Skip to main content

Three Things Series.... 3 Things I would like to use

In the second part of my three things series I would like to focus on three things that I would like to own to add to my current toolkit.
  1. Nokia 770
  2. Nokia E60
  3. Jabra SP500 Bluetooth speaker phone.
Why?

Nokia 770: apart from the fact that it looks cool :) there is a real use for this sort of device. Now that it has significantly improved and new applications are creeping into the domain I can see me using it in one of two modes; and not necessarily exclusively
  1. Communication: Gizmo phone and the ability to use Gmail and GoogleTalk mean that I have a means of communicating in my palm. This becomes useful when I am on a client site; like today where I need to be on their network to get to their servers but I need to use an external wireless network because their firewall and proxy doesn't allow me to use some sites. In this mode I can leave the 770 connected to the external network and still have my laptop connected to their LAN. The size lends itself to being used on the hoof and at airport lounges to catch up on email.
  2. Reference: one of the best parts is the screen. The resolution is great and it is very clear. This makes me think it would be a great book reader and reference media (be it stored locally or browsed from the web). The 770 has swappable memory in the form of Reduced Size MMC, a common feature on Nokia phones. This means that you can group reference material together on a set of RS-MMC cards. Like all flash media the capacity is increasing. A quick Google finds this 1Gb card, with adapter than still allows me to use and share the content on my SD adapter.
Nokia E60: despite the debate about dual mode phones, I still believe that there is a use for them. The E60 comes with a SIP Phone which gives you a lot of ability when combined with Asterisk. The WLAN interface is very clunky, a feature that will need to change if dual mode handsets are going to take off. Even if you don't plan to use the WiFi capabilities the fact that the phone is EU and US GSM as well as CDMA (Japan et al) makes the phone and ideal choice for the frequent traveler.

If the WiFi connectivity options are tidied up, with the increasing number of public WiFi networks (Philly, Oulu, Norwich to name but a few) and with UMA and WiFi starting to converge [finally] a dual mode handset will become the personal device of choice, I hope.

Jabra SP500: firstly what is it? The Jabra SP500 is a Bluetooth speakerphone.

That means wireless microphone and speaker combined. Because it's bluetooth I can use it with my laptop or my mobile phone. The blurb on the Jabra website has an image of a screen mount in a car. This saves all of the wiring normally involved with a car installation, and it means that when I'm traveling I can easily install it in a hire car.

All-in-all I think it would be a great addition to my toolkit as the ability to have a quick Skype based conference around a table would be enormously beneficial.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Thailand's long evolution to Long Term Evolution - the 4G Saga

While much of the world, including some countries that Thailand thinks of as less technologically advanced, are reaping the benefits of 4G; Thailand has yet to get beyond the dabbling stage and jump in with both feet. It seemed to take an eternity to get on to 3G and at least one operator has made the jump to 4G trials.  Now the local regulator has finally (re)set the date for the long awaited auction of the spectrum and details are set to be announced in February. Normally I would be a strong supporter of a free market and all that a regulated market should bring in the way of competition, and therefore when market forces kick in what that then means for consumers in terms of value for money.  However, in this case I am wondering if there is a different answer to the problem. Having watched the mast alliances in Europe and regulator interventions in New Zealand and Australia I think that the antiquated Build, Operate, Transfer (BOT) agreements that Thai mobile opera...

Technology Applied - Compact Calendar

David Seah and his very well put together Printable CEO Series has shared his compact calendar for 2008. There are many country specific versions available from his site and his readers. I have modified the data for Thailand for 2008 . Take the time to have a look around his site, it's well worth the time.

The Loki Planet Guide

The mighty Om thinks that WiFi location based services will be the next kickstart in the industry. I agree that this could be the killer app, the SMS of WiFi/Max, that could really be a key integration point for Muni nets, FON networks and the newest WiFi enabled handsets. He mentions Loki so I went off to have a quick look. It seems pretty interesting and it made me revisit a previous idea for book readers . Combining LBS with a brand like The Lonely Planet would be a pretty powerful partnership; apply the whole thing in a PDA or some other WiFi enabled device that makes book reading easy (something like Nokia's 770 ) and you have your own tour guide in your pocket that is as close to being smart as you can get. It will be able to know which country you're in and allow you to subscribe to the guide for that country, or mini-guide for that city. Once walking around the LBS granularity would enable a smart book mark to move you to the section of the guide for where you...