Libby Hemphill » Cell Phones http://www.libbyh.com research and posts on social media, collaboration, and related technologies Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:38:02 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Google Makes My Life Harder http://www.libbyh.com/2008/08/08/google-makes-my-life-harder/ http://www.libbyh.com/2008/08/08/google-makes-my-life-harder/#comments Fri, 08 Aug 2008 21:27:58 +0000 libbyh http://www.libbyh.com/blog/?p=194 I like my new iPhone a great deal.  I especially like good apps.  For instance, the Yelp app rocks; it uses the "current location" feature of the iPhone to show me stuff nearby (such as restaurants).  And it's Yelp, which I already use a lot, so it includes user-contributed reviews and info.  The Yelp app takes something I love and use from the Web and makes it available and awesome on the iPhone. Easy, specialized, familiar, fast, localized, all things I like in a mobile application.  Why can't Google do the same?

Google's iPhone versions of Gmail and Google Calendar are awful.  I used both on my Blackberry, and I have new issues.  First, they are not standalone applications.  I have to go through Safari to get to them.  That means I don't have a little "new Gmail" icon.  I have to manually check my mail to see if there's anything there (or use the built in Mail app which I already mentioned I don't like).  Gmail on the iPhone doesn't have a way for me to label messages.  Sure, I can archive them to get them out of my inbox, but then they're lost in the "All Mail" ether.  I couldn't label them through the Blackberry Gmail app either, so this isn't new, but it's still annoying.

Google Calendar for the iPhone lacks a rather important feature as well - Edit.  Seriously?  Google, you didn't think I'd want to edit calendar entries on my phone?  It's not clear how I can view the "Standard" versions of either Gmail or Google Calendar.  Google checks, finds that I'm on an iPhone, and serves up these "apps" that make my life harder.  Maybe that's not fair.  Maybe they just fail to make my life easier.  I want to use my mobile device for mobile email and mobile calendar, and Google is making it hard for me to do that.

I'm hoping that there are features of Gmail and Google Calendar for the iPhone that I just haven't found or enabled properly.  I don't want to go through iCal and syncing to get my calendar or through the very un-Gmail-like Mail app.  Please help!

]]> http://www.libbyh.com/2008/08/08/google-makes-my-life-harder/feed/ 4 My new iPhone http://www.libbyh.com/2008/08/04/my-new-iphone/ http://www.libbyh.com/2008/08/04/my-new-iphone/#comments Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:34:31 +0000 libbyh http://www.libbyh.com/blog/?p=189 I had a great week at the poker tables last week and spent some of my winnings on a 16GB iPhone. I've railed against Cingular for years over a fight we had about an alleged many hour phone call from Canada to the U.S. (I didn't make the call, they billed me, drama). I said I'd never go back. Ever. Then came the iPhone 3G. Well, and Cingular returned to AT&T. So I'm back. I'm not sure I'm ready to part with my BlackBerry Pearl, and I haven't ported my number yet just in case. First, I'll get them to unlock my BlackBerry so it can be a backup phone anyway. But that's not the point. My new iPhone is the point. Here are my favorite parts, my least favorite parts, and the things I need to think about some more.

+ overall awesomeness

+ giant screen

+ really good typo correction

+ free apps, especially Pandora and Yelp

+ GPS

+ MobileMe

- can't cut and paste from a text message

- gets hot when in use

- built in Mail app is U-G-L-Y

- AT&T sends me cryptic emails with abbreviations like "CTN" and "CSS" that make no sense

Needs more thought:

Should I fork over the $9.99 for a tethering app so that I can use it as a wifi modem with my laptop? (sigh, another $10 spent, most likely)

Should I buy new V-moda headphones or stick with my Shures? (probably Shures)

Should I keep my Seattle number as a reminder of my summer here? (doubtful)

]]> http://www.libbyh.com/2008/08/04/my-new-iphone/feed/ 6 New and Useful: mShopper.com http://www.libbyh.com/2008/02/05/new-and-useful-mshoppercom/ http://www.libbyh.com/2008/02/05/new-and-useful-mshoppercom/#comments Wed, 06 Feb 2008 02:20:23 +0000 libbyh http://www.libbyh.com/blog/2008/02/05/new-and-useful-mshoppercom/ Want to know if you're getting the best deal on that hard drive/coat/speaker/tire/pencil/camera/etc?  mShopper.net is here to help.  mShopper lets you use your cell phone to compare prices of in-store items to online retailers and other retailers near by.  You can even set it up so that you can buy from an online retailer on the spot instead of waiting until you get home.  My brother told me about it awhile ago; I can't believe I forgot to blog it.  Check it out.  I dig it; it saves me money.  Oh, and you can designate a charity to receive a percentage of your mShopper purchases.  Cool.

]]> http://www.libbyh.com/2008/02/05/new-and-useful-mshoppercom/feed/ 0 New and Useful: Google Sync for BlackBerry http://www.libbyh.com/2008/01/24/new-and-useful-google-sync-for-blackberry/ http://www.libbyh.com/2008/01/24/new-and-useful-google-sync-for-blackberry/#comments Thu, 24 Jan 2008 17:02:45 +0000 libbyh http://www.libbyh.com/blog/2008/01/24/new-and-useful-google-sync-for-blackberry/ In December, Google released a new application called Google Sync for BlackBerry that automatically sync's your device calendar with your Google Calendar. For anyone else using the clunky Google Calendar mobile version in their BlackBerry browser, this is quite exciting.

To download, visit http://m.google.com/sync from your BlackBerry browser.

If you'd rather not have another app on your device, but you want an easier way to get to your Google Calendar, try texting GVENT (48368). You'll get an SMS back with your calendar information: "nday" = next day's calendar; "next" = next event; "day" = today's events

]]> http://www.libbyh.com/2008/01/24/new-and-useful-google-sync-for-blackberry/feed/ 0 Using a BlackBerry as a Bluetooth Modem with my MacBook http://www.libbyh.com/2007/12/10/using-a-blackberry-as-a-bluetooth-modem-with-my-macbook/ http://www.libbyh.com/2007/12/10/using-a-blackberry-as-a-bluetooth-modem-with-my-macbook/#comments Tue, 11 Dec 2007 00:10:00 +0000 libbyh http://www.libbyh.com/blog/?p=94 It used to be much easier to find these instructions online, but it took me awhile yesterday. So, here they are where I can find them, and you might be able to use them too.

These instructions work for my Blackberry Pearl on TMobile using a MacBook running Leopard. It may work with other Bluetooth-enabled phones and existing TMobile data plans, or you may find parts of the instructions helpful.

1. Pair BlackBerry and MacBook
2. Open Network Preferences
3. Select "Bluetooth" in the list of connections
4. Choose "Add Configuration..." under "Configuration" on the right side
5. Telephone Number: wap.voicestream.com
6. Account Name: guest
7. Password: guestguest

You may have to click "Apply" before being able to click "Connect."

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