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I’ve been using two new keyboards lately. One of the reason I got new keyboards were because after spending 10+ years in the US, I really can’t get used to the Norwegian layout. Also, programming languages seem to be optimized for the US layout.

Getting the keyboards were somewhat of an ordeal, though. You can’t get keyboards with an US layout in Norway. On the other hand, you can’t get keyboards shipped to Norway from the US (something about warranties, I think. Fortunately, I still have some friends in the US that can ship the keyboard, but it’s a pain.

The Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 keyboard is a very comfortable keyboard. I was a little sceptical when I first got it because it seemed so flat, but it actually made it more comfortable. By being flat, I don’t bend my wrist that much, so I don’t feel any pain after a long day (although, to be fair, I’m spending most of my time in BEA Workshop/Eclipse waiting for the system to compile, so it’s not like I type much). Even though it looks like hitting the keys would be hard because of the curve, I got used to it pretty fast. The keys themselves are pretty soft, and I wish they could be a little harder so it would be easier to get tactile feedback. In general, I would say it’s a pretty good keyboard for programmers.

The Logitech Wave keyboard is my newest keyboard. I usually like Logitech keyboards and mices, so the hope was that this would be another winner. Like the Microsoft Curve, this keyboard is somewhat curved for increased comfort. Hitting the keys themselves give a pretty good feedback. Unlike the Microsoft keyboard, this keyboard is somewhat raised which makes it a little less comfortable than the Curve. They also changed the standard layout for the [Home/Del] row. I have hit the wrong key on several occasions already. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it (never actually noticed that I used those keys until I started hitting the wrong keys). It conclusion, good keyboard, somewhat less than the Curve. Would probably get a Curve if I had to buy a new one any time soon.

I received a Nokia E-65 for work. These days, at least in Norway, people don’t get a desk phone. Rather, they get a mobile phone. It does make it easier if you have to move around according to which project you are in, since your phone number then always stay with you.

The initial impression is that’s it’s a really good phone. It feels nice, with the leather back, really light-weight, really clear screen.

Functionality wise, I don’t think there are any complains. It syncs with my Notes calendar, which make it much easier to remember all the meetings you have to go to. The email functionality has also been upgraded, compared to the Nokia N-70. That is, you can custom define the different ports you need to use to email. Wireless works great, and it’s a great way to save money on my the surfing habits. I installed Google Maps on it, and it seems to work pretty well.

E-65 comes with a mapping software, but you need to have GPS receiver, which kinda defeats the purpose, I think. If you have a GPS, you don’t really need the E-65 to show you the maps, do you?

The one thing I don’t really like about the phone is the camera. No, not because it has a “low” quality camera, but that there is a camera on it in the first place. It seems to me that a business phone like the E-series try to be, shouldn’t have a camera. There are places where you aren’t allowed to bring a camera into the office. And a camera doesn’t really fit in to the functionality of a business phone. Not that the camera is that good either. So, it seems Nokia put a camera there just to get past the reviewers that would complain about it, but not that good of a camera that would make it unusable in a business setting (no zoom, no flash etc).

Looking at the Nokia E-serie offerings, they have all cameras. I would love to get a phone with the functionality of E-65 without the camera. But other than that small thing, it’s a fine phone.

I recently watched The Pursuit of Happyness on one of those pay channels on a hotel I stayed at. It was a really good movie. Since I had the book at home, but never had time to read it, I decided to go back and read the book. The book is just as excellent as the movie.

The difference between the movie and the book is that the movie focuses on the six months (one year in the book) where Chris Gardner was homeless. The book actually deals with Gardner’s childhood leading up to his situation in the movie, and what happens next. It also explain much better why it was so important for Gardner that his son knew who he was and the sacrifices he had to make.

Some people has complained that the movie is about feel good Hollywood movie about the greatness of the capitalism. I didn’t get that at all. I think the lesson from both the book and the movie was that you have to have goal in life and pursue it. And although life might put obstacles into your path, you need to rough it out. Don’t lose sight of what’s important, but don’t settle for less either. Good lessons to learn.

This was a book I really enjoyed and would highly recommend it.

I bought a new cellphone, the Nokia N70, replacing my Nokia 7250. One of my criteria, is that it will work both in the US and Europe (must be tripple bandwidth support). I also wanted one that could play MP3 files, because I don’t always carry my Ipod with me. So far, I must say I really like my new phone.

One of the new applications I really like is the world clock. This makes it possible to have the phone keep track of the timezones. All I need to do is specify the city I’m in, and the time gets updated accordingly. Really nice when you cross timezones a lot like I do. Especially, if you are moving from England to Norway, and you can’t really remember whether you updated the clock yet or not. The music player is not too bad. I can’t really hear anything wrong with it. The screen is big and bright, and the keyboard is pretty comfortable. The updated menu system is somewhat confusing, especially compared to the Sony Ericsson, but it might just me not being used to it.

I love the fact that N70 uses a RS-MMC. That means that, although you can use the Nokia PC Suite to put software, pictures and music on the phone, you can also copy the media over to the multimedia card. It’s nice, since I’m using Linux, and it means I don’t have to find a Windows machine to update my phone.

One of the things I don’t like is the battery life. I bought my phone Saturday morning, and by Monday morning, the battery was dead. I hadn’t even used it that much. That’s pretty bad. The old 7250 lasted at least one week without a recharging the system. This means that I can go away for a weekend without bringing a charger with me. This is pretty silly, since Sony Ericsson seems to be able to have much better battery life on their phones with the same basic functionality.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with my phone.