PalmAddicts

TreoDesktop: Another great idea for your Palm, but...

Hey everybody look, another really cool piece of software for our Treo’s, TREODESKTOP. And what a great idea, I can get all my phone info onto my desktop so I can change and or check and even save my information on my…….Wait. Hold on a moment. Checking…..checking….

Once again, another great software idea written for a completely maverick OS (Palm) that will not work on my Mac, the other maverick OS.

Excuse me while I rant a moment. Yes I can write the developers and ask them to include an Apple version, wait six months then viola, but why?

A letter to developers,
Apple has been around for a very long time. In fact, we would not have home computing if it were not for Apple. At this point in the computing universe, Apple is really making a dent in the Microsoft dominated world. Palm took a page from the Apple playbook and decided to go their own way, creating an easy to use working platform that allowed us techies who wished to stay away from the flawed Windows platform the chance to traverse through the silicon garden of exceptional computing.

You are developing software for products that run on an OS that is a cut above all others, in particular, Windows Mobile. You already know this. This is why you have a Palm. Do your business and us Palm users a huge favor, develop your products to work on either platform. Please stop penalizing us Mac users because we have extended our Microsoft independence from the Palm of our hands, to the “tops” of our “laps”.

Yours truly,
A Mac user

I’ve seen a lot of this lately. Great pieces of software that I want to check out but can’t because it only speaks to Windows. Motionapps, a great Palm developer, introduced “mOcean”, in its beta stage “mPod”, Looks and runs just like an iPod. It even syncs with iTunes. Syncs with iTunes! GREAT!......But only if you run Windows. Yes I know, they finally introduced the Apple version, but why did I have to wait so long? The iPod and iTunes are Apple products. They stand alone and “out” in the tech universe just like Palm. So they used the Apple interface and created a great Palm product that I couldn’t use with the “iTunes” on my Mac. They still have software (which I own) that won’t speak to a Mac.

Hey, I know, I get it. Another guy whining about the woes of being a Mac fan. But sometimes you just have to whine or nothing changes. I was really hyped to check out “TreoDesktop” and then really annoyed to discover I can’t use it. I just happen to think that Palm and Apple are alike. And the users of each are as well. People whom like the idea of supporting maverick companies that set out to be the gold standard. Those who were brave enough to venture off the widely used freeway, discovered a road far superior then any road you traveled prior. And guess what! On this road are other adventuresome travelers who smile as you pass by. Up ahead of you are people who see the greatness of this road and have decided to spend their time adding to, and building upon its uniqueness for an even better driving experience. But what’s good for the goose, is not always good enough for the gander. Up ahead sits a sign that reads; this part of the road will not work for your car unless it is just like the cars on the widely used road you just turned off of.

Come on people, we can do better than this. Apple is here to stay, it’s not going anywhere. And believe it or not, there are a “LOT” of Mac users out there, and if they own a PDA or Smartphone, I’m willing to bet, it’s a Palm. Work with us not against us.

By the way: did you read the articles on the failing relationship between Windows and Palm? This is not an indictment of Windows users, please don’t take this rant that way.

Long-Term Review: Proporta Hard Case for T|X

Back in mid-February, I wrote a review for PalmAddict of the Proporta Aluminum Hard Case for my then-new T|X (it also fits the identically bodied T5). (You can find that review here). Since then, my T|X and its case have seen some hard miles, and the case's once-pristine outside shows it (see the picture to the left, showing just a few of the scratches it has sustained in daily use). I thought it would be useful to take a page from car magazines and give you the long-term review. Here's my take:

* The case works. My T|X has fallen on many surfaces, hard and soft, and has survived without a scratch. In fact, the only thing that generally happens to the T|X when it falls is that the SD card may be popped loose.

* The belt clip *doesn't* work well to hold the case. While the screw attached to the back of the case stays put (unlike the screw in the LifeDrive case I previously tried out) and the clip stays on my belt, the latch to which the case connects to the clip tends not to hold well when the T|X is pressed from below (e.g. when I sit in my car). It also isn't that sturdy--I'm on my second clip, since the first eventually broke apart. I'd like to see a sturdier attachment mechanism to hold the case, perhaps one made of the same aluminum as the case itself.

If all my drops were due to clip failure, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this case as highly as I do, but the fact is that I have dropped my T|X any number of times from my hand, and the case has come through. This thing has undoubtedly saved my investment in my T|X, and therefore paid for itself many times over. I highly recommend this case. {Prof. Jonathan}

FOOTNOTE: Treo Holster

For anyone interested in the new rubberized holster for the 700p and 650, Sammy posted a link to a Treonauts review earlier today. I had to check it out because these are in my opinion, the best cases for the Treo. The thin un-obtrusive clips allow you to walk around with your Treo clipped to your waist without looking like you're carrying a 45 Magnum or one of those things the Star Trek away team carried in search of life signs.

But I digress. This holster is selling for a whopping $29.99. But i found it at "Wirelessground" on sale for $9.99 + $3.49 shipping/handling. So, if you think this is for you, get over there quick, it probably won't last long.

Transcend 4 GB SD Card--About to Start Testing!

It's here! I ordered the Transcend 4GB 150x Ultra Speed SD Card (trying saying that three times fast!) from NewEgg.com, for $99.99 with a $30 rebate (it's even lower now!) for my T|X. I've just backed up my "old" 1 GB card, and am about to copy my data over. With the 4GB, added to the T|X's 128 MB of internal RAM, my PDA will finally have more total storage than my late, unlamented LifeDrive, and I'll be able to add back the MP3s that I haven't carried around since I moved from the LifeDrive to the T|X. I'll let you all know how my experience goes, but I have high hopes. {Professor Jonathan}

Treodesktop

I just found this little gem that may just be what some of you were looking the first day you got your Treo - Treodesktop.

"Treodesktop is a desktop application capable of understanding and making available any type of phone data from any old or new PalmOs Treo model.

What led us to create this software was the need to transfer all phone data (phone calls/ text messages) from "Treo" smart phones to a personal computer in readable form.

This software bridges the gap in the Palm Desktop built-in software which only provides a phone data backup, with no possibility of reading and storing the information."

This software sounds like it has great potential. I will try it out soon and post a review soon!

iGo Pitch Duo PDA Projector

Those who require to have their presentations with them wherever they go can now relax. Ditch that heavy laptop and carry your iGo Pitch Duo with your Palm and still make your presentations without all that weight and bulk and look smart and tech savvy. The iGo Pitch Duo isn't really new (it's been around for a few years) but has recently been updated to support the newer Palm devices: LifeDrive, TX, Tungsten T5, Treo 650, Treo 700p. With the popular but now discontinued Margi Presenter to Go becoming harder to find, this may be the only choice for those with similar needs.

Leave your laptop behind -- give presentations wirelessly from your handheld or smartphone with iGo's Pitch Duo. First, synchronize your presentation directly to your device with the included Quickpoint™ software. Then connect Pitch Duo to the projector or monitor and start your presentation from your Bluetooth®-enabled device. Pitch Duo shows your audience the live screen of your handheld or smartphone. You can hide, un-hide, and re-order slides, or even study your outline while your audience sees the full slide. Best of all, you'll get notebook-quality graphics without your laptop or cables - great for going on the road!

* Pentium-class processor for fast slide transitions
* Connects via Bluetooth or USB, leaving your expansion slot free (requires Bluetooth-enabled handheld or handheld USB synchronization cable)
* Comes with two PS/2 ports for connecting a keyboard & mouse for text input
* Allows for continuous looping of selected slide show
* Also runs in stand-alone mode, where your device is not required to be active or connected
* Requires a monitor, projector, or other display device with a standard VGA input

Includes:

* iGo Pitch Duo unit
* USB Bluetooth adapter
* 100-240 V Power supply and European plug adapters (with International version)
* Quick Start Guide and carrying case

More details and info at the Palm Store or other online retailers.

Unholy Messenger

Unholy Messenger
The Life and Crimes of the BTK Serial Killer

To all appearances, Dennis Rader was a model citizen in the small town of Park City, Kansas, where he had lived with his family almost his entire life. He was a town compliance officer, a former Boy Scout leader, the president of his church congregation, and a seemingly ordinary father and husband. But Rader’s average life belied the existence of his dark, sadistic other self: he was the BTK serial killer.

The self–named BTK (for Bind, Torture, Kill) had terrorized Wichita for thirty–one years, not only with his brutal, sexually motivated crimes, but also through his taunting, elusive communications with the media and law enforcement. In 1974, BTK committed his first murders—torturing and strangling four members of the Otero family—and wrote the police an audacious letter declaring his responsibility for the Oteros’ deaths and labeling himself, for the first time, BTK. Thus he established a pattern—stalking and killing a series of ten victims, then bragging and claiming ownership of his crimes—that ended in 1991 but left law enforcement confounded and the public with deeply troubling memories. Until, that is, he resurfaced in 2004 with another string of letters that would finally lead to his arrest.

Drawing from extensive interviews with Rader’s pastor, congregation, detectives, and psychologists who worked the case, and from his unnervingly de–tailed thirty–two–hour confession, bestselling author Stephen Singular delves into the disturbing life and crimes of BTK to explore fully—for the first time—the most dangerous and complex serial killer of our generation and the man who embodied, at once, astonishing extremes of normality and abnormality.

In Unholy Messenger, Singular recounts the year prior to Rader’s arrest, in which the BTK killer reemerged, and the aftermath. Woven throughout are the details of his crimes, elaborate schemes, and bids for public attention, and the wrenching impact his deception had on his family, church, and heartland community.

The result is a chilling story of a man considered a “spiritual leader” by his pastor and congregation, who turned out to be the devil next door. More than just true crime, Unholy Messenger is a powerful, thoroughly engrossing examination of the intersection between good and evil, and of the psychology and spirituality of a killer in whom faith and bloodshed converged.

eReader

The Manhattan Beach Project

Barely four years after winning an Oscar, Charlie has sunk into the ranks of Hollywood bottom-feeders—reduced to living in his nephew's pool house, kiting checks and taking the bus to his weekly Debtors Anonymous meeting, where he meets a mysterious ex-CIA agent who proposes to resuscitate Charlie's foundering career—in the beyond surreal world of reality TV.

Charlie puts his tap shoes on to sell a show about a ruthless Uzbek warlord and his family (“think The Osbournes meets The Sopranos”) to a rogue division of ABC, known as ABCD, which operates out of a skunkworks in Manhattan Beach, California, and whose mandate is to develop, under top secret cover like that for the Manhattan Project, extreme reality TV shows to bolster the network's ratings.

Warlord becomes a breakout hit and results not only in causing one of America's largest entertainment conglomerates to go into full damage-control mode but also in shifting the balance of power in Central Asia and in proving that in show business it's not over till the mouse sings.

eReader

Corsair Flashdrive with Memory Display

From the Gadgets Weblog:

One of the frustrating things about any electronic storage medium is that you don't know how much space is left on it unless you have a computer handy. Corsair addressed that problem today and threw in the solution to not knowing what your flash drive is carrying as well with their new Flash Readout USB 2.0 drives. The drives, which come in 1 GB and 2 GB capacities, feature a Bi-stable Cholesteric Display that displays capacity free via a 4 digit readout, capacity used bia a pie chart and an 11 character programmable display for you to enter the drive's contents.

Another one from the "I've Seen It All!" Files

Yes, just when I think I've seen it all, it happens again! I sure hope that this is just a PhotoShop pic and someone didn't actually have a Hello Kitty molar implant! Ugh! Does anyone really like Hello Kitty THAT much????

via newlaunches