Another sign that cell phone/PDAs will take over?
I’ve been a customer of AT&T Wireless for about a year, and have been relatively pleased with their service. If you’re like me, you’ve probably been annoyed and/or perplexed by their “mlife” ad campaign. Frankly, I think they just needed to keep pointing people to their AT&T Wireless website rather than making people think that there is a new brand of cell phone service…but that’s another comment. Anyway, they’ve recently added a fun service that could absolutely kill the Palm i705, the original BlackBerry, and the old Palm VII - being able to use AOL Instant Messaging from any of their text-capable cell phones.
Of course, they charge 10 cents every time you send a message or sign onto or off of AIM. Incoming messages are free. You’ve got the alternative of spending $4.99 a month extra to get 100 text message sent out from your device, but I think any real users of AIM would go through that very quickly.
What this all points to is that some of the features of data-only wireless PDAs like the Palm i705 are quickly being absorbed into mainstream cell phones. As soon as “real” cell phone / PDAs become mainstream, we’ll probably see the data-only devices disappear from the face of the Earth (if only we could also get Palestinian terrorists to disappear from the face of the Earth as well…). I’m still hopin’ that SmartPhone 2002 device that I’ve been dreaming about comes to fruition this year so I can sell the Palm i705, give my Nokia 8260 to my wife, and start carrying just one device with me.
But wait, there’s more!
Yep, if you’re an iPaq owner, Compaq has released a couple more patches for your device. This is in addition to the patches that were released earlier this month! One of them resolves a problem on iPaq H3600 series devices where you’d pop in a network card and get a “Unrecognized Card - Enter the name of the device driver for this card. For information see the card manufacturer’s documentation.” error, even after you’ve installed the correct driver!
The other fix is for H3800 devices and it fixes a plethora of problems:
- Fixes SD format message when new SD card is inserted.
- Fixes LED reminder to flash LED for more than 5 minutes.
- Fixes battery guage to show proper reading after removing from AC power.
Strange that HP hasn’t had to send out so many patches for the Jornada 560 series….
Press Release: Voyager VGA from Colorgraphic Communications Supports PocketTV MPEG
Movie files can now be played on an external display via the Voyager and PocketTV
ATLANTA, GA, March 26, 2002 ? Colorgraphic Communications, a specialist in the development of unique display technologies, has partnered with yet another application developer to expand the utility of its popular Voyager VGA video adapter. Through a joint development program launched with MpegTV, users can now direct MPEG Video playback to a secondary screen by selecting the Voyager VGA option from within PocketTV. Users can then connect their Voyager-enabled Pocket PC or Win CE device to a standard monitor or television.
?It has always been important to Colorgraphic to embrace and support the development community for Pocket PC and Windows CE,? remarks Brian Lemaster, Director of Sales for Colorgraphic. ?Our new relationship with PocketTV further expands the capabilities of users by allowing video content to be shown externally. Presenters no longer have to be content to show static PowerPoint slides or application screens to their audiences.?
Tristan Savatier, from MpegTV comments, ?PocketTV can now output Fullscreen video directly to the Voyager VGA card, allowing users to watch video using an external monitor or display device like VR (Virtual Reality) glasses connected to their Pocket PC. PocketTV is an MPEG Movie Player, free for personal use on Pocket PC and available from http://www.pockettv.com.?
Voyager Features
The Voyager VGA is Type I Compact Flash card. It ships with a PCMCIA adapter so that it may easily be used in PDA devices with a PC card slot. In addition to supporting VGA monitors such as CRTs, projectors or flat panel displays, the Voyager also supports TV output. Users can connect to a television via composite or S-video inputs.
The Voyager ships with Shadow, its video control software. Shadow allows the user to control various aspects of the video output signal, such as resolution, refresh rate and color depth. Moreover, Shadow is compatible with most flat panel displays that rotate 90 degrees into portrait mode. An SDK is available to developers who wish to integrate full screen video output into their 3rd party applications.
About Colorgraphic
Colorgraphic (www.colorgraphic.net) has been a forerunner in electronics technology since 1980 and an industry leader in the design, manufacture and sale of multi-screen video adapters. Colorgraphic has been a leader in developing innovative video solutions for the business desktop as well as mobile professional. Colorgraphic developed the first PCMCIA ?based video card in 1994.
Colorgraphic is headquartered in Atlanta, GA with a European subsidiary located in the UK. Colorgraphic products are available internationally through its network of distributors and resellers.
About MpegTV
MpegTV is one of the world?s leading companies for MPEG video and audio software playback and streaming technology on mobile devices. MpegTV is a San Francisco based, privately owned company. MpegTV developed PocketTV, a popular MPEG Movie Player for Pocket PC and Handheld PC (http://www.pockettv.com).
Press Release: Captain Mobile / idGaming Launches MobileChess
It has been 2 weeks since Captain Mobile launched a new game at www.pocket-games.com. Today we are proud to announce that we are releasing our third game: MobileChess!
MobileChess is THE FIRST multi-player game available for both PDA (PocketPC) and PC. Next to beautiful design, animations and dazzling sounds, the program features:
- Online multi user one-on-one play mode;
- Real-time chat!
- Offline computer playing mode with different playing levels;
- Searchable and updateable databases with games played by
yourself and pro games;
- Observe mode;
- USCF (US Chess Federation) rating system;
- Fischer and normal clock settings;
- Live coverage of grandmaster tournaments;
MobileChess can be downloaded at www.pocket-games.com or at www.handango.com/chess (Handango is an exclusive MobileChess partner). Some features are disabled until the user unlocks the game with a unique key that can be obtained at these sites. Keys cost US$25, including the first year subscription to play online and use all its features. Updates, new versions and new features are free for a whole year. After the first year the annual
subscription fee is US$20.
Other games which are released this year are two amazing video poker games (one freeware); coming games which will be released in 2002 are multi-player games like backgammon, checkers, go, hearts, bridge and poker and single-player games like blackjack, slots and roulette. Captain Mobile/idGaming will become market leader in mobile and wireless gaming this year 
Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 Linux PDA Now Available Online for $499
Reader Tina Aganez wrote to let us know that she just ordered a Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 online. Powered by Lineo Embeddix Linux, the Zaurus SL-5500 uses the same StrongARM CPU as the Pocket PC 2002 devices, 64MB of RAM, a built-in keyboard, and a nice reflective TFT display. Most standard online PDA sources will carry the Zaurus, and soon BestBuy and CompUSA will be selling them as well. You can get more info by clicking here.
If it’s popular, charge what the market will bear…
Handspring will reportedly raise the price on the wildly popular Treo 180 communicator by $50 on April 2. While this is attractive to Handspring’s bottom line, it discourages me to see companies attempting to curb demand for products by raising the price on items that have proven to be popular in the marketplace. Apple just did the same thing with the new iMac last week…
The price for a standalone Treo 180 (without a service plan from Cingular or another carrier) will rise from $549 to $599.
New Sony Clies to ship in US in early May
The two new Sony Clie models, PEG-NR70 and PEG-NR70V, that were announced last month will be shipping to the US market in early May. Prices have not yet been finalized, although the PEG-NR70 is expected to cost about $500 while the PEG-NR70V (with it’s built-in digital camera) will run you about $600. Some additional info about the new units: size is .7″ thick x 2.8″ wide x 5.4″ long, weight is 7 ounces, and the screen measures 3.8″ diagonally. Both devices will come with software that lets you use the Clie as an expensive, but oh-so-cool, universal remote control.
Press Release: Palm Launches New U.S. TV Ad Campaign Featuring Spring Lineup
SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM) today launches a new U.S. TV and online ad campaign that features the company’s newest products: the Palm(TM) m130 and m515 color handhelds and the Palm i705 wireless handheld. The campaign features a 30-second TV spot that will air on national network and cable, and is scheduled to run for five weeks.
AKQA, a San Francisco-based advertising and marketing services agency, developed the new campaign. The ad was produced by Digital Kitchen, with music by Plastilina Mosh.
According to Bob Pullum and Adam Lau, AKQA associate creative directors, the spot contains three distinct chapters that demonstrate how each of the new handhelds uniquely enhances the lifestyles of a wide range of users, and that show that no matter what the user wants to do, there is a Palm handheld that can help do it better.
Palm understands that users want different things. The person who buys an m130 may be interested in organization and entertainment, while an m515 user is most likely focused on business productivity. The i705 user places a tremendous value on constant communication and staying connected with friends and colleagues.
“This TV ad shows a diversity of mobile-lifestyle needs that we are responding to in really useful ways, both in our product offerings and in our ongoing relationship with customers,” said Ken Wirt, senior vice president of Solutions Group Marketing for Palm, Inc. “An important aspect of the ad is that it recognizes the sense of community that has built up around Palm handhelds. It encourages viewers to join the Palm community by visiting palm.com and enrolling in the Palm Pays Back Program, a new referral program that rewards customer loyalty.”
About the Palm Pays Back Program
When a referred friend purchases a Palm m130, m515 or i705 handheld, the Palm Champion receives ‘Palm Bucks’ that can be redeemed for specially selected Palm merchandise via a secure online Palm catalog.(1) The awards are 45 Palm Bucks for each Palm i705 handheld purchased, 40 Palm Bucks for each Palm m515 handheld purchased and 25 Palm Bucks for each Palm m130 handheld purchased. The maximum award is 500 Palm Bucks per person. The program, which runs through May 20, 2002, is available in the United States only.
The Products
The Palm m130 and m515 handhelds both feature bright color screens that support more than 65,000 colors, Palm’s dual-expansion technology and access to more than 13,000 commercial software applications in addition to the popular Personal Information Manager (PIM) and intuitive user interface that have made Palm products the world’s favorite handheld computers. The m515 recently was recognized with the MobileFocus Award in the Mobile Handheld Computer category.
The Palm i705 handheld is the only wireless solution in the marketplace that delivers all of the following:
— always-on(2) “push” email from up to eight email accounts;
— secure, end-to-end, behind-the-firewall email for corporate users;
— web browsing via Google search or URL entry; plus
— classic PIM features, such as Date Book and Address Book, combined in a
sleek silver one-piece package.
PCPocket Review: HP Pocket Keyboard
Just when I thought it was safe to go back to CompUSA with my credit card, HP came out with a pocket keyboard that I can really get excited about!
The HP Pocket Keyboard ($49.95 through CompUSA and some other retailers, higher elsewhere) is designed to become an integral part of your HP Jornada 560 series Pocket PC by replacing the standard screen cover and extending the body of the Jornada by about 3/4 of an inch. While it also adds a bit of thickness to the normally svelte 560, it’s well worth the extra little size to gain the ability to type anywhere. It’s definitely not a full-size keyboard; it’s more of a thumb-board meant to be typed on by your two opposable appendages.
The Pocket Keyboard comes with little more than a CD-ROM and a small manual in 9 different languages. To install the drivers, you start by putting your Jornada into its USB sync cradle. Next, you put the CD-ROM into your computer’s drive, wait for a start page to show up, click on the language you and your Jornada are most comfortable with, and then click an Install button. Seconds later the application is installed and you’re almost ready to roll. You pull the screen cover off of your Jornada, slide on the new keyboard/cover, then push in a small button on the bottom of the device to lock the keyboard in place.
To turn on the Jornada now that the conventional power button has been covered up, you slide a small button on the left side of the keyboard to the “on” position, then depress it. Voila, the Jornada is turned on and you’re almost ready to start typing. You may need to enable the HP Pocket Keyboard the first time and after resets via the included application, which can be found in the HP Applications folder on your Jornada.
One feature I find especially useful is the backlight! Pushing this button turns on a surprisingly bright backlight underneath the keys so you can thumb-type in the dark to your heart’s content. The keys glow with a pleasing blue tint, making it easy to see the keys even while in a movie. If I were a movie reviewer, I’d love this thing!
What didn’t I like about the HP Pocket Keyboard? The “E” key seems to need an extra firm push, which is annoying since E is the most widely used letter in the English language. Another Jornada owner I talked to had the same issue, so it is probably a design feature to “harden” the keyboard rather than a flaw. The instructions are too sparse; I had to play with the keyboard for a few minutes before discovering that you have to depress and HOLD the caps or special character key while holding the key you wish to apply the function to. While this is normal for “real” keyboards, it isn’t the norm for pocket keyboards like I have on my Palm and SkyTel pager. I was able to “fix” this to work identically to those other two keyboards by going into the keyboard application and checking the “shift key sticks” and “special key sticks” boxes, so it wasn’t TOO much of a problem. One other slight negative - The keyboard has to either be taken off or at least detached at the bottom (my choice) to dock it in the cradle. Finally, I can imagine that eventually the keyboard battery will need to be replaced. It appears to be a standard watch battery.
Although it looks like I’m griping a lot, these are all minor complaints! I really think HP did a great job on this accessory, which is more than I can say for most of the junk that I see from PDA manufacturers!
What do I like the most about the HP Pocket Keyboard? Many things! It adds much less in terms of weight and size to the Jornada than the Targus Stowaway keyboard does. It can be used anywhere, whereas the Stowaway requires a flat surface to support the keyboard once it is unfolded. The backlight on the HP Pocket Keyboard is a welcome stroke of genius! And the price of this piece of art is about half of that of the Stowaway. Of course, you can’t really touch-type on this keyboard, but it works extremely well in situations where portability is critical. I typed up this complete review on the Pocket Keyboard while listening to music from Windows Media Player - all while doing my nightly workout on my exercise bike! Take note, Palm users - you can’t do that on a PalmOS device (yet)! I seriously can’t wait until I get one of the Socket Communications Low Power 802.11b CF cards, so I can actually start updating this blog while I’m on my exercise bike.
Probably the best feature of the HP Pocket Keyboard is that it looks like is part of the Jornada rather than like an unsightly growth on the bottom of the device (like the Compaq iPaq and third-party pocket keyboards…). HP is to be lauded for their brilliant design work on all of the Jornada 560 accessories. I just hope that the Jornada line survives the HP - Compaq merger.
The bottom line? If you have an HP Jornada 560 series Pocket PC, you owe it to yourself to buy one of these keyboards - NOW!
Press Release: Palm Ships Desktop Software 4.0 for Mac
Palm Developers Support Release With Updated Synchronization Software
SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — To support the Mac community of dedicated Palm(TM) handheld users, Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM - news), the leading provider of handheld computers, today announced that Mac users can now download the final English version of Palm(TM) Desktop 4.0 for Mac. Leading Palm developers, such as FileMaker, are supporting the new release with updated versions of their popular software. The new Palm Desktop software offers native Mac OS X support, improved handheld-to-desktop synchronization, vCard and vCal support, and the ability to use multiple languages.
“This highly anticipated release offers Mac users improved synchronization, new features for easily sharing information with other Mac and Windows users, plus the simple elegance Mac users have come to expect from Palm and Apple,” said Kevin Hell, senior vice president of Product Management, Solutions Group, Palm, Inc. “More than 140,000 customers already have downloaded the beta version, and Palm’s top software developers are upgrading their applications to ensure synchronization with popular Mac applications.”
“Apple is very excited about Palm Desktop 4.0 for Mac and it is a great addition to the thousands of native Mac OS X applications available today,” said Ron Okamoto, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “This latest version of Palm Desktop along with support from leading developers like MeetingMaker provides another reason for the Mac community to use Mac OS X as their everyday operating system.”
Strong Developer Support
Top third-party developers will support Palm Desktop software 4.0 for Mac by upgrading their applications for the new release. These developers include Blue Nomad, DataViz, FileMaker, Handmark, LandWare, MeetingMaker, MGI PhotoSuite, Microsoft Entourage and SplashData. After installing the new Palm Desktop 4.0 for Mac OS X, users will need to upgrade their third-party software in order to synchronize with the new desktop software.
“FileMaker Mobile 2 Companion for Palm OS, which will ship this May, will be ready-to-run on Palm Desktop software 4.0 for Mac,” said FileMaker director of Product Management, Chris Trytten. “Our support for this latest version of Palm Desktop ensures seamless connectivity between desktop and mobile databases as more and more people make Mac OS X their primary computing platform.”
Palm Desktop Software Availability
Palm Desktop software — which gives customers a way to easily add, edit and create Palm handheld information on their desktops — is immediately available for free download (English version) at www.palm.com/macintosh. Palm Desktop 4.0 for Mac includes support for improved synchronization, native Mac OS X support, vCard and vCal, multiple languages, improved privacy, multiple connection types and Mac OS 9 compatibility.
French, German, Italian, Spanish and Japanese beta versions of Palm Desktop 4.0 for Mac are currently available for free download at www.palm.com/support/macintosh/desktop_40_beta.html. Final versions are scheduled for availability in the late spring.
About Palm, Inc.
Palm, Inc. is a pioneer in the field of mobile and wireless Internet solutions and a leading provider of handheld computers, according to IDC (December 2000). Based on the Palm OS? platform, Palm’s handheld solutions allow people to carry and access their most critical information wherever they go. Palm(TM) handhelds address the needs of individuals, enterprises and educational institutions by offering the foundation for thousands of application solutions. Palm stock is traded on the Nasdaq national market under the symbol PALM. More information is available at http://www.palm.com .
NOTE: Palm OS and HotSync are registered trademarks and Palm is a trademark of Palm, Inc. Other brands may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Pocket PC 2002 Users: Flash Your Today Screen!
Gigabyte Solutions has announced the availability of a rather fun app for your Pocket PC 2002 device. Animated Today 2002 turns part of your Pocket PC 2002 Today screen into a Macromedia Flash powered app for your entertainment. You’ll need to load Macromedia Flash for Pocket PC before the app will work. Animated Today 2002 sells for $19.95 and comes with a number of built-in animated themes and applications, and you can purchase others for only $4.95 a pop. Gigabyte Solutions is also providing information on how you can build your own Animated Today 2002 apps/animations.
Comments, anyone?
In case you’d like to make a comment on anything posted here, you can! Through YACCS and RateYourMusic.com, there’s now a way you can talk back. Just be nice, OK? Thanks…
USPS Wireless Access Going Away
The US Postal Service, citing that their wireless service “did not find the support among our customers to make it a viable offering”, has announced that they will drop the http://mobile.usps.com service on April 7, 2002. It’s interesting to note that their competitors, FedEx and UPS, go out of their way to tout their wireless offerings - they’ve even shown people using wireless devices to check on package deliveries in television ads. Perhaps USPS didn’t see a lot of mobile business, but they should understand that the wireless market is just starting to explode with the recent release of a plethora of SmartPhones. Not a good move, USPS….
Two iPaq Updates Address Issues…
A couple more iPaq updates have been released. The first one fixes the ol’ “speaker pop” problem on iPaq 3600/3700 series devices running Pocket PC 2002. Funny, but I thought that one was fixed a long time ago… Apparently this also fixes a problem with “too loud” volume as well. There’s also a fix for iPaq H3800 series devices with integrated Bluetooth or those using the Bluetooth Expansion Pack with iPaq H3600/H3700 devices. The Bluetooth fix resolves issues with interoperability with 3Com ActiveSync, Digianswer devices, file transfers, and the status dialog feature.
Irritate Your Friends, Make “Palm Bucks”
There’s nothing more irritating than spam e-mail, and now Palm has come up with a wonderful new program called the “Palm Pays Back Promotion” in which you can spam your friends, relatives and complete strangers with information about new Palm devices, and if they happen to buy one YOU are paid in “Palm Bucks” which can then be redeemed for valuable Palm merchandise. According to Palm, this is their way of paying back their loyal customers who often recommend Palm products to their buddies.
Frankly, I think this is going to backfire. People don’t like spam, and I tend to put spammers onto my e-mail block list as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the way this promotion works is that the e-mails will come from your friends and relatives, so you’ll just need to trash the e-mails instead of blocking them. If a lot of your friends or enemies do this, you can quickly end up with a pile of spam messages all touting the latest and greatest Palm device. Booo…hisssssssss….
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Joy of Tech!
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MacLevelTen
