Back again…and catching up

After a bit of a hiatus over the last few months, I’m back.  Thanks to who have checked in and asked me to restart the blog…your wish is my command.

Since digital tech is changing all the time, I’ll relaunch with a quick rundown of the equipment/approaches I’m using these days.

Computing:

I’m using four different computers daily – main desktop, kitchen desktop, tablet/laptop, and netbook.

I added the netbook (8.5-inch ASUS) over the summer, and I’ve come to love it. Long battery life (5-6 hours) and small size means it goes everywhere with me.

On the main computer, I’ve added a fourth monitor. I’m thinking about adding a fifth next year, if I can find an external video device at a reasonable price.

Mobile computing:

Late last year, I switched to an HTC Verizon Touch Pro as my PDA phone.  It does most of the things I want, but none of them well. (Not enough RAM or a fast enough processor.) 

After toying with the idea of getting a Mi-Fi last summer, I decided to stick with using my Touch Pro as a wireless hotspot instead. Not as convenient, since I can’t talk and be online simultaneously, but much cheaper. (Free versus $60/month contract.)

Software:

Firefox, Outlook, and OneNote account for probably 99% of my activity these days. Functions associated with all three sync automatically, which makes working on multiple systems seamless.

Over the summer, I made the big shift from MS Money to Quicken.  Switching was brutal – tough to transfer 10 years of data and thousands of transactions, but it had to happen. I’m still not a fan of Quicken, though.

I also upgraded to PaperPort Pro 12 recently.  Not worth the money – stick with 11.

Home video/entertainment:

Replaced all four TVs with HDs this year, which prompted a switch from my beloved Tivos to Comcast’s DVR boxes. The Comcast DVR service can’t hold a candle to Tivo, but it wins on economics: While Comcast’s $9.95/month per box is $3 more than Tivo, I don’t have to spend $2,400 to buy four HD Tivos.

I’m still toying with switching to Verizon FIOS, although Verizon’s failure to be able to answer some of my basic questions about installation have made me wary.  Given Comcast’s continued bad and expensive service, though, it’s tempting.

I also traded my Slingbox Pro for a Slingbox Pro HD.  Streaming in HD is great – an excellent device.

So, that catches me up on tech.  What’s everyone else using these days?

Goin’ digital (and HD)

The post-Christmas sale prices for electronics didn’t strike me as being all that good this year – especially in light of the sluggish retail sales – but I took the plunge anyway and picked up an HD, widescreen TV last week:  Samsung Series 5 32-inch 1080 LCD. 

I had wanted to a new TV in my bedroom, and this sleek, unobtrusive, full HD set seemed to fit the bill without breaking the bank.

I hadn’t been especially gung-ho about going to HD TV, since switching basically makes my Tivos and Slingboxes all but obsolete.  But, after having this set for a few days – and watching HD broadcasts like the NHL Winter Classic on New Year’s Day – I was sold.  In fact, I went out the other day and picked up a second Samsung (same model), so I could watch HD without having to sit in the bedroom all the time.

I’m using the second Samsung as my main TV right now, but I can see already that I’m going to want to move that to my office and get a 46-inch as my primary viewing.

When I get some time to play, I also want to try hooking a computer to these sets.  Aside from the appeal of being able to use them as additional computer access, I’m thinking more and more that direct streaming from a PC may make more sense than media sharing through Tivo.

Back after a quick refresher...

Heading back to work after giving myself a few days off during the Thanksgiving break.  Well, almost "off"...

• Computer shopping again...Looked at a couple of possible computers to get my mother for Christmas. (Browsed online, of course. Not a chance I'd go near a store during the Black Friday mayhem...)  I haven't found a better buy than the Acer I bought myself last month, so it looks like I'll be getting another. My plan is to get it, load it with the appropriate software, test it, and pre-load it with her files, which I'll snag remotely via Hamachi.  She'll have a computer ready to go, tested, and customized the way she likes it.  (Don't tell!)

 

• TV shopping, too...I also looked at some of the super-cheap flat screen LCDs that are on sale for the holidays, since I'm thinking of getting a new set for the bedroom.  Haven't seen anything I'm ready to jump for yet, but looking at a few models gave me an idea:  I ought to think about getting a set that allows for a computer-in, as well as HD and other TV ports.  With relatively cheap computers available (including those with Media Center options), it might be worthwhile to consider getting a small CPU to stow in the bedroom.  It could replace my Tivo, act as a PVR, run Slingplayer, and extend access to my network, the Internet, and all my media files.   My Tivo already does a lot of that, but this definitely would extend my capability.

 

• TV viewing...Speaking of Tivo, how did I live before I got one?  One of my big projects over the last few days has been forced rest -- no computer, no phone, no errands, no thinking, just vegging out on the couch.  As a result, I've caught up on about 10 weeks of fall shows that I had Tivo'd.  It was less than inspiring, but highly conducive to not thinking.  Best tech on TV:  NCIS and Criminal Minds.  I wish my computers ran that fast...

 

• Slingbox online...Those placeshifting fiends at Sling have launched a new service that looks to me like a big winner: Sling.com, where anyone can watch shows (similar to Hulu) and where Sling users can view their home TVs through a web interface. This second feature is especially interesting -- essentially it puts placeshifting "in the cloud" without any software needed.  Previously, Sling users had to use Slingplayer software to watch their programming remotely.

 

• New PDA phone...Last Wednesday, I bought Verizon's new HTC Touch Pro Windows Mobile phone. After five days of use and tweaking, I've got to say I'm unimpressed and frustrated.  Verizon has crippled the phone -- locked GPS to their fee-based service, removed Internet Connection Sharing, reduced RAM to half the levels of the AT&T and Sprint versions, etc. Very disappointing, because this has the potential to be a GREAT PDA phone, with a form factor smaller than the iPhone.  My hope is that the mad modders at PPCGeeks and XDA-Developers will have this puppy unlocked and re-ROM'ed in the next couple of weeks. If not, I have a decision to make before the 30-day return kicks in:  Do I return the phone and return to using my three-year-old PDA phone until a (hopefully) better choice comes out or live with it.  Watch for more details on modding a "phone for all seasons" over the next few days.

 

• Cranking up the GTD machine again...After a mid-week holiday, I always feel a little confused about "what day it is," so I spent some time this afternoon doing a GTD review to get myself back in fighting trim for the week ahead. (Is it a "review" or a "preview?" Hard to tell sometimes...)  Nothing focuses me better, calms me down more, or reinvigorates my thinking more effectively than doing this.  Tomorrow morning when I sit down at my desk, I'll be able to get right into action: I've already figured out my next actions, loaded them onto my lists, and set myself up for getting stuff done.

 

• And, a thought on goals...CNN founder, entrepreneurial genius, and all-around convention-buster Ted Turner was a guest on this morning's Meet the Press, where he offered some typically unconventional wisdom drawn from his new book.  He attributed his father's suicide to reaching his goals in life too easily:  "He set his goals too low, and he suggested to me that I don't do that.  Set goals high enough so they can't be achieved in your lifetime, then you'll always be motivated to keep working and keep engaged."    I love it -- totally sets all the talk of keeping goals "doable" on its ear.

 

I'm refreshed and ready for the new week.

Micro Place-shifting

I've been home with a cold, and it's had me shifting around the house all day: I've been too tired and achy to sit at my desk for long, and too restless to stay glued to the bed or couch. But, thanks to the beauties of "place-shifting," I've been able to keep working (and enjoying the other benefits of digital access) wherever I plop down.

The Set-Up: I keep the desktops in my office (at home) and kitchen running 24/7, plus I have a Tablet PC and an old laptop. First thing this morning, I grabbed the old laptop to use in bed, then later I fired up the Tablet PC when I was hanging out on the couch. That gave me four live, networked "stations," wherever I went -- five, if you count my PDA phone.

The Apps and Uses:

• Virtual computing -- My old laptop is getting REALLY old and slow -- it's a 2001 Toshiba with just 256MB of RAM. Although I have Outlook 2007 on it, most of the other apps are a couple of versions behind. So, rather than trying to update it or deal with slow programs, I "went virtual" -- I shut off everything except Firefox and connected to my desktop through LogMeIn. That let me take advantage of the speed and updated programs on my desktop, and, in full screen, it looks and acts exactly as if I'm working on the desktop. In essence, LogMeIn lets me turn my old laptop into a "slim client" -- and that extends its useful life.

 

• Newsreading -- I can't function without checking out the news on my various feeds through Google Reader first thing in the morning. Everything stays synced through Google -- stories I scanned and "starred" first thing this morning on my laptop show up on the other systems when I'm ready to read later.

 

• Email and PIM data -- I use hosted Exchange, so all the data stays synced automatically and instantly available on every computer. Aside from email, this also keeps my action lists, calendar, and contacts updated and synced.

 

• Active documents -- I've been working on several projects throughout the day , but rather than using Word, I've been using OneNote to create, draft, and edit them. Because OneNote synchronizes (and saves) data in real time, the latest version of every document I'm working on is always available on every computer. I can type half a sentence on the tablet pc on the couch, walk into the kitchen and finish my thought on the desktop there, then wander into my office to edit it, all without saving or syncing manually.

 

• Reference documents -- Thanks to Foldershare, all the other documents I've saved are also synced to all my computers. It's not quite as automatic as OneNote -- I actually have to save them to trigger a sync through Foldershare -- but it's great for keep resources accessible everywhere.

 

• Entertainment -- For much of the day, I didn't even feel like working -- I just wanted to watch TV and rest. Thanks to Tivo and Slingbox, I've even been able to move my entertainment around with me. This morning when I was still in bed, I started watching a movie I'd Tivo'ed there. When I went to the kitchen to eat breakfast, I kept watching it via Slingbox, which sent the signal to my desktop computer. After breakfast, I streamed the movie from the Tivo in the bedroom to the Tivo in the den, where I watched the rest of it from the couch. This afternoon, I even streamed a movie to my PDA phone, while I took a long bath.

 

The Outcome:

This certainly hasn't been my most productive day ever, but thanks to my "micro place-shifting," I've been able to take advantage of every second I've felt like working, without having to save, recopy, or search for data. I've also enjoyed entertainment wherever I've lighted.

Almost every day, I find another benefit and advantage to automatically synced and "cloud-based" computing. When I got hosted exchange service two years ago, it was a revelation to watch data synchronize automatically across machines -- now, I want EVERYTHING to work that way.