PalmAddicts

iPhone and TX

Well, I gotta say this iPhone thingy is good, it sort of sucks you in with that big bright screen, gives you a warm welcoming smile and then turns around and laughs in the face of those windows mobile smartphones with their 240x320 screens. Sorry guys, don't mean to be rude but it's kinda nice to be able to see more than just the website logo when the site first appears....on my treo 750v it's scroll city when browsing which seems terribly uncivilised in comparison. But of course it's not all fun and games with the iPhone and those hardcore pda users are going to miss their daily dose of todo lists, RSS, alarms, databases etc etc. I certainly did, which is why I dusted down the ol' TX and pressed it back into emergency action. What a great pda this is...huge screen, wifi, loads of memory, bluetooth and lots more in a lovely slim form factor. I''d forgotten how good some apps look on a big screen and the difference it makes to working with stuff like DocstoGo is amazing. People may say it is dated and wish that Palm would bring out a new pda but when it's as good as this who cares? Okay lots of you...The TX can handle just about most of what you can throw at it and then comes back for more with room to spare. So whilst I do all the fun things like browsing, watching films, email, music and podcasts on the iPhone, the TX handles, without complaint, all the heavy duty number crunching with great aplomb. I think at the moment it's a winning combination and it is helping me to get accustomed to using the iPhone as my numero uno device.

Resco Neews is worth checking out

I gave this palm RSS reader another try as I felt I'd abandoned it too early and I must say it is the best RSS reader app I"ve tried for the palm platform to date. It has this rather odd idea of grouping feeds together by "newspapers" but I don't like this idea as I like to keep feeds apart so I just set up a newspaper for each individual feed. I think it looks better that way and it means you can keep feeds seperate when updating and also when reading them. Adding in new ones is simple too, there is a good search facility within the application itself.

Very usefully, for me anyway, it can import OPML files and can download pictures and I found it to be pretty quick at doing the latter. You can set the settings for each feed individually which is a bonus. The navigation is good too, much easier than QuickNews for example which is a great feature packed app but I feel it is burdened by difficult navigation, as a simple tap on the right dpad in "expanded" mode takes you to the start of the next post. Pushing down on the dpad lets you scroll through the current selected post. Keeping pressing the right dpad will scroll through all the posts. Very good.

Pictures display very well on the treo 680's crisp screen and the app has a nicely rounded, well finished look that lift it above others. I know that's not really THAT important but hey...if you're splashing out the readies for a bit of software it's nice to think you're getting something reasonably special looking...there's nowt wrong with some tasty eye candy. A very useful feature is the ability to export an article via email or to the built in memo app from where it can be cut/copied and pasted elsewhere.

I like this application, compared to the other palm RSS apps out there it is easy to use. Resco have good customer support and are always actively updating their palm software. May be worth trying out?

FontSmoother for Palm

A few years ago, when I had a T3, I installed one of these "font" replacement applications and it fried the T3 resulting in an unpleasant hard reset experience. As such, I have tended to shy away from them...once bitten twice shy sort of thing.

Nevertheless, being the hardy type that I am and having read nothing but praise for this particular bit of software, FontSmoother, I gave it a whirl. I'm glad I did as this has transformed my treo 680 from dull font burdened handheld to super exciting entirely modern type groovy smartphone. You have to see it to believe it.

It's dead easy to install and comes with a selection of fonts to try out. I've found that Charter 18 gives me the best viewing experience on the 680, it's a good size and looks modern and crisp. Quite a few of the sample fonts looked good when displayed in the Launcher but not quite as good in Snappermail. This is important as I wanted the apps that I use the most to be able to take advantage of the software. I think there is a feature that enables you to choose which apps use the font so I presume I could turn it off in certain apps, you can also darken it. These features come under the "advanced" option set.

This app makes a particular difference/improvement to almost every application on my treo, the contacts app looks immeasurably better and more "professional" (horrible word I know) and not like it was designed by a 7 year in after school club and has helped restore the feel good factor to my treo.

There's also a side app that lets you create fonts from your PC to use on the palm. I've used it for about three weeks now without any crashes. It really does transform the look and feel of your palm device. The one thing that irritates me slightly is this...and it has nothing to do with the app at all...if a guy working by himself can produce such a polished app like this which adds a huge degree of freshness to the rather tired looking palm interface then why the heck has it taken Palm so long to do the same to the o/s. If Palm had released a slightly updated o/s with fonts like this we'd have all been singing their praises and marvelling at the updated looking interface. Instead we get left with the oh so 2004 o/s and rely on geniuses like this developer to try and improve things ourself.

Okay, this app won't make you work smarter or get more done with less effort but it will give you a renewed sense of pride and enjoyment of your beloved treo and for that reason it is a wonderful application.

There's a lot of good stuff around at the moment and it won't get worse..

I've been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to not only try out a good few devices this year but also a few different platforms and I have come away pretty impressed by a lot of what I have seen. Many years ago, when my handheld gadget fascination began, I was very much in the palm (well Handspring actually) camp and remained so until about a year ago. I've been through Handsprings, Visors, T3's, Tungsten C's, treo 180, 600, 650 and now onto a 680. Each one has been better than the last.
About a year, a bit disappointed and frustrated by lack of action on the palm front, I went ahead and tried out a couple of windows mobile devices which to be frank, didn't particularly impress. Then along came the treo 750v and I thought, this is much better and makes WM, which can be a difficult proposition and time consuming in comparison to palm, more useable. I've still got a treo 750v and the 680 and also a HTC Vox, HTC P4350 and now a Sony P1i which runs the Symbian UIQ3 platform.

They're all good devices, each with their own good points and bad points too. Often I wish I could take the best bits of each, mix them all up and pour them into one device and I'd be jolly jolly happy with the outcome. From the treo's I'd take the keyboard which is still the best qwerty one on the go, in my view. It's even better with the word completion feature built into WM. From the HTC Vox I'd take the screen brightness and excellent battery life, HTC Audio Player application and form factor. What to pinch from the P4350 is easy, the large 2.8 inch screen. The Sony P1 could donate it's 3G downloading skills, excellent camera and stability.
Whether you go for the palm, WM or Symbian hybrids o/s, bottom line is I don't think there is really a huge amount of difference bwteen them these days although we all know that when palm comes out with the Linux treo it will whap the panties off the others, big time. They're all good as they stand and basically in my view, the most important factor now is the quality of the applications and their importance to the user.
For me, I find the current range and useability of windows mobile apps to be better at the moment than their palm and Symbian counterparts as opposed to any in built superiority of the underlying o/s, in many respects I think the palm o/s is still the best but that's another story. I would never stand up in a crowded room and defend or even laud the windows mobile platform...that's not for me and besides, it's the apps I like first and foremost (along with the rather splendid choice of devices...ahem)
However, that could all change in the next 12 months or so and if a new platform comes along with better apps I'll be more than happy to give that a try. There are exciting times ahead on the handheld front (not for standalone pda lovers though I fear) and one thing is for certain, they will continue to get better no matter which device or platform is your preferred cup of tea.
Happy gadgeting.....

awash with phones at the moment...again

I've been doing a bit of rather frantic juggling, selling and buying of late. I sold the MDA vario 11 which I found to be just too big and bulky and also the HTC P3600. The latter was sold purely to help finance the re-purchase of a treo 750v which I had previously vowed never to go near again...ooops...there you go.
My treo 680 returned from repair and they obviously couldn't fix it so sent me a replacement instead, it had been dropping calls after a couple of minutes. In the interim period I have been using a HTC Vox which is a touchscreen-less windows mobile smartphone and I have to say it has been a very impressive little device indeed, it just lacks 3G to make it almost perfect.
This is my first experience of this particular platform and I have found it to be stable and pretty quick, the applications are easy to use and it has more of a palm feel in terms of look and feel. Those thinking about moving to Windows Mobile should check out this smartphone o/s first ahead of the full WM5 as it is easier to run and manage and less time-consuming in terms of less tinkering behind the scenes being needed.
Much as though I have been enjoying using the Vox, I missed 3G and hence the reason for the 750v returning to active duty.
I thought I could get by without 3G but was clearly wrong, it's important when looking at devices not to be seduced by form factor and looks but to remember what you need the device to do for you and stick to that.

I have been trying out Fleximail, which is available for WM5 and smartphone editions and it is a very good advanced email application. I like it for several important reasons, these being that it adds extra advantages over the built in email app on WM devices. For example, it allows you to set up filters for combatting junk mail on your phone. It also allows you, much like Snappermail does for the palm platform, to lump POP3 accounts together and to retrieve email for these accounts at the same time rather than having to do them individually like the built in app does.
It also allows for HTML email and has full and advanced IMPA support too. There is support for built in keypad shortcuts on the 750v, pressing "s" retrieves email for all accounts. If you are looking for something a little more flexible and more fully featured for your wm device then Fleximail is worth investigating.
There is currently a 40% discount off it at the WebIS online store until Monday using the code MEMORIALDAY2007.

Treoless for a while...

My 680 had been having phone call trouble since I got it a few months back, it fails to hold calls longer for than a couple of minutes but I was loathe to return it for repair under warranty as it would have meant being treo-less for the first time in years. I may have tried out different devices over the past year or so, I'm talking here about Windows Mobile phones, but I have always done so safe in the knowledge that I always had a trusty treo in the background ready, willing and able to be pressed back into service, at very short notice, if the need arose....which it frequently did.
Now that safety net has been taken away and I am flying solo, so to speak, with the HTC P3600 until my treo returns. I was quite surprised to find, when you return a palm for repairs, that it gets sent in "au naturel", virtually as naked as the day it was born...no stylus, battery cover, battery or anything...you're even meant to take off the screen protector. They tell me it should be back within 2 weeks, whether the same one comes back will depend on whether they can fix it I suppose, if not then presumably a new or refurbished working one gets returned.
So, I shall have to press on with the P3600, which in actuality, is no great hardship as it is a very capable WM device...but it's not a treo and therein lies my concern. I was mentioning on my site the other week that the more recent wm devices I have tried out all have one thing in common...they keep getting better. I don't mean better in the sense of better specs, although that is nice and is a fact, but rather better in the sense they are more useable. Useable in that getting around the menus is quicker, dpad support is better all round and if you stick on SPB Mobile Shell then you get an almost Palm like interface that really enhances the user experience.
The HTC P3600 is unquestionably the best WM device I have used to date, it is the quickest around the menus and at opening apps, it has great specs, in a very nice form factor and is a really nice device. It has however been playing second fiddle, up til now, with the treo 680 as the latter has retained most of my day to day pda needs and useage.
Not too worry, I miss having Snappermail as my main email client and I prefer it to the WM email way. Any withdrawal symptoms on this front however have been alleviated by hooking my TX up to the P3600 via Bluetooth and downloading my email via Snapper on the TX. Hoorah! Just like having a treo again.
Before I go, just a couple of things I would like to see on the next treo, that are on the P3600, that I really like....a side jog wheel, GPS for Sat Nav and 3G capability.
Now, only 12 days to go before the treo returns...can I get by?

gadget accessory frenzy

Every so often I just can't help myself and need to splash out on some accessories for my gadgets, sometimes I don't even particularly need them but the thrill of the chase and subsequent purchase makes it all worthwhile...ahem. A couple of things though I've bought recently have proved to be more than useful acquisitions.
Firstly, I bought one of these U20 battery chargers from gpsforless who are based in the UK. It's one of these multichargers and ships with a connector of your choice and a selection of other ones for the more usual phones. It is a pretty big 5400amh battery but is around the size and weight of a normal mobile phone. It's pretty powerful and is good value at £39.99. The pic shows it next to my Proporta mobile charger to give you an idea of the relative sizes.
Secondly, I also got a PDAir black metal case for my treo 680 which is light but offers very good protection, also from gpsforless...they've got a huge selection of treo accessories and are well worth checking out for UK based plam lovers.
Lastly, I finally got around to sorting out my treo 680 music listening situation and purchased the headphone adaptor to enable me to use my favourite (ie only other I own) headphones. I got a decent quality adaptor which seems to be working very well from mobilefun, it may be the official Palm one as they have stuck the palm logo on the picture on their site?? It's good to be back using the treo for mp3 listening as the palm apps, such as PocketTunes and mOcean, are vastly superior to the rather user-unfriendly windows mobile alternatives.

Running a WM5 device and a treo

Who says it can't be done? Nobody actually but that's beside the point.. I've been running an XDA Orbit for the last couple of weeks alongside my (less than trusty) treo 680. The treo takes care of my email stuff via Snappermail, texting and my scheduling whilst the XDA is used for browsing, phone calls (the treo has decided that phone calls are not part of its' job spec for some reason) and various bits'n'bobs such as word and excel documents editing and viewing. The XDA also has a built in FM Radio...this is one of those things I've never had on a pda before and I've found it to be a real boon.
Is palm better than WM? Who can say for sure? There are things I prefer about the palm o/s and there are things I like more on WM5..if I could combine aspects of the two I'd have the perfect pda/smartphone.
The palm o/s is generally quicker around the menus and at opening apps whereas WM, through Opera Mobile, offers a superior internet browsing experience and more reliable syncing. Palm apps also tend to be more intuitive to use compared to their WM counterparts.
I have to say the XDA is one of the nicest devices I have ever owned...it looks and feels good and has that wonderful slim form-factor but still with very good battery performance. The lack of a built in keyboard, for nme, is not a factor as the onboard options and 3rd party software available reduce this to a trifling inconvenience. I'd never thought I'd say this and shhhhhhhh...whisper it very very quietly...Windows Mobile is more stable than palm...yep siree, only one reset in 2 weeks on the XDA and in comparison, numerous apparantly random resets on the treo. Looks like WM is really getting its act together of late.
At the moment, I like them both equally and I 'd hate to have to choose between the two as they both have many things on their side over each other. The Dark side is perhaps not as dark as it was a year or so ago.

all is not lost

I have to say, as this week draws to a close and a continuing cloud of uncertainty lingers and hovers over the palm world, I am now feeling pretty darn optimistic about the future of palm. A week ago, the soothsayers of doom and gloom were forecasting the end is nigh but I, on the other hand, can see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel....and I've not been able to say that for a while.
What is there to be happy about?
Well, there's the news that Astraware have signed up to be an Access partner member (whatever that means)....let's be positive here, Astraware are one of the biggest and best games developers for the pda world and they have shown a commitment here to the palm platform, does this suggest palm is dying? Nope.
Second bit of good cheer? Marc from Chattermail going to palm...would he be doing that if palm was about to die on its feet? The way I see this is that he is going to palm to help them develop some killer email based app for the next generation of the palm o/s...could be wrong of course but hey, he's not going there to advise on the nutritional value of the palm canteen menu is he?
More good news...some innovative apps and games for the palm platform in the last few weeks including Arcade Reality and the visually splendid DialByPhoto suggest to me that things could be a changing for the better.
Yes folks, I have a sneaking suspicion that in a year or so's time we'll be sitting here playing with our new, specced up to the max palm pda's and enjoying the countless benefits of the WM bashing next gen palm o/s. Remember where you read it first...or if it all turns out to be a false dawn, I'd be much obliged if you kindly forget that I ever wrote it.

it's the little things that count

Sometimes, I think that us pda and smartphone owners tend to be a little apologetic about our device useage...we have these great devices that can do so much and can be pretty powerful things yet a lot of us use them for the simpler things in life. There's nothing wrong in this and nothing to be ashamed of. Often, I get the most satisfaction out of my treo by using it for little things or things just happen, that weren't expected, and the treo can suddenly come to the rescue.
For example, I was out last night with a couple of friends, one of whom I hadn't see for years and who now lives in Hong Kong. He'd brought along some pics of his kids and was asking me about mine. Damn, I thought, I should have brought along some pics of my kids but had completely forgotten....not to worry, I had my treo with me and out it come, I opened up Splashphoto and there was a lot of pics of the pride and joys.
Ten minutes later, as often happens, the conversation turned to other friends he hadn't seen for years..bingo...on the treo I also had pics of a lot of these people from a 40th party I was at a couple of years ago. The guy was amazed and it just added so much to the night....or was that the drink?
A couple of hours later we thought about getting some food and in particular, a curry. So I fired up blazer, did a quick search for local indian restaurants and presented the lads with a choice of three. Job done.
Anyway, just shows you how useful a treo/pda can be.