NET9

News From The Future...

2009-11-01T01:32:00.002-04:00

It's nice, but I'm thinking it didn't really justify the long wait for it. This is how the N97 should have performed from day one.

N-Gage Ends September 2010

Was flawed from day one, and may be better off integrated with Ovi anyway. Let's just hope Ovi lasts long enough for it to even matter.

Sony Ericsson Rachael/Infinity?

This may very well be my next mobile device. I've had a lasting boycott of all things Sony since the days of the Playstation 2 era, but this may be the first step (albeit a large one) towards ending the boycott.

Layar For Symbian In 2010

Was wondering if this would ever happen. I may have a very different device by the time Layar makes its way to the N97 and other Nokia devices though, so this is not as exciting as it could have been.

Adobe Flash 10.1 In 2010

This is gonna be epic...see you in the near future!

NET9 News Bites

2009-09-24T14:08:00.000-04:00

Augmented Reality

In AR news, Mobilizy recently proposed Augmented Reality Markup Language [ARML] specification to the AR Consortium. I think this is a great move and one that will provide part of the foundation for augmented reality in the future.

Meanwhile, Layar Reality Browser has added 3D to its platform. It will be interesting to see how this new feature will be utilized, but I'm sure it will make the mobile AR experience more rich as developers start building upon it.

Imaging And Video

Picasa 3.5 brings face recognition and geotagging to your photos. This makes organizing photos that much better. All those family photos can now have more information than ever before. I can skip all those genealogy programs and have the names right in the images. The geotag feature is also handy for remembering where that mysterious image was taken.

Vitamin D launches object recognition for video. Talk about a breakthrough. This type of technology will be key to home and business surveillance as well as online video search. I look forward to testing the software this fall.

Mobile Web

Opera Mini 5 has officially replaced my original mobile web browser. Everything from the tabbed browsing and speed dial feature to the touchscreen support and virtual keypad have made me spoiled to the point of no return. The best part about Opera Mini 5 is the speed. It's like they threw a ton of magic in the development of this awesome mobile browser. Way to go Opera.

Rumor

Nokia set to buy Palm? Maybe, maybe not. Could change the mobile industry in ways I can't even begin to imagine.

Why Google Needs To Do Mobile Augmented Reality

2009-09-08T21:49:00.001-04:00

Google Maps for mobile is growing and developing nicely. However, there has been a huge and sudden interest in the idea of augmented reality. Even more interesting is that augmented reality (or AR) is going mobile in a big way. Mobile AR is already making its way to Android devices with apps like Layar and Wikitude leading the movement. iPhone isn't too far behind with AR integration after the Yelp application easter egg. Even Nokia is working feverishly on AR projects in its labs. It seems only logical for Google to bring some form of AR to the mobile space. So let's look into why it would be important for Google to get in to the mobile AR game, how they might approach the idea, and where mobile AR could take Google into the future.

~~Augmented Search And Advertisements~~

There is a new data trend starting to make its way around the web and it has quickly become a mobile phenomenon. This new trend is mobile augmented reality. Augmented Reality is a relatively old concept, but mobile AR is a relatively new concept that is set to be the next frontier in the mobile space. Mobile AR is just recently beginning to develop because of the rapid convergence of sensors, cameras, antennas, and high resolution touch-screens into mobile devices that are more pocketable than ever before. The computational power of these mobile devices are no longer a limitation to 3D graphics and video. The only current limitation is still the massive amount of power these devices require, but power saving tech and other neat low power component solutions will eventually push this last limitation aside. There are a lot of big players in the mobile industry that are making strides in the direction of a mobile AR future. Companies like Nokia are showing that there are a lot of ways mobile AR could benefit the mobile user, and companies like Layar and Wikitude are making strides to bring mobile AR to the world. It would seem like an excellent idea for Google to get in on the mobile AR scene soon and in a very big way. Google would immediately benefit from mobile AR through local search and advertisements, while people the world over would gain from having a rich platform for layering the web onto the real world in real-time. However, Google can't wait for too long. It's only a matter of time before the likes of Microsoft or Yahoo! realize the earning potential of mobile AR.

Google Maps Integration Vs. Separate App

So, there are numerous reasons for why Google needs to do mobile AR. The next question would be how should they approach the scene. Some might think Google would be better off adding AR functionality to Google Maps for mobile and save on unnecessary development time and cost. The inclusion of digital compass support and the tweaking of Layers and Latitude to allow personal and public tags to be shared sounds feasible for a company like Google. I would even go as far as to say Street View could potentially be enhanced greatly with user submitted images or images already online that have been geotagged. With these and other creative tools at Google's disposal, it would be to their advantage to add AR features to Google Maps for mobile.

It may also prove to be more advantageous for Google to develop a specific mobile AR application that Google Maps and other Google services could plug into. Imagine integrating not only Google Maps, but using a Google Voice layer to call a local restaurant for what the latest lunch special is, or a local news layer for staying up to date on current events in your immediate area. How about a weather layer that shows you where that storm is and where it's headed. It would also be awesome to have a translation feature that can recognize an image of text and translate it into your native language in real-time (great for that first trip to Japan). Another interesting plug-in would be for the SketchUp application. One could design an add-on to an old building and have it shown how it would look in real-time by the viewer as they walk around. I could go on forever listing the potential uses for a Google made mobile AR app, but until they actually decide to develop one, all we have are hopes and dreams of the future.

From Smartphones To Google Eyes
Which brings us to what could be the future of mobile computing as we do not yet know it. Augmented reality started on the TV and PC, is moving to mobile devices like phones and web tablets, but I have a strong feeling AR will get even closer to us through eyewear. It will likely happen first through eyeglasses and eventually make its way into contact lenses and stand alone implants. No one can predict when or where computing, Internet connectivity, and communications will end up, but if mobile AR takes off like I think it will, the web could look very interesting through our newly enhanced eyes.

First Look: Nokia Booklet 3G

2009-08-24T09:40:00.002-04:00

Well, here it is. A first look of Nokia's new Booklet 3G. I'm still in shock that Nokia is actually coming out with a netbook-like product in the first place, but to have it running Windows?!

I'm sure Nokia has a good explanation for this interesting device, but we'll have to wait for Nokia World 09 for that. It looks like there are some big changes coming for Nokia before year's end. It's all so very exciting.

N97 Update v12.2.024

2009-08-18T15:11:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, we got a new firmware update for the Nokia N97. No official word on the change log, but I can honestly say the device performs much more smoothly than before. Also, the UI transitions seem substantially faster. Even the web browser feels snappier.

This update is a good step in making the device a worthwhile purchase. I'm hoping I won't have anymore corrupt image problems from now on too. Like others out there that are just getting a taste of this latest firmware update, I have yet to see any other noticeable changes. I will continue searching around for anything new, and we'll keep you updated on our findings as well as official announcements.

N The World - Alabama

2009-08-17T20:37:00.009-04:00

Day One [08.14.2009]
We got in town and checked into the La Quinta Inn, went swimming (the pool was great by the way). Stopped by Chocodelphia to see what was good. Ate a late lunch/early dinner at Jose's Cantina, went shopping at Wal-Mart, Michael's, and a few other shops in town. Back at the hotel room, we planned out the next day and got some much needed rest...

Day Two [08.15.2009]
We ate a nice La Quinta Inn breakfast while getting info on Jasmine Hill Gardens. We found out they are closed on weekends, but they were nice enough to let us come anyway. All you have to do is watch the videos and look at the pics to see how beautiful the gardens were (we had to sacrifice our bodies to many ruthless mosquitoes to get this footage). Next, we went to the Riverside Entertainment Center for the casino action. We didn't win, but we didn't loose a lot either. It was a lot of fun anyhow. Afterwards, we went back to Cracker Barrel for a late lunch, got cleaned up and took a nice dip in the pool again. And a good rest for a very eventful day. That night, I would discover how the N97 had failed me. A large number of my photos taken at the gardens were corrupt. What a disappointment. Fortunately, we got a lot of video footage.

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Day Three [08.16.2009]

We ate a quick breakfast and took a dip in the pool. Then we take a trip to Eastdale Mall where we watch G.I. Joe at the mall cinema and shop around for a bit. The movie was great and the mall wasn't too crowded. Then, we went to Red Lobster for dinner. The weather was just starting to get nasty too. Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel to rest up for the trip home.

Day Four [08.17.2009]

On the way home, we stopped by Quincy's 777 Casino for a last minute gambling session and won back what we started playing with, so we headed out. It rained most of the way back, but we had a beautiful time in Alabama and were sad to leave so soon. We're back home now and are excited about figuring out where to go next.

This N The World trip was quite enjoyable, and couldn't have gone smoother if it were not for the N97 and the Google Maps application. We managed to save time, money, and energy by finding the best routes to all our destinations while in Alabama. We also were able to use sites like Montgomery Gas Prices to find the cheapest gas in town.

So, even though we lost a lot of nice pictures with the N97, the device more than made up for it. We'll keep refining our techniques in bringing you the world as we make the journey through it. We're continuing to build our N The World concept, and are constantly thinking of ways to enhance the experience. We'd love to hear your ideas as well.

N The World Logo And Thoughts On The N900

2009-08-10T05:48:00.006-04:00

First off, we'd like to introduce our new logo for N The World. You'll see this logo whenever we show videos, images, and more from places we travel to. Our next trip is to Alabama for some casino action. We'll have lots of pics and video when we return.

I've been a huge fan of Nokia's Internet Tablets from day one, and purchased the Nokia 770 as soon as I could affor it. I did a little application development and testing for the first two tablets. Then I migrated to Nokia phones. The N95 was perfect for my mobile needs. Then came the N97, which apears to be more computer than phone. But alas, the low amount of memory and the unrefined UI has me once again in search of another device. Nokia's new tablet may just be what I'm looking for. Sure, I'll miss the ability to have the screen tilt and all the great Symbian apps, but I think I can manage without causing too much damage to my mobile productivity. I can't wait to trial this new Internet Tablet. It will be a very exciting Fall after all.

N The World - Savannah, GA

2009-07-27T00:51:00.009-04:00

We've just returned from our first documented "N The World" trip to Savannah, Georgia. Wehad a great time, and didn't get a whole lot of pics and video, but it was definitely a trip to remember. Being this is our first NET9 sponsored trip, we first would like to explain the "N The World" concept. Then we'll give our initial thoughts on the wonderful trip through Savannah.

N The World is our fresh new series where we utilize various media tools to capture the sights, sounds, and other events in different parts of the world. We'll use text, photos, video, etc. to bring our audience with us on our unique mobile journeys in various places around the world. We are starting off locally to prove the financial feasibility of the concept, and will expand to more far reaching areas of the globe as we receive more funding. Also, we are playing with a lot of developing web technologies, location centric technologies, and many other new tools to enhance the N The World experience.

I know some of our readers will be asking "what's with the name?" Well, we've left it vague enough for anyone to come up with their own idea of what the N stands for (NET9, Nokia, NSeries...). Really, it's just a name we came up with that feels like it fits our new concept perfectly. Anyway, we'll talk more about N The World as we visit additional locations. On to Savannah.

Savannah, Georgia is a very lovely place, with its vast historic architecture and romantic scenery. Some notable places of interest are the beautiful Forsyth Park, The First African Baptist Church, and the unmistakable Talmadge Memorial Bridge. There are also a lot of locations where various movies were filmed, such as Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and Forest Gump.

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We chose to take the trolley tour through Savannah to cover as much ground as possible, and that we did. Our lovely tour guide was very knowledgable and also very witty. There are 8 video clips of the tour and some pictures as well. We truely enjoyed this trip, and we hope you enjoy what we brought back. We can't wait for the next N The World trip. Stay tuned...

Zeemote Review

2009-07-18T01:01:00.008-04:00

We've just received our new Zeemote bluetooth controller and are excited to bring you our initial thoughts about the cool little device. Ironically, there's a lot to cover for such a simple little device, so let's get started.

A Little History...
About three months ago I read about the Zeemote on a mobile phone blog, and at first glance I had doubts about its usefulness. So, i did a little research and found some video of the Zeemote in action. Then it hit me how important such an accessory was for mobile devices. Gaming aside, this little thing changes the entire mobile experience of the modern smartphone and mobile computer. I decided I needed one for the NET9 lab, but it wasn't sold in my region. Fast forward to about a week ago and I had located one being sold on eBay. Now I've always been a little nervous about buying anything on eBay, and twenty bucks would be the maximum I would spend on something like the Zeemote at the time. So I bought it, got it, and it's worth more than I could have ever expected.

Gaming
Originally the Zeemote was designed to offer mobiles a more comfortable or natural gaming experience. Some smart people noticed how complex and also limiting the mobile phone was for gaming and decided to make a wireless controller that most gamers would be use to. With the re-introduction of Nokia's N-Gage gaming platform, and the explosive growth of mobile gaming in general, the Zeemote couldn't have been introduced at a better time. Gaming with the Zeemote brings back memories of my old PlayStation days, except now the console and controller both fit in my pockets. This thing was designed with gamers in mind, and does an excellent job as a wireless mobile game controller.

Beyond Game Control
The Zeemote's usefulness reaches far beyond just game control. Navigating menus is a fluid process and in some cases more comfortable than using the mobile device's own navigation controls. Perhaps it's due to its smaller size or lighter weight than a typical phone. Whatever the case may be, it is definitely a more enjoyable experience to use the Zeemote to move around on a mobile device.

The Perfect External Input Device
For a device like the Nokia N97, the Zeemote shines brightly. Paired with the TV-out feature and multimedia capabilities of the N97, it's the perfect mobile setup when you're not mobile. The mobile device becomes so much more than a personal computer at this point. Also, there's a big advantage to reducing the "wear & tear" of the buttons and touchscreen by using the Zeemote. Of course devices like the N97 have advantages such as accelerometers, magnetometers, GPS, cameras, and other sensors built-in that the Zeemote obviously lacks. This brings a bit of a dilemma for developers as to how to support external input devices along with the features of the mobile device. Like any accessory out there, the Zeemote is limited in its uses, but is only limited by the capabilities of the device it connects to.

It will be interesting to see the Zeemote really take off, and I look forward to updated versions of the Zeemote in the future. The Zeemote team have recently expanded support to more mobile devices including the N97, and I suspect there will be a lot more news about Zeemote in the near future. We will continue playing with the Zeemote and bring you more thoughts and ideas on this cool new mobile controller.

Mobile Post: N-Gage Now On The N97

2009-07-17T12:10:00.004-04:00

That's right, N-Gage is finally available for the N97 through the software updater application on the device. There are a few games missing from the known list, due to incompatibilities I suppose but the ones there work just fine. Another quirk with the games is that the games don't utilize the N97's nice large screen. I'm guessing this is because the games were coded for QVGA screens to begin with.

It will be exciting to see future games make use of the larger screen of the N97 as well as the magnetometer along with all the other cool sensors and features. I hope to soon see a game that uses the compass and camera to augment realit in amazing new ways.

First Post From The N97

2009-07-15T06:12:00.005-04:00

We've discovered that Blogger works well enough to post directly from the N97, and this is a very good thing. There are some quirks that bug me about using the editor, and we'll go over a few of them bellow.

All Caps In "Compose" Mode
I'm not sure if this is a bug related to the N97 web browser or a fault in Blogger, but typing in compose mode keeps text in all capital lettering at all times. There is a simple solution to this, but I wish it were fixed all together. HTML mode works just fine for entering normal text. Things get a bit messy when you want some differently formatted text or text links.

No Copy & Paste?
This is one thing about blogging from the N97 currently. There's no way to paste text copied from the notes or active notes applications. I have to say, that's pretty limited for a device that's supposed to be a"mobile computer" and has a QWERTY keypad. Hopefully there'll be a fix for this in upcoming firmware updates.

Can't Move Images Around
Uploading an image for a blog post is simple enough, but once it's on the page there's no moving it around. Images, It seems suffers the same fate as text. There's no way to cut and paste an image elsewhere in a post. Another failure point for the browser.

With all the drawbacks of using the N97 to post to a blog, it is still better than it used to be. We now have the autosave feature that works and is a huge time saver. There are more formating options, and much better device to create longer bodies of text. What would be great is if Blogger made a better mobile version, or the web browser on the N97 and other Nokia phones were updated with the inclusion of the features missing above. Until then, our mobile posts will be pretty basic.

Nokia N97 Review

2009-07-05T09:20:00.003-04:00

So we've finally received our Nokia N97 and have had a chance to put it to the test for about a week, and we even recently updated the firmware to version 1.1 (which, by the way is a definite improvement in the UI transitions of the device). Like others that have had time with the N97, we have found things we love and hate about the hardware and software. But hey, everything under the sun casts a glimmer and shadow. Anyways, on to the review...

Hardware

Much like the first time using the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet, the keyboard and navigation pad arrangement on the N97 took some getting used to. There is quite a bit of a learning curve for those that have not had experience with a QWERTY thumb-pad before, but luckily the inclusion of a touchscreen makes the transition more bearable to new users. The slider mechanism is definitely solid. Strangely, it reminds me of watching Karate moves performed when opening and closing. I don't know how else to explain it. I just snaps in and out of place with great precision. I like the fact that there are so few hardware buttons on the device, aside form the keyboard, and unlike some have noted, the single menu button on the face of the N97 is perfect. USB charging is a welcome transition from the micro power adapter of my previous Nseries devices like the N95. The screen lock slider is a bit "outdated" though. Nokia should have put some effort into developing a touch gesture method for locking and unlocking the phone. Speakers are nice and loud, about the same as my N95. The camera door is nice, but a bit cumbersome to open as it has a very smooth surface. And of course two LEDs are better than one on any device with a 5MP+ camera. The styling and accents of the device overall are very sleek and futuristic. Nokia has done a marvelous job at putting so much functionality into a device that looks and feels so natural. Speaking of functionality, the battery life and 32GB of storage is enough to make netbook users super green with envy. The large screen is set nicely in the middle of the device, making it symmetrical in portrait and landscape modes. The touchscreen works as well as expected, and the device provides nice vibratory feedback when tapping menu items. The sensors give the device a sort of "intelligence" that is quite remarkable. I especially like the built in compass sensor (magnetometer). I believe it will be greatly used in future location-based and directional-based applications like Google Maps and will provide the necessary information for augmented reality to be built upon. Well that about covers the hardware of the N97 in this initial review. On to the software...

Software

Like any other computational device in the world, software is key to making it worth having. It is the heart and soul of any computer, and it gives each device a purpose. The N97 is no different, and S60 5th edition makes it all happen. The Symbian OS provides a very complete computing environment on many Nokia phones, but S60 5th edition brings an easy to learn, easy to use touch user interface that is both familiar and fresh to the seasoned Nokia device user and novice alike. However, the N97 has a far more reaching computing potential than the OS, UI, and familiar device applications. This is a truly connected device, and its the integration with the web is where it will need to shine most to seriously compete with the likes of Android devices, Apple's iPhones, Palm's devices, the plethora of Windows Mobile devices, and etc. The home screen widgets are an obvious good idea, but even this is limited in some way or another. Why not allow for multiple home screens, and why only two shortcut panels and contacts panels? It's a move in the right direction, but Nokia needs to move faster in that direction. The few widgets I've used so far have been very good, and I'm sure can get even better with more development time. The Facebook, AP News, AccuWeather, and Slideshow apps are great examples of how future applications should work. There's just so much potential for software growth and evolution on a device like the N97. The touchscreen, accelerometer, magnetometer, primary and secondary camera, microphone, speakers, vibratory feedback, light sensor, GPS, wifi, bluetooth, HSDPA, and more provide more than enough of a hardware foundation for developers to make some amazing things happen. It will be the software that pushes the limitations of the device in order to show its full potential.

Needless to say, the N97 is one heck of a device, and we are very excited at the prospects of its future. Expect to see a lot of great new things from NET9 and our new Nokia N97 soon.

All Moved In...

2009-06-21T14:20:00.002-04:00

So we're finally unpacked and pretty much settled in our new place, and although there's still a couple boxes left to finish unpacking, we're ready to get back to work here at NET9. Moving is a painful process, but it's very much worth it if you're moving from a small area to a much more spacious accommodation. A lot has developed since we moved in too...

We've added another computer to the NET9 headquarters, we have a Nokia 5800 XpressMusic in the lab, we'll have a Nokia N97 soon as well, and of course we have many more great ideas for the mobile future in development here in our new lab. I'm particularly excited about our upcoming N97 review and we'll hopefully be experimenting with more video content as well.

Anyways, we're back and ready to bring you more exciting mobile coverage and developments. Stay tuned.

Moving...

2009-05-28T03:26:00.002-04:00

That's right, the NET9 lab is expanding and needed a larger area to grow in. Over the next week or so, we'll be getting settled in to the new place. Afterwards, we'll be back on track and ready to work. Onwards to the future...

Ovi Store And New Nokia Tablet Coming

2009-05-25T18:36:00.003-04:00

Nokia's Ovi Store has begun to make it's way around the globe and has launched in Australia, Ireland, and Singapore. I've been excited about Ovi Store since it was announced earlier this year. Nokia's Ovi Store will offer content ranging from applications to games to video clips and more. It will finally bring content discovery for Nokia devices in a more organized and dynamic way. Ovi Store is expected to launch in other countries over the next few days, and you can bet we'll be checking it out as soon as it hits the states.

There's tons of news about the latest Nokia Internet Tablet, and it's enough to make anyone planing to purchase the upcoming N97 take a second look. The biggest problem with the new tablet is that it hasn't even been officially announced and will likely be quite some time after the announcement before it comes to market. The advantages of a device like this is that it will be the first Nokia tablet to incorporate HSPA. Sure, the N900 or "Rover" or whatever the official name of the device will have some features that will make future N97 owners envious, such as the 800x480 resolution screen and a more powerful processor, but the similarities between these two devices are so overlapping the it will be a wonder why anyone would want to wait for the new tablet.

Past Meets Future

2009-05-14T09:02:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I bought a 1972 Ford F100 for $300. I think I got a really good deal. It starts and runs like a champ, has a bit of an oil leak, and some rust spots and a few small dents. It's my new project, and will require a good amount of my time, energy, and money. It won't take me everywhere, but it will get me around town with no problems. This is the latest NET9mobile and I'll try to post updates to it's restoration progress here on the site.

It's great to have a fresh new project to work on again, and this is a big one. We welcome the challenge and we're excited about the old champ. It's always great to see old tech and new tech come together, and I think each and every one of us should reach into the past and bring a piece of it back to meet the future every once in awhile.

Chaos Reigns Supreme...

2009-05-07T14:01:00.001-04:00

I'm sure just about everyone has heard about the latest Oprah giveaway of coupons for a free KFC meal. Well, we went to our nearest KFC today and was about to use our coupon until we observed the madness that ensued. Race, age, and gender are blurred when it comes to getting free food during a recession, especially when that food is fried chicken. Had I thought about it, I would have recorded the event with my phone, but I was in shock and ashamed at the same time.

How could something like this happen in 2009? KFC doesn't exactly have the healthiest food anyway, and I don't understand what is so free about the deal...

You first need a computer (many have this already), electricity (most have access to this, I hope), Internet access (here's where it gets interesting...), a printer (wait, what!?...), ink and paper (that's not free by any means!), a mode of transportation (last I heard, you'll pay for that big time), and time (ah, the most precious thing of all). Sure, these things are had by most of us or we know someone that can get some of it for us to complete our free chicken expedition, but is it really worth the wait? Oh, and if you don't think it's a big deal, you haven't seen the lines. You'll wait, and you still may not get anything due to the barbaric way this event was handled.

There were people being turned down for everything from having printed the coupon from the wrong site to the restaurant not having enough chicken. It's certainly a bad day for chickens all over, but it's humanity that has lost it's mind today. Colonel Sanders would be rolling in his grave to see such things.

5th Day In May

2009-05-05T20:49:00.001-04:00

It's Cinco de Mayo (for a little longer anyway), the Nokia N97 is available for preorder at a cool $699, and tomorrow is my birthday (I turn 28). Of course the most exciting bit of news is the N97 and it's lower than expected price. Sure, there have been doubts about the final performance of the N97 considering it's lackluster processor specs, but it's still a marvel of mobile design and still capable of more than most of the desktop computers of yesterday. I see the N97 not as an end all solution that will never be beat. It is merely a progression of where mobile technology is headed, and a good start to a new way of computing.

We've seen a lot of improvements of the software and some interesting tricks with various combinations of the hardware features in previous Nokia handsets, and I have no doubt we'll see even more with the N97 and future Nseries devices. Mobile technology is growing and developing at a break-neck pace, and it is an exciting time to be a part of it all. It was a mere two years ago when the N95-3 entered the NET9 lab. The N97 will be the next NET9 device of choice come June. Two or three years from now, who knows what cool new device will join the collection of awesome mobile tech here at NET9. One thing's for sure, we can't wait to see what's next from Nokia.

New Shoes

2009-04-28T19:56:00.003-04:00

I successfully bought shoes online via my phone last week and was even able to track my shipment too. Finding good quality clothing that I actually like the look of is hard for me to do. Clothing, especially shoes, are the scariest things I can think of buying online due to the worries of "will it look the same as in the images?" or "it's my size, but will it really fit?" This was my first attempt at purchasing an article of clothing from my phone, and today my shoes arrived.

They are the AND1 Courtyard Slip On Low ordered from Zappos.com and they were apparently limited in the number of pair in my size. I love shoes that don't need strings, and I still miss my previous pair of AND1 slip-on shoes, but these will do just fine for the summer. They're a perfect fit, the price wasn't too bad, and they look good to me. I always liked the AND1 brand and the various styles of off-court shoe selection. It's just a shame they don't make the older styles anymore. Even today, some of them would look quite futuristic.

Sure this is all a bit off topic, but to be truly serious about being a mobile warrior, it all starts with the foundations. One has to be comfortable while on the move, and a good pair of shoes is just as important as a good mobile device. The AND1 Courtyard Slip On Low is now the official shoe of NET9. So, what's your footwear of choice?

500

2009-04-23T12:53:00.000-04:00

We made it! This is our 500th NET9 post. Nothing too significant, just the end of the beginning of what NET9 is becoming. It's been a very interesting journey over these few years, and the best part is that it's just getting started. We have seen so much happen over time in the world of mobile technology. I have a feeling there are even more great new things to come. There's no doubt that we'll be here to share our thoughts, ideas, and opinions on the latest developments about mobile devices, the web, and so much more. Thanks to everyone who's checked us out and especially to those that have given us support over the years. Stay with us as we continue to grow and learn in this great technological time.

"Ah, 500 posts. That makes us too old to turn back, and too young to stop moving forward."

3pm Turns 3 Years Old

2009-04-16T04:34:00.000-04:00

Three years ago an idea was born around bringing music to the web in a free, organized, and easy way. 3pm is that idea, and it is still alive. I learned a lot from working on the 3pm project from the very beginning. How much work was involved in keeping links up to date, how not to tangle certain legal business practices with certain "illegal" creative works, and most importantly how much I love music as an art form.

I made a few cool friends along the way, but tons of enemies also. At first, the adversity of what 3pm brought to my very door drove me even harder and I accepted the challenge with a passion I had never known. It suddenly somehow grew into more of a chore that I made myself do. I think that's when I needed to take a step back from things to see that my new passion for the 3pm movement had clouded my ability to enjoy and appreciate music as an art form. I let 3pm to itself for awhile and started just doing 3pm Injections and it seemed a lot easier for me to work with, but recently the "haters" caught up with me again. This time I couldn't fight what was happening. Entire blog posts were being removed by Google themselves.

Here we are once again. My love for music is stronger than ever, and the 3pm legacy will continue. I will breath life into 3pm so long as I am able to breathe. I've been itching to do an update to the 3pm site lately, and a lot of links are in need of repair. So as we journey into the third year of 3pm's existence on the web, I just want to say thanks for everyone's interest in the idea and Happy Birthday 3pm.

3pm Injection 04.09.2009

2009-04-09T19:55:00.001-04:00

Another day, another new 3pm Injection. We have three new links for you to check out this week. I happened to stumble on an interesting video on YouTube the other day also. The Lonely Island Feat. T-Pain - I'm On A Boat. This has to be the most ridiculously funny music video I've seen since the El Mudo - Chacarron video. Anyway, enjoy the links and have a great week.

[1] + [2] = [3]pm

3pm Injection 04.02.2009

2009-04-02T10:26:00.002-04:00

We haven't had a 3pm post in a while, but it's time for one again. The main reason it's been so long is that we were unsure how to bring you great music from around the web without getting NET9 shut down by the "haters".

So we've decided to try something new. We're gonna give you the actual links to the pages with the music. That way, you can choose the songs you want from a larger selection. It's not the neatest way to do the 3pm Injection, but it's almost all we have left in our bag of musical medicine. We hope you enjoy, and we welcome your feedback.

3 p m - "3 Places for Music"

Mobile Savings: Time, Energy, Money

2009-03-26T21:54:00.002-04:00

We all know that the mobile phones we use today are constantly bringing us new ways to save time. We are able to get near instant information from people and even online resources from around the world. They allow us to textually, audibly, and visually express ourselves as well as experience other people's adventures in the same ways.

Never has humanity been able to "get things done" than right now. The technology is currently available to enable people to do just about any job from just about anywhere in the world. It truly is amazing to see how far we've come over the years in terms of being more productive because of the advancement in mobile devices and services.

Everything from the vast multimedia communications services such as Facebook to mobile coupons from companies like Cellfire are saving people so much money it's ridiculous. And we have grown so used to these services that we begin to forget that not long ago, free and cheap services like these once were sold at a fairly high cost, or hadn't even been thought of yet.

Sure, our current economic climate is quite volatile, but it's conditions like this that bring about some of the most ingenious ideas and being mobile is an important ingredient for individual success as well as the progress of large organizations.

The sweetest part about all this is that if all we did was save ourselves time, money, and energy it would be great just to know we were more efficient, but that's not were it ends. By using less resources, less energy, and saving time that can be spent elsewhere, we are also doing a greater good to our environment and the health of the world we live in. I couldn't begin to tell you how much paper is saved every second, or how much pollution is eliminated by saving the trips downtown by telecommuting.

There are just so many ways mobile tech has, is, and will change the world, it boggles the mind to step back and look at the whole picture and then focus on each individual piece that makes the system work. We have yet to begin combining the plethora of current and future mobile technologies in even more creative ways.

I have to say, it sure will be fun doing the world some good again thanks to mobile tech.

Mobile Post: BlogThis!

2009-03-22T19:08:00.003-04:00

For the longest, time trying to post to NET9 via mobile phones has been nearly impossible. When I finally got to post from my N-95, I was quite excited, but the excitement was short-lived when I noticed that the post format was garbled and just plain sloppy. Well, I finally found a mobile blogging solution. BlogThis! is what works best. I use it now to start up a post while on the move, and when I know I won't have access to a PC for a while.

It also helps when using a bluetooth keyboard for writing up more lengthy articles (much like this one). I think the only element missing from the mobile posting formula is embedding multimedia such as images, video, and sometimes even hyperlinks. Once those become more streamlined and easy to implement, posting via mobile will forever change the Internet in a major way.

I look forward to doing more of these mobile posts in the future and bringing our readers ideas and more ways to bring your mobile creativity to the web.