Happy New Year to all!

It's Friday December 29th around 8:30 in the morning. I've been at work for 90 minutes and I haven't seen a soul. Just finishing up some last minute items and then I'm outta here until next year!

Remember to make a resolution that you can at least try to stick with, and be sure to include others in your holiday plans. Check out Nokia's New Year's Eve party site for some good music and videos from performances around the world on New Year's.
here's the link: http://nokianewyearseve.msn.com


I wish you all a safe and happy New Year's!

The Adventures of Captain Gale: Let the Vacation Begin

From: briangale@alum.bucknell.edu [mailto:briangale@alum.bucknell.edu]
Sent: Thursday, December 26, 2002 10:55 AM
Subject: Let the Vacation Begin

Yes, I know, a long delay between emails. When last I wrote, our young hero was about to take on Charlestown, SC. I coerced my friend Bri to come down from Charlotte, NC for a bacchanal evening. We took the night by storm, and as always, the day took us right back by storm. I'm beginning to hurt just thinking about it. Let's move on.

Once past Charlestown I hit Georgia and more weather delays. With the weather forecast of 35kt winds with and higer gusts along with scattered instances of 6+" rain, I decided topause for a bit. I headed for a marina.

Now, I don't want to disparage this "marina" in rural (read: deserted) GA, especially when everyone I met was nice and helpful. But let's just say that when the wind would calm I could hear banjoes play, and I expected Burt Lancaster to paddle down the river at any minute.


One of the nice things about all these weather delays is getting to meet my fellow cruisers. People seem to be drawn to a young guy going it alone in a small boat. I think I remind the moms (remember that everyone I'm meeting is 55-65) of their children, and they worry about my culinary talents, and they fear I may be starving, a thought I try to encourage. Some might call that deception - I call it steak and potatoes with all the fixins' instead of hot dogs and lights out by 6:30

At the Deliverance marina I meet 3 nice couples, two of them from RI of all places (Portsmouth and Charlestown). Fun people. Good cooks, too!

My birthday was eventful. I woke up in southern GA next to Cumberland island, a nature preserve. I watched wild horses grazing in a foggy field as I ghosted past. A couple hours later a Coast Guard helicopter started buzzing me. Strange. Finally a 25' Naval gunship approached at mach 1. I stopped my boat and the boys let me know I must halt untl a nuclear submarine exits the river I'm in. What a sight, following this masive ship.



That night I hit Florida, and by the beginning of this past week I was finally in shorts. My father met me in West Palm Beach on the 19th, and we cooled our heels for a couple of days waiting for a good weather window to cross the Gulf Stream. We spent our time hassling the extremely wealthy of Palm Beach during the day by daring to walk on their streets - him dressed like a hiker model for L.L. Bean, me in my bright red Hawaiian shirt. At night we locked ourselves in the boat. Hey, we were in Riviera Beach - I got solicited by a hooker at 9:30 one morning, and dad was offered drugs the next!

Finally this morning 12-22, the first day of winter, the 12 footers in the Gulf Stream subsided to 5-6 footers. We left at 1:45 and made it to Wes End, Bahamas just after noon. We cleared customs and Dad was in a cab towards the airport by 1:45. I'm currently enjoying a rum and coke whilst the sun disappears. 39 days and 1683 miles later, the vacation has begun.


I hope everyone has a happy holidays. My mom comes to the Bahamas on the 25th and my sister on the 26th, so we'll be celebrating a day or two late. My sister claims that as a minister she has to perform Chrismas services. But mom and I know the real reason - the Dollar stores have the best deals on the 26th.

Take care,
Brian
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Vacation - Part 2

So when I last wrote (a couple of days ago) I was recounting my trip through the Caribbean. I had left off on the island of St. Thomas,in the US Virgin Islands. We had taken a shore excursion that ran us over to some of the highlights on the island. We went to Blackbeard's Castle which snaked and wound it's way down the hills from the top of the island right down into the main shopping area on St. Thomas. If you are a fan of jewelry and high fashion, this place will be right up your alley. I am not a big purchaser or Coach bags and Rolex watches, so we continued on down through the art shops and knick-knack stores and eventually found a surf shop. We picked up a couple of t-shirts, spent the afternoon taking in some more of the sights, said "no" to the 400 times we were asked if we needed a taxi and eventually made our way back to the ship.


The next day (Thursday) was another "sea day". The weather wasn't so great so we took it easy, visited with our friends and went wine tasting in the Pinnacle Grill. I think I forgot to mention that we had dinner in the Pinnacle a couple of nights previous - The Pinnacle is a fantastic restaurant on the ship that requires a reservation and a small extra charge. The Ship already has excellent food, but the Pinnacle takes to the next level. It reminded me of a very high end steak restaurant - and the Fillet was superb. I highly recommend the Pinnacle Cut fillet, with a couple of side dishes and the Molten Chocolate Cake to finish up.

Thursday night was a big show entitled "Stage and Screen" and the cast members did a fabulous job! Afterwords was a comedy show and then some late night schmoozing with friends and Dj Sparky again in the Northern Lights club. This night our new friends we had met on the ship -Amy and Joel and Geoff and Erika- came out with us and had a great time. Friday morning came a little soon for some of them but luckily it was just the private island of the cruise line.

We went ashore on Friday the Half Moon Cay and laid in the sun, did some Jet-skiing (in the open ocean mind you - it was wicked!) and then came back to a huge on-island Bar-b-Que lunch. We visited with friends the rest of the afternoon...everyone knew that the trip was quickly coming to and end. 3:30 came and the "All-Aboard" blew and it was time to head back to the ship.

The wife was tired and took a nap so I spend the rest of the afternoon wandering around the ship taking most of the "stock" photos you see on the Flickr page. It was nice because the vast majority of the guests were either packing or resting for one last night of fun!

Dinner was excellent (as usual) and we said our good-byes to friends we had met and to the wonderful crew that had helped us all week. It was sad to have to good-bye because we had such a great time...but we had made some great friends and we hope to hear from them soon. We had seen an old friend and we will miss her, but she'll come home to visit in a few months.

Lots of people had told me that cruising, especially on a Holland America ship was meant for old folks, but if you're young at heart, you trip is what you make of it. The service, cast and crew were second to none and the only thing I found wrong with the trip was our fault...we only booked a 7 day trip. I guess that means it's time to start saving for that 10 day cruise next!



Take care and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Next up, a special Christmas edition of the Adventures of Captain Gale-

Merry Christmas!

Not gonna try to be PC here, I celebrate Cristmas and that's what I'm going to wish to all of you. Please be safe and be sure to share that holiday spirit in everything you do over the next few days!

I'll be back on Tuesday and I'll send out the othe vacation post today (likely latter tonight)

Vacation! - A brief retrospective

Hello all! I have just returned from a week's vacation with the lovely Ms. aboard the ms Zuiderdam!

What can I say...it had to be the best vacation I have had in a long time! Vacations are great, but we had the time of our lives while visiting an old friend on the ship. We were introduced to the entertainment cast and crew and partied like rock stars every night. I have included a few pics here in the post, but if you'd like to live vicariously then click on my Flickr link down on the left to see all 800-and-something photos!

Our trip started Friday night December 8th at around 10:00 PM PST as we took a red-eye flight from Seattle to Ft. Lauderdale by way of Dallas/Ft. Worth. There is something rather odd about wandering through DFW at approximately 5 in the morning looking like the living dead (no sleep on the first leg at all). Finally arriving in Ft. Lauderdale (Hollywood FL actually) we took a crappy taxi ride to Pier 26. We are now at about 10:30 AM EST. It was spitting rain ever so slightly and we were trying our best to get in line and on the ship as quickly as possible. They processed our paperwork and had us in-line to get on the ship in pretty short order, but then when they let us on they wanted to take photos of us as we were going aboard..mind you this is the photo that people were going to see every time we boarded or left the ship, every time we purchased something on the ship, etc etc etc...it wasn't pretty.

Once aboard our good friend Krista was waiting right there for us! We had a private tour, she decorated our cabin door and told all of her friends and co-workers we were coming on board. The first day was tons of fun! We had a quick bite of lunch, took a brief nap to recharge since we had been up for some 30+ hours and then off to lifeboat drill before the ship set sail. Nothing like seeing a bunch of strangers in silly life jackets before you even leave port to break the ice. Next we were off dinner and the opening night show! Nuri & Nur were our dining room staff and Paul, our Wine Steward. All three of them worked so hard to make our entire trip an experience of a lifetime and I can honestly say they excelled in every way. We had an excelled dinner and the show (called a "Bumper" - kind of a preview of the week) was excellent. After the show our friend Krista came out with us for a bit and introduced us to Carlo and the team up in the Crow's Nest lounge. Have you ever noticed that there is a bar or lunge everywhere you look on cruise ships????Something tells me they planned it that way.

The second day brought us a "sea day" where the ship was sailing full steam to the island of Grand Turk, but not just yet. Sea days also bring lots of goofy activities, a chance to laze around the pool and meet your fellow cruisers. We had a ball - I for one visited the Bloody Mary bar at the Lido pool as soon as I could see. We goofed off all day and tons of fun and eventually headed out to dinner. Formal night and the wifey was dressed to kill. Dinner was fantastic and then off to watch Krista and the cast in a Broadway style show! the show was spectacular and the cast had energy to spare. Such professionalism is rare to find these days and it was such a treat to see a performance of this caliber while aboard such a fantastic ship. After the show I dropped by the cabin to leave off my jacket and freshen up to go party the night away. Our Cabin Steward Comang had fashioned (what we would later learn was a nightly treat) a Elephant out of rolled towels. Comang was just a stud and he worked so hard to have good conversation and remember our names each and every time he saw us - If hew was clear down the hall he would welcome us and come down and have meaningful conversation any time of the day or night! (well ok not at 3 am when we usually returned but come on!)


The third day (Monday) brought us to the cute little island of Grand Turk which is part of the Turks and Caicos Chain of islands in the British West Indies. We had signed up to take the "Island Safari" excursion and along with 8 other passengers set out on our island adventure with Michael, our guide. Michael was from Jamaica and had brought along with him plenty of "Medicine"...Fruit Punch and 151. It'll fix anything that'll ail ya - or at least make you so rummy that you wouldn't remember your troubles. Michael took us by the local prison where his tour company buddy kevin worked. Kevin reminded me fo the guy from Police Academy - you know the one who could make a million different sound effects with his voice - only Kevin was crazy - perhaps a previous condition caused him to have a long term prescription for that 'Medicine" I was talking about!

After our tour the only thing left to do on Grand Turk is to go to the new Jimmy Buffett's Magaritaville! I am just a little bit of a fan, so having the "Cheeseburger in Paradise" along with a Lattitude beer was right up my alley. We ran into some of the cast members there and had a great afternoon. After that a little swimming in the crystal blue Caribbean waters and then back onto he ship for another fabulous dinner and another show. Tonight's entertainment was a couple of brothers who call themselves Whyte. they were a Beatles cover team that were just out of this world. the show was spectacular and on to another night of late night parting at the "Northern Lights" disco with DJ Sparky (Daniel) until the wee hours. We made some new friends in the disco as well and had a blast!


Tuesday (Day 4) brought us (later in the day) to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Since we arrived a little late we got right on a taxi that took us to a ferry boat to get us out to Virgin Gorda to the Devil's Beach and the world Famous Virgin Gorda Baths. The ferry boat ride was long and the day was getting late. After the ferry another short bus ride to the top of the path to take us down to the beach and the baths. We took a short but fun hike down to tho the baths through caves, tunnels and lots of water - but the end result was paradise on earth (see my Flicker photos) The water was incredible and the sand was the softest I had ever felt. Our friend Krista was able to come along with us and I think she enjoyed it as much as we did. I took tons of photos and enjoyed a swim with the wifey.

On our way back up the path the wife kicked a rock like a soccer ball and broke her toe. She was in a ton of pain, but was a true sport "What can i do, I broke my toe, get me up to the top of the path so I can have some Rum" she said. She hardly complained and we did everything we could to help her out, buut she just wasn't going to let it ruin her vacation - **Important side note** She's a Dancer and Dance teacher - kind of a major deal for her. Back at the top of the hill Rum Punch and a fantastic view of the sunset over Virgin Gorda. Another ferryboat ride back (this time right to the ship) and on the ship to dinner...but...

My bloody phone is beeping and buzzing while I'm at the dock - You see I use a Sony Ericsson K790a camera phone for my camera and so it's getting reception when we gert back into town in Tortola. Who the heck is IMing me? Jayce - that piece of crap (just kidding jayce) is messaging me reminding me that I need to hook up with a friend of his while I'm in town. I was supposed to call her when I first got into town but because we were running so late it completely slipped my mind. He told me I could meet her at the a local pub just off the pier and that she had something special for me. Sun soaked and a few Rum Punches and Red Stripes later I was off the ship onto another adventure. Jayce and I were IMing (Thanks T-Mobile) and he was talking to her from his landline in Seattle to her mobile in Tortola (isn't technology great). I met Miss Simone just outside the treehouse and we had a nice, but short conversation. She was just the nicest lady (and very attractive might I add - hook it up Jayce). She had brough me all kinds of goodies and RUM to share and take home. We had a few laughs and I was on my way about a half an hour later back to the ship. Side note to Simone - Our good friend Krista is in Tortola once a week and it's always good to keep good people connected. I will be sure that each of you gets the other's contact information so you all can vist with each other!

Tortola was a late night sailing and of course there was fun to be had as usual after hours with DJ Sparky at the Northern Lights. I think this was also the night that I was yanked up on-stage to play family feud by our new friends Gary, Tammy, Auntie and Grandpa - sorry guys that I let you down, but did I mention there was lots of RUM this day???? What a ride!

Wednesday brought us to St. Thomas... where you can buy anything and everything. We took an "Ultimate Island Adventure" tour and saw more things than I can even remember, but Meghan's Beach was one of my favorites. Again beautiful crystal blue waters and incredible weather. We also went to Blackbeard's castle and, of course, the Cruzan Rum factory. St. Thomas had lots of shopping and we window shoppend and picked a few things up, but overall the downtown area was hectic and busy. Traffic was terrible.


More to come in my second post (tomorrow I promise)

The Adventures of Captain Gale: South = Cold?

From: briangale@alum.bucknell.edu [mailto:briangale@alum.bucknell.edu]
Sent: Friday, December 06, 2002 9:24 AM
Subject: South = Cold?

Greetings from the icy depths of the southeast. Another week down the East Coast, with 19 days left to get to the Bahas for Christmas day (mom, I PROMISE I'll be there). On reviewing my journal, it has not been as intersting of a week as those past. After fixing the water pump last Friday, I've had nothing worse than a loose alternator belt, which means only one of two things must be happening:

a) I'm geting the hang of repairing things, or
b) the engine has a complicated and nefarious new plan that it's working on.

Only time will tell.

I mentioned that the firepower has increased as I have continued south. On Sunday the South really upped the ante in the shape of the LeJeune firing range. Essentially it's a five mile stretch of the ICW that they shut down at random intervals to shoot stuff. There's no warning, there's no close place to wait it out if they ARE shooting, you just round a bend and there's either an armed "patrol" vessel waiting to stop you or there isn't. I rounded the bend and foun no such welcome, so I continued south, hoping that the patrol boat didn't get bored or cold and knocked off a little early...



The place was deserted. And just plain eerie. You come around a bend and find where the amphibious vehicles have been practicing crossing rivers, including one vehicle stuck in the bank. Around another bend you find a couple of tanks, a few other abandoned vehicles, various towers. It's like an enormous version of some kid's sandbox, and I half expected some booming mother's voice to remind the kid to pick up after himself.

On Wednesday night I made it to South Carolina. The first thing you come to in SC is an enormous outlet mall with a free dock. I'm sure there's a New Jersey joke in there somewhere... I was thankful for the free dock, but with temps dropping into the 20s at night still, I was not up for shopping.

The rest of the week has been cold and rainy, but thanks to the water temperature (55), I have been spared the freezing rain that some of the rest of the state has been blessed with. Needing groceries and a chance to warm up, I showed up in Charlestown this morning and am treating myself to a day in civilization. It's going to reach the 50s by the weekend, something I've not experienced since Maryland. I keep saying it, the warm weather has GOT to be right around the corner...

I hope all is going well with y'all. Next week will find me in Georgia and possibly Florida. Send warm thoughts, I've GOT to get out of this foul weather gear!

-Brian
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The Adventures of Captain Gale: Lots of Weather

From: briangale@alum.bucknell.edu [mailto:briangale@alum.bucknell.edu]
Sent: Friday, November 22, 2002 9:05 AM
Subject: Lots of Weather

The weather gods have taken quite an interest in my trip as of late. On my departure from Rhode Island last week I made sure to toast the gods of the ocean. Apparently the wind gods are a little peeved...

2 days out of RI got me to Huntington Harbor on Long Island, making good time. But a noreaster carrying 50 knot winds kept me in Huntington for three days. As the winds abated I took off through Hell Gate, down the East River and through the New York Harbor. Sailing through NYC is always a great time - Past La Guardia and Rikers prison (did you know they use old Staten Island Ferries there? no kidding, I have video proof); Under the Whitestone and Throgs Neck Bridges; floating past the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, the UN building; under the Williamsburg, Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges; past the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and finally under the Verrazano Bridge, all the while avoiding all the high speed ferries and shipping traffic. Non-stop action.

Once under the Verrazano it calms downand I settle in for the overnight motor-sail down the Jersey coast. At night you can follow the buoys that flash red, green or white at certain intervals. It's always confusing on the Jersey coast, trying to figure out what all these flashing red buoys are that aren't on your chart. It takes a while to realize they're flashing red stop lights! Only in New Jersey...





I pass the blaze of lights (visible 20 miles away) that is Atlantic City. I didn't stop - Tom Jones wasn't playing. Arrived at Cape May (Wildwood) at dawn and finally pulled into a side river halfway up the Delawre Bay. The past couple days have found me through the C&D canal and halfway down the Chesapeake Bay. Unfortunately there's another storm coming in this afternoon, so I'm ducking into the Potomac River to wait it out. I should be back in action Saturday afternoon, and in the ICW by monday, and then only 1000 miles to Palm Beach. Here's hoping this is the last of the big storms...

Thanks to all who have written. Take care and keep in touch. Oh, and if you're looking for someting to do on a Friday night, come on down to VA, the first round is on me.

Brian
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Exciting News about The Adventures of Captain Gale!

I just got off the phone with said Captain and he liked the idea so much that he will be digging out pictures to support all of the posts!

Look for the next installment on November 22nd!

The Adventures of Captain Gale: Off and Running (again)

From: briangale@alum.bucknell.edu [mailto:briangale@alum.bucknell.edu]
Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2002 3:15 PM
Subject: FW:Off and running (again)

Howdy folks! As most of you know, I've quit my job and bought a sailboat in the hopes of spending the winter in the Bahamas. After a two week trip to Hawaii to practice my snorkling, I set off last week for the 6 week trip down the east coast to Palm Beach, where I'll hang a left and hit the Bahamas. Unfortunately, 45 minutes into the 8 month trip I broke the propellor shaft. Bye bye engine.

After I limped home, there were several theories about the accident, with most people going with the old sailing superstition, "Never leave on a Friday".

Now I'm not really one for superstitions. I walk under ladders, I step on cracks without fear of injury to my mother's spine, I bring bananas aboard boats (another no-no), and if I have to, I'd leave on a Friday. To cover my butt, however, I moved my boat 6 miles on Thursday night before heading home for one more night ashore. And that worked - for about 3 miles.

To make a long story short, several people came through to get me back out on the water last night, only 5 days after the incident. I left this morning, a THURSDAY, from Barrington, and am currently motor-sailing past Fishers Island, NY at 5 knots. Its a beautiful sunny day, with light winds and 45 degrees. Nothing to get used to - tomorrow holds rain and lower 30s for me.

I've got this funky little pocket organizer which will allow me to send out emails from time to time. I apologize, but a majority of these will probably be group emails. Pocketmail doesn't realy have great group distribution abilities, and I'm sure I've left off many people from my group lists (I have to break up the addresses to 20 at a time). If I've missed someone, please have them write me. And conversely, if you're trying to live a spartan email life, let me know and I'll take you off the list. My address is: briangale@alum.bucknell.edu

Oh, and for the record, I'll keep walking under ladders, I'll keep bringing bananas aboard, but I think I'll keep from leaving on sailing journeys on Friday's. Although I do find it fishy that ever single leaf fell at my mother's house in the five days I was delayed...

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Welcome to The Adventures of Captain Gale and the Celebration!

Four years ago my good friend Brian "Captain" Gale set off on a sailing adventure that would take him to the Bahamas for the winter months. He took along with him a new device(at the time) called Pocket Mail that allowed him to post his adventures while mobile.

It is my earliest recollection of someone "Blogging" that I can remember. I remember waiting each week for word of his most recent adventure, islands he has visited an ports of call where he spent many a night in the company of other sailors enjoying adventure on the southern seas.

I will be posting his original posts, unaltered on the same dates - 4 years later - just as he posted them (spelling errors and all) to his friends and family across the states, on my weblog here for you all to enjoy. I think it makes for a good read and it's something I enjoy reading again to this very day-

I hope you enjoy the adventure!

Holiday Lights

The first Holiday Lights hue shown up this morning!

The Red cups are back!

Red Cups!

Sony Ericssonm K790a Review

As they say, "It's Here - A Cyber-shot digital camera and a small and sophisticated feature-packed EDGE mobile phone all-in-one." Right there in the marketing mumbo jumbo off the SonyEricsson site...and it's all true!

For those of you who have not cared too much about mobile phones with cameras it's time to start. SonyEricsson(SE) has branded this device a 'Cyber-shot' in much the same way they have been branding the W-series 'Walkman' using their easily recognizable brand names to tell you what each mobile line is all about. In this case, with 'Cyber-shot' you assume it's a digital camera and in this case, it's OK to assume!

The SE K790a is the Americas version of the K790/K800 series devices. It is a Tri-band phone (850/1800/1900) with EDGE and will be sold online at SE.com as well as potentially from T-Mobile or Cingular.

Form Factor:The K790a is a your standard candy-bar styled device. This allows for easy to use keys, a large bright screen, navigation keys and other function buttons, and the ability to turn the camera on (by using the magnetic, slide down cover) and hold the phone (or should I say camera) like a traditional 'Cyber-shot' to take photos. SE has really perfected the camera look and feel on this device so much the from the back, when in camera mode, one might not know it was a mobile phone. Function buttons are placed so that while in camera mode, everything is at your finger tips, and then in phone mode, everything is as it should be. The device is a good weight and balance and feels comfortable in your hands no matter which way you are usning it.

Connectivity:Infrared, Bluetooth 2.0 with support for A2DP, GPRS/EDGE, USB Mass Storage and USB Connectivity. It's connected - no matter how you want it, period.

Features:It's easy to start with the camera/'Cyber-shot' on this device. SE has been steadily improving on the camera capabilities of their devices from 1.3 MP, to 2MP with Auto-focus, now with the K790a we have 3.2 MP with Auto-focus, 8 "Scenes" including Auto, Twilight Landscape, Twilight Portrait, Landscape, Portrait, Beach/Snow, Sports and Document. It also has 4 "Shooting Modes" including Normal, SE's new 'Best Pic', Panorama and Frames. Add to that Auto, Macro and Infinity focus options, 4 different picture sizes, Automatic Image stabilization, Metering mode, Self-Timer, two diffeent picture "Quality" settings, Effects, White Balance options and my favorite - Shutter sounds - including the opening of a beverage ;). You can tell...this really is a fully functional 'Cyber-shot' camera that takes GREAT photos - it even has a real Xenon flash and red-eye reduction!!!. It also takes Video, though this is nothing to call home about. It is really a great still camera!

Add to all this camera functionality a music player that is identical to the W810 minus the 'Walkman' branding (including customizable equalizer), FM Radio, 3D Games, Video player that supports 3GP & Mpeg4, Video DJ Video Editing software, Photo DJ Photo Editing Software, Music DJ Ringtone Composer, Bluetooth Remote Control, Sound Recorder, Access Internet HTML browser, HP Printer Application to Print Photos directly to an HP printer and Photo Mate picture helper/Tutorial. This Device has it all! I found virtually every application I would want on my common Smartphone minus only an Instant Messaging program and their are some 3rd party applications out there that can be loaded to fix that in a jiffy.

The Blogger application on this device was something I was keen on seeing. Since one of my favorite moblogging sites - Textamerica - is in a bit of a restructuring right now I was wondering exactly what would I be doing to send quick photos up to the web. You can set up moblogging/picture posting through Flickr, but the built in Blogger application on the K-series phones is a bit more elegant. Also, if you do not have a blogger account it will help you create a new one on the spot, while mobile - and as the blog title says "Des...Mobile", I am frequently in this situation!

I really enjoy using the Blogger application on this device. Of course a standard keypad is a bit cramped to write a long post like this, but short comments, news I see happening on the go, restaurant reviews, travel tips or concert posts will come out nicely using this application. It's really been designed for the mobile blogger on the go...perhaps a wireless keyboard is not to far out on the horizon from SE???

The device also has a great messaging suite including support for SMS, MMS, e-mail (pop3) and a fairly new RSS reader. I enjoyed the RSS reader but found that it did take a bit to update my feeds - I may need to play with the settings a bit more to get this down, or I could have had a bad network connection, but it did the job with minimal issues.

The K790a came with the ability to sync with Outlook and store Contacts, Calendar events, Tasks and Notes. The new PC Suite that I used seemed to be less intuitive than previous versions and this is the first time I had trouble getting a SE device to sync - but my device is still a proto and I believe SE will have all of the bugs worked out by launch.

Quality:Strong Build Quality, inside and out. There is a brushed aluminum faceplate and many buttons are also made of metal, suggesting an "high-end" device. The backplate was a coated plastic with the new soft-feel rubber type finish that many companies are finding popular and it feels quite nice in your hand. The device has a solid weight to it that suggests the chassis is one again made of metal, however I did not pull it apart to check. The keypad was made of soft rubber with plastic backing underneath. The response was nice and I could type long messages or short e-mails on it with ease. The balance of the device was impressive and it was very easy to type one handed without the device falling out of my hand. The camera lens cover was a bit bulky and was made of of metal as well and it seemed to get bumped into often while using the device as a phone, one of my few complaints. The screen was also tremendous on this device and a pleasure to look at indoors and out. Fit and finish was excellet overall and I think the phone will handle short falls well, but I'd hate to mar this beautiful finish!

Misc:Over all I loved the device. It actually feels better in your hand in 'Cyber-shot' mode than in phone mode thanks to where and how the device offers it's curves. Another small thing that I liked was that when I recieved a message, the kepad had a soft pulsing glow for about 5 seconds, which was great to catch my attention if I had set the device down or had it in silent mode.

I am not sure how I feel about the M2 Micro Memory card that the device is using. Memory Stick Duo Pros are now available everywhere and they are quite cost effective, M2's are nowhere to be found and I hope it's not to long before we can get them in 1-2GB flavors to load this device up with pictures, music and other media to enjoy! I personally also have to gripe about the included headset that came with my test device because it is your standard stereo headset from Fast Port to earbuds. With the 'Walkman' phones, you could plug any 3.5mm haedset you wanted to in just above the Microphone and truly enhance the sound of the music player/ FM radio. Here it is just use what you're given, sound is OK, but nothing special and the music player is capable of much more! 'Walkman' style headsets for the W800/W810 will work fine with this device and can be found on various internet sites for $10-$15 bucks. If you are planning on using this device beyond it's imaging capabilities, I highly suggest this small additional investment.

That being said, the K790a does have a fast port connector and so it supports all 'Walkman' accessories. I have tested so far the FM Transmitter, Sereo Sound Dock, and portable stereo speakers!!! Dude...Sweet!!!

Wrap it up!The SonyEricsson K790a (and K790/K800) has really taken mobile digital still imaging to the next step by offering full digital capabilities in a small, sexy mobile form factor with excellent battery life (almost 4 full days of use before recharge) and high build quality. With it's 3.2 MP camera, Music Player, Blogger capabilities, Stereo Bluetooth, and beautifl, easy to read screen & great signal reception, this is by far the best mobile phone on the market today. Many of it's capabilities and features surpass the smartphones of today and will challenge many devices for months (& even years) to come. I'd like easier access to these new memory cards, and the big bump on the back where the lens cover is are just minor issues, overall, this is a device to lust after! It looks cool, it feels cool and it works terrific!!! It will be hard to give my test model back! Go check it out at www.sonyericsson.com today and see what it's all about. Also be sure to check this blog and my Flickr page for more photos of (and from) the SE K790a. Have a great day and thanks for reading my blog!!!

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Great Mobile Handsets

From L-R: T-Mobile Blackberry Pearl, Cingular SonyEricsson W810, T-Mobile Nokia 6133, T-Mobile Samsung T-629


This is a great time to be a person looking for a new mobile phone! There are so many really cool mobile devices out there - This post will focus more on the GSM side of the house (T-Mobile and Cingular) but even Verizon and Sprint have some cool stuff (Chocolate or Katana anyone???).

I used to be a fan of the "Smartphone". In easy terms, a "Smartphone" is a phone that usually has all of your regular services and adds in camera capabilities, e-mail, music player, extra storage, advanced sync capabilities to your Outlook, etc. Some examples include Nokia Series 60 phones like the 6600, 6670, 7610 and 6682, Palm Treo 650, T-Mobile SDA, etc. I also define a "Smartphone" as being any device I can use relatively well with one hand, so most Pocket PCs and the like get left out. Anyway, I used to be a fan (and still am!!!) but my service provider doesn't offer a lot of 'Smartphone" options these days but I am starting to wonder if there is as big a need as before.

Back to case in point - The 4 phones pictured above are some of the coolest devices available for purchase today and I'll tell you why- Each device come with at least a 1.3 Megapixel Camera (the SonyEricsson has a 2MP with Autofocus - nearly a DSC replacement!). Each device comes with support for Bluetooth and hey all offer some sort of "Music Player" experience (again SonyEricsson has a freakin Walkman for crying out loud!). They all offer the ability to sync with Outlook and keep your Calendar, and Contacts up-to-date and they all have external-removable memory to really grow and expand to support music, videos and other multimedia files.

Add to all these features that each device is very small and likely to be "thin" compared to many of today's devices and you have phones that look cool, perform at a high level and help reduce the need to take multiple devices along with you!

Just imagine you're going on a business trip and you need your e-mail, want to be able to IM the wife and kids, have some tunes to listen to on the plane and check information on the web about flight updates...T-Mobile Blackberry Pearl can do all of that at the same time! Maybe you don't need e-mail but want some killer tunes and a great camera since it's your first trip to San Diego...SonyEricsson W810 "Wallkman" phone has you covered.

Maybe you don't need e-mail at all and you just want a "cool" looking flip or slider that can play some tunes, keep you covered for voice calls and IM your friends...then the Samsung T629 or Nokia 6133 is right up your alley.

The best part of all, all of these devices can be found for about $200 - Not bad for everything that you can do with them!

T-Mobile Launches MyFaves and "Stick Together"

I am a bit of a fanboy, it's true. This has been in the works for quite sometime and now we are allowed to talk about it!

Today T-Mobile starts what I think is an historic journey to change the way people connect with the people who matter most to them. T-Mobile has launched MyFaves. Research states that you call 5 people approximately 70% of the time. These are your favorite people. But My Faves is not just a rate plan (like Alltel's MyCircle) but a new way to connect to those people. The My Faves interface puts those 5 poeple "on top" of your device, making communication to those people your top priority.

Along with MyFaves comes a new tag line "Stick Together". I think this helps people understand what T-Mobile is trying to do - help people stay connected to the ones that matter most to them.

It will be exciting to see if this kind of change in how we connect to people will be the begining of many companies here in the US looking to create a new user interaction...stay tuned!

Welcome to Des...Mobile!

Welcome, Hello and Howdy! Thanks for dropping by for the inaugural post to Des...Mobile. I hope to bring you interesting and helpful information from the mobile technology world.

I'll share exciting news, pictures and insigts from my travels, important mobile technology development information, the occasional press release and even "How To" guides on things like "Sending text messages so you can win $10,000 on Deal or No Deal" (you're welcome Mom).

Most of all, if you have a mobile related question, please drop me a line and I'll do my best to answer it, or point you in the right direction to find the answer!

Older post information can be found on my old blog http://mauiss7.blogger.com. I will slowly stop posting over there and post over here from now on. You can also check out the links to the right and see some other places I can be found on the web, but typically I write here first and then replicate it on other sites to reach all of my friends. If you have a suggestion for a cool link, please let me know and I'll check it out, you may even get a add out of the deal!

Thanks again for dropping bay and check back often for updates!

Pictures up on my Flickr page from the Helsinki Trip

Check out the link to view some snapshots from inside Nokia Haus and out around the area!