Quickies: Freeware Palm, Action Names, How-to, and Much More

Posted By: As Listed Wednesday, April 17, 2002 7:44:23 AM

Freeware Palm is temporarily offline while its owner finds a new hosting company. It will be back soon. -Jony

iambic continues its strong support for Sony's NR series by releasing Action Names Datebook 5.2, which takes advantage of the 320 by 480 screen. It has some bug fixes as well. -Ed

AnywhereYouGo.com has a tutorial on connecting a Palm to the Internet using a cradle and a PC running Windows 2000. -Ed

SpringCard by Pro-Active is a smartcard reader in the form of a SpringBoard module. It's slim shape adds little bulk to the handheld and it has 2MB of flash memory for apps and backup. -Denis

Purchase any Handmark product online by Wednesday, April 24 and enter the the coupon code 'AprilShowers' in the order form for a 25% discount. -PR

iambic has announced a new version of Bump Attack Pinball that supports 320-by-320 pixel displays, and offers a sampled music background for Sony T615C users.It costs $20. -PR

ARM Holdings, whose chip designs will be at the heart of Palm OS 5 devices, reported that's its most recent financial quarter saw a 30% in crease in its sales and a 38% increase in pre-tax profits. -Ed

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Bumpattack in High-res ... where?

I.M. Anonymous @ 4/17/2002 8:40:05 AM #
I don't find any mention of that feature either in iambic
site, either on palmgear....

is there a release date?

RE: Bumpattack in High-res ... where?
Ed @ 4/17/2002 8:52:11 AM #
Here's the press release I got:
www.iambic.com/uipublish/art_reports/item.php?id=20
It's a bit light on details

---
News Editor
RE: Bumpattack in High-res ... where?
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/17/2002 9:44:08 AM #
thanks Ed
RE: Bumpattack in High-res ... where?
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/17/2002 9:46:05 AM #
ok, they announced it ... but it's not possible to
download it right now :-( my clie is impatient! -)
RE: Bumpattack in High-res ... where?
Beavis @ 4/17/2002 11:47:52 AM #
The new version is now available on the Iambic Website

So when will they support Handera?

Wollombi @ 4/17/2002 9:32:12 AM #
Well, it's certainly nice that Iambic wants to stay current, but the Handera 330 has been out for a year now and Iambic has yet to make Action Names work correctly on it. That's ironic when you consider that Action Names is geared toward the same market demographic as the Handera unit.

_________________
Sean

It is not very comfortable to have the gift of being amused at one's own absurdity.
-Somerset Maugham-

RE: So when will they support Handera?
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/17/2002 9:41:24 AM #
hum, why do you say that?

AN is aimed at people who want a simple
and beautifull interface instead of a big multifunctionnal
and very complete tool like datebook 5 ....
And I think the handera is more aimed at this last
category, very technical people ... Sony is more
for the mainstream consummer market, I think.
So it's normal that iambic want to push for the sony

Thomas

RE: So when will they support Handera?
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/17/2002 10:33:28 AM #
I have heard rumors that the Handera resolution is harder to support and will be obsolete soon anyway with the soon to be released OS5. Not sure how accurate that info is but it would explain why many developers don't bother supporting Handera.
RE: Handera support
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/17/2002 11:02:21 AM #
HandEra's high resolution implementation was FAR BETTER geared to support by third party developers who wanted standardized calls used in their apps. "Hackers" who like doing everything themselves may have liked the Sony since it was less "orchestrated" itself--and many developers had harsher words for it than that.
RE: So when will they support Handera?
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/17/2002 12:24:24 PM #
The "rumors" you've heard aren't based in fact.
RE: So when will they support Handera?
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/17/2002 2:10:52 PM #
Yeah, if you happen to code for Sony, you know how unfriendly their SDKs are
RE: So when will they support Handera?
Wollombi @ 4/17/2002 3:09:12 PM #
Actually, Action Names is primarily geared toward people who need a seamless interface with their meetings, tasks, contacts, and contact history. Meaning business users. Handera's market is also primarily business users as well, so they are both targeting the same market demographic.

As far as support, there are many developers who are at least developing their software so it scales well if it doesn't support the collapsible silkscreen, which isn't useful in Action Names anyhow if you want to enter contact information, appointments, etc. If Iambic would fix the issues with screen draws and buttons not working, that would be enough for most Handera users. All of these issues go away when running AN in centered mode (a 160x160 box in the middle of the screen), leading me to believe it is an issue with the screen resolution.

QVGA is not going away. In fact, it scales easier to 1/2 VGA and full VGA *much* easier than Sony's half-a**ed hacks.

Just my $0.02. And besides, I had to keep the discussion going....=)

_________________
Sean

It is not very comfortable to have the gift of being amused at one's own absurdity.
-Somerset Maugham-

RE: So when will they support Handera?
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/17/2002 3:39:11 PM #
Why bother? Just for the six people that actually bought a Handera?
RE: So when will they support Handera?
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/17/2002 4:22:39 PM #
It is so ironical, if Handera is easy to support why we do not see a big rush to support its? Sony's hires seems to have more support than Handera and you said it is hard to support.

Also, they just isn't many people using handera, why bother?

RE: So when will they support Handera?
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/17/2002 7:40:47 PM #
>> Why bother? Just for the six people that actually bought a Handera?

That is your opinion.

What do you use your Sony for?

The HandEra was developed for a "business" user the Sony is more a consumer device. There are far more connectivity options available for the HE than Sony... its supports MMC/SD *and* CF. I have CF serial, Ethernet and 802.11b cards that come in very handy in my daily work life. No need to carry a laptop now... I can install, configure and support just about any network gear with my HE. I have had my Palm Portable Keyboard & a Socket Serial CF card in many times when I need to configure devices and still had my 64 MB MMC to run the programs off of. Can the Sony do that? No.

That is why there are devices for all type of people and needs. You buy what you need, not what everyone else has.

I can't wait to see what they introduce next and, as long as they keep up the good work, will gladly upgrade to the next HE.

RE: So when will they support Handera?
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/17/2002 8:20:35 PM #
I am not doubting Handera's capability. All I am saying software developers need to make a living. If the effort to support Handera cost more than they can make, of course they'll put it lower priority. It is all abt market share. For now at least, in terms of hires, Sony has a bigger market and that is why software developer support Sony hires first. Maybe I should not have said , I should have said low on their priority list. Same things go for accessories. Palm has much bigger market share than Sony. If I were an accessory developer, I would support Palm first because that is more likely to generate more sales for me. While for Sony, it would be lower in priority.

Peace ....

RE: So when will they support Handera?
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/17/2002 8:30:46 PM #
oops, you were posting in response to the 1st , ok, I am the 2nd poster. But that is the reason why I think Handera hires does not get as much support as it should. Still peace .....
RE: So when will they support Handera?
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/17/2002 8:35:58 PM #
> I have heard rumors that the Handera resolution is
> harder to support and will be obsolete soon anyway with
> the soon to be released OS5.

I'll reiterate another poster's earlier statement that what you say is not at all based in fact. In fact, I expect to see more support for the 330's screen as the OS 5 release gets closer.

RE: So when will they support Handera?
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/18/2002 7:41:04 AM #
Actually developing for the Clie is easier.

When you consider that developers have to build a program that works with standard Palm OS 160x160 res.

In the Clie you can scale imgaes because of the similar aspect ratio (1 std pixel = 4 clie pixels). the handera unusual aspect ratio makes graphics go crazy.

RE: So when will they support Handera?
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/18/2002 9:55:56 AM #
> Actually developing for the Clie is easier.

That is certainly a matter of opinion. I would say developing for the 330 is easier, and HandEra's APIs are better designed and more flexible. More of a step in the OS 5 direction. If I were developing an app today I wouldn't touch Sony's hi-res APIs, it would be wasted work.

> When you consider that developers have to build a
> program that works with standard Palm OS 160x160 res.

I don't get what you mean by that, unless it is pertaining to what you wrote next.

> In the Clie you can scale imgaes because of the
> similar aspect ratio (1 std pixel = 4 clie pixels).
> the handera unusual aspect ratio makes graphics go crazy.

Which only matters when you deal with compatability mode, and even then it is a minor issue (crazy is definitely an exaggeration, some scaled bitmaps and odd length lines may not look quite right). It is a non-issue if the app is designed/developed to be hi-res. It is trivial to add bitmaps to a HandEra 330 app that display correctly, or I should say better since they would be higher resolution.

Speaking of the 330 and AN 5.2...
Quik_Fix @ 4/18/2002 7:53:44 PM #
Just wanted to mention that there's a bug when using Action Names 5.2 on the 330. If you're in the daily agenda screen, you can't use the "one week back" arrow at the center of the top of the screen because of all the work they've done improving the program's ability to switch between date and time at the top of the screen. Maybe it's just me, but I'd much rather be able to look a week backwards then switch the date and time my virtual grafitti hack shows me all that info already.
I have noticed some issues with Action Names 5 and using the notes on "redo" todos we'll see if it's fixed in this new release.

As for supporting my virtual grafitti, I noticed someone mentioned that it's not that important because you need the grafitti up to input information anyway. True as this is, I pretty sure I spend more time checking my schedule that changing it, and that extra screen real estate would make a big difference on those busy days.

All in all, Action Names is my favorite PIM for the Palm OS. I wish they would make a desktop companion for it... or make it work perfectly with ACT! (I know pipe dreaming). I've used it for years and I've yet to find something with the balance of simplicity and function.

Okay... I'm starting to schmooz here... better stop typing.

...In accordance with the prophecy...

Quik_Fix
quikfix@hotmail.com

AnywhereYouGo.com - Serial vs. USB

GeauxVols @ 4/17/2002 1:23:34 PM #
OK, I'm curious. How do you connect the Palm to the network via USB cradle? The author says this will come at a later time. Pshaw! Why not now? Not that I really need a connection from a USB cradle, but it would be nice to know how!

DM

RE: AnywhereYouGo.com - Serial vs. USB
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/17/2002 2:05:32 PM #
What's the point?

If you can connect to the internet through a cradle connected to your PC, why not just use your PC?

I know, I know. Its kind of cool being able to do it, but does it really make any sense?

RE: AnywhereYouGo.com - Serial vs. USB
GeauxVols @ 4/17/2002 2:17:39 PM #
From my perspective, the question wasn't "Why would you want to do this?", but "How?" We could debate the significance and/or merits of the USB configuration all day, but that still doesn't address my original question.

DM

RE: AnywhereYouGo.com - Serial vs. USB
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/17/2002 2:22:03 PM #
yeah, i wonder about the same thing as well, so many application tends to assume your palm is connected to the comm port, yet almost all new device are usb based... i know it's much harder to program for usb instead of for comm, but.... well... anyone?

in crease?

I.M. Anonymous @ 4/17/2002 2:44:14 PM #
Don't you mean a "30% increase"?

Freeware Palm offline?

Strider_mt2k @ 4/17/2002 5:24:46 PM #
Get well soon freeware Palm!
The pop-unders were death incarnate, but they had/have some real gems!

RE: Freeware Palm offline?
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/17/2002 9:24:26 PM #
Freeware come back. Its my life. Most convienent and a great reason for a 128mb card.

freewarepalm offline

I.M. Anonymous @ 4/18/2002 4:13:10 AM #
Buy me a server (19") and I would put you online (100 MBit) for nothing...

Should work a few years...

A.

RE: freewarepalm offline
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/19/2002 4:31:30 AM #
This is a serious offer for freewarepalm. Sorry for not having their e-mail.

A.

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