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Domain: brighthand.com
Stories and comments across the archive that link to brighthand.com.
Comments · 93
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What Apple's iPhone Can Learn From...
Windows Phone
Palm
What other people think. -
Re:Cant compete, but sue.
This http://www.saares.net/verkkokauppa/files/nokia-e7-00.jpg doesn't look like an iPhone
Oh crap! Someone thought of something like iPhone before it came out:
http://alypuhelin.nettisivu.org/files/2011/05/nokia.jpgSUE SUE SUE SUE!
http://www.brighthand.com/assets/4911.jpg
It resembles an iPhone!
How could they allow such devices as this to exist: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/PalmTX.jpg without a myriad of lawsuits!So apple took a PDA, wanted 24/7 connectivity, added GPRS to it and noticed it could also be used for calling. (Remember, original iPhones were VERY lacking in phone related features and finishing/polishing)
Best smartphone i know was pretty much a prototype which slipped into mass production:
http://blog.dialaphone.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/nokia-n900.JPGBefore that there was N810 which actually predates iPhone:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_N800Or for some really early work:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_770_Internet_TabletClearly Nokia 770 was too early on the market, before technology properly supported what they wanted to do.
In any case, Apple simply took Mac OS X, stripped it down, took something already built, and added a few hippies to dev team (artists), seriously nothing else.
Before you start your fandroid bashing, i've actually never used android before, getting my first android pad from customs tomorrow to see how it is, and i actually am receiving tomorrow my new phone: Nokia E7-00. Sure some iPhone could have been cheaper to buy, but i want something i can actually do whatever i want with AND make phone calls, and i want to make damn sure it will not fail on me for the next couple years
Seriously, you need to take a few weeks off from the sunday mass @ your local apple store.
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Re:Retribution
How non-technical, and after how thorough of a look?
I'll just leave these here...
http://forums.macrumors.com/archive/index.php/t-297432.html
http://gigaom.com/2008/08/31/dont-like-the-iphone-check-out-these-touchscreen-phones/
http://www.gsmarena.com/newscomm-769.php
http://www.telecomasia.net/node/5199
http://www.google.com/search?q=SPH-1300&hl=en&prmd=ivns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=jjfATeTDOIL30gHT_tXuBA&ved=0CC4QsAQ&biw=1680&bih=947
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=ET&p_theme=et&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EEF6B3EB0A8C768&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
http://cgi.ebay.com/SPRINT-PCS-PALM-OS-WIRELESS-PHONE-SPH-1300-DUAL-BAND-/180613037497
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2000-09-25/news/18143226_1_cell-phone-palm-os
http://www.geardiary.com/2006/11/30/the-palm-treo-700p-palm-os-smartphone-review/
http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=1690
http://www.gizmag.com/go/2306/
http://www.google.com/search?q=sony+p900
http://www.electronista.com/articles/08/10/13/lg.debuts.new.prada.phone/
http://www.esato.com/phones/compare.php?phone=433&cp=439
http://gizmodo.com/#!190670/cect-a1000-touchscreen-phone-with-1000-hours-standby
http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/at-t-8525/4505-6452_7-32133413.html?tag=lia;rcolthese aren't phones, but what the hell... they could still be mistaken for an iPhone at a glance...
http://welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/prodserv/handheld.html
http://www.suddenlink.net/pages/curtismc/palms.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_III -
When it's either Samsung or Apple
Samsung preventing the users from upgrading may cause us to abandon the phone, but in what bizarro world would we ever buy another device from Samsung?
How about the world in which the only viable competitor to iPod touch, a pocket size Android device that isn't a phone and has the Market, is the Samsung Galaxy Player?
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This news is so 2004
...or even older: http://www.brighthand.com/article/pictureperfect/ A friend of mine had a palm and a picture of a pyramid where he pointed at the corners and the center to log into his device. But also, where is the difference from the lock screen on the iPhone? or any other touch device. It is just convenient that the position in the picture can be memorized through a sequence of numbers. The principle is exactly the same...
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Droid on T-Mobile?
That's what I found. It's important to note that the Verizon 3G and the T-Mobile 3G networks are incompatible, so you can't just get a Verizon Droid, unlock it, and use it with T-Mobile. (Even if you could, it would be expensive, and who knows how hard it will be to unlock the phone.)
If Verizon isn't paying for a significant exclusive contract on the phone, then this makes sense. Otherwise we might be seeing a year or two delay, in which time some other phone will come out with all the same features.
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Re:Apples and Oranges (No Pun Intended)
Lumenary7204 said:
> The Net Applications survey seems to be centered on desktops and personal-use devices only, while Microsoft's graphic conceivably includes OS deployment across all kinds of devices (desktops, servers, network appliances, etc.).
According to EWeek, you are wrong and Ballmer was only discussing desktops with that slide. This seems to be collaborated by this story at brighthand which shows a different Ballmer slide just for phone OS share. Which makes the original story more interesting.... -
...but with a keyboard in the mix.
Also a Palm (mine is T3) + pssh setup here.
But in addition, I have a full-sized foldable keyboard (mine uses the connector, but they also exist with Bluetooth too).
SDIO card for Wifi (when available, otherwise bluetooth to an extremely old GPRS enabled phone).
The only regret I have is that pssh doesn't use the multi tasking features of PalmOS 5. When you exit the program, the program terminates and the connection is shut. (You can't switch between programs). Unlike for example the music players or some of the internet messaging software which all *DO* still run in the background even if you switch to another app. -
Meanwhile : Foldable keyboard
Until these Sci-Fi input devices become mainstream, you could always count on foldable keyboard.
Even since my PalmIIIc period, I've been using foldable keyboard (by think outside and the like).
Note, I'm not speaking about the clamshell ones, nor the rollable ones.
I'm speaking about a box which has almost the same size as the Palm it self. It unfolds like an accordion in 4 parts. Once you've laid it flat, you slide the keys from the outer parts and you get a complete Desktop size ~90 keyboard (only lacks a keypad). This "sliding" locks the keyboard in open position, so you don't need a full flat place to used (compared to laser+infrared virtual keyboards) and you get actual tactile feed-back (not virtual keys. Real keys, which have the same size as those from your desktop).
Did all my note-taking at the university using such systems.
The best part is, now with the advent of common standard communication protocols like bluetooth, they produce one single model that fits for any bt-enabled PDA/smartphone/whatever (unlike back then, when they had to provide 1 model for every different proprietary connector that the market has come up with, and you had to rebuy a new one each time you changed your PDA). -
Re:Not surprising
If your axim is slow try the kozahura WM6 ROM which I believe supports the AXIM, made my HP4700 a sh*tload faster! See http://forum.brighthand.com/showthread.php?t=246529&page=4 Worked great for me,!
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Re:How many days...Heavens rained down Nokia N800
I haven't tested the battery life for media yet, but I'll give it a try and post back. Per the following reviewer, they got 7+ hours just playing music: http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=13056 There are some good pics in the review as well. I usually browse the internet for 2 hours, take notes for 4 hours and listen to music for 2 hours and that lasts me all day at work. I'll turn on music and let it play all day tomorrow to see how long it lasts. Hopefully this helps.
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Re:Why not $200 store credit?
On the one hand I was happy to shell out $600 for the iPhone given that I've been waiting for a wifi PDA/smartphone that doesn't suck for years (the iPhone has its limitations, but frankly I was fed up with Palm's and Windows Mobile's problems).
On the other hand, while I fully expect price drops and product improvements ~6 months after buying something like this, $200 (33%) after 10 weeks is pretty rough. So I think a $100 credit is a fair compromise. Had Apple not done anything, they would've risked tarnishing their brand name (which is perhaps their most valuable asset).
In fact I suggested this exact solution over at the Apple and brighthand forums. Apple deleted my thread, but the important thing is that they're actually doing it. -
Re:FeaturitisYour analysis leaves something to be desired.
Expandable memory - No
I believe you mean "expandable storage". The miniSD slot is exactly what the Casio has, and is exactly what the market is rejecting! You technophile may appreciate the ability to swap 2GB SD cards, but to your average user it's a single 2GB expansion. (They're not going to spend $$$ getting multiple SD cards, assuming they spend the money to get the first one.) Which means that the 4-8 GB hard drive options are much more appealing.Full alphabetical keyboard - On-screen
This is 6 of 1, half-dozen of another. While a physical keyboard may seem superior, the market is saying that they're about the same. Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal went on record saying that the two methods are more or less equivalent.Choice of Opera or Apple browser - Safari
The WebKit browser that Nokia provides is severely lacking in usability. Opera Mini is better, but neither one compares to the Safari on the iPhone. Especially in the area of usability. The "Zoom on Element" feature alone greatly boosts the usability of the browser. This is still a definite win for the iPhone.Support for standard, instant E-Mail notification - No
???
Email on the iPhone appears to work just fine?Macromedia Flash - So I hear.
This is a bit misleading. The Nokia phones have a Flash development platform for creating phone applications. That's not the same as being able to surf Flash movies on the web. Neither phone can do that. The iPhone handles YouTube by directly streaming H.264 versions of the movies. Its Quicktime decoders take care of the rest.I don't even understand what this one means: On-Screen Conferencing options - Play on-hold games with the phone
The iPhone has on-screen menus to conference in other callers. Just press a button. Most other phones require you to pull the PBX-style tricks of putting one caller on hold so you can dial up another caller, then transfer them together to create a conference. It's a pain, and completely non-intuitive.
The most striking problem with your analysis is that you're saying, "This geek feature doesn't work, that's why I don't like the iPhone." Which makes my point perfectly. You are not Apple's customer! You are a geek who knows how to make your smart-phone work for you. The majority of consumers are not. However, nearly all of them can make an iPhone work for them. Which is why the iPhone is trouncing the competition.
Lastly, the Nokia E61i is not a "European Phone". It's available here in the states. -
Motorola Q review: battery life... stinksIt looks like the Motorola Q isn't competition with respect to battery life.
Motorola Q Review
"Here's the ugly part. Battery life of the Q just plain stinks. I know, I know, I've said all along that a lot of the Q is based on compromises based on the design. Motorola quotes 4 hours talk time, but that's full of caveats. In the real world, with moderate phone use and 10 minute pulls from our Exchange server, the battery won't make it through the work day. Heavy phone users are going to be flustered pretty quickly. Motorola has an extended battery option, but this of course ruins the lines of the device. So either go that route and give up a little bit on design, or invest in a car charger, backup battery and a charger for your home." -
Re:this pig could fly....
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Finally Palm catches up with Sony.... Almost...In February of 2004, Sony released the Clie TH-55. Here's a review of it:
http://www.brighthand.com/article/Sony_Clie_TH55_R eview
For comparison, these have basically the same specs except:
Sony TH-55 advantages:- Voice recorder
- VGA camera
- longer battery life
Palm TX advantages:- BT and WiFi vs. US TH-55's WiFi, though Japanese and Euro TH-55's had both
- faster processor
- more memory (128 vs 32 MB)
- non-volatile memory (survives battery running out)
I've been a PalmOS user for many years, and this is the most appealing device since the Tungsten|T3, and the price is competitive. However, this is what they should have released almost two years ago! -
The TX is close...
but Palm still hasn't come up with a PDA to beat Sony's last Clie models. My Tj-37 is two years old and has WiFi, a camera, lots of expansion, a small form-factor and great battery life. And before anyone goes on to say that "a business PDA doesn't need a camera" let me say that I use the crappy camera in my Tj-37 all the time. Sure, it's not a 2MP wonder, but I do have it with me all the time.
If and when my Tj-37 dies, I'll likely replace it with a Clie TH-55. This thing has wifi, 320x480 and absolutely awesome 8+ hour battery life again in 2003. The EU version even had bluetooth. With the camera and small form-factor, Palm still hasn't come up with an equal to this device. Really, Palm 2005 is just now catching up to the Clie from two years ago.
It's a shame, when Sony pulled out of the market, Palm OS and the Palm platform just stagnated. -
Re:Why not Palm Pilot
They got into legal trouble. According to Brighthand the Pilot Pen Corporation sued them in 1998 for trademark dilution.
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What if..?What if RIM was a US company and NTP was Canadian. Do you think that the judgement would have been different? Consider also that Microsoft has been found guilty of patent infringments many, many times and yet it has never had an outright ban on those products being sold or used.
Exactly what has NTP done with these patents? The USPTO keeps striking them down (see here). Did NTP actually use or license the patents to make a product? I can't think of any.
Of course, this was nearly all settled but seems to have fallen apart.
RIM vs NTP is a complicated case.. many patent cases are. But when it boils down to it, the approach doesn't not appear to be consistent between different cases. If the judgement remains, then RIM's revenues will take a huge hit, US Blackberry users will not be able to use their devices and I can't see any product on a comparable quality anywhere on the horizon.
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Nah.Ever try getting upgrades to newer Windows CE from the hardware vendor? It doesn't happen unless you trash your existing hardware buy the latest device!
You could be right about most devices, but this isn't always the case. Case in point: HP and Dell. Of course, if you're talking cell phones, well...I can't help you there.
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Nah.Ever try getting upgrades to newer Windows CE from the hardware vendor? It doesn't happen unless you trash your existing hardware buy the latest device!
You could be right about most devices, but this isn't always the case. Case in point: HP and Dell. Of course, if you're talking cell phones, well...I can't help you there.
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some detailed reviews
did a search on google and found these reviews:
Sharp's Zaurus SL-6000L: A Free Software PDA
Zaurus with VGA Screen, Wi-Fi Now Available in U.S.
Sharp Zaurus SL-6000L Linux PDA
Review of Sharp Zaurus SL-6000
Sharp Zaurus SL-6000L Review
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here are all the reviews from customers on amazon.com. -
Re:What's Wrong With the Zodiac?Here's the article Tapwave Turns Down Gameboy Emulator
I have a zodiac2... but I also have a Lynx1 and a NeoGeo Pocket Color...
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a picture of US tech consumersHe describes an interesting phenomena occurring in American consumer electronics. Basically, US tech consumers like intuitive products as mentioned since Sony left the US market. Intuitive products will always appear "smart" or "intelligent" to a user from a psychology standpoint such that they become humanized. That's since we associate intuitiveness as an exclusive human trait. Case in point: ever here a person say "stupid car", "stupid pda", "stupid phone"? (Considering a phone can't be stupid, but a human can!)
And so that's the root of why people "lose" it. Unless the way technology is perceived differently (you don't see Japanese folks 'smashing' their tech toys on a routine basis), our professor from the article will have a nice secure job,
and a lot of useless equipment.
Any possible therapy? Why yes! Just read the directions...., doh.
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Re:Clear Channel will screw you overthanks for that insight: XM radio is $10 per month. A verizon high-bandwidth cellular (EV-DO) is $45 per month with the audiovox vx6600 (unlimited usage, but cost on top of your normal cellular bill).
Heck, give that a few years to equalize, and you may be right!
p.s. ok tepples, time for bed!
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RE: GPL violations under our very noses, libmad, mCheck it out; massive GPL violations of libmad, divx, nero, and mom's apple pie, and closed-source units to boot
http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?&
t hreadid=113893 -
GPL violations under our very noses,enquire withinCheck it out; massive GPL violations of libmad, divx, nero, and mom's apple pie, and closed-source units to boot
http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?&
t hreadid=113893 -
GPL violations under our very noses
Check it out; massive GPL violations of libmad, divx, nero, and mom's apple pie, and closed-source units to boot http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?&
t hreadid=113893 -
Summary of all the reviewsEngadget are maintaining a list of reviews as they come in. So far there's 11 reviews listed which I've reposted here for you. Check out the original at http://www.engadget.com/entry/9927137581414458/. Here's the list:
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I'm confused
No Wi-Fi built-in... no microphone... no Cobalt...no sliding case - can support stereo speakers and portable file transfers, yet it is targetted at business users? RealPlayer required on it and your desktop machine (ouch).
Why does it feel like PalmOne wants me to buy a product from another company to replace my m515?
A review link... - And an accessory list link... -
I'm confused
No Wi-Fi built-in... no microphone... no Cobalt...no sliding case - can support stereo speakers and portable file transfers, yet it is targetted at business users? RealPlayer required on it and your desktop machine (ouch).
Why does it feel like PalmOne wants me to buy a product from another company to replace my m515?
A review link... - And an accessory list link... -
Re:USB Drive?From the Brighthand Preview:
What's most unique about the Tungsten T5 is it can be plugged into the USB port on almost any computer and the 160 MB segment of memory will appear on the computer as a removable drive. The Palm Desktop software doesn't have to be installed on the computer. What's more, if an SD card is inserted into the T5, it will also appear as a removable drive.
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There are lots of VGA pdas coming out soon
Check out this article if VGA is something you really want on your next pda:
http://www.brighthand.com/article/Which_VGA_Pocket _PC_is_Right -
Re:The one thing the Clie Misses
Is this what you're talking about? I love my Clie, it's so much better looking (hi-res) and THINNER than the Palms. Too bad I don't have OS5, only 4.something... Wonder if this could be hacked to work on my PEGA-T415?
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Re:fantastic..
Well, if you could hook your phone up to a full screen display and a keyboard & mouse, and you would have all the software you liked, would you still not want to use your phone as a computer? How long till handhelds have enough firepower to run things like KDE? Of course you might not be able to run Doom3, but even that might one day be feasable. Things like the PSP show 3D graphics can be put into mobile devices.
You would of course have KDE mode going for full screen displays, and something like QTopia when using the phone display.
You say you just want a phone that can make calls. Well guess what, that's not how most other people feel. Convergence of devices is inevitable. I don't want to carry around my laptop, ipod, phone, PDA, digital camera, gameboy etc around with me all the time. If a company can provide all these features in one device, they've got me as a customer!
Do one thing and do it well is someting we hear all the time these days on slashdot. However, the PC as we know it is the most clear example of a multi-purpose device! You just want to run Make, emacs and ical. Other people use it for totally different purposes.
The PC will probably be with us for a while yet, but eventually I do see smartphones replacing them. It's just a matter of time. -
Re:wake me when they have nice screensyou can wake up right about... NOW!
HP hx4705: 4 inch 640-by-480-pixel (VGA) screen http://www.brighthand.com/article/HP_iPAQ_hx4705_
O verview?site=PPC -
brighthand still alives
some new ipaq ifo here: http://www.brighthand.com/article/HP_Introduces_S
u mmer_2004_Line_of_iPAQs -
Great idea but....
It's not bloody likely. On two counts. The first being that the Treo 600 may not be compatable. I chased down individuals at the last PalmSource and tried to get to the bottom of why the 802.11 SD drivers where not being released. The main answer was that on some devices, the card would draw too much power (802.11 suck current, fancy that!) and could even fry the unit. ouch!
The second is more political than anything else. Starting with OS 5.0 (and someone correct me if I'm wrong) the drivers aren't as easy to hack, the least of which is that they have to be in native ARM (as opposed to the PACE layer) Hell Armlets^H^H^H^H^H^H^H PNO's where like pulling teeth to write till resently). Things get worse in OS 6.0/Cobalt where the vendor can choose (and PalmOne will, if they ever release a Cobalt device) to require the drivers be signed in order to run. Great for preventing viruses, sucks for hackers such as myself that might want to hack on a device that I may not care to sell/commit to developer fees that may apply.
And all this before reverse engineering the card itself. Better off to wait and hope that PalmOne releases a Treo with Bluetooth built in (nudge, wink)
That aside, no hurt in trying! -
Stowaway Folding Keyboard, FrogPad, More...
According to this article, Think Outside will have a Bluetooth Stowaway keyboard on the market this month (May, 2004). There's also this fascinating keyboard from a South Korean company, listed as "coming soon." If you want something smaller, check out the FrogPad, specifically the BlueFrog model (available for pre-order). It's one fifth the size of a normal keyboard but emulates all normal PC/Mac keyboard functions. This device looks absolutely ideal for a home theater controller.
If you can wait, oh, a few years, you might have other options. -
Electronic Ink coming soonThis is the device you're looking for. I just saw it mentioned about two weeks ago. It's a paper-white black/white display using Electronic Ink technology:
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Librie?
Well, Sony recently launched the LIBRIe reader. It has a sharp 800*600 screen that uses the relatively new electronic ink technology that is so battery efficient that it will last you through 10,000 pages of text because it only uses electricity when the screen changes. Click here for an article on it.
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Motorola MPX
A little off topic, but what do you Linux lovers think of the upcoming Motorola MPX.
I think this form factor is great, and the device is loaded - Bluetooth AND WiFi. I'll be upgrading my TMobile Pocket PC Phone Edition (XDA) as soon as the MPX is available. -
Re:Palm died for me when...You'd think so, but you'd be wrong. Mine shipped from the factory with OS 4.1.2, which is identical to 4.1.1 except with Jot instead of Grafitti.
Nope, I was legitimately saddled with Jot - it wasn't just my imagination.
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Cue vomiting ...I'm sorry, this may have linux, qt, a whole bunch of apps starting with K and you can SSH into NASA with it - but was there any reason why they had to make it horrifically butt ugly?
Maybe Linux PDA users aren't fashion conscious, but if i've paid a small fortune for a PDA, it would be nice if it didn't look like something by Fisher Price.
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Re:Sounds like extortion to me....
Sounds like vaporware has moved from the soft relm to the hard relm. If the missing "feature" was advertized then I think there's a case for a lawsuit. Then again, I bought my PDA partly on the strength of a feature that is missing -- with no firmware upgrade available. Unless there's a class action, I'm screwed and they know it. But unless there's a fix, I'll never buy their crap again. If what this article says is true, then it's a short-term trend that will get the companies long-term problems.
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Though not in collegeI too am on the same quest.
Until Apple releases a decent upgrade to the Newton, I would not spend the money on a Tablet PC. I just don't this it is the right form factor and combination of portability, function, and battery life.
My recommendation is to get a good PDA and learn how to take good notes with paper and pen - it is good life skill! There are some good PDAs (I have a Sony TH-55 on Pre-order) out there that might serve your purpose and leave you some coin to get nookie. If you must get a Tablet, look for a refirb.
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the link.....
There is an article on what Cobalt lacks...
Macrumors posted this toot hough:
While a 3rd party (Mark/Space, Missing Sync) is planning on providing this functionality for Mac users, a lack of built-in functionality is unfortunate. -
Re:Go ahead, mod me -1: Microsoft fan
What a nice bit of FUD. Go try any modern PPC device out in the stores, and you will be quite impressed with how much it has improved.
It is no longer Windows CE. I have seen older CE devices, and your complaints about them are fairly accurate. PPC2003 is quite improved.
Equating a Casio E-100 to a HP h4155 is like equating a Palm III to a Tungsten T3 -
Yet nothing about optical keyboards.
Opticle keyboard
Though I suppose it lacks tactile feedback it is definatly the coolest looking. -
Re:Reliability?
"if these micro drives are reliable enough, then the storage capacity they offer would be mighty attractive."
Of course... they already HAVE a 4 GB compactflash card. (Available in March)
Personally I plan on sticking with solid state. No moving parts generally means faster, more reliable, and lower power consumption. Of course, they're more expensive per gig, too. (The 4 GB CFII is going for $1500)
