m505 Contrast Hack a Hoax
The supposed m505 contrast system hack that was published a week or so ago is simply a well done hoax. None of the various sets of instructions for performing the hack actually do anything.
The hoax has moved on to a new form and sites are starting to claim that they have applications that will do the same thing. These are all fraudulent. There is an application called bright505 on both PalmGear and Handango which is simply GlowHack with a different file name.
If you still wonder whether these might be real, the developer, Supernova Software, also makes m505 emulator 1.1 which "permits testing color applications on a grayscale Palm." It isn't known whether PalmGear and Handango are in on the joke or if they simply don't know what they have.
There is also a website claiming to have bright505 but it doesn't even have the fake application, just a lot of mildly funny comments from users talking about how great it is.
In its original form, this hoax was a set of instructions on how to put a series of phrases into the Memo Pad which was supposed to increase the contrast on the new m505 to the same level as the Visor Prism's at the cost of decreasing battery life by about 35%.
From the beginning most people who tried it reported no change but enough people claimed it worked to throw the whole question into doubt. In fact, Steve Bush, Editor-in-Chief of Brighthand, said, "I performed this on an m505 manufactured in Hungary and it worked."
The supposed Hack was covered by all the top Palm related websites.
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RE: Disappointed
Maybe I'm the only one no longer amused by this. I've spent too much time answering e-mails and comments lately from people asking if this was real to see the humor any more.
Actually, if you want to be disappointed about something, you should be disappointed that I got taken in by this hoax in the first place.
---
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Palm Infocenter
RE: Disappointed
>taken in by this hoax in the first place.
...
>In fact, Steve Bush Editor-in-Chief of Brighthand said, "I performed this on an m505 manufactured
>in Hungary and it worked."
What I want to know is if Steve was also 'taken in' by this hoax and is just too embarassed to
admit it, or if he was 'in on' the joke in the first place, and just wanted to disseminate misinformation
RE: Disappointed
As far as Brighthand goes, wonder if they will EVER admit it was a hoax, or if Steve there has too much of an ego to admit he was mistaken.
RE: Disappointed
I read the original thread about the newsgroup method of increasing contrast. I don't blame you for falling for it. When a new electronic device is just released tons of rumours circulate about its features, included or excluded.
In the case of the m505 and the fact that the majority of those who've has seen it, and especially those who've bought it, have been surprised by the screen, the prospect of a secret brightness hack would be appealing any day (especially in a badly lit room :o) )* So I was not disappointed by the fact that you, amidst hundreds of others, 'fell' for it. Had I come across that post, I too would have given it ago as well.
Indeed, I purchased the m505 on a weekend break to Miami (I live in the UK) and harbour a wish that the brightness hack was in fact true! Although, as the more knowledgeable of folk have already pointed out, the screen dimness is a hardware issue because of a calculated Palm engineering decision, and not a editable software issue.
As someone has already pointed out in this thread, the fact that this hoax gained so much prominence with all the early hard core buyers (such as myself) says as much about what we think of the m505, than it does about the impact of a hoax itself.
For instance, having just picked upon on all the threads about Hungary vs USA made models on this site and others, I found myself looking at the back of my Palm to look for the Made in USA sticker - I even left a voicemail for my friend who still has the original box in Miami.
I like to think that I'm a rational guy and know that there is no difference between whether a device is made in Hungary or USA, and that manufacturing discrepencies exist everywhere, in all industries, regardless of the nationality of workers or the geographical presence of a factory. However, because like most of the people reading this site, I'm a big fan of gadgets and especially the Palm, I'll still fall for every hoax and ridiculous argument that pops up - in a way, that's why I read this site.
If I we were all normal users, would we really check out this site so regularly? The average user, Palm's target segment, just wants a datebook and a phonebook app and doesn't care about 90% of the debates and points of information that are raised on community sites. To the average user, what does it really matter that model X has 10% more battery life than model Y, or that model X clocks 5% slower than model Y, and so on.
The fact that we fall for hoaxes and get passionate in these arguments is because we aren't normal users. We care about how much we spend on a product, we care about the speed of apps, screen contrasts, form factors, software performance and the tiniest of details that the average guy/gal on the street wouldn't even notice.
So even though we should take rumours with a pinch of salt, the fact that we'll try new tricks to improve our devices and get involved in discussions is, ultimately, inevitable.
Fingers crossed, I'll find a contrast hack for my m505 on Palmgear one day ... ;)
Regards
Andrew McCartney
RE: Disappointed
* = I don't want to raise the 'i hate the dimness' vs 'i'm happy with m505' debate again. Just to clarify that I was taken back by how dim the screen was when I saw a model in Office Depot and the one I actually own now. However, after a while I realised that battery life is probably more useful than a bright screen. Others differ in view, and are entilted to return their m505 or wait for the new Clie. Either way, we are all unique users of these devices and there's no harm in expressing our thoughts on them. Without passionate and heated debates in core user communities, product dev engineers and designers would never make progress. It's all healthy.
RE: Disappointed
If anyone puts an IIIC and a M505 you will come to the realization that the M505 is not as dim as you think it is in fact it is brighter/clearer than th IIIC.
The screen functionality is the way it is for a reason, not to washout on well lighted places amongst others I have not yet discovered....
MT
Isn't the real story ...
The truth is out there ...
- M
bright505 has had 500 downloads in 4 hours!
100 years ago people bought snake oil. I guess notheng ever changes...
RE: Isn't the real story ...
RE: Isn't the real story ...
Another ignored part of this story is that PalmGear and Handango were fooled, too. I always assumed they had a process for testing out applications before they posted them. Guess not. But I can't give them too hard a time. That would be like the pot calling the kettle black.
---
News Editor
Palm Infocenter
"True Believers?"
RE: cover-up
RE: No more Skeptics
discussed in print without checking for valid references or confirmation. We live in a world where
instant information/instant gratification is the norm.
If you had checked the original postings on the comp.sys.palmtops.pilot discussion group and noticed
that the author's name was "Satan" and various other references in the message header were very
suggestive of a hoax (as noted by the posts that soon followed). Unfortunately, naive Palm OS
users/enthusiasts who were eager to HAVE a m505 with a bright display didn't look beyond the
surface and jumped in head first.
So perhaps the post suggesting that what this overwhelming response to a lame hoax was a thinly
veiled dissatifaction with the m505's rather mediocre display.
This reflex bind acceptance of whatever shows up on the internet as truth is the underlying cause
of why we still get innundeated with well meaning chain letters in our e-mail boxes and more incidiously,
why viruses propogate so easily.
Caveat Emptor. social engineering still works.
RE:
Oh that is too funny. I guess you don't believe the corrected info also.
The fact these guys slave away providing us info each day to hear this kind of criticism is too much.
Thanks for the correction Steve.
RE: Satan
> discussion group and noticed that the author's name was "Satan" and
> various other references in the message header were very suggestive of a hoax
I didn't automatically dismiss this because it was posted by someone calling themselves Satan because I get legitimate info from people with weird pseudonyms all the time. In fact, the very next day, Satan posted the article "Using MSMount with the m500 series", and it was factual, confirmable, and quite well written.
That fact and Steve Bush's endorsement kept me waffling about whether this was a hoax probably longer than I should.
I never tested the original hack myself and warned everyone to do so at their own risk because I thought there was a very small possibility that this hoax might not have been harmless and would actually do something to mess up the device. Also, I'm happy with my m505 and wouldn't change it.
---
News Editor
Palm Infocenter
Could Palminfocenter ........?
If I could have e-mailed Ed directly, then I could have been "responsible" for my submission and Ed could have done an article from the start.
Phew, out of breath...
-sam
We should show more appreciation to Ed
Ed, why are you trying to embarass Steve Bush?
Remember - even slight changes in ambient lighting make a BIG difference in the m505's screen appearance. If the room Bush was in when he tested the hack got a bit brighter (e.g. the sun came out) after he ran it, this could explain why he thought the hack worked. Try not to be so judgemental without knowing all of the circumstances around what happened.
(Of course, now watch Bush announce that he was in on the joke from the beginning...)
RE: Ed
We all Know that without Ed this site would not be what it is. I am sure he puts in a lot of hours of research just to keep us well informed.
I did not try the famous hack (glow hack), it did not give me a good bive and I wanted to wait to other people responded, usually hacks are installed not written in the notepad....
Needless to say, I was tempted, but decided screen was not that bad and I did not want to sacrifice my battery power. So... don't blame Ed for not researching, in fact, we should all be thanking him for all the good information and articles he posts for us. Besides that anybody would of fallen for it!!!
MT
Re: Steve Bush
Steve, if you are reading this I'm sorry if I seemed to be pointing a finger at you. No hard feelings?
---
News Editor
Palm Infocenter
RE:
Remember, a small amount of skepticism is often a good thing, otherwise you're reduced to saying, "Well, they wouldn't put it on the internet/in an e-mail if it weren't true."
RE: Steve Bright
That said, people seem to be getting WAY too upset over Steve's little comment. The guy made a little mistake - perhaps the mistake was that he actually convinced himself that the screen was a little brighter (we all wish it was, right?) or maybe his mistake was that he assumed the information was correct because he heard it somewhere, and simply hadn't tried it out yet. Either way, it's a stupid but SMALL mistake. It's not like he busted the training wheels off your bike or something. Get over it.
I've got a Better idea
1) Get in your Car.
2) Put the key in the ignition.
3) Pull out of the driveway (look carefully both ways).
4) Drive to your local Staples.
5) Go to the Handheld computing section.
6) Buy a Prism.
There you go! I'm just amazed by the number of folks who claimed that the hack really worked. Kinda takes you back to the old Orson Wells radio broadcast "War of the Worlds".
Thanks for the Laugh!
(A Prism User)
RE: I've got a Better idea
7) Kiss the small form factor GOODBYE!
The "hubub" over the m505 has been related to desire for color display on a thin form factor, with expandability. People weren't willing to accept the trade-off involved in this combination, so they desperately sought ways to brighten the screen. Although the suggestion to "buy a Prism" might be humorous, but it's also ludicrous, especially if you intend to use your PDA anywhere but indoors.
What a run it had
Now, has anyone opened their m505 to see if the backlight tube itself can be replaced with a brigther one?
Or how about if there are some resistors that can be replaced?
(argh! mikecane@wildmail.com -- posting from a library computer; forgot to login!)
This is the end
This doesn't mean you can't discuss it _as a hoax_ but no more trying to get people to waste their time.
---
News Editor
Palm Infocenter
RE: This is the end
scouter075@mindspring.com
Steve Bush
Peace Out
Alan
RE: Steve Bush
Let's stop bashing Steve over a simple mistake that anyone could have made.
RE: Did you know that Bushie is the prez's 2nd cousin?
No hack needed!
Snake Oil
RE: Snake Oil? I can't resist
Did anyone try this hack?
While pressing and holding the backlight button, press and hold the power key and the calendar key and at the same time add a new contact called Xaohat Onsisiht.
Does it work?
;)
RE: Did anyone try this hack?
As for your egg suggestion ... as far as I can see, the m505 doesn't have a separate light and power button ;)
Andrew McCartney
RE: Did anyone try this hack?
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Disappointed
It is obvious that the site is just a parody. If who ever wrote this news article (Ed, it appears) actually bothered to read that page, they would have realised that the author is not taking him/herself seriously. E.g.:
"Praise from bright505 users:
"Wow, thanks to bright505, I dont need fog lights on my new Pathfinder.. I have two m505's strapped to my front bumpers!!"
"This is the shi***iest software ever, you a**hole. I cant see anymore you son of a bitc*!""
"
It seems that Ed included this URL in the above article and fell for a hoax about a hoax. In the process, giving news worthiness to a worthless page intended for humour. The page doesn't even attempt to take itself seriously. It surprises me that Ed _did_.
I would have expected better journalistic standards from one the more trusted sources of Palm news on the Net.
Regards
Andrew McCartney