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Since it’s day one for the new site I’m finding a bunch of things to fix, clean up, add… Expect to see a comment function soon, a way to get blog updates in your inbox, etc… Any and all suggestions will be considered!
Press Release: CEWindows.net now offers Newsgroups via Web
Chris Herrera of CEWindows.net has announced that you can now easily read and post messages to Microsoft’s Pocket PC and Handheld PC newsgroups via CEWindows.net. Visit http://www.cewindows.net/newsportal/ to access the following newsgroups:
microsoft.public.pocketpc
microsoft.public.ebooks
microsoft.public.pocketpc.multimedia
microsoft.public.pocketpc.marketplace
microsoft.public.es.pocketpc
microsoft.public.fr.pocketpc
microsoft.public.pocketpc.developer
microsoft.public.pocketpc.developer.networking
microsoft.public.handheldpc
European Pocket PC Fan Festival!
Microsoft has announced that they’ll host the first European Pocket PC Fan Festival in Hannover, Germany on March 14th during CeBIT. If you’ve ever attended one of the Pocket PC Fan Fests, they’re a ton of fun - there’s a chance to win prizes, see demos of new software (and hardware), and more. Your Pocket PC is your “ticket” (sorry, no PalmOS devices)!
Two More XScale PDAs?
More rumors of XScale-based PDAs are starting to show up. Toshiba is apparently working on two devices - the e740 (400 MHz XScale processor, 64MB RAM, integrated wireless, CF and SD slots) Pocket PC 2002 PDA and the e310. The rumors go on to say that the e310 could be a PalmOS device! Availability of the new Toshiba powerhouses is rumored to be late Q2, 2002.
Lest you think I was a bit harsh…
…in my assessment of the traditional press, I just wanted to add a few comments. This wasn’t the first time that I (as a technical professional, now with almost 9 years of experience with PDAs) have been totally annoyed by the traditional press. I’ve been misquoted, I’ve had comments that I’ve made to reporters taken out of context, I’ve had my name misspelled, I’ve had products given bad reviews based on minutiae that had nothing to do with the operation of the software.
True, the electronic press can make mistakes and have failings in judgement, but it seems to me that the electronic press is a lot more accurate - probably due to the fact that most of the electronic journalists out there are techies by training and journalists by accident. You also tend to see more objective criteria used when panning a product, whereas the trad press loves to throw in subjective and misleading “facts” and comments.
I think what really set me off in this review was the fact that I had just made one correction to this journalist and got a harsh response instead of a “thanks, I’ll consider changing that in the future”. It kind of reminds me of one of this guy’s fellow journalists, who made a sad attempt at satire during the recent Winter Games and promptly pissed off the entire state of Utah and embarrassed those of us in Colorado. These guys think they’re beyond making mistakes, when most newspapers are living proof that they’re woefully unprepared for doing objective and unbiased reporting on technical issues.
OK, enough of that rant. Let’s get back to PDAs!!!!
Welcome to the new PDAntic.com!
OK, you can see that it’s different. The main focus of the page is going to be fresh content via Blogger. I am hosting my blogged info on my website so we should get very fast response time, and you can see that there are links at the top of the page that refresh the info below (at least that’s the way it works on MY PC!). Our store has been vastly improved, so check it out if you’re in the market for Palm OS equipment and accessories, or want to buy the latest eBooks.
The archives will contain our rants and commentary over the past months; we’re still working on moving over info that was posted on our LiveJournal page during December, January and February. Once that has been moved, you should see everything that has been available for quite some time…
Thanks for your patience the last few weeks, and we hope you like the new look and feel. Come back often to see what’s new!
Traditional Press = Assholes
Just a little rant here…about the difference between new media (i.e., the web, blogs, and other forms of online news) and the traditional press.
On Sunday, one of the local papers in my town had an article by one of their feature writers entitled “Palm Pilots: They Don’t Compute”. Naturally, being that I have been working with PDAs since 1993, I decided to read the article with an open mind, although I have a very low level of respect for non-techies who try to write “cute” articles about technology.
Sure enough, not only was this weasel blathering on about “Palm Pilots” (they haven’t been called by that name since 1997 or 1998), but he of course had to make lame jokes about Graffiti, how worthless handheld devices are, etc… In other words, it was the same old crap that every would-be journalist tends to churn out when he/she has a bad day with a computer.
Well, I took it upon myself to write a very nice, upbeat e-mail to this guy noting primarily that Palm had been sued by the Pilot Pen Corporation in 1997 and since that time the devices have not been called “Pilots”. I then agreed with him about the misuse of technology in many cases, and closed it out with an invitation to learn more about Palm devices and other PDAs by visiting my sites and/or attending user group meetings.
Do you think I would have gotten a nice response from Senor Weasel? Heck, no. Instead, this dork decided to tell me I was wrong about the Pilot name (”everybody calls them Palm Pilots”) and basically blows off any other suggestions or comments.
That’s the difference between the cyber-press and the traditional newspapers. Over the years that I’ve run my sites (since 1994), I’ve been able to talk to many luminaries in our business through face-to-face meetings or e-mail, and they’ve always been eager to listen to ideas and converse about their opinions. When they disagree, they generally have facts to back up their opinions, or can point me at different sources. I’ve even had companies respond to a bad review of a product by making changes in that product! What a great industry!!!
The trad press, on the other hand, is generally filled with relatively low-quality writers who tend to write everything with an “oh-so-cute” smarminess and horrendous lack of factual information. What this dickhead doesn’t seem to realize is that I probably get more hits in one day for my rants on this blog (yep, that’s part of the reason response time is getting so slow!) that he gets readers for his column in the daily paper.
I guess that’s the last time I try to correct the “experts” in my daily newspaper. The next time one of these dweebs calls a Palm device a “Palm Pilot” or a Windows-Powered Pocket PC a “Windows Palm PC” (yep, I’ve seen that before), I will just smile and be content with the knowledge that I have a hell of a lot more readers around the world than they’ll ever have.
Changes…
If you’ve been trying to get to this weblog over the last couple of weeks you’ve probably been getting just as disgusted as I have - LiveJournal appears to have hit some capacity problems and I have had real problems getting the page to show up.
As a result, I will be moving this weblog back to a “Blogger” based system soon. Blogger has made some changes that make it essentially similar technologically to LiveJournal, and they also allow you to host your weblog on your own server. Since PDAntic.com and PCPocket.com are usually up and have none of the capacity constraints of LiveJournal, you should see vastly improved response time when you try to call up the weblog.
There’s one other change that will occur on the PDAntic.com side - you’ll soon see the weblog as the bottom of your default web page! We’ve streamlined the page and also vastly expanded the Palm OS store on that site, so be sure to take a look when the site is up and running. We’ll be doing the same update for PCPocket.com in the next few weeks.
Thanks again for your patience!
Palm puts up 50 megabucks as bond in Xerox case
Palm was ordered by the US District Court in Rochester, NY to post a $50 million bond in anticipation of Xerox possibly winning their Graffiti lawsuit. As you’ll probably remember, Xerox filed suit last year stating that Graffiti was too similar to their “unistroke” alphabet.
This is the court’s way of making sure that if Xerox DOES happen to win the case, there will be enough money set aside to pay any damages to Xerox regardless of whether or not Palm is still in business.
Frankly, I’ve seen the Unistroke lettering system and it is nowhere even close to Graffiti. If Xerox wins this, there’s a good chance that Palm could go under. That sucks when a company that is known for never following through on their innovations (i.e., personal computer, mouse, etc…) wins a case and ruins another company…
Press Release: Syware expands PocketExtra Series of Handheld Software
SYWARE Expands PocketExtra Series of Handheld Software with Synchronizer
New software utility allows handheld users to synchronize SYWARE’s
PocketExtra Contacts information and drawings with desktop
Cambridge, MA (February 25, 2002) SYWARE, Inc., a leading developer of
intuitive database tools for business and personal productivity, today
announced PocketExtra Synchronizer, a low cost, easy-to-use software
utility that expands the capabilities of the built-in applications on Pocket
PC handhelds. Part of SYWARE’s PocketExtra Series, PocketExtra Synchronizer
allows users to automatically synchronize information created using
PocketExtra Contacts with Microsoft Outlook on the desktop.
PocketExtra Synchronizer works in conjunction with PocketExtra Contacts, the
software utility that allows users to enhance the capabilities of the Pocket
PC’s built-in Contacts application by creating a variety of new fields of
information. Supported data types include text, numbers, time, currency,
drawings, and handwritten notes. Information can be grouped for fast access
and color can be added for highlighting. With PocketExtra Synchronizer, all
PocketExtra Contacts information can be synchronized with Microsoft Outlook
on a desktop computer for only $9.99.
PocketExtra Synchronizer supports bi-directional synchronization between the
handheld and desktop computer. The process is automatically triggered
whenever the handheld device is placed in its cradle.
Pricing & Delivery
PocketExtra Synchronizer and PocketExtra Contacts run on any Pocket PC and
most Windows CE handhelds. Both software utilities are available from the
SYWARE online store (www.syware.com) for $9.99 each.
Press Release: Electric Pocket Releases Ringo for Handspring Treo
Electric Pocket Releases First Ringtone-Manager for Handspring Treo
Free Ringo application enables the creation and downloading of custom
ringtones to Treo Communicators
WYE VALLEY, UK (February 25, 2002) Electric Pocket today announces the
availability of Ringo, a free application that enables owners of Handspring’s
new Treo Communicator to compose and share custom ringtones or download
and install new ringtones from the Internet.
Ringo is a ringtone manager and composer application specifically designed
for the Handspring Treo Communicator, an integrated Palm OS wireless communicat
or product. With seamlessly integrated phone, organizer, web and messaging
applications in a small, lightweight and elegant device, Treo provides
the best-combined voice and data experience available. The Treo Communicator
is also being released today by Handspring.
A special feature of Ringo is its unique “onboard” registration scheme,
where users can instantly register their application and receive an unlock
code by Short Messaging Service (SMS), totally eliminating the requirement
to visit a website to register the product.
“As we continue to focus more on delivering innovative communicator products
like Treo, partnerships with mobile application developers like Electric
Pocket become more important for our success,” said Roy Bedlow, Handspring
International’s marketing director. “Customizable and downloadable ringtones
have become an important part of today’s mobile phone experience. Additional
features, such as the innovative SMS registering procedure, round out
a ‘must have’ software for every ringtone enthusiast.”
Ringo enables Treo users to use any Palm OS alarm tune or database as
a Treo ringtone. Hundreds of such alarm sounds are available to be downloaded
from the Internet. Ringo also includes an on-screen keyboard that allows
users to compose custom ringtones to fit their individual personalities.
Treo users will be able to manage their device’s ringtones directly on
the device by viewing and selecting the ringtones they have created or
installed onto their devices. They can also share their favorite ringtones
with their friends by beaming the ringtone files through the Treo’s infrared
port.
“Ringo is a great example of Electric Pocket’s handheld and wireless developmen
t capabilities,” said Iain Barclay, Electric Pocket’s co-founder and chief
product officer. “We are very excited to have been asked by Handspring
to develop Ringo and look forward to extending the onboard SMS registration
technology to provide mobile commerce and other over-the-air services
for Treo users in the near future.”
Ilium Software Releases ListPro 3.0 for Palm
Ellen Craw of Ilium Software let me know that they have just released version 3.0 of ListPro for the Palm platform. This software is great for keeping track of lists - I often use it for creating packing lists for trips, project plans (I check off when something has been completed), and detailed To-Do lists. What’s cool about ListPro is that you can create a new list on your desktop PC, then download that list to Palm AND Pocket PC devices. Any updates made on one of the devices will be synched to the other devices. Very nice! You can check out this and other Ilium Software products at:
Press Release: Marware Announces Release of SportSuit for PocketPC
MARWARE, Inc. Announces the Release of the SportSuit for PocketPC
HOLLYWOOD, FL, FEBRUARY 15, 2002:? MARWARE, Inc., makers of the popular
C.E.O. and SportSuit PDA cases, today announced the release of the
SportSuit for PocketPC–a rugged, high-tech neoprene slip case that fits a
variety of PocketPC devices.
The SportSuit for PocketPC features an exterior pocket and a rotating belt
clip that allows the wearer to position the case vertically or horizontally.
This slim, rugged case offers a sure-grip vulcanized neoprene bottom and
sides. The high-tech neoprene construction offers water resistance and
built-in plastic inserts in the front and back of the case offer impact
protection for the handheld. The case closes securely with Velcro?.
A unique feature of this case is that it expands to fit devices of various
sizes, for example it will fit a naked iPAQ and stretch to fit an iPAQ with
a PC sleeve- all without losing its shape.The SportSuit for PocketPC
accommodates most popular PocketPC models and is available in black. It
retails for $24.95.
MARWARE specializes in products for handheld and laptop computers. For more
information call (954) 927-6031, visit the website at
http://www.marware.com, email MARWARE at info@marware.com, or write to
MARWARE at: 1611 Mayo Street, Hollywood, FL 33020 USA.
Who cares about Symbian?
While I’m sitting here in a bar posting these updates, it occurs to me that the recent announcement of Symbian’s latest 7.0 OS is no news at all. Here’s a UK compamy that has a very nice looking UI but has the marketing skills of a pithed frog. Sad, very sad. They coulda been a contender…
SmartPhone 2002, post 2
The announcement of the SmartPhone 2002 platform is very timely in that these devices will compete directly with the Handspring Treo. Think of a Treo with a color display and Windows Media Player, and you’ve got the SmartPhone 2002. If I were Handspring I’d be working on my 2nd generation Treo now - give it a color display, XScale processor and Palm OS 5 and it could compete with the new Microsoft-based pocket rockets.
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Joy of Tech!
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MacLevelTen
