Nothing makes you appreciate life QUITE as much as having blood drawn and getting dental work done. I, in my usual fashion, decided to get all the “yucky” stuff on my to do list done at once. And, today was the day.

Warning, what follows can only be classified as a rant. Proceed with caution. (more…)

A good relationship with excellent outsourcing specialists is a business asset, and it’s one you should protect. Specialists in this industry do “fire” clients and they do it more often than clients “fire” them. It happens when the match isn’t working, when projects aren’t being completed, and for a host of other reasons. Most outsourcing providers protect their success ratios – it’s tied to their professional reputations and is reflected in their own bottom line.

Below are a few tips to help you keep the best offsite services providers on your team:

(more…)

Weeks of speculation ended today when Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, who admitted to “lusting after” what Palm does well, joined forces with Palm CEO Ed Colligan and Verizon Wireless CEO Denny Striglat a CTIA Wireless conference earlier today, according to a report in Red Herring released this afternoon.

Although I like the idea of having these “big boys” working together — especially with the addition of the upcoming wireless broadband… I feel the need to morn the end of an era. And I wonder what the palm software development community will say. (more…)

Without going into a huge expose on my political objections to the way our wise and wonderful government handles the issue of “homeland security” — (ie, “Let’s remove individual rights, clog the already sticky wheels of our required government involvement, increase the paper chase and THEN see if anyone has time to actually worry about security…”) — I’ve decided to share some information here as my own tiny protest.

Visit “Homeland Stupidity” where IOError.us collects and shares some of the things that make me crazy. If you have a few moments, check it out. If you have enough time to be REALLY upset and ticked off, first Google and then wade through the actual text of the Patriot Act and Son of Patriot. THAT will get your American blood boiling.

Well, enough ranting for today. It’s Sunday, there MUST be better endeavors and I’m going to commit my resources to finding one. Have fun!

Three individuals have filed a suit against Palm, claiming their Treo 600 and 650 devices are defective in a recent case. For more info read:

http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;1910607784;fp;2;fpid;1

After the second Treo article appeared in epowernews this week, I had a few more personal inquiries from real estate agents and those who support these mobile professionals.

Cathryn Jones, a Texas virtual assistant of www.assistants4agents.com sent me the following email about compatibility issues she was having with the Treo and some of the programs she’s using. (more…)

Oh, isn’t THAT charming?!?! Someone spoofed my email address. In under two minutes, I had 127 bounced deliveries arrive in my inbox. All apparently originating from my own account, but they didn’t come from me. And, judging from some of the headers, they never would (I don’t make THOSE kinds of offers to people I know, much less a few hundred strangers, nor do I sell products to improve their … ahem… private — errrr, “activities” … but I digress).

I live by email. My business depends on it. I’m also a person that freaks if I have more than 25 emails in my inbox at any time, and more than three at any moment that aren’t sorted and/or handled properly.

The sheer volume of that delivery put my machine on its little knees. It was begging for mercy and refusing to let me run other programs, unless I wanted them to run at the speed of a tiny ant, crossing a sea of warm honey. (more…)

Yesterday, around 1:20 p.m., while I was on the phone, I heard the rumble of a large truck. Moments later, the entire cabin shook and the phone went dead. Thinking that the truck had clipped the side of the cabin, I ran outside.Wayne and I are staying in my parent’s cabin by the lake until we can finish our own cabin on the farm. During this time, the biggest transition has been getting used to being part of a community again.

I have neighbors. It’s weird.

And, when they have concrete trucks come in, like yesterday, it gets a bit weirder. (Is that a word?) (more…)

So the idea of an office in your pocket appeals to you? Great! Now, we need to move the Treo 650 from a basic device to something that would make you want to “write home” – or e-mail, or IM, or text message or phone.

Real estate agents are all about communication and service. If clients can’t find you, and get the answers they need quickly – they move on. So, let’s get you up and running with a few “add-on” programs that help to keep you in touch and on top.

(more…)

(Dunnville, KY - August 31, 2005) Many business owners hesitate to blog because they feel they aren’t ‘good writers’ or they don’t want to ‘open up’ to the world. Marketing consultant, Angela Parker of WickedWordCraft.com, encourages website owners to utilize the blog format to share their knowledge in a blog. Why? Because it works. (more…)

Today, MobiTV announced a new service which will let Treo 650 users subscribe to a monthly service that permits you to watch TV on your Treo!

I KNEW it was just a matter of time!

To learn more about this service, visit the MobiTV website at: www.mobitv.com/treo.html.

Personally, I’m not much of a television viewer. (I don’t even get television at home — but rely on an extensive DVD collection.) But, I might just check this out for the novelty of it — and to see if the subscription service means I’m spared the commercials…

Jeff Aughey of AlphaHomes.com has been selling real estate for 17 years, and has been specializing in homes in Alpharetta Georgia since 1994. He says that he discovered in college that sales was much more interesting to him (and was a better fit for his personality) than the engineering career he was pursuing at the time. After “doing the math” he decided that he could do what he enjoyed most, and could make a good living at it. He prefers to be his own boss and likes commission-based sales because they keep him motivated and busy.

Anyone who knows Jeff knows that he lives by his cell. It’s never out of arm’s reach. He even admits (sheepishly) that he keeps it on his bedside stand at night – just in case of emergencies. He uses his Treo exclusively and considers the home phone the ‘property’ of his children.

(more…)

I love the dual-use of the Seidio earphones/mic combination, but the new earphones I got in from Boxwave today — blow the doors off of them for audio quality and sheer volume capacity.

I will probably miss the in-line volume control of the Seidio, but the Boxwave minibuds coil up into a tight little package, are uber-portable, and sound better than anything I’ve ever used with my Treo — for music, audiobooks and movies.

Beware of cranking it up at “normal” volume levels on your applications — I’m running mine about 1/5 of my “normal” volume for the combo earphones.

These earphones (I selected the silver white ones — just to be different) offer crisp, full-range audio for all my most essential applications.

They aren’t cheap, but they (in the 20 minutes I’ve had them on already — even while I’m blogging now) are worth every cent.

This is the second step of “reworking” my Treo accessories package to make them more portable, better protection and the best possible performance. (The first step was the new case by Sena).

Tomorrow, I’ll tell you about another little goodie…

*Tapping foot to classic Pure Prairie League*

One of my favorite functionality enhancers for my Treo — TAKEphONE has just released the latest beta which upgrades some of the issues some users had experienced before — including improved cooperation with SnapperMail. To learn more, and get your own beta copy…

Visit www.shsh.com.

I’ve been watching the trends online lately, the sites that are, conceptually, “hot” and those that are getting hotter, and why.

It’s pretty easy to discern — people want to make the digital world their own. If they can customize their own experience online and off with the newest technology gizmos and gadgets, they are happy. My own Treo habit is an example, but it’s only ONE example.

Websites like Flickr and Wikipedia, for example. PalmGear, Audible and Amazon — with their user/buyer ratings and “my lists” options. It’s becoming a closer-knit online world where we can all be heard, solo or in choir. Blogs have overrun the idea of an “expert” opinion being the one that the masses trust on products, services and even daily news. (more…)

Although the thought of a windows Treo alarmed me, the thought of a Linux model makes me feel all warm and fuzzy!

Not that a Linux version will be on the way anytime soon, but this new change in the Treo’s corporate landscape probably will create some interesting changes.

For now, we are told that the Palm OS — flagship operating system for all Palm devices (including Treo) will remain in place.

Read the full article from Cnet if you would like the gory details, including the project that’s been underway for some time to create a Linux-Palm hybrid OS.

You know, lately, I’ve been working excruciatingly long hours — excruciating for my family, but not for me. I’ve never been quite so hyped up about my work as I am right now.

• Perhaps it’s the fact that I sketched out the beginning of a new novel last week.
• Perhaps it’s the sheer number of billable hours I’ve been able to keep under my belt lately.
• Perhaps it’s just that its nice to FEEL good enough to work long hours again.

Maybe it’s a couple of exciting new projects I have underway for clients, and a couple more that I have going for myself. (more…)

On Saturday, the mailman brought me my new Treo 650 case — the Sena flip-front model.

I have used it over the weekend to keep the Treo on my hip to give it a mini-workout and determine if this is the case for the Treo 650 that I’ve hoped it would be.

I got mine “gently used” from ebay.com for about 35% off the new price. It’s a nice, snug fit on my new Treo and the snap-strap over the top makes me feel much safer — as if THIS one won’t permit my Treo to go flying out when I’m not paying attention. (more…)

This is a long distance “Happy Birthday” wish for my Pops, who turned 60 years old today. His birthday wish was to climb to the top of his favorite Colorado peak today — Taylor Mountain.

Since he will be gone all day, I’m posting his birthday greeting here for when he returns.

TAYLOR MOUNTAIN, COLORADO

I hope it was a wonderful day!

Love you,
Angela, Wayne, Alex and Abby

My best friend had a birthday surprise last weekend that included a ride in a hot-air balloon! Her date didn’t even tell her where they were going, but just whisked her away (to a height of around 7500 feet she tells me).

I know some guys have difficulties coming up with a great idea for a special occasion. Her date, obviously, isn’t one of those…

so I thought I’d share the idea for anyone looking for a way to give the best gift in the world — a great memory of a wonderful day!

How cool!

(Course it would have been cooler if I could have managed to get permission to post their close-up smiling shots and their names… but alas, some people are shy.)