PalmAddicts

GPS Speedometer for Palm OS

Our wonderful RNS developer has brought a new unique software title to Palm OS called Speedometer GPS. This is kind of idea I wished having for sometime when I was using PathAway GPS navigator while I travel.

It has a wonderful real like speedometer and operates very accurately connecting to a GPS device while you drive.

In general even though I rely on car's speedometer for day today travel, this is kind of real fun when I am going in a public bus or  any other transport system. Also I like to use this while I jog so I can see my snail pace ;-)

As features RNS Software suggests:

• Shows current speed on a big analog display and on a digital LCD screen
• Calculates traveled distance using two independent odometers
• Calculates average and maximum speed and marks them on the scale
• Shows current altitude
• Shows current heading in two modes: graphic or numeric
• Several LCD skins
• Adjustable range of the speedometer's scale

It retails for $9.95. Enjoy!

Palm OS 5 Revival, Sort of...

When I first saw the Palm Pre Web OS release announcement it was a kind of a revival. I was hanging on the fence, to please my senses until finally I made up my mind to go for an iPhone or MS Mobile phone, leaving my Treo behind may be within this year.

Unfortunately neither MS Mobile nor iPhone stir me enough for the jump yet. Again there hasn't been any excitement in the Palm front but I am still using my Treo without a sheer alternative. Palm Pre could be what I need. Anyway I ain't so sure yet till I have one in my hand.

A month back Palm Pre created a little haa, hoo but without actual devices in the market Palm isn't riding on the same waves as Apple did with iPhone hype.

So is the wait... and yesterday I found out exactly what I need for this dormant period. Teal OS, a kind of Palm Web OS look alike as for the native Palm OS 5 Launcher. It has been released by Tealpoint software and I immediately jump off to preview it.

It just looks wonderful. Regardless the technical differences it actually behaves just as what Palm did preview in their new Web OS event. Even though we can see the apps we run in the launcher strip like shown in the screenshot. They are just eye candy and apps actually will run and quit just as it on the Palm Launcher. But it's awesome effect!

So if you guys reading this at TealPoint kudos for your wonderful re-creation of Web OS.

Also here's some of the initial feedback. I intend to use it as my parmenent app lancher till Palm Pre come about.

1. Ability to add any app I wish to Quick Launch Bar. I repeatedly fail to add some apps here.
(May be this can be a bug in V 1.06)

2. Option to add all Pref apps and hacks to "Card Exceptions" at once

3. Top black bar shows the operator or a costom string stead of Teal OS if one sets it.

4. Click on the battery icon shows the percentage

5. Make wave launcher a little more predictable

6. Save whatever the bits you can save, have JPEGs as background so they will take less space on a device (My Treo is "very " low on memory)

7. Remove in-built font resources, or have an option to do so. FontSmoother can have far better fonts.

8. Ability to use Zlaunche/ IconsPlus or other Palm icon sets

9. Have a hot key (Option or Alt) assign to arrange all visible cards in full screen (2/3 rows similar to Mac OS X expose with F9 key)

10. Only if possible, a couple more icons in the "Quick Launch Bar" and "Wave Launcher" would be nice!

Enjoy!

Use any TrueType font on your Palm Treo

I know most of you guys may aware of the wonderful Palm font utility called FontSmoother. I consider it's one of the must have for any Palm user. FontSmoother installation comes with many of Palm friendly typefaces where Utopia is one of my favorites.

But I was sort of looking for a way to use my favorite other fonts that I use on my computer. Specially I have grown a fan of the few fonts which came bundled with new MS Office 2007 version. They are very good for screen reading. Namely my personal takes are like Segoe UI, Calibri and Cambria and the likes. Also the new Google Android font is so cool.

So as I figure out that there is a simple way to get any of your famous TrueType font on your Palm.

For that, go and download EasyConvert font utility for Windows. Install it and simply use it to convert any TTF you want to Palm friendly PRC format. You can choose the size, type and with adgestments to your liking. Then copy those to you Treo and use it. The results looks outright awesome. Check out the difference!

Below are some of the samples I've taken with ScreenDumpDa which shows how realistic is the FontSmother effect. Shown in actual size, part of a Treo screen.

Treo borwser with native font

The same with FontSmoother Droid font

One additional advantage of this is you can actually have very small fonts with it so that the shown info for a given screen becomes more that using the normal Treo font. Look at the following captures they show all of app name without cutting off a part like when using the Palm default font.

    LauncherX with normal Palm font

     The same screen with FontSmoother

Also if you use FontSmoother with other famous Palm font utility called Font4OS5 you can set various fonts for various Palm applications with full control.

So enjoy these new possibilities and happy seasonal greetings for you all!

Rainbow marketing machine is on roll...

Tempting. Apple's rainbow marketing machine is on roll, as usual...

Apple just unveiled the new iPod line. I am glad they went back to the original iPod Nano form factor back again. I still like the 1st Gen Nano I use in my car than the shorter 3 Gen Nano though it plays video. So it's a welcome design change. Anyway nothing much revolutionary. New features mainly the rainbow colors, flip artwork and and smart play lists. iPod Touch actually seems better if it wasn't killed by the iPhone.

So I will give it a pass this time. Enough iPods for me. So Apple, throw me a turn-by-turn GPS enabled matt finished 32/ 60 GB iPhone next time if you want more bucks from me. May be a Nanoish Macbook with better screen would do!

Until then shine rainbow shine!

Battle of the Clones - Web 3.0 Already ?

This is the Part II, my follow up post to Web 3.0 Already - Part I

Hope most of you have test driving Google Chrome already. And our Andy has put up a nice editorial on Chrome which you can read here. According to the things Google denotes releasing Chrome and beyond. Below is some background story that why "I think Chrome can take the web to the next level". Jump Start the web technology  from an outdated one to the future.

NCSA Mosaic - The first people friendly web browser.

This seems the same old success story repeating a decade later which shaped our world. The web all started with tech geeks or with so called nerds. Then famous Netscape Navigator successor to the Mosaic was the first web browser made it a hit! I loved it and wowed by and thought web was Netscape itself those days. Likewise everyone back then suggested that Netscape will become the computer OS itself eliminating the OS part it resides. Soon, it became the problem child.

Leading browser which triggered the Modern Browser War

This hype woke up the sleeping giant, the mighty Microsoft. The most successful tech firm which was making millions already by selling it's flagship infancy Windows OS. With all the industry strengths behind, Microsoft feared that it's booming Windows business may go out of business due to this new kid. I have heard that MS even offered Netscape a buy back offer which they refused knowing their own future potential. But in this hype Netscape too, was blind eyed to what Microsoft was capable of triggering series of chain reactions finally Microsoft put all it's industry strengths and resources focus on one thing. De-throne Netscape developing their own web browser, copying everything from Netscape and Mosaic itself. MS made the Internet Explorer. The rest is the famous "Written History".

Years later Netscape obviously stumbled. Many create their own browser families. Netscape itself, then IE and afterwords Mozilla, Opera, Safari and various other IE shell based (NetCaptor) browsers all rooted back to the old Mosaic engine somehow, in order to comply the way the original web is written.

But the web changed so rapidly from text based intranet Gopher to Zoho, YouTube, Photoshop Express and beyond.

Hence the Battle of the Clones has to end if the web to freely innovate further where MS Internet Explorer is the unrival king of the web browsers which is blocking this. Technology wise web has evolved so much. But browsers have not evolved as such due to the simple fact that no one had the guts or the strength to go against Microsoft. Knowing this MS halted all IE development and innovations altogether after it's 5th iteration for more than 8 years now posing a fundamental barrier limiting the web's technological growth which should have come along with the time.

Or so thinks many including the famous Mozilla Firefox and the Google Chrome Team now.

Web developers also knew this and became frustrated to put more energies just to make their sites browser compatible, limiting the web innovations, cos MS IE breaks most HTML standards at will but they have to make it IE compatible since it's the sheer leader, now the problem child number two.

Hence, welcome Google Chrome to the already crowded  browser soup. For better or worse, I think that they can change this game.

I will follow up with a post on how with Web 3.0 Already - Part III continued...

The future of browsing, Web 3.0 already?

Yesterday I woke up to a surprise, a surprise I never even believed that it could happen "so fast". Literary "overnight" even was an overstatement! I always lurk on the web circles but there was not even a clue about what's going to happen. Bingo, here it is!

Google unveiled it's take on web 3.0 as it seems now introducing the Google Chrome Browser. Re-igniting the famous Browser War, part III is now showing on the desktop near you! There were some hints in the past that Google may be developing a browser, but having seen the heart they have for Mozilla Firefox folks the idea never took off. Nonetheless as we know it, Google's foray in to the Browser War has been  under wraps for over two years now.

If we forget the direct threat Google Chrome puts on Microsoft's IE, I guess even the Firefox and other browser guys may feel the pinch is little too overwhelming right now. This can be the cold start of dethroning the Microsoft Windows Operating System dominance of the desktop, giving way to now forgotten Sun Microsystems' Thin Client like concept. The web itself can become the "only" window you need for all your computing needs, hence the name Chrome I suppose.

The day before yesterday I was happily using Firefox 3 it was as though I was having the best web at my disposal. All these web I scroll, Gmail like web applications I use, the content I consumed on the web. All took a whopping 180° turn in one night. The splash I spilled my milk on keyboard over this "web shock" even isn't dry yet. I'm wowed by the sheer number of nightmare problems Google Chrome just offered to solve that I hardly knew existed even as a web developer/ user, overnight, with one slap.

It may lack all the bells & whistle of Firefox 3 to replace it as my primary browser yet. But I guess its almost there and everyone feels the stakes here. Mainly I miss my Firefox Bookmarks Panel and few good extensions that I can't live without like AdBlock.

Somehow, we were nowhere near at the completion of Web 2.0 experience yet, which brought us all the wonderful Zoho, Gmail, Flickr, Facebook to the stage. But suddenly now I'm sure that we gonna skip all that already "slow" asynchronous web 2.0 (Ajax) and "Jump Start" to the Web 3.0, the future and beyond.

Thanks Google for taking me there in overnight!

I am still grasping the scope of this. The sooner I clean up my head over this sudden splash. I may follow up with a post on "Why I think that Google jump started the future of web with this announcement.

Meanwhile I wish all my PA friends a "speedier browsing" with Google Chrome.

Cheers!

As impressive as it is, A letter to Apple...

I love many things about Apple. That's my major problem.

I had used computers in DOS, and then Windows 3.1 PC while in collage. But wowed when I saw the first GUI when I started my career in a small ad firm where I fell in love with early Macs. Then years passed and I fully got into PC for almost a decade until iPod and Intel Macs wowed me again. Then it was the same old Apple I used to love, so I got back in.

Then something happened. As impressive as it is, with iPhone Apple seem to change it's beloved sweet face to something rather unpredictive look. There are many things about Apple’s iPhone Strategy isn’t sexy as the iPhone itself. It bugs me and deteriorate my love about Apple.

Does it sound nice if you are bound to play by all the rules set by Apple? And then what if you want to get on board with a sexy iPhone. Either your are a user or a developer, I guess everyone feels a little offended here right now. Sounds like somewhat a famous rival shoes Apple just got in and walking.

If we go iPhone, either we like it or not, we are tethered. It feels somewhat like the movie Matrix. Ok, you provide all the vitals that makes life easy but what's the point of becoming the "Idiot Outside" at the end of a "Dumb Pipe"?

Oh, Please Apple, that's what you are making "us" feel, if you are outside US, where a free mobile ecosystem prevails.

So Apple, If you consider me as a beloved Mac and iPod fan who brought many of those, then I may become the last, ten sillionth of prospective iPhone buyer since I have postponed getting it indefinitely.

The way you throw iPhone at me. It was truly impressive. It was everything and nothing I wanted.
You advertised iPhone a six month prior to the launch, then you released it US only, carrier exclusive. You thought it’d move fast, generate genuine sales. Instead I found it here in the gray market with a whopping price tag for the features given. So did the Chinese man. I could have afforded one though, No I said!

Expensive, locked, no 3G (what? my SIM was 3G enabled three years back now), no video camera, no third party apps and had to be jailbroken. Aiyo Apple! You impressed me not.

Inferior than many other cheaper alternatives found here. I said, bye bye!

Then immediately you cut the price, slap on the early buyers' face. Your operator exclusive way wasn’t such a success in Europe either. Was it a figure to reflect that famous Apple sold 370,000 iPhones there? I guess brands next to Nokia even sell more here in our small 20 million SL market. Not to mention big India or China in this regard. So it wasn't going to work in Asia, presumably you knew it and didn’t release an Asian Version of iPhone 1G.

So you figured something wrong with gen 1, nonetheless wowed us again and released iPhone 3G with more hype and the AppStore. Ahem, I am all doped and soaked by your marketing campaign. Even third parties did it for you all free. I haven’t seen any other product gets so much bang for the buck. Ok, I am flattered again, if that’s what you wanted. You won!

But it still doesn’t make you right. Still doesn't make me feel right to get one (hacked). So it still doesn’t promise a sale from me yet. You scatter my Mac Beloved, iPod Crazy Apple image. Now you sounds more like your famous software rival or even worse.

Apple makes me feel I need it like yesterday with your all hyped marketing buzz. Tempt but not give. Offers nothing in practical. So don't worry I am not gonna get it anytime soon. Not officially, not from the gray market. Even I have few means to get it even cheaper if I really wants. But I am not going to.

I see eBay sells it for whopping 1300$ a piece. Ever wonder where those margins go when you sell it for 199 $ in the US? In contrast you could have easily afforded to offer unlocked iPhone around 400-450 $ than the 199$ carrier subsidized one.

Why you give away your Mac Beloved and His Freedom of Choice to a operator?

You tempted me, make everyone want one, and let the gray market flourish. Hence you abuse me, tease my conscience, miss-use my keen senses to own an iPhone and ultimately looses my faith.

This is some sort of the same story from many prospective iPhone Developers' Standpoint too. Confirms by the news circular all over the web which you may well aware of. There are many in the same boat, users and developers alike who feels something isn't right about Apple.

So My Dear Apple, I will wait and see how you gonna turn around this. I enjoy my beloved old Treos and Nokias. May be I will see you next time, but you gonna miss me this time with iPhone 3G too.

Cheers & Good Luck!

Possible Palm Centro 2 Images ?

I am not sure of the legibility of these images but it looks authentic. If true, I will be wowed and this is the kind of Treo I've been waiting for years with my outdated Treo 650. There has to be a sliding out keyboard some sort of. May be they follow suite iPhone and omit Treo keyboard.

Either way appears like running Windows Mobile but I hope it will appear in Palm OS 2 (Nova) too. These aren't shown much elsewhere yet. So enjoy the Palm rumor mill :-)

I just wish it's true. Can anyone confirm with some inside info?

Yes!, indeed some interesting times ahead!

This has been brewing for a long time as many of us Palm beloveds have heard of it. Still not very clear info on this new Linux Palm OS (aka Nova) though Palm may have decide to diversify it's products as

1. Classic Palm OS (Centro) consumer range
2. Linux Nova (Treo) prosumer range
3. MS Mobile (Treo MS Mobile) corporate range

More info can be found here on Apcmag

This shows Plam is on track to give a proper competition to iPhone clan. Surely interesting times ahead!

Palm again makes me want one!

My love affair with Palm devices started with beautiful SONY CLIE SJ-33 years back. Then since Treo 650 days to my dismay there had been less innovation and wow factor in the Palm front. I wondered for while whether to switch to MS Mobile and then all of a sudden iPhone wowed me to hold on to my choice at least 3G iPhone is available.

Since Treo 650 days Palm didn't change much so diddn't want ot go with Centro either. Mainly it dissapont my when I brough Treo 680 I immediately went back to treo 650 giving antenna less Treo 680 to my girl. With Centro it looked ok but features were same as Treo 680 so I didn't want to venture in. Now with the images lurking in the web I guess my next phone too will be a Palm Treo. I may have to wait and see whether there is a GSM Palm OS version of this beautiful new Treo come out from palm Inc.

The MS Mobile Treo 850 version specs are awesome, things that most Palm users were asking for. Check the list below. (Thanks to Treonauts Blog)

Treo 850 Specifications:

    * Built-in assisted-GPS receiver
    * Built-in 802.11 b/g WiFi
    * 320x320 pixel resolution touchscreen
    * GSM, EDGE radio
    * High-speed UMTS HSDPA 3.6 data connectivity
    * microSD slot under the battery
    * 2 Megapixel Camera
    * 1500 mAh battery (that should provide 5.5 hours+ of talk time)
    * a micro-USB connector for both power and sync
    * Bluetooth 2.0 EDR + A2DP (allowing you to use Stereo Bluetooth Headphones for wireless music)
    * 256MB NAND-Flash (with over 175MB available to use) + 32 MB SDRAM
    * Runs Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional

I like the idea that I can count on Palm Inc. Seems like interesting days are ahead in the smartphone areana.