Rafe's Blog

And the children shall lead

The NYT's David Pogue reports on SharkMsg, a very useful Treo utility that allows you to SMS messages like, "Sorry, in meeting," to people when they call you and you don't want to talk to them. It was written by a 15-year-old programmer, Tyler Faux.

There are whole companies based on this SMS call-return concept; and apparently Palm hasn't been able to figure out how to implement this feature on its own Palm-based Treos.

But Tyler Faux was able to do something the overpaid programmers at Palm could not. His app is incredibly useful (I've been using it on my Treo). It reminds me of another useful teenager-written Treo app: FlightStatus, which grabs real-time airline flight info from the Net. Like SharkMsg, it's very useful, partly because it's very simple and very focused. FlightStatus' author is Andrew Faber, a 16-year-old high school junior.

Let's give more Treos to kids. These apps rock.

Interesting new geolocation technologies

I'm covering the "peer-to-peer" location technology from Navizon in my next Rafe's Radar column. Peer-to-peer is in quotes here since Navizon's system relies on users to record the locations of WiFi access points and cellular towers, but isn't strictly P2P, as it has been pitched. It's still very interesting.

I'm also curious about a company called GeoVector, that goes to the next step and apparently can determine not just where your handheld device is, but what it is pointing at. My attempts to contact the company have not been successful (this almost never happens). If anybody reading this knows people at GeoVector, feel free to point them in my direction: [email protected].

Rise up against overpriced Wi-Fi!

In my "Works for Me" column on CNET I rant about having to pay for Wi-Fi at posh hotels. Oddly, many lower-priced hotels I've stayed at offer it free as an amenity. And really, what would you rather have in your next hotel, a fancy bedspread or a free and fast network?

I've gotten a few tips pointing out that there are some good directories of Wi-Fi access providers worth checking out, including JiWire, started by former CNET exec Kevin McKenzie, WiFinder, and Wi-FiHotSpotList.  These sites primarily focus on paid access, however. Maybe it's time to bring back warchalking.

Another CNET dude,  Drew Ulricksen, the technical producer for my part of CNET.com, is behind two Wi-Fi labors of love: Wireless Anarchy, a directory of resources for people who believe that Wi-Fi should be open and are willing to do something about it; and Alameda Wireless, a "user owned, community run, wireless network," in Drew's town of Alameda, California. There are similar uprisings underway everywhere. See, for example, NYCwireless.

Gadget of the Day: Treo software

I've had my Treo 650 for about a week. Things I hate: It's too big to carry comfortably in my pocket (and holsters are dorky), and it crashes every day or two. Things I love: It's a very good phone, and it runs real applications, some of which are unbelievably useful, especially for the business traveler. Here are my picks so far:

• GoodLink mail. Our IT department runs this, and they installed it on my Treo. Love it! I get perfect, always-on synchronization with my Outlook email, calendar, contacts, and notes, and I never have to sync my Treo. Unfortunately, the Good software does step on some of the built-in Treo apps -- for example, I can't access an address book from within the Treo's native VersaMail, which I need to send pictures, since GoodLink doesn't support attachments. Also it drains the Treo's battery quickly. I recharge every night, but if I didn't, I think I'd be in trouble. On the whole, it's still fantastic.

• United Airlines timetable. This is a self-contained database of the United flight schedule that you can load into your device (PC, Palm, or PocketPC). Very useful for seeing all the flight options available to you, not just the ones the UA website decides to display when you're planning a trip. Free.


• FlightStatus. This app gets up-to-the-minute flight arrival information over your data connection. Better, by far, than the flight status Web pages hosted by the airlines or the travel sites. It's free (tips accepted), and written by Andrew Faber, now a 15-year-old high school sophomore. You gotta love that.


• QuickNews. An RSS reader. Web access on my Cingular Treo is rather slow, but most of the sites I use have RSS feeds, and this app makes short work of consuming them. $14.95 after 30-day trial.

• Most useful Web site: Google's mobile search engine, www.google.com/xhtml, which parses everything into small-device-friendly pages. Just added to the service: Google Maps -- although they're really too small for the Treo's screen.

• Utility that shouldn't be needed but is: LEDOff. Turns off that damned blinking LED. Free, donations accepted.

More to come.

Cingular & Verizon share photos

File this under, "Shouldn't be news, but is." The two biggest US cellphone companies now let users send photo (MMS) messages to each other on either network.  SMS traffic took off when US mobile carriers finally enabled cross-carriers messages. Phone messaging could rocket up now, too.

From my "Business Buzz" on CNET.com - work.cnet.com.

Get ready for "Voipular"

What's the next technology for mobile phones? Handset makers and carriers are looking hard at VOIP. What this will do to existing infrastructure and pricing models is open for debate, but at least the carriers are investigating this new model now, instead of cowering behind their existing billing structures.

From my "Business Buzz" on CNET.com - work.cnet.com.

Philly is silliy for Wi-Fi

Wireless wonks in Philadelphia are trying to set up a citywide Wi-Fi network.  Sounds good for everybody, right?  Not so fast – big telecom interests and several politicos are trying to block municipal Wi-Fi, comparing it to Boston’s Big Dig.  Over at News.com, there’s a lively ongoing debate between Philly’s councilman, Frank Rizzo, who’s opposed to muni Wi-Fi, and the city’s CIO, Dianah Neff, who’s in favor. Also See Glenn Fleishman’s excellent ongoing summary of the fracas.

What this means to small business: Don’t count on your business taxes paying you back with useful wireless networking anytime soon; your government is too busy fighting amongst itself.