When the Palm Pre came out, I wanted it, but it was only on Sprint. So I made do with my Blackberry for another year, until the Pre showed up on AT&T. I had to get it, even though it meant adding a second line. But I had fun with it. It was small and cute, I liked how if felt in my pocket, and still had a slide out keyboard for texting.
There were a lot of really cool things about the Pre. It did multitasking better than the iPhone; you could keep several apps open at once and slide easily back and forth between them. I liked the way it pulls all your contacts' information together from Facebook and integrated them with your phone's contacts. So when one of your Facebook friends called, you'd see their current profile picture and if they changed their number or anything else, it updated to the Pre automatically. It used Google Calendar so you'd enter your events via Google, and they would sync automatically over the air. You never had to plug the phone into the computer. It took nice pictures and video. I got a little footage at the Keane concert. I also love the Touchstone charging dock. You just sit the phone on it, no plugging it in. Very cool.
Downsides, the number of apps available is underwhelming. I lost enthusiasm for checking the Palm app store. Most disappointing of all, Pocket Money hasn't been released in a WebOS version. Still. (I used Pocket Money on my old Palm Zire. I've been using it on my iPod Touch since I got it. And now with the iPhone, I can sync my data from one device to the other.) Other downsides, the slide out keyboard is a little tight for my big fat fingers. The size of the screen made web surfing, zooming in and clicking on links a bit tricky. And though I got used to it, the swipe gestures needed to move between apps and pages were not my favorite way of navigating. I'd forget how many times to swipe to return to a previous web page or switch apps. Also, it was slooooow. Slow booting up, and sometimes would not power down, no matter how many times I attempted to turn it off.
Okay, so it was an experiment. Resistance is futile and all that. I am now an iPhone user. I still have to carry my Blackberry on work days. But on my off time, I can make use of some of the cool MINI apps like MINILink, MINI Road Assist and MINIConnected. I think being able to stream internet radio over my car stereo through my iPhone will make the whole switch worthwhile. That and the fact that I don't have to carry my iPod Touch with me all the time. I'll still use it at work for entertainment. But now I can keep track of expenses and purchases using Pocket Money on my iPhone and then sync it to my iPod later. No double entry necessary. And switching data plans didn't cost any more from Palm to iPhone.
So that's that. Though that doesn't end the angst over technology. I saw the cutest little HP netbook at Best Buy (when I was there buying the big 160GB iPod classic for my car so I can have all my music with me at all times). It has a pink plaid design. I wondered if perhaps I should get it for writing. But then, wait, that's what I got this iPad for right? And how much writing have I actually done on it? Not much. A few blogs. A poem at that poetry workshop with Brian Turner. But the blogs have been erratic and poor quality. I have started entries and posted them before they were finished, just as placeholders so I could at least have an entry for that day, even if I didn't finish them until days later.
I'd like to pause here to note that there are three guys at the table next to me in this Starbucks, 3 generations it seems, one elderly gentleman, a guy my age, and one younger guy. I wonder what their relationship is. They asked me about my iPad/keyboard set up. But they keep making jokes using these cultural references to see which ones the others would get, or which would turn out to be too old/too recent for them. So far they have broached politics, music, comic books, art (a Toulouse Letrec joke), football and musical theatre. Seriously corny jokes to go with each one. But I have to say I've been enjoying listening in. Now the older two have left and the younger is on his own. He's drawing a picture of Mystique from X-men.
Okay, what was I saying? Right, the netbook. I like this set up with the iPad and the keyboard, but it doesn't do so well on the lap, you really need a table to sit it on. Hence, most of my use has been in various Starbucks around town. Anyway, I am, as I predicted, using the iPad more for other things, using apps, playing games (Farmville, big surprise), email, movies, reading, etc. So it's more a distraction from my writing than I already had.
So I'm in Best Buy, where I am spending entirely too much time lately, and I see this netbook. I check it out on line, read some reviews, etc. It's so affordable. And I remember Todd saying to me, when I was catching up with him in emails, just get a netbook and get writing. I thought, well with that I could write more often maybe. Then, I went back to Best Buy again this weekend. There was the netbook, but there was also an HP 14.5" laptop with the i3 processor and Windows 7 Home Premium, which would fit so nicely in my Kipling laptop bag that I had purchased months ago in anticipation of getting a new laptop, and doesn't fit my current old 15.4" laptop. It was reduced from $749 to $599. Good deal. But twice what I'd be spending on the netbook. What to do? I stood there, paralyzed with indecision. Maybe I can get both. Cause sometimes I may want to take a full laptop with me while traveling and sometimes I might want something small enough to drop into my purse.
Okay, this is crazy. Two more computers! I really don't need them. My iMac does most of the heavy lifting. And now that I have my new flatscreen, I can actually still see the TV while I'm at the computer. I have my old laptop, which I've mostly used for the MS Money program, and for scanning in those old photos. For some reason, my iMac won't play nice with the scanner portion of my printer/scanner/copier.
Cooler heads prevailed this time. I left without either new computer, resolved to do more writing on my iPad. This old thing. It's a whole 3 months old. How soon we become dissatisfied. Logically I understand how I'm psychologically manipulated by the marketing departments of the world. And yet I'm somehow powerless to resist. Though sometimes I manage. Like this time.
And so I guess this passes for writing. Writing about writing. And writing about not writing. It's so meta. But at least I made myself leave the house. I was up and dressed, and I even did my taxes. Then I came out into the hall, and Dad was playing with Miracle, getting ready to go to the gym, and I joined them on the hallway floor. Then Dad left and I started thinking, you know I really don't have to go anywhere today. I can get cash on my way to the MINI event tomorrow. I can stay home. I can even write at home knowing no one would be around to bother me for at least an hour. But the inertia I was feeling about leaving the house would surely carry over into my plan to do some writing. So I sucked it up and here I am. Now I think I'm done. A good day's work? Maybe.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Starbucks
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