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trial periods
Try before you buy has become a well established practice with regard to the many hundreds of palm apps out there and most software people give you the chance to try out a fully featured demo for up to 30 days. This obviously is a very useful feature and give you the chance to assess the programme merits and useability prior to purchasing. On the symbian side they tend to do things differently as I've found out recently when trying out a few symbian apps for my Nokia N80. For example, a lot of the programmes just won't let you have any type of trial...it's buy it or nothing which for me generally means no way Jose. One or two developers I've come across give you a 3 day free trial and then want to charge a couple of pounds for a 30 day trial after that! Very odd. I'm not sure if this type of practice would work in the palm world...I think we palmaddicts are too used to the good life to accept that type of marketing. Incidentally I ended up buying the app in the link as it is so good...
Resco Backup gets better
Resco Backup gets better again. Betatest are coming to an end
Check it out
http://www.resco.net/palm/backup/downloads.asp
Shadowlands
Shadowlands is a collection of stories that will leave you with a spine tinging feeling all day. From The Eye of Horus to The Raven King, you’ll want more and fear you’ll get it. I was reminded of Lovecraft, the depth and mood that McMurray bring to each story it palatable; Killing Wisdom was like running through a nightmare. When each story ends however, it’s not always what the reader wants or anticipated.
School Cellphone Ban Violates Rights of Parents, Lawsuit Says
From The New York Times:
"From the end of April to the end of school in June, police confiscated more than 3,000 cellphones in random searches at schoolhouse doors, and principals confiscated many more on their own."
Carmen Colon, a divorced mother raising three sons in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, considers herself a law-abiding citizen. But New York City’s ban on students carrying cellphones in the schools is one rule she will not abide by, she said yesterday.
Until he graduated last year, her oldest, Devin, 17, traveled more than an hour each way, taking two subway trains from their home in Brooklyn to Washington Irving High School in Manhattan near Union Square.
Her middle son, Andre, 13, also has an hourlong trip on the A and L trains to his public school, the Institute for Collaborative Education, at 15th Street and First Avenue.
I can see both sides of the cellphone ban in schools. On the one hand, parents want to be able to be in touch with their children and want their children to be able to call them or someone else for help. On the other hand, kids can use cellphones to take pictures, send text messages to each other, play games, and to even cheat.
I don't see why the students can't just leave their cellphones in their lockers or vehicles and use them before or after classes. I don't see anything wrong with that. I wouldn't think that a student would need his or her cellphone in the classroom.
Besides, we got along just fine before the cellphone came along, didn't we? When I was in school, there weren't any cellphones. If someone needed to contact their parents, they went to the school office and used the phone there. There were also payphones in the break area at school.
Cellphones are great and are very useful. I first got one just for the peace of mind so that when I was somewhere alone in my car, I would have a phone in case of an emergency. Again, we got along fine in our vehicles before the cellphone came along also. People would pull over and use a payphone or use a phone in a store or business. Now you see people on the roads and interstates with cellphones glued to their ears. And some of those drivers are weaving on the roads and paying more attention to their conversation than their driving. And I've never seen so many people in public places like shopping malls and doctor's offices talking on their phones! And so many of them talk so loudly and to me, seem to be wanting attention. My husband and I went out to eat breakfast at a Shoney's recently. We were at our table enjoying our meal and a couple of women sat down in the booth behind us. As soon as they got seated, a cellphone began ringing and one of the women answered it and began yacking away. She hung up and soon called someone and began another conversation. Then she went up to the breakfast bar and began to fill up her plate. I had just finished my eggs and bacon and grits and decided to get some fruit and a couple of French toast sticks. Well, I saw that the woman was just standing there with her plate in her hand, talking on her phone that was wedged between her shoulder and ear. She was standing right where I needed to get my food. She just stood there yacking and yacking and didn't move from that spot. That made me soooooo mad! I just waited though until the yacking hag decided to finally move on down the line with her phone pressed to her ear. What, was she there to eat or talk on her stupid phone???!
Anyway, I don't think we need our phones attached to us at all times. I think students should be able to have their phones but just don't need to have them during classes. I can't recall even having to use the school office's phone but maybe two or three times the entire time I was in elementary school all the way through high school and college.
Angels Unaware
It was 1895 and time for a change, or so Rebecca thought. For thirteen years Rebecca Rice had suffocated under the social restraints of widowhood, soaking up the leftovers of other people's lives like s sponge. She can't remember a time in her life when she didn't do exactly what was expected of her--until now. Armed with a knowledge of nursing and faith healing that she learned from a visiting missionary group, she heads for the hill country of southeastern Oklahoma, Indian Territory, to share her new vocation. The clannish folk of the hill country, reared and groomed in suspicion and superstition, resent Rebecca's presence in their midst. Rebecca, faced with such human conflicts as hate, distrust, jealousy, ignorance, murder, abortion, and child abuse, must also struggle with the destructive forces of nature--tornado, flood, and snowstorms. But her greatest adversary is the circuit-riding preacher, Zake Daniels, who fears Rebecca's teachings will threaten his hold on his flock. Rebecca's struggles take her through the years 1895 to 1935. Is her faith strong enough to sustain her through the most trying battles and help her stand strong in the midst of her adversities?
Caught Stealing
It's three thousand miles from the green fields of glory, where Henry "call me Hank" Thompson once played California baseball, to the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where the tenements are old, the rents are high, and the drunks are dirty. But now Hank is here, working as a bartender and taking care of a cat named Bud who is surely going to get him killed. It begins when Hank's neighbor, Russ, has to leave town in a rush and hands over Bud in a carrier. But it isn't until two Russians in tracksuits drag Hank over the bar at the joint where he works and beat him to a pulp that he starts to get the idea: Someone wants something from him. He just doesn't know what it is, where it is, or how to make them understand he doesn't have it. Within twenty-four hours Hank is running over rooftops, swinging his old aluminum bat for the sweet spot of a guy's head, playing hide and seek with the NYPD, riding the subway with a dead man at his side, and counting a whole lot of cash on a concrete floor. All because of two cowboys, two Russian mafia men, and some of the weirdest goons ever assembled in one place. All because of Bud. All because once, in another life, in another world, the only thing Hank wanted was to take third base--without getting caught.
You tell them Yvonne!
I agree with fellow writer Yvonne! I doubt very seriously that 75% of women are afraid of their devices and don't know how to use them. I'd love to have been a part of that survey and to have met those women who were in it. I'm not afraid of any of my devices and I love them all!
I enjoyed your post Yvonne! I've never been treated that way in a brick and mortar electronic store but I have at an auto repair shop or auto dealer. Most of the electronic stores I've been to had sales people who didn't know jack about the devices I was looking at. I've heard things like, "What's a PDA?" and when I've asked about the difference in some WiFi routers, you should have seen the "deer caught in the headlights look" I got! And these were guys. Then again, I've had some very knowledgable guys and gals helping me out in some of those stores. One young lady at a Best Buy knew her MP3 players up and down! She was very impressive.
Thoughts from Perkinsville
In yesterday's Palm Addict PA-Tech posting of The Latest From The PDA And Tech World, there is a section stating the following; "Study says 75% of Women Don't Know How To Use Gadgets. In the year 2006, we're surrounded by gadgets in our everyday life. But apparently, we women don't know how to use them. A recent research, put together for electrical giant Comet, finds that "three out of four women who own a mobile phone do not know how to use all its features."
More quotes from the article; "The research makes the observation that "while male customers want hi-tech spec and other mind-numbing details, women prefer to know what a gadget actually does and why it is useful." Typical. So men feel the irrepressible "Mine is bigger than yours" urge to compare - Nothing unusual there. Meanwhile, women want to cut to the chase and find out whether their new phone will match their outfit - Again, nothing unusual, one could say. "
I read the entire article yesterday, but waited until today to post regarding it as I wanted to let my blood pressure settle a bit. I found the entire thing highly inflamatory, and totally incorrect. As an example of how involved women are in the Gadget World, look at the Associate Writer's list here on PA, or scroll down the web site and see how many posts are done by a woman.
Let me tell you a short story about a brick & mortar store who's name I shall not mention (Staples). I walked into this store and spent 30 min waiting for a customer service rep to help me in finding a case for my LifeDrive (there were not any cases marked specifically for the LifeDrive and I wanted assistance as I didn't want to drive an hour to return it if it wasn't right). The rep took care of the man who was there before me, then he walked away, leaving me standing there. That same rep walked over to my Husband, who was in a different area of the store, and asked him if he needed assistance, not once, but twice. I tried getting the attention of 3 different reps, all of whom were male, and all who completely ignored me.
I try very hard to be pleasant with people at all times, but when I walked out of that store, without a case for my LifeDrive, all I wanted to do was walk back in there and slap each and every one of them.
Just for the record, 75% of women are NOT afraid of their electronic devices, whether it be a mobile phone, PDA, iPod, etc. Maybe They should have asked me to be involved in their study, or my 7 yr old Daughter, and I bet all of our Female Associate Writers would have loved to be included.
Have a Lovely & Safe Day (Evening) All!
My Palm Addict Companions
As readers and writers of tech blogs all over the internet, I know we all sit back in our computer chairs or relax with our laptops, Tablet PCs, or our handheld devices and keep up with the gadget news everyday. Some of us might have a beer and chill out while surfing the net. Some might have a black cup of coffee, a glass of cold milk, a soft drink, iced tea, or lemonade. As for me, I enjoy a hot cup of tea to get my blood flowing. My favorites are Tazo Earl Grey and General Foods International Chai Latte!
Not that anyone could care less about what I drink while surfing the net of course! I was just thinking today about how different people get their gadget news and what they're doing while getting that news. I'm sure some of you have your iPods or XM Satellite radios in your vehicle and you can zoom down the road while listening to gadget podcasts! Many of you get your news via Bluetooth and your mobile phone. We can get the latest news while relaxing in many coffee shops via their WiFi access points. I just think it's great how we can keep up with the gadget news just about anywhere! Hey, just think; someone might be war-driving through your neighborhood at night, getting their gadget news via your home WiFi access point! Hmmm, I bet that's not all they'd be getting either.
But anyway, wherever you are, enjoy your gadget news and have a great day!
