- Cheap mobile surfing from Orange

- Re: The Digest V1 # 1235

- Re: No system screen in NetBook

- new Eee PC (901) much better than recent one (900)

Date: 13 Jun 2008 09:21:18 +0000
From: Chris Cooper
Subject: Cheap mobile surfing from Orange

I live in the UK. I signed up with Orange some years ago because of their cheap mobile surfing rates (called "Orange World"). I recently discovered they've changed somewhat. They're now:

- £1 for unlimited surfing up to midnight on the day of payment;
- or £5 for a week's unlimited surfing.

(I suppose 'unlimited' isn't literally true ...). Pretty good.

I don't know anything about getting cheap rates when travelling abroad. The last time I tried, the Orange World rates didn't work on the Continent.

Date: 13 Jun 2008 09:35:48 +0000
From: Harold Fuchs <address truncated>
Subject: Re: The Digest V1 # 1235

=== Original snipped messages
- WPS files
Date:  3 Jun 2008 20:32:30 +0000
From: Eric Lindsay <address truncated> Subject: Re: The Digest V1 # 1234

> The Digest    Sun, 01 Jun 2008    Volume 02  :  Number 1234 > Date: 29 May > 2008 19:59:25 +0800
> From: Jim Watson-Gove <address truncated>
> Subject: dot wps to dot doc on an eee machine

> I have a friend who is trying to send me an attached word processor
> file from a Microsoft Works on a 2003 Toshiba.  She can make a file
> and attach it and send it to me.  It is a .WPS document (Word
> Perfect, I assume.
> I read the email just fine but the eee (or my desktop) will not will
> not read it.  Is there any way I can convert a .WPS document to
> a .DOC or should I have her buy a copy of word?

As far as I know, all the earlier versions of Microsoft Works used one
of Microsoft's proprietary file formats. If your friend has a version
of Works that can produce Word Perfect files, they will come with
a .doc extension, not WPS. Microsoft's list of supported format for
one version of Works is here http://support.microsoft.com/kb/884182however different versions of works had different conversion abilities (or lack of them). There is a Works converter for some versions of
Open Office (but I don't believe your Eee has the required version of
Open Office) http://libwps.sourceforge.net/
Microsoft are reputed to have an appropriate converter on their web
site somewhere.

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

Date:  3 Jun 2008 21:29:26 +0000
From: Ajai Khattri <address truncated>
Subject: Re: dot wps to dot doc on an eee machine

On 29 May 2008, Jim Watson-Gove wrote:

> I read the email just fine but the eee (or my desktop) will not will not > > read it. Is there any way I can convert a .WPS document to a .DOC or
> should I have her buy a copy of word?

I dont have my EEE here but Im guessing OpenOffice's word processor should be able to open it. Have you tried saving the attachment first, then switching to the word processor and doing File->Open ? Is there a "File
Type" pulldown in the open file dialog?

Worst case scenario is she could re-save in RTF format (File -> Save As, select RTF or "Rich Text" in file tpe pulldown) and sent that to you instead.

Aj.
=== end original snipped messages

Google found
<http://w-shadow.com/blog/2007/11/22/wps-files-explained-convert-wps-to-doc-for-free/>among many others. I have no idea how good it is.

As fars as I know OpenOffice cannnot read Works files. There's a workaround
described at http://tinyurl.com/6nx9gu
There's also a version of OpenOffice that runs under Windows but off a USB
key or other similar device. It does not install anything on the PC being
used. It's at www.portableapps.com which also supplies many other really
good applicatiuons (Firefox and Thunderbird among others) that run off a USB
key without installing anything on the PC. All these things are completely
free.

Harold Fuchs
London, England

Date: 13 Jun 2008 13:00:59 +0000
From: Ajai Khattri <address truncated>
Subject: Re: No system screen in NetBook

On 6 Jun 2008, Joe Fell wrote:

> My recently-acquired NetBook responds well to a push on the logo if it > loses touch screen.  More important to me at this time -  somehow I must > have accidentally punched one key too many and now I cannot raise the
> system screen - the screen listing all the files and sub-directories. 
> So I can't copy files from "C" to "D", or IR-them to my backup 5MX.

We're so used to leaving applications open on Psion machines that we forget: if you quit (File -> Exit) an application, you normally get back to the System screen.

Aj.

Date: 14 Jun 2008 08:12:27 +0000
From: Chris Handley
Subject: new Eee PC (901) much better than recent one (900)

The full article is here:
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/06/12/asus_eee_901_uk_debut/
But the summary is that the 901 is £10 cheaper than the 900, has a
faster/less-hungry processor, bluetooth, 802.11n wifi, a better
battery (than the 900 had in Britain), and a redesigned case
(curvier?).  Plus it keeps all the advantages (and disadvantages) that
the 900 had over the 700/701 (such as a bigger screen without having a
noticeably larger case).

Thankfully the approx £100 cheaper 701 will still be sold :)

Chris Handley