Palm Announces VoIP and WiFi Security Alliances

and add Bluetooth. Then I'd buy it. ... and maybe add virtual graffiti too. [and, and ...]

well actually due to the VoIP feature is the jack just mono .. it's seems that VoIP is runnung flawlessly only on mono interface .. btw. i really don't see a point of complaits conserning the mono jack ..
if sony doesn't release something with os5 in sj form factor I'll go with tungsten C .. it's really great pda ..

The complaints about the mono jack are most likely coming from a desire to use the T|C as an MP3 player, which you can do with the T|T.

"The complaints about the mono jack are most likely coming from a desire to use the T|C as an MP3 player, which you can do with the T|T."

Right you are. I don't think anyone would even care unless the music in stereo was important. However, I saw Palm's marketing slant on this early on... they would rather have a thousand corporate users with the purchasing department's blessing, than a dozen students walking down the street with headphones in their Palm. But hey, at least we have a choice. If stereo is that important, get the T|T, Z71, or any of the half dozen+ Sonys with stereo, or go PPC.

There are lots of devices that will work as players, but when it comes to a combination of relative RAM, CPU speed, and WiFi battery life, the T|C is the ONLY "player" :)

One point about the monaural jack on the T|C is that many corporations don't want their employees listening to music while on the job. I think the it's more likely that the T|C will be taken seriously as a business tool in the enterprise if it does not include entertainment features such as stereophonic sound.

The T|C seems targetted at road warriors and execs - a lot of them I know take MP3 players, CD players, etc on the road with them. If the T|C could play stereo they could use it as their MP3 player on flights to see clients, at the hotel, etc.

And a lot of companies DO let you listen to music at work - I have a large portable stereo in my office. During the day I keep it low, with the consent of those around me, before/after hours I can crank it up and get more coding done. ;-)

-MegaZone, megazone@megazone.org
Personal Homepage http://www.megazone.org/
Eyrie Productions FanFic http://www.eyrie-productions.com/

"well actually due to the VoIP feature is the jack just mono .. it's seems that VoIP is runnung flawlessly only on mono interface .. btw. i really don't see a point of complaits conserning the mono jack ..
if sony doesn't release something with os5 in sj form factor I'll go with tungsten C .. it's really great pda"

Um, the Ipaq 5455 has a stereo jack with built in microphone capabilities. It is also VoIP compatable so your arguement is without merit.

Limiting the T/C to a mono jack is just, well, stupid

kstedman1:
"Um, the Ipaq 5455 has a stereo jack with built in microphone capabilities."

True, but it uses a standard stereo (output only, I believe) 3.5mm jack, while the T|C uses a 2.5mm two-way mono jack.

That makes the T|C a better buy, because you can just plug a headset directly into it for VoIP, rather than having to use headphones and a built-in microphone.

'course, my information may be a bit shady on the 5455 specs - feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. :-)

Regarding the mono vs stereo issue the point I was trying to make is this: Since it is aimed at the enterprise purchaser, rather than an individual within a corporation buying a PDA, Palm could very well increase acceptance by omitting perceived entertainment features. I agree that many companies, or even most, allow music & radio's at work and that it's a good thing because in most circumstances it will boost morale and productivity. However, I doubt there are many corporations who are so interested in providing their workers with that entertainment that they would make an enterprise-wide buying decision on the basis such features. Conversely, I do think that some corporations would make the decision NOT buy a PDA based on the inclusion of such features.

PDAs have always had difficulty being taken seriously by corporate IT departments and I think Palm is smart to create a device that will break that stereotype. If an individual wants MP3 capability there are plenty of devices to choose from...but I suspect that few, if any, IT purchasing managers really give a rip. If your selling PDAs who would you rather have, a bunch of individuals who are going to buy one PDA at a time, or the person who places an order for 1000 at a time?

But read the specs on the h5450 it's a 3.5mm Stereo AND mic jack.

Same with the one in the option module for the Toshiba e750. 4 conductors: Left, Right, In, Ground.

And I suppose you're going to say IT departments aren't going to buy either the h5450 or the e750 either?
Please. Palm needs to stop trying to outguess what we're going to do with the device (for want of 2cent components, and leave it as an extensible platform. Let the users and the developers decide what can be done with it.

"If your selling PDAs who would you rather have, a bunch of individuals who are going to buy one PDA at a time, or the person who places an order for 1000 at a time?"

I suppose one could ask HandEra that...

Still I'd love to float your theory on those corporate purchasers buying pocketPC's at the moment, and give them the choice of a PocketPC that has mic in, mono out, or mic in stereo out. The choice between one with and without a removable Lion battery. One with and one without an additional DC port. One with and one without, dual slots. One with and one without multi-function charging, alarm LED.

The tungsten-C sits at the top of the heap in the PalmOS camp because there is no alternative.

Find a way to boot PalmOS5 on a PocketPC, and see what happens to Palm Tungsten sales.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled belief that our PalmOS platform still makes better hardware (for the corporate set)...

Palm OS 5 will never run on a 240x320 display... the pocket PC is too low-res.... ha ha!

-Davy Fields
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Palm_OS_5/

Don't you mean "iPaq catcher-upper"?

There's been 4 or more VoIP apps out for PocketPC's for quite some time.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still using a Tungsten-C, but I've also used the HandEra 330 and PocketPC's, and it's quite easy to miss little things you've become used to like:
-a DC port to provide power and keep the battery topped up while it's on a keyboard, or connected to GPS.
-An LED that displays useful charging information, not just that I've plugged it in (I *know* when it's plugged in, because I was the one who plugged it in..., although maybe it's there to work around the way the T-C wobbles back and forth on the cradle without a solid connection)
-A built-in mic so that you don't have to fish around in your goody bag to find your headset to make a voice note.
-Why limit it to mono? You don't need a separate ground for input and output, there are four conductors on the jack, that's enough for Ground, Left out, Right out, In.

The Tungsten T doesn't have a microphone jack, it only has a built-in microphone. The built-in mike is OK, but has a poor frequency response outside the basic voice range.

--
Ben Combee, CodeWarrior for Palm OS technical lead
Programming help at www.palmoswerks.com