Dell-branded Pocket PC coming soon!
Taiwan OEM Winstron will be building a Pocket PC 2002 unit for Dell, according to sources. The device will retail for $299, which puts it right into competition with other low-priced color Pocket PCs such as the Toshiba e310. No details are available on features or expected ship date, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Dell tries to get this new device out in time for Christmas 2002 sales.
Dell has sold PalmOS devices through their online and catalog sales, but this will be the first time that they’ve sold a device that has been specifically designed for and labeled as a Dell handheld. Dell’s strategy will apparently be to provide a device that has “iPaq-like” capablities at a price that undercuts HP/Compaq’s product by $200. This could make for a price war in the handheld business, which could be great for consumers but put some vendors out of the business.
Discuss this story on the PDAntic.com Discussion Forum! Click Here!
ROM Updates for iPaq 3835 / 3850 Available?
Several readers have let me know that the ROM updates for the iPaq 3835 and 3850 are available from HP / Compaq’s ftp site, but the updates still haven’t appeared on the official iPaq update web page. The update is supposed to provide fixes for the backlight problems that have plagued the 3800 series iPaqs, improve virtual memory usage, provide longer run times with external expansion pack batteries, and improve ClearType legibility. There are also a number of bug fixes that are listed in the “read me” file that is included with the ROM update.
The files can be downloaded from the following locations:
ROM Update:
ftp://ftp.compaq.com/pub/softpaq/sp21001-21500/sp21474.exe
Documentation:
ftp://ftp.compaq.com/pub/softpaq/sp21001-21500/SP21474.txt
As usual, HP / Compaq reminds you to copy important files to a safe place before running the updater, which forces you to do a hard reset on your iPaq. You cannot revert to a previous ROM version after updating your iPaq, so make sure you know what you’re doing and follow instructions! The hard reset also destroys the contents of the iPaq File Store, so be sure to back up those files to your PC or a CF or SD card first. The update will also install the original (old) End User Update, so if you read the PDAntic blog a few weeks ago and updated to EUU2, you’ll have to reinstall that again after you do the ROM update.
Have fun!
Discuss the iPaq ROM update in the PDAntic Discussion Forums!
Palm Announces i705 Software Updates for MultiMail Deluxe and Desktop Link
Palm today announced (to registered Palm i705 owners) the release of MultiMail Deluxe? 1.2 and Desktop Link 1.2. According to Palm, they’ll improve the functionality, speed and reliability of your wireless communications with your Palm? i705 handheld.
The new improved MultiMail software increases the speed of email downloaded to your handheld by reducing the amount of traffic over the network compared with the previous version of MultiMail. With the “Retry” enhancements made recently to the Palm.Net network, “push” email is more reliable than ever (hopefully this resolves some of the “can’t get pushed e-mail” problems that me and other users have experienced). The new cleaner user interface makes navigating and managing your email within MultiMail more intuitive, nd now you can view the text of either Microsoft Word or html attachments you receive wirelessly. You also get increased deletion options (like deleting all messages before a given date) to make cleaning up your mailbox easier.
Mail synchronization enhancements include Lotus Domino mail support and integration with DataViz? Docs To Go?. The improved Desktop Link now forwards some attachment types to your handheld and syncs your emails’ read/ unread status as well as your date stamp, so your Outlook inbox and Palm i705 inbox look the same.
According to Palm, there is no cost for this download! It’s a 2.5MB download with full instructions provided, and you can get to the download page by clicking here.
Discuss this story on the PDAntic.com / PCPocket.com Discussion Forums! Click Here…
Press Release: iPaq Petition Reaches 1000 Signatures In 6 Days
In just six days online, www.ipaqpetition.com has collected the signatures of over 1000 iPAQ users worldwide!
www.ipaqpetition.com highlights the plight of many iPAQ users worldwide. Since release, the iPAQ series of PocketPC has been plagued with many issues, dozens of which have yet to be addressed by HP/Compaq technical support.
Through coverage from premier news sites such as The Register (www.theregister.co.uk) and numerous worldwide PDA websites, www.ipaqpetition.com has received thousands of unique hits per day.
Individual consumer users are not the only ones signing the petition. Several small and medium sized companies have expressed their desire to sign the petition for each iPAQ deployed through their organization.
The goal of www.ipaqpetition.com is to alert the senior management at HP/Compaq to the myriad of problems many users are having with these devices in the hope that they will fix them.
Please help us support the iPAQ owners who have been sold defective devices by releasing this information. We welcome media inquiries to contact us by e-mail at comments@ipaqpetition.com.
Jornadas To Be Supported For 3 More Years
Well, if you still own an HP Jornada (and there are a lot of ‘em out there!), take heart! Even with HP’s announcement earlier this year that the Jornada line would be dropped, with the exception of the Jornada 720 Handheld PC and Jornada 928 wireless Pocket PC, there is good news. The company has announced that they will support all Jornada models for three more years. In the handheld computing business, this is a VERY long time.
The support includes replacement parts and repair services, software upgrades, and helpdesk services. HP mentioned that they may be able to provide replacement parts for longer than three years depending on demand.
Palm Chopping Prices On Most Devices Effective Today
Palm Computing has announced that they will cut prices up to 34 percent on 5 of their 6 handhelds in order to create demand in the slow summer PDA season.
The m105 will drop from $149 to $99, the m125 will slip ten bucks from $179 to $169, the price of the color m130 will be reduced from $279 to $249, the m500 will take a huge cut from $299 to $199, and the wireless i705 will break the $400 barrier as the price is reduced from $449 to $399. i705 users can still get a $100 rebate if they sign up for a one-year service contract for the Palm.net service, effectively bringing the price of the device down to $299.
The only Palm device that will NOT be reduced in price is the ultra-popular m515, which will remain at $399. Expect to see the price cuts announced today, and reflected at online and retail outlets immediately.
All Hail Sony! Low-price CLIE PEG-SL10 Officially Announced Today
Sony is really going nuts this year - here it is only July, and they’ve shipped six new Sony CLIE models! The latest and greatest is the entry-level member of the family, the $149 Sony CLIE PEG-SL10. This isn’t a color hotrod with a built-in digital camera, unlike the lovely NR-70V, but a nicely appointed monochrome model with just enough processor speed, RAM, and expansion capability (via Memory Stick) to make it a wonderful first PalmOS device for anyone.
Although I haven’t seen ‘em in stores yet (at least I haven’t heard of any so far - if you do see one, please post a note on the Discussion Forum and let us know where you saw it!), you can order from the SonyStyle website by clicking the link listed above. The grayscale display seems to have a nice paper-white background and a great deal of contrast. Full specs are as follows:
OS
Palm OS ? software v. 4.1
Memory
8 MB RAM (7 MB available)
4 MB Flash
Interfaces
USB (cable), Infrared, Memory Stick media slot
LCD
Backlit monochrome display
320 x 320 pixels
Dimensions
4 1/8 (H) x 2 7/8 (W) x 21/32 (D) inches
Weight
3.6 oz (without batteries, including stylus)
Battery
AAA battery (x 2)
The software selection which Sony provides with the PEG-SL10 is amazing, including (but not limited to) their own Clie Paint and Clie PhotoStand, Amy Reiley’s Pocket Vineyard and Pocket Gourmet, Bejeweled and Acid Solitaire. My boss is in the market for a new PalmOS device since her Palm m100 has chosen to start falling apart (literally) - I’m going to push her in the direction of the PEG-SL10 as a replacement! For what she bought the m100 for about 18 months ago, she can now get a device with a Memory Stick slot for expansion, a much better display, a slightly faster processor, and much more RAM.
Discuss the new Sony CLIE PEG-SL10 in the PDAntic.com Discussion Forums - Click Here!
Sign The iPaq Petition!
If you’re an iPaq owner who has had problems with your device, you should voice your opinion to HP/Compaq by going to http://www.ipaqpetition.com as soon as possible! The people who have put up this online petition have been disgusted by the lack of action from HP/Compaq to resolve various hardware issues that have plagued the iPaq line since its introduction two years ago. I, for one, had the common problems that were rampant with the original H36XX series iPaqs - loose rattling on/off switch door, stylus that kept falling out of the “silo” and the ever-popular “dust behind the screen” issue.
Here’s part of what these people have to say on the front page of their website:
We have created this website to highlight the problems many users have had with the products known as the iPAQ PocketPC. This includes the 3600, 3700, and 3800 series of products.
As consumers, we work very hard for our money. If a company releases a product that does not function as promised, the product is defective. It is then that company’s responsibility to remedy the situation by fixing or replacing the product. The end result must be that consumers are provided with a product that functions as promised.” In the case of the iPAQ series of PocketPCs HP/Compaq have failed to do so.
To notify HP/Compaq of our displeasure with these devices, we have posted a petition on this website. This petition will be sent to the office of Carly Fiorina, who is the CEO of HP/Compaq.
Discuss this article on the PDAntic.com Discussion Forums by clicking here!
Be A Beta Tester!
AIM Productions has announced that they’re beta-testing the release candidate of their new application called “MagicSync”. The app is designed to allow synching of any type of data (spreadsheets, documents, pictures, music, sounds, web pages) in any format from any internet server to any Pocket PC. You can check out the details on this new app here, or sign up for the beta testing program.
Sony CLIE PEG-SL10 Imminent?
Several readers let me know that they had been on the PC Mall website this morning and saw a listing for the Sony CLIE PEG-SL10, which appears to be a grayscale, low-end CLIE to compete with some of the lower-end Palm offerings. The price was listed as $149, before the page was yanked. The specifications for the SL10 included 8MB of RAM, PalmOS 4.1, a Memory Stick slot, the traditional Sony Jog Dial for easy one-hand navigation, and a 33 MHz Dragonball CPU. Nobody’s sure what the screen resolution is…
This device, if it actually makes it to market, would be the lowest-priced CLIE ever released by Sony and would be expected to counter many of the hostile comments that people had been making about Sony clamoring only for the high-end, high-margin part of the handheld market. At a suggested retail price of $149, the SL10 could be heavily discounted within 6 months or so to less than $100…
Mac Users Rejoice! Microsoft Releases Palm Conduit for Entourage X
Several Mac sources have let me know that Microsoft has released their long-awaited Palm conduit for Entourage X (aka Outlook for Mac OS X). The conduit is a free download to owners of MS Office v.X, and will finaly allow hundreds of thousands of Entourage usrs to synchronize their data with their PalmOS handhelds. The conduit requires any PalmOS PDA with PalmOS v3.0 or higher, a synch cradle or cable, and Palm Desktop 4.0 or better. This ability to sync the calendar and address info from Entourage X to PalmOS devices has been missing since Microsoft sent Office:Mac v.X out the door, so this is a great boon for those who want to use their Palms with Macs without a pile of 3rd-party solutions! Download the conduit here.
Palm Reader for Desktops
If you’re a Palm or Pocket PC user, you’ve probably loaded “Palm Reader” on your device so you can read all of those free and not-so-free eBooks out there. Palm Digital Media today announced Palm Reader for Desktops, which will run on any Windows or Macintosh PC. This will give you the opportunity to read any of those eBooks you’ve purchased on a big screen if you’re so inclined. The package is free from Palm Digital Media
One “feature” is that you don’t have to activate the Reader unlike Microsoft Reader. Microsoft gives you a limit of how many devices you can load their Reader onto, which can be a pain if you have a lot of handheld devices and a PC like I do!
Mac version (OS 8.6, 9.x, OS X 10.1 or later) is at:
http://www.peanutpress.com/product/reader/detail/6
Windows version (Windows 98/ME/2000/XP) is at:
http://www.peanutpress.com/product/reader/detail/5
NOT a Pocket PC - The Windows CE-powered Sewing Machine?
Just when you thought you’d heard everything, sewing machine manufacturer Bernina announced that they’ll be introducing a new sewing machine run by Windows CE. While this seems to run counter to the idea of using Windows CE to power smaller and smaller devices, it’s right up the alley for Microsoft’s goal of embedding the “non-PC” operating system in everything from cars to appliances. The new “Artista 200E Sewing Computer” will include a modem for downloading patterns and designs from the Internet, support for USB, PCMCIA and CD-ROM (once again, for loading software or design documents) and will feature a large display screen for viewing help or tutorial documents.
Speaking of non-Pocket PC Windows CE devices, I use one every time I go to my nearby AMC Theater to see a movie. I purchase my movie tickets in advance on the web, then when I get to the theater all I need to do is walk up to one of their automated ticketing machines (powered by Windows CE), swipe the credit card I used when purchasing the tickets online, and it prints them out. Total time to get the tickets? Usually less than 30 seconds.
It will be interesting to see if some of the concept kitchen appliances with built-in CE-based internet capabilities (i.e., microwave ovens, refrigerators, etc…) start showing up on the market in this slow economy.
PDAntic.com Discussion Forums Now Online!
After a few years of not having discussion forums on PDAntic.com and PCPocket.com, we’ve added them back into the site using the latest UBB.x software. The idea is to give the readers of our sites the opportunity to form a cohesive community of Pocket PC and PalmOS users.
We had run the Ultimate Bulletin Board (UBB) software several years ago, but the community failed to take off. This time, since the software is part of the web hosting services provided by Infopop, we will continue to run the forums as long as there is even a little interest in having online discussions.
All it takes to get into the discussions is a free registration. Once you enter your information into the system, you’ll have the ability to start topics, post replies, and even create online polls! We promise to never sell or give away any personal information that you provide during the registration process, and we will not use it to send you any unrequested e-mail.
Whether you’re a newbie to PDAntic.com/PCPocket.com or you’ve been with us since the beginning, we would love to have you participate. If you’re an ex-PDABuzz.com user looking for a new place to roost, c’mon over!
At this time we’re only providing some rudimentary top-level categories: PalmOS Software and Hardware, Pocket PC Software and Hardware. Once we get a feel for the areas that people are interested in (i.e., wireless networking of PDAs, developing PalmOS or Pocket PC software, etc…) we can and will add new categories.
One more thing! We are looking for people who would like to serve as volunteer moderators on the PDAntic.com Discussion Forums. As a moderator, we’d ask you to do two things; first and foremost, we want you to make sure that readers are playing fair and aren’t posting anything that is either unrelated to PDAs or obscene! Secondly, we’d like our moderators to act as cheerleaders for the site, making sure that they do their best to help build readership on the discussion forums. If you’re interested, be sure to send me an e-mail with your qualifications as soon as possible.
Turn Your Pocket PC Into An FM Radio!
A while back I was bitching about the trend to want to do everything digitally, and griped in particular about the desire some companies had to waste bandwidth on wireless PDA internet connections by sending out streaming video and audio. I commented at the time that a much better idea would be to just put a radio or TV tuner into a CF card…
Well, a Taiwanese firm called Prolink Microsystems has done part of this by coming out with the FM201, a CF Type 1 radio tuner card! There’s no information on their site about pricing or availability, but the idea seems pretty cool. Check out pictures and specs here!
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Joy of Tech!
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MacLevelTen
