Keeping In Touch with the Olympics Thanks to SlingMobile

I know I’ve talked about it a couple of times around here, but I’m going to mention it again - I’m hooked on watching the Olympics. Unfortunately, today we had plans to take the kids to Canada’s Wonderland (the Canadian version of Disneyland). That means leaving early and missing out on watching the Men’s 100m race. The current Olympic record was still held by Canada’s Donovan Bailey from his race 12 years ago when he won Gold. This time, a Jamaican runner by the name Usain Bolt almost broke that record in the qualifying and he wasn’t even running full speed. So there was a huge chance that this record might fall and I wanted to watch that. The solution was easy - SlingMobile.

I was able to watch the moment live on my cell phone thanks to SlingBox. We stopped for gas and to grab some cash from the ATM machine shortly before the race was to begin and just across the street from our destination. Using SlingMobile I was able to tune into my TV back at home and watch the race live. As expected, Usain Bolt blasted down the track smashing Donovan’s previous Olympic record of 9.89 from the 1996 Olympics with a 9.68 run - AMAZING. It’s a really great feeling to know that I can be out spending time with the family and still keep track of what’s happening half way around the world. SlingMobile rocks!

Backing Up Your PIM Data on the Device

There are a number of different applications out there that will backup your Windows Mobile device. Some do it over ActiveSync from your desktop while others actually run on the device and save the backup to a storage card. Most of these apps are pretty good and provide a great way to create a 100% image of your device. However, for me, I just want to backup my contacts and appointments - my PIM data. If I’m out roaming the world and my device has some major crash, having a copy of my contacts and appointments that I can restore to the device after a hard reset is imperative. I already keep a folder on my MicroSD card with all the CAB files for the applications I use. So I can reinstall them without much concern. The other advantage of backing up just the contacts and appointments is that they can easily be restored to a different device in the case where my device meets an early demise.

To do a complete backup of your all your PIM data on a device, I’ve been using a free application from “Dot Fred”. You can download a copy from his website - www.dotfred.net. It’s not that pretty an application, but when it comes to functionality, it’s top notch. If you’re looking at running this on a Smartphone, be prepared for a little more work as the interface is clearly designed for tapping on. It can still be used, but there’s a lot of scrolling and tabbing around at times.

PIM Backup doesn’t just backup your contacts and appointments, it also backs up the speed dial settings you’ve created along, call logs, messages, and there is even a custom option that allows you to select individual files or folders that you want to include in the backup. Once you’ve selected everything, you can select the destination for the backup along with creating a schedule for when you want it to run.

The only drawback that I have found in my use of this app, besides the poor interface for non-touch screen devices, is that it on restore it doesn’t create the mailboxes for the messages to go in. If you create the account first and then run restore, it will put them back into that inbox, but for whatever reason, it doesn’t create that account. I’m hoping that this is something that can be added in the future. For me, it’s the only thing missing on an otherwise great backup application. Regardless of that, you can’t go wrong for the price! Dot Fred has done a great job on this utility.

Ilium Updates eWallet to Version 6.1

While I was away on vacation, one of my all time favorite and must have applications was updated - eWallet. The latest version is now 6.1 and is a free update for people with version 6.0. If you’re running the older version 5, then there is a small upgrade fee. I’ve been running a private beta version for a good couple weeks and it’s been solid and bug free for me.

So what’s new? Well, there’s a number of enhancements in this point release. A more exhaustive list can be found over here - although, I’m pretty sure that’s not the complete list. Anyway, the cool new features that I care about are the improved performance on a Smartphone device. It’s now worlds easier to navigate and edit fields from your non-touch screen Windows Mobile device. Ilium has also added the ability to customize the fields in your card - so you can have multiple hidden values now.

And if none of the improvements here seem like enough reason for you to upgrade, that’s cool. Ilium is working on 6.2 and maybe that one will have the features you’ve been looking for. Speaking of features, I would love to see a seamless over-the-air file sync for my eWallet file. I realize this doesn’t have to be done by Ilium, but it’s a killer feature that I would love to see. Besides that, I think it would be awesome to have a Windows Sidebar gadget that lets me quickly open a wallet. What kind of features would you guys like to see added to your eWallet?

SlingBox Mobile Player - The Boredom Saviour

Have you ever been stuck at the airport? I’m sure you know just how boring it can be. I was sitting in the airport waiting for my plane to board the other day with no laptop! Shocking, I know. Thankfully, I’ve got the mobile version of SlingPlayer on my phone. With a couple button presses, I was dialled into my home TV and surfing the channels as if I was right in front of the TV.

The question I am often asked about SlingBox is in regards to the quality of the picture. It’s a fair question given the small nature of mobile devices. But the key thing to remember is the speed of 3G network. While it will work on an Edge device, the picture isn’t as nice as a higher speed device. The algorithm used by Sling is always adjusting to reflect the variables in network coverage. So if you have 3G, EVDO, or a WiFi enabled device, you’ll be much better off.

Another very common questions is how hard is it to setup? Well, if you’ve ever connected a VCR to your TV, you can connect a SlingBox. It works in the exact same way. Coax from the wall goes into the back of the SlingBox and then out to the TV. The only other thing you need to do is plug in an Ethernet cable into the back of it. Run some software on your computer and your done. Maybe I’ll do up a post some day that walks you through the process. But for now, trust me, it’s pretty easy.

One thing you really need to enjoy SlingBox from your mobile device is an unlimited data plan, or something very close to unlimited. Why? Well the answer is pretty simple, if you are going to be streaming an hour long TV show across the internet to your device, you’re going to chew through a 5or 10 MB plan pretty quickly.

I’ve included a couple screen shots of what you can expect to see when running in a Windows Mobile 3G enabled device. Full screen is the best viewing, but I included the other picture (up at the top of this post) so you can see the optimization numbers and what have you. The speed and fps will adjust over time. The number you see in that picture is what was displayed a minute or so after launching the player and connecting to my TV.

And this last picture is just because I thought the expression on his face was priceless.

Trying to Go Mobile with Twitter

I’ve been using Twitter for the last couple months as a good quick way to stay in touch with friends and to provide quick updates about what in the world I’m doing. I started out using a Windows Mobile app called TinyTwitter that would allow me to read and post from my account. But I’ve so many problems with it that I think it’s time to try out another app. Mauricio from GeekZone suggested I take a look at Fring. I had used Fring a while back, but after downloading and installing the current version, it’s clear that things have changed and been improved. It appears to handle a number of communication protocols - from MSN Messenger, to AIM, to Skype, to Google, to Twitter and even a couple more. Overall I would say Fring is packed with features. Unfortunately, there’s a couple negatives as well. First, I found it to be very cluttered and confusing to navigate. That’s not terrible, but it’s a little annoying. I’m sure over time I would get used to the layout and better understand things. The other problem, which is more of a showstopper in my books, is the power usage. My battery went from about 80% when I went to bed last night, to just about 10% when I awoke 5 hours later. That’s pretty bad in my books. I need better battery life than that. I didn’t even realize that it was running, but it was and it chewed through all my power.

So now I’m back looking for different Twitter apps for Windows Mobile. If you have any suggestions, please share them with me. Until I find something worthwhile, I’ll just use the mobile version of their website. It does a pretty good job by itself!

Playing with Evernote - Over The Air Sync

I recently received a invite to join the beta and try out a new service that allows you to sync content between your computer, mobile device, and the web – Evernote. What’s interesting about this is that the content isn’t limited to written (or typed) text. You can have Evernote sync pictures, web pages, audio/video, and even email. All of this happens wirelessly over the air between your device (mobile or not) and the Evernote servers. So there’s no need to worry about connecting to your computer just to unload those camera phone pictures.

Now, I’m still in the early stages of playing with this tool, but if it can live up to what the website claims, it will quickly become a must have application on my device. Along with my invite came a couple other invitations. So if anyone else is interested in playing around with Evernote, just drop me a note and I can get you hooked up. I’m going to continue to play with this and I’ll post back here with my more of my thoughts and findings and things move forward.

Ilium Software Celebrates 11 Years of Mobile Goodness

Ilium Software, makers of some of my favorite software - like eWallet, NewsBreak and Screen Capture (just because it’s free doesn’t mean it’s not good) are celebrating 11 years in business! What’s best about this is that the customer gets all the gifts. It may be Iliums party, but you get to go home with all the goodies. For starters, there will be a contest posted each day this week on their blog. The celebration doesn’t stop there - Ilium is also offering 55% discount off the regular price of all of their applications. You’ll need to check out the following page for all the details:  http://www.iliumsoft.com/elevenyears.

Congratulations on 11 great years Ilium and I wish you the best for the next 11.

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