Rick Cooper, The PDA Pro

Complimentary Teleseminar - Drive Safe and Talk Safe – Mobile Headset Tips

 

Do you use a mobile phone while driving? How do you stay productive while driving, but avoid the risk of DRIVING DISTRACTED?!?

Join me for a complimentary teleseminar where I will interview Mobile Headset Expert John Waller on tips to use your phone safely (and legally).

Drive Safe and Talk Safe – Mobile Headset Tips
(And Learn about California’s new Hands Free Driving Laws)
(Complimentary Teleseminar)

Thursday, July 3rd
12pm Pacific / 2pm Central / 3pm Eastern

Special Guest: John Waller, Mobile Technology Consultant

Register Now!

Click Here to Register for Complimentary Teleseminar

John Waller

Owner of Mobile Connectivity

John has been involved in technology since 1987. He started out in alpha numeric pagers, cell phones and digital pagers. He has been selling headset for over 13 years. He is a technology consultant and helps people to be more productive with technology and is a sought after speaker and consultant. He is the Founder of the Silicon Valley Palm Users Group and has been hired by Palmsource to train their employees on their devices.  He is currently writing a book on "How to be More Productive in the New Millennium". For more information about Mobile Connectivity, visit http://www.mobileconnectivity.net/

CALIFORNIA HANDS FREE DRIVING LAWS ARE NOW IN EFFECT!

New cellular phone laws went into effect July 1, 2008 in California. The changes are intended to reduce accidents caused by distracted drivers.

VC §23123: Drivers 18 years of age or older are prohibited from driving a motor vehicle while using a wireless telephone unless a hands-free device is used.

SOURCE: California Department Of Motor Vehicles Web Site:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/cellularphonelaws/

 

Treo 755P Requires You to Remove Battery for Soft Reset

The Palm Treo 755P requires you to remove the battery in order to perform a soft reset. Amazing! I have the Treo 650 and you have to open the case and then use the stylus tip to reset it. It looks like for whatever reason, Palm engineers figured it would just be easier to have you remove the battery. Okay then.

Palm describes three processes to reset your PDA in the user manual on pages 288 and 289. The soft reset is the least invasive. Then there's the system reset. And finally the hard reset.  A hard reset on a Palm PDA will erase all of the data. It's a last resort. If you are not using backup software on the smartphone itself, you may lose data and not be able to recover it.

I haven't had to perform a hard reset on my PDA in a long time. I occasionally have to perform a soft reset. It happens a few times a month. It's not that annoying. But, I worry about having to keep opening the case and removing the battery. It just doesn't seem like the most desirable process.  I guess that's another reason to switch to an iPhone (although I have not explored what if any process is used to reset an iPhone).

Celicase Designer Lisa Rodrigues Joins us May 7th on Attracting Ideal Clients Radio Show

How do you carry your PDA or smartphone? Men often carry them on a holster or in a pocket. Women drop them into a purse and often struggle to find them when they ring.

Celicase Designer Lisa Rodrigues created a solution for that problem. She created the Celicase, a carryall designed to hold a PDA or smartphone and keep it accessible.

Lisa will join us on our Internet Radio Show Attracting Ideal Clients on May 7th at 3pm Pacific Time. Tune in every Wednesday at 3pm Pacific Time.

Clean Up your PDA

Your PDA or smartphone contains a lot of information. Over time, you have probably created word processing documents and spreadsheets. You have taken photos and downloaded files. Your PDA is getting cluttered and clogged. It’s time to clean it up. Here are some tips to clean up your PDA.

Before you clean up your PDA, make sure you sync it and back up the files to CD or DVD. It’s always best to make sure you can retrieve information before you delete it.

Calendar – It’s a good idea to clean up your calendar periodically. But, first consider how much history you need. Some people like to be able to refer back to prior appointments with clients. If you use ACT! or some other contact management system, you may be able to simply filter the data being synced to your PDA. That way, your contact management system will still allow you to see the complete history of contacts with a client.

Task List – Some tasks will never be completed. So, why worry about it. Take time to prune your task list. Copy old tasks somewhere else if you want to. Life is short. You need to be realistic about what you commit to. Eliminate tasks if there is no longer a need to do them.

Email – Make sure your email settings allow email to remain on the server so it can be downloaded to your computer. Purge the email messages on your PDA or smartphone every now and then. You will be able to check messages more quickly.

Contacts – It’s a good idea to review your contacts every year and archive records that you no longer need to access.

Applications – If you download software onto your PDA, you should consider how beneficial the software is and delete unneeded applications. Shareware and freeware applications can cause problems. If you have to reboot your PDA frequently, it’s time to remove old apps. When you upgrade to a new PDA, reinstall your applications rather than syncing everything over. Your new PDA may have a more current operating system. Incompatible software can cause problems.

Audio and Video Files – Nothing will eat up your storage faster than audio and video files. Archive them and delete them from your PDA. Enough said.

Taking time to clean up your PDA will reduce your headaches and simplify your life. It takes time, but it’s worth it in the long run.

Get Smart Phone

Are you a gadget freak? I love technology, but only it it makes my life easier and more productive. One of the concepts that has captured the imaginations of people for decades is the Dick Tracy-style wrist watch phone. This was followed by Maxwell Smart's crazy shoe phone. The fact is that we love the idea of technology that we can wear.

Well, life may be getting a little more convenient. According to Engadget, Samsung has applied for a patent for a cell phone that can be worn on the wrist and pulled out for hands access also. It could be years before a model actually shows up. But, the fact is that companies will continue to look for ways to make technology wearable. The day will come when you can integrate technology better into your lifestyle.

Engadget sees some problems with the concept:

"Granted, the idea could be problematic in a myriad ways -- leading to public humiliation and a lack of broad compatibility with mobiles for starters -- but we can't fault 'em for trying."

And that's the challenge. There are a lot of great technologies that appear and then disappear. If a product can't find a market, it will disappear, plain and simple. The market for wearable technologies is growing, but has not reached the mainstream. Costs are often too high and when it comes down to it, peer pressure often prevents people from actually wearing the technology. But, times are changing. And convenience will eventually trump social pressure. Apple has been extremely successfully at turning technology products into a fashion statement. That may be the key for creating products that create demand and generate buzz in the marketplace.

In the meantime, there are plenty of PDA/smartphone models out there which offer all of the capabilities you need. And the products are getting faster, the screens are getting crisper, the keyboards are getting easier to type on, and there is more mobile content worth accessing through the internet. Good luck and Get Smart Phone!

Palm Treo 500V Ready for Europe

What's Palm up to these days? According to Engadget on 9-12-07, Palm is releasing a new model for Europeans.

"Palm's European wing announced today that the Treo 500v was really real, and headed onto the monolithic Vodafone network in October. As expected, the new model will be coming in two colors, a bright white and gray finish (called Glacier White), as well as a muted charcoal tone (known as, surprise, Charcoal Grey), and will be running Windows Mobile 6."

The device has a new look and feel although it lacks a touchscreen.

For more information, visit Palm's UK website.

Photo courtesy of Engadget.

Future Trends in PDAs

What can you expect over the next year in PDAs? Great question! Well, for one, expect the trend toward smartphones to continue. People are beginning to appreciate the value of connecting to the internet from their mobile device and viewing websites or checking email. The YouTube generation now expects to be able to view video clips from their mobile device.

The iPhone is a perfect example of the media based mobile device. And expect to be able to use the iPhone with other carriers, according to Engadget. But, what about someone who justs wants to look at their calendar, select a contact or check their task list? The options will grow slimmer for the non-connected PDA. The market just isn't there. Smartphones represent a much higher value to telecom companies. Not only can they sell you a phone plan, they can also charge you on bandwidth for audio and video downloads. Plus, they can also potentially make money on ads through mobile marketing.

Even The PDA Guy, Anthony Caruana, has questioned whether Palm has a future on Hydrapinion. Of course , Palm has already been bought and sold a few times. So, that's probably what will happen again. I still like the Treo as an all around PDA/smartphone. But, it doesn't appeal to younger consumers who are addicted to text messaging and IM and live their lives on MySpace. Smartphones based on the Helio platform appeal to them and will grow in appeal. It's social networking on steriods.

There will always be a market for standalone, handheld devices. Not everyone wants to be connected. And some people just can't afford it. But, whatever device you select, I encourage you to think first about productivity. Yes, being able to view a funny clip from YouTube can help you while away the hours. But, remember that your time is valuable. Limit your consumption of media. Set meaningful goals that will challenge you. Leverage technology to do more in less time. Yes, relax and enjoy yourself. But, strike a balance in your life. Take control of your destiny.

Whether you pick a PDA or smartphone, take time to evaluate the options to determine what you need. Determine what will make YOU more productive. If time is not an issue, wait till January. That's when the big Consumer Electronics Show is held. Most new models for the year are released or announced then. For more information on selecting a PDA or smartphone, visit http://www.thepdapro.com/FindaPDA.asp.

Entrepreneurs Capitalize on the Mobile Marketplace

Have you noticed that just about everyone these days is walking around with their face planted in a mobile device? This is especially true for younger generations. From wireless PDAs to smartphones, from turbo-charged cell phones to mini-tablets, people are addicted to their mobile devices. What does this mean for marketers? It means profits!

Entrepreneurs across the nation are beginning to ask themselves how they can capitalize on the growing trend toward mobility. And one expert has emerged to guide the way.

According to Mobile Marketing Guru, Kim Dushinski, from MobileMarketingProfits.com:

"The reality is that the rest of the world has been ahead of the U.S. in almost all aspects of cell phone use. Odd, isn’t it? We’re so used to being in front of the new trends. This time we’re not. But that is about to change."

Are you an entrepreneur who's interested in capitalizing on the mobile marketing trend? Then, take Kim's Mobile Ready Assessment.

The big companies have figured out a way to reach their target market through devices. Why not small businesses? The future is bright. You can't even imagine what's coming down the line. Imagine the day when you can walk into a retail store and instantly be notified of sales on products you want, based on your past buying patterns. Talk about big brother. Well, it's going to make your life more simple. And we could all use a little more simplicity. Why not make some money as well?

The PDA Pro Blog Featured on Qwest Website

The PDA Pro Blog, written by Rick Cooper, was featured in the August 2007 Small Business eNewsletter, Keeping You in the Loop, from  Qwest® Business Solutions. I must say I'm pretty pleased and proud to be featured there along with the likes of Guy Kawasaki and Merlin Mann, legends in technology and the internet.

Qwest® is a leading provider of voice, video and data services across America and the world. They offer a variety of wireless devices including the Moto Q, Mogul™ by HTC and Qwest Fusion™ HTC 5800.

Mobile email productivity is a slippery slope. At a certain point, checking email on a mobile device becomes counter-productive. It can also be dangerous in certain situations. Always think safety first, especially when driving.

I recommend setting some guidelines for checking email on your mobile device. Limit yourself to a few times a day. Don't be a robot that checks your email anytime you hear a chime. Instead, schedule several times, i.e. 10am, 2pm, and 5pm. You will be able to read email more efficiently. You also don't want people to expect an immediate response from you, unless that's a requirement of your job.

Reading and responding to email is far more efficient on your computer or laptop, but accessing mobile email is not only convenient, it may be the only way you can check email, especially when travelling.

For more information, visit http://www.thepdapro.com/PDA.asp. Or contact Rick Cooper, The PDA Pro, at 800-677-6708.

Is the iPhone an iWaste?

  Apple has scored a huge success with the iPhone. It is technically brilliant and easy to use. It is also the newest fashion accessory for anyone in the "in crowd". But, it leaves me wondering whether we are spawning a nation of media obsessed junkies.

As The PDA Pro, I have a passion for helping people improve their productivity. PDA stands for Productivity, Discipline and Action. I see too many people just getting by in life because they don't plan, set goals or take enough action to achieve their dreams. I think people spend too much time watching TV, listening to music and playing games. The iPhone makes it simple to waste a whole lot of time.

Of course, the iPhone can also be leveraged effectively as a productivity tool. But, get real! You know people are going to listen to their tunes, browse online news and download YouTube clips.

I'm not anti-iPhone. I think Apple stands as a shining example for creating user friendly and technically superior products. And they are savvy marketers when it comes to creating fashionable products that attract consumers and the media.

I'll leave it up to you to judge for yourself. I will say that I'm satisfied with the direction Apple has taken mobile web browsing. That's been one of my complaints from other devices. The iPhone make browsing easy and fun. I have heard that the speed is not all that great, but we can hope that will improve.

Long live the iPhone!

Photo Courtesy of Engadget