One thing that bugs me using mobile WiFi hotspots is having to go to the providers initial webpage and enter my details before I can use the service.

On the laptop it's a pain (especially if you close it down while you have a cup of coffee and have to log back in again) but when I'm using my K-Jam it's really annoying as you have to fiddle about with the browser, tap in a username and password and hope that their javascript works right on the phone browser ... just to check email.

It's even funnier in Tullys where all you have to do is agree to the terms and conditions, but have to do it before you can proceed (but it's worth it for the Yerba Mate!)

But my frustration is now ended thanks to Devicescape.

All you have to do is set up your profile on their site and download their app to your PC or device (works for me fine on both Vista and my K-Jam) and then when you encounter a defined hotspot as if by magic it does all the login nonsense for you and you're up and running without having to think about it.

I've only been using it for a couple of weeks, but I was in the UK last week and used a hotspot that I'd not defined (annoyingly it was the UK branded T-mobile who don't seem to roam well with their US compatriots) and I found it quite frustrating to reconnect my phone there.

Places that charge by the hour and give you a code you have to enter to enable access (and keep a "ping" window open to confirm connection) are still a nuisance but as the roaming across hotspots improves I'm hoping one day to be able to go anywhere in the world and not have to think about connecting but just enjoy ubiquitous connectivity with services like Devicescape performing magic in the background.

Despite the very public problems some GPS and mapping solutions have I decided to get a GPS for the car recently to help find my way around Seattle and the surrounds. As we had friends come to visit and a little emergency it actually turned out to be a very good idea.

After a month or so of using the device though I think that the "state of the art" is a way off yet, and there are some features that would be really good to see in all units, not just the high end $1000+ monsters.

The maps get out of date. Mine comes with an annual update, that I have to pay for if I want. I'd prefer to pay a monthly subscription fee and know that I'll be getting updates as and when they happen not have roadworks shut down a junction for 6 months but keep having the route try and exit there. The same goes for Places of Interest - it's so out of date I'm directed to drive past two Starbucks to get to the closest one in its database. You'd think that some of the locations in the system would even subsidize the cost to know customers can find them. A Bluetooth connection, a cellphone and a data plan and the updates could trickle in incrementally. A USB connection and a PC and they could be done when you remember. It's not rocket science.

A smarter solution would be to have a live integration with something like Live Local or Live Mobile - current maps, local businesses and current traffic information. Add to that weather info and you've got a solution that understands where I want to go and the current conditions that will affect my drive.

Slow down when it's a good idea like around schools. Having the local speed limits flagged (especially schools, hospitals, elderly care, shopping precincts etc) and reminding you (nothing intrusive, just a little ping) when you're going too fast would be good - especially if you don't know the area and you've got a transition from 55mph to 20mph just around a corner...

Learn from my (your) mistakes. If I keep taking a different route (for instance when a street is actually one way, but not flagged correctly in the database, or a road is closed due to roadworks so I always take a particular detour) assilimiate that information and learn from it. Use my preferred route to over-ride or inform the algorithms.

I don't want it to sing and dance. I've got an iPod I can use in the car with my iTrip. I don't need another music player from a tinny speaker. And I've got Sirius (though I'm still not sold on that idea!). I guess if it's wired into the car (mine is powered off the aux power at the moment) and can use the car speakers it's a better idea, and provides a way to get MP3s into the car.

A better musical accompaniment would be to build dynamic playlists from my collection based on time, route, driver - perhaps a pick'n'mix from locally available data and a service like MSN Radio or Pandora. Of course that's more viable when the data networks move to a more high speed, flat rate model (or WiFi, WiMax and Satellite work out how to work together to provide ubiquitous coverage)

Despite the above list however I'm quite pleased with the Garmin nuvi 350. It's not perfect, but it's a lot better than being hopelessly lost!

If anyone is building the perfect GPS system though, can you include speed limit information (so I've always got a reminder on screen) also the ability to download where I've been onto my PC and show it on Live Maps....

I'd thought about getting a GPS bluetooth device and using it in conjunction with my K-Jam and something like Pharos, CoPilot or Windows Live Search for Mobile but in the end I like a simple, easy to use solution that just works.

It's late evening on Boxing Day here in Redmond and the snow has started falling again. It looks like something out of Narnia right now (and my car appears to have terrible dandruff)

I wonder if the offices will be open tomorrow. Or the post office. Or the Company Story. The forecast wasn't for sub-zero temperatures so it might not last, but for Rhiannon and Bryns sake I really hope it does!

Apart from one Christmas vacation back to the UK while I was living in Australia I've only seen snow twice in the the last ten years... and that's twice now in 30 days. I'm sure I'm eventually going to get bored of the weather here in Western Washington, but right now (having had a "proper" Christmas) even with the rain and the cold I'm enjoying this so much more than Queensland.

Who'd have thought. I thought I'd gone to Aus to escape the English weather. Obviously I was confused all this time!

It was really nice after ten years in Australia to have Christmas Day back in a cold climate. Somehow it just doesn't seem right sitting outside sweltering at a BBQ.

A roast meal, eggnog and having to rug up to go for a walk all make it feel a little more special.

.... and it feels like civilization is breaking down.

Redmond is the home of a large chunk of the high tech industry, but it wasn't the best place to call home these last few days. For us it started late Thursday night watching the news of worsening storms on a TV that suddenly died. Along with every other electrical appliance in the house.

An hour later, still totally in the dark, we put extra blankets on the beds and decided Friday morning would see us getting a lantern, firewood and a gas burner.... of course because we didn't get up at the break of dawn and head out with the crowds we were too late! We managed to get fuel for the fire and cold food but our lack of planning and forethought (hey we'd only been in the country a month!) let us down.

Friday was pretty miserable. Luckily one of the local supermarkets had hot coffee available so it wasn't a total disaster, and we had the fire to keep us warm but shortly after sun-down we headed to bed. A day of cold food out of a can is closer the whole camping experience that I want to get at this time of the year (below freezing outside at times over the weekend).

Saturday we had to take the dog back to the vet. He's still not fully over his relocation pneumonia - luckily by then Bellevue had power so that went well... and on the way back we discovered parts of Redmond had power so a Starbucks and a McDonalds later (hot coffee and food and the world seems much brighter) and some more fuel for the fire we headed home.

I'm not sure what was longer that day - the queues outside the Starbucks or the queues outside the gas stations. The supermarkets were quite civilised by comparrison. It is Western Washington after all, and there are some standards!

The best bit was getting closer to home and discovering traffic lights working. Even better was walking through the door and finding the lights (and heater) on in our apartment :)

Civilization restored and all was right in our world. We still went out for dinner to celebrate (along with half the county by the look of the queues) - hopefully the crews from the electricity company and emergency services will soon be able to take a break as well... our thoughts are with them, and those still without power tonight.

It makes you wonder what it will take to make underground powerlines mandatory - a fairly simple decision in the wake of the last major windstorm to hit the area (1993) could have seen a rolling upgrade and these last few days to have been one of smug (and snug) congratulations.

It was quite liberating in some ways to have the technology torn out from under us. My daughter missed the TV and I missed the internet - both email to keep in touch with the world (work sent out the email to tell us power was off not to come in... but I wonder how many people could read it!) and to get forecasts. Luckily my K-Jam had power and we had cell coverage for most of the time, so we had access to email and the web to check forecasts which was luckier than many people. Even so a wind-up radio is one for the kit.

See what KIRO had to say on the subject: More Than 1 Million Lose Power In Windstorm and Utility Crews Work To Restore Power To Western Washington.

Is that the end for the only reason to have Skype installed over (say) Windows Live Messenger or any other VoIP phone solution?

Excerpt from New York Times Article:
Skype’s Free Phone Call Plan Will Soon Have Annual Fee

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 12 — Skype, the Internet calling service owned by eBay, said Tuesday that as of Jan. 1 it would begin charging $30 a year for unlimited calls to landline and mobile phones within the United States and Canada. Those calls had been free since last spring.

I guess if you've got a lot of contacts in Skype or a stack of credit in the system already then that's a good reason to stick with it. If you use SkypeIn (as I do) that's also another reason to stick with them (it means folks in Australia can call me for the cost of a local call).

If you're an infrequent user and use it for IM or making one or two interstate calls a year (or even month) then the $30 may just be a little too much... thought if the transaction is handled through PayPal most people probably won't notice it for the convenience it brings.

I wonder if this was eBay's gameplan all along... and how long at $30 a customer it's going to take to recoup their investment ;)

I've just moved to Redmond and as you can imagine finding my way around is fun (especially as they drive on the wrong-side of the road here!

I bought a paper map, but that's not very good at helping me when I've not got a clue where to go or, like today, I've left it on the table at home!

I was going to get a TomTom or similar GPS navigation device but I've not got around to it yet

Luckily in my hour of need the answer lay on my Windows Mobile phone, in the form of the Windows Live Search beta (which I'd installed the day before but not had a chance to play with

As I knew where I was (although if you have a GPS you can make them talk nice thanks to the wonders of Blue Tooth) I was able to look up where I was going (thank you Mobile.Live) and plug that into the mapping software and get a route plotted for me in seconds. I love turn-by-turn instructions and traffic info.

The best bit is that I got where I needed to be, on time and stress free. Even over GPRS the data flows into the phone quickly enough to be useful and it's as interactive as the web based mapping apps.

Oh, if you don't have PC access to install it you can download it over-the-air from http://wls.live.com/ for WM5 or J2ME powered phones.

The folks over at Gizmondo have done a review of this app vs the Google mobile Maps app. In summary they say if you need this functionality don't bother with the Google download

After much deliberation I’ve just bought my second Jeep

After almost 6 years with the Cherokee the new ’07 Liberty Limited is a world of difference… and pretty much all of it good. The previous model was rough and tumble. Reliable but no frills despite the leather upholstery. This new addition to the family seems to keep the no-nonsense practical approach but it’s not afraid to add a few more comfort options (included the heated front seats)

Here’s hoping the next few years with our Inferno Red chariot are as good as the last few with the Forest Green one

It’s not much but it was funny to watch Bryn encounter it for the very first time

Luckily he had his stylish Ming the Merciless coat (and matching booties – thankfully not visible here)