Genuine Curiosity

Author Dwayne Melancon is always on the lookout for new things to learn. An ecclectic collection of postings on personal productivity, travel, good books, gadgets, leadership & management, and many other things.

 

MotoROKR S9 Bluetooth Headset for iPhone

Motorokr After Apple added support for stereo Bluetooth to its iPhone v3 software, I decided I wanted to become unwired with my iPhone 3Gs.  After some shopping around, I bought a Motorola MotoROKR S9 Headset.

I’ve had it for about 3 weeks now, and am very happy with it.  The sound quality is better than I expected, and I find it to be very comfortable to wear – even when working out.  This is a behind-the-head design that fits well, is comfortable, and pairs easily with the iPhone.

Call sound quality is pretty good, too.  You pick up a bit of wind noise sometimes (the microphone is integrated into one of the earpiece assemblies), but it does a good job of filtering common types of background noise.  One note: when you answer a call, the audio isn’t stereo – it goes into one ear only, but the iPhone (as always) seamlessly turns down whatever you’re listening to until the call is over.

The controls are easy to use – they are on the side of the headset and allow you to play, pause, adjust volume and answer calls. 

However, the controls are the source of my only complaint:  there are previous track / next track controls on this headset which work on another Bluetooth device I own.  For some reason, the iPhone (any version, from what I can tell) doesn’t yet support the next track / previous track buttons (they just beep when you press them).  I’m hoping that comes later.

The battery life is good (I find I have to recharge it about once a week after a fair amount of use), and it comes with its own AC adapter that plugs into a mini-USB port on the headset.

All in all, I’m very happy with the MotoROKR S9, and am longing for the day when Apple adds support for the previous track / next track controls.

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Does the iPhone OS v3 fix my top gripes?

Several months ago, I wrote about the top 3 things that I felt were missing from the iPhone.  This week, version 3 of the iPhone OS was released and I’m using it now.  I don’t have the new iPhone 3Gs hardware – I’m running on the “old” iPhone 3G hardware, but since that’s the bulk of the installed base right now I figured it might be useful to share my findings here.

Gripe Status
I couldn’t cut & paste. Fixed – and it works very well in iPhone OS v3.
I couldn’t invite others to appointments (i.e. initiate meeting requests). Fixed – it works fairly well.  Would like to be able to check the availability of other attendees, but at least I can invite people to meetings.
I couldn’t attach / forward contact information to others. Fixed – it is now possible to “Share” contact, which opens an email and attaches the contact as a .vcf file, which is fairly standard.

gagapeople

The v3 OS update is free for iPhone owners (iPod Touch owners must pay $10 for some reason) so it should be an automatic for you if you have an iPhone.

Killerest feature

The “killerest” new feature (my opinion) is “Spotlight Search,” which provides the ability to search for things on the device.  It was very painful to find things in old emails before – it was all manual and time-consuming.  Now you can search for items, messages, songs, appointments, etc. and find them in a jiffy.  The only limitation I’ve found is in searching email folders other than your inbox: if you haven’t opened the folder on your iPhone, or you haven’t opened it in a while, you won’t find recent emails in the search – you’ll have to open the folder so it will sync.

To make this slightly easier, each folder now has a Search field at the top of the folder so you can easily find things within that particular folder.

…And the rest(ish)

Some other improvements I’ve noticed in this version (not a complete list – there are even more):

  • Support for stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) so you can use wireless headphones
  • You can now sync Notes between Outlook and the iPhone (not wirelessly – only when you dock with iTunes)
  • Better rendering of HTML in the browser
  • Addition of a Voice Memo application (ideal for those “notes to self”, though I still prefer Jott)
  • Better support for clicking on links, phone numbers, etc. in appointments if you’re syncing with Microsoft Exchange (though for some reason, you can’t click on any of these if they are in the subject of the appointment – only in the body, and only if they aren’t inside an attachment) 
    • This capability, along with cut & paste (which also won’t work in the subject line for some reason) will save a lot of idiotic instances of needing to write down meeting phone numbers and passcodes
    • This also means you can put addresses inside the notes part of a meeting, click on the address, and it will automagically look up the address in Google Maps – again, don’t put it in the location field because it won’t be clickable there – put it in the notes
  • The podcast controls, which I mentioned in my last post
  • Lots of cosmetic/usability improvements in the recent calls, favorites, and other phone-related lists
  • The ability to rent movies from your iPhone
  • Better support for seamless password storage when using WiFi networks that require account names & passwords
  • Support for saved passwords and autocomplete on web forms
  • Improved VPN support

That’s my list off the top of my head, and I know I’m forgetting a few things.  If you’re lucky enough to be able to get an iPhone 3Gs (the new hardware) you’ll get all of that plus a compass, faster processor, and the ability to film and edit movies on the phone (and you get a higher-res camera).

Hope that helps update you on the iPhone. 

If you don’t care about iPhones: this isn’t an iPhone fanboy site but I will post something about them from time to time, particularly around big releases.

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Unlocking the iPhone’s potential, part 1

apple_chrome_logo Despite the title, this article is not about unlocking the iPhone so it will work on networks other than AT&T.  And as much as the cool kids keep trying to tempt me to do it, it’s also not about jailbreaking the iPhone so you can run rogue apps on it.

As you may know, I wrote about my “top 3” challenges with the iPhone a while back and they were irritating enough to get me to switch back to my Blackberry.

Now, I’m back on the iPhone 3G.  What’s changed?  This post begins the discussion about what’s changed for me in the hopes that other iPhone users (or wannabe users) can benefit from what I’ve learned.  I want to share with you how I’ve been able to overcome (or at least make tolerable) some of the iPhone’s current limitations, and I’ll start with my top 3 issues from the previous post:

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Voice power and your phone

vlingo I am in the midst of a switch of phone platforms, yet again.  I’m going back to my iPhone 3G.

During the coming week, I’ll share more information with you about how I’m working around the iPhone’s limitations (I’ve mentioned why I switched away from the iPhone in a previous post).  In the mean time, I wanted to share information about a free “super app” that works on both the Blackberry and the iPhone.  The application is called “vlingo” and it allows you to talk to your phone to make it do stuff.

Voice control is very handy in many situations, such as when you’re driving.  You can use Vlingo to call people, update social network status, do web searches, and more.  The Blackberry version has more functions and is a little easier to access since it maps to one of the “convenience keys” on the side of your phone, but the iPhone version is still very good (I wish I could use vlingo to send text message on the iPhone – I did that all the time on the Blackberry).

Very cool – check out vlingo today – it is free, after all.  Would love to hear what you think.

Want to see a demo first?  There are a couple of cool demo (Flash) videos online of vlingo on the Blackberry, and vlingo on the iPhone.

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Amazon's Kindle 2 Starts A Fire

I've had Amazon's Kindle 2 for the past couple of weeks, and I am really glad I bought one. I thought I'd take some time to share what I've found with you in case you're considering buying one.

First, I'd like to give you some context to better understand where I'm coming from.

  • Contrary to my gadget-loving nature I didn't buy the first Kindle (though I was chomping at the bit to pick up version 2).
  • This is my first time using an electronic reader, and I've never liked reading long documents (much less books) on a computer.
  • I read quite a few books -- typically 4 or more each month, and usually with more than one going at a time (one or more business / non-fiction, one fiction, etc.).
  • When I travel, I typically have 3 or 4 books with me which can be heavy and bulky.

The Device

I'll start with my impressions of the device itself. Amazon took a cue from Apple and really paid attention to the "unboxing experience" with the Kindle. The elegantly boxed arrived and I felt like I was opening a gift, rather than just some gadget I ordered. The fit & finish are impressive - this is a sturdy, light device - and it has a nice minimalist feel. The only items you need to carry around are the Kindle itself (about as big a footprint as a Moleskine notebook, but thinner than an iPhone), a USB cable that you use for charging and connecting to your PC, and a USB-to-AC adapter so you can charge via an electrical outlet).

I added Amazon's protective leather cover for the Kindle 2, which about doubles the thickness of the device but gives me peace of mind that it won't get dinged up as I carry the Kindle around. Click the image at right for a larger view of all the gear together.

Obtaining Stuff to Read

One of the things that's been a breeze is buying books for the Kindle. The device is integrated seamlessly with my Amazon account, so I can:

  • Buy Kindle books via the Amazon web site, and they show up seconds later on my Kindle 2
  • Browse or search for books on the Kindle, order (with automatic billing to my account)

These are the two most common actions, but there are other ways to get content to read, including:

  • You can email PDF's and Word docs to yourself and (for a cost of 10 cents) they will be converted and appear on your Kindle a few minutes later. If you are a GTD user, this could be an effective way to bring your "To Read" stack with you without adding bulk to your briefcase. You can also add others to your email "good list" so they can send you documents this way.
  • You can subscribe to newspapers (of which there are quite a few) or magazines (there aren't many) from Amazon's Kindle Store.
  • You can subscribe to a small number of leading blogs (more are purportedly coming) so you can read your RSS feeds on the go.
  • You can get free books via ManyBooks - they have Kindle format versions of many books from Project Gutenberg.
    • ManyBooks has over 20,000 free eBooks available, and a bunch of them are available in Kindle format (.awz files).
    • You can also browse to "mnybks.net" from your Kindle to download from ManyBooks directly on the device.
    • If you download the books to your PC, you have to manually copy them to your Kindle 2 via the USB cable but hey - they're free!

In addition to reading, you can listen to things on the Kindle in a couple of ways:

  • Have the Kindle read a book to you in its robot voice (I'm not wild about the voice, but it might be good in some situation I haven't yet encountered).
  • Copy MP3's to your Kindle (again, via USB) so you can listen to music or audiobooks on the device. Warning: MP3 files take a lot of space (but Kindle format books do not).

Book prices are reasonable. First, you can download samples of books to decide whether you want them or not. When you buy, most current / hardcover titles cost $10, while older / massmarket paperback books range from free to about $8 (most of the massmarket books I've bought run about $6 or $7).

The best thing? The Kindle weighs the same and takes up the same amount of space no matter how many books you put in it.

OK, So What About the Reading?

Now, let's get into the reason I bought this device: the reading. In short, "wow - this is cool, and better than I expected." You start with a home page that shows you all of the books currently on your Kindle, with a small, graphical indicator of how much you've read. When you find what you want to read, point to it using the joystick and press in on the joystick to select. Boom - the book comes up on the screen and you're ready to read.

The controls on the Kindle 2 are easy to use and you forget about them after a few minutes of reading (you'll mostly use the Previous and Next Page buttons). At any time, you can mark text, add annotations, add a bookmark, or look up a word using the built-in dictionary. You can also switch to another book, and the Kindle 2 will remember where you left off any time you return to a book already in progress. Very nice.

The on-screen reading experience is surprisingly good. I have read for up to 4 hours at a stretch with no eye fatigue, and find I can read faster on the Kindle than I can using a "real" book. I suspect it's because I can adjust the text to a size that's optimal and because the whitespace around the screen makes it easier to focus on the page that's before me.

The annotation tools are handy, too. Since I often review the books I read (or at least the ones I like), I find myself using the highlights a lot and they're a snap to use on the Kindle 2. In the screen shot at the right, you can get an idea of how easy it is to keep track of multiple highlights and annotations - click the pic for a larger view (and please excuse the wonky angle - I didn't get the camera straight).

Net-net on the Kindle 2

Once again, I'm really glad I bought the Kindle 2. If you read a lot, you'll love this device - and I think heavy readers will be able to justify the expensive price much more easily. There are so many things I haven't even mentioned in this review, but hopefully you've heard enough to get an idea whether this device is right for you or not. If you still want one, pick one up a Kindle 2 from Amazon - and happy reading!

And here are my top 5 pros and cons, to wrap things up.


Kindle 2: Top 5 Pros

Kindle 2: Bottom 5 Cons

Excellent, readable screen with adjustable font size

Expensive

Seamless integration with Amazon account

Joystick is a little stubby and harder to use than I'd like

Huge library of current (and older) books available on-demand

Battery and memory are not user-accessible

Very portable form factor, even with charging cable

No ability to password protect the device or its ability to order
(though you can disable it via Amazon.com if it's stolen)

Easy bookmarking, highlighting, and annotation

Not enough magazines available for subscription yet