Jimmie Geddes has iPhone OCD

I just got off the phone with Jimmie, editor of GadgetsOnTheGo.net, who is now about 60th in line to receive his new iPhone at a local New Jersey Apple retail store.


Jimmie and Rocco will be providing coverage of the iPhone launch from the Apple store through out the day. Make sure you check out the iPhone Countdown Clock over on GadgetsOnTheGo.net.

Celebrate 4th July with Fireworks from Astraware!

KEELE, Staffordshire, UK - June 28th 2007 - Astraware is pleased to announce a brand new version of their fun application Fireworks which is available for a limited time.

Fireworks is a simple FREE application, showing sequences of fireworks flying and exploding into the air. As 4th July is traditionally a time for fireworks and celebrations in the USA, the features have been created to help our American friends highlight one of their major holidays - Independence Day! Fireworks features a selection of patriotic backgrounds including the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore and the Stars and Stripes, and offers a choice of stirring tunes including the Star Spangled Banner and Stars and Stripes Forever!

Fireworks is available for devices running Palm OS and Windows Mobile including support for 240x240 square screens and QVGA landscape smartphones. What better way to celebrate 4th July than with some Fireworks? Download your copy today at http://www.astraware.com/fireworks - it's available for a limited time only! Oh, and did we mention, it's FREE?!

About Astraware

Founded in 1994, Astraware Limited develops, publishes and distributes games for mobile devices. Some of the company's best known handheld titles include Astraware Sudoku, Zap! 2000/2016 and Astraware Solitaire, PopCap Games Bejeweled, Zuma, and Insaniquarium, and Sandlot Games Tradewinds. Astraware is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner. Mobile gaming enthusiasts have downloaded more than 50 million copies of Astraware's products, and the company has customers in over 100 countries. For more information, contact Alison Barclay at alison@astraware.com, or visit http://www.astraware.com.

CallsToJournal Released for Windows Mobile

Earlier today Chapura released CallsToJournal a call log management tool for customers using Windows Mobile devices like the Palm Treo 700wx and 750. (Chapura Call Log + adds similar functionality for Palm OS Treo users.)
CallsToJournal allows Windows Mobile device users to synchronize their phone's call log to the Journal application inside Microsoft Outlook. More information can be found on the Chapura website.

Chapura Updates Key Suite to 3.6

Chapura has updated KeySuite to versioin 3.6. Key Suite is a total PIM application manager for Palm OS handheld PDAs and Treo smartphones. With Key Suite, Microsoft Outlook users can bring the look and feel of Outlook to their Palm devices.

KeySuite 3.6 now allows you to push the data that is synchronized with Outlook into the standard Palm PIM applications. This is a great feature to have if you use an application that does look ups into the standard PIM application databases which was not previously updated in earlier versions.

Chapura KeySuite is Microsoft Windows Vista compatible (all versions) starting with the previous release, 3.5.4. (Palm is still working on a fully Vista compatible version of Palm Desktop and the HotSync Manager.)

Chapura KeySuite is available now for 69.95 (full retail purchase) and upgrade options are available for PocketMirror customers. Existing customers can download the update by logging in to the Chapura customer care portal.

For more details, visit the Chapura website.

Palm Reposts the Sprint Treo 700p Update

Yesterday afternoon, Palm posted an update to their company blog stating that the Treo 700p maintenance release (MR) update had been made available again on the Palm website.

Paul Loeffler writes for Palm:

The SD card updater has been reposted to the Palm site - installation details can be found here. We are working to resolve the installation issue with the desktop updater and will make it available as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Verizon Wireless users, we will make the 700p MR available as soon as we can.

It would seem that the problem is with the HotSync update method and not with the SD card install method. I've used the SD card method on a few Treo 700p devices now and all upgraded without a problem.

Verizon customers are still waiting for their update. This may not be a bad thing as I have experienced some annoying issues with my Treo since applying the MR update. While these issues, which include a dial tone bug, do not out weight the number of things that Palm has fixed with this update. I only hope that Verizon customers get the additional bug fixes that Sprint customers didn't get.

1SRC Editorial: Form and Funcation

Earlier this week I posted my latest editorial, "Form and Function", over on 1SRC.com.

I’ve always been a function guy. For me, the capabilities of the mobile handset are more important than the way it looks. With the introduction of devices like Apple’s iPhone, it will be difficult to sell a device based the merits of features and functionality alone.


It is all about the footprint

When you compare feature cell phones to smartphones one of the most apparent differences is the “foot print”, or the device’s form factor. Each year cell phones seem to get smaller and smaller. Every time I walk past a cell phone store and peer in the window I wonder how people avoid snapping there phones in half while talking on them. On the other hand, you have smartphones; devices that combine the features of a cell phone with those of a digital organizer. When compared with cell phones on the basis of style and price alone, smartphones seem like large, unattractive, and expensive alternatives to the sleek, attractive, and inexpensive alternatives. They are both “phones” after all, right? Why would anyone every want a smartphone?

On June 30, 2007, I’m expecting a lot of people to have a new appreciation for what a smartphone is and why they need one.

Keep reading...

1SRC Podcast 134

I've posted the latest 1SRC podcast for your listening pleasure. This week I cover:

• The Palm Foleo is in the news with a brief podcast and new software titles.
• Astraware Sudoku and Solitaire are coming to the Foleo.
• MotionApps mDayscape is also headed for the Foleo.
• intoMobile has some rumored Palm "Gandolf" specs
• Opera Mini 4.0 is now available for public beta testing.
• Palm InfoCenter is reporting that CorePlayer Mobile 1.1 is now available.
• 1SRC Editorial: Form and Function
  

Listen to show 134 now...

NYPC PalmPilot SIG Rescheduled

From Grace Lee:

Hi everyone:

Since our meeting would fall on Wednesday, July 4th (a national
holiday), we have rescheduled the meeting for Wednesday, July 11th.

Please mark your calendars.

Thanks,
Grace Lee

===================
NYPC PalmPilot SIG
Grace Lee & Ted Cohn, Co-Chairs
email: nypcpalmpilot@gmail.com
URL: http://nypc.org/palm.php

Palm to Cut Jobs

Web site C|Net News.com is reporting that Palm is cutting an unspecified number of jobs starting this week. Palm spokesperson Jim Christensen was quoted by C|Net as saying,

"It's a small percentage of our work force," Christensen told News.com, adding that Palm still has openings in some areas. The bulk of the jobs being eliminated are in the U.S. and in Palm's development ranks, though there are some cuts across the company, he said.

Christensen said the move was "not about cost-cutting" but rather about "eliminating some of the hierarchy" at the company.

I'm not surprised by this move, actually. When listening to the press conference announcing that Elevation Partners was taking a 25% stake in Palm, officials from Elevation talked about having small teams of talented people working on specific projects. The current round of lay offs at Palm would seem to indicate that the partnership with Elevation is already having an impact on the company.

1SRC Podcast 133

I've posted a new 1SRC Podcast. In this week's show, I cover:

• I am a guest on this week's Maximum Geek podcast, episode 9.
• Palm posts a notice on their blog that the 700p MR is still being investigated.
• Are you having trouble with vibrate mode on your 700p after installing the MR?
• Haisook has released T-Memo over on Brighthand.
• Hobbyist Software has released Initiate 3.0 .
• I talk about what is in my Palm travel bag. What is in yours?
• 1SRC Editorial: "Do You Believe in Magic?"

Listen to show 133...

And in case you missed show 132 and my Jr. Podcasters, you can still listen to last week's show. Last week's topics include:

• My Jr. Podcasters stop by to help me kick off show 132.
• Joel has started the Yahoo Foleo group and I've started Foleo Fanatics .
• Palm's new strategic partnership with Elevation Partners.
• Palm releases and then pulls the Treo 700p Maintenance Release for Sprint.
• People experiencing install issues with Sprint branded Treo 700p smartphones should call Palm at:1-866-750-7256
• My Treo 700p MR upgrade notes.
• 1SRC Editorial: Editorial Potpourri .
  

Listen to show 132...

1SRC Editorial: "Do You Believe In Magic?"

This week's 1SRC editorial has been posted and I discuss the rumors swirling around the internet about the rumored new Palm Treo, the "Gandolf."

No, I’m not talking about the song; I’m talking about the rumors of Palm’s latest smartphone, the “Gandolf.” Gandalf (slightly different spelling), as you may recall, is also the popular white wizard from J.R.R. Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings. I have to wonder if Palm is trying to conjure up some magic with this rumored new device.

What we think we know

The news of the supposed existence of Gandolf started appearing late last week on Palm enthusiast websites. As near as I can tell, the blog Morning Paper broke the story. The first thing to hit you is that the Gandolf looks different from any of the past Treo smartphones. The screen appears more rectangular than square, there is a button bar with a LifeDrive-like D-ring navigator, and the standard Treo keyboard. The Gandolf looks like a mash-up of the Treo and the Z22.

Read more...

Astraware Solitaire for Palm OS and Windows Mobile

PRESS RELEASE

Pick up a great pack of card games with Astraware Solitaire!

THE MIDLANDS, UK - June 13th, 2007 - Astraware(R) is excited to announce their version of the classic card games pack - Astraware Solitaire for Palm OS(R) and Windows Mobile(R) PDAs and Smartphones.

Astraware Solitaire features 12 of the most well-known and best-loved single player card games, chosen based on direct feedback and suggestions from Astraware customers. The games include Klondike, Pyramid, Spider, and Freecell, and to make the playing experience both familiar and fun, each game has custom gameplay options so everyone can enjoy the games using their favorite variation on the standard rules.

The game's controls have been specially designed to be simple and comfortable with both stylus or 5-way play, and along with just the right balance of effects really make it easy to play and feel like you would when playing with a real pack of cards.

"We really wanted to capture the best things about Solitaire, easy to get into, enjoyable to play, and the nice feeling of playing with cards that sometimes computer games don't capture." Said Howard Tomlinson, Astraware CEO and Game Designer. "Playing just one game at a time is great, but we added the extra incentive of collecting trophies for various achievements within each of the games for those people who want to have a longer goal too. You can play straight off with the normal settings, or customise it in all kinds of ways - it's your game, so we feel you should be able to play it the way you want to!"

PDAs and Smartphones are very personal and everyone loves to customise the look of their handheld. Astraware Solitaire also offers lots of choices including decorative backgrounds, changeable color themes, and a beautiful selection of cardbacks to enhance the look of your game.

Most important of all, there is a choice of card front including a familiar traditional set with beautiful face cards, and a clear card face which is better for those with visual impairments, or for playing in bright daylight.

If you like to track your progress, the game statistics will tell you how long you've played and how often you win, and Astraware Solitaire also includes a fun trophy system which unlocks extra card graphics and the highly sought-after golden trophy pack of cards. Once you've collected them all, you can even be use them to play with!

With 12 highly-absorbing, traditional card games, Astraware Solitaire is the perfect pastime for everyone's handheld.

Astraware Solitaire is available for PDAs and Smartphones running Palm OS 5 (with hi-res screens), and Windows Mobile for Pocket PC and Smartphone 2003, 5.0 and 6.0, priced $19.95. To save $10 off the regular price, get Astraware Solitaire before 30th June 2007!

The complete list of games included is: Calculation, Canfield, Clock, Four Seasons, Freecell, Golf, Idiot's Delight, Klondike, Pyramid, Spider, Sultan's Harem, and Yukon. To try Astraware Solitaire for yourself, visit the Astraware website: http://www.astraware.com/solitaire.

About Astraware

Founded in 1994, Astraware Limited develops, publishes and distributes games for mobile devices. Some of the company's best known handheld titles include PopCap Games� Bejeweled�, Zuma�, and Insaniquarium�, Sandlot Games�� Tradewinds�, and Astraware Sudoku and Zap!2000/2016. Astraware is a Microsoft� Certified Gold Partner. Mobile gaming enthusiasts have downloaded more than 50 million copies of Astraware's products, and the company has customers in over 100 countries. For more information, contact Alison Barclay at alison@astraware.com, or visit http://www.astraware.com.

1SRC Editorial: Editorial Potpourri

Editorial Potpourri the latest 1SRC Editorial has been posted. This week I discuss the Palm/Elevation partnership and the Treo 700p maintenance release.

Palm’s Strategic Recapitalization

Earlier this week Palm and Elevation Partners announced that would bring an additional $325 million dollars to Palm. Elevation will have three associates named to Palm’s Board of Directors. Palm shareholders will receive a $9 per share dividend. The board room shuffle will see the departure of former Palm CEO Eric Benhamou, and the addition of former Apple VP in charge of hardware engineering and head of the iPod division, Jon Rubinstein.

The Elevation recapitalization should be seen as a good thing as it is the best of both worlds. First off, Palm wasn’t sold. The $325 million did get Elevation a 25% stake in Palm, and the senior Palm management team will remain in place. Shareholders should be happy because they are getting a payout. And Palm enthusiasts and customers should be happy because Elevation has the ability to attract new talent to Palm.

Treo 700p MR

This has been an incredibly frustrating experience for Palm and their customers. Palm has been listening the Treo 700p customer base, of which I’m a member, and have tried to put together a solid maintenance release. I did download the 700p MR before it was pulled. I installed it via the SD card method. (You can read my upgrade notes here.) I only had minor issues after the update had been installed. Since the update has been installed, my Treo 700p no longer spontaneously resets and the time to launch Blazer has gone from 20+ seconds down to 3-4 seconds. Lastly, Bluetooth connectivity to my headset is good.

Read the full editorial...

Palm Pulls the Sprint Treo 700p ROM Upgrade

From the Palm website:

We're sorry, but it's temporarily unavailable: We have received isolated reports of an installation issue, so we've removed the Sprint Treo 700p updater from our site. We're investigating the issue and will make the Sprint Treo 700p updater available again as soon as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience.

If you have experienced an issue with the maintenance release installation, please contact us: 1-866-750-7256

Read the full explanation on the Palm company blog.

I have posted my upgrade experience here.

The following is from the Palm company blog:

Updated Post

This is an installation issue and it is evident immediately during the installation of the MR to your device. If you have already loaded the MR successfully to your device, you are good to go.

This "all clear" notice from Palm should answer the questions that I have been receiving from customers who have been asking about the stability of their Sprint edition Treo 700p smartphones after having applied the MR update prior to Palm taking it down.

Foleo Fanatics Video Podcast 001

The first Foleo Fanatics video podcast has been posted for your viewing pleasure. The inaugural podcast covers:

• I'm your host, Alan Grassia
• Palm Foleo overview
  

Download Foleo Fanatics video podcast 001...

The Foleo Fanatics video podcast is encoded in the Apple QuickTime file format. You can download the free QuickTime Player here.

Treo 700p MR Upgrade Notes

Earlier today Palm released the long awaited Treo 700p maintenance release (MR) for Sprint edition Treo 700p devices.

I wanted to share my upgrade experiences to help fellow Sprint Treo 700p customers apply the MR.

The Treo 700p MR is a ROM upgrade, which means that the software being loaded on your Treo can't be unloaded when the device is hard reset. Anyone who is using a Treo 700p one the Sprint network should apply this update.

Downloading and Installing

You can download the 700p MR update here. Before attempting to install this update, read the directions! Since this is a ROM upgrade, the contents of the Treo (your data and third-party installed applications) will be erased. Palm recommends that you HotSync your Treo before attempting to start the upgrade. This will ensure that you will be able to restore you settings, data, and applications. (See Minor Issues below.)

The Treo 700p MR installer, like the recently released Treo 680 AT&T MR installer, can be transferred to the Treo either by a HotSync or by copying the files to a Secure Digital (SD) card. Having previously performed ROM upgrades on older Palm devices using the HotSync method, I chose to try the SD card upgrade option since this technique is new. Refer to Palm's website for directions on installing the 700p MR update.

Windows Vista and Mac OS X users will need a blank SD card to install the update. IT customers who need to patch up fleets of devices can also use the SD card upgrade method. Windows 2000 and XP customers can chose to install the update installer via HotSync or the SD card. (I had a 128MB card hanging around so I used that since I need to update a customer who uses a Mac tomorrow.)

To kick off the installer either insert the SD card or, if you plan on using the HotSync method, simply double-click the "SprintTreo700pDesktopUpdate.exe" application and follow the on-screen prompts on your PC.

The update takes a good 20 - 30 minutes to complete the install. You should only perform the update when you have the full amount of time to devote to the upgrade. You will also need to keep the Treo connected to the power adapter during the entire install.

Minor Issues

For the most part, my upgrade to ROM version 1.10 when smoothly. There where only a few minor issues during and post upgrade.

When reading the upgrade directions on the Palm website, Step 6 of the SD card install directions makes reference to the Treo 680 update. Clearly this is a typo as Palm is trying to re-use the documentation from the Treo 680 MR update. Other folks have reporting seeing a reference to "Lowrider" on at least one upgrade screen. (I didn't see this screen myself, but I was watching my Jr. Podcasters so I could have easily missed it.) In either case, you can safely ignore these textual only errors. They do not appear to cause any trouble with the actually installation of the upgrade.

The next error I encountered was LudusP getting stuck in an error code loop. After restoring my data and applications by performing a HotSync operation once the Treo 700p MR had been successfully applied I started getting a "Error 43: Database not found" error on restart of the Treo. I warm reset my Treo, deleted LudusP, soft reset, performed a HotSync operation, and then reinstalled LudusP. (Make sure that you have your registration code handy.)

Email account passwords that had been previously stored in VersaMail were no longer there. I re-entered the password for the two accounts that I access from my Treo and was then able to check email again. I also needed to re-pair my trusted Bluetooth devices again.

The Enhancements

Since I'm writing this article after having just applied the 700p MR, I haven't done much testing yet. That will happen throughout the week. I would like to share a few observations. Blazer (the application titled "Web" on the Treo) is now launching in about 3-4 seconds. This is a huge improvement over how things were just working the other day.

I also noticed that using the Dial By Name feature is working faster than it had been previously.

Palm has also officially added support for 4GB Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) cards. This is welcomed upgrade for any customers who would like to load large documents, gobs of music, and video on their Treo.

In Conclusion

Over the coming days, I plan on performing some additional testing of the Treo 700p MR. I'm looking forward to seeing a new level of compatibility with my ThinkOutside Stowaway Sierra Bluetooth keyboard, which unfortunately, hasn't worked well with my Treo up to this point.

The Treo 700p MR update for Sprint customers looks like it will be solid update. Verizon customers will be in for an extended wait as Palm and Verizon are undoubtedly working to get a patch out to their customers.

Palm Releases Treo 700p MR for Sprint Customers

Earlier today, Palm released the long awaited Sprint edition Treo 700p maintenance release (MR).

Palm has posted a detailed list of fixes and software enhancements that this MR addresses here. Palm customers using Sprint branded Treo 700p smartphones can download the update for free from the Palm website. This update is not intended for any other Treo smartphones. The Treo 700p MR for Sprint edition devices is a ROM upgrade and can not be undone. Please be sure to read the documentation before attempting to install the upgrade. You will need to a lot about 3o minutes to complete this upgrade.

Treo 700p MR upgrade site...

NYPC PalmPilot SIG Meeting June 6, 2007

Grace & Ted dropped me a note to remind me that the NYPC PalmPilot special interest group meeting will be held this Wednesday.



NYPC PalmPilot SIG meetings are held the 1st Wednesday of the month and start at 6:30 PM. All user levels are welcome.

NYPC membership is not mandatory, but highly recommended to Palm SIG members.

Location: Meetings are held at NYPC's offices in the New Yorker/
Ramada Hotel, 8th Avenue & 34th Street, Suite 551. Take the A, E, or C trains to 34th Street.
(Map: http://tinyurl.com/yavrxj)

June 6th meeting: We'll discuss the new Palm Foleo mobile companion.

For more info about the Foleo: (http://tinyurl.com/2ee4r5)

See you on Wednesday!

Grace & Ted

===================
NYPC PalmPilot SIG
Grace Lee & Ted Cohn, Co-Chairs
email: nypcpalmpilot@gmail.com
URL: http://nypc.org/palm.php

Treo 700p MR Held Up

Palm has posted a new update regarding the Treo 700p maintenance release, or MR, on their company blog. According to this latest update, the 700p MR for Sprint customers will be posted on Monday, June 4th.

It seems however, that at least some of the Treo 700p customers will be in for an extended stay in the waiting room. Palm also disclosed that there is no specific date for the Verizon Wireless Treo 700p MR.

The Treo 700p maintenance release has turned into a high-tech soap opera of sorts due to the many delays and detours on the road to release. It is becoming clear that the carriers have played some part in holding up the 700p MR's release. Unfortunately, Palm will continue to get the brunt of customer dissatisfaction.

Read Palm's update notice...

1SRC Podcast 131

This week's 1SRC Podcast has been posted. Joining me this week to help cover the launch of Palm's latest product, the Palm Foleo, is Gadgets On The Go's editor, Jimmie Geddes and lead developer of Ludus Tech and host of the PalmAddict podcast, Tyler Faux.

Listen to 1SRC Podcast Show 131...

Calling all Foleo Fanatics

Call me crazy. Call me a wingnut. Call me a fanboy. Or maybe just call me a Fanatic. I've just started a new blog, called Foleo Fanatics, which is dedicated to covering the development of the new Palm Mobile Companion, the Palm Foleo.

The Foleo won't be released until later this summer, but that is no reason to not start the party! To learn more about this exciting new product, check out

http://foleofanatics.blogspot.com