Author Archives: czmilosz

Initial review of the Palm Pre

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Full disclosure:  I have had PALM smartphones since the Treo 500 through the Centro.  Yes, I like them.  No, this is not an un-biased review.
 
My PALM Pre arrived from Sprint this morning.  I didn't want to wait in line at the store and wasn't in a tremendous hurry to get one.
 
Overall, I have a highly positive initial opinion of this device.  My most recent phone was a Palm Centro so the touch interface presents some differences that I need to acclimate into my usage.
 
I opened the box to the following contents:  The Pre, corded stereo headphone headset, a standard to micro USB charging/data cable, a simple black and orange fabric protective sleeve, a 110v to USB adapter (PALM branded), instructions, and cell phone recycling bag.  The packaging is well done and seems to be constructed of decent quality materials.  I may keep the headset in my laptop bag for emergency usage.  I applaud PALM for finally making a device with a "standard", in this case USB, data and power interface.
 
The device setup was painless.  I contacted Sprint to do the ESN swap.  According to the CSR I first spoke with, there is only one department that does Pre activations.  She quickly transfered my to the second CSR.  There are account restrictions for this device, so contact the appropriate Sprint representative.  I had to change my account to a full Everything plan to meet the needs I forsee.  The actual setup consists of turning the device on, setting the language, and allowing the Pre to join up to Sprint's network.  The second CSR I spoke with verified that I could tether the Pre, but warned me that the software for this functiion is "not fully developed".  He also spoke with me regarding the backup / sync functionality.  I've spent years in the Palm Hot Synch Manager world.  The Pre handles things quite differently.  In order to backup the information, users must create a PALM.com account.  Backups are sent nightly to the user's Palm Profile.  Backup options are limited to allowing the auto backup, disabling it, and "Back up now".
 
The Pre itself is very easy to use.  The new WebOS is fantastic.  Being able to switch between different applications presents a significant advantage over what I've experienced with other smartphone platforms.  I ran the Pandora application and switched to email.  When the song changed, I was notified by the new song title and artist in a single line below the email application.  Very nice and of considerable use.  The gestures are a big change for me coming from a Palm OS 5 tap tap tap environment.  However, they work easily, are clearly explained, and simply understandable.  I've still reached for the stylus a couple of times.  The slide-from-under keyboard feels sturdy and there are minimal keyboard changes from the Centro.  Plus points for the dedicated @ symbol key.

I'm not a fan of the location of the micro USB port.  It's on the side and covered by a flimsy plastic door.  This reminds me of the cover of the memory card slot on the Centro.  And further reminds me that the Pre is without a memory expansion slot.  So, I won't be using it as my primary music device.  I've also noticed that heavy usage heats up the battery.  I'm not entirely sold on the wireless charging, the primary impediment being the $70 cost.

So, overall a very positive experience and I'm happy to see PALM come through with a very nice device and an excellent OS.

Bethel Thoughts

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The following my part of a discussion via email with other Bethel Alumni.

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I've been thinking about these issues sporadically (and, in full disclosure, probably without the proper amount of focus) over the past few days.

One of the primary things I keep struggling with is an institutional hedging on choosing clearly how to operate Bethel.

Bethel wants to be in the world but not of the world.  And, I'm not entirely convinced that is possible. I continue to think about other Mennonite institutions.  Bluffton grew their enrollment significantly in 1990s.  But, this came at the cost of a clear identity as a "Mennonite" school. Hesston has been consistently able to build new facilities, but they remain a 2 year school and an environment that is often considered insular in respects to the world.
 
Bethel has tried to walk the line and remain a "Mennonite" school while
providing all the worldly resources and experiences.  And I think this is a truly special and noble effort.
 
In order to continue this walk, I think there needs to be truly radical
change within the way the institution operates.
 
First, cut all school sponsored athletics and athletic scholarships.
Bethel is an institute of higher learning, not a training ground for
professional athletes.  I agree that nourishment for the body should still remain a part of the institution.  But do collegiate athletics really have a place at an institution like Bethel?  I struggle with this.
 
Second, focus on revision-ing the core of the Bethel College experience to properly equip students for the world.  Even if Bethel is not of the
world, their output (in terms of students) is certainly going to be.
Maybe it shouldn't be a "Computer Science" degree.  Maybe instead, it
should be a "Technology" degree providing experience on how to utilize and develop technology to improve the world.  And, instead of specific
language majors couldn't the resources be made available to learn and
appreciate the wide range of languages that dominate our daily lives?
 
Third, run the operational aspects of the institution like a real-world
business.  This ties in with the push from the accrediting entities push
to operate on an actual budget.  My grandfather taught economics and
business at Bluffton for 35 years.  Perhaps the best thing I ever learned from him was, "The only things you should ever borrow money for are to build or buy a home, or to start a business".  Bethel is past the starting phase.  And, to be blunt, those entrusted with managing the budget and other monetary resources (like the endowment) have failed.  I don't know the details, but I can imagine that the drop of value in the endowment was based on investing in instruments that offered the potential of great reward, at great risk.  And we're certainly on the great risk side of that equation right now.  I do not advocate a "conservative" approach to much in life.  Money and it's subsequent management should be approached conservatively.
 
Finally, use common sense.  I am still baffled by the "oversight"
regarding academic scholarships.  Bethel suffered financially because it
didn't have the foresight to see the number and quality of those receiving academic scholarships?  Poor management. There should have been a check/balance for that. I also think about how the Program Review was handled back in 2005.  Extremely poor communication to students and alumni.  If you reduce the entities involved in Bethel to purely business ones, the students and the alumni are the employers and
the faculty and staff are the employees.  Tuition, and donations pay the
bill and if the bills ain't being paid, the business goes under. Yet, the people paying the bills had little or no say in the decisions.

I know this is rambling and I'll stop now.