pocketables.net

Find answers in my new FAQ

Since it's a slow day here at pocketables, I thought I'd direct your attention to the new FAQ on the site. I've been keeping a mental list of the kinds of questions I get asked via email or on forums and have been waiting for a day like this to put everything together. So starting today, you can access the FAQ directly, through the link at the very bottom of the main page, or by clicking "Read more" in the sidebar on the left.

Let me know if the list doesn't include what you're looking for.

Same pocketables, different address

Welcome to the new home of pocketables!

The first thing you'll notice, aside from the URL, is the new look. The general feel (and all the content) of the old place is still intact, though presented in what I hope is a cleaner, more modern design. I toned down all the pink, got myself a new banner, and also implemented a three-column layout.

But not all the changes are purely cosmetic (though the favicon is quite cute); some have function, too!

You'll see in the sidebar the addition of a category cloud. If you're not familiar with such clouds, it's that weird-looking blob of links on the right. Categories that contain more posts (all posts have been categorized) appear in a larger, bolder font. Not surprisingly, "UX180P" is pretty big. Anyway, this should make it easier to find what you're looking for, as searching though the archives is a pain.

Another thing that wasn't on the old site is the post continuation or extended body feature, as seen below.

Chatbox update

You probably noticed that the old chatbox, which used to appear above the "archives" section in the sidebar, has been experiencing a lot of technical difficulties lately. I found out today that Tag-World, who hosts the chatbox, is redesigning its site and rebuilding all of its tagboards.

Most of the construction is complete now, and everything looks really good. If you haven't seen it yet, here's the new advanced pop-up board I picked up this afternoon. (Tag-World also offers basic boards, which have fewer features but are absolutely free. Check out a comparison chart here.)

The four dots in the lower right corner are not decorative accents. Clicking on any color will open an additional pop-up window (yellow for smilies, green to refresh, orange to login/register, blue for help). I've set the access level so that anyone can use the board; you do not need to register to post.

Coming soon

In the next few weeks, I'll be introducing a new series called "Quick Takes," which will be reviews based on short-term usage (1-2 weeks) of recently released gadgets. These will be products that I have out on loan from the lovely folks at Dynamism, who have generously offered to send me all sorts of goodies to write about. Quick Takes will be a supplementary review series that will not replace any of my usual stuff. I don't have all the details worked out yet, but I'm thinking of dividing each QT review into several parts so that I can cover as much as possible within the given timeframe. How many parts will depend on the type of product, as there is more to explore on a UMPC than, say, an mp3 player. Some of the gadgets I hope to review in the coming months are the OQO 01+, Samsung Q1, TabletKiosk eo, Sharp Zaurus SL-C3200, and Toshiba Gigabeat S30.

I'll also be working on a "Reader Requests" series to answer questions that can't fully be addressed via email or in the post comments section. So if you haven't received a response to one of your questions yet, rest assured that I'm not ignoring you!

You can also soon expect to see extended coverage of the Nokia Nseries smartphones. I'm getting the entry-level model, the N70, later this week and will eventually get other models from the series. My primary interest in the devices derived from the fact that the Nseries is being advertised not as phones, but as multimedia computers. We'll just have to see about that.

Interview on ebooks

You may remember in my UX180P orientation review that one of the only things I enjoy doing with the screen in portrait mode is reading ebooks.

The wonderful women who run Dear Author, a review blog whose primary focus is "chick lit," noticed that I was an ebook reader and asked if they could interview me about my e-reading interests. Since the site is so well maintained and quite clever (their book reviews are written as letters to the authors), there was absolutely no hesitation in my acceptance.

If you're already an ebook fan or are interested in becoming one, you can read the interview here.

Exciting site news

I'm delighted to announce that I've recently been made a Contributing Editor at Mobility Today, who has already posted Part 1 of the UX180P battery review here. Thanks to the venerable David Ciccone, pocketables has even landed on Google News!

I still have a few more days of testing before I finish Part 2 of the review, but the results so far have been very surprising. It seems that everything you've typically heard about to extend battery life doesn't really apply to the UX. Hmm...

In the meantime, to satisfy your mobile technology cravings and to find out about the latest and greatest gear, check out Mobility Today.

Site news and updates

I'm happy to report that I've recently accepted an offer to write news posts at Anything But iPod. I don't have an exact start date yet, but it will be soon. Contrary to what the name seems to imply, it is not an anti-iPod website. Its main purpose is let people know that there are plenty of other (and sometimes better) digital audio players out there - that the iPod is not the end-all-be-all device. If you remember from this post that I'm a huge fan of the Creative Zen Vision: M, perhaps you're not surprised by my new position.

My new work will not affect the maintenance of this site, but you will likely see more frequent updates there than here. After all, by definition, news posts are short blurbs about upcoming products, new releases, and industry-related happenings. As you know from my welcome message, this isn't the place for breaking news or sneak peeks into the world of electronics. And just in case you're wondering, it will never be. But if you'd like to keep up with all the latest in digital audio, please visit Anything But iPod.

RSS feed

I received a few emails about this, so I added an RSS feed subscription link in the sidebar. It's through FeedBurner now, so please update your old Atom/RSS address. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about feeds (this site  already had one because jk was subscribing to it), so please email me if I've completely messed something up with FeedBurner. Thanks.

That won't fit in my pocket

How pocketable are pocketables? When the Pocket PC first hit the market, many debated the accuracy of its name after trying to slip the handheld into the back of their jeans. Since then, nearly every mobile gadget description has included at least a line or two about its portability: "It's so light, you'll forget it's there!" "So small you can carry it everywhere!" "Easily slide this into your pocket!"

Given the dimensions of most portable gadgets, it seems the "average pocket" is one that is sewn onto men's clothing (I guess baggier really can be better). This is not good news for women. According to my closet, skirt pockets can barely hold a cell phone, slacks pockets are purely decorative, and jeans back pockets are for IDs and receipts. If I want to carry along any of my gadgets, I have to make room in my purse (I've even swapped out my wallet for my Game Boy Micro!).

So how small does something have to be to be considered portable? Pocketable? Mobile? Honestly, I don't really care. I think we're all just being a little too nitpicky about catchy marketing terms. After all, mini vans aren't really miniatures. Jumbo shrimp is an oxymoron. And when PDA campaigns boasted of putting various features "into the palm of your hand," how many outraged consumers sent photocopies of the actual size of their palms to manufacturers?