.KEYWORD pplte0901
.FLYINGHEAD LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
.TITLE What works and what doesn’t
.DEPT
.SUMMARY In this month’s Letters to the Editor, a reader responds to Contributing Editor Bob Draper’s question about building a handheld from various parts. Another reader offers a solution for using Pocket Quicken with versions of Quicken used outside the U.S. Finally, Editor in Chief David Gewirtz answers a reader’s concerns about motherboards.
.EDNOTE In this month’s Letters to the Editor, a reader responds to Contributing Editor Bob Draper’s question about building a handheld from various parts. Another reader offers a solution for using Pocket Quicken with versions of Quicken used outside the U.S. Finally, Editor in Chief David Gewirtz answers a reader’s concerns about motherboards.
.H1 Good work
I enjoy PalmPower Magazine and find the mailing list service useful. I enjoy the editorials, the reviews, and the ads. The information you offer is quite interesting. Keep up the good work.
Paul Baker
Madison (WI) PDA Users Group
.H1 Destroy the monster
The following letter was written in response to a letter appearing in last month’s column at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200108/pplte0801002.html in which Contributing Editor Bob Draper was looking for information on cobbling together pieces from various handhelds to create an altogether new device.
Don’t do it!
Seriously, I once owned a Palm IIIx (a Workpad 30x, to be exact). I noticed Gethightech.com (at http://www.gethightech.com)was selling 2MB Palm III memory cards, and I had the same question as you. I asked them if it would work, and their response was that it would not and that they had heard of some horror stories from those who had tried. Apparently it does damage to (ruins) the motherboard of the device.
Hope this helps!
Douglas Forrester
M.Div. Associate Pastor
Warwick Memorial United Church
.H1 Link trouble
The following letter was written in response to the 50% Off Mailing we sent out to PalmPower subscribers in August.
Thanks for offering the great August specials from different vendors. The reason for this email is to see if you can find out why the Blue Nomad and TapPad sites are not responding when I try to go to their pages in both Netscape and Outlook Express. I copy the addresses out of my email program to both browsers. Blue Nomad, especially, has been hard to reach in the past as well. I read PalmPower on my Visor Prism through the AvantGo service. You and your staff do an excellent job of reporting on the vastly changing handheld market. It is very much appreciated.
Steve Kesler
Sunbury, Ohio
.H2 Editor-in-Chief David Gewirtz responds
I just typed in http://www.bluenomad.com and had no trouble getting to them. If it helps, here’s their real-world contact info:
Contact Information:
Blue Nomad
4 Hyde Street
Redwood City, CA 94062
Fax: (413) 740-8375
I was also able to visit TapPad at http://www.tappad.com, but if you still can’t get there, try going to http://brochusoftware.com or emailing support@brochusoftware.com. Here’s their real-world contact info:
Brochu Software
PO Box 458
Middleton, MA 01949
It is possible, in this week of virus hits to servers, that one of their servers, or one along their path, got hit by some nastiness.
.H1 Visor Prism vs. Palm m505
I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to address you with a rather specific matter, as I’m sure you’re busy, but I was wondering if you’d care to comment on a possible, even if theoretical "shoot-out" between the Visor Prism and the Palm m505. I looked at the Palm m505 yesterday and, like many, was unfortunately quite disappointed by the screen’s performance compared to other Palm handhelds I’ve seen and used. I very much agree with your Palm m505 review’s conclusion about having to make some trade-offs.
You can’t get everything in life. However, I find it hard to compromise on such a pivotal issue like a screen’s quality. And if there are other options available that improve on this issue, than one should consider them. Furthermore, my main requirement calls for backup capabilities, which I could also get from the Visor Prism’s Springboard. Plus, I believe it’s cheaper than the Palm m505.
I’d appreciate an answer, although I’d understand if you wouldn’t be able to provide one that is possibly too specific.
Kind regards,
Guy K.
London, UK
.H2 Contributing Editor Chris Phillips responds
Thanks for the question, Guy. I can only answer according to the research I have done, as I have never owned or used a Visor Prism. I have seen them, and I agree they have one of the most stunning color screens available on the market. The only problem I have heard is that the screen washes out under sunlight and is virtually unusable outdoors. This is not a problem for most people, but it should be taken into consideration. The other thing is that the Visor Prism is significantly larger than the Palm m505. Having been a Palm Vx user for over a year, I am very attached to the slim design of both the Palm Vx and the Palm m505. The idea of going back to a unit that is twice as thick does not appeal to me.
Other than that, I hear the Visor Prism is a fine unit that would meet your needs quite nicely. Another unit that I hear people are quite happy with is the new Sony CLIE color model. From what you have said, it sounds like this would also meet all of your requirements, although it is not as inexpensive as the Visor Prism. I hope this information is somewhat helpful. Good luck on your quest. Please let me know what decision you ultimately make. Thanks.
.H1 Synchronization
The Palm’s most serious deficiency is its inability to synchronize any software other than the few standard applications that come with it. Is there any software available that allows one to synchronize the other applications?
Bob Benjamin
.H2 Editor-in-Chief David Gewirtz responds
Bob, you’ll probably be happy to know that you’re mistaken. Go to http://search.palmpower.com and search for "conduit." From the very beginning, Palm designed an extensible HotSync architecture that does just that. You can also go to http://www.dataviz.com, http://www.chapura.com, and http://www.pumatech.com (look for Intellisync), and http://www.avantgo.com for just some of the many third-party conduits. Check out some of our conduit reviews:
.BEGIN_LIST
.BULLET For the article, "Synchronizing to Notes with Pylon Conduit," by Richard Echeandia in the January 1988 issue of PalmPower, visit http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199801/pylon001.html.
.END_LIST
.BEGIN_LIST
.BULLET For the article, "EasySync is as easy as 1-2-3," by Dan Velasco in the July 1999 issue of PalmPower, visit http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199907/ezsync001.html.
.END_LIST
.BEGIN_LIST
.BULLET For the article, "Corporate email goes mobile and wireless," by Steve Niles in the April 2001 issue of PalmPower’s Enterprise Edition, visit http://www.palmpowerenterprise.com/issues/issue200104/palmemail001.html.
.END_LIST
.BEGIN_LIST
.BULLET For the article, "A step-by-step guide to configuring PocketMirror and Microsoft Outlook" by Bob Draper in the January 2001 issue of PalmPower, visit http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200101/pocketmirror001.html.
.END_LIST
.BEGIN_LIST
.BULLET For the article, "Palm Desktop and Microsoft Outlook go head-to-head" by Bob Draper in the December 2000 issue of PalmPower, visit http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200012/outlook001.html.
.END_LIST
.BEGIN_LIST
.BULLET For the article, "Email solutions, from simple to sophisticated," by Michael Connick in the May 2001 issue of PalmPower’s Enterprise Edition, visit http://www.palmpowerenterprise.com/issues/issue200105/internet0501001.html.
.END_LIST
.BEGIN_LIST
.BULLET For the article, "Pumatech’s Intellisync: a powerful way to take it all with you," by Bob Draper in the August 2001 issue of PalmPower, visit http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200108/intellisync001.html.
.END_LIST
.BEGIN_LIST
.BULLET For the article, "Questions and answers on Palm/Outlook synchronization," by Bob Draper in the April 2001 issue of PalmPower, visit http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200104/questions001.html.
.END_LIST
.H1 On target review
The following two letters were written in response to Chris Phillips’ review of Pocket Quicken in the August 2001 issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200108/quicken001.html.
Chris, nice job on the PalmPower review. I share your enthusiasm for the product and its capabilities. You also nailed my one minor complaint (separate budget tracking). But, to your point, I only use if for focus/problem areas, not to replace Quicken Budget.
Howard Smith
.H1 International finance
I’ve read your extensive Pocket Quicken review in PalmPower Magazine.
Pocket Quicken has a major problem: it works only with US Quicken versions, not with other localized Quicken versions (for example, I have the Spanish Quicken).
Solution? Use ExpenzPro (at http://www.zoskware.com) to record expenses on the road (mostly cash ones), export them to the PC (in .CSV format), build a short program that transforms .CSV files to .QIF ones, and import the values using the Import feature under Quicken’s File menu.
Obviously it’s not as integrated as Pocket Quicken, but it’s an acceptable solution.
From Badalona,
Gabriel
.H1 Class action
This letter was written in response to a news item posted at the PalmPower News Center on August 20, 2001 entitled, "Palm comments on HotSync issue."
I was surprised to hear that PalmPower does not recognize the validity of the class action suit against Palm for damage done to users’ motherboards (serial line, on-board interface damage).
The statement that "no one has notified PalmPower" is puzzling because there doesn’t seem to be an obvious mechanism to inform PalmPower. I’m sending this to info@palmpower.com to bring PalmPower up to date on this issue.
I have experienced this myself. In my case, Dell’s warranty was in effect, and I was able to have the motherboard replaced for free. So as of this email, PalmPower can no longer say that they have "not heard of this problem." You’ve just heard it from me. I will notify Dell of the class action suit and my belief that the only device I ever connected to my serial port, the Palm handheld, may be responsible. Thanks for the great AvantGo channel!
Jeff Vandegrift
.BEGIN_KEEP
.H2 Editor-in-Chief David Gewirtz responds
Interesting. Our notification method is the very one you used, sending mail to info@palmpower.com. And, Jeff, you’re literally the first reader we’ve heard from who has personally reported this problem. We’re forwarding your note over to Palm, but I still have to say I’m still a bit skeptical. Personally. I’ve abused computers, plugging and unplugging while powered, plugging in my own homemade devices, and things far less wise, and I’ve never fried a motherboard. Given that there are so many Palm OS users and given that a serial port connection is a really easy engineering job (yeah, I’ve designed a few), I honestly think it’s more random chance than Palm’s fault. But hey, only time will tell. In any case, keep us informed and we’ll keep you informed!
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For Contributing Editor Bob Draper’s letter, "Piecing it all together," in the August 2001 isssue of PalmPower, visit http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200108/pplte0801002.html.
For more information on Gethightech.com, visit http://www.gethightech.com.
For more information on Blue Nomad, visit http://www.bluenomad.com.
For more information on TapPad, visit http://brochusoftware.com.
For more information on conduits, visit http://search.palmpower.com, and search for "conduit."
For more information on third party conduits, visit http://www.dataviz.com.
For more information on third party conduits, visit http://www.chapura.com.
For more information on third party conduits, visit http://www.pumatech.com and look for Intellisync.
For more information on third party conduits, visit http://www.avantgo.com.
For the article, "Synchronizing to Notes with Pylon Conduit," by Richard Echeandia in the January 1988 issue of PalmPower, visit http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199801/pylon001.html.
For the article, "EasySync is as easy as 1-2-3," by Dan Velasco in the July 1999 issue of PalmPower, visit http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199907/ezsync001.html.
For the article, "Corporate email goes mobile and wireless," by Steve Niles in the April 2001 issue of PalmPower’s Enterprise Edition, visit http://www.palmpowerenterprise.com/issues/issue200104/palmemail001.html.
For the article, "A step-by-step guide to configuring PocketMirror and Microsoft Outlook" by Bob Draper in the January 2001 issue of PalmPower, visit http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200101/pocketmirror001.html.
For the article, "Palm Desktop and Microsoft Outlook go head-to-head" by Bob Draper in the December 2000 issue of PalmPower, visit http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200012/outlook001.html.
For the article, "Email solutions, from simple to sophisticated," by Michael Connick in the May 2001 issue of PalmPower’s Enterprise Edition, visit http://www.palmpowerenterprise.com/issues/issue200105/internet0501001.html.
For the article, "Pumatech’s Intellisync: a powerful way to take it all with you," by Bob Draper in the August 2001 issue of PalmPower, visit http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200108/intellisync001.html.
For the article, "Questions and answers on Palm/Outlook synchronization," by Bob Draper in the April 2001 issue of PalmPower, visit http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200104/questions001.html.
For Chris Phillip’s review of Pocket Quicken in the August 2001 issue of PalmPower, visit http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200108/quicken001.html.
For more information about ExpenzPro, visit http://www.zoskware.com.
To notify PalmPower, send an email to info@palmpower.com.
For more information about Palm computers, visit http://www.palm.com.
.H1 Bulk reprints
Bulk reprints of this article (in quantities of 100 or more) are available for a fee from Reprint Services, a ZATZ business partner. Contact them at reprints@zatz.com or by calling 1-800-217-7874.
.END_SIDEBAR
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?50@@.ee6f87a
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