Wii boxing fun

It truly seems that Nintendo is achieving its goals for the Wii. People of all types seem to enjoy it. We took the Wii to some Christmas parties this last weekend. Wii Sports was enjoyed by all. The video below is of our mother and one of her friends enjoying a friendly boxing match. They wouldn't normally play video games, but they seemed to have a lot of fun. (I think the rest of us enjoyed watching them play more though.) The other big hit was the Photo Channel. This turned out to be a great way for everyone to enjoy the Christmas photos together.

Zelda: Twilight Princess gameplay

This is a short video showing the sword and bow controls in Twilight Princess. I think you'll see that only small motions are necessary, and it works quite well.

A Couple of Wii Videos

Here are a couple of videos. The first shows how the pointer tracks as you move the Wiimote. This is an attempt to show how close the pointer is to where you are actually pointing and how quickly it responds to fast movements.

Wiimote pointer

The second video is of the SNES game F-Zero being played on the Virtual Console. This game is one of my all time favorites.

F-Zero

The Wii.....finally!

Finally, two weeks after launch, I managed to track down a Wii. I found out that ToysRUs would have 51 for sale Sunday morning. I arrived at a little after 6 AM, 3 hours before opening, and was 24th in line. The line swelled to probably more than 70 before the manager handed out tickets around 7:20. The ticket allowed us to pick up the Wii anytime before 1 PM. Excellent! We even got to form the line in the lobby instead of outside in the bitter cold. Thank you ToysRUS!!

Wii nunchuck

My collection of Wii accessories continues to grow as I located a nunchuck today. Still can't track down an actual Wii though, and it's getting frustrating.

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiii

After months of anticipation, the Wii is finally here.....sorta. Brian managed to secure one after about 8 days, and I'm still trying to track one down. Here are some pics of the Wiimote, and Brian playing Wii Sports: Boxing.

We knew the Wiimote was small, but it's even smaller than you would think. It feels great in the hand although it can get slippery if you get into the game. The use of the speaker and rumble in the Wiimote add a nice extra bit of immersion. In the console menus, the remote rumbles slightly when the pointer moves over a button. It gives a sort of tactile feel to the on-screen buttons.

PS3 lines at Target and Best Buy

There are the lines for the PS3 at the Target (left) and Best Buy (right) in Germantown, MD approximately 27 hours before launch. It's gonna get cold out there tonight.

Wii display at Best Buy

These are a couple shots of the Wii display at the Best Buy in Germantown, MD. You see they have a large sign with countdown in the space where the games will be. Also, they have a Wii under glass above which there is a screen showing a video about the Wii.

Campout for PS3

Well I'm not excited about the release of the PS3 ( I prefer the Wii), but apparently some people are. This pic was taken at the Gaithersburg, MD Circuit City just before lunch on November 15, 2006. The PS3 is being released on November 17 at midnight or approximately 36 hours later. Kinda sad isn't it? :) Of course, I'll be trying to get a Wii at launch, but I'm not camping out.

My Windows Mobile Today screen

After a good bit of effort, I think I finally have my Today screen how I want it (at least for now). The problems with the Treo 700W is it's small screen. I like to have a lot of information and the room just isn't there. Also, I still find the usability of the PIM apps in Windows Mobile lacking compared to the easy of Palm OS. With my old Palm, I could whip it out to check my calendar or to do list with ease. I still find the Treo a bit rough in this regard.

Because of these 2 things, I've worked to try to get my today screen configured such that it would provide better access to PIM information and also show all the information I wanted it to.

Here are some screen caps and an explanation of what software and tweaks I'm using.

This is the primary screen for showing necessary phone info.

1) Custom background - simple black BMP with a small Clemson tiger paw inserted at the lower right.

2) Magic Button - http://www.trancreative.com/mb.aspx

This free software is responsible for all the little icons at the top to the right of the Start menu. This is a simple little task switcher which allows me to use the menu bar as a task switcher. The icons represent the apps that are currently running.

3) PocketBreeze - http://www.sbsh.net/products/pocketbreeze/

The second row is the control row for this software. It is a Today screen plugin which allows one to show and use PIM data as well as add custom tabs for showing other plugins. All the space below this second row is being used for the different tabs of Pocket Breeze. The current tab, represented by the second icon from the right, is running PhoneAlarm (more below). The other tabs, from right to left, are for Agile Messenger, PhoneAlarm, PocketWeather, Tasks, and Calendar. Except for the Agile Messenger tab, which is just for instant messaging and is used rarely, I'll show each of these tabs below.

4) PhoneAlarm - http://www.pocketmax.net/phoneAlarm.html

This app adds a lot of functionality to the phone part of the device. It supports profiles and repeating alarms, neither of which is available with the phone by default. The Today screen plugin is skinnable and very customizable. I'm using the Joel_Box_Clear skin which shows bluetooth status, SMS, email, missed calls, voicemail, profile switching, signal strength, memory percentage, and battery. The various items can be selected to open or activate them.

5) The typical line which shows the carrier information has been removed to provide more room using the Remove Logo tool.

This is the calendar tab which is pulling data from Pocket Outlook. This is highly customizable allowing you to view your data almost any way you can imagine. I have it set to show appointments for the next 2 days. The small colored bars to the left indicates the category the item is associated with. A pop-up monthly calendar can be shown by hitting the icon in the top left. The data can be filtered by category by tapping the button labeled All.









This is the To-Do tab. It also can show your data about any way you might like. I have it currently filtered to just show the Personal items. Tapping on the Personal button allows filtering by other categories.













Finally, this is the weather tab running PocketWeather. It can be highly customized as well. I have it showing the forecast for 3 different cities which are shown in separate tabs.













Well, that's my today screen for now. I'm sure it will be ever changing as I seek to make it perfect for my uses.

Camera shopping

I've been looking for a new digital camera recently to replace my 3 year old Sony Cybershot DSC-P72. While the resolution (3.2 MP) was sufficient for my needs and I enjoyed this camera in general, I found myself no longer wanting to take it anywhere because of it's size(14.8 cubic inches). Then I was in CompUSA recently waiting at the customer service desk which happened to be right next to the cameras. I couldn't help but just look although I had no thoughts of upgrading really. One of the first things that caught my eye was the Sony Cybershot DSC-T5 (7.1 cubic inches) due to it's size and price. I couldn't believe a tiny camera like this was only $250 these days! I gave $330 for my old camera. Looking more I found the Sony Cybershot DSC-T9 (6.3 cubic inches) which was even smaller, had higher resolution, and image stabilization. Online, the price was only $50-70 more too!

Well, this just got the wheels turning, and I started reading reviews and looking around some more. As it turned out, the flash was a bit weak and the image quality slightly lacking on the T9 from what I read. After thinking more, I realized I should really buy a camera that supported SD cards. Then I could take the SD card, pop it in the Treo, and email pics on the go if I wanted. Not to mention I really should try to be consistent and stick with one card type if at all possible.

Based on these 2 considerations(SD and camera size) I continued my search and ended with 2 options. Well, maybe 3. There were others out there, but for whatever reason, styling, etc, I just wasn't interested in them. The finalists were...

Casio EX-S600

Canon Elph SD600 (or 630)

The Casio was desirable because it is really small(5.2 cubic inches) and uses MPEG4 video to provide very good, and LONG(about 25 minutes/GB) video recording capabilities. However, the reviews were a mixed bag. Some claimed poor image quality and other issues. The screen was also smaller with lower resolution. This was noticible when looking at it in the store.

The Canon SD600 seemed to be widely regarded as a really good camera with excellent picture quality. However, it was a bit larger(but still small at 6.1 cubic inches) and could only provide 8 minutes of high quality video per GB. The SD630 differed only by offering a larger LCD, slightly different controls, and being physically larger(6.4 cubic inches).

As you can tell from the numbers, all of these cameras are MUCH smaller than my old camera. Based on the size, positive reviews, solid reputation of Canon cameras, and the advice of my fellow BrotherOnTech :), I finally settled on the Canon SD600 which I ordered from www.zipzoomfly.com. They offered an excellent price and cheap shipping. I'll let you know how I like it.

MS Exchange/4smartphone

I had heard of Microsoft Exchange, but I didn't know anything about it until recently. As it turns out, it provides an awesome solution for keeping email and other PIM(personal information management) data in sync on multiple systems.

I found myself using 2 different computers as well as a Treo. Checking the same email 3 times seemed stupid and I was always worried I'd sync something wrong and mess up all my data. Microsoft Exchange solves this problem by managing all the info on a centralized server for all your systems to access. This software is expensive and difficult to manage so is typically used in corportations and such. It's not typically a personal solution. That's where www.4smartphone.net steps in. There are other solutions such as www.mail2web.com, but 4smartphone supplied the right balance of features and price for what I wanted. These services offer hosted Exchange services for personal or business use. They handle all the software and servers. For $6.99/month, 4smartphone keeps all my computers synced up and they even threw in a free copy of Outlook 2003. This covers the price for a year of service just by itself.

So now, if I check email on the laptop, read an item, and maybe put it into a certain folder, I'll see it as read and tucked into a folder when I check mail again on the Treo or my desktop. No more looking at the same mail 3 times. Or I can add a task or calendar entry on any device and the other 2 see that change also. AWESOME! Also, it's kinda weird, and I'm not exactly clear on how this works, but you don't have to initate a send/receive in Outlook anymore. It just updates anytime there's something new on the server. Apparently, the Exchange server notifies the clients that are logged in anytime there's a change and pushes that change out. On the Treo, Activesync is used to connect to the Exchange server in the same way. Everything is automatic and pushed to the different devices.

I have found this to work wonderfully and highly recommend it.

Our First Child

This is the one of the latest photos of my little girl!!! I know this has nothing to do with tech but look at her. She is gorgeous!  

Sync?

I use 3 computers regularly.... a work laptop, a home desktop, and a Treo. I've been trying for awhile now to get all my email and PIM info synced on all 3 at all times. I've got everything in Outlook but still haven't found the perfect solution. I switched from POP to IMAP a few days ago. That's a big help with email. Now I'm trying hosted exchange server with www.4smartphone.com. It looks promising so far, and there's a 15 day free trial. What do I have to lose??

Harmony 880 channel icons

Both of us use the Harmony 880 remote. Here's a site with some great stuff including channel icons to use for your favorites. http://squareworld.com/harmony/ The 880 lets you have pages of favorite channels and using these is way better than using the channel numbers.

I hope to give these a try in the near future.

700W text sent notification hack

For some reason when you send a text message on the 700W it has to let you know when it sends it. So it pops up a little notification and beeps. I hit send; therefore I assume it was sent. I don't want to have to clear the notification every time. Well here's a little registry hack I found to make it stop this nonsense.

Disable:
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Inbox\Settings\SMSNoSentMsg = 1 (DWORD decimal)
Enable:
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Inbox\Settings\SMSNoSentMsg = 0 (DWORD decimal)

Thanks to ebedoun over at TreoCentral discussion forums! http://discussion.treocentral.com/showthread.php?t=120680

The Little Things

My brother and I are very different people, but there are two things that we can agree on. Women and Electronics. When it comes to electronics, we appreciate the little things that are SO simple yet SO genius. The kind of stuff that just makes sense. Well, I am probably being a little picky, but one of these "little things" is driving me crazy on the Nokia 6682. The screensaver.

The screensaver on this phone gives a lot of useful info. It can display the time, date, current profile, missed call icons, message icons, etc.. I have even found custom screensavers available for download. Here is my problem. YOU CANT READ IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! When the phone goes into screensaver mode the screen is dark. Obviously, this is to save battery life, I understand that. What I don't understand is why I cant illuminate the backlight so I can read it without activating the main phone display. Every button sends you back to the main display. So far I haven't found any way to do what I want to do. The guys on Howard Forums think that I am crazy. One guy told me to buy a watch, HAHA.

On a good note, I love the phone. My full review is coming in a few days, possibly later tonight.

STAY TUNED!!!!!

iGRIP Global Swivel Mount

I've been trying to find a good car mount for my 700W. First I bought one off eBay that looked just like the Boxwave Mobile Mounting Kit. It was just a knockoff that didn't work. Cheap junk. Next I bought the Boxwave because it looked great. There were 3 things I didn't like about this.

1) Small suction cup would not hold. Any amount of heat would not allow this to stay on the windshield.
2) Short bottom feet to hold device.
3) Vibration from gooseneck.

Today I received the iGRIP Global Swivel Mount purchased from ExtremePDA.

So far this is great, but I'll only know after using it a bit whether it will stay put on the windshield. Things I like....

1) Large suction cup - this should hold, at least I hope so. I've already found that it will not hold at all in areas where the windshield is slightly curved.
2) No gooseneck. Very stable mount with 2 axis adjustment knobs.
3) Smooth release mechanism - squeeze arms to hold device, press button to release
4) Long, adjustable feet - these will still hold the device when released, they can slide in and out so you can access the ports on the bottom, can also be moved to opposite side
5) Reversible - move the feet to the other side and rotate it 90 degrees and the arms are lower, this keeps them from pressing the side buttons on the Treo

To be honest, I can't really think of any negatives yet, except for its need for perfectly flat windshield.

Learning the Nokia 6682

Well, I have had this phone for about 4 days. So far it seems to work very well. With a new device, it takes a couple of days to get familiar with the interface. I have come across some small issues with the Nokia 6682, but they are very small. I am thinking it's a keeper. I will post a more thorough review when I have explored all the aspects of this phone. Oh, by the way, I am glad my brother finally decided on the Treo 700w. I guess he had no choice though because the Verizon Rep wouldn't let him exchange it again.

Glad to have the 700W

I've had my 700W back since Sunday and I think I've finally settled on a device. It's not perfect. Sometimes it locks up or is slow to respond. But I really like how many things it can do in one package. I'll try to review it in detail eventually.

Different devices for different people

There isn't one perfect device out there. There's certainly not one device that can do everything and do it all well. It's a matter of figuring out what you need your device to do and finding the one that can handle all that as well as possible. The more capabilities you cram in, the more compromises you'll be forced to make.

You'll notice that my bro recently got the Nokia 6682 smartphone. I went with the Treo 700W. These phones have different capabilites but fit our different needs(wants) in a device.

Nokia 6682 Review

Hello to all!! I am Nathan's brother. I just purchased the Nokia 6682. My Black Razr was stolen so I decided to try something new. I have never owned a Nokia, so this is a first for me. Just got it today so I will post a full review within a week or so.

700W.....again :)

Yeah, they took it back. Still had my old 700W in the back so they just replaced them. Felt bad though; pretty sure the CS guy wasn't too happy with me. I'll try to leave him alone for good now though.

So it really came down to the lack of multitasking and poor web browsing on the 700P that killed it. I know these weren't at the top of my usability list, but I can't stand having something that didn't work completely. Also, if I decided to ditch the data plan with Verizon and just use wifi, that option did not exist on the 700P.

I'm restoring everything to the 700W now. Sprite Backup is a lifesaver although strangely it didn't backup my email, settings, and old text messages. Weird but no biggie. Also, I think the P probably changed some stuff in Outlook, but I'll sort that all out with time.

After a few hours with the 700P

Disappointed.

I had hoped this was really the cure for my woes. Nope. I find that multitasking is sorely missed after using Windows Mobile for a few months. Something about Palm OS feels very confining. It sure is fast though. That's a nice change.

Now what? I can hope that verizon will let me come back in and have the used 700W I left there today.

Problems with 700P
-no multitasking
-poor speakerphone volume
-some websites don't work
-slow internet, webpages render funny
-limited fonts
-wifi options not currently available

The good with 700P
-fast
-PIM apps fast and simple
-BT seems a little better
-good screen

The problems with 700W
-runs out of memory
-screen backlight delay sometimes
-gets sluggish and non-responsive from time to time
-PIM apps complicated, surely there must be a good replacement out there somewhere

The good with 700W
-excellent multitasking, except when memory gets low
-web access is perfect
-streaming audio works great, more standard
-excellent TXT/Email program, works great switching between them

Home again

Back home to Palm OS that is. I just got back from Verizon after exchanging the 700W for the 700P. They were kind enough to do this even after 27 days.

So after nearly 3 months and 3 Windows Mobile devices(Dell Axim X51V, Verizon XV6700, Palm Treo 700W), I'm back to Palm OS again. I sure hope I find myself happy with this device. More details later.

Treo 700W or 700P?

What are the pros and cons of each as related to my needs?

700W Pros
-multitasking
-handles TomTom well
-Today screen
-excellent email/text messaging

700W Cons
-lack of RAM, causes multitasking woes
-unreliable, just stops working properly from time to time
-PIM apps are terrible
-backlight delay sometimes


700P Pros
-higher resolution screen
-excellent PIM apps!!!!
-maybe stability and reliability
-just faster probably

700P Cons
-no multitasking
-no WiFi support


I'll come back and edit this as I think of more.

What do I use a PDA/phone for?

Different people use a PDA and phone for different things. Everyone has different needs. This is especially important when trying to find the right device. I've been trying to settle on the right device for awhile now. About 5 weeks ago I finally decided I wanted a converged device. I knew there would be tradeoffs, and nothing would be perfect. I tried the Verizon XV6700, and it didn't do it. I've been using the Treo 700W for about a month now, and I'm finding it to have some issues. I can't help but wonder now whether the Treo 700P might be the device I'm really looking for. To that end, what do I use my PDA/phone for? Maybe this will help me decide which device is the right one for me.

1) Make and receive phone calls.

This seems obvious, but it's quite important. The device needs to do this and do it well. There should be no confusion or frustration.

2) Text messaging

Just moving to any PDA phone makes this better than on a dedicated phone.

3) PIM apps

I'm not really a power PIM user. I don't need all the fancy features in Outlook or some 3rd party PIM replacements. I just need it to work simply and fast. Short notes, calendar with categories, contacts, and tasks with categories. I LOVE the Palm OS PIM apps. Maybe it's just because I used them for a number of years, maybe it's because they are better for my needs. The Treo 700W is driving me nuts in this regard. The Pocket Outlook apps aren't enough; Pocket Informant is too much. It's just not simple and quick.

4) Bible software/note taking

Multitasking would be good here, but the limited memory on the 700W makes this an issue. Could probably just switch apps faster on the 700P. Who knows.

5) GPS navigation

This is big. I plan to use TomTom for naviation and talk on the phone simultaneously. The 700W handles this very well. Not so sure about the 700P after a bit of online research. If it can't, then it's not the device for me.

6) Email/internet

I don't need this a lot, but I do use it some. I'm finding that I use email on the PDA a lot more now that I have a converged device. It's kinda nice. This whole category would mostly apply when travelling.

7) Streaming audio

Again, only on occasion, but it should be able to do this.

8) Tethering

Only on occasion, but need the capability sometimes.

I just want the device that does these things and does them well. I want simplicity and ease of use. I want it all to just work w/o having to worry about it failing all the time. So at this point it's either the 700W or the 700P. But which one?

Initial thoughts of Palm Treo bluetooth headset

Eh.

That pretty much sums it up, but I'll give a little more detail.

Cons
- The range is still not significantly better than my Jabra BT250. It seems that in general the BT 2.0 devices have a little better range but not enough to justify all the cost.
- The ear loop is not tight enough. This is one of those that flops around way too easily. Irritating.
- The in-ear indicator beeps aren't as distinct as on some other headset.

Pros
- Solid voice quality on both ends of the conversation.
- Same charger as the Treo. That's kinda convenient, but still you have to carry 2 chargers when traveling if you want to charge them both at the same time.

Well it doesn't look good, but I'll try it for a couple days. At this point I'm thinking about just going back to my old headset. We'll see.

Palm Treo bluetooth headset arrives

Ok, it's Wednesday and the new headset is here. I've got it charging and should be able to test it in a couple of hours. I'll report the results later tonight. Boy, I sure hope this solves my headset woes.

One complaint so far, and this applies to a lot more than this particular headset. Why do manufacturers insist on using this sealed, hard plastic packaging? I understand it as a theft-protection device. There's no way someone could slip a small headset or flash memory card or whatever out of one of these and into their pocket in the store. However, these things can't be opened period! Why must they punish those of us who actually made the purchase?! There is no easy way to open it without destroying the packaging, and there's always the danger of cutting yourself on the plastic. Someone out there, please design better packaging for items like this!

Bluetooth headsets and Treo 700w

I'll start with the current device issue and later try to catch up with past devices. I'm currently trying to find a bluetooth headset that works well with the Treo 700W. As it turns out this isn't an easy task. The bluetooth radio on the Treo is known to be weak. I hoped that moving to BT 2.0 would give better clarity and range. We'll see. These are the ones I've tried....

1) Jabra BT250 (bottom right) - BT 1.1 only - used this with my previous phone, Motorola V710 , and it worked great!
2) Jabra BT350V (top middle) - poor fit on ear and very low volume, unusable
3) Jabra BT500 (left) - update to BT250, not any better, about the same
4) Motorola H605 (top right) - behind the ear fit like the Jabra 250 and 500 which I like, horrible outgoing voice quality, I was told I sounded like my face was in a pillow(which it wasn't), pairing unreliable, terrible!
5) Motorola H500 (bottom middle) - update to Motorola HS820 which I owned over a year ago and loved before accidentally washing it :( Good ear fit, solid performer except someone complained about the audio having a weird ring and tinny sound. I like it though.

Through all this though, I'm still getting only moderately better range on some of the 2.0 devices. The H500 is really close except for the complaints.

At this point I'm about ready to get all my money back and just use my original Jabra. I loved it until I got the Treo. However, one more attempt.....the Palm Treo Bluetooth Headset. Some have said online that this actually works well with the Treo. (http://www.mobiletechreview.com/tips/treo-650-wireless-headset.htm) It's on order and scheduled to arrive Wednesday. I'll report on that later.

I sure hope it works, b/c I'm sick of all these headsets!

First post

Welcome! I've always been down on blogs because I didn't understand why anyone would care about the details of my life. I'm not interested in reading other people's blogs so why would they want to read mine.

Well I think I came up with a reason to start a blog about consumer electronics especially mobile devices, partly for myself and partly for others. I try quite a few devices and do a lot of research to get the right device for me and make it work how I want. I needed a place to keep track of my thoughts on the devices I use, the hacks/mods I make to them, software I use, etc. This will be a good reference for me, and perhaps for other people online looking for similar info. I think it will be a lot easier to keep up with by just entering my thoughts as they come w/o worrying about a formal website.

So, this is a bit of a personal experiment. It will probably not be very detailed at first; it might never be very detailed. There should be a lot of posts about various devices and accessories. There might even be some personal posts. We'll just see what it evolves into.