Category: gadgets and technology

Palm wireless networking via IrDA (MacOSX Hints) – I use the following AppleScript to share my broadband internet connection with my USB-attached irDA adapter. This allows my Palm to use my network connection so I can sync AvantGo (modem sync) and download emails directly. [Mac Net Journal]

Very close to getting this to work… seems a bit tricky actually, but worth it if, I can finally let me sync some of my network apps at work (no wifi yet).

One problem I am having is that while the phone runs Palm OS 5 it runs at a resolution of 160×160 not 320×320 like most OS 5 devices. Most applications re-written for OS currently expect that hi-res display as well and don’t run on the Treo. Using the lower res version usually doesn’t work as those seem to be coded to assume low res=OS 3 or 4. My solution was to use older versions that I had archived that could support color and 160×160 but that isn’t the answer for most folks. I bring this up in context here but this is really about PalmSource needing to take control of APIs and define them so developers are not constantly chasing a moving target.

[Michael Gartenberg]

Not good… hopefully things will get resolved soon.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—A civil liberties watchdog group is expressing concern over the San Francisco Public Library’s plans to track books by inserting computer chips into each tome.
Library officials approved a plan Thursday to install tiny radio frequency identification chips, known as RFIDs, into the roughly 2 million books, CDs and audiovisual materials patrons can borrow. The system still needs funding and wouldn’t be ready until at least 2005. [eWeek]

An interesting thought for RFID, something I personally did not even think of, but seems to make a great deal of sense considering how you can use RFIDs to manage inventory. I guess we’ll have to wait to see if privacy groups get in the way…

So it’s Friday and as usual Business Week arrived and I paged right to Stephen H. Wildstrom’s tech page. This week he gives the latest PTT (Push to Talk) tech to test and finds as expected (yet not marketed) Verizon’s system sucks. As I previously mentioned, Nextel has a serious technology advantage:

Verizon’s push-to-talk superficially works like Nextel’s. But it takes 10 to 15 seconds after you push the button to establish a connection, something Nextel phones do almost instantaneously. More annoying, there’s a delay of at least five seconds after you speak before the person on the other end hears what you’ve said. The result is a painful pause each time one person finishes speaking. [Business Week]

Why would this even get released?? 10-15 seconds for an initial connect and 5 seconds each time you try to talk afterwards? I bet there will be many customers who either buy and never use the service, or who immediately cancel based on how impossible it would be to have a conversation.

ZDNet has an interesting five minute interview with Handspring Chairman and CPO Jeff Hawkins from recent the San Francisco Treo Launch party. Certain carrier prices and releases dates have also come to light, as the anticipated smartphone becomes closer to availability. [PalmInfocenter]

With a high-quality sound and a cheap price, Gulabani thinks the SymPhone software will transform the way phone calls are made. Some big name investors tend to agree.

Today, Intel, Siemens Venture Capital, Thomas Weisel Venture Partners, Bay Partners and Northwest Venture Associates plan to pump $12.5 million into the Bellevue company at a higher valuation than the previous round. Total financing now stands at $18 million. [Venture Capital: Wi-Fi voice calls may be next killer application]

Xybernaut Corporation announced Service Point. ServicePoint is a powerful mobile mini-server that is configured and shipped as a mobile application services platform.

ServicePoint can function as a highly mobile, even wearable, mini-server that directs information and/or application services to various devices and users via a wireless or wired network. Service Point, which is shipped with the Redhat Linux Professional server operating system (OS), offers broad flexibility for enterprise or individual users. ServicePoint devices can function as:

• Network access point (NAP) — wireless hot-spot (WiFi)
• Firewall/secure access server
• Web server
• Network gateway controller — serving as router
• Data management platform — relational/object-relational
• Application Services Platform — HTML, Perl, PHP shipped standard

A unique differentiator of Xybernaut ServicePoint is that it is small and flexible enough to be completely mobile. This affords considerable flexibility — particularly to enterprises looking for advanced computing options for highly mobile workforces. [TMCnet]

CNET’s Brian Cooley talks with Joni Blecher about the Handspring Treo 600, and they discuss the pros and cons of converged devices in general and the 600 in particular. Watch the video here. My goodness, that thing is small! [GearBits]

Must … get … Treo …

The just announced 7600 is one of the coolest and most original phones I’ve ever seen. It’s a tiny and beautiful fashion phone that manages to house any feature you could possibly want. It’s coming in Q4…wonder if the US will support it.

One note is how well they thought out even the accessory strategy. There are picture frames and cameras (home surveilance / nannycam) which can all communicate with the phone via MMS.

A new laptop is imminent and as a result I’ve started really rethinking my PDA/Phone strategy… For the first time I will have bluetooth which means I can get wireless access on my computer while traveling via the right kind of phone or PDA. The Treo 600 will certainly do wireless email, but won’t let my laptop share the ride unless I use a cable as it does not have bluetooth or wifi inside. The Sony UX50 has both bluetooth and wifi, but is not a phone.

It’s coming down to a one-piece vs two-piece issue. If bluetooth reliably connects it all together I think I can handle doing it through multiple devices. It would certainly not be horrible to get a new phone (which I am planning to do as soon as portability kicks in) and a new PDA. The new Nokia and Sony Ericsson phones look great, work with iSync and can be quite small as well which would be nice.

It’s all personal preference… I just have to figure out what mine is.

PalmSource has announced at its developer seminar, currently under way in Munich, that Palm OS 6, code-named Sahara, will be complete by December 29th. The new version will focus on wireless technology standards, security and multimedia.

Developers will also be able to write fully ARM native applications. With OS 5 developers have had to use armlet’s, or snippets of ARM code, to speed up applications to take advantage of ARM processors. OS 6 will also include Multi-processing/threading features, web services (XML/SOAP), a reference Java VM and the PalmSource proxy-less web browser.

[PalmInfocenter]

Assuming the first devices to be native are released in the spring – a somewhat usual delivery timeframe for PalmOne, will existing OS 5 devices be upgradeable?? I really like the idea of the Treo (with possible SDIO WiFi), but don’t want to be too locked in, though upgrades and trade-ins always work.

Dartmouth College has long been at the forefront of wireless technology, and now plans to provide free VoIP to incoming freshman via the campus wireless network. The college was one of the first to implement e-mail in the 1980’s, long before other colleges. Now the campus is providing 1,000 students their own seven-digit phone numbers and software allowing them to use the campus wireless network for VoIP calls. Though the campus currently only plans to offer the service to incoming freshman, the school intends to provide VoIP to all 13,000 college attendees (NY Times, Free reg. required), including faculty and staff. In a year, the school intends to launch a similar video service. [DSL Reports]

More on the Roku… no wonder it’s so cool

ReplayTV creator Anthony Wood on Monday unveiled his latest consumer electronics effort, a company named Roku whose first product is a media player for high-definition televisions.[CNET News.com – Personal Technology]

I’ve always thought Replay had a tech edge over TiVO but was too gunshy to buy a product that was being hamstrung by legal actions. I will definitely be watching this one.

Got the official green light today for a new Powerbook. I believe it was even ordered today!! A new machine is going to be a great change of pace, though after three years my current TiBook has really put in some good service. I’ve been to Europe (Switzerland, Netherlands, Czech Republich), all over the US, Mexico and the Bahamas with my trusted companion. It’s been a true workhorse giving about 9000 hours of service (I think that is a low estimate at 8 hours per day).