I state this because the ability to do things ordinarily reserved for PCs and laptops only have been on mobile devices for well over 5 years. In this span of time there have been numerous improvements both to the devices and the networks they use, but The Big Question is:

Can you use a mobile device for it all?

The answer to this question is best answered by drilling it down Q/A style.

Can you use a wireless carrier as your only ISP?

Yes. Any wireless carrier that offers internet-enabled smartphones has the connectivity.

If you chose to do so, all of your internet stuff could be performed on the smartphone and nothing else.

Is using a wireless carrier as the only ISP cheaper or more expensive?

In some instances it’s actually cheaper. T-Mobile Sidekick Prepaid for example is a dollar a day, and that gives you unlimited text/web/email and more.

Data-only plans for most wireless carriers can be as low as $35 monthly. Bear in mind that’s just data. Voice plans are still considered separate, and even though you can combine the two, it does add cost. Were you to add on voice, this would most likely be an extra $40 monthly.

Is the data connectivity fast?

The opinion is generally the answer of no.

The way in which we get data connectivity on mobile changes every few years. We had EDGE, then 3G (current standard) and there will be 4G in the future.

Most people are willing to accept that 3G simply isn’t as fast as in-home broadband. This is fine because the mobility more than makes up for it.

With 4G and beyond in the future, speed won’t be an issue. But at present it is.

Is mobile web browsing the same as it is on a PC?

Somewhat.

You run into three issues when browsing the web using a smartphone.

First is the issue of no mouse. This is replaced by your finger on touchscreen-enabled phones. Some people don’t have a problem with this. Others hate it.

Second is the issue of browser plugin support. Namely, Flash. If you’re using Flash on a mobile browser, it’s Flash Lite. This is obviously not the same as regular Flash. Most Flash content will work with it.

Third is the issue of screen size. You’re working with a 3.5-inch screen and while it’s true you have zooming capabilities, it’s still small. And the problem is that you can’t go any larger else the phone won’t fit in your pocket. Sure, we’d all love to have 5-inch screens on our phones, but that’s just too big for mobile use.

(Incidentally, the solution to this problem would be a flip-out dual screen setup, one on handset and one on flip, with touch enabled on both screens.)

Do I have the ability to use real-world apps on my phone?

Yes, you can use Word, Excel and PowerPoint on mobile. With your browser you have all the access you’d ever want to email. All the big webmail names have mobile versions (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo Mail) and they all work great. And with app stores you can get all the other stuff you need easily.

But it all boils down to three things

1. Can you deal with a 3.5-inch screen?
2. Can you deal with a touchscreen or thumbpad as your only keyboard?
3. Can you deal with the only sound coming from tiny chintzy speakers?

Here are my three answers:

No, no and no.

I like my monitors (I have a dual screen setup).

I like my full-sized keyboard.

My speakers, even though dirt cheap, still sound better than anything that comes out of a smartphone.

There’s no way I could ever switch 100% to mobile for those three reasons. There are others, but those are the biggies.

However that’s not to say I wouldn’t entertain the idea of using mobile with 4G (when available) and tethering capability. Using a smartphone with tethering so you have both the mobile and the "big" laptop (or desktop for that matter) is a good combination. In this fashion you have the best of both worlds, that being mobile and in-home when sitting at the desk.

But 100% mobile? I personally just couldn’t do it.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

The linked article has an extensive list of pieces which you should be sure to remove in the event they contain private information. Of course, each device is different so methods of removal will be vary. The article also provides links to several utilities which you may be able to use to delete the data easily, but if not then you might have to remove the data manually.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Tweetglobe does something that I’ve never seen on the Iphone – it maps your tweets to a 3D representation of the earth. When you open the app, it downloads the last 10 tweets from the people you follow. As you scroll through them, the globe will spin around and place an icon on the globe wherever that person is located. Here is a screenshot from my own phone:

You can write new tweets as well as post replies from within TweetGlobe. By pressing the top-left button, you can update Twitter with your current location and it will edit the location field of your Twitter profile. Unfortunately, it overwrites your location with GPS coordinates. I personally prefer the regular city name where I am, so I had to overwrite that again. This is not a shortcoming of TweetGlobe, however. They all do that.

At first I could not figure out how to refresh the app and get new tweets, but my friend (the guy behind the app) told me to shake the phone and it will trigger a refresh.

TweetGlobe isn’t going to compete with the power of an app like Tweetie. I could never use Tweetglobe as my primary Twitter client. That said, this version wasn’t really intended to be your go-to Twitter app. This app was designed to bring the geographical representation of tweets to the Iphone. I’m sure Ryan has more planned for the app in future releases.

Tweetglobe is a new concept for Twitter on the Iphone. It’s crazy to actually see these tweets pop up from around the globe. So, great job UniqueApps!

If you want to check out Tweetglobe, click here to open up Itunes and skip right to it. And to continue to follow what UniqueApps does in the future, be sure to subscribe to UniqueApps.com.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

First of all, why does this matter on a computer site? Simple. The Iphone IS a computer. It is so much more than a phone. Don’t underestimate the impact this one device is having and will have on the future of mobile computing.

Essentially, Iphone 3.0 is opening up a lot of new options to app developers. This adds new potential to the Iphone platform because it is the third-party apps which make this work.

Some of the highlights include:

• Over 30 million Iphones sold.
• Subscription model as well as in-app purchases supported by App Store.
• Downloadable content from within apps.
• Increased API usage for Maps.
• Iphones will be able to “sense” and talk to each other without wifi, using Bluetooth and Bonjour. Allows peer-to-peer gaming.
• New push notification system. Supports sounds, too.
• Ability to “talk to” and control accessories from the Iphone itself.
• Still no background processes. Tests showed it drained the battery about 80% faster. This is the reason for the new push notification system.
• Copy/Paste! Finally! What took so long, I have no idea.
• Landscape mode for all Apple’s key apps.
• Support for MMS. Think text messaging with attachments.
• Voice memo app now native from Apple.
• Exchange support within the Calendar app.
• Improvements to the Stocks app. Personally, I don’t care much about that.
• Search functions being added to all key apps. But, doesn’t include message content in Mail (that’s stupid). Plus, Iphone gets spotlight to search across all apps. Will be interesting to see how many apps support that.
• Wifi auto-login for hotspots.
• Stereo Bluetooth.
• Anti-phishing now in mobile Safari. Safari will now also remember log-in credentials to sites. Gets parental controls.
• Youtube app now allows login to your Youtube account, management of your account.
• Tethering will be supported, however they still need support from the networks.

The developer beta is available as of today for all Iphone developers. Everybody else will get it in the summer. Current Iphone models WILL support it. No hardware upgrades necessary. Iphone 3G will support all new features.

As I was watching this, I thought of a HUGE opportunity for companies like Garmin. The Iphone will not natively do turn-by-turn GPS and this is because of licensing restrictions imposed by Google on their maps. However, the OS is capable of it – if you “bring your own maps”. So, Garmin can create an Iphone app and SELL the maps from inside the application. If all of North America takes up too much space, then they can sell smaller geographic areas. Somebody will do this.

The other possibilities for Iphone developers are seemingly endless. Apple is practically building a new sub-economy here. At the event, they demoed games that talked to each other. They demoed medical apps.

Just like any new announcement from Apple, there are always some things we had hoped for that don’t get done. This time around:

• Still no background processes, although they’ve tried to address this with the new push alert system.
• Still no ability to record video
• No mention of Flash in Safari.

I’m still trying to figure out why Apple doesn’t allow mobile video streaming. If the concern is AT&T bandwidth, why not just require the apps to use wifi when streaming? It can be done. The new UStream viewer app requires a wifi connection.

All in all, Iphone 3.0 looks like it is going to be an impressive update.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

All in all, it is a smooth process to set up. If you have anything in your calendar on the Iphone beforehand that you care about, you need to back it up first because syncing with Google will completely overwrite anything currently on your phone.

The other thing is that you can only sync up to 5 calendars with your phone. If you use a lot of different calendars on Google, you’ll have to pick and choose. I found that to be unfortunate and I’m not exactly sure why they limit it. In my case, I use multiple calendars to categorize different types of tasks on my schedule so it is limiting to only be able to carry 5 of them over to the phone.

Nonetheless, here is the video:

Note that you do NOT have to have an Iphone to set up this sync. It will work on Windows Mobile and Blackberry as well.

I have always maintained by Apple’s MobileMe isn’t necessary and this sync with Google only solidifies that.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Now you can send free text messages to almost any major cell phone provider in the world. If we are missing your favourite, let us know. It’s 100% free, with no gimmicks!

As the description indicates, you don’t have to pay any fees associated with sending the message since it wasn’t sent from your phone. Additionally, the services claims to not store any numbers so your recipients should not be added to any type of spam list.

The only downside I see to this is your number will not be the reply to number, so you will have to make sure you identify yourself in the message. Other than that, I see this has a great alternative to sending messages through your phone.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

It means anything that is less destructive to Mother Earth.

However there’s two parts to this. The first part is that the whatever-it-is must be less destructive now and less destructive as waste - which it will inevitably become.

Let’s take a look at how green a laptop can be.

Power Consumption

Green? Somewhat.

Whenever you’re running on batteries you’re not using power from the wall. This means you’re not needlessly using electricity from your utilities company and therefore is better for the environment.

When you are plugged in to the wall, a laptop’s power brick uses significantly less power compared to a standard PC’s power supply.

Most people would agree the bare minimum for an adequately powered computer requires a 300-watt PSU.

A laptop power brick ordinarily requires 65 watts or less. So even if you’re plugged in the wall you’re not using nearly as much juice as a standard PSU does.

The reason I label this as a “somewhat” green is because “gamer” laptops aren’t green. Some even require 120-watt power bricks just to power up and the battery life isn’t as good as standard laptops. Granted, it’s still far below 300 watt consumption, but if the goal is to be friendly to the environment, a 120-watt brick is wasteful.

If you want a better idea of what the watts means compared to other common household items, see this table.

Processor

Green? Yes.

Mobile processors are designed from the start to consume less power to extend battery life as much as possible. In addition they’re usually smaller which means less waste in the future.

Chassis/Case

Green? No.

If you own a laptop, there a high probability the chassis is plastic, and that plastic was made out of petroleum.

With standard PC cases you have the choice of the material its made out of, including steel which can be recycled later.

With laptops the most valuable thing in it to recyclers are its precious metals - but this obviously doesn’t include the chassis.

There are some rare instances where laptops have a chassis made from something other than plastic, but they are few and far between. One rare example is the current-generation Macbook which has an aluminum unibody.

Lifespan

Green? No.

This is the biggest knock against laptops in the green department. Full-sized PCs do last longer than laptops do (mostly because they’re not moved around). So even though you’ve got a much smaller footprint in power consumption and later e-waste, this may be all for naught if the thing dies too early.

Said in simpler terms: If you have to throw out 2 laptops in 5 years compared to only 1 standard PC in five years, the e-waste between each gets a little too close to a wash at that point. You’re still throwing out less overall bulk with the laptops but are needlessly using twice as much precious metals.

And yes I know there will be those that will say “My laptop has last x years just as long as a standard PC!” Good for you. But that still doesn’t eradicate the fact laptops bust quicker than full-sized computer boxes do.

End result - Is it green?

At the present state of the way most laptops are made, the short answer is yes. The long answer is “short term gain, long term loss”.

Short-term gain: Less power is used even when plugged in. Lower-powered CPUs are used. Laptop has far less of a footprint overall compared to a standard PC box.

Long-term loss: Plastic, plastic and more plastic. When the unit gets thrown out, the plastic and all its badness will go with it. And more laptops get thrown out than PCs do.

Hope for the future?

While most laptops still use too much plastic, they are being built thinner, lighter and more durable. The processors are also running cooler and faster at the same time. This makes the long-term result for Mother Earth not so bleak.

More information can be read here on e-waste and what it means to the Earth.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

1. Check voicemail from another number

On many pre-paid phones it chews up minutes checking your voicemail. Solution: Check it from another line. Call your cell phone number, wait for the greeting, press star (*), enter your voicemail password then press pound (#). You’ll be able to log right in and take all the time you want without using any minutes at all. And you can keep your phone free for use while checking voicemail.

2. Do not register the phone with the provider’s web site

Pre-paid phone companies strongly urge you to register the phone with their web site for one reason - to spam you. Don’t fall for the convenience of buying minutes online if you can. Buy your minutes with cards from local retailers instead.

And no, you don’t save any cash buying online compared to retail because you still have to pay the tax no matter what method you use, so you might as well buy the card(s) in the store.

3. Avoid using text alerts from other providers

You lose either time or "text allowance" each time you receive a text message alert. Don’t bother with these.

4. Do not "tie in" your phone with your instant messenger.

Many instant messenger services allow you to "tie in" or "link" your IM account with your cell phone. For those with unlimited messaging this may be fine, but for pre-paid, not so much. Sure, it may be convenient but it will chew up time/allowance for text messages fast.

5. Buy an identical phone just for the battery.

Your pre-paid phone was most likely inexpensive. If it was a Motorola W175g for example, the phone probably cost you only ten dollars.

Buy a second phone just for the battery. When you get it, don’t bother activating it. Just plug it in to the wall and keep it on charge for a fresh battery. When the battery in your primary phone runs out, swap out the batteries and ta-da, extra battery when you need it.

STRANGE BUT TRUE: If you were to buy a battery outright for that same 10-dollar phone, it can cost up to 30 dollars. Why bother when the entire phone is 10 and you get the same battery with an extra "charger" (the other phone)?

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

From the linked article above, the tail of it states this:

Still, would you buy a Dell smartphone? What kind of features should MePhone have in order to convince you to chose it over an iPhone, Blackberry or T-Mobile G1?

To answer up front: If I were in the market to buy one, yes I would whether it had more or less features than competitors. The reason? Good build quality.

Some people laugh out loud because they think "Dell" and "good build quality" shouldn’t be in the same sentence. Oh, how easily people forget the Dell Axim. Yes, I know that was a PDA but it goes to prove that Dell can build a decent small computer. Those who have used Axims understand that unit was solid, worked great and looked great all at the same time. And I knew a few people who beat the crap out of those things and they never skipped a beat.

Were Axims the most feature-rich? No. But they worked and were "rugged" as far as PDAs were concerned. If Dell can build a phone up to that spec, it’s totally okay to not be as feature-rich as long as the price point is agreeable with the masses.

And obviously any phone that’s not tethered to a specific wireless provider (*cough* iPhone *cough*) is always better.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

The concern is security. First, all of the President’s communications are to be logged by law. Secondly, there are concerns about the President’s phone getting hacked. His communications could be used for espionage and all kinds of international hanky-panky.

Well, it looks like the NSA may have found a way for Obama to keep his beloved Blackberry. It is called the Sectera Edge.

Features include:

• One-touch switching between classified and unclassified PDA functions
• First ever on-the-move wireless access to the SIPRNET
• Intuitive, user-friendly interface
• NSA-certified and available today

So, its like, all secure and junk. And according to a CNN story, this is the phone Obama’s gonna be allowed by his geeks to use. We’ll see if the story is accurate. If so, should we call it the “first phone”?

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.