freerange freereader vs viigo... [freeware]

this is yet another rss reader.  i'm sad to admit this but i've found myself breaking up with viigo because of the easy to use pretty features of freerange.   sure, the free version allows for 10 feeds but i've found that i do not need any more than that.  the feeds can be managed in their online user interface to make life easier for us who do not have the ninja skills necessary to input the rss addresses.  the display is gorgeous and the theme, configurable.

just as i did before, i will continue "playing" with the applications i post and will most definitely update when i find better options.

i'll let you compare products on your own.

features:

freerange (public)   ||    viigo (beta)

my reasons for choosing freerange:

• updatable feeds via their web site
  
• it is NOT beta, if possible i'd rather keep beta products off of my devices
  
• you can e-mail stories to your contacts
  
• easy to use
  
• it's pretty  (i'll post some screenshots later)
  

this may look totally one sided but i did put in at least a month of viigo use before i mentioned it a couple posts ago.  

i happen to be open minded to the sampling of freerange; and,  it has turned me into a fan.  :)

for the protective, somewhat paranoid mobile geek [freeware, beta]

so, you keep your workstations and laptops well protected from cooties and n00b hackers; but, what about your smartphone?

with so many new applications out there and curious end-users like me how are you to keep your devices safe?  well,  at least for the common freelance geeks we don't have to worry much about endusers.  however, we do need to fend for ourselves in this geek pawn geek world that we live in.

that said, i bring to you a beta mobile security suite developed to address the increasing threat of viruses, spyware, malware, bluetooth attacks, etc....  on mobile devices.  there's also a nice firewall and intrusion prevention system plus data protection and backup.

flexilis is now on beta release 4 and  you can read up on it on their blog or sign up for it either on their blog or main site.

viigo newsreader [freeware]

this is a beta news reader, 3.0 being their latest release; however, this product helps make your mobile device even more indispensable.  it's a program that gathers the latest news from a LOAD of content providers.  best part of it all is that it's free.  it better be since it's still in beta.

i added this application on right after i loaded the latest mobile 6.1 onto my blackjack 2 and i haven't had any problems with it yet.  the registration is a little tricky if you forget about doing it to begin with.  you start off with a guest account and perform the steps below to register.

Guest accounts cannot be used to manage feeds. You must first create a registered account within Viigo before you can manage your feeds from this console. To create an account, launch Viigo and go to: Options > Account > Create New Account

i feel as if i can't be without this application now.  it gives me a mobile connection to the global loop without having to run through multiple websites or applications to get to what i need to know.  i love it how i can mark a story to be saved and that i can update channels individually.  before, i just used my phone for its e-mail, calendar, and phone functions; but, now it's my daily newspaper.

if you couldn't already tell, i highly suggest installing this app on your smartphone.  :D

mobile IM apps, oh my [freeware]

yes, there is an 's' in apps.  there are serious options out there beside the basic IM client that came on your smartphone.

i used to use 'palringo' but as of today i found out that there are many similar 

[freeware] apps that cover the same stuff.  i'm hoping that they do so in a cleaner fashion that what i'm used to.  i am going to try out 'fring' next.  i had a good time with palringo but i have the feeling that there may be something better out there.

i am not advertising/backing a specific client as of yet but i am open to hearing your take on any of the below programs for your smartphone.

• palringo
• fring
• eqo
• nimbuzz
• yeigo

nsa certified smartphone? [news]

the presidential smartphone is a new concept and before we can soak in that news, we find that there's already a NSA approved presidential phone. a secure smartphone for President Obama has a price of $3,350 with a two-year warranty. ouch! i don't think i'll be able to whine / complain about the prices of my smartphones anytime soon.

kinoma, a handy mobile media product [freeware]

kinoma freeplay is a freeware program that i've been using on my smartphone (blackjack 2 w/ windows mobile 6.1).

i love the media management and online searches. it is soooo nifty to have youtube in the palm of my hands. notice how i said nifty? it is not a requirement of mine to have youtube at the drop of a hat. besides, all that will kill my device's battery.

almost all the things i'm about to list about kinoma are battery killers; however, if you are like me and have your smartphone at the side of your hip 24/7, then you probably also carry a usb connector to keep your phone charged every chance you get.

either way, this multimedia organizer is a must have for me, especially with the history function that allows the user to go back to a youtube stream they watched earlier in the day.

one common complaint i heard from customers was that their battery life is short. well, that'll happen when you are sitting around playing with all the new nifty features of your device. no sarcasm there, i wooork my smartphone too.

leave it to "the servers that be"

yep, i'm going back to geek.  i just had a nice explanatory conversation with a customer and it resulted in me stating that we have to leave certain things up to "the servers that be."  i like that variation over "the powers that be."  i thought it was kinda cute and in the above instance, it was true.  ^_^

i've always been a geek, i just didn't have a role model to reinforce the fact that geek is chic.   it's a bit tough especially since Revenge of the Nerds  was out and popular when and where i grew up.

again, this post is to announce my geek intentions for this blog.   i'm going geek, again!

i will be touching on things such as games, news, hacks, announcements, and personal tweaks.  you will notice my inclination to favor news on smartphones.  the motorola good technology experience hasn't found its way out of me, yet.  

important note:  i am not the geek that is being addressed in this -> post.

**oh yeah, there will be a mention of my sj sharks every now and again.**