Epocdigest V1 # 508

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Epoc Digest Sun, 25 Apr 2004 Volume 01 : Number 508

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Sent to: 776 subscribers

In today's Epoc Digest 14 messages:

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- Re:Revo Standby Battery Replacement

- Oz

- RE: Series 7 and IR Travel Modem

- Re. Revo Standby Battery Replacement

- TomTom CityMaps,

- MalayBook vs netBook Personalities

- Re: Snaffle / netPad Woes

- Pedantry and Grammar

- OT - RE: Pedantic

- repair

- purchase 5mx

- A Spam free email account

- Snaffle, Web Grabber, Empower, iContacts & Contact Loader

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Date: 25 Apr 2004 01:36:37 +0000

From: Wong Koi Hin

Subject: Re:Revo Standby Battery Replacement

Reply to: David Bramham

Dear David,

DB>I have a problem of my own in that I think the internal button battery needs to be replaced. My question is how do I get into the revo to do this?

Ah, I am unaware the Revo or Revo plus has an internal backup battery. I always thought its only power source was from its dual AAA NIMH rechargable batteries. No doubt some of the more technically oriented people on this forum can give you a better answer.

Warm regards,

Koi Hin

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Date: 25 Apr 2004 05:21:12 +0000

From: Timothy H.D. Williams

Subject: Oz

On 24 Apr 2004, at 20:47, David Bramham wrote:

> _--_|\ Runaway Bay

> Gold Coast

> \_.--._/ Queensland

> v Australia

Very clever ! Congratulations !

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Date: 25 Apr 2004 06:41:30 +0000

From: Bob

Subject: RE: Series 7 and IR Travel Modem

Ian,

Thanks for your info on the Travel Modem. That gives me another back up if needed.

Thanks,

Bob

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Date: 25 Apr 2004 08:49:39 +0000

From: ian chapple

Subject: Re. Revo Standby Battery Replacement

David,

>> I have been subscribed to this site for quite some time as an observer and always find the contents interesting and worth while reading. However, I have a problem of my own in that I think the internal button battery needs to be replaced. My question is how do I get into the revo to do this?<<

The problem is, the Revo doesn't have a button cell; the backup is provided by a certain percentage of the charge of the main battery being "reserved" for backup. When this level is reached, the Revo won't switch on. Unfortunately, though I'm sure at least one person will disagree, there is a known issue with the Revo regarding its battery managment.

Cheers, Ian.

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Date: 25 Apr 2004 09:23:06 +0000

From: Itamar Engelsman

Subject: TomTom CityMaps,

Answer to: vlad a

Re.: TomTom CityMaps - I am pretty sure that the newest versions have not been issued for EPOC machines anymore. I still use Streetplanner Millenium and TomTom Routeplanner. At the time when TomTom Citymaps were introduced I asked Palmtop about the differences with Streetplanner and they admitted they were cosmetic only so I did not invest in the latest version for EPOC. Did anyone ever try whether or not the maps of the latest versions will work on a Psion ?

Best regards,

Itamar Engelsman

London, UK

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Date: 25 Apr 2004 11:02:36 +0000

From: Andy Hayes

Subject: MalayBook vs netBook Personalities

I am still confused about the value of the work going into converting MalayBook OS' to netBook OS'. The stock of netBook personality modules were sold to MalayBook owners under the pretence that you wouldn't be able to upgrade your MalayBook without one. Both netBook and MBook had build 158 at the time. There were some minor differences, but other than a different start up screen and more problems in installing the OS from CF after a hard reset in the MBook, I am not aware, nor has anyone been able to tell me, what those other differences are. With absolutely no chance of Psion taking any interest in upgrading build 158 I just can't see why time is being wasted on something of so little value. Can someone tell me what I have failed to spot? If it is to be able to say that the MBook buyers have ended up with exactly the same device as the UK netBook buyers at a fraction of the price, then I would agree but take the MBook owners back to when MBooks started to come on the market and the near panic over the way that they were packaged, the realisation that they were not upgradeable, the difficulty in getting the OS back onto the MBook after a hard reset. More than one person was furious about what they had bought and wanted to return it or warn others about their bad luck. I have got one of each and I think that they are both brilliant value, but when I sold my UK netBook I took the personality module out of it and swapped it for an MBook module. The netBook personality module is now in the MBook. Why you may ask? Well, if someone is happy to pay me a not inconsiderable amount of money for it when my netBooks die then I will be smiling like a fool. Just as a matter of interest, of those of you that bought netBook personality modules for your MBooks, were they sold to you on the basis that you had to return your MBook personality module? I would also be interested to know what made people purchase their netBook personality modules. Was it the "fondue set" theory? This is where everyone in the street had one, so it seemed like a really good idea. After using it once and working out how unhygienic it could be (especially for passing on staphylococcus aureus), it was placed into a cupboard for 6 months. It then went to a car boot sale from there and usually sold to the less enlightened before doing the same "party / cupboard / car boot sale circuit" again. No, I suppose not, as the personality modules are still in use! I don't suppose there are many that would admit to it being a mistaken purchase, and that is not meant in any disrespectful way, but has it really provided good value for money?

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Date: 25 Apr 2004 11:11:46 +0000

From: Chris S Handley

Subject: Re: Snaffle / netPad Woes

Andy Hayes wrote:

> If you haven't tried Snaffle it is well worth a go, although

> it isn't perfect. This app produces java:netsocket:exception

> errors, but mostly downloads the website that you point it at OK.

I happened to read about another EPOC program like Snaffle, but it may not have used Java. Fraid I can't recall the name, so anyone interested will have to Google it, but it may have been called something like "Web Crawler". At least, I think it had "Web" in the name...

> My netPad woes continue. The new battery is failing,

> suggesting that the charging circuitry seems to have a

> problem. The warranty has turned out to be worthless as the

> vendor doesn't respond to calls. Beware of secondhand netPads

Would the vendor be David Lowe? I don't have any digest archives handy to check my memory.

If so, I'll avoid buying a Netbook from him, should I ever need another Netbook.

Regards,

Chris Handley

P.S. I hope Owen hasn't unsubscribed from this list.

[From the operator : The list of subscribers is confidential, sorry]

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

Date: 25 Apr 2004 11:47:34 +0000

From: Philip S. Adkins Potter

Subject: Pedantry and Grammar

Hi Folks,

AB (but not C), your pedantry is unfortunately wrong.

: • )

Both "I'm" and "can't" are perfectly acceptable, particularly in a conversational correspondence like this Digest. I'm quite sure that the brothers Fowler, were they still alive, would agree.

: • )

I think you probably meant ellipsis rather than ellipses - the latter being geometric shapes - do you want the generic equation?

: • )

Equally a comment in parentheses [or brackets] {or braces} can have one extra stop (maybe even several!? - that stop is called an "interrobang" - it's a dingbat or flubdub) - meaning is paramount after all. And since the eMail was addressed to the Digest I fail to see that it was not addressed to anyone. Of course Rick perhaps should have specified specifically who he was addressing (no tautology there despite appearances) - but most of us probably knew what he meant.

: • )

The "Rgds" probably dates Rick as someone who used eMail in the early days when such shortening saved valuable time in transmission - fewer bytes And when Rick wrote "(4 months without EPOC/Psion and not missing it...:)" the syntax was not incorrect - it was a simple comment using a simple syntax.

: • )

The rules of English grammar are constantly evolving, vibrant and wonderful, as with all living languages. Any and all attempts to codify those rules will be temporary or the language they apply to will be dead. The grammar of Shakespearean English, wonderful though Shakespeare's writing is, is not the grammar of Dickensian English nor that of modern English.

: • )

But I think the comment about the Etch-A-Sketch fan club was uncalled-for and unnecessarily rude.

: • )

I once read that it was bad 'Netiquette to criticise someone's spelling or grammar unless the criticism was humorous and good-natured - a reasonable recommendation. Rick's comments, even if they were grammatically wrong (and they weren't!), were good-natured and humorous.

: • )

You asked "This is fun, is it not?" - no, I think it neither fun nor funny - but I'm glad you do.

: • )

Happy days,

Phil (who has no grammar checker and doesn't want one).

"To boldly split infinitives no man has split before."

Try http://www.aypee2.net if you dare.

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Date: 25 Apr 2004 17:31:36 +0000

From: Daniele Squarci

Subject: OT - RE: Pedantic

Antony Booth wrote:

>> Well, if you are happy with being pedantic, maybe you will not mind me having a go?<<

LOL! For all those interested in pedantic language issues, may I recommend "Eats Shoots & Leaves" by Lynne Truss - "the zero tolerance approach to punctuation"?

Ciao

Daniele Squarci - Italy

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Date: 25 Apr 2004 19:39:18 +0000

From: Emily Rutili Lemer

Subject: repair

Where do I have a 5x repaired these days? Canada? I am in New York City. Thank You Emily Lemer

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

Date: 25 Apr 2004 19:40:20 +0000

From: Emily Rutili Lemer

Subject: purchase 5mx

I may be interested in purchasing a 5MX. does any one have suggestions where?

Thank You Emily Lemer

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Date: 25 Apr 2004 19:41:14 +0000

From: Emily Rutili Lemer

Subject: purchase 5mx

Correction

I may be interested in purchasing a 5MX, USA Model. Does any one have suggestions where?

Thank You Emily Lemer

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

Date: 25 Apr 2004 20:13:48 +0000

From: Antony Booth

Subject: A Spam free email account

To: Alan Morris

>I get the impression that all spam filtering automatic systems are not 100% correct in their selections. Email with it's ability to 'see before download' is probably the best method.<

I thinks it's a personal preference, however, to 'see before download' sounds like manual filtering to me, with the only benefit of choosing what to download whilst remaining online. I prefer filters as well as the eyeball.

>Antony having seen my posting about Freeserve you will realise that I'm now looking for a new pay-as-you-go account to an 0845 number ISP, but for use with 9600 baud.

Are you saying that Virgin is not suitable?<

No I am not. All I am saying is I used to use a 56k modem with a particular Virgin net number and had connection problems with a 9600 baud mobile (Motorola Timeport). I didn't put much effort into investigating the problem and didn't bother to try other Virgin net numbers that were available. Their suitability is therefore open to question.

The one thing I will say is that signup is free, so you could try it and if it failed, you would have lost a couple of pence and 10 minutes of your life at most.

Antony Booth

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Date: 25 Apr 2004 21:26:44 +0000

From: Philip S. Adkins Potter

Subject: Snaffle, Web Grabber, Empower, iContacts & Contact Loader

Hi Folks,

Andy Hayes, you wrote "If you haven't tried Snaffle it is well worth a go, although it isn't perfect. This app produces java:netsocket:exception errors, but mostly downloads the website that you point it at OK. It just seems to sometimes lop off the bottom of the page, but I don't know why."

I no longer use a scooper on my Psion, but I found "Snaffle" much slower than Mike Jippings' "Web Grabber" (http://www.kabestin.com). I just checked and the site's still there but appears not to have changed for two years. Mike's an American University Professor.

You also asked about "Empower". I tried that but couldn't see any use for it! If you need a contact management program why not try iContacts? It integrates well with "Email". It's not free though.

Alternatively there are several other contact management programs, some free. I think one is called "Contact Loader".

I'm not actually criticising "Empower" and I can't remember it's functions properly but I can't recommend it.