B2 Media Net

Corporate email, Nokia E62, and Blackberry Connect

To all the corporate enterprise types (and just the overly connected), you may be interested in a new phone I am testing, the Nokia E62 from Cingular.  The Nokia E62 is the 'light' version of the Nokia E61, which eliminates 3G and WiFi from the line up.  In addition to testing the phone itself, I am also testing Blackberry Connect, which I find has little written about this fascinating expansion for Blackberry into non-native devices.

So far, my first impressions are very positive, the phone has a great form factor, and the screen is incredibly crisp.  I was concerned that I might be facing a steep learning curve adapting to the new menus (to me that is) of the Symbian Series 60 UI, especially after using Motorola devices for so long,... but then again I was a long term tester for the Windows based Seimens SX-66, and the Palm Treo 650… yet so far it seems rather easy and natural to navigate within the device.

After I have had the phone for a week I will detail my thoughts and experiences in a review, so expect something new in the pipeline soon!

Nokia E62 from Cingular
Quad Band, Edge
MiniSD
Qwerty Keyboard
Hi res color screen
Blackberry Connect Software

[Nokia E62] [Nokia E62 from Cingular] [Blackberry Connect]

The Blackberry cloud... RIM rain!

Earlier this week, one of my clients announced that they were eliminating the Palm Treo 650 from their enterprise lineup, due to frustrating call quality issues, and ultimately, to many missed sales opportunities from those dropped calls.

At first, I wanted to talk them out of it, especially since I felt some loyalty to the platform... ironically, I was one of the two original founders of the Capital Area Palm Users Group (now defunct) in 1998… but I couldn't find a valid reason to so. You see, I had experienced the same disappointment myself, and had migrated away from the platform in the last year, trying Windows Mobile devices to no avail, and now investigating Symbian OS SmartPhones.

Now this post ins't about the Palm per se, but it is about FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt.).

As asked, my role as consultant was to find a solution for their needs. They had three scenarios, keep the Palm and live with the problems, get wireless cards for their laptops and additional handsets for voice calls, or find a device that would enable the same capabilities as the Palm, but had a better phone.

With Cingular decided as the provider, I went to work divining the hardware. For the combo solution I recommended purchasing the Motorola RAZR V3 or SLVR L7, both being stable quad band phones (I am aware of the slow address book...), and offering a choice of form factors, working in tandem with the Serra Wireless AirCard 860 PC Modem. For the SmartPhone only solution I recommended any one of the following, the Blackberry 8700c, the Cingular 2125, or the Cingular 8125.

As you can see, I recommended the Blackberry 8700c. Understand that I am not only cognizant, but intimate, with the ongoing litigation between NTP and RIM, as I cover cell phone news for one the most heavily trafficed cell news portals on the net, yet I still made the recommendation, and here is why...

Print is dead.

The statement "Print is Dead" sounds as if I am trying to be sensational, but let me clarify, print as we know it today, is changing, the traditional media we hold between our hands and sullies our fingers will disappear. 

Developments in e-ink or digital paper from the likes of Sony, Plastic Logic, E Ink Corp, and Phillips, are changing the way we read and ultimately interact with traditional print media.  Soon, you will be able to pull out your purchased e-reader, unscroll the page, and read this morning news paper, this weeks local, or this months national magazine, then roll the display back up and throw it into your brief case.  How soon you may ask?  That is for the technological soothsayers, engineers and marketers to determine, and it’s likely you may see the devices this year.   All the companies I mentioned above have working mockups; the current goals are A5 paper dimensions (5.8x8.3 inches) at 100 dpi resolutions, with larger sizes and higher resolutions to follow quickly in 2006, and mass adoption once fine tuning is complete in late 2008.  And as for the delivery method, it is already in place; it's called the Internet. 

What's in the bag

"What is in my bag" posts are pretty common these days, originally, I posted one of these lists on my (old), personal blog, nearly two years ago, but since then I have been pairing it down a bit, so I thought I would revist the topic.

Today I am much more mobile, and as such, I often look for smaller faster items that are easier to carry with me, and ultimately, use. This week I am undertaking the act of replacing a number of items at once. This list, in essence will be two list, what I have been using to date, and what I expect to have by the end of the week. In a couple of weeks I will revisit the post and tell you how all has faired in the real world.


What I carried with me until recently:
Dell X200 Leather Briefcase
Dell Latitude X200
Casio QV-R51 digital camera
Palm Tungsten
U2 iPod (b/w)
2 PQI iStick 1gb flash drives
1 Case Logic Pro Sleeve 40 CD Case
1 8.5 x 6.5 Daily Planner (I know, redundant)
1 business card case
1 Dell power cord/transformer
1 palm charger
1 USB cable

What I intend to carry at the end of the week:
Tumi Flow Shoulder Pack
Apple 12" PowerBook or Sony 10" T-Series (still trying to make up my mind)
Casio EX-S500
Audiovox 5600*
iPod Nano (4gb)
Versa Charger
2 USB cables
2 PQI iStick 1gb flash drives
1 8.5 x 6.5 Daily Planner (I still like having some paper)


All in all, my main goal was to eliminate weight, and ultimately have my 'kit' fit into a smaller package, in this case the Tumi Flow Shoulder Pack, which is a very small package indeed. Yet, with these changes I feel I have gone smaller with the camera and the iPod, and eliminating a transformer and the Tungsten all together, and finally breaking even with the new laptop. As for laptops, I am a Mac guy, but feel comfortable with Windows, yet I am leaning towards the Mac because I really don't like the hassles, security issues, crashes, and viruses Microsoft Windows brings to the table, especially when mobile.

When I speak of laptops, I must also address the software I use, this in itself is the most functional aspect of a laptop, and the actual 'stuff" I use to produce this motly collection of websites, as well as function in my 'other' business as a Systems and Sales Automation Consultant.

The software I currently use on a daily basis, and will continue to use if I choose the PowerBook is:
MS Office
Safari
Mail.App
iCal
iSync
iChat
Missing Sync
Adobe GoLive
Adobe PhotoShop
Adobe Illustrator
Mars Edit
NetNews Wire
ecto

As for my current selection in phones, the Audiovox 5600, I am not pleased with a number of things. The 5600 frequently drops calls, it has very quirky menus, and many settings windows have check boxes are missing labels for the specific option. I expect to move back to Motorola phones when the new Q releases, I may even dump the the conveniences of Windows Mobile all together and use my old Motorola V3 RAZR because as a phone, it works beautifully.

Note: This entry was originally posted on Bam 2 Media, on 9/13/2005.