PalmAddicts

Iphone like visuals

Ok ok so some of us can’t have the iphone and were stuck with the black berry. That doesn’t mean we can’t dress it up like an iphone. You see the iphone has this beautiful interface when it comes to music. Full cd covers and album info. If we could only bring that to our black berrys some how. Wait flipside has already done it for us. With a free trial even! Some features I love: Displays album art Find album art for you Even creates play lists. Check out flipside, because we love our black berry email but want iphone visuals.

Mini usb adaptor

Don’t you love it when you can come home from a long day of work click a button on your phone and it automatically starts syncing via Bluetooth while your phone is still in your pocket. I know I do. No more looking for cords or not having the freedom to walk around with your phone as its syncing. This is all great and many companies have produced Bluetooth adaptors for those of us that do not have Bluetooth built in. lately they have been bulky and stick out making your computer look like it has wings. Introducing the answer to the winged computer is the Tiny USB Bluetooth v2+edr adaptor. Sleek small and power packed. Pick one up while they still last. Features: • Connect Most Bluetooth devices. Support A2DP up to 30Meter • Enables wireless connectivity between computers and devices • Enables connectivity to 7 Bluetooth devices at one time • Enables Wireless Personal Area Network (PAN) connectivity • Bluetooth 1.1 compliant • Bluetooth class 2, compatible with Bluetooth class 1 • USB 1.1 compliant • More than 33 feet wireless networking range • Up to 723 Kbps data rate • Super mini and slime size, easy to carry • Easy to install and use • Dimension: 14 x 19 x 6mm (approx.) • Weight: 2g Requirements

Palm banking on "Centro" phone, eyes 2009

[From Seth] Palm is relying on the Centro to buoy the company until 2009 according to a Reuters interview. "Palm Inc is counting on solid sales and expanded distribution of its entry-level Centro smartphone to buoy the company until it debuts long awaited redesigned models in 2009, a senior executive said on Wednesday. Sales of the Centro, introduced late last year with Sprint Nextel Corp, have so far exceeded expectations, striking a chord with female and young shoppers who are buying their first smartphone, according to Brodie Keast, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Palm. But he admits that strength in the tiny $99 phone, which this week was made available to AT&T Inc customers, contrasts with the lackluster performance of other products from Palm, the pioneering maker of handheld computers and touch-screen Treo phones. "We are definitely growing that (Centro) business. What makes it hard to see is that we still have a legacy handheld (computer business) ... but it's in decline," Keast told Reuters in an interview" Reuters for the full interview.

Did you know that Palm will take away your handheld and recycle it for free?

Did you know that Palm will take away your handheld and recycle it for free? "Palm's environmental stewardship program leads us to use environmentally friendly materials, reduce waste, and develop the highest standards in electronics recycling. Our recycling program strives to keep Palm Handhelds and Treo smartphones out of landfills- and we gladly take other companies' devices and all related accessories. This program allows us to evaluate and disposition handhelds and mobile phones for reuse and recycling to prevent them from going into landfills. Our program safely reclaims metals and also isolates heavy metals, protecting the environment and making these available for reuse. Simply place your handhelds, mobile phones and related accessories (chargers, headsets, memory cards) into a box large enough for you to safely send in all your retired mobile devices, apply the postage-paid mailing label, and put it in a mailbox or bring it to the post office. It's free!! Please note that you are responsible for removing all personal information before submitting devices to the Palm recycling program. Visit www.palm.com/erase. for information and instructions to erase personal data from your Treo smartphone. Handhelds, phones and accessories will be sorted, graded, tested and ultimately slated for materials reclamation or reuse. The reuse of these devices generates revenues to fund this program as well as the Palm Foundation, a charitable organization that supports educational programs." Make the jump to the Palm environment page.

Palm share's on the increase

[From Hans] Meanwhile it certainly has not all been bad news for Palm as Palm's share price has certainly been on the increase in the last month and I guess this has been helped with the addition of the Centro and it's good to see. The graph to the left shows progress over the last month. "Palm, Inc. is a global leader and innovator of easy-to-use mobile products that simplify people's lives and help them stay connected on the go. The company offers a range of products — including Palm® Treo™ and Centro™ smartphones, Palm handhelds, services and accessories — to meet the needs of consumers, mobile professionals and businesses."
Palm Stock information.

The total BlackBerry® subscriber account base is expected to be approximately 14 million at the end of the quarter

[From Hans] Get this from RIM regarding the number of new Blackberry subscribers forthcoming. "Research In Motion Limited (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today provided an update on forecasted net subscriber account additions for the fiscal fourth quarter ending March 1, 2008.

RIM now expects net subscriber account additions for Q4 to be approximately 15-20% higher than the 1.82 million net subscriber account additions forecasted by RIM on December 20, 2007. The total BlackBerry(R) subscriber account base is expected to be approximately 14 million at the end of the quarter.

“BlackBerry smartphones proved to be a big hit throughout the holiday selling season and we’re pleased to see RIM’s business momentum continuing in the new year,” said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO at RIM. “The seasonal slowdown in net subscriber account additions that we expected in the new year did not occur and our focused execution with partners has continued to produce strong results within both enterprise and consumer segments.”" Read the Press Release in full.

Using your iPhone as a TouchPad

[From Hans] For our wonderful readers with iPhones well did you know that you can use it to control your computer and even use it as a TouchPad? Pretty cool. "Touchpad enables you to use your iPhone as a wireless touchpad. You can control the mouse on your PC using just your iPhone. You can move the mouse around, click, double-click, and even drag (double click but keep it pressed and then move around). Vertical scrolling is even possible, by click-and-dragging on the right edge of the iPhone screen. You can use it to control videos, show pictures, advance slides in a presentations -- whatever a regular touchpad can do." Make the jump via TUAW

Buy a Palm® TX handheld you get a Palm Z22 organizer — free

[From Eric Mann] Eric has just forwarded to me the latest Palm newsletter with special offers for the weekend and did you know that if buy a Palm® TX handheld you get a Palm Z22 organizer — free. Now how cool is that special offer? Make the jump.

RAFT: Rapid Access Facts Tool is available for free

RAFT: Rapid Access Facts Tool is available for free and I guess is useful for those in the medical profession. "From the common to the esoteric, RAFT has been designed to deliver all health care practitioners difficult-to-remember, but essential medical information at the palm of your hand. This free application, currently in Beta Test, was designed and edited by a board-certified surgeon specializing in trauma surgery and critical care. RAFT is in every way the lifesaver of medical applications. It contains lab values, an audio Spanish reference, ACLS protocols, formula calculators, treatment of poisons, and other information needed in real time to make a difference in patient care. RAFT: Rapid Access Facts Tool Beta Test is open to everyone that would like to participate. We are eager to obtain all the feedback we can so we encourage you to share this software with your colleagues. RAFT will be continuously updated with new tools and content based on user demand to make it a powerful and comprehensive free application for all health care practitioners."

Microsoft set to open up software

The BBC is reporting today that Microsoft has announced that it will open up the technology of some of its leading software to make it easier to operate with rivals' products. The technology giant is to publish key software blueprints on its website. It also promised not to sue open source developers for making that software available for non-commercial use. The BBC has the full deets on this one.

Take a look at this futuristic mobile device mock up which is pretty cool taking advantage of the internet

[From Eric Mann] Take a look at this futuristic mobile device mock up which is pretty cool taking advantage of the internet. "The idea behind this concept is exploit the internet ability in a mobile device. Touch screen, built in camera, scanner, WiFi, google map (hopefully google earth), google search, image search all in one slim device." More deets at HardGeek and thanks to Eric for the heads up.

May pens a good editorial on her thoughts on the RIM downtime yesterday over at PalmDiscovery

May pens a good editorial on her thoughts on the RIM downtime yesterday over at PalmDiscovery and as usual she raises some good points. "The way I see it is that service can only get worse as each day continues unless two things happen: Crackberry users decrease their usage, which is obviously not happening, or RIM starts to change how its system works and decentralize their infrastructure. That can't happen overnight and in the meantime, the bandaid solutions of little upgrades are likely bringing more pain than gain, as we are now noticing. Don't forget that we have only been getting vague explanations of what happened to cause the outages. That doesn't give me much confidence in the company if they can't be honest about their problems. Blackberry users, in light of recent happenings, I think it's time to reconsider your options or continue to suffer (think more frequent outages)." Read in full.

Time for you to hurry if you want to be entered into the MacBook Air giveaway as it ends at midnight US PT this Sunday

Time for you guys to hurry, if you guys wish to be entered into my MacBook Air throwaway as I am going to end this one at midnight US PT this forthcoming Sunday so that means get your skates on. So if you want a chance at getting your hands on it then you need to get me your user thoughts into me as soon as possible. As usual the guidelines are pretty much the same as usual and you can find them in the post at the top of the page or here.

Guide to porting your DVD's to the iPod Touch / iPhone

[From Mark Nelson] Thanks Mark for giving me this heads up, the iPhone Atlas have uploaded a tutorial on how to how to put DVD movies on the iPhone/iPod touch. Read in full.

Trip Boss; The king of all travel Applications...

Trip Boss is a program which has only one purpose; gather all your travel-related information in one place, for easy retrieval.

I am now planning a trip to France so before I got Trip Boss, I had started entering information into several Apps, like Date Book for my itinerary info, List pro for my To Do Lists, Memo Pad for reference info on the places I will visit... And that's just the beginning. What if I wanted to track my expenses and fuel consumption/mileage? Check the exchange rates? Write a journal of the trip? Calculate tips? Do a budget for the trip? Check the status of a flight? How many Apps is that? That's 9 separate programs at least by my count. Trip Boss does all that, and more, and you don't have to keep going back and forth between Apps to find the information, it's all right there, neatly put together.

What I really like about Trip Boss is that it is intuitive to use (the principle of it is based on a actual paper travel log book), yet highly customizable. If I had to picky, I would add a tab for personal info needed during trips, like credit card numbers, passport numbers, that sort of thing, which would of course be encrypted.

Bottom line, if you travel a lot for business, get this program, you need it. If you travel overseas, get it, it'll save you a few headaches. The only down side for me is the price which, at $35, is at the top of the food chain for Palm Apps, but once again, when you consider how many Apps it can actually replace, it's not a bad deal.

Possible Forthcoming PA Reader MeetUps

I'm in Dubai in at the end of May and spending almost a month in NYC in June, so with that in mind I am possibly looking into PA Reader Meetups. To generate interest, if you would like to attend a PA Meetup in Dubai [end of May] and NYC [middle of June onwards] then please send me a email with either DUBAI or NYC in the subject line depending on your desired location so we can assess demand which will help me determine locations etc. Our reader meetups are always well received with good turn out and is an excellent opportunity to network plus there are always prizes etc. I'll do a repeat post of this a little later today. Previous PA Reader Meetup Locations have been in Manchester, UK, Liverpool, UK, New York City, US [4 times], & Rome, Italy [last year] - sammualjamesmcloughlin@gmail.com

Natara DayNotez for Windows Mobile

If you have a Windows Mobile device then you may be interested to know that Natara DayNotez is also available for your platform. "Natara DayNotez, the premier award winning Palm journaling application, is now available for the Pocket PC OS. Whether you call it note taking, journaling or simply want to keep a daily diary, DayNotez is for you. It is the perfect replacement for the journal page from your old paper planner.

Record notes using text, ink or voice recordings. Make note entry quick and easy using user defined templates. Organize entries by categories, keywords and/or contacts. Powerful filtering and searching capabilities for fast note retrieval because after all, that is the foremost reason for your journal entries!

Also included is the DayNotez Desktop application and ActiveSync synchronization component giving you instant access to your notes from either your PC or Pocket PC."
http://www.natara.com/DayNotez/PocketPCInfo.cfm

Sammy Blogging from the Coffee Bar

I'm sat in the local Coffee Bar, Drip in Manchester, and I still haven't put the SIM card back in my iPhone, that's right it is still in my Treo 650. Why? Not sure, maybe laziness or it could be the fact that the Treo 650 which I used for sometime is just a very reliable Palm smartphone. Yep it's a little big compared to others on the market but it's truely reliable. I have not had a crash, the battery life is awesome and it's nice to type on. In fact I am blogging from my Treo as we speak. In fact you'll find me blogging from my mobile device a number of times per day, I am not one for being tied behind a computer all day. The great thing about the Treo 650 is all the applications that are available for Palm OS. When you use different hardware such as the iPhone you miss the hundreds of programs that are available and of course the essential programs that I found myself using. Saying that the iPhone is a great device, and I am eagerly looking forward to developments after the SDK is released rumored to be next week. Another use of my mobile device and of course recently it has been my Treo is that when I go to the Gym I keep a diary of what I get up to, exactly what I do and how many reps I do. Plus once a week I weight myself and make a note of it on my Treo, at the moment I am coming in at 10 Stone 8 llb's and this data I keep on my Treo so that I can refer to it on a periodical basis. I use Memo Pad to store this information, it's easy and quick but you can also use the excellent DayNotez from Natara.
http://www.natara.com/Bonsai/

So some of what I have been up to with the Treo well I have been checking out You Tube video's for someone that I am doing some PR for and I have managed to use Kinoma Player on the Treo to watch the video's and it's amazingly quick and smooth to watch them via Kinoma, I have to say it is the first time that I have watched You Tube video's on my Palm device so well done Kinoma for bringing this popular and addictive form of multi-media to a Palm device.
http://www.kimona.com

I have to also tell you of another essential program for me I did cover it at the weekend and that was Chattermail because not only does it allow me to retriueve my GMail without problems and fully sync with my IMAP GMail inbox but it allows me to post to PalmAddict through my GMail account and I can post very easily from the Treo device. I also think Chatteremail retrieves my email so much quicker than VersaMail too hence why I prefer it. It's so simple and does the trick and yet it has powerful features.
http://www.palm.com/us/software/chatteremail/

So there you are a couple of the programs and tasks that I have myself doing or using the Treo for. Now I want to do some shoutouts to readers who have IM's me in the last couple of weeks, Lilly, thefunkster, Mike Rohde, Simon Williams, Tricolyn, thegab, scarzophonic, Tony, Paul Philips, themegatronbioy, Jeff, Kennynot4u. Iknow that there are more of you and I apologise that I have not covered everyone but feel free to send me a IM if you see me online, if I am busy you will know about it but otherwise it seems that most of you know how to contact me and of course you can subscribe to my Twitter feed to see what I am up to.

Now back to my Earl Grey Tea without milk.

The Morning Paper Blog reviews SyncTogether From Mark/Space

The Morning Paper Blog reviews SyncTogether From Mark/Space. "Really and truly, you gotta love Mark/Space. These guys just get it. From understanding how your Palm and Mac should work together, all the way over to making a Blackberry and Windows Mobile phone play nice with a Mac, Mark/Space scores big every time." Read in full at The Morning Paper.

Zumobi will be bundled into the next release of the Windows Mobile operating system

[From Hans] Another one from Hans this hour and the upcoming web browser Zumobi will be bundled into the next release of the Windows Mobile operating system according to Wireless Week. "Zumobi will be bundled into the next release of the Windows Mobile operating system because of the company’s historical ties, Bederson explained. That release is likely to be Windows Mobile 6.1, expected this spring or summer. Microsoft has a minor investment in Zumobi and declined to comment." Wireless Week for the full read.

By the way you can check out PATV139 below which sees me taking Zumobi out for a test drive.

Should Windows Mobile Aggressively Capitalize on BlackBerry Woes?

[From Hans] In light of the RIM downtime yesterday which adds to the many recent downtime periods that Blackberry in general has suffered recently, Pocket Now asks whether Microsoft using it's Windows Mobile platform follow Palm and capitalize on the woes of the Blackberry. "Should Windows Mobile manufacturers and Microsoft be more aggressive? RIM is leading the market share of smartphones in the US, followed by Apple's iPhone in sales, and Windows Mobile is third." Read in full.

The Register writes an interesting editorial on why Microsoft has purchased Dange

[From Hans] The Register writes an interesting editorial on why Microsoft has purchased Danger, the creators of the Sidekick. "Danger Inc is best known for the SideKick range of devices, the most recent of which is designed and manufactured by Motorola. These devices feature an interface many find intuitive, as well as some innovative hardware designs. But Danger also maintains a relationship with its customers - all mail and messaging is routed through centralised servers. Even web browsing is done through Danger's proxies which optimise the content to suit the device - not to mention having the potential to control which sites the user is allowed to visit."

Experience a Wild West adventure with Westward for Palm OS(R) and Windows Mobile(R)

[From Alison at Astraware] KEELE, Staffordshire, UK & BOTHELL, Wash USA - February 21st, 2008 - Astraware(R) and Sandlot Games(R), the world's premier developer and publisher of casual and family-friendly games, invite you to experience the life of a Frontier settler in the wild, rough and tumble world of Westward(R) for Palm OS(R) and Windows Mobile(R) smartphones and PDAs.

Based on the highly acclaimed PC game by Sandlot Games, Westward offers many hours of absorbing game play as you guide your townsfolk in making camp, collecting valuable resources, seeing-off dangerous bandits, and building their communities.

As you progress through Westward, you'll explore 4 different locations over more than 20 levels as your hopeful citizens set up towns and seek their fortune in the Old Wild West. With over 25 types of building you'll customize your town and attract new citizens whilst completing a range of side tasks and chasing down the Mad Russian to bring him to justice.

Westward has been optimized for smartphones and PDAs and can be controlled using 5-way, key controls or stylus. The game is available for Palm OS(R) devices with hi-res screens and for Windows Mobile(R) touchscreen and non-touchscreen phones and PDAs running WM2003, 2003SE, 5 & 6, priced $19.95.

To download a trial or to purchase, visit http://www.astraware.com/westward.

Microsoft steps up Yahoo campaign

The BBC News website reports that "Microsoft has hired a firm that specialises in proxy battles in a move which suggests it could try to oust the current board of Yahoo directors. The Yahoo board rejected a takeover offer from Microsoft worth more than $40bn (£20.6bn) saying it was too low. A proxy fight would see Microsoft nominate a group of directors sympathetic to a deal for shareholders to vote on at Yahoo's annual meeting. "

AstroAppPalm

It's only recently that I have come across this program AstroAppPalm. "AstroViewPalm is the program you use to view a shared computer from a Palm Powered device.

Once downloaded unzip or unstuff and then install it onto your handheld via hotsync. After running it you will have access to a menu named "View" with menuitems "View Desktop...", "Diconnect From Share...", "Connection Options...", and "Network Statistics...". Statistics shows you the amount of used memory, how much data has been sent and read on the current connection and average connection speeds.

Options lets you set some security features and a slow connection option. Disconnect breaks down the current connection. View brings up a dialog which allows you to view and control a shared desktop supplying the IP or DNS address, port number, computer name and password.

AstroViewPalm also allows you to save whatever is currently in the viewer as a picture whether you are connected to a remote desktop or not. This ability is found under the "Image" menu. You can view a desktop or a saved image in 3 levels of Zoom: Normal (1X), Zoom Double (2X) and Zoom Quadruple (4X).

This ability is found under the "Zoom" menu. You can also push the up and down page buttons on the front of your device to zoom in and out respectively. Viewing in Double and Quadruple modes decreases bandwith significantly.

Most likely you will be viewing a remote desktop that is larger than the display on your Palm OS device. Currently AstroViewPalm has 3 ways to view different parts of that larger desktop. You do this by "scrolling".

We offer 3 scroll modes: Grab, Scale and Mouse.

* Grab Scroll works by moving to another part of the remote desktop in response to you pushing the stylus. While you move the stylus the same point on the desktop stays under it. It's sort of like putting your index finger on a piece of paper thats on a smooth desk. As you move your finger around the paper moves too but not relative to your finger.

* Scale Scroll works by showing you that part of the desktop relative to where your stylus is on the palm screen. So if you tap the top left corner of the palm screen you will see the top left corner of the remote desktop. Tap the middle of the screen and you see the middle of the remote desktop. Hold the stylus down while moving it and you will see everything in between.
* Mouse Scroll works by imitating the mouse on the remote desktop. When you touch the stylus to the palm screen it causes the mouse button to be down on the remote desktop. As you move the stylus in mouse scroll mode so does the mouse move on the remote desktop. If you move the stylus within about 1/4 inch of your Palm's screen border then the part of the remote desktop your viewing will shift so that you can see more of the desktop in the direction that you are moving the stylus.

You can switch between the different scroll modes via the "Stylus" menu. You can also switch into Mouse Scroll by hitting the leftmost hard button on the front of your palm also known as the DateBook button. Hitting it again will switch you back into the previous scroll mode either Grab or Scale. All 3 scroll modes work in real time as does zooming so you can zoom in and out at the same time you are using any of the scroll modes.

You can copy whatever text is currently selected on the shared machine to your handheld's clipboard. Do this by choosing "Copy From Remote..." under the "View" menu. You can also paste whatever text is currently on your handheld's clipboard to the text insertion point of the shared computer. Do this by choosing "Paste To Remote..." under the "View" menu. For both copying and pasting a maximum of 5000 characters are moved with one operation."

MobileTechRoundup 124 is available for your listening pleasure

It's one of my favourite Podcasts it's the MobileTechRoundup 124: Matt makes the haptics sound and its available for your listening pleasure. With lots of good content including thoughts on the Centro so you know this is going to be a good one. Make the jump and go and have a listen.

Important Numbers for Your Mobile Phone

I was perusing Lifehacker and found a link over to Marc and Angel's blog where they suggest several important numbers that you should put in your cell phone. Here are some examples:

Lost credit card number (from the back of your credit card)... you'll need it most when someone else has your card and you can't just look it up.
Car insurance claims number... another one that you won't want to have to hunt around for when you need it.
Local locksmith's number... another one that I wouldn't have thought of!
Your primary care physician's number... if you're out of town and need medical care, it would help to have the number of the doctor that knows you best.
A number identified as "ICE" or "In Case of Emergency"... emergency services personell are trained to look for this number in your phone if you are incapacitated.
A number identified as "Home" or "Work"... in case you lose your phone and a good samaritan picks it up, might as well make it easy for them to get a hold of you!
... and a bunch of other great ideas. Check it out and add your own ideas to the comments.

Keeping Baby Entertained

Our 9 month old daughter has an ear infection. Yeah, that sucks. She is a trooper, though, and tries to stay happy even though it must be hurting her. Since she isn't sleeping much right now, my wife and I have been spending time holding her - at all hours of the night. One of the things that I have found that helps relax her is music. I had put some nursery songs on my Treo and play them for her while I'm holding her. At first, she would try to get her hands on my Treo, but now she just listens. The good thing about this is that I can read one of my many ebooks while the music is playing. She often falls asleep while listening.

IM+ updated to 3.2

IM+ the great instant messenger program from Shape Services has now been updated to version 3.2.
IM+® All-in-One mobile messenger is a complete solution that allows users to exchange messages within the most popular IM systems (MSN®/ Windows Live Messenger™, Yahoo!®, AIM®/ iChat, ICQ®, Jabber®, Google Talk™ and MySpace®) between mobile devices and PCs in real-time.
IM+ users can use the same accounts on mobile devices and PC regardless of the mobile operator - it's very convenient for using in business trips.
Updates are free for registered users.

I am ending the MacBook Air Giveaway this week so you need to get your user thoughts if you wish to be entered

I am going to end my MacBook Air Giveaway this week so if you want a chance at getting your hands on it then you need to get me your user thoughts into me as soon as possible. As usual the guidelines are pretty much the same as usual and you can find them in the post at the top of the page or here.

Huge Hands, Little Computer

[From Adam Aragon, from Santa Rosa, California] My opinions on the MacBook Air are not based on what most other people base their opinions on. Namely, I would love an ultraportable, LOVE one. However, there is a major problem with every single one out there, and that’s input. First off, I have huge hands, -insert joke here- But I do, they’re massive. I’m a great typist and I’m not suffering for my large-ness but every single UMPC/ultraportable I’ve ever laid my giant hands on has awful keyboards or none at all. A Macbook Air is both wonderful and utterly depressing, in that it’s both the most perfect and ideal solution for me to have an ultraportable that I can actually type on, and depressing because it will likely NEVER be able to get smaller than that and allow me to still use it. Still, I can’t complain that apple inadvertently made the most appropriate solution ever created for an up and coming web developer who wants to compute on the go, and not get horrific hand cramps and typos from trying to use a keyboard seemingly aimed at leprechauns. What’s the next step? Voice input, mind input, waving your hands around like a deranged Tom Cruise in Minority Report? My guess is that touch interface will eventually take the crown, with some sort of tactile feedback to make them usable on a portable with no keyboard, and I’m willing to try, so keep them coming Apple.

Have faster web browsing

[From .Rui de Castro, Porto, Portugal] Last night I was hearing a Windows Mobile podcast and they were saying there is a way to make your browser faster using OpenDNS so I lookup Palm and found Palm OS configuration tutorial (https://www.opendns.com/start?device=palm-os), it has other operating systems tutorials. I tried it out and think it is faster. I tested using this site: www.dslreports.com/mspeed?jisok=1 Before I was getting 17Kb (yes I'm on GPRS) and with OpenDNS, I'm getting 35 Kb. Give a shot and see your speed difference, you can use in any Web browser, just have to find your DNS configurations.

Playing the updated iZoo on the iPhone

I am beginning to get really impressed by the ingenuity of the games that you can play on a jailbroken iPhone; they are really cleverly designed and easy to play. Much like other gaming consoles out there, the iPhone holds its ground when it comes to entertainment via a hand handle mobile. One game that has impressed me and is so addictive is iZoo, do not and I mean this, do not play this game if you have things to do because you will not get them done ;) You may recall Sammy's video review of iZoo which you can still watch here.

I’ll tell you a bit about how the game is played; players must match the coloured shapes and [in this case I will talk about the Bejeweled mode] jewels in lines of three horizontally or vertically to clear them from the board. Lines of four jewels are awarded with a Power Gem whilst lines of five award the much sought-after Hints. Gems trigger their own unique jewel-clearing device.

The graphics on iZoo are of a really good quality with high definition colours and animations and although not high spec, as you would with action games they certainly seem to impress, with their bright colours and ‘gem like’ appearance. You forget that they are part of a computer game and believe that they could in fact be the real deal.

The overall impression of the game is much like the Bejeweled from Astraware; easy to use and as addictive as the next best thing. In this version of the game however I managed to get to level 10, which for me is quite and achievement and I am unsure of whether this was:

a) pure fluke
b) my skills have adapted to Bejeweled
c) the game has gotten easier

My choices would be with a) and b)!! I really don’t think that the game has gotten any easier; I truly believe that iZoo has managed to train my brain in order to help me with faster reaction times and helps me to spot patterns easier. Playing the game as much as I have has managed to train my eyes so that I now have a knack for spotting 3 gems. However, I also found out a few new tricks which help you to reach further levels. If you get 5 gems in a row you get a Hint, which when used will point out a gem you can move, should you get stuck towards the end. This is new to the iPhone game as originally the 5 gems in a row would give you a Hyper Cube to help clear some gems off the board.

I think that the Hint is much more useful than the Hyper Cube as the clue to completing the game is to get rid of the right amount of gems in the time provided, a Hint will help you to spot the harder connections, and move you on to the next level and progress.

Playing iZoo on the iPhone is a lot easier to use, the reaction time of the touch screen is quicker and the layout of the screen means that you can see the gem board very easily. A excellent iPhone game and I am going to give this a very well deserved 10 out of 10.
http://www.casey.org.uk/ipod_izoo/index.html

Palm Restaurant Guide

[From Joe Baughman] Well now that I used my discount and took the plunge on Resco Suite, I decided it was time to do something that I had been meaning to do for a while. I started scanning local restaurant take out menus into JPG format. Resco Viewer is a quick and easy way to check them out on the Palm. The more I use Resco's software the more uses I find. Explorer and Backup would be one of the first things I would recommend purchasing for a new Palm user.
http://www.resco.net/

My Palm History

[From .Rui de Castro] I've been using Palm since the Palm IIIx. I think it was in 1997 that I first bought it. It was love at first site. Windows CE was very bad and slow. There was no Symbian or Iphones. Loved to read on it at night with its green futuristic light screen. It had a 16 mhz dragonball processor. I remember overclocking it to about 30 mhz, I think. It had two 3A batteries that would go for ever. I bought at the time two nickel rechargeable batteries and would have two normal battery spare in my backpack, just in case. Later I sold it for a cheap price to my younger brother (I think he still has it but its not in use, his on Nokia now) and bought the first color screen PDA, the Palm IIIc. It was big but it had a color screen and a lithium battery which was a new feature at the time (I still prefer the 3a batteries), but this PDA had a flaw, the plastic started to crack up maybe due to the new battery. But then the screen started to act up, I tried out the m505 but hated the dull screen so I waited a year or two and got a Tungstun T with the slide out, bluetooth, Texas Instrument 250 mHz, Palm OS 5, 320x320 screen, card slot and stereo output. Still today its my mp3 player with 1 Gb card. The digitalizer also stopped working well, but still good enough to use your fingers. Then I started get tried of using two devices, a phone and a palm. So I wait for the Treo 650 (Treo 600 was 160 by 160 resolution and I didn't want to go back). Still my device today and I'm still wait for something big to come out, I still don't like some things in Windows Mobile but there getting there, Nokia is also not there but maybe closer to want I want, Iphone is great but if its close I don't want it. My treo does almost all I want, MSN, gmail, web, task, calender, alarm, sms, phone, sms filter, photo gallery, video casts, etc... Hey with all this on all day, I finish the day with 30% battery. If I turn off MSN I get two days, if I turn off email sync at night I get 3 days and If I turn off overclocking (506 Mhz) I get 4 days. I still love Palm OS.

I am ending the MacBook Air Giveaway this week so you need to get your user thoughts if you wish to be entered

I am going to end my MacBook Air Giveaway this week so if you want a chance at getting your hands on it then you need to get me your user thoughts into me as soon as possible. As usual the guidelines are pretty much the same as usual and you can find them in the post at the top of the page or here.

My Treo 700p is in my hand 12 hours a day

[From Jeff Pulice] MY Treo 700p is in my hand 12 hours a day. As a High School English teacher, I can...what can't I do?! I can sync and back-up my grades; this allows me to call parents with hard data while I'm at lunch! I keep the full texts for our key literature (Julius Caesar, Of Mice And Men, etc) on my Palm for review and inspiration. I use my camera for emergency discipline and building issues, I use my mobileClock program to time tests...and the most important benefit: I can send a text message to Alex, my aide, to find out where the heck my iced coffee is!

LifeDrive still alive

[From Chris Limerick, PA] After getting a Blackberry for work almost two years ago, I found myself using my Palm (LifeDrive) less and less. However, I still find myself using it to keep my motorcycle fill-ups/maintenance logs (calculate gas mileage, yearly maintenance cost, etc). I store my LifeDrive in my tool bag and recharge it every month or so. Occasionally, I will use it for its address book or as a mp3 player; in any case, my LifeDrive has now become an icon on motorcycle...

WiFile

[From Harold Arnold, Berkeley, CA] While I was looking for the Palm web browser Xiino, which was mentioned in another post to this fine web site, I came across WiFile by Hands High software. This program allows you to access files on your desk- or laptop computer over a WiFi network using your Palm. Unlike many programs for the Palm platform, it supports Mac OS, both System 9 and System. Very handy. It's saved me several trips up and down the stairs already.

Lusting after an old design

[From Anthony C in Oneida, NY] Sammy, I know you have the i705 as the Palm you've always wanted but for me it was the old Handspring Treo 270/300. Its definitely has to do me being a fan of Star Trek TOS (that's "The Original Series" to those of you who aren't absolute geeks such as myself) and the still cool communicator. Whenever a Starfleet officer flipped open one and I heard that series of beeps I wanted one. The Treo 270/300 with their clamshell design, QWERTY keyboard, and rocker/selector was IMHO ahead of their time but today its 33Mhz Dragonball processor, 16MB of memory and Palm os 3.5 are near useless. However, if I had the cash then I would have loved to have owned one. Well, I need to end my nostalgia trip. Love the site.

Finally making the jump from a PDA to a smartphone

[From Scott A. Dye] For a long time I was a PDA holdout, having most recently used a Palm Zire 72 and a TX as my main PDA and my iPod replacement. I liked keeping my phone separate, and just didn't see the desire for having that integrated as well (or so I thought). When the Centro was announced, I was interested, but even then I initially thought about it as just a PDA that also had a phone...I really had no idea how great it is to have the internet on demand. I'd used WiFi on my TX - which was a so-so experience at best - but it doesn't hold a candle to the instant access no matter where I am that the Centro offers. Its great. I'll never be able to go back to "just a PDA" again.

The Demise of Palm, Long Live WM6.

[From Neal B. Shniderman, Fort Lauderdale] Alas poor Yorik, I knew him . . .. The time arrived to hang up the Palm Tx and move to the combined Smartphone form factor. I tried the Palm Treo 680, unsuccessfully. The phone called home so many times without my dialing that my wife said “It’s me or the Phone.” I hesitated, thought about it, and so went the phone. I miss the Palm OS as Windows Mobile is kludgy by comparison but the Moto Q9 (a non-touch screen) is simply a wonderful phone, and I do so love the combination of phone and PDA. I miss a couple of the programs that were available on Palm (including a time and billing plug in for my PC and a due date calculator) but it does have redeeming qualities, including how it syncs/file transfer, and its size. More to follow, once my right thumb gets better (LOL).

Big Box of Blox for Windows Mobile 5

Big Box of Blox for Windows Mobile 5 on offer $19.95. "Big Box of Blox is a block stacking game taken to outrageous extremes! Using stylus or button controls, arrange the three-blox-high stacks as they fall. Match blox in groups of three or more, vertically or horizontally, to eliminate them - but that's not all! Don't just stack the blox. Smash them, blast them, mutate them or explode them in a shower of flames! Use special blox including jokers, bombs, frogs, mushrooms, fireballs and slot machines to clear the board before it reaches the top! Choose from five exciting game modes: Flaming Peelout, Blok Atak, Groink, Mushroom King and Asylum Cubez or even create your own combination using the special Custom Mode. Faithful to the critically-acclaimed PC version, Big Box of Blox features cool psychedelic graphics, awe-inspiring animated backgrounds, brain crunching sound effects and an epic music soundtrack. The game's graphics reflect the dark and mysterious nature of the PC original, but PDA owners are sometimes known to go outside into the light, so Big Box of Blox also includes a gamma adjustment slider so you can select anywhere from dark and atmospheric to vibrant and acidic."

Revival

Revival from Pocketgear. "Revival is a turn-based military strategy game in the best traditions of the world-famous game title, Civilization. You will have to explore continents, direct battles on land and sea, build towns, develop science and uphold the economy of his empire! Great events take place in the world of Revival: grand empires are created; highly developed states collapse in a flash, science degrades and rises again, brutal wars never end, great wealth is created in the millions but can be lost just as easily… The eternal struggle for power is the mark of this world, and only the best ones will be blessed with absolute rule. Unconquerable general or inborn diplomat? Talented economist or crafty politician? You choose your path to eternal glory in the world of Revival."

ScaleMaster

ScaleMaster from Pocketgear. "Scales are elementary to all musicianship. They provide flavor and harmonic structure, but are at the same time fairly complex. ScaleMaster is designed to help in several key areas concerning scales. It lists over 100 scale types in all keys and shows them in music notation. There are four different clefs available (treble, bass, alto and tenor). Additionally scale degrees are shown qualified by the interval to the root. To help visualization there are four virtual instruments (bass, guitar, mandolin and piano). These virtual instruments feature overlays that can show scale degrees or position of a note in the current scale and can be shifted to all available positions."