- Humble Pie

- Shareware, etc. - SIBO and EPOC

- SE P910

- Bluetooth Stowaway Keyboard,

- IrDA printing from 5mx

- Screen Cleaning

- Diamond Mako blank

- Symbian - eZoom

- Pockettop Bluetooth Keyboard p800

- WiFi in British Library - not for Psion

- The Digests since V1 # 607

Date: 4 Oct 2004 14:31:31 +0100
From: Steve Hodgson
Subject: Humble Pie

Despite my confident predictions, the new Palm Tungsten T5 handheld announced today fails to run the Cobalt OS so no multitasking yet. In addition it has been pretty universally slated by the Palm community.

There are some new features that do appeal. The device will appear as a memory device if connected via USB to any machine i.e. no need to run Palm desktop or conduits. Trickle charging via USB is now provided. Internal memory is Flash so protected from data loss in the event of a battery failure.

I guess I will wait to see what reviews say but it does still appeal as an alternative to an elderly Psion.

More info available at:

http://www.brighthand.com
http://www.palminfocenter.com
http://www.pocketfactory.com

Regards,

Steve Hodgson

Date: 4 Oct 2004 22:14:59 +0100
From: Phil Aypee
Subject: Shareware, etc. - SIBO and EPOC

Hi Folks,

I've given this quite a lot of thought - and it's a plea, a personal plea that I hope others will echo and hear.

The background is this. I have and use a Psion 3c (I've a spare, a 3mx in reserve and an old 3a) and this Psion 5mx (and I've another 5mx too - 6 Psions in all). For *me* a machine heavily imprinted on my mind may well be essential if I have further strokes (no need for sympathy unless posted to me written on the back of a 10 pound note) and this really means the 3a/c/mx, though for others it might be the 5mx, the 7/netBook or indeed any other machine.

Other people may have similar needs, though I hope not for the same reason. And most of us will need a keyboard machine. But I find the 3a/c/mx (and the 5/5mx) more suitable than most machines for *me* - and there are quite a few still about. And I hope most will prefer EPOC/SIBO too.

The trouble is that so much useful shareware and commercial software, mostly SIBO but already some EPOC, cannot now be registered or bought *by default*.

I do not mean software whose owner is still accessible but who, for whatever reason, has withdrawn it. I do not mean software whose owner has, sadly, died and whose heirs don't want the software released.

I do mean software whose author has effectively disappeared, that is crippled when unregistered and that apparently is not equalled by freely available software (and that last is subjective - but all credit is due to the FreEPOC authors).

I know some will say (actually have said) that we should write any such software for ourselves or do without. I cannot write software myself. Even if I knew enough about programming, my attention span and memory no longer permit that.

But this does not affect me personally. I have all the shareware/commercial software I'm likely to need, and more, for all my Psions. Some, where the original authors have vanished, has been registered otherwise - but there is very little of that - and I don't like warez. Most is *totally* legitimate even by the most rigid standards. Adding the costs up it reaches a surprisingly large amount.

So here is my plea.

Could any software authors who read this please, please, release a generic registration or an uncrippled version when you stop selling your software?

Many already have and I hope all will.

Happy days,
Phil.

http://www.aypee2.net

Date: 5 Oct 2004 10:20:00 +0100
From: Itamar Engelsman
Subject: SE P910

Great news. The phone is now available for Vodaphone users !!

I just ordered one for the total amount of Gbp 89.36 + VAT with renewing my contract for a further year and will get it tomorrow. Due to Jewish Holidays later this week however don't expect any info from me before middle of next week.

Best regards,
Itamar Engelsman
London, UK

Date: 5 Oct 2004 13:07:05 +0100
From: Itamar Engelsman
Subject: Bluetooth Stowaway Keyboard,

Answer to: Mike Dyer

Re.: Bluetooth Stowaway Keyboard - Very actual for me indeed since I ordered my P910 today ... !! Why did you order bluetooth and not IR ?  What was the price ?  Yes, it is something else to carry around, but since it combined the phone and PDA you carried around before, it is certainly a lesser of two evils, and you don't always need to carry it with you, it is only for heavier input of text.  Let us know how you get on with it.

Best regards,
Itamar Engelsman
London, UK

Date: 5 Oct 2004 18:15:24 +0100
From: Simon Jeffree
Subject: IrDA printing from 5mx

Hi all,

I used to print from my Psion 5mx to my HP 890C printer using an ACTiSYS infrared->parallel adapter. This also has a piggyback parallel connector so I could print from either my 5mx or my PC without any messing around with plugging or unplugging cables.

However, my HP printer gave up the ghost and I've had to replace it.  The only trouble is, the replacement, as with all printers these days, only has a USB Interface.  Does anyone know of any adapters which will allow me to continue as before?  I've seen various IrDA->USB adapters but these seem to only be for connecting to a PC.  I've also seen various USB->parallel adapters but these are only for printing from USB to a parallel printer and not the other way around.  Also, even if I can connect one of these to the printer, I still won't be able to have the computer connected simultaneously.

Can anyone help me?

Simon jeffree
Mailto:sjeffree....

Date: 6 Oct 2004 02:56:17 +0100
From: Melvin Woody
Subject: Screen Cleaning

I recall messages about do's and don'ts of cleaning the screen of a Netbook many moons ago, before I bought my Mbook.  But I can't recall the particulars.  Now that I have an MBook, can someone please instruct me?  I'm not sure whether the touch screen needs specail care..  I have a spray can of  "Zep Screen  Clean"  which says "for video screens", but I hesitate to use  it on the MBook until I get some knowledgable advice.

Melvin Woody

Date: 6 Oct 2004 03:06:51 +0100
From: Melvin Woody
Subject: Diamond Mako blank

I took my Diamond Mako (= Psion Revo) to Germany a couple of weeks ago and the battery ran down while I was there.  I have now fully recharged it -- or at lest the little red light has turned off .  But the screen is still blank.  Does this mean that I've lost everything?  Or should I try a soft reset?  What else might explain the blank?  While in Heidelberg, I tried to recharge the battery by plugging my U.S. recharger into a current converter sold at a phone store.  There was a spark and some electric smoky spell and I blew the fuse at our hotel. 
But the Mako seemed O.K. at that point.  The phone store refunded the price of the converter, which I returned.LOOKED O.K. upon reurn.    Then fuse might have blown simply because the combined weights of  recharger plug and converter made for a bad connectsion at the plug.  But at that time, the Mako continued to function fine.  It was only after the battery ran down that I foundthat I can't get anything to appearl on the screen.  I'll be extremely grateful for any suggestions.  I fear I'll start missing appointments etc. right and left if I can't get it it register on the screen soon.

Sincerely

J. Melvin Woody

Date: 6 Oct 2004 16:58:00 +0100
From: Itamar Engelsman
Subject: Symbian - eZoom

Recently we discussed whether it is possible to rotate the screen around 90 degrees. WHoever is interested have a look at a program called eZoom website http://www.yipton.net. This might just do the rotation, although I don't know whether only the main screen or in any program. There are several more freeware interesting programs on this website.

Best regards,
Itamar Engelsman
London, UK

Date: 6 Oct 2004 18:53:17 +0100
From: Mike Dyer
Subject: Pockettop Bluetooth Keyboard p800

Hi all,

well my p800 pocket top bluetooth keyboard arrived, in one of those horrid plastic wrappings that you have to destroy to get the item out of.

It's huge, even folded up and cased it's easily bigger than a Revo+ I mean what's the point of these things, the whole point of a smartphone is you only need to carry one box.

Worse was to come, it was faulty, most of the time it would not switch on. On the odd occasion when it would one keypress resulted in about 20 characters on the screen. Even when paired correctly with the p800 it would forget after being closed and then of course the keyboard wouldn't switch back on again.

*ARGH*!!!

Needless to say I've sent it back to Expansys, it's a shame really as they are selling them at half the price of a competitor, perhaps this is why they're so cheap?.

If the p800 would only had hinges down one side and a keyboard inside it would be my perfect smartphone.

Did anyone just say Nokia 9300  ;o)

Regards,
Mike Dyer.

Date: 7 Oct 2004 16:20:33 +0100
From: Bruce A.Knox
Subject: WiFi in British Library - not for Psion

Building Zones Ltd, who are supplying the BL's wi-fi, had people in the Library today.  I conferred with their experts for some time, and they tried hard to get my NetBook/Cisco combination to work.  Opera 3.62 fell down by refusing to open "multiple windows" (the first I'd heard of it); and another ploy was frustrated by the failure of the built-in NetBook Java.  In other words, we got a connection, but only up to a point: essentially, it is no go.  They admired my Psion, and shared the lament that D. Potter had given up - or rather sold out - but that was that. 

Windows XP and Apple Airport are the favoured connectors.

Such is life!

Bruce Knox

Date: 7 Oct 2004 17:47:16 +0100
From: Wolfgang
Subject: The Digests since V1 # 607

Hello,

this is the last digest that I got - and I miss it ;-) Do you have problems sending it or is my email-adress making problems? I receive
  a lot of other mails though, so I don't think the fault's on my side.

Sorry if I only write when there are problems, I think you're doing a pretty fine job all the time!

Yours
Wolfgang Karmann