Our Ustream show featuring yours truly Nhat Pham & Digital Knight Sean Francis of TAG on RoadWarriorShow.com @ 11:30 AM ET. This show featured Palm, Wi-Fi GSM Routers and other tools to stay connected on the road.

Next week’s show we will talk about Twitter.
Below we have our show chat.

10:36 ustreamer-33953 : pretty high-tech . .
10:36 psfrancis : Anybody else out there?
10:37 psfrancis : We definately want to WOW you with our abilities…
10:38 ustreamer-33953 : have a great show .. have to run. CU bye
10:39 ustreamer-81197 : um, reboot?  LOL
10:39 psfrancis : I can send text in color too…
10:39 psfrancis : Yes, we rebooted.  Going live now
10:40 psfrancis : Done send in whte
10:40 psfrancis : BTW - Don’t change color to white and send message.  Kinda hard to see.
10:43 ustreamer-66464 : Patrick is on.
11:43 psfrancis : roadwarriorshow@gmail.com
11:46 ustreamer-66464 : Newton in 1993
11:56 RoadWarriorShow-1 : sonic wall
11:56 RoadWarriorShow-1 : tagva.com
12:02 RoadWarriorShow-1 : http://www.twitter.com/nhatpham
12:03 psfrancis : http://www.twitter.com/psfrancis
12:03 ustreamer-81197 : oh, that’s funny guys
12:04 RoadWarriorShow-1 : www.wififreespot.com
12:07 ustreamer-81197 : http://www.twitter.com/wgarth
12:07 ustreamer-81197 : Nhat, I used to be a Plantronics Rep if you want some insigt to their manufacturing
12:08 RoadWarriorShow-1 : really?
12:08 ustreamer-81197 : Garth Callaghan 127tech
12:08 ustreamer-81197 : aye, I rep’d them for about 5 year
12:09 RoadWarriorShow-1 : Love to hear bout more Plantronics. I am holding one now
12:09 ustreamer-81197 : anytime - I have actually been to their factory in Mexico
12:11 RoadWarriorShow-1 : Can u hook us up ?
12:11 ustreamer-81197 : I can, usually.  I can get free headsets if I ask the right people
12:11 RoadWarriorShow-1 : We will review it on the show

Here is the Palm Pre Device I mention earlier today on the Road Warrior Show. It really is a slick device. It brings the best of both worlds of touch screen gestures with a physical QWERTY keyboard. It looks like it comes with a charging pad similar to the Powermat which I will publish in a follow up post.

Above is the demo at the 2009 CES show. It will be rolling out from Sprint. As always, Sprint came last in coming into the game with a really slick touchscreen device. While Sprint has a chance to really get all the nuances I really like, I have adopted the iPhone platform already (still using Blacbkerry to a large degree & occasional Windows Mobile). It even more inportant I am already on 2 different carriers. It will take Sprint giving me the device to switch and then some. I have too much invested in my other devices and apps.

With that being said, what I really like is the additional QWERTY slide out tactile keyboard, customization of the screen, & curve shaped to form to your face.

Here are some quick specs for you.

-3.1-inch touchscreen
-Slide-out QWERTY keypad
-CDMA2000 1x EV-DO Rev. A
-GPS
-Wi-Fi
-3-megapixel camera
-8 GB memory
-Replaceable battery
-4.8 ounces

Listen to my interview with Rob Fouts of AskaSalesManagement.com on how to keep your sales team focused with technology. Click here

In following up with last week’s artice, “2 numbers, 1 phone,” we will talk about dual SIM phones. While I have not had a chance to test one personally, I am looking at the possiblities to consolidate.

While I carry as many as 6 lines (yes 6!, sometimes more if I am presenting to a client), I would like to have at least 2 lines with me even when I go to the gym or places which I would not want to be loaded down like Batman. Below are some really neat Dual SIM phones I will go over.

One of the cooler ones I found so far is the WND DUO 2000

It actually is 2 phones in one. 2 keypads, 2 screens, and of course 2 SIMS. They are actually both active at once. The great thing though is they can share contacts.

It actually is 2 phones in one. 2 keypads, 2 screens, and of course 2 SIMS. They are actually both active at once. The great thing though is they can share contacts.

These other once only have 1 screen & keypad. The nice thing about these is you do not have to flip the phone back & forth if you have another call coming in on the other line to check caller ID & talk.

Price
$200-$1000 depending on the model and if it’s a smartphone or not. These are from international carriers, manufacturers and resellers. Doing business online domestically is sometimes tricky enough let alone abroad.

Things to keep in mind

• Some of these are only dual band phones, typically 900 & 1900 Mhz. If you are using 850 or 1800 it will not work on certain networks and/or areas.
  
• You may not have all the functionality of your carrier on these phones such as specific carrier sites & data systems such as checking your bill or minutes on the phone without calling their CARE.
  
• If you have another call coming in, you will be paying double minutes. One on each SIM. If you have even another call come in, you are using 3X’s the minutes, until you disconnect one of the calls.
  

As for me, I am still going through my contacts to see if I can get my hands on one, so I can play with before I make the plunge.
Wireless Warrior
(…to be continued.)

Do you ever wish you could capture business card info and have it automatically import into your Windows Mobile or Pocket PC device? Now you can, with out using a scanner!

It’s a third party software called World Card Mobile. As long as you have a camera on your device you can capture the business card info and import it into your contacts. All you do is take a picture of the business card, click recognize and Oila!

The technology and OCR is really amazing. It does well with most business cards and have very few errors. You do need a camera on your device.

Requirements:
Windows Mobile 5.0
MS Active Sync 4.1 or higher

Pros:
You can enter business card info immediately and not having to worry about losing the card.
It’s fairly accurate.
It’s fairly reasonable at $24.95.

Cons:
You do need to stay fairly steady when taking the photo.
You can only do one card at a time
Doesn’t work well if you have a double sided business card

Overall though, I love the convenience and cost. I don’t have to lug my CardScan on the road even though it’s a fairly small device. Unless you are doing dozens at a time, this is a great app.
Wireless Warrior

I have become a regular on AskASalesQuestion.com. I speak and answer questions on various topics. Check out this one by clicking on link above on various 3^rd Party apps for your mobile devices. You may just find one that will add productivity to what you do.

X-Button is a tool developed by HTC that enables the X button to really close programs. Can be setup to end programs by tapping “X” or by tapping and holding “X”.

Every time you open an application and close or tap the X button, it doesn’t actually close unless you close it out through the system’s task manager which takes 7 taps minimum.

Leave a lot of apps open and it will slow down your device and consume power faster.

HTC developed a freeware called X button where you can access the task manager on the home screen. Click here to get the X-button

Check out this great keyboard accessory!

�Best of all its now Bluetooth capable. It actually sprays out a laser keyboard. It reads the light breaks as you type. Its much easier to use than some of the older fold out keyboards and you don’t have to worry about comfort.

�Ease:� 9

Comfort: 9 Price: 4It’s a little pricy at around $179-$199

Drawbacks are few. Just need a flat surface. It is compatible with Windows Mobile, Blackberry, and Palm OS and even a few Smart cell phones.

Wireless Warrior

After only a week of the iPhone being out, CompanionLink has already developed a sync software for it. This will allow you to sync your contacts and calendar with a slew of different CRM apps including:

·                           ACT! by Sage
·                           GoldMine
·                           Lotus Notes
·                           Google Apps
·                           Google Calendar
·                           Novell GroupWise
·                           Palm Desktop
·                           Time & Chaos
Requirements
iTunes 7.3 & Outlook 2003 or higher
Price
CompanionLink Express - $49.99
CompanionLink Pro - $99.99
If you want to wirelessly sync and be able to sync your notes as well, get the Pro version.
More to come later.
Wireless Warrior

Do you have a hard time getting signal from your carrier inside your home?
IF so, you may be in luck with Spotwave Signal Booster.

The Z1900 Signal Booster repeats signal throughout hour home or office up to 2,500 sq feet. It boosts signal for cell phones along with data devices like air cards for laptops and PDA phones such as Blackberry and Treo’s.
Keep in mind if you have absolutely no coverage, it will not help you any. Boosting nothing still gives you nothing. You must have signal outside or near windows.

It works decent if you have at least 2 bars at your window. One bar it depends on where you are located relative to the tower. Its best to put the booster on the side of the house facing the cell tower you are using.

At $399 its reasonable if you need it for business. If not, you may just want to forward your calls to your home phone if you still use a land line. Typically, carriers will give you an allotment of minutes to forward (please check with your carrier).

Please check your carrier to see what frequency they are using in your area and be sure you get the one that is compatible. Spotwave & companies like Wilson have technical info on their site which should narrow down which one would work for you.
                   
There are more robust boosters for commercial use as well.
 Wireless Warrior
Note: Check your wireless carrier agreement on terms & condition regarding repeating their signal.