kEnny's E-Tool Fourvarites!!

These are my mobile phone essentials, compiled over the last year and some, since outgrowing my Motorola RAZR V3. They are somewhat tailored for use on my Sony Ericsson K790a Cybershot Cameraphone. Yes, I called it a Cameraphone with a capital C. My rule is that if it has more than 2 mega pixels and a REAL flash, it gets a capital C. Get one for yourself and you'll see why. There are a few available now with 5MP sensors as well.

Daily Use Tools: These are the programs and websites I use every day, to keep in touch and up to date.

• 4INFO: While it is a very capable source of information for mobile browsers and SMS related queries, I primarily use 4INFO to give me my morning weather forecast on the weekdays. The infospace supplied services for AT&T Wireless still suck for regularly scheduled alerts.
• Twitter/Remember The Milk: I don't use Twitter other than to connect to Remember the Milk, for which I am contually finding more uses. I just recently added lists for Movies and TV shows to see, gifts to get for people, and music to take another listen to. When I happen to catch a movie, I can type in the names of the previews to add to the list. When I'm listening to the radio in the car, I use Jott to tell RTM who I need to listen to again (because I try to make a concious effort not to take my eyes off the road). When my kids start asking about all the neato cool stuff they have got to get, as told to them by various children's television networks, I can keep track of those as well. RTM has a very easy to navigate mobile site, which really shows off how flexible their service is. As a side note, Remember The Milk just got whole lot better by using a Firefox add-in to integrate closely with your Gmail Inbox. Very sharp!!!
• Jott: I have to check in at Jott's website every week or so for new Jott Links. My favorite new one is called Trapster. Sure, Trapster has their own software that runs on your GPS enabled mobile device (mine is not yet), but if you just want to do your part and look out for your fellow drivers, you can use Jott to send the exact location and type of service spotted to Trapster's database, in a safe manner!
• GrandCentral: Since starting my E-Tool monologue, GrandCentral has graduated to the only voicemail service used for my cell phone. After re-enabling the internet access for the phone, and realizing that calling AT&T's voicemail counts against your anytime minutes (during the daytime of weekdays), I realized that I could keep a few more rollover minutes by using my unlimited Media Net access to check my voice mail visual-style from GrandCentral's mobile site. It took a little digging, but I found the generic GSM commands to send from my phone to change from ATTWS voicemail to GrandCentral. *** Know what makes this cool now? I can give my GrandCentral number to anyone, and it will either screen the call or forward it to my cell phone (or any number of other phones I specify), based on my preference. When I can't answer my cell phone, same thing! The links to the voicemail messages are sent to my Gmail inbox, just like my Vonage voicemails, and both services send SMS alerts to my phone.
• Weather Underground: This is the sexiest website for weather, hands down! Not only does it give you an amazing amount of information (lots of great Google Maps mashups), but it has advertising for meeting single people in your local weather area too!! I use their RSS feed to get detailed weather predictions each day.
• Google's mobile services: Where do I start? Headlines via RSS, Gmail and Google Maps from Java applications, and browser bookmarks for local movies. Of special note is Google Maps. They added the ability to triangulate your location based on cell tower data, allowing remarkable fun watching the map move when you aren't driving. It is also handy for looking up directions. The directions can start out from your approximate location. You can also get loads of information via SMS queries.
• Blogger gets special mention apart from the rest of Google, as my phone has software made specially for it. Blogger can be configured to send SMS, MMS, and other picture messages from my phone (directly after taking the picture, even) directly to the Blogger blog of your choice. Since I only use Blogger, there's no problem.
• Fandango: While I have been hesitant to use Fandango previously, due to Regal Cinemas as Comcast relations, I have to admint that they have a pretty good mobile portal. They have the only movie listings I have found where you can view show times for future dates. You can even purchase tickets from your mobile.
• Yahoo! Go: This is one I've been following for some time, but still isn't available for the firmware version on my phone. I had a chance to try it out on a Samsung Blackjack, where it worked really well. Yahoo! Go packs in all kinds of Yahoo! content in an easy to navigate package. If you are a Yahoo! user, this should be at the top of your list.
  

That does it for now. You can expect part five when I come up with a clever way to phrase the title. :^)

Blogged with Flock

Tricked out with Flock and keyboard shortcuts...

The last thing I didn't like about Flock has a work-around:



The "Share this link via email" button hasn't worked the way I would like it to, because it uses your system's default email client to send an email, and I hadn't figured out how to make Windows use a website as an email client. I found out that Google Talk has such an option, which will make this button open a new tab to compose a message in Gmail. I have also read that Flock will address this disparity in the near future.

I just thought I'd spread some more Flock lovin' around. :^)


I have also been sending a little more time on my desktop system. You know the one with the ergonomic keyboard? Last night I Googlefied (I'm sure that's a word!!) the software for it to use the shortcut keys to open new tabs for various google products in my favorite browser. Here they are from Left to Right:

1. Web/Home: iGoogle
2. Search: New Gmail Message
3. Mail: Gmail Inbox
4. Favorite 1: Google Calendar
5. Favorite 2: Google Docs
6. Favorite 3: Picasa Web Albums (more Google)
7. Favorite 4: Google Maps
8. Favorite 5: Object Edit
   

I really like this setup. I'll save the Object Edit explanation for another post. For now I'll just say that if you have never heard of Stardock or Object Desktop, you need to check them out NOW!!!!

Blogged with Flock

kEnny's Favorite E-Tools- thReevisited!!

I've got a couple more Flock-specific add-ins to write about.

The first I'm using as this very moment. It is called Flock Blog Plus, and it is really slick. It integrates a whole bunch of extra features to Flock's already-more-than-handy blog editor. The features I am appreciating most right now are the lower-pane editor window and the extra link functions.

The second is called geoFlock. I like playing with maps from time to time, on both a computer and on my phone, so this is a nice tool to add to the arsenal. Maybe for the next caving trip I take?

Next visitation: More fun on your phone!

kEnny's Favorite E-Tools... Part Deux!!

For this post, we'll focus on my favorite Firefox extensions, and which ones you can use with Flock. Extensions make Firefox fun! I use a variety of extensions, depending on the computer I am using. Here they are in no particular order:

• Adsense Notifier: It's really funny that I use this extension, as I don't seem to give any of the advertisers on this blog much in the way of business. It gives you a quick, unobtrusive look at how much Google is going to pay you for all your hard work. I don't know if it works on Flock. I haven't had any reason to try it yet. :^(
• del.ico.us Bookmarks: I got turned on to del.ico.us through using Flock. After running my favorites in the same manner for quite some time, I was looking for a new way to work them. While I don't use it over built-in favorites, I also don't leave it out.
• Download Manager Tweak: This one adds extra options to Firefox's Download Manager.
  
• Download Sort: I used to be a great fan of this extension, but numerous security updates have hobbled it to the point of being nearly useless. Being a big collector of skins for various forms of software (Winamp, WindowBlinds, etc.), this tool was indispensable for filtering different file types into separate folders.
• Gmail Manager: I used to use Gmail Notifier, but the added functionality of inbox previews, and support for multiple Gmail accounts made me switch. Unfortunately, the mail count functionality doesn't work in Flock! I hope one or the other gets fixed soon.
• GMarks: This one takes Google Bookmarks and makes it part of your built-in bookmarks as well. If I'm ever out of contact with one of my own computers, I can still get to my regularly visited sites this way, and synchronize my bookmarks across multiple computers.
• Google Calendar Notifier: This is the next most convenient item to your cell phone with text messaging for keeping up with appointments on your Google Calendar(s). It provides you with quick mouse-over access to upcoming events, and provides pop up alerts as well. You can color code each calendar to make them easy to tell apart.
  
• Google Send to Phone: This isn't real complicated, but can be incredibly handy. High lite any text on a web page, then with just a couple more clicks you can send it to your cell phone via SMS.
  
• ForecastFox: Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I've been a fan of the weather for many years. And you never know if the forecast is really going to be right of not. ForecastFox gives you upcoming forecasts as well as radar data, so you have quick access to local weather information from Accuweather.
  
• FoxyTunes: Foxy Tunes brings the fun to web browsing, after all that productive crap I already mentioned. FoxyTunes acts as an unobtrusive remote control for your favorite media player.

Do you have any favorites firefox extensions not listed here? Tell me what you like and how you use it. If I like it, I'll add it to the list!

Blogged with Flock

kEnny's Favorite E-Tools!

Let me preface this entry with the notice that one of the tools listed here, of which I am undoubtedly a fan of - and could even be considered an evangelist for, rather failed me the other day. I was well into the task of typing the original version of this post, when Flock choked and lost all but the title. Oops!!

I have been on a quest for a number of years to become more elegantly (but not intrusively so) organized on a number of levels. In this time of ever-increasing availability of information I have found quite the smörgåsbord of options for keeping one's life in order. My particular quandary lies in the fact that there are times when I spend copious amounts of time using a computers, lots of computers, and others when I am glad to stay away for a nice long time.

I have enjoyed the usage of Microsoft Outlook at work in keeping me aware of and (as much as it is able to) on time for appointments. Before the days of cell phones that could synchronize their calendars with PIMs, I found a way to keep myself current while away from my own PC: using VBA to forward Outlook's pop-up notifications to my cell phone. I can't tell you how many meetings this kept me from missing. It made me aware that there are always alternative means to keep on schedule, and that I could increase the productivity of others by promoting that awareness.

At work, I use Outlook to keep track of multiple projects, remind me of mundane tasks, tell me where and when my meetings are, and keep the unimportant stuff from getting in the way of my work. While Outlook is a very capable application for work, have untethered myself from it for personal organization, as it requires me to be attached to a single computer. At home I have 3 different PCs I use, so it just doesn't do the job. Browser based email and calendaring, coupled with easy integration of newer "smart phones", give me the continuity I ask for without keeping me tied to a computer screen. The purpose of this post is to increase the awareness of many of the handy tools I have found, and maybe some of their lesser known features as well.


Web Browsers- There are a few big ones to choose from, and a lot of others that leverage their technology. While Internet Explorer is a necessary evil at work, it has no compelling features that make me want to recommend it. Here are my favorites:

• Opera: Very flexible and standards compliant. Available across multiple platforms, including mobile devices. Want to know what I like it best for? Setting the default magnification allows me to browse the web easilly on the 61" TV from across the room without ever having to fiddle with the settings again. Unlike any other web browser I have tried, Opera alters the size of images and plug-ins like Flash movies to scale the whole page (not just the text) for easy viewing. It seems to have some problems with some sites using Ajax features, but I've read that can be as much the website's fault as Opera's. Opera also includes voice support, by allowing you to control it vocally, and it can read content back to you.
  
• Firefox: My favorite all purpose browser. Firefox's strength is in it's ability to add functions thought up by smart people not associated directly with the browser's development. I'll touch on some of my favorite ones shortly.
• Flock: Based on Firefox's Gecko rendering engine, Flock is a wonder to behold. Coined as "The Social Web Browser", Flock has gone and integrated support for many of the more popular hot spots on the web, making quick work of uploading photos & videos, blogging, bookmarking, and keeping up with your friends who are doing the same. I try to use it for all my blog posts, because the off line capabilities combined with powerful online integration make it a very pleasurable experience. Like Firefox, Flock can be enhanced with extensions, and in fact many of the extensions written for the former can be used by the latter.

Websites & Online Services- In trying to make my own and other information available from my phone (via SMS-only right now) and from any computer I end up being attached to, I have assembled a bushel of helpers. I should stress that because most of these services offer some level of SMS functionality, it really doesn't matter what kind of mobile phone you have (even if you end up putting your phone through the laundry and have to use a substitute for a while). Here they are:

• Google: Talk about overload. It seems like I am always curious what Google is up to next. When they buy a company or enhance any service, I am all over it. They have extensive resources available on the web of course, but many of them bridge across to mobile use as well. I use GMail and Google Calendar to keep my personal life in order. While my cell phone's calendar gets synchronized with my work calendar, Google's Calendar sends me SMS messages to remind me where I need to be. I can add new events and invite people by sending an SMS message to GVENT. Google's recent purchase of GrandCentral caused me to sign up for that service as well. It is a universal voice telephone routing/messaging service that has so many possibilities I can't begin to tell you what they do in this post. Everything I get from Google is free of charge. I'm sure I'll end up paying for it in some other way.
• Yahoo!: I'll admit that I'm more attached to Google than Yahoo!, but Yahoo! has some very compelling competition to most things I use from Google. Something I've been wanting to try out from Yahoo! was their latest version of Yahoo! Go for mobile phones. It wraps up all their best mobile accessible content and squeezes it into an easy-to-use interface.
• AOL Instant Messenger: Don't get me wrong, I'm not really into instant messaging too much after it got me married (and it was AIM that did it, too). But after I got my first "nice" phone and was looking for ways to exercise it, I went looking for an IMAP email service that offered Push service. For a brief explanation, most email software needs to be running for you to find out that you have unread messages (the client PULLs the messages from the server), where Push services notify the client first (and in this case the client was my phone). AIM's email service is the only one I have found in the US offering free Push email service that didn't require extra software to be running on your PC or phone. Using AIM, I had working Visual Voicemail while it was just a cool idea at Apple.
• Vonage: I can't say they have distinctive service any more, and I can't say they are the best price in town, but they are the ones with the most reputation to protect. They give us reliable phone service with LOTS of features for a very low price. I get SMS alerts when someone leaves a message, and the messages are emailed to any email inbox I desire. Thanks for offering an alternative to Qwest!
• 4INFO: I found 4INFO after being disappointed by Cingular/AT&T's unreliable SMS alerts lack of punctuality (I think their "service" is contracted through Infospace, remember them?). After dropping the unlimited internet plan from my phone in favor of unlimited family messaging, I stopped my morning weather RSS feeds on my phone, and changed to morning weather SMS messages. I stuck with 4INFO because I can put up with the unobtrusive advertising at the bottom of the message, and because they send the information when I ask them to.
• Windows Live Alerts: This one I'm a little on the fence about, but I joined on the off chance that it would pay off. They supposedly offer local traffic updates, no matter how local you want to get, but I haven't gotten anything yet. Microsoft gets traffic data from both NAVTEQ and Inrix, so I figure if there's gonna be anything to report in Olympia, WA, it should be available there.
• Twitter: If I were a social butterfly, I'm sure I would be using this constantly. Twitter allows other you and your friends to keep track of the other's life via short messages that can either be entered via the internet or SMS. I think it would be fun for a large group of people to tour a park or zoo together. I only use it so far to access my To-Do List, brought to you by my next featured service:
• Remember The Milk: This service is my non-Outlook task reminder for things that don't go on the Google Calendar very well. RTM can be used for scheduling as well, but I like that I can use fairly plain English to set a reminder via SMS, quickly and easily. The first tab on my iGoogle home page contains an RTM widget now, which complements my Google Calendar widget quite nicely.
• Jott: This is one I just read about while looking for tips on advanced usages of RTM, and instantly had to join. There is a service that Vonage provides for an extra fee per message, or you can spend a little extra for multiple messages prepaid: Transcribed Voice mail. Jott doesn't quite do that to follow the same function as Vonage. You call Jott (toll free number is 1-866-JOTT-123) tell the machine who the message is for, and speak the message you want delivered, then Jott sends an email to the recipient with the transcribed message. The person(s) being addressed has to be in your Jott phone book for it to work.
  

While I really wanted to go into more detail about Firefox extensions and how I have all of these toys arranged to keep me happy, I think I'll have to make this a multi-part entry instead.

Come back for Part II!!!

Blogged with Flock