Beta SDHC Driver Released for Palm Handhelds

Posted By: Ryan Kairer Monday, July 21, 2008 1:44:56 PM

Palm SDHC driverDmitry Grinberg of PalmPowerups has released the first public beta version of his SDHC driver for Palm handhelds. The software updates the memory cards drivers for certain Palm PDA's so that they can read and write to larger SDHC compatible cards of 4 GB and higher. Dmitry writes,

As you may be aware, most Palm devices that do not carry a "Treo" or "Centro" brand cannot read or write to the new SDHC cards. This leaves everyone owning such devices behind in terms of storage and costs. SD cards top out at 2GB, while SDHC cards are available at 32GB sizes already, and 16GB cards can be obtained for less than $80 USD.

Palm Inc has repeatedly refused to write an SDHC driver for their handhelds. This has long been regarded as a lost cause by most Palm owners. Luckily Palm Inc are not the only ones in power to help. PalmPowerups to the rescue! We've been hard at work creating an SDHC driver for your devices. It is very difficult and has been one of the most complex projects we've ever undertaken here. It is made harder yet since each individual device needs to be uniquely supported and programmed for.

The current beta is still a work in progress and due to its pre-release nature is only recommended for advanced users at this time. It supports the following devices: Palm TX, LifeDrive, Tungsten T5, E2, Zire 72 and Zire 31. Installation instructions and caveats are detailed at PalmPowerups. A trial version is available that runs for 3-4 days, after which the beta can be purchased for $35.

Dmitry says the initial release version is being worked on and once available will cost $20. He also aims to support additional devices such as the Tungsten T3, Tungsten C, E and the Tapwave Zodiac.

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They're charging more for the beta than for the final version...

tuvor @ 7/21/2008 5:23:23 PM # Q
...but won't explain why.

"Due to huge demand to make the beta available to everyone, it has been decided that the beta will be available for purchase as well. It is more expensive than the final version will be, for reasons that are beyond the scope of this document."

Okay, I think I'll wait.

RE: They're charging more for the beta than for the final version...
dmitrygr @ 7/21/2008 5:30:24 PM # Q
the explanation was posted in the 1src discussion.

------
Software engineer at PalmPowerups.com
TH55/U + T|X2 + T|E2 + Zire 72 + Zire 31 + Visor Prism + WristPDA
RE: They're charging more for the beta than for the final version...
tuvor @ 7/21/2008 7:08:17 PM # Q
Dmitry,

Would you be so kind as to post a link to that discussion either here or on the PalmPowerups page with the PalmSDHC announcement?

I can't find anything via Google, and 1src.com keeps timing out on me.

Thank you.

RE: They're charging more for the beta than for the final version...
dmitrygr @ 7/21/2008 7:59:23 PM # Q
The idea is simple: I did not want to release a beta. People annoyed me a LOT over email, sending me emails with thousand copies of "please please please," so I said that if they want, they can purchase it now, but as a way to discourage them, priced it higher (a lesson frmo basic microeconomics). Now nobody can complain that it is not released, and my inbox is not being raped by thousands of emails full of "please".

------
Software engineer at PalmPowerups.com
TH55/U + T|X2 + T|E2 + Zire 72 + Zire 31 + Visor Prism + WristPDA
RE: They're charging more for the beta than for the final version...
tuvor @ 7/21/2008 8:55:55 PM # Q
Thanks very much for the clarification.

I'll definitely be buying a license once it's out of beta!

RE: They're charging more for the beta than for the final version...
jfme @ 7/22/2008 5:00:27 PM # Q
"I said that if they want, they can purchase it now, but as a way to discourage them, priced it higher (a lesson frmo basic microeconomics)."

It works. It is just like buying the first top of the line Ferrari or Ducati.

It is great to see smart entrepreneurs turn scrap into silk.

RE: They're charging more for the beta than for the final version
mikecane @ 7/22/2008 8:40:55 PM # Q
>>>my inbox is not being raped by thousands of emails full of "please".

HAHAHAHAHAHA.

Reply to this comment

Thank you again, Dmitry

joad @ 7/21/2008 5:42:52 PM # Q
Yet another glaring embarrassment where Palm has shirked their customers and told them to throw away their investment and buy a shinier piece of hardware just to get a simple improvement. "Put it in the garbage" because Palm doesn't want to write a driver for it. I wish Dell had bought Palm, we'd see a little "service after the support," still such a foreign concept to Palm.

But, yet again, Dmitry has identified a need and is seeking to fulfill it. UDMH is another great app - the Java apps that won't restore from backup come over like warm butter when UDMH is enabled. Has saved me hours of headaches.

$35 sounds a bit steep though. That'll buy an 8GB card (or halfway to a Centro) nowadays.



|
**Another vote for a >100MB RAM Treo**

RE: Thank you again, Dmitry
joad @ 7/21/2008 5:43:43 PM # Q
(meant "service after the sale." Sorry, it's Monday...)

|
**Another vote for a >100MB RAM Treo**
RE: Thank you again, Dmitry
alastairmx1 @ 7/21/2008 5:57:37 PM # Q
Great news! I'll buy it when it's out of beta.
Reply to this comment

Dmitry to the resuce yet again.

Poopie @ 7/21/2008 6:10:19 PM # Q
Palm should just write Dmitry a big fat check and say, "do whatever the heck you want to fix PalmOS".

Given that Nova is coming out sometime..., and that all of the PDAs will soon be off of official support, maybe Palm could release rights to Dmitry to enable him to build and (sell?)/distrubute ROM updates for all the "classic" Palm devices - especially since Palm is clearly *not* going to do this.

I'd have a lot of faith in an OS upgrade from Dmitry to 5.4.9999999 (heck, call it 5.5!) that included the lastest PalmOS apps, best free apps, and all of Dmitry's updates and fixes, and I'm sure it would be "worth it" for a lot of Palm users who are stuck with old versions of apps in their ROM.

RE: Dmitry to the resuce yet again.
dmitrygr @ 7/21/2008 6:28:37 PM # Q
I'm up for it. Send them a letter with this content :) I'll sign up for this, and i'm sure many others will too...

------
Software engineer at PalmPowerups.com
TH55/U + T|X2 + T|E2 + Zire 72 + Zire 31 + Visor Prism + WristPDA
RE: Dmitry to the resuce yet again.
hkklife @ 7/21/2008 10:45:32 PM # Q
Dmitry;

Just out of curiosity, how hard (in a very brief summary) would it be to write a CLASSIC Graffiti 1 plug-in for OS 5.x devices, especially one that was stable for 320x480 devices?

I don't mean TealScript, I mean to replace the G2 libraries with G1 versions that is as fast & as accurate as the Tungsten T's Graffiti recognition was (the last & best Graffiti-enabled device yet).

@Poopie;

Great idea but Palm would NEVER "stoop" to that level. They'd say it was Access' responsibility and Access would say it's Palm's responsibility and everyone would just high-five each other and call themselves geniuses for bending over backwards to appease the wireless carriers so they don't have to deal with "customers" anymore.



Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p

RE: Dmitry to the resuce yet again.
cstamper @ 7/22/2008 10:35:01 AM # Q
Fwiw, he made an app that removes the irritating delay in G2. Makes it slightly better...

http://tinyurl.com/2ooncg
RE: Dmitry to the resuce yet again.
Gekko @ 7/22/2008 10:52:28 AM # Q

didn't i see a post recently saying dmitry retired from palm os to focus on other endeavors?

p.s. when i hear that name, i always think of this movie -

Sean Ambrose: [disguised as Ethan Hunt] You keep calling me Dimitri. You really shouldn't.
Dr. Nekhorvich: You are not Dimitri?
[Ambrose knocks him out]
Sean Ambrose: No.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEDxZGn4GiE


RE: Dmitry to the rescue yet again.
joad @ 7/22/2008 7:41:19 PM # Q
I thought I saw that "retirement" announcement too. Guess we're all in the boat that PalmOS is a tough OS to leave - where 'ya gonna go but down?

Just imagine if Dmitry or Shadowmite or any of the many competent and creative developers who LOVE the PalmOS had been given carte blanche to dream up and implement fixes, improvements and changes to the system over the past few years.

The "best and brightest" at Palm seem to be incapable of (or shackled by corporate from) lifting a finger to make the customer experience any better that it was at release. That is, unless a major publication or group of angry users can 'shame' Palm into it.

Palm's incentives to maintain or innovate nowadays seems to be driven *only* by the need to avoid bad publicity. No inspiration, little innovation, basically no sense of love and enjoyment of the device. I doubt that any one of the people with the power to make a decision there would take the trouble to carry around a prototype for a whole week and actually pay copious attention to size, weight, battery length, software interaction, etc. Too busy watching their stock options go down (or up?). Palm's dogpaddling in the market they once ruled has allowed all their competitors to make them a 'has been,' and even Apple has risen from the ashes of the Newton to grab a good portion of users who are tired of Palm's stagnation.

Heck, if this "Nova" is as vaporware as I expect (no more early adoption for me, Palm - tired of being your beta tester), I'd pay Dmitry or another competent developer an annual fee to maintain and release upgraded ROMs and such for the Treo 755 and previous devices. If you don't have a love for the Palm, then move aside and Palm should hire a few of the many that truly do - and let them loose.


Paying my annual PDA update tax to Palm since 1997.

Reply to this comment

Treo's

malgeri @ 7/22/2008 10:04:26 AM # Q
Can SDHC cards bigger than 4gigs be used in Treo's and centro's? I was told when I got my 680 4 was the biggest I could use.

Marc


RE: Treo's
hkklife @ 7/22/2008 10:29:43 AM # Q
For Treos & PDAs with a FAT32 driver standard, yes.

Here are the devices that ship with FAT32 standard by default (in chronological order of release):

LifeDrive
TX
Treo 700p
Treo 680
Treo 755p
Centro

You'll run into problems with the way Palm OS sees contiguous volume sizes over 4gb, as it'll report an 8GB card as 2 separate 4GB volumes. So if you have 5GB used on an 8GB card, Card Info will report 1GB used & 3GB free remaining. But the device will still be able to read all of the data on the card (although some apps are hit & miss when it comes to this). The biggies--CorePlayer, PTunes etc-should be fine.

Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p

Reply to this comment

Why this is happening.

CFreymarc @ 7/30/2008 11:10:44 AM # Q
Why doesn't Palm allow good developers to run in and fix the OS? IMO Palm is outsourcing so much, there are no more "code moms" tending to the code base fulltime anymore. Also if any third party came in to see the status of the code base, I bet they would be very upset over how poorly it is documented and managed.
RE: Why this is happening.
hkklife @ 7/30/2008 11:13:29 AM # Q
Palm doesn't WANT to fix the OS. They just want to sell as many Centros & 800w's as possible while spending as little money as possible for support or R&D.
And, of course hoarding as much cash as possible along the way. Makes 'em a much more attractive acquisition target, y'know.



Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p

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