I just gotta say… this thing’s fantastic.
It’s my own personal mobile phone (not company issued), but I really do get some hefty mileage out of it.
It’s a Sprint Mogul 6800. Verizon has a similar unit (vx6800, I think). It’s one of many Windows Mobile 6 devices out there… touch screen, with a stylus and a slide out keyboard. It was already a little dated when I bought it, but that just meant the price wasn’t so high.
I’m just psyched because I bought this one back in September 2007, and I keep finding new uses for it.
My new assignment is in Boston. One of the rough edges of the assignment, for me, is the long commute… (1 hour minimum (if traffic’s really good)). So after doing the math, I discovered that I can pick up the Boston Express bus ride from a neighboring town.
I’m on the return trip at this moment, using my phone for internet access, and it’s really solid, EV-DO.A service. Connectivity is a USB port away.
While I’m doing that, I’m ALSO listening to 2Gb worth of music that I downloaded via subscription service from Napster using Windows Media Player Mobile.
The built in GPS was not software-enabled when I bought the phone, but a software upgrade released in January solved that. The GPS works great with the Google Maps for Pocket PC app I downloaded for free. This morning, it got me from South Station to NHP just like it got me from NYC’s Port Authority bus terminal to the AT&T store on Madison Ave a few weeks ago to see MS Surface.
So I also toy with the .NET Compact Framework, and used it some time ago to write my own Windows Mobile implementation of sudoku. (I’ve been seriously considering refactoring to mess with LINQ in the .NET CF 3.5)
The built in camera’s nice… I use it all the time when I’ve forgotten my “real” camera.
Wi-Fi is occasionally very handy… it’s great when I need network access while talking on the phone.
So is bluetooth… I appreciate being able to talk on the bluetooth headset while taking notes or looking stuff up online… or just appreciate talking hands-free.
I sync the thing with Outlook, and rely on it too heavily for meeting reminders. That comes in handy at NHP, too, where network access is… limited. (I can even get RSS updates from the Tech Mill.) It’s also integrated with Active Directory, so when I need a teammate’s contact info, I can find it online as long as I have connectivity (pretty much always).
I’ve used the voice recorder a few times. It’s been handy when I’ve needed it.
There’s a whole list of “separate” items I don’t carry because I have this thing… I don’t wear a watch. I don’t have an iPod. I don’t carry a GPS handheld, or keep one in my car. I don’t often carry around my camera. I seldom use paper to take notes, so I don’t often need a pen. This one thing covers all that stuff, and more.
Did I mention that it’s a phone? 🙂
