PalmAddicts

Smartphone Experts (SPE) Announces the First Annual Smartphone Round Robin

Smartphone Experts (SPE), an e-commerce platform and smartphone accessory development company, today announced the first annual Smartphone Round Robin is starting this week and will continue for the next month. During that time, community editors from the SPE community sites -- TreoCentral (Treo & Centro), CrackBerry.com (BlackBerry), WMExperts (Windows Mobile) and Phone different (iPhone) -- will be learning what it's like to live "on the other side of the fence" as they have their everyday smartphone swapped out for one of its competitors. The participants will be documenting their triumphs and struggles at a special Website set up for the event. Community members, as well as those interested in learning more about the various types of smartphone options that are available, will be able to participate and become eligible for prizes.

"When it comes to smartphones, there's a lot of conflicting information out there and oftentimes decisions are driven by a vendor's advertising campaign rather than the realities of hands-on use of a particular device," said Dieter Bohn, vice president of communities for Smartphone Experts. "We decided that since we had so much smartphone expertise under one roof, so to speak, it made sense to see how our community editors would do when faced with spending a significant amount of time working with a completely unfamiliar device."

The four participants in the Smartphone Round Robin challenge are Jennifer Chappell from TreoCentral, Kevin Michaluk from CrackBerry.com, Mike Overbo from Phone different, and Dieter Bohn from WMExperts. In the first week, Jennifer will be using an iPhone, Kevin will try the AT&T Tilt, Mike will give the Blackberry 8310 a go and Dieter will see what the Treo 680 can do for him. To follow along, go to the following website: http://smartphoneexperts.com/roundrobin/.

It's not just the SPE community editors who will be participating. Smartphone Experts will also be giving away prizes to the members of their community sites. Any user who participates in Round Robin forums at a Smartphone Experts site will be eligible to win the grand prize: a free smartphone of their choice as well as free accessories from their affiliated stores. Full details on the contest can be found at the Smartphone Round Robin site.

"A big plus for these community editors is that they will be able to tap into the various communities associated with the particular device they will be using," said Bohn. "This is huge because they will have access to a wealth of knowledge which should shorten their learning curve. Plus, members of the various communities will get a chance to see their preferred device through the eyes of a new user."

Deep Storm

Hi Palm Addict readers! Long time no see again! I hope everyone is doing well and that you've been reading some good ebooks on your Palm devices.

I don't have much time to read anymore, but when I get the chance, I really enjoy it. One of the latest ebooks I got was "Deep Storm" by Lincoln Child. Lincoln Child and his writing partner Douglas Preston are a couple of my Favorite authors! I'm so far behind in my reading that I haven't even gotten around to their recent books, "Dance of Death" and "Book of the Dead". And now I see that their newest book, "The Wheel of Darkness" has just come out! Man alive, I've really got some ebook catching up to do! Those last three books are all part of the Special Agent Pendergast series. If you haven't read any of those books, please do yourself a favor and check them out! Agent Pendergast is quite the character. [excuse the pun ;-)] He's one of my all-time favorite characters in a book. I miss that guy and I'm so glad to know that he's still there in those wonderful stories, just waiting for me to click my Palm TX on and walk back in the door to catch up with all his goings on! I promise I'm coming back soon to check in on you Agent Pendergast!

So anyway, back to "Deep Storm". I really liked this book but I sure got fooled regarding what was going to happen in the end. It's a fast page turner and as always has much suspense and action.

Here's the book description:

Twelve–thousand feet beneath the Atlantic Ocean … scientists are excavating the most extraordinary undersea discovery ever made. But is it the greatest archaeological find in history—or the most terrifying?

Former naval doctor Peter Crane is urgently summoned to a remote oil platform in the North Atlantic to help diagnose a bizarre medical condition spreading through the rig. But when he arrives, Crane learns that the real trouble lies far below—on “Deep Storm,” a stunningly advanced science research facility built two miles beneath the surface on the ocean floor. The topsecret structure has been designed for one purpose: to excavate a recently discovered undersea site that may hold the answers to a mystery steeped in centuries of myth and speculation.

Sworn to secrecy, Dr. Crane descends to Deep Storm. A year earlier, he is told, routine drilling uncovered the remains of mankind’s most sophisticated ancient civilization: the legendary Atlantis. But now that the site is being excavated, a series of disturbing illnesses has begun to affect the operation. Scientists and technicians are experiencing a bizarre array of symptoms—from simple fatigue to violent psychotic episodes. As Crane is indoctrinated into the strange world of Deep Storm and commences his investigation, he begins to suspect that the covert facility conceals something more complicated than a medical mystery.The discovery of Atlantis might, in fact, be a cover for something far more sinister … and deadly.

Like Lincoln Child’s spectacular bestsellers coauthored with Douglas Preston (The Book of the Dead, Relic), Deep Storm melds scientific detail and gripping adventure in a superbly imagined, chillingly real journey into unknown territory. Child is a master of suspense, and Deep Storm is his most ambitious novel to date.

New case for my Palm TX

The site sure is looking great!!! I love the dark and stormy New York skyline photo at the top of the page!

I've been using my Palm TX a lot lately to read ebooks. I read in one every chance I get so I guess that's not actually a "lot" of reading but it's sure fun whenever I find the time! I've just started reading "Deep Storm" by Lincoln Child, and boyhowdy is it going to be a good one! I can already tell that I'm in for a fun and exciting ride with this one!

I've also been playing BookWorm off and on. I love word games and I used to have BookWorm on my LifeDrive. So I finally got around to getting it for my TX and it's been fun.

I recently got a new case for my Palm TX from Fortte and I love it! It's a soft leather flip type case. The color is midnight blue so it pretty much matches my TX! The case is just a tad lighter and more of a muted midnight blue. The case has a round cutout for the speaker on the back of the TX. It also has a cutout for the hotsync/charge connector and you can use your AC charger or the hotsync cable. And it also has the popular magnetic snap that I always appreciate on a case. I love the little Fortte emblem on the front of the case. It's silver and has a castle on it!This is the first Fortte case I've ever tried and I'm really impressed with the design and quality. I first discovered Fortte back when I was browsing eReader awhile back. Fortte had an add on the left hand side of the page and it caught my eye. Here are some pics of my TX in my Fortte case.

Well, enjoy your Palms everyone and don't forget to read a good ebook!

EarthCore

Long time no see! Hi everyone! I've been reading "EarthCore" and so far it's a really good ebook! The suspense slowly built up and now everything is getting very exciting. This is the first ebook I've read by Scott Sigler. Well, it might be his first book actually. If so, he certainly has left the starting gate in brilliant form! I look forward to reading more from this author.

Deep below a desolate Utah mountain lies the largest platinum deposit ever discovered. A billion-dollar find, it waits for any company that can drill a world's record, three-mile-deep mine shaft. EarthCore is the company with the technology, the resources and the guts to go after the mother lode. Young executive Connell Kirkland is the company's driving force, pushing himself and those around him to uncover the massive treasure. But at three miles below the surface, where the rocks are so hot they burn bare skin, something has been waiting for centuries. Waiting ... and guarding. Kirkland and EarthCore are about to find out firsthand why this treasure has never been unearthed.

"This novel's got it all: cutting-edge science; a perfectly-realized setting; terror both plausible and profoundly unsettling. EarthCore is more exciting than a thriller has any right to be!"--Lincoln Child, New York Times bestselling co-author of: Relic, Riptide, The Ice Limit

fictionwise

Hey, if Lincoln Child liked the book, that right there tells me it's a winner! Lincoln Child is one of my Favorite authors! I must get his newest book "Deep Storm"! I think that's going to be the next ebook I read!

LG VX9900 Gets Release Date

From MobileWhack:

"LG's VX9900, also called the enV, is all set for a November 27 launch with Verizon. With a 2 megapixel camera with autocamera and flash, the enV comes complete with an MP3 and video player and other cool features."

"Bluetooth 1.2 with supported profiles HSP (headset), HFP (hands-free), DUN (dial-up networking), A2DP (advanced audio distribution), SPP (serial port), AVRCP (audio/video remote control), BPP (printing) and HID (human interface device) make it a truly wireless phone. The phone comes with a microSD memory card slot for storing your media."

What is Mine

In a matter of days, two children in Norway have been kidnapped—by whom and for what reason is anyone’s guess. And now one child is dead, packed like a piece of furniture and delivered to his parents’ home with a horrifying note. Stumped and desperate, Norwegian police inspector Adam Stubo hopes former FBI profiler Johanne Vik can come up with answers. Already immersed in the investigation of a murder suspect who fled to the United States forty years ago, Vik is reluctant to take on the case of this boy and the kidnapping of a little girl named Emilie, two crimes which seem to have nothing in common. Then another child is abducted, and Vik, a mother of a six–year–old herself, can no longer stand idly by.

Now, with few clues in sight and the lives of who knows how many innocents at stake, Stubo and Vik weave their way through a complex maze of madness and revenge. For Stubo, who knows all too well what it is like to lose a child, talking to the grieving parents is a nightmare in itself. But it can’t compare to what one particular little girl is experiencing at the hands of a madman.

A singularly clever crime story combined with a serious discussion of our responsibilities toward children, WHAT IS MINE is a harrowing thriller from one of the world’s masters of suspense.

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Acer c530 Preview

From Pocket PC Thoughts:

"PDAGold has a preview of the Acer's new GPS-enabled Pocket PC - all in all, a pretty positive first impression though the specs aren't terribly impressive. What distinguishes this from most is the small size and weight, and the standard connectors (SDIO, 3.5mm headphone jack and mini-USB). A nice mid-level entry by Acer in the GPS sweepstakes."

E-TEN Announces the glofiish M700

From Pocket PC Thoughts:

"If you were following news last week, you would have heard about rumours of an M700 from E-TEN. This time, it's official. Much like its pal, the X500, it features quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, GPS (SiRFstar III) with TMC, an FM radio, an integrated camera, and Windows Mobile 5.0, except the M700 has the added bonus of a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. No 3G support, it seems, but it still looks like a great all-in-one device. Interested in picking one up? Expect it to appear in authorized stores this month."

Well, can I just say..... ((((DROOL!!!))))

PQI Intelligent Stick Pro 220

From Mobilemag:

Hot on the heels of Sony's Pocket Mini announcement late last week is a very similar offering from a lesser-known competitor. PQI is very much in love with flash memory, issuing out a wide range of SD cards and the like. Today, they're announcing the Intelligent Stick Pro 220, a USB key with up to 2 gigs of memory (on the lowest end, you'll be able to pick up a 512MB variant).

The read speed is rated at 33MB/sec and the Intelligent Stick Pro 220 is fully compatible with Vista's ReadyBoost technology. Weighing just 2.7 grams and just 2.8mm thick, this is one of the lightest and thinnest portable storage solutions on the market. Bundled in with every USB flash drive is USB Notebook Professional personal file management software, as well as a "carrying caddy."

Abundance

“Like everyone, I am born naked.”

With this opening line of Naslund’s compelling new novel, a very human Marie Antoinette invites readers to live her story as she herself experiences it. From the lush gardens of Versailles to the lights and gaiety of Paris, the verdant countryside of France, and finally the stark and terrifying isolation of a prison cell, the young queen’s life is joyful, poignant, and harrowing by turns. As her world of unprecedented royal splendor crumbles, the charming Marie Antoinette matures into a heroine of inspiring stature, one whose nobility arises not from the circumstance of her birth but from her courageous spirit.

Marie Antoinette was a child of fourteen when her mother, the Empress of Austria, arranged for her to leave her family and her country to become the wife of the fifteen–year–old Dauphin, the future King of France. Coming of age in the most public of arenas, the young queen embraces her new family and the French people, and she is embraced in return. Eager to be a good wife and strong queen, she shows her new husband nothing but love and encouragement, though he repeatedly fails to consummate their marriage and in doing so, fails to give her the thing she—and the people of France—desire most: a child and an heir to the throne.

Deeply disappointed and isolated in her own intimate circle apart from the social life of the court, the queen allows herself to remain ignorant of the country’s growing economic and political crises. She entrusts her soul to her women friends, her music teacher, her hairdresser, the ambassador from Austria, and a certain Swedish count so handsome that admirers label him “the Picture.” When her innocent and well–chaperoned pilgrimage to watch the sun rise is viciously misrepresented in satiric pamphlets as a drunken orgy, the people begin to turn against her. Poor harvests, bitter winters, war debts, and poverty precipitate rebellion and revenge as the royal family and many nobles are caught up in a murderous time known as “the Terror.”

With penetrant insight into new historical scholarship and with wondrous narrative skill, Naslund offers an intimate, fresh, and dramatic re–creation of this compelling woman that goes beyond popular myth. Abundance reveals a compassionate and spontaneous Marie Antoinette who rejected the formality and rigid protocol of the court; an enchanting and tenderhearted outsider who was loved by her adopted homeland and people until she became the target of revolutionary cruelty and violence; a dethroned queen whose depth of character sustained her in even the worst of times.

Once again, Sena Jeter Naslund has shed new light on an important moment of historical change and made that time as real to us as the one we are living now. Exquisitely detailed, beautifully written, heartbreaking and powerful, Abundance is a novel that is impossible to put down.

eReader