Clickgamer.com Sale - Half Off On Zapped!
Those wacky gamers over at Clickgamer.com are having a sale on Zapped! You can purchase a copy of this fun little Pocket PC game for only $3.49 for the next few days. According to Clickgamer’s description, “ZAPPED! is an arcade-puzzle game that requires fast thinking and reflexes. There are over 10 challenging game levels with 4 stages - a fun game that will keep you glued to it for hours!”
T-Mobile MDA II - Coming In October To Germany And U.K.
I love the march of progress…devices that were already pretty good end up getting replaced with new machines that are even better.
I’ve had a T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone (AKA MDA) since October of last year, and up until I got my HTC Tanager Smartphone it was my mobile device of choice. T-Mobile has announced that the MDA II will be released in October in Germany and the U.K. - no word on when it will make it to the U.S.
What’s amazing is that this device will have a 400 MHz XScale CPU, 128MB of RAM (WOW!), and Bluetooth, as well as a new, brighter display and an integrated VGA digital camera! It will also be able to use SDIO devices for expansion, so it will be a piece of cake to drop in an SDIO WiFi card for another connectivity option. Have an SDIO GPS card? Add it to your MDA II… And the software is new as well - the MDA II will run on Windows Mobile 2003!
Although I really like the original MDA (the Pocket PC Phone), the small amount of RAM (32MB) and the fact that it was only dual-band instead of tri-band made it less attractive. This unit will literally have everything that a hard-core Pocket PC fan would want, and everything that a Smartphone or Pocket PC Phone fanatic would need as well. I foresee a sparkling future for this device and can’t wait to see them in the U.S.
Other News From This Week
As we slide into the Labor Day weekend (I’m already on vacation…), I thought it would be a good time to hit two of the top PDA news items for this week.
Even more Windows Mobile 2003 devices were announced this week. HP will be coming out with the iPaq 1930, which is like the 1940 series but with a slower CPU, smaller Flash ROM, and no Bluetooth. What’s great about this model is that it will sell for $199 after an expected $50 rebate! This should be the Palm-killer people have been wondering about.
The middle of the Palm market is right at this price point, with the Zire ($99) being a device that anchors the bottom end of Palm’s line but doesn’t make them a whole heck of a lot of profit. It does, however, increase their market share and bragging rights that they “own” the PDA market. The Zire 71 competes more directly with the 1930, with its high resolution, color screen, and built-in low-res camera. But it will now sell for $100 MORE than the HP iPaq 1930! I know several people who own the Zire 71 and they say that the camera got a lot of use shortly after they bought the device, but that they’re not using it anymore due to its poor quality. My guess is that many people will look at the two side by side and decide that the $100 lower price for the iPaq is much more important than the built-in camera on the Zire 71.
And speaking of low-end color Pocket PCs, there are consistent rumors that the Dell Axim X3 will hit the market before Christmas at a $150 price point. This could really nail Palm unless they are able to drop the price of the Zire 71 significantly and still make a profit. One thing that Dell should do to make sure that the Axim X3 is the Palm-killer they hope is to put the entire Axim line on a diet - those things are bulky and relatively heavy. The market loves small and light…
Roomba Gets Siblings
OK, it’s not a PDA but it’s one heck of a nice tech gadget - the Roomba Robotic Floor Vac. I wrote a review of one of these last year and I’ve used it for almost 9 months with no problems. Thanks to good old capitalism, we now have THREE Roomba models to choose from.
The folks at iRobot, makers of the Roomba, apparently did some market research and found out that a) people were using their Roombas more than they expected they would, b) they wanted more of the “virtual walls” that keep the device away from obstacles, and c) they wanted to be able to clean one small area (i.e., a spill) instead of having the Roomba go cruising off to other parts of the house. They also found that a remarkable number of mobility-impaired people were buying the devices and wanted a way to drive the Roomba out of the closet to wherever they were going to clean.
The result is two new models of Roomba: the Pro and the Pro Elite. The Pro adds a spot cleaning mode that just spirals around a 3 foot diameter circle, while the Elite has that new mode as well as a Max mode that allows it to clean for up to 90 minutes straight - in other words, cleaning up to three rooms in one session. The new models are the same size and weight as the old Roomba, but add a second virtual wall in each box as well as much more robust motors and brushes. And for those folks who want to “drive” their Roomba, the Pro Elite comes with a remote so you can cruise it around under your control. Do I detect a future trend of Roomba racing? You can purchase the remote for the Pro model, but it will not work with the “classic” Roomba.
I won’t write a review of the $230 Pro or $250 Pro Elite, but I’ll just close with one comment - the Roomba is probably the most useful tech gadget I’ve ever purchased, and I’ve had ‘em all!
Press Release: DreamQuest Software Releases Championship Gin Pro
Skill and concentration are coupled with tense anticipation in this silent race to the finish.
Boulder, CO (August 27, 2003). DreamQuest Software today announces its newest game, Championship Gin Pro. The company has created the first cross-platform card games, allowing gamers to play on and against a variety of devices including Windows PCs, Palm OS and Pocket PC handhelds, and even Symbian OS cell phones.
A new addition to the Championship-series card games by DreamQuest Software, Championship Gin Pro offers a fun and exciting gaming experience for casual and hardcore fans alike. The player is in control, choosing from popular variations, five difficulty levels, and hundreds of game options. One can challenge the playful computer champions, engage friends over a local network, or even enjoy competing and chatting online in DreamQuest Software’s free Internet lobby anytime, anywhere, and on any device. For more information or a free 10-game trial version, visit http://dq.com/gin.html.
“Gin’s heart-pounding anticipation will attract players old and new,” said Christopher Williamson, DreamQuest Software’s president and CEO. “At its most basic, it is a tense, silent race. Skill and concentration are necessary to be the first to layoff your cards so your opponent gets stuck with all the penalty points! Our signature cross-platform technology even allows on-the-go business travelers to join in on the fun from their PDA or cell phone.”
The interactive tutorial and practice options will show Gin novices how to play. Seasoned pros can try to corner one of the eight animated opponents, who use advanced strategies with a humorous twist. The five skill levels provide everything from a relaxing game to challenging tournament-style action. Each game is made distinctive by selecting from over 200 colorful deck and table combinations, enhanced by dozens of player taunts, game sounds, and soundtracks. Custom skins allow players to share their favorite themes and characters with their friends.
Geek Envy
If you’ve been a PDAntic.com reader for quite some time, you’ll know that I am a bit of a fanatic about the Segway HT. I would have bought one by now, but unfortunately I did some research and found out that they’re not exactly legal in my home state of Colorado (Segway LLC hasn’t worked with the state on “enabling EPAMD legislation”).
Well, I’m in a state of extreme geek envy today and I’ll probably be that way through Sunday. A bunch of Segway owners are making their way to Chicago today for the first ever “SegwayFest”. You can read updates on what the attendees are doing this weekend by visiting one of my favorite websites - SegwayChat.
If you’re not familiar with the Segway or my desire to get one, visit one of my other blogs - The Joy of Segs - for more details.
Press Release: BOMB DUCK - You’d be quackers to miss it !
New from Clickgamer.com:
Guide Bomb Duck through 30 frantic levels collecting the Baby Penguins as he goes - but watch out for the bad guys !! With lots of goodies to collect and classic platform fun, this is one cool game for your Pocket PC! A tribute to Bubble Bobble - one of the greatest games of all time !
- 30 levels of frantic fun
- Special retro soundtracks
- Lots of bad guys and platform antics
- Carefully crafted level designs
- Increasingly challenging gameplay
- Special Bonuses and power-ups
It’s only $9.95!
Speech recognition and the Tablet PC
I’m doing something a little different this time. I’m actually dictating this using a Logitech USB headphone and the built in speech recognition capabilities of Windows XP Tablet Edition. Of course, I’m cleaning this up a bit after I’m done dictating.
This actually works pretty well. For the most part, it seems to be learning my voice rather quickly. What I’d love to see down the road is some way for a Pocket PC or Smartphone to take dictation in a similar manner. You can record a voice message and embed it into a e-mail message, but you can’t have it take your words and actually translate them into something resembling coherent written speech.
As my experiment with speech recognition on the Tablet PC continues, all be posting some short articles here on the blog. I’m also working on a new edition of the Tablet PC Diaries. Expect it soon!
The Lowest Common Denominator Strikes Again
OK, maybe I’m just getting old and stuffy, but does everything have to be about sex?
I just got a press release titled “New Entertainment for Pocket PCs” from a Mazingo.com e-mail address. Since I had tried out Mazingo’s AvantGo-like service previously, I opened the e-mail only to find the following:
HUSH Mobile, powered by Mazingo, (URL was here) is pleased to announce the launch of the most comprehensive Adult Entertainment Channel available for Pocket PC’s — Hush Mobile will supply 90 (yes 90) new multi-length ADULT VIDEOS automatically delivered to your Pocket PC each and every day.
As a subscriber:
*You receive 3 new videos daily - 1 minute, 3-5 minute and 15 minutes! You’ll need a memory card for all this content! (Average download 50Mb)
*A fresh daily assortment of high resolution pictures
*Wireless connection not required
*This is a not a streaming service, all content stored locally on your device or memory card for viewing at your pleasure, any time, anywhere!!
You will not have to be a subscriber to the Mazingo Network to obtain a Hush Mobile subscription. However, you will have to download the Mazingo software to use the service.
Frankly, I expected more out of Mazingo that to allow someone to push porn through their system. And no, I am not going to give you the URL to get to their site. My personal opinion is that there are better things to use Pocket PCs, Palms and Smartphones for than for cheesy sexual gratification. I’ve asked to be taken off of their email list.
Here Come Da Judge!
Sorry, those of you less than 40 years of age probably won’t understand the subject line of this unless you’ve watched old “Laugh-In” reruns on Nick@Night…
Anyway, yours truly is one of the judges for the 2003 Pocket PC Magazine Pocket PC Awards as you can tell from the graphic to the left. I’ll be spending most of this weekend trying software out on my Pocket PC Phone and Smartphone so I can turn in my ballot early next week. This should be a blast!
Anthelion Public Beta Now Available - For Free!
If you’re a gaming geek and have been looking for a fun 3D space shooter game for your Pocket PC, wait no more! Go out to PDAmill’s site and download the free public beta of Anthelion. I downloaded it and installed it on the ol’ Pocket PC Phone today and was totally impressed.
The download can be found here: http://www.pdamill.com/files/anthelionbeta.exe
I took a look at the screenshots from this package before downloading and was awed by the deep space graphics, big explosions, and controls. That pushed me over the edge to do the download - which was surprising in itself as I’m not much of a gamer!
Press Release: Handmark Releases Official YAHTZEE? Game Pak for Pocket PC
Kansas City, Missouri and New York, New York (August 19, 2003) Handmark today announced the new YAHTZEE game for Palm Powered and Pocket PC handheld devices. Hasbro, Inc.’s (NYSE:HAS) YAHTZEE is the first official family dice game for the Palm OS and Pocket PC platform.
With the addition of the YAHTZEE game, Handmark adds another leading brand name to its expanding line of premier retail titles for handheld devices. For more than 40 years, the YAHTZEE dice game has been a family favorite.
The new YAHTZEE game for the Palm OS and Pocket PC platforms plays and sounds just like the classic dice game, with hi-resolution graphics and 3D animated dice rolling. Throw the dice to build straights, full houses or five of a kind-YAHTZEE! Play alone or with friends using one or multiple handheld devices.
“We hope YAHTZEE for Palm and Pocket PC will be a great success. People played it growing up, now they can play anywhere at anytime on their PDA,? said Douglas Edwards, VP of Marketing for Handmark.
Handmark produces the Palm OS and Pocket PC versions of the YAHTZEE game under a license agreement with an affiliate of Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR), which publishes the electronic and interactive versions of Hasbro properties.
Atari is one of the largest third-party publishers of interactive entertainment in the U.S. and is partnering with Handmark? to bring some of the world’s most popular board games to handheld computers.
“We are very pleased to be working with Handmark to develop high-quality, branded entertainment content for the PDA platform,” commented Jon Leach, Vice President, Licensing for Atari Interactive, Inc. “More than 16 million people currently use PDA devices, making this a logical step to expand both our brand and audience reach, while simultaneously offering a value-added, fun gaming experience to PDA consumers.”.
Availability of retail product
YAHTZEE for the Palm OS and Pocket PC platforms will be available at most retail chains where Palm Powered and Pocket PC devices are sold this fall. It will also be available as an online download from the Handmark web site, http://www.handmark.com ($29.99*).
Press Release: FOMMY.COM Enables Cell Phone Users to Download and Install Ringtones, Games and Graphics Directly from New WAP Site
Company becomes the first US portal to introduce WAP site; new “media cards” enable users to purchase downloaded files from mobile phones
ARLINGTON, VA - - August 19, 2003 - - Moftware, LLC’s Fommy.com(tm), North America’s leading portal for mobile phone games, ringtones and color graphics, has become the first US portal to introduce a WAP (wireless access protocol) site. Wireless device users can access Fommy.com to order and download applications, ringtones and games without connecting their devices to a desktop PC.
“From the beginning stages of developing Fommy.com, every decision was made with the end-user in mind,” said Dinbandhu Dinesh, CEO of Fommy.com’s US division. “With the launch of our new WAP site, any user of a cellular phone which is Internet-enabled or has an active GPRS connection can access the site to download and install the
application files they need–anytime/anywhere.”
Fommy.com’s breakthrough technology promises to remove the existing network constraints which hinder potential customers from buying. These new capabilities extend the company’s reach to a global marketplace by providing access to any user of a WAP/GPRS mobile phone.
The technological challenges of purchasing downloaded files via mobile phones have been a major stumbling block to widespread adoption of a WAP-enabled marketplace. Fommy Media Cards provide a solution to this problem, opening up the potential for rapid expansion of consumers making purchases via their WAP-enabled phones. Once a consumer buys a Fommy Media Card online, it will work similarly to a pre-paid calling card and the consumer can use it to make WAP transactions. The media card provides each customer with a unique 9-digit PIN number, ensuring secure transactions, which can be used to purchase any item from Fommy.com’s immense offering of ringtones, games and color graphics. Fommy Media Cards are also available through more than 2,000 retail shops.
Cell phone users can find additional information at http://wap.fommy.com while PC users can visit www.Fommy.com.
Back To School With Last Bell and HW Diary
Varibyte sent us a note to let us know about the launch of their latest “student support” application for PalmOS, Last Bell. Last Bell is a schedule program that allows students to schedule their classes for each day of the week. Information entered is automatically sorted by the program. Last Bell also goes to the current day of the week.
Remembering what it was like to set up and remember class schedules for both high school and college, I wish that PDAs and Last Bell had been around when I was in school! The price is definitely right for this package - $9.95. You can get more information about the application at http://www.varibyte.com/lastbell.php.
Varibyte also reminded us of one of their other student-assistance applications, HW Diary. HW Diary is a homework and grades manager. It also has a signature feature which ensures communication between parents and teachers. This application is fully compatible with Last Bell. It’s also available for the low price of $9.95, and you can read all about it at http://www.varibyte.com/hwdiary.php.
Through September 20th, Varibyte is holding a promotion where you can purchase HW Diary at the regular $9.95 price and receive Last Bell for half price. Just enter code E9E0BD when you check out at Handango.
Press Release: Palm, Inc. Unveils Future Name for Mobile Computing Solutions Company
MILPITAS, Calif., Aug, 18, 2003 ? Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM) today announced the new name it will adopt following the proposed spin-off this fall of PalmSource, Inc., makers of Palm OS platform software. The name ?palmOne, Inc.? will reflect the company?s handheld computer hardware and software solutions business and encompass the sub-brands Zire? and Tungsten?, as well as Treo, upon the completion of the planned acquisition of Handspring, Inc., also expected this fall.
?Palm created an entirely new category when it delivered the first successful handheld computers in history,? said Todd Bradley, Palm Solutions Group chief executive officer. ?palmOne builds on the brand promise and popularity of the Palm name, while indicating our intention to continue to be the driving force of innovation.?
The name palmOne was chosen following interviews with a broad spectrum of Palm customers, partners, employees, naming consultants and industry influencers. When people inside and outside the company reflect on Palm?s essence, three ideas emerged consistently:
? the company?s heritage as a pioneer in handheld computing;
? Palm?s worldwide leadership, which it has retained despite an influx of competitors; and
? the conviction that Palm always would place customers first, thereby delivering what matters most to them.
?Our brand promise is so well understood by the marketplace that the concept of ?One? in our new name was immediately compelling,? said Ken Wirt, Palm Solutions senior vice president and head of sales and marketing. ??One? is a powerful addition to the instant brand recognition and identity of the Palm name.?
The new name is characterized in two colors ? deep red for the word ?palm? and vibrant orange for ?One,? reflecting the subbrand colors for the company?s Tungsten line of solutions for mobile professionals and business and its Zire line of solutions for consumers and multimedia enthusiasts, respectively. The lower-case treatment of the company name gives the word ?palm? visual emphasis. Products will begin to bear the new brand name in 2004. However, a new website, www.palmOne.com, is live today and features the handheld product information and support services previously available at www.palm.com.
?The red/orange combination is a bold departure from the blue that Palm has used for many years and builds on our new sub-brands,? Wirt said. ?Energy, enthusiasm, power and innovation come across much stronger in our new combination.?
?Our new name also signals a new beginning at Palm,? said Bradley. ?Building on our momentum in the handheld computing space worldwide and complementing it with the expected integration of the award-winning Treo line of smartphones from Handspring will give palmOne the broadest portfolio of handheld computers and smartphone products led by the most experienced team in the industry.?
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Joy of Tech!
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MacLevelTen
