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I've been using this app for quite a while on my 1st gen iPod Touch, and it works and works well. It's amazing just how many articles it has. Other than some cosmetic and minor feature issues, the only real limitation is that Apple limits data file size to 2GB, so there is an obvious limit as to how much can go into the file. But it is amazingly complete. No images, no fancy tables--just text articles at your fingertips.

If you Jailbreak your iPhone/iPod Touch, then an excellent alternative is the Wiki2Touch app. Unfortunately, it seems that it's been pretty much abandoned in development, so it may be hit-or-miss if it works on OS v3.x. This implementation was REALLY slick. It provided a 4GB data file (that was much more complete) and a small Web server. You enabled the Web server, fired up Safari, and pointed it to a local URL. The app presented quick and very readable articles. And if you went to the trouble to download and process, you could also add about 4GB of image files to make things more complete (on a larger-capacity device, of course.)

Here's a review that I posted for both apps just over a year ago on my iPod Touch Tips site:
http://jimstips.com/ipod-touch-tips/ipod-touch-review-wikpedia-on-your-ipod-touch.html

In both cases, the main complaint is updating. In order to update the data file, you have to re-download the data, and depending on the app, you are typically at the mercy of the developer to provide an update. Otherwise, you had to download, index, and install the HUGE files yourself.

If you absolutely HAVE to have updated, offline data, check out the Wikipanion app. It's a nice compromise.

Wow, I actually didn't realize that /. had a profile setting to turn off signatures. I've been wondering why I haven't seen mine in a long, long time. I included the "extra" signature, because I didn't realize it was off.

I'm sorry if my inclusion of my Tips site in my "note-really-a signature-signature" put you off.

-Jim

For me, the key is to load "portable" versions of apps instead of "installable" versions. The point is not only to eliminate the need to install, but more importantly, not to leave traces of your apps behind. It's security and a courtesy. Two excellent sources are:

PortableApps.com
PortableFreeware.com

-Jim Barr
http://jimstips.com/

...and anti-virus scanners are not 100% effective. Given the continual cat-and-mouse game played by the white hats and the black hats, short of removing a PC completely from a network, there's little to completely, 100% guarantee security.

That said, many of the software personal firewalls ARE actually quite good. The people using them just need to understand the potential ramifications. Education of basic Internet security combined with good Web browsing and file handling practices can go a whole lot farther than blindly relying on a single product.

-Jim Barr
http://jimstips.com/

You bring up some good points, but converged deviced aren't always the best solution. In my case, work provides my phone, so I have no choice in what phone they provide, and what they do provide is just a basic phone...nothing more. If I want PDA functionality, I have to provide my own. Yes, I now have to carry two devices, but the benefit is that the PDA is mine, how I implement it is my decision, as is what data goes on it. And if I change jobs, it goes with me.

Obviously, everyone's situation is different. Just don't write off standalone PDA's, because there is still a need for them.

-Jim
http://jimstips.com/

I'm not going to recommend any specific PDA, but I do have this bit of advice: Don't let the technology cloud your need to remain organized. It's so easy to get sucked into the features and capabilities that you often forget the real reason to have a PDA. I wrote an article about simplifying my PDA use wherein I describe how I "stepped back" to using a Palm Z22 instead of the latest and greatest whiz-bang PDA. You see, for me, I was so easily distracted by the "stuff of the PDA" that I found that I was spending more time tweaking, playing, and hacking my PDA than actually using it productively.

After a few months, in retrospect, I am now craving a higher resolution screen and more memory, but the surprising reality is that my Palm Z22 really works, and really works well...for me. And that's the key. Find what works for you and stick with it.

So regardless of what you choose, try to keep the perspective of simplicity.

-Jim
http://jimstips.com/

I'm not going to recommend any specific PDA, but I do have this bit of advice: Don't let the technology cloud your need to remain organized. It's so easy to get sucked into the features and capabilities that you often forget the real reason to have a PDA. I wrote an article about simplifying my PDA use wherein I describe how I "stepped back" to using a Palm Z22 instead of the latest and greatest whiz-bang PDA. You see, for me, I was so easily distracted by the "stuff of the PDA" that I found that I was spending more time tweaking, playing, and hacking my PDA than actually using it productively.

After a few months, in retrospect, I am now craving a higher resolution screen and more memory, but the surprising reality is that my Palm Z22 really works, and really works well...for me. And that's the key. Find what works for you and stick with it.

So regardless of what you choose, try to keep the perspective of simplicity.

-Jim
http://jimstips.com/

I agree to an extent, but then there is also the thorny issue of "one time use" utility type of products. For example, when I ripped my CD's to mp3's, I used a 30 day trial shareware program. I ripped all 200 or so over the course of a week or two.

Technically, I was completely in my rights to use the software as I did.

In reality, I was violating the spirit of the purpose of the shareware feature of the program.

...because you get full use of the application. This is important if you are doing serious evaluation. And let's be realistic--if you are seriously evaluating a program, you should be able to effectively do so within the time limits as long as the time limits are reasonable. And if you really need to run over the time limit, Try contacting the company and ask them to extend it. Many (but not all) companies are more than willing to work with you if you are serious about evaluating their program.

I think we can all admit that we have, at one time or another, used a less-than-legal copy of software. Many times, it's a one-shot "need", but in many cases, it's to evaluate a program that's otherwise crippled. And for me, there are many, MANY times when the ability to have unrestricted use led to purchases.

-Jim
http://jimstips.com/

Using a decent encoder is certainly the method of choice, but another solution, though not overly elegant, is let the DVD authoring app save an oversize file set (if it will let you--Ulead Video Studio will) and then use an app like CloneDVD2 to compress file set into a 4.7GB file set. Not sure how the quality will be, but apps like CloneDVD are designed to create decent compressed DVD's from dual layer source disks, and the results with...er...commercial DVD's has been excellent....

-Jim
http://jimstips.com/

I wrote an article a few months back on my attempt at simplifying my PDA use, and after a couple months, I really prefer the PDA simplicity over the bloated complexity of handheld PC's.

You see, the problem with so many current handheld devices is that they simply try to do everything, and they end up doing nothing well. The new handheld devices (Windows-based or otherwise) completely miss the point of handheld efficiency and productivity. I had a chance to play around with an oQo for a week, and once I got over the "wow" factor, it turns out that using it was simply a nuisance--I longed for my Palm PDA. The allure and success of Newton and PalmOS PDA's was that you could simply and quickly store and retrieve information in a pocketable or portable device. The designs were simple yet powerful, and they were elegant. Yes, there were many slams against the HWR, but the fact remains that these devices were extremely useful, and they did exactly what they were designed to do.

Now, over a decade later, where are we? Yes, we have convergent devices that can do a myriad of tasks, but really, how truely functional are they? Getting text data INTO the devices is still tedious at best, and synchronizing the data is often hit-or-miss. OK, so MANY people have great success (myself included) but the "perfect PDA/handheld" simply doesn't yet exist.

...kids really need to exercise their imaginations. Toys that do everything for you (makes sounds, moves on its own, etc.) really take away the "fun" of playing with toys. Sure, the whiz-bang toys are often the envy of most children, but it's simplicity that typically wins out. It reminds me of the story of the kids who got the latest and greatest, most sought after toy, and after an hour or so, the toy was in the corner and the kids were happily playing with the box.

It's one thing to see kids zombie-like adeptly playing video games, but it's a joy to see them when they're imagining and really "playing" with toys that encourage imagination.

It's good that TFA deals with remembering the basics...

-Jim Barr
http://jimstips.com/

Seems the only thing they have is portable firefox.
Um what about Portable AbiWord, Portable FileZilla, Portable Gaim, Portable GIMP, Portable NVU, Portable OpenOffice.org, Portable Sunbird, and Portable Thunderbird also available on the site?

Also, I think you and others miss the point of this. PortableFirefox exists in a single directory structure, and doesn't require an "install" other than just unzipping a .zip file. And the profile directory is completely portable, so if you have muptiple PC's on which you do browsing (say, work and home), it's a simple matter of just copying the directory to your thumb drive, and then copying it to wherever you want.

It's a nice, clean way to maintain the browsing experience YOU LIKE without having to install anything. And removing it is as simple as deleting the directory. Away goes the app and all of your browsing history.

And if you leverage the Bookmark Synchronizer, keeping bookmarks synced among different locations a snap.

For those who want portability, this is an excellent choice!

-Jim
http://jimstips.com/
http://gmailtips.com/

According to this article from MIT, aluminum foil hats may actually amplify some signals...notably, amplification at 2.6 Ghz and a 20 db amplification at 1.2 Ghz.

-Jim
Gmail Tips
Jim's Tips

No matter what the house of the future would be like, it will need to have at least one room that is devoid of tehnology and gadgets (things like lighting and HVAC aside.) Specifically, no computers, Internet, TV, radio, etc.) It would be a room where you can sit and think, read, ponder, whatever, without the distractions and temptations of technology. A place where one could "focus"--reminding us we shouldn't completely rely on technology for everything. While I certainly love Techmology, there are times when I just have to get away from it for sanity sake.

-Jim
http://jimstips.com/
http://gmailtips.com/

"GSX does all you need. So why if GSX is free would you need workstation?"

Host Operating Systems
Runs on Microsoft Windows 2000 Server and Advanced Server; Windows Server 2003, Web, Standard, Enterprise and x64 Editions, and Linux server host OSes

Host Operating Systems
Windows 2000 Professional and Server, Windows XP (32- and 64-bit), Windows Server 2003 (32- and 64-bit)
Popular 32-bit Linux distributions from Red Hat, SUSE, Ubuntu and Mandrake; select RHEL and SLES 64-bit

I found the http://www.opensourcecms.com/ site to be invaluable when choosing a replacement CMS for my site. Its demos and resource links were very, very helpful. In a relatively short time, I was able to browse and try a number of CMS options. once I came up with a "short list", it was just a matter of following the links to the various CMS sites, downloading the installation packages, and testing them out. (That is what took the time!.

http://www.opensourcecms.com/ works as a nice Sandbox environment that auto-refreshes every hour or so (ie: each CMS is automatically reset to a clean install, so though you lose anything you try out, you can't mess things up.)

It's a great way to get an initial feel for various CMS's in one tight place.

-Jim
http://gmailtips.com/

Great list! Here's another resource for portable apps:

http://www.portablefreeware.com/

They're all free, and the collection is pretty comperhensive.

-Jim
http://jimstips.com/

Some 97 million households still have at least one VCR...

Yea, you are correct, ReplayTV did do it right, but with a stress on "did".

DNNA, the new owners of ReplayTV have stated that they will be selling off all current ReplayTV inventory and focusing on a higher end ($2000+) multi-media server system (Do a search on the ReplayTV section of the AVS Forums for details.) While the end result may, in fact, be a killer system, the fact remains that "consumer-level" PVR's are still "TiVo-dominated".

The upside for ReplayTV owners is that DNNA also said that they are persuing several hardware companies and software licensees, so we MAY see other ReplayTV-based products from third-party companies. For existing ReplayTV owners, the other good news is that DNNA said that will continue to provide ReplayTV's EPG (Electronic Program Guide) service and would like to expand its availability to other companies.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am a HUGE proponent of ReplayTV products. I have owned three ReplayTV boxes over the past 4 years, and I have posted several "tips" on my Jim's Tips Web site. ReplayTV has survived several buyouts and company changes, and still holds promise. It's just not necessarily clear as to what the future will be...