A few years ago it ocurred to me that it would be good to work and be productive regardless of my physical location. That meant being able to be away from my office and still work at a high level, without having to explain to everyone with whom I deal that I am “away from office.” For real efficiency reasons, family reasons and particular quirks of my personality and temparment, working away from the office is critical for me.

When I began considering my mobile strategy, the tools for doing this either existed or were quickly coming into existence. Today, I believe I have accomplished what I set out to do: I can work efficiently and effecitvely from just about any physical location. My analysis below assumes a person who is comfortable using email and browsing the Internet. Below are the tools I use to essentially make my work location irrelevant:

1. Laptop Computer. For me it is the 15″ Apple MacBook Pro (mid-2010 version). But you don’t need an Apple laptop, any solid and reasonable sized PC Lapton (Dell, HP etc. . . take your pick) will work fine. This computer is your work station in your mobile office. The machine needs to be able to most of what any desktop computer can do.

2. Smartphone. Since I usually don’t have access to a landline, having a working telephone connection is a must. There are many options. My phone of choice is the iPhone 4 through Verizon. The smartphone has to work for voice calls (which are still at times a necessity). It also needs to provide quick and easy access to email, texts and any other regular forms of communication you use. Often, when I am working on the MacBook Pro, the phone is notifier when I have a new email or other message. I can also send quick replies to multiple messages easily, using the iPhone.

3. Mobile Internet Device. Free WiFi is ubiquitous but I still find it problematic. Coffee shops, restaurants, libraries and even the local automative parts store offer free WiFi. How secure is a free network that doesn’t require a password (not very)? Is the free WiFi fast enough to get anything done? Do you have the free WiFi everywhere you need it? For all of these reasons, I replaced free WiFi with my own personal Internet device. Originally, it AT&T USB modem, then it was Verizon’s MiFi and know it is Verizon’s Intelligent Mobile Hotpsot (like the MiFi but with 4G LTE). With the Hotspot, I have super fast Interent accesss whereever I am (I wrote about it here). No worries about security, whether there is a connection or how fast it is. From the car, the courthouse or the case, the Hotspot allows me to focus on getting my work done rather than on the quality or security of my Internet connection. As alternative to the dedicate device, many smartphones have a hotspot feature that for [quite] a few extra dollars, you can share your phone’s Internet connection with your computer.

4. Digital Documents. Maintaing and dragging around a bunch of paper is the arch enemy of making location irrelevant. If all the documents you need are in file folders in the file cabinet at your office, then you need to within walking distance of the file cabinet. I eliminated this issue by going most paperless for the documents with which I work. This means all correspondence, pleadings, memos, research and the like are maintained as digital files, accesible anywhere. I use Dropbox which is a seamless and simple solution regardless of what device you are on. Dropbox allows me maintain one file system for all digital documents across all my devices. I am always working on the “most recent version” of the document.

5. Browser-centric. The browser is the centerpiece of my work. Browser tabs are often how my tasks are organized. This means that most of my applications are web-based. While technically an application can be “web-based” but independent from a browser, I find an advantage in using applications within the browser. My browser of choice is Google’s Chrome on the Mac (and when it gets buggy I switch over to Safari). Google Chrome for Windows is an equally good if not superior choice. Many of the applications I used in my business and personal life (which are sometimes inextriablcy intertwined) run in a browser tab. For instance, Gmail, Google Reader, Bill4Time, Twitter, Westlaw (for legal research) all run through my browser. The advantage is that regardless of my location, I open the browser and see the same interface and have same experience with the service. This uniformity leads to efficiency.

6. Mobile Power. Nothing short circuits [pun intended] my productive like the laptop, Hotspot or phone dying from a lack of power. To combat this issue, I try to work within range of an outlet or charging source. If its at the libary or a cafe, the source is a wall outlet. If it is in the car, the with a car power adapter. The nice thing about my mobile devices is that they can all be charged through the MacBook Pro: the phone connects and so does the Hotspot with its USB adapter. If there is a plug in for the computer, everything else is good to go. One thought if you are working in your car or on the go: get power connector such as this one that fits into your drink holder and charges a computer, a phone and most other devices. You also avoid some car-cord-clutter with this setup.

7. IP-based phone management tool. To me, no mobile connection beats the quality and consistency of a good landline connection. Even the best cellphone is a bit flaky at times. However, if you are going to work mobile you need to be able to talk and manage call and messages remotely. There are several premium Internet-based phone options, but I use Google Voice. Google Voice is a complement to my landline phone system, it does not replace the phone (Read my review here). It is my go-to service for managing communications, both spoken and textual. Google Voice allows me to have one telephone number that can forward to multiple numbers and the ability to text from the same number. The ability to manage my Google Voice account to a granular level from the web (on a computer or smartphone) is also a plus. No more calling into the office to check messages, the messages are transcribed and on your phone and computer.

8. Head-Phones. This is only a requirement if you will not be working in a noise-insulated, sound and visually distraction-free environment! For rest of us who work in locations with some noise, it is nice to have heahphones to block out the distractions and through music and talk create the environment you need to be productive. I am not picky about what I have been using is the ear buds that come with almost every Apple mobile product. However, there are many higher quality options that will sound better and more effectively eliminate outside noise. I received a great set of Sony Headphones for Christmas.

You know the Verizon TV commercials with the thunder and lightning, raving about the new “4G” LTE Network?  Well, that ain’t no lie, it is definitely something to get excited about.  The new Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot allows up to five people to connect wirelessly to Verizon’s thundering 4G LTE Network.

I purchased the 4G Mobile Hotspot today and yes, the speeds really are that impressive so far. It is equivalent to a fast home Cable internet connection and superior to DSL.  Below I share my thoughts on the hardware and some early speed test results.  At the bottom of this post there is a Flickr slideshow of all the pictures.

The Device

The device hardware is not exceptional: its similar to the previous Verizon MiFi Intelligent Mobile Motspot in that is card-sized.  A comparison of the 4G Hotspot and 3G Mifi reveals the Mifi to be a bit slimmer and lighter.  However, both devices are compact and pocket-sized mobile work-horses. It has a Micro-UBS connection for charging.

The LTE Network

Verizon advertises the LTE Network to be up to 10 times faster than 3g and get this: they are telling the truth.  My speed tests so far show it consisestly 8-10 times faster up and down when compare with Verizon and AT&T 3G.

Let me give you a few points of reference:

Verizon advertises the speeds of it 3G network at 600 to 1.4Mbps down and 500 to 800 Kbps up. AT&T 3G speeds tend to run in the range of 1.5-2.2Mbps down. AT&T advertises the speeds of its 4G network at up to 6Mbps down. Verizon advertises it 4G LTE Network as capable of 5-12 Mbps download speeds. It is notable to me that in researching the claimed network speeds Verizon’s information was easy to locate on its website while AT&T’s speeds were almost impossible to find.

All of the speed tests I did were performed in the Oklahoma City-area using either an iPhone 4, an iPad 2 or MacBook Pro Mid-2010. All devices were connected the mobile Hotspot and Mifi wirelessly. Take a look at the numbers below:

In my office where any signal is challenged but AT&T’s is particularly weak:

Verizon LTE Edmond (iPhone 4)

AT&T 3G at my office (iPhone 4)

AT&T 3G at my office (iPhone 4)

Verizon LTE at my office (iPhone 4)

Verizon LTE at my office (iPhone 4)

Some results from around the town:

Verizon LTE Edmond (iPad 2)

Verizon LTE at my office (iPad 2)

Verizon LTE 4G at home (MacBook Pro)

This is a slideshow of the pictures I took on this project.

My son Sam and I break open the iPad 2 16GB white model.  Sam makes his return to ipad vides after helping me announce the winner of the iPad on my website last April.

What could bring about the end of iTunes on the iPhone, at least for podcast listening?  Perhaps the recently released application Pocket Casts.  One of iTunes downfalls on the iPhone is that it provides no way to wirelessly and automatically keep podcasts up to date.   iTunes software on the Mac and PC works well at updating and syncing.  However, if you forget or don’t have time to plug in the sync cable, you are left to piecemeal download podcasts in iTunes on the iPhone, over WiFi, unless the podcast is smaller than 20MB (almost none listen to are).  There is no way to automatically and over the air (no sync cable) update all of your podcasts on your iPhone.

Enter Pocket Casts.  Not the first application to try this on the iPhone, but the best I have seen so far in terms of functionality and user experience.  Pocket Casts has a comfortable feel that seems to fit on the iPhone, is intuitive and allows you to import your podcasts already in iTunes.  Best of all Pocket Cast allows you to update all of your podcast (over Wifi or 3G or 4G for that matter) with a couple of button presses, eliminating the need to plug into your PC or Mac.  

I was also pleasantly surprised at how many of the podcasts to which I listen are already in the Pocket Casts library.  While I can a podcast by entering a URL in Pocket Casts, it is nice to be able to simple browse or search and then select.

Pocket Casts, a Shifty Jelly software product, is $.99 in the iTunes App store.  Check out some screenshots below.

What are some other good podcasting applications you have used either on iOS or other platorms?

I am on day 4 of using Android again on the Samsung Nexus S from T-Mobile.  My goals are to see how Android has developed since November 2009 and experience a network other than AT&T.  I can check both off my list.  

1.  The T-Mobile Network. Without a quality network (as some AT&T iPhone users can attest) the device is almost worthless.  I live in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, were not New York but we are not Lost Springs, Wyoming either.  Verizon, Sprint and AT&T have a huge presence here.  T-Mobile sells a lot of devices but it does not feel like it spends a lot of money on its network here.  I should have known there might be an issue when the Best Buy Mobile sales rep asked me where in the Metro I live.

At my home and office I get either 1 or bars and calls are difficult to maintain and often of low quality. In between, at place I visit, the call quality was “okay” but not as good as AT&T. In testing the speeds of the T-Mobile network, I saw anywhere from .4 to 1.5 MBPS down to .5 to 1 MBPS second up (which actually seems fine to me).

I don’t understand it because I know a lot of people use, enjoy and thrive on the T-Mobile network.  It is just not happening for me at this point.  In general, I see no benefit in having T-Mobile service over my current AT&T service.

2.  Hardware and Battery. The phone feels solid and light, despite being a “plasticky.”  The display is crisp and sharp, with bright and vivid colors.  The battery life is abysmal:  maybe four hours with moderate use and the screen not on full brightness (the way I always use the iPhone).  It is a disappointing that Google Flagship device for 2011 is on a network with 4G but does not include the ability to use 4G.

Check back tomorrow for my more specific thoughts about Android and Samsung Nexus S.  

With the announcement of Windows Phone 7 on Monday, I compiled a few reviews and selected quotes from the articles that have review the new platform.  It appears Windows Phone 7 has a lot of positive potential.  

Windows Phone 7 in-depth preview – Engadget:

What we’ve been presented with here doesn’t exactly feel like a complete mobile operating system in many ways. Some parts of Windows Phone 7 are more like a wireframe — an interesting design study, an example of what a next-gen phone platform could be. That’s both good and bad. On one side, we’re still really excited by the prospect of Metro as a viable, clean-slate approach to the mobile user experience, and there are lots of smart moves being made that could lead to greatness. On the other side, Microsoft has to turn this into a viable retail product that can hang with the fiercest competition in the history of the cellphone in just a few months’ time, and there are some serious issues that need to be addressed. Frankly, it’s a little scary.

Windows Phone 7: first review - Telegraph:

Windows Phone 7 is the slickest, most impressive version of Windows on a mobile phone that Microsoft has yet produced. But that’s not saying much – and even if the actual quality of the operating system has much to recommend it, it offers little that will revolutionise the very crowded smartphone market.

Windows Phone 7 Series: Everything Is Different Now - Gizmodo:

Windows Phone 7 is also something completely new for Microsoft: A total break from the past. Windows Mobile isn’t just dead, the body’s been dumped, buried and paved over by a rainbow brick road.

Windows Phone 7: An In-depth Look at the Features and Interface - PCWorld:

If you’re familiar with the Zune HD‘s user interface, you’ll feel right at home with Windows 7. Microsoft hinted that the Zune and Windows Mobile teams were working closely and you can definitely see this relationship in Series 7. The menus and interface have the same fluid animations and clean typeface as the Zune HD’s.