moblogging

If this works, then I have successfully setup BB Meta Blog (which wasn’t hard), and I can now blog from my Blackberry Storm.

(Point to the above link from your mobile to download the app).

To tell the truth, for typing the app itself is pretty crappy so I’m writing this in Memopad and will copy and paste (take that iPhone! Copy n’ paste).

Though the input isn’t s slick as it could be, it should allow me to capture incidental thoughts to fill in later. I guess I’ll see if its useful.

For now, just happy its working.

test post from blackberry

can you hear me.?

Oh No! Google Latitude knows where I am!

Privacy freaks will lose the plot over this one. I’ve already had a good laugh at the headline on the free London Metro this morning:

Google Latitude allows you to share your location with your friends on a map from your phone. Currently it’s available for:

1. T-Mobile G1 (of course)
2. Most colout Blackberry devices
3. Windows Mobile 5.1 compatible devices
4. Symbian s60 devices (Nokia Smartphones)
5. J2ME (Java-enabled) devices (Sony Ericson)

iPhone and iPodTouch are coming soon.

Now, I think that this is a) inevitable and b) very cool, but then I’m susceptible to giving away lots of personal data anyhow, it comes with the job, but it does always tickle me how ‘privacy groups’ go mental.

It was in reading initial reviews that I chuckled to myself about the potential scenarios where this potentially very useful service might get misused.

1. Setting it up on someone’s phone in the pub while they are in the toilet
3. Following a spouse or partner
4. Following employees

Okay. There are genuine privacy concerns here, but why does the same old crap get wheeled out time after time?

“Trade unions aren’t happy” the Metro said.

So what? Who gives a fuck? Stop skiving or shagging about.

It’s a gadget and it’s cool. Leave it alone. If you don’t like it, don’t play with it. Stay away, be gone.

Maybe the naysayers would prefer the Brightkite model where the user ‘checks in’ and volunteers their location manually? It feels like you are more in control, but with Latitude it is up to you who sees what anyway.

And if your device falls into your spouses hands and you happen to be a dodgy fella or fellarette, you should be more concerned that they check call history and text lists rather than covertly installing a mapping client and signing up with your Google credentials.

Yes Google is reputed to have security loopholes in some of it’s services but come on, let’s finally use this to deliver the much vaunted location based services telcos have been trying to do for years.

Ah. Hang on.

Yes, telcos have missed the boat on cracking this themselves haven’t they?

Phone + Location = location based services.

Much simplified but still.
Silly telcos.

Google Latitude
Brightkite

Snow point in travel websites, Twitter wins out

Britain is closed.

Today was always going to be hugely disrupted because of the ‘adverse weather’ but I tried to get into work anyway.

Prior to traveling I tried to check the necessary pages of National Rail, London Transport and SouthWest Trains only to be disappointed by Error 404 pages and Runtime Errors.

Even as early as 6 a.m. both the National Rail and SouthWest Trains websites were down. The IVR system wasn’t really working either due to ‘high demand’ and I hate IVRs that hang up on you and say ‘We’re busy, f*ck off and come back later’.

I turned to Twitter and received a flurry of decent travel, tailored and localised to my needs, giving me every piece of rumour and unfiltered conjecture I need to stay at home.

Thanks @jasonmesut for trying to get in and discovering that you can’t. You saved me some wet toes.

Rumour has it that the under 30s with no children are traveling in to work today (I’ll add the source later).