Browser compatibility testing
While trying to find good resources for browser compatibility, I came across some interesting services to check the output of a web page on different platforms and browsers.
- Browser Photo delivers pictures of a page in different screen sizes on WebTV, iMac, and PC (Windows 2000), for IE and NS mainly (no Mozilla…). $150 for a year unlimited checking.
Tracking time and expenses
In my previous job, I simply had to keep track of time spent on some project. I used SDS Time for years, simple, straightforward, and with the data in CSV format on my desktop, quite easy to fill out the company time sheets. We didn’t monitor anything beyond "hours on a project", and with categories and so, I could also keep track of time spent on certain private projects and boards and so.
Rolf Agenda and contacts
For a long time, I have used DateBk4 and DateBk5 as my agenda on my Palm. But I was always unhappy about the lack of support at the desktop, and I slowly concluded that I was not really using the full potential of an electronic agenda when I constantly had to either type in all information on my Palm, or enter half the info on the desktop, then sync, and add the other half on my Palm. Things like categories of appointments.
Access to the SD Card from the desktop
I intend to use my Treo as a kind of ultra-light weight "laptop" for certain trips. Often I can use some computer in an office or internet cafe for more extensive work. So it would be nice to use the SD Card as a memory stick. Apart from that, being able to directly work with the files on the card from my regular laptop would really help too. With Softick’s CardExport II ($15), this is now reality. Just start the software on the Treo and click "connect".
Sound recording
As a first post… One of the obvious things is to use the Treo as a voice recorder. It takes a firmware upgrade to make that possible, but then there is a choice of software to use.
- "Personal Audio Recorder" is available in basic and pro versions ($15, $23) at www.toysoft.ca/par.html
- Audacity has a whole range of software, for instance a "basic" version for $50.
Up and running?
Starting to use blogging as a note-taking tool… Let’s see how that works. I’m trying to use the gaim-blogger plugin for Gaim to make this as easy as possible, since I have my instant messaging program open mostly. My data life seems to slowly take shape around a few programs.
- Firefox as the browser desktop, to surf the net, find things, and develop websites and such.
- Agendus and Bonsai as contact, time, and task management tools, synchronising nicely with my Treo.