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Epoc Digest Wed, 23 Oct 2002 Volume 01 : Number 096
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Sent to: 637 subscribers
In today's Epoc Digest 20 messages:
==============================
- citymaps overlay (London Underground)
- Re: Analysis
- Re: Demise of orange.net - suggested replacement, please.
- Re: citymaps overlay
- Missing mail, AA batteries, virus....
- Printing, shorter backup, cleaning screen
- Re: Jotter - E-mail signatures - VCR wars - Windows CE - IP classification
- Re: Clamshell Jornadas
- Re: Coupling a fax to a GSM
- Re: CF slot specifications
- Re: P800 / symbian 7
- Re: HP Clamshell Future
- Removing Extras icons, school software, Tinycalc, S7 calibration, GPRS, New virus
- Virus
- Templates for Journals
- Re: Help! Psion got wet and cold.
- Re: Rechargable AAs / Replacing screen cables / Alternative OS's
- Re: Nokia 6210e
- IrDa & plbeam & Windows Xp
- Delete Icons
*++++++++++&
Date: 21 Oct 2002 16:06:06 +0100
From: Astrid Stappenbeck
Subject: citymaps overlay (London Underground)
To Iván
Hi,
you wrote:
"citymaps overlay:
I have started to use CityMaps from tomtom. But sadly the tube stations (I live in London) aren't included in the map at all! Slowly and painfully I'm building an overlay with all the tube stations."
Well, one might think that in such a case the first step would be to go to tomtom's homepage and have a look at the overlays-section, preferably that part with the UK... searching for something like 'underground' or 'London'...
You might have come across
http://www.palmtop.nl/overlays/submitted.html
and on that page a file called
http://www.palmtop.nl/overlays/downloads/underground_uk.zip
But some people just love to make their life a little more complicated ;-)
Never mind,
Astrid
*++++++++++&
Date: 21 Oct 2002 21:21:44 +0100
From: Alan Morris
Subject: Re: Analysis
Itamar Engelsman wrote:-
<< Unfortunately for Psion I tend to agree with the lines of your analysis. We EPOC users are "the past", hanging on to our superior machines until they "drop dead". There will be no new software, no new accessories and most probably we will loose interest in a few years when newer and up to date solutions will be available. >>
I'm not so sure. Back in 1978, I bought my first PC, it was an 8Kb RAM (& of that 1Kb was screen memory) Commodore PET. I used/owned most PETs up to the 8296 which had 96Kb. Recently, I found a newsgroup devoted to PET computers and it would suggest that there is still, two decades later, new software and much interest in those "superior machines" from "the past".
However, I've found no interest from museums wanting to celebrate the 25th anniversary, in 2002, of Personal Computers.
--
Alan R Morris, G4ENS.
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK.
Using a Psion & Nokia 6210e.
*++++++++++&
Date: 21 Oct 2002 21:21:55 +0100
From: Alan Morris
Subject: Re: Demise of orange.net - suggested replacement, please.
"John Morris" wrote:-
<< I have been happily using my Mako to access emails from my orange.net email account using my Orange Nokia 6210e for some time now. As Orange has announced the ending of orange.net in 2 or 3 weeks time, has anyone a recommendation for a suitable replacement service, please? >>
Well John, we have more than a surname in common, as I also have an orange.net address, a Psion and a 6210e.
I understand that the web hosting will end, but the e-mail addresses will remain. You have another ISP, so use it to access your orange.net address as I do. I can receive e-mails from my orange.net address using the same phone call as I used to send this, but not send.
Orange sent me details to amend IE options to continue using orange.net addresses and I will change my Psion Email app settings, when I get round to it, so I should then be able to send as well from another ISP.
Hope this helps.
--
Alan R Morris, G4ENS.
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK.
Using a Psion & Nokia 6210e.
*++++++++++&
Date: 21 Oct 2002 21:22:05 +0100
From: Alan Morris
Subject: Re: citymaps overlay
Iván wrote:-
<< I have started to use CityMaps from tomtom. The software is great, and a wonderful improvement from the palm version .... But sadly the tube stations (I live in London) aren't included in the map at all! Slowly and painfully I'm building an overlay with all the tube stations .... And, if anyone has made any other overlay for a citymap map, let me know too. >>
I can't take the credit for making this, as I got it off the Web, but it has 326 underground stations and is 7KB. I'm at work typing this on my Revo+ and have converted it, on my 5mx, back to text. The first few lines:-
SU963982 "Amersham"
SU995976 "Chalfont & Latimer"
SP960017 "Chesham"
TQ025961 "Chorleywood"
TQ074851 "Hillingdon"
TQ086860 "Ickenham"
TQ056947 "Rickmansworth"
If others want a copy, I'll look up it's URL, when I get back home.
I used 'Overlay Maker' on my Psion 5mx. It's a bit better than the DOS version and allows easy editing of overlays on a Psion. See:-
www.pseudocode.co.uk
--
Alan R Morris, G4ENS.
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK.
Using a Psion & Nokia 6210e.
*++++++++++&
Date: 21 Oct 2002 21:45:07 +0100
From: Trygve Henriksen
Subject: Missing mail, AA batteries, virus....
Greetings!
Stephane wrote:
> It seems I am not any more getting my daily lot of DIgests (as a
> matter of fact since nr 84). What is happening...?
It's not a case of anti-spam software, then?
I know that Blightmail(Brightmail) as used by Hotmail blocks just about every bit of legal mail and only lets spam through...
And SpamArrest, another mail filtering disservice sends an autogenerated response to everything that looks like spam, forcing the sender to 'validate' the original message...
(If not, the original message will never reach the recipient)
It seems to assume that anything sent as BCC is suspicious.
<RAMBLE>
No, I don't have anything against such tools, at least if they work, but these two doesn't!
Blightmail for example, picked up a spam somewhere, scanned the header and found the 'reported' originator IP address. It then sent a mail to the owner of that network, who sent it to me because I administer that specific subrange...
Yes, there was something with that address. A HP Printer...
When i looked through the header from the original spam, I found the address of the machine that sent the spam to the hotmail server.
This machine was blacklisted in just about every service that exists...
(The rest of the header was of course fake)
If this happens again, I intend to dump it all to The Register (www.theregister.co.uk)
</RAMBLE>
---
AA Batteries...
I used Ni-cad rechargeables in my old S3a, then switched to Ni-mh a while after I got my S5.
I usually had one pair in the S5, and another in the charger.
(It's a 'smart' charger that switches to maintenance when the batteries are full)
The set in the S5 usually lasted me two days, so I knew that I didn't have to take the spares with me the first day, but could leave them in the charger.
I usually replaced them when the voltage dropped below 2.4V, and then I stuffed them in the battery pod of my MD player and ran them down that way.
If you make certain to drain them fully, they'll last much longer...
(My first set of Ni-mh from 1998 is still Ok)
Those were 1200mA batteries, and gave typically 800-900mA.
The 1500mA ones I aquired later pushed the counter to 1200mA or so.
(On a good day :-)
I also used rechargeables in the PCMCIA pod, and had no problems there, either. (The Nokia GSM Modem I used REALLY sucked the juice out of them)
That pod may be a good idea for S7/netBook owners that use PCMCIA modems a lot. (but not network cards, CF's or other stuff, it's strictly serial)
---
Alberto wrote:
> Beware my Anti-Viru has found the virus: W32/Bugbear in file e-mail
> hw2.ps.scr
> it come with a false epoc digest
You don't say...
I though most people had already upgraded their anti-virus software to stop this, by now...
(The office PC was updated a few hours after it began spreading, but since it was stopped as 'suspicious file' in the mail gateway, It never arrived there)
It just takes one moron who's a member of an email list to spread it far and wide... (I'm a member of several _large_ lists, so I tend to receive them early, but have yet to propagate them)
----
On a lighter side...
The Organiser II homepages at http://members.surfeu.at/org2/org2.html now have a forum.
Hurry over and take part!
And check out the for sale section.
There's an Organiser One there...
(No, not mine :-)
:-)
Trygve
Who's waiting for a Psion Siena, a Kodak PalmPix and a Visor Platinum to add to his collection...
*++++++++++&
Date: 21 Oct 2002 22:15:21 +0100
From: "Hoffman, Susan"
Subject: Printing, shorter backup, cleaning screen
My 5mx has stopped printing via PC. I have to transfer the doc or spreadsheet to the PC and convert it to print it. Otherwise everything works fine. Any suggestions?
I no longer use my 5 for email, but when I back it up, PsiWin seems to spend a considerable amount of time on what appear to be email files. I've deleted everthing visible but it hasn't helped.
Finally, just thought I'd comment on screen cleaning techniques. I take care of dust with a shirt corner or Kleenex. If there's a spot that gets in my way, I lick the Kleenex first. I know this is probably not good for it but no harm seems to have befallen it. Of course, since I too bring mine to the loo, sometimes tp subs for Kleenex (g).
Susan
Susan Katz Hoffman
Pepper Hamilton LLP (215) 981-4990
*++++++++++&
Date: 21 Oct 2002 22:18:01 +0100
From: Rolf Brunsting
Subject: Re: Jotter - E-mail signatures - VCR wars - Windows CE - IP classification
Dear All,
I've unexpectedly been away on a course, trading slots with a colleague who injured his knee while playing football. I'm therefore responding to a number of Digest messages for my attention in one go.
To David Lir - Concerning Jotter
<< So are you saying that you think Jotter was not as important to a majority of ER5 (or would be ER5) users as other things and hence it should have been left aside for those more important things >>
The Series 5 already had three application in ROM people could use to record notes and random jottings. I therefore didn't, and still don't, see the reason for adding Jotter to EPOC Release 5. Two minutes work with Data and you have a template file that does *exactly* what Jotter does. Call the template Jotter, add it to the sample files that are part of the package and you have a Jotter for £50.= worth of development, testing and production engineering costs.
To Steve Hodgson - Concerning Signature files
<< It matters because I am proud to use a Psion for much of my day-to-day work ... I want to play my part in promoting a great product >>
We're bombarded by so many promotional messages each day that I question the wisdom of adding promotionals to an e-mail signature. There are times and places to tell others about a product you're very pleased with and consider to be the best there is. I don't think an e-mail signature is such a place.
<< So, up to a point, I don't care too much about the recipient of my emailed wit and wisdom. I want to fly the flag for a great alternative to the mainstream computer platforms >>
Many a spammer will use a similar argumentation to justify his/her activities - enthusiasm for a product and the urge to tell others about it. That people tend not to appreciate spam messages can be dismissed by saying that it's all in a good cause.
<< The above comment would be akin to me saying "does it matter that I could follow Rolf's progress round the UK recently, through postings to the EPOC digest?" >>
I'm adding where I'm located for the practical reason that people can see where my message(s) are written from. Somebody from the US will know from my (below) signature that I'm not the right person to ask where (s)he can buy a Psion (related) products in Independence, Missouri. Adding an "On holidays in..." or an "On business trip in..." signals that my travel schedule and/or other activities can prevent me from responding to people's messages quickly.
To Alan Morris - Concerning the VCR wars
<< Unfortunately your source has made the error of considering historic events from a current prospective. The events need to be considered from the social attitudes of a quarter of a century ago >>
I don't see the conflict. History is made at the event but written (long) after the event. A historian has always the benefit of knowing the outcome and is able to point at the factors that proved to be decisive. Whether it concerns a battle between the Cavaliers and the Roundheads or the commercial battle between the home VCR systems. It's when you want to know why (say) Philips made a particular commercial decision that you have to go back in time and see what the situation was for the decision makers. However, that it wasn't strange for Philips to make the decision doesn't change the fact that it proved to be a bad one.
To David Lit - Concerning Windows CE
<< Knowing where CE is coming from and what has changed over the years can tell me how CE has improved ... >>
Knowing what has happened to Windows CE means you can see whether Microsoft has addressed the items you consider problematic. When that's not the case, and the operating system remains as it was in these respects, a previous judgement will still stand. Whether the judgement was a "Close but no cigar", a "Missing the mark" or even a "This is crap!".
Also the reason why your references to snobbery and blindness are so out of place. My judgement isn't based on an anti-Microsoft ideology - that what comes out of Microsoft's development labs can't be any good. The judgement is based on having a good look at Windows CE itself and finding it wanting. No "Windows CE isn't crap!" mantra will change that, a change in Windows CE will have to this.
<< We all know that EPOC is a much less demanding and generally better behaved OS but that only makes EPOC an excellent and efficient OS - it may even make it the better OS, but it doesn't make WINCE *crap* >>
What it boils down to are the criteria on which an operating system is judged. I consider efficiency in the use of processor and memory resources to be very important for an operating system for handheld devices. As power hungriness has a number of side effects I prefer to do without. The "Maybe, but who cares?" of your message indicates that you're not overly concerned about Windows CE's lack of efficiency. Which is fine, but such a quick dismissal of what I care about won't persuade me to change my judgement.
To Peter Keene - Concerning the IP classification
I've worked in international standardisation and have taught instrument engineers the IP classification system as part of the training courses I've given. The chance that I'm mistaken is thus not very high.
What you may not be aware of is that "splash resistant" and "splash proof" have a particular meaning, corresponding with an IP classification of 65. Selling an IP33 device as splash resistant will get the seller into difficulties. Secondly, you've mentioned the shorthand definitions while the IP specifications also mention such aspects as duration and intensity of exposure.
Still, the shorthand definitions you've mentioned already indicate what an IP33 type of device looks like. A protection against the ingress of solids larger than 1/10th of an inch doesn't offer much protection against the ingress of liquids. Overturn a cup of coffee and you have to be quick to prevent coffee getting inside the device. Leave it outside in a mild rain and it will certainly become waterlogged. Protection against the ingress of liquids requires much tighter gaps and much more tortuous routes for liquid to follow.
Devices that have a liquid ingress classification of 3 will therefore always have a dust ingress classification higher than 3. That is, unless the water ingress classification is obtained by additional means - a canopy, rain shield or external casing. In other words, a netBook with an IP33 classification will need to have an umbrella affixed to it. Without the umbrella, or flexible second skin, the rating of a netBook will remain IP30.
--
Kind Regards,
Rolf Brunsting - Darp - Netherlands
*++++++++++&
Date: 21 Oct 2002 22:18:20 +0100
From: Rolf Brunsting
Subject: Re: Clamshell Jornadas
Arent,
<< David , you hit the nail squarely on its head , from 2.11 on I consider WindowsCE an operating environment that fulfils my needs , even three years after purchase of my 680 >>
Fine ... Hewlett Packard and Microsoft have a satisfied customer. Your satisfaction, however, doesn't necessarily effect the way other people look at Windows CE and the devices that are based on it. The way a device meets personal requirements will decide whether somebody will buy one or not. When it's Windows CE that gives devices some (highly) undesirable characteristics the whole Windows CE category won't be on somebody's list of purchase candidates.
it's a pity for the manufacturers of Windows CE based handheld computers that the major strong points of their products fall mainly into my personal "Don't care" category. That they have "X" and can do "Y" has no influence on my purchasing decision. While a number of their weak(er) points fall right into my "Do care" category and have a direct effect on my purchasing decision.
<< The HP7** LX is currently the best small clamshell available, bar none >>
The "best small clamshell" doesn't exist. Not because what's currently on the market leaves so much to be desired but because there's no generally accepted definition of what a "small clamshell" is. Let alone a definition of the small clamshell user. It's possible to say that "The HP Jornada 728 is the best for ... [Enter category]". But even this won't be challenge free.
<< The whole range from the 680 and up beats the crap out of the smaller Psions in terms of speed , stability , functionality , AND independece from the Windows desktop >>
You're starting to stray in Silliness Country, I'm afraid. The power of a Jornada 728's processor won't make me finish this message any quicker. A five second pause to find the right word is a five second pause, whatever the power of the processor. While a Jornada's colour screen doesn't have an influence on the quality of the text.
<< When it comes that the choice of handheld also determines the choice of desktop OS , the coming migration of Palm to the Pocketpc hardware platform will make matters worse for the alternative-OS communities as they(palm) too will become dependent on Windows -only features and protocols >>
I'm sorry, but this is Lunatic Fringe stuff. Follow this line of argumentation to its logical beginning and it was Apple that produced the first Pocket PC hardware devices. As the Newton Messagepads were the first handheld pen & tablet devices, the Newton that was the first to use ARM based processors, etc, etc. And since when is it that such protocols as TCP/IP, IrOBEX, HTML, FTP, Bluetooth and POP3 solely depend on running Windows on the desktop?
--
Rolf Brunsting - Darp - Netherlands
*++++++++++&
Date: 21 Oct 2002 22:18:36 +0100
From: Rolf Brunsting
Subject: Re: Coupling a fax to a GSM
Dear Thomas,
<< What I want to know: does the fax emitting device (in our case our Psion) need to adjust its 'protocol' (or whatever it is called) to the GSM or doesn't it need to care whether it is talking to a GSM or a normal phone line? >>
A Psion won't be talking directly to a phone line - there's always a modem in between. As long as the GSM phone behaves just like a modem the Psion won't know that the data (fax, e-mail, web page, file, etc.) is transmitted wirelessly.
<< I am asking this, because I am currently engaged in a discussion on the Internet from people who want to couple a real fax machine to a GSM by simple just let it emit it beeps and squawks to the GSM's microphone >>
This won't work because the GSM phone's electronics that turn speech into a digital data stream are tailored to the characteristics of the human voice. What's more, the electronics are deliberately designed to perform an inaccurate conversion.
Reason for this is that a real-time, CD quality, digital encoding requires a lot of processing power and produces a megabit per second data stream. Such a processor would suck a typical phone battery dry in a few minutes. What's more, the data stream takes such a big slice of the GSM frequency band that you'd need one base station radio mast per caller. A GSM voice encoder is therefore designed to reduce the data stream to manageable proportions and to be very frugal while performing the encoding and decoding.
The way that it's done is to use the principals of psychoaccoustics. Evolution has given the human mind remarkably powerful mechanisms for pattern recognition. When we're familiar with a particular pattern, like Bob's voice, we're able to recognise it in a flash. We're also able to recognise it when it's but one of many patterns presented to our ears. You sit in a very busy café - several discussions are going on - there's music in the background - you hear an additional pattern - Ah! - Bob has arrived.
You don't even need the exact pattern as stored in your little grey cells in order to be able to say "That's Bob" - an incomplete and (slightly) altered pattern will do. It's such a strong mechanism that the brain automatically compensates by recreating what's missing in a well known pattern.
The GSM voice encoder takes advantage of all this by filtering out high and low frequencies - emphasising some of the frequencies that are left by coding them accurately - while other frequencies are coded quite roughly. The result is far from CD quality but contains sufficient clues to trigger your brain's pattern recognising engine. It's this inaccurate encoding that kills the idea of feeding the sounds of a modem or fax machine into a GSM phone's microphone. The chattering of a fax/modem represents digital data and should not be altered. While that's exactly what a GSM voice encoder doesn't do.
Which also answers the question of why you can't connect a bog standard fax/modem by cable to a GSM phone. The fax/modem produces voltage signals - the microphone of a GSM phone does the same. Why not pipe the line output of a fax/modem into the electronics handling the signals from the microphone? Doesn't work as the GSM digital encoding scheme damages the signals. What comes out at the other end isn't exactly what you piped in and there goes your data.
--
Kind Regards,
Rolf Brunsting - Darp - Netherlands
*++++++++++&
Date: 21 Oct 2002 22:18:49 +0100
From: Rolf Brunsting
Subject: Re: CF slot specifications
Dear Owen,
<< I know the CF slot doesn't have the full specs, but I'm pretty sure drivers could be written to do most things if it were only mechanically possible >>
It's difficult to comply with the 'full' specs when sections were added to the specification after you launched the product.
I understand that the later specification for I/O cards use a number of pins on the CF connector that aren't shared with storage cards. It's to be expected that Psion's motherboard design of the Series 5(mx) doesn't support these pins. An I/O card for the 5(mx) would therefore have to be non-standard, emulating a storage card. Meaning that sending data out via the I/O card would be emulated by writing fictitious files to the card. Question is, whether you can emulate flow control and other signalling in a similar fashion. Then there's the question of timing constraints - that you're able to respond within the times laid down in the specification. Finally, the question of power consumption. Are you able, for example, to power a Bluetooth card on the basis of the specifications for storage cards?
<< What I've always dreamed of is an interface that would allow me to use the CF at the same time as an external drive or a second CF >>
There are a few external multi-card boxes that allow you to plug in (say) a CF card, PC-Card and a MemoryStick and get an additional three drive letters on your computer. Trouble is that the ones I've seen all have a USB interface and Windows 98/NT/2000 drivers.
--
Kind Regards,
Rolf Brunsting - Darp - Netherlands
*++++++++++&
Date: 21 Oct 2002 22:18:53 +0100
From: Rolf Brunsting
Subject: Re: P800 / symbian 7
Dear Bill,
<< This is for a machine which is based on software design that symbian were showcasing before I left the psion camp >>
It's not that difficult to showcase a design before the actual software is finished. I've done this for a telemetry package in which the design was translated into a demonstration application consisting of bitmaps, on-screen buttons and scripting. This type of showcasing is quite common within the computer industry. It allows you to show what the application will look like and demonstrate how you operate it. The closer you are to the release date the more you're able to demonstrate using the actual software rather than tools that mimic the software.
<< ... I wonder if the last chance to obtain a recognisable psion type PDA has gone? (I don't count nokia 9210 ... >>
I think you're contradicting yourself. One of the principle characteristics of Psion's handheld computers since 1992 has been their 'miniature laptop' clamshell design. Which makes the Nokia 9210 much more a "recognisable psion type PDA" than SonyEricsson's P800. Also because the 9210's user interface is a clear development of Psion's EIKON interface and that it's application set corresponds with that of the Revo Plus and Series 5mx.
<< ... laughingly enormous for a phone... [Nokia 9210 : RB] >>
When I compare the weight and dimensions of the P800 with those of the T68 of the same stable the P800 is larger by a factor 2.3 and heavier by a factor 1.9. Take SonyEricsson's tiniest, the T66, and the P800 is larger by a factor 2.9 and heavier by a factor 2.6. This doesn't make the Nokia 9210 any smaller or lighter but puts things in perspective. Both P800 and 9210 are large and heavy by current mobile phone standards.
What's also interesting is a like-with-like comparison with PDAs. That is SonyEricsson P800 versus Palm M515 and Nokia 9210 versus Psion Series 5mx. This shows that the P800 is 1.5 times as large and 1.1 times as heavy as the M515. Which is to be expected, given the extras it's equipped with and the need for a bigger battery pack. Which makes the 9210 the more remarkable device as it's both smaller and lighter (factor 0.7) than the 5mx.
<< The newer nokias announced seem to largely abandon the pda ... >>
Nokia serves a very wide range of customers. It's not to be expected that all Nokia phones will be made to the same blueprint.
<< I didn't want to abandon symbian / psion again but feel my hand is being forced ... >>
SonyEricsson isn't an Orwellian Big Brother, dictating what you buy and when you buy it. Simple fact is that nobody's forcing you to do anything. You're not at the beck and call of any company. If there's a force, it's one you're applying to yourself.
--
Kind Regards,
Rolf Brunsting - Darp - Netherlands
*++++++++++&
Date: 21 Oct 2002 22:19:02 +0100
From: Rolf Brunsting
Subject: Re: HP Clamshell Future
Arent,
<< From what I have read so far will HP continue with this product and will integrate it with the iPaq line it inherited from the merger , i.e make it possible that everything developed so far for the iPaq will run on the successor of the 7** line as well >>
Which is unlikely, given the differences in screen dimensions and user interface. Developers will need to adapt their applications to the two platforms (H/PC and P/PC). And then I'm not even talking about some of the "under the bonnet" differences.
<< People reported that they reset their WindowsCE devices on a daily basis , I do this too , but in contrast to a perceived or real instability of this environment there are other compelling reasons to do so , namely :
Checking the integrity of the file system , WindowsCE runs an fsck
immediately after reset , so no creeping corruption of your flash cards Auto-calibration of the tochscreen Bringing the backlicht up to full strength immediately after start-up Re-initialise any card inserted in the device >>
You posted a message in EPOC Digest no. 90 in which you mention that the Jornada 680 and subsequent models beat the Psion Revo and Series 5 models for stability. The above clearly shows that your Jornada 680 is far from stable because you reset it every day to prevent all kind of nasties cropping up. While stability means being able to run a device for months and months without running the risk of any such things happening.
I've never needed to check the integrity of my CF disks because of "creeping corruption". I've never needed to re-calibrate the touchscreen of my Psions. I've never needed to "bring the backlight to full strength" because none of my backlit Psions have ever lost their backlight settings. Nor have I needed to reset my Psions in order to re-initialise a card. I've *never* needed to do all of this in five years of owning EPOC based Psions.
And you're telling me that the Jornada 680 is more stable and that resetting it each and every day is normal? The only thing you've proved is that owning a Windows CE based device results in a creeping corruption of terminology.
<< Yes , Psion is now finally moving away from Epoc as its main operating system on its handhelds... The Reg has the story .. >>
I have the article from The Register ("No CE netBook, says Psion, but there is a netPad" by John Lettice) right in front of me. John quotes Raf Jezierski, director of mobile computing at Psion-Teklogix, regarding Windows CE and Psion-Teklogix' operating system strategy. Nowhere in the article does Jezierski say that Psion-Teklogix is moving away from EPOC. It's Lettice who does some speculation but even he isn't saying that Psion-Teklogix is moving away from EPOC.
<< ... as well as the pending release of the first WindowsCE-based smartphones ... will completely change the mobile phone playing field >>
You don't give any credible reason why the first Windows CE based mobile phones should catapult Sendo from the Sixth division D of the amateur league to first division champion while Nokia and SonyEricsson will be relegated to the third division. That the networks have a strong say in what goes into a mobile phone isn't the explanation as they've had that for donkeys years. And that you're still babbling about "non-embedded versions of R6/R7" only shows that you don't have a clue about embedded software nor what the Symbian partners and licensees have access to.
--
Rolf Brunsting - Darp - Netherlands
*++++++++++&
Date: 22 Oct 2002 00:50:35 +0100
From: Itamar Engelsman
Subject: Removing Extras icons, school software, Tinycalc, S7 calibration, GPRS, New virus
Answer to: Alan Kendal
Re. Removing Extras icons - It probably means you have somewhere the remnants of an earlier version on your Psion. Did you check the Add/Remove option in the Control Panel whether there are 2 Web's installed ?
Re. High school software - The sheet program should help you a lot in keeping results of your pupils instead of these paper diaries all teachers work with. Look at the Tucows website if there are any programs, it has got most of them.
Answer to: Philip Bister
Re. Tinycalc - Thanks for the info. Could you describe briefly what it does more or better than the Psion calculator ?
Answer to: peter heseltine
Re. S7 calibration - My S7 is version 1.05(254) build 756. Is that an early version or a later one ?
Answer to: Bill Fuggle
Re. GPRS - Noting you use GPRS in the UK, how do you compare the charges against normal GSM ?
Answer to: Alberto
Re. New Virus - Actually, if you check carefully I think the message came with an old UPS5 digest mentioning in the subject field and not the current Epoc Digest. I don't know where this came from, but of course in my Psion email program it could not do any harm <G>.
Bye,
Itamar Engelsman
London, United Kingdom
*++++++++++&
Date: 22 Oct 2002 08:41:10 +0100
From: Alberto
Subject: Virus
Hello
No only send that messages to epoc digest, too send it to ADMIN epoc digest, I can see that they read it and answered very fast too.
Bye
Alberto / Spain
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Date: 22 Oct 2002 14:20:06 +0100
From: "Huub Linthorst"
Subject: Templates for Journals
Jaan wrote:
>I am exploring a bunch of other programs. I was wondering if anyone ever made a
>Template or Macro for writing papers in American Psychological Association or
>MLA format.
Hi Jaan, can you more precisely point out what you mean. It could be interesting for my program ExAb.
Huub
___________________________________
Huub Linthorshttp://website.leidenuniv.nl/~linthorsthjm/exabetal/
ExAb, CodeSafe, S5mboles, SpellX and more
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Date: 22 Oct 2002 20:06:22 +0100
From: Aleck Cartwright
Subject: Re: Help! Psion got wet and cold.
Just wondered if anybody could help. My wife got drenched on her way to work, it was very cold and very wet (Scotland) and her psion revo+ would not switch on when she got to work, despite the fact that it didn't seem to be wet. The case seemed to absorb most of the dampness in her handbag. She charged it all day but it still did not switch on tonight. Does anybody know what we can do with a possibly wet and cold psion? I was hoping it would dry out. I have tried a hard reset but nothing happens. Is this the end of the psion, or can anybody recommend any other steps to resurrect it? Or possibly places to repair it.
Any help would be much appreciated, or else we are back to a being one psion family. Any stories from anyone who has managed to resuscitate their machines from similar situations?
Thanks for your help,
Aleck
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Date: 22 Oct 2002 22:38:10 +0100
From: "Owen H. Morgan"
Subject: Re: Rechargable AAs / Replacing screen cables / Alternative OS's
Howdy!
RECHARGEABLES:
I've always used NiMH AA's in my 5ives and my MC218 and not had any battery-related problems except for what is mentioned below. I'm not sure which year I bought my first 5ive, but think it was January or February '98 (or was it '97?). Itamar may confirm this, as I'd been on the original UPS5 list a few months when he joined. (That makes me feel very old...)
I've been through it all: peeling paint, broken screen cables, cracked screens, broken hinges, faulty power connectors and loose power switches (the one under the keyboard). I even remember when a 32Mb CF was considered BIG! I now have a 256Mb (TwinMOS) CF which is small compared to what some people are using.
There are two things one should be aware of when using rechargeables in a 5ive, 5mx or MC218:
1: Always use BatCheck by Peter Csutora or something similar. Mine is set to give the first warning at 2.3V and the second at 2.2V which has worked fine for writing to CF on all my machines. I usually change batteries at the first warning unless there's a good reason I don't want to interrupt whatever I'm doing.
2: Always keep your e-mail folder on C:. This is VERY important. The reason is that receiving e-mails is very power intensive as you're both writing to disk AND using the IR or RS-232 at the same time. If your battery is already getting low before you connect to the net, it can drop very rapidly while you're online. If it goes too low to write to CF while you're receiving e-mails and your Mail folder is on D:, you will end up with corrupted files. This has happened to me in the past. I've not had any problems since I moved the Mail folder to C:. I keep everything else on the CF to have the maximum possible amount of RAM free for running programs.
My charger is a very neat unit from Maha Energy which discharges the cells before starting the charge and runs either on AC via an adapter or 12V from the boat or a car. Sorry, I don't have their URL at the moment.
SCREEN CABLES:
I've replaced screen cables both on 5ives and my MC218. The 5ive is difficult, the MC218 (and mx) is worse. Unlike the 5ive Classic, you have to remove the metal cover of the actual screen assembly. You need a steady hand, good eyesight, good light, a solder vacuum, a soldering iron with a very thin tip and balls the size of coconuts. Be careful so you don't crack the touch sensitive layer. It's very fragile.
On the 5ive, the part of the cable that goes to the touch sensitive layer is clipped on with a metal clip that is a bit difficult to remove. On the mx and MC218, it is soldered on. When you solder the wide part of the cable to the LCD, it is important to make sure it is aligned correctly in both planes so the bit that goes to the touch sensitive layer does not get stretched or bent when the screen is assembled.
Assembling the machine after the cable has been successfully soldered is also very fiddly, particularly connecting the screen cable to the main PCB. When I've done this job, it's been on the assumption that I had very little to loose, as getting the machine fixed professionally would cost almost as much as a replacement second-hand one.
I would never consider replacing a screen cable for someone else unless he or she was willing to risk me messing up the machine. I would do it on a "no cure, no pay" basis of course, but the owner of the machine would have to pay for the cable whatever happened and be willing to accept the loss if it all went wrong.
A small tip: If you want to order a screen cable for a MC218 from POS, tell them it's for a 5mx. It's been my experience that POS refuse to sell spares for the MC218 even when it's the exact same part.
One of the 5ives I replaced the cable on never worked, but I think there was probably something else wrong with it. The other was sold to a friend and is still working two years later.
ALTERNATIVE OS's:
My main reasons for not leaving EPOC are:
1: It does almost all I want of a PDA. I'd like a good colour screen so I could carry a pocket photo album and BlueTooth would be nice so the phone could stay in its holder or belt holster while I collect my e-mails and SMS, but those are the only things I miss.
2: As I do all my writing on the palmtop, I really need a good keyboard. I tested myself against the stopwatch the other day and am getting 40 WPM on the Mako. (Four minutes, 162 words, and there were some long words in that text.) Try that on a Palm Pilot! I haven't timed myself on the MC218, but reckon it's a bit faster. Anything else that has a good enough keyboard for this kind of typing is either horribly expensive, much larger than the Mako or both.
3: The Macro5 macro language. I can't live without it, and I don't know of any other palmtop (or desktop) OS that has anything remotely similar. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.)
4: I've got way too much invested in this OS both in terms of software and experience to want to go through the learning curve again with a different OS. It was great fun learning to use EPOC as I kept discovering new amazing things it could do, even things my WindoZe computer can't. If I switch to another OS, I'll spend the first six months relearning the things I already know how to do in EPOC, and will probably get very frustrated at the things I can't make it do.
5: You guys!
Owen
Thought for the day:
It's noble to be good, and it's nobler to teach others to be good, and less trouble.
- Mark Twain
--
Owen H. Morgan, Yacht "Naomi J.", LD-53°20.87'N 6°14.83'W
Dublin City Moorings
http://home.no.net/naomij
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Date: 22 Oct 2002 22:48:08 +0100
From: Alan Morris
Subject: Re: Nokia 6210e
Mike McConnell wrote:-
<<< I use a 6210e that has a built-in modem and connects with your Psion with Ir.>>>
<< ....and as the "e" suffix indicates an "Orange" phone presumably you are using HSCSD for a 28.8k connection? >>
I'm on Everyday 50 with 9.6K connection as I understand a monthly fee (£5? that's 33% more) is required for 28.8K. I also understand that 14.4K incurs no extra cost, but at times can be slower than 9.6K depending on the Orange network loading.
All my e-mails via Psions, and web browsing and file (Psion apps, PDF etc) downloads via W98, can be done within the 50 minutes. I use GoZilla for spreading large downloads over a few days.
OK while in the UK, but I'll need a better solution when travelling in Europe - still looking.
Itamar Engelsman then wrote:-
<< Re. GSM v. GPRS - You write "if you can afford GPRS". I think GSM is not exactly cheap either, and if you don't have any free minutes I think it is hardly cheaper than GPRS as you need a lot more time connected. And with GPRS you can keep connected while reading something without being charged. >>
GPRS could be a solution for travelling in Europe and for folk with different requirements to me, but 50 pence per day, giving 1p/min is good value and it also reduces my home BT bill as I now (after buying 6210e) get a low user rebate.
--
Alan R Morris, G4ENS.
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK.
Using a Psion & Nokia 6210e.
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Date: 23 Oct 2002 11:01:45 +0100
From: Alberto
Subject: IrDa & plbeam & Windows Xp
Hello
I only want send files by IrDA. I am testing PlBeam, but I only can that it works from Windows XP to my Psion. The another way don't work. Someone could help me?. I think it is something about XP.
Tankyou
Alberto, Spain
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Date: 23 Oct 2002 11:18:34 +0100
From: Alberto
Subject: Delete Icons
Hello
If you erase the folder c:\system\apps\yourapplicationtoclear\ it will be out of extras bar, but beware, don't delete the application that works, therefore, don't worry, you could intall it again. In that case I think
that a good idea is delete the install file too.
For more security wait for more help. I could be wrong or explain it bad.
Luck
Alberto
Zaragoza,Spain
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