PalmAddicts

My Time With The Palm Pre

Hello PalmAddict readers. I've been very absent from these pages. In fact, the last time I posted here was a few months before I got my Palm Pre in Feb 2010.

And as I write this, I am days away from turning in the Palm Pre for an iPhone 4S. My time with the Pre was filled with many usability memories, most of them positive. The webOS platform is one of the best I've ever used and I will miss its card interface and multitasking in the background.

And while the Pre is disappearing from carriers around the world, there are those that still continue to use theirs each and every day.

I hope that my return here as I venture into the iPhone world will bring many thoughts on it's use and function from the view of a long time Palm user.

2TwitMe for Palm OS

Some of us are still hanging onto our Palm OS devices, for various reasons, but mostly due to the fact that they work for us on a daily basis.

Part of my day is Twittering. Most of it is personal and I enjoy sending many of those 140 character updates to those that follow me. But the Blazer browser is not the best option for mobile Twitter access. Sure it works, but advanced Twitter options like reply and direct message are not supported on the Twitter Mobile web site.

Fortunately, we have Henk at http://metaviewsoft.de to thank for developing a full-features Twitter client to us. 2TwitMe is that client. And it's very slick in how it works on the Palm OS platform.

In the two weeks I've been using it, I have been quite happy. Having direct access to all of my tweets and followers and being able to direct message and reply is a great option to have on my Treo 755p.

And Henk has already released several updates since the program has come out, including the most recent version 1.2, which adds support for Twitpic links.

So if you are still using your Palm OS connected device, 2TwitMe is highly recommended.

Get it here:
http://metaviewsoft.de/wordpress/?p=269

or you can purchase it over at Palminfocenter Web store:

http://software.palminfocenter.com/product.asp?id=37115&n=2TwitMe

Excited for Pre

Hello PalmAddicts. Marty checking in from Salt Lake City, UT. I've been absent from these pages for some time. But with the news of the Palm Pre, I had to break the silence and join in the praise.

As a long time Palm user (since the Palm Pilot Professional back in 1996), I've waited in anticipation for Palm's big announcement. And the wait was worth it.

I was glued to the CES keynote and trying to absorb each and every detail. All of the new features of WebOS, the Touchstone charging station, the gestures used in unison with the physical QWERTY keyboard that the Treo made standard... so many features to list.

I'm not going to duplicate what others have already posted here on Palm Addicts, but I wanted to say how excited I am to actual get my hands on one of them once they are available. As a current Treo 755p owner and pretty happy that it's been a stable phone for me the last 18 months, I can't wait to see how much of an improvement over any of the current Palm phones.

Stay tuned and keep informed.

I'm Sticking With the iPod touch

There has been so much coverage in the last 36 hours since Mr. Jobs announced the new iPhone 3G it's new low price, faster access to the web and thinner case. But we've already got an iPod with all of that: the iPod touch.

True, it can't make phone calls. But if you already have a phone that you like (for me, that would be the Treo 755p), then the iPod touch is a great option. It is thin, easy to carry, holds as much storage as any iPhone model and runs almost all of the same applications.

And for those of us that don't want to move to another carrier (I'm pretty happy with Sprint), but want a cool music player that is as sleek and smooth as the iPhone, the touch is your device.

Finally Tried a Centro

I normally find the time to go out and check out any new technology, especially any handheld gadget. But for various reasons, I never made the effort to check out the Palm Centro until this last weekend. I think most of the reasons that I waited this long is that I am very happy with my Treo 755p and didn't have a personal interest in the Centro... until now

My daughter's phone on my Sprint plan is out of contract and I am looking at different options of resigning her phone to get the best deal. Part of this is checking out newer phones. She has a Samsung flip phone that is working great, but it's always fun to upgrade, especially to something that has more features.

I found myself at the mall this weekend, where there are a few cell phone stores. Both the Sprint kiosk and the AT&T store had Centros to play with. I spent several minutes with each one to see how they worked, compared how things worked on my 755p to the Centro and tried to get a good feel for how the device felt (working around the tethered security device).

I concluded that I would have a hard time using a Centro. The deal breaker for me? The keyboard. The keys are not separate physical keys like on previous Treo-like models. And so close together. I have small hands and I had a hard time typing on it. I guess I could get used to it, but it would be a challenge. I did, however, like the smaller size of the phone. It is the same thickness as my 755p, but the width was a welcome change.

It still may be an option for my daughter, who I want to go try it and see how it feels for her. I know the phone will be bigger than her current Samsung, but if it does more and she can type on an actual QWERTY keyboard layout, then it will be a candidate for her next phone.

Is the Treo 800w in my future?

As a current owner of both the Treo 755p (Palm OS) and 750 (WinMo6), it's exciting to see Palm come out with something new - even if the new model looks similar to the previous 5 models.

Various questions come up: Do I need a Treo 800w? Certainly, the Windows Mobile 6.1 is a bit more advanced the previous releases. And while Windows Mobile 7 is still a ways off, would it be best to wait? Can the 800w be upgraded without issue?

The leaked photo doesn't completely answer all questions, but it does give us an idea of how useful the keyboard is. And the screen size looks as good as previous models.

At this point, it's a wait and see. My Treo 750 running Windows Mobile 6 is sufficient for me now. But you can bet that I will be doing a side-by-side comparison when the 800w comes out, and making my decision after having that hands-on experience.

5 Reasons Why I Don't Use an iPhone (yet)

I see Sammy's updates that he posts from his iPhone. A few bloggers I know have iPhones. Many of the people I follow on Twitter use an iPhone. But as much as I would love to switch to one, I need to stay with my Treo 755p. It's not a bad phone. I've got it configured to how I want it and it's very stable. But I still get that lust for an iPhone. Here is my current reasons I am holding off getting an iPhone.

1. Applications - I use a ton of Palm apps on my Treo that I need to have access to each and every day. Pocket Quicken, SplashID, Documents To Go, eReader Pro, List Pro and several others that I have all of my important data that I need with me at all times.

2. Tethered access - Using my phone as a modem has really helped a lot. I don't use it a lot, but for the times I need it, it's there and it works. Not having that option would hinder my work and ability to connect anywhere.

3. Copy & Paste - it's such a common function, I am surprised it was left off the iPhone. I am always copying an address, a name, password and everything else from my phone to another application. A basic need that provides so much in the way of usability.

4. Replaceable Battery - Ok, this is one that I could live without and adjust to, but when you are in the middle of nowhere and your battery runs out, it's nice to be able to do a quick swap and keep going. I understand this may not be a possibility for the iPhone, given how all iPods have never had user-replaceable batteries. But it's still something I would like to see.

5. SD card slot - Again, as with the battery, this is something I could adjust to, but it's one of the feature enhancements that would really add a whole new level of functionality to the iPhone.

So there you have it. The first 3 items are critical to my mobile needs. The last two would be nice to have, but I could adjust as needed. Here's hoping that the next gen iPhone can add some or all of these options.

Any Other Twitter Clients for Palm OS?

I recently downloaded the Twitter client MoTwitt, which used to be called TreoTwit. It's freeware and has a well designed look. But there are some differences when compared to other Twitter clients on other mobile devices.

Differences
The client doesn't take up a lot of room, which is nice. Setup for your username and password is easy. And typing in the window works well, and posting a new tweet is simple. The issue is how the program works for doing anything else in Twitter other than posting a new tweet. Most Twitter clients for Windows Mobile, iPhone and desktop clients for Windows and Mac allow you to see a list of tweets from those you sent and those from others twittering to their followers.

MoTwit has functions that call the default browser (Blazer), so you are taken over to the browser to see the Twitter mobile page - http://m.twitter.com/home. This does work, but it can be confusing and cumbersome to switch back and forth between two interfaces for sending and viewing tweets.

Other clients
Using my Treo 750 with ceTwit, all of the functions are part of the program, meaning everything you do in Twitter is all self-contained in the program. No jumping over to Internet Explorer to view tweets. I would like to see MoTwit offer this. They have a good start. I understand it's freeware and the time the developer has to work on it may be limited, but us Twitters want a full mobile client.

Any Others?
For now, it looks as if MoTwit is the only Palm OS Twitter client, unless I have missed others in my search. A call goes out to the Palm OS developers for more Twitter options. I know I would like to see more offerings available.

Trying Out SplashID

In reading yesterday's post by Eivind Flateland on SplashID, I already knew how important keeping a list of user IDs and passwords on my Treo was, as I have been a long time user of eWallet from Ilium Software. And even though I've been a Mac user since 1984, I've relied on Windows for many years as my main computer. But three years ago, I switched all of my personal computing 100% to the Mac.

I have continued to use eWallet, but there is no desktop application for the Mac. So I must rely on having the application on my Treo 755p. The eWallet database is backed up each time I do a HotSync, but there are times when I would like to add new entries on my MacBook Pro.

Now with SplashID, I can have both options. As a new user of this software, it is easy to use and not too difficult to create new entires, categories and card types. The biggest negative so far is that there is no import from eWallet, so I must manually re-enter all of my data. This will be time consuming, but once I am done, I can be assured that my data will be accessible in both places.

So thanks to SplashData, Eivind Flateland and others here on PA that have recommended SplashID.

Going Mobile: Getting A Call While Riding

Good morning Sammy. Not sure how the weather is where you are, but here in Utah, it's starting to get nice. Which means it's scooter time.

And while it's nice to be riding around enjoying the sun and warmth (not to mention the savings on gas consumption), there's a down side. If my phone rings while I'm riding, I've got to let it go until I get to a place where I can stop, answer the phone and see who is trying to reach me.

In the car, I can use my bluetooth headset and take the call. On the scooter, the bluetooth headset will not fit on my ear inside my helmet.

While this is not a big issue (people can wait 10-15 minutes for me to call them back), it does bring up a curiosity... how many people on motorcycles, scooters and other two-wheeled transports defer phone calls? Or are there others that can fit bluetooth under the helmet and take calls while riding, without having to stop?

If there are options, I wouldn't mind hearing about them. It could extend the number of days I ride my scooter without having to stop to return a phone call. Contact me by clicking here.