The HTC HD2 is THE Windows Mobile Phone to Get!
Did that title grab you? It is perhaps a bit misleading simply because I have only tested a handful of Windows 6.5 Mobile phones to date. Most of my focus has been on the iPhone and a few Android-based phones. However, I do feel that it is important to talk about the HTC HD2 (TMobile link), especially since it will be hitting the US market (carried by TMobile) in March 2010. There are two versions of this phone, the Non-US version and the US-version. The only main differences are with RAM/ROM and button coloring. The last Windows Mobile (WinMo) phone that ...
Who Lays Down the Law in YOUR Family? – Cast of Dads Podcast #12
Discipline in the family is never an easy topic to talk about, especially when setting the rules or enforcing them. And it seems that every family has a different approach to implementing these rules. This was the main topic that we discussed in the Cast of Dads Podcast #12 titled "Discipline". One thing that we all did have in agreement was that parents who don't enforce any rules and let their kids run the household, will eventually fail in the long run. A lot of this has to do with ensuring that you command respect and understand the concept of ...
My Paint & Your Brand Are Eroding – An Open Letter to Honda Motors
Below is a letter to Honda Motors that has been a long time in the making. Please read it and share as you see fit. Thank you for reading! -HTD Dear Honda Motors, I'm writing this open and public letter to hopefully get your attention…again. I will bet that you feel that you have dodged a bullet with the entire Toyota recall fiasco going on as of this writing…who knows, it could actually be helping your sales. Regardless, there is something important to learn here: issues can rapidly escalate, often beyond your control and completely tarnish your brand in the process. My ...
The Dexim BluePack S3 & S8 – A Portable Battery Pack Designed for James Bond
I've reviewed quite a few battery packs lately. It seems that this is the hot market currently just the way iPod cases were to iPods a few years ago. You can't seem to get away from them. However, there is absolutely nothing wrong with having a wide variety of options in the market. And, I view having a portable charging solution for your cell phone a critical item to have in any household. I cannot tell you the number of times I have needed to charge up my iPhone or other device and had to rely on a portable battery pack. ...
Are You Prepared for Disasters? The Cast of Dads Discuss This in Episode #11
With the recent tragic disasters striking around the globe recently, when the Cast of Dads got together to record Episode #11, we spent a majority of the show talking about the serious subject of family preparedness when a catastrophe strikes. It's a touchy subject to discuss, actually, because when you listen to others, you realize how far behind you might be in your own preparations, emergency kits, safety processes and procedures, and family training. I live in earthquake country and as I talk about in the podcast, I have done some preparation to be ready for "the Big One", however, that ...
The HTC HD2 is THE Windows Mobile Phone to Get!
Did that title grab you? It is perhaps a bit misleading simply because I have only tested a handful of Windows 6.5 Mobile phones to date. Most of my focus has been on the iPhone and a few Android-based phones. However, I do feel that it is important to talk about the HTC HD2 (TMobile link), especially since it will be hitting the US market (carried by TMobile) in March 2010. There are two versions of this phone, the Non-US version and the US-version. The only main differences are with RAM/ROM and button coloring.
The last Windows Mobile (WinMo) phone that I had was the TMobile MDA which was an HTC as well. It had a slide out keyboard and touch screen and was a pretty decent workhorse. I did have a lot of fun installing “cooked” ROMs onto it to give it more features, better performance and stay ahead of the stock carrier ROMs that were slow to be released. ROM “cooking” is basically the process of compiling new operating system software with registry and program tweaks, hacks and additions to change the functionality of the device. Note: installing cooked ROMs may void your warranty or “brick” your phone, rendering it to a paperweight so do that stuff at your own risk. It ran on the TMobile network when there was no such thing as a “3G” network, at least not on that device.
TMobile will be the carrier for the HTC HD2. I’m a bit surprised with this choice but it seems that the other main carriers have been getting the really “cool stuff”, at least until now. In my opinion, if you want a great performing, keyboard-less Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional phone from TMobile, this is the one to get.
I’m not going to go into much about Windows 6.5 Mobile Professional in this review. You either like it, simply deal with it or hate it. (I guess that can be said about any of the Mobile OS-es out there – what changes it the percentages in each category.) In my opinion, users really need to start thinking about Windows Phone 7 (or is it called “Windows Mobile 7″ or “Windows 7 Mobile”?) and if they can hold off on buying a Windows Mobile phone until it is released, they should do so. This is especially true since a majority of the phones running Windows Mobile 6.5 will not run Windows 7 Mobile due to high hardware requirements.
Who Lays Down the Law in YOUR Family? – Cast of Dads Podcast #12
Discipline in the family is never an easy topic to talk about, especially when setting the rules or enforcing them. And it seems that every family has a different approach to implementing these rules. This was the main topic that we discussed in the Cast of Dads Podcast #12 titled “Discipline“. One thing that we all did have in agreement was that parents who don’t enforce any rules and let their kids run the household, will eventually fail in the long run. A lot of this has to do with ensuring that you command respect and understand the concept of authority therein.
It also seems to depend on the rule that needs to be enforced, the child and the severity of the offending action. In my household, for example, my wife has the commanding authority over all of us (yes, sometimes I’m considered the “oldest kid” in the family) for the most part. She puts the rules into effect, follows them religiously and expects compliance across the board. I tend to be a bit more easy-going, but, and this is important when dealing with children, I fully support her decisions of punishment or rules when they are applied. That being said, there are definitely situations where we both play good cop/bad cop, but those have to be treated carefully so as to not undermine the authority of the other parent or, worst case, confuse the child.
And, since I’m typically the one who is a bit more “playful” and joking (for better or for worse), when I get angry or am forced to punish or discipline, it is typically when there was something done that was very, very wrong. It is a two edged sword though. You have to be careful, in my opinion, not to be your child’s friend. You are first and foremost their parent, the one they look for guidance, education, nurturing, love and help. If you consistently try to put yourself at a “friend” level, you dilute your authority and command and your children learn quickly to manipulate you. It’s a tricky balancing act. Yes, you can have fun with your kids, that is very important! You cannot simply be a hard-nosed parent that only enforces and does nothing else. Your kids will lose respect for you with that method as well and will simply go behind your back or ignore you.
How can you balance the fun with the business though? The best bet is to simply be consistent. It’s important for children to have regularity and consistency in their interaction with their parents. If you change directions too much or too frequently, they will become confused, uncertain and insecure, which in the long run, is not good for their development. I don’t have a golden set of rules though as it is a very personal subject. You just need to define the rules, follow them, enforce them when necessary and maintain a happy, healthy and communicative relationship with your kids.
My Paint & Your Brand Are Eroding – An Open Letter to Honda Motors
Below is a letter to Honda Motors that has been a long time in the making. Please read it and share as you see fit. Thank you for reading! -HTD
Dear Honda Motors,
I’m writing this open and public letter to hopefully get your attention…again. I will bet that you feel that you have dodged a bullet with the entire Toyota recall fiasco going on as of this writing…who knows, it could actually be helping your sales. Regardless, there is something important to learn here: issues can rapidly escalate, often beyond your control and completely tarnish your brand in the process. My recommendation is to be proactive, act with a conscience and admit that there is an issue.
Also, remember that it could just as easily have been you in the Congressional hearings.
I am writing to bring awareness to a smaller concern. While miniscule in comparison to the safety issues affecting other automobiles, it does impact your brand loyalty and consumers’ perception of your willingness (or lack thereof) to listen and act upon complaints.
The Dexim BluePack S3 & S8 – A Portable Battery Pack Designed for James Bond
I’ve reviewed quite a few battery packs lately. It seems that this is the hot market currently just the way iPod cases were to iPods a few years ago. You can’t seem to get away from them. However, there is absolutely nothing wrong with having a wide variety of options in the market. And, I view having a portable charging solution for your cell phone a critical item to have in any household.
I cannot tell you the number of times I have needed to charge up my iPhone or other device and had to rely on a portable battery pack. I actually have quite a few at my disposal. And they are completely indispensable at tradeshows or on trips. I have lent out one of my charging solutions time and time again to various coworkers. Now I have another one to add to my battlechest (as well as to the weight of my backpack), the Dexim BluePack S3. Note there is also a version that has a more powerful battery called the BluePack S8 which is a 3000 mAh battery; the S3 is a 2600 mAh battery.
So what makes portable battery packs different from each other, and specifically, the Dexim BluePack? Well, in my opinion, there are a few things:
- Design/Features
- Duration
- Weight
- Price
Are You Prepared for Disasters? The Cast of Dads Discuss This in Episode #11
With the recent tragic disasters striking around the globe recently, when the Cast of Dads got together to record Episode #11, we spent a majority of the show talking about the serious subject of family preparedness when a catastrophe strikes. It’s a touchy subject to discuss, actually, because when you listen to others, you realize how far behind you might be in your own preparations, emergency kits, safety processes and procedures, and family training.
I live in earthquake country and as I talk about in the podcast, I have done some preparation to be ready for “the Big One”, however, that preparation is a bit stale. It’s always a difficult thing planning for the worst case scenario. Sometimes one can easily slip into a state of denial (“oh, it won’t happen to me“), which can actually be a bit detrimental to your planning process, and, God forbid, plan execution. But, overall, I would say my family is about 75% prepared and with a few extra hours of work on a weekend, we would be fully ready to survive a week or two.
But it is the unexpected that you should be prepared for. But how do you go about doing that? There are many lists and sites that have checklists of things to think about. In fact, one of our own Cast of Dads members put together a rather thought-provoking one. Perhaps as part of a family exercise, I will work on doing a similar one from my perspective…it would be a smart thing to do! Documentation of your plan is critical as well.
Regardless, these are some of the topics that we touched upon and discussed in Episode #11 of Cast of Dads:
