Warner passes on some "hot" advice
Posted by Jack Cook on 06/8/08 in Laptops, Pocket PC Phones, Tablet PC, UMPC, Ultra Mobiles
It is HOT here today already and the temperature is expected to rise to the mid- 90’s. Usually I leave my PC on and often have several mobile devices in my pocket (and car). This is the kind of day when the humidity is high and the temp is rising that you need to give a little thought to those precious devices and Warner Crocker from GottaBeMobile has a little reminder up on how to “Keep Your Mobile Devices Cool In Hot Weather”
Heat is the enemy on many fronts for mobile devices. Just about anybody has felt the heat from a laptop or mobile phone that is running hot. But external temperatures on a hot day can make things worse. Here on the East Coast we are in our first (and very early) heat wave of the summer. Summer heat forces me to change up what I do in order to protect my devices, or at least let me play mind tricks with myself by doing so.
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Normally I will have several mobile devices stuffed in my backpack. In more moderate weather I don’t think twice about leaving the pack locked in my trunk when I’m out on errands. I also don’t think twice about leaving a GPS unit in my glove compartment. But in hot weather that all changes. I don’t leave anything in the car for more than a minute of two, and in fact I frequently don’t carry devices with me, if there’s a chance I won’t be using them.
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I change my overnight habits and don’t leave devices running overnight in order to save a bit on heat build up. Yeah, my home is air conditioned, but I think that this is giving them a little breathing room overnight.
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I’ll also shut devices down more frequently and also pull the battery for a bit when I do. Usually this happens overnight as well.
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I change up where I’m doing some of my mobile computing to avoid rooms that are hotter due to sunlight.
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Although not really a mobile solution, in my office, I’ll shut my printers down (I have two in my office) unless I need to use them.
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Even with air conditioned rooms, I keep a fan (celiing or otherwise) moving air in the rooms where I have devices turned on to keep air circulating.
So Warner is asking what precautions you take for your mobile devices during extremely hot weather. Why not head over to GottaBeMobile and pass on your thoughts so others can share in your favorite “hot weather” tips.
Skype for Mass-Market Mobile Phones
Posted by Jack Cook on 04/25/08 in Software, The Internet
I use Skype all the time and find it very reliable in my day to day calls. Having it on my device will be a huge advantage for some of the calls I make. At this point in time, the devices that are supported are limited and one can only hope that Skype will make this beta version available for Windows Mobile devices soon.
Following recent moves to extend Skype conversations to a wide variety of new mobile and wireless devices, Skype is taking another major step as it continues to merge its internet communications software with mobile phones. Today, the company released a beta version of Skype for your mobile, a mobile “thin“ client that works on about 50 of the most popular Java-enabled mobile phones from Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson.
The beta version of Skype for your mobile is available worldwide with a feature set that includes chat, group chat, presence (seeing when your contacts are online), and receiving calls from Skype users, and through SkypeIn.* Additional features, which include the making of Skype-to-Skype and SkypeOut calls from the mobile handsets, are initially supported in seven markets: Brazil (Rio de Janeiro), Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Poland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
