NPR and a Tale of Forgiveness

Recently, I posted about the convenience of being able to access free online content via my phone*, the Palm Treo 755p.  NPR programming is my main vice, as I've said many times before.  The last time, B. Good said she'd heard good things about NPR programming and that she might finally take the plunge some time soon.

Well, here's her and your opportunity:  NPR's "This I Believe" second-to-last episode is only four minutes and forty-four seconds long and tells a tale few would ever believe possible.

Simply put: A woman was raped.  A man was falsely convicted of the rape.  They are now friends.

That's all I'll say, for now.  If you'd like to know more, check it out.  It's less than five minutes.

Here's a link to the show's website and episode summary.

Here's a link to play the episode.

I can't make it much easier than that.

Please give it a listen.  I think you'll be glad that you did.

* - or, more specifically, via some software on my phone. The software is called Kinoma 4 EX

Podcasts and More, via Treo

Today's post is about how useful my Treo smartphone is for enjoying free internet content without having to involve iTunes or even a personal computer.

In his AdventureBlog, Michael May recently offered up some quotes from NPR, National Public Radio. I've become an NPR junkie, so I couldn't resist checking some of them out.

Also being a tech junkie and a cycling enthusiast, I became very fond of listening to podcasts of NPR shows while peddling around the city. Although they're called "podcasts," I don't listen to them via any of Apple's devices. I use my smartphone, a Palm device called "Treo." (Mine is the 755p.)

Back in the day, I used to download podcasts and play them on my iPod (yes, I do own an old one) but eventually I got tired of walking around like Roger McNamee with the geek version of a "utility belt." I had too many devices on my hips so I went back to basics. I got a Treo because it's something of an all-in-one device. Why not use it as such and put my podcasts on my micro-SD card and play them on the Treo?

That's just what I did... until I found out about a software application for my phone called "Kinoma 4 EX."

You've probably noticed that the internet offers a lot of free audio content like radio stations' (public and private) streaming certain shows or a full day's content. Well, Kinoma not only allows us to access that content through our phones' internet connections, but we also gain access to Kinoma's media guide which organizes and arranges this content by category. So, I can listen to NPR every day without having to open iTunes once.

If I decide, while on the go, that I feel like listening to NPR's Fresh Air's latest podcast, I open Kinoma, click on my Fresh Air bookmark, and then choose from the podcasts from the past week. At the touch of a button, I can either choose to play a given podcast or just find out what it's about to decide if I'd rather skip it.

So I now have access to an entire library of free online content that ranges from music, public radio podcasts, media reviews, public zoo live-cams, free public-domain audiobooks... you get the idea.

And I don't have to prepare at all before leaving the house. I don't have to open iTunes or transfer files or choose what to store and what to delete.

I simply pull up what I want, when I want. And if I need to be offline for a while, I can have Kinoma save the song (or whatever other audio content) on my phone/sd card and play it when no internet connection is available.

Most of the time, I just listen to NPR podcasts or stream their live radio content for the day, but sometimes I pull up the link to a Jacksonville radio station I really dig... and just listen while I'm shaving, washing dishes, bike riding, or waiting on my lady to pick out a pair of shoes.

Did I mention that i can also search for and play YouTube videos? Yeah.

Techno-irony

This could be a really long post, but I don't want it to be so I'm going to hit-and-run on a couple of points to get to the meat of today's installment. Feel free to ask any questions or post comments regarding anything you think I may have left out or gotten wrong.

Palm, the makers of the Treo smartphone and creators of the pda (personal digital assistant), said that they had a brand new product in-the-works - one that would revolutionize the technological landscape the same way that the Palm Pilot did. When they finally revealed what this new device to-be, it turned out to be $500 laptop-like device that had little-to-no storage, a streamlined operating system and functionality, and a 10-inch screen, a 2.5 lb. body, and a built-in symbiotic relationship with smartphones.

It was called the Foleo and it was supposed to be the device we'd grab instead of our laptops. In the end, we never got the chance because Palm pulled the device after several months of hype, but before it ever hit the shelves. No Foleo for us.

During those months of discussion prior to the cancellation of the Foleo, I remember saying how ironic it would be if Palm CREATED a "need" for a Foleo-like device, but failed to deliver on it... and ended up driving their "newly created" customers to another manufacturer's product.

Well, that's just what happened.

While complaining about, speculating about, finally warming to, and ultimately eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Foleo (a device I considered to be better in-theory than it was likely to be in-practice), I got used to the idea of having a "laptop" that...

* wouldn't weigh a ton
* would be so small I could easily grab it and use it on the go
* would have wi-fi and Bluetooth
* would have 5 or more hours of battery life
* et cetera



I finally decided that $500 (after a $100 rebate) was still too much to pay for what just about amounted to an outdated, under-powered, over-priced laptop.

So, I kept my eyes open for alternatives, which lead me to the Sony Vaio TX line of ultra-portable laptops.

They're expensive as sin but I eventually found some refurbished models for sale at a Sony store in Destin, Florida. And I jumped on it.

It was marked down as a refurbished models, marked down as a floor model, marked down because of a relatively minor defect I discovered on the unit, and marked down EVEN MORE because that store (unlike the other Sony stores I've been to) just likes to knock 15% off of their laptops. Just because.

So, I ended up with a laptop with...
* an 11-inch screen
* a 2.8 lb body
* a full Windows operating system (which brings a bloated o.s., but also more functionality)
* a dual layered dvd burner (did I mention the Foleo had no optical drive)
* wi-fi and Bluetooth
* optional Sprint wireless service (internet everywhere you have a mobile signal) built-in
* and a battery rated to last from 5-11 hours!!!
I'm very happy with my purchase (and Sony's service) but it's kinda sad that Palm's hype-machine ended with a whimper instead of a bang. What Apple's iPhone didn't do to kill the Foleo reception, Palm took care of all on its own... ultimately creating a need then effectively sending potential customers to their competitors to fill that need.

Sad.

Treo Posting

This is a test to see if I can submit a blogpost (not just a comment) using my Treo 755p mobile phone.

Treo 755p Announced!

EXTRA POST!

The new Treo 755p smartphone will soon be available on Sprint's network. It comes in dark blue and burgundy, I believe.

Reviews are available at TreoCentral.com and GadgetsOnTheGo.net. It doesn't sound as impressive as I'd hoped, but it's good enough for an upgrade from my 650.