My Palm Life

2003-12-24T09:39:00.000Z

Well this old site has come to the end of the line. Regular readers will be aware that we (Sven, Rick and myself) are migrating the site to a new home. Sven has done a fantastic job of designing and building the new site - you will have to take my word for it for the time being though. All the previous blogs have been 'hoovered-up' from here and copied to the new site :-)

The new site goes live on December 25th 2003. The improvements are too numerous to list here but we do now have a Forums section which we hope you will all register with and contribute to.

The new URL is (of course!) www.mypalmlife.com please bookmark it and come take a look as soon as time allows!

Merry Christmas to you all!

John, Rick and Sven

2003-12-23T16:10:00.000Z

No Time to Blog Today!
I'm sorry but I've no time to blog today - I've got custody of one of my christmas presents (jut for this afternoon, before it's sent to Santa for official delivery the day after tomorrow)

If you're wondering what could be so important - take a look here!

Normal service will resume asap :-)

2003-12-22T13:59:00.000Z

Palm to settle SUDS Class Action
Palm are in court today to (try to) settle the class action against them for SUDS (Sudden USB Death Syndrome) - which effected m50* pdas.

Having said that the court is likely to accept that Palm did all it could to rectify the problem by way of its 3 point remedy solution:

"(a) Claim Relief 1: Palm will exchange for any Settlement Class Member who so requests pursuant to the terms of the claim form a replacement (new or refurbished) USB cradle for the Settlement Class Member's original cradle. Such exchange will be at Palm's expense, including shipping.

(b) Claim Relief 2: For any Settlement Class Member who follows the steps set forth under Claim Relief 1, and who is not satisfied because his or its Palm Handheld continues to cease to perform the HotSync operation as a result of ESD, to be validated by Palm, and who requests pursuant to the terms of the claim form, Palm will provide and ship to such Settlement Class Member, at Palm's own expense, a preprogrammed (new or refurbished) SD card (including instructions) to reset the Palm Handheld.

(c) Claim Relief 3 : For any Settlement Class Member who follows the steps set forth under Claim Relief 1 and Claim Relief 2 above, and who is not satisfied because his or its Palm Handheld continues to cease to perform the HotSync® operation as a result of ESD, to be validated by Palm, and who requests pursuant to the terms of the claim form, Palm will provide and ship to such Settlement Class Member, at Palm's own expense, a replacement (new or refurbished) Palm Handheld viewer of the same model type. To qualify for this relief, the Settlement Class Member must exchange and return the Palm Handheld viewer and SD card as to which the Settlement Class Member was not satisfied. "

I suffered from SUDS an (eventually) got a replacement cradle - although it was of inferior quality compared to the one that came with my m505.

I'm now interested to see what the fallout is from the T|T3 SD card frying escapade - surely some money will have to change hands on this one?

2003-12-19T22:59:00.000Z

Anagram
I saw a link to a new bit of software and immediately downloaded the demo. The app is called Anagram. This little app takes highlighted text and can intelligently import it’s content into either Palm Desktop or Outlook.

For example if you get an e-mail with someone’s address and phone details just highlight the text, invoke Anagram via the user defined ‘hot key’ and Anagram will import this data straight into your Outlook Contacts database. It work very well (Sven – you should know that I ‘anagrammed’ you earlier today)

Or if you highlight a bit of text with a time and/or date in it Anagram will offer to add this into your calendar.

In Sven’s parlance – this app ROX. I’m gonna live with this app for the trial period – but even after just half a day using this at work I’m sure this will be a keeper. No more thinking ‘I’ll add this guy to Contacts when I get a minute’ – and then forgetting!

2003-12-19T19:53:00.000Z

What Will You Get For Christmas? How 'bout a New MyPalmLife?
We're happy to announce the official opening of the new and much improved MyPalmLife web site for Christmas Day (East Coast Time) 2003! We'll have a nicer looking site, better layout, reviews and even forums for you all to chat away on. It's going to be grand and it's going to grand open December 25th, 2003. So be there!

2003-12-18T13:40:00.000Z

Software Sniffing!
I think you guys will be like me an love sniffing around for new software to try on your palm os devices! There are many many resources on the net to allow you to find software - but most have a fairly fundamental flaw - some one is desperately trying to sell you something!

This is where PalmSource can help (no really) with their excellent resource - PalmSource Posts Software Expert Guides - this is a collection of (currently) 39 guides to software split into special interest titles. These are very varied - ranging from Time Management to Knitting!

I must declare a special interest in publicizing this site - I'm currently writing a guide for blogging from the palm and will notify you all again when that goes up on the PalmSource site.

There are some really great guide there and I urge you all to go and look for a subject of interest to you.

2003-12-18T06:34:00.000Z

Treo 600 Takes Some Nice Pictures
I have a Nokia 3650 and have been unimpressed with the picture quality. I tell myself, 'It's a phone and not a camera'. So, I don't' expect the quality I would get from my Canon G5 or even my very first digital camera, the Apple Digicam. But when I saw actual shots from a Treo 600, I was stunned. The colors are rich and vibrant and the lighting done well. Man, this would almost make me forget that it has a slow processor and no Bluetooth! Could the next generation be the keeper?!

2003-12-17T19:21:00.000Z

Sony Snubs PocketPC Users
In a some what surprising move, Sony stated today that they will not support syncing between their laptops and Mobile Windows 2003 (aka, PocketPC, aka Windows CE, aka what ever Microsoft feels like calling it next month). They also stated they would only guarantee syncing between their laptops and Clie handhelds. While not a total victory for Palm over the PPC, it is "something". :)

2003-12-16T17:50:00.000Z

palmOne adds J2ME to Treo 600, Tungstens
Hey, if you love bogging down your Windows machine with Java, well, now you can do the same on your Treo 600 or Tungsten!! pa1mOne has released Java for the Palm OS and boy oh boy, now you can bring that blazing 400Mhz chip to a crawl to remind you of the good ol' Drangball days of the PalmPilot! Yup, yup, life just got spicier! :)

If you're interested, you can read all about it at infoSync World. They've got a better write up of it then I've seen elsewhere on the 'net.

2003-12-16T17:12:00.000Z

Sony Clie TJ-35 Models recalled
Sony are recalling some TJ-35's. This is due to a problem with the LCD backlight on some early batches - see this article at PalmInfoCentre and follow the links to see if your unit is one of those effected

2003-12-16T13:44:00.000Z

Update on forthcoming migration to mypalmlife.com
As regular reader will know sven is busy designing our new website. I know sven won't mind me telling you that he is doing a great job - we have our own brand spanking new logo and you can get a sneek peek at it at www.mypalmlife.com

The previews of the new layout look great and we cannot wait to 'go public' with the site, so please bookmark the above url as we will be on the move within the next few weeks!

2003-12-15T18:47:00.000Z

John's right, I will chime in on the PIM replacement.

I use to use DateBk5, but I need complete Outlook replication. The reason? I use most of the fields in the Contacts database and often invite other members to meetings. Two key features no one else does. Why, because Palm itself doesn't gather all this data while syncing. So, I went with Beyond Contacts. It's awesome. Even blows away Microsoft's own attempt on the PocketPC! There are a few features lacking, but I have faith DataViz will correct them in their next update.

John has a valid point that BC doesn't use the same database and thus other applications can not share the information. However, that's not a problem if you leave the default sync settings on as the Palm will still suck all the information over from Outlook into the Palm. I keep the Addresses sync on so I can still dial via Bluetooth. Works like a charm. I've turned off Notes, ToDo and Calendar as I don't need them. I haven't had a single problem with that at all.

So, there is a work around and if you need pure Outlook on your Palm, then BC is the only way to go. After playing with various address and datebook replacements for weeks (and I went through a LOT), this is my choice. If you don't need total Outlook replication, then go with DateBk5.

2003-12-15T17:27:00.000Z

New RPG
For all you people who love RPGs here is a teaser for a new game called Acedior, it looks very nice - start clearing some space in RAM because this thing must weigh in at over 2mb!

2003-12-15T13:30:00.000Z

PIM Replacement
What replacement PIM software are you using? This is a discussion that continues to run and run amongst Palm ‘power users’.

As I see it there are 3 main runners – DateBk5, Agendus (formally Action Names) and Beyond Contacts.

I have personal experience of the first two but have avoided Beyond Contacts so far because it uses it’s own set of databases for contacts, tasks and calendar. The other two apps use the built-in data bases. The reason I prefer this approach is that I also use other applications that use the same data sets and so any changes will be reflected through all the apps reading from that standard data.

To make this point a little more clearly – I use Datebk5 and Bonsai Outliner to co-manage my To-Dos. As both apps read from the same database any changes made in say Bonsai are reflected in my DateBk5 ‘to-do’ custom view.

This would not be the case if using Beyond Contacts as it operates its own proprietary database which Bonsai cannot access. This may not be a problem if the Beyond Contacts To-Do application fulfils all your requirements – I suspect it would not do all that I want it to do.

I know sven is an avid user of Beyond Contacts and look forward to any comments he may have :-)

For me then the choice comes down to DateBk5 or Agendus. Now Agendus is very big on ‘eye-candy’ and along with its integrated e-mail client it is a powerful tool. However for me DateBk5 comes top due to shear ‘configureability’ (new word, copyright of MyPalmLife!). I also really like the ability to edit appointment text ‘in-situ’ without having to open-up a dialog box to do so.

I won’t continue beyond that as I’m bias and cannot give a fair comparison :-) but here is a link to a more thorough account of both apps – with pictures! although this too leans heavily towards DateBk5

2003-12-12T18:20:00.000Z

SanDisk Explains Delay of Palm OS Wi-Fi SD Card
Well, I've been reading a lot in the last two days about this and Brighthand has a good article on this. Read the article, it's good over all, but I did want to add what I've read.

First, the PPC camp is stating that Palm's loosey-goosey take on their OS is what is preventing this driver from happening. By allowing hardware manufactures to tweak the OS, they've opened holes which makes it difficult for SanDisk to fill. I don't know how much I agree with this, but it's very plausible that this is a major hurdle for SanDisk. Second, licensing seems to be the major problem, too. Now this kinda surprises me as Palm seems to be very laxed on this thing and I'm pretty surprised. According to Brighthand, this should be resolved soon.

So, I guess 1Q/04 is the most likely date for this bad boy to be done. Sounds like the T3 is pretty much supported right now, but SanDisk wants to wait on getting this out until all OS 5 devices are supported. So, cross your fingers...and maybe OS 6 will have it built-in for support. :)

2003-12-12T13:41:00.000Z

Spell Checking on the Palm
As regular readers will attest my spelling leaves something to be desired! Often when I look back at my various notes on my pda I see mis-spellings. Now I've found what might be the answer - LexSpell - it will spell check almost any text field and can be activated via the command stroke (or selectable button pressing).

The only bug-bear with it is that you cannot easily spell check individual words. There is a work-around though by copying and pasting the word into LexSpell's own text field - not ideal but it is workable.

Best of all there is a British English database available!

BlueTooth - Help is at Hand
Many of the forums are littered with pleas for help with BT set-up. I spoke about whizzo yesterday. A further look around their site reveals a whole host of really useful "how-to's"

2003-12-11T13:39:00.000Z

BT (BlueTooth) Toggle Pro
Peter Easton of whizoo has a fantastic offer on at the moment for his excellent application BT Toggle. For a limited period you can register BT Toggle for just $11.99 (normally $19.99) and get a registration code for both BT Toggle and BTToggle Pro!

For those in the dark here is what BTToggle can do for your PDA:

"BTToggle Pro gives you complete control over your Bluetooth radio, enabling you to keep it off until you really need it, and turning it off again the moment you don't. You are also able to turn Bluetooth on and off manually with a simple press of a button. Command bar support has been added, so you can quickly see the radio status and toggle it if necessary.

BTToggle Pro's ability to prevent accidental button presses from turning your handheld on remains unchanged, and is as excellent as ever.

The power savings brought about by BTToggle Pro's ability to prevent your handheld from turning on accidentally, and from controlling your Bluetooth radio make BTToggle a must-have application for your handheld. BTToggle Pro works on any Palm OS 5 handheld, like the Palm Tungsten T, T2, T3, Sony NX60, NX70, NZ90, TG50, UX40 and UX50."

I use this app in conjunction with HandyAid to keep my T3 battery life as long as possible.

2003-12-10T13:51:00.000Z

BlueTooth Keyboard
PalmInfoCentre have this news item about ThinkOutside launching a BlueTooth driver for their keyboards. They are also making this availiable to other developers - Svens BT gamepad can only be a few months away now :-)

2003-12-09T13:53:00.000Z

WordToGo Update
If you use WordToGo v6.005 and use the 'find' function you may want to get this update. There is a problem with the old WordToGo.prc that can cause your palm to crash.

2003-12-09T13:36:00.000Z

Emulators
There are many emulators availiable for Palm devices. Depending on your 'pc' history you can choose your prefered retro experience.

One of the most popular emulators is the Atari ST one from CodeJedi (cool name) - CaSTaway I'm not an Atari fan but all the indications are that this is one of the best - so if you are 'of an age' and want some fun give it a go and e-mail me your thoughts - see the link in the righthand navigation 'strip'

My personal favorite emulator is of the Sinclair Spectrum, ARM ZX by Rolling Thunder Systems. Other can be found here.

I realy cut my teeth on the Sinclair ZX81 (Timex 1000 in the US) and found this emulator

Once you get your emulator of choice (try Google - you will be suprised how many different devices are emulated) you next problem will be to get hold of programs to run on it.

The legal status of these is a little confusing - As I understand it you need to own the origional program before you can legally install it even to an emulator. There are sources on the web and bearing in mind the fact that these programs are often around 20 years old then you may wish to go searching and 'take the risk' ;-)

2003-12-09T10:31:00.000Z

PDA24/7 Interview
Just a quick note to point you in the direction of this interview by Mike Rohde with Shaun of PDA24/7 fame - take a look.

2003-12-08T12:57:00.000Z

Mailing Lists
One of my most useful sources for Palm news and help has got to be the various ‘mailing lists’ (or Groups) I’m subscribed to.

If you don’t know what mailing lists are then here is a brief description: Mailing lists are formed by groups of people with a common interest as a way to exchange news and ideas via e-mail.

Probably the best know of the mailing list providers is Yahoo! Their system is called Yahoo! Groups. Try searching for Palm and PDA – you may be surprised how many matches you get.

Many groups are general Palm PDA related ones – such as UKPUG (United Kingdom Palm User Group) but many are specific to individual Palm applications. Of these by far the most trafficked must be the DateBk5 group. One advantage of these specific groups is that they provide quick and easy access to some of the best ‘tech support’ out there – from real power users. In the case of DateBk5 the developer is amongst the most frequent contributors.

The lists can be used passively – you need not contribute, you can simply sit back and read all the threads going back and fourth without joining in. This does miss much of the point of the lists though. If you have any Palm related questions they can be thrown out to the group(s) and you will almost certainly get a useful response from at least one other contributor.

Some lists are run and administered privately – of these the best is undoubtedly the Pilot List. This list has an enormous number of members (in the thousands) who are always willing to discuss all things Palm related. Recent topics have covered syncing a Palm to Outlook and how to install Graffiti 1 onto a T3 (thanks guys).

In my experience the lists are less prone to spam and flaming than usenet (but a certain ‘background’ level usually has to be tolerated I’m afraid) and the moderators are quick to act against such ‘contributors’

Here is a list of some of my favourite groups, but do a little searching and see what other ones you can find:

Pilot Mailing List
DateBk5
UKPUG
PalmBloggers

2003-12-05T20:32:00.000Z

palmOne 1.3 Megapixel Camera Card Delayed Until January
Well, my "capable" hands have found this story on Brighthand's site letting us know it'll be not until early next year will we see the cool camera SD card for our Palm's.

It was originally going to be rebranded pa1mOne, but they have decided to just leave Veo's brand on the camera when it is finally released. Veo has been making a similar camera (if not the same one) for PocketPC's for nearly a year now.

2003-12-05T15:45:00.000Z

Weekend Break
I'm going away with Becky for the weekend to Reeth, North Yorkshire (England) - see these pics - so I'll not be posting till maybe Sunday night. I'll leave you in Svens capable hands until then.

2003-12-04T13:42:00.000Z

Tried Handmarks new app last night - Trivial Pursuit - I really like the implementation of this on my T3. My only gripe is that the question database is very US-centric. I hope alternative dbs will address this? Anyhow this is well worth the download!

There is a good review of it here

2003-12-03T19:40:00.000Z

Palm's Creativity vs. Windows' Compatibility
BusinessWeek as an interesting article on the subject of Palm and PocketPC. It basically sticks up for Palm and talks about their hardware being the better of the two. But what really caught my attention was another site, Pocket PC Thoughts, take on this article. They believe BusinessWeek missed the boat on the article and points out why.

It's an interesting read and I have to agree on some points with them (such as the Wi-Fi aspect). Though I don't think they give the overall picture and just concentrate on it's strengths. The PPC has weaknesses, too, hence the reason I jumped ship from them. But yes, as I stated a few weeks ago, there are more options for the PPC then the Palm. I believe Palm OS 6 will correct that, but for now, Palm is playing catch up to the PPC in many ways. Hopefully that'll change soon and SanDisk will finally have a freakin' Wi-Fi driver ready for the card PPC users have been enjoying for months.

2003-12-03T09:01:00.000Z

Allsorts...
Wow! It's 9:45pm on Tue evening and Becky and I have just got around to sitting down and chilling out. I've got all the ironing done (I actually do enjoy doing the ironing - I know I need a good therapist!) All the washing up is done and the bins emptied!

Becky has settled down to do a new 'mix tape' to listen to in the car on her journey to work in the morning. She is lucky to only work Wednesday to Friday and only has to travel approx 24 miles per week to work (this is around 400 times less than me!). Still she loves her mix tapes and even though her journey is only 4 miles it does take around 30 mins!

I've spent the last couple of nights working on a laptop for Becky. I've got Win XP and Office 2003 on there and got her up and running on the net. I'm slowly trying to 'geek' her - so wish me luck.

I'm really enjoying my wireless keyboard and making an effort to learn all the keyboard shortcuts. My main motivation for this is the fact that the keyboard does not 'hold' the T3 as such. This means that when I do have to use the stylus the T3 moves around in the 'holder' in a rather unpleasant way! Other than this problem I love this keyboard - and it's a good incentive to get to grips with the shortcuts. On that subject did I mention that there is a 'shortcut' button? (Just had to 'graffiti' that - where is the question mark button on here? [and again])

Oh well! Some way to go yet!

Hardcase…
I received my Proportia T3 Hard Case on Saturday. As I said in a previous post I've never previously 'got' the whole pda case thing - I've always just used the various covers that have arrived with the pda (Psion5 excepted - bought a hard case for that - I did pay about £400 for that pda though!). Anyhow - I'm using the case this week and I think I like it. I have to remove it to use the keyboard but there again you need to remove the Palm flip cover any how so that's no biggie for me.

I don't like the fact that the front cover does not fold behind the T3 or that I need to remove it to charge/HotSync the pda.

I leave the T3 in its case if I'm just quickly looking something up - but for anything more intensive I slip it out of the case. I think this is ok - the hard case is more of a transportation device the way I'm planning on using it. The upside to this is that when in meetings my pda looks even sleeker - I pop it out of the hard case just before going in and my T3 looks soooo small compared to the other pda's on show. I had such a laugh with one guy on Monday with an original iPaq (complete with sleeve) - that thing was MASSIVE!

I'm taking the minutes at a meeting in the morning - going to try doing them straight into Docs to Go - wish me luck!

Other PDAs
On the subject of other peoples pdas - I'm seeing very few Windows ones (huge iPaq's excepted) - it's almost all Palms (from III's to T3's) although my main client sports a Sharp Zarius. The Sharp is fine until you try to use the built in 'thumb-board' - then it all goes 'pear-shaped'. The screen was pretty special at the time but looks a bit dull compared to the new Palms!

2003-12-01T20:42:00.000Z

Commodore 64 in Your Pocket
The days of yesterday. That good old C64 that I loved playing with. What power this puppy had! And now I can run it on my hand device...which has more then ten times the power of the original C64! Funny, huh?

Well now theirs an emulator, Frodo, that has been ported to the Palm for all of our memories to be once again relived. I've used this on my Nokia 3650 and it runs quite well. The only reason I removed it was due to the cruddy controller on the Nokia. Oh yea, I have a cruddy controller on my T3. Wow, I see a pattern here. ;)

Anyway, go grab this emulator and enjoy. It's full fledged, so you can even code in it!

10? sven was here!
20 goto 10
30 end
run

2003-12-01T13:38:00.000Z

TV Listings
Just found WhatsOn4 - this is a TV listings app. I've wanted one of these for a long time - but never wanted to pay for one - well now it seems that my dream may hve come true. This is a very simple (looking!) program that allows you to import listing for several placed based upon your zip/post code. Not had chance to configure it yet be will let you know how it goes.

2003-11-28T14:13:00.000Z

Palm Wireless Keyboard
I finally collected my new Palm Wireless Keyboard from the local Post Office at 7 o'clock this morning. Even before I left the carpark there I had opened the packaging (took some scissors with me in the car!) and put the 2 AAA batteries in to the battery silo (didn't even need the rechargeable ones I took with me - the unit ships with 2 in the packaging)

With that I was off to work. As soon as I got there I fired up the old 'craptop' and ran the software installation disk - all went smoothly. I then saw an option to register my product so started going through the process. However four fifths of the way in to it I was asked to provide the serial number for the unit - no number to be found anywhere so I had to abandon that idea - strange!

So a quick sync and the driver was installed to the T3

Now today has been really busy at work - one project finishing and a new one to get underway (plus all the other projects bubbling along) so I had to wait till lunch time to fire everything up - but got a call at 12:55 to 1:35 followed by my boss wanting to go through some figures till 2:05 - bye bye Palm keyboard.

Ended up working until 6:30, took an hour to drive home, family stuff to attend to then.

Anyhow its now around 9:30 and I'm finally getting to play:-)

First Impressions: The outer case feels very 'plasticky' but sturdy enough. The unit is probably a little bigger than I expected but not too big to fit in a suit or jacket pocket. I use a Compaq laptop every day (an evening!) and the keys are every bit as good as that - if not better.

Layout: The layout of the keys is a little different to my Compaq but is quite logical. Some reviews have made negative comments about the lack of dedicated number keys. My job is heavily numbers based so this may be an annoyance - but for the time being I'm not too concerned. There is a 'number lock' for the times I have to crunch any serious numbers - well type them into Sheets-to-Go anyhow.

Functions: The keyboard and driver supports a lot more functions than I imagined - Home, Menu, Find, Shortcuts etc. Also many on-screen buttons can be activated without resorting to the stylus. For me this is very important - having used a Psion5 for a year or two I had got to the stage where the stylus was really drawn from its silo. I hope this will be the case with my T3 / keyboard combination.

Landscape Mode: One of the main reasons I wanted this keyboard is for its landscape mode. If you have a T3 you will appreciate that this is one of its greatest functions - in particular if you are doing what I'm doing now - writing a text document directly on the T3
It works perfectly....but see this...

Handedness: Now first a declaration - I'm a left-hander :-0
To use the Palm in landscape mode you need to set the Preferences to Lef thanded. This must be inconvienient for all you left handers out there when using landscape mode away from the keyboard. There is a payback though - the stylus holder holes are on the righ thand side of the keyboard! I've not used them as yet however because I think I will keep catching my pinky on the stylus.
So - no probs for us southpaws but not so good for the majority.

Well that's about 680 words typed on my new toy - and I'm loving it. Gonna go tweak the driver app (speed up the key repeat for certain) to suit my typing 'style'

I'll do a follow up in a few days as I get more used to the quirks of the keyboard - but it's a definite thumbs-up for now,

If anyone has any specific questions or comments e-mail me at johnspalm@dialstart.net

2003-11-27T16:00:00.000Z

New Game!
Take a look at this sneek peek of a new palm game - I don't normally get too excited by games but this looks good.

The graphics are fantastic - and they claim smooth gameplay - guess we will have to wait and see.

Thanks to Shaun at PDA24/7 for the 'headsup' on this one.

2003-11-27T15:31:00.000Z

It here!
Well I finally collected my wireless keyboard from the post office this morning - it's a really busy place - even at 7am!

Not really had chance to play with it today - pesky work getting in the way!

In time hounored tradition I'll type up my views using the keyboard itself tonight and 'copy n paste' here in the morning.

2003-11-26T22:44:00.000Z

mTone Dude, I don't know, this little app may tempt me to get a Treo 600 after all. :) It allows you to play the plethora of Nokia ringtones out there in the world. Me, I like these dual tone tones better then the MIDI ones of late mainly due to them being a LOT louder then the MIDI songs. Also, it doesn't sound too real that they blend in with the environment.

Either way, mTone is a very cool app and the MotionApps makes other cool stuff for the Treo 600, too. You should go check 'em out and grab it if you're a Treo user.

Man, if it only had Bluetooth....

2003-11-25T22:05:00.000Z

InstaSync I'm liking this new app I found called InstaSync. It automatically starts HotSync when you place your device in the cradle or attach a cable to it. You can adjust the count down timer to allow for room to cancel it if you desire every time you connect something to your Palm.

I like this app because I think this was one of Microsoft's strongest features for the PocketPC. I've forgotten a few times to sync my Palm this week alone and stuff on my desktop didn't make it to my Palm. Erg. Well, with this nifty app, no longer will I have that problem. Now, is it worth $16? Mmm, that I'm not sure about.

2003-11-25T21:47:00.000Z

Will PalmSource Be Smart with SmartPhones? Interesting that I would read Brighthand's article entitled Can PalmSource Survive? today since I've been contemplating the Treo 600. It is a good read, so read it, but I'll give you a couple of points they make.

One, PalmSource isn't cutting it on the books and may disappear if they don't do something, and something fast. Two, Microsoft is killing them in the SmartPhone market as it stands and they're only gaining more market share with every lie -- er -- promise they make to phone companies.

My take on all this is they all suck right now. I was going to get the MDA II (O2 for you Europeans) when it arrived to our shores, but the T3 got me first. I was still considering it up to about a two weeks ago when I realized that I would lose all the good of my Palm OS and inherit all the bad of the PocketPC if I moved over, again. So, PPC SmartPhone Edition is not a choice at this point. So that left the Treo 600. On the surface, it looks like a great phone, but the buggers forgot Bluetooth. Make it a bit tough to use my Jabra BT headset and I'm not going back to a cord. So, I guess that's out.

All that's left is Symbian. I have a Nokia 3650 right now and I'm not overly impressed with the OS. In fact, I kinda chuckle when it's compared to other PDA type OSes. I think it's got a ways to go before it's a true PDA work horse. This may be one reason Sony corporate is rumored to be looking to put Palm OS on future SonyEricsson phones (though SE recently denied the rumors.)

What I'm looking for is a PDA first, then a phone. I don't want a PDA in a phone. Too small, too hard to navigate. The Treo 600 looks to have the idea down, but they need to ditch the keyboard or maybe go T3 style and make it an expanding softboard. I also MUST have Bluetooth. I don't care if the general public doesn't want it, they will when it's everywhere and the realize through consumer education how powerful it is. No one "wanted" TiVo and look how popular that is. Heck, no one wanted PalmPilot and seems everyone wants one now.

I want to ditch my phone and just keep one item on my belt. A good SmartPhone will do that for me, but none of the manufactures are being too smart right now. I personally think Palm has the best chance. They appear to be heading in the right direction where Microsoft appears to be headed in their direction (full of "innovation", right Steve?) and Symbian is just losing partners left and right, so who knows there. If Palm can pay attention to the market, let in true innovation and get them out in two tiers (cheap and "pro"), I think they'll win. PDA's will soon be a dead market and the SmartPhone will only call to the smart manufactures.

2003-11-25T16:49:00.000Z

New (to me!) Software
I've just found a new freeware app called TrackerDog - it's similar to an old pre-OS5 app called SoftTrak!
What both these apps do is created a list of all the apps on your palm along with details of version number etc. You can then export this info to Memo.

That's how I've created my 'what's on my plam' lists in the past. However SoftTrack is not OS5 compatible.

A buddy in one of the forums suggested TrackerDog. This app does all of the above but has 2 aces up it's sleeve. Firstly it has a conduit componant that goes off and sniffs around the net looking for update info based on the version number on the palm - Secondly it's free!

Fantastic. I love that we palm users can find stuff this good! I'll be making a donation to the developer :-)

2003-11-24T16:19:00.000Z

Just had an e-mail from eXpansys to say that my InfraRed keyboard has shipped and is due for delivery by noon tomorrow (25th) - time to get those AAAs back on charge

2003-11-24T08:59:00.000Z

I've had a relatively palm-free weekend! I did upgrade Datebk5 to the latest beta step release and had a play around with Screenshot. This is an app I've lined up for the new MyPalmLife - which will now include those new fangled web thingies - pictures!!!!! So Screenshot will enable me to post pictures of the apps I'm talking about.

I spent most of my 'geek-time' this weekend setting-up an old laptop for Becky that I 'found' in the junkroom at work (don't worry it was destined for the tip - in fact I was the one taking them there - we share out the junk so we can dispose of it free as 'personal' junk)

Anyhow - I managed to get XP onto it and set up dialup internet access and Becky's e-mail. Had some 'fun' with BlueTooth but that's not a priority yet. However my plan is to set up a BT network so that we can share some resources such as net access. All I need is another USB dongle - looks like I'll be on eBay this lunchtime.

2003-11-21T13:03:00.000Z

Palm Nostalgia
Mike Rohde has been getting all nostalgic with Sammy (aka PalmAddict) over the good ole' days when pdas were a novelty.

It's a really good read and got me thinking of the old days. I'll never forget getting my 1st pda - a PalmPilot Personal that PC World was flogging off cheap!

You can never re-capture the excitement of that first 'power-up' and calibrating the screen. I just sat in the car park playing with this new-fangled 'graffiti'. The notion that you could write on the screen and the letter just appeared just blew me away.

Of course back in those days you did not have the agonizing wait for the first battery charge to complete - just 2 AAAs and off you went.

The very first app I installed onto a Palm was 'Wassup' - then freeware, now shareware but worth every penny!

I was inspired last night - so I grabbed a couple of re-chargeable AAAs (awaiting the arrival of my Palm Wireless Keyboard - don't get me started on that one!) and popped them into the old PPP (I never get rid of old pdas). Do these things ever die? It sprang into life straight away and I was off down memory lane . . . . .

Next I grabbed my trusty old Psion 5 (note: no mx) put 2 AAs in there and up came the Epoc logo. This thing was way ahead of its time. Fantastic keyboard, seamless integration of cf card storage and full 'office' apps built-in.

My old PalmV is now in daily use by my 2yrs+ son Matthew and the m505 is now my wife Becky's plaything of choice.

All in all Mike's post lead to an enjoyable evening of retro-geeking - thanks Mike!

2003-11-20T23:55:00.000Z

SanDisk delays Wi-Fi SD card Palm support to Q1 '04 Forget it Palmster's, you're never gettin' SanDisk drivers for your Palm. There will be no SD Wi-Fi card for the Palm. Nope, just PocketPC folk. Palm has dragged their feed for eight months now and it may be a year before you see them. By that time, the T4 will be out with built in Wi-Fi using Broadcomm's new low power small chipset (and I'm speculating on the T4 - this is NOT official! :) )

It's totally sad that this happening and that SanDisk can't keep to their word. I understand things slip, but three push backs and now this one, shesh, that's ridiculous.

Read the story at The Register's site. They've got the scoop.

2003-11-20T09:17:00.000Z

Just received an e-mail from PalmSource confirming that they want me to be their Blogging Software Champion! This is great news - once I've written the article and got it published at PalmSource I'll post a link here (or more likely at our brand-spanking-new site)

2003-11-20T09:14:00.000Z

Arghhh! I've created a Geekdom!
What have I done - got out of the shower at about 6:20 this morning, came back into the bedroom to find my Wife Becky and Matthew (my 2 year 8 month old son) in bed playing with their pda's.

Becky was playing Standalone software's Solitaire and Matthew was playing with TealPaint

Now I'm scared!

2003-11-20T06:08:00.000Z

Dell Not Going to License the Palm OS Brighthand is reporting that Michael Dell himself is saying that it's, "...too late for Palm..." to be on a Dell PDA. It would have been nice to see Dell make a Palm OS device, but I think they're happy at number two in the PocketPC world and want to concentrate on taking number one away from HP. So, don't count on any Dell Axim Palm's anytime soon.

2003-11-19T15:59:00.000Z

PalmSource Opens New Store PalmSource has redone their store and it's powered by PalmGear. While the organization seems a little better, it's a bit bland. I'm not sure what the thought process his here, but I'd just go to PalmGear instead (or better yet, Handango.)

2003-11-19T15:54:00.000Z

Bluetooth Keyboards Closer Than Ever I found an interesting article on the keyboard I'm holding out on, Bluetooth. It's brief, but an interesting read. Check it out.

2003-11-19T13:49:00.000Z

MyPalmLife.com
If you have been reading my co-posters Sven's weblog (if not - why not) you will know that Sven and I are in the process of moving this blog over to it's own domain at MyPalmLife.com

There are a ton of improvements on the way and Sven is beavering away as I type ....

We'll keep you informed and make the transition as painless as possible for you all

Bye for now

2003-11-18T18:34:00.000Z

New Software I've Bought Today!
I just registered this product a few hours ago - HandyAid - the short description is that it's a backlight control app. It works by dimming the back light after a certain period of activity.

But I does so much more besides - for example you can set it to power off following 'wake-up' applications such as BackUpMan - without having to wait for the Palm Prefs time period to elapse. I have it set to power off 3 seconds after completing a back-up. Plus for the duration of the back-up the screen is illuminated to its minimum setting.

Here is an extract from the developer's site to further whet your appetite:

"Main Features

Multi auto-off timeout. PalmOS provides a single auto-off timeout for all operations. HandyAidÂ’s provide 5 additional auto-off timeout settings for some of the common operations (software-on, end of hotsync, SD/MMC card operations and remove from cradle). The additional settings reduce the need to switch-off your PDA manually and reduce battery wastage when it is not attended to.

Manage Software-on. There are time when your PDA switch-on itself when you are not around. The PDA will only switch-off after the auto-off time has expired. HandyAid allows you to configure a shorter auto-off time for this event. This event can also be started without the screen backlight, conserving your battery. If you are around to attend to this event, all you need is a tap on the screen or press one of the hardkey to restore the full functionality of your PDA.
Switch-On Guard. Accidental switch-on can leads to dead battery and loss of all data on your PDA. HandyAid provides complete customization on the button to use for switch-on. When wrong buttons are used to switch-on, HandyAid solution reduces the screen flickering that is common in other software providing this functionality.
Enhanced Stay-On while charging. Works with security auto-lock enabled. Only stay-on when you manually switch it on to reduce wear and tear on your PDA screen.

Display Saver. Helps to conserve your battery and extent your display lifespan. With the dimmer enabled, the screen will be dim when there is no activity. On the next level, either with or without dimmer enable, you can customize it to switch-off your display as well, but remain active. To reactivate your PDA, just tap on the screen or press one of the hardkey. You can now customize your PDA to power-on longer to suit your needs, reducing the need to constantly switch-on the device due to auto-off timeout."

The version available here has some issues when used on my T3 but the developer kindly mailed me a beta of version 1.5 that works like a dream!

With this and BTToggle Pro I'm extending my battery life by at least 20%

2003-11-18T08:40:00.000Z

I'm still waiting on my new Palm IR keyboard
- in the meantime I found this review of the Targus (which is not the same as the Palm version bu I suspect a lot of the technology will be the same) over at Gearbits

It's not all good but I reserve judgement untill I get the Palm model. eXpansys tell me they are waiting on stock from Palm - due in on 17th Nov but no sign of it when they e-mailed me late last night - they hope they will arrive today - and these boys are the best at 'next day delivery'

2003-11-18T08:10:00.000Z

Zen of Palm
As regular readers will know Sven has dabbled in the dark side - Pocket PC :-0

I wish I had at least tried PPC but have not. That said I'm palm os through and through and I'm afraid I don't think I could be that objective now!

I spotted a link on PDA 24-7 to this article about the Zen of Palm:

"So, what is Zen of Palm? We have often heard folks talk about Zen of Palm, but what is it really? Well, this is my attempt to put some clarity into the phrase: Zen of Palm. I believe Zen of Palm is related to a couple of design principles or philosophy (whichever you want to call it) that seem to separate Palm OS devices from the rest of the PDA community. When Jeff Hawkins and his gang started to design the first Palm OS device, they set out to give the user a different experience than using desktop computers"

Click here to read the whole article

2003-11-17T21:48:00.000Z

Free Software from MDM! It's the for the U.S. only, but hey, register quickly or you'll miss out. (I just registered).

"Mobile Digital Media (MDM), the world’s largest publisher of plug-and-play consumer software for PDAs and smartphones on expansion media, today announced that the first 5,000 people to register for the MDM newsletter at the new www.goMDM.com website will receive one free MDM software MMC or SD card. The first 5,000 newsletter registrants at www.goMDM.com will be able to choose from a range of MDM reference and entertainment titles for the Palm OS® including popular products such as PalmPak® Dictionary/Thesaurus, PalmPak® Game Card: Rayman®, Sega® Classics featuring Sonic the Hedgehog™, and PalmPak® Travel Card: Worldwide Cities. For Windows Mobile™-based Pocket PC 2002 or higher devices, MDM will offer Atari® Retro featuring seven original Atari 2600 games. This free offer represents a $29.95 - $39.95 retail value depending on the product."

2003-11-17T21:42:00.000Z

Circuit City Tungsten Deals This Week For all you Yankees, Circuit City is slapping some sweet deals on the the Tungsten line. Man, almost $100 off on the T3! Dude, way cool!

Tungsten T3: $399.99 - 39.99 - $60 = $299.99
Tungsten E: $199.99 - 19.99 - $30 = $150.00
Tungsten C: $499.99 - $49.99 - $75 = $374.99
Tungsten T2: $329.99 - $32.99 - $50 = $246.99

2003-11-17T14:08:00.000Z

I really must recommend Bits'n'Bolts software - in particular their backup application BackUpMan.

I had previously being using BlueNomad's BBVFS - however this still does not support the T3 - and so got a trial of BackUpMan.

I did have an issue with BUM (unfortunate acronym) and e-mailed the developer - I got a response within 5 minutes !!!

Not only that the response was correct and helpfully (a level of customer service seldom experienced by me) - and remember I'm was not a registered user at this point - though I most certainly am now.

Anyhow - you should all be backing up your pdas to at least on place - especially to the card so that you can recover from a hard reset anytime and anyplace.

2003-11-17T13:53:00.000Z

Sven wrote: Why Installing Apps on Your SD on the Palm Sux
I have to agree with sven. I'm convinced the Pa1mOne sd card update simply reduced the write speed by 50% :-(

My solution is to just drop stuff on to my card using my laptop and card reader and then copy the appropriate file(s) in to ram

2003-11-17T13:50:00.000Z

Hardcase UPDATE
In a strange change of heart I've just ordered the Proportia aluminium case - though I was swayed by the fact that they are sending me a neoprene slip case while they await supplies of the T3 hard case. I'll let you know how it goes.

2003-11-16T05:20:00.000Z

Palm OS vs. Pocket PC: What are the real differences? Well, it's nice to see I'm not the only other guy out there doing a hands on comparison of the two platforms. Thomas Kuglin comes from the other side of my stance, that being he went from Palm to PocketPC. His article is very interesting one and funny enough, he comments on installing applications to the SD card. :)

Over all, I'd agree with what he says in the article, except for stability. He claims the PocketPC was less stable then his Palm, but I've had more lock-ups on my Tungsten in the short five weeks I've had it then I did in one year with my iPAQ 5455! In fact, it locked up twice just an hour ago during HotSync. So, I guess we both are doomed with using the "other" platform in that realm for a bit. :)

2003-11-16T05:01:00.000Z

Why Installing Apps on Your SD on the Palm Sux Dude, I went to install an application I'm beta testing for a software company and it took 14 minutes total to sync! Typical syncs are around 2 minutes, so it took 12 minutes to install 12 MB of data! That is pathetic! I thought USB 1.1 was 12Mb per second not per minute! :eek:

This is why I never put anything on my SD or CF card with the PocketPC. The speed via the conduit is pathetic. But unfortunately, I can't install apps on the Palm on the SD card like I could on the PocketPC because of the databases installed, or can I? Well either way, it's not easy way to do it like I could on my iPAQ. Guess I'll be using my internal memory except for HUGE apps in the future...unless I install over night. :)

2003-11-14T13:58:00.000Z

I've found this promising looking palm 'hints and tips' site PalmPro - all submissions will be warmly received

2003-11-14T08:21:00.000Z

It's my Birthday today :-) so if any of you can get to my office by 11:00am you can have a Cream Bun

2003-11-14T08:09:00.000Z

pdaBuzz hd problems
pdaBuzz have been having some problems with their hard drive(s) for some weeks now but I noticed over at pda24-7 that they have lost 5 years worth of forums postings - ouch!

As Shaun at pda24-7 says the Buzz never really recovered from the ousting of Wes Salmon - see his own excellent blog here - PalmInfocentre really took over as my first point of call for all things Palm related.

I'm not sure pdaBuzz will recover from this - the forums were the only real attraction for me there and many new and more vibrant forums are on the up, try these two for starters:
Brighthand
PalmOneCity

Forums are my favorite hang-out for pda news and help (giving and receiving) and it would be sad to seen one go :-(

2003-11-13T16:35:00.000Z

IR Keyboard Anticipation
Went out at lunch time and got some AAA rechargable batteries - but still gonna be some time before it's shipped

2003-11-13T14:46:00.000Z

New App I'm trying out: Receive!t™
This is an interesting looking app I'm looking at - it allows you to receive any file type onto your palm for transportation etc. I plan to get it set up over BlueTooth to allow me to drop files into the T3 for IR beaming/BT beaming to other devices - PPC, colleagues laptops etc. (maybe even my old Psion5) I'll let you know how it goes.

Get the trial of Receive!t here.

This is a bit of their blurb:
"Have you ever have a problem when someone wants to transfer a file to your handheld? There will be no problem if they are transferring *.prc, *.pdb or *.pqa. But what would happen if someone wants to transfer a native Winzip file, or a Microsoft word file? Palm OS cannot accept it because it doesn't recognize the file!

Equattor, Inc, has broken the limitation! Receive!t can accept any files from any devices and directly store into your expansion card! You won't have just a PDA but a universal file receiver!"

Edit
See this link over at PalmInfocentre to see what others think of this application

2003-11-13T14:38:00.000Z

Sven wrote: 'Aluminum Case for Palm Tungsten T3 Available Soon'
Now I've never really 'got' the whole case thing with palms. I've had a PalmPro, V, m505 and now a T3 and never bought a case for any of them (the PalmPro came with a 'slipper' which I did use but never liked).

I do understand that certain people might have to take their pda's into slightly hostile environments - that I understand. Also maybe a hard case that allows you to dump the little blighter into a bag or something without risking damage (had one of those for my Psion5) is understandable. There again I tend to never let my buddy stray more than about 10 feet from me and when traveling its always in my hand/pocket/storage hole (in the car).

I think if I bought a case I would be less careful with my Palm and so increase the risk of damage?

One question though - does the alu case cover fold fully behind the T3 - if so I may be persuaded to reconsider. A lot of the hard cases seem to require that the cover flaps around in the air, getting in the way and doubling the 'footprint' area of your pda.

2003-11-13T14:28:00.000Z

T3 D-Pad
I have to agree with Sven - the T3 d-pad is by far the worst aspect of this machine. In a bizarre move Pa1mOne have made left and right selections easy whilst up and down navigation is actually painful if using the pda one handed. Bring back the old T|T1 design please - in our modern democratic world should not all directions be treated equally?

A BlueTooth game controller - sven you are a genius - lets rush over to the Patents office now - this time next year we will be millionaires. I will stick with an IR keyboard but a BT controller would be the best!

2003-11-13T00:02:00.000Z

Palm OS Wi-Fi SD Card Delay Continues Looks like there'll be no SD WiFi for at least another month. Will SanDisk make Christmas morning happy for millions of Palm users or turn out to be a Grinch?

SanDisk has again confirmed the delay of drivers for the SD Wi-Fi card for Palm OS 5. The company originally promised to release the 802.11b SDIO wireless card in the Spring.

The card was first announced in January and said it would become available in March. In late May, SanDisk pushed the release back until the fall. In August the company released the card, but only with drivers for Windows Mobile devices. [Full Text]

2003-11-12T23:43:00.000Z

Aluminum Case for Palm Tungsten T3 Available Soon Yup, if you're looking for those hard-tin shell cases for your T3, welp, two places are accepting pre-orders now according to Brighthand.

I got a sweet case from Nutshell and am very happy with it. It's leather and comes with an awesome belt clip, so it fulfills my requirements. But if you're into the terminator look and like putting your PDA in your pocket and not your belt, check out the Brighthand article.

2003-11-12T22:08:00.000Z

Die Pad sucks. Or is that the D-Pad sux? Well, I'm speaking of the Tungsten T3 five way "joy" pad. A joy it's not when it comes to games. For all other uses, it's actually worked quite well, but it comes to games, welp, don't waste the money on the game folks, it just isn't worth it.

I purchased the Midway Arcade pack that has my old school favorites such as Spy Hunter and Defender 2. The problem is two fold with the D-Pad. First, the four way direction spacing is too far from each other. To move left and the right is nearly impossible with one finger since it must travel a great distance to complete it's pressing of the button. Second, the fire button is in the middle of the pad. Since your finger for movement is in the way moving all over the place, it becomes difficult to get another finger involved. Use the "direction finger" and now you can't move and fire. Works poorly on Spy Hunter. It's nearly suicide, really.

Not that my iPAQ was any better, though most games let you at least change the fire button to another hard button, which eased things. I wished this was possible on the Midway games and most others.

So what to conclude? Don't have any hopes of playing games that require much movement on a T3. Heck, the T2 and T don't look any better since the ENTER button is in the middle of the D-pad, too (thought the more circular D-Pad will help with movement). Save you're $20 USD and get a productivity app instead...or put it toward a keyboard. Hey, maybe they'll come out with a BlueTooth game controller. That'd be cool! :)

2003-11-12T17:20:00.000Z

I received an invite at work on Tuesday - It's from one of my clients, to attend a Thanksgiving dinner on 27th November (is that the actual date for Thanksgiving?)

Anyhow I'm really looking forward to it - it always seen like such a good pre-cursor to Christmas and you guys over in the States clearly enjoy this holiday - the downside is that I'll have to spend some time networking as well. There again if it generates some more work then my boss will be happy!

I'll let you know what it was like

2003-11-12T16:32:00.000Z

Hello all - Sven has introduced himself as my new co-poster so I'll just say 'Welcome' and thanks for your initial posts :-)

Sven had few things to say about my choice of keyboard for my T3. The main reason I wanted the IR model was to allow me to use my T3 in landscape mode - no other product currently allows this (come on Targus/Palm - where are the BlueTooth keyboards!)

Sven - you are right IR is an old technology but it is a proved technology and will not drain my batteries like BT will. The brighthand review says there is no noticeable time lag. I actually doubt that but having used the GoType with my m505 I'm sure this keyboard will be an improvement on that. The time lag could be upto around half a second at times.

I'm no 75wpm typist and don't anticipate sitting around waiting for the T3 to catch-up.

Unfortunately it's going to be some time before I can post any news on this - just had notification that the supplier - eXpansys - have got the IR keyboard back ordered and they estimate approx 8 days before delivery :-(

I had a look around some other uk retailer sites, including Pa1mOne but it's out of stock everywhere. eXpansys are a good retailer who have never let me down so I'm leaving my order lodged there and will continue to check my order status with a wistful look in my eye.

2003-11-12T02:10:00.000Z

Aaaaah, true sync'ing. You know, synchronization. To bring two different objects together and make them the same? Ya, something the PocketPC doesn't fully get, or at least those who make software for it.

Being on the PPC for nearly four years, I got use to the idea that sync'ing meant "moving the newest file from either the PDA to the Computer or the other way around." So, if I updated a desktop application, better hoped I hadn't done something entirely different on the PPC or I had to make a choice who was more important to keep at ActiveSync time.

Well tonight, I was able to truly sync. I use an application called Diet & Exercise Assistant by Keyoe, Inc. What a perfect example of what sync'ing is since I used the PPC version of this, too. Tonight, the Palm version showed that I could add my work out on the Palm and the banana I ate after on my Desktop and they both updated each other at the sync. The PPC days, nope, file over write time.

So, I'm happy to be back in the sync mode! :)

2003-11-11T21:27:00.000Z

Originally posted on svenrox Nov. 8th, 2003: Having my Tungsten T3 for over three weeks now, I've been able to really see the differences between the PocketPC platform and the Palm platform and the differences are wide. Many will argue that everything the PocketPC can do, the Palm can do, too. Well, yes, to a point. But having both a Mac and PC, the same can be said for both computer platforms but the Mac still has a lack of programs for it.

And thus is the problem with the Palm. I think reading my Mobile Planet catalog today summed it up for me. Everything in there is for the PocketPC yet very little is available for the Palm. Let's see, there's GPS for the Palm, but only two manufactures compared to PocketPC's 10! There's no SD WiFi choices for the Palm (yes, SanDisk say's their drivers are coming, but PocketPC has had it for a year now). No bar scanner choices for the Palm, tons for the PocketPC. And it goes on and on like this.

Go to Handango and check out their main page. The one peppered with the different platforms. All the stuff that grabs your attention, yup, PocketPC. Amazingly enough, there are way more games for the PocketPC and they're waaaay better! Dude, my Pac Man clone for the Palm is a joke sound wise but on the PocketPC, it's like I'm at Mountain Mike's Pizza all over again!

Don't get me wrong, what Palm does it does well and better then the PocketPC. It runs apps way faster and it's compact. The one thing that's always tripped me out about the PocketPC is how things take so long to execute. Dude, this is all via flash memory. There is NO hard drive! What's taking so long? Palm doesn't have that problem, PocketPC does (and it's getting worse). I attribute it to it's just standard Microsoft M.O.

So, that's what I've noticed. I think Palm has a lot of work ahead of itself, still. Yes, it's nice it does MP3 playing and movie playing now, but outside of the MP3's, nothing is native yet. No native DiVX, no native PDF all due to the limitations of the Palm. They need to jack resolution up across the board (this would help the PDF thing) and make a more robust OS. If they want to compete with Microsoft and continue to be king in the U.S., they better make these changes, because they've already lost in Europe and Australia.

2003-11-11T21:10:00.000Z

Hello Palmsters! I'm Sven, or known better as svenrox. John as invited me to be his co-poster here at My Palm Life. So, I am happily making my first post.

Just a quick background on myself. I've been using PDA's since "the beginning of time" or at least, back to '95 when I got my first PalmPilot. (And yes, I know Newton was before the Palm, but that thing was a book, not a PDA ;) ). I upgrade that to the PalmPilot Pro, got a Palm II then jumped ship to Windows CE (Casio Cassiopeia) and jumped back to Palm V. Stayed there for a year and then jumped back to PocketPC with the first iPAQ. And up until last month, I was an exclusive PocketPC user. I had four iPAQ's total in my "previous life" and really did love them. But when my cousin and I saw the Tungsten T3 in the mall that one fateful day, well, my iPAQ seemed a bit heavy. :)

So, here I am today with my T3 and pretty much loving it. There are things I miss from the PPC world but there are things I don't miss for sure as well. I'm hoping my experience the PPC realm of things will bring a fresh look to this blog and I'm sure that's one reason John invited me here. I'll most likely cross post some stuff to my site, too, but will try to keep things exclusive here.

So, I thought I'd take a stab at John's latest post and ask, "Why?" Yes, Brighthand did give it a good review, but, dude, it's Infrared. Even Fast Infrared is slooooooow. Think about how long it takes to beam a simple contact to a friends Palm? We're talking a few kb here and it's a bit lengthy for me at times. Also line-of-sight products generally suck, too. Now yes, you're only typing single bits per "send"; however, if you're like me, 75 words a minute can slow things down.

For me, I'd just the Palm™ Ultra-Thin Keyboard. My cousin had it and I was able to slam my T3 into and was impressed with it's response. One thing that did annoy me was the left SHIFT key didn't always work. My cousin said that was a driver issue. So John, let us know if you have the same issue with yours when it comes in. Another thing that sucked was no numeric row. I understand the desire to wave space, but dude, 1/4 inch isn't much when it's already the size of a Palm V closed. :)

Me, I'm waiting for the Bluetooth keyboard. Ya, Bluetooth sales aren't as good as one hoped for in the U.S., but hopefully the EU can forge us ahead and get one in the works. It'll be interesting to see if Logitech's Bluetooth keyboard will work with it. When it comes out, I'll check and see. :)

But not to rain on your bits 'n' bobs, John, I'm sure it'll be cool. The ability to do landscape is cool. That is a plus and I'm anxious to here of your real world use of it when you get it.

2003-11-11T16:03:00.000Z

I've just ordered a Palm Wireless keyboard on the strength of this review over at Brighthand - should get in in the post on Thursday so I'll post my own views sometime soon :-)

(I love getting new bits 'n' bobs for my palm)

2003-11-11T14:00:00.000Z

I've been contacted by Svenrox the author of this blog. Some really great stuff here - not all palm stuff but that's good - a nice break from pda matters and you risk finding out interesting things about 'real life' :-)

For pda blogs you can use the search tool - try T3 or pda

Please visit his site and tell him who sent you!

2003-11-07T08:23:00.000Z

Pa1mOne has finally released an OS patch for the SD card problems with the T3! It's a 6.2 mb download and re-flashes the ROM - I'll let you all know how this goes - so big breath and in I go . . . . . . . . .

2003-10-31T08:08:00.001Z

Just a quick post to ask if anyone out there would be interested in co-posting to this blog with me.

My idea is that if I can work alongside a co-contributer at least 2 benefits will be forthcoming:

1. More frequent posts
2. Some (freindly) tension / differences in views will add a little spice to the blog - for example I love the look of the new Tapwave but any co-poster my hold a differing view

Please use the 'mail me' button on the left or mail me at johnspalm@dialstart.net

2003-10-31T08:08:00.000Z

2003-10-21T17:04:00.000Z

It's now possible to skin the Virtual Grafitti area of your T3!!! I've been waiting for this since I got my T - I was allways sooo envious of those Clie users :-) - Get the download here

2003-10-14T12:29:00.000Z

Well I've finally paused from playing with my T3 long enough to post something here :-)

One of the first dissapointments I underwent with my T3 was finding that DateBk5 did not support virtual graffiti. However my dissapointment was short lived - Pimlico Software have a 'preview' version of Datebk5 out already and you can download it here (click on the link for T3 just below the download link graphic.

There are still a few screen re-draw issues to iron out but the app itself is extreamly stable

But the good news does not stop there for us T3 owners. Within the zip file are 2 files you need to install to alow VG/Landscape - and these are PalmSource files designed for this very purpose. They auto-magically give you VG/Landscape support in several other apps also - For example ZLauncher - in my opinion THE best replacement Launcher app out there bar none - LauncherX does not come close

On a more dissapointing note I have fallen victim to the T3's appetite for SD Cards. There are many discussions going on in the forums over this. My 256mb SanDisk SD card was fried about 4 days into my T3 ownership. I have been able to format it under Win2000 in my card reader and load plenty of mp3 onto it and play them under AeroPlayer but it's useless in the T3 for apps/data.

If you are unaware of these issues here are links to a few of the more active discussions going on at the moment: PalmInfocentre, Brighthand, PDABuzz, and finally the developers of BackUpMan - an app that backs up you RAM onto SD cards (saved my life a few times!) have this to say

2003-09-27T21:36:00.000Z

Got my T3 at 8:30 this morning - will post more once I stop playing! 5 days before official lauch - not bad for a brit who had to wait 2 months for the m505 to reach these shores after us launch. Currently hotsyncing via bluetooth and trying to get Win2000 to let me surf and e-mail with bluetooth

2003-09-24T21:26:00.000Z

Get a fuller version of the Brit T3 owner here on the Brighthand Forums

2003-09-24T21:05:00.000Z

Found a Brit claiming to have a T3!!!!! look here

2003-09-24T07:47:00.000Z

Ooooooooo! I'm Too Excited!!!! Look at this link to PBABuzz - T3 with 400MHz ARM!!! AND landscape mode. Gotta go - think I'm gonna explode!

This link to PalmInfoCentre is even better!

2003-09-22T21:23:00.000Z

Here is my latest list of installed apps / hacks - any marked with a '*' are running for m my 256mb SD card:
SoftTrack! list, 22 Sep 2003

1.
2. •505LightOn (appl)
3. 1ofUS (appl)
4. 1st AID* (appl)
5. 300 Bowl* (appl)
6. 3DStarFighterPilot* (appl)
7. Ababall* (appl)
8. Ackeron* (appl)
9. AddressPro (appl)
10. Adobe Reader* (appl)
11. AG Connect (appl)
12. AIM* (appl)
13. AlarmMaster* (appl)
14. Alert Hack (HACK)
15. Alien Terrain* (appl)
16. AppIcon* (appl)
17. Astro* (appl)
18. AtomSmash* (appl)
19. Avantage (appl)
20. BackupMan (appl)
21. BeamCrack (appl)
22. BeBop* (appl)
23. Bejeweled!* (appl)
24. Billiards* (appl)
25. Blazer* (appl)
26. Blocks 4.2* (appl)
27. Bonsai (appl)
28. Bubblet* (appl)
29. Bump Attack* (appl)
30. CardSync (appl)
31. Chess Tiger* (appl)
32. CityTime* (appl)
33. Cleanup v2 (appl)
34. ClearHack (HACK)
35. ClockPop (HACK)
36. ClockPop Skins (appl)
37.
38. Collapse* (appl)
39. ContactsPro (appl)
40. Crash (appl)
41. DateBk5 (appl)
42. DateDiff (appl)
43. DateMate* (appl)
44. DayNotez (appl)
45. dbIcon+* (appl)
46. dbScan* (appl)
47. dbTodo (appl)
48. dbView (appl)
49. Defender 2* (appl)
50. DiddleBug (appl)
51. FastCPU (appl)
52. FatFinger (HACK)
53. finCALC* (appl)
54. FindHack (appl)
55. FlyZip (appl)
56. Galax* (appl)
57. GinRummy* (appl)
58. Glinx!* (appl)
59. GoType! (appl)
60. Grand Slam!* (appl)
61. GravityBall* (appl)
62. Grizzly* (appl)
63. GTS (Color)* (appl)
64. HandyShpr* (appl)
65. HandZipperLite* (appl)
66. Horus* (appl)
67. IconDBSplitter (appl)
68. ICQ* (appl)
69. Insaniquarium* (appl)
70. iSilo (appl)
71. JackFlash (appl)
72. JackSprat (appl)
73. JetFighter* (appl)
74. Keyboard (HACK)
75. Keygen 2* (appl)
76. Khroma (appl)
77. LapTopHack 6.12 (HACK)
78. Lemmings* (appl)
79. Lemonade Tycoon* (appl)
80. LightNzip (appl)
81. Linker (HACK)
82. LinkerApp (appl)
83. MacroHack (HACK)
84. MacroPlay (appl)
85. MagicBin (appl)
86. MagicText (appl)
87. MagicText Hack (HACK)
88. Mahjongg* (appl)
89. MaryoBros* (appl)
90. Mass Transit* (appl)
91. McFile (appl)
92. McPhling (HACK)
93. McText (appl)
94. MegaCalcC* (appl)
95. MegaHolidays* (appl)
96. MegaLogic* (appl)
97. MegaTets* (appl)
98. MetrO* (appl)
99. MHeroes* (appl)
100. MiddleCapsHack (HACK)
101. Millionaire* (appl)
102. Monopoly* (appl)
103. MS Snake* (appl)
104. MT3D Phoenix Rising* (appl)
105. MultiClipHack (HACK)
106. MultiUserHack (HACK)
107. MummyMaze* (appl)
108. Nebulus* (appl)
109. NoviiRemote* (appl)
110. PacMan* (appl)
111. PalmReader* (appl)
112. Palmscape* (appl)
113. PC ZIP (appl)
114. Pinballz* (appl)
115. PopUp Calculator (HACK)
116. PopUp Names (HACK)
117. PopUp Note (HACK)
118. PopUp Suite (HACK)
119. PowerRUN (appl)
120.
121. QuickBits (appl)
122. Quickchart (appl)
123. Quickpoint* (appl)
124. Quicksheet* (appl)
125. QuickSwitch (appl)
126. Quickword (appl)
127. Remote* (appl)
128. RescoViewer (appl)
129. RifleSLUGs* (appl)
130. RMRDiet* (appl)
131. RsrcEdit* (appl)
132. Scrabble* (appl)
133. ScreenShot (HACK)
134. ScreenShotControl (appl)
135. Scroll Bar Hack (HACK)
136. Silence (appl)
137. SilenceHack (HACK)
138. SimCity* (appl)
139. Sinistar* (appl)
140. Snapper (appl)
141. SnapperMailExchange (appl)
142. Socoban 3.1* (appl)
143. SoftTrack! (appl)
144. Solitaire 1* (appl)
145. Speedy* (appl)
146. TealDoc* (appl)
147. TealMaster (appl)
148. TealNotes 1.20 (HACK)
149. TealPaint* (appl)
150. TechSounds (HACK)
151. ToyRaces* (appl)
152. TrapWeavr (appl)
153. Tube* (appl)
154. UnDupe (appl)
155. Uninstall (appl)
156. Uninstall Hack (HACK)
157. VFSFTP* (appl)
158. Yanoff* (appl)
159. Zap!2000* (appl)
160. ZIOGolf* (appl)
161. ZiPCAD* (appl)
162. ZL Manager (appl)
163. ZLauncher (appl)
164. ZReader Lite (appl)

I'll post my OS5 list once I have (the mythical) T3 :-)

2003-09-22T12:54:00.000Z

As a current m505 user with a 33mhz processor I cannot belive that you lucky ARM processor users need even more speed - but this article over at PDAGeek shows we have a lust for even more power - Overclocking for Palm OS 5 XScale handhelds

Tension is mounting in the johnwin household as the launch of the T3 draws ever closer. I don't *think* I'm going to go down the overclocking route (note the *think* - always keep you options open) - my m505 battery seems to be suffering after 18 months of overclocking to (between 44mhz and) 66 mhz.

I've also being giving some thought as to how to go about installing all my apps to my new OS5 device. Having copied my m505 ram and loading it up on the OS5 Simulator I found that I got far too many crashes so I intend to load everything 'as new' on to my T3. The only exception to this will be my media files from my 256mb SD card - I figure that a .doc or .jpg will not crash my baby?

I've also spent some time ripping some of my fav CD tracks to mp3 format and loading them onto my spare 64mb SD card (too small!!!!) - to date I have tracks from the following:
Elvis Costello, Leonard Cohen (for those darker moments - fatal reset loops and the like), The Pouges and Stereophonics

2003-09-20T21:59:00.000Z

I'm keeping my mind busy whilst waiting for the T3 - by collecting a list of all the OS5-only apps I've so studiously ignored untill now!

Also collecting hi-res versions of my (many) current apps - which reminds me that I've not posted my software list for some time - maybe tomorrow :-)

2003-09-19T12:44:00.000Z

PDA Buzz have a good first look at the Tapwave Zodiac here. This is a exciting looking bit of kit - its nice to see a new form factor for Palm devices (sony excepted!)

2003-09-18T13:12:00.000Z

I'm starting to assemble a list of apps I will need for my impending OS5 purchase. Top of the list is an mp3 player so if anyone out there has any experience of the main players plese mail me - link in left hand navication zone

2003-09-18T12:57:00.000Z

Just found this excellent palm blog - Palm Addicts - thanks to Mike Rohde for the initial link.

2003-09-16T07:38:00.000Z

Well I'm so excited now. I have my £400 sat in the bank and I eagerly await the UK launch of the T3.

I just hope that the screen technology is the same as the Zire71 (but HiRes+).

2003-08-06T12:46:00.000Z

Well the good news is that I have sucesfully secured some venture capital from the CEO (wife) to allow me to purchase a new pda to replace my old m505.

The bad news is that the T|T2 is out but roumors of the T|T3 are all over the net. This is not due out untill 1st October in the states so about 8th October in the UK - not fair - don't think I can wait that long.

But I guess I will have to because I REALLY want the virtual grafitti!

2003-06-27T20:58:00.000Z

A new (to me) app that I’ve been playing with over the last few days is FieldEditmanager (FEM). This is a Japanese developed OS2 to OS4 enhancement. It provides a great deal of additional functions for text editing. The application appears as an additional category in the Preferences app. This is where you activate the app, change preferences etc.

To cut a long story short once activated you can tap on any text and the target area is surrounded with an assortment of action buttons which provide contextual editing functions. For example Cut, Copy, Past, Go to top, Go to bottom etc.

One other function worthy of note is the Graffiti echo function. This traces a ‘snail trail’ of your Graffiti strokes onto the pda screen. This is not revolutionary – but this is – there is an option for the echo to appear snapped to the input line – ie where the character will appear. This looks soooo cool. It does however slow the device considerably (as do all such echo apps)

FEM also allow launching of Desk Accessories (DAs) [see below] and an amazing array of other functions.

This app is well worth investigating – but be warned the manual is a little difficult to follow – the developer is Japanese and this shows I’m afraid. Someone may wish to offer to improve this a little for him?

Ultimately I have deactivated this app and moved it to my ‘temp’ folder on my (new 256mb) SD card. The reasons are as follows:
1. FEM interferes with ‘tap and hold’ options in other apps – for example DateBk5
2. Much of the functionality is a duplicate of those provided by MagicText, a much better app.
3. I do not use DAs

Desk Accessories (DAs) – I think of these as an alternative ‘hack’ system. It seems that DAs have been propagated mainly by Japanese developers. They allow all manner of enhancements to the palmOS and require a DA Launcher app (FEM acts as such a launcher but there are stand alone launchers available). Many of the functions are available via more ‘traditional’ hacks (under the control of HackMaster or similar – TealMaster is my hack manager of choice). Hacks and DAs can be run side by side if you wish. A 30 minute searching session should yield plenty of info but here is a fantastic starting point

2003-06-26T12:40:00.000Z

I think my search for a new launcher app may be over. I’ve run the full gamut of the apps out there: LauncherX; MegaLauncher; Facer; Launch’Em; GoBar – you name it I have probably tied it! (by the way if I have not named one here drop me a note and let me know – I am always open to suggestions)

However the one currently flashed to ROM on my m505 is ZLauncher. This launcher is highly configurable and supports themes. Navigation is easy and it sports a built-in file manager (though this is a bit slow compared to McFile when opening a card folder that contains a large number of files)

Icons, Skins and Backgrounds are readily available. This app does not vary vastly from LauncherX – the main reason I have sided with ZLauncher is that it just looks better on my poor lo-res m505. Lo-res skins are few and far between for LauncherX and the screen just looks more cluttered with LX.

My opinion may well change once I finally get a swanky new hi-res device :-)

This brings me nicely on to my next point…..

When will I make my (the much desired) upgrade to a hi-res device?

My dilemma is this – I love the idea of the (skinable) virtual graffiti area of the Sony devices, but prefer the Palm form factor. I’m no fan of StarTrek Communicator style flip devices. So what I’m waiting for is a Tungsten C pda but with no keyboard, a larger screen (340 x 460) and virtual graffiti.

Wonder how long Palm will keep me waiting? Equally appealing would be an ‘old school’ design Sony pda – ie no flip and/or keyboard but running OS5 on a 400mhz ARM chip.

Every day is a battle to resist the urge to rush out and buy a TT or a Zire71 – but I resolve to continue saving up and waiting for my (current) dream spec palm.

OS5 / ARM has reinvigorated palm pda development and I’m sure I will not have a long wait – I suspect that Palms T2 or maybe the one after that will address my desires.

The risk is that in about 3 months time my expectations will have raised again – ultimately I will have to take the plunge and upgrade – I’ll keep you all posted

2003-06-09T13:55:00.000Z

Great new palmblog here, enjoy

2003-06-09T12:57:00.000Z

I've been trying out all sorts of new apps recently but the one that has really caught my imagination is LightNzip by ToySoft. Toysoft have some great apps but this one is fantastic. It's a fully functional 'zipping' utility and works flawlesly on my m505. Please take a look at their site - also consider their file manager - MyWorkbench - it has potential but on my low res palm looks a bit cramped.

Another usefull app of theirs I now have on my Palm is 'Magic Bin' - this works by intercepting files as you delete them and sends them to a Windows style 'recylce bin' which is located on your menory card. The only downside to this app is that any apps run from MemoryCard via utilities such as PowerRun end up clogging up the magic bin. Their development forcast shows that this will be addressed in future so fingers crossed. In the meanwhile I just have to have a sort through the bin every few days.

2003-05-27T06:14:00.000Z

I finally saw a Zire 71 in the wild (and with a drop of power in the battery). For those not familiar with uk PDA retail philosophy here is a short precis:

1. Display the item clamped into a holder designed to prevent access to some important part of the item - camera, stylus, power button or the like;

2. NEVER charge the item; if by some error the item is charged ensure the first member of the public who powers up the unit locks it with a password - at this point refuse to accept the advice of the next customer (me!) that prodding the reset hole and holding down the power button will restore the unit to useability - see also item 1

3. On no account allow anyone to hold a pda - there is a serious chance you may have to sell it to them

4. Be sure to know nothing about the spec of any of the units you sell - my local retailer has a Tungsten T with built in WiFi and Bluetooth is extra and only required if you own a digital camera!

Well all this aside I did manage to find a shop that had a 71 charged and loose (behind the counter). The screen is amazing! I read a review about a week ago where the author said that at first he thought the screen had one of those display sticker things still on it. This seemed unlikely to me - but after seening one I know eactly what he is getting at. The colours are so vivid but the biggest supprise for me whas how close to the top surface the colours are! On my m505 there is always a definate feeling that I'm 'pointing' at images on the screen with my stylus - with the 71 you do feel that you are touching the buttons.

I'm now in a dilema - do I get a TT (for the bluetooth and voice recorder), a 71 (for the camera) or wait till Palm produce something with a larger screen and virtual grafitti? (I just don't like the styling of the sony units - very unusual for me as I own a ton of sony gear and usually love their styling). Oh well I'll just have to save up some £ while I decide.

2003-05-19T12:59:00.000Z

Happy Day :-) On Friday I achieved two things – both of them difficult in different ways.

First – my palm is syncing again. As I suspected I’m a victim of SUDS. I got a replacement cradle a few weeks ago but (contrary to the replacement agreement palm impose) continued to use the old cradle to charge my m505 – big mistake as the problem occurs even if the old cradle is used for charging only!

Any how I hade been suspecting SUDS for some on-going sync problems for a while. This excellent article gave me all the info I needed to cure the problem. A good luck would have it my palm crashed on Friday morning with fast CPU running, the back light on and a recurrent ‘beep’ sounding – battery drain heaven!!!

So I left the palm in my car till lunch time (so as not to distract my fellow workers). When I retrieved it at 1pm there was not a flicker of life in it. I whisked it back to my desk and hooked up my usb sync cable – which also charges the unit. A couple of hours later I fired it up and hit the sync button – Presto! A full sync :-)

With a few presses BackUpBuddyVFS restored my palm to the state it was in at 7 am that morning, I uninstalled the offending hack that caused my fatal crash.

A quick re-sync (for all my apps with conduits etc) and now I’m fully back to where I was 2 months ago.

Second – My boss is finally getting my Notebook fixed. Correction – I went over his head and got the repair organized myself! My Compaq Evo has had a very poorly hard drive for about 3 months now – but my boss deemed that my spending between 10 minutes and 2 hours each morning until Windows managed to boot-up. As you can tell this does not please me.

Anyhow he was away on a golf ‘jolly’ last week so seizing the bull by the horns I phoned HP myself, gave them my notebook’s serial number only to find that the fault was covered on a 3 year warranty!!! So now they will have my laptop for 3 days and return it to me on Wed this week all working again :-)

So assuming an average of 45 minutes per working day over 3 months I calculate that 45 hours of my time is worth precisly £nothing to my employer – It’s nice to feel wanted.

And it’s not as if I’m some kind of salary monkey here – I’m an Associate (ie Partner in waiting) but my boss is the kind of guy who wants to do everything and usually acheives very little.

Wow – I feel better for that. To be honest I’m looking forward to getting a ‘clean’ pc back to re-build. I tend to do a clean install once a year anyhow and this will be the ultimat – a brand new hard drive to go at.

2003-05-15T11:18:00.000Z

I've got itchy feet again when it comes to a Launcher App - I'm giving Facer another run-out. The last time I tried it (around relaes 1.5 I think) it was still a little buggy and slow. It's now at 1.7 and the developer does claim that it's much faster.

I susspect that I will revert to Launch'Em (nolonger availiable?) as usual but I'm determined to go into this with an open mind

OTHER NEWS - My m505 is still refusing to sync with and pc at all (I'm having to install apps by using my SD card reader and copiying the files to RAM) This is not good - but could I use this as an excuse to get a T (or even a Zire 71)? Only problem is that the funds for such a move are approx 2 months away. Can I survive without syncing for this long?

I think I probably can - now I have a (near) full size keyboard for the m505 I find I'm quite happy to run my life without the 'help' of Outlook syncronisation.

2003-05-12T08:07:00.000Z

My m505 is refusing to sync with any of the pcs I have access to - I think SUDS has finally got me. I'm going to fire off an e-mail to plam to see what the odds are of getting a replacement unit but in the meantime if any of you have a sure fire way of 'de-static-ing' my palm please mail me - see link opposite.

2003-05-12T08:05:00.000Z

My laptop is very ill - thai is partly the reason for my lack of posings of late. Well I've finally persuaded my boss that the hard disk really is on the way out and so the offending article is wizzing it's way to the it people as I type :-)

Once this process is complete I will be back to full strength and blogging away.

In the meantime I'm using a spare desktop - so I hope to post more frequently this week also!

2003-05-09T11:38:00.000Z

My new SD card has corrupt sectors :-( and now that person on eBay is being a bit slow in accepting that I want a replacement / refund. This is my first negative experience with stuuf from eBay - guess I was just lucky before.

On a similat topic I managed to leave my onl SD card in my shirt pocket and run it through the washing (laundry) machine. But it still works (good old SanDisk) and is now back in my m505 !!!