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Epoc Digest Sun, 19 Jan 2003 Volume 01 : Number 151

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Sent to: 719 subscribers

In today's Epoc Digest 14 messages:

==============================

- Re: Psions and GSM networks

- Adjusting the volume of the Beep from OPL

- Psion Word to Macintosh OSX

- Outlook Address Message

- Outlook syncronisation, S5mx PRO System files, OPL data files.

- DATA in OPL, Morse

- HTML Printing

- NetBook II , HP Clamshell Future

- MMC to PC card adaptor, NetBook 2, 5mx to a 9210

- German system # 150

- Re: lost 5mxPro os files

- NETBOOK II, Vodafone's GPRS Price plans, travel modem, Reader surv ey,

- lost 5mxPro os files

- Quote for the Day. No epoc content

*++++++++++&

Date: 18 Jan 2003 00:13:00 +0100

From: ALYG

(Andrew Longdon)

Subject: Re: Psions and GSM networks

Rolf wrote:

> Dear Andrew,

> << My understanding is that in order for a mobile 'phone to work in the > US it needs to be "Tri-Band" >>

> That's not the case. When the phone will be used exclusively in the US > it's sufficient for it to support the 1,900 MHz frequency band only. A

> tri-band phone that supports the 900, 1,800 and 1,900 MHz bands is only > of interest to the frequent international traveller.

Fair enough - I was looking from the perspective of a GB resident

wishing to use a mobile in the US.

> << I'm assuming that any 'phone with an integral modem will have the

> ability to communicate with the Psion, either by IR, or datacable >>

> Which isn't the case either. There are several WAP-capable phones in

> the lower-end of the market that do have a 'modem' in order to support > WAP but no external modem interface. Note that the term 'modem' is a

> misnomer as there nothing to modulate or demodulate when using digital > GSM.

I bow to your greater product knowledge ;-)

,\ndy

*++++++++++&

Date: 18 Jan 2003 01:58:08 +0100

From: Owen H. Morgan

Subject: Adjusting the volume of the Beep from OPL

My Morse-It macro uses the OPL Beep function to provide the sound. It seems like the only way of adjusting the volume of the Beep is via the Control Panel. Does anyone know how I could do this from OPL. It would be preferable if my program could read what the setting is, alter it as required and then return it to the users preference on exit.

Owen

Thought for the day:

Anthony's Law of Force: Don't force it, get a larger hammer.

Owen H. Morgan, Yacht "Naomi J.", LD-53°20.87'N 6°14.83'W

Dublin City Moorings

http://home.no.net/naomij

*++++++++++&

Date: 18 Jan 2003 03:29:13 +0100

From: Tim Williams

Subject: Psion Word to Macintosh OSX

I imagine this has already been mentioned here; it is now possible on

the Mac to convert .wrd files into formatted text.

I couldn't believe it. I was looking into the new X11 which Apple

introduced at the beginning of the year. UNIX, Darwin etc. etc etc. is

all Greek to me but I somehow managed to get AbiWord up and running and

lo and behold, there was the filter for the Psion.

Now if someone could tell me how to convert the sheet files... For the

last six hours, I've been trying to get OpenOffice to open but so far,

no joy. I believe Gnumeric can translate the S 5 files, too.

Best

It’s getting harder and harder to act weird.

Zippy the Pinhead

*++++++++++&

Date: 18 Jan 2003 06:30:34 +0100

From: "James Cooke"

Subject: Outlook Address Message

-------------------------------------------------

Date: 16 Jan 2003 21:14:44 +0100

From: "Sekreteraren & Assistenten" Subject: Sync Revo-Outlook -> warning message

When I synchronise my Revo with Outlook I get a message saying something in the meaning of "A programme is trying to access addresses saved in Outlook - will you allow this?" (Translated from Swedish message)

I'm running Windows 2000 Pro (SP3) and PsiWin 2.3. It has worked without messages like this before - I've just done a complete re-installation on my pc (silly me).

Can someone please point me in the right direction to solving this problem?

Peter

-------------------------------------------------

Peter,

You've undoubtedly installed the SR1 upgrade to Outlook. This has a security feature that alerts you if another program is trying to access your address book. This is because so many virus programs propagate by sending the virus to everyone in your address book.

You can simply tell Outlook how long to allow Psion access to the address book (5 minutes is usually sufficient) and then click OK. The sync will then resume as normal. There's no way to remove just the SR1 upgrade from Outlook - you'd have to do a complete uninstall and reinstall to get Outlook back to the configuration that doesn't have this security feature.

-----------------------------------------------------

*++++++++++&

Date: 18 Jan 2003 09:24:02 +0100

From: Trygve Henriksen

Subject: Outlook syncronisation, S5mx PRO System files, OPL data files.

Greetings!

Peter wrote:

> When I synchronise my Revo with Outlook I get a message saying

> something in the meaning of “A programme is trying to access

> addresses saved in Outlook - will you allow this?” (Translated from

> Swedish message)

It seems that M$ Don'tLook is running with 'High Security'

Try looking in the settings.

---

Rob Bell wrote:

> To begin, German friend of mine bought herself a 5mx pro from

> ebay about a year ago. initially she had difficulties reading her

> OS flash card and sent it away to the German psion repair centre.

===snip====

> She and her psion are now in the uk and I have just re repaired her

> dry soldered psion however, discovered that the flash card she is

> using does not contain any os system files? (as i am able to read

> this with my uk 5mx)

There's only one file that needs to be on the CF card 'OS.IMG' and it should be the same size as the ROM size reported in the 'Information'/'Hardware...' dialog. (14MB for my netBook, probably something similar on the S5mx PRO)

----

Owen H. Morgan wrote:

> My Morse-It macro is almost ready for final release. It has been

> tested on the MC218, Series 5mx, Revo Plus (Diamond Mako)

> and NetBook. I assume what works with the NetBook also works

> on the Series 7, but I would like to have it tested on the Osaris

> and S5 Classic, and why not the GeoFox One. The Beta testers

> should preferably be familiar with Macro5 or one of the other

> macro launchers.

I've tested it with Extrabars on my netBook, and it worked OK then.

(Not tried the last two versions, though)

I could try to install Extrabars or something on my S5 and Geofox One, too, but am a little short of time right now...

---

Will wrote:

> Sorry for the delay in sending out my Data format Sherlock

> database to those who requested it, Christmas got in the way!

===snip===

> PS I will be forwarding a copy to 3-lib to see if I can get it included

> on Steve's Pocket Info.

I accidentally clicked on an old link to pocketinfo, and lo and behold, www.pocketinfo.org is no longer in the clutches of pornmongers.

Maybe someone should buy the URL before someone even worse(Like M$) does...

---

Simon Jeffree wrote:

> << Regarding Owen H. Morgan's question about READ and DATA:

> these statements aren't available in OPL, as far as I know.

> The 'official' way of doing it is with a resource file. The 'System.OXH'

> file has the following procedures for handling resouce files:

No....

A resource file is used for localisation purposes.

(You stuff the strings used in dialogs and menus in it and load the strings as they are needed. Then it's just a question of adding a new file .rsc file to the .sis file when you add support for new languages)

One way to create such files is to use RMRRCG which runs on your Psion.

(No need to mess about with the tools in the SDK)

*++++++++++&

Date: 18 Jan 2003 10:43:36 +0100

From: "Marcus von Cube"

Subject: DATA in OPL, Morse

Owen:

>I've come to the conclusion that whilst having the data in an external file makes the source code easier to read, there are no advantages to the end user.

So why not use the Data file to maintain your array and use some OPL code to translate it into

OPL source text which you can then import (or include) into your macro source text. The

translator is just for your development not for distribution.

You can likewise create a RSC (resource) file. There are tools out there which create RSCs from Data files (RSCCompiler2; you'll find it as part of the Dcalc source archive on my download

page: http://www.mvcsys.de/download)

Or even better: create a SIS file for your macro (requires that you obtain an UID from Symbian).

As an aside: I recently watched a film on TV about the very first transatlantic cable. Morse was one of the technical consultants of the project. Originally, he was a painter. When he was earning some money away from his family, his wife became sick and died shortly afterwards. Morse was

unable to see her or even attend the funeral because the information reached him much too late. This made him start thinking about quicker information transfer...

Marcus

http://www.mvcsys.de

*++++++++++&

Date: 18 Jan 2003 10:50:47 +0100

From: "Tim Johnson"

Subject: HTML Printing

Can anyone provide advice on printing HTML pages from Opera (or Web)? The standard print menu is not available in either app, and Ctrl+P functions but only prints a blank page. The also is no mention of a print capability in any of the Psion Teklogix documentation.

The requirement is to print HTML reports rather than Web pages, although I'm sure some people may have that requirement too.

Peter: Yep, I agree that the Digest seems "richer" than it was some months ago.

Thanks,

Tim Johnson

Cape Town

*++++++++++&

Date: 18 Jan 2003 12:00:36 +0100

From: "Arent Kits van Heijningen[106016.3614]"

Subject: NetBook II , HP Clamshell Future

Op de 17 Jan 2003 03:53:06 +0100

schreef "Gary Y Reyes" <gyreyes x AT x edsamail dot com dot ph> over : NetBook II

Gary ,

>> By the way, it will be a Windows CE machine as it appears Symbian is unable to spend time and resources anymore on EPOC because they are concentrating on the smartphones market.<<

This begs the question , could they come up with a MARM version of the

emulator and PsiWin ?

That would address all the issues ER5 has in terms of device support , on-

board file conversions , as well as the lack of a good scripting engine in

WindowsCE and lack of a robust browser/ftp/telnet/mail on the EPOC side

Because both OS'es run natively on the StrongARM/Xscale chip there's no

performance hit and no need to reboot the device when switching between

environments

Running PsiWin on the device itself would allow connection to any PC -

regardless wich CPU/OS combination runs on it -

BTW If this still is not finalised , can you push for : 64 and 128 megs of

RAM , 32 and 64 megs onboard flash , fully supported USB ( including

keyboards , printers , mass-storage and networking ( think USB modem or

serial modem using USB to serial lead )

The latter is important in most overseas markets as many people cannot

afford to buy both a PDA and a "regular " desktop or laptop (The two Indian PDA projects , Simputer and KAII both have fully supported

USB ports ! , likewise AlphaSmart's DANA )

And will the Netpad get a similar overhaul ?

As with Symbian concentrating on the smartphone market , current status is

that the Ericsson P800 and Nokia 3650 will be the last devices with a

native Symbian interface , the trend is now towards dual-cpu smartphones

that have a separate applications processor and associated memory and

storage

The result will be that Symbian will finally evolve into a completely

embedded OS without any developer or user interface , the part of the

device facing the operator , the developer and the end user could very

well run PalmOS , .NET ,Java or Linux

Next Clamshell from HP

It is confirmed that HP will wind down production of the 72* series and

that they are developing a successor device

Here is an excerpt from a post on a Jornada forum from Bernard Torbik of -

now defunct - Shore Systems : (original location : http://www.voy.com/24979/4726.html )

HP's moved Product Management/Development of handheld products from

Singapore to Houston, and production of will be shifted away from

Singapore, too. So, strictly speaking, the J728 is in its final

days. That's the bad news.

The good news is that a new handheld is in the works. This is

consistent with Microsoft and HP's strategy of renewing their O/S

and hardware every 18-24 months. As proof of this, consider

previous HP handhelds:

HP620LX, followed by HP660LX - both ran WinCE 2.1

HP680LX, followed by HP680LX - both ran HPC Pro

Jornada 720, followed by Jornada 728 both run HPC 2000.

The J728 has been out ~ 8 months, and it's time for a refresh. It's

release date is ~ Apr'03, and a version will be shown at CES in Las

Vegas in a few weeks. There have been rumors of what it will be

like, but one can accurately forecast that it will have some of the

features of the Samsung Nexio (5" transflective LCD screen with

800x480 resolution) and the Sharp Zaurus SL-C700 (680x480

resolution). The Samsung features WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity,

USB, a LiPolymer battery, SD and CFII slots, and a keyboard along

the lines of the fold-out version shown on Brighthand's site.

The O/S will be Windows CE.Net, which significantly runs under CE

4.xx, AKA "Talisker". There is no differentiation in this O/S

between a PPC and HPC version, as shown on this site a few months

ago. I've also seen some of the application upgrades, including the

ability to view PDFs natively, IE is upgraded to 5.5 compatibility,

etc. Existing applications that run on the Strong-ARM processor

(PPC or HPC) will run under CE.Net, albeit not nearly as quickly

apps written natively.

The biggest question right now is how well the CPU-bus interface

will be designed. Current PPCs that run Intel's X-Scale processor

have poor performance, which users have incorrectly blamed on the

PPC O/S. In fact, the poor performance is based on the fact that

the bus is only 16-bit and hinders the transfer of data from the

32-bit CPU. Without getting overly technical, it's rather like

trying to merge onto a 6-lane FWY, with traffic moving nicely at

75-80 MPH, from a crowded, one-lane on-ramp. Maybe this will be

addressed; if so, it would mark a major change in Intel's poor

existing design.

Contrary to rumor, the HPC isn't dead. The new Sharp Zaurus

demonstrates that it will be available as both a PPC and HPC, in

one device, albeit somewhat smaller - and more pocketable - than

the current Jornada form-factor. The size will be closer to the

original HP-95LX and 100/200 LX Palmtops than the Jornada series,

with battery life in the 12-14 hour range, thanks to the efficiency

of the X-scale CPU. All in all, it will perform very well.

More will be revealed in the next few weeks, but rest assured, as

the J7xx era ends, a new product line is coming that will be just

as exciting, and greatly enhanced.

[end of b.torbiks quote ]

*++++++++++&

Date: 18 Jan 2003 17:27:32 +0100

From: Kevin Thorne

Subject: MMC to PC card adaptor, NetBook 2, 5mx to a 9210

Reply to Darryl Kempster:

Subject: MMC to PC card adaptor

Thanks for the info, Darryl. Clove and Exportech don't stock them so I'll try Expansys and Scan next week. I already have a CF to PC card adaptor which is invaluable if you want to read CF cards from the S7 "E" drive. The reason why I really want an MMC to PC card converter is just to back up the whole 9210's data to a storage allocation on my S7. As I will shortly be considering obtaining a 128Mb MMC I wouldn't want to lose that amount of data just because I didn't have the hardware to back it up! I don't have a PC so EPOC Connect or a USB MMC reader is of no use to me.

Reply to all:

Subject: NetBook 2

I noticed a couple of mentions about the much needed screen improvements on the S7/netBook. I agree that the screen is the major area of possible improvement as I too find the display of digital photos very washed out (my 9210 is far better with its TFT screen). If the rumours are true and this machine is in development then SURELY this time it will have a built-in modem! USB connectivity would be most welcome too and I long for the day when it's possible to connect a scanner to a netBook (drivers permitting of course).

Reply to Rolf Brunsting:

<I'm sure Nokia didn't create the 9210 to replace the SIBO or EPOC Psions but to come with a communicator to succeed the 9110. The question therefore is - did the 9210 lose functionality in comparison with the 9110? And why should a 9210 do everything a Psion did, anyway? Doesn't Nokia have the freedom to create the 9210 according the wishes of its target audience rather than Psion's?>

Yes, you are quite correct, I'm not really comparing like with like. It certainly walks all over its predecessor the 9110. Essentially it is produced for the smartphone market, not the dedicated palmtop one. Maybe I was just expecting a bit too much from it. At the end of the day every individuas requirements are different. I loved the portability of my 5mx but just couldn't live with the gloomy screen any longer. I upgraded to my S7 in early 2000 and it's still in daily use today and I'm very happy with it, but it doesn't go everywhere with me as it's too big for that - plus I'd still have to carry a phone. So in that respect the 9210 does an admirable job as a not quite so functional 5mx replacement.

Regards

Kevin Thorne

*++++++++++&

Date: 18 Jan 2003 18:36:31 +0100

From: vlad arghir

Subject: German system # 150

> Rob Bell wrote:

> Firstly, what OS files are we probably missing?, how big are these? and how do > we go about getting them. As it is a German version pro, presumably the files > would be German OS?

You are looking for

SYS$ROM.BIN

to be found free of charge on the Psion site (I think psion.de)

It is about 10MB large. You need NO further Psion updates.

Afaik, this installer detects language automatically, so it can be used on

ANY machine. I even used it to start a Psion 5!

It has to be - so I was told, but don't know why - the FIRST thing copied to

an EMPTY CF to function (afterwards you can put anything on the CF, space permitting).

I keep mine on the original 16MB CF.

Insert the CF, turn the machine on - it will boot, install the system, beep merrily and start all apps automatically.

Hope this helps.

best,

vlad

> Data format Sherlock database

Sherlock? Psion? Mac! Wha? ;-)

*++++++++++&

Date: 18 Jan 2003 21:20:07 +0100

From: Rolf Vonau

Subject: Re: lost 5mxPro os files

Reference is made to the mail in the EPOC DIGEST V1 # 150 :

Rob Bell wrote at 17.01 2003 (> ):

> Firstly, what OS files are we probably missing?,

> how big are these? and how do we go about getting

> them. As it is a German version pro, presumably

> the files would be German OS?

Hi,

I replied already to Rob by PM, but may be my answer wll be of interest for other users, as well.

Here is my reply:

The only file you need is "sys$rom.bin" with size 10,4 MByte.

When switching on the empty mx Pro finds this program at the disk, it starts immediately to load the OS.

I think the easiest way for you will be the download from

ftp://ftp.psion.de/serie5mxpro/rom/319/sys$rom.zip (size=5 MB)

You should copy the unzipped file as _FIRST_ file to an empty and formated flash card.

Best Regards

Rolf

Munich

http://home.arcor.de/rhvonau/index.htm

*++++++++++&

Date: 18 Jan 2003 23:00:29 +0100

From: Itamar Engelsman

Subject: NETBOOK II, Vodafone's GPRS Price plans, travel modem, Reader surv ey,

Answer to : Peter Keene

Re. NETBOOK II - What is the use of a netBook without EPOC ? The superiority of the machine lies in the software. Without the Agenda, database, Macro5, Assistant and all the other great programs we use, I can buy another machine just as well. But I would have to invest heavily in all the software again. Thank you but no thank you <G>.

Answer: Colin & Ali Messer

Re. Vodafone's GPRS Price plans - I am sure you are right, but cannot check it at the moment as I not in the UK. I I'll have anything to add to it, I will come back about it in the digest.

Answer to: Moshe Nahir

Re. travel modem - Psion Dacom (modems) AFAIK is not the same Company as Psion (palmtops), and you cannot blame one for mistakes of the other. But I agree with you that it is strange that they cannot repair a modem made by themselves. Anyhow, enjoy your emailing again !

Answer to: Gary Y Reyes

Re. NetBook II - Well, buying a netBook II running WindowsCE for me would be changing platform just the same as buying another WindowsCE or PocketPC machine. And is WindowsCE not an older system than PocketPC and discontinued as well ? The WORD and EXCEL files are not the same as the PC versions either, still needing conversion ? Lastly, at least one employee from Psion actually follows this digest as well, so your request not to mention it to Psion comes too late. However, I don't think he will do anything about it.

Answer to: Will Green

Re. Reader survey - Thanks, a good idea. I thought about it some time ago as well, but never got around to organising it. Everybody, please send your emails to Will (and Will empty your mailbox regularly to receive some 700 emails <G>)

Best regards,

Itamar Engelsman

*++++++++++&

Date: 19 Jan 2003 02:10:00 +0100

From: Darryl Kempster

Subject: lost 5mxPro os files

Rob Bell asked:-

Firstly, what OS files are we probably missing?, how big are these? and how do we go about getting them. As it is a German version pro, presumably the files would be German OS?

You can find the OS.img file you need on the German Psion site under 5mxpro. It'll be about 16MB as it's the full OS for the 5mxpro. It's only available for download in german

ftp.psion.de

Darryl

*++++++++++&

Date: 19 Jan 2003 11:18:59 +0100

From: Colin Messer

Subject: Quote for the Day. No epoc content

Note to Owen:

The quote is

"You should make a point of trying every experience once, except incest and folk-dancing." - A. Bax, Farewell My Youth

If we're going to insult sections of society (the morris dancers), might as well get it right and include all the folk-dancers.

Colin Messer

*++++++++++&

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