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Device History: HTC Kaiser | HTC Wizard | HTC Blue Angel | HP iPAQ 3970 | Sony Clie T615C | Philips Nino 320 Last updated 6/27/2008 Jump to: Hardware | Software | Websites
I have decided to devote this little section of my website to mobile technology because of the importance I place on "extensions" of the human persona. Just as the home, moving beyond its role as shelter, is an extension of the body and soul, and the automobile is an extension of our mobility, the computer (or the sketchbook, or the blank canvas, etc.) is an extension of the mind. The telephone is an extension of our ability to communicate. The hand-held computer and the mobile phone, because of their small form and portability, are extraordinarily appropriate human-scaled manifestations of these two "extensions". (Here are some more thoughts on mobile devices as human extensions.) Before getting into how I use my mobile device, it's important to step back and look at the big picture for a moment: I've found that PDAs, mobile phones and other organizational tools don't substantively help you accomplish long-term goals. These tools are better for short-term organization and tasks. No system/device/etc. can make you stop putting things off and get to the substance of any matter. No device will help you do the "important, but not urgent" things, if you don't have the desire within you to do those things already. In fact, these "organizational tools" can actually impede a person's effectiveness, by encouraging a focus on putting out fires or conveying a sense of urgency, rather than concentrating on the quieter, step by step approach to accomplishing great things. Mobile Device Hot Fighting History:
Pictured above is my current mobile device, an HTC Kaiser / AT&T Tilt. As is currently typical in the smartphone product category, HTC of Taiwan manufactures a few flavors of the device and then it is rebranded for various cellular carriers around the world. AT&T's version of the Kaiser is notably missing the front face camera used for video calling.
*** I use this device to organize my life, keep track of nearly everything, browse the internet, check email, read ebooks and other documents, write, edit spreadsheets, read the news, keep reference materials handy, view photographs and video clips, play games, play music, audiobooks, podcasts and more.
On this page I describe some of the applications, system extensions, configurations and hardware that I find useful, with the hope that this information can be of some help to others. I love to optimize (i.e., tweak) the tools I use heavily in my life. So I figure that as long as I've put that effort into it, I might as well share my experiences. HTC Kaiser (TTyN II) / AT&T Tilt - See description above. I remapped the Push-to-Talk button to run AE Button Plus, a wonderful, light-touch task switching hack that works very well with the side scroll-wheel and OK button. Other than that, no button remapping--this is a very well designed device. My only complaints are that I wish the battery life was better, and the screen is not reflective enough in bright sunlight. Motorola H700 Bluetooth Headset (link) - See picture above. A later evolution of the original HS 810 I used with my Sony Ericsson T610. Still does the job better than any headset out there, in my opinion. 1 GB Brando
Screen Protector (link)
- This is the best screen protector ever made. It's a thick, sturdy,
non-disposable screen protector that reduces glare and has a nice,
semi-rough writing surface. I've been using the same screen protector (literally the same physical piece of plastic) for over These are the programs that make my device work well for me: AE Button Plus (link) - See comments above. A wonderful, light-touch pop-up task switching hack that works very well with the side scroll-wheel and OK button on the Tilt. Also includes battery life, 'uptime', and memory usage stats. Free version is slightly crippled, but not in any way that affects how I use it. Windows Live (link) - A robust mapping and business/people search app. Works well with the built-in GPS...by the way, it's free. Opera Mini (link) - What a mobile browser should be. Makes Internet Explorer look sad, sad, sad (although it has its uses, like Google Reader Mobile, see below). You need to install this to be an iPhone killer. Free. Google Reader Mobile - This is a web driven newsreader that formats your favorite RSS feeds for mobile browsing. FlexWallet (link) - Secure digital wallet. Keep all your personal information *securely* in one place. Syncs with a desktop computer interface. I used "SplashID" on the PalmOS. Wei's SoftReset (link) - A very small-footprint soft reset utility, so you can avoid pulling out the stylus when you need to soft-reset the device. Pocket 12C (link) - Everyone's favorite Reverse Polish Notation financial calculator. I use this one a lot--love the horizontal format! Total Commander (link) - An oldie but a goodie, and a must on any Windows Mobile device. Much, much better than the built-in file explorer. Also has a registry editor. µBook (link) - Pronounced "MICRO-book". I use this program for my free Project Gutenberg downloads. Works with HTML, TXT, RTF, PDB and PRC ebook files. Image support. Very intelligent and light-touch program. Auto-creates a table of contents and re-paginates based on font size/style. In my opinion, this is the best e-book reader out there. I use the 'Vanilla' skin for a clean, clear reading interface. Unfortunately, it is no longer free, although if you're willing to put up with an intermittent nag screen you don't need to purchase a license. Veveo Vtap (link) - Search and view YouTube and other streaming videos on your mobile device.
XDA-Developers.com - Dedicated entirely to HTC phones. Answers to most HTC questions can be found here.
Howard Forums - The grand-daddy of all mobile phone forum sites.
Pocket PC Thoughts - My favorite PPC news site.
Keen
PDA - David Keener has put together a concise and excellent
site that discusses effective time-management using PDAs. His comments
were very useful to me--I encourage you to read the whole thing. The
Brando Workshop, Hong Kong - Their screen protectors are
the best, and they offer a number of other great accessories for
several PDA models. *** Email
me with corrections, or to let me know that I'm full of hot
air... |
Mobile
Computing Page: HTC Kaiser / AT&T Tilt
I've
been using a PDA to keep track of my life since 1998--even before
I started using a mobile phone. It is interesting to think about just
how badly I wanted a 'converged' device back when I was using my Sony Clie
in 2001-2002. I couldn't wait to have an excellent PDA with phone functionality.
After a few weak starts (the early PPC phones and Treos were not that impressive),
the industry has finally started getting it right. The HTC Wizard was the first smartphone
I've owned that *just did what it's supposed to*, without a lot of hacking and tweaking.
The HTC Blue Angel was almost there, but it had too many bugs to be a truly excellent device
(bad bluetooth, no keylock, slow internet, etc.). The Kaiser improves on the Wizard significantly: 3G data speeds, *phenomenal* signal reception (I can make calls from elevator shafts and underground levels of buildings), world-phone (works in U.S., Europe, Japan, etc.), a tilt-screen for viewing the device when resting on a table, the highest-quality build from HTC yet and, holy $#@%!...GPS built-in!
Oh, and my beloved scoll-wheel is back--something I haven't had since my Sony 615. Frankly, I can't think of anything to add to this phone; in my book it's an iPhone killer.