Special Technology Report: Freedom Pro Accessories Are Can't-Live-Without Items

I have been a proponent of smartphones since the very beginning. I know you know this now, but they really allow you to do so much.

In fact, I wrote about half of my book on my lovely HTC years ago and after I basically wore the keys right down to their wires, I switched to a Blackberry.

Like most smartphone users, my whole life is on here - I email, text and tweet while on the go, have my calendar and contacts with me and I work on this thing as much as I do on my laptop at home.

But as much as I love it, it still isn't as nimble as being on a regular keyboard and it's more tiring on the hands. I am limited to how much I can get done on my phone vs. working on my laptop.

So why I discovered Freedom Pro, it was love at first sight!

Their Freedom Pro Keyboard is a bluetooth keyboard that works with PDA's, smartphones, pocket PCs and UMPC's (in plain language, all that means is that it'll  work with your Blackberry, Window Mobile phone, Android, iPhone and iPad and even netbooks, Playstation3's, your PC or Mac - see the complete list). Basically, you're turning your phone into a laptop.

You initially set up your keyboard to connect via bluetooth (it takes just a minute with just a few steps) and then from then on, all you have to do to connect is press a key on your phone and turn your keyboard on. Instant gratification!

There is a pull out, folding stand that you set your phone on and because the whole set up is wireless, you don't necessarily have the phone right in front of the keyboard. Put it where it's most comfortable for you, or where space allows.

And unlike most accessory keyboards that are too small or hard to use, the Freedom Pro Keyboard is full size and has the most amazing soft keys - you'll want to type on just this from now on!  There are 6 dedicated keys that allow you to work off your phone as if it were in your hand (answer call, end/reject call, open messages/email, open address book, open tasks and open calendar), so that you don't have to give up any functionality while remaining uber productive.

You'll love being able to navigate all around your phone through just the keyboard. Switching back and forth between applications is so fast (faster than on your phone even!) and I have been able to get days of work done in just a few hours because I can be working and talking at the same time.

Sometimes I bring work to bed with me. Either I'm on a short deadline or I just can't sit at my desk anymore, but it's not always conducive to bring my big, bulky laptop to bed either because it's low on battery or it's just too uncomfortable. Now I bring my Freedom Pro Keyboard and work off of my phone and it's so easy! Just imagine how this will change everything for you - working on a plane or train, in a doctor's waiting room, etc. There's not always an outlet available for your laptop and sometimes you don't want to wait through it starting up or it's too awkward to work in such a small place, but this incredible keyboard changes all of that. 

It folds up into a beautiful leather-like case, so you can bring it anywhere with you. It uses just 2 AAA batteries (that are included!) and thanks to LED indicators, you can always tell when you're connected and how much power you've got.

The Freedom Pro Keyboard is one of the best accessories I've ever come across and it has made my life so much easier/better, I can't imagine life without it now.

And to help keep me productive, I keep the Freedom Walk & Talk in my purse at all times.  See, it gives me up to 1 hour of emergency talk time when I really need it.

And I know you've experienced this, when you go to use your phone and it's dead and it's not convenient or even possible to try and fine another phone or computer nearby.  Sigh. It is an awful place to be. But that is a thing of the past when you carry the Freedom Walk & Talk with you!

This small little black box is strong, yet light and will charge your devices with a Micro USB charging port using the foldaway Micro USB power cable. And it had an internal charging circuit that:

• Makes sure it will fully recharge, every time, even when "top up" charging (no need to fully discharge it first) up to 500 times.
• Protects both your phone and the battery from overcharging.
• Allows you to charge both the phone and the battery at the same time; prevents overcharging and ensures optimum charging every time

See? I told you it was great!

Freedom Pro Accessories are absolute essentials if you want/have to work or stay connected while on the go. And really, in this day and age, who doesn't?

Special Technology Report: I Am FLYING Now That I've Got the NEW GTD® And Blackberry® Setup Guide!

Last year, I wrote about how grateful I was to have finally implemented David Allen's Getting Things Done into my life.

I am now showing my immense my gratitude for the NEW GTD® & BLACKBERRY® SETUP GUIDE.

I know you're probably addicted to your phone, but I  use mine to manage my life as well as write to deadline.

Isn't that awesome?!

I had a different phone up until recently that was set up so that I could really manage the hell outta my life (Being a full-time freelancer, I am the CEO, admin assistant and gopher).  I also wrote half of my book on it (I wrote about it too)!

When it finally died, I got a Blackberry® and tried to set up GTD® by myself on it, but I never felt that I got it right.

I noticed the difference right away: I wasn't being as productive as I knew I could be, things were slipping through the cracks and my mind was overloaded with trying to remember all that I had to do.

All things that, once you've read Getting Things Done® by David Allen and start applying it to your life, doesn't happen.

So when I got a notice that there was a NEW GTD® And Blackberry® Setup Guide, I knew that my life was just about to change.

Again.

Oh, and what a relief it is.

Not only am I back on track, but I feel AHEAD of things!

How often can you say you that?!

This easy-to-read, easy-to-follow 45-page guide (once purchased, it's emailed as a PDF file, which you can save and/or print) is just what I needed.  And it took just minutes to set everything up.

Phew! Because you don't want to spend all Sunday working your way through a guide, of all things...

It goes through the Essentials - the basics of GTD®, syncing and browser tips, etc. The most fascinating part of the essentials was that these little changes have made A HUGE DIFFERENCE!  I set up side convenience keys (p. 3), moved my icons (p. 5) and increased my font size (p. 9) and just with those 3 little things, I upped my productivity in seconds!

There is a section on Email, which is something that I continue to struggle with (I spent the last couple of days getting my inbox from over 4,000 emails down to 250). I have got these pages in front of me and will work getting my inbox to zero this week. In the meantime, the guide had me tweak things so that this will be easier from now on (thank goodness!).

Working with Tasks was my favourite section.  This is what I've needed all this time to Get More Done on this phone!  It took just a few minutes to follow all of the instructions - change the settings,  set up the categories - and in a few minutes, I'd entered the major things I need to work on. I just love how all of the things I have to do are now categorized and easy-to-follow. It gets rid of a lot of the stress I've been carrying around about them.

I had a ton of fun with the Managing your Calendar portion of the Guide. I really changed up how I record things.  I really got the difference between Time-specific vs. Day-Specific actions and entered in a bunch of items that have already made a dent in my workload!

I would have never used MemoPad before reading this guide. Now thanks to Using the MemoPad section, it's on my Home Screen and I can load in information as I go - books I want to read, vacation ideas, etc.

I feel calm about everything now. Because it's all recorded in the best possible way.

I told you it was a great system!

And now I've got it with me whether I'm at home or on the go.

Which means, I can relax because I know everything that I've got to do and when.

Do you?

[Please note: GTD® and Getting Things Done® are registered trademarks of the David Allen Company. The knack is not affiliated with or endorsed by the David Allen Company.]

Special Technology Report - The Nokia E71 Phone is Sleek, Sexy & Stylish

I am not going to lie - the design of my phone is as important to me as the functions it comes with.

So when I saw the sleek and sophisticated Nokia E71, I was completely taken with it. I mean, not only is it thin, but it's got this stellar stainless steel look that is sexy and alluring.

You just want to reach out and touch it.

Which is the just the kind of feel you want your phone to have. After all, you're on it ALL THE TIME.

And though it's as thin and pretty as any gossip girl, it's no lightweight.

First of all, it's a perfect blend of business and social that you've been craving in a phone, but never been able to find - until now.

See, it allows you to have 2 modes - one for work and one for personal use. Which is smart, because although your 2 lives intersect, it doesn't mean that your contact and emails should.

You can customize each home screen so that you can identify which mode you're in at a glance and access them at the touch of a single button. So forget about carrying around 2 phones or having to constantly sift through phone numbers and messages. The Nokia E71 has got you covered!

Look, you need a phone that can live up to the demands of your busy lifestyle. You need a phone that will simplify life, not complicate it. The Nokia E71 is a life coach in a beautiful, slim device (slimmer than the rest, allowing you more room in your purse and pockets) that can help you maintain a balance between work and life.

The full QWERTY keyboard makes texting and email a breeze and let's face it - you can't do business on a phone without one (if you're doing work on a flip phone, you might as well be doing it on a typewriter).

The Nokia E71 runs on Symbian OS - Nokia's mobile operating system and one of world's most popular - so you get a reliable phone that does what you need it to when you need to do it.

Of course you're going to want to use the calendar and email functions, but you're going to love the dedicated one-touch keys (home, calendar, contacts, email) and accelerated scrolling with the NaviKey (with notification light) that allow you to work quickly.

When you're making a call, why be all 1992 about it with regular dialing when you can voice dial. That way, you can do two things at once (and you're going to do two things at once anyway, so why not at least make it easy on yourself?). And you'll want to set your phone to have it tell you who's calling as well. Just listen for the identification and you'll know whether it's worth stopping what you're doing. Talk about working smart!

The built-in GPS isn't just for work, you know (girlfriend getaway, ASAP) and the 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus and flash allows you not only photos (you're going to want pics of that getaway), but video. Yeah, that's right - you just stepped up your game this much.

And I could go on and on, but there's a ton of reasons you'll love it and why it was named "Test Best Cell Phone" in Wired's November issue.

And I bet you just want to go out and see for yourself.

Go to Nokia and find a store near you. The E71 is waiting for you.