Living smart

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Cell helper

Web browsing with a mobile phone is like dental surgery without Novocain.

But a free new service called mdog.com may dull the pain.

It works best with Web-enabled devices like the BlackBerry, Treo or Motorola Q. Just point your mobile Web browser to mdog.com and then choose from a slew of news sites, all formatted for easy small-screen viewing.

There also are a few choices for sports, entertainment, travel and weather, with more promised by year's end.

Mdog also lets you use your mobile device for blog postings, if your blog is hosted at sites such as Blogspot, Typepad, Livejournal or Xanga. Some blogging features carry a small monthly fee.

Don't kid yourself. Reading an entire newspaper on a smartphone, even with mdog and a fast network like Verizon Wireless' EvDO, would test the patience of the most avid news junkie.

Still, on a recent standing-room-only, delayed New Jersey Transit train, the Motorola Q, Verizon Wireless and mdog together made the best of a bad commute. Turning book pages was out of the question -- one hand was needed to grip the seat. Mdog worked smoothly with the other free hand. Thumbing the Q's navigation wheel/clicker, a correspondent almost forgot that the journey from Manhattan to Newark would have been faster on foot.

--Kevin Coughlin



Living smart Sunday, October 22, 2006 Cell helper Web browsing with a mobile phone is like dental surgery without Novocain. But a free new service called mdog.com may dull the pain. It works best with Web-enabled devices like the BlackBerry, Treo or Motorola Q. Just point your mobile Web browser to mdog.com and then choose from a slew of news sites, all formatted for easy small-screen viewing. There also are a few choices for sports, entertainment, travel and weather, with more promised by year's end. Mdog also lets you use your mobile device for blog postings, if your blog is hosted at sites such as Blogspot, Typepad, Livejournal or Xanga. Some blogging features carry a small monthly fee. Don't kid yourself. Reading an entire newspaper on a smartphone, even with mdog and a fast network like Verizon Wireless' EvDO, would test the patience of the most avid news junkie. Still, on a recent standing-room-only, delayed New Jersey Transit train, the Motorola Q, Verizon Wireless and mdog together made the best of a bad commute. Turning book pages was out of the question -- one hand was needed to grip the seat. Mdog worked smoothly with the other free hand. Thumbing the Q's navigation wheel/clicker, a correspondent almost forgot that the journey from Manhattan to Newark would have been faster on foot. --Kevin Coughlin © 2006 The Star Ledger © 2006 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.