MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Living on the edge

sarah11918 · 09-22-2010, 12:09 PM

Update:

Some pictures to show how I've been using the edge as my only laptop: http://yfrog.com/mjmedrj (you can scroll back and forth)

I have to say, I'm amazed that I can function so well with this as my primary machine (with some acoutrements, noted below).

Still a thorn in my side:
- I stil can't manage Picasa the way I want to. I can do some things some of the time by using a combination of apps, but I can't do everything. This isn't the edge's fault as much as it is a byproduct of being limited to an almost-useless mobile version of Picasa with no option to view the standard view, like Gmail or Google Calendar has.
- I don't like the built in mail client for more than just checking/reading email. It's not *horrible* but especially because I use filters/folders on Gmail, I don't like that the unread account counts messages both in their original folder and the all mail folder; I don't like that I can't see my folder list as a sidebar while I'm in a folder/reading an email. I don't like that I have to go back to the folder list to see whether there's mail in other folders. So, I end up using Gmail through the browser, which is OK, but therefore doesn't notify me of new emails. I'm using Executive Assistant as a quick peek for email/calendar, then going to the website to actually use those features.

The essential:
- external keyboard
- motion computing stylus
- LastPass - Thanks to LastPass, I didn't even miss a beat moving from one computer to another. There are some idiosyncracies, though. Last Pass is 2 things: a password vault and a browser. If you want it to auto-fill user names, passwords and even "identies" or credit card profiles, you have to use its own browser. The browser is pretty good for not being a stand alone browser, but it has a few quirks. You can't download through links in this browser, for example. And, if you move to another app then back into LastPass, it reloads your current page (as I found out when I lost version 1 of this post!). But, it's still a great browser and more than worth it to have all my information auto-filled. The other thing is that because it's a separate browser, whenever a link takes you to a "new" site (and, I mean when hilton.com redirects you without you knowing to secure.hilton.com, for example), you get a popup window asking you to choose which browser you'd like to complete the action: regular or Last Pass. I'm learning that some sites have a lot of crap going on behind the scenes, because sometiems I'll have to select my browser 3 or 4 times before I get to the destination site! You do have the option to say always use this browser by default, but then trying to go to a site in the other browser will make tHe specified default browser automatically kick in and take over. Not an option when only the native browser can do the send to e-ink function or download links. So, it's a fair bit of clicking at times. But, the other function, the vault, works very well in the default browser with just a few extra clicks. If you need to input a password, you have to open LastPass (I have it on the home screen) and you'll automatically be taken to the vault. Press and hold on the entry you want, and one of the options is Copy Password (you can also copy username etc.). Then go back to the browser, press and hold to paste into the password field. Not onerous at all. But, because it's copy and past, you can only do one field at a time. The nice thing about the native browser is all fields are automatically filled in for you just by virtue of visiting the site. You can also have stored "identities" and credit cards so that it can auto fill all your contact/address/credit card information on a page. USing the vault, you'd have to copy and paste for each field. So, it takes a bit to figure out when it makes the most sense to use which browser, but well worth the $1/month. I honestly didn't even notice that I was on a "new" machine when it came to logging into websites. I also use the vault as mostly my bookmark vault too, since most of the websites I visit are ones I log into. Very, very pleased with this both in terms of being able to hit the ground running on a new machine and in terms of daily functioning.
- SD card plus PicSay app = even easier tweeting pictures than on my Macbook!
- I've completely uninstalled Fring and Nimbuzz does everything I want with resepect to instant messaging.

The single biggest paradigm shift has been moving to one app at a time. I'm still not used to it, but it doesn't suck. I'm the kind of person who would have instant messaging and twitter windows open and at least partially visible while doing other things. I would blow through email/twitter in a big session, opening a bunch of background links and THEN go read them. I can't work this way on the edge.

To compensate, I am constantly using the journal to make notes about what to go back to or remember to check out. Maybe this is the way normal people work, but open windows and browser tabs used to be my "stack." Now, it's scribbles in the journal. This is quite possibly even a good thing, but it's very different. Even just reading this message board, my bookmarked page was the "new posts" and I'd open every post in a new tab, then knock them off one by one. Now, it's pick a message, read it, go back to new posts... lather, rinse and repeat. Heck, I could see picking up the pocket edge just to use for one dedicated app (email/twitter) while I work on this machine! But, all in all, it really is working.

09-22-2010, 12:09 PM	#10
sarah11918 Edge User	Update: Some pictures to show how I've been using the edge as my only laptop: http://yfrog.com/mjmedrj (you can scroll back and forth) I have to say, I'm amazed that I can function so well with this as my primary machine (with some acoutrements, noted below). Still a thorn in my side: - I stil can't manage Picasa the way I want to. I can do some things some of the time by using a combination of apps, but I can't do everything. This isn't the edge's fault as much as it is a byproduct of being limited to an almost-useless mobile version of Picasa with no option to view the standard view, like Gmail or Google Calendar has. - I don't like the built in mail client for more than just checking/reading email. It's not horrible but especially because I use filters/folders on Gmail, I don't like that the unread account counts messages both in their original folder and the all mail folder; I don't like that I can't see my folder list as a sidebar while I'm in a folder/reading an email. I don't like that I have to go back to the folder list to see whether there's mail in other folders. So, I end up using Gmail through the browser, which is OK, but therefore doesn't notify me of new emails. I'm using Executive Assistant as a quick peek for email/calendar, then going to the website to actually use those features. The essential: - external keyboard - motion computing stylus - LastPass - Thanks to LastPass, I didn't even miss a beat moving from one computer to another. There are some idiosyncracies, though. Last Pass is 2 things: a password vault and a browser. If you want it to auto-fill user names, passwords and even "identies" or credit card profiles, you have to use its own browser. The browser is pretty good for not being a stand alone browser, but it has a few quirks. You can't download through links in this browser, for example. And, if you move to another app then back into LastPass, it reloads your current page (as I found out when I lost version 1 of this post!). But, it's still a great browser and more than worth it to have all my information auto-filled. The other thing is that because it's a separate browser, whenever a link takes you to a "new" site (and, I mean when hilton.com redirects you without you knowing to secure.hilton.com, for example), you get a popup window asking you to choose which browser you'd like to complete the action: regular or Last Pass. I'm learning that some sites have a lot of crap going on behind the scenes, because sometiems I'll have to select my browser 3 or 4 times before I get to the destination site! You do have the option to say always use this browser by default, but then trying to go to a site in the other browser will make tHe specified default browser automatically kick in and take over. Not an option when only the native browser can do the send to e-ink function or download links. So, it's a fair bit of clicking at times. But, the other function, the vault, works very well in the default browser with just a few extra clicks. If you need to input a password, you have to open LastPass (I have it on the home screen) and you'll automatically be taken to the vault. Press and hold on the entry you want, and one of the options is Copy Password (you can also copy username etc.). Then go back to the browser, press and hold to paste into the password field. Not onerous at all. But, because it's copy and past, you can only do one field at a time. The nice thing about the native browser is all fields are automatically filled in for you just by virtue of visiting the site. You can also have stored "identities" and credit cards so that it can auto fill all your contact/address/credit card information on a page. USing the vault, you'd have to copy and paste for each field. So, it takes a bit to figure out when it makes the most sense to use which browser, but well worth the $1/month. I honestly didn't even notice that I was on a "new" machine when it came to logging into websites. I also use the vault as mostly my bookmark vault too, since most of the websites I visit are ones I log into. Very, very pleased with this both in terms of being able to hit the ground running on a new machine and in terms of daily functioning. - SD card plus PicSay app = even easier tweeting pictures than on my Macbook! - I've completely uninstalled Fring and Nimbuzz does everything I want with resepect to instant messaging. The single biggest paradigm shift has been moving to one app at a time. I'm still not used to it, but it doesn't suck. I'm the kind of person who would have instant messaging and twitter windows open and at least partially visible while doing other things. I would blow through email/twitter in a big session, opening a bunch of background links and THEN go read them. I can't work this way on the edge. To compensate, I am constantly using the journal to make notes about what to go back to or remember to check out. Maybe this is the way normal people work, but open windows and browser tabs used to be my "stack." Now, it's scribbles in the journal. This is quite possibly even a good thing, but it's very different. Even just reading this message board, my bookmarked page was the "new posts" and I'd open every post in a new tab, then knock them off one by one. Now, it's pick a message, read it, go back to new posts... lather, rinse and repeat. Heck, I could see picking up the pocket edge just to use for one dedicated app (email/twitter) while I work on this machine! But, all in all, it really is working.