The River of Dreams

TGIF :: Today God Is First

Click the following title to read today's workplace devotional.

Lotus Sametime

Lotus Sametime

Look what happens when you collaborate and work together...

Lotus on YouTube: Everyone collaborate :: Blackout

Blackout

Look what happens when you collaborate and work together...

Daily Manna - Luke 18:9-14

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 'Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' 'But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 'I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.' Luke 18:9-14 NIV Listen (MP3)

http://www.ibs.org/dm/monthly.php?dmdate=20080722

-- This article was sent using my Viigo. For a free download, go to http://getviigo.com

BB & Smartphone Friends :: More trouble for Apple’s MobileMe service

As if the initial launch troubles, downtime, and other errors weren't enough, it looks like Apple is experiencing even more hiccups with their new MobileMe service. Many customers are unable to access the email portion of their MobileMe account. Apple has posted a bulletin indicating that the issue is a known problem, and is effecting less than 1% of the user base. This may be true, but a quick scan of the Apple discussion boards reveals growing contingent of infuriated customers that seem to be getting no where with Apple's support team. Furthermore, British customers that signed up for a free trial of the service are victims of a flawed billing system. It seems that Apple's billing system inadvertently placed a 121 Pound pre-authorization charge on many new customer accounts. Whoops. Apple, to their credit, is providing effected customers with an additional 30 days of free service which, when tacked on to the 60 day trial and initial 30 day free credit, provides customers with a full 120 days of free MobileMe access. That's great, but if the downtown and issues continue, no amount of free service will make up for an unreliable offering.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheBoyGeniusReport/~3/341508825/

Daily Manna - Lamentations 3:19-24

I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.' Lamentations 3:19-24 NIV

Max Lucado :: Our Loving Father

Grace for the Moment: Volume 2 by Max Lucado

“The Father has loves us so much that we are called children of God.” I John 3:1

When my oldest daughter, Jenna, was four years old, she came to me with a confession. “Daddy, I took a crayon and drew on the wall.” (Kids amaze me with their honesty.)

I sat down and lifted her up into my lap and tried to be wise. “Is that a good thing to do?” I asked her.

“No.”

“What does Daddy do when you write on the wall?”

“You spank me.”

“What do you think Daddy should do this time?”

“Love.”

Don’t we all want that? Don’t we all long for a father who, even though our mistakes are written all over the wall, will love us anyway?

We do have that type of a father. A father who is at his best when we are at our worst. A father whose grace is a strongest when our devotion is weakest.

from Six Hours One Friday

-=- by Max Lucado -=-

ODB :: We Are Connected

An air-monitoring station atop a California mountain has detected wind-borne particles that drifted across the Pacific Ocean from coal-fired power plants and smelters thousands of miles away. Some experts predict that expanding economies in other nations could . . .

http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/our-daily-bread/2008/07/21/devotion.aspx

Twitter took off from simple to 'tweet' success

Twitter has become so popular, so fast, that keeping up with its fast-growing user base is a real issue. So many people now use ...

http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomMoney-TopStories/~3/341072517/2008-07-20-twitter-tweet-social-network_N.htm

Facebook gets a face lift to help users share (AP)

AP - The popular online hangout Facebook is sporting a new look to reflect changes in how its members communicate with each other and how they share photos and updates about their lives.

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080721/ap_on_hi_te/facebook_facelift

Startup Tries to Improve the Web Browser (PC World)

PC World - Startup Vysr is trying to improve on the Web browser with an add-on that lets you access services from Web sites without...

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20080721/tc_pcworld/148676

Big Facebook redesign to give users more control (Reuters)

Reuters - Facebook Inc. is making sweeping changes to the world's largest social networking site, aiming to give users more control and to curb new forms of spam, company officials said late on Sunday.

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080721/wr_nm/facebook_redesign_dc

NoG :: I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVETH # 4

I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVETH # 4
July 21st, 2008

Job 19:25 - “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:”

Next I wondered if the loss of health would cause a man to say that God is dead. We all have known those who suffered beyond understanding.  Could this cause one to grow bitter and say that God is dead?  No - You see, their testimonies are one that makes you feel you were in the very presence of God.

Click here to read full article.

ODB :: Expiration Date

Chuck Montague was undergoing an extended series of treatments at a cancer center far from home. Then his treatments were abruptly interrupted by another medical condition. But God answered prayer and removed this problem. Later, when Chuck testified in his church back home, he told of his . . .

http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/our-daily-bread/2008/07/20/devotion.aspx

Max Lucado :: God Loves Humility

Grace for the Moment: Volume 2
by Max Lucado

“He crowns the humble with salvation.”
Psalm 149:4 NIV

With the same intensity that he hates arrogance, God loves humility. Then Jesus who said, “I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matt. 11:29 NASB) loves those who are gentle and humble in heart. “Though the LORD is supreme, he takes care of those who are humble” (Ps. 138:6). God says, “I live with people who are…humble” (Isa. 57:15). He also says, “To this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite” (Isa. 66:2 NASB). And to the humble, God gives great treasures:

He gives honor: “Humility goes before honor” (Prov. 15:33 NRSV).

He gives wisdom: “With the humble is wisdom” (Prov. 11:2 NASB).

He gives direction: “He teaches the humble His way” (Ps. 25:9 NASB).

And most significantly, he gives grace: “God…gives grace to the humble” (I Pet. 5:5).

from Traveling Light

-=- by Max Lucado -=-

Did Apple Really 'Sell' 1 Million iPhones To End Users? Nope.

Did Apple Really 'Sell' 1 Million iPhones To End Users? Nope.

Posted by Eric Zeman, Jul 15, 2008 08:58 AM

That nice, shiny press release that Apple issued yesterday failed to point out one important fact. Apple counts "sales" as any device it has sold to wireless network operators such as AT&T (NYSE: T). The network operators then re-sell the devices to actual end users. According to analysts, only 425,000 end users bought iPhones over the weekend.

http://www.blackberryforums.com/blackberry-versus/140966-did-apple-really-sell-1-million-iphones-end-users-nope.html

Buzzword :: Introducing: Spell Checking in More Languages

[Today's post is authored by Andrew Greene, the developer responsible for bringing a host of new languages to Buzzword.]

We at Buzzword have always realized that the first two “W”s in www stand for “world-wide,” and we’ve been looking forward to the day when we could provide spell-checking in languages other than the dialect of English used here in the U.S.

http://blogs.adobe.com/acom/2008/07/introducing_spell_checking_in.html

acrobat.com :: Design Collaboration

Beyond the Walls

At Adobe, we believe collaboration is a fundamental component of the design process. If you ever have the opportunity to take a tour of our corporate headquarters, you'll see that reflected right down to our physical work environment.

http://blogs.adobe.com/acom/2008/07/design_collaboration_1.html

Another Buzzword Version Launched

The Buzzword team has delivered again - a mere six weeks after our last version, which appeared as part of the Acrobat.com launch in early June. We're very excited to be back in regular release cycles, and we have lots of great features planned (see Lisa's recent blog post for specifics).

This new release (our 10th in 14 months) has a few very important new capabilities, designed to broaden our appeal globally and to make it even easier to share documents.

http://blogs.adobe.com/acom/2008/07/another_buzzword_version_launc.html

Greta re: 3G iPhone? or Blackberry Bold?

In my view, there is nothing like a Mac laptop. I like them so much more than a pc - a million times more. I can't say the same about the old iPhone - in fact, I hate the old iPhone. My view it is a fashion statement - a Barbie phone at best.

Since I love the Mac laptop, I am going to give the iPhone another chance and get the new one Apple says it is vastly improved and I am willing to give it a fair shake. But, alas, I can't find one. I have tried calling 3 stores and no one has it in stock.

So what phone do I love? I love love love the Blackberry curve. It is a remarkable device and great for every need I have. Incidentally, I have had a Blackberry since about 1996.

http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/blogs/Gretawire/~3/339122262/

Proverbs 8:12-17

'I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have understanding and power. By me kings reign and rulers make laws that are just; by me princes govern, and all nobles who rule on earth. I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. Proverbs 8:12-17 NIV

Max Lucado :: Contentment

Grace for the Moment: Volume 2
by Max Lucado

“He who follows righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness, and honor.” Proverbs 21:21 NKJV

In our world, contentment is a strange street vendor, roaming, looking for a home, but seldom finding an open door. He moves slowly from house to house, knocking on doors, offering his wares: an hour of peace, a smile of acceptance, a sigh of relief. But his goods are seldom taken. We are too busy to be content.

“Not now, thank you. I’ve too much to do,” we say. “Too many marks to be made, too many achievements to be achieved…”

So the vendor moves on. When I asked him why so few welcomed him into their homes, his answer left me convicted. “I charge a high price, you know. My fee is steep. I ask people to trade in their schedules, frustrations, and anxieties. I demand that they put a torch to their fourteen-hour days and sleepless nights. You’d think I’d have more buyers.” He scratched his beard, then added pensively, “But people seem strangely proud of their ulcers and headaches.”

from No Wonder They Call Him the Savior

-=- by Max Lucado -=-

ODB :: Little Things

A mosquito is a tiny insect—but its potential for devastation is huge. When I was in the 5th grade, I was bitten by mosquitoes on both of my knees. The bites became infected and deteriorated into a threatening case of blood poisoning. For over a month, I was . . .

http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/our-daily-bread/2008/07/18/devotion.aspx

WSJ Op-Ed :: Who's Partying Naked?

Short sellers aren't responsible for falling bank stocks.

http://feeds.wsjonline.com/~r/wsj/xml/rss/3_7041/~3/338640212/SB121633656801263789.html

Verizon offers BlackBerry users mobile banking

Verizon Wireless customers with the BlackBerry Curve 8330, BlackBerry Pearl 8130 and BlackBerry 8830 World Edition smartphones can now stay connected ...

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/search/blackberry/SIG=11f7ndqt1/*http%3A//www.finextra.com/fullpr.asp?id=22470

Created to Become Like Christ

Created to Become Like Christ by Rick Warren

God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. . . . We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. Romans 8:29 (MSG)

*** *** *** ***

From the very beginning, God’s plan has been to make you like his Son, Jesus. God announced this intention at creation: “Then God said, ‘Let us make human beings in our image and likeness’” (Genesis 1:26 NCV).

In all of creation, only human beings are made in God’s image. This is a great privilege and it gives us dignity. We don’t know all this phrase covers, but we do know some of the aspects it includes: like God, we are spiritual beings – our spirits are immortal and will outlast our earthly bodies; we are intellectual – we can think, reason, and solve problems; we are relational – we can give and receive real love; and we have a moral consciousness – we can discern right from wrong, which makes us accountable to God.

But the image is incomplete and has been damaged and distorted by sin. So God sent Jesus on a mission to restore the full image that we have lost.

What does the full “image and likeness” of God look like? It looks like Jesus Christ! The Bible says Jesus is “the exact likeness of God,” “the visible image of the invisible God,” and “the exact representation of his being” (2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT; Colossians 1:15 NLT; Hebrews 1:3 NIV).

People often use the phrase “like father, like son” to refer to family resemblance. When people see my likeness in my kids, it pleases me. God wants his children to bear his image and likeness, too. The Bible says, “You were . . . created to be like God, truly righteous and holy” (Ephesians 4:24 GWT).

© 2008 Rick Warren. All rights reserved.

ODB :: Why Pray?

As a journalist, I have spent time with famous people who make me feel very small. I rarely sleep well the night before and have to fight a case of nerves. I wonder what I would do if seated at a banquet next to, say, Albert Einstein or Mozart. Would I chitchat? Would I make a fool of myself? . . .

http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/our-daily-bread/2008/07/17/devotion.aspx

Max Lucado :: God, Your Guardian - July 17

Grace for the Moment: Volume 2 by Max Lucado
July 17

"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you can hide." Psalm 91:4

The image of living beneath Shaddai’s shadow reminds me of a rained-out picnic. My college friends and I barely escaped a West Texas storm before it pummeled the park where we were spending a Saturday afternoon. As we were leaving, my buddy brought the car to a sudden stop and gestured to a tender sight on the ground. A mother bird sat exposed to the rain, her wing extended over her baby who had fallen out of the nest. The fierce storm prohibited her from returning to the tree, so she covered her child until the wind passed.

From how many winds is God protecting you? His wing, at this moment, shields you. A slanderous critic heading toward your desk is interrupted by a phone call. A burglar en route to your house has a flat tire. A drunk driver runs out of gas before your car passes his. God, your guardian, protects you.

from Come Thirsty

-=- by Max Lucado -=-

http://MaxLucado.com/feeds/everyday.xml

-- This article was sent using my Viigo. For a free download, go to http://getviigo.com

Daily Manna from the Net - Psalm 1:1-6

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Psalm 1:1-6 NIV

Max Lucado :: No Limit to His Love - July 16

Grace for the Moment: Volume 2 by Max Lucado
July 16

"This is how we know what real love is: Jesus gave his life for us." I John 3:16

It’s nice to be included. You aren’t always. Universities exclude you if you aren’t smart enough. Businesses exclude you if you aren’t qualified enough, and sadly, some churches exclude you if you aren’t good enough.

But though they may exclude you, Christ includes you. When asked to describe the width of his love, he stretched one hand to the right and the other to the left and had them nailed in that position so you would know he died loving you.

But isn’t there a limit? Surely there has to be an end to this love. You’d think so, wouldn’t you? But David the adulterer never found it. Paul the murderer never found it. Peter the liar never found it. When it came to life, they hit bottom. But when it came to God’s love, they never did.

from He Chose the Nails

-=- by Max Lucado -=-

ODB :: The Bible Guy

When the youth group in Rich’s church needed Bibles for study, he went on a search for more than 70 copies. He got what they needed, but he never stopped collecting and distributing Bibles. . . .

http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/our-daily-bread/2008/07/16/devotion.aspx

Review: Facebook Scrabble flashy, but not better (AP)

AP - A sanctioned version of Scrabble for Facebook, released this week by video game maker Electronic Arts Inc., boasts animated graphics and true-to-the-board-game design.

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080716/ap_on_hi_te/tec_tech_test_facebook_scrabble

WordPress 2.6 Supports Version Tracking, Google Gears (PC World)

PC World - The latest version of the popular blogging software offers new features that make managing and editing posts easy, online and off.

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/rssblog/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20080716/tc_pcworld/148474

BlackBerry 101: How to Install or Upgrade to a New RIM BlackBerry Operating System (OS)

Research In Motion (RIM) is constantly developing and testing new software and applications for your BlackBerry. Keeping up to date with the newest operating system (OS) software for your smartphone ensures that you have access to all the latest and greatest features and performance tweaks. With the official release of BlackBerry OS v4.5 on the horizon--various beta, or test, versions of the software are already bouncing around the Web--we thought this would be a great time for a BlackBerry OS tutorial.

What follows is our step-by-step guide on how to upgrade your BlackBerrys OS, or install a different version, as well as how to prepare beforehand to make the process run as smoothly as possible.

To start a new operating system install, youll need your BlackBerry, an Internet-connected PC, a USB cable and about an hour and half of free time--50 minutes or an hour for the upgrade process and 30 minutes or catch-up time afterwards. Mac users beware: RIM doesnt currently offer the BlackBerry Desktop Manager software for Apple computers; however, industrious Mac owners running Parallels and who have a copy of Windows have been able to upgrade their BlackBerrys via Macs, though the process can be a bit clumsy.

If youve got all the necessary tools listed above, the BlackBerry OS install process should be a breeze. Lets get started.

read more

http://crackberry.com/blackberry-101-how-install-or-upgrade-new-rim-operating-system-os

BB & Smartphone Friends - BlackBerry Thunder gets "huge" push in fall (MacNN)

The BlackBerry Thunder is now considered Research in Motion's top priority, if a claim sent to BGR proves true. The Canadian company is said to be putting even the imminent BlackBerry Bold lower on its priority list to ensure that the touchscreen Thunder is ready for a "huge" US marketing effort starting in September, with a release for the exclus...

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/search/blackberry/SIG=1261o49qu/*http%3A//www.macnn.com/articles/08/07/16/bberry.thunder.for.october/

BB & Smartphone Friends - BlackBerry Bold 9000 'A Hit,' BlackBerry Thunder Strikes Soon (ChannelWeb)

The BlackBerry Bold gets a solid review, despite being months away from release. And BlackBerry's iPhone rival, the Thunder, is coming soon.

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/search/blackberry/SIG=1245uhamk/*http%3A//www.crn.com/hardware/209100459?cid=ChannelWebBreakingNews

YAWN . . . MobileMe Team Apologizes for Problems Updating Data

NewsFactor - When Apple launched its MobileMe Web cloud software last Friday, customers ran into severe glitches. The subscription service is designed to synchronize calendars, e-mail and other applications between iPhones and Mac or Windows desktops, but users of the new service were unable to log in or sync files correctly.

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20080716/tc_nf/60812

Max Lucado :: Guard Against Greed

Grace for the Moment: Volume 2 by Max Lucado

"Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income." Ecclesiastes 5:10 NIV

Greed comes in many forms. Greed for approval. Greed for applause. Greed for status. Greed for the best office, the fastest car, the prettiest date. Greed has many faces, but speaks one language; the language of more. Epicurus noted, “Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little.” And what was that observation of John D. Rockefeller’s? He was asked, “How much money does it take to satisfy a man?” He answered, “Just a little more.” Wise was the one who wrote, “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income” (Eccles. 5:10 NIV).

Greed has a growling stomach. Feed it, and you risk more than budget-busting debt. You risk losing purpose.

from Cure for the Common Life

-=- by Max Lucado -=-

Foreclosures push Phoenix home values to 18 percent year-to-year decline

Foreclosures now account for between 20 and 30 percent of home resales in the Phoenix area, according to a study released Tuesday by Arizona State University. The fallout from the statistic is significant: Home values are depreciating by double-digit percentages compared with a year ago.

http://feeds.bizjournals.com/~r/bizj_phoenix/~3/336465220/daily30.html

First Allied to woo First Montauk reps - InvestmentNews

First Allied to woo First Montauk reps InvestmentNews, NY - 16 hours ago Former Chief Executive Keith Gregg moved to Advanced Equities Wealth Management this month and is now executive vice president and chief sales and marketing ...

http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/2-0&fd=R&url=http://www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20080714/REG/165874306&cid=0&ei=wY98SOKPFYK6ywTur_SyAQ&usg=AFQjCNEzPmZXbN_RJg5j75bKEqbgZZkAUw

-- This article was sent using my Viigo. For a free download, go to http://getviigo.com

BlackBerry Bold review: we’ve been rockin’ it for a month

This might be a shocker out there to many, but we do actually, you know, not leak things from time to time. What's important here, is that we've been rockin' a BlackBerry Bold for around a month now and have a great handle on the unit. From hardware to software, this is going to be the most complete BlackBerry Bold review, period. If you're really ready, hit the jump. You might need a couple cigarettes and a cup of coffee it's long!

RIM's BlackBerry Bold 9000, huh? We knew it was coming since October of last year ever since we broke the news, and since then, this has been the BlackBerry communities iPhone. Sorry for an iPhone reference so early on in the review, but it's true. This is the device every single BlackBerry user has been waiting for. Finally a BlackBerry that "has it all." 3G, GPS, Wi-Fi, QWERTY keyboard, camera, great screen, clean styling, and more. Since this has been our day to day BlackBerry exclusively, we've been through a lot of ups and downs with the Bold. Here's a recap on our first day with the Bold, followed by our full review

Remember all that talk about overheating and battery drain? It definitely wasn't crap we'll tell you that! Even still, the device gets a little warm, but nothing to get too concerned about. RIM has made strides in regards to updated software builds for the Bold. Let's bring you back to when we first got the device, ok? We thanked our very friendly FedEx Sameday delivery man (or delivery person since there's this cute female that sometimes brings us goodies anyway) and proceeded immediately to remove the SIM card and microSD card from our BGR edition BlackBerry Curve 8310. After that, we took a bat to it, Office Space style. Once the battery was installed in the Bold, we patiently waited for the unit to turn on.

One minute went by. Then two. Then three. What in the heck? Isn't this supposed to be at least double the speed of the older models? When the unit finally powered up, we were greeted by the usual Setup Wizard. After canceling out of that (I can remove languages manually, athankyou) it was time to explore the device. At first glance, the first thing you'll see is obviously the gorgeous screen on the 9000. We can safely say that this is the best screen we've ever seen on a mobile device. Hands down. So, yeah, after messing around with a couple applications and exploring, it was time to turn on wireless and connect to AT&T's mothership. 5 bars of service showed up with the GSM indicator. Then EDGE. Oh boy, we're so close! Finally 3G appeared. We were in business! But not so fast. No sooner than the 3G indicator showed up, the device for some reason restarted. All Berry lovers will know this all too well. Red LED, black screen. After waiting for another three or four minutes for the device to power up again, the same thing happened! Everything was ok until we tried to turn wireless on. Oh bother. What now? The Bold did this in an endless loop for a good two hours. The battery was only at 40% so we figured we'd let it keep passing out until it was fully charged. Bad plan because that didn't help. After managing to sneak in right at start-up and turn off wireless mode, the device was stable again. Great. What good is a BlackBerry as a PDA? Don't answer that. By now we practically had a gun pointed to our heads. We messed with a Bold before, but we can't even use our first unit? After a quick call to one of our BlackBerry ninjas, we were promptly sent an updated software build. Now it was time to update the OS.

We opened up Desktop Manager 4.5 and proceeded to update the device. This part totally blew us away! Gone are the days of a 30-45 minute backup and update. It probably took no more than 6 minutes to backup the device, erase the applications, load the system software and what not. The only part that took a little bit was waiting for the device to initialize after everything was done. As soon as we booted up with the new OS, we were good! The Bold connected to the network just fine and we did our enterprise activation. First thing we did? Check out BlackBerry Messenger! God knows if there's one thing making us keep out BlackBerrys The new client isn't drastically different but has some semi-cool additions. For instance, the layout is the same but graphics for online, away, and unavailable have changed. You can set an alert so you are notified when a buddy comes back online, and you can broadcast a message to everyone you have an open conversation with. Digging a little deeper into Messenger, we found that you can enable an option to change your status when you are on the phone, and even change your status automatically to reflect whatever MP3 you are playing on the device. Totally iChatish, but not that bad.

After Messenger, it was on to the browser. At first, nothing looked different at all. That was until we brought up BGR on it. The BlackBerry web browser has indeed been redone to act more like a web browser and not a piece of garbage 1990's WAP browser. Pages render awfully quick over 3G, and even on EDGE. They are formatted 90% of the time correctly and images look sharp and crisp. You've now got new controls with the trackball. Instead of just a mouse cursor like before, the default setting is a zoom key. Just scroll over what you'd like to zoom into, press the trackball and zoom. This can also be achieved by pressing "i" and "o" for zoom in and zoom out respectively on the keyboard.

We fired off some emails on the keyboard, made some phone calls, and started to sit back, relax, and have fun with our new BlackBerry Bold. Battery life improved 10 fold when the new OS was installed, and the overheating we noticed quickly dissipated. It still gets a little warm when you're freakin' it, but oh well. Here's the full review on the device and the most recent software build. We're not basing the review on the extremely crappy builds before this.

Design:

Some might say it looks awfully like an iPhone. But not Mr. Lazaridis. According to him, every BlackBerry device is "three years in the making." They couldn't possibly have made the device around the iPhone since they started it three years ago, right? In all seriousness, it has a couple similar design features like a chrome border around the unit and black front, but it really stops there. We don't think they said to themselves, "let's copy the iPhone." The chrome you see on the Bold is nothing more than cheap plastic that scratches very easily, though.

Screen:

We said this before, but this really is the screen to beat. It might be a little too "contrasty" at times, if you know what we mean, but overall, it steals the show. It is the most vibrant, color-rich, sharp screen we've ever seen on a mobile device. It can be extremely bright if that's how you like it, or subtlety lower. The auto-dim features on BlackBerry devices let the screen adjust to your surrounding so it doesn't disrupt you. One major problem with the screen, though? It, like the chrome border around the device, is made of cheap plastic and scratches incredibly easily. We kept the Bold in either pants pockets with nothing else in there or a BlackBerry leather holster. After only a day or so, scratches started to appear out of no where on the gorgeous display. They better ship this thing with free scratch protectors!

Keyboard:

If you know us, you know we don't let keyboards off easy! And if there is anyone who understands keyboards, it's usually RIM. Think of the 9000's keyboard as a cross between the 8800 and the Pearl. The keys are pretty large in size, a little squishy, but still firm. They are not plasticky-feeling like the Curves. After only around 10-15 minutes we found ourselves typing almost as fast as were on our 8310. The layout o

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheBoyGeniusReport/~3/336051915/

-- This article was sent using my Viigo. For a free download, go to http://getviigo.com

Tony Snow: Defender of the President and the Faith

When you read Tony Snow’s op-ed pieces, you were engaged and learned something. It was a trait he would display a decade-and-a-half later, behind the podium as the press secretary for a Bush administration.

http://www.crosswalk.com/11579157/

Biblical Principles for Surviving Uncertain Times

There are few certainties in life and one of them is that we will have economic uncertainty. So the question is, how do we respond in difficult economic times?

http://www.crosswalk.com/11578712/

New Lotus "Collaboration without boundaries" whitepaper

This paper has been out for a couple of months but only recently appears to have made it to ibm.com... A 16-page white paper on IT trends in collaboration and productivity. Doesn't mention Lotus products until page 15...meaning it is meant more to be used for creating vision than to hype a particular product or products.This white paper discusses the changing face of collaboration and the ways in which the new collaboration can benefit business. It points out that smart businesses already are looking for ways to connect communities not only of employees but also of customers, partners and others "outside the firewall" so they can tap into both internal and external knowledge and use that knowledge to accelerate innovation.Link (FTP): New Lotus "Collaboration without boundaries" whitepaper > (Also available for download from my Slideshare.net)

http://www.edbrill.com/ebrill/edbrill.nsf/dx/new-lotus-collaboration-without-boundaries-whitepaper?opendocument&comments

InfoWorld: Test Center review: Office killers pack some heat

Head-to-head review of Lotus Symphony, Google Docs, Zoho, and OpenOffice.org...with Lotus Symphony receiving the top score of 7.8:Lotus Symphony is the most polished of this particular pack of productivity suites. The word processor continues many of the complex formatting features that made Ami Pro a favorite of technical writers, and both the spreadsheet and presentation manager are full featured. Symphony's most significant weakness is its limited set of applications -- it's clear that IBM sees Symphony as an adjunct to Lotus Notes, which would provide e-mail, discussion, database, and other features. If you mainly seek great functionality in the "big three" applications, then Symphony is a great answer. ...

Can Symphony do all you need in a personal productivity package? If you require solid functionality in word processing, spreadsheet manipulation, and presentation creation for a Windows platform, and co-authoring those files isn't critical, then yes. Symphony's feature set isn't as rich as Office's, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Straightforward, rich functionality for an individual or small group -- that's nothing to sneeze at.Link: InfoWorld: Test Center review: Office killers pack some heat >

http://www.edbrill.com/ebrill/edbrill.nsf/dx/infoworld-test-center-review-office-killers-pack-some-heat?opendocument&comments

Buzzword Adobe New release! Dictionaries for 19 different languages, updated invitation system, and ODF export! Try it all out at buzzword.acrobat.com.

http://www.facebook.com/minifeed.php?status&id=611175038#1216155233

Kate Hudson Spotted With A BlackBerry Bold

It would appear that the launch of the BlackBerry Bold is near. More and more celebrities are being spotted with what we are being told is the coolest BlackBerry device to date.

John Mayer was the first celebrity to be seen out an about with a BlackBerry Bold. Seeing how BlackBerry is sponsoring his summer concert tour we can see how he was able to get his hands on the Bold early. That latest celebrity BlackBerry Bold sighting is Kate Hudson. We're not sure how she was able to get one early, however, being rich and famous probably has a bit to do with it.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rimarkable/~3/336153390/kate-hudson-spotted-with-a-blackberry-bold

Bloggerpreneur Has A New Look

Updating to this new Wordpress theme was so long over due.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rimarkable/~3/336365562/bloggerpreneur-has-a-new-look

Apple Sold A Million iPhone 3Gs Over The Weekend

Apple isn't messing around this time. They reported that they sold their one millionth iPhone 3G Sunday. That is compared to 270,000 iPhones which sold in the first weekend last year.

It took Apple 2 and a half months to reach the one million iPhone mark last year. No matter how you look at, whether you like the iPhone or not, to sell one million of them in under 3 days is impressive.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rimarkable/~3/335123124/apple-sold-a-million-iphone-3gs-over-the-weekend

Adobe Reader 9 and Acrobat.com

Last week Adobe announced the availability of Adobe Reader 9. This new version of Reader has several exciting new features and capabilities. Steve Gottwals, product manager for Adobe Reader, did an extensive review of the new features of Reader 9 in his blog entry. From the Adobe website you can download a copy of Adobe Reader 9.0 now.

Adobe Reader 9 provides many simple ways to work with Acrobat.com. It includes the Acrobat.com desktop application built on the Adobe AIR technology. The Acrobat.com desktop application provides an easy way of interacting with Acrobat.com by dragging and dropping files and folders from your local computer directly into your Acrobat.com account, and browsing, previewing, sharing or publishing files directly from your desktop computer. The application can be minimized to a widget on your desktop providing one-click access to the Acrobat.com services.

The Adobe Reader 9 toolbar has a create PDF button which automatically launches the Acrobat.com desktop application for PDF conversion. In addition to PDF creation, Adobe Reader 9 also includes the ability to upload and share documents directly from the Reader toolbar. The toolbar also include menu items to directly launch your Adobe ConnectNow meeting room and meet with others online and launch Adobe Buzzword to edit and collaborate on documents with others.

When working with Adobe Acrobat 9, Reader 9 users can participate in a Shared Review for PDF documents and filling and submitting forms using Acrobat.com. Using Reader 9, you can also participate in live collaboration on PDF files with other Reader or Acrobat users. Collaborate live allows you to chat and share your page views within the context of a PDF document with others who are currently viewing the same PDF document.

For more details about how Acrobat 9 and Reader 9 work with Acrobat.com attend our seminar on July 15 - "Acrobat connections: Introduction to the steps and workflows through which Acrobat.com works with and complements Acrobat and Reader" at http://my.adobe.acrobat.com/aclearn/. More details on other online Acrobat.com seminars can be found on our forum.

Let us know what you think about Adobe Reader 9 and the Acrobat.com desktop application. We love to hear your feedback. Send us your feedback at acrobat.com_feedback@adobe.com.

Thank you for reading Mangesh, Acrobat.com Product Manager

http://blogs.adobe.com/acom/2008/07/adobe_reader_9_and_acrobatcom_1.html

Quote :: Yogi Berra

"A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore."