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A Smart Smartphone

  • December 5, 2007 at 3:40 pm

    #181941

    Comments posted to this topic are about the item A Smart Smartphone

  • December 6, 2007 at 1:26 am

    #757563

    Am I the only person who wants a phone for phone calls?

    I've had to trial quite a few fancy mobiles as part of my job, and I keep coming back to a basic handset that allows me to dial people, talk and then hang up. Add a few contacts for quicker dialling and that's it for me; I'm then as happy as Larry on Larry's birthday.

    If I'm honest, I'm happier still when I find I'm in a blackspot, but then I'm not really too turned on by gadgets....

    Semper in excretia, suus solum profundum variat

  • December 6, 2007 at 7:27 am

    #757659

    I'm not sure about all the gee wiz stuff, though I like carrying my blackberry (I'd often rather email than call). Having the internet connection is handy too, weather, news, traffic primarily, though sometimes I check prices and ratings on the net when I'm shopping.

    ...

    -- FORTRAN manual for Xerox Computers --

  • December 6, 2007 at 8:40 am

    #757700

    I think they days of phones just being phones are gone.

    I've got features on the house phone that I don't even user or know how to use.

    majorbloodneck, BTW, the blackspot activator is the "Oh-En-Oh-Eff-Eff" button.

  • December 6, 2007 at 9:15 am

    #757728

    Steve Jones - Editor (12/6/2007)

    majorbloodneck, BTW, the blackspot activator is the "Oh-En-Oh-Eff-Eff" button.

    Wow. Things really have moved on. I know the button you mean, but I'm sure mine doesn't have an "Oh-En" on it anywhere.... 😉

    Seriously, though, I have the good fortune to have two kids - one of whom is only just one year old. "Background noise" is a self-evident problem to the caller, and so a much better excuse than a blackspot. Moreover, it only takes a couple of "hang on a minute" ...look away... "hey, kids, don't do that, please" ...turn back to phone... "sorry, where were we" episodes before the caller gets so confused about who I'm speaking to that they're the ones who make their excuses and hang up. I reckon I've got it down to a fine art.

    Now, any smart phone with a dribbly, snotty, tired one-year-old simulator would be a gadget indeed.

    Semper in excretia, suus solum profundum variat

  • December 6, 2007 at 9:34 am

    #757742

    majorbloodnock said:

    Am I the only person who wants a phone for phone calls?

    Answer, NO! My wife got a new phone for free by extending her contract. She asked, "When do you want to play with my new phone?" I said, "Does never work for you?" Oporative word being want. I had to because the new one does not talk the way the old one did.

    I actually would like a Motorola MC70 or MC50 (from Symbol[/url]) just so that I demo our software. I often get that "What do you do for a living?" and it would save a boat load of time to just show them. But this is a handheld computer that has cell phone features, not the other way round.

    Steve does the "smart typing" feature make you feel a bit like Stephen Hawking? Personal assistants that learn by watching what you do and then help you do it can be a good thing. My spelling sucks, for example, and I like that can tell Word that I usually misspell a word in a certain way and from then on it fixes it for me. The downside is that it can also reinforce bad habits.

    ATBCharles Kincaid

  • December 6, 2007 at 9:47 am

    #757747

    It does work, mostly for longer words. Like I type "SQLServerCentral" on the phone once and then it appears early in the list when I type "SQL"

    The downside is that I haven't figured out how to edit the lists. I have misspelled something and then it always appears first, which is annoying.

    I wanted a phone that was a phone, but I like Bluetooth, which eliminated most of those phones. However with the Dash (got it middle of last year), I really like it. Email saves me time, haven't really used the IM much, but web browsing keeps me in touch with the sports scores and I can check on the forums.

    And it makes me want a mobile-version of the forums 🙂

  • December 6, 2007 at 10:48 am

    #757773

    This is brought to you by the fine company that brought you the HAL 9000.

    Same results, smaller scale.

    😛

  • December 6, 2007 at 3:17 pm

    #757896

    Don't wanna surf the web, listen to music, take photos, buy lattes, or play games on my phone; just wanna talk.

    There is no "i" in team, but idiot has two.

  • December 7, 2007 at 10:55 am

    #758176

    Sure, I have a BB for work. But for myself I just want a phone. At home it is just a plain old POTS line too !

    Just call me Earl Scheib.

    Earl Scheib appeared in local television commercials up through the 1990s. Scheib would tell the camera "Riiight, "I'll paint any car, any color for twenty-nine nintey-five! Riiiiiiight!" Scheib's tagline "riiiiiiight" became a colloquial reference.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Scheib

    RegardsRudy KomacsarSenior Database Administrator"Ave Caesar! - Morituri te salutamus."

  • December 7, 2007 at 11:07 am

    #758179

    Almost went to Earl for an old car, but couldn't bring myself to do it.

    We're POTS here (With DSL riding along). Still find uses for the line, especially as so much local stuff (kids, school, store deliveries, etc) are tied to it. We've ported the same # to 4 houses over 10 years.

    My kids still wonder why I don't have music on my phone. I could, just never think to.

  • December 10, 2007 at 9:53 am

    #758652

    Hey, I remember Earl Schieb from growing up in Chicago! His TV commercial had him doing a voice over of two guys who looked like very recent parolees taping over the chrome on some beater. We had a neighbor who was an alchoholic house painter, and he painted his old van with a can of latex and a brush, so one of our other neighbors found an Earl Schieb sticker for him. I don't believe the painter ever noticed it was there. 🙂

    There is no "i" in team, but idiot has two.

  • December 11, 2007 at 12:30 pm

    #759135

    We dumped our landline 2 years ago and haven’t missed it one bit. With my wife, eldest daughter and I on a decently large shared cell phone plan, it became an unnecessary expense. Nights & Weekends at 7pm and free calls to each other kept us within plan minutes without any issues. Once I realized how little we were using our landline it was an easy decision.

    Regards Smartphones - I have been using one for three years now and tight integration with Outlook was the tipping point for me. Since my Pocket PC phone can carry most of my Outlook information and sync with the Exchange server I have 65-75% of what I need to perform my job with me at all times/locations. Of course I am not a DBA but I do know several that use their Pocket PCs to better manage their enterprises. It just takes the right tools and some planning. I’m sure that is easier said than done. 😉

  • December 11, 2007 at 12:53 pm

    #759156

    Steve, your mention of executive assistant reminded me of this article from Wired. “Your Outboard Brain Knows All” by Clive Thompson. (http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/15-10/st_thompson ) It is interesting to read his research on how few people under 30 could remember their own phone number without sneaking a peek at their cell phone. For a large and growing part of modern society, smartphones are becoming critical to remembering all sorts of things. That reminds me…I better backup my phone’s data tonight. 😀

  • December 11, 2007 at 12:59 pm

    #759160

    While I remember my own phone number, it's surprising how many others I don't know. Most of my friends are in the phone and I have no idea of what their number is.

    However what is interesting is that I remember my Mom's office number. It's been the same for about 15 years, probably hadn't called it in 10, but I had to last summer and actually remembered it. A good thing since it wasn't in the phone 🙂

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