PalmAddicts

Review: Brando screen protectors. I used to be a Boxwave man

Hi all.

Over the years I have used different screen protectors (no-names, Palm-branded, Boxwave, others I can't remember) on different PDAs (Toshiba e740, Palm T3, Zire 72, LifeDrive, two Treos, a couple of iPaqs).

I had concluded that Boxwaves were the best, after a very good experience on my T3. However, I've been less impressed lately. I ordered a Boxwave for my wife's Zire 72, and the fit seems too loose — too much space around the perimeter. And it doesn't really adhere around the edges as well as I would like. Still, when I needed a protector of my iPaq 6955, I bought Boxwave.

And it's been a big disappointment. The protector does not stick well around the edges; for about 30 per cent of the perimeter the protector refuses to hold. It was noticeable enough that I was reluctant to show off the PDA.

Then someone here, and sorry, I can't remember who, recommended Brando screen protectors. I quite like Brando products (see my case review here) and the price is right: US$12, which includes worldwide shipping. So I ordered a protector for the iPaq.

And it's great. It is very easy to get on and off, yet it clings beautifully. The screen image is bright and clear. And with every other protector I've owned I always had at least one or two small air bubbles; with Brando, not one, and on the first try. Now, I need one for my Treo.

The protector has a slightly different texture than most, it seems a little thicker, but that does not impede the screen's functionality at all.

Brando's extensive list of supported models is here.

Screen protectors are a really good idea. The next time you need one, get a Brando.

Review: Big Box of Blox from Astraware

Hi everyone.

I have been playing the new Big Box of Blox from Astraware for about a week now, and I like it.

Which is a bit of a surprise for me, because it is not the type of game I typically enjoy. Blox is sort of Tetris-like, and I dislike Tetris. I have never understood why people spend hours flipping those little boxes around.

But the Blox graphics and game play looked interesting enough to try and I am glad I did. The game play is simple, yet very frustrating. Sets of three blocks fall from above and you have to navigate them left or right or flip them about in an attempt to pile up three blocks either vertically or horizontally. The set of blocks then explode.

The point, of course, is to keep the game going as long as possible. More blocks blown up, higher score.

For me, though, the best parts of the game are the sounds and graphics. The exploding blocks look and sound great, and it is very satisfying when an entire set goes off at once.

Overall, the game has a very sophisticated — and menacing — look and feel.

There are a couple of quirks, though. For one, I find the menu structure a little confusing. Configuring the options could be a little clearer. Also, there is a large area on the left of the screen that is essentially blank. It contains great graphics that certainly adds to the feel of the game, but I wonder if it might be better to make the game area wider, to give you more room to play.

Note, though, that I am playing a pre-release version. While the game feels like a finished product, there may still be tweaking going on.

Blox is offered in Palm OS, Windows Mobile PPC and Windows Mobile SmartPhone editions. I tested the PPC version.

Download the trial version of Blox when it is available next week. It is certainly worth trying out. The game play is simple yet fun and the sound and graphics are a blast. Like little big’s Bubble Ship Boy (reviewed extensively on this site) Blox is great to play when you have a spare 10 or 15 minutes.

Check out Astraware here.

Agendus Pro upgrade: already paid my $10

Hi everyone.

DataViz released version 8 of Docs to Go back in November, but I still have version 7 on my Treo. Why? Because DataViz wants $30 for the upgrade.

Iambic released version 11 of Agendus Pro today. I upgraded my version 10 today. Why? Because Iambic charged me only $10 for the new software.

$10 seems entirely reasonable, while $30 does not. In fact, $10 is so reasonable I would almost pay it even if I was disinterested in the new features. Agendus helps me out every day, and I actually want to support the company that makes it.

Details of the various upgrade costs are here. (The product/version you already own determines how much the upgrade costs.)

So kudos to Iambic for giving me updated software at a great price. And DataViz: if you want $10 from me, offer me v8 at that price. I will pay it immediately.

Rip DVDs and watch on your PDA -- free and easy

Hi all.

Below is an easy how-to guide that will allow you to copy any DVD to your hard drive and then create a file that can be played on your Palm PDA. This will also work for Windows handhelds and players like the Creative Vision:M.

All the products here are free. I have used this method to copy movies I own to both my Treo and a Creative Zen. And yes, this can also be used to illegally copy movies, but don't do that.

This is a simple step-by-step guide and does not explore all the functionality of each piece of software. I just wanted to provide a quick and easy route to movies on your PDA. This is based on a post by mytreo member handquake. I simplified his basic procedure and changed some of the specifics.

Software you will need:

DVD Decryptor: Search for this file. It appears there is a freeware and a retail version of this, but it is not hard to find.

Auto Gordian Knot: www.autogk.me.uk

The Core Pocket Media Player: http://tcpmp.corecodec.org/about

Use DVD Decrypter to rip movies
1) insert DVD, launch Decrypter
2) click on "Tools" then “Settings”
3) choose "IFO Mode"
4) ensure "On Startup" has all three choices selected
5) in "Options" under "File Splitting" select "None"
6) ensure the following are checked: Copy IFO, Remove RC, Remove RCE Protection, Patch M2V Timecode
7) under "Create Additional Files," ensure "Stream Information" is checked
8) under "File Names," ensure both boxes are checked
9) click Ok
10) click "Mode" then "IFO”
11) on the right of the screen, select (single-click) the VTS file with the movie name — PGC [length of movie]
12) click the "Stream Processing" tab just above
13) click "Enable Steam Processing" box, then uncheck all but the first two boxes: the movie (shown as a OxEO-video file) and the main soundtrack for the movie (shown as an Ox80-audio file)
14) click the small File icon on the left of the screen to either select or create a destination folder on the left side of window
15) click "DVD to Hard Drive" icon. The app will now decrypt the DVD.

Encode using Auto Gordian Knot
1) select the folder by clicking on the folder icon to the right of the Input File choice.
2) select the huge VOB file, click OK
3) under audio tracks choose audio stream 0AC3. And select no second audio track.
4) specify output file size under Select the Custom size. Some suggested sizes are: movies: 400MB; one-hour TV shows: 200MB; 30 minute shows: 100MB. You can go smaller but you will notice quality degradation.
5) click on "Advanced Options" to set output resolution. (For the Treo 650, set maximum width to 320.)
6) under codec select XviD
7) click OK
8) click Add Job
9) click Start

When the computer is done, there will be one .avi file in the destination folder specified. Copy this to your SD card and watch it with TCPMP. (You can watch .avi files with some other players, but TCPMP is free and works very well.)

Now you’re all set. Just don’t spill your popcorn on the commuter train tomorrow morning.

Three PDA prices compared

Hi everyone.

It looks like, at least in Canada, the Treo 650 is quite a deal.

Here are three current prices. Each is priced with a new, three-year mobile plan.

HP iPaq hw6515, from Rogers, $349.99

Motorola Q, from Telus, $249.99

Palm Treo 650, from Bell, $99

Some conditions apply on each, of course, but they are basically comparable and it’s interesting to see the price difference, especially when you consider that the iPaq is a fairly old device and it is the highest priced.

Wi-Fi does not stand for wireless fidelity

Hi everyone.

I was just reading an article over at treocentral and read the following: “Wi-Fi stands for Wireless Fidelity…”

I see this all the time and usually just ignore it, but it is worth correcting.

Wi-Fi does not stand for wireless fidelity. It actually does not stand for anything; at most it is a joke on Hi-Fi. Phil Belanger of the Wi-Fi Alliance has stated this publicly. There are many references to this, one is at Wikipedia.

And besides, if it did indeed stand for Wireless Fidelity, what would the term mean? Fidelity, from the Latin fidelitas for "faithfulness," means loyalty, attentiveness, or accuracy of reproduction. Even this last makes no sense, because what is Wi-Fi reproducing?

Wi-Fi is like Kodak: a word that means nothing but sounds good.

Yvonne Sellers is my new best friend

Hi everyone.

Yesterday I said my iPod was no longer working, after a tragic and high-speed concrete incident. Well, Yvonne Sellers suggested trying a simple reset, and now the darn thing is up and running.

Good thing, too. The last time my iPod was working, Tom Corbett, Space Cadet was staring into the small, baleful eyes of a tyrannosaurus rex on the jungle planet Venus. (There are a series of podcasts that feature old-time radio shows; the sci-fi one is here.) Without Yvonne, I might never have found out what happened to the intrepid space adventurer.

I had actually reset my iPod once before, when it simply stopped working one day. This time, though, because of its short-lived freefall, I assumed something inside was busted and it did not occur to me to try a reset.

So, thank you very much Yvonne. Your response showcases the best part of the PA community.

And if anyone else needs it, instructions on resetting an iPod are here.

Farewell to a constant companion

Hi everyone.

I posted here a couple of days ago that I had dropped my iPod but that it had survived the fall.

Not so, sadly. It worked right after its encounter with the concrete but the next morning it would not power on. I left it plugged in overnight but this morning it is still dead. It simply won't power on and the on-screen charging symbol does not display.

I really, really miss my iPod already. Driving, working around the house, walking back from my kids' school — I had my iPod with me. I listened to podcasts and to books on CD borrowed from the library and copied over to the device. In fact, one of the first set of podcasts I ever listened to were Sammy's five minute shows. That was really my first exposure to PA.

It really was, if not a friend, then certainly a companion. And normally I would go right out and buy a new one, but money is a little tight right now and I can't really afford it.

So I am in serious iPod withdrawal. And I hate concrete floors.

---

Follow up from Yvonne Sellers:

Peter, I read of your troubles with your iPod after it hit the concrete floor. I too have dropped my iPod on a hard floor, and thought it worked perfectly afterwards, only to find out it would not power up the next day and I couldn't get it to do anything at all. It even has a small dent in it where it hit the floor. I got mine working again by doing a reset on it. I was freaking because I couldn't stand the thought of being without it. Try going to the iPod homepage and looking up resets. There is a troubleshooting area where I found the info to reset mine and it works fine now!! That was 6 months ago and I've had no trouble since. Good Luck!

Mea culpa: Bubble Ship Boy post

Lesson learned: don’t post in a hurry.

After a conversation with Gary at little big I tossed a quick post up here and I made a couple of mistakes.

The first was mathematical (big surprise). As of June 5, NAMCO’s Galaga was two spots below Bubble Ship Boy. That means BSB was at 27 and Galaga at 29. I had that reversed.

Two, I said Gary is planning to release BSB for Pocket PCs in the Fall. The word “considering” would have been more precise. Apparently, nothing is definite. However, I think raising the possibility of other titles from little big here is a good idea: the added pressure of the public spotlight will encourage Gary to get coding.

I dislike making mistakes. I hate making them in public.

Also, I said BSB 1.1 was out and that release adds volume control. That’s correct, but I should have also mentioned that version 1.2 is also available, which adds a fix for T|X users who had trouble exiting the game.

Anyway, check out BSB. Great game.

PS: I corrected the number in the original post, in case you see both and wonder what I'm on about.

little big's Bubble Ship Boy selling very well

I was chatting recently with Gary Duke, founder of little big mobile entertainment and the creator of the popular Bubble Ship Boy Palm game. I am working on an article and I wanted Gary's input.

He passed on some interesting news about Bubble Ship Boy. The game is number 27 on the games sales list at PalmGear (as of June 5), and Gary is pleased to note this is two spots above the NAMCO game Galaga. NAMCO created Pac-Man.

little big is essentially a one-person shop and it is great to see Gary doing so well. Sometimes nice guys do win.

Bubble Ship Boy 1.1 is out. The update adds variable sound volume, which addresses probably the only negative reviewers mentioned with the game.

Also, new titles from little big may appear in the Fall, including Bubble Ship Boy for the Pocket PC.

Way to go Gary.