General

GTD + ListPro, Take 2

May 9, 2007 by Kevin

The GTD ListPro template that I made has turned out to be quite popular. As in, it’s been in the top 3 most-downloaded List Exchange files list pretty much since I posted it almost 1 year ago. It’s even been #1 quite a few times.

In that time, I’ve had an on-and-off relationship with David Allen’s Getting Things Done. Starting up with GTD is like trying to get a new habit. When you don’t want a new habit, it’s very easy. When you want one, it’s very hard. I’ve had almost 26 years to get in the habit of brushing my teeth when I wake up, and that’s not a very complicated task. Organizing myself using GTD is about 100x more ’things to do’, and it’s a lot more difficult.

In any case, I’d planned on posting a differently-organized ListPro template for GTD that was much simpler and put everything in one place. Then, new versions of our software happened. Luckily, an intrepid ListPro user beat me to the punch, and he really beat me. He wrote a great blog post about how to use ListPro to manage your GTD actions, and sent us the associated template. The template is so simple, it makes mine look like “War and Peace”. As a result, it’s probably a lot easier to stick with!

So go get the template, read the article, and get something done!

(P.S: Why do I feel like Matt Foley, the motivational speaker played by Chris Farley on “Saturday Night Live”, when I make so many links in a short blog post? You know, like when you “bunny ear” things you’re “talking about” with “other people”.)

Extra Security Questions

May 9, 2007 by Ellen

Are people being tripped up by the extra security questions the banks, credit cards and insurance companies seem to be adding lately? I was.

I’ll admit it was my own fault - I didn’t read their page very carefully, and just assumed that I’d have to answer the questions to convince someone on the phone to reset a password I’d lost. And since I never lose passwords, I didn’t bother keeping track of the answers I gave.

So when it turned out that I had to answer a question once every 20 or so logins, of course I didn’t remember exactly what I’d answered (and close doesn’t count), and had a little trouble getting into my account.

So I’ve learned to record exactly what I answer to any of these new extra security questions. Fortunately, the Notes field in eWallet works great for these; I’d hate to have to find another program.

And I’ve also learned that it’s probably worth reading - or at least skimming - the documentation.

The Changing Definition of "Mobile"

April 18, 2007 by Marc

More and more it becomes clear that the definition of “mobile” in our market is changing. From wi-fi connectivity on the Nintendo DS to more obvious candidates like the iPhone, mobile computing is evolving before our very eyes.

My mobile future? Personally I use my UMPC for everything, have a Windows Mobile Smartphone, and a dedicated MP3 player right now. I also wear two USB drives (one of which is a U3 device) around my neck almost all the time…it’s a little like I’ve got some sort of technological talismans protecting me from the demons of the disconnected world! :)  My laptop meanwhile sits gathering dust in the corner and my poor Toshiba E800, with all it’s high-res glory, spends more time running Dockware than anything else.

So where is the mobile revolution taking you? What devices are finding their way into your backpack, pocket, and purse as we move into the future?

 PS: Sorry for the long pause between posts!! As the folks in our beta team know we have some new stuff coming down the pipe and as Product Manager it’s eating up a fair bit of my time! Hopefully I can start writing more regularly again!

Extreme Makeover - Ilium Software Style!

April 6, 2007 by Marc

So I’m toying with our free products the other day and I think “Holy Cow! These babies need some help!” I figured this was a good time to turn to you guys and get some advice.

If you could choose only one free product from our free software section to get updated, which one would you choose, why would you choose it, and what is your number one request for how we should update it? (and you can already assume that we’ll update them to be WM 5.0, WM 6, and screen size compatible.)

CTIA Post-Game Report

April 6, 2007 by Marc

Hey everyone. Just a quick CTIA follow-up. Rather than a blow-by-blow or other less than exciting method of telling you about it, I’ll give you the CNN news-blurb version including the most interesting things I saw (or didn’t see as the case may be!)

• Handango was present with a nice booth. Got to spend some time with them.
• Motricity had a HUGE MTV2 party (2000 people) at Hardrock with focus on downloadable media/entertainment.
• Handmark had a nice presence as well and I got to talk to them.
• Palm had a big booth with lots of people showing off their phones.
• There was ONE Palm OS device on the entire show room floor (which was huge.) (The Treo 680).
• Motorola had a big booth but dedicated as much time to music players, bluetooth headphones, and other electronics as to mobile devices.
• The UMPC had equal positioning at the Microsoft booth as all other devices. The newest tiny UMPCs are REALLY nice.
• Every Kiosk at the Microsoft booth including Windows Mobile devices.
• Saw the new HP WM 6.0 Smartphone (Standard) device. Very nice.
• HTC was at the MS booth as well.
• Saw more Windows Mobile devices in the hands of attendees than ever before although I still saw 2 Franklin Planners. :)
• Most people I met didn’t know what my UMPC was but as soon as they saw it they had to ask about it and closed with “Oh my god, I WANT one of those.”
• Plenty of Symbian devices being displayed. Some Blackberry devices as well but a smaller presence than I’d expected.

So there you have! Marc Tassin’s “in-a-nutshell” review of the CTIA Wireless show. A great show though and lots to think about!

It's April, and You All Know What That Means....

April 2, 2007 by Julie

It’s time to pick another winner in our ongoing blog contest, and give stuff away!

This month the lucky winner is m m, who commented on the post eWallet 5.0.1 is Now Available. Congratulations! I just sent you an email explaining how to get your prize. If you don’t receive it just reply to this post and let me know.

To everyone else, it’s not over yet - I’ll pick another winner in the beginning of May. Keep the comments coming and maybe this month, the winner will be you!