troy austian | blog

Gadgets and Me

I'm a gadget geek.  But I'm a pretty frugal one.  Just because some cool gadget appeals to me doesn't mean I have to buy it.  I'm content just checking it out...seeing it, learning about it.  Sometimes on my way home I'll pick up a dopio espresso macchiato from Starbucks and then stop in Best Buy while I drink it...just to look around.  I suppose Oprah might call that "a little me time."  I like to see what's out and what might be on sale.  But I don't buy the latest techie gadget just to have it.  And, honestly, I'm not that obsessed about it either -- I just take note of those gadgets that interest me or that I think I might like to have...if I'd spend the money.  But I very rarely spend the money unless the particular gadget meets a need -- I'm a practical guy, and so it's gotta be a practical purchase.

But even when it's practical, I really like to know that I got a good deal on a worthy item.  And so I'm very much one to research an item I'm interested in, read reviews, check out ratings, and follow prices in stores and especially on the Internet.  Yes, I do have a membership to ConsumerReports.org and, yes, I use it, as well as lots of other sites for ratings, reviews, and pricing.  Now, I also like to get the best when possible...if it's reasonably affordable and justified by my practical side.  Of course, that all has to start with knowing what the best is, what makes it the best, what the prices are, and where the value really lies.  Sometimes the best is worth the price, but sometimes the best is just not the best value.  All of this comes into play for me in feeling good about a purchase.  I'm not an impulse buyer, and I rarely have buyer's remorse, because I do my homework.  And the great thing for me is that it's usually homework I enjoy!

GrandCentral: Acquired by Google

It seems that Google is buying everything.  Well, everything good.  They seem to have a good, forward-thinking understanding of the market and of where things are headed with web-based and mobile technologies.  Those are two huge technology arenas that are blending in many ways, and there's great opportunity in the integration of those technologies.  Google really seems to get this, and it definitely shows in their developments, partnerships, and acquisitions.  They seem to be very strategic in their approach, and certainly looking toward the future as they continue to develop their offerings and expand their very successful empire...in the course of which they're certainly not afraid to just buy something they like.

This was the case with Google's acquisition of GrandCentral Communications and their product, GrandCentral.  I learned about GrandCentral because Google bought them, and because of friend of mine uses the service.  GrandCentral's functionality is pretty slick and can be a great value to those who make use of it.  GrandCentral provides a web-based voice communications platform that helps you manage all your phones and phone numbers through one simple interface. You get a single phone number that forwards to all of your phones, a number that's not tied to a phone or location but tied to you, giving you one number for life.  You can be reached with that single number, answer a call at any phone you want, seamlessly switch phones in the middle of a call, and even know whether a call is important before you take it.  Their features include the ability to:

• Check your messages by phone, email, or online
• Keep all your messages online for eternity
• Record and store your phone calls (just like voicemail)
• Quickly (and secretly) block an annoying caller
• Click-to-dial from your address book
• Surprise your callers with a custom voicemail greeting
• Forward, download, and add notes to your messages

Google acquired GrandCentral Communications because its communications services fit into Google's mission to organize the world's information and to provide services and features that enhance the collaborative exchange of information between users.  The service is still in beta (a testing stage, not full production).  While I don't know Google's long-term plans for it, GrandCentral is currently inviting a limited number of users to beta test their service. If it interests you, you can sign up for an invitation here.

The iPhone: Will It Blend?

This guy blends stuff.  It's apparently to show off their apparently very capable Blendtec blenders.  He's blended all kinds of things...from golf balls to glow sticks to marbles to pens to an iPod.  Now he explores the very important and relevant question, "The iPhone...will it blend?"  Click on the picture to check it out.

Online Church Service Planner

I ran across this online church service planner.  It looks pretty slick and seems quite capable...definitely worth checking out for the collaboration, organization, communication, and tracking that it offers.

Website:  http://www.planningcenteronline.com

Demo:  http://www.planningcenteronline.com/home/tutorial/11_minute_overview

Planning Center is the brain-child of a gentleman named Jeff Berg who served for 6 years as the Director of Creative Technologies at Southwest Community Church in Indian Wells, California, before leaving to fully dedicate his time to Planning Center.  That definitely gives some credibility to this service compared to something written by an "outsider."  (According to Planning Center's website, Willow Creek and North Point both use Planning Center.)

Blogs Held Up by Technical Problems II

Okay, so the good folks at TypePad have fixed the problem, which should prevent it from happening again.  This did not, however, fix my prior entires that got garbled.  So I may retype them because I'm sure they're incredible and will enrich your life beyond belief.  One of them is a recipe I came up with for a Gorgonzola Steak Omlette.  Enough said.

Google Maps on My Treo

Not long ago, Palm announced marketing partnerships with Google, Yahoo!, eBay, and TypePad.  And so each of these new partners has or will be releasing one or more Treo-specific applications.  Google has released Google Maps Mobile optimized for the Treo.  It's really cool, fun, and practical.  You can look up maps on the go and also view satellite images, and you can overlay traffic information on either.  It'll give you step-by-step directions, updating the image (map or satellite view) as you go.  Really cool!  Here are some images to give you a better idea:

           

If you're reading this on your Treo, just go to http://google.com/gmm to install it now. And, of course, you can also access Google Maps on the web or try the Google Earth application on your PC.

New Treo SmartPhone

Palm recently announced the release of the new Treo 680. It's the first Treo with the new thinner and antenna-less form factor to be released in the US.  The Treo 750v, which has already been released in Europe, has this form factor as well, which is expected for future Treo releases.  Palm hopes that the Treo 680 will help them to considerably expand the number of Treo users in the US.  In keeping with this, the 680 is apparently targeted to those who have not made the switch to a smartphone, specifically to a Treo.  After all, the Treo family has been consistenly rated the number one smartphone in the world.

 

One of my favorite sites for reading Treo-related news and information is called Treonauts -- it's one of my regular blog reads.  If you're a Treo geek like me, you may want to visit it periodically to stay up on the latest about Treos as well as Treo-related software and accessories.

The Treo 680 is for GSM and EDGE networks such as Cingular and T-Mobile.  If you're on a CDMA network, like Sprint and Verizon, you may want to check out the Treo 700p (old form factor).  I'm hoping for another Treo release, maybe yet this year that is higher-end but with the cooler, thinner, antenna-less form factor.  (The image to the right is the back of the copper color Treo 680.)

I currently use the Treo 650 (GSM/EDGE) on the T-Mobile network, and have loved it.  I do, of course, look forward to upgrading to a new and even cooler Treo at some point down the road.  They are very functional and very well integrated for those who need or want what they have to offer.

Photo Caller ID, part 1

I love photo caller ID.  It's a cool, fun, and practical technology that enables you to associate a picture with a phone number in your cell phone or smart phone so that the picture displays when you get a call from that number.  (A smart phone is a cell phone + PDA combination like my Palm Treo 650 that I accidentally dropped in water earlier this year.)

I thought it might be fun to share some of my photo caller ID images with you.  Should any of these images disappear in the near future, it would be because the person pictured isn't as fond of the picture as I am!

This is, of course, Pastor Rob... our senior pastor, a phenomenal guy, a great husband, a great dad (with great, really well-behaved kids).  He's an excellent leader, friend, and pastor, and he does an amazingly dead on impression of Neil Diamond.  And he's my boss, so when this picture pops up, I answer!

Fellowship One Check-In Begins

We did our first run of electronic check-in for our children's ministry this past weekend.  Overall, it went quite well.  Our check-in system is just one component of our new church management software solution, Fellowship One.  It was really encouraging to experience how quick it can be, not to mention all the other ways it helps us out.  We still have a good bit of updating of people's information, but once that's done for our regulars it'll be even more speedy.

This is especially convenient for parents with more than one child because they can check in all of their kids at one time in one place.  A parent can check in 3 kids in about 30 seconds, then drop each child off at their assigned room and be on the way to service -- that's not bad.  Running these touch screen systems is so much fun that some of the parents wanted to get behind a check-in station to "check" it out for themselves.  It really is fun!...and we could use more volunteers!

We have our second weekend of electronic check-in, then it's Easter!  And we'll be ready.

Treos Are Not Waterproof!

On Sunday morning, I managed to drop my Treo.  Where did I drop it, you ask?  Into water, of course!  Now, I've dropped it before...in my entry way, in my office, and a number of other places -- it's always survived.  It has some nicks and dings, but has always been pretty rugged and kept on helping me manage my eventful life, but a couple of seconds under water was more than it could handle.

I quickly dried if off, took out the memory card and the SIM card, took off the back cover and took the battery out, and dried everything off as best I could.  It was a sad moment, as my Treo was apparently toast...soggy, wet toast.  I think it just genuinely wanted to get cleaned up for church, and didn't know any better.

I found that without its little "beep-beep" to alert me to what was next in my day that I was utterly lost.  Okay, I'm over-exaggerating, but I do rely on it a lot!  When I don't have it, my IQ literally drops from 142 to, like, 80.  (Okay, I didn't mean "literally" literally, but just for emphasis.)

You may relate to this if you're as dependent on a device like this as I am.  At first you feel a bit disabled.  One, you can't just make a phone call from anywhere at a moment's whim!  How did people get by 15 years ago?!  Two, you could miss an appointment or something, miss a phone call, or not be able to immediately look up a piece of information!  By day two without my Treo, I had accepted the situation, and was enjoying the sense of freedom.  There was definitely some beauty in that, but ultimately my Treo helps me with the stuff of my life.

I want to say thanks to Daniel Graf, who saved my Treo.  He was kind enough to use his skills, his genius, and the proper tools to take my Treo apart, dry and clean the components, and put it all back together.  Its works again!  Note, as he told me, that he is a professional.  Thank you, Dan!