It seemed like just yesterday that I purchased my Motorola mobile phone, however in reality that was more than 5 years ago now. This explains a lot, because it had been having a lot of trouble keeping up with the increasing demands of my mobile lifestyle and usage habits. So at long last I’ve finally upgraded to a Samsung i617t (aka Blackjack II).
No iPhones here, thanks.
Unlike many of my esteemed colleagues, I have no desire whatsoever to acquire an iPhone. Despite its sleek and sexy mystique, I have far too many ideological hangups about the amount of lock-in that’s required in order to use it – from the reliance on iTunes as the gatekeeper to any and all applications you wish to run on it, the fact you’re tied to a single machine when synchronising media, and the entire DRM ethos that has been Apple’s historical basis for the technology. Granted DRM is increasingly being recognised as a silly model that is slowly disappearing; even so it’s left a seriously bad taste in my mouth.
There may very well be ways to work around the iPhone lock-in to hack the phone and thus open it up to the light of day, but I didn’t have the time to investigate them. More than that though, I don’t think it should be necessary. I don’t like the idea of Apple having that much control over what I do with my phone. This goes for my iPod Touch too, which has been rendered more or less obsolete by my new mobile.
In reality I would have preferred to purchase a mobile that runs Google’s Android software, both out of curiosity and the fact it’s an open platform. However ultimately financial pragmatics had me settle on a Windows Mobile-based phone. Literally the upgrade cost me $1, and that was for shipping; whereas the iPhone would have cost $200.
Yes this is Windows, which isn’t exactly open either. Yet I have a heck of a lot more control over this phone than I do my iPod Touch – and presumably an iPhone too. After installing Microsoft Active Sync software, which is as much a driver needed in order for a machine to see the phone as it is a piece of software, I’m now able to upload whatever I like to the phone – media, images, documents, games, whatever.
Granted the spec of the handset limits what you can do with the files once they’re on the machine (you can view office documents for example but not edit them), however the fact remains that sync’ing files and media can be done through any machine that has the Active Sync software installed – you’re not tied to a single one.
Have mobile, will travel.
In the wake of this purchase, I’ve fully embraced the mobile lifestyle – and it’s been fantastic. Moving from a 5-year old archaic phone to a relatively new model, I’ve been amazed at how much you can actually do on a mobile device these days.
Through a combination of mobile internet access, 3rd party software, and web-based applications I can now:
- Connect, send and synchronise my email, tasks, contacts, and appointments with the uni’s email exchange
- Send, receive and synchronise my Gmail messages via IMAP
- Use ShoZu to send images, video and updates to Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, and Twitter
- Administer my blog and create new posts
- Play a variety of games including Doom, and classics using Super NES and NES emulators
- Watch videos and listen to music
- Use Google Maps
- Browse the internet and chat via IM
- Even make ordinary phone calls and send text messages
It is in the truest sense of the word a Pocket PC.
Now for some research…
Having said all this, I’ve only owned the phone for about a week, so there is a whole lot of experimentation and field research I’ll be doing over time. What is glaringly clear to me is that there is an enormous potential in portable devices to connect and facilitate. However there are also challenges and obstacles for the most effective and efficient ways to harness this potential. I’m looking forward to exploring these, and will almost certainly be chiming in with ideas, thoughts and experiences here as time goes by.
What are you thoughts and experiences with mobile technology?
Oh yes, mobile is where it's at. I upgraded from a POS flip phone to a Palm Centro almost 2 years ago, and it is indeed a whole new world. I've often said that my Centro is less a phone with Internet access and more a pocket-sized computer that also happens to make phone calls. I text and use data at a far greater rate than I use voice minutes each month.
I HIGHLY recommend you look into http://www.dial2do.com – it's a service similar to Jott (but free!) that uses voice recognition software to allow you to do everything from edit your calendar to Tweet to send texts and emails, and much more, all with your voice. Unlike some apps, it's not limited to US numbers – Dial2Do can be accessed from almost 25 different countries, including Oz.
I quite relate to your comment: “I've often said that my Centro is less a phone with Internet access and more a pocket-sized computer that also happens to make phone calls. I text and use data at a far greater rate than I use voice minutes each month.”
I've made a whopping 2 phone calls in the last week and yet sent dozens of emails and text messages, downloaded/installed software, streamed YouTube videos, posted videos and photos and updated Twitter. The $10-add on to gain an extra 150 MBs is well worth the investment. Without it I was only getting 5 MBs per month, which I used up in the first day or two.
I'll take a look at dial2do as well – thanks for the suggestion!
Hi Mike,
You mention that you are using IMAP for GMAIL. You could use GoogleSync instead (as Google actually licensed the ActiveSync protocol for that purpose). It allows you to sync calendar, contacts as well as mail without any need for a PC connection. Haven't used it on WinMo – I opted for an Android phone currently.
And as for your comment 'Granted DRM is increasingly being recognised as a silly model that is slowly disappearing' – wish that was true broadly. But I can't get a feeling that this seems partly wishful thinking of people working in our field. You are right – there are some positive moves on that front, but it is a very slow process and the opposition to it as also massive. And as with everything the masses don't care – hence some organisations are getting away with it.
Cheers,
Leo
Hi Leo,
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll give GoogleSync another go, however the last time I tried I got a message saying my phone wasn't supported – hence the reason I opted for IMAP instead. My preference would definitely be for sync'ing though.
Pity about the situation with DRM – thanks for correcting me there. All the more reason to advocate for open licenses and alternative, more open ways of dealing with content. Especially in light of all the RIAA lawsuits going around these days, things clearly have gotten out of hand.
Cheers,
Mike
hi Mike, great blog, it is an inspiring source of knowledge.
While having dabbled with mLearning for some time, there is a nice mobile app you might want to check out: http://fring.com. We use it for medical personel that wants to connect in areas where there is no 3G or other mobile connectivity. That way they can still be learning in a community, but they do not have to connect which keeps the data cost to a minimum as well.
Cheers
I look forward to hearing how you like the Blackjack after you've had it for more time. I was very excited when I got my Blackjack II, since my Treo was starting to behave erratically. One thing I liked about the Treo was that I could sync to more than one computer (home and work). Windows mobile SAYS you can sync to two computers, but I had trouble with Active Sync. Finally I started synching to Google and life has become more stable. But I can't synch tasks to Google…… Maybe I'll learn more about how to use my smartphone more effectively by hearing about your experiences.
I'm not sure if you'll be able to use GoogleSync if you're synching to an Exchange server, since GoogleSync basically works through the same software. At least that's my understanding. I would be delighted to be proved wrong…..
RE: @damian613 I quite relate to your comment: “I’ve often said that my Centro is less a phone with Internet access and… http://disq.us/1cn4
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Have mobile, will travel | TechTicker http://bit.ly/TxPx2
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Have mobile, will travel | TechTicker http://bit.ly/u7RCy
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
RE: Hi Leo,
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll give GoogleSync another go, however the last time I tried I got a messa… http://disq.us/1dg2
This comment was originally posted on Twitter