Category Archives: Mobile Technology

Grand Central, It’s Alive

  By Eric Rieman | March 12, 2009 - 1:05 am | Customer Service, Mobile Technology, VoIP
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After nearly a year of hearing nothing from Grand Central, Google has announced that the latest generation of this service will be known as Google Voice.

Grand Central is a phone service that touted ‘one phone number for life’. However, Grand Central provided more than just a phone number it gave users the ability to control who called them and where that call was routed to be answered.

I first came across Grand Central when I was in the process of changing mobile phone numbers. After providing all my contacts with my new Grand Central number I quickly learned of its limitations. The biggest problem I came across was the inability to receive text messages to my Grand Central number. While only a select few of my contacts actually text me I quickly realized this would not be a number I gave to most of my regular contacts.

I regularly followed the Grand Central blog as well as the the Grand Central help forum but after seeing little feedback from anyone at Grand Central I decided this would not become my one number for life. Instead I now use this number where I want to make sure I can screen the calls I receive.

I logged into my Grand Central account tonight and other than a message on the home page indicating the switch to Google Voice is coming nothing has changed. Google Voice appears to be a step in the right direction for this phone service. However, I am cautiously optimistic as the service is only as good as the support behind it.

Wireless Power

  By Eric Rieman | January 12, 2009 - 1:46 am | Mobile Technology
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We have all heard the phrase  ‘cut the cord‘ but we all knew at some point a cord would be needed to recharge the battery in the device that was ‘wireless’ or ‘cordless’. Inductive charging is a method that allows a properly equipped device to be recharge when it is placed on a charging station without having to actually connect a physical cord between the station and the device.

I first saw this technology a couple of years ago in a specially designed shopping cart in my local supermarket. The tv-kart uses inductive charging after each use to replenish power in the cart’s battery after each use. Recently, I came across this technology again when checking out the latest gadgets from CES 2009.

Ecoupled technology by Fulton Innovations has tremendous potential to change the way we recharge our cordless devices.

Fulton Innovations has partnered with some big names such as Energizer, Motorola, Texas Instrument, and Legget & Platt. These partnerships can provide a strong foundation and great marketing potenial to a technology just waiting to explode.

As a consumer, I can’t way to use this technolgy in my home, office, and car so I can quite fumbling around to find the right cord for my ‘cordless’ devices.

Mobile Phones as input devices

  By Eric Rieman | January 2, 2009 - 1:36 am | Mobile Technology
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As we rely more and more on our cell phones it is not surprising that they are being used for more then just making phone calls and texting. RemoteDroid allows you to use your G1 as input device for your computer. (A G1 is a Smart phone that operates on Google software known as Android. Currently, this Smart phone is only available through T-Mobile.)

RemoteDroid demo from Joshua Sera on Vimeo.

I see this as one step closer to a creating one device that has many uses. Can you imagine your ‘cell phone’ being able to change the channel on your TV or unlock your car doors. I am sure someone has and is working on it now. Of course there must be a balance between functionality and security for any device to become widely accepted.

(via MobileCrunch)