Michael Graves

This author has written 1385 articles

Coming Soon: Rock ‘em Sock ‘em DoorBots!

DoorBot-ALGO-8028You may recall that I was eagerly awaiting the arrival our DoorBot, the Wifi-enabled, video capable doorbell that calls a smart phone app when the button is pushed. Well, our DoorBot arrived early in December. Since then I’ve been pondering if, and exactly how, to share my initial experience with the device.

To be blunt, our early experience with DoorBot has been disappointing. It doesn’t meet our needs for a couple of reasons. The software is still a little rough. To be fair the company is reported to be working on the issues reported by early users. However, they’re not doing the greatest job of reporting their progress.

All of this has me thinking back to when I first considered putting the DoorBell Fone at our gate, and the alternatives that were available at the time. The most attractive option was ALGO Solutions model 8028 SIP Door Phone. However, at $500 it was just beyond my budget at the time.

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Why is wireless charging progressing so slowly?

Nexus Wireless ChargerAs you may know Stella and I both carry  Nexus 4 cell phones. Under the Christmas tree there happened to be a Nexus 7 tablet to add to her gadget mix.

Since the Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 are both capable of wireless charging I also bought her one of the Qi-compliant wireless chargers. Stella has a well-documented disdain for wires, so the wireless charger holds considerable appeal.

The Qi standard was created by Wireless Power Consortium in 2009. It’s simply mind-boggling how stupidly rare and costly wireless chargers remain, even though the technology should be by now well-established.

Google’s own Nexus wireless charger, a single position model, costs a whopping $50!

Looking on Amazon I find that there are a number of Qi wireless chargers offered. Single device chargers run $20 – 50, with many in the $30+ range.

Two position Qi wireless chargers, the most practical solution for someone with multiple devices, run from $50 to over $100!

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Deal Alerts: BT Headset Revisited & Adjustable Aluminum Laptop Stand

Tis the season, etc, etc. This has me watching the daily bargain sites a little more than usual. Today’s email flood brings two items worth a mention.

Back on December 5 I told you about the Plantronics Voyager Legend Bluetooth headset being offered for just $39. That was a short-term deal that expired after just 24 hours. Today I find that the same company is repeating the offer, but this time it’s at a section of their website that sustains the offer until the inventory is gone. If you were indecisive and missed the earlier offer you can still get one. It’s unlikely to arrive before the holidays, so it’s more of a self-gift than a stocking stuffer.

The Daily Deals site has an offer of an Adjustable Aluminum Laptop Stand for $30. Normally this sort of thing would not catch my eye. In this case the very fact that the seller has provided a number of supporting images is key to attracting my interest.

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Hello, T-Mobile. We need to talk.

We’ve been together quite a long while. I’ve always liked underdogs, and you’ve come such a long way, especially since that nasty breakup with AT&T.

You’ve been a member of the family a long time. In fact, my last five cell phones have graced your network. We still like what you do, but we need to discuss our current arrangement. It’s just too costly.

Oh, it’s not your fault. It’s mine. I was smitten by that legacy unlimited data plan that you once offered, reluctant to give it up. I now realize how wrong I’ve been. Times change. I don’t need all that data the way I once did.

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WebRTC: Ripples In Fabric Of Cyberspace

TheVoicePodcastOnThinkPadX1CarbonWith every passing day the news of WebRTC spreads to a larger audience. As the audience grows it becomes more diverse. It has moved beyond the developer community to those who might leverage the technology in some real manner. It’s interesting to track how the technology is being conveyed to an ever broader, less technical audience. Given that these things happen online, it’s a bit like watching ripples in the fabric of cyberspace.

Media Style and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) in Ottawa produce a podcast known as The Voice on issues relating to business communications and marketing. The December 9 episode (#63) was entitled ”Let’s Talk WebRTC with Lawrence Byrd and Mark Lindsay.” Lawrence Byrd was previously with Avaya and contributes to the No Jitter and WebRTC World blogs. Mark Lindsay is President of the Ottawa Product Management Association.

The podcast is an interesting illustration of how the news of WebRTC is getting around. I cannot take issue with the information presented. It’s a nice intro to the topic presented by knowledgeable, well-spoken people. In fact I, commend them for the effort.

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