Payton Place

After months of speculation about Apple‘s rumored mobile phone, Steve Jobs announced the new device this week at CES. Slated to go on sale next month, it will be most interesting to read reviews about its performance and usability.

It looks so incredibly cool . . .

Click the image to visit Apple’s official site with some other phenomenal views of the new iPhone, its operating modes, and slick features of the user interface.

Watch the numerous animations and you’ll be simply amazed. I am curious to know how the switching will occur between GSM/gprs and WiFi connection methods. How long will it be before a port to Skype is available?

A report from David Pogue entitled “Some Hands On Time With The iPhone” is posted within the Bits Blog of the Technology section of the New York Times. And here is a quote from the Apple iPhone page:

iPhone combines three products ? a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications device with desktop-class email, web browsing, maps, and searching ? into one small and lightweight handheld device. iPhone also introduces an entirely new user interface based on a large multi-touch display and pioneering new software, letting you control everything with just your fingers. So it ushers in an era of software power and sophistication never before seen in a mobile device, completely redefining what you can do on a mobile phone.

I noticed something which bodes well for me . . . a Cingular network signal strength indication when in phone mode! When it is a bit easier to afford perhaps I’ll snag one of my own?

~SP

For much of my life I’ve listened to many discussions about the various merits or fallacies of acquiring material goods. Depending on your perspective, such acquisition is either a good thing or a bad thing. But regardless of your judgment call on such matters, there’s no tellin’ how many times I’ve heard the phrase, “You can’t take it with you!”

Well, to that ages-old phrase I say, “Bunk!” (sort of) Because It just so happens that while we still occupy this mortal plane {Boot Camp}, you CAN take it with you in the form of a USB drive! Check out PortableApps.Com to learn more about their latest addition, the PortableApps Suite | Your computer, without the computer?.

This one-stop portable (free or open source) application repository will provide you with many of the tools necessary to completely be self-contained from a personal profile perspective. Just walk up to a foreign machine, plug-in your USB pen drive, and VOILA! Instant ME on a different machine with all my preferences in tow.

My favored web browser, online form-filling utilities, my preferred e-mail client, FTP clients, Standard Office applications, Audio/Video/DVD players, and so much more are all available as recompiled portable applications designed to run from a removable drive with ease. Take a look at my current list of portable applications:

I’ve been a proponent of the Portable Applications stored on a USB drive for many moons. Considering the fact I am restricted (a good policy for most users) to the amount of content or number of applications I can install on company computers, I began exploring methods to take custom, personal, or experimental content with me everywhere I go without violating policies of my employer.

This is quite significant because the fastest and most capable portable computer in my possession is an IBM ThinkPad T42p provided by terms of my employ. It’s very important to me to keep the “MotherShip” happy because I like my job, my team, and the people I meet as a result of taking care of business.

So whether you are looking for a portable identity backup solution to take along for the ride when using company machines, or just interested in the convenience of a portable set of applications requiring ZERO installation on other computers with USB ports, consider the PortableApps and PortableApps Suite possibilities!

~SP

This is an interesting approach to wireless technology in your vehicle.

Gearlog Review of the Hammacher Schlemmer product

It’s definitely a pricy option ($139) when considering other Bluetooth speaker offerings on the market. But considering the fact they’ve been sold out for weeks now, they must be doing something right!

It seems to me it would make more sense to place not only the speaker but also the removeable headset on the drivers side of the product. This would place the speaker nearer to the driver and make removing the headset easier. This may not be the practical case if you’re right-handed. So I’d have to use it for a while to better understand the design choices.

~SP