Macbook "Air."

The Toshiba, the "world's thinnest notebook with an optical drive," with the "thinnest display," with the "thinnest optical drive," and the "lightest notebook" was launched in June 2007. Did you know that? I didn't. I actually had to search for the press release. No keynote speech here.

Talk to a Mac owner, and they talk in loving terms about their Macbook Pro, or their iMac or, this week, their Macbook Air. Talk to your average PC notebook owner, and they mention their latest "Tosh" or "the X61" (what does that even mean?)

The Toshiba (HP, Sony, Lenovo etc etc) all have inscrutable model numbers. Oh, there are model names, but apart from the Asus Lamborghini, or the Acer Ferrari, even those are diluted with different model numbers. I mean, why couldn't my new computer be called the "Switchblade" or "Rapier" or "Stealth." Rather than the "R500."

It's (still) a great machine. Now that everything I need is installed, and the new updates have settled down, the performance is more than commendable. In the next day or so I pick up the Port Replicator and 6 cell battery. Over the next couple of weeks I have a couple of presentations to deliver, not to mention a trip to the US. So look for the stress-test coming soon to a blog near you.

But, it seriously is cool enough to be called the "Rapier."

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On Monday I took delivery of my new work laptop. A Toshiba Portege R500. Despite being ridiculed by my boss for getting a 'wimps' machine, I chose this computer because of certain irresistible promises:

• Low weight - good for all the flying and travel I'll be doing in my new role. Actually pretty good for carrying between meetings at the office too.
• Long Battery Life - again, great for being away from the power supply all day, not to mention sitting on aeroplanes.
• Aesthetics - it is undeniably the coolest looking laptop of the current contenders.

The rest of it's features, frankly, just meet, or pale in comparison to my most recent laptop (the HP Nx8430). All that is, except for one, but more on that later.

Over the last couple of days, whilst I've been installing software and transferring data, I've come to really appreciate this machine. But then so has everyone else who's seen it as well. Like a pregnant woman's tummy, everyone seems to think they have the right to touch it.

It's a computer that's something like the new Lotus Exige. A sports car, with super car pretensions. Like the Exige, everything that's not considered essential is stripped out or pared down.

For example, the speakers, or should I say, speaker, is small and hardly hi-fidelity. There is no built-in webcam, an omission not seen on any self-respecting laptop today. The chromed mouse buttons look great, right until you click them, and leave unsightly smudgy fingerprints. Video out is an outdated 20th century VGA connector. No, the keyboard is not backlit; and unlike the new Macbook "Air" you can't use gestures on the trackpad to zoom your browser or rotate your pictures.

But then, you pick it up, and marvel at it's lightness. The model I have, with the 120GB HDD, weigh's less than a kg. The keyboard, whilst not backlit, has 85 full sized keys with great tactile response.

Last night I worked for over 4 hours without AC power. When I eventually went to sleep, the Low battery warning informed me that I only had juice for another 1 hr 05. Did I mention that this is on the 4-cell battery that comes as standard. There's also a 6-cell battery which comes as an accessory. Be careful though, this bumps the width to a whopping 25mm. (battery life to circa 8 hours though)

You'd think, after Apple's recent announcement that, to put together something his sleek, one actually has to sacrifice on peripherals we've come to take for granted. But you'd be wrong!

The Toshiba R500 is a mere 1mm thicker than the Macbook Air, and Apple compromised with a hidden peripheral slot, housing a single USB, mini-DVI, and headphone socket; no optical drive; no replaceable battery, and a paltry 80GB HDD. They did this in a computer up to 400g heavier.

The R500 on the other hand has a full Dual-layer DVD Burner, a firewire slot, no less than 3 USB slots, PCMCIA type II slot, VGA connector, SD Card slot, physical wi-fi switch, headphone and mic socket with volume control, a 1Gbps Ethernet socket, and a 120GB HDD.

All that, in just one more millimetre! Not bad Toshiba. Like the Mac, you can choose to get the 64GB Solid State Drive, unlike the Mac, this will boost the battery life to an amazing 12.5 hours.

And it's not ugly either. Gone are designs reminiscent of clunky brick, or fridge plastic. This machine is a svelte magnesium alloy. On this PC stickers will detract from it's beauty.

And then....    ...there's the display!!

It's only 12.2" diagonal, but drives a respectable 1280 x 800 pixels. Actually the VGA out simultaneously and comfortably drives my 22" 1680 x 1050 display. But this isn't the innovation.

On the top left corner of the keyboard is a button with a strange icon. A screen with the sun behind it. Press this in the office and whoops, the screen goes dark. But press this outside in the bright sunlight, and suddenly, as if by magic, the screen lights up to wonderful, readable, useful display. The magic of the transreflective screen. In one fell swoop you get to use your computer outside, by the pool, at the coffee shop, and save more battery-life.

So since the Macworld announcement this morning, I've had some interesting thoughts:

• How often do I want to sit with my laptop outside in the sun vs need to see the keyboard in the pitch black on a night flight?
• How many DVD's do I already own that I'd like to watch vs movies I can't yet purchase in Australia to download legally?
• More to the point, just how cool and attractive is this machine.

This is one great computer.

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The HTC TyTN II is still the best phone/PDA I've used to-date, and without it I feel like I'm simply incomplete. More so at the moment as my watch is (not) in for repair, so I need the PPC even to tell the time.

Unfortunately I left it in my car on NYE, which led to the battery going flat (1st time since I got it). No big deal, plug it into a charger and all should be well with the world. Except, no matter what I tried, the phone simply would not find the network. hmmm.

Ok, so now I had a large weighty digital clock (which company security means I need to enter a PIN to access after 15 mins of inactivity) hardly the most functional of gadgets. Yes, I know I could fire up Wi-Fi and connect to my email, calendar, Live Mail, Messenger, Weather etc. But not, as it turns out, in Budgewoi where I was visiting my daughter for a day. She's there on a Scripture Union Beach Mission for 10 days.

By the 2nd, when I was ostensibly back at work (although practically lain low by a flu virus), I was chafing at the feeling of being disconnected. I hadn't been able to SMS friends and family around the world wishing them the best for 2008, neither receive their well wishes.

Yesterday I got into the office, and continued trying to resolve the issue. Here’s a summary of the suggestions I tried and below the actual fix:

1. Try a different NextG SIM in my phone and my SIM in another phone to isolate the problem to either the phone or the SIM
   1. Did this with a couple of SIM’s on my TyTN and phones (none an HTC however)
   2. Confirmed that my account was live, at least on other non-3G phones
   3. Confirmed that my phone was still working, both on our chosen 3G network, as well as other networks.
   4. The only thing that did not work was my phone on my account.
2. Change all the network and band selection settings to Automatic
   1. Impossible to do with the SIM in the phone the phone settings dialogue on the TyTN II are only exposed when there is a working SIM in place and the phone is attached to the network.
   2. Replaced the SIM with another and checked these settings – all of them where already on automatic...
3. Call the network provider and confirm there wasn’t a block on the account for some reason, particularly a block on the account with an HTC IMEI
   1. Spoke to two very helpful call centre engineers
   2. Confirmed that there was no block on my account of any sort
   3. Also confirmed that this particular network is helpful despite the HTC being “unsupported” on our chosen network – there was no behaviour or evidence that the operators wouldn’t help me because I was using an unsupported phone. Reinvigorated my faith in fellow humanity :o)
4. Remove the SIM PIN (this worked for a work colleague)
   1. Didn’t get to try this – impossible to do on my phone (see point two)
   2. However, had I read the email earlier I could’ve tried this by turning off the PIN in another device, then returning the SIM to my TyTN II
5. Clean off the SIM with an alcohol wipe to ensure proper contact with the points.
   1. Again, only received this suggestion this morning – too late as I’ve already resolved the issue. Interestingly, along the right track though.
6. Hard Reset the TyTN II
   1. Ended up not trying this as the cost (reinstalling applications, losing SMS’s, reconnecting to Exchange etc) outweighed the benefit considering:
      1. It wasn’t guaranteed to work
      2. Another solution may work without needing a reset

So what did I do to resolve the problem:

1. Wandered down to the ever helpful Mobile Fleet Manager here and mentioned that my SIM was no longer working in my phone. Also mentioned all the steps I’d taken to try to resolve the issue.
2. He mentioned that the current batch of 3G SIM’s had a different circuit design to others received in the past.
3. It turns out the common elements with current 3G network access issues include: HTC phones (Touch, Touch Dual, TyTN II) and these new SIMs
4. He replaced my SIM with one which has an older circuit design
5. I called the network to activate this
6. Back online within 5 mins of getting the SIM

Talk about a spurious error - it did provide some insight for me:

• Quite how dependent I am on mobile connectivity - for so much more than voice and SMS
• Quite how intricate connectivity issues can be to resolve - who'd have thought a std 3G SIM wouldn't work in a standards compliant 3G phone....
• Quite how friendly and helpful people can be if you let them (tip: Don't criticise people, don't let your frustration with the issue turn into frustration with them)

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Great news for Palm Treo users – The Telstra Windows Mobile 6 ROM is now available for download (in addition to Three and Vodafone ROMs).

Upgrade today and enjoy the great new benefits such as HTML email, IRM protected email, Internet Connection sharing (aka mobile broadband) and Windows Live!

www.palm.com/au/go/getwm6

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Finally, a device manufacturer that remembers what the "U" in "USB" stands for...

I received my new HTC TyTN II today. From my previous post on the last SWMUG monthly meeting, you'll remember I said that this was going to be my next device!! It is definitely closest to my current ideal, lacking only a few tiny details: e.g. sufficient onboard memory, extended battery life, and a sufficient resolution camera (with optical zoom) to rid myself of those other imperative gadgets (MP3 player, decent compact digital camera etc.)

But it does come with Bluetooth 2.0 A2DP, Wi-Fi (ABG), GPS, GSM/GPRS/EDGE/HSDPA, a 400MHz Processor, 3.8" QVGA screen, and the best slide-out QWERTY keyboard I've had the chance to use. What's with Micro-SD though? GRRR - just when I'd bought a decent size Mini-SD for the Palm....

So far we're 3 hours in. I've setup the Co-Pilot software (comes pre-loaded with Australia Maps), my Exchange 2007 account (I Love push email), my Windows Live account (Messenger, Maps, Search, Email), charged the battery, my weather location, picture contacts, and the Voice Command 2.0 training.

Am I happy? For day 1, yes, resoundingly so - this is a great gadget. Not for the fair weather "I only use the phone and SMS" mobile user. But if you need to be connected, fast, anywhere in the world, with the input peripherals to actually do something useful! If you don't necessarily want to carry around your MP3 player, camera, GPS, diary, task list, and phone! Then take a serious look at the TyTN II.... It's our next upgrade.

More on how it features as I use it in anger.

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So this is the climax of the year for what Lucy lovingly terms "geeks-r-us" a.k.a the Sydney Windows Mobile Usergroup. The thing is, our Christmas party tends not to be very geeky at all. Good food, really great company, and fantastic giveaways from all of our sponsors. Last year we gave away 3 Smartphones, not to mention GPS receivers, memory cars, backpacks, and other less functional (read technical) stuff.

On average, our Christmas Parties see some $5,000 of giveaways, and of course, everyone gets a gift. Of course partners are welcome, and the more that come, the more they have to talk about :)

This year we're at the Stamdford Hotel, and I'm really looking forward to wrapping up our 6th of all things Microsoft Mobility...

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Quote

SWMUG Annual Christmas Party

Hosted by: Sydney Windows Mobile Usergroup Date and time: Tuesday, December 04, 2007 at 6:30 PM Location name: Epping Rd, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia View this event on Windows Live

Were you even aware that your Mobile 6 device could take you places you'd only dreamed about? You do need to have bought it between 1 November and the end of 2007.

Of course there are other conditions, which constrain people like me winning :-) for very good reason, but if you don't work for Microsoft or our agencies, and you have bought yourself a Windows Mobile 6 device - check out the website here, and sign-up here

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Well I too saw the video of Android, the platform of the new G-Phone. Does it look cool? I would expect nothing less for a marketing video. Is there anything really new that we haven't yet seen in the world of mobility?

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yes, Yes, YES, YES!!!

It's been a very long while since we've had as good a Usergroup meeting as we did tonight! For a start we had a great turnout, I mean, there was even 1 woman there, and about 35 attendees. Did I mention that Nick Randolph, Windows Mobile TechEd Presenter and co-villian, has eventually decided to move to Godzone city and grace us with his presence too!! Good on yer Nick, and welcome, finally...

With my new job, I'm not sure about any potential conflicts of interest with me being the "Fearless Leader" of the Usergroup - so this evening, I officially stepped down. Not from being Fearless, but from being the Leader. So officially I'm now the Fearless ex-Leader of the Sydney Windows Mobile Usergroup

...we were also pleased to announce my successor in the role:  John Harsem. (see yesterday's blog about succession planning) Although he does own 2 Windows Mobile Devices, we just have to convince him to forego the iPhone as his Primary device. After this momentous news, we celebrated as only Geeks-R-Us can... ...with Pizza!!! Then, the meat of the meeting:

First cab off the rank was James McCutcheon from J3 Technology, with the best demo of the latest features for Windows mobile in Visual Studio 2008 I've yet seen. Unit testing, LINQ, even Power Tools. Great stuff, and it was good to see James' enthusiasm and passion really come out in his presentation.

Next up was Michael, the Product Manager for HTC here in Australia. He took us through the latest models. What a line-up:

• The Touch - pre-empted the iPhone by months, and is officially released in Australia (unlike the iPhone)
• The Touch Dual - what a lovely phone, not only with the updated OS, more RAM than the Touch (makes it zippier) but has a slide-out keypad. It also runs 3G and has a faster processor. If you think the iPhone is sexy, and want the Touch, this is the phone to buy. For one thing you'll be able to synch directly with your Exchange server - see your Company Directory, open Sharepoint sites, search on your Inbox - try doing that on the iPhone...
• The Shift - this device is the first in a long while that I've seen people literally drooling over. This had the same reaction as the first colour PocketPC (remember the Compaq Aero), the first with Wi-Fi built in. For good reason - full Vista running on 1 Processor, with a Gig of RAM - and at the touch of a button, Windows Mobile 6 running on another processor. Why you ask? Well, think a week of battery life on WM6 - with full push email. Get an email with a 76-slide Powerpoint file, flick to the Vista mode and open the full application rather than the mobile edition on a Mobile Device. This baby has all the best from mobility and portability, and all the best of rich applications, with a great form factor.
• The TyTn II - this is my next device. 3G, Wi-Fi everything, 3MPx camera, front vidcam, slide out QWERTY Keyboard. 3.8"screen. Oodles of RAM. External slots for SIM, MicroSD. AND full GPS. With full Co-Pilot software. Finally, finally, a gadget with everything I want, in the one device. There is no question that this will be my next device. I just need to figure out the funding model. K-JAM and Palm Treo750W for sale - anyone?

Taking us home was Andrew Curtis from PressDigital and C1 Consulting. He demonstrated some great little GPS tracking devices, which you can interrogate to see where a vehicle (e.g. a Fleet vehicle, or delivery vehicle) is. or has been. There was everything from the entry level models, through to the full vehicle telemetry models used for large logistics organisations. I was tempted to get a couple of the little ones for Leah and Em's (my daughters) cars.... :)

Andrew introduced David Niu from Fujitsu, who showed off the latest two models from the new (tiny) Lifebook U range. Small, light, amazing battery life, touch screen Ultra-Mobile PC's. The latest model comes with HSDPA (that's 3G or NextG wireless connectivity at 7.2Mbps) built in.

So after some not inconsiderable time, it seems with no real innovation this year (other than integrating old technologies into "new" models), suddenly the mobility industry seems to be back with a vengeance! Really cool, new, and innovative devices coming down the road over the next couple of months. If you haven't thought of your Christmas present yet - take a peek at the HTC and Fujitsu sites - there's a lot to tempt you...

Wrapping up, John hosted our Monthly prize giveaway - seen here are two happy members (one just signed up tonight) with their new gadgets

Next months meeting will be the Annual SWMUG Christmas Party - this year hosted at the Stamford Hotel on Tuesday 4 December from 7:30pm. We'll be having a fun Trivia night, and if the last few years are anything to go by, there'll be about $5,000 worth of giveaways (last year we gave away 3 Smartphones). So good food, great company, loads of fun, heaps of gadgets, and everyone gets a gift. Be there, bring your significant other, and bring a friend...

Also - if you're on Facebook, be sure to ping me, and join the Sydney Windows Mobile Usergroup

Oh, and if you haven't had the chance, remembered, or simply bothered yet - I'm looking stupid for a month, click on the black square below and sponsor this great cause for Men's Health Issues - Movember!! The reason I'm doing this? My father-in-law suffers from Prostate Cancer, and my bio-dad died of cancer. The funding raised makes an actual difference in the lives of people I know.

I do know how many people ping us for charity. So I don't expect everyone to sponsor me. But any support at all - encouragement, laughter, a kind word, or yes, if you think this is an important issue, some dollars - any support you feel is appropriate, is very welcome.

My progress photos are going up in the Mobile Album on this site.

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Click here to sponsor my Mo (and leave a comment for the style)

Ever gone technology buying?

I don't mean that quagmire of decisions: What processor should my new laptop have? What's the real performance difference between Intel Core 2 Duo's and AMD Turon's? What is DDR anyway, and why should I care?

No I mean that tech buying when you know exactly what you want? And you want it today...

It's still a quagmire. The quagmire that faced me on Saturday morning when I went to buy my XBox360.

After some research online, it seemed that I wasn't going to get away with hitting just one shop. The best bundle was at Dick Smith Electronics, but they didn't have any of the accessories I wanted, at least not in stock anywhere closer than Wollongong. Ho hum!

So I headed to Macquarie Centre. DSE, JB Hi-Fi, EB Games, and Big W, all in one location. My plan was to get the best deal I could in the first store, then work my way round the shopping Centre. Of course, there's no difference between theory and practice, in theory.

After being totally ignored in the first store I visited, I ended up at EB Games. What a great experience!!! Not only did they have everything I needed, in store, they gave me personal attention (thanks Demetrius), they also matched all the prices advertised at the other stores. Then added warranty on the games (in case of scratched disks etc.) Then gave an added discount on all the items that weren't sold at the other stores.

In, out, all within 10 minutes. Another reason to appreciate the rain this week-end.

Nope, I didn't get the Elite... but that XBox is swe-e-e-et. See you on Live (Rog042).

Now, off to Forza and PGR3...

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Click here to sponsor my Mo (and leave a comment for the style)

I know, I know, it's not without reason that I've been called a gadget freak. With this in mind, it's almost inevitable that I'd blog about the technology we're using on our holiday. It's funny, people get almost religious about technology. There seems to be a reverse snobbery about not having the latest technology. Almost as if one is more sophisticated by not upgrading to the latest operating system, or having a smart phone, or using a laptop.

Then there's the "but we don't need it" argument. That old cover-all. It's just as well that progress is not constrained in that bucket. Yet, my experience is that the arguments are all very, very selective. Do we need electricity? We use it to cook, heat, and light our world, not to mention entertain ourselves. Yet humanity has survived for millennia without this relatively recent technology. In fact the very people who argue with me about "not needing" a (piece of) technology, often have these very conversations whilst taking food out of the microwave, or dishes out of the dishwasher. Which they wouldn't do without!!

The truth is we don't need any technology, of course. All technology merely gives us benefits that we would not otherwise enjoy. Some of these become critically important. I don't know anyone who'd rather have an operation without electric lighting, medical diagnostic equipment, or biomedical technology (anaesthetic to mention just one); or anyone who'd be willing to fly in an airliner knowing it didn't have navigational equipment. So why this individual reluctance to adopt newer technologies?

I think that it's based on ignorance and fear. Often ignorance about the actual impact that benefits which the new technology provides, and fear of the unknown. At least fear of having to learn something new - the pain of the old technology is perceived as less than the pain of learning and adopting the new.

The reason I am a gadget freak (and proud of it) is because technology is an enabler. When I was a child in boarding school, my only contact with my family was a weekly letter. My kids have daily conversations with me and their friends, no matter where any of us are on the planet. Our communication has been significantly enabled. Would I ever go back to a 4 day old, weekly letter? Not likely!! So finally, after this philosophical rant, I'll mention some of the technologies that I find essential on our travels.

Palm Treo 750W, with a roaming Orange prepaid SIM card with (at least) GPRS data.
This morning I was on top of Mt Moleson, in the Gruyeres district in Switzerland. At about noon, standing at 2002m, I received a SMS text from Em (in Australia), wishing me a Happy Father's day. This was the 2nd I'd received, the first from Leah, but I won't mention what time she messaged me :) But with a wife in England, one daughter in Wollongong, another in West Pennant Hills, and us in Switzerland, the ability to communicate with each other by phone and text is a godsend.

In my experience, Europe is great for roaming, and high-speed data. The network to go with, at least in the UK, is Orange. The call and text rates are brilliant, as are the roaming rates, and I can get unlimited data for just £1 per day. This also allows me to connect my laptop to the Internet at those places where people don't have broadband (surprise, there are still people in the world in this category)

HP Pavillion 9205T Laptop - with (preferably) WiFi access (at least) broadband
There are many that shake their heads at me bringing a laptop with me, but there are essential activities that I've already conducted:

• Saving and cataloguing digital photos daily. This frees up my camera memory cards, and saves me from having to do this cataloguing at the end of the holiday. Also, being able to save collections, e.g. for the wedding, within hours of the actual event.
• Communication - email for myself, Lucy, and the girls. Not to mention MSN Messenger, and Skype.
• Skype - I've been able to call the girls in Australia, Lucy in the UK, Mum in Spain, airlines, car rentals, and many others either for free, or for very, very little using Skype.
• Entertainment - our first flight had no individual screens. Also, our chalet in Switzerland only has French and German TV. Having a 17" laptop with a bucket load of DivX movies and TV series has come in very handy.

Fuji Finepix F20 Compact Digital Camera
I have the SLR, which is great for wedding photos, but when you're travelling you need something you can slip in your pocket, and still take decent shots at the drop of a hat. The SLR is just too big for that.

I picked up the Finepix in Spain. It boasts 6MPx, enough auto and manual settings to soothe the photographic snob in me, and takes great shots. It also fits into my pocket easily. No it's not as slim as the Olympus, nor has the size LCD as the Panasonic, it doesn't have the massive MPx size of the latest Canons, and only has a 3x Optical Zoom. But it does take really good photos. I love it's size, some of the features (like 2 sec timer release which allows remote shooting for low light shots without a remote). Of course, I loved the price as well (as, more importantly, did Lucy)

My only gripe is that now I have yet another memory card format (XD). Fortunately my laptop has an integrated XD reader.

Archos AV500 Mobile DVR
100GB of music, photos, video - 3 seasons of "Dr Who", 24 episodes of "Heroes" - nuff said.

But the absolutely essential technology that I've used this holiday has to be David Pasquier's HP Mobile Messenger with integrated GPS and TomTom.

TomTom GPS Navigation
Driving on the wrong side of the road, on the wrong side of the car is hard enough. Navigating in a strange place, whilst doing this is even harder. Attempting to navigate in a foreign language harder still. In fact I would go as far as to say that without the GPS navigation, despite it being in French (gauche is left, droite is right), there is no way I could've successfully driven myself and the girls up the side of a Swiss mountain, on the tiny farm tracks, through fog in the middle of the night.

That's my list - a phone, a laptop, a digital camera, a media player, but most of all, GPS navigation.

With just these devices I've been able to keep in near daily contact with family around the world, blog our travels, keep a photo diary, take and share wedding photos, create DVD's, and navigate successfully in a foreign country.

Did I "need" them?

• I could've called from payphones - but no-one would've been able to get hold of me and the girls, and we'd be paying a LOT more.
• I could've taken, developed, and printed film photos - again at a premium, and there's no way we could share these as easily as we have.
• We could've carried more books (we do have half-a-dozen each anyway) I guess
• Theoretically, I could've bought a Swiss street directory, and had Amanzi navigate me, if we ever found the place we're staying at, on the map.

Yes, I needed them!

R42
02092007-1500 Zulu
02092007-1700 Local
"Pasquier Residence," Ville de Paquier, Gruyeres, Switzerland 

Released yesterday -

This new version of the Windows Mobile Device Center contains key improvements and new features to support Windows Mobile 6 devices. The Windows Mobile Device Center 6.1 is only supported on Windows Vista.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/devicecenter.mspx

R42