Tretakoff Musings
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Finally: an article on if Vonage v. Verizon is more than just that
As an AT&T CallVantage (VoIP) subscriber, I've been watching the Vonage developments carefully. However, despite scouring the web for details, it was always unclear if this was a specific issue of Vonage violating Verizon's patents, or was it all VoIP?
Wired has the answer in this article, as well as a ray of hope that this will all possibly end up an unenforceable. Let's hope so!
As an AT&T CallVantage (VoIP) subscriber, I've been watching the Vonage developments carefully. However, despite scouring the web for details, it was always unclear if this was a specific issue of Vonage violating Verizon's patents, or was it all VoIP? Wired has the answer in this article, as well as a ray of hope that this will all possibly end up an unenforceable. Let's hope so!
Labels: VOIP
Sunday, April 22, 2007
In Praise of the Treo 680
Well, it's been nearly a month with my new Treo 680, and I'm pleased to report it's been a significantly better device than I had anticipated. I was moving from a Palm TX, with it's big screen and integrated WiFi, with a Bluetooth connection to my Sony Ericsson Z520 as backup. My biggest concerns were the sacrifice of speed of WiFi and the lack of screen real estate, as well as the purported disastrous Treo 680 battery life. I'm please to report that all of those concerns have been addressed.
Ok, let's start with the obvious. The keyboard is phenomenally easy to use, and makes mobile email a reality. Yes, I am now getting enticed by the prospects of checking email at any moment, but even for things like Twitter or detailed messages, it's extremely workable. The form factor of the Treo is the right balance of size and sleekness to me: it allows me to slip the Treo in a blazer pocket or the front pocket of my jeans, equally. Having never had another Treo, I can't comment on the lack of antenna that people praise the 680 for, but it certainly feels smaller than it is. Battery access is readily available (more on this later), and the stylus is VERY well integrated into the body. I also appreciated the ports being the same as the Palm TX, so I could use my chargers, etc. Other nice touches: a physical switch that allows me to switch the 680 to "vibrate" mode, without having to navigate menus, etc. VERY handy for meetings with clients. Advantage: 680.
Let's get the speed stuff out of the way: I hadn't realized that I was only on GPRS with my Sony, not EDGE. It makes QUITE a difference. Is it like DSL? No, but it is absolutely equally as fast as my TX's WiFi connection. And, without the overhead of the Bluetooth connection, it seems to be even more responsive. The keyboard, responsiveness, and EDGE performance do not make me miss my TX at all. The one concern I had was in downloading podcasts, but QuickNews lets you sync on HotSync updates, so no real impact. Advantage: 680.
Screen real estate. Yep, the 680 is noticeably smaller. Watching widescreen movies is a joke, though downloaded TV shows are perfectly acceptable. The screen is incredibly vivid, and very high resolution, even with a screen protector. Still, for multimedia, it's a hard adjustment. Advantage: TX.
SD card support. The 680 adds a very helpful cover to make the SD card slip unnoticed into the body. Despite my trepidations, it supports my 4GB card…most of the time. About once a week it can no longer "see" the card, and I need to reset it. Can be very frustrating, especially when it happens on a bike ride where I'm using PocketTunes to stream to my Bluetooth headset. Advantage: TX.
Bluetooth. My Sony phone was not all that comfortable with the Jawbone, but did offer voice dial support for Bluetooth headsets. For some reason, this is not a function allowed by Treo's (asinine). I'm trying some software solutions to see if they will help, but the phone at least keeps the pairing with the Jawbone. The Motorola Bluetooth headset is definitely more troublesome: it frequently loses the connection, but this may be more of a result of the updated software program. It does, however, stream sound from movies over Bluetooth, whereas the TX choked. Advantage: Tie.
Other miscellaneous issues have been reported as poor battery life, though I don’t have an issue with it: I have chargers at work and home, so it's fine. It does get a little addled with a lot of activity, but that's OK.
Downsides:
Overall, I am extremely pleased with the 680. The convenience of having an all in one device, along with the enhanced data usage and keyboard, and the elegant form factor, make me very happy with the choice. Do I miss the TX? Well, with it's broken reset button and overtaxed OS, it was getting long in the tooth in any case, but no, overall, I do not. I highly recommend the 680 for anyone.
Well, it's been nearly a month with my new Treo 680, and I'm pleased to report it's been a significantly better device than I had anticipated. I was moving from a Palm TX, with it's big screen and integrated WiFi, with a Bluetooth connection to my Sony Ericsson Z520 as backup. My biggest concerns were the sacrifice of speed of WiFi and the lack of screen real estate, as well as the purported disastrous Treo 680 battery life. I'm please to report that all of those concerns have been addressed.Ok, let's start with the obvious. The keyboard is phenomenally easy to use, and makes mobile email a reality. Yes, I am now getting enticed by the prospects of checking email at any moment, but even for things like Twitter or detailed messages, it's extremely workable. The form factor of the Treo is the right balance of size and sleekness to me: it allows me to slip the Treo in a blazer pocket or the front pocket of my jeans, equally. Having never had another Treo, I can't comment on the lack of antenna that people praise the 680 for, but it certainly feels smaller than it is. Battery access is readily available (more on this later), and the stylus is VERY well integrated into the body. I also appreciated the ports being the same as the Palm TX, so I could use my chargers, etc. Other nice touches: a physical switch that allows me to switch the 680 to "vibrate" mode, without having to navigate menus, etc. VERY handy for meetings with clients. Advantage: 680.
Let's get the speed stuff out of the way: I hadn't realized that I was only on GPRS with my Sony, not EDGE. It makes QUITE a difference. Is it like DSL? No, but it is absolutely equally as fast as my TX's WiFi connection. And, without the overhead of the Bluetooth connection, it seems to be even more responsive. The keyboard, responsiveness, and EDGE performance do not make me miss my TX at all. The one concern I had was in downloading podcasts, but QuickNews lets you sync on HotSync updates, so no real impact. Advantage: 680.Screen real estate. Yep, the 680 is noticeably smaller. Watching widescreen movies is a joke, though downloaded TV shows are perfectly acceptable. The screen is incredibly vivid, and very high resolution, even with a screen protector. Still, for multimedia, it's a hard adjustment. Advantage: TX.
SD card support. The 680 adds a very helpful cover to make the SD card slip unnoticed into the body. Despite my trepidations, it supports my 4GB card…most of the time. About once a week it can no longer "see" the card, and I need to reset it. Can be very frustrating, especially when it happens on a bike ride where I'm using PocketTunes to stream to my Bluetooth headset. Advantage: TX.
Bluetooth. My Sony phone was not all that comfortable with the Jawbone, but did offer voice dial support for Bluetooth headsets. For some reason, this is not a function allowed by Treo's (asinine). I'm trying some software solutions to see if they will help, but the phone at least keeps the pairing with the Jawbone. The Motorola Bluetooth headset is definitely more troublesome: it frequently loses the connection, but this may be more of a result of the updated software program. It does, however, stream sound from movies over Bluetooth, whereas the TX choked. Advantage: Tie.
Other miscellaneous issues have been reported as poor battery life, though I don’t have an issue with it: I have chargers at work and home, so it's fine. It does get a little addled with a lot of activity, but that's OK.
Downsides:
- The case is smooth. Too smooth. When one-handed typing, I am always afraid it'll slip out of my hand like a bar of soap. There is one rubberized point, but it only helps if you hold the Treo in your left hand. I'm probably looking at a "skin" case in my future.
- What the hell is with the radiation this thing throws off? Every had your cell phone close to a landline telephone or a speaker, and heard that buzzing? You quickly move your phone away, and all is fine, right? Not with the 680: this sucker needs to be FEET away from the interfering speaker. It seems just OK if I have in my pocket, and I sort of push my body between it and the phone, but it's amazingly stronger interference than any other phone or device I have ever had. I have to solve this, as clients are getting tired of having their eardrums ripped apart.
- Who stole the reset button? Look, I know we all want Palm devices to never need a reset, but with the crap I load in, it is an unfortunate necessity. Granted, the unplanned resets are less (not nonexistent, however) with the 680 compared to the TX, but the only way to reset the Treo is to pop out the battery and put it back in. Pain in the ass.
- Laggy UI. When the Treo gets bogged doing multiple things, it starts responding sluggishly to the keyboard. Yes, it catches up, but very frustrating.
Overall, I am extremely pleased with the 680. The convenience of having an all in one device, along with the enhanced data usage and keyboard, and the elegant form factor, make me very happy with the choice. Do I miss the TX? Well, with it's broken reset button and overtaxed OS, it was getting long in the tooth in any case, but no, overall, I do not. I highly recommend the 680 for anyone.
Labels: cell phones, Google Maps, iPhone, movies, music, Palm, podcasts, Treo, TX
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Backup your Treo
I know, I'm still overdue on two reviews: one for my Jawbone headset, and another for my Treo 680. Suffice it to say, for the moment, I am impressed with the Jawbone, but have reservations on the fit...more will come, I promise. The 680, on the other hand, is more than I hoped for, and is truly a worthy pre-iPhone device, with actually a lot more going for it. I will be sitting down to devote some serious time to share the joy.
For the moment, I will instead pass along one of the many surprises I've had since becoming a Treo owner. and it's about my least sexy topic, backups. Palm has released a beta application for backing up most of the essentials for your Treo, automatically, every night, over the air. Yup, like Mozy, the app comes up, contacts a Palm server, and backs up your contacts, Favorites, and more. You do need a significant data plan from your carrier, and you have only vague controls on the timing, but it just works. And, of course, it's free...for now.
Damn, this is smart. I already use RescoBackup to backup my Palm, nightly, to an SD card, but secure offsite storage for free? Count me in.
For the moment, I will instead pass along one of the many surprises I've had since becoming a Treo owner. and it's about my least sexy topic, backups. Palm has released a beta application for backing up most of the essentials for your Treo, automatically, every night, over the air. Yup, like Mozy, the app comes up, contacts a Palm server, and backs up your contacts, Favorites, and more. You do need a significant data plan from your carrier, and you have only vague controls on the timing, but it just works. And, of course, it's free...for now.Damn, this is smart. I already use RescoBackup to backup my Palm, nightly, to an SD card, but secure offsite storage for free? Count me in.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
TurboTax: SaaS done Perfectly
As many of you know, Uncle Sam and I have a rather strained relationship. I take a rather Libertarian view of most government services, and nothing exemplifies that more to me than the annual ritual of paying income tax. Of course, I used to treat them as a minor annoyance, but the Dot Bomb implosion and the wonderful world of Alternative Minimum Tax (see Lani's recent post on this) turned my tolerance to outright antagonism. Hundreds of thousands of dollars later, as well as a surprisingly cooperative IRS, I am no longer paying for income I never saw, but I still grind my teeth at the approach of April 15th (or this year, April 17).
However, last year I found hope. TurboTax, Intuit's answer to the horrific nightmare that is income tax, always promised the "easy, fast and painless" that all software does. However, despite being a Quicken addict for years, I never put much faith in it. Last year, with the deadline approaching, I surfed over to the site, to see if I could try again. Much to my delight, they offered TurboTax as a web based application now: software as a service (SaaS). Determined to reward such forward thinking, I dived headlong into it. 2 hours later, I had filed my Federal and State taxes, and even had my refunds coming via direct deposit. Even better, they offered Audit Defense for $30: if there was anything wrong, they, not I, would deal with the IRS: "You will never speak with the IRS. Period." I was floored.
This year, I was sure my past experience would be a fluke. Imagine my surprise when, for a total of $130, I was able to not only duplicate last year's ease, but also add Audit Defense to my State returns, but even use a Deduction Maximizer that netted me far more than my measly calculations ever would have. I can't believe that I am saying this about taxes, but it was a joy. Their service is remarkable: lots of interactive questions, with tons of help along the way, even hints to tell you "Most people don't need to fill this part out." It intelligently saves to the server on every step, and allows you to come back at any time to resume. Best of all, a fantastic real-time calculator on every page that updates to show you just how much you can expect to pay or receive as a refund with every answer. Sure, I'm certain I'd feel a little less elated if I was not seeing a refund this year, but even still, I'm so amazingly encouraged by this.
Taxes are a perfect example of a massive, complicated process that can be quantified, and therefore leveraged by software to make easier. Imagine the same with legal situations (lawsuits, wills), or other important financial considerations (insurance, mortgages). Heck, they even allow an electronic signature. As a founder of a SaaS company, I truly take my hat off to these folks: they do it right, without the necessary evil of imposing their own convoluted vocabulary (see salesforce.com's "Opportunities" as a good example) or force you to take online courses to figure out how to use the tool you have. They start from the perspective of a problem, and work backwards, always keeping the end user in mind.
Not only was it a good experience, not only was it productive, but it gives peace of mind, ease of use, and delivers results. Now that's a less taxing filing. If you are like me, and want to wait until the last possible moment for a catch-up session with the big Uncle, do yourself a favor and let TurboTax help out. You've got two more days...spend them wisely. :-)
As many of you know, Uncle Sam and I have a rather strained relationship. I take a rather Libertarian view of most government services, and nothing exemplifies that more to me than the annual ritual of paying income tax. Of course, I used to treat them as a minor annoyance, but the Dot Bomb implosion and the wonderful world of Alternative Minimum Tax (see Lani's recent post on this) turned my tolerance to outright antagonism. Hundreds of thousands of dollars later, as well as a surprisingly cooperative IRS, I am no longer paying for income I never saw, but I still grind my teeth at the approach of April 15th (or this year, April 17).However, last year I found hope. TurboTax, Intuit's answer to the horrific nightmare that is income tax, always promised the "easy, fast and painless" that all software does. However, despite being a Quicken addict for years, I never put much faith in it. Last year, with the deadline approaching, I surfed over to the site, to see if I could try again. Much to my delight, they offered TurboTax as a web based application now: software as a service (SaaS). Determined to reward such forward thinking, I dived headlong into it. 2 hours later, I had filed my Federal and State taxes, and even had my refunds coming via direct deposit. Even better, they offered Audit Defense for $30: if there was anything wrong, they, not I, would deal with the IRS: "You will never speak with the IRS. Period." I was floored.
This year, I was sure my past experience would be a fluke. Imagine my surprise when, for a total of $130, I was able to not only duplicate last year's ease, but also add Audit Defense to my State returns, but even use a Deduction Maximizer that netted me far more than my measly calculations ever would have. I can't believe that I am saying this about taxes, but it was a joy. Their service is remarkable: lots of interactive questions, with tons of help along the way, even hints to tell you "Most people don't need to fill this part out." It intelligently saves to the server on every step, and allows you to come back at any time to resume. Best of all, a fantastic real-time calculator on every page that updates to show you just how much you can expect to pay or receive as a refund with every answer. Sure, I'm certain I'd feel a little less elated if I was not seeing a refund this year, but even still, I'm so amazingly encouraged by this.
Taxes are a perfect example of a massive, complicated process that can be quantified, and therefore leveraged by software to make easier. Imagine the same with legal situations (lawsuits, wills), or other important financial considerations (insurance, mortgages). Heck, they even allow an electronic signature. As a founder of a SaaS company, I truly take my hat off to these folks: they do it right, without the necessary evil of imposing their own convoluted vocabulary (see salesforce.com's "Opportunities" as a good example) or force you to take online courses to figure out how to use the tool you have. They start from the perspective of a problem, and work backwards, always keeping the end user in mind.
Not only was it a good experience, not only was it productive, but it gives peace of mind, ease of use, and delivers results. Now that's a less taxing filing. If you are like me, and want to wait until the last possible moment for a catch-up session with the big Uncle, do yourself a favor and let TurboTax help out. You've got two more days...spend them wisely. :-)
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Movie Eateries: Did I Call It, or what?
“Movie Eateries” Provide An Upscale Remake to Sagging Cinemas.
Did I call this one, or what?
“Movie Eateries” Provide An Upscale Remake to Sagging Cinemas.Did I call this one, or what?
Labels: movies
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Robocop: On My Wish List
Two notes:
- I have succumbed to Twitter. I'll try it for a while, and see what it yields. My Twitter status is on the right.
- I found my best Xmas gift, thanks to Cameron. Now, I really can be Robocop, thanks to the U.S. military!
Two notes:- I have succumbed to Twitter. I'll try it for a while, and see what it yields. My Twitter status is on the right.
- I found my best Xmas gift, thanks to Cameron. Now, I really can be Robocop, thanks to the U.S. military!
Sunday, April 08, 2007
MyMaps is here
What is it with Google? They getting scared by Yahoo's recent launches? In any case, they've now released MyMaps, an easy way to create your own Google Maps mashup. Mark your places on the map, add pictures, links, and voila. It took me about 5 minutes to create a map of all of the past places we have lived. Next, a map for my company of all of my clients.
What is it with Google? They getting scared by Yahoo's recent launches? In any case, they've now released MyMaps, an easy way to create your own Google Maps mashup. Mark your places on the map, add pictures, links, and voila. It took me about 5 minutes to create a map of all of the past places we have lived. Next, a map for my company of all of my clients.Labels: Google, Google Maps
Friday, April 06, 2007
411...by Google
Well, the move is over, and we're in the new digs...but unpacking has been taking my precious blogging time up. Sorry for the sporadicness, but I bring a new gem today: Google has launched a 411 service. Yep, any business, with a free call to the Goog. 1-800-GOOG-411, or 800-466-4411.
My fellow officemates, Jingle Networks, do a great job in this space today, but Google goes them one better: they connect the call, free. I'm not quite sure how they handle the billing, but I guess with gazillions of Google Bucks around, they can afford to pick up some calls. It addresses the #1 problem I've had with 800-FREE-411: I can't use it when I am driving, because after the number comes to me, I have to remember it, disconnect, and dial, all while driving. Uh-uh. Thanks, Google.
Well, the move is over, and we're in the new digs...but unpacking has been taking my precious blogging time up. Sorry for the sporadicness, but I bring a new gem today: Google has launched a 411 service. Yep, any business, with a free call to the Goog. 1-800-GOOG-411, or 800-466-4411.
My fellow officemates, Jingle Networks, do a great job in this space today, but Google goes them one better: they connect the call, free. I'm not quite sure how they handle the billing, but I guess with gazillions of Google Bucks around, they can afford to pick up some calls. It addresses the #1 problem I've had with 800-FREE-411: I can't use it when I am driving, because after the number comes to me, I have to remember it, disconnect, and dial, all while driving. Uh-uh. Thanks, Google.
