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Epoc Digest Wed, 12 Mar 2003 Volume 01 : Number 198
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Sent to: 748 subscribers
In today's Epoc Digest 20 messages:
==============================
- Messages from the Epoc Digest Team to all
- Last Psion 5mx - to whom?
- Re: T68i Fax Capabilities
- Re: EPOC emulation, Special Characters
- Re: PhoneMan and P800
- Re: MBMView Regis
- Re: Help! On switch suddenly doesn't work!
- glue
- Connecting to Compuserve,
- Re: Netbook Dial-up/Connection Problem
- Connection error: Already exists.
- netBook Problem - Soft Reset
- Re: T68i Fax Capabilities
- Re: netBook-laptop connectivity failure
- Netpad
- Re: Web and Google
- On switch
- PsiWin Backup & Restore (Again)
- USB-Serial Converter Cable
- Playing with toys (2)
*++++++++++&
Date: 12 Mar 2003
From: Epoc Digest Team
Subject: Messages from the Epoc Digest Team to all
1. Spam
----------
Today in our mailbox was a spam mail from South Africa, sent to a lot of Epocdigest subscribers as BCC, too. To minimize such cases, I would like to discuss with you this matter:
What about if we replace sign in each sender address with e.g. <at>? So nobody can scan the Psioneering site and find real addresses.
What is your opinion?
Please reply via Digest or as PM with ADMIN in the subject line.
2. Abuses
-------------
We got the b.m. mail from oriontele.com:
> Date: 11 Mar 2003 21:40:10 +0100
> From: IThelpdesk
> Subject: Your email message was blocked
> Orion Telecom's automated content monitoring gateway has not delivered the following message:
> From: &nb> To: &nb> Subject: EPOC DIGEST V1 # 197
> It believes it may contain unacceptable or foul language.
> Please remove any inappropriate language and send it again.
> Orion mail scanning rule: Bothways : Block Unacceptable
> Language Script Offensive Language (Extensive) Triggered
> Expression: shit OR shitting OR shits OR shittin OR shitty
> Triggered 1 times weighting 60
========================
Please bear in mind this. In the last Digest there was a message with such a word, indeed!
3. to Andy Hayes:
-----------------------
although we temporarily unsubscribed the addresyour provider permanently bounces the whole digest back to the Epocdigest mailbox with remarks: "reason: 550 unknown user".
Please check this and unsubscribe all your addresses leading to the a.m. error message.
--
Rolf Vonau
The Epoc Digest Team
*++++++++++&
Date: 11 Mar 2003 19:27:00 +0100
From: "Tim"
Subject: Last Psion 5mx - to whom?
All,
It is with some hesitation that I write this, but the opportunity to dispose of the last of my Psions is closing in.
OK, so what is the condition? It was purchased from Psion USA on 2003.03.31. Serial number #MA102A71001PS. This Psion 5mx has been heavily used for a couple years. It works as far as I know, but I don't use much more than the normal keyboard operations. Various on/off switches, voice recording, etc. I haven't tried for many months. The keyboard has popped out of place a couple times and been successfully restored to normal function, but you can tell that something happened. The display seems to be OK, but given the usage, I'm not sure about the notorious display cable.
At the end of my Psion usage, both of them sat on the shelf in an open condition - I didn't take them with me any more.
So what is the potential deal? I'm thinking that for the cost of shipping and possibly the inevitable screen cable repair, someone somewhere could have a backup Psion. I will also include in my last parallel port adapter and spare stylus. Then I will have divested myself of all Psion hardware.
Any interest? Please reply to my email, not to the list. Thanks!
Tim
*++++++++++&
Date: 11 Mar 2003 21:32:45 +0100
From: Rolf Brunsting
Subject: Re: T68i Fax Capabilities
Dear Manuel,
<< I know that some of the readers of this digest own the Ericsson P800 but report that it does not have a fax modem capability. Is this also true on the T68i? >>
Not that I know of - I've sent a simple fax out with a T68i.
<< When I tried to test it with my netbook, we could not get a fax out (as the call was dropped repeatedly by the phone while trying to connect. If I were to dial the same number directly from the phone the fax machine would answer with no problems >>
Making a voice call to a fax machine doesn't tell you whether you can use a GSM phone for faxing. Reason why is that GSM mobile networks route calls differently depending on the type of call.
Make a voice call and your speech is digitally encoded and sent out over the network. Nothing needs to be done when the other phone is also a GSM phone as it will perform the decoding back into speech. When the other phone is a normal land line phone, on the other hand, the digital data is transported to a point close to the receiving phone, decoded and put on the line as standard analog voice signals.
Send a fax and your netBook generates a digital image of the page(s) that doesn't need any additional digital encoding by your phone other than what needed to transport the data. Most fax machines, however, are connected to a standard phone line. And what needs to be done with your fax is equivalent to voice calls. The digital data is transported to a fax-modem pool at a point close to the receiving fax machine, decoded and transmitted over the line as the familiar chirps, whistles and screeches. Meaning that one of the fax-modems in the pool effectively works as if you have a fax-modem connected to your netBook, but with a very, very long cable in between the two.
Making a normal GSM data connection is highly similar to sending out a fax. When the dial-up node of your ISP is a 56k modem access point you need to dial in as if you're using a modem. In other words, you need to make use of one of the fax-modems in a pool that's close to the ISP's node. The digital data is sent to the pool, converted into analog signals that are translated back into digital data by the modem of the ISP. These conversions aren't necessary when the ISP has ISDN nodes as the data can remain digital. The same is true for GPRS connections.
As the network can't see whether the number you call is a GSM phone, landline phone, fax machine or ISP modem it needs to be told what kind of connection has to be made - voice, fax or data. It's otherwise not able to route the call correctly. Make a call using the T68i and it will signal to the network "Am requesting a voice connection with number 1234567" in a digital message. Send a fax and you're treating the T68i as a kind of modem. The T68i will receive the instruction from the netBook to switch to fax operation in the same way it will instruct a modem to do so. This is the signal for the T68i to send the message to the network "Am requesting a fax connection with number 1234567". When the T68i isn't switched to fax mode it will need to make a data connection and that's what it will request the network to establish.
Now, when you dialled the fax machine the T68i requested a voice connection and the screeching of the fax machine was sent back to you as if it were speech. However, this is no proof that it can be used for faxing as you're not testing whether the T68i has the provisions to make and handle fax connections - ditto for data. Not that I believe that the T68i is incapable of that, it's simply that a voice call to a fax machine isn't the right test.
Another thing to note is that the phone isn't the only item that determines whether you can make data and fax connections. The SIM card in the phone, or better, the account you have with the mobile network operator, is the final arbiter. The SIM card contains you mobile network user ID which is sent out each time you make a call. In case your account says "Only valid for voice calls" the network will reject any request for a fax or data connection. When the T68i you tried out in the shop was on such an account it's not strange that the fax call was quickly dropped. It never had a chance of reaching the recipient fax machine as the network put a stop to it.
--
Kind Regards,
Rolf Brunsting - Darp - Netherlands
*++++++++++&
Date: 11 Mar 2003 21:32:48 +0100
From: Rolf Brunsting
Subject: Re: EPOC emulation, Special Characters
Dear Sanjay,
<< I have been using Virtual PC on my Mac OS X and it works well with Win XP and I have gotten BeOS to boot up but no keyboard yet. Has anyone ever tried to install the EPOC OS on Virtual PC? Is there an IMG file of EPOC available anywhere? >>
The reason why BeOS appears to work is that it has been written for PC hardware which the Virtual PC application emulates. Psions don't use PC hardware - their ARM processors are quite different from the Intel x86 and Pentium processors. You therefore can't run an EPOC OS image, as supplied with the Series 5mx Pro and netBook, on Virtual PC. What may be possible is to run the EPOC emulator which uses 32-bit Windows as host platform.
<< Is it possible to add other characters to the Special Character list currently native to EPOC? >>
That's not possible. The solution is to use mBrain Software's Font Manager in combination with Windows True Type or Adobe Type 1 fonts.
--
Kind Regards,
Rolf Brunsting - Darp - Netherlands
*++++++++++&
Date: 11 Mar 2003 21:32:50 +0100
From: Rolf Brunsting
Subject: Re: PhoneMan and P800
Dear Michael,
<< AFAIK it shouldn't be necessary to update the program itself, just the plugin PhoneMan Ericsson Support, currently v1.08 >>
It looks that Steve Godfrey and his team have a nice little job on their hands as the below snippet from a joint Nokia/SonyEricsson press release on development tools indicates.
[Quote]
The UIQ user interface platform [of the P800 : RB] is designed to enable easy to use access to enterprise applications, seamless messaging, powerful Internet and multimedia capabilities as well as simple synchronization with common desktop applications and SyncML servers via Infrared, Bluetooth(TM) and Serial Port connections.
[Unquote]
The current Ericsson support driver is either based on the ETSI command set or an Ericsson extension to the command set. There's a high change that this has been replaced in the P800 by the SyncML industry standard. Meaning that Zenobyte will have to add SyncML support to its Phone Manager. This wouldn't be a bad move as more and more phones offer SyncML.
--
Kind Regards,
Rolf Brunsting - Darp - Netherlands
*++++++++++&
Date: 11 Mar 2003 21:32:52 +0100
From: Rolf Brunsting
Subject: Re: MBMView Regis
Dear Itamar,
<< I think that at this stage it is unlikely that any software house will take on a new already quite widely used program for a distinct operating system as there really is not that much profit to take anymore >>
A software house like RMR Software won't receive as much registrations for EPOC applications as it did in the past. Continuity of operation then demands that new income is raised by the supply of additional software titles. It's clear that adding titles with a growth potential, like applications for the Nokia 9210, 7650 and SonyEricsson P800 smartphones, is the best option. But it doesn't exclude the addition of an already established title to the EPOC portfolio. Investments costs are low as the whole supply, registration and support infrastructure is already there. While (technical) support demands will be low as well because MBMView is already a mature application.
<< Maybe it would be more workable to find a suitable private person who has written shareware software for EPOC in the past himself (Steve Lichfield, Rolf Vonau or others) and might be willing to continue the registration of this program ? >>
Note that this will be an initiative by the members of the EPOC Digest. Past discussions have shown that one of the interests of this community is the continuity of supply. RMR Software is in a much better position to ensure such continuity than individual people because of its broader product portfolio. Also because RMR's portfolio still includes a number of Series 3/3a/3c/3mx titles.
--
Kind Regards,
Rolf Brunsting - Darp - Netherlands
*++++++++++&
Date: 11 Mar 2003 21:59:23 +0100
From: "Eric Cohen"
Subject: Re: Help! On switch suddenly doesn't work!
I had a similar sounding problem with my 5mx. There was a switch (KBD switch) under the keyboard that had broken. Palmtop Support Services (http://www.410palm.com ) in Toronto fixed it quickly.
Eric Cohen
Toronto, Canada
*++++++++++&
Date: 11 Mar 2003 22:02:25 +0100
From: Derek Clark
Subject: glue
Hi
Why not use an impact adhesive like Evostick? It doesn't melt plastics, will stick leather and any surplus dries rubbery and is easily removed from the plastic by rubbing with your thumb or meths.
derek
*++++++++++&
Date: 11 Mar 2003 22:20:01 +0100
From: Itamar
Subject: Connecting to Compuserve,
Answer to: Ian Chapple
Re.: Connecting to Compuserve - What modem do you use and which script ? Do you know that you need to enter a script in the internet settings ?
Answer to : Saj Jumaani - It is very tiring business. We stand on an exhibition for 4 days meeting with clients and potential clients.
Best regards,
Itamar Engelsman
London, UK
*++++++++++&
Date: 11 Mar 2003 23:01:38 +0100
From: Kevin Collins
Subject: Re: Netbook Dial-up/Connection Problem
Hi folks,
To Koi Hin (> ):
> When I try to start Opera and go to google.com the > message was
> Network Problem (although I suspect this is expected, > having read somewhere Opera cant connect to 'Net
> independently)
Try changing the link to "off" before opening Opera independently; this works for me...
> Starting and restarting Email does not seem to have
> effect. I have closed all programs and shut down and
> start up my Netbook several times to no avail.
> I am also thinking of trying a soft reset, however I do
> not know how to do this on a Netbook.
You could simply open Reboot.opo, which I am sending you by way of attachment, and this will effect a soft reset which I think should solve your
problem...
Hope this helps.
--
Regards,
Kevin [Cork, Ireland]
*++++++++++&
Date: 11 Mar 2003 23:30:05 +0100
From: Trygve Henriksen
Subject: Connection error: Already exists.
Greetings!
Marcus von Cube wrote:
> You need to know where the hot end of a soldering iron is...
That's the end that smells funny when you grip it with both hands...
---
Wong Koi Hin wrote:
> I recently obtained a Netbook and have been dialing up to the internet
> through the Psion Gold Card modem with no problems, until today.
> When I tried to open my mailbox through the Email app, it pops up
> the connect dialog as normal. However after I click OK, the following
> dialog and message is displayed:
> Problem connecting to Mailbox
> Already Exist
It has happened to me a few times, too.
It's the TCP/IP stack that's off its rocker...
It thinks it's already connected, so doesn't want to DO a connection. Unfortunately, it doesn't want to do a disconnect, either...
You'll need to do a soft reset.
Close down all programs, then press a pin into the small hole next to the backup battery at the bottom of the machine.
(Of course, it won't hurt to make a backup first, but it _should_ be safe enough)
You can also try to just restart the shell...
Close all programs, then press [Ctrl]+[Shift]+[Fn]+[K]
This will 'Kill' the foreground app, in this case the System shell, which restarts automatically...
> When I try to start Opera and go to google.com the message was
> Network Problem (although I suspect this is expected, having read
> somewhere Opera cant connect to 'Net independently)
I have no problem doing that on my netBook...
:-)
Trygve
BTW: Talking about laptops... Has anyone else noticed that floppy drives now are optional extras?
At the office we stopped buying Toshiba's because of this.
(We used WinNT at the time so we couldn't use the USB types they tried to sell. )
*++++++++++&
Date: 11 Mar 2003 23:34:20 +0100
From: "Marcus von Cube"
Subject: netBook Problem - Soft Reset
Koi Hin
>I am also thinking of trying a soft reset, however I do not know how to do this on a Netbook
There is a small hole near the backup battery (the small one near the hinge of the battery compartment cover). Use a small tool like a paper clip to press the button in the hole.
You should stop all applications before the procedure and a backup of C: is always a good idea.
Marcus
http://www.mvcsys.de
*++++++++++&
Date: 11 Mar 2003 23:35:30 +0100
From: Alan Morris
Subject: Re: T68i Fax Capabilities
Manuel Campos Galvan wrote:-
<< I know that some of the readers of this digest own the Ericsson P800 but report that it does not have a fax modem capability. Is this also true on the T68i? I was on two different cell phone shops in New York and the employees were at a loss. When I tried to test it with my netbook, we could not get a fax out (as the call was dropped repeatedly by the phone while trying to connect. If I were to dial the same number directly from the phone the fax machine would answer with no problems. >>
Manuel, I'd expect this to happen on any fax capable mobile phone that had not been activated for fax with it's extra fax telephone number.
I'm interested in the Sony Ericsson P800 as a possible replacement for my Nokia 6210e. On Saturday I visited the local Orange shop and had a short demo of a P800. It looks a very capable device.
I was told it would do everything that the 6210e does when connected to a portable computer (I mentioned Psions), using the Ir port. But as he was vague about the range of tariffs, so I guess he's also uninformed about it's technical abilities.
Anyone using a P800 with a 5mx or 7 for e-mails or fax, using the Ir ports? I would like to continue with the Orange Everyday 50 tariff.
--
Alan R Morris, G4ENS.
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK.
Using a Psion & Nokia 6210e.
*++++++++++&
Date: 11 Mar 2003 23:35:44 +0100
From: Alan Morris
Subject: Re: netBook-laptop connectivity failure
Rolf Brunsting wrote to another poster:-
<< Why did you buy a laptop without a serial RS232C port >>
The problem these days Rolf is that new laptops don't have serial ports, unless you buy an old model. I've just bought a new Compaq 1525, mainly for supporting digital photography. It will, hopefully, eventually support my 5mx (x2), 7, Revo+ and 3mx, but I can't get my Belkin F5U103 USB adapter to work.
It installed to Com5 and then I changed it to Com2, which was available (according to XP home). I find PsiWin 2.3.3 does everything I want on W98.
I can't understand why manufactures have removed serial ports from laptops (I've always wanted 2 serial ports). My existing GPS 75, eMap, Nokia 6210e, and ham radios all connect like the 4 Psions (I also have two old 3a) by serial port.
So, I have 9 devices that require a serial port and only 1 USB device (slide scanner) to plug in to 2 USB posts.
I'm using a new clean Windows install (having only installed Partition Magic & Drive Image to make a backup partition) to give PsiWin a good chance of working with a Belkin, that has been reported as the best.
The best product's manufacturers (like Psion) are not producing what folk want anymore and what we are left with are products with 'future maybe' features, that most don't want or need.
Any tips to get PsiWin - USB - Win XP to work together, gratefully received.
--
Alan R Morris, G4ENS.
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK.
Using a Psion & Nokia 6210e.
*++++++++++&
Date: 11 Mar 2003 23:48:48 +0100
From: Tim Williams
Subject: Netpad
On Monday, March 10, 2003, at 06:37 PM, "Michael Degn"
wrote:
> Someone will probably say I'm totally insane to pay DDK 19.500 =
> approx.
> £1780 for this device, but I simply can't imagine going to any other
> platform. Palm and Pocket PC sucks compared to Psion (sorry if I offend
> someone). At least I'll have this netpad for the next many years.
I agree entirely and will probably do the same thing. Once a psionista,
there's no going back. Pity Psion can't produce the same thing cheaper
and lighter for the general consumer market.
T
----
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
-- Thomas Edison
*++++++++++&
Date: 11 Mar 2003 23:51:16 +0100
From: Johan Lindahl
Subject: Re: Web and Google
Hi Kevin!
> A thing I noticed just today: I went to www.google.com, using Web as the browser, and entered a searchword, only to receive a 404 not found error. >
Try http://www.google.com/palm instead! This page is a simpler interface suited for palmtops.
Regards
Johan Lindahl
*++++++++++&
Date: 12 Mar 2003 00:30:48 +0100
From: vlad arghir
Subject: On switch
> Julie and Mike wrote:
> On (Esc) button has no effect.
> Not what you wanted to hear, I'm sure
I have had that too occassionally. I thought it had sth to do with rechargeables being almost empty. It seems to go away as it came. Might help to change the setting of the ON/OFF panel (if this were a Mac I'd say it looks like corrupt prefs... resetting them helps... can this be?). This is better news, but back up regularly...
best
vlad a
*++++++++++&
Date: 12 Mar 2003 11:48:56 +0100
From: Steve Hodgson
Subject: PsiWin Backup & Restore (Again)
Having put my netBook CF card to better use last week as camera storage, I came home thinking restoring the contents would be a simple matter of hitting RESTORE. How wrong could I be …
When I have had to backup in the past for repairs etc I have taken a copy of the machine contents and used that as backup. Now I am regretting that due to being in a hurry I did not take the approach again. The problem is that using PsiWin's restore function RESTORES EVERYTHING THAT HAS EVER BEEN ON THE DRIVE. This is probably not news to some digesteers as this topic has been covered in some depth recently I think. I only glanced at postings on this sort of subject as it is not (up to now!) a major interest.
I was crazy enough to believe that restore would leave the machine exactly as it was before the last backup. Instead I get some weird , mutated hybrid of the last backup plus all the other stuff that has ever been on there … ever. While much of this is simply a matter of deleting old files and directories, things like dll, opx files etc are slightly more tricky. Files that have been archived in zip files are now restored and have to be deleted again - after manually confirming that they ARE in the zip file. The end result is that a couple of hours of manual labour are required to sort the wheat from the chaff.
It seems to me that while PSiWin backup may be essential for disaster recovery, if there is any time that one can plan to remove then restore files it is better to just take a primitive copy of the directory structure and use that for restoration. Maybe I have missed something and there is a better way to do this - please put me out of my misery.
Regards,
Steve Hodgson
*++++++++++&
Date: 12 Mar 2003 15:58:37 +0100
From: "Saj Jumaani"
Subject: USB-Serial Converter Cable
Hello everyone...
The USB-serial converter I purchased from www.proporta.com works! Installation was
straightforward no hiccups... synchronising "contacts" and "email" was successful... all email messages was copied to MS Outlook.
Anyone interested to have a Palmtop Route Planner (Europe) for free? Notify me.
Regards,
Saj
*++++++++++&
Date: 12 Mar 2003 19:49:48 +0100
From: "Steve Hodgson"
Subject: Playing with toys (2)
Sometime ago I posted here about the fact that if one were looking for
a replacement PDA that were out of the mainstream it was not possible
to actually play with the toys in the way that one used to with the
Psion range when they were still available. At least in the UK
(outside London?), all of the more unusual machines seem to be mail
order only.
Just in case this is useful to anyone, it is possible to check out the
Sharp Zaurus at the Glasgow Airport duty free shop. The demo machine
was unpowered when I was there, but really quite impressive physically
and the keyboard is surprisingly good (loads better than the Treo I
would say). The salesman I spoke to was willing to charge up the
battery, so hopefully there should be a live machine there by now.
Regards,
Steve Hodgson
*++++++++++&
************************************************************************
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