No EDGE then no TORQ P100 for me

Now that it has been confirmed by users on Howard Forums and Engadget that T-Mobile will be getting EDGE in September my choice of a mobile phone just became a bit easier. The TORQ P100 that I reviewed (review should go live in a day or so) does not have EDGE support so I will be passing it up.

That leaves me with the HTC Wizard or Treo 650 for devices in the current generation. The rumored Windows Mobile Treo may or may not come to GSM carriers and I can't rely on that right now. David, from Mad Monkey Boy's Gadgets, should be sending me a HTC Wizard to review and if that device doesn't pan out I may just go back and get myself a Treo 650. The Treo 650 had a wonderful form factor and the ability to use it one handed and I fear that Windows Mobile 5.0 devices just won't be there yet with the keyboard integration.

Cingular or T-Mobile this fall?

I wrote up a PDAGeek blurb today discussing a choice I have to make between Cingular and T-Mobile this fall. I was leaning heavily towards Cingular with their EDGE support, rollover minutes, Treo 650, and iTunes Motorola phone, but now that T-Mobile is rolling out EDGE soon, will have some very nice HTC Windows Mobile devices, and have been great at customer service for me personally I am favoring T-Mobile heavily. I wouldn't have to go through any number migration or other activation fees, etc. and T-Mobile coverage has greatly improved where I can now use my phone at my home.

Anyone have any opinion on either provider? I won't switch to Verizon with their EV-DO because I need the flexibility of switching phone models that I get with my SIM card.

Happy 87th Birthday Granny Bolstad

I have a couple special women in my life and today we celebrated the birthday of one person who means the world to me, Granny Bolstad. It was Granny's 87th birthday and she is still going strong and I think she has a great chance of making it to 100. Granny is my wife's grandma and she treats me like I am her own grandson. She has lived a long hard life and I love visiting with her and listening to stories of the depression, politics, and life in the good old days. After the party at Aunt Marsha's I took Granny for a ride out in our new boat and I think she thoroughly enjoyed herself. I couldn't convince her to get on the tube this time, but maybe next time. I added a photo of her in the boat on my Flickr site so feel free to take a look at a wonderful woman who means so much to her family. She is always giving and is the hardest working person I know.

Tungsten T3 may no longer be needed with StyleTap available

I rarely use my Palm Powered Tungsten T3 anymore and after reading about the latest update to StyleTap I think its days may actually be numbered. Most all of the applications I run on my T3 are now found in the Windows Mobile world, or at least an equivalent is available. One application that I have used my T3 for regularly and that forces me to take my T3 on salvage cases is the freeware Tide Tool program that gives me nice tide tables and graphs for pretty much the entire world. I just installed it on my Dell Axim X50v into StyleTap and it works like a charm, even in full high resolution fonts and colors.

Another application that should soon be on Windows Mobile that I miss is SplashBlog. I tried out this with StyleTap as well and while it does install fine and let me sync blogs, I cannot post new entries by selecting photos stored on my Windows Mobile device.

I'll have to go through my T3 and see if there are any other Palm specific apps with no Windows Mobile equivalent that I would like to use. Having Tide Tool on my WM device now though makes it less and less likely the T3 will be traveling much more.

Huge review queue, PPC judging, traffic court

Boy do I have a ton of stuff to review right now. Proporta just sent me a couple of cases for the PSP to check out and I have about 20 other things in my review queue. My full review of the TORQ P100 is 95% complete and will be up on Geek.com early next week. It is so great to be able to check out so many of the latest devices and software for Geek.com and I appreciate the opportunity that Joel has given me. By the way, I just passed my 4 year anniversary writing for Geek.com and can't believe how fast the time has flown by.

I also have to finish judging software for the 2005 Pocket PC Magazine Awards and plan on knocking that out this weekend with some very late nights. I dropped the Smartphone categories since I really don't have access to a reliable Smartphone. I just read that T-Mobile may be getting the excellent HTC Tornado in October though and may sign up for another yearly contract and use my upgrade discount to buy this QVGA Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone with Bluetooth and WiFi.

Oh yeah, I also have to go to traffic court this morning to explain my actions from when I turned right on red like you normally can do at most stop lights. This is my first time there, I have never even been pulled over in 20+ years of driving, and just want the ticket off my record so it remains super clean and insurance doesn't go up. I am fine with being on probation for 6 months or whatever because if I went 20 years without a ticket I doubt I will have a problem going for 6 months without one. Wish me luck.

UPDATE: I was surprised there was no general courtroom or anything. I just went into an office with a magistrate and told him my story. He deferred my ticket and fine for 1 year and as long as I don't get any tickets then it will never show up on my record. However, I did have to pay $100 for Seattle Municipal court fees :( I may have to now slow down a bit in the vanpool, which is the only time I drive faster than 5mph over the speed limit.

Ship salvage definition

My favorite part of my job is assisting with maritime salvage and successfully remediating vessels in trouble and one of my favorite quotes from an anonymous source is:

Ship salvage is a science of vague assumptions based on debatable figures taken from inconclusive instruments, performed with equipment of problematical accuracy by persons of doubtful reliability and questionable mentality.

Focusing my attention on future mobile devices

I have decided to require that the next mobile device that I purchase will have phone functionality and a thumb keyboard. This will help eliminate many options that may entice me into a spur of the moment purchase and help focus me on what I really want. I am a HUGE thumb keyboard fan and really won't be fully happy with anything less. The Treo 650 really sets the standard for a design I personally prefer, but with a Palm Cobalt and/or Windows Mobile version rumored to be coming in the next few months I won't go for the current 650. I will evaluate and review the Wizard and may go for that only if the thumb keyboard integration is better than it has been in the past. I already played with the HTC Universal and know I will be passing up that device since I do not like the flatness and size of the keyboard.

Decisions made on mobile devices

I actually read a bit through the manual for the SE P910 and found out the jog dial was a 5-way dial that moved forward and backward. I was then able to use it to access lots of menus and run almost everything right from the jog dial itself. This bumped the P910 back up in my evaluation at first.

I then went ahead an initiated a Buy.com return because this smartphone is tri-band and with the salvage work that I may be doing overseas I want to have a quad-band device to cover all my bases. Also, there will be an upgraded UIQ device coming out since the P910 has been out now for close to a year and I want to stick with the latest technology, even if the P910 is a rock solid workhorse. I have to say that T-Mobile reception was incredible with it though.

I also decided to return the TORQ P100 after my review period is up even though it too is an awesome device. I actually like it better than the JAM due to the much better Bluetooth stack and support, faster processor, larger ROM area, nice software suite, and loud speaker volume. If I didn't have an Axim X50v getting WM 5.0 then I would definitely buy the TORQ.

I am still considering the Wizard, but will have to check one out first to say for sure and David may be sending me one for review in the next couple of weeks. The awesome Treo 650 also keeps popping back into my head and I am going to try to resist that temptation and hold out for an upgraded, rumored Treo 670 or even Windows Mobile Treo.

Let's throw the HTC Wizard into my decision mix

I played with the P910a a bit more at lunch and figured out I can use the jog wheel for several things when the keypad/keyboard is flipped close. It actually does have the "smart dialing" feature in this flip closed mode so that is very nice. Speaker and speakerphone volume are outstanding and I have been at almost full bars for reception with T-Mobile since I have been using the device.

I heard that the HTC Wizard (JAM 2) may be coming out in the next couple of weeks and so now I am throwning that device into the mix with the TORQ P100 and SE P910. The Wizard has a thumb keyboard and WiFi integrated in a form factor that looks to be about the same as the TORQ. The TORQ is rumored to get a WM 5.0 upgrade, but it doesn't have an additional two hardware keys to activate the "Smartphone-like" soft keys in Windows Mobile 5.0. However, the TORQ does have a zippy Samsung 400 MHz processor while the Wizard has a TI OMAP 850 195 MHz processor, which concerns me at this time. Granted, processor speed isn't always the best indicator of speed, but the lame HP 6315 had a TI OMAP 200 MHz processor from an older generation and it was a dog. If the processor performs well, then I imagine you would get some good battery savings from it as well.

As you may know, I am quite the thumb keyboard fan and the Treo 650 really does have a very nice form factor that sets the bar for good design, in my opinion. When I had the JAM and PDA2K I said I wanted to see a slide out keyboard that I could use in landscape mode and here it is in the Wizard. Then again, if I have to pull out the stylus to access bottom menus, etc. then the keyboard gets used less and less. I RARELY even used the stylus with the Treo 650 and loved that functionality.

WiFi is nice, but I really only use it at home and have a Dell Axim X50v with VGA display and Tablet PC to cover that use so WiFi really isn't that big of a deal for me.

It sounds like it is time for me to setup a spreadsheet to compare the choices. I am not considering the HTC Universal after playing with one at Microsoft because I don't like the keyboard design and want something more pocketable.

Shoot, maybe I should just go back to the Treo 650 :)

Intial thoughts on the SE P910a

I received my Sony Ericsson P910a from Buy.com yesterday and now I am in the proces of trying to decide if I keep it or go for the TORQ P100 instead. I only have the available funds for one device and have been pretty happy with the fast TORQ that should be getting a Windows Mobile 5.0 upgrade.

I have only had the P910a for a couple hours, but the reception I am getting with T-Mobile blows away ANY device I have ever tried. I had a full 4 out of 5 bars at my house last night, which is unheard of for my house. The device is much lighter than I thought it would be, but still feels like it is high quality. The jog dial is handy and I like the flip up phone keypad. The QWERTY keyboard is ok, but it doesn't have a tab key to move through fields and is not backlit. There also are now arrows to move me right and left and thus text fields that are off the screen are tedious to work with the stylus. The stylus is like the old toothpick Sony CLIE models and is a joke compared to the nice one on the TORQ. The device isn't as zippy at switching apps as the TORQ is. The device has Opera 6.3, but the latest version is not available for UIQ yet and there doesn't appear to be anyway to delete old bookmarks and the menus don't have that many options. The OliveTree Bible Reader program works on the device, but isn't near as full featured or user friendly as PocketBible on the TORQ. Handmark Express also seems to be having issues relaunching after it was working for me yesterday. The camera is VGA and doesn't take as nice of photos as the TORQ either.

So after reading all these initial impressions you may be thinking there is no contest and the TORQ should win out. However, I have a Dell Axim X50v that will get Windows Mobile 5.0 this fall so I was thinking it would be better to have a mobile phone with a different OS. Then again, I have a Nokia 7610 with Symbian Series 60 that is also a very nice device and don't really need a UIQ Smartphone. I have time to return the P910a to Buy.com if I am not satisfied so I will give it a few more days of trials.

I would like a device that is stable, has a loud speaker and speakerphone, and can be relied upon to be there when I need it with decent reception. Any thoughts on these two devices?

TORQ P100 performing quite well with further testing

I wanted to really test the TORQ P100 out a bit more this weekend and it was the only mobile phone I used all weekend. I was amazed that I had any reception out in Elma and Shelton, WA since these towns are quite small and are not that close to I-5. The TORQ gave me 2 to 3 bars, out of 4, most all weekend and worked like a champ.

I also found out that it rings fine while plugged into the cradle or cable and have to test out the vibrate only mode a bit more to see if that is the only minor bug regarding this situation.

I also tested it with my Cardo Scala 500 Bluetooth headset and it still doesn't seem loud enough. I then tried it with my GN Netcom 6210 (same as Jabra BT250) headset and it works perfectly. I actually get much louder volume on the 6210 then I have had with this headset using any other Bluetooth enable phone device.

The more I test out the TORQ the more and more tempting it is to pick it up since the specs are quite good (400 MHz processor, 128MB ROM, 64MB RAM, etc.) and it will be getting a Windows Mobile 5.0 upgrade. I hope to finish testing things out at the end of this week, along with my decision of whether to purchase this unit or wait for the JAM 2 with integrated thumb keyboard.

My current reservation in regards to the JAM 2 is that I heard it will have a slow processor and Microsoft's integration of thumb keyboards still concerns me. Now a Treo running Windows Mobile with good thumb keyboard integration would be outstanding.

Maloree is a SUPERSTAR!!!!

My middle daughter, Maloree, tried out for and was selected to play on a select soccer team, the FC Royals. What made this team a bit special was that almost all the girls were 8 or 9 years old when they started and they are playing against 10 and 11 year olds. They took 2nd in their last tournament after winning every game in the qualifying rounds, losing 2-1 to the NK Illusion. Well we just went to another tournament this weekend in Shelton and again they were undefeated in the qualifying round and again faced the NK Illusion in the championship game. The FC Royals won that game 3-2 and took home the honors of 1st place.

Maloree was one of two girls selected as a player of the tourney and I couldn't be prouder of her accomplishments. She was playing in a new position, sweeper (the last person defending the goal in front of the keeper), and did very well even with all the pressure of the games.

This team is amazing, especially when you consider they are playing girls 1 to 2 years older than them and still beating them. Look for this team to go far over the years and see more proud papa moments on my blog :)

Added several new links

I just added several new links to my Gadget Site list over in the right column so feel free to check them out. There are so many excellent resources out there for mobile device users that I could spend all day surfing them and checking out all the news in the mobile world.

Update on my real job as a naval architect

As you may know, I am a Naval Architect in my normal job, which is becoming busier and busier. I am just now starting a job where we will be conducting stability testing on 9 oceanographic research vessels, with more maybe to come in 2006. This will require travel at least once a month by myself or my coworker and should be an interesting project. There will also be several challenges as these vessels tend to add a lot of weight that is not well documented. We will be making trips to Florida, Rhode Island, Georgia, Minnesota, California, Oregon, and Louisiana for this first round of ships.

Our role in salvage is also expanding and we just purchased the excellent salvage software, HECSALV. This is the program I used while in the USCG and I love using it for salvage and found that it helps me get quite accurate results in emergency situations. These salvage cases generally require travel and I have already gone to St. Croix and Hawaii this year, with a trip to Louisiana cancelled at the last minute. I LOVE working on salvage cases because unlike most engineering projects the results are quite immediate and can be very rewarding when the vessel is successfully remediated.

There are a couple of other projects I will be working on, but they are still in the proposal stage and one even may depend on the gas tax issue here in Washington. This is a tough one for me personally because I plan to vote against the gas tax since the State Legislature hasn't shown me that the can even manage the money we already give them and I don't believe giving money to irresponsible people a very smart thing to do. Then again, if the tax increase remains we are pretty sure of getting the job I would be working on. I still plan to vote my convictions and let the chips fall where they may. We are very busy here at work and this project wouldn't severely affect our bottom line.

Some issues with the TORQ resolved with helpful assistance

OK, after posting my questions and concerns on HowardForums I quickly received some extremely helpful responses. Using the advice given I removed Spb Pocket Plus 3.0, increased the microphone gain for all functions, and also switched the band from 900/1800 to 850/1900. I thought T-Mobile was on 900 and Cingular on 850, but think T-Mobile is on actually on 1900 and 900 will be used while traveling overseas. Please correct me if I am wrong here.

So far my concerns with volume seem to have cleared up and it looks like it was 3rd party software and not changing the default band that led to the volume issues. I haven't tested out my Bluetooth headset because I left it in my truck. I don't get any speakerphone notification icon in the top bar though when I switch to speakerphone mode and I swear I did on my other Phone Edition models.

The phone still does not ring or vibrate when plugged into the USB cable and into my Tablet PC though so if I leave it plugged in I miss calls. I'll have to check it out in the cradle later.

A reflection on my mobile device history

It has been a while since I purchased a new mobile device and I am building up my PayPal account for a Windows Mobile 5.0 Phone Edition device to purchase later this fall/winter and the HTC Wizard is heading up the list at this time. As I was looking around online at devices that may warrant my funds, I bumped into some ads for old devices I had and considered picking one up again.

Here is a chronological list of my mobile device history starting in 1997, not counting my Sony PSP or Fujitsu Tablet PC: US Robotics Pilot 1000, Palm III, Palm IIIx, Palm IIIc, Newton MP130, Jornada 548, iPAQ 6300, Jornada 568, Palm Vx, Newton MP2000, Sharp Zaurus SL-5500, CLIE T615C, CLIE NR70, CLIE NX70, Dell Axim X5, iPAQ 3970, iPAQ 1910, Nokia 3650, T-Mobile Sidekick, iPAQ 2215, iPAQ 1945, CLIE TG50, CLIE NX80, CLIE UX50, Motorola MPx200, Jornada 720, Tapwave Zodiac2, Tungsten T3, Orange SPV E200, CLIE UX50, CLIE UX40, iPAQ 4350, MDA II, Dell Axim X30, Zaurus C760, T-Mobile MDA III, Tungsten T3, Dell Axim X50v, i-mate PDA2K, Orange C500, Motorola MPx220, Newton MP2100, Sharp Zaurus SL-5500, i-mate JAM, Nokia 7610.

Each of these devices stirs up some great memories and I will have to document their stories soon before I get too old and forget the story behind each one. It would have been great to keep them all in a PDA history collection, but the only way I was able to move through so many was by selling off the older ones and upgrading to the newer ones so it wasn't financially possible for me to keep them. I owned a couple of devices multiple times (UX50, Apple Newton MP2000/2100 and Sharp Zaurus SL-5500) for different reasons. Looking back over this list, I really do miss the CLIE NX70/80 and UX50 devices. Sony made some wonderful devices that appealed to us high end users with tons of features and high quality design. I also miss my Jornada 568 a bit since I had that one for quite a long time (10 months or so) and it was one of my favorites. I have owned the Tungsten T3 the longest, something like a year and a half.

Here is a list of what I currently own: Dell Axim X50v, Tungsten T3, Nokia 7610, Nokia 3650, Newton MP2100, Sharp Zaurus SL-5500.

Opera is rocking and rolling on my Tungsten T3

I posted a news blurb on Geek.com regarding Opera on Palm and Pocket PC devices and then followed the instructions for putting Opera on my Tungsten T3. It works like a charm in full 320x480 mode, both landscape and portrait. It is quite fast, even using the Java client. The T3 has 64MB of RAM so putting the 3MB Java program on wasn't an issue, but Treo users may have memory issues. I love Opera on my Series 60 device and now can use it on my T3 for large display browsing.

There were also some screenshots of Opera on a Pocket PC, but there is no version available for the general public to test out yet. Browsers and web utilities is one of the categories I am judging for the Pocket PC awards and I hope Opera is a candidate in next year's competition.

Day 2 with the TORQ: I'll be skipping the purchase myself

OK, I have now had a full day of using the TORQ P100 as my only mobile device and have to say that I personally will not be purchasing one myself and will be waiting for the JAM 2 (HTC Wizard). The TORQ is a bit too thick and feels like I am holding a bar of soap when I am on calls. So far though, the worst feature is that the speakerphone volume, onboard speaker volume, and volume through a Bluetooth headset is way too low. I use a Cardo Scala 500 Bluetooth headset with my devices and usually have to turn the volume down on the headset since it is so loud. However, with the TORQ I have it turned up all the way and can only hear the phone conversation in a quiet environment. Even while driving with the radio off I can't hear the phone conversation well enough to be acceptable. Low volume was a big issue with the Treo 650 and I won't accept a phone device without good volume levels.

The Voice Commander software works well and allows me to operate the device through a Bluetooth headset, which I haven't seen or heard of in any other Palm or Pocket PC device.

The camera is 1.3 megapixel, but appears to be worse than the VGA one on the Treo 650. The 1.3 megapixel camera on my Nokia 7610 blows it away. The flash is also basically useless.

T-Mobile reception continues to be fine for me, but this morning while connected via GPRS in the vanpool the device kept dropping the connection and a notification appeared giving me an error notice. I soft reset the device and it did it a couple more times before keeping the connection going.

I also missed several calls yesterday because the phone vibrated only and did not ring even though I had the ring and vibrate setting enabled. Also, the missed call and voicemail notification bubble were messed up and just had several small squares in a single horizontal line appearing. The ringer volume could also be louder on the device.

There are some great software utilities that are included, but the quality of the hardware is not as great as that seen on HTC devices like the JAM.

Stay tuned for my full review and more comments on my blog.

Received new Phone Edition device to review

David from Mad Monkey Boy's Gadgets just sent me a new TORQ P100 Phone Edition device to review for Geek.com. He was the guy who sent along the JAM last time and is a guy I highly recommend people visit to purchase unlocked devices from because he is trustworthy and has some of the best prices on the net.

So I charged up the TORQ last night and then played with it a bit to see if it would pick up a T-Mobile signal at my house. It had no problems at all and actually kept a steady 2 bars, which is excellent considering a couple months ago I had zero signal at my house. I then set an alarm for the morning and was pleased when it actually worked and woke me up.

The TORQ is bigger than the JAM, but has quite a good software and utility suite included with the device and a large capacity 1440 mAh battery. I also read online that the TORQ would get a Windows Mobile 5.0 upgrade where i-mate has confirmed that the JAM will not. The TORQ has 64MB RAM and 128MB ROM so it has an excellent configuration for the new OS and memory handling capability. I'll update my blog with impressions as I test it out some more.

Laridian releases iPocketBible for iPods and other MP3 players

I just posted a news blurb on the release of iPocketBible and will be getting a copy to review for Geek.com. I will use my daughter's repaired iPod mini to check out the text feature and can use my wife's Shuffle, my daughter's mini, or any number of other devices that play MP3s to review the audio portion. The entire audio Bible takes up 3GB of space and the text portion takes up only 5MB of space on your iPod. The text appears in the Notes utility on iPods. I plan on putting it on my PSP and Dell DJ20 to check out. I think my wife would really appreciate having some of the audio Bible on her Shuffle since she really is not much of a reader, but loves to listen to her Shuffle in her car.

Reserve a Windows Mobile Treo for me please

The news just keeps on coming out about the Windows Mobile Palm Inc. Treo device that once was a rumor, but now has been confirmed by videos, photos, and news that HTC will be manufacturing the device with a 1st quarter 2006 release. I was thinking about picking up a Palm Powered Treo 650 or a i-mate SP3i recently, but now I am saving up for this Windows Mobile Treo or maybe the Motorola Q. I find Windows Mobile to be more stable and functional than the Palm Garnet OS and am afraid the Palm OS as we know it today won't be around much longer. I will have to keep my Tungsten T3 going so it can join my Newton in the PDA archives. I am not sure how Palm Linux will do, but it will be tough competing with a Windows Mobile OS that keeps getting better all the time.

I think the Treo 650 is a great piece of hardware and am very happy to see that Palm will be putting Windows Mobile on it. The HP iPAQ Mobile Messenger 6700 series looks interesting, but HPs Phone Edition devices haven't been the best quality models out there while HTC makes some very nice products. The Motorola Q also looks like a great device and with Windows Mobile 5.0 it may not have as limiting an OS as the Smartphones currently do. This device will also tempt me in 2006 and I can't wait to see all these Windows Mobile 5.0 products available for purchasing.

I remember back when Palm was king and people laughed at the Pocket PC platform. Now Windows Mobile is taking over the market and Palm is sitting back getting passed up by innovation from Windows Mobile manufacturers. There is still millions who buy the Palm products like the Tungsten E2, but as Palm, Inc. tries out Windows Mobile on a Treo we may see those days being numbered. I believe a Windows Mobile Treo will be quite successful if HTC can take the same hardware and get Windows Mobile well integrated into the device.

Reviewing Christian comedy CD

Over in the right margin you will see an image of Paul Aldrich's CD called Mock 'n' Roll that I just recieved for review purposes from Mind & Media. I quickly converted it into MP3 files and am listening to it on my Sony PSP right now. It is a parody of popular music and so far is quite funny and great for family listening. I hope to have a full review up in a week or so and appreciate Stacy Harp's work in getting reviewers a copy of this CD.

I am quite a comedy fan and have only found a couple Christian comedians so far. I really like the political/religous comedy of Brad Stine and the humor of Chonda Pierce. Do you have any Christian comedians you recommend?

Forecast: Sunny with low gadget use

It has been beautiful, mid to upper 80s, here in Western Washington so I have been outside enjoying my family and the weather. I have hardly touched my devices and haven't been geeking out at all. We just picked up a boat we bought after searching the awesome Craigslist site and spent both Saturday and Sunday out on the water. I am quite sore today after skiing and kneeboarding in some fairly rough water. Since it was so nice there were quite a few other boats out and about as well and I look forward to glassier conditions for some slalom skiing. My oldest daughter did very well on the tube and held on like a champ! Now when everyone finds out I am a ship designer and asks if I have a boat I can actually say "Yes".

Penn & Teller was done in fun, but most of interview not shown

It was fun seeing myself on the Penn & Teller show and I understand it is a comedy routine and I am pretty easy going when it comes to that stuff. If they were serious about their statements and shows on the Bible and other Christian topics then I would have to say I completely disagree with them since I KNOW the Bible is the inerrant Word of God that does not change just because society falls away from God. The Bible is the one constant we have to hold onto in our lives, especially when societies morals go so low as they have today.

I was actually interviewed for about an hour and a half and the parts that made the show didn't even touch on any questions they asked me and my responses. The only parts that made the cut had me rambling on about the different device names. I was hoping some of my usage questions, my wife and kids giving me my birthday cake and opening up my gift, and other plugs for Geek.com and my blog would make the show, but that was just wishful thinking.

The whole thing was done for fun and it turned out there was a lot less profanity and ribbing than I expected. I thank Showtime for the opportunity and for giving my wife a generous amount of money to help buy my geeky birthday gift, a Maxent 27inch HD LCD TV from Costco.

Penn & Teller show went well

My Showtime premier went pretty well last night and actually there was not much profanity (there is much more in shows and movies today) and they didn't really rip me apart or anything. I was interviewed for about an hour and a half and about 5 minutes of me blathering away about my devices was all that made the cut. It was cool to see myself on the TV though and all in all it was a fun experience.

I was able to record it digitally and now have it converted on my PSP and Dell Axim X50v. I clipped just the parts with me in it and then my friend Chris from Aximsite hosted it on his site. Check here for the 6MB WMV download.

Sony released PSP update, I am skipping it for now

Update 2.0 was released for the Sony PSP and it includes quite a few new updates along with a web browser. The thing is, it will knock out my ability to play emulators and that is not a function I am willing to give up at this time. I am a big fan of Donkey Kong Country on the Super Nintendo system and it works wonderfully on my PSP. I specifically checked before I bought this device to ensure it is still at 1.5 and hadn't been upgraded. I understand some wireless infrastructre games require you to upgrade before they are playable, but I will just avoid them for now. My favorite UMD game is Ridge Racer and I am just now starting to get contact with companies to review PSP games for Geek.com. I am still waiting for many titles to be released and this fall and winter look exciting.

By the way, the Sony PSP Movie Creator software is AWESOME for taking episodes of Stargate, Battlestar Galactica, and Buck Rogers recorded using Beyond TV and my ADSTech Instant TV Deluxe and converting them into playable versions for my PSP. Its a good thing I bought a 1GB Memory Stick.

What's on my Nokia 7610 and can Series 60 meet my needs?

Now that I am back to a 2 device solution I have been really exploring the Nokia 7610 and understanding how powerful of a device it actually is. Battery life is outstanding, the 1.3 megapixel camera takes great photos, I can actually hear the alarms and can easily use MP3 files as my alarms, the Calendar is very good with daily appointments popping up in the month view when I switch to each day, Opera 8 rocks of course, and Bluetooth works flawlessly with headsets, other PDAs, my Tablet, and DriveBlue speakerphone. I haven't been that impressed with the default email client, but just discovered ProfiMail that actually allows me to check my Gmail account and will probably be purchasing it shortly. Other applications I have loaded include Mobipocket Reader, RepliGo, SplashPhoto, the Stowaway keyboad driver, several PDAmill games, and Handmark Express. As I said a couple years ago, I could easily get by with just a Series 60 device and now that I am easing up on my mobile device purchases I am finding that the Series 60 device is an excellent mobile platform.