Quickies: Shop, 32MB Ram, Zire 71 & More

Posted By: PIC Thursday, May 1, 2003 11:36:44 AM

PIC has launched a new shopping and price comparison service in partnership with PriceGrabber.com. The new service allows you to compare prices on PDA’s, Electronics and many other products. If you’re a fan of the service or need to find the lowest price on the new Tungsten C or Zire 71, the PIC price comparison service is a excellent tool and a great way to support PIC. The link to access it is in the left hand main menu under "Comparison Shop". Read on for more news.

Zire 71 InsidesZire 71 Insides
Tokio of la Palm Tech-Lab has posted dissection pictures of the internal “guts” of the Zire 71.

32MB RAM Upgrade
PalmPilotUpgrade.com is the first in the world to offer a 32 Mb RAM upgrade for DragonBall VZ-based Palm PDAs, which include the m500, m505/515, m125 and m130. The upgrade price is $99, previous clients who already upgraded to 16Mb will get a new 32 Mb upgrade for a low fee.

AllTime 4
Iambic has unveiled AllTime 4, a single-user time and expense tracking application for all types of consultants. The new version support palm os 5 and high res fonts and colors plus many more features. A 30 day trial is available, the full version costs $39.95.

Sprint Bluetooth Phone
Sprint PCS will soon carry the first CDMA phone with Bluetooth in the US. Sprint will offer the Sony Ericsson T608 in the second quarter of 2003.

PrintBoy Tungsten C Bundle
Bachmann Software announced that its PrintBoy mobile printing software is included with the in-box Software Essentials CD for the Tungsten C. PrintBoy, Standard Edition will allow users to print DataViz’s Documents To Go documents, spreadsheets, and presentations as well as information from the standard Palm OS applications such as Memo, Date Book, To Do List and Address Book via infrared, Wi-Fi or other network connection.

Fitaly 3 for the Palm
FitalyStamp 3 is a new version of FitalyStamp, the keyboard overlay allowing 50 WPM on your Palm, and the fastest text input method with a stylus. The new version offers powerful custom slides and a new macro capability. In addition, FitalyStamp 3 offers convenient launcher features that are usable directly from the Fitaly keyboard.

UTS Weight tracking
UTrackSys.com has released a Weight tracking plug-in for thier Universal Tracking System. UTS Weight for Palm OS helps you track body weight and BMI (Body Mass Index). It offers various weight loss/gain plans, interactive charts, reports, and abilities to export data to UTS database and to MS Excel through UTS conduit. A trial copy is available here.

Audacity Digital Voice Recorder
Audio Storage Technologies has announced Audacity Digital Voice Recorder Software for the Tungsten|T. The Audacity DVR is a professional-grade recorder providing high quality audio suitable for transcription or speech-to-text processing. The robust program comes in three different feature set levels, a Basic, Premium and a Professional level. The Professional level includes security (both access control and encryption), enhanced edit capabilities, and several sophisticated compression choices. Prices start at $49.99, with a 30 day trial available.

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price comparison service

Fammy @ 5/1/2003 1:19:17 PM #
Wasn't expecting "Men's Apparel" as the first category listed on PIC's Comparison Shop. Somehow I thought it would be limited to PDA's, or maybe even electronics.

_____
Fammy
RE: price comparison service
ganoe @ 5/1/2003 1:37:58 PM #
Hmmm ... yes. Seems like by default it should at least go to their "PDAs and Accessories" page.
RE: price comparison service
agricola @ 5/1/2003 1:46:28 PM #
I agree with the above 2 comments.
I think the PDA comparison is very useful and will get used often and transacted, including by myself when I upgrade in the next 3 weeks.
How about making the comparison link display:
1. The link you have for the PDA comparison (but please no PPC or other. We are not at PIC for them)
http://palminfocenter.pricegrabber.com/search_attrib.php/page_id=12
or
2. The current price comparison page, but with a pronounced link comparing Palm OS PDAs, perhaps at the top center of the page?
http://palminfocenter.pricegrabber.com/

Agricola


RE: price comparison service
Admin @ 5/1/2003 3:11:27 PM #
thanks for the suggestions. I changed the main menu link to go directly to Palm OS PDA's.
RE: price comparison service
Verteron @ 5/1/2003 6:59:23 PM #
You forgot to add the "Comparison Shop" link to the left hand side column in the "Comparison Shop" itself [:D]
RE: price comparison service
Leech @ 5/1/2003 7:00:32 PM #

Great idea, but...

It would be nice if the PDA information were more complete and more accurate. The i705 is listed as color, there is no processor speed information on a number of models, no display type information, etc. Let's face it the folks who come to this page are savvy and will want complete information. And more importantly people will not use the service if they think the accuracy of the information is questionable.

Sprint BT Phone

treo007 @ 5/1/2003 2:35:27 PM #
Now the question is, can I use an unlimited Vision plan via BT to something like a Sony TG50? I'm using a Treo 300 right now and like the one piece solution, keyboard, etc.. but it's just a little large and looking long in the tooth. A fashionable piece of technology it aint.

RE: Sprint BT Phone
OcellNuri @ 5/1/2003 4:28:42 PM #
I certainly hope this will use the Vision network. I don't see why it wouldn't.

I am just about to enter college... and this phone paired with a BT handheld would be my dream. I was looking at plans and unlimited Vision with 500 minutes, unlimited weekends, and all that jazz would be about $65/month. Not bad at all, considering it would be my only phone.

It's "Ocell" for short.

RE: Sprint BT Phone
gidora @ 5/2/2003 1:24:37 AM #
Sprint Wireless worked great with my previous wireless PDA combo: a Prism and a Sanyo 4000 (via a SupplyNet cable). Just got the TT and have been experimenting with the TT's BT via Internet Sharing on a BT enabled iBook. IT WORKS! With the T608 and Vision, I imagine that both the PDA and the computer will be able to go online ANYWHERE, as long as I've got the phone with me (within Sprint covergae of course...).
RE: Sprint BT Phone
treo007 @ 5/2/2003 1:06:26 PM #
You'd think this would be O.K. (Unlimited Vision through the BT Connection), but it may not necessarily be the case. Some Treo 300 owners that have been using a 3rd party application allowing the phone to act as a Vision modem for a laptop have noted that going over a specified number of minutes/MB with that connection have resulted in Sprint charging "wireless web minutes" which aren't included in the all you can eat Vision plan. They're charged at something like $0.25 a minute.

At this time it's a moot point for me anyway. Over the last few days I've tried just about every other email application on the market and found that I can't live without the "Push" feature of Business Connect (which I can only get on the Treo and Samsung I300/30 offerings). Basejet supposedly does this but I found it slow and completely unreliable. Business connect also gives you access to corporate files as well, another item I can't live without.

Here's hoping the new Treo to be released this Fall is OS 5 and a little sleeker.

RE: Sprint BT Phone
jgb9348 @ 5/5/2003 9:20:12 AM #
Does anyone happen to have any experience with Sprint's vision plans or have tried to connect their PDA (using a cable) to a vision enabled phone? If so, could someone shed the light on what we might be able to expect for pricing and usage options for the bluetooth phone with a connection to our PDA (probably the Tungsten T). I was really looking forward to having a bluetooth pda combination with an unlimited plan, but if this is not feasible, I don't know what I would plan on doing. Thanks for any input on this case. I think there are quite a few people in this boat...CDMA provider (maybe already with Sprint) and a Bluetooth-enabled PDA. Thanks again!

-jeremy


RE: Sprint BT Phone
Joktak @ 7/16/2003 5:40:50 PM #
I work for Radioshack and sell sprint pcs phones all day long, and I also use one myself. I'm on a normal consumer plan with vision and notice no extra charges when I use my Samsung N400 to connect to the web, which I do quite frequently.

I admit that I am not connecting my Tungsten to the phone (because it isn't a bluetooth phone and haven't researched another means of connecting the two) but I would assume that the vision services would work the same.


T|T - Joktak

Memory upgrade for T|T???

skennedy1217 @ 5/1/2003 5:33:12 PM #
What I really want to do is upgrade my Tungsten to 64MB...though if it costs too much I might be better off waiting for an updated T...not really interested in the C.

Anyone know if there is someone who does this for the T|T?

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

RE: Memory upgrade for T|T???
WebMarc @ 5/1/2003 6:17:06 PM #
AMEN!!! So all you after-market T|T retailers, listen up... you've got 2 *very* interested potential customers right here.

RE: Memory upgrade for T|T???
hkklife @ 5/1/2003 6:34:15 PM #
My assumption is that it cannot be done to the T|T in its current state. It'll take (IMHO) an OS upgrade to 5.2.x to make a memroy upgrade possible *if* at all. The longer I watch all of this go on, I cannot help but think that the T|T is pretty much a dead-end formfactor and a one-off model for Palm. They released it to much hoopla, the public didn't buy it, those that did buy it, so why should Palm sink any more of their dwindling R&D budget into a design that the public has already voiced overall displeasure towards?

A T|T is not a cheap device to produce. Any sort of moving or sliding mechanism will inherently run up the costs and it's always cheaper to make a molded plastic casing with some silver paint on it.

I think the trend of plastic-cased models like the Z71 and the Tungsten T&W will continue for the forseeable future. Maybe with OS6 Palm will get around to releasing a metal-body unit in the classic V/m500 formfactor with virtual graffiti. Until then, we might as well hang onto our T|T's for the long haul...



RE: Memory upgrade for T|T???
Altema @ 5/1/2003 11:59:09 PM #
"It'll take (IMHO) an OS upgrade to 5.2.x to make a memroy upgrade possible *if* at all."

The upgrade places that already do this service for other Palms install a modified version of the OS in ROM, so it is probably a matter of time before the T|T upgrades are available... I hope!

I don't think the T|T form factor is dead, a lot of people I know bought it for it's unique design alone. It may seem strange at first, but it's easy to fall in love with. Of course, there will be execptions! If Palm drops the design, it will probably be because it is more expensive to manufacture as you suggested.

First BT Phone - WRONG

talos4 @ 5/1/2003 8:43:59 PM #
Sprint was not the first.

Verizon debuted the CDMA Motorola Timeport 270c over two years ago. The 270c has an optional BT battery cover accessory.

That said, the 270c is no longer sold by Verizon, and hasn't been replaced by another BT phone.

R

"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." -- Winston Churchill

RE: First BT Phone - WRONG
gfunkmagic @ 5/1/2003 10:55:21 PM #
The T608 is the 1st cdma mobie with INTEGRATED BT! The 270 required a bulky add-on module for BT functionality. Furthermore the SE T61c is another mobile also offerred by Verizon that included BT-add-on...

Palm did not manufacture their PDA's

ConceptVBS @ 5/1/2003 11:18:31 PM #
Taiwan's Inventec manufactured the Zire 71 and Asustek Computer made the Tungsten C.

http://www.digitimes.com/NewsShow/MailHome.asp?datePublish=2003/5/1&pages=PR&seq=201



RE: Palm did not manufacture their PDA's
ConceptVBS @ 5/1/2003 11:20:32 PM #
Shoot wrong forum

RE: Palm did not manufacture their PDA's
gfunkmagic @ 5/1/2003 11:24:51 PM #
This old news. PIC had an article about this nearly a year ago:

http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_story.asp?ID=3679

It was reported that Asustek was going to manufacture these pda's a while ago...

RE: Palm did not manufacture their PDA's
RhinoSteve @ 5/1/2003 11:42:55 PM #
So what?

Contract manufacturing is the rule in the high tech business and not the exception. Very few system houses have their own capital equipment to build such things. Even IBM outsources some manufacturing.

Audacity?

chrish @ 5/2/2003 11:46:49 AM #
I wonder if the "audacity" product mentioned is related to "Audacity":

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Audacity is released 'free' under the GNU Public License. If the two products are related, the publisher may be in error about their rights to sell it. Anyone know?

Looks like they'd have at least done a minimal search to see what other products had the same name.

RE: Audacity?
bcombee @ 5/2/2003 12:51:58 PM #
The GPL would allow them to sell the Audacity software, but they would have to provide source to anyone to which they distributed binaries, and they couldn't prevent those users from redistributing the software.

However, from reading their site, it looks like there's no connection other than them coming up with the same name.

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

RE: Audacity?
chrish @ 5/2/2003 2:26:49 PM #
Well, "sell it without source" is more correct as you note. I think you're right about them having a naming collision.

What audacity to think that you can just pick a clever name and no one else would have thought of it!

[ducking]

Pictures of Tungsten C?

jham @ 5/2/2003 1:01:26 PM #
Has anyone seen pictures of the inside of a Tungsten C?
RE: Pictures of Tungsten C?
ozz @ 5/2/2003 10:46:21 PM #
Why, is it kinda like sausage...you don't want to see it being made? LOL

32megs? yay!

helf @ 5/2/2003 9:55:09 PM #
woohoo. I'm sending my m500 in monday to get upgraded. Now point in buying a new palm now =)

RE: 32megs? yay!
helf @ 5/2/2003 9:57:38 PM #
err.. Thats "no point"..



RE: 32megs? yay!
peitron @ 5/3/2003 10:11:03 AM #
Ehmmmmm, how about a faster processor, hi-res screen, bluetooth or wi-fi or built-in-camera (depending on the model)? Seems like a lot of very powerful reasons to upgrade. I got rid of my M515 after only 6 months of use, and it was well worth the change.

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