Unbound Spiral

I have quite a dilemma. Actually it is one many of you would love to have. I've experienced absolute envy from friends and new acquaintances over the last 8 weeks while trying out the Nokia N90, simply the slickest video phone I know. (Oh yes I saw some Samsung knockoffs at CES however I've not lived with them.) My problem is Nokia just shipped me a Nokia N70 which has only just been released here. Effectively it promises to do everything the N90 does and more in a smaller package. My heart sank when this new phone arrived. Was it time to give up the N90? Would I miss it?

So what is it that the N90 has done really well? (Context. I have a T-Mobile USA account with a GPRS unlimited data plan. I've run that for the last few years with a Nokia 3650 an early Smart Phone).

The Great!
Fantastic Pictures and Videos. Makes you rethink the device. It feels right taking pictures with it. If you like photography then this format is a great way to take pictures. The transformer design easily balances in your hand. In this format it also communicates readily to others what you are doing. Others quickly identify it as a video camera. The memory card that came with it would allow you to make a 30 minute video if you wanted. I've found the 1-2 minute video is actually more fun. Plus the video self mode or video self /couple mode is excellent.

Image! Envy! Fact is you will have a camera everywhere. It's more than that. The angle of the screen in camera mode means the phone is not infront of your face. Most other camera phones you hold up to your face so you can see the screen. Here you don't. It's also a very tactile device. The opening and closing just means people keep playing with it. I've watched others on the program with it. Open shut, etc. It puts that itch there to use it.

The Good.

I've been playing around with Wordpress considering whether I'll use to update my personal blog. I''ve run plenty of experiments in the last week on moblogging and with both photos and video from camera phones. I'm keen to integrate them into my daily blog experience. what I want doesn't seem to exist. For example I can't one click video ast. At least not yet I hear a whisper that I soon will be able to. I've installed Shozu on the N90 and N70. That enables one-click photo saving to Flickr, which I've finally just decided to adopt and use it. So instant "Pro" member there. At the same time I'm using audioblog for audio and video feeds. That's been very useful recently.

So I was very impressed with this Wordpress Plug-in that enables you to drag and drop pictures from your Flickr account directly into your post. As a long-time MT user the choice is difficult. Wordpress is looking rather sweet. Still I've spent quite a few hours on it today. Test Blog. If standard templates were enough life would be easy. Wordpress does have some downsides. A comparison between the two is not a quick bullet list.

 

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I received a box last weekend. It was marked Nokia GPS Module LD-1W. While I quickly figured out it was a Bluetooth enabled GPS device I had no idea what it was for or how to use it.

The bafflement came to an end when I was given URL to go and download the Wayfinder GPS Mapping software. This review is more about the software than the GPS device which is smaller than the phone and can be worn or hung and works outdoors.

Wayfinder turns your phone into a GPS unit that is on par with some of the better units in cars. As someone that's never had a GPS unit or the extra dollars to put one in my 15 year old car I was keen to try it out. I downloaded it and transferred the program to the Nokia N70 (a very sweet phone) that recently arrived. Now I had something. Alas in the beginning it presented a map miles from anywhere I am. In the end it took a couple of attempts to locate where I live. I have a sucky coverage at home. Finally the GPRS and the GPS unit connected and worked.

I usually talk up T-Mobile for I've been happy enough with the service I get. Still I'm really annoyed with my recent bill and notification.

"On March 1, 2006, the charge to send individual text and instant messages (SMS) to a US wireless number from the US will increase from 5cents to 10cents per message. ...... "

What they meant to say is.... Sorry Dad, you text message bill for your kids just doubled! We like gouging you. The other guys do it too.

You cannot block SMS messages, you can't opt out. Even if my kids never send another SMS my text message bill will be higher next month than it is this month. It is just gouging me as a customer. SMS wasn't even a planned service. The mobile operators just discovered how to use it.

I spoke to T-Mobile customer care. Asked them to block SMS on some of my phones.They can't do it. They will sell me a plan... but the minimum is $4.99 per line for 400 messages. So I need at least two of those packages to cover the text messaging fiasco. Unfortunately they won't provide bundle to cover my family plan and all the phones. My kids are basically banned from using it. I tell them make a one minute call we have the minutes. So these extra lines are hardly just $10/line. When T-Mobile adds to your bill with text message charges from those you can't even control it is simply wrong. I don't think it is like this in other parts of the world.

Killing the kids mobiles is not an option. If anyone wonders why we put services like this in the "hate them" category it is heavy handed actions like this. I truly hope the new "Conversations" world evolves to be a nicer place than this.