The missing piece was Bluetooth.  Every so often somebody calls me or I call people pretending that I have friends.  I know, it’s pretty sporadic and doesn’t happen that often, but when it does I get caught unawares and have already been fined for being naughty and talking to someone on my mobile phone while driving.

For less than the price of a repeat offence I thought it was time to install a Bluetooth head unit. I had two options. One, go to Holden and get them to install their solution for about $800. Or two, install my own for a fraction of the price. Being a cheapass, I went for the latter and bought a Nokia CK-7W Bluetooth unit off fleabay and a few parts from the Holden dealer to round out everything I needed.  I was lucky to find the following resources which showed in great detail what to solder where and even the GM part numbers I needed to take to Holden to buy the bits I needed!

Here’s the outlay (approximately)

Nokia CK-7W (used, from eBay) – $71
Mobile phone Harness – $12
Pushbutton with phone icon – $28 (WTF, seriously?)
Bezel for button to install in center console – $7

Once purchased it was a case of following the instructions from the below websites to crack open the dashboard, solder everything in and put it back together.

http://members.cox.net/05gto/html/body_bluetooth_install.htm

http://members.cox.net/05gto/html/body_holden_phone_button_install.htm

So I installed it today. All up it took about 3 hours, including the soldering time, and the time spent drilling out a couple of T-10 screws I stripped trying to un-do them with a T-8 driver. Whoops! Also including all the time spent screwing around in the car re-joining wires per this page. But it worked first time and works exactly how it’s supposed to, so I’m really happy! Heres a clip where I attempt to demonstrate the integration in the car. Which is in the dark.

Click here for a gallery of the disassembly, soldering, assembly and testing process

Apparently because it has Facebook and Twitter integration, and may not have a VPN client built in (but who really knows at this stage Seth?), this new generation Windows Mobile is going to cause IT directors the world over to start losing their hair.

The problems that CIOs are facing today far outweigh the fact that their constituents won’t be able to get into some non-standard .Net application or crappy old Sharepoint site. Windows Mobile use is severely on the downturn in the Enterprise or otherwise because employees are shunning them in favour of Nokia, Blackberry or iPhone mobiles. The IT departments’ choice of desktop or mobile platform that a user is given to access a resource is becoming increasingly irrelevant with Web 2.0 and cloud services.

Seriously Seth, who do you know plucks around on a current gen Windows Mobile device to VPN into their corporate network to access something? They simply don’t. They’ll hold out until they’re back at their laptop to do their work if they have to rely on something as counter-intuitive as Windows Mobile 6.5. I’ve seen colleagues and peers time and time again carry around Windows Mobile 6.5 devices and use them as nothing more than complex, clumsy cellphones. Hell, I’ld rather a $30 Nokia prepay to do that. (Actually, my work gave me an option of a crappy Nokia smartphone or a Nokia 3120 Classic; I chose the classic and bought an iPhone out of my own wallet)

Regardless of whether Windows Phone 7 has a VPN client in it, regardless of whatever SDK Microsoft release to enable application authors to port their specialist software over to Windows Phone 7, Seth, the users are going to vote with their fingers and it isn’t going to matter one iota if the IT department port their apps over or not.

I’m not saying they shouldn’t port their apps over by any means. What I’m saying is that they should be sensible about it. Use a Service Oriented Architecture. Make applications and data available, securely, without the need for VPN connectivity, without specific software running on specific platforms. Any device, anywhere, anytime.  This is the future of networking and the future of smart mobility.

As for the Facebook and Twitter users of the world.. IT departments are starting to realise the power of peer support. My employer has set up a range of internal wikis and forums where people are encouraged to go to ask about their problems, whether they’re alpha/beta release software or an iPhone or Mac user needing assistance. And if it’s written into policy that Facebook and Twitter are not supported and are to be used only in an appropriate manner then it’s up to the users to support each other.

Here’s a bit of background first  about me, my intended shooting style, and what I’ve already educated myself on, so you can get some context.

• I’m interested in photography as a hobby at this stage plus family portraiture and that kind of thing. I’m also interested in taking “artistic” style shots, including night shots, motion shots at night, macro photos with crazy aperture (for lots of blurry background). That kind of thing.
• I’m getting married in October and we’re going to the US for our honeymoon.  This gives me the option of puchasing some/all of my kit abroad to save bucks.  And the Australian dollar bought USD0.81 yesterday which is great news – I’m pretty sure it’ll keep rising too.
• Also aware that kit bought here in Australia can be taken with us on honeymoon, shown on the way out and be refunded 10% (for GST).  Plus, if I buy a D90 there is a $200 rebate from Nikon Australia til the end of September, so if I buy it then it’ll still be eligible (30 days) before departure.
• Concerned that if I buy a body overseas or a parellel imported body I will have warranty issues, plus in the case of a D90 a parallel imported model is probably not eligible for the $200 rebate above.
• Did I mention I *NEVER* pay full retail on these kinds of things? You’d be stupid to.
• I’m stuck in the Nikon vs Canon war.  The cameras I have my eyes on are the 500D/T1i and the D90.  Both seem really good cameras and have a loyal fan base and raving reviews.  I’m only partially aware of their incompatibilities, ie lens for one camera only fit another, that kind of thing.  It feels a bit like peripherals for the old IBM mainframes in the 1960s.
• I’m also interested in experimenting with older lens designed for film cameras picked up second hand. Does the Nikon or the Canon suit better for this?
• I’m also aware that the kit lenses that come bundled with the cameras tend to be on the, well, crap side. So I’m prepared to buy the kit and a lens or two seperately, as long as it doesn’t really blow my budget. Which at this stage, is approximately AUD1500 give or take.   If I bought lenses seperately, should I buy Canon/Nikkor or are there just-as-good drop in replacements eg Tamron?
• Since I’m a newbie I’ve been told to invest in a 50mm f/1.8 fixed lens which sounds pretty reasonable to build skills framing and preparing a photo before I snap it.
• I’m not interested in video. OK, so 720p might come in handy for spontaneous video recording bu that’s about it.

So that’s about all.  Would love to hear your thoughts/comments! Especially from those who have experience first hand with the 500D and the D90, or even better with other types of cameras they think would suit better! (please?) TY!