Ralph Carlson Blog

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It’s been three months since I switched to a smartphone using Windows Mobile. I was excited about the potential increase in my productivity or at least greater ability to do things away from my home computer. I anticipated improvements in these areas and this is the situation so far.

Internet

I had expected to use the internet from the phone quite a bit. In fact, I use it very little. There are two reasons: First, the text is either too small to read when I view the page or to awkward to follow if I blow it up. It is quite possible that I am missing something – or several somethings- but until those are remedied, I just don’t bother with web browsing unless I don’t have an alternative.

Email

Email is useful, especially since my work computer blocks email services. I can read and reply to most emails easily. The newsletter emails that I receive are more difficult to read on the small screen but those can usually wait until I et home.

Calendar

The calendar is working great for me, mostly because it works off Outlook at work. When I leave that job, I either have to buy Outlook or find an alternative. I use Microsoft MyPhone as a place to keep the calendar accessible from my home computer but so far it is only a backup. I don’t know how well it will fill the bill if I don’t have Outlook.

Applications

I hear all about all the apps or applications that run on Smartphones. I haven’t been very aggressive in looking but so far I only have one – Google Maps. ATT has a service which provides driving directions on either a monthly or per use basis. So fat I have resisted. Google Maps does the job – if you don’t need voice directions. It is somewhat awkward to use – or else I am slow to pick up it’s nuances- and not as user-friendly as my wifes GPS. I will probably use the ATT service when I get to the point of needed directions on a regular basis or else I will look for other apps.

So far I am happy with the phone. My next research will be using it to play music and radio. I just need to make the time to figure it all out. And I will need some earphones.

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