I really rely on my iPod (and my iTunes on my laptop) when I’m on the road. Probably another reason I’m so eagerly awaiting MoGo’s headset!

Here are some fun iPod tricks for those of you also on the go:

1) Listen to Wikipedia articles via your iPod. I recently refreshed my memory on the King Henry’s wives via Wikipedia.  There’s a service called Pediaphon that will automatically convert any Wiki article into a robotic podcast - which is actually way cooler than it sounds.

2) Catch up on NPR. My family has a strange addiction to Car Talk. You know, Click and Clack - the Tappit brothers? No? Oh, well you GOT to try them out. A lot of the shows are available only for a week after broadcast, which is a shame because Terry Gross’ interview with Gene Simmons was legendary.

3) Download YouTube to your iPod (or, even easier, use Vixy).  Although this takes longer than watching in a livestream from the site, some of these videos become as favorite as songs and are definitely worth having along to provide a well needed chuckle while on the road.

4) Catch up on your favorite blogs (like this one!).  If you have a corporate laptop and are concerned about loading it up with personal data - like the RSS feeds from the blogs you follow, never fear: there’s a way to actually bring those feeds into your video iPod.

5)  Catch up on your favorite authors or learn a new language. As much as I’m not one to endorse a commercial site, I recently got addicted to ‘Books on Tape’, by which I mean ‘AudioBooks on my iPod’ - a growing selection of which is now available at iTunes. My significant other, meanwhile, has been brushing up on his trigonometry while on the treadmill.

Either way? It’s all good.

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You tell me, is this good news?

CBS Mobile, in partnership with a company called Loopt, announced on Wednesday that they will be delivering the country’s first location-based mobile Web site advertisements.

If you’re wondering what that means…

The partners will use GPS and other localization technology to reach consumers at their physical location, enabling them to target users who are near a particular place of business.  These will NOT be Bluejacked messages sent to  cell phones, but appear non-intrusively on mobile Web sites which consumers can access from their cell phones.

The ads will be available on CBS Sports Mobile and CBS Mobile News Web sites, on Loopt properties and its partner’s Web sites.

In other words, you’re checking the scores at CBS Sports on your phone while waiting for your car’s oil to be changed and ‘POP’ there’s an ad for a sale on donuts at the grocery store next door.

All consumer location data, they say, will be privacy protected by Loopt.

According to the press release:

“Location-based advertising is the sweet spot in mobile marketing,” said Cyriac Roeding, Executive Vice President, CBS Mobile.  “We are thrilled for CBS to be the first media company in the country to help our clients realize highly relevant, yet non-intrusive mobile ads using location-based technology. Through our partnership with Loopt, our advertisers will be able to deliver targeted messages to potential customers who, based on their location, might be very likely to click or make a purchase. This makes the ads highly relevant to consumers and advertisers at the same time.”

CBS’s mobile sports and news Web sites  produced close to 75 million page views and 5 million unique users  in the last quarter of 2007 - making it one of the highest-traffic ad-supported mobile Web sites in the U.S.

“We’ve really blurred the line between advertising and content. It’s a win for everyone — consumers, advertisers, Loopt, CBS and our carrier and developer partners.”

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Last week Elizabeth posted about just how crazy it’d be to have a Bluetooth lawnmower cruising around your yard.  Can you imagine?  That said, in passing she also mentioned how the future truly is here in that she can simply email her DVR to tell it to start recording…well for all us mobile warriors, turns out the future is actually a lot MORE here than we thought.

That’s right friends, mobile warriors, American Idol lovers…DirecTV is actually going to be allowing you to program your DVR from your cell phone.  Yeah, your phone.  Think of this, you could be sitting in an airport and remember how much you can’t miss Lost and 10 seconds later, you’re recording.  Crazy.

Basically it’s called the DirecTV DVR Scheduler and it’s pretty darn sweet for all you customers of the service.  The ability to be mobile, stay mobile and not have to sacrifice the creature comforts of actually being home is amazing…not to mention futuristic.  So, just imagine your Bluetooth Lawnmower cutting your grass, your DVR recording American Idol and you on a plane, 5,000 miles away.  How Jetsons of you.

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When Tyler and I were talking about the future of Bluetooth some months back, we had a good time imagining future applications of the technology. The Bluetooth Dog Walker/Pooper Scooper, the Bluetooth Mug Warmer, even the Bluetooth Calorie Counter (stick it in a Big Mac and out comes the awful truth…) were all some of the late-night ideas that took my fancy.

Something I don’t think EITHER of us even imagined is hitting the market at about $3200.

Yes, you guessed it. The Bluetooth robotic lawnmower!

I’m still deciding if this is for real, y’all. Sure, I can email my television and have it record American Idol on the fly but can we even compare that to something with the chopping power of your favorite chainsaw wandering about your yard unsupervised?

Operating on the same principles as those robotic vacuum cleaners,  this little baby does come packed with some bleeding edge features:

Through Bluetooth, the homeowner can program which days of the week and what hours of the day the LawnBott needs to come out of its charging base and cut the grass. At the end of its work cycle, the LawnBott will go back to its charging station and take a nap while it recharges, ready to come out again for the next cycle.

It will be on sale at Kyodo America.

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Wow.  I can’t say I am necessarily Surprised, but nevertheless, the post I did about our beloved MoGo Go Go Girls received quite a bit of attention, and that said, I’m sure this one will do the same.

That’s right folks, I have a Round 2 Update of not only our favorite girls in white, but also the goings-on  inside CES this year!  Seems to me I’m missing one heck of a party and I’m sad to be stuck here!  Nevertheless, keep rockin’ MoGo, and the MoGo Go Go Girls!  Scroll for the photo love:

“CES 2008 Day 2 Updates with Photos.

Another good and exciting day at CES 2008 for MoGo and the MoGo Girls. Meetings are continuing to go great and the Mogo girls keep drawing in the people.

Matt Westover finished filming at CNBC for commercial that will air in the next couple weeks. We drew a great crowd presence throughout the hall today, maybe too good as we were asked to quietly leave because the traffic we drew. We kept going strong at the Sands Into tomorrow booth really pressing hard for tomorrow drawing of the limited edition Gold Mogo X54.

Off to the Bluetooth SIG awards.”

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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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Q. I’ve had quite a few questions about the new Sprint ‘BaseStation’ and Femto technology - how does it work? Will it be the ‘New Standard’ for home lines, etc. 

A. Although I started my technology career at a local phone company, it has been 15 years since I was in the trenches with  telephony.  I, too, have long wondered whether the cell phone wouldn’t become the core of the residential phone system.

As more and more of the poeple I know have abandoned land lines in favor of a combination of broadband and cell phone, it doesn’t take a visionary to know that with the home base-station based on femto technology - the land line is poised to lose entire sections of their customer demographics.

For more information, let me point you at the sources I use to gather data. First, the Femto Forum, which is tech-savvy and often reads like an industry white paper. Second, Martin Sauter has published a series of posts about femto that while somewhat techie are very accessible and honest in both language and approach.

As for the question - is it time to give up my landline?For many people, the reliability and freedom of the landline has still not been outweighed by the mobile offerings.

But as for me? Well, I canceled my landline today.

Q. I ordered my new MoGo XXX weeks ago, and still no delivery, can you help?

A. Delivery times are based on where your order was in the queue as the new MoGo products went into production. There was a backorder list that was the first addressed.

As the weeks have progressed, production is meeting the orders with quicker and quicker turnarounds.

However, if you feel there is a problem with your order and you haven’t had a proper response from the retailer, PLEASE feel  free to contact either customer  support for MoGo or even to email me directly.

We are here for you.

Q. …Additionally, regarding the x54 Pro: What is being sent to the computer?(leftarrow, right arrow, B, ., +, etc.) Are the commands sent if powerpoint is not running or not in the foreground?

A. As I said last week, I am researching this. In fact, I am one of the ones waiting for my own x54 Pro so I can road test your questions for myself.

Stay tuned!

On Fridays, MoGo Mobility’s Elizabeth will seek to answer your MoGo (and non-MoGo) technical questions.
Elizabeth is an IT Geek who has worked every job in the industry from hooking up ISDN lines to managing high-end SAN builds. Thousands have attended her seminars in the US & Canada on subjects ranging from basic PC maintenance to data storage solutions. To answer your questions over the years, Elizabeth has gladly put herself and her own equipment to the test: she’s washed keyboards in the dishwasher, installed spyware on her own systems, and MacGyvered every bit and bob in between in the search for real-life solutions to IT problems.

Got a question? Ask Elizabeth.

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Good Gracious, another great gaggle of alliterative goodness.  Well all the “G’s” are adding up to the news that a patent has been filed for a new “pay as you go” mobile service from Google.  Speculation is what the internet does best and lately, with the quiet fluttering of photos around the blogosphere of a rumored “GPhone,” it’s at an all-time high.

The GPhone is purported to be a low-cost, internet enabled phone that allows users to place mobile calls, browse the internet and who knows what else.  With the iPhone already out, it’s not a stretch to imagine the types of features a company with Google’s money could throw into a new mobile phone product.  I gotta admit, I’m a bit excited about the prospect.

According to the article I just fumbled upon, GPay’s patent basically describes the following:

“…a system where a user sends a text message to Google that gives details of a payment to a specified payee. GPay would debit the user’s bank account and credit the payee. It suggests that a user would not have to keep an account with Gpay as payments would be made externally.”

Smooth.  The bottom line is, it better be Bluetooth, because if it’s not I’m gonna be a hot little potato.  IF a GPhone enters the mobile playing field, you better believe I want to be able to use the MoGo Headset with it.  Hey Google, if you’re reading, make sure it’s Bluetooth Ready.  Please.

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Q. Hi - I tried to order from Tigerdirect, but their shipping added around $50 to the price(!) Do you know when you plan having the new products with UK retailers?

A. Even though the world is made border-free in many ways through the Internet, that doesn’t include shipping and handling.

I talked with the marketing team over at MoGo and they said there has been (their words) and OUTRAGEOUS demand for the new x54’s outside the US. They are lining up European retailers right now.

Expect our announcement on a UK distributor SOON. The team wants UK availability within the month.

Q. The (Lenovo) X61 says that it has a Type I / II PC Card slot. Will the Mogo mouse BT fit in that type of slot? Thanks.

A. Yes, We are compatible for PC II Card Slot

Q. Last week, I answered a question about Macs and MoGo. I’ve had some emails asking me to clarify…

A. I forgot to add that the MoGo compatability chart is here.

Sorry about that.

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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Man, could I have managed to manually manipulate any more words with the letter “M” in that title?!  I think not.  Nevertheless, I digress.  I just read a cool article about something that should make the lives of Mobile Warriors around the country yet again easier.  First comes the Pizza with a Text message, now comes even easier mobile shopping.  Where does it end?!

That’s right, mShopper is aiming to make all things mobile shopping a lot easier for you, your friends and anyone else who has ever wanted to, or actually purchased something via their cell phone.  According to the article I just read at MobileCrunch, the mShopper application helps by:

“…providing prices and specs on thousands of products in real time. Up-to-date information in changes can be easily accessed…the mShopper search engine allows you to find a product with as few as two or three characters. For example, if a shopper is interested in a Panasonic HDTV, typing “pan” and “hdt” would result in a hit. If a search results in too many hits, additional descriptions can be added to narrow the field. This feature helps when shopping for something in a certain color or size.”\

Not too bad at all.  Combine this technology with Bluetooth ad’s and we’re talking 21st century stuff.  Combine all That with a MoGo Headset and you’re really in luck as shopping, browsing, listening and participating in the mobile world gets easier every day.

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