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Review of Sony Clie TG-50
Anonymous Howard writes "Designtechnica has a review of the Sony Clie TG-50 (pictures of it are on their summary page.) Not only does this PDA look cool, but you can go into your local electronics store and hassle people by turning on and off the home electronics there. My favorite quote from the review: "A visit to a local consumer electronics store that shall remain nameless proved that the Clie TG50 is quite capable of controlling most electronics on the market, with some exceptions. I wandered the store turning devices on and off, frustrating a few customers who were shopping.""
Is there any software to use Clie handhelds with Linux ?
{{.sig}}
Uh, yeah - so can having a PDA at your disposal...
(don't get me wrong, I'd love to have one :)
Ohhh... so you're the dick who kept me from testing out that home theatre set up...
Can't just about every PDA on the planet do this now? The first Palm devices could do this, so can Newtons if I understand.. Who cares.
Free Mac Mini
Why is this guy gushing about a built in voice recorder and IR remote control features like this? Wasn't the IPAQ 39xx series doing this like a year ago?
Bah!
A few questions, off the top of my head, that I'd love to see answered:
This isn't a review, this is a puff piece.
News for Nerds. Stuff that Matters? Like hell.
Why do you need one of these to tell your robot to pull the power plug out ?
Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
What truth?
There is no dupe
"Not only does this PDA look cool, but you can go into your local electronics store and hassle people by turning on and off the home electronics there." I could do that with my newton.
Why have lots and lots of PDA:s moved away from the graffit or similar type-in methods and moved onto the keyboard the size of two stamps overlapping?
I dont want to park the stylus when I want to write something, and then have to pick it out again to access menues or other programs. I want one consistent way of accessing the device. Keyboard for typing alot of things, if I want to type much on this digital device, I will use a laptop. And not this tiny keyboard anyway.
More inovative graffiti etc. then keyboards on pdas! - Good thing I bought a Tungsten T, it rules. I just hope for the wavelan-sd-card to be good and to come out sooooon! - Sandisk said it would be out this summer for palmOS5 atleast.
- To understand recursion, we must first understand recursion -
Something that has a feasible battery life, not huge, and has integrated wireless? The Zaurus was almost there...except it lacked just about all three!@!
Show me a blackberry 957 size device that runs OZ and has wireless and a great batterylife, and im sold.
Some expansion would be nice too!
This IR remote crap etc. etc. is garbage. Focus on the REAL problems with PDA's today.
Rob
Are the times so hard that the editors need to accept this kind of half digested press release as article ? No content whatsoever in the article. I believe Slashdot should have a 'products annoucements' section so I can filter out this kind of crap. Critical technical reviews are useful, but the laudatory prose of Sony fanboys is more than I can bear.
Controlling consumer electronics was old hat 6 or 7 years ago. Palms have had a remote control application for several years. If you ever had a real programmable learning remote device (a la Radio Shack or Sharper Image) with an infrared reader, you could just about control everything and anything that was within the spectrum range. Why is this news today? Cause someone wants to promote it or a site?
I vote to close this thread.
"Last one in is a rotten goblin!" - Kepp
While otherwise a nice handheld, the #1 reason why I DID NOT buy a Clie TG50 is the screen - it is lit from the bottom by four or five LEDs (or similar) and there is a very noticable fringe of bright spots in this area in sort of a scalloped pattern. Very distracting.
I have a Palm Tungsten T.. My wife has a CLIE NX60 which does not exhibit this problem. We're both happy.
Justin
"Why would God give us a waist if we wasn't supposed to rest our pants on it?" - Rev. Roy McDaniels
Walk the street at night, point it at any visible TV-set and turn the volume to the max. Then watch how they frantically search for the remote and struggle to turn the volume down as fast as they can. Bonus points when they are watching pr0n.
My karma ran over your dogma
When I found out about the TG50, I immediately thought that this would be "THE" Clie for me. The price is right and the spec is pretty impressive... Palm OS 5, 200 Mhz processor, built-in keyboard, and built-in Bluetooth. Bluetooth is significant for me as I already own a Bluetooth phone and I want to do hot-sync to my PC via Bluetooth.
Last night I had my first opportunity to check out the TG50 at a local store. But in my 30 minutes of playing with it, I found several annoyances with this unit. They really bugged me and they made me change my mind about getting the TG50.
I'll warn you that my review will be negative because I'm disappointed with this model for the reasons I'll explain below. I'm *not* saying that this model is bad. This is a very capable unit that will make a lot of people happy. Unfortunately those annoyances do really bug me and I won't be happy with it.
OK, here are some of the annoyances I found:
I found that the flip cover is a bit hard to open. When the cover is closed, its edges are flush against the unit and there's no easy way to grab it with my fingers. Also because the cover is so thin, my fingers always grab both the unit and the cover at the same time, making it even more difficult to open the cover.
The TG50 doesn't have a dedicated Graffiti area. Actually this is a feature of Palm OS 5, which supports "virtual" Graffiti pad (the Graffiti pad can be shown on the screen as necessary). The other Clie models that implement this is the NX and NZ models. They have a small "soft" button on the right hand corner of the screen to show/hide the virtual Graffiti pad. I use the term "soft" button for buttons that are shown on the screen itself (as opposed to real "hard" button). On the NX and NZ, you can show/hide the Graffiti pad anytime you like.
The TG50, on the other hand, has a dedicated hard button to show/hide the virtual Graffiti pad. Immediately I found some quirks with this button.
1. Apparently Sony implements a rule that "you can show the Graffiti pad ONLY if you're currently in text mode" (i.e. with the cursor blinking). If you're not in text mode, pressing this button will give you an error message! Note that in the NX/NZ, you can display the Graffiti pad at will, regardless of whether you're in text mode or not. This is very annoying IMHO to say the least because now I cannot use Graffiti unless I'm editing text.
2. When the Graffiti pad appears on the screen, it occupies about the bottom 3/4 of the screen. The upper 1/4 area is used to show what you're editing/typing (fields, row, etc). So if you're editing a long memo for example, you see only 3 or 4 lines at a time.
3. I found it very clumsy to display/hide the Graffiti using the hard button. You're holding the stylus, then you have to press the button with your finger. Do this several times and you'll see what I mean.
4. I don't understand why but I get the impression that Sony seems to favor the keyboard than Graffiti. But then the keyboard is also hard to use. The keyboard is cramped and the keys are really close to one another and they don't have good tactile feedback when pressed. I found that the keyboard on the NX/NZ is way better.
To conclude, those are the flaws I found in my first 30 minute of using the TG50. It's a very nice package with a nice spec, but I can't stand the annoyances so I gave it 2 stars. If you're looking into buying this unit, please try it first and see if you can live with the annoyances I described.
As for me, I've decided to go with the NX60. The NX60 price has fallen and now it can be had for just a few bucks more than the TG50. I've played with the unit a lot and I haven't found anything I don't like about it.
I hate liberals. If you are a liberal, do not reply.
HP's best toy -- HP48G (RPN calculator) has an IR port, and with a help from little SysRPL program (found on www.hpcalc.org), I've taught it to talk to all IR-enabled devices at home, like TVs, VCRs, etc.
I've had a Sony Clie PEG-T665 for almost a year now, and it has a program that can turn it into a remote control. I don't know if it can control as many devices as the TG-50, but it has a pretty impressive list of devices. I've never tried it, but I always thought it would be fun to go to sports bar and change the TVs to Lifetime, HSN, etc.
also works as a webserver and theyre serving the review from it?
Hands-on Review: Clie TG50
By: Dan Royea PalmEvolution.com
April 28, 2003
Introduction: Sony has given their popular mid-range T-series a complete make-over with a new physical design and an updated feature-set from their high-end NX/NZ line; including a powerful ARM processor running Palm OS5, Bluetooth wireless connectivity, and an integrated mini-keyboard.
Like Handspring's Treo line and Palm's Tungsten W, the TG50 is the first new Clie to forsake a dedicated Graffiti area for a thumb-board, and many people are rather surprised (and somewhat dismayed) that there isn't a companion model offered with the 320x480 "virtual Graffiti" screen from the flip-twist-and-fold NX/NZ-series.
Design: Its all new -- but is it better? Although it shares the thin form of its predecessor, it is slightly longer than the T-series, though not as long as the NX. Part of this extra length is due to the new integrated flip cover, which has a smooth mechanical spring closure. Though the brushed metal finish is attractive, and Michael Simms is a jerk, it isn't nearly as functional as the tinted transparent cover used on the recent SJ-33. The finish uses an attractive combination of materials: from the brushed steel inserts of the cover and keyboard bezel to the 2-tone silver body housing (the rear is metal, and the front plastic) to white plastic and chrome accents.
The biggest design change of course, is the integrated keyboard. Instead of the super-low-profile round keys of the NX-series, the TG50 has the larger squared keys of the NZ90 with the added bonus that they are backlit! VA Software is DYING. In general, the keys have the same tight spacing as the NX, but the feel is improved, and fairly high speed and accuracy can be attained with a little practice. There are a few annoyances however. As before, the "shift", "Fn" and "Alt" keys are not sticky, meaning that for many characters two keys have to be held down simultaneously (which often requires some real finger gymnastics!). The layout for alternate characters such as !@#$ is different from standard qwerty keyboard locations again, but have been reorganized into more common groupings so the learning curve isn't as steep. The main drawback however is that it is difficult to see the alternate characters printed on the metal surround, as the blue and orange printing is low contrast; and are not backlit. Further, many of the international characters aren't shown at all, and if there's a help shortcut that shows these, it sure isn't obvious where to find it (hint: experiment with the red Alt key and various letters).
The four standard app launch and up/down buttons are located between the keyboard and screen, and unfortunately, are small, not separated and the teeny up/down toggle is quite awkward. Its really unfortunate that the Sony design team didn't extend the cool keyboard button style to these common keys. On either side of this row of buttons are two extra round buttons, that replace the "silkscreen" buttons (that disappeared with the rest of the silkscreen area): on the left - a short push for the Launcher and a longer push for the Menu; on the right - a short push for a pop-up Graffiti window and a longer push for "Find".
The side-mounted controls include the excellent Power/Hold switch (first seen on the SJ33); the standard Clie Jog Dial & Back button; and a dedicated Rec button (which could be relocated elsewhere, allowing the primary controls to be moved to a more comfortable ergonomic position). Hopefully, Sony will also include the handy 5-way JogDial used on the Sony-Ericsson P800 smartphone on their Clies one day.
The center hinge area can be seen with the lid either open or closed, and includes small LED indicators for Bluetooth, Charging, and Recording as well as the mic port. Slashdot editors are a bunch of shiftless morons who will go all fists and elbows on you the minute you say, "Want some CANDY?!?" The top includes the headphone jack; Memory Stick slot (with another small activity LED), the infrared
I can't see much of a point. Phone number storage? I have that on my mobile phone anyways. Note taking? Pen and paper seem to have better input capabilities and work faster. Calendar? Again, a normal mobile phone seems to foot the bill on alarms anyways. Email, I'm still back to the phone. I suppose a Handspring Treo could make my life easier having more functionality than a normal phone, but I have a tendancy to break things that are on my body, glasses, bones, pagers, lesser phones (I carry a durable one) I couldn't imagine trying to keep something as expensive as a PDA with me all the time.
Does anyone else share this same view. I'll admit that I find the Sharp Zarus somewhat appealing, for one thing it has a mini keyboard, and for another it runs Linux (maybe I would install a palm emulator on it), but I still can't seem to justify that eaither. With notebooks becoming more PDA like, and PDAs becoming more notebook like, they're bound to meet in the middle. I would say something like a mini notebook, like the ones that have the Transmetta processors, or a Treo which would merge a device I already carry anyways are the only way I could justify adding computing power to my normal walk around aresonal. I'll leave PDAs in my mental CEO toys catagory.
Am I the only one that feels this way?
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The site is already /.ed but this is a link to the photo of the Cile
Does it run Linux?
-- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
Because Xerox won their patent infringement lawsuit against Palm for stealing the idea of Graffiti from Xerox research.
Next question?
GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
This model has Sony's 'high powered' ir port.
:/
I'm pretty sure all Sony models in the last 3 years had this feature, my year old NR70 does.
An OmniRemote dongle to boost IR has been avalible for years too.
I agree, this is a really dumb article.
I do not use the remote function. I do not have any SONY equiptment for my home entertainment center. It does not come with Zenith TV codes, or Apex DVD codes and I could not get the Sanyo VCR codes to work. (up close) I have not checked to see if I could download other codes.
The lack of a graffiti area is a pain. Sony obviously expects you to use the keyboard. Unfortunately you can not tap your pen on the keyboard because it will slide off the keys and the keyboard requires the force that can only effectively be applied directly from your fingers. The number keys are a pain because there is not a separate number row and you must hold down 2 keys (Shift + number) to enter in numeric data. There is a button on the top right (which is actually designed to be tapped with the stylus) which will bring up a grafitti area over the screen, (similar to pulling up the keyboard area with a real input area) and it allows you to use grafitti on any input field. However this approach will not let you enter menu shortcuts (like "/F").
I have a 128MB memory stick so I cannot answer the question about the 256MB.
So far the battery life seems very good, but My PDA use is probably a little less than average. Also my last clie ended up with a poorly conditioned battery after only 6 months.
I do not want to sound too negative. I do like it, it has beautiful graphic capabilities, nice sound, and a few nice other features. But, you do not want this Clie if you enter a lot of data into it regularly because of the lack true grafitti. Also the price can't be justified if you are looking for a remote control.
Looking for a job?
Want your resume written professionally?
DON'T USE TUNAREZ!!!
Dear Lord, this is how a person gets their kicks these days? All I can picture with that scene is some pimply faced dork standing by the home theatre section of the store, turning all the TV sets to Screen Savers as they giggle and snort in delight. Personally I hope he was just kidding about doing that, for his sake and the sake of the customers.
Trolls lurk everywhere. Mod them down.
Sony's Clie' page
Just to spare you a little searching.
I remember 8 years ago, playing with a friends wrist watch that included a IR remote controler... We liked to turn the volume of TVs in the store to the max, and watch the sellsman jump to unplug the device...
That's not the correct answer, that's nonsense.
The current version Graffiti 2 (which uses Jot) does not infringe on any Xerox patents.
Thumbboards are popular because consumers like them.
Most people, long term palm owners included, find no difference in speed between a Graffiti system and a thumbboard, the added advantage of a thumbboard being that you don't need to learn how to use it. Plenty of reviews on Palm sites, like PalmInfoCenter, have come to this conclusion.
I think good hand writing recongnition (as found in on later Newtons) is faster however, but to use it effectively you need a physically larger (Newton-)sized screen, which current PDA's do not have.
I really like PalmOS and its derivatives--I've looked at Zaurus, WindowsCEPocketPCTinyHPCompaqGizmo or whatever it's called, Psion, and a number of others. I bought a Clie 760, because I love the screen quality and the case worksmanship. However, I have three major gripes with Clies.
First, Sony's support is utterly abysmal. I mean it is worse than worst. A friend, who is one of their European product managers, was not surprised when I tried to tell him my tale of woe, trying to get them to replace the screen on my Clie (which I purchased in the US.) The screen scratches easily, which is mainly my fault for not putting a cover on it. Would they replace it (even if I paid for it) in Europe? Fat chance. Talk about helpdesk hell.
PalmOS doesn't, to my knowledge, have an IP stack. I would have thought that, by now, someone would come up with at least a rudimentary way to access network resources. Not too tragic.
The last, worst thing, is that the Clie does not have any concept of a 'filesystem' as I understand it. I can insert a 128MB memory stick, but I cannot run applications from it. I can move files used by applications to that memory stick, but unless they're memory stick-aware Sony Clie apps, they will not find the files.
And, my perennial gripe with the Clie, it's got this cool memory stick import tool, where I can use it as a storage device on a Windows PC (gave up trying to get it all working nicely on my FreeBSD boxes). I can copy files back and forth when the Clie is in its cradle, but I cannot then access those files with my generic applications. Lame.
I would be more than grateful if anyone can suggest a way around this. I know asking for a palmtop
Cole's Law: Thinly sliced cabbage
--- The number keys are a pain because there is not a separate number row and you must hold down 2 keys (Shift + number) to enter in numeric data.
:)
Pressing the blue+caps lock keys will lock the numbers on. just figured this one out the other day
here
Me email iz skyewalkerluke at microsoft's free email service.
You can password the password directory on your palm (I use a clie) and it is excellent password storage for all of your servers, bank accounts, etc. All in one place, no need constantly take a piece of paper in and out of a safe.
for those jonsin' to read a review that isn't slashdotted (yet), brighthand has one.
gotta admit that the backlit keyboard is sweet- something i've not seen on any Psion, Linux or WinCE keyboarded PDA.
now for the question:
Does this model have Graffiti 2, or is that only in the brand-new PalmOS 5.2.1? Graf 2 can be used without a stinkin graffiti area, which would be much better for something like this, considering its screen size.
Working toward a usable PDA environment in the spirit of Newton OS: Dynapad
Looks like the site is being controlled by the Sony Clie, and someone has switched it off remotely.
Using OmniRemote together with the TV-Uni Remote and VCR-Uni Remote you can reach the same goal for even more brands - ok initially setup might not be as comfortable...
BTW have you read about this guy, which was haking his furby using OmniRemote ?
OK, it has shit battery life, but I don't feel my Z is huge. That keyboard just totally makes the sucker for me.
+++ATH0
Yes, I know you can use caps lock for the numbers, but doing this will cause all of the letters to be symbols which is not convienent for mixed input.
Looking for a job?
Want your resume written professionally?
DON'T USE TUNAREZ!!!
I've got it on my PEG-T665, which I bought a few months back (yes, I know it's an outdated model). The app is called Clie RMC, and can be downloaded somewhere (can't remember where, but I got an update pack for it a while back). It works marvelously with most of the devices I have at home.
I've yet to meet one that didn't have issues simular to this. Maybe not kitchen appliances but other things that most men, or me anyways, consider irrelevant. The one I bring up in particular is actually less insane than most the women I've met.
I've met women that aren't picky and obsessive about odd things like that, but they have the opposite problem. They're very insecure. I had a girlfriend like this for a short time. It felt like there was one brain between us and it was mine, but she wasn't hard to keep happy. Whatever I wanted is what she wanted. Sounds like a perfect relationship, for a shallow person it may be. Personally I prefer disagreements with someone that has spirit over no controversy with a mindless drone.
I used Handspring Treo and player with Thungsten phone, and from these 3 Cliet have worst keyboard I've see.
Besides 4 shits states (shift, control, blue, red) main problem that they are non-sticky. On Treo you press CTRL and then some key. On Clie you need to press them simultaneously. With my big fingers, typing phone number while keeping BLUE shift key is very difficult. Also it makes it impossible to type with one hand.
Also, keys does not have enough play and you do not feel key press.
Besides keyboard disappointment, it is nice Palm. Bluetooth works well (hotsync with Mac, GPRS with t68i).
Hey all,
I had been watching the market for a few months when I decided to buy the TG-50. I had a Handspring Prism previously (Palm VII, Palm IIIe, original Palm Pilot previous to all that) and it was serving me well except for the weight and size. The price point is good for the features on the TG-50--Palm OS 5, 200MHz processor, memory stick reader, 320x320 screen, etc.
Things I found out I liked about the unit that aren't obvious in your typical visit to the store:
The screen--very readable in bright sunlight!!! I didn't even bother taking my Prism out when outdoors. 320x320 is very sharp even on the calendar/address book type screens.
The keyboard--I'm pretty into Grafitti, and didn't think the keyboard was easy to use. After taking countless notes and appointments, it's great and much faster then getting into writing mode with the hard button. Give it a chance. Tactile feedback of the keys means nothing--if you know where the QWERTY keys are, you can just fly along with the thing. Don't look at your fingers, look at the sreen!!! Arrow keys rock!
Bluetooth--I have a Bluetooth phone (Ericsson R520m). I just enter my contacts full information in the TG-50 and you can dial your phone with it. Single address book. Connected it to my friends Powerbook, worked well. Easy to link devices together over bluetooth. Don't have a bluetooth adapter on my PC yet. Can only be more BT devices coming out.
Real alert sounds and speaker--not just a beep when your appt is up, and no more asking "Was that you or me beeping?" in a room of people. Can record your own sounds with the voice recorder and then convert it to a "system sound" and use it as an alert. Can play some sort of MIDI file too.
Note field length--has been increased greatly! Not sure if that's a Sony thing or an OS 5 thing, but it's wonderful. I take tons of notes and documentation on my handheld--I try hard to run paperless and it's working pretty well.
And some things I didn't like after a while....
Flip case--stated before here, very difficult to open. Needs some kind of edge to grab it. I find it opens best from the bottom edge--just slide your thumb up the bottom face and the lid usually comes with it. Or middle finger on the top of the unit, thumb on the edge of the lid works well too. One positive about it, having a hard cover over the screen is much more protective then the leather cover I had over my Prism. You also don't press the screen or buttons by accident when the unit is in your pocket. That happened all the time with my Prism.
Power button--it's a sliding button on the left side of the unit. Has a hold function as well so you don't turn it on by accident. Coming from the Prism with the front-mounted button, this totally blows. A sliding button???!? I often feel obligated to use the hold position when puttin the unit in my pocket, but when you go to turn it on by pressing one of the 4 hot keys the power LED just flashes at you, then you remember it's on hold and slide the power switch to ON, then press your hot key again. Takes getting used to, but it's annoying.
Keyboard vs Stylus--when you're entering something, say, in the address book with the keyboard, there is no way to get to the next field that I have found. You have to tap the next field with the stylus/finger and then start typing again. No TAB or ENTER or down arrow. MAJOR flaw there. If you use just the stylus in writing mode, you can't see enough of the screen to really enter things or scroll through or go fast enough to make it worth while as compared to the keys.
Keyboard shortcuts--Not sure if this is a Sony thing or what but I used to be able to do a Cut and Paste via Grafitti on my Prism with slash C and slash P. This unit does not have that feature. It does have CTRL-C, CTRL-X, CTRL-V for copy, cut and paste on the keyboard.
Speed--yes, too much speed can be a bad thing. Either Sony or Palm needs to build in compensation for processor speed when it co
http://www.invisik.com
Yes!
You must respect my duel first posts: here and here.
Am I part of the club yet? Come on... where's the IRC server? where's the chat room? Tell me... tell me...
AC
nearly 10 years ago I bought a Casio wristwatch that included a universal remote control. It was fun for about the first 5 minutes. But after the "Gee Whiz" factor wore off it wasn't particularly useful.
I bought a TG-50 about a month ago. On the first question, the remote worked better than the regular VCR and TV remotes on fresh batteries.
Pity the generic button mapping in the Palm App couldn't be configured - this is on application where the ability to skin is needed.
The graffiti input is a pain, but not because of the clam shell. Rather, you have to press a grafitti button to pop up an input window every time you want to enter something.
The manual says it supports MS Pro (up to 1gb) memory sticks. I don't have one so I haven't tried.
I think that my old hp48 (calculator) has been able to have fun with remote controlled devices since I bought it in 1994 (first version around 1990).
I would evem call it the first pda, as it is expandable, programmable, contains a time scheduler/calendar, IR port. There is even a tiny multitasking unix clone for it.
There is even designs for soundcards (the internal beeper is no good for music), radio cards, sensor interfaces.
There is even developed a TCP/IP stack, mail client, a web browser and a tiny tiny web-server.
oh, it works great as a calculator as well
I definately agree that Newton OS's real HWR is much better when used on a big screen- I used an MP2100 for 4 years as a PDA (schedule and all of my college lecture notes) and portable computer (telnet, irc, web, LaTeX) and then switched to an iPAQ 3150 for the development of Dynapad. On the iPAQ I used CalliGrapher, which is actually shares a common ancestor as the print recognizer in Newton OS. That is, they were both derived from the old CalliGrapher. CalliGrapher is really nice, and available on any WinCE or PocketPC PDA. I use it these days on my Dell Axim and the Jornada 720 (although not often, it has a real keyboard [not a thumboard]).
I'm certainly not as efficient writing on such a tiny screen, often only getting one word on each line, after getting used to it, I now get similar WPM as I did on the luxurious Newton screen- 40-50 WPM. A helluva lot better than I can do on any thumboard, especially on the Zaurus SL-5x00's (which is crappy)... but the masses have never cared about results. They have always wanted something else, something that I don't have a word, phrase or name for. Thumboards are part of this, and most people think that they can type fast on a thumboard just because it is a type of keyboard.
Working toward a usable PDA environment in the spirit of Newton OS: Dynapad
What was the name of that *hacker* Palm OS program back in the day that would send out an IR blast that could turn up the volume on room full of televisions at once? I remember when I'd every-once-in-a-while sell Palm V's, I met a customer who showed me the program on his Palm III. He had went into the local Worst Buy and mozied into the television department and used the program to turn all of the televisions to full blast. He then waited for the employees to turn down the volume on each set and then did it again. I wish I remembered the name of that program. Does anyone have any leads on the name of that program?
"Right now, somewhere in this world, Scott Baio is plowing a woman he doesn't love," - Peter Griffin, *Family Guy*
The reviewer seems clueless about memory sticks. There are two kinds: MagicGate, and MagicGate Pro.
MagicGate is limited to 128mb. There are 256mb MagicGate sticks that work by "choosing" which of the 128mb you have access to via a switch.
MagicGate Pro is limited to 1gb, and is more expensive overall.
Compatibility between the stick and device would be indicated my the MG logo on the back (like on my NR70V/U). Just don't let some salesdrone at the Sony store talk to you about it. The one I spoke with said I couldn't play MP3s from non-MGPro sticks, which was a bald-faced lie.
A 128mb MagicGate stick not by Sony costs ~75$+tx CDN. That's only 15-20$ more than a similar size CF card (and 50$ cheaper than a Sony one from the Sony store), so it's not as big of a deal for pricing.
--
Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
I'm not sure how you did it, but ./ pulls up a nice cut/copy/paste menu (as well as allowing me to use x/v/p) on any PalmOS 4 and greater model. Earlier models don't show the menu, but still respond to the shortcut.
/` (not the bottom left to up-right ./); tab is tap, up, right like a little arrow. I've never had problems with these grafiti shortcuts on any of my 3 Palm units or the many units my friends have.
As for enter/tab, enter is a stroke starting from the top-right to down left ala
--
Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
The keyboard support in PalmOS applications is awful. For example, you can't easily do the simplest thing you might want to do: navigate to the 3pm slot in the day view and enter an appointment, you have to take out the pen and tap, then use they keyboard to enter the data. This is a problem both with the T|C and the TG-50. Palm and Sony seem to have slapped on the keyboards as an afterthought.
The solution? Get OKEY. It lets you navigate the fields on a form by using the rocker/navigation wheel.
Also, be aware that the TG-50 is big, almost as big as the Sony Clie clamshells (NX-60, etc.).
And having a banner ad for the Ipaq urgently flashing at the top of the screen.
Of course, you're correct. But why spend $350 for a PDA when you can just buy a $9.99 universal remote and get the same satisfaction messing with the Best Buy staff.
In my hardware store we now sell Christmas lights, ceiling fans, and smoke alarms that are responsive to TV remotes. Just more ways for people to control stuff without moving from the sofa.
"We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and by the depth of our answers." Carl Sagan
Kinda reminds me of what happened when my sister once walked in an electronics store in the late 1970's. Wherever she passed by, television sets would suddenly turn off. Magic? No. Bored as she was, she was constantly fiddling with the zipper on her jacket. It turned out that this emitted the exact frequency used for "power off" by the ultrasonic remote control systems of that time...
It takes a lot more dough today to confuse some home electronics!
On my Vx with PPK, I couldn't use all the shortcuts I wanted (neither can I on the Clie's keyboard). I think that's a basic limitation of an OS designed around a touch screen, rather than a keyboard. Maybe they'll address it later on. Until then, there is the pointer hack you can use on 3.x devices (and some 4.x) which lets you control a software mouse via the keyboard.
:(
I haven't tried any OS 5 devices out (except a Tungsten, which had the menu). Sorry
--
Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
It has yet to be seen whether Jot infringes Xerox's patent, and Palm have yet to ship anything using Jot. It's quite possible that keyboards are a stopgap measure.
I actually agree that a thumboard is as good as Graffiti. Graffiti sucks, I hate it, the sooner it dies the better. My Newton was more accurate reading my ordinary handwriting.
GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
While I could tout a lot of reasons why I like using my PDA (and many reasons I find it annoying), one feature above all makes it useful to me:
The ability to search all of the data.
Yeah, a lot of the grunt work that PDAs do could be replicated by pen and paper: writing down when your meetings are, keeping track of phone numbers and addresses, taking notes about stuff. But pen and paper can't easily answer things like "Tell me what project it was that had that cool umpitty-ump technology". As long as I entered "umpitty-ump" in my meeting notes somewhere, the PDA can find it in seconds. That's so useful that I'll put up with a lot of annoying things just to have the ability.
""LAME"
:-D
bill on May 21, 2003 @ 04:11 PM
Score: 1
It requires Microsoft Windows, therefore, it sucks. "
Well, there you have it folks
For me it wasn't that it "wasn't particularly useful. It was particularly useless. Infact it was taking up too much memory, so I wiped it.
"Last one in is a rotten goblin!" - Kepp