mNotes Review

I promised a review of Commontime's mNotes some time ago. I have been using the application for synchronizing with Lotus notes for several months. In fact, I have used it enough to experience one incremental uprgade.

My first impression with the software was a favorable one. The interface is pleasant and elegant, not like the rather archaic Pylon interface. The installation was smooth and user friendly.

The features of the product make keeping up to date on a mobile device exceptionally easy. I have all of the basic functionality for PIM on the device as I do on the desktop. In general, I am pleased.

However, probably due to my own inabilities, there have been a few glitches. First, I attempted to compare mNotes and Pylon. That, of course, required loading both of them on the device. Unloading them was not so easy. I ended up with two inboxes in mNotes for a rather long period of time. Thankfully, the support services at Commontime are quick and responsive. While they did not actually fix the problem, they did educate me enough the I was able to build on they advice and resolve the issues. Then the upgrade came.

I downloaded and installed the latest mNotes version. It has much more functionality in the mail conduit than I use. Commontime really increased the wireless push mail capabilities of the program. Since my workplace has not made an enterprise level deployment, I cannot experience the benefit. Also, a quirky little problem arose.

It seems that there is a conflict between mNotes and the Palm TX. Here's the background. I use the Palm Versamail program for checking my internet mail and I use the Blazer browser as well. With the latest version of mNotes installed on the device, after wirelessly checking the internet mail, then switching immediately over to the browser, the machine resets. This is not the end of the world. but it is annoying.

I tried several options, installing various conduits in various combinations, I put the software into flight mode to disable the wireless feature, I contact Commontime Support. I still have the problem. in a moment of clarity, I realized I could reinstall the previous version...voila...everything worked as it should.

Commontime is aware of the issue, and I will continue to work with them to resolve the problem. But, for now, I am simply glad that the old version works.


P.S. I started this blog on the Palm, but I typed my way to the limit of the buffer and had to switch over to the laptop. I guess there is a limit to how much input I can have through the Blazer browser.

1st Time from a Palm

Blogging from a handheld...this is a first for me. I have always done this from the laptop. I guess I was feeling a little adventurous this morning. I started out with the stylus, but that quickly became taxing, so I switched over to the keyboard. It really is not all that bad with the keyboard. I should use this thing more often.

I think I'll get the chance. Today, I will be leaving for another week in the Garden State, New Jersey. We have several session to go with this client. At the hotel, wireless is available in certain areas and using the Palm in lieu of the computer is really handy. I have become quite adept at cruising the internet with it.

Next month our New Jersey trip will extend to two weeks. That's not so bad, other than my wedding anniversary falls during the trip. I'm thinking about having BG and the boys come up and spend a weekend visiting New York City with me for our celebration. BG is already really excited!

Traveling for Work

It is interesting how one's perspective can so quickly change from one point of view to another. We see this in so many of our human endeavors, fashion, arts, entertainment, politics (do you think I am implying something by linking entertainment and politics in the same breath?)...travel...? My how perspective can change.

I have been traveling lately. Mind you, my traveling has not been the vacation type of travel. You know, the kind where you decide where to go, how long to stay, what to do with your time, etc., etc. No, the kind of travel I have been doing has been the kind one's employer facilitates. You show up at the airport at a certain time, your issued an itinerary and an agenda...no choices. It is that kind of traveling I've been up to lately. It seems kind of ironic that the summer is the traditional time for travel and I am traveling, but it is not the same. I guess my perspective has changed.

Traveling is hard on the mind and the body. Pushing all day to get somewhere, even on an airplane, is hard. Working all day in meetings is hard. Living in a hotel is hard. BG keeps trying to figure out a way to come along because it seems like fun (alternative perspective) but, when I describe what I am doing her excitement wains. In fact, my kids keep wanting to call me on the cell phone. BG tells them they can't because I am in a meeting. They do not believe her. "You said the two hours ago, Mom," has been a typical response. It is hard for them to understand. Actually, it is hard for me to understand.

My perspective has changed. It is not that I don't want to travel any more, or that I think I should only travel for fun, or even that traveling for work is not fun. What has changed is my perspective on how easy traveling is...any travel. That is quite a revelation for me because I have had the privilege of traveling a lot over my lifetime. You see, I never really wanted the trip to end, but now, when the trip is nearing an end, I am ready to come home.

Home is good...three more week long trips to New Jersey, one weekend trip to Houston, one five day trip to San Antonio to go...