If you would like to contribute or send in an article please do- hopefully I will be able to produce versions that run on your PDA over time. Doc and iSilo versions will be available for each article and you will be able to read them direct from the web site but it would be nice to bundle them together in a PDA friendly format so that you can carry articles with you. PS. Watch out for my book 'PDA' which will be released soon. Thanks Shaun McGill
Click the image
on the left to view the mobile editionClick the images on the
left to view the archived articles My upgrade from T3 to IIIx by James Neill (10/07/04)
I recently upgraded my Palm from a Tungsten
T3 to a Palm IIIx. Yes – you read that right. And things feel better than
ever. Letter me explain why …
I’ve been using Palms for a long while now (even tried Win CE and Psion before coming back). The earliest entry in my Palm Datbook is January 1999 and I’ve moved from a Palm III to IIIx to TRG Pro to Handspring Pro to Sony SL-10 to Sony SJ-22 to Sony TJ-35 to Palm Tungsten T3. There may even be a couple in there that I’ve missed.
I’m a real PDA user in that my Contact, Calendar, ToDo list is managed on the device. I’ve constantly upgraded mainly because I’m a bit of a gadget freak and wanted to play with colour, watch movies, listen to MP3s and surf the net, etc.
However in the last few months I’ve noticed something. I wasn’t using my Palm! I would write things on paper and then transfer things to my Palm.
Meanwhile when I did use my Palm it was always about getting the perfect set up. Whether it was trying to get Zlauncher set up or using JackSprat to remove the old ROM versions of the programs I’d upgraded. Or trying to get all the Infocom adventures on the Palm to use with ClieFrotz. All in all a bit of an obsession really, and I wasn't getting any real use out of it.
I also noticed an increasing rate of crashes - as much to do with my tampering as anything else, or so I thought. I made a conscious decision not to mess about – but still noticed a level of unreliability in the latest Palms that simply did not exist in the old days. I also had an increasing frustration with the T3 in that it was to fancy beyond its capabilities. The slider was a gimmick that got in the way rather than helped. So I dug out my trusty Palm IIIx. Boy – what a difference!
The Palm IIIx was the finest of the early Palm devices (the IIIxe was the same with more memory – 8MB – but I have a TRG xtra xtra pro in my IIIx J).
In those days the rate of change at Palm was slow. The device was elegant in it simplicity. The basis for PalmOS was on being able to do standard work quickly. With 4 main apps (Datebook, Address, To Do List and MemoPad) and 4 hardware access buttons on the bottom of the device - it just didn’t get any easier. Add to this graffiti text entry and it really was a valid and efficient replacement for the filofaxes of the time. But best of all – you could download these tiny programs which could do so much more. But they always did things in a simple way. Some of these programs were
- Certicom Securememo – Encrypted version of the memopad for all my passwords and PINs.
- Datebk3 – It had timezones – which was just what I wanted.
- AvantGo – I could sync and read the news on the way to work. It always works and never crashed.
- Bonsai – An outliner for recording all the things you had to do (more structure that the To Do List)
- iSilo – Very easy document reader with little pictures.
- Citytime – Should I really be calling my work colleague in Melbourne right now. And wow a little map too!
- Galax, Vexed, Void, PalmFrotz were great little games that kept me amused for hours sometimes.
- CruiseControl for getting that little bit of extra performance out of the device. Although you were never quite sure if it really worked.
My Palm IIIx never crashed. It worked all day. I could read eBooks at night or when on a plane for hours at a time. When the battery got low I popped in another set. It was perfect.
Contrast this with how I feel about the later Palms. The introduction of 320x320 messed things up to start with. The programs were never designed to do this and seeing a mix of low-res, hi-res and pseudo hi-res (anyone remember the HiRes Preference Panel on the Sony?) ruined the whole feel.
Must have been similar to when MS-DOS first loaded MS Windows 1. No real value comes form hi-res. Anything than needs this amount of screen real-estate should be a PC programme and not a Palm one. The introduction of colour was only marginally less of a cock-up. It meant meaningless graphics were introduced that ate up valuable memory. This I think was the start of “look what my Palm can do” show off features and a move away from the simply functional device that was the foundation of Palm.
Since then we’ve had hi-res and colour, more memory and external flash memory. The introduction of Flash memory was an event all by itself. Who would have introduced a feature than couldn’t be used? All these add-on apps were needed (eg, PowerRun , MS Mount, et al) in order to use it. It wasn’t until VFS was finalised that standard access mechanisms were in place and relatively reliable.
All of this evolution has added complexity and enticed Palm programs to become more than I think they should be.
I kept investigating new programs as I upgraded for Palm to Palm because the Palm could run them and it was cool to watch it do so. Some of these programs were
- Kinoma – movie player than ate up batteries only slightly slowed that it ate up my SDCard
- Various MP3 player – Wow, this is cool. But why didn’t I just listen to my Hi-Fi sitting 10 feet away?
- The latest and greatest games. All of which had the wow factor but were never as good a my PC games
- Internet Browser – Again, this was cool. But I don’t think I ever really used it other than to check that my PC Bluetooth or GPRS was working.
- Phone SMS – Took longer to get it to connect to the phone and download than it did just to type the damn message on the phone.
- Doc-to-Go – I could just about read a Word doc – but would never consider reading a spreadsheet or writing a word doc in anger. It was there to show off to the PocketPC crowd that Palms “could do that to”.
The point I’m trying to make is that I really used those old programs and they helped me organise my day (business apps anyway). They were functional programs and I was getting things done by using them. I could rely on them.
I have some conclusions to bring the piece to a close.
- Hi-res does not matter. There is no benefit. Anything needing 320x320 should be a PC app and not a Palm App
- The introduction of Palm OS5 and a short product lifecycle has made things more complicated and unreliable.
- Pure simplicity and function has gone out the window in favour of the latest and greatest features. It’s like Palm is trying the catch up with Pocket PC rather than differentiate.
- The introduction of rechargeable batteries and resulting lower battery life has impacted Palm’s ability to compete with Pen and Paper. Have you ever been to a meeting or on a trip and though best to use paper – just in case the batteries go flat.
- Any Palm that connects, controls or communicates or otherwise endeavours to link or sync with something else other than a PC/Mac is a waste of time, prone to error and hours of frustration. Just don’t bother – and Palm should not pretend it’s something useful.
- Application size is more a function of unwieldy baggage and unreliability than usefulness. The one exception I’ve come across is Datebk5 – but only because customer support and maintenance is a religion to Pimlico rather than a job J. No Palm III user would every have dreamt of an app taking more that 500k – what could it possibly do with 500k of code.
So I’m sat here now with my Palm IIIx. It’s got Datebk3, Bonsai, Keyring, TiBR, Plucker and a few games on it. My T3 is in a box and about to go on ebay and I finally feel comfortable with my Palm. I have no urge to try and find the next best program for it and I know my data is safe in it and then it won’t crash (probably not anyway) because it has no buttons that say “Bluetooth” or “Wireless Lan” or “WebPro” on it J
How do you read your ebooks? by Antonio (09/07/04)
It's taken me some time but I think it's now safe to say that I can finally read ebooks on my Palm with ease. Up until recently I usually had difficulty in actually letting myself go while reading; I was constantly thinking "Oh look! I'm reading an ebook on a smart little digital machine! Isn't this cool!" and never really focused on what I was reading.
Suddenly, a breakthrough. I'm not sure what has changed, it could have something to do with the fact that I recently purchased the Pro version of Palm's E-Reader software (by the way, the 50% discount offer is still on!) or perhaps it's because I'm more relaxed now that I'm enjoying my summer holidays... Maybe I've simply trained my eyes and my mind to read from a digital screen. It's taken time though.
I'm on my second Palm, an efficient and lovable Tungsten E. On my previous Palm IIIxe (which I still use when outdoors in the sun) I never dared read more than rapid notes and I could never read comfortably in the evenings and at night due to the old LCD screen. The TE has allowed me to squeeze so much more out of my Personal Digital Assistant - I couldn't imagine myself without one. But back to ebooks.
I've tried more or less every single ebook reader out there (haven't we all ? :) and they are all quite good. Then again, they all do the same basic thing: flash letters across the screen. Some do it with more flair and care than others - a personal favourite of mine was Read Them All (RTA) because of its clever autoscroll feature. Instead of the letters sliding continuously down the screen it would have lines printing themselves from top to bottom and then back up to the top again, and so on (try it, I can't think of a better explanation).
I miss that feature because I get very irritated by the jerky autoscroll that ALL other readers have. It's just not S_M_O_O_T_H enough for me. I must be too fussy though because I never read other people complaining. I'd like to hear other people's opinions; could it be that Palms with more powerful CPUs do it better (smooth autoscroll)? And what about those lucky s..., ahem, people that have a Sony Clie' TH55 (sigh!)? That's supposed to have a dedicated graphics chip - does that mean that the screen is silky smooth when autoscrolling or does the page still tear and stutter? Any comments..?
Nonetheless, like I said, I now manage to concentrate better on the words and their meanings rather than how they present themselves to me onscreen. I think part of this step forward is also due to the fact that I've started buying ebooks. Before I was using free readers to read free ebooks. The books were often not really that good or interesting, apart from the odd classic, so that meant that I was probably just reading for the fun of it, getting bored quite quickly and cursing at those jittery letters as they plodded along my screen.
Now I buy my books and, obviously, I choose ones that interest me. Hence, I'm more focused on the content. And I now enjoy my reading.
However, it would be wonderful to have a bigger, wider screen (anyone say TH55 ?) to make the experience even more comfortable. I imagine that the lucky g..., ehm, users that have a T3 or a (gulp) TH55 all use landscape (horizontal) when reading their ebooks. Heck, I use landscape on my 320x320 TE screen; the Palm feels more comfortable to hold. And I'm training myself for an upgrade - got to build those muscles in my hands :)
What about buttons? I still revert to 'manual' page changing every now and then so as to save my eyes from the dreaded advance of wild twitching letters. I often dream of a Sony Clie' style jog wheel instead of my clunky TE pad - just a quick flick instead of an awkward push every seconds would be so nice. It doesn't have to be a TH55; even the TJ models have clever jog wheels!
I could continue but I'll stop here - I've been staring at my Palm screen for several hours now. First reading an ebook, now typing up this pointless thought of mine.
Better get some fresh air ;)
Crossroads... by Shaun McGill (21/06/04)
There comes a time in every industry which could be described as ‘make or break’ and I believe the PDA industry is at that point. The recent announcement by Sony that they will not produce any Palm OS PDAs for the rest of the year (in reality- ever) focused a lot of people’s minds on where this industry is going. There are a few factors which will determine what happens over the next 12 months and if we think forward a bit we can guess where we will be in June 2005.
The primary factors threatening PDA development are:-
Smart Phones- many people consider these to be PDAs anyway so they are not exactly a big threat but we must consider the probability that very few PDAs will be made soon without at least GSM connectivity included.
Profitability- it is well known that Sony did not do well out of their Clie range and this must have been the primary factor in stopping production. My guess is that the other PDA developers struggle in this area as well apart from pa1mOne who whilst they are still struggling they are slowly showing more positive figures.
Image- the image of the PDA is still poor and although it is getting better they still do not invoke the emotions of the newer mobile phones and games consoles. Maybe one day all PDA owners will be cool…:)
This is purely a guess but the most negative view of the PDA industry in one year from now is that-
Sony do not re-renter the market (highly likely)
Pa1mOne concentrate on Smart Phones with a couple of very low end PDA models (likely)
Pocket PC developers start to drop away and we are left with just a couple including HP (possible)
The most positive view would be the exact opposite of the above but I must admit that I am seeing a Smart Phone driven market here with less and less PDAs in development. If you have a view on this please express them in the forum.
PDA Games - Horses for Courses? by Mike Featherstone (16/06/04)
In order to win my custom, PDA game
developers must tread a very fine line and not all of them manage to do it
well. On the one hand they need to produce something that I will find both
playable and entertaining over the medium term, while at the same time avoiding
the creation of a monolithic piece of software requiring complicated
interaction that is simply unsuited to my handheld use. To understand what I
mean, you need to understand my attitude to handheld computing in general.When I have a computing task I need to perform, my first act will be to reach for my PDA. This is by far the most convenient platform to use for most things as it requires no 'Boot' time and I don't need to 'go to the computer' in order to get a job done. Not all tasks are suited to it, however. Where this line should be drawn is a very personal value judgement, of course, but once it has been crossed, I'm not afraid to get up and use the PC (at work) or the laptop (at home). My use of PDAs is about convenience rather than religious conviction, you see. I'm not out to 'use the PDA at all costs'; rather, I will use it if it is the most effective way of completing my current task. That's not to say that I won't spend time and energy making 'common' tasks PDA friendly; I will, but that's different to persevering in using a piece of equipment that is simply unsuitable for the job at hand.
For me, the same is true when it comes to playing games. My game playing history runs along the Sinclair Spectrum line through a brief Amstrad flirtation and then onto PCs and more lately PDAs - but only in a limited sense. If I have a couple of hours to kill and decide to play a game (a rare event these days) then my first choice will always be the laptop, not the PDA. A large screen, keyboard and mouse/joystick will always outperform a small screen/stylus when playing, in my opinion. (If I had a dedicated games machine, I'd use that; but as it is I don't.) This leaves PDA games for those occasions when a spare five or ten minutes, with the potential for numerous interruptions, need to be filled and a game seems the most interesting way to fill it.
This pattern of use, of course, immediately rules out a whole raft of PDA games (both written and potential) as being too labour intensive, requiring too much concentration or too much time or (in some cases) too good a concept of the tactical arena in which the game is taking place. I loved the demo of Warfare Incorporated, for example, but haven't bought it because I see it as a game for a bigger platform. I can spend hours playing Command and Conquer and its 'descendants', but on a 17" Monitor, but not a handheld display. Trying to keep mental track of a battlefield scenario in the time between my 5-minute game sessions is just a little too much to ask. (Of course if I were given a free copy I may eat my words but how likely is that?).
Simpler games like Star Command or Gaxian Tri Ball can be equally challenging, though not in the same way, but they have the overriding advantage that they can be picked up and put down at a moments notice and then not touched for a couple of days without losing the thread of play. Other games such as Cave Run are slightly less easy to put down instantly - well you can, but picking it up again is always a dicey operation (!) - but have such a short game span (in my hands) that they still manage to meet my criteria for handheld gaming.
Admittedly, with the T3, the impact on the battery is also becoming a factor in my handheld games of choice. Given too quiet a day at the office and the right game, I'm sure I could easily run through a couple of full charges if I tried (and nobody was around to notice).
I realise I'm missing out on a whole area of palmtop use and I'm also aware that attitudes change over time. The P in PDA stands for Personal after all but I can't be unique in this attitude to handheld games can I?
Retro... by Shaun McGill (12/06/04)
Maybe it's just a phase I am going through but if I am a lot of
other people seem to be going through the same thing- a passion for Retro
styling. I have always had a 'thing' for nice watches and recently srated to
look at Retro LED Digital Watches from the 1970's. I remember having a bionic
watch which was the first in my primary school and I loved it to bits! It would
be great to find one again so if anyone knows where to get one PLEASE let me
know:)In the picture above you can see a Vintage Velis Digital LED Watch which is currently for sale on eBay for £54 and whilst it looks stunning (to me) there are some that reach four figures in value. There's something very special about the thich metal and dark glass styling that looks just so clean and functional. Add the red LED numbers and we have a design classic.
Of course the much more popular style was the LCD Digital Watches
which most of us have probably owned at one stage. This picture is of a TISSOT
LOTUS F1 DIGITAL LCD WATCH which is apparently quite collectable. It looks
quite awful really but for some reason I would not be ashamed to wear it and it
rather reminds me of my youth which is a nice thing. Some companies actually make LED watches including this one who will sell you a brand new model for under £50- it looks good but there's something special about wearing a genuine 30 year old model that it still in working order.Maybe it's my age but I am a little bit fascinated by retro gadgetry at the moment...
If anyone out there has a 1970's watch they would like to sell let me know...
Skins… by Neil Brown (12/06/04)
This is more of a musing than a true "PDAThought," although it may encourage some of you to experiment with your devices. For some time since getting my T3, I was more than happy with the default PalmOS launcher- I only had games and documents on my memory card, so there was no problem in not being able to sort them internally. It was only when I was chatting to Shaun that I became hooked on the idea of finding a launcher for my PDA- whilst I did not think I needed the extra functionality at the time, I decided that I simply wanted to change the way my PDA looked- to personalise it. Shaun was using LauncherX, Gavin ZLauncher, and I used to use MegaLauncher on my Clie, so I had a reasonable idea as to what was on the market- I also knew that I was going for looks, rather than number of functions, so things like HiLauncher, whilst a very sensible practical solution, was just not what I was looking for.
Well, after discovering the MegaLauncher was not updated for HiRes+, I decided it was down to ZLauncher and LauncherX- after trialling both, I went for LauncherX, as it was simple to set up, and, importantly, was skinnable. Whilst there are probably more skins available for ZLauncher, it just seemed too much effort to set it up to something simple, whereas LauncherX could be basically configured in seconds. The tabs I configured then have not changed since- as I said, I wanted looks rather than functions, although the tabbed interface was something that I did indeed miss from my MegaLauncher days.
I know that a lot of people stick with the default launcher, or the default skin on their new launcher, but, I wanted my PDA to be just that- MY PDA. So, I set about the task of finding something which could personalise it a bit, and make it more of what I wanted it to be. For me, there were a couple of important features of a skin- it had to be "clean"- no complicated glitzy interfaces for me, and it had to have a matching DIA available. I like the idea of having a consistent theme- it seems to add to the harmony of the device, and just makes things nicer to use. I have changed the default DIA as soon as I could, as I did not like the spacing between the icons- luckily Jeff Hrycak released the "Clean" skin around the time I was looking to change, so I immediately opted for that. It did make my T3 look better, but was not a big enough change for what I wanted- I did still want a decent skin for LauncherX.
After browsing through the selection available on the net, and trying out several, I eventually opted for BlackHide- it seemed right at the time, and had a matching DIA and Pocket Tunes skin (more on this later.) I must have used BlackHide for a good three months, I reckon, and was more than happy with it. However, something struck me yesterday that it was too intense. I admit that it might be an odd emotion to feel for a PDA colour-scheme, but, that was exactly what I experienced- it made the device seem complicated, even though the skin itself was clean and simple. Looking at it now, I guess it is the combination of the red and the black- I liked it for a substantial period of time, but, whilst I still have it installed, I just don't see the attraction to me anymore.
Whether it was coincidence, fate, luck, or just good timing, I have
no idea- but the Gant skin yesterday shouted out "try me;" and so I
did. This new skin has a far less intense feel about it- it is a light silver,
with some soft colours. I never thought I would be a fan of that type of thing,
but, times change, I guess. I have no intention about going on and on about the
skin, other than to suggest that it is one worth checking out, but rather and
just going to say that I am glad I opted to explore the idea of skins.A PDA can be a very impersonal experience, if it is used as little more than a glorified calculator. I have no real problems with people who choose to use them in this manner- it is a personal choice, after all, but, as I spend so much time in the company of my PDA, both for purposes of this site, and just general usage, I do appreciate the facility to make it look how I want it to look. I am not sure that I am the type of person who will bother to change the skin much, but, I think that if the mood takes me, I might switch it a bit.
Pocket Tunes is a different kettle of fish, however- I need this
skin to be practical, as well as just look good. Once I had moved away from the
BlackHide theme on my T3 as a whole, I could no longer keep that skin on Pocket
Tunes- so it was back to the net again. Luckily, the Pocket Tunes website has a
good list of skins, so I merely trawled through these. There was nothing which
directly correlated with Gant2, so I ended up choosing two skins- PS2 (even
though I do not have a PS2- I just thought it looked cool, but still rather
intense), and Cyberline. I currently have Cyberline functional, and, whilst it
will take some getting used to, I think it will stay. I can see all the
essential information I need in one go (and some extra bits I am not used to!),
and it has all the necessary controls easily accessible. To some extent, a skin
is a waste of time for me on PocketTunes, as I have the screen set to auto-off
after a very short time period, as most of the time, I will simply have the
device on my belt whilst listening to mp3s. When I do want to look at the
screen, though, I want it to look nice.
This PDA Thought doesn't really have a conclusion, although I guess
I am just encouraging those of you with skinnable applications to get out and
have a look at what is available. If not, I would suggest perhaps having a look
for a launcher which can accept skins- whilst you may need nothing more than
the default launcher in terms of function, having something which looks the way
you want can make a great deal of difference, giving more pleasure when you use
your PDA. For the mean time, I will be sticking with a very simple, clean
setup- why not see what a skin could do for your PDA? Getting old... by Shaun McGill (06/06/04)
I reach 34 years of age tomorrow (or yesterday by the time you read this) and it's finally dawned on me that I am getting old and should be more than I have become. As the years progress I must admit to not having aged well- with almost all of my hair gone and a few wrinkles appearing I have managed to cultivate the look of a 45 year old a decade early. No doubt this has been down to smoking which is probably the single most likely habit to age you quickly and it's probably about time I stopped. Drinking has never been a problem for me as I tend to feel sick after 3 pints of lager (spot the typically hard Scotsman:)) and my hair loss can be attributed to the men on my Mother's side who all lost their hair (my Father and Grandad have/had all of their hair) but if you are in the same position and someone calls you baldy just say that "grass doesn't grow on a busy road"...
It's funny how we judge our success and where we should be at a point in our lives- I suspect the majority of us lose site of what really matters and tend to look at things materialistically. I often think that my family should be in a bigger house, have a better car and more money in the bank and that would make us happy- obviously that's not true but it is one of the few measurable things to show how successful people are. Living in a selfish, materialistic society does not help but it's difficult not to get drawn into competiting with others who have more.
My wife and children mean everything to me and are the single biggest successes in my life but I think I'm getting to that age where I need to reach what I am capable of and to think about myself for once. I work as a Customer Service Manager for a Telecoms company and whilst it is not a bad job maybe it's time I started to use my strengths and not just line the pockets of share holders. The web site takes up a lot of my time and generates little income so I have to wonder why I do it when it gives no material benefit for my family- I enjoy writing on the site and getting the odd scoop and am proud of what it has become but at some stage it needs to generate some pay backand I'm sure this is a deliberation all of those webmasters who gave up have had.
Three seperate parties in the past 4 months asked about
purchasing PDA247 and every time they were either just wasting my time or
simply stopped contact which got a bit annoying. This is not another one of my
'I've had enough of PDA247' rants but the time may come when reality needs to
kick in and I ask myself why I am really doing this.Maybe I am having a mid life crisis to go with my mid life looks and I should think a lot more about people who have less than me rather than the ones who have more. It's not easy to do when you are born with more than your healthy share of pride (arrogance:)) and just have to be the best at everything but I will attempt to do so.
Anyway, I don't know why I wrote this article- I promise the next one will be PDA related:) If you are wondering why there's a picture of a watch here that's because it's the very material present my wife gave me for my birthday and I love it dearly.That's another thing I need to lose- my obsession with old and retro styled watches...:)
Why did Sony make the announcement? by Shaun McGill (01/06/04)
Why did Sony announce that they would not be making any more Clie
models this year? Despite the fact that they have a very frequest release cycle
for new models most people would not have noticed a 7 month gap before the next
machine. The only people who would notice are the Clie Source members and the
regular visitors to the other PDA sites. I can see no other reason apart from
Sony 'softening us up' for the complete closure of
Clie development.We all know that the Clies have not been a success and whilst many of us have been very impressed with them the majority of PDA users look elsewhere and non-PDA users tend to go for the established PDA names like Palm and iPaq before anything else. Sony's failure to market the Clie product line is reminiscent of Psion a few years back who managed to kill themselves off through lack of marketing.
So, where does this announcement leave the Clie owner today?
Support: never a strong point of Sony's in my opinion. My experiences with their support teams, especially the American one, have been nothing short of terrible and I have concerns about where we are left now. If a problem is found will an update be released? Will the TH55 Clie Organizer ever be updated so that it works? Will their support team numbers be reduced? Of course this is all negative speculation but my main concern is that software updates continue...
Value: the value of your current Clie could go one of two ways. Up: the Psion range of PDAs still command very good prices with 5mx's still fetching well over £120 most of the time and this applies to most of their other PDAs too. Down: it is more likely that the value of your current model will drop like a stone because PDAs today are not built to last- batteries fail (can be replaced though), digitizers start to lose their digitizerness (new word!) and various other bits seem to fall off on occasion. It will be very interesting to see what happens on eBay over the next few weeks.
New software: the most worrying aspect will be that certain 3rd party software developers will completely ignore the quirks found on some Clie models. Concessions have been made for the slower UX and TH processors, the Sony specific sound API and the UX landscape screen but in a few months what incentive will developer's have to spend so much time developing multiple codes when simply making their program work on a T3 will be enough to grab a big slice of the market. Considering that the recent Clie sales have been so poor the incentive becomes even less...
Nothing's changed: to many people this announcement will make no difference at all- their Clie still works as it did yesterday and they are more than happy with what they have now and this would be the best view to take at this time.
Few people would doubt that Sony changed the Palm OS market and possibly had a big influence on the Pocket PC market as well- without them pa1mOne would probably not have made the Tungsten series or many changes in the past 2 years and we really do have a lot to thanks Sony for- hi-res screen, hi-res+ screens, MP3 enabled Palm PDAs, integrated cameras, movie recorders, flash players and the list goes on. Sony tried hard early on to take this market to a new level and they succeeded but sadly for them they only succeeded in making everyone else sell more PDAs. Quite how this happened I will never understand because the Clie range is much, much better than the pa1mOne range in many aspects but it seems that the consumer wants simplicity and a certain style to go with the brand name and that's something pa1mOne always do well.
Where now? The PDA market is in turmoil at the moment- Sony drop out, Dell buying pa1mOne?, Microsoft not too keen on Pocket PC anymore?, the corporate PDA market catching the consumer market very fast, SmartPhones everywhere in Europe and the East.... There is a trend 'away' from PDAs and you have to wonder if people like Tapwave will be making PDAs next year?
Despite their support and occasional dodgy PDA I would personally like to thank Sony VERY VERY much for what they have done in the PDA market- for me personally they rejuvinated my interest after the Psion range bit the dust and generated a lot of excitement in PDAs for people like me. They will be missed and if by chance they do make a PDA next year I will still be a fan...:)
Comments
What My PDA's Task Management Software Should Do For Me by Mike Featherstone (12/05/04)
Recently, I reviewed ToDo Plus from Hands High Software, which prompted me to think about what I want from my task management application. Rather than clutter up the review, I decided to spin my thoughts off into a separate article and this is the result.
The key to this piece is in the title. This is about what I want my PDA's task management software to do for me. If I've just paid out for a new PalmOne T3, for example, I absolutely don't want to have to spend more money on a piece of software to perform a function that is supposed to be built into the unit.
Unlike PCs, handheld computers are marketed very strongly as 'personal organiser replacements'. To the average man in the street (i.e. me!) this implies that they will do all of the things that I used to do with my trusty old leather filofax (yes, I do have one....somewhere) and also suggests that these jobs will get done faster and more efficiently than they used to. While this is generally true of the PDAs themselves, the problem comes when the software supplied with them doesn't do its job as well as it could.
If you were just buying 'a computer' when you paid out all that hard earned cash for your PalmOS device, then taking pot-luck with the software you received seems fair enough. You didn't specifically pay for it after all; you paid for the machine that runs it. Anything extra you got as part of the package is a bonus, even more so if you actually found it useful. (In these days when MS Windows is bundled with every PC, of course, this computer analogy doesn't work as well as it used to!)
If you were buying a 'Personal Digital Assistant', however, and not 'just a computer', then I believe you should have a much higher level of expectation regarding the functionality of the built-in software. You're not just paying for a machine in this case, but also the PIM applications that come with it and are supposed to offer you facilities to help run your life. You are, in effect, buying a 'boxed solution' to an organisational problem, rather than just a piece of hardware on which a solution may or may not be implemented by someone else at a later date.
I guess my point is that if a manufacturer sells a product (in this case a PDA) into a specific market to fulfil a defined function, they must make sure that the device in question is up to doing the job as well as the best of the competition in both hardware and software terms. I'm not saying that any of the current suppliers are actually failing in this task, but at heart they are hardware manufacturers and thus have a certain bias in their focus - and probably in their expenditure. With the spin off of PalmSource from PalmOne, this has begun to change, as have the attitudes of the manufacturers themselves. Witness the new PIM applications shipped by both Sony and PalmOne with their newer devices.
The fact that there are still 'better' independent applications out there, which people seem to buy in their dozens, suggests that the PDA suppliers still haven't completely got to grips with the issue. Yes, everyone's needs are different and I accept that it's highly unlikely that a single application can meet absolutely all of them. It is the responsibility of the suppliers to do the absolute best they can to meet as many of those needs as possible, however. The functionality of the PIM software should be equally as important to PalmOne, for example, as the screen brightness, robustness and battery life of the new Zire 72 and should be funded and prioritised as such.
Maybe this already happens, I'm not in a position to say either way. The state of the market in replacement (or extension) PIM applications, however, suggests that there is still more to be done in this area.
So what should my PDA's task manager do for me? For my purposes, a good PDA built-in task management application should be able to:
| 1. | Store and display tasks with or without a due date |
| 2. | Separate tasks into categories that I define |
| 3. | Permit the attachment of notes or drawings to a task (OK, I can live without drawings) |
| 4. | Display a list of all tasks for a specified category or combination of categories |
| 5. | Display all tasks due before a date I specify (assuming those tasks with no dates to lie in the past so that they also get displayed) |
| 6. | Do no's 4 and 5 in combination so I can see all tasks for my specified categories due before my specified date |
| 7. | Permit an alarm for each task at a specified time on either the due date, or a specified number of days before it |
| 8. | Permit me to 'snooze' the alarm, once raised, for a period I define at the time (selection from a pre-set list would be acceptable) |
| 9. | Permit a single layer of sub-tasks to be specified |
| 10. | Integrate with my Calendar application to display due tasks on the appropriate page for the due date (my old Psion 3 series PDAs could do this ten years ago!) |
| 11. | Use the full screen area available on my device |
| 12. | Come supplied with the handheld/PDA of my choice as part of the built-in suite of standard/operating system software |
Is this too much to ask?
Paranoid? by Shaun McGill (02/05/04)
Is the internet a good thing? This is a question I have battled with for a long time and I still can't work out if it is or not. I'm 33 years old so the Internet has been readily available to me since I was about 25 years of age- thus it's strange that I cannot remember what life was like before the internet was part of our lives.
I only got a PC (in 1997) because I wanted to back up my Psion and download programs for it. Sounds daft but all of my computing needs were catered for by the Psion range up to that time. Many hours were spent checking the Compuserve boards for new programs and sending and receiving the occasional email, unlike today where getting over 100 emails a day is the average...
As time progressed I used the internet more and more and started a Psion site called FileGrabber. The main change for me happened when I took a new job within my company and realised that the bulk of contact with customers and colleagues was via email. This was good initially but over time it dawned on me that with email you easily be overrun with requests, complaints, things to do etc. etc. Here are my 'pros and cons' of the Internet-
PROS
Information on almost any subject at your fingertips whenever you need it
Time saving- online banking, bill paying etc.
Email- can help you keep contact with people you normally wouldn't have time to speak to
CONS
Privacy- if you use online banking, purchase goods and visit lots of web sites a LOT of your personal information is available to respectable and not so respectable people
Pressure- takes a lot of effort away from researching for job applications and doing homework and thus evens the playing field for many people. This can be a good thing but it also meas that person's intelligence (and effort) is not always recordable with so much information a click away.
Stress- allows constant contact, especially at work, and is no doubt responsible for a lot of the stress people suffer from now more than ever.
Anonimity- how many of us feel safe that out business is our own? You are sat in your house but your details are everywhere and accessible at any time- gone are the days that people would have to 'send off' to get information about you.
Progress is always a good thing but there is a part of me that would love to be sat in my garden writing this and to know that I am quite anonymous 100% of the time. This article is ironic as it will appear on the internet but I just would like to experience a non-Internet world for a week or so and to lose mobile phones as well which are also a pain most of the time. Doesn't mean I could live without either...:)
Security, Encryption and Personal Financial Management by Gnam (26/04/04)
There seems to be increased attention to the security aspects of keeping personal data on a hand-held portable Palm device. This is a rewriting of several 'User-Thoughts' that I have posted on PalmAddict. Some of you may still be interested in knowing the results of my comparison between many different Palm applications dedicated to financial budget keeping. My main focus is, obviously, on the security and protection of my databases that contain my Account Numbers, Pins, Credit Card numbers, movements, investments etc...
Well, guess what..? I haven't been able to find a financial keeping software that allows the user the choice of encrypting its databases! There are many great personal finance applications out there for Palm users - I personally have been using the fantastic 'Ma TireLire' (freeware) for quite some time. Like many other financial apps it has a password protection system on loading up. So everything seemed safe. I didn't worry about prying eyes.
That was until I asked myself what would happen if I were to lose my Palm? How safe would my data be? I already knew that Secure It (a freeware password manager that I use) would still require a password in order to open its databases if beamed or copied (via email, via SD, via Bluetooth) to another Palm but what about my financial archives? Well, surprisingly (for me at least) I discovered that if I beamed 'Ma TireLire' and its relevant databases over to a second Palm it could then be opened without any password protection whatsoever! The database files, unlike Secure It, were not encrypted. The password protection seemed to be linked to Palm's built-in security
Well, I had no right to complain because 'Ma TireLire' is after all freeware. So I started searching for an alternative, prepared to pay for password protection if necessary, yet still hoping to find a freeware alternative.
Guess what..? After having tested the three best selling apps 'SplashMoney', 'PocketMoney' and 'Pocket Quicken' (all three shareware) I discovered that none of these applications succeed in preserving security after being copied or beamed to another Palm!!! Just like 'Ma TireLire' they only use the Palm OS in-built security protection and their database files are easily opened once copied or installed onto a second Palm (or even a Palm emulator on a PC).
Not one to give up, I continued in my search for a personal financial management software that had proper database protection. Sadly, almost all of the applications that I have tested fail to preserve their security passwords once beamed or copied (via Irda, Email, Bluetooth or even Hotsync) to a different Palm ('theft scenario').
Ultrasoft's Checkbook initially succeeded in maintaining its password protection after being beamed or copied to another Palm. However, I sadly discovered that its databases are not encrypted and can in fact be easily read and opened by unfriendly eyes! This discovery came about in a quite ironic manner! You see, Ultrasoft Checkbook comes with a PC .exe file that reads the databases in the backup Hotsync folder (C:\Programs\Palm\UserID\Archive) and converts them to Excel (CSV) files. It works well. It's just a pity that it pays no attention to password protection! It easily converted my password protected files without asking for a password. So that made me do some further tests on beaming the files to and from two different Palms and I discovered that, in the end, its quite easy to open 'stolen' database files (that were password protected).
So there you have it. Unless someone can prove me wrong (and I hope somebody does) there isn't a single Palm application that manages finances AND encrypts its databases. Of all the finance apps that I have tried (and believe when I say I have tried many!) not one succeeds in preserving password protection once the files have been copied to, or installed on, another Palm.
I find that quite shocking to be honest and it makes me very wary of using my Palm for keeping track of my personal financial accounts...
I'm now using 'MyCheckbook' (freeware) alongside 'Ma TireLire' as it's an equally good program. I've exchanged emails with the author, Carl Quick, and he says that he may try implementing database encryption in a future update – time permitting.
On a final note, I just wanted to add that I have also tested some third party programs that allow single, user-chosen, database encryption. 'PDA Defense Professional' (not Standard) does allow the encryption of user chosen .pdb and .prc files but it's a cumbersome process. It involves locking your palm every time at power off. On powering on, after entering your password, the selected .pdb and .prc files remain encrypted. 'PDA Defense' manages to successfully de-encrypt .pdb and .prcfiles 'on-the-fly' when they are called upon (tested with 'Ma TireLire' and 'MyCheckbook') but sadly these database files remain de-encrypted until a future power-off (and password lock). To add even further dismay to my 'privacy paranoia' I was upset to see that 'PDA Defense' automatically de-encrypts encrypted databases (pdb and prc files) at every Hotsync! That meant that my unprotected files were copied over to my hard disk (C:\Program\Palm\UserID\Archive folder) which is not ideal given that I Hotsync at work in an open PC network. May I just remind everyone that it's very easy to take pdb and prc files from the folder on your hard disk and just hotsync to another Palm, or install on a (free) Palm emulator.
I think that PDA Defense Enterprise may also prevent chosen files from being copied over to your PC on Hotsync but the Professional version already costs more than I'd would personally like to spend.
A cheaper, although less practical, alternative is 'TealLock' which also allows chosen databases to be encrypted but only when the device is locked at power off. I would have rather preferred to encrypt only specific databases while using my palm as normal (i.e. no locking at power off). Incidentally, TealLock's software appears to be part of T3's included software and a security update to this implementation can be downloaded for free from PalmOne.
Let's just hope that Palmsource are thinking about incorporating better data protection with OS Cobalt. At the moment things are a little too risky for my liking!
Your PDA: Safe and secure?by Neil Brown (25/04/04)
IntroductionRarely does a week go by in the world of computers, when there is not news about some aspect of security - recent events have included the vulnerability in TCP/IP, the ongoing and ever-more resourceful "phishing" scams, as well as the constant bombardment of viruses. However, little is ever mentioned about security on PDAs, although a lot of confidential, or, failing that, sensitive personal information is often stored on them. Think about it- if you have the names, addresses and phone numbers of your family and friends stored in Address Book, do you really want anyone to be able to access this information? Of course you don't.
Background: on security and preservation
So what do you do? In most cases, people do nothing at all, believing that their PDA is never going to be stolen. As long as the PDA is kept hidden, and not brought out in places where there is perceived danger, they will be safe. Unfortunately, there is very little that can be done to combat this mindset; suffice to say that "security through obscurity" is not a sensible way to protect data. Using common sense principles, such as not flashing your PDA around, will reduce the risk of theft, but will have absolutely no effect on access to stored data if your PDA does go missing. I am happy to admit at this point that there is an important issue here, as to whether the majority of incidents of PDA-theft are motivated by allure of hardware, or allure of the information stored, but, for the purposes of this article, this separation of intention will be ignored.
The second step taken would be to fit some sort of access control, a method of locking to door to the information. Most commonly, this takes the form of activation of the inbuilt PalmOS security, which generally provides for entry of an access code. Other commercial products control access by means of pictures, signatures or hardware sequences. What needs to be remembered with the use of products of this ilk, is that they are only effective as long as they are in place- there is no point having an access key, if you are able to smash the lock. The PalmOS makes it very easy to smash the lock, and thus gain control of the hardware, through the process of a hard reset. This wipes the RAM of the PDA, restoring it to factory settings, or, more accurately, removing everything but the information stored in Flash or ROM.
The question I hear asked is "What is the point in hard resetting to gain access, if all the information is deleted?" And a very good question it is- unless the intention is merely to gain control of the hardware, in which case there is little that can be done to stop the problems associated with the hard reset technique. However, if the information contained within is the target (contact details for related persons), or is simply seen as a bonus to the hardware itself (for example, it would save the need to purchase applications), there may be more incentive to preserve the information for usage.
And therein lies the second problem- preservation of the information. With more and more people placing value on the speed and efficiency of a PDA (none of the problems of "booting-up", associated with laptops), more data is stored, and thus more is lost in the event of an accidental deletion, or hard reset. For this reason, increasing numbers of users are turning toward "back-up" applications, whereby information stored in the PDA's RAM is backed-up onto some form of removable storage. With a back-up in place, it is possible to test applications without the fear of losing important data, or to return to previous copies of documents if one should become corrupted, for example. Where a hard reset is required, all it takes is restoration of a back-up to have your PDA up and running again.
The problem
The problem is when the back-up is stored on an SD card at the time the device is stolen. Most people who use back-up utilities, however, tend to have them on schedules, and thus leave the card in the whole time. Removable storage really becomes expansion storage, in this regard. Whilst the use of back-ups is an excellent way of ensuring that you retain your data, it becomes a method by which your PDA can be successfully exploited, should somebody steal it. They simply do exactly what you would do if there were a hard reset - go into your memory card, and restore all your files- bingo! They have access to everything you did, with the notable exception of applications which themselves have passwords. For this reason, secure applications are probably safe, although I am of the cynical opinion that nothing is secure forever.
Originally, in my thinking on this subject, I felt that it would not be possible to circumvent security settings permanently in this manner- I mean, once you have restored from the back-up, the security settings, wiped in the hard reset, are restored, and usually cannot be altered except by means of a master password, which an unlawful user would not know. However, I realised that, as the security settings are stored in RAM, and are thus backed-up, they must be one of the files which is restored. If that file were not restored along with the rest of them, then the security would remain switched off permanently. With back-up managers becoming more advanced, it is no longer a case of an "all or nothing" restoration- you can pick and choose which files you restore. This way, if you accidentally delete a vital contact, and cannot wait until you return to your PC to resynchronise, you can simply restore the relevant database.
It did not take long to work out which database housed the security settings- "Unsaved Preferences." Thus, if this file is not restored with the rest, full access to the PDA is enabled. The downside of not restoring this database is that all product registration codes are lost- this is not such a problem if someone is accessing your PDA without authorisation, though, as you would not want them to be able to benefit from all your applications.
It can be seen, therefore, that where a back-up utility is used, it effectively renders an access control useless for actual access purposes. If someone notices that you need to go through some sort of security procedure in order to use a particular device, however, it may be enough to put them off from stealing it; what is the point of risking imprisonment for the appropriation of something which cannot be used anyway? If anyone has any determination to get the device, or the information contained, the access control will not be a sufficient deterrent, it is supposed.
Suggested solutions
Although understanding the problem is relatively easy; finding an acceptable solution to this problem is less so. It is arguable that if someone does not know about the PDA, they cannot steal it- "security through obscurity", as discussed above. This is an important concept in terms of loss prevention, and therefore should not be overlooked in this section. If you are careful with the deployment of your PDA, you should be able to avoid the majority of circumstances in which the PDA could be lost. If, however, it is stolen during a burglary, or if you simply misplace it, that approach is rendered redundant.
The second approach would be to use applications whereby each and everyone one of them required an individual password to access, and that this password should be stored in the contents database- thus, if a contacts database were to be restored, the password would be restored along with all the other information. However, unless there is an application which can do this, and you are prepared to have the inconvenience of entering two passwords every time you wish to access a phone number (although there is an argument that individual application access control would make device access control needless).
The third approach would be to consider a back-up utility which required a password to be entered before it would restore the information this would seem a more appropriate solution, as it would enable less inhibited usage of the PDA, except for the one code needed to restore. And, if you are lucky, it is not something you are going to need to do often. As far as I am aware, there is no application which makes provision for this, however, which may be something for developers of back-up applications to consider.
The fourth approach would be to store the back-up files in isolation, away from the PDA itself. By this, I mean in a separate container; there would be no point in removing the card, but storing it in a card-pocket of the PDA case. If you were to use a separate card for back-ups (the maximum you are going to need at the moment is a 64mb card, and that would backup the T3's RAM in its entirety), you could switch it in when you placed the device in its cradle at night, allowed it to back-up via a schedule overnight, and then switch in your "day" card when you remove the device in the morning. This would be an inconvenience, as it is no longer a case of simply picking up your PDA, but, the few seconds that it takes to change the cards over would be repaid via the extra security introduced as a result. It will have no effect in stopping the PDA from being stolen, but it would mean that sensitive information remained with you, rather than with the thief. In addition, although there would be an extra cost, the price of the smaller memory cards is falling, and even a 64mb card is a fraction of the price is used to be, even as little as a year ago. (A search on Kelkoo showed the lowest price of a 64mb SD card, including postage, to be £15) (It could be argued that, if your house were burgled at night, with the "backup" card in place, this system would offer no benefit- perhaps a refinement would be to switch in the card, make the backup, and then immediately remove the card. If you are going to have to remember the need to switch cards, then the theory behind a scheduled back-up is virtually negated, and, as such, this solution may be amenable.)
Conclusion
Currently, there are no perfect solutions to the problem at the moment. The only real way of securing the back up is by making sure it is not near the PDA, and this creates the problem of remembering to change cards, and perform the back up. Without destroying the ease of a scheduled back-up, with the exception of providing an access control for the backup manager, which, as far as I know, does not exist at the moment, little can be done. The trade-off will always be between security, and the convenience of back-ups. It remains the choice of the individual user as to which they consider more appropriate, although recognition of the security, or lack of security, in the PalmOS will be no bad thing.
Why I annoy by Shaun McGill (21/04/04)
I still get a few emails a week complaining about the personal slant taken in the daily PDA247 news articles and even more about the Outspoken Blog. Some are quite polite and ask that the news is given straight but some are very aggressive in particular regarding the Blog. It doesn't really matter anymore as I just delete them- there is a forum on PDA247 and you are well able to add your comments to Outspoken as that is what it is for…
Anyway, that's not why I am writing this, I just wanted to explain why there is a personal slant to the news and why I set up the Outspoken Blog even though it appears to cause animosity with some visitors.
PDA247
The personal slant to the news just happened naturally over time. Clie World started out as just another news site and it became apparent that people liked the humorous touches as the feedback I receive to this day suggests more people are pro the personal slant than against. Try adding 20-30 PDA news articles every day straight down the line with no extra bits and it becomes exceptionally boring. It is human nature to stamp your own thoughts on what you write and I for one think it works well.
There's always a danger of turning it into a blog and it has been difficult to keep a balance between useful news reporting and the sometimes more irreverent articles that pop up each day.
Those of you who complain- just imagine the site reporting the news completely straight. It's an awful thought and would take PDA247 straight into the mainstream and I for one would end of dangling from the ceiling after a few hundred dull news posts:)
To be honest though I never expected my comments regarding George Bush to set off so many angry emails but it is a learning process to see just how patriotic Americans are to their President no matter how other part of the world see him.
OUTSPOKEN
I started Outspoken to generate discussion on a variety of topics that affect us all and on the whole it has been successful. When I see comments on the blog that are quite aggressive from people who have an opposing view that is always useful as it gives me the chance to learn another perspective from my own.
This can then generate some quite 'grown up' discussion which is interesting for all who take part. This for me is a chance to write about something outside of PDAs and technology and you do not have to even view it as it is not connected to PDA247 except for one link and the odd mention when a new article is posted.
So, all I want to say is that the personal touch will stay as the majority like it and the blog will continue. PDA247 will continue as it is now with more sections being added over time and hopefully a redesign in the near future- not a big one, just a few changes to give it more stability than it currently has and a more consistent look across all pages.
A lot of you have asked if I am still looking to sell the site and I have to say that I was never 'looking' to sell it but an offer was made which would have helped my family and I move back home and family will come first if another offer is made in the future. We will just see what happens with that but for the moment PDA247 will just trundle on as per usual…:)
The T3 has cured me... by Shaun McGill (18/04/04)
Up until a few months ago I was just a bit obsessed with my PDAs, always looking for the next machine with just a few more features which I could somehow justify spending £400 on. The next big Memory Stick would have to be mine just because I could avoid having to swap the cards over once every couple of days. Oh look, some software which 'may' be useful- I must have it! I dread to think how much money I have spent on PDAs over the past few years and even taking into account selling the previous model I must have spent £1000's.
Part of it was the fact I had been using Clies and Sony's habit of releasing new machines every other month was too much of a draw to me and I tended to stick with them as I stupidly owned a 1GB MS Pro (over £500 at the time!).
It's interesting that now I have a Tungsten T3 I for the first time in a long while can see my keeping this machine for a long time to come. It does what I need and it does it well, all new software works with it and whilst it may not be stuffed full of gadgets and have the nicest design in the world there is something very settling about using this PDA.
I'm sure part of me not wanting to change is down to realising that the kids have to come first and to not be spending money that I don't have on gadgets. Also, I have noticed that I get a lot more out of the T3 because I am not looking for the next accessory or the next piece of software which does what I already have, only a bit better. I'm tending to not get excited by PDAs anymore and that can only be a good thing- at least this way I can concentrate on what I can get out of it rather than what I can put in it:)
Saying all of that, I currently have 2 games on my T3 (not released yet) which are just amazing and they still manage to create that bit of excitement that something groundbreaking always does. You will see these games released this month and will start to wonder why we have things like the GBA around:)
What exactly is a PDA? by Shaun McGill (12/04/04)
Many people are talking about the demise of the PDA and how the SmartPhone will eventually kill it off but we have to look at what a PDA really is before we start to get too morbid.
Which of the following do you consider to be a 'Personal Digital Assistant'?
A Casio Organizer
A Tungsten W
A P900
A Vaio TR Series
A Treo 600
All of the above could be classed as 'Personal Digital Assistants' and in the list we have 3 SmartPhones and even a mini PC so the lines get very blurred as to what a PDA actually is...
To my mind a PDA is a device which helps you to manage your daily life whether it be finances, email, internet, contacts, agenda, eBooks etc. etc. and all of the above can do that, well perhaps not the Casio:) The fact that your next machine may not have exactly the same form factor as the last one, or even the same OS, does not matter at all- a PDA is a device which can help you do what you need to do and if it happens to have mobile phone capabilities then so be it- it's still a PDA:)
PDAs and the Internet by Kathleen (10/04/04)
For the last few weeks I've had very limited
internet access and in many ways it has made me realise how much I use my PDA
alongside the internet. First of all there's the daily hotsync that I use to carry around web clippings from my favourite websites - it wasn't long before I felt the information was out-of-date. I normally catch up on the news from the BBC in the morning, collect my daily crossword, and say my prayers for the day using web sites clipped to my Palm. It has become so much a part of my routine that it felt distinctly odd to be without this.
Next of course is the fact that you start to feel out of touch with the whole Palm community. Again, I routinely check out what's happening at PDA247, but visits recently have been few and far between . There's so much happens everyday and new things to discover at PDA247 that even now it seems like I've been offline for months and months. It's not only made me realise how much effort Shaun and Neil put into the site, but also how difficult it is to keep up with what's going on, never mind contributing. I've also missed PalmAddict and ClieSource. One of the things I really like about the Palm community is just how helpful and friendly people are - it never ceases to amaze me how most folk take the time help with a problem, offer advice or share their own experiences.
Then there's the fun of trying out new software. Without the internet,this is almost impossible to do. My husband made the mistake of suggesting I could buy myself some ebooks or software because I was "offline" for a while. How exactly was I going to do this? "Oh right, I see what you mean," was all he could answer. No internet, no demo software or ebooks. :(
It's been a bit lonely too. I don't know anyone else who actually owns a handheld computer. I am genuinely perplexed when no-one shows even the slightest bit of interest in trying out the SJ33 I bought last year. Imagine, a PDA for nothing complete with accessories - how can people fail to see the potential? Yet still it lies discarded, unwanted, homeless and fed up with jokes about "Star Trek" (curse that flip-cover). I am also seen as an oddity when I dare to mention PDAs, and being without the internet has made me doubt my sanity . . . So, for me anyway, I've discovered that part of owning a PDA is actually about being online - the websites, the news, the software - and I rather like the way that technology has created something very human, namely a great community of people brought together by all things Palm.
Do most people upgrade?by Andrew (31/03/04)
Its nearly two years since I bought my PDA, and here I
am typing away on my trusty old T625C plus keyboard plug-in. Every week or so I
read on PDA247 about a new PDA with such and such amazing spec. But why should
I upgrade? This 625C has my datebook, has my ideas neatly stored, my address
book, a few games, photos of my family, accounts and much more besides. Despite
all the rumours the battery still charges pretty well and lasts a few days to a
week. The display is a bit pale but it does the job. I have a separate NetMD
player for my personal sounds, and a dinky good quality digital camera for
taking snaps as well. I just can't think of a good reason to put a 300 euro
hole in my pocket. Certainly not to play better games.I have heard it said that everyone who is going to own a PDA already does. So how is the market going to grow, if people like me don't want to or feel the need to upgrade.
Sites like PDA247 inevitably give the impression that everyone is upgrading all the time (Shaun seems too!!!!). But I imagine that most people out there are keeping their PDAs a lot longer, maybe some people will never upgrade, in which case the PDA market is just going to shrink and eventually be replaced by some other form of handheld device, probably a more powerful PC like device.
What I want to see before the end of April by Shaun McGill (25/03/04)
Here's a quick list of what I would like to see before the end of April- the developers concerned will be emailed for their comments:))
I'm sure this will be released in a
matter of days but to see the full version of Acedior will be a real
bonus to Palm OS gamers... "April 22th, 1365,
The king of France send a military squad around the area of the Bourget Lake in
Savoy, to get rid of some goups of gypsies that were roaming the countryside
and terrorized the local villagers with their shady reputation. They decided to
rest for the night in the Chatelombre monastery but, when they got there, all
they discovered was an abandoned place. The evening dinner was ready and the
table set, but they could't find any sign of the 16 monks that were supposed to
live there."
Billiards is probably my most
played game on any platform but a hi-res+ T3 version would be a real bonus...
"Play Pool and Billiards against an artificial
intelligence.High-class movement algorithm and balls collision realization
based on mathematical equations and solid-state physics principles will allow
you to enjoy the game with the degree of reality that is available on Palm OS
only."
The TH55 is a nice machine but I am really
hoping that the landscaped NX sized Clie will make an appearance very
soon...
TakoSchedule looks great in
wide-res on the UX but a hi-res+ version for the NX Clies and the T3 would make
it a true contender to Agendus. If you have any software or hardware that you would really like to see let us all know in the forum.
How small can we go? by Shaun McGill (22/03/04)
One aspect of progress is that things tend to get smaller over time. If you look at Televisions, music systems, mobile phones, PC’s etc. etc. the smaller it is the more expensive it tends to be. Miniaturisation has become almost an industry on it’s own and there is almost no limit for certain products of which the following are just some examples-
Good miniaturisation
iPod mini- beautiful design, tiny, very light and 1,000 songs wherever you are
PCs- there are a few examples of tiny desktop PCs and sub notebooks which are so small but powerful that they really can be taken wherever you need to go
Memory- 1GB SD cards- incredible when you think of how much memory could be fitted in expansion cards only a couple of years ago
Bad miniaturisation
PDA- the UX50 was my first sight of a PDA that had taken miniaturisation one step too far. Basically everything worked well but the screen was prohibitive and even caused my headaches after a few hours use.
Mobile phone- some phones are very difficult to use due to their very small screens and buttons designed for children but to be fair some do work well despite their diminutive size.
Obviously most of you will be interested in PDAs if you are reading this and to me personally screen size is everything, along with buttons and the stylus. Pa1mOne appear to have it right with the T3- big screen, nice comfortable stylus and easy to use buttons whilst even new PDAs like the TH55 suffer in the stylus and button departments. The best OS in the world is pointless if it sits on difficult to use hardware and it’s often the case that the hardware is more important than anything else…
Miniaturisation is a great development but sadly it is often a case of “Let’s make it as small as possible and hang the usability.”