PalmAddicts

A Convergence Train Wreck

The Motley Fool has a pretty harsh review of the Palm Treo 700w.

"I've had my Treo for several months now, and while I'm by no means a power user, I like my gadgets to work as advertised. But, as is typical for a Windows-powered device, it's buggy as all get out. When connected to the Internet through Verizon Wireless Broadband Access, the system will bog down or freeze; sometimes the Treo just won't start up. In both cases, you need to remove the battery to get it to reboot. That nifty touchscreen is a real boon, too -- except when you use the phone as a phone and it touches your ear. That causes it to set alarms, change time zones, and unintentionally bring up all sorts of programs."

"Having used a number of Palm devices over the years, I hoped that the Treo 700 would build upon those successes. Though Verizon has a monopoly on branding with the Treo for the time being, it seems that the fly in the ointment here is Microsoft's operating system. It's enough of a hassle that, considering the Treo's $400 price tag, I've thought of firing up my old Audiovox phone, which I got for free with my phone service. At least it didn't limit me to 160 characters in a text message, unlike my so-called "smartphone."

In my opinion it comes down to the OS running on the Treo, the Palm OS is a much better mobile OS for a phone. It uses memory more efficently(no multitasking), programs are smaller, and there have been more Palm OS Treo revisions to get it near perfect. While I think this is a harsh review, the Treo 700w is selling like hot cakes because Windows Mobile users know the Treo is the best smartphone out there. Hopefully the second revision will be better, but a lot of the short comings on this Treo are due to Microsoft's OS, not Palm. I guarantee that the upcoming Treo 700p will outshine the 700w, as the Palm OS Treo 650 does in many reviewers eyes. A Treo was made for the Palm OS.

Is the LifeDrive a dying breed?

Is the LifeDrive a dying breed?
Recent rumors have cited the LifeDrive as a possible candidate for discontinuation.
I would like to briefly offer my opinion and hope for a LifeDrive Model Upgrade.

New days continue to dawn on future technologies. Who will bring the new product to market that will capture audience’s worldwide?

Some customers simply want convergence. They do not want to carry several devices. Give them telephone capabilities, modem power, instant internet access from anywhere on the planet, a built in camera of at least 1.3 to 2.3 mega pixel, a qwerty keyboard, and a form factor that feels comfortable against their ear. Their hearts and wallets will welcome the device.

However a New Window in our technology world has opened.
This window includes the above items in a portable device with the exception of "Feels comfortable against your hear."

This new breed of device would feel like a brick against the ear so it is designed to work well with a bluetooth earpiece or on speaker mode.
This device does not belong against your ear. It is not a phone it just has phone and VOIP capabilities built in.

It will not be as large as the UMPC but it will have a substantial screen real estate and may just barely fit in your pocket with the addition of perhaps a Qwerty keyboard or a clamshell type design.

In a world that is leaning vibrantly toward mobile technology is a convergent phone device the only answer?

The device I speak of may not rival a Treo in size or efficient portability but it will definitely rival a laptop.

Right now with a wireless keyboard the LifeDrive can seriously match the laptop capabilities. Is a LifeDrive with super-sized capabilities possible in the 400 to 500 dollar price range?

Now come on Palm innovators lets super-size the LifeDrive capabilities in speed, radio capability, screen resolution, internet connectivity all-the-time from anywhere on the planet and why not add in some of that cool brain stuff Jeff Hawkins has been raving about.

You never know I as a consumer may need digital data right now and there is no coffee shop in sight for a wi-fi connection.

Can you help a brother out? (Smile)

With the UMPC top efficiency development possibly two years out, a large window of opportunity to leave the laptop in the dust in a more compact form factor exist.

Our times present the advent of 3G Networks and Wi-Fi Networks continuing to proliferate.

The next step has to be a device with greater screen real estate than a mobile phone device, smaller that a laptop that can provide anywhere, anytime connectivity.

I believe we are on the cusp of dramatic technology transformation.

Some say the future is all-mobile, I say please let there be more. Portable yes but still more.

Everywhere office, flexible presence VOIP included, full keyboard, High-resolution screen, specialized chipset (typical processors will not be able to handle the demands of next-generation devices. They will need specialized chipsets for audio, video as well as software defined radio capabilities to provide access to a wide range of networks and carrier frequencies) and of course multimegabyte storage capacity for music, video libraries, and the multimedia content of the future.

I have already promised my wife that such a device would be all I would ever need.
(Does it count that my fingers were crossed behind my back?)

So join with me, Put your hand over your heart and say 'A Palm LifeDrive with unrivaled superior capabilities is available.'
Have a most excellent day!
Henry

Proporta Aluminum Case for Zire 72 Review

As many of the other writers have noted, the associate writers had been given an opportunity to review a product from Proporta. I already have a leather flip case from PDAir, so I decided that I wanted to review their Aluminum case for the Zire 72. First, I have to say that Lisa Fletcher has been nothing but nice to me, and always responds with timely and kind emails whenever I had a question. If only for that support alone, I'd recommend it! Not to mention the handwritten note and the tea bags that were included, a very nice touch.
Now for the case review.
Outside - I have been using a leather flip case, which is very bulky. I usually wear it on my belt, and actually stopped taking my palm to Lights On (my part-time job) because the flip case was too bulky to have in my pants pocket. Then enters the Proporta Aluminum Case. It is super slim, and barely adds any bulk to the Zire. I now carry it everywhere I go, comfortably, in my front pants pocket.
The case itself is beautiful. It is It is molded perfectly for the Zire 72, and has cut-outs for every port, button (inluding reset) and even the camera. I've found I use the camera much more now that I have a case that has a cut out for the lens.

Durability - This weekend has been somewhat of a torture test for the case. We took our youth group to a youth rally 300 miles away in Nebraska. Along the way, I used the palm for playing mp3's, keeping track of mileage, directions and even letting one of the youth watch the Chronicles of Narnia. During this time it was dropped, slipped out of hands, had bags dropped on it and all other types of torture. Yet my Zire came out unscathed, and the case has minimal scratches from all of this. The hinge still doesn't creak (a problem I had with my old Vx's hard case), and has never gotten out of line. This is a very hardy case! The only problem I've had with durability involves the belt clip... I am very hard on belt-clips... in fact, only one belt-clip has survived for more than 2 months with me in my lifetime. The belt clip that ships with the case is very, very sturdy. However, that very sturdiness is what caused it to break itself in half as I went to sit down in a car. As the case encountered the seat, the belt clip refused to let go for as long as it could... but couldn't stand up to all the pressure and broke in half. That being said, I do not believe that it is in anyway a fault of the belt clip as much as my fault for not taking the Case out of the belt clip before entering the vehicle. Lesson learned: always take your palm off your belt before sitting down...

Inside - As you can see in this picture, the inside of the case is coated with a layer of neoprene, just in case. There are two SD card slots (one filled in the picture). These slots are very secure and are flush with the neoprene so to keep the screen from getting scratched by the sd cards or the sd card holder (something lacking in my flip case). In order to test how well the Zire is held by the case, I held it upside-down while open and shook it violently for 30 seconds. The Zire moved maybe a few millimeters, but that is it. This case is very, very secure. The reason it is so secure is the strip of rubber ridges that grip the back of the handheld, holding it in unless under direct pressure. I never have to worry about my palm flying out of its case again... (that story is for another day).
I've only been using the Aluminum case for 6 days now, but I can't imagine being without it. It is like a second skin that protects without the loss of the slim-design that I love in Palm handhelds. Several people have asked if I had bought a new PDA because of the beauty of the new case. It just doesn't compare to any other hard case I've owned. Proporta is in a league of their own in design and beauty.
Well to sum it up...

• Slim design (pocket-able)
  
• Extremely durable
  
• Non-slip grip and SD card holders
  
• Excellent Support
  
• Beautiful Design.

Every case I buy from now on will be Proporta... It is well worth it!

REVIEW: mOcean

Okay, since PA has been abuzz as of late with AW comments concerning Palm and Apple, I thought I would chime in once again on the subject. The recent post by: TJL garnered a chuckle from this humble Apple advocate, as I tend to agree with the very astute argument. However, a recent development (small to be sure) may lend some credence to the “Apple is in severe trouble” argument.

Years back in the prehistoric days, I purchased a 5g iPod for $399. Its primary use was to memorize songs, as I was touring with a band and had not yet fully committed earlier albums to memory. At the last leg of the tour (late in the year) I went into an Apple store in Vancouver and saw the new slimmer, color, 10g iPod for $399us. Be assured that this humble typist remains an Apple loyalist, but that sighting sealed the wallet for any new iPod purchases. What is an iPod? At its best, it is an mp3 player. At its worst, it is an mp3 player. Videos? MTV is blocked on my cable box, I prefer to hear music not see music, and as we all know, our Treo’s allow us to watch whatever we want (provided you have an SD card). Which finally brings me to the subject of this review. Hello, hello anyone there?

MotionsApps released its new software “mOcean” formally “mPod” in its beta stage. Simply by chance I visited their site (I own many of their products) within the first 24hours of this beta posting. Wow! I immediately downloaded. In its beta stage there were a few quirks but the MotionApps team seems to have worked them out and created a product that is sure to annoy any vacationing Apple board member. This is the sort of software that makes Treo owners smile. It’s like being the first kid on the playground to have a G.I. Joe with Kung Fu grip (okay, I just dated myself). With the same look and feel, mOcean does everything an iPod can do, except play videos, but try making a phone call on an iPod. My only two complaints are:
1. In its beta stage you could select the classic iPod scroll wheel as your interface. That is no longer available. I can only assume the Apple Legal Eagles delivered a swift and thorough letter shutting that and the name “mPod” down.
2. As of yet, no conduit for the transfer from iTunes to mOcean on a Mac. If you’re going to play like Apple, support Apple. (Note) the site does say they are working on it.
Do I think mOcean puts Apple in SEVERE trouble? No. However, with SD cards growing in size and shrinking in price, software like mOcean is sure to make new querying iPod consumers think twice, particularly if you own a Treo. When launched, it is truly the foreshadowing of the fantasy ApplePhone, and a great piece of software in its own right. If you haven’t already, see for yourself.

RMR Fuel

I don't know why I like this programme so much, possibly because it feeds my rather sad liking for stats...but anyway, I've been using RMR Fuel for a while now to track fuel mileage and costs for my last few cars. It's a nice simple programme, easy to use and reliable.

Re: Memory Cards Could Pose Threat to Apple iPod

Cell Phone Memory Cards Could Pose Threat to Apple iPod made me chuckle.

How many times have we heard:

1) Palm is in severe trouble
2) Apple is in severe trouble
3) The iPod is in severe trouble

? Well if I had a nickel....

With more and more customers wanting access to digital storage, the market for removable cell phone memory cards has exploded in recent years, growing by 160% last year alone.

Ok, but Apple’s 2005 fiscal 4th quarter posted a “68 percent year-over-year revenue growth and 384 percent net profit growth” and “10th consecutive quarter of record iPod sales”

Ok but that’s the past, what about the future? Keep reading:

The amount of storage demanded is also increasing, as memory capacity becomes a more important feature for mobile devices. In 2005, the average mobile memory card had a capacity of 112MB, but this number is set to grow to 1.6GB by 2010.

Do those numbers sound right to you? 1.6GB? In 2010? That’s going to threaten the iPod? The lowest rung of the Nano has that already. People are going to want more space for music plus email plus movies. 1.6GB in 2010 is going to seem worse than 32mb in 2006. You want a convergence device

Many analysts now believe that this trend, along with the constantly improving media functionality of cell phones, will pose a big threat to the Apple iPod’s dominance of the digital music market.

This is just one more reason why Apple should try and corner the fast-growing converged communication and entertainment market with an iPod cell phone or other converged device, as competition is bound to increase in the months and years to come.

Will Apple do this? Perhaps. But remember everyone keeps saying that they ought to come out with a Mac Tablet and they’ve wanted the Newton back for years.

Personally I can’t imagine how it would work. How would you combine the ease of use of the iPod with a PDA with a phone? I guess that I am really attached to the full keyboard of the Treo. After all, we’re not just talking about an iPod and a PDA.

But if you had a phone, you’d need at least a keypad. If we’re talking convergence, I’d think you’d want to be able to send/receive email, which I just can’t imagine doing without a real full keyboard. Then there’s the definitive iPod scroll wheel. Will Apple ever release an iPod, even an iPod phone, without it? And if they do, how big will the screen be? I mean, you will be able to surf the web on this device, right?

Am I saying that Apple absolutely won’t make an iPod phone? Nope. But if I was Palm or Motorola or Nokia or any of the other cell phone/PDA makers, I’d hope they won’t. It’s going to take a lot of engineering magic or (and I think this is much more likely) a complete paradigm shift.

I do not think that the threat will come from smartphones with 1.6 GB of storage space in 2010. My Treo 650 is about the same size as my 60GB iPod with Video. I’ve added 1 GB SD card to the Treo for my email, backups, audio books, etc. I occasionally throw on a short video to watch. But managing content on my Treo is nowhere near as easy as managing content on my iPod.

What advantage does the Treo have? Bluetooth for easy syncing and GSM/CDMA for wireless access. That’s what I talked about in The Convenience of Convergence.

SiED development continuing?

Over at TamsPalm today "SiED was a very popular text editor for Palm OS handhelds(stay tuned for our tejpWriter review, coming soon) a few months ago-and then, suddenly, its developer Ben Roe decided to stop development. However, the following post just appeared on his blog:"

Honestly, I thought I'd lost it!

What a scary experience! I spent yesterday doing my errands, then having purchased a new pool cue for a ridiculously cheap price (the shop was closing down and clearing out their stock) I decided to go and play a few frames at my local pub.

One or two frames turned into all afternoon, a quick trip to the chip shop and then back for karaoke (honestly I'm a bad influence on myself sometimes!) and I rolled through the front door at around midnight. Flinging my handbag and mobile down in the living room I announced to no-one in particular I was going to bed and then slept like a log.

Not very Palm-related thus far... the gentle reader thinks - well I'll have you know it's completely Palm-related. I got up this morning to get my Clie out of my handbag so my hangover and I could go back to bed with an eBook and what do I find? Nothing! There's a Clie-shaped absence in my handbag and I have no idea where my baby has gone.

This leads to total trauma, I run around the house like a woman possessed (or demented!) screaching at my family because they don't know where my Clie is either. A cup of tea and some paracetamol later we decide to retrace my Clie use yesterday in order to solve the mystery of the missing PDA.

I got up and put my Clie in my handbag as I had a manicure appointment in the morning and needed it to remind me to go (as well as to allow me to book in my next appointment and stand some chance of remembering to go!). At the nailbar I read an eBook (Brave New World by Aldus Huxley using EReader Pro) whilst I waited for my therapist to be ready for me. After a very relaxing manicure, I booked my next appointment into my Clie (using a template in Agendus Pro) and put my Clie back in my handbag.

My partner rang me and we met in the market for some window shopping and a chat. It was then that I realised where my Clie was, the handbag that I was using was quite small, and my Clie had had to be taken out of it's normal Proporta Aluminimum Flip-Type case in order to fit into the bag. Because it was in the same side of the bag as my purse (that's wallet to americans!) I was worried about damaging the Clie or it's screen I decided to take it out of my handbag and put it into the carrier bag I was toting around with my shopping in.

As soon as this lightbulb went off I reached into the carrier bag (which was beside my chair in the living room) and lo and behold there was my Clie, safe and sound and not lost in some nasty pub whilst I was less compus mentus than usual :) I cannot tell you how relieved I am. I'm celebrating by playing Acid Spider Solitaire (which I love!) and watching a DVD. Later on today I will use Bonsai to start planning my next 1,000 word essay for my Open University course (only 2 more to write and I've finished this course!). Thank goodness I'm sometimes brighter than I remember I have been! I might reward myself with a glass of wine (or maybe that's what caused the panic in the first place )

Palm Addict Newsletter

The Messiah Code

At the moment of his supreme triumph, a man of science dodges an assassin's bullet and loses everything that truly matters in his life. Now only a miracle can save Dr. Tom Carter's dying daughter: the blood of salvation shed twenty centuries ago. In the volatile heart of the Middle East, amid the devastating secrets of an ancient brotherhood awaiting a new messiah, Tom Carter must search for answers to the mysteries that have challenged humankind since the death and resurrection of the greatest Healer who ever walked the Earth. Because suddenly Carter's life, the life of his little girl, and the fate of the world hang in the balance ... After two thousand years, the wait is over ...

fictionwise

I'll definately be adding this one to my ebook wishlist!