Once upon a time, the Palm Pre was a great pocket phone #TBT

| June 15, 2023

Back in 2009, after years of using Palm OS products like the Palm Pilot, the Handspring Visor, Palm Treo, Palm Centro and my favorite Samsung SPH i500, I eventually ended up with a small pocketable, full-featured smartphone — the Palm Pre. Who knew that only a year later that I would be forced to give […]

Tech Friday: Replaced my old MPOW Bluetooth headphones with discounted Wyze Noise-Cancelling headphones

| June 17, 2022

When it comes to a headset/headphones, I wear them all the time and am pretty much an Aftershokz guy. I find that I rarely take them off during the day, ever since getting my first “bone conduction” Bluetooth headset. I love nearly everything about the current Aeropex model even as the company updates with newer […]

Tech gadget guy mixed with someone who likes knot tying

| May 6, 2022

This is what you get when you continue to use leftover chargers from old phones (my Palm Pre) and continue to rely on sailing knot tying skills. Really just a filler post for a Tech Friday after noticing just how unique the old Palm USB plug was in design and how I ended up fidgeting […]

Interesting to see old Palm Treo phones in articles #TBT

| July 22, 2021

Although the “installing engineered hardwood flooring” comment caught my eye in this @Forbes retweet from @ForbesAdvisor … I couldn’t help but noticed the “likely” canned image with an old Palm Treo hanging on the installers belt. Fun to remember those old days! It does bring back memories …  

Weekend chores update: Robins, office cleaning and AC prep

| June 1, 2021

The robin eggs in the back porch (earlier in May above) wreath Brenda made from her grandmother’s grapevines years ago, have hatched Below was day one (left) and day two (right) … as Brenda commented … “you should wait until they’re a bit cuter.” The weather was “so-so” this past Memorial Day weekend, but since […]

Wow, 10 years in a growing community really makes a difference

| October 20, 2019

A photo from August 22, 2009 of a field that is now completely developed Saw this post from 10 years ago on my blog in August of 2009 as I was playing with the camera on my Palm Pre smartphone. At the time, I was impressed with the dramatic sky and quality of photo from […]

Evaluating the Fitbit Versa – three month in and a little #TBT

| October 10, 2019

Previously I mentioned that Katelyn and Drew brought me kicking and screaming (not really) into the Fitbit “wrist device” wearing age and world. I had given up wearing a watch decades ago when I started carrying a pager. Eventually I adopted the Nextel belt holstered cellphone, then pocket folding Samsung i500 PDA phone. The new […]

Apple introduces their new iPhone Xs line-up and new Watch

| September 12, 2018

The biggest awaited tech news for most Apple lovers took place yesterday as they introduced their latest Watch Series 4 with "heart monitoring" capabilities and improved everything. From edge to edge larger screens, to a 64-bit processor that is twice as fast at their earlier version. The speaker is louder (common complaint), a walkie-talkie feature, […]

Tech Friday flashback: A technology blog post from 12 years ago

| May 25, 2018

Noticed a blog post from 12 years ago discussing “portable” computing and how things have changed. In 2006 the average laptop weighed about 7 pounds with batteries, compared to 20 years prior where my Compaq was 28 pounds … and required 110VAC power. LINK to post Now an iPhone or iPad can run circles around […]

TechFriday: iPhone watching as September 12th approaches

| September 1, 2017

The big day looks to be September 12, 2017 when "watchers" expect Apple to release their 10th Anniversary iPhone. I may have been slow to accept the virtual keyboard "back in the day," but have comfortably adapted to it starting with the iPhone5 in 2012. As smartphones go (after the Palm Pilots and Handspring clones), […]

Hosanna! Celebrating Palm Sunday

| March 20, 2016

On a spring Sunday in 30 A.D. (est), the city of Jerusalem was crowded with pilgrims who had come for the annual Passover celebration. Jesus, who had been traveling through the towns and villages of Palestine was also heading to Jerusalem. He preached about the kingdom of God and healed the sick wherever He went, […]

Is the old Palm Pre destined to be a collectible cellphone?

| March 17, 2015

Ran across and old story about cellphones that are Doomed to be Collectables … then I wondered, “Where is my Palm Pre?” Back before the smartphone market was narrowed down to two choices — Apple or Android — there was a phone company that sold a very compelling device beloved by professionals and consumers alike. […]

Latest WordPress upgrade to 3.6 and plug in changes

| August 4, 2013

It has been a few years since the automatic update from WordPress.org failed on my server … and only after the fact did I regret not doing a full backup prior to attempting the update (really, I’m posting just to see that all is working after the upgrade). After downloading the new install files and […]

Impressed with the new half-priced Jambox bluetooth speakers

| March 19, 2013

Occasionally I make one of those spur-of-the-moment impulse purchases that doesn’t give me buyer’s remorse. I have been wanting a bluetooth speaker to improve the sound coming from my iPhone or iPad without resorting to plugging in the 3.5mm cable or using earbuds. I thought, “hmm, this will work great on the desk and even […]

Killing time and testing an iPhone5 close-up panorama

| October 27, 2012

It was a cool and rainy morning as I waited to meet with a businessman from China interested in talking with me about homebuilt airplanes, and so I experimented with the new iPhone5’s panorama feature to kill some time … this time trying a close up panorama. I was more curious to see how it […]

HP Palm Pre 2 Be Resurrected as HP Android Bender?

| September 18, 2012

Rumors arrive as soon as I succumb to Apple iOS and the new iPhone 5. Hmm … After HP ditched webOS, the Palm Pre and the HP TouchPad, it stopped producing smartphones at a great loss. Recent rumors suggest that HP will get back in the smartphone fold with an Android device. It has been […]

Sprint and the Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE

| August 1, 2012

I’m keeping my eyes on replacements for my Palm Pre and it is interesting to see what is being offered by Sprint. I’m also contemplating what the new iPhone will be like and if it will be worth the money. That said, I do like what I’m seeing from Motorola, as the physical keyboard does […]

My Apple iPad 2 and Kensington keyboard/folio thoughts

| April 7, 2012

Here are a few more first impressions … well I suppose second impressions … as I start to incorporated the “new to me” Apple iPad 2 in my daily use. One of the additions wanted was a bluetooth keyboard and some kind of case, so added the Kensington KeyFolio Pro2 bluetooth keyboard and folio/case. The small […]

My quick impression after spending an hour with new iPad3

| March 19, 2012

I spent an hour playing with my friend’s new iPad (3) over a lunch this past weekend and may have had too high of expectations. It was nice, but didn’t leave me with the must have desire that I expected. The AT&T 4G version operated similar to my son’s wifi only iPad 2 that I […]

WebOS survives as open source; HP phone hardware? Doubtful.

| December 11, 2011

The big news from HP’s CEO Meg Whitman this past week is that the operating system they acquired when purchasing Palm last year will remain alive … just in a different form than originally intended. WebOS will soon be “open source to its Linux core.” Some see that as a good thing in hopes that […]

VW TDI woes. Ford Focus. And a busy start to the week

| November 8, 2011

My daughter called to tell me her dependable Volkswagen Jetta TDI wouldn’t start. So far it has made it through high school, college, med school and to her medical residency without letting her down. Unfortunately it just cranked and wouldn’t start this time. I attempted to diagnose over the phone – having her check for […]

Reports are hinting that HP is nailing the webOS coffin shut

| October 31, 2011

Since HP’s new CEO, Meg Whitman, reversed course on spinning off their PC division (link), many who use and appreciate Touchpads and Pre smartphones have been hoping the same thing might happen for the webOS division. Some believe (or believed) that there was new hope for webOS devices like the Touchpad and Palm Pre smartphones […]

Cooler evening, still air and hot air balloons

| October 9, 2011

As the autumn weather takes hold in my part of Ohio, we’re seeing a few more hot air balloons drifting by in the evening. This past weekend we had one a bit lower than usual which in turn set the dogs off in the neighborhood … especially when the gas burner roared. I happened to […]

A sad day for the future of HP/Palm webOS devices

| August 19, 2011

I was disappointed to hear that HP lost its way as a productive technology company in this economic downturn and was caught off-guard in their decision to say “so long” to webOS. (business story LINK) As a longtime webOS Palm Pre user (a “longtime” is a relative term for smartphones), I’ve been wondering just what […]

HP showing me the “Roadway Ends Here” sign

| August 17, 2011

From the start, it wasn’t that hard to predict a slow go for HP in releasing their Touchpad. As a Palm Pre webOS user and sometimes enthusiast, the slow-motion releases in handset, webOS and tablet products have left existing users wanting and contemplating buyers asking “Why?” Couple that with the largest users base (Sprint) feeling […]

Has the “safety net” grown into “middle class welfare?”

| August 1, 2011

Yesterday I heard part of an interview with noted social scientist Arthur Brooks, President of the American Enterprise Institute, which I recorded on my Palm Pre Z-corder app – well at least part of it. He pointed out that our government has moved beyond the point of providing just the necessary “safety net” …   […]

“Me thinks” early HP Touchpad pre-sales must be slow?

| June 30, 2011

While I continue to put of buying new technology including a phone, computer, a low cost e-reader (yesterday’s post), I continue to ogle the HP Touchpad and Apple iPad. Wouldn’t you know that HP is tempting me … June 28, 2011 Early adopters: your new TouchPad just got $50 closer When the first webOS phone […]

Sorry HP, but my enthusiasm is Slip Slidin’ Away

| June 20, 2011

This content is restricted.

Sprint probably not seeing the HP Palm Pre3 anytime soon

| June 17, 2011

Well after hearing the latest rumor news from the Precentral blogs (Pre3 on Verizon and AT&T in July), I’m realizing that my days with a Palm Pre are numbered … maybe a good thing since I’ve enjoyed playing with a couple of the new Android phones in recent weeks. For now I’m not in a […]

Sprint cell number to Google Voice seems to works well

| April 26, 2011

Now that my Sprint Palm Pre phone number is my Google Voice number, GV is handling both the audio and text transcription of my voicemail messages. After recording and transcription, an email is sent to my phone as well as picked up by my email client (or on gmail) – also there’s a copy archived […]

Demo from PreCentral for the “don’t touch” TouchPad

| February 15, 2011

The demo model of the newly announced HP-Palm webOS TouchPad (links 1, 2 and 3) seems to me to be a bit sluggish during a first look video over at PreCentral. I’m liking the Pre like features, but concerned if the device doesn’t get full performance from the 1.2 Ghz dual core processor. Perhaps by […]

Video: HP-Palm product announcement event

| February 10, 2011

Archiving Wednesday’s HP-Palm Veer, Pre3 and TouchPad product announcement event video — yesterday’s posts 1 and 2.

In keeping with the HP-Palm webOS news …

| February 9, 2011

I particularly liked the new advertising coming to my email from HP above … nice! (I’m also including the specs and a couple hands-on first-look videos from Engadget below) Hands-on video from Engadget: [flv:engadget_2478.flv 490 280] Touch-to-shere demo: [flv:engadget_2481.flv 490 280] Press Release: HP TouchPad Brings webOS to the Big Screen First webOS tablet works […]

HP-Palm introduces the Veer, Pre3 and TouchPad today

| February 9, 2011

  No major shocker from HP-Palm today, who as expected announced new hardware utilizing webOS on a computer tablet; the 9.7” TouchPad was announced today at a San Francisco press event. Technology watchers tweeted with excitement as Jon Rubinstein highlighted some interesting innovations. The “touch-to-share” between devices, where a Palm Pre and TouchPad transfer information […]

Reagan.GOP.com website browses nice on a webOS Palm Pre

| February 1, 2011

It is nice when websites run and link to webOS friendly media content. One of the better sites is reagan.gop.com remembering President Ronald Reagan’s legacy and his upcoming February 6th birthday – he would be 100. In browsing with my Palm Pre yesterday I found it to be one of the few utilizing content and […]

HP-Palm devices may come sooner than expected

| January 29, 2011

While I’ve been anxious for the new tablet computer device from HP-Palm, expected to be announce at a California press event on February 9th, I wasn’t holding my breath as to when the devices would actually make it to market. Most industry watchers either have been told or expected them sometime this summer, although a […]

HP-Palm’s new tablet device needs a better name

| January 25, 2011

So the HP-Palm gadget many though might be the “PalmPad” is not going to receive the blessing of the United States Patent and Trademark Office; they sees the too close to other trademarks? (Palm, Palm Pre, etc) It sort of looks to me as if HP needs to go back to the ‘slate’ devices – […]

MyTether on webOS 1.5.5 for the Palm Pre is working again

| January 25, 2011

After switching to Verizon’s webOS Mobile Hotspot on my Sprint connected Palm Pre in order to be able to tether my phone, I had all but given up on MyTether. Although I’m not an everyday “tether-er” … having the ability to connect my notebook computer to the Internet in a pinch is important. Thankfully Raja […]

My continued Palm Pre webOS grumbling, although with hope

| January 10, 2011

Well I’m not giving up on the HP/Palm and their WebOS entirely just yet as it does look as if there might be a few improvements in the new 2.01 operating system to keep me happy with my current Palm Pre for a little bit longer … if it is made available? Thanks to a […]

Epocrates disappearing from webOS devices

| December 20, 2010

Unless HP gets their act together soon, webOS is going to distance themselves from more and more users. With the elimination of Epocrates support, those in or going into the medical profession will pretty much write off webOS phones and their eventual tablet device. Even I, someone who likes his Palm Pre, am becoming increasingly […]

Replaced my Palm Pre with a duplicate today

| December 1, 2010

While closing in on 2 years with my webOS Palm Pre, I’ve opted to replace my original Pre smartphone with one of the last of the original Sprint Palm Pre phones before they are gone. (I’m crossing my fingers that Sprint will eventually get the Pre 2) Thankfully my insurance plan replaced the defective (but […]

A video look at the French released Palm Pre 2

| November 6, 2010

Although the new HP Palm Pre 2 has shown up in France, and according to rumors (an accidental web posting) will be available on Verizon in a couple days, I’m having a hard time getting too excited. That’s probably a good thing since my carrier Sprint may not have it for a while. The added […]

TED app coming to HP Palm webOS devices

| November 5, 2010

For those of us who enjoy TED Talks, there’s a new app on its way for the HP webOS devices like the Palm Pre that should make content available on the go. According to a post on the Toondoctor, the app will be free as well as ad free. Features Browse, search and view video […]

Google Docs now works much better on the Palm Pre

| June 28, 2010

Thanks for the tip Dieter Bohn – PreCentral.net … Google Docs is much improved on the Palm Pre; it is actually usable now!   Fire up Google Docs on your webOS browser and you’ll find a nicer interface, courtesy of Google finally up and getting Document viewing working for Android browsers. The Google Mobile Blog […]

The Palm Pre and Pixi’s future is in question … again

| June 3, 2010

After HP purchased Palm, most developing and carrying around webOS mobile devices had a sigh of relief believed that having a bigger company behind Palm would give them a chance to compete in the crowded handset device market. Unfortunately HP CEO Mark Hurd isn’t seeing things the way Palm advocates did? Thanks for the link […]

One year with Palm webOS and the Pre smartphone

| May 17, 2010

It seems much longer than a year, but the Palm based webOS smartphone has been out for almost 1 year  on the Sprint network. It has expanded to Verizon and recently to AT&T and is available through carriers in Canada, Mexico, UK, Germany, Irerland, Spain and France. Still, between the recession ridden economy and stiff […]

Sunsets in Ohio have been beautiful this Spring

| May 5, 2010

The ping.fm app failed to post a photo from my Palm Pre to the blog last night … so I’ll ‘tweak it’ and manually add it today. It could have been my fault, but with so many posting options I’m not sure I’ll spend all that much time using it.  It was a beautiful evening.

H-P Agrees to Buy Palm – WSJ.com

| April 28, 2010

Good news for Palm … I think? Hopefully HP shareholders feel the same way. Hewlett-Packard Inc. agreed to acquire Palm Inc. for nearly $1 billion in cash, ending months of speculation about the fate of the troubled wireless handset maker. H-P said it will pay $5.70 per share in cash for Palm, representing a premium […]

A reminder to clean the camera lens on your phone

| April 18, 2010

After noticing the color saturation and sharpness in photos coming from my Palm Pre smartphone were not the same as the first photos I took,  I realized that just a cursory wipe of the lens wasn’t good enough. So let this post serve as a reminder to clean the lint, oils, dust, etc. out of […]

Palm shares rise after RBC runs buyout numbers – BusinessWeek

| April 16, 2010

Shares of Palm Inc. rose Friday after an analyst said the cell phone maker might be worth more then generally thought if it is bought out. The Sunnyvale, Calif., company’s stock has dwindled from January’s high of $14.17, with even Palm’s latest phones selling poorly. It brought out a completely new operating system, and phones […]

Which takeover would be better for Palm and webOS users?

| April 11, 2010

After the stock bouncing on Friday, Palm Inc shareholders and smartphone users continue to speculate just was will happen to their financially troubled company. Rumors continue to be battered around (article below) as having interest in Palm – the latest being HTC Corp. On a personal note, I am beginning to embrace my Palm Pre […]

Palm Pre/Pixi webOS 1.4.1 update is available for Sprint users

| April 1, 2010

A new webOS 1.4.1 update is available for the Palm Pre and Pixi … at least for Sprint users here in the U.S. The feature improvements (listed below) are welcomed fixes to the 1.4 release, but what I’m really looking forward to is tethering with the the new 4G access that is now available to […]

Palm stock continues down another 30% today on heavy volume

| March 19, 2010

Palm, Inc.(NasdaqGS: PALM) After Hours: 3.97 -0.03 (-0.81%) 7:59pm ET Last Trade: 4.0025 Trade Time: 4:00pm ET Change: 1.6475 (29.16%) Prev Close: 5.65 Open: 4.64 Bid: 3.95 x 1500 Ask: 4.00 x 10000 1y Target Est: 7.33 Day’s Range: 3.9575 – 4.77 52wk Range: 3.9575 – 18.09 Volume: 125,559,529 Avg Vol (3m): 19,159,100 Market Cap: […]

Murphy’s Law and Sprint Palm Pre tethering to NAS

| March 10, 2010

Murphy’s Law enacted itself today while I was enjoying continued R & R; a work related issue came up requiring me to access information with my computer. Unfortunately this was  information that I didn’t properly back up during my recently Windows 7 reformat and updated notebook computer. I of course have a backup, but it […]

New Facebook app for webOS has been updated and improved

| March 6, 2010

I’m a couple days late in commenting on the newly released Facebook application for the Palm webOS smartphones, but wanted to mention that it has been significantly improved. If you are a Facebook user, or even a newbie, the enhancements available for the Pre and Pixi make the popular social networking site almost worth using. […]

Testing video off the TV with the Palm Pre

| March 2, 2010

Curiosity had me pondering just how well the Palm Pre could capture video directly off of an HD Plasma television broadcast? Not too bad it turns out, considering up until webOS 1.4 update was implemented this past weekend that the diminutive smartphone couldn’t even shoot video. When the update was first installed on my phone, […]

MyTether again working after Palm webOS 1.4 update

| March 1, 2010

After a brief lost of tethering my notebook computer with my Sprint Palm Pre after the webOS 1.4 update this past weekend, all is good again … although speed seems to be slower than last year? I uninstalled MyTether 2.1 as instructed on the MyTether.net donor forum and after a reboot,  put the phone in […]

Checking PALM stock health awaiting for 1.4 webOS update

| February 25, 2010

While waiting for the expected Palm webOS 1.4 anticipated update, I’ve been thankful not to have invested in PALM stock after last years new products. As more and more competitors jump into the smartphone market and take the limelight off the Pre and Pixi phones, the concern is over the profitability (and survival) of the […]

Look for Palm webOS 1.4 on February 25th

| February 24, 2010

Palm Pre and Pixi users have known about and seen many of the new feature in webOS 1.4 demos (flash, video recording) for some time; most of us have been waiting patiently for the announced February 2010 rollout. According to most blogs and newsy Internet sites, the webOS devices on both Sprint and Verizon networks […]

Palm Pre, PrePlus, Pixi concern rumor published in BGR?

| February 11, 2010

From BGR: According to an OTR Global report, three different sources have confirmed that all future orders of the Palm Pre and Palm Pre Plus are being suspended as of Wednesday. One of the sources said, “The decision is very sudden, and Foxconn was told to reduce all February Pre forecast to zero on Wednesday […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog