Well, it’s not REALLY a saga but it is none-the-less a voyage into the unfamiliar. I was very familiar and comfortable with the Treo680 since the Handspring. WinMo I’m not so much – familiar with, that is. It resembles the desktop version, so to that extent there is a familiarity to it.

The keyboard is still a source of frustration but I am getting better at it. Depending on the app, it is either too responsive or not at all (probably apps that are not REALLY for touchscreens!). I seriously thought about returning it. I went as far as going back to the TMo store to see what else they had! But once you have the HD2 you can’t really go back. It would have to be egregious and… it’s not.

Right at my house, I consistently get a really strong EDGE signal but the speed is not bad so I guess I’m OK with that. I connected to my WiFi and THAT is working really well.

You’ve got to keep a micro fiber cloth nearby at all times because the screen LOVES your prints. It seems that this will be the “downfall” of all these touchscreen devices. I just saw a pic of the new iPad (scroll down a bit) in the right light: paw prints all over!

Speaking of the screen. It’s big and beautiful and you can read comfortably on it. I try to keep-up with the news and this screen is easy on the eye. My opinion is that every new device should come out with a screen between 4 and 5 inches to be of any use. The screen is big but the device is still pocket-able.

I also like the camera performance. The pics are bright and crisp. Here is one of our adopted Chubby “the fat cat” making his rounds in the backyard and intent on not missing a meal   (I just cropped it – NO retouching of any kind). I have not tried video yet.

In the beginning, when I set-up the HD2 I unsuspectingly set-up the MS Direct Push “feature” and I have the impression that it is constantly trying to access the internet to retrieve new e-mails. I have not been able to find where to turn it off and it is a constant source of aggravation besides depleting my battery when I’m not looking.

Anyone out there knows how to cancel MS Direct Push Notification?

I also installed Co0kieMonster’s new Sense 2.5.x.x tab modification. I had the previous version that I liked very much but I can’t comment on this latest version as I just downloaded it today.

I also purchased SKTools software to do some registry editing and modifications. So far I’ve done a few of the registry tweaks suggested for the HD2 on XDA Developers. Nothing radical, yet. I have to be careful, I need my phone (after all it’s a phone first and foremost!) everyday and cannot be without it.

Also, I thought WinMo was supposed to be flash compatible. I visited several sites that told me to download it. I did it several times but I still can’t use flash. Any ideas?

Whatever happened to WiFi router in the “wireless control”? It’s MIA on mine. I was really looking forward to trying this feature. I wonder if it can be enabled through a registry edit?

Look forward to continuing this conversation. Do you have the HD2? What are your thoughts on it?  Thank you for visiting.

I must say that I have been a long time user of SplashID and SplashMoney.  SplashData was kind enough to give me the registration codes for these two packages for review, which I needed because I upgraded my Treo 680 to the HD2.

SplashID is a handy program to have: It’s there to keep all of your “secret” information: login passwords, bank account and credit cards numbers and all the information you need on hand and want to keep secure. The software comes in 2 parts: mobile version and desktop companion. You use the same password for both and sync/backup your mobile as needed, which uses 256 bit Blowfish encryption (more than you ever wanted to know about encryption here). The desktop companion is very useful when you first set it up and for back-up. I have a lot of records and would not want to have to re-enter them all if something “unfortunate” happened to my mobile. Speaking of which: since I switched platforms, all I had to do, was get the windows version of SplashID, install it on my mobile and computer, export the Palm file and import it into WinMo. Voila! Done!

SplashID comes in all the mobile flavors, even iPad!

Once installed you get the usual sample database that you can modify/delete to fit you needs. For each category you have 10 fields that you can edit/use and you can selectively hide/show (Mask/Unmask Fields) any one which adds another level of safety – so you don’t display all you passwords as soon as you open the database You can also customize the way your data is displayed: Tree view, row and header color, assign an icon for different category, etc… One thing I really like is the “free hand” note field for each of your records. Anything that does not fit neatly in the database can be placed there. You can also choose to use the password generator or come-up with you own. I made mine up: I use a sentence with numbers – the longer the password the more difficult it is to crack and remember! That’s why I use a sentence – works for me. A long password can be a “pain” to enter often but you can adjust how quickly the software will lock after you close it. If by chance someone tries to break-in: 10 wrong trials and your database is wiped out (new for this version). The advantage of this program is: you don’t have to remember a bunch of passwords and log-in names – just one and you have access to all of them.

You can test drive the software for 30 days for free and 60 days after you purchased it. And if you already are a customer and want to change platform…. there is a discounted price for that!

SplashMoney shares the basic set ups with SplashID: encryption, desktop companion (highly recommended), cross platform import/export, different types of views etc…. I need this type of software because I am a contractor and I need to keep track of my income & expenses. This has been a useful companion to my Treo 600/680 and now with the HD2. As stated above if you change platform, you get a discount. I had some difficulties crossing over but SplashData was great to help solve my problems. I like having this type of software because I am constantly buying gas, supplies for jobs, etc… and it is very useful to enter the data a little at a time while the information is fresh in my mind rather than face a pile of receipts at the end of the week/month. And if you’re waiting for something to happen (doctor’s office, delivery, people etc..), it’s a good way to occupy you time. This program was working great on the Treo because of the stylus. I now have the touchscreen version but it is not very “finger friendly”. The data fields are too small and/or not sensitive enough. I need repeated “hit” in the fields to activate them. On the web site, it looks like the interface on the iPhone and Android models are more finger friendly.

A program like SplashMoney is not important UNTIL you realize that April 15th is fast approaching!! This is where keeping-up with your data entry is paying off. You can sync with the companion desktop software and/or import the .QIF file into Quicken or Money if you still have it. My end of the year is never as smooth as I would like but my sanity is greatly improved because all I have to do is organize the data not look for it!

You don’t have to be self employed to need/want this type of program: you can keep track of your stocks, savings, CD’s, credit card spending (important now a days!!), set a budget etc… You can also memorize re-occurring transactions (deposits and/or expenses)  so you’ll never forget one and find your account short of funds.

The same is available for Splash Money as for SplashID: you can play with it before you buy. The real value of these apps reveals itself the more you use them.

SplashData has other apps for all the other platforms, check them out. I also have SplashShopper that I especially find it handy around Thanksgiving.  I am the one cooking for turkey day. I loaded all my ingredients required for the meal, tagged them for “Thankgiving”. When it’s time, I hit the Thanksgiving tag, it brings up all the ingredients.  I then go through my pantry and click off all the ingredients I already have and what I’m left is my shopping list I also do that with books I hear about on the radio. And for the men out there, if you don’t remember your wife’s sizes that would be a good place to keep’em too!

I am always interested in these type of apps/software. Let me what you are using and why you like/dislike it.

Today’s JAMM Store Deal of the Day is 3-D Mini Kayak for Windows Mobile.  You can register 3-D Mini Kayak for half the regular price.  Check out the application’s details and specs below or click here to download a trial / register!

Mini-Kayak is a casual style whitewater kayaking game featuring both energetic kayaking and exciting wild life discovering. This game allows you to escape from stress and bustle, and fully immerse youself into serene yet vivid natural environment.
Paddling along the gurgling stream, listening the rhythmical birds” twittering, searching the mysterious wild life, and catching every valuable sight, you can have a deep mind clearing and relaxing.

Features:

• Vivid and brilliant 3D rendering effect features sophisticated light effect
• Realistic natural environment
• Fluid stream software-creation
• Highly-detailed trail decorations.

Minimum Requirements:

• Window Mobile Pocket PC 2000/02/03/5/6 with ARM-compatible CPU

Display Dimensions
240×240, 240×320, 240×400, 320×240, 320×320, 400×240, 480×480, 480×640, 480×800, 640×480, 800×480
Operating System
Pocket PC 2000, Pocket PC 2002, Pocket PC 2003, Pocket PC 2003 SE, WM5, WM6, WM6.1, WM6.5

I have a professional photographer friend who always criticized me and asked that I stop sending him photos from my phone. He said the quality was insulting and not worth viewing. That all changed when I discovered and began using Photoshop.com for Mobile. When I sent that friend the first batch of pictures using the web version of Photoshop to edit my cell phone photos, he thought I had switched to using “ a real” camera.

There are many photo applications available for various phone operating systems, but they are primarily viewers, often proprietary, and usually lack editing features beyond fixed “auto correct” choices. Photoshop.com offers downloadable application versions for iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile phones and all are compatible with a web accessed companion application. From your phone you can upload, view, and share photos from wherever you are; from the Web account you can resize and edit photos with a stunning array of choices.

Photoshop.com is still in Beta, but you would be hard pressed to believe it. It works very well and all you need do is register for a free account, which then allows you to upload photos from your phone. You can choose to share those photos, view them on-line, or keep them private, all with a free 2GB storage capacity. The ability to view your library or individual albums is a nice feature, but the access to a real editor from the web browser of your home computer pushes the limits of your camera phone to new heights. From here you have mouse-over previews of incremental changes to fill-lighting, tone, exposure, brightness edits, and more.

Sign up for a free Photoshop.com account HERE.  Download the phone appropriate mobile client and try it. You might extend your own limits.

Features:

• Upload and store photos on line (2 GB free)
• View photos from your phone
• Share from wherever you go
• Available for Android, iPhone, and Windows Mobile

Apparently the greatest invention ever told is not so much that.  Not only is it Israel that is having an issue with iPad.  It appears that large universities such as Cornell, George Washington, and Princeton also have a huge problem with them overloading their systems.  At George Washington they have blocked all iProducts from connecting to their wireless networks.  Princeton is also stating wireless internet security reasons for blocking it from their network.

What’s also interesting to note is that other universities like Seton Hill,  are embracing the iPad and all that comes with it by providing them to all of their full time students starting in the fall.

What I see here is not an issue with the iPad or any other mobile computing device but with the systems they are running on.  Apple is the first to really step out and create a new direction that mobile computing IS GOING.  These issues have to be resolved for these institutions to move forward in this tech hungry country and world.

I do not see this as an Apple issue but a personal network issue.  If 20 people came over with their laptops to my house and expected to use them all at the same time I would have to create, too.  However I am not creating revenue for them to be at my house.  If I was I would do the smart thing and make better accommodations so they could compute in comfort.

So what is your thought?  Apple’s problem or personal network problems?  Which needs to be fixed?

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