Yeah, yeah – I’m waiting for someone to chime in – “just get an iPad.”  But, why? Yes, it’s lighter and smaller than my laptop.  But, I still have to carry a phone on top of that.  Also, one simply cannot type as fast on the screen (at least I haven’t seen anyone cruise along all that fast).  Carry the phone is a key point here.

I just went from my Palm Pre to an HTC EVO 4G.  The EVO is a great device.  Great screen, great OS, fast, great applications.  I have actually (maybe just to change things up a bit) been using and enoying it more.  I love the instant on.  I love “doing what I need to, when and where I want to.” (“Relaxed Productivity”)  And, whereever I go, so goes the phone.  So, for my next trip, I have decided to only carry the EVO, and my newly aquired Freedom Pro Keyboard.  I’m writing this article on this combination, and will post some notes and observations as things progress.

Setup was farily easy.  However, no directions came with the keyboard on getting it connected ot the EVO.  I purchased this unit based off some Google-ing and noting in a review on Amazon that the two would work together.  I had to search and find this post ( http://community.htc.com/na/htc-forums/android/f/94/p/5273/23617.aspx) to really figure out how to get them connected – as you do have to download and install a driver.  Once you follow the instruction (isn’t that always the key? ), you are off and running.

The first thing you will want to do is to go into the driver and disable the shift + space key combination. This key combo switches the keyboard language.  I did it by accident twice (switching to Korean), which you can imagine stopped productivity.

Some other quick observations:

> Android seems to deal with the keyboard well, giving you a nice and big entry window for typing into for most text input areas.  That’s a big plus.

> On the minus side, the key response on the Freedom Pro is okay.  Kind of hard or tight, and kind of toyish feeling.  Not completely “toyish” as I’ve been crusing along on this article.  But, my fingers are definately tired.

> Related to keys, the right shift key is a stretch.  I’ve run into this on other portable keyboards, and even laptops.  Not my favorite when I do.  You have to think about reaching for that shift key.

> There are four “quick access” buttons on the left (Mail, People, To Do, Calendar) that do not work on the EVO.  But, the driver you download does let you assign the Function Keys to whatever you want.  Also, there are “SK” keys on the lower right.  They seem to do the EVO Menu and Back functions which, if I can remember they are there, could be handy.

All in all, we will see how this goes.  I’m amazed how cyclic technology is.  I had my Palm V and Palm Portable Keyboard back a few years ago.  That combo worked great for travel.  (People went “wow!” when I whiped that out.)  Then the laptops came into “fad.”  Now, here I am again – a tiny keyboard and screen.

(^_^
Composed on my HTC EVO 4G and Freedom Pro Keyboard.  Please excuse any type-o’s or mis-spellings. 

Update: I usually get about 10 – 12 hours out of a charge on my EVO.  Today, using the keyboard and doing all my blogging I only got 6.5.  The very cool battery information and graphs in Andriod don’t show “Bluetooth” taking up much time / power (hardly).  So, we’ll just see how things go.

Just Like the Pre, I’ve been chomping at the bit for an HP / Palm TouchPad, FINALLY coming out tomorrow.  I stopped in at Best Buy to play with one last night.  And, I’m sorely disappointed.  I’ll be blunt, this is a pretty big let done.  Quick and dirty, here are the main straws that broke the camel’s back:

• My friend was right there with his iPad 2, and I got to compare its weight to the TouchPad.  The TouchPad is noticeably heavier.  I actually got tired holding it.
• WebOS is not done “baking.”  Case in point, picking a date on an event in the calendar is just like my Pre.  If you are on today, and you want to pick next Tuesday, you gotta count on your fingers or toes to figure the date. The iPad?  The roller says, “Tomorrow, July 1, Saturday, July 2″ – you just roll and get it done.  WebOS has not improved in this area and many core OS areas.  Heck, my Treo was easier to pick dates with.
• Only one front-facing camera.  Really?  Come on; this was “introduced” clear back in February.  HP could not get this added to compete?

On the positive side, WebOS, just like the Pre, makes the iPad pail in comparison to “moving between apps” and business productivity.  And, though I could only make it do one, notifications are way cool.  If I had a phone that would work with the TouchPad, that might be something that might sway me.  Maybe.  (Alas, as we all know, there’s only one new Palm phone, and not on a carrier we want, and not the size we want.)

I’m actually more excited (slightly) about a couple of other options:

• I must have been sleeping under a rock, but, I didn’t know Google has launched Chromebooks.  These look really attractive and really take a “more baked” innovative turn.
• I looked at a couple of what I will call Android Mini Tablets.  I might look into these more.

Oh, HP.  I figured your years of maturity, and your size, would push TouchPad to where it needs to be.  Alas, it’s for not.

I love my Palm Pre, and when I read about, and watch the videos about the TouchPad, I get really excited.  Then, I stop and ask myself “why?”  My Windows 7 HP dv4 laptop has “cards that slide” through Aero.  My full calendar and email via Outlook. (And, let’s not forget Foresight! )  I have full social media experiences through my browser or, I’m sure if I wanted to download something from the web.  I have “Facetime” via Skype (which I frequently do to other Pad owners).  So, why do I still gravitate back to the TouchPad, and even my Pre?  It’s the “always on” factor.

I’ve been trying to leave my laptop in “on mode” by letting it sleep or hibernate when I’m done – instead of turning it off.  But, when I pick it up (though, it’s a TON better in Windows 7 than it was in previous versions), you have to wait a few seconds, log in, and let Windows re-establish its self.  Sometimes, Windows doesn’t manage to completely re-establish itself self.  Sometimes, I have no sound – requiring a reboot or a re-sleep.  Sometime it just doesn’t act right, again, requiring a reboot.  With my Pre, I press “on” and I’m ready to go – reading the text that just came in, or, heading right to the destination I want.  It wouldn’t hurt my feelings if I could have this same experience in a larger form – hence the TouchPad.  And, the TouchPad boasts integration to my phone – someday, that is.  That’s a real downer at the moment; not knowing when a Pre 3 will come, and if it will come to Sprint.  I think this integration is a key feature for HP / Palm which has real appeal and can take personal productivity to a new level.

Microsoft, listen up – want to stay competitive in today’s world?  Make Windows and my laptop “instant on.”  Yeah, I know you don’t have control over hardware consistency, as well as what users might load on it, but that’s the gauntlet the world has thrown down for you.  Meet that challenge, and you have a huge chance of becoming relevant again.  You are relevant now in that everyone uses (okay, you Mac people, “a lot of people use”) Windows, but, you are not a part of the conversations and buzz of today.

HP / Palm, listen up – very happy that you are finally bringing out products – but you have to speed things up.  Get the Pre 3 out, on multiple carriers (Sprint first, please! ), so you can boost the slight buzz you have now.  You’ve got “the right stuff;” you now need to let it fly.

I finally wrapped up President George W. Bush’s book, Decision Points.  I say “finally” as I am, unfortunately, a slow reader.  Nevertheless, I loved this book every time I picked it up as I always got something out of it.  One of the biggest things I learned about President Bush (who I will affectionately refer to as “W”), is that he is an incredibly smart man.  I have always believed that W had to be a smart guy – he has an MBA so I knew there was no way he was the “dummy” popular public perception wanted you to believe.  “Popular” perception can often times be wrong, as the case here.  W is very thoughtful, a deep thinker, and as the book shows can come up with sharp, articulated plans based on his, and his alone, ultimate decisions.

Some other takeaway’s I got from this book that I know will bolster me personally include:

1) Listen to all the angles / seek advice from trusted advisors - W is not a “Lone Cowboy.”  He worked hard to build relationships with people he knew he could trust.

2) Make a Plan – He collected all the input he could from people he trusted and always put together a plan.  W purposely titled the book “Decision Points” because he specifically collected all the times he was faced with issues and methodically showed you how he came to a decision.  These decisions always came with a plan.

3) Execute – W did not just make up plans and walk away.  He put people in charge of these plans and followed up with them to assure progress was made.  If the plan needed to be revised, it did not bother him in the least; it didn’t bruise his ego or pride – he just wanted to get the job done.

“Didn’t bruise his ego or pride” is a great way to close.  W is a very humble man.  Deep in his Faith, he shows very clearly that he took every decision very personally, giving credit to the people on the team when things work, and taking full responsibility, as well as very personally, when they didn’t.  He cares greatly about the people who serve in the military and grieves when one is lost.  I have always loved W, but have a full new respect for him after reading this book.  This book will really inspire the reader about the true way to get things done.

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(Written via notes capured in Notes by Inglorious Apps. Posted via Poster by Gabriele Nizzoli – all on my Palm Pre. Please excuse any brevity, terseness or type-o’s. Thank You!)

SpenceSmith

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(Written via notes capured in Notes by Inglorious Apps. Posted via Poster by Gabriele Nizzoli – all on my Palm Pre. Please excuse any brevity, terseness or type-o’s. Thank You!)

Why would you not want to be number one? Are you racing to be number two???

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(Written via notes capured in Notes by Inglorious Apps. Posted via Poster by Gabriele Nizzoli – all on my Palm Pre. Please excuse any brevity, terseness or type-o’s. Thank You!)

http://michaelhyatt.com/what-to-do-when-you-are-forced-to-wait.html

This article really needs to be a premiere chapter in the “Relaxed Productivity” instruction book:

The Art of Manliness: Napping 

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(Written via notes capured in Notes by Inglorious Apps. Posted via Poster by Gabriele Nizzoli – all on my Palm Pre. Please excuse any brevity, terseness or type-o’s. Thank You!)