Bluetooth Keyboards

There a few Bluetooth keyboards out there today. These are a few I have tested. In a nutshell, all are OK. Nothing stands out but they all work fine.

The I.Tech Virtual keyboard has a killer Cool Factor. For the most part it works pretty well. Not to bad to setup and seems to register keystrokes better than the two I will review below. The real problem I am having with it is I cannot see the darn keyboard with the lights turned on! I had to wait until 7pm here at work one night to really test it.
It is rechargable and will give you about 2 hours of typing time. It will also form the ends of your fingers into mushroom caps from beating on your desk for 2 hours straight. It does shut off the second you pick it up off the table. This is a built in feature so you (being the uninformed user) don't burn your retina out trying to figure out how it works.

Next is a keyboard created for the Blackberry. This device is called the Coolmir and is produced by a company called Man and Machine. Their slogan is "everything we do is cool". I am not sure what they had in mind calling the keyboard the coolmir though. Cool...ok I get that. Mir...is Russian for Peace? Hmmm...Cool Peace? Maybe Cool Piece? Who knows.

This is a neat device though. It rolls up on itself and stores neatly in a little carrying case. M&M states that it will get 15 hours of use (which blows away the competition) but it is wired. This is not a big deal as it sits right next to the Blackberry anyway. I must note that this keyboard will only work with USB Blackberry devices (6000 and 7000 devices). If you have a BES you must also allow permission to attach the keyboard to the Blackberry and only works on BES 4.0 or higher.

Installing it is a pain. Once installed, you must invoke the program for your BB first or else the keyboard thinks you are charging it with the BB instead of wanting to key with it. I wish it would just recognize it. Not the case. Once you get past this it works good. The keys are little less responsive then on the I.Tech but on the good side, your fingers won't swell to the point you can't get your wedding ring off.

Feel the Freedom! Whatever. This is a true Bluetooth device that works good with the Blackberry. It even has its own built in Blackberry stand. Cooooool. The keyboard runs off two AAA batteries that seem to last quite a while.

This device is the easiest to install and responds pretty well to keystrokes. It runs the same price as the Coolmir at $99.99. It is compact, folds over and fits into its own little case.

This has been the best device, to this point, for the price and I would recommend it to anyone whose thumbs are starting to grow from all the BB keying they are prone too.

Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi Dead

I hope your virgins are 350 pound male gorillas. Bye.

Movie Review: Over the Hedge

My 2 1/2 year old and I went to see Over the Hedge this weekend. It was a wonderful movie with all the cute cuddly creatures you could possibly want. There is plenty of humor for the adults and enough low level (burping) jokes for the kids.
The kid quotient (for me anyway) was about 4 out of 5. He asked to leave about 1/2 way through the movie. So I threw him in my lap and gave him some popcorn and nay a peep was heard from there on out (until he bonked his head on the chair next to me. Crying ensued but the credits were rolling so...who cares).
The bear in the movie (Nick Nolte) can be a little bit scary but isn't Nick Nolte scary in real life too? One shocker for me was Avril Lavigne playing "Heather" the daughter possum. I did not expect that. She did pretty good I thought. She brought some of that teen angst to the role of "daughter possum" but it was toned down so very bearable.
The movie is only 1 1/2 hours so most kids can sit through it (minus potty breaks and the occasional sour patch kid melt down). So bring anyone you know and enjoy the movie. It really is fun for all. Plus, if you are in a bad mood walking into the theatre, that nutty squirrel will pick you right up. He is hilarious.

Gaylord Palms Resort - Orlando, FL

Last week I visited Orlando, FL for the Wireless Enterprise Symposium. While attending this event I was extremely happy to stay with the great folks at the Gaylord Palms Resort - Florida. The Palms is located about 3 miles from Disney World and about 20 minutes from Universal Studios by bus(a car would take about 3 minutes).
While there I stayed on the 9th floor over looking a 4 acre atrium. It was spectacular to say the least. To the left is a picture outside my room!

The atrium consisted of three restaurants (including a seafood restaurant on the water), an alligator and turtle pond, a Ben and Jerry's, shopping, a wedding chapel and a fort. Yes, a fort. You can see it in the picture.

Alligators, Turtles and Rocks oh my. It was very neat to watch them in the little habitat. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday you could feed them...or be fed to them. Whichever you prefer. Either way there was no cost, so that's a bonus. Only thing was is that they bound the alligators mouths with electrical tape. Steve Irwin would have a fit. Beauty Mate!

The rooms were very nice, the Dasani was free (in a round about way) and the service was top notch. I would stay here again in a second! The food? Did I mention the food? No? Fantastic!

Everything about the hotel was wonderful. The outdoor pools, the convention center and the mini-golf were all something to behold. This is really a place for families to stay.

Below is a picture of the family pool. Notice the giant octopus with the water slide going down his middle? Awesome. The kids loved it (so did JJ!) . You can visit their site here.

Go! You will not regret it. Your wallet will never speak to you again but you will find that it is totally worth it.

Bye.

Main Street Cafe

If you ever are in Siren, Wi. for, well, whatever, you must stop in at the Main Street Cafe. This, in downtown Minneapolis or Chicago, would be called a "greasy spoon". For a sleepy little town that hops like crazy (come fishing opener) in the summer, this is good food. I had a buttermilk pancake just this morning that was the size of an airplane tire. It was huge...and it was good. $2 for this airplane tire is a steal. You get three for about $4.75. Good luck eating them.

The clientele are what you would expect. Friendly, outgoing and small town. They are the best. Smoking is allowed because it is not Hennepin County. If you don't like smoking, don't go. To tell you the truth, I saw people smoking but never noticed any smoke. In other words, don't worry about it. Just eat!

Huge portions, great people, great service and good food. Go. Located, where else? On Main Street in downtown Siren, Wi.