Palm Pre...Definitely Worth the Wait - Baltimore, MD

Palm Pre...Definitely Worth the Wait in Baltimore,Md.

Any one who knows me knows that I am a Palm person, starting way back with the Palm V. Loved learning how to use that first PDA. I have moved up to the Palm 700P but knew my time was limited, hoping that my trusty Treo could hold up until the Palm Pre arrived. It did!

I was standing in line at the Sprint store that Saturday morning before 7:30AM with Dick Betts; the only difference was that he was in Florida and I was in Maryland. This little bit of distance did not stop either one of us from texting and updating about the phone. I was number 14 in line in Baltimore and he was number 16 in Ocala. Michael and Yvonne at the Sprint store helped with that early morning rush. I found out that the Palm Pre...Definitely Worth the Wait-Baltimore,Md.

When I first touched the display phone I texted Dick saying it was going to take some time to get used to using the QWERTY keyboard because the keys were even smaller than my Treo. But as soon as I got my hands on this sweet little beauty I found I could use my nails for the keys - yeah, I do love that. (I've always used my fingernails and never the stylus, and the the Pre does not use a stylus so I didn't have to unlearn that.)

I am envious that Dick had the luxury of spending unlimited time with his new Pre. I had to show properties and sell a couple of condos, attend an all day class, meet with my publisher, write an offer, attend a funeral, set up home inspections, etc. I need to spend lots more time on my new toy, but I love it so far. Can't wait to read Dick's website with Tips and Tricks for this new tool - hope he will hurry up so I can have the benefit of all this learning!

With over 7000 contacts it took awhile to transfer the data to the new Pre. We did this in the Sprint store, or so I thought, but found out later that only my facebook contacts transferred over. And in the process I discovered a neat feature of the new Pre - the usb cable is part of the wall charger!

Using this cable is how we finally transferred the data.... we used the old hot sync from the TREO then placed the data on a newer computer and then transferring to the new phone.

Still have a lot to learn, but I'm loving this new Palm Pre. I'm also sold on the quality and sound.... the reception is so much better. No "dead" spots in my home or neighborhood.

Palm Pre...Definitely Worth the Wait in Baltimore,Md.

No Room for Shoes!

I was packing for a short trip – just a quick overnight away. I started with the essentials and then added the clothes and cosmetics and such. Suddenly the bag was full and the shoes wouldn't fit. How could that be?

Then I looked again. Half my overnight bag was taken up by things I couldn't wear either day or night. They were not accessories – they were absolutely essential.

You guessed it – they were electronic. The charger for my Treo, the camera and batteries, the extra battery for the tablet PC along with its keyboard and powerpack, the mouse, the universal charger that turns a car cigarette lighter outlet into a charging station. You name it, it goes along with me. My tech gadgets make it possible for me to do real estate my way. If it comes down to that other pair of shoes or an essential electronic device, it's no contest. The shoes I'm wearing will do just fine!

It began a couple of weeks ago. The world of technology seemed to be turning against me. First my trusty Treo started having an identity crisis, some of the features not working, so I began looking for a backup on eBay just in case. That was before I dropped the phone a couple of days ago and created this colorful display. And before my wonderful tech was able to coax what was left of the phone to sync to my computer – a process that took hours instead of the normal seconds – so that I could at least find out what appointments I had. And just to top things off, the back of my watch fell off – again – and this time I lost it.

At first I figured it was must me, but then I noticed that almost everyone I talked to had a similar tale of technology and communications gone haywire. My buyer who is scheduled to go to settlement on Tuesday reported his DSL suddenly went out. His agent tried to fax a repairs list over, but her fax was down. An appraiser couldn't email information to the lender – the message kept bouncing – but could send it to me so that I could forward it on.

I happened to mention these technoglitches to my client in California who is negotiating for a home here in Baltimore. He had two words to explain it all: Mercury retrograde. Excuse me? You heard right – Mercury is in retrograde, from February 14 through March 8. The smallest planet (since Pluto was demoted) is blamed for disrupting and misguiding communications, breakdowns in phones and computers, and transportation snafus involving cars, buses, and trains during its retrograde phase.

Three or four times a year it does this little routine, and people who study the phenomenon know the symptoms well. This client takes it seriously; he planned his trip to Baltimore and several important dates around this period. And he wasn't surprised at all when I told him that his counteroffer kept bouncing back when the other agent tried to send it, but went through fine from my computer.

Yesterday I was losing it with my phone broken, my watch broken, and did I mention my GPS that suddenly decided to change the route home? If you've ever been around a Type E over the edge, you know it's not a good place to be. Thanks to my client, today I have an explanation. To explain my multi-tasking say of working, I say "That's just me, a Type E," and now I have a reason for the unexplainable: "It's just Mercury in retrograde!"

Does Mercury have it in for us mortals and our tech gadgets? Or is it the full moon tomorrow? Or just coincidence? Whether the answer is none or all of the above, I'm handling it better. And if you think about it, doesn't it generally work better if you admit when you can't control a situation and move on to how to cope?