Palm Releases Tungsten T Update

Posted By: Ryan on Thursday, May 08, 2003 10:47:48 AM

Palm has released a software patch that combines previously released system updates and fixes some additional issues. Notably, the update fixes a Bluetooth Internet connection issue.

The update combines the previously released Digitizer and audio playback patches. The digitizer portion corrects issues affecting the top 5mm of the display not responding correctly or at all. The audio update enhances the sound quality of digital audio file playback.

Another issue corrected is an error that occurs when there are over 345 files stored in main memory. Under those conditions, when accessing the App menu, the system reports an error message: "LauncherMain.c, Line:9128, could not complete the operation because the system is out of dynamic memory"

Bluetooth Fix
The patch also fixes issues connecting to the Internet via a Bluetooth dongle attached to a PC. With the patch it is now possible to establish a internet connection with a Bluetooth Dongle without the need for a PPP server to be installed, as was previously required. PIC will have more on this method soon.

The patch is a free download and is only for the Palm Tungsten T model. It requires 675k of free memory.

Thanks to Douglas J. Boehme, Per Wille, Markus Zimmermann and Craig Simpson for the tip!

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Harbinger?

kailou @ 5/8/2003 12:08:40 PM #

OK, nice, a POS update ... or is it a harbinger of TT2?!

RE: Harbinger?

nullmodem @ 5/10/2003 6:42:04 AM #

I'm not sure what you mean by TT2, but if you mean another Tungsten|T style PDA, I'm sure it's coming... they are likely to offer another business-class PDA with grafitti. My hope is that the next model will do away with static-grafitti, and head toward a Sony-type virtual model.

However, if you mean a full OS update (OS5 to OS5.2.1) then man, I sure hope so. Although this update fixed the problems I was having with my bluetooth dongle (thankyou,thankyou,thankyou), it seems like it was basically "hacked together" and thrown out there in a hurry. This indicates to me an act of appeasement while they work on a proper update.

Considering they've already announced that OS5.2 is "mainly a bug fix release" (http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/docs/palmos50/os52overview.html) and have listed the multitude of bugs in OS5, it seems not only reasonable, but obligatory, to expect an OS5.2 update for the T|T.

Thoughts on timeline, anyone?
-nullmodem

audio playback patch

Gekko @ 5/8/2003 12:21:44 PM #

i don't like this patch. i don't like the 'snap/crackle/pop' it does to the system sound.

RE: audio playback patch

asiayeah @ 5/8/2003 12:33:31 PM #

Now, it eats up 600KB of free memory. Why don't Palm release it as a flash ROM?

How could one uninstall the patch?

Thanks.

Tony

--
With great power comes great responsiblity.

RE: audio playback patch

Uncle Enzo @ 5/8/2003 3:31:31 PM #

Not only it takes 600ko but it crashes powerrun when I try to run it :<
How to uninstall it!!

RE: audio playback patch

dboehme @ 5/8/2003 3:55:30 PM #

I also use PowerRun but have had no problems. Perhaps you can try to reinstall it (don't install any other apps) and restart your Palm?

RE: audio playback patch

Uncle Enzo @ 5/8/2003 4:55:42 PM #

I can not even uninstall powerrun now (the palm crashes when I try to do it).
I have tried to install another time powerrun over my existing version and it is even worse (I have an error message Memory Manager etc... before Powerrun was "just" frozen).
I think that I will have to perform a hard reset pretty soon...

RE: audio playback patch

dboehme @ 5/8/2003 6:34:42 PM #

Sorry...I meant reinstalling the patch, not PowerRun. You could also delete PowerRun using McFile or similar and reinstall that. You just have to regenerate your shortcuts.

RE: audio playback patch

mentalsrule @ 5/9/2003 2:05:06 AM #

have you tried a warm reset to try and uninstall anything?

____________________
Congratulations, would you like a parade?

www.HandHeldHQ.com

RE: audio playback patch

ppetto @ 5/10/2003 10:40:44 PM #

Is there any fix for the crackly system click that the new patch effects?

(I thought I heard this same crackle once before when I installed the audio patch for the second time.)

RE: audio playback patch

Altema @ 5/11/2003 1:30:43 PM #

Either you can turn the system sound to low, or remove the patch by hotsync/hard reset/hotsync.

What you are hearing is what the system click actually sounds like without the highs chopped off.

If you do not use the headphones and don't care about music playback, or the system clicks are more important, then remove the patch.

If the headphone output and music are more important than the system click, then leave the patch. This patch is much better than how the Palm sounds out of the box, and is also an improvement over the first patch.

Out of the box, the T|T has no highs and little bass extension, but sounds good with the normal beeps and bops. With the old patch, the midrange was flattened out, the high filter removed, but the bass was still weak. The new patch smooths the midrange further, gets rid of the 'spitty' high end, and finally gives some decent bass response (but could use a little more).

I was doing a sound check and thought I'd try patching the T|T into the 12,000 watt system I was prepping for a concert. Everyone enjoyed the tunes which I used to check monitors, with some just sitting in the audience enjoying the music. You should have seen their mouths drop open when I broke the news that it was coming from my Palm!

RE: audio playback patch

jackl @ 5/22/2003 12:24:08 PM #

I too am still amazed that I can run my car stereo off of the T|T - AeroPlayer and put 1 1/2 complete (three hour) Phish shows in mp3 on a 256 MB SD card with pretty decent sound...truly a modern miracle...

Finally a patch after 6 months

asiayeah @ 5/8/2003 12:23:01 PM #

I am so glad to finally see the patch for "345 files" is finally here. I have reported it to Palm after a few days of getting my Tungsten T and I am sure Palm must have received thousands of bug reports solely on this particular bug.

Tony Cheung

--
With great power comes great responsiblity.

old patches

ptc @ 5/8/2003 1:12:20 PM #

So... if you already installed the previously avialable digitizer and sound patch, should you instal this one??

_________
Paul C.

RE: old patches

emceephd @ 5/8/2003 1:35:42 PM #

From the website: This patch incorporates and replaces the following previously released patches for Palm Tungsten T: PalmDigitizerUpdate.prc and PalmAudioUpdate.prc.

RE: old patches

xtremist5150 @ 5/8/2003 1:43:18 PM #

I'm pretty sure it's safe to install this on top of the existing patches; they would have said otherwise, were that not true.

Then again, this IS Palm....hmmmm.

RE: old patches

MV-Jon @ 5/8/2003 1:51:50 PM #

I installed it over my old audio and digitizer patches and have had no problems.

Jon Niola
President/CEO
Media Vortex, Inc.

memory card update for the TT

xalia @ 5/8/2003 2:10:38 PM #

With all these patches – and think how long TT is out – Palm.Inc should give us a memory card to install all of them…

Is that all?

peitron @ 5/8/2003 2:07:04 PM #

Hopefully this is just a temporary patch until Palm makes an OS5.2 update available. Any ideas?

_____________________________________________
"Why should I care about posterity? What's posterity ever done for me?" - Groucho Marx

RE: Is that all?

mentalsrule @ 5/11/2003 8:27:35 PM #

are you sure Palm is going to let you update the Tungsten to OS 5.2?

____________________
With everything i learn each day... i have a talent to compress it all into one word..... huh? [:)]

www.HandHeldHQ.com

Digitizer?

peitron @ 5/8/2003 2:30:30 PM #

Is anyone experiencing problems with the digitizer on Blueboard and Notepad after installing this new update?

_____________________________________________
"Why should I care about posterity? What's posterity ever done for me?" - Groucho Marx

RE: Digitizer?

csandifor @ 5/9/2003 12:46:39 PM #

I did experience general digitizer problems after intalling the patch. I did a soft reset, and it seems to have fixed the problem. I'm waiting to see if the problem comes back.

RE: Digitizer?

csandifor @ 5/9/2003 1:17:29 PM #

The problem is still there!

RE: Digitizer?

jsulmeyer @ 5/11/2003 9:23:52 AM #

Yes! Soon after installing the update I found that notepad was unresponsive in several places on the screen, although it was inconsistent. Damn! How do we UNINSTALL this patch? I can do a hard reset, but the patch will be reinstalled during the initial HotSync...

Does anyone know which files to uninstall from the backup directory so I can do a hard reset and HotSync my T|T without reinstalling the patch?

RE: Digitizer?

Altema @ 5/11/2003 1:28:05 PM #

The new patch does not get reinstalled after a hard reset/hotsync reload.

PPP Server not needed...?

jack @ 5/8/2003 3:51:31 PM #

What exactly _do_ you have to do to get Internet connectivity with this new update? Was this a PC-only type of update for Bluetooth internet sharing?

Does this render all the workarounds broken, as in this fix for Mac OS X:

http://www.technohappymeal.com/archives/000070.html

Thoughts?

RE: PPP Server not needed...?

nekrataal @ 5/8/2003 4:07:16 PM #

wonder if PIC will have a way for the TG-50 to get internet access without MochaPPP. In theory the TT setup should work the same.

RE: PPP Server not needed...?

HandAble @ 5/8/2003 4:57:26 PM #

With XP, it was a snap.. set your computer's regular connection to allow it to be shared, pair the PC with the TT, then have the TT connect to the PC network via BT...

(Snap is relative, it took me an hour or so of fiddling to find the right combination.. but it DID work.. and the combination seems simple enough when all was said and done.. Ryan, feel free to contact me if you want more details)

RE: PPP Server not needed...?

Altema @ 5/9/2003 3:02:52 AM #

"With XP, it was a snap.. set your computer's regular connection to allow it to be shared, pair the PC with the TT, then have the TT connect to the PC network via BT..."

Care to share your setup with someone on XP? Just picked up a BT dongle which works great for hotsync, but can't connect otherwise. Already added the pair and have been trying different combinations for the last few hours.

RE: PPP Server not needed...?

JoeBarbs @ 5/9/2003 8:16:27 AM #

handable, I would love to know your steps also. I have the same setup. WinXP, with a bluetooth dongle. I am able to hotsynch with no problems, but I just can't seem to surf the net. I am able to connect via network to my computer, but I get a dns error when I try to surf the web via my tungsten t.

Palm IIIC to a Tungsten T

RE: PPP Server not needed...?

jack @ 5/9/2003 3:35:35 PM #

do you Windows users, when sharing Internet with Bluetooth, aren't able to HotSync? We Mac OS X users, utilizing the AppleScripts (that turn on and off the unix ppp server and various other firewall settings) from "technohappymeal", cannot hotsync (until we stop Internet sharing over Bluetooth)...perhaps this should be moved to the forums...

Does this mean I don't need MochaPPP?

bringer @ 5/8/2003 4:07:49 PM #

I don't plan on loading this update until I know what the Bluetooth fix is exactly. I have already loaded the audio patch and the digitizer patch (although I wasn't having problems before I loaded it). I don't have the 345 files error since I use Launcher X for all my file management functions. However I am using MochaPPP on my Windows 98 machine to browse at home. If I could get rid of MochaPPP and have one less app running to get this to work, I would consider loading this patch.
Anybody know if this Bluetooth fix just patches the Windows 2000/XP connection issues or if it actually replaces MochaPPP?

Bob

RE: Does this mean I don't need MochaPPP?

Altema @ 5/13/2003 3:02:33 PM #

It just fixes connection issues. You will either need to follow the setup instructions on the discussion forum, or use the PPP server. My BT adapter is a little different and did not show up as a network place under XP Pro. After fiddling around for three days, I went ahead with the Mocha PPP software and was up in 5 minutes. Mocha is loaded on the desktop/laptop, but requires no additional apps on the Palm.

RE: Does this mean I don't need MochaPPP?

Altema @ 5/13/2003 3:07:11 PM #

PS: I have to add that the Mocha connection has been 100% reliable so far... connecting everytime on the first try and not disconnecting until I power off or disconnect intentionally. The setup is unusual though. I installed the Win XP client on the laptop, but setup the connection to the Palm as a Windows CE device.

Two more minor updates

spiros @ 5/8/2003 4:58:02 PM #

Two more minor updates:

When connecting to a network The "Service Connection Progress" dialog box has color icons.

The version number of "Applications" now is 4.5.1P

Launcher X - Two Applications Icons

skennedy1217 @ 5/8/2003 6:23:05 PM #

I use Launcher X 1.0.2, which already had an icon labeled Applications (to take you back to the Palm UI). Now I have TWO icons labeled Applications, except that one (I think the original since the new one showed up as unfiled) is missing the ==> (arrow) icon.

_____________________
m100 ==> m500 ==> T|T

RE: Launcher X - Two Applications Icons

skennedy1217 @ 5/8/2003 6:28:44 PM #

Went into App Check and it listed 'Applications' once...deleted it and now I only have one in LX.

Is it me, or does the audio sound better that with the old patch? Maybe I lost the old one between all the resets... Did this update remove the old patch?Palm website says that this one will have to be reinstalled in case of a 'hard' reset. I second whoever said "where is the ROM upgrade?"

_____________________
m100 ==> m500 ==> T|T

RE: Launcher X - Two Applications Icons

duke mobile @ 5/8/2003 6:31:39 PM #

Exact same here. I've also noticed that when I tap LX's refresh button, the arrow icon lies above the second app (pressing again forces it back to the first).

Duke

RE: Launcher X - Two Applications Icons

Altema @ 5/9/2003 10:57:24 AM #

I had that too, but deleted just the PRC for the older 90k one. They had to do this as a patch because the US T|T has less than 100k free. Filez is wrong when it shows 8Mb, it's really 4Mb.

Bluetooth big improvement for Dial Up

Zuber @ 5/8/2003 7:34:33 PM #

They appear to have improved the Bluetooth code for Dial Up networking.

I can now connect to my Office ISP.

Before, it would always reset the device even if I used a non proxy Browser. Now, Proxy browser still fails, but none proxy browser is able to resolve DNS etc. correctly now and I can surf.

Typical, just went and ordered a Zaurus. You guys should be thanking me, they would not have released it if thet thought I was keeping the TT ;)

Zuber

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