cgavula's Comments

Gear Diary : One Fishy USB Port

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 16:28:57 +0000

Is there any shape they WON'T make a USB hub in? No - come to think of it, I really don't need to have that question answered!

Gear Diary : The Ectaco jetBook Universal Portable Reading Device Review

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 16:26:52 +0000

I'm not certain that e-Ink is an absolute requirement, but I do think a decent level of resolution IS a requirement.. I do, however, think that Judie makes an excellent point - in North America, we tend to forget that folk don't all have access to the same resources worldwide. At least we forget that until it involves a device or service that isn't available here!

Gear Diary : The Ectaco jetBook Universal Portable Reading Device Review

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 02:55:22 +0000

I think it's making me more likely to buy a Kindle2.

Gear Diary : StarPlayr for iPhone discontinued on March 10 2009

Mon, 9 Mar 2009 19:02:12 +0000

I think you are probably right - it's still kind of sad, though.

Gear Diary : Can Ooma replace my Vonage office line (saving $65 per month)?

Mon, 9 Mar 2009 16:27:17 +0000

When I moved about 2+ years ago, I totally gave up having a land line. No AT&T, no Vonage, nothing. I have been quite satisfied to be a cell-only customer. The only reason I can think to stay with a land line is for alarm service, or other location-dedicated service. I know a lot of people who have made the move from traditional service to Vonage without understanding the new issues associated with depending on your Internet connection for voice service. It seems, in general, people love it or hate it but the overall success of their transition depends more on the quality of their Internet connection than it does on who their voice provider is. That said, I'm generally inclined to recommend going with a lower-cost carrier like Ooma. Now I'm really interested to hear how it works out for you!

Gear Diary : StarPlayr for iPhone discontinued on March 10 2009

Mon, 9 Mar 2009 16:06:56 +0000

This is unfortunate. I wonder if it's the potential for a lawsuit or the potential for SiriusXM to go into bankruptcy?

Gear Diary : Touch Book: The Open Source Netbook

Mon, 9 Mar 2009 16:02:40 +0000

Linux isn't the only possibility - it should also be able to run Windows CE/WIndows Mobile. I'm not sure I'd personally go through the hoops for that, but I suspect someone will since that OS also runs on ARM chips.

Gear Diary : The HTC Touch HD One Month Later

Sun, 8 Mar 2009 09:14:09 +0000

Okay, Further clarification. It appears there really are 2 versions of the Touch HD out there: T8282 - Europe/Asia: 900/2100 MHz T8285 - Australia (only Telstra) / US (Most Networks) : 850/2100 Mhz So that would explain why Mitchell's unit supported the 850 UMTS band. So U.S. buyers should look for the T8285!

Gear Diary : Windows 7 on the HTC Shift

Fri, 6 Mar 2009 19:30:19 +0000

Is there still much interest in the Shift now that netbook pricing is so low? At $900-$1000 USD (on eBay) It seems a bit overpriced these days, doesn't it?

Gear Diary : Easy Park Garage Parking Sensor - $12 shipped

Fri, 6 Mar 2009 19:27:40 +0000

But, of course, this assumes that I can even get the car into the garage in the first place! Really, though, for $12 it seems to be a really good deal!

Gear Diary : The Nokia N85's Killer App

Fri, 6 Mar 2009 19:24:56 +0000

I'm curious though, I read something a while back about the reasoning behind why the FM transmitters available often seemed so weak and it was because of government regulations regarding allowable broadcast strength (before you have to get a broadcast license). Did Nokia somehow get past this? It's an even bigger problem in Europe, I understand, where the maximum allowable strength is lower than it is here in the U.S.

Gear Diary : Febreze Odor Removal Appliance = awesome

Fri, 6 Mar 2009 14:02:41 +0000

I have an area downstairs in my house where the cat boxes are that I may just have to try this in. We'll see how it does up against the likes of Taffy and SIlverbell!

Gear Diary : Amazon's Kindle App for iPhone and Kindle Books support Color

Fri, 6 Mar 2009 13:56:49 +0000

I agree with you, Judie. I think the big thing for Amazon is going to be to improve their catalog depth in a wide variety of categories. When eReader (Peanut Press) became part of the Fictionwise family, they broadened their range of titles significantly. Amazon has a huge base to work from, but I also have to wonder how the Barnes and Noble acquisition of Fictionwise will affect their catalog. If nothing else, Amazons push into this arena should help bring the prices of titles down. eReader/Fictionwise and others have had horrible pricing over the past few years, but that may have more to do with pricing from the publishing house rather than the e-tailers themselves. Hopefully Amazon has the clout to push back on this and keep the prices lower. They seem to be doing that somewhat so far. SO the big question - does all this mean the eBooks might be starting to come into their own?

Gear Diary : Amazon Kindle for iPhone now available

Fri, 6 Mar 2009 04:10:29 +0000

1st - you definitely do NOT have to have a kindle. 2nd - what do you mean it needed your whole account number? I used my normal amazon account login name/pw and it utilized my 1-click setting in the background but I never had to enter any number into the app.

Gear Diary : Justifying the Kindle

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 04:58:43 +0000

I agree that a color screen would drain battery horribly and make the unit warmer - and add some weight too - they aren't ready for that. Nonetheless the contrast on the Kindle and Kindle 2 is WORSE than a real book or a color screen so I must wait. I don't think the wait will be long though. And I do think that the death of paper magazines and the improvements in flexible screens and color e-paper will drive all of this sooner rather than later. As I already mentioned - any success the current Kindle has will drive all of this faster and I can't wait until they release a unit I can actually comfortably use. Until then I just can't get excited about it, especially now that things like Manga are now being released for the iPhone - can't do that properly with a Kindle - yet.

Gear Diary : Justifying the Kindle

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:51:24 +0000

I've said this before, but it bears repeating. I think ebooks are absolutely the way to go, but this device is NOT. It still lacks the minimum things it needs to be a good ebook reader. For me, at minimum it needs to be color and backlit. This makes for better contrast options (like true black on white). Otherwise it's a strain for me to read unless it is in optimal lighting conditions. The Kindle, as it stands, is more grief than help in this way so, for now, I'll stick to my 4" screen WM device (VGA resolution) and my iPhone (with it's 24 bit color - mmmm antialiasing) for eBook reading. Having said all that - I totally agree that the two big concerns of eBooks has been the pricing - which is outrageous - and the DRM. Just like with music, this will have to change for the market to truly take off. I hope the Kindle does succeed, because if it does, eventually I'm likely to get my color device and the price and restrictions on eBooks are likely to fall. I don't know if they will ultimately succeed, but if anyone can pull it off it will be Amazon!

Gear Diary : Sprint Referral Rewards Program is now $100 through 3/31/09

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 14:26:43 +0000

I suppose this is related to the nearly 4 million customers they lost last year (taking them below 50m users for the first time in years). I hope this program helps them. It would be a shame to have them ultimately fail. This industry needs the competition!

Gear Diary : Ahhâ¦ this is Push It!

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:33:26 +0000

The connection is that Apple, until now, has prevented 3rd party apps from running in the background. Only some of their own built-in apps have been permitted to run in the background (multi-task). Push services require that a "listener" be permitted to run and act in the background. Push doesn't work if nothing is listening, after all. So there is a close connection between whether or not Apple restricts multi-tasking and whether or not generalized push services function.

Gear Diary : Verizon introducing Friends & Family - free calling to and from 5 numbers anywhere

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:25:17 +0000

So now we start to see the results of Verizon getting Alltel (since this has long been one of their selling features).

Gear Diary : Ahhâ¦ this is Push It!

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:15:51 +0000

Actually, your answer may be here: http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/02/11/iph... It appears Apple may be doing it's own thing based on open standards rather than relying on MS' proprietary solution. If so, this may be why it has taken so long. If I'm reading the article correctly, it sounds like an interesting answer to the problem of push services and much more efficient than the MS Exchange solution, but, just like with Blackberry devices, the success will be in the linkage to existing services like Exchange or Notes or IMAP/POP.

cgavula's Comments

Gear Diary : One Fishy USB Port

Gear Diary : The Ectaco jetBook Universal Portable Reading Device Review

Gear Diary : The Ectaco jetBook Universal Portable Reading Device Review

Gear Diary : StarPlayr for iPhone discontinued on March 10 2009

Gear Diary : Can Ooma replace my Vonage office line (saving $65 per month)?

Gear Diary : StarPlayr for iPhone discontinued on March 10 2009

Gear Diary : Touch Book: The Open Source Netbook

Gear Diary : The HTC Touch HD One Month Later

Gear Diary : Windows 7 on the HTC Shift

Gear Diary : Easy Park Garage Parking Sensor - $12 shipped

Gear Diary : The Nokia N85's Killer App

Gear Diary : Febreze Odor Removal Appliance = awesome

Gear Diary : Amazon's Kindle App for iPhone and Kindle Books support Color

Gear Diary : Amazon Kindle for iPhone now available

Gear Diary : Justifying the Kindle

Gear Diary : Justifying the Kindle

Gear Diary : Sprint Referral Rewards Program is now $100 through 3/31/09

Gear Diary : Ahhâ¦ this is Push It!

Gear Diary : Verizon introducing Friends & Family - free calling to and from 5 numbers anywhere

Gear Diary : Ahhâ¦ this is Push It!

Gear Diary : Ahhâ¦ this is Push It!

Gear Diary : Ahhâ¦ this is Push It!