Just Duke - Mostly Tech Ponderings

Once on another blog, I documented my mobile device ownership. A recent comment on my Facebook Page, reminded me of that article and I thought it was time to revisit and update it, to document the path I have taken on this crazy ride that is mobile technology.

In the late 90's, I was in love with the PDA! My very first one was the Palm III. Monochrome screen, and a way to sync contacts! It had a serial port as USB hadn't been invented! and also this really cool craddle for it to sit in.  It was limited by today's standards, but it was awesome in 1998!

But you know what would be even cooler? Take that monochrome screen and make it color! Give it the ability to display say, 65,000 different colors! Man, how awesome would that be? I'm pretty sure I owned this baby the 1st week it was available. Palm called it the IIIc for Color.

So I was loving this device! I was so amazed by it! It was a little bulky and extremely heavy, but I could still put it in my pocket! I thought it was very cool that I could sync photos to take with me, and I remember looking for an excuse to whip it out at work to share family happenings. I think during this same time, I proudly owned a Lexmark Digital camera that took a 640X480 picture! I would drop those to my PC and sync them to this device! It took a little effort, but not much, and as far as I was concerned, it was cool, it wouldn't matter if it took even more time!

But there was much going on with Palm/3Com/and another start-up called Handspring. This company had a plan to take the Palm Operating System and add modules to expand its capabilities. One of these modules was a Telephone module that allowed the device not only to make calls, but to use dial-up modem services to connect to the internet. I still remember how excited I was, as I went online and ordered direct from Handspring, a Color device called the Prism and the Phone Module add-on.

I carried this device proudly for at least two years! I had dropped it multiple times and the case was cracking! I used super-glue to repair it at least three times! But at some point, the crack was affecting the devices touchscreen from telling if I was poking something or not. I didn't have much choice but to retire it! This was a sad day . . . Although Palm/handspring had introduced an all in one device called the 180, I wasn't in a good position to purchase. But it was really this device that ignited something within me.  I became so interested in mobile tech. It was this device that made me realize what could be with a small device that used cellular technology as a means to connect to the internet and the world. 

 At this point, I decided to go back to two devices. I grabbed a Palm Tungsten E, and a Nokia Candy Bar phone. The Tungsten was without a doubt the best stand alone PDA I ever owned. The fact that it was housed in aluminum shell was a large reason as to why.

From a distance, I watched Palm introduce a very innovative device called the Treo 600. I remember thinking how sexy that device was! It was no time until they introduced an even cooler version called the Treo 650. I was in love! I had to own this device. I bought the phone outright! No contract stuff for this guy! And looking back, I can remember thinking what a deal this was at only $499!

What an incredible device the Palm Treo 650 was! And what made it even more special was that 3rd party companies were getting involved to write applications to expand it even further. One of my favorites was Chatteremail. I had the ability to view 4 email accounts on one screen at the same time. With the push of a button, I could get weather updates! Even more important, this device was always connected to the internet. All that potential that I saw in that Handspring Prism with the Phone Module add-on, arrived in the Palm Treo 650. The Honest truth: I still long for an email app in my devices today that are as good as Chatteremail was in the Palm Treo 650.

I was crazy about that device! But by this time, many other companies had taken notice. Rim's Blackberry was no longer a cool messaging device but had introduced a connected device that looked a whole lot like the 600 series Palm devices. Microsoft was in the game as well, with two platforms. One supported touch screens, the other didn't. Although I saw Microsoft doing some cool things, that Palm couldn't do, I was loyal to Palm, believing that they at some point would do those cool things as well, and probably better than Microsoft did them! But the truth was, the Palm OS was started to look a little old. Palm introduced the Treo 680. Again, I purchased it, outright.

The Treo 680 was basically a 650 in a slightly smaller package. It included an incremental memory upgrade, buried the Antenna within the casing, but the Operating System was pretty much the same. And by now, this Operating System was about 8 years old!  I don't think the build quality was quite on par with the 650 either. And I'm starting to notice that the competition is adding GPS capabilities, and really cool apps specific to functions. My eyes were starting to wonder . . .

Through the power power of the internet I had learned that the Palm Treo 650's were built by a company called HTC. I also learned that HTC was building some really cool phones for Microsoft and others. This company was innovating Hardware design in some incredible ways. Then, they dropped one of the coolest mobile phones I had ever seen! They Called it the TyTN II.

I loved this phone's ability to tilt the screen, and HTC had added this overlay to make Microsoft's Operating System look really sweet! I purchased a huge battery for this thing as most days, it wouldn't make it through without croaking on me. This was the 1st device I am aware of that included two cameras. I don't think I ever used the camera on the front side of the device. HTC built a similar phone for AT&T called the Tilt. Although this included, the same design, it was a much different phone. (no front facing camera, missing a couple of hardware buttons and a whole lot of AT&T specific software) I purchased this device on eBay, and just judging by the documentation, I'm pretty sure, this phone arrived for sale in Singnapore. But it worked great for me, and although I saw some flaws in Microsoft's 6.1 Operating system, it was still overall a much more powerful experience as the Palm OS was.  The GPS was awesome and this particular unit arrived with a full version of Tom Tom's GPS software on the microSD card! And the Keyboard was just awesome!

By this time, Apple has released the iPhone. It's got one of the slickest user Interfaces I have ever seen! But I recognize a lot of Steve Jobs says as pure hype! For instance, he debuted the phone talking about IMAP email on the iPhone and how innovative it was.  Well, it was only available for Yahoo accounts, and Palm's Chatteremail was doing true IMAP protocol years before the iPhone was on the drawing board. Still yet, for the overall picture, the iPhone was really a slick device! It wasn't for me however . . . . When it was time for me to upgrade, I really did consider the iPhone! But I had some pre-concieved notions about things I couldn't live without in a Smartphone. One was a Tactile Keyboard. So I did a really crazy thing! I bought two phones! I purchased an HTC Pro for myself and the iPhone for my wife!

Although I enjoyed this phone for well over a year, this device died in a tragic accident! It was a hit and run per say . .  I dropped it while getting into my car one morning and ran over it! This was another phone built by HTC and I can't say enough about build quality when it comes to this company. Of course, as quality as it was, it just wasn't built good enough to support the pressure applied by a Toyota Truck!

So I need to replace this device! I was like a Junkie the next few days looking for the ultimate fix. I threw the sim back in the TyTN II, and started looking for I really needed to replace it. The iPhone was so very tempting. But for the last two years, I was watching Google's Android come on. And it seemed to me, that it was like that snowball at the top of the hill . . . It started out as an operating system, that was  . . . .  OK, but it just kept getting bigger and better. Then I learned that Google had approached HTC to build them a phone to their specs. Two weeks after I ran over the HTC touch Pro, Google offered an AT&T compatible version of their Nexus One.

As devices such as this go, each time I upgrade, I like it better! And this one is no different! It's the best device I have ever owned! It's not perfect . . But it's pretty awesome still! It shipped with version 2.1 and of course, I got the 2.2 upgrade a few months ago. Right now it includes a pretty impressive ability to input text via voice. It's not perfect, but it's fairly accurate. The Maps navigation is so good, that usually, when we take a trip, I don't even bother with my Tom Tom 920 GPS. It's facebook app is good, but I believe the iPhone's is still better! The Camera is solid, and the apps that are available are vast - not as fast as Apple's market but still vast! I truely depend on this device and it goes everywhere I go. When I kayak, I drop it in a water proof case, and rarely access it, but still yet, I feel it has to go with me for some reason.

"My name is Duke and I am addicted to mobile Technology"

My next device?

I've considered the iPhone. iOS 4 is awesome! Apple/ATT crippled some of the iPhone's abilities for a lot of good reasons actually. As popular as the phone was, a lot of the features would have crippled AT&T's network. With that said, that is one of the biggest reasons I have avoided the iPhone to this point. But the truth is, I am very impressed with what Google is doing with Android. But it's not perfect either. Google's whole approach to music is kind of a joke. And one thing I have learned is, the longer I wait to purchase my next device usually means better tech for less. And as much choice as there is now, it's usually a matter of patience and not about money. But as I write this, I am very satisfied with my Nexus One and what all I can do with it. Until someone offers something really innovative (or I drop this one in the toilet) I'm planning on staying with it.

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