Comments on: New iPhone Like Launcher for Palm OS
TouchLauncher v.1.1.1 is available now for devices running Palm OS 5 and higher. This latest version even adds support for 320x480 screens on Palm handhelds. The app comes with a free trial period and costs $6.99 to purchase. Smartphone users can download the app from your device here.
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RE: Apple Envy?
Screw convergence
Palm III->Visor Deluxe->Visor Platinum->Visor Prism->Tungsten E->Palm LifeDrive->Palm TX
Visor Pro+VisorPhone->Treo 180g->Treo 270->Treo 600->Treo 680
http://mind-grapes.blogspot.com/
Paging Apple legal
DMCA takedown by Tuesday.
RE: Paging Apple legal
http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/06/01/some-unusual-apple-trademarks/
RE: Paging Apple legal
But maybe now that the iPhone is already a hot commodity, Apple won't bother sending out the threatening letter. They jumped all over people back when the iPhone newly was launched.
"twrock is infamous around these parts" (from my profile over at Brighthand due to my negative 62 rep points rating)
RE: Paging Apple legal
RE: Paging Apple legal
I can pick up a pirated CD of just about any commercial piece of software I want out on the streets here too. Other than possibly having to deal with some kinds of spyware/malware/virus after installing it, it would work just fine and save me a bundle. I choose GNU/Linux instead. It's legal, free, more secure, and quite often better than the commercial stuff anyway.
(And please everybody, don't bother linking to the supposed "research" that shows Windows is more secure than GNU/Linux. What a crock.)
"twrock is infamous around these parts" (from my profile over at Brighthand due to my negative 62 rep points rating)
RE: Paging Apple legal
Maybe you guys think that I should change anything, because I dont really want to get in trouble with Apple, even though I am that far away from the US.
Should I disable the sms count? And the iPhone icons is just an iconset that can be installed/uninstalled. There are iconsets for Zlauncher that use iPhone icons but they don't get in trouble, dont they?
http://ahsirg.kvplab.com
RE: Paging Apple legal
I also have no idea what all Apple has copyrighted. But I do know from discussions with other developers who tried to "copy" the iPhone look that Apple sent them threatening letters based on them using the copyrighted iPhone icons. I had started out doing that myself, but when I heard about everyone else's problems, I started making my own icon set. (See the link above.) Although there are similarities between my set and Apple's, they are not exact copies. I never heard anything from Apple, and I doubt that what I did violates their copyright in any way. My theme is hosted on a US based website, so if it was a problem I would suspect that they would contact that website first. (I also doubt they can do anything to me personally based on where I am, but like you, I'd rather not try to find out.)
I would gladly offer you free use of any of the icons from my set as replacements if you like them. However, you should know that "some" of those icons were in part created using other graphics that were released under the GPL. Not being a lawyer, I don't know how that might affect your software. Maybe someone else knows. Since my ZLauncher theme was released under GPL, I don't have that problem. As an alternative, I can try to look back and see which icons I believe I created completely myself. Just leave me a note if that is of interest to you and I'll work on it.
I would be surprised if there is any way Apple has a patent on the SMS count. That seems too basic, and you had to write that code yourself. My guess is that it is the icons that might be a problem.
Good luck.
"twrock is infamous around these parts" (from my profile over at Brighthand due to my negative 62 rep points rating)
RE: Paging Apple legal
Also just in case I modified the red sms circle to a blue rectangle :)
http://ahsirg.kvplab.com
RE: Paging Apple legal
Why didn't you click the frikkin link I provided to actually *see* what Apple has filed as trademarks with the USPTO? You always jump on other people about "fact" versus "opinion" or whatever and here you are avoiding fact for yourself. It's ALL the icons, with their designs enumerated in detail. SMS is trademarked as it pertains to Apple's distinctive icon for it. The icons designs are probably Copyrighted too, but I don't look up Copyrights, just trademarks.
RE: Paging Apple legal
http://www.pdasoft.cz/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2464
At any rate, his work is probably all over the Internet by now and probably in places Apple Legal can't find.
RE: Paging Apple legal
Not going for the real thing now that it has 3G, Gekko?
RE: Paging Apple legal
nah. probably going for a sprint centro with "simply everything" plan. i need a real keyboard and i like the palm PIMS because "that's what i know". i played with some chick's iphone at the bar last night. she exclaimed "i hate this thing" because she "does a lot of texting and the (virtual) keyboard is terrible." i told her it probably just takes some time to get used to it, but she said she's had it for a while. i tried typing and had lots of errors. this was the first iphone user that i encountered who didn't love it. i'm a minimalist, and i like the size/sleek/simplicity of the centro at this point.
RE: Paging Apple legal
Why didn't you click the frikkin link I provided to actually *see* what Apple has filed as trademarks with the USPTO?
Because I did click on your "frikkin link", and I did start to read it, and I did decide that Apple has frikkin trademarked every frikkin thing under the frikkin sun. So I quit reading quite quickly when I saw that the frikkin list was so frikkin long that I didn't have enough frikkin hours to waste in a frikkin day on Apple's attempt to frikkin trademark/copyright every frikkin thing in the frikkin universe.
So instead I stated very clearly the following right at the beginning of that post:
First, a disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, and I have no idea if Apple can do anything to you over in Belarus.I also have no idea what all Apple has copyrighted.
And then I ended with:
I would be surprised if there is any way Apple has a patent on the SMS count.
So if you are now telling me (accurately) that Apple has a patent on the SMS count (vs. the specific SMS icon, which I have already stated I believe they have a copyright on), then I will simple reply, "Wow, I'm surprised!"
I stated that what I was posting was nothing more than what I thought and what my experience was. I in no way implied that I "knew" anything more than I stated. What was so difficult to understand about that?
"twrock is infamous around these parts" (from my profile over at Brighthand due to my negative 62 rep points rating)
RE: Paging Apple legal
gekko -> I thought you wouldn't get a Centro unless your employer fed ^h^h^h supplied you with one. Did you try the Centro at all yet? Rather small, those buttons.
Eh, some people can do very well with the iPhone for texting. Some, not.
Hmmm ... anyone here looking forward to that rumored HTC Dream phone running Android OS?
http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/05/28/android-show-me-the-ccp/
RE: Paging Apple legal
MC -
1. the times they may be changin'.
2. i tried the centro and the keyboard/button size was fine. i don't plan to write novels on the thing, just quick emails, texts, and notes. nice superfine tiny form factor and simple, sleek design, function, and price. it's legitimately sublime. you can't beat it with a stick.
RE: Paging Apple legal
http://mikecane.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/dl2007065.jpg
http://mikecane.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/dl2007066.jpg
Die SSS Die. Give me iPhone!
RE: Paging Apple legal
>Why didn't you click the frikkin link I provided to actually *see* what Apple has filed as trademarks with the USPTO?
twrock was referring to a patent. Unless I am misunderstanding something here, your web site only shows trademarks. So you can't use those icons - but a trademark can't cover a concept like the sms count. A trademark is not a patent.
Not quite iPhonish
RE: Not quite iPhonish
I keep iPhony around for tricking folks and it worx great. Nothing to see here IMO.
Pat Horne
RE: Not quite iPhonish
RE: Not quite iPhonish
Poor baby. Go watch some Oprah to steel yourself.
The rest of us live in the real world where devs *want* feedback.
Good devs want to become great devs.
Lousy devs, one hopes, want to become good devs.
You - yeah, go watch Oprah.
RE: Not quite iPhonish
I test new SW on my Treo all the time. Most of it I delete, and some of it I send my hard earned money to purchase. It's a spade. I called it such and anyone out there including yourself should be thankful that someone posted such.
If the dev wants to send out v2 with a trial, I'll try it out. If it works I'll say so. If it stinks, I'll say that to.
Have to agree with Cain on this one.
Pat Horne
RE: Not quite iPhonish
RE: Not quite iPhonish
You seem to have some sort of bend toward false accusation here. None of them, by the way, are based in any sort of reality.
What point exactly did I prove? "Negativity no matter what". Is that what you're saying?
Look, when I was a kid, my family once purchased a new Chevy Chevette. The answer to rising oil prices of the 70s and the flood of Japanese imports. I must say that only the Yugo, and the Dobi surpassed this vehicle in being the worst excuses for a useful automobile in the history of transportation. We got more mileage to the dealership and back than elsewhere. Total garbage and another disaster for the aimless US auto industry of the 70s.
Now, if you were theoretically in the market surfing the web in the 70s, and came across and article about Chevy's new eco car, would you want the posters to put lipstick on the pig or tell you straight out that it's swine? How would you feel about me a year after I encouraged you to buy such a breakthrough product? The fact is you would want the truth before investing.
If a Palm OS launcher makes the user experience more complicated, expensive, unstable, and less intuitive, then why would you say it's good? Are you just looking for a reason to tinker with screen settings? If that's what turns you on in software then their are hundreds of titles to tickle that fancy.
Folks around here are quite colorful and extreme sometimes. But, many have invested 1000s of hours in the use of mobile technology. It's amazing what one can learn if they are willing to listen a little.
What exactly are you trying to condemn here?
Pat Horne
Touchbook I like, this not so much
support for 5-way naviagtor
the arrows below on the right side should changes the categories?
it doesn't work on my treo 680.
also i can access the dock below via the 5-way naviagatior,
which isn't very comfortable
(to switch between naviagator and stylus use)
over all: a nice approach, but you can get the same result,
by spliting up all your apps in categories of twelve apps per group.
this can be done by the default palm launcher
and it's less power consuming
only name the start categorie something like "... Home" or "A"
and have a nice, native goodlooking and palm screen.
Back to the article...
I tried this on a Palm TX and Treo 650. This is actually quite a nice launcher, very elegant, and far less cluttered than some others like propel or zlauncher. Makes it easy to change out your icons. It also adds the ability to have a background wallpaper which you can't normally do with the 650.
It looks especially great on the TX if you use a program to remove the 2 pixel white border around the screen. Plus the 480x320 screen matches the iPhone size anyway. However, the screen suddenly switches to 320x320 if you try to switch to landscape mode.
Another problem I see is that it doesn't work well with memory cards. The icons don't automatically show up. You can scan the memory cards and then it will include them, but you have to do this again every time you put in a new card. But if you usually leave the same card in all the time, then it's not really a problem.
All in all, this is a great program, but it needs a couple things ironed out. I don't think its quite ready for commercial release yet.
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Apple Envy?
US Robotics Pilot 5000 -> 3Com Palm III -> Sony Cile N710C -> Sony Clie T615C -> Palm LifeDrive