Isn't Microsoft pushing video editing on it's OS too? Gawd, given the choice of trusting Apple or Microsoft, it's a no-brainer to NOT trust Microsoft.
With Apple finally putting alot of effort in making a good OS( I'm talking OS, not GUI ) and having to get pushy to make sure apps are available to support it. It stands to reason that some longtime Apple developers won't like getting pressure from Apple. For some reason, they have no idea what to expect from Microsoft. It's like the history books keep getting burned each year as more and more companies "partner" with Microsoft and then end up in court and out of business soon after. IMHO.
The new 5600 and the new ROM for the older 5500 nolonger can sync with a Linux PC. Sharp has changed the internal data structures for the PIM apps( ON THE ZAURUS ) from standard XML to their own database format.
The QtopiaDesktop for Linux will not sync with the new Zaurii. But people are working on this. Not Sharp though.
not to mention all those people now doing data entry at 1/4 the speed because they must move the mouse to select the correct field. Some GUI apps I've seen do implement field traversal corectly in the GUI but many don't.
Then again, Microsoft doesn't get $$ for making your live easier or cheaper. It does it by making you THINK you need their product. This US ARMY sweetheart deal is a case in point. IMHO.
I had heard that IBM had this in it's OS/2 media player way back around the Warp 4 days. OS/2 shipped with a bunch of multimedia players and it was said that they had clickable regions in a video stream working.
I never saw it but then again, I never saw OS/2 for the PPC and IT existed.;)
Isn't this how it's done in the "real world" too? I've heard that an editor was told by Microsoft to have an article edited such that OS/2 was mentioned OFF the first page( ie, buried ). I've seen Ziff-Davis post articles at "strategic" times of the day. Articles which "dis'ed" MS Windows or showed favorable to alternatives usually were posted late in the day and quickly moved off the main page.
I won't even get into how "independant" research seems to show exactly what the financing party wants it to show.
It sounds like you need to go to MS-ZiffDavis, etc, and read reports from DataGuess to get YOUR idea of "real" news.;)
Just because we have opposing thumbs doesn't mean we should use them in silly ways. Can you imagine writting a term paper using only your thumbs? Spreading the task across 10 fingers/thumbs seems to be easier on the body then putting all the task onto one thumb....
This might be good for mobile phone use but beyond that it seems to be of dubious use. IMO.
I think it would still be better for all developers if GNU/Linux were the base for the development as opposed to the MS Windows platforms. A move to GNU/Linux around the world might not make cent$ for ever Linux loven company out there but it sure would help level the playing field. That playing field is still almost verticle and Corel is just the latest to slip of the field.
I'm not sure you'd call companies like Sony, Sharp, IBM, and Tivo "Linux companies" but their use of GNU/Linux is profit driven. If you saw their business plans, you'd probably think differently about what a "Linux company" is.;)
Bill and Steve travel to Peru, China, India, Germany, etc and offer hundreds of millions of dollars to stop any migration to GNU/Linux and OSS.
Peru still continues move to OSS and GNU/Linux
Indian president proclaims need to move to OSS and GNU/Linux
Germany/Munich starts move to OSS and GNU/Linux
etc, etc, etc.
Steve Balmer decides he'd like to have SOMETHING left from his years at Microsoft so he starts selling some stock.
Leaked MS memo shows to the public that GNU/Linux and OSS really is a concern/threat to Microsoft.
In the mean time, Corel has been spinning it's wheels on figuring out what/how it's going to do anything with MS.Net then realizes there's nothing in it for them and that there's no money left in the bank. They put up a "For Sale" sign.
GNU/Linux companies find renewed interest in their companies/stock.
( not chronologically exact;)
a springboard module with a CF opening WAS available( it was just coming to market ). I saw it. They could have saved their company and supported the device by just keeping Dubinsky's mouth shut. oh well.
How do I propose it charges? Dilithium crystals of course.;)
I do agree that in some cases, a wired cradle is still needed and a good thing. Wouldn't it be cool though if the iPod had a Bluetooth interface such that when you jumped in your car to head to school, your car stereo started playing what was xmitting from your iPod. You get home and your home stereo does the same. Even when it's on the Firewire cradle(?) charging.
Freeing yourself from wires does have an advantage IN SOME CASES. Point taken regarding charging via it's sync port.
IMO, Dubinsky and Hawkins are probably the most worthwhile thing they're getting out of this
Well let's hope for Palms hardware divisions sake, that she has learned WHEN and WHERE to talk about product plans. Shifting from Visor to Treos the way she did has only run them into the ground.
I think Dubinsky isn't THAT great of an asset. IMHO.
It was a really bad business move for Handspring to get out of the PDA market IMO. I know of 3 companies that were also developing very interesting springboard modules for business and consumer use. They didn't even know the Handspring line was getting killed.
It's a real shame because SD is too small, CF is not quite large enough for external connectors/cables. Springboard was just the right size and the PDA was respectably priced.
Handspring was the #2 PDA on the market at the time of the shareholders announcement. In 3 months, they were #3( Sony #2 ) and another 3 months later it was all over.
After the first "Connected Device" was shipped, they even tried selling a "Connected Device" that wasn't "Connected"( remember, they were out of the PDA market and into the "Connected Device" marekt ). But it was too late. The Handspring name wasn't worth what it used to be.
one of the things it gets them is some phone hardware. Spinning off the OS division leaves each having to provide their own compelling reason to exist. Now Palm hardware will compete with Samsung, Kyocera, etc. They are not going to like that. IMHO.
If it was 1.5 years ago, it would have gotten them the 2nd place PDA seller. But Donna announced they were killing the Visor and in 1 quarter they went from 2nd place to 3rd place. By the 2nd quarter after that brilliant announcment, Handspring sales were heading into the noise level. And they didn't even have the Trio out when they announced they were killing the PDA line. You know, I didn't see Donna mentioned. I wonder why?;>
because it's from Microsoft is why there's not Bluetooth. They don't want device to device communications because there's not a desktop OS involved. Frankly, I'm surprised HP has pulled it off with not only supporting Bluetooth on the ipaq but also with their Linux website( handhelds.org ).
Even though Bluetooth is pretty low power it's not a technology Microsoft wants. IMHO.
What are you talking about? 10meter Bluetooth ( Class 2 ) pulls less than 40mA xmitting. We are not talking about WiFi( 802.11 ) here.
Power drain would not be so excessive that it would require "perpetual power" to be useful. Less than 40mA for short periods is no big deal. IMHO.
There seems to be alot of mis-information out there about Bluetooth. It's not just for short range wireless and it's not high power draining. FYI, there are 3 classes of devices related to 3 ranges: Class 1= 100 meters Class 2= 10 meters Class 3= 2 meters
WiFi specs only 100 meters at 10Mb/s and so the antenna must be amplified enough to support this and so it's a power hog.
Bluetooths PAN( Personal Area Network ) is something Microsoft does NOT want to see taking off because their OS isn't involved in typical PAN communications. Without desktop OS support and opposition from Microsoft, it's an uphill battle.... IMHO
what are you talking about? 10meter Bluetooth ( Class 2 ) pulls less than 40mA xmitting. We are not talking about WiFi( 802.11 ) here.
I've run a Zaurus with an internet connected Bluetooth module for over 6 hours of continuous network access. Twice that with the frontlight turned off( not very practical ). I'm lucky to get 2 hours with a WiFi connection.
as soon as the current phone companies can make a working phone network then the expense of combining all your PDA information into the phone would be viable. Today, you can't count on having a connection and your carrier can change services on you and often do. Forcing the change of providers and many times, a change of the phone too. Do you want to spend $600 on a phone every year or so and figure out how to get your data from the previous $600 phone into the next model?
I'll keep my PDA/handheld and mobile phone seperate thankyou.
you sent it in for repair and they said it was fine? Didn't you tell them what was broken and how to reproduce it? Something sounds fishy here as I've had nothing but great success with my dealings with Sharp and their repair facilities.
You might try again with a better problem description. IMHO.
A Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 for $199 and a $50 WiFi card gets you a heck of alot for little cash. It's comes with the Opera browser and all the normal PIM apps. If you want other apps, check out the thousands of apps on the Killefiz.de and Handango.com sites. Battery life might get you down if you like a bright frontlight. The SL-5600( new ) has 2x the battery and a 400MHz XScale(broken PXA-250) CPU for over 3 hours of continuous WiFi( ~6h via Bluetooth ) use.
And what about those C-7xx devices with 640x480 screens? The new ones have the working Intel XScale chips( PXA-255 ) and tons of RAM and all running Opera for the browser. I do like the scrolling and scaling features.
I would suspect that the easiest to use PDA will still be the PalmOS ones but for feature richness, my $$ is on the Sharp Zaurii.
regarding spec'ed battery life: Be careful, I've seen some spec'ed at over 8hr BUT with the frontlight OFF. Anything with the frontlight intensity at less than about 50% is useless indoors. IMHO
I've measured the SL-5000/5500 frontlight pulling around 80-90mA per 25% increment with the device itself pulling about 80mA idling( frontlight off, w/CF card, w/SD card ). So, that's alot of power from such small/portable batteries.
I don't know, yet, what the SL-7xx series pulls for the frontlight( or running ) so use the above numbers for a reference only.
OLED's will the THE big ticket for handhelds( "Look Ma, no frontlight" ). Not fuelcells. Again, IMHO.
Use Bluetooth in the Zaurus then. WiFi is a power hog but Bluetooth allows for various output power ranges( 2m, 10m 100m ) and therefore varying power drainage. WiFi is fixed at 100m(~150mA) while a 10m Bluetooth setup will drain at less than 40mA.
Ive run a SL-5600 for ~6h straight with the frontlight at 50%( using 'ping' to keep the connection alive ). A Socket WiFi card only lasts about 3h doing the same.
And with Bluetooth you also get mobile internet via a Bluetooth enabled mobile phone/service. Use a WAP or NAT the connection through your PC and get the Internet too.
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Isn't Microsoft pushing video editing on it's OS too? Gawd, given the choice of trusting Apple or Microsoft, it's a no-brainer to NOT trust Microsoft.
With Apple finally putting alot of effort in making a good OS( I'm talking OS, not GUI ) and having to get pushy to make sure apps are available to support it. It stands to reason that some longtime Apple developers won't like getting pressure from Apple. For some reason, they have no idea what to expect from Microsoft. It's like the history books keep getting burned each year as more and more companies "partner" with Microsoft and then end up in court and out of business soon after. IMHO.
LoB
The new 5600 and the new ROM for the older 5500 nolonger can sync with a Linux PC. Sharp has changed the internal data structures for the PIM apps( ON THE ZAURUS ) from standard XML to their own database format.
The QtopiaDesktop for Linux will not sync with the new Zaurii. But people are working on this. Not Sharp though.
LoB
not to mention all those people now doing data entry at 1/4 the speed because they must move the mouse to select the correct field. Some GUI apps I've seen do implement field traversal corectly in the GUI but many don't.
Then again, Microsoft doesn't get $$ for making your live easier or cheaper. It does it by making you THINK you need their product. This US ARMY sweetheart deal is a case in point. IMHO.
LoB
yeah, with all this spam going through their msn and hotmail servers, they can't process them fast enough to see if they are a WINDOWS VIRUS.
:)
Maybe that's why the just purchased that Linux virus company....
Got Linux?
LoB
I had heard that IBM had this in it's OS/2 media player way back around the Warp 4 days. OS/2 shipped with a bunch of multimedia players and it was said that they had clickable regions in a video stream working.
;)
I never saw it but then again, I never saw OS/2 for the PPC and IT existed.
LoB
Isn't this how it's done in the "real world" too? I've heard that an editor was told by Microsoft to have an article edited such that OS/2 was mentioned OFF the first page( ie, buried ). I've seen Ziff-Davis post articles at "strategic" times of the day. Articles which "dis'ed" MS Windows or showed favorable to alternatives usually were posted late in the day and quickly moved off the main page.
;)
I won't even get into how "independant" research seems to show exactly what the financing party wants it to show.
It sounds like you need to go to MS-ZiffDavis, etc, and read reports from DataGuess to get YOUR idea of "real" news.
LoB
Just because we have opposing thumbs doesn't mean we should use them in silly ways. Can you imagine writting a term paper using only your thumbs? Spreading the task across 10 fingers/thumbs seems to be easier on the body then putting all the task onto one thumb....
This might be good for mobile phone use but beyond that it seems to be of dubious use. IMO.
LoB
I think it would still be better for all developers if GNU/Linux were the base for the development as opposed to the MS Windows platforms. A move to GNU/Linux around the world might not make cent$ for ever Linux loven company out there but it sure would help level the playing field. That playing field is still almost verticle and Corel is just the latest to slip of the field.
;)
I'm not sure you'd call companies like Sony, Sharp, IBM, and Tivo "Linux companies" but their use of GNU/Linux is profit driven. If you saw their business plans, you'd probably think differently about what a "Linux company" is.
Excellent comments BTW.
LoB
Peru is considering Open Source and GNU/Linux
India is considering open Source and GNU/Linux
Germany is considering open source and GNU/Linux
etc, etc, etc
Bill and Steve travel to Peru, China, India, Germany, etc and offer hundreds of millions of dollars to stop any migration to GNU/Linux and OSS.
Peru still continues move to OSS and GNU/Linux
Indian president proclaims need to move to OSS and GNU/Linux
Germany/Munich starts move to OSS and GNU/Linux
etc, etc, etc.
Steve Balmer decides he'd like to have SOMETHING left from his years at Microsoft so he starts selling some stock.
Leaked MS memo shows to the public that GNU/Linux and OSS really is a concern/threat to Microsoft.
In the mean time, Corel has been spinning it's wheels on figuring out what/how it's going to do anything with MS.Net then realizes there's nothing in it for them and that there's no money left in the bank. They put up a "For Sale" sign.
GNU/Linux companies find renewed interest in their companies/stock. ( not chronologically exact ;)
LoB
a springboard module with a CF opening WAS available( it was just coming to market ). I saw it. They could have saved their company and supported the device by just keeping Dubinsky's mouth shut. oh well.
LoB
How do I propose it charges? Dilithium crystals of course. ;)
I do agree that in some cases, a wired cradle is still needed and a good thing. Wouldn't it be cool though if the iPod had a Bluetooth interface such that when you jumped in your car to head to school, your car stereo started playing what was xmitting from your iPod. You get home and your home stereo does the same. Even when it's on the Firewire cradle(?) charging.
Freeing yourself from wires does have an advantage IN SOME CASES. Point taken regarding charging via it's sync port.
LoB
Well let's hope for Palms hardware divisions sake, that she has learned WHEN and WHERE to talk about product plans. Shifting from Visor to Treos the way she did has only run them into the ground.
I think Dubinsky isn't THAT great of an asset. IMHO.
LoB
It was a really bad business move for Handspring to get out of the PDA market IMO. I know of 3 companies that were also developing very interesting springboard modules for business and consumer use. They didn't even know the Handspring line was getting killed.
It's a real shame because SD is too small, CF is not quite large enough for external connectors/cables. Springboard was just the right size and the PDA was respectably priced.
Handspring was the #2 PDA on the market at the time of the shareholders announcement. In 3 months, they were #3( Sony #2 ) and another 3 months later it was all over.
After the first "Connected Device" was shipped, they even tried selling a "Connected Device" that wasn't "Connected"( remember, they were out of the PDA market and into the "Connected Device" marekt ). But it was too late. The Handspring name wasn't worth what it used to be.
LoB
one of the things it gets them is some phone hardware. Spinning off the OS division leaves each having to provide their own compelling reason to exist. Now Palm hardware will compete with Samsung, Kyocera, etc. They are not going to like that. IMHO.
;>
If it was 1.5 years ago, it would have gotten them the 2nd place PDA seller. But Donna announced they were killing the Visor and in 1 quarter they went from 2nd place to 3rd place. By the 2nd quarter after that brilliant announcment, Handspring sales were heading into the noise level. And they didn't even have the Trio out when they announced they were killing the PDA line. You know, I didn't see Donna mentioned. I wonder why?
LoB
because it's from Microsoft is why there's not Bluetooth. They don't want device to device communications because there's not a desktop OS involved. Frankly, I'm surprised HP has pulled it off with not only supporting Bluetooth on the ipaq but also with their Linux website( handhelds.org ).
Even though Bluetooth is pretty low power it's not a technology Microsoft wants. IMHO.
LoB
What are you talking about? 10meter Bluetooth ( Class 2 ) pulls less than 40mA xmitting. We are not talking about WiFi( 802.11 ) here.
Power drain would not be so excessive that it would require "perpetual power" to be useful. Less than 40mA for short periods is no big deal. IMHO.
There seems to be alot of mis-information out there about Bluetooth. It's not just for short range wireless and it's not high power draining. FYI, there are 3 classes of devices related to 3 ranges:
Class 1= 100 meters
Class 2= 10 meters
Class 3= 2 meters
WiFi specs only 100 meters at 10Mb/s and so the antenna must be amplified enough to support this and so it's a power hog.
Bluetooths PAN( Personal Area Network ) is something Microsoft does NOT want to see taking off because their OS isn't involved in typical PAN communications. Without desktop OS support and opposition from Microsoft, it's an uphill battle.... IMHO
LoB
what are you talking about? 10meter Bluetooth ( Class 2 ) pulls less than 40mA xmitting. We are not talking about WiFi( 802.11 ) here.
I've run a Zaurus with an internet connected Bluetooth module for over 6 hours of continuous network access. Twice that with the frontlight turned off( not very practical ). I'm lucky to get 2 hours with a WiFi connection.
LoB
as soon as the current phone companies can make a working phone network then the expense of combining all your PDA information into the phone would be viable. Today, you can't count on having a connection and your carrier can change services on you and often do. Forcing the change of providers and many times, a change of the phone too. Do you want to spend $600 on a phone every year or so and figure out how to get your data from the previous $600 phone into the next model?
I'll keep my PDA/handheld and mobile phone seperate thankyou.
LoB
you're crazy! ;)
LoB
you sent it in for repair and they said it was fine? Didn't you tell them what was broken and how to reproduce it? Something sounds fishy here as I've had nothing but great success with my dealings with Sharp and their repair facilities.
You might try again with a better problem description. IMHO.
LoB
A Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 for $199 and a $50 WiFi card gets you a heck of alot for little cash. It's comes with the Opera browser and all the normal PIM apps. If you want other apps, check out the thousands of apps on the Killefiz.de and Handango.com sites. Battery life might get you down if you like a bright frontlight. The SL-5600( new ) has 2x the battery and a 400MHz XScale(broken PXA-250) CPU for over 3 hours of continuous WiFi( ~6h via Bluetooth ) use.
And what about those C-7xx devices with 640x480 screens? The new ones have the working Intel XScale chips( PXA-255 ) and tons of RAM and all running Opera for the browser. I do like the scrolling and scaling features.
I would suspect that the easiest to use PDA will still be the PalmOS ones but for feature richness, my $$ is on the Sharp Zaurii.
LoB
'm' as in meter is correct.
2 meters
10 meters
100 meters
The SL-5600 has a 1700mAh battery( the SL5500 has a 950mAh battery ).
LoB
regarding spec'ed battery life: Be careful, I've seen some spec'ed at over 8hr BUT with the frontlight OFF. Anything with the frontlight intensity at less than about 50% is useless indoors. IMHO
I've measured the SL-5000/5500 frontlight pulling around 80-90mA per 25% increment with the device itself pulling about 80mA idling( frontlight off, w/CF card, w/SD card ). So, that's alot of power from such small/portable batteries.
I don't know, yet, what the SL-7xx series pulls for the frontlight( or running ) so use the above numbers for a reference only.
OLED's will the THE big ticket for handhelds( "Look Ma, no frontlight" ). Not fuelcells. Again, IMHO.
LoB
Use Bluetooth in the Zaurus then. WiFi is a power hog but Bluetooth allows for various output power ranges( 2m, 10m 100m ) and therefore varying power drainage. WiFi is fixed at 100m(~150mA) while a 10m Bluetooth setup will drain at less than 40mA.
Ive run a SL-5600 for ~6h straight with the frontlight at 50%( using 'ping' to keep the connection alive ). A Socket WiFi card only lasts about 3h doing the same.
And with Bluetooth you also get mobile internet via a Bluetooth enabled mobile phone/service. Use a WAP or NAT the connection through your PC and get the Internet too.
LoB
This is the first time I've run across someone who claims to know what Win CE is AND does not know what WinCE( even WINCE ).
WinCE is a VERY common way to indicate yet another attempt, by Microsoft, at a functional OS.
Now you know.
LoB