PalmAddicts

I am having a clearout this weekend, if anyone wants any of the following.....

I have a couple of accessories, cases, hardware etc that are not needed and if anyone wants to give them to a good home then your more than welcome to claim them, I'll select random names after the weekend. I just want a mobility thought, or something on how your using your mobile device. Please don't send something you have already sent or indeed an email as to why you need the particular item, I want to know how your using your device or a mobile thought that is on your mind. Oh and please give it a title or you will not be entered. Let me know your choice too. Put WEEKENDER in the subject line and bang your thought on email to me, writers also welcome just let me know number of posts and item choice before midday Monday US PT - sammualjamesmcloughlin@gmail.com

You can choose from:
- 1 second hand LifeDrive, no scratches and working fine.
- 1 Enfora Wifi Sled
- 1 Treo 650 / 600 Cradle
- 1 Proporta Leather Case for the Tungsten T5
- 1 Palm Wifi Card
- 1 1GB SD Memory Card

Enjoy some Palm adverts from previous years

[From Rick Davis] Mashby's You Tube page has some nostalgic video adverts made by Palm over the years and the second one kind of reminds me of the iPod adverts. But take a look at the first video it's a match made in heaven well at least on a train with a little help from a Palm device. Enjoy!

GSM Palm Centro White photographs from AT&T seem to be showing up at TreoCentral and causing discussion

[From Karl] GSM Palm Centro White photographs from AT&T seem to be showing up at TreoCentral and causing discussion, boy, look at those green buttons but I like it and it looks cool.

T-Mobile Waives Activation Fee This President's Day Weekend

If your thinking of signing up with T-Mobile this Presidents Day weekend then this may well be an incentive. "Starting today through Monday the 18th, you'll be able to get a new T-Mobile plan without having to pay their $35 activation fee. This is cumulative as well, so if you're activating 5 lines, you'll save $175 total." The Gizmodo for all the deets.

TreoTwitter is very good

OK this is what I have been using from my Tungsten C to update my Twitter status and it's free too it's called TreoTwit. "With TreoTwit you can send your twitters from your mobile device (What’s Twitter). TreoTwit also has shortcuts (”Open” combobox) that open the more common Twitter pages in your web browser." It works and is fast, your friends status should open up in your web browser. MiTreo.com has the deets and the download.

Weather is in beta and is available from Deluxeware for Palm OS.

[From Eric Mann] Weather is in beta and is available from Deluxeware for Palm OS and it looks neat too. "Make your own weather station at Palm now! Current condition for the entire world (and for specific regions) updated every 15 minutes. Before making travel plans for a hotel or flight it can be useful to check the current conditions for where you want to go. Auto update mode helps to keep the weather data timely. "Weather-guard" will improve Palm's standard KeyGuard and get access to the current weather condition in easy way.
Features

* Fun images (clouds, sun, rain, snow) and indications of the general status
* High and low day temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit
* Wind direction and speed in mph, km/h
* Dew point, Visibility, Humidity
* Current local time for cities
* The sun’s ultraviolet intensity level (UV index)
* Integrated weather to the Keyguard
* Keyguard's weather supports all Palm devices
* Hi-res+ devices Portrait and Landscape modes
* Current forecast automatic update
* Real feel temperature
* 5-way navigator
* Easy to use"
It supports most devices, of course with a data connection.

The Gizmodo website reports on the Everex Cloudbook and so far it's not looking too good

The Gizmodo website reports on the Everex Cloudbook and so far it's not looking too good. "Those of you excited about that cheap, small Everex Cloudbook Wal-mart laptop as an alternative to an Eee PC might be slightly disappointed. Laptopmag just unboxed theirs, and found many things wrong with it. The pointing device is above the keyboard on the right, but the left and right mouse keys are on the left side, also above the keyboard." Read in full.

The Versatile Nokia N810

[From Bill Wright Weaverville, NC USA] I’ve been using a new gadget, the Nokia N810 every single day. It features a Linux OS, it has a huge screen and a slide-out keyboard which is great, and it connects flawlessly to my wireless home network, allowing me to control the computers on my network from anywhere in my house. The device has freed me from having to stay near the computer if I was in the middle of something. In fact, I actually use it more than even my beloved Palm Tungsten T3. Sure, apps are limited, but right here, right now, it does everything I need and them some.

The Gizmo Instant Message client for the Treo

[From Ben] Ben wrote in and asked if we were aware of this instant messenger program called Gizmo, personally yes but I have never tried it. Ben says that it does work fine with the Centro. "FREE to download and setup, FREE to connect with all your buddies. Instant message your Gizmo, AIM, MSN, Yahoo, iChat, and Jabber* buddies or call them from the application. Setup your work and personal accounts and switch between them with a touch of the screen. Receive an audio, vibration or visual alert anytime a buddy sends you an instant message. Supported on Palm OS 5Your Gizmo buddy information is with you whereever you go, you can call them at any time. Continue reading chat messages while offline and view all past chats in the message history." Make the jump to the Gizmo project.

MackBook Air head to head with it's nemesis: Lenovo X300

Okay, I got to admit this post has nothing to do with mobile phone; but just take a look at picture and aren't you interested to know? Worth a look for you guys who love to stay up to date with the latest gadgets and for you who love MacBook Air (MBA). Up until now MBA is still the most sought after laptop for it's thin build like no other laptop ever made, but what we haven't know yet is that Lenovo has been working for around 20 months to build the thinnest laptop too: X300.

I'm not going to spoiled all the fun, you'll have to read the article about what really happened behind the made of Lenovo X300; read them at Engadget here and at the whole story at BusinessWeek right here.

(blogged with my Treo 750v)

Who will buy a Android Phone? Will the OS be a success?

[From Hans] Who will buy a Android Phone? Will the OS be a success? Well this editorial over at techradar covers the subject and is both detailed and quite informative. "While Android has also been made out to be the ultimate in open operating systems, one handset manufacturer we spoke to questioned whether that strategy means much. "What does open actually mean?" he asked. It's a good point. With even Apple releasing its SDK for the iPhone, it's becoming easy to create mobile apps for all devices. It's also difficult to envisage who will actually buy a phone with Android on unless you're into phone customisation and hacking. Businesses are well catered for by Microsoft and RIM, while consumers looking for smart new devices may be swayed – but it depends on who opts to release Android handsets of course. We shouldn't judge yet though. Android isn't finished and has currently been released as an "early look" to developers. As is typical of something so closely related to Google, the Open Handset Alliance hasn't said that much about the Android framework." Read in full at techradar.

Cleanup to help get rid of all those nasty files that programs leave behind

You know how annoying it is when you delete a program and you still find half a dozen files associated with being left behind on your Palm and device and with this in mind NorthGlide have a very good program called Cleanup. "Your device and expansion card are most likely cluttered with unneeded chunks of data that just take up precious space, might slow it down and cause problems! - Cleanup is here to help. With features such as a growing Signature File that helps you to easily identify mysterious items, deep code full card search, complete backup and restore, Ignore List, Quick Clean, Spacemaker, expansion card files analyzer and much more. Cleanup makes it a breeze to safely get rid of leftovers, keeps your device running faster and will help you clear up some extra space!" It retails for $14.95 and a free trial is also available. More details after the jump to NorthGlide.

Another interesting editorial from TealPoint is TealMover

[From Eric Mann] Another interesting editorial from TealPoint is TealMover and the new beta adds support for copying nonstandard-sized records (0 or >64k) to and from cards. It also supports editing for oversized (>64k) records in view screen and fixes crash editing large records if not enough memory to load record. "Beam, delete, rename, and copy files with TealMover, the file management utility for SD/CF/MS cards. TealMover lets you see, move, modify, and delete individual files on the handheld. Supporting SD cards, MMC cards, compact flash, and Memory Sticks, TealMover addresses limitations in the standard Palm OS utility set by moving and beaming individual program databases as well as applications. It can also manipulate and delete individual files and applications and adjust file properties and status bits. Advanced new record viewing and hex editing tools even let you view and manipulate files on a byte-by-byte level. TealMover is PalmOS 5 compatible, and supports both Sony and Palm hi-res, full screen and landscape (rotated) display modes."

Also there is a new beta version of TealScan for you to take advantage of

[From Eric Mann] Also there is a new beta version of TealScan for you to take advantage of which fixes display update while scanning database. "This is a new program to help diagnose and maintain the health of your handheld data and operating system. It integrates the functionality of many system utilities as well as offer new powerful tools to keep your device and data stable and safe. Currently, the program is fully functional and nearing release. Please join the discussion on TealTalk and contribute your ideas and testing feedback."

There is a new beta of TealLockTM available for you to take advantage of

[From Eric Mann] There is a new beta of TealLockTM available for you to take advantage of. It adds sleep compatibility with background apps that clear key queue on app change. "Secure and protect your handheld with TealLock, the automatic locking program with data encryption and SD card support. Completely redesigned for version 6, TealLock has unmatched features and customization options for personal or corporate use. TealLock uses technology so powerful it was adopted by Palm as standard equipment on Tungsten C and Tungsten T2 handhelds. Security features include serial and infrared lockout, 128-bit data encryption for both memory and external SD/MS/CF cards, and optional data self-destruct modes to deter brute force attacks. New features in version 6 include protected applications, alarm blocking, activation via SMS text message, screen shortcuts, button shortcuts, persistant card encryption, password permissions, emergency calling, self destruction of card based data, jpeg import capability and an all new streamlined interface. Numerous configuration and activation options include timed activation, custom locking screen, graffiti shortcuts, hardware button passkey entry, masked passwords, on-screen keypads, lock screen images, animated backgrounds, and both quick and guest passwords. TealLock is PalmOS 5 compatible, and is an ideal part of a health care organization's HIPAA compliance program."

Palm Ishido

Take a look at this interesting program Palm Ishido which is free. "PalmIshido is a free (GPL), polished and challenging tile-matching puzzle game with multiple full-color high resolution (OS 5 required for high resolution) board and piece sets (default, hieroglyphic and Ugaritic pieces are included), based on the rules of Ishido. You place pieces on the board, one by one, beside existing pieces, hoping to get four-way matches.

The rules for placing pieces are:
If the new tile has only one neighbor, it must match it by shape or by color or both.
If it has two neighbors, then one of these must have (at least) the same shape as it and the other must have (at least) the same color as it.
If it has three neighbors, then either two of these must have (at least) the same shape as it and the other (at least) the same color as it, or else one of these must have (at least) the same color while the other two have (at least) the same shape.
If it has four neighbors, then two of the neighbors must have (at least) the same shape as it and the other two must have (at least) the same color as it. This is called a "four-way".
Includes full source code. "

Go figure....Palm is not dead

[From Kelvin Sharp, Maryland] Everyone keeps saying that Palm is dead but they keep introducing new versions of their smartphones with different carriers and they are placed third in the smartphone rankings. They are even top of the handheld PDA rankings? So why do industry analysts keep putting Palm down? Go figure. Keep up the great work Sammy.

A Merging of Styles

A Merging of Styles is a short but well written editorial by Antoine Wright on the Brighthand website. "There's something about learning how other cultures use technology, specifically mobile technology, that really amazes me. Mobile tech has a mash of personal and social effects that galvanizes and separates so easily. Not that it should be surprising, but just knowing about how others use their phones makes for good reading, and a fair bit of ideas on how those of us in the U.S. can take our approaches to mobile tech a bit more "over the edge." For example, many of us are familiar with the fact that places like Japan and South Korea are mobile fanatics. There are so many parts of their subcultures that are mobile-driven or mobile-influenced that it's pretty amazing. Recent reports say such things as high school girls in Japan spend on average 2 hours on their mobile devices a day. That's mobile Web, but mainly SMS. Its not like they aren't in school either. Incredible." Read in full at Brighthand.

The Morning Paper comes out with an interesting editorial entitled What's More TrustWorthy, Treo Or Blackberry?

The Morning Paper comes out with an interesting editorial entitled What's More TrustWorthy, Treo Or Blackberry? "So it looks like Palm is trying to take advantage of the recent Blackberry outage by changing it's home page to state "UpTime". That is to say Treo's and Centro's don't have down time. Does this make The Palm Treo/Centro a better buy? Well let's take a look at down time. Last year there were three Blackberry outages that put BB users into a tailspin. Already this year there has been a major BB outage sending BB users into a tailspin. But as we speak Palm is writing checks to those who bought Treo 600's and 650's for a host of problems. I expect another round over the 700p sometime soon. Palm's aged PalmOS causes a good deal of resets and usability issues while using. Now let's factor in carriers. AT&T users have experienced a good deal of outages this month and last year. Periodic outages and downtime occur on every major carrier, so I think it's hard to claim that any brand does not suffer "downtime" issues out of control of the brand manufacture." Read in full at The Morning Paper.

T-Mobile choose Motorola ROKR E8

After T-Mobile announcement to stop their contract with Google in May and replace it with Yahoo's, T-Mobile is taking another bold move by taking side with "rumoured-ill" Motorola. Motorola newest handset that was just announced at Mobile World Congress; (MWC) the ROKR E8 will take the lead of T-Mobile's 2008 handsets lineup.

ROKR brand is already hard to gain more popularity (compared to it's brethren sibling: RAZR) when it's first released way back years ago, but with new design and higher features; Motorola puts high hopes to gain better income and take their name back into game of mobil phone business market. Aimed fo younger audiences and music player usage, Motorola injected 2GB internal memory & A2DP audio port. But three distinctive features are expected to make ROKR E8 stands out amongst the crowded multimedia smarthones: unique body keypad (as seen in picture, courtesy from Gizmodo), FastScroll touch-sensitive navigation wheel and ModeShift lighting. Read on Boys Genius Report article here.

Personally I really like the unique body ROKR E8 has, it's a dare move to make it different from the others is worth more than a second look. But Motorola biggest hindrance is their choose of mobile OS, hope the investment in Android platform is going to be the answer to their prayer...

(blogged with my Treo 750v)

german-wide PALM USER MEETING 2008 during this years CeBIT

[From Philipp Woywod, Hannover] Just wanted to remind you that Germany's largest Palm-Site Nexave - as in the years before - is hosting this year's annual Palm User Meeting between the CeBIT. Palm User from all around the world are invited to join in on Friday the 7th of March at 6 p.m. in Hannover. There are speeches given, a nostalgic Palm device auctioning and a chance to win the new Centro Smartphone. In the 5 € attendence fee a meal is also included. To get more informations about the meeting and how to get there please visit the website at http://pum.nexave.de. Maybe a good oppurtunity to finish an interesting visiting day at CeBIT 2008 and meet the german Palm community. As you might have already guessed, I'm from Hannover/Germany as well. So, see you at PUM 2008!

The Palm Blog on Migration Season

I am enjoying reading Paul's blog's over at the Official Palm Blog website and his recent post is no exception and the video is interesting too. "I have been hearing lots of predictions about the growing trend of people moving up from feature phones to smartphones, and I have been paying more attention since we introduced the Palm Centro smartphone back in October. Research firms have also been disucussing the shift from traditional mobile phones to smartphones and expect to see a signifcant increase during the next couple years. Why the shift from feature phones to smartphones? I think it's because people increasingly want to be connected to their friends, family, colleagues and their online lives - and it's getting easier and more affordable all the time. Cooler form factors and fun colors don't hurt either. I recently sat down with Stephane Maes (Palm's VP of Product Marketing) to get more details about this trend and what it means." Read in full and the full deets over at the Palm Blog.

Are you getting tired of problems with your BlackBerry? Despite recent problems only 34% of Blackberry users are growing tired

[From Hans] Despite the recent RIM Blackberry outages in a survey over 800 CNBC readers only 34% of respondents said that they were growing tired of outage problems with their Blackberry devices. CNBC after the jump.

The latest MobilityToday podcast is available for your listening pleasure

The latest MobilityToday Podcast is available for your listening pleasure. "Just Chris and Dave tonight and we talk about the new Sony Ericsson Xperia and Chris's venture into the world of the iPhone." Make the jump to MobilityToday.

The GearDiary giveaway of the day continues and there are some great prizes to be had

The giveaway a day still continues at the Gear Diary website and there are some great prizes to be had and well worth checking the site out for some great mobility news and reviews. Make the jump.

Exit Games Announces Neutron Integration with Airplay Platform to Enable Multiplayer 3D Mobile Games

[From Exit Games] Exit Games, a world leading service provider of mobile and online multiplayer gaming, today announced that it will integrate Neutron, its cross-platform multiplayer gaming technology, with Airplay, the ground-breaking native mobile games platform from Ideaworks3D.

Under terms of the agreement, Airplay and Neutron will combine forces to offer mobile game developers a complete solution for multiplayer mobile game development. The addition of Neutron to the Airplay development platform provides developers with the rock solid framework needed to simplify the development of multiplayer mobile games and social communities. Enhanced connectivity features including in-game voice/text chat, real-time multiplayer gaming, leader boards, in-game billing capabilities, and advertisement delivery are all part of the offering. Airplay provides a powerful integrated C++ development environment, which allows a single native application binary to be deployed unmodified to every accessible native platform, including BREW, N-Gage, Symbian OS (Series60 and UIQ3), Windows Mobile, Linux, and selected RTOS environments.

"Joining forces with Ideaworks3D falls right in line with our overall goal of reducing the complexity and the cost of development for multiplayer mobile titles," said Tom Sperry, CEO of Exit Games. "As companies increasingly turn to connected mobile gaming features, we're confident that Neutron and Airplay will stand out as leading technologies that push the industry forward."

"The multiplayer mobile gaming capabilities that Neutron brings to Airplay will lead to the development of advanced, connected, and entertaining 3D titles," added Alex Caccia, CEO of Ideaworks3D. "The Airplay platform is open for middleware providers to bring their additional value to the offering. We're now in a great position to provide a connected, graphically-rich, and cost-effective development platform that addresses the needs of mobile developers and publishers today."

Exit Games will be exhibiting at Mobile World Congress (Feb. 11-14 in Barcelona) and Game Developer Conference (Feb. 18-22 in San Francisco). For more information or to request a meeting, please email: Joe Ziemer, Associate Account Executive, Kohnke Communications: joe@kohnkecomm.com

Airplay games will be demonstrated at Mobile World Congress (Imagination Technologies and Texas Instruments stands) and Game Developer Conference (ARM stand).

About Exit Games
Exit Games is a leading software provider for mobile and online multiplayer games. The Exit Games Neutron multiplayer platform connects service providers with users all over the world playing via mobile phone, browser, PC, Wii or PS3. Neutron is used by leading entertainment industry customers like Vivendi, World Golf Tour, SkyZone, Square Enix's UIEvolution and Fremantle Media to create social and community-based services. Communication industry partners and customers include Verizon, Cingular, Sprint, Softbank, Vodafone, Qualcomm, Intel, Sony Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks. Exit Games was founded in 2003 with venture capital funding and maintains branches in San Francisco, USA and Hamburg, Germany. For more information, please visit our website: www.exitgames.com

About Ideaworks3D
Ideaworks3D is a privately held technology and game development company headquartered in London. Founded in 1998 with a strong Oxford and Cambridge computer science and electronic engineering pedigree, the company has an unparalleled track record of creative innovation and technical leadership in the field of high performance mobile gaming. Ideaworks3D's Airplay platform is the result of over 7 years of research and development into high-performance native multimedia applications on mobile devices. Ideaworks3D's Studio is the recipient of multiple industry accolades including "Best Game" and "Operators' Choice" awards at IMGA 2008, and two consecutive BAFTA Games Awards in 2005 and 2004 for best handheld and mobile games. More information can be found at: www.ideaworks3d.com.

EDN writes up an editorial on the legacy of the Palm Foleo

[From Eric Mann] EDN writes up an editorial on the legacy of the Palm Foleo, the device that never was. "At a high level, at least at first glance, Nokia's N810 Internet Tablet and the Foleo have a lot in common. They both run Linux on ARM-based CPUs. They both include a limited suite of applications; email, web browsing, document viewing and narrow-scope document creation, for example. They both embed Wi-Fi transceivers. And Bluetooth capabilities enable them to also go online via mobile phone-as-modem intermediaries. Foleo, at $500 (after $100 introductory rebate), was roughly $100 more expensive than the N810. For that price increment you got a much larger LCD (10" widescreen diagonal) mated to a full-sized keyboard, in a subnotebook-reminiscent form factor. But whereas Nokia's three generations of Internet Tablets have been moderately successful, Foleo was widely panned by press and potential customers alike at its unveiling, leading to its embarrassing retraction one quarter later in spite of its Jeff Hawkins lineage. What gives?" Read in full at EDN.

PalmDiscovery has a good little contest on at the moment and is giving you the opportunity to win a Prima Cases Metrocase

PalmDiscovery has a good little contest on at the moment and is giving you the opportunity to win a Prima Cases Metrocase. "To celebrate this wonderful day, we're giving away a nice looking Metrocase designed by world famous designer Jean Claude Mastroianni. Read on for more details! Here's another Palm Discovery contest giveaway coming your way. Again, I'd like to thank Prima Cases for providing the product sample. This provides me with the opportunity to not only do a review and also give it away to one lucky Palm Discovery reader. So everyone wins! Without the support of the suppliers, and Palm Discovery readers, this giveaway could simply not be possible. Thanks, everyone!" Make the jump to PalmDiscovery for the full deets.

Boy Genius Report on AT&T Palm Centro unboxing!

[From Eric Mann] The Boy Genius Report unboxes the AT&T Palm Centro. "We’re not really sure where to begin…It’s the Palm Centro on AT&T. You know the Centro, right? Outdated OS, tiny, miniscule puke-lime-green keyboard, EDGE, camera, and phone. We didn’t get a solid feel for pricing when it launches on February 19th, but we’ve heard $99 and $149 for a 2-year agreement. We’d wager it being $99 (how could it be more than Sprint’s?). " Boy Genius Report has the full deets.

MyTreo video interview, Palm focuses on mass market in Europe

Tadd at myTreo does a video interview with Palm Europe. "mytreo.net readers are well informed about Palm's Centro and Treo 500v. Nevertheless, we recorded a short video of the manufacturer showing off the devices. We learned that the actual release date of the unlocked GSM Centro is the end of the month, and not Valentine's Day as was erroneously reported throughout the blogosphere. We appreciated meeting the marketing team across the "pond," and look forward to staying in contact to cover Palm's European device releases." MyTreo.net has the full deets on this one.

Is 2008 the year of the BlackBerry-killer?

[From Dave] Dave sent this link in overnight on email, entitled is 2008 the year of the BlackBerry-killer? Interesting. "In 2005, Canadian wireless company Research in Motion (RIM) came from relative obscurity to steal a global lead in e-mail equipped mobile devices with its BlackBerry. Could 2008 be the year that BlackBerry falls off its perch? The executive ranks fell head over heels for the device -- their addiction to always-on e-mail leading many to dub the gadget the "crackberry". Every year since, at least one analyst group has claimed that RIM was in danger of being dethroned as vendor after vendor released their own cellular PDA. But three years on, RIM remains unmoved at number one. According to research group Gartner, RIM came out of the third quarter of 2007 with a 29 percent market share of cellular PDA's, with its nearest competitor HTC trailing on 18.4 percent. The BlackBerry isn't getting any less popular either -- with sales growing at some 87 percent over the last quarter. But its competitors, most of which use Windows Mobile OS, are picking up the pace. Second place HTC was growing at 367 percent, and fourth place Samsung at 764 percent -- both, albeit, from a very small base. If the growth rates of these two companies were to continue, it's not unfeasible that the BlackBerry could lose its number one spot in the enterprise before the year is out."

Fictionwise, Inc. recently acquired eReader. And to celebrate, we've made all versions of eReader Pro FREE!

[From eReader] eReader are also keen to point out that all versions of the eReader software is now free of charge including eReader Pro for Palm OS. "eReader Pro for Palm OS is an award-winning application used to read eReader eBooks on your Palm OS handheld. eReader Pro has more features than the free version, including free eBooks, the ability to read dictionaries, autoscrolling and more! Our eReader Pro for Palm OS software allows you to read your eBooks whenever you want and wherever you go. You can use eReader to add bookmarks, navigate your eBooks easily, and search for words in your eBook. Here at eReader.com, we've worked hard to ensure that reading eBooks on your handheld is a pleasure! Our latest release includes support for the latest devices!" Make the jump over at eReader.

eReader discount for the weekend

[From eReader] Your free eReader discount for the weekend is available and if you wish to take advantage then make the jump. "Punch in this week's Promo Code ERMP45 to receive a 10% discount off any eligible book that you purchase. Offer good through February 22, 2008 on all books priced more than $3.00. This discount cannot be used with any other special offers. "

Agendus for Palm OS version 12.05 has been released

[From Adriano Chiaretta] Hi Sammy, Thursday, February 14, 2008: we are happy to announce the release of Agendus for Palm OS version 12.05.

- Short Summary

Agendus for Palm OS Version 12 includes powerful journaling capabilities, a personal project manager, all new “at-a-glance” or Card views now more colorfully organized and streamlined, a new Contact View "Photo Dialer" mode, support for attaching items (documents, images, etc.) to meetings, tasks, memos and contacts and standalone alarms, just to name a few.

Version 12.05 is a maintenance release which reflects the feedback received through our user community. In particular, it contains stability improvements and resolves a problem with alarm dialogs not showing all their buttons occurring in certain instances.

- Release Details & Download
Main Entry Page: http://www.iambic.com/agenduspro/palmos/
What's new: http://www.iambic.com/agenduspro/palmos/whatsnew.asp
Download: http://www.iambic.com/agenduspro/palmos/trial.asp

iPhone Google searches outpacing all other phones

From the Financial Times :  (I think that FT is the best paper in the world.  I've subscribed for years.)  Google on Wednesday said it had seen 50 times more searches on Apple‘s iPhone than any other mobile handset, adding weight to the group’s confidence at being able to generate significant revenues from the mobile internet.

“We thought it was a mistake and made our engineers check the logs again,” Vic Gundotra, head of Google’s mobile operations told the Financial Times at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

If the trend continues and other handset manufacturers follow Apple’s lead in making web access easy, the number of mobile searches will overtake fixed internet searches “within the next several years”, Mr Gundotra said.

Kinoma tell us how to play You Tube video's from your Palm OS device

[From Charles Wiltgen at Kinoma] Sammy, There’s two ways that Treo/Centro owners can play YouTube video:
1. Use YouTube’s mobile site (m.youtube.com) via Web (Blazer)
2. Play “real” YouTube videos using Kinoma Player 4 EX

Option (1) requires that the device have an AMR audio decoder — my understanding is that all currently-sold Palm phones include one. Not all YouTube videos are available at m.youtube.com, and they’re encoded at pretty low quality. Because they’re low-quality, they’ll work even if you have a poor 3G data connection.

Option (2) lets you access all YouTube videos and plays them at full quality. You can search for videos right within Kinoma Player, and also browse for videos from a bunch of Kinoma Media Guide categories — Top Rated, Most Viewed, Recently Featured, etc. Since PC-quality YouTube videos are encoded at high datarates, a good 3G data connection is helpful.

[SAMMY Kinoma Player 4 is such an excellent program and is available from Kinoma's website where a free trial is available']

Remember the MacBook Air Contest is on at the moment

Remember that I have the MacBook Air giveaway at the moment. As I mentioned I may close this tonight, tomorrow or next week I am not sure so if you wish to be entered then rules are pretty much the same as always for my random giveaway's and as always they are in the top sticky post at the top of the page or here, so get writing my friends.

The surprising thing I've found about my use of my new iPhone is how

[From Larry Lipsmeyer Arlington Virginia] The surprising thing I've found about my use of my new iPhone is how frequently I check email now. I had already put in my gmail and 2 other person email address but just the other night I saw that there was a default option for adding Yahoo mail accounts as well. Now I have all 4 email addresses I have a need to check with any frequency and boy to I check them. Never having had a BlackBerry I never really understood why people were so fanatical about using them. My wife is now constantly complaining because I'm pulling my iPhone out of my pocket to check for new messages. I don't have the phone automatically pulling down new messages so there is a short delay while the mail servers are checked but not a wait I can't live with. I'm just not sure about having ti check all the time.

Treo 700 saves the day

[From Brian Lloyd -On The Road - USA] Once again my Treo has come to the rescue. I am a touring sound engineer and I had a problem one night and my Treo came to the rescue. I tour with a large band that has 13 musicians and 6 singers. Quite a handful at times. All the singers wear wireless mics and the band is all hard-wired. That night, something catastrophic occurred. It was a sold out house, over 2000 people. Partway through the first number something didn’t sound right on the vocal side. After listening to each singer individually, I realized one of my singers mics was not functioning. In most situations I would simply have the pack swapped out for the spare, but on this tour, the spare was being used on the stage as a star vocal mic. I quickly ran backstage during the next number and took a quick glimpse at the faulty pack. The transmitter had locked itself into a factory-programming mode. I had another singer who’s pack was currently in the same mode, but it was transmitting audio. Without proper time to work on it (mind you the show is still going on, the soundboard is now un-manned and I have only a minute or so) so I grab the spare off the stage, strap it to the singer and out she goes. She does make it back onto stage in time for her next song. I sprint back to the board with the transmitter in hand and its back to the show. Im faced with the problem now that I have to get the transmitter fixed within the next few minutes. I had this problem a few years prior and called the manufacturer to get the button sequence to reset the transmitter. The problem was it was Sunday night…they were not open…and there was no stopping the show. So I grabbed my trusty Treo and quickly launched Blazer. In the blink of an eye I was on the net, looking for a solution to my problem. I only had one free hand because I was also still mixing the 42 inputs of the show…while none of the packed house knew anything was wrong. In a matter of seconds I was on the net and had found a PDF file with the button combinations I needed. So I downloaded the pdf, viewed it on my Treo, and within a matter of seconds the transmitter sprung to life as I sprinted back to the stage, replaced the pack on the vocal mic…and back on the stage it went. Thanks to my trusty Treo I was able to avoid a catastrophic problem and a few thousand unhappy audience members….but thanks to my treo, no one knew anything was wrong.

So thank you to my Treo, that’s why you never leave my side.

Near Mobile Future

[From Ward Seward Chicago, IL] I just wanted to say that I can't wait for all the upcoming mobile technology that is close to becoming reality. What peaks my interest the most right now is the new Android OS. I'm really excited to see what it can do and what kind of hardware phone manufactures will come out with. That is what is currently on the mobile device part of my brain. :)

Toccer is a great IM program

Don't forget guys if you are looking for a AIM Instant Messenger client for your Palm OS device that I can recommend Toccer which is very very good and I have always rated highly. It's simple and easy to use. "Our goals for writing an AIM client were twofold: Make the best possible client for the the most common use cases. Make the client as seamless as possible. It should feel integrated and feel like an application that has always been a part of the Treo. Part of this means support for the 5 Way Nav and a UI that is consistent with the OS." Make the jump it's free but as always donations are welcome and encouraged.

Photo Blogging Made Easy On The Treo 680

[From Adam Albright] I keep a LiveJournal so that I can keep up with what my family and friends are doing. LiveJournal recently released a free client for the Treo that allows you to write blog entries and attach a picture at the same time. If I see something that I know my friends would be interested in seeing, I can shoot it, write about it, press the "Post" button and not have to go through the process of getting my regular digital camera, resizing the photo for web posting, uploading the photo, and then linking the blog entry to it later on my laptop.

Bible on my Treo 755p

[From Juan José Belmonte Torres, Acapulco, Mexico] I bought recently a Bible in mp3 format in CD. Just synchronization t in my Palm and a huge SD I have allthe Bible for hear in my Treo 755p. But that's not all. I got it too in word format and in Isilo format so I can read and hear at same time... that's not great?

Lessons learned and time lost

[From Steve] I've learned quite a few lessons this past 2 weeks and I hope to help others save time by telling everyone about my mistakes. Lets start with the recent Treo 755p update. It went real smooth, I used the card method, it did it's thing and everything looked good, then the problems started. My backup was bad, it simply did not work so I had to depend on the sync I did before the update. Needless to say I lost all my registrations. Of course, if I had been home this would have been no problem, but I'm not. I'm on the road working and will be for months. So now I have to track down all my registrations so I can use my programs. No passwords from splash ID, no mileage from Fuel Tracker, no bluetooth headphones because Audio Gateway is past it's trial period, and general frustration from having to run everything down. (and I've still not done it) But the Treo was working so everything is good right?

So then I decide to take the Linux plunge and install Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) and while there were/are many challenges there, we will just look at the syncing of the Treo. (decided not to worry about the TX for now) The software included with Ubuntu just did not work, it synced the memo's and to do list only. It drove me crazy and from doing searches on the Internet, I was not the only one. So I did a little research and discovered a program called jpilot. It was designed very much like older versions of the palm desktop. But, once again, no two web sites or forum post set it up the same way. There were as many solutions as their were Treo owners. Finally, after trying out a dozen different solutions I found one that worked. Why the hard time, well the software does not appear to be designed to work with USB, even though just about every Palm uses it to synch. It wants a serial port address and this has led to dozens of different workarounds. What worked for me, well, as it always is, the easiest of all. Where it ask for the serial port address, I simply put in usb: (the : is very important) Next attempt synced and the world was a much better place. Yes, it's not fancy, it is a very plan interface but it backs up my data and I can export it directly to icalender if I want to move it to Sunbird, Spicebird, or whatever calender that supports it. Problem solved, Treo syncing, everything is good right?

Come on, you knew it was coming, nothing ever works like it is suppose to, if it did we would never have to upgrade. Yesterday I went to use my Treo and saw a screen full of strange text and it rebooted, or so I thought. It was a hard reset and I lost everything (yet again) Jpilot would not work, as the Treo had no name, so it could not, in its very simple interface, figure it out. So it was booting back to Vista sync and start putting in registration info all over. As of now, I've still not got everything on the Treo right, but I've learned some important lessons and I hope you have too.
Just because you back up does not mean you are safe
Don't save your registration codes on just your palm, have them in multiple places to be safe
Research before you take the Ubuntu plunge. While it has gone very well so far, I could have done more to be ready for my Treo
Backup Backup Backup, and get a program that will verify the backup is good
And just when you think everything is perfect, it isn't.

My next project is a Mac, but I need a few months to really learn Ubuntu first. My hope, one computer with Ubuntu, Vista, XP and Mac all on one computer. I love the challenge.

Convergence is bliss...who would've thought?

Certainly not me!! I purchased my Palm TX on October 29th, 2005 as a birthday gift to myself and I fell head over heels in love with it! I swore against convergence and had a counterpoint for every argument presented for it, but now.... I'm eating a big ol' plate of crow. LOL The Treo 755p began to call my name...like no other Treo had and I could no longer fight it. A few weeks ago I broke down and made the move to a converged device! YIKES!

Now that I've crossed over, I can't figure out why I waited so long. This device ROCKS! I've adapted to the smaller screen and QWERTY keyboard faster than I expected...and believe it or not I don't miss the TX's screen. Don't get me wrong, I DO appreciate the larger screen, but I don't find myself saying, "Gee, I can't deal with this 'little' screen." while I'm working. And just like I converted a bunch of Dayplanning coworkers into PDA users, I'm now converting those PDA users into Treo users!

I have the Alltel 755p. It's so sleek and sexy, and because of this I've named him Tuck....short for Tuxedo. :<) ...yea, I'm a dork. lol

Civil Duty with my Treo

[From Lawrence (NY)] I just completed my first day of jury duty with my Treo 700p. I was able to past the time waiting by listening to a few tune on pTunes, watch the Roger Clemens hearings with SlingPlayer mobile, play a few games of Sudoku and browse the web with Blazer. Back again tomorrow, with both my batteries charged and ready to go.

My Palm Centro is Always Working

[From Justin Goldberg (San Jose, CA)] Even when my Palm Centro is not in my hand, it's always working. RescoNeeews updates my RSS feeds automatically every 3 hours, so whenever I launch it I know I will be reading something new. When I go to sleep, I have my mind at rest about backing up my device as RescoBackup+ automatically backs it up at 3am. When I wake up the next day, I wake up to the most current weather report for my city as TreoWeather updates about an hour before my alarm clock goes off. My Palm Centro is always working to keep me updated without any hassle.

What Prescription Problem?

[From Jim Baldwin Southfield, MI] My trusty T3 came to my aid once again today. It seems we had some difficulty with my prescription drug program and being able to identify who is who for multiple prescriptions we needed filled and refilled today. Thank goodness I had put all our individual detail in the T3 just in case. Well the case came up today and I was able to quickly put all the pieces together. Now everyone has their correct prescriptions. That T3 came through for me again. Another bit of evidence that I just can't figure what I would do without my T3.

Moving On

[From Nigel Parkin] Having been a loyal Treo user (270>650>680) for the last few years, I jumped ship last October and bought an iPhone. Several things played into this decision for me: (1) my contract with Cingular came up for renewal; (2) I'd had a year under my belt with my first Mac computer: and (3) I wasn't seeing any new Palm OS prospects on the immediate horizon.

Since that time, I've been very happy with my iPhone and the low cost of the minimum AT&T voice/data plan has enabled me to use this device for more wireless activities than I ever did with my Treo, which incidentally, used to cost an additional $45 per month on top of my voice plan for the same privilege.

For me, the biggest plus of the iPhone's standard features is the Safari browser: this makes web surfing just as enjoyable as sitting in front of my MacBook, only you can do it anywhere that takes your fancy. Around the house I hook up to my wireless router, while away from home I find that AT&T's EDGE connection is more than adequate. This is perfect for price-checking while out shopping, or just looking for places to eat on trips. I even bought concert tickets online while out on the road last month. And no, I wasn't the one driving!

Another of my favourite apps is Google Maps. This has made day-tripping and weekend getaways more enjoyable as it's hard to get lost with the route-planning, turn-by-turn features and the large screen on which to view them. Now that a GPS option has been added, it's easy to navigate out of anywhere you might find yourself and find the nearest pharmacy or a particular store, for example.

When you also factor in the phone, email, calender, weather, camera, clock, calculator and notes apps, you have a device that covers all of the basic requirements that I need without getting bloated. In addition, Visual Voicemail is nothing short of amazing, and having a built-in, full-featured iPod is a bonus.

However, the biggest plus about the iPhone is its Multi-Touch interface: this is the most natural, intuitive way to control any device that i've ever used, and makes the iPhone stand out amongst all other smartphones.

The Treo and Centro are still very good devices, and when I first moved over to the iPhone I was worried about what I would miss from my Treo. After six months however, the answer, at least for me, is absolutely nothing.

Destaller Pro

Destaller ProThis seems a great and handy program,and store different files that can cause resets and hard resets."If you ever had problems with an application and were told by tech support to gather specific information about your device plus a list of all installed applications and Hacks, you will greatly appreciate why Destaller Pro is an excellent tool for trouble-shooting problems. It can export or copy a list of all applications found in RAM and on memory cards, has an extra screen for important device information, and lets you delete an application's data files separately."

Corn Wars v 3.5

WarsThis seems a great and fun program for all."Scenario: You and the man behind it all share an island equally between your two kingdoms. But one day, you receive reports that he has started a war over corn, the main food supply on the planet! So while everyone else is busy fighting over corn, you and your loyal soldiers go up against your enemy to put a stop to the war."

MTeam

MTeam on offer $10.46 (Retail Price: $14.95). "Red alert! red alert! the planet earth is under attack by swarms of mad bloodthirsty invaders! The M-Team is the earth's last hope. Only they can help rid the earth of the evil and their destructive forces. Destroy the relentless waves of enemy ships as they fly in to attack Help the M-Team super heroes fight their way through to the alien home planet Beedula, where the loathsome, intergalactic warlord gradiobeed commands his army of alien invaders."