PalmAddicts

No Treo 800w until the Fall

If your expecting any new Windows Mobile Palm smartphone devices anytime soon (I'm thinking the Treo 800w) you are going to have to wait until the fall. Ed Colligan broke the news in the Palm Q3 FY08 Conference Call.

"During the call Colligan made several references to its aging Windows Mobile line and announced that they would refresh the WM product line before the end of summer. He gave little specific details but did confirm it would be targeted at enterprise customers and would be keyboard based. He also confirmed it would be announced as a new Treo and said it would include Microsoft's latest offerings."

Source: Palminfocenter

Palm shares fall and then start rising again

Although Palm shares started falling earlier today they seem to be on the up following the recent Palm announcement and conference calls as the chart [indicating today's rise and fall of Palm shares] below shows. Make the jump to the Palm corporate website.

Our Palm Home

I metioned that I use a 680 in my last post but also that there are other Palm OS devices in our home. This is quite a list as there is me and my partner Debbie and between us we have 6 kids, so here goes.
Me, David I have Treo 680, a Zire 71, a Handspring Visor Deluxe with GPS Module and a Psion Revo.
My partner Debbie has my old Treo 600 and a M130.
Ricki 18 a Tungsten E2
Carl 15 a Tungsten E
Paige 13 a Zire 31
Ben 11 a Tungsten E2
Tegan 6 a Tungsten T

Now that may seem like a lot of moneys worth but I have been very lucky with Ebay buys. The only one bought new at full price was the 680 and Zire 71 and I got the Visor and Revo new but greatly discounted as discontinued stock, this for UK readers was when Comet still did PDAs. The early days with my Visor was great as I was always looking for freeware to put on it and found that PDA Essentials had full versions of some software on its cover disc. Palmgear even did giveaways back then. But things progress and less OS3.1 compatible software came out so an upgrade was on the cards. The first time I switched on the 71 with its OS5 hi-res screen I was amazed. Multimedia capabilty and all. Later when needing a phone upgrade it was a Treo I wanted. As a PDA upgrade it was a side ways move but compared to my old Nokia it was bliss as a phone. The 680 was a total upgrade though. That will be me for a while as I can't justify a move to a Centro. In further post I will let you know why the kids got the devices they have as there was reasoning behind that.

Printing on My Palm TX

[From Bill Quinlan] Every time I think about getting an iPhone or iPodTouch, I find something for my Palm TX which tells me I will be happier keeping my trusty Palm TX (as a matter of fact I recently bought a second one to use when my first one dies -- it is going on 3 threes now).

My latest discovery is a really neat application called Redeye (http://redeye.wikidot.com/) which allows me to actually print from my Palm TX using a resurrected infra-red printer from my days when I was an HP Groupie and bought every handheld calculator and accessory HP made. I dusted off my 2 "redeye" printers, cleaned the battery posts, put in new batteries and can now print anything I want from My Palm TX. How neat is that!

TCPMP as a picture viewer

[From juan, from Barcelona] I work as a radiologist in a hospital near Barcelona city, my everyday job is related to doing ultrasound, CT- scans , and MRI to patients . I work with x-ray images , most of them in the DICOM format . Keeping a personal x-ray archive is really neccesary in order to learn about diseases or show the cases in a radiologist conference . IT is really important to transfer this pictures to the JPEG format, lighter than DICOM . Yesterday i overloaded my usb pendrive with a lot of information , and didn´t have any portable hard disk with me . So i tried to transfer all the pictures from the scanner to my Palm TX , helped by the Card Reader program....... i didnt want to have expectations if it could work , but at the end i was amazed to discover that i can see all my x-ray pictures in my palm , with TCPMP program . It was excellent that this program can work as a picture viewer as well, thanks to palm i can carry with me a small archive with the important cases of the week.

Palm Reports Q3 FY08 Results - but makes a loss although smartphone sales are up

[From Palm PR] Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM) today reported that total revenue in the third quarter of fiscal year 2008, ended Feb. 29, was $312.1 million. Driven by strong demand for the Palm(R) Centro(TM), smartphone sell-through for the quarter reached a company record high, totaling 833,000 units, up 13 percent year over year. Smartphone revenue was $275.4 million.

"Centro is off to the strongest start of any smartphone in Palm's history," said Ed Colligan, Palm president and chief executive officer. "Centro's fun design, great price point and amazing array of easy-to-use features is expanding Palm's customer base with more than 70 percent of Centro buyers trading up from traditional cell phones."

Net loss applicable to common shareholders for the quarter was $31.5 million, or $(0.30) per diluted share. Net loss included stock-based compensation expense of $6.2 million, amortization of intangible assets of $1.0 million, restructuring charges of $12.3 million and accretion of series B convertible preferred stock of $2.4 million. This compares to net income for the third quarter of fiscal year 2007 of $11.8 million, or $0.11 per diluted share.

Net loss applicable to common shareholders in the third fiscal quarter, measured on a non-GAAP(1) basis, totaled $17.0 million, or $(0.16) per diluted share, excluding stock-based compensation expense, amortization of intangible assets, restructuring charges and accretion of series B convertible preferred stock and adjusting the related income tax provision to 26 percent. This compares to non-GAAP net income in the third quarter of fiscal year 2007 of $16.5 million, or $0.16 per diluted share, which excluded the effects of stock-based compensation, amortization of intangible assets, an in-process research and development charge and adjusting the income tax provision to 40 percent.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, totaled negative $28.4 million. EBITDA, adjusted to add back stock-based compensation, other non-operating expense and restructuring charges, or Adjusted EBITDA, totaled negative $9.5 million.

During the second quarter of fiscal year 2008, Palm reclassified its auction rate securities, which are currently illiquid to non-current assets that are shown on its condensed consolidated balance sheet below as $74.7 million at the end of the third quarter of fiscal year 2008. Palm is in the process of completing an impairment analysis and expects to record an impairment charge that will be made available in Palm's quarterly report on Form 10-Q.

Google has released a search plug in for those of you with Windows Mobile devices

[From Hans] In case you are not aware Google has released a search plug in for those of you with Windows Mobile devices. The Google Blog states, "If you're a Windows Mobile user, browse to mobile.google.com on your device to download the plug-in and start searching faster than ever. Once you do, we think you'll find it so much faster and easier that you'll start conducting more mobile web searches than you ever had before. How do we know this? Well, when we look at the combined usage numbers for BlackBerry and Symbian versions of this plug-in, we see that users are able to get Google search results up to 40 percent faster. And, BlackBerry and Symbian users with the plug-in installed search 20 percent more than those without it."
Hit mobile.google.com from your Windows Mobile device

Hey Y'all! I'm Happy to Be Here!

Hello! I just wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself to the Palm world. My name is Vishal, and I am a first year university Life Sciences student; I have also been an avid Palm user for the last 6 years, using these great devices to get my life in order, write my lab reports and track the rest of the world right from my desk. I'm excited to be a part of Palm Addict now as an associate writer, having been a frequent reader and contributor for the last few years. Sammy's running a great site, and I'm glad to help contribute to it. My current device is a Treo 680, which I have just been using for two weeks now, and I think it's great! Despite what everyone says about Palm and its OS, I think its perfect for what I need it do, and it lets me get the job done MUCH more efficiently than anyone I see with a Windows Mobile/Blackberry device (no [legal] iPhones in Canada yet!). I'll end this post with a "What I've Been Using My Device For" thought; today, my Treo woke me up using the built-in alarm clock app, and I checked my appointments and to-do list for the day. I checked some RSS feeds and the weather and listened to some tunes from Pocket Tunes on my commute for the day. A typical morning made easy by the Treo. Because I am new Treo user (my first smartphone!) I am looking for ways to expand my use of the Treo, and for apps that I can use to make it all the more efficient. If anyone has any ideas, let me know! I'm always searching to expand my Palm OS app repertoire.      

New Associate Writer Hello

Hi, I have just got set up after being accepted as an associate writer here at Palm Addicts. I have been a reader here since around 2002 and have contribute a good few times since then as well. I live in Scotland and have a family of Palm Addicts my self. I currently have a Treo 680 but there are a load of different PDAs in our house. I will not only post my Palm useage but also my families. I am looking forward to letting you all know about it. David Ross

The Treo 755p my extended brain

[From Brian V Pittsburgh, PA] I got the Treo 755p this past May and ever since I’ve been hooked. Some might say that I rely on my Treo entirely too much, but it frees brain power to analyze and process ideas, instead of storing them. Why memorize phone numbers, meetings, family events, birthday and anniversaries when my 755 will beep as they approach? It also teaches me by informing me of news, sports and RSS feeds. It entertains me with games and allowing me to watch my TiVo programs on the go. It helps keep tabs with friends and family. But most of all, it eases the pain by using “The Office” theme as a ringtone when I get that early morning call informing me that the tasks I had planned that day will have to wait. I don’t fear spiders or bugs or even death, only the loss of the electronic annex of my brain. Thank God that I charge and back it up nightly. Amnesia might only be a dead battery away.

Look for a new beta of TealBackupTM for PalmOS for you to download

[From Eric Mann] Look for a new beta of TealBackupTM for PalmOS for you to download with the following fixes:
Fixed ability to select backups for restore when more than one volume (such as internal+SD) contains backups
Added new merge tool (menu) to allow merging of multiple incremental backup folders
Improved automatic backup to prevent third party app from turning off device during countdown

"Backup your valuable data with TealBackup, the complete back up, copy, and restore system. With exclusive support for both external card and HotSync backups, you have full control over where and how files are saved. Plus, the combo of manual and automated card backups helps keep your critical files safe, even if you're miles away from a computer. Make the jump. Features include backups to SD/MMC/CF cards and Memory Stick, backups though HotSync, manual backups, incremental backups, dual-timer automatic backups, optional encryption, optional compression, multiple backup folders, exclusion lists, inclusion lists, backup logs, and application-locking for NVFS stability. TealBackUp is PalmOS 5 compatible and works with all popular devices including Treo, Tungsten, Zire, Sony, and Kyocera handhelds."

Account Login Password looks pretty useful

[From Eric Mann] Account Login Password or ALP for short looks pretty neat. "ALP is an acronym for: Account Login Password. This program was designed to hold the three most import pieces of information people use in today's high-tech world.
Hold as many records as your PDA memory will allow
Add unique notes to any account
Fast double hashing algorithm for older PDA devices
Password generation feature
PC Desktop JAVA conduit available from Cognisense OS 5 Ready"

Moto Z9 early specs leaked

It’s been quite sometimes not to hear a new handset coming out from Motorola, so the specs of unofficial (yet) Z9 that are released by GSMArena have to do to quench your “Moto” thirst for awhile: QVGA 2.4-inch display, 45MB internal memory, microSD card slot, 2 megapixel camera, USB v2.0 support & the special feature called CrystalTalk feature. It’s supposed to be offered in quad-band GSM support and dual-band US UMTS support (850/1900 Mhz). The whole design is very much still have the same feeling of the previous Motorola lineups, but there seems no more surprises can be found on this one.

(blogged with my Treo 750v)

Xacti in my palm

So it's an extra long weekend here in Indonesia, as we have Maulud Nabi (Prophet Muhammad's birthday) followed by Easter. My parents and sister came to spend the holiday here in Bintan, and my brother in law brought along his Xacti handycam. However he was affraid that he didn't have enough space, and asked whether he could install the transfer software to my pc so he can free up some space. Alas, I'm using Ubuntu, so it can't be installed.

Being new to Xacti, I started to play around with it, trying to figure out the available space, but couldn't find any. So I opened it to see what kind of memory card it is using, and to my delight it's an SD card. I immediately took my TX from my pocket, ejected my SD card and inserted his. Then I fired up Resco Explorer, and immediately found the info I was looking for. It appeared that half of the space is still empty, so he didn't have to worry.

I was surprised to know that Xacti stores the video in MP4 format. To show off, I opened TCPMP, and started playing them, which showed my niece and nephew singin last Christmas (now I know how lazy he was in transferring the files. :D) We ended up laughing together watching the video, and I could see astonishment lingered on their faces.

Way to go, Palm!

_sent through Palm TX_

Sprint cares... really.

Something weird happened yesterday. I woke up at 11am and the first thing I did was grabbed my Centro and started reading my morning RSS feeds via RescoNeeews. After about 15mins, I was done reading my feeds and decided to text message some people. Well after I sent my first text, my Centro froze. Never having this kind of problem before, I removed my battery and then put it back in. My Centro didn't turn on. I was scared. I then removed the battery and hooked it up to the AC charger, and it still didn't turn on. Thankfully, I have Sprint's insurance plan for $7 a month so I hopped in my car and worked my way to the nearest repair center/store. When I got there, the associate couldn't get it to turn on either and said it there's problem a short circuit somewhere, so he told me to come back in 45mins while their technician looked at it. When I came back, I was shocked at what he told me. "The technician looked at your Centro about 15mins after you left, and he was able to turn it on just fine the first time he touched it. It must have been fluke, or something like that." He was nice enough to say though that if the problem occurred again, I could just bring my Centro in and automatically get it replaced with a new one without the technician looking at it. That's what I like to call customer service.

My Top 10 list of things to fix for the next-gen Treo/Palm platform.

I'm no David Letterman, but here's my Top 10 list of things Palm needs to fix in order to have a successful Next Generation Palm OS platform.  Many of them apply to other manufacturers in the smartphone space, so it wouldn't be a bad idea for them to pay heed; otherwise, they might not be laughing later on.  So, heeeeere we go!

10. Consistant API's between models in a product family.  Here's where Palm has been really blowing it the last few years.  Many standard features were implemented in different ways on different Treo models.  That just frustrates developers, and makes the end-user experience inconsistent.   Imagine being a programmer and having to write code like this:

Function FlashStatusLed
If Treo650 Then
DoItThisWay
Else If Treo680 Then
WorkAroundOsBug
DoItThatWay
Else If Treo755p Then
DoItAnotherWay
End Function

Would you want to spend time writing code for each and every model in a product family, or would you rather write code for another platform that didn't have those issues?  That's not to say that platforms like Windows Mobile and Blackberry don't have their own problems, but generally, stuff from the same manufacturer/product family works the same way.

9.  The Bluetooth A2DP (Stereo music headphone) profile should be built-in).  Come on, $50 feature phones have it, so why should Treo owners who've already paid big bucks for their smartphone have to fork out extra for 3rd party additions to get the same functionality?

8.  A USB connector with USB host capability.    We'd like to be able to use our handheld computers/smartphones with printers, flash drives, digital cameras, and USB keyboards.   Generic device and printer drivers should come installed, with the option to download specific ones Over-The-Air or at the next HotSync, based on information the system gets from the USB id's of the peripherals.  USB On-the-Go could be a good way to go; one connector that changes modes depending on what device is hooked up to it.

And pleeeeeease, use industry standard USB mini connectors and not something proprietary!  I personally have gone through the Palm III series, the not-so-aptly named "Universal Connector" on my Tungsten T,  the Treo 600, and now the "Athena Connector" used on Treo's and TX's, and had to change peripherals and cables/chargers FOUR times now.  In the future, I'm not buying anything else that doesn't use USB or Bluetooth for connectivity - PERIOD!  (I might make an exception for a Linux Powered Treo that uses the existing Athena Connector, since I already have the stuff).

7.  Wi-Fi and better Bluetooth.  Windows Mobile and Blackberries have Wi-Fi and so does the iPhone, so Palm needs to have it too if they want to stay competitive.  Wi-Fi is everywhere now, and it makes more sense to use it for streaming applications than using the Carrier's wireless, especially in places (like Canada) where  we either don't have unlimited data plans, or they're prohibitively expensive.  Bluetooth should be upgraded to a more reliable driver stack, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, and should include the profiles people want to use like A2DP, file transfer, BT printing and wireless input like keyboards and even mice!  People use their mobile devices in different ways, so they should have the freedom to use it the way they want without having to search for other software to give them the "Out of box" experience they're expecting.  Mobile computing is becoming commonplace, and some people want a familiar "desktop feel" for working with their mobile devices.  If it means including generic drivers for keyboards and mice, it's a small price to pay to include it if it helps generate more sales and a better user experience.

6.  Extensible PIM apps with a Real API!  Sorry, Palm, but the DataMangler (uh DataManager) patch doesn't count!  People have Instant Messengers, e-mail, and SMS/MMS as means of communicating, as well as regular cell phone and now VOIP calling capabilities on handhelds.  They don't want to have to keep their contacts in a a half dozen different applications.  The PIM apps should use an extensible database system to keep all that information in one place.  Something like a light-weight SQL database that can be extended.  Access has done this right by using sqlite as their PIM database engine in ALP.

The PIMS should allow for linking between the various applications.  Many people want to see appointments involving or linking to a certain contact or group of people.  Hierarchical tasks are also something that many people want, giving them the ability to do lightweight project management on their handhelds.  Custom views are also something people want;  it's their information, let them see it the way it makes sense to them.  And most important, stick to the Zen of Palm; fast, intuitive, and easy to use.

5.  Better power management and battery life.  Granted, my Treo 650 is two years old now, and both my batteries have seen a lot of use, but I HAVE to charge my device daily if I want to get through the day (and always have since I bought it).  My wife's Blackberry Curve goes for several days without needing a charge, and that's with it receiving e-mail throughout the day and night.  I don't get e-mail via the carrier's network, just the phone and SMS, and I can't make it past 16 hours; some days it's flat after 10 hours.  It's gotta be better than that if you want to compete with other handheld manufacturers.

Models like the 680 and the Centro have been repeatably criticized for their lack of battery life when compared to other products.  With the Linux kernel, power management should be better, especially if they implement "on-demand" CPU management.  When the system is idle, like waiting for input or "sleeping" with the screen off, the system can automatically under-clock the processor, and then ramp it back up when it's needed.  For example, I wrote this post using PsMemo into the Memo's database.  Even if I'm typing fast, I'm still not taxing the CPU running at 312 MHz; it would be the exact same user experience as it was on my old IIIx running at 33 MHz.  While there is all sorts of software available for the Palm platform that will under/overclock based on what applications are running, this really should be an Operating System function, and not something people have to find on their own and buy.  This betters the out-of-box experience, improves performance and battery life, and when properly implemented into the OS leads to increased...

4.  Stability! This has been a problem with recent handhelds, especially the 700p.  Palm OS Garnet doesn't have memory protection, so badly written applications can walk all over another app, causing a crash.  Combine that with the dbcache and NVFS problems on newer units, and that has some people's units crashing or resetting several times a day.  End users won't understand why, they'll just say the thing is crap and move to another platform.  The next generation Palm OS (from Palm Inc.) is supposed to be based on Linux, which will solve a lot of these problems.  The key to success, though, will be the compatibility layer, which will allow the Garnet applications to run on the Linux kernel.  Not much info has come from Palm about their layer, but a fair bit is known about Accesses' ALP.  Both companies and any manufacturers using ALP should be aware that many new sales will be based on the fact that people will want to run their favourite Palm OS applications on the new device, so the compatibility layer needs to be as stable and robust as the underlying Linux OS.  Again, end-users won't care **why** something doesn't work; if it doesn't work or isn't stable and reliable, they'll just say it's crap and go somewhere else.

3.  Listen to your customers, not just the carriers!  Carriers like to "customize" devices before they go on the market.  In some cases, they've removed functionality in order to reduce their support costs, or to force the end-user to use pricey services.

Well, heeeelllllo!  Wake up and smell the coffee!  It's 2008 and Ma Bell isn't the only player in the game.  With number portability becoming the norm, people are no longer tied to a particular carrier in order to keep their number.  If a carrier wants to keep customers, then they need to provide value for money.  End-users tell you what is of value to them, since they're the ones that buy the phones and pay for the contracts.  Ignore them at your peril (and that goes for the carriers too!)

2.  Publicly acknowledge bugs, and Fix Them!  Forums, mailing lists, and instant messengers were abuzz with issues from the Treo 700p, and even the 650 back in it's day.  And people are still ticked off about the stability issues of the 700p, and the lack of an update from Palm to fix them.  There's been class action lawsuits because of issues on Palm products, and these have resulted from Palm's poor handling of bugs and hardware problems (and Palm isn't alone in the industry in this respect).  You'd think they'd learn by now...

If you want customer loyalty, show you're trustworthy;  fess up when you screw up, and fix it to the customer's satisfaction.  Whatever it costs to fix it will save you from losing customers (and gaining lawsuits!), will likely ensure those customers are repeat customers; it  may even get you new ones.  Generally, a happy customer tells 2 or 3 other people while an unhappy one tells on average 8-10 other people.  These days with the Internet and all it's possible soapboxes, one unhappy customer can tell large part of the world population!

1.  Marketing and Advertising!  It doesn't matter if you have a superior product to the competition if nobody knows about it or has enough reasons to buy it!  (Hmmm, remember Betamax?) There are whole magazines touting Windows Mobile products, MS Mobile TV commercials, Apple iPhone commercials and fanboy advertising, Blackberry TV and print ads, but where's Palm?  I haven't seen any advertising for Palm in Canada in recent years; I can't speak to other markets.  Palm needs to get out there and advertise.  Word of mouth helps lot too, so fix the other things on this top 10 list, and your happy customers will be your most successful sales force.

In the mean time, start targeting your advertising to your different market segments, and create hardware/software bundles that meet their needs.  Don't do it by staying in house; get out there and get some new blood, take some risks and be creative.  Use focus groups of real, everyday people if you have too! Apple and the iPhone have set the new bar for creating a buzz for a product; either beat it, or go home.

With Palm's stock price heading downward, and competition heating up, Palm Inc. can't afford to go at this as they have in the past.  To paraphrase Master Yoda, "Do or do not, there is no status quo".

I use my treo 650 for almost everything I do daily

[From Jill Graham] I use my treo 650 for almost everything I do daily... Calendar, Alarm, ToDo's to keep me on track Listen to music and Ebooks and even watch TV with Slingplayer Keep up with my mail with Versamail play games when I need a break... my current favorites are Rally 1000 and Farkle and even track what I'm eating Whew! Love my Palm!

Our Easter throaway is open for the weekend only - Sony Vaio TZ11XN

Ladies and gentlemen our Easter Giveaway is now live and is a quickie lasting the Easter break only. My Sony Vaio TZ11XN throwaway will end at midnight US PT on Tuesday which means you only have a couple of days for this one. As always the guidelines are the same and as always easy and you'll find them in this sticky post. Good luck and get writing.

Future Messaging with My Treo

One thing I love about the Palm OS is that you can find a third-party application for just about any functionality you need.

Often times I'll wake up in the middle of the night and think of a message I want to get to someone.  I'd love to send a text message right then, but I doubt my friends and family would like being woken at 2:00am for a non-emergency!  Enter TreoMsgr.  This software, available from Freeware-Palm.com, enables you to schedule a message to be sent at a future date/time.  You can even set messages to repeat on a schedule, or send to a group of numbers.  This saves me from forgetting to pass a message along, and keeps my friends an family happy... and asleep in the middle of the night.

First Thoughts on the Palm Treo 500v

[From Richard Emes Hertfordshire, UK] The Treo 500v is my first converged device. I’ve lived on a diet of Palms, Psions and Pocket PCs for ten years or so now but I’ve always had a separate mobile phone. As soon as I was due for an upgrade on my Vodafone account I plumped for the Treo 500v. This is almost identical to the Centro but runs on Windows Mobile 6. The biggest difference for me though was the lack of a touchscreen.

I’ve had the device for about six weeks now and I’m loving it. It syncs perfectly to my PC, call quality is very good and the screen is excellent. Not having a touchscreen isn’t an issue as the applications built for a smartphone are all ‘finger-friendly’. I’ve installed Pocket Informant and One Note Mobile, both of which work very well. Any negatives ? Battery life could be better, although I’m in the habit of leaving it synched to my PC all day during which it charges so it’s not been a problem so far.

The biggest advantage for me is the fact I only have to carry one device. I’m used to carrying a mobile phone everywhere but if I was short of space/pockets then the PDA would get left behind. I’d always make sure all my important data was in my PDA only to find the one time I needed it, I’d only brought my phone. No longer a problem ! I only wish I’d gone down this route earlier.

Best Mobile/Cell Carrier- do you have the best for you?

Do you have the best Mobile Carrier for your needs/wants? I just left Att and went with Sprint. Prices are unbeatable. Roughly 33% of the cost of my Att plan.
The reason for switching was a eye opening trip. My coverage was horrid. It was 7 days of misery. After the trip, I started price/device searching. Hands down Sprints SERO Plan rocks. You can't beat 1250min. Unlimited messaging and Internet for $49 a month. Wow. Their CS needs improvement but you can't have it all. Best of all, when I went back to NY on another trip, it worked.

HP Compaq TC1100 - Easter throwaway - The first person who emails me can take the HP Compaq TC1100 off my hands

OK PalmAddict friends it's Easter for today and then we will do another one for tomorrow to round the week off. You all know that we are replacing PC's and notepads here and with that in mind, I am throwing away a HP Compaq TC1100 it's about 2 years old, runs well and this is one that we gave to one of our Associate Writers who has moved onto using a notepad computer so we don't need it anymore. Really easy to get your hands on this one.

It's just a quick throwaway, and so as usual the first person who emails me with a few lines on how they are using their mobile device can take the HP Compaq TC1100 off my hands.

Please remember do not send material that you have already sent in. No self site or software promotions and please do not send any blank emails or plea's for the device or I trash them immediately. Please put THURSDAY in the subject line and email - sammymcloughlin@gmail.com

TechTree Palm Centro: Hands-On

[From Eric Mann] techtree.com in India has taken an extensive look at the Palm Centro which was introduced to the Indian market this week. "With the Centro, Palm is targeting the young crowd, which comprises almost 40 to 45% of the market. When I asked "why a business handset for the young," I was told it was for those just in the early stages of their career. The phone is intended to appeal to the 21 to 35 age bracket. " Read in full.

The BBC on casual games make a serious impact

The BBC has a very good editorial this morning about casual games taking over video games and the BBC editorial gives mention to Bejeweled which we have spoken about on numerous occasions on this site and is one of my favourite games, in fact Astraware updated Bejeweled 2 yesterday and you can read Cindy's thought's here and Hannah's thoughts. "For many years video games have been all about the hard core player. These people, typically young men, have the time, budget and patience to spend hours crafting an empire or honing their skills on a first-person shooter. But that focus is shifting dramatically thanks to a very simple game that involves creating rows of matching jewels. When it first appeared in 2001 the game was known as Diamond Mine but is best known as Bejeweled. Since then creator Popcap has sold more than 10 million copies of Bejeweled and the game has been downloaded more than 150 million times." Read in full via the BBC.

March Madness - Treo Style

For those of you college basketball enthusiasts, Thursday begins one of the best sporting events in the world - the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.  Personally I love the first 4 days which include 48 basketball games played.  The annual problem I face, however, is that the bulk of these games are played during my normal working hours.  Now that doesn't apply to all of you, but I am sure it applies to some.  So what's my solution?  This year I plan to dock my Treo in its cradle right next to my desk, fire up the SlingPlayer and stream the games right to my Treo 700p.  While not the ideal way to watch in terms of screen size, it is an excellent "workaround" for those of us tied to our office; especially those of us whose employer uses a firewall to restrict streaming over the corporate network.  My trusty Treo once again saves the day!

Using Treo to Keep Track of Friends In Harm's Way

[From Fred Johnston Washington, DC] During the recent unrest in the small country of Armenia which took the lives of at least 8 people, I used my Treo 680 to keep in contact with friends working there. Through phone calls and Chatteremail, we were able to keep in constant contact with each other. Because the media was being censored in Armenia, my friends counted on me to send them information on what was happening in Armenia. I was able to forward the text of news stories gleaned from press all over the world courtesy of Google News. I was also able to keep them informed of U.S. Embassy messages to Americans in Armenia, advising them on what parts of Yerevan, the capital, were safe and which ones they should avoid. All of this was possible because of my trusty Treo!

Using my Centro

[From Martin] Today I used my new Centro to remotely update my back accounts with SplashMoney, review my daily appointments with DateBk6, read RSS feeds with QuickNews, and take some pictures of anti-war protesters in Washington, DC. As a longtime 700p user, my Centro is only a few days old (Sprint offered me a free replacement when my 700p developed an issue). So far I'm loving the smaller form-factor and amazing stability. I can't believe the 755p is still the "flagship" device. Happy Treo-ing/Centro-ing!

MyBrain

[From Tim in Glen Mills, PA] My mobile device, a Palm Treo 755p is my brain. I carry it with me everywhere. It wakes me up in the morning via the alarms in the Palmary Clock application, and it puts me to sleep at night as I read novels with eReader. (This is especially useful as my wife can sleep next to me at night, and I can turn down the brightness and read with the lamps off.) During the day I schedule all of my tasks for both work and home. I play games with it during down time, I listen to music and I take pictures of my son. I also use it as a mobile blogging device and send entries to the blog that I keep about my son online. I can check sports scores and read recent headlines. It beeps to remind me of things, and sometimes it annoys my wife, but I think it's a hoot! I do all of these things and more every day, and if I ever lost it, it would be like losing my brain.

At least if I have to be up…..

Probably my most favorite use for my Palm T|X has been to keep me entertained while one or another of my children is having a sleepless night. It is great to be able to lay down next to them and remain somewhat entertained, even if I am losing zzzzzzs. Last night was one of those nights… my son had me up for 1 ½ hours during which I read the news, checked my bloglines, played sudoku and answered email. When my daughter woke up 30 minutes later I was able to write and post a blog (using hblogger), check the forecast (using kMeteo) and entertain myself with GoogleMaps looking up all my contact’s addresses. It’s almost enough fun to make losing a night sleep worth it. Okay, maybe not so much…… but at least I had my T|X, without it I would have had to resort to twiddling my thumbs.

My Treo 650 Helped me get an A+

[From Bradley L. Orange County, CA] Normally I am an C+/B- student but recently (last winter) I had a class that I had to get an A in. While doing my rendom web surfing I came across a program called Callrec for the treo 650. It Allowed me to record incomming and outgoing phone calls along with voice memos. Well normally this professor doesn't allow recording in his class but i was able to simple start the recording and set my phone to the side. The whole semester he never knew I recorded every word, even things that shouldn't have been. After every class I would go home, take the recorded class off my SD card and load it on my computer. Then I would put the MP3 on iTunes and load the iPod. Because I had a two hour commute everyday for work from Orange County to Santa Monica and back, I would relisen to the classes. For the midterm and final I would make CDs of all the classes and sell them for $20 to other students. Because I listened over and over again to the classes, a lot of the material stuck with me and the three part essay exams were easy. End the end I got an A+ in the class and was able to put a little cash in my pocket. Thanks Treo!

Saving money using my Imate Jasjam

[From Vinit gupta Mumbai, india] Dear sammy, Earlier I used to subscribe to a lot of technology magazines like PC world, computer active, Chip etc. I used to spend aprrox 25 to 30 $ every month. Now I just subscribe to their feeds using the excellent Egress. I also subscribe to a lot of other tech sites. Now I have canceled the subscriptions saving a good sum every month.

Egress is available from garnishkernels.

MacBook Giveaway ends in 24 hours

My PalmAddict throwaway to win the MacBook ends in 24 hours so it's time for you to hurry if you wish to be entered into the giveaway. And as we have a wide number of entries it could be anybody who could win my throwaway item, so you only have a couple of days left to be entered so you need to hurry.

As always the guidelines are in this post and its easy to enter - make the jump.

Filter my SMSs

[From .Rui de Castro] Some apps we use everyday and at every moment but are done in the background and we don't even notice are sometimes the most important ones. One of theses apps that I use is "Callfilter" but there are other good ones. This neat app can filter calls. But the feature that I use mostly for, is to filter those annoying commercial SMSs, in the email world its call SPAM. I have about 80 numbers in a category in the Contact app called SPAM. Its not perfect but it helps stop receiving from theses numbers, but once in a while, one gets threw. I go to it, add the number to my contacts under the SPAM category and voila, I never receive from that number again. Sometimes I detect patterns in the numbers (first 7 to 8 numbers), that spammer most be using a enterprise package. Other times I filter by a pattern of words for does weird ones. You can be more drastic, you can filter every SMS that's not in your contacts, this way no new SMS comes in. Just a tip, because this app works in the background and should be always in memory, lock the app with "Resco Locker" or with "Tealscan".

SD Cards

[From Bob Wersan] Until recently I carried a USB thumb drive for file transfer along with my digital camera and cord for uploading photos. Now I've done away with the cord and the thumb drive by using a USB card reader in which I put an SD card, either from the camera or one I use just for the files. In a pinch, the same card is employed for both purposes. Of course I have to keep track of extra SD cards, but to my pleasant surprise the card I left in a shirt pocket and then went through the laundry actually survived. I found it bouncing around in the clothes dryer, and expecting the worst I put it into the reader which I then plugged into my laptop. Onscreen I found the photos I'd taken a few weeks before as well as a couple of letters I had written on a friend's computer. Good thing I set the dryer on "low."

My Treo helped make me money

[From Bradley Lowe] One day i stumbled in on a friendly game of Texas hold em at a friends house. After walking out $50 less than walking in I downloaded a Texas hold em game on my treo 650 and played every free moment i had. Waiting for meetings, in the airport, in the carpool, it was always glued to me. The next time i went to my friends house to play I told them that i haven't played with people since that day and I walked out $350 richer and 5 guys saying beginners luck.

Hello Old Friend – Hello New Phone

[From William Pollard Jr] After spending way too much time researching smart phones, I finally decided to visit the local cell phone stores to see the real thing. Reviews are great, but you have to touch the actual phone to see if your mitts will like it. As much as I wanted to like the Blackberry and the Microsoft based phones, I found a familiar friend in the Palm Centro. I used to carry around a Palm Pilot and later a Sony Clie for work, so the Palm Centro was instantly familiar. Maybe I’m getting older, but this phone is easy to understand and navigate. That tiny keyboard turns out to be easy for me to thumbnail type on, sink me. I wonder, will my old Palm software work on it? My current cell phone is a Samsung and I hate the freaking clumsy menu.

As frugal as I am with my monthly minutes, I’m going to bite the bullet and buy the phone from Sprint with the $20/month data plan – I’ve got to surf and email too you know. Wish me luck!

Look and appearance - Color

[From Ronald Abadi Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia] The other day I had a talk with my wife and my cousin about the colors of gadget casing. Silver, black, and white are the most common as far as I know. My O2 Xda IIi itself is silver. Black may look slick, and my wife actually prefers black, as evident with her current cellphone color, but again I think it is too common nowadays. White may look nice, but my cousin commented that it may also get dirty faster. That time I said I would like to go for blue (just like the color Midnight Blue of Dell Inspiron) although crimson red (like in Acer Ferrari) is also enticing for me. My cousin said that orange is interesting (like the orange color of Creative Zen V Plus MP3 player). None of us really like brown casing (although brown-theme software user interface on the other hand is fine for me, especially if it is a combination of brown and orange). My wife said she did not really like green, and she said she would prefer yellow over green. For me as long as it is light green, it is alright. Purple as in Purple Labs' Purple Magic phone is not too bad (and my wife particularly like the clam style, although it has nothing to do with the color). In the end, what we agreed upon is that although color is not vital, it does have an effect in our consideration of buying mobile device. Look and appearance factors are important and color is certainly one of those factors.

Pleasant Surprise

[From Douglas] I recently purchased an IBM Tablet PC for taking notes in class, and have been using that as my primary device for quite some time now. With the extra power and mobility offered by the tablet, my Treo 755p was almost forgotten, with me making most of my calls over Skype or using the campus-wide WiFi on my tablet for my information fix. I recently picked up my 755 and decided to rejuvenate it a little, reinstalling all of my old programs and setting it to work with my IMAP Gmail account after using the Centro email update on it. Getting reintroduced to my Treo has been a pleasant surprise, as I'm remembering how useable it is, even with the 320x320 screen. I've now got a three way synchronization going on between my wired desktop, my tablet, and my Treo, but it's been more liberating than frustrating really. I have all my data accessible everywhere, through whichever device I choose.

Using a Treo 700p

[From Alejandro De Leon] Hi! Sammy I have used, a Treo 700p now, and use it like modem, with the company Iusacell, that cool service, with data unlimited! I connect in my laptop, in my home, in my work, ...wherever . With PDANet.

Too, i used the connection wherever, with my Treo, walking, IM chat, or Listen pTunes with Internet Radio, very cool

I send emails and send images to my wife at your mail of work . I read Google reader , my feeds, of the web. That is cool, too Record voice notes of my Task, or write this in pennovates Notes.

I play with one of the best Games for ¨Palm, Sky Force Reloaded and MicroQuad. Edit, and view my Photos with Resco View, and admin the files with Resco Explorer.

I loved the Treo 700p!

Thoughts on Organization and Chaos

[From Mr. Victor G.] HI. I like most people have a busy life of my own manufacture. Before my Treo 755p, I would run around with scribbled notes, shopping lists, court dates, and kid’s needs and activities.

I would spend way to much time checking and double checking dates and times. With the Treo I now have the ability to store and update anything and everything I need for the day, week, month, and year.

I no longer worry that I’ll miss an appointment or forget something or someone. I am a cop in Los Angeles and have numerous court cases to track and update. I have my Palm setup to push my e-mail, and keep it updated with my calendar, without the inconvenience of needing a cable of being at my PC. I save plenty of time letting my Treo do the, “remembering” for me.

4cast Weather Browser

4cast Weather Browser from Pocketgear. "A weather browser downloads weather information from weather.yahoo.com and displays forecast for the next 5 days, plus some details (e.g. wind, humidity) for today, radar and satellite images and weather alerts. Allows auto-updated at scheduled intervals. Can also be used as a plugin for 2day, DateBk6 & ZLauncher to show todays forecast & temperatures. New: HotSync update for devices without on-board web access (for Windows PC)."