Short and sweet today, because today belongs to family, to friends, and to all those you care for.  No matter where you are, what you’re doing, or what you believe in, just eat more than you should today, hug more than you usually do, relax a little longer.  In short:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM ALL OF US HERE AT MOGO!

Check back in Friday and again Monday as we resume regular broadcasting.  Remember, that last piece of pumpkin pie has my name on it.  Yes it does.  I called it.

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I was pretty eager to try it out, so I didn’t wait. With my laptop  off-site, a desktop system would have to play host to the new peripheral.

My partner’s PC proved up to the task.

A note before we did into my initial impressions. As I reviewed this new version, it was impossible not to compare it to my older one. My original MoGo traveled with me over  two countries and thousands upon thousands of miles, so it would be disingenuous  of me to attempt to review the X54 it as if it were an entirely novel experience

To address this, I’ve asked some associates who’ve never used a MoGo mouse before to take it for a spin over the upcoming weeks. Those ‘fresh impression’ will be  included in future posts.

Now, to the review.

The first thing I noticed was how quickly it set up. As in, no time at all. I’m pretty sure even my most non-technical acquaintances could handle this. Like its predecessor,  this thing is extremely plug ‘n play.

My second impression was how small it felt.

Even lighter than the previous version.

And if the MoGo is a new experience for a hand used to the race car-shaped bulk, the super-light MoGo with its more squared-off design will take some tactile adjustment. This is not a device to slam down onto the mousepad as you attempt to relocate your on-screen pointer. (Not that anyone would ever do that. :ahem:)

But after about 15 minutes, I utterly forgot about it. The mouse is responsive and efficient, and I had to keep reminding myself to pay attention to it as I got lost in my usual work.

My only complaint was in regards to its energy-saving feature. The mouse goes to ’sleep’ quite easily. I don’t remember this being as much the case with my older MoGo. In the time it takes to top off a cup of tea or  to have an engrossing phone conversation, this one would inactivate.

Since turning it back on is a simple flick of the wrist, these seems a petty observation. However, it did give me a minor irk.

On the plus side, the new scroll feature is exceedingly intuitive.  I am so used to having scroll abilities that it actually took me going through my checklist to remember that this was an upgrade from before. It works just as you would expect it to, with familiar response and action.

I haven’t yet tried out its more ‘Pro’ features but overall so far? I’m impressed.

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In a word:  Wow.  Photos of the MoGo X54 Mouse will be forthcoming, hands on photos, that is.  For now, all I can say is WOW.  The scrolling is smooth, the response time is amazingly fast, the accuracy of the pointer is spot-on, it charges fast, holds the charge forever and pairs in no time at all.

Secondly, and so so impressively to me, is the multi-media mode on the X54.  The ability to simply press the tiny Mode button on the back and have it switch to a remote controller for my iTunes, Windows Media Player, or other similar program on my computer was AMAZING.  From 35 feet away in my room, I was able to adjust the volume, change songs, pause, skip, fast forward and stop songs.  No getting up, no running around, just a simple push and you’re changing your music on the fly.  Unreal.

Bottom line, if you don’t have one yet, get one.  Now.   Be looking for some photos on Wednesday, they will be pretty and they will be saliva producing.  It’s almost Christmas, this would be such a perfect gift.

Also be looking out for first impressions for the MoGo Dapter.  I’ll say this:  Sweet.

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Today, instead of posting about some new product announcements, some cool Bluetooth products like the MoGo Mouse, MoGo Daptor, or MoGo Headset that is coming out soon, I want to ask You, the readers, a very important question.

To put it simply, what more do YOU guys want to read about?  What kind of information do YOU covet?  Do you want more news on products?  More opinions?  More editorials?  Sound off, because we want to know what YOU want to hear.

So, a call to arms, as it were.  In the immortal words of Jerry McGuire, “Help me, Help You.”  I want to know what you want to hear, and I want to know what you think!

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Following on Tyler’s post, Steve Jobs gave himself a nice case of whiplash yesterday and announced that Apple will allow third-party development on the iPhone starting in February, 2008.

A letter has been posted on the official Apple Web site: “We are excited about creating a vibrant third-party developer community around the iPhone and enabling hundreds of new applications for our users.”

According to Yahoo’s Gadget Freak, Ben Patterson;

“It’s pretty sad that Apple took so long to decide that open development on the iPhone would be a good thing—but now that the belated announcement has arrived, I think it’s great news. The Palm, Windows Mobile, and Symbian platforms are literally swimming in great third-party apps that have added untold value to their respective handsets, and I can’t wait to see what the iPhone development community has in store.”

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If you are a customer of Disney’s Mobile Phone services, you probably already know that they are ceasing business as of December 31, 2007. What to do for a phone service to go with your new MoGo headset?

Not to worry, several other kid-focused cell services are courting Disney customers in a big way.

Firefly is offering a free  phone plus $10 credit is you switch from Disney to Firefly (6 month minimum contract, executed prior to Oct. 31).

The recently re-vamped flyPhone  is a fully functional kid-tough phone with a cool ‘morphing keypad’ feature that changes the keypad display to adjust to the controls needed to make calls,  play MP3’s, videos, or games. It can store up to 500 phone numbers.

It also has some of the parental-control features that lured customers to Disney in the first place, including :  : limiting incoming and outgoing calls to numbers stored in the phone book while also restricting what numbers are held in the phone book. There are also texting controls, pay-as-you-go plans,

The glowPhone, meanwhile,  looks and works much like the younger-child restricted phones previously offered by Disney. Kids are restricted to only numbers that parents have placed in the address book and a couple of ’speed dial’ buttons on the keypad.

What’s missing? The ‘Child Find’ services that utilize the phone’s built-in GPS to allow you to see where your child is whenever you wish.

This may be part of the reason that Disney is recommending Verizon for their customers.  Verizon is offering Disney-switch  customers Disney ringtones and wallpapers as well as 3 months free of their Chaperone service, their package  that locates the child’s phone from either your PC or your Verizon phone.

What’s missing from this plan is the gee-whiz kid-friendly phones .  Verizon’s offer comes with the same selection they make available to all grown-up new customers, with no products specifically geared for the younger set. Parents may be a little nervous about giving their 6 year-old a RAZR headset, and with good reason. Children are notoriously rough on their kit, and cell phones are hardly an exception.

Kajeet is also attempting to lure form Disney customers with kid-freindly services and a $50 credit.

Their phone offerings are also from the traditional line, although the prices are reasonable . However, they  do add a feature many Disney customers grew to love - the configuration management software. This allows parents to block the use of the phone during set hours (like school hours) except for calls to/from specific numbers (like 911 or a parent), as well as track  who your kids is texting and talking to.

Kajeet was the option Yahoo tech mom Dory Devlin chose in switching from Disney. Her review of her experience is here.

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Q. When will I get my new MoGo x54?

A. First of all, if you have ordered a new MoGo mouse and the delivery has not met the schedule you were given, please feel free to contact me or MoGo’s support line. We are here and want to help if you are having problems.

Secondly, if you order today then you should be quoted about a 4 week delivery time. Gateway, for example, is giving out mid-November for a ship date.

By the end of the year, expect this lead time to drop. In the meantime, please accept our deep felt thanks for being some of the first  to buy these exciting new products!

Q. When will UK orders ship?

A. The lead time internationally is the same as domestically. If you order now, then you can expect it to be shipped mid-November.

International reviewers, like the UK’s Pocket-Lint, have already received their models to try out and talk about.

Q. Where can I buy them outside the US?

A. To make life easy for you, here’s that link again: . Find your nearest MoGo retailer here.

Elizabeth is a professional writer & geek with most of the last decade spent in senior management at a leading global IT provider. Thousands have attended her seminars in the US & Canada on subjects ranging from basic TCP/IP networking to high-end data storage solutions.

Got a question? Ask Elizabeth.

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Q. Will my Bluetooth Mouse work with my Linux system?

A. Yes.

If you’re using the commercially available desktop GNU/Linux platform, then you should already have the Bluetooth kernel drivers compiled as modules and ready to load once your systems detects a Bluetooth hub and/or a Bluetooth peripheral device.

If anything, you may need to buy a Bluetooth USB adaptor, like MoGo’s about-to-be released Daptor.

Tyler wrote a great post on this a few month back. Andthis article is a little old but has tons of good information about Linux and Bluetooth.

Q. Will MoGo products work with Vista?

A. They already do.

Issues with Vista getting Bluetooth peripherals to work almost always have more to do with how the platform handles the Bluetooth protocol than any specific Bluetooth device (like the MoGo Mouse).

Here are the official Microsoft instructions for setting up any Bluetooth device with Vista. The Microsoft TechNet has a bunch of answers for the common problems you may encounter.

Q. I don’t live in the U.S. and don’t want to pay the outrageous shipping to buy a MoGo mouse from a US retailer. Tell me there are international sellers!

A. OK, there are International Sellers!

It’s true. Find your nearest MoGo retailer here.

Elizabeth is a professional writer & geek with most of the last decade spent in senior management at a leading global IT provider. Thousands have attended her seminars in the US & Canada on subjects ranging from basic TCP/IP networking to high-end data storage solutions.

Got a question? Ask Elizabeth.

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Happy Monday friends.  Hopefully the weekend saw you getting outside and enjoying whatever semblance of Summer is left in your area.  Hopefully you really were outside and not inside on MySpace.  If you HAD to be on MySpace, and trust me I know a great deal of people that HAVE to be on it far too often, things might be getting a lot better for you, and you might just be able to combine the great outdoors and MySpace in one glorious union.

Yeah, enough chit chat, the bottom line is, Fox Interactive Media is launching free Mobile MySpace access.  Yikes.  According to the article I just read, “Accessing the Internet from a mobile phone will soon be as common as text messaging and voice calling, and it’s FIM’s goal to deliver these new free, ad-supported experiences as additional options for our users on top of our incredibly popular premium mobile services.”   Basically, that means you’re going to be able to do all this, BUT, you’re going to have to put up with a whole slew of ad’s.  It’s more TheirSpace than it is your space, but nevertheless, you’ll be able to check up on those all-important bulletins from wherever your cell phone may roam.

That last sentence, just made me extremely depressed.  I am sorry if it did the same to you.

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Q. I really don’t want to order my new mouse from Tiger Direct. When will other retailers offer it for purchase?

A. NOW!

The x54 is now widely available from several US retailers. A quick Google search reveals the many options you have for ordering.

For those who swear by their BT model, rest assured that product is still in production. I’ve become so enamored of mine that I rarely use the ‘full sized’ one any more, even at home.

And remember, we are here and listening. If you have any feedback or comments about your ordering experience, please let us know.

Q. I was at SkyMall site and I think I saw the MoGo mouse for sale there. Are they selling it?

A. SkyMall is indeed featuring the MoGo products; as a catalog that features items geared towards the mobile traveler, it is a perfect fit for them.

Please note, though, that SkyMall features items from other companies gathered under the umbrella of their catalog and website. Thus, buying a MoGo mouse from them is really a purchase through Tiger Direct - which was the first US retailer of the new x54’s.

Elizabeth is a professional writer & geek with most of the last decade spent in senior management at a leading global IT provider. Thousands have attended her seminars in the US & Canada on subjects ranging from basic TCP/IP networking to high-end data storage solutions.

Got a question? Ask Elizabeth.

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