So I’ve moved this site to my shared host which will give me a lot more flexibility in the content I want to show.

If you have subscribed through http://feeds.feedburner.com/RodfatherMobile , it should be fine since I changed the address in my feedburner account.   Otherwise, what are you waiting for?  Subscribe now and you may come across some useful posts once in while.

Outside The Bowling Alley
Just chillin in one of the chairs
outside the bowling alley. I’m in
the shade with full brightness and
it’s easy to read. I’d like something
a lot brighter though.
Just took this
pic w/ Blackjack
and sent over bluetooth.
I’m trying not to use
the keyboard today. Just use
the tip or ink

With some double sided tape, extra power from the hard drive cable, and a custom antennae, he was able to install the HSDPA module he grabbed from his external Zadacom 3G+ modem.

He’s getting around 10-15%  improved battery life with the CF card and HSDPA module.  He reports the Wifi connection using more power than the HSDPA module as one of the factors.

Link

Remember that robot sitcom back when?  I remember the other kid with the cheeks sort of looked like Billy Corgan.  Well, looks like Fujitsu has claimed the name saying it’s “All the functionality.  Half the size.”

Anyway, it’ll go for around $1000 arriving mid-September.

I have a feeling it’ll go for slightly more.  I’ve made it no secret I’m not much of a fan of this.  It appears to be small but it has a lot of bulk due to that hinge.  Small screen.  The keyboard is pretty much useless to me.  I doubt I could 10 finger touch type on that.  It would drive me crazy using the function key to access the directional arrow keys and function keys.  Where’s the TAB key?  If it’s not going to look like a convertible with a usable touch keyboard, it better be usable.  Otherwise, you might as well dump it, save some space, and make it a slate.  I don’t see myself pulling out full sized bluetooth keyboard with a convertible sitting in front of me.

I’m sure it’ll be a solid.  It would make a nice light weight, Onenote notetaking device in slate mode.

Via Gear Diary

Via Akihabara News

I’m at the bowling and as you can see from the above picture, it’s a bit ridiculous to get everything set up.
In this scenario, first I had to ask the bartender to see if he had a paperclip. Luckily he had one, removed the SIM card, and inserted it into my Blackjack phone.
Then I plugged in the Blackjack into the Q1 so I can get tethering going. If you’re wondering why I’m not using Bluetooth, it’s because the Blackjack’s bluetooth stack doesn’t work right with Vista. So the only way I could get Bluetooth PAN working is with USB.
So now, since I’m connected with the Blackjack, I basically lost the camera functionality since I want to stay online. So then I pulled out the iPhone, took and picture, removed the USB keyboard, and transfered the photo using the USB cable.

That’s just too many steps to get connected.  I’m now back to XP and got Bluetooth tethering back.. but I still have to swap the SIM card, and I still can’t use my phone for voice calls while tethered. I’ve been reading that a dedicated WWAN modem gives you faster speeds than with tethering through your phone.

So for some months now, I’ve been tracking USB modem news and have been lurking the evdoinfo.com forums. Kevin’s purchase of the Sierra Wireless 875U was very helpful too.

Here’s a list of USB modems out now and coming soon. Since I’m in the US, I’m only looking into modems that will most likely work here. I will probably wait until the newer devices come out before deciding.

Currently Available:

Novatel U720
Network: Verizon / Sprint (Discontinued but still available in other channels)
Pros: From the evdoinfo.com forums, I get the impression this just works. Location based GPS.
Cons: May need to plug into a 2nd USB port for additional power

Sierra Wireless U595/875U
Network: U595 = Sprint & Verizon. 875U = AT&T.
Pros: Internal battery. No need to plug into a 2nd USB port.
Cons: Bulky

Coming Soon:

Novatel U727
Network: Verizon / Sprint (?)
Pros: Much smaller. Low power. Max 5W. No need for 2 USB ports.
Notes: This is the smallest USB modem I’ve seen. Appears to be the size of a thumbdrive.
Estimated arrival: Sept-Oct

via evdoinfo.com forums / EVDO blog

Franklin Wireless CDU-680
Network: Verizon (?) / Sprint (?)
Pros: Smaller. 64MB flashdrive. GPS receiver.
Notes: Not too much information on this. I’m hoping Sprint or Verizon will carry this.
Estimated arrival: 2nd Quarter 2007

Pic Below: AirCard 595U (left), Novatel U720 (center) and Franklin CDU-680 (right)

via evdoinfo.com (2)

Sierra Wireless 881U
Network: AT&T / T-Mobile(?)
Pros: Bit smaller than the U875. HSUPA support. Up to 7.2Mbps download speed. Up to 2Mbps upload speed.
Notes: Updated version of the 875U. Still has a battery.
Estimated arrival: Unknown

Via MacWorld

Via Akihabara News

More HTC Shift Details
Kaz 911 has provided more specs and
photos of the HTC Shift. It’s looking
the WM6 side will be very limited
with only mail and calendar.
I’ve said it before. Did HTC blow it
including WM6? Instead of
including a half-ass Windows Mobile
device which in turn, created a half
ass Vista device by supplying a
native 800×480 screen to accommodate
Windows Mobile’s max 640×480 resolution,
I’m beginning to realize they should have
just left out WM6, add a 1024×600
screen, and focus on optimizing Vista.
I’ll still monitor the Shift, but it seems
I’m getting more and more disappointed
as info trickles in.

Link to Specs
Link to Photos

I personally haven’t use WebGuide4 but have heard good things about it. It’s similar to Orb, SlingBox, or Sony’s LocationFree in that you can placeshift live TV. WebGuide connects with your Media Center PC so you can schedule, view live or recorded TV straight from your browser.
The developer is moving on to the Media Center team so future development of WebGuide will be discontinued.

I’ll check it out and possibly replace Orb as a way to stream media from home.

Mobility Site via the unwired