.KEYWORD pplte0802
.FLYINGHEAD LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
.TITLE Hidden treasure, darkened keyboards, and the mending of a broken handheld
.DEPT
.SUMMARY In this month’s edition of Letters to the Editor, we receive kind words from South Africa, dissatisfaction with the Treo 90, and a question about repairs.
.EDNOTE In this month’s edition of Letters to the Editor, we receive kind words from South Africa, dissatisfaction with the Treo 90, and a question about repairs.
.H1 A hidden treasure trove
I live in Cape Town, Republic of South Africa. At present I co-own a small business that works within the soccer sector. That’s soccer, as in the English football, although I do watch American football. My team was the 49ers, but I lost interest when Joe "The Greatest" Montana left.
.CALLOUT You seem to have a knack for turning the overlooked mundane into business gold.
South Africa, as well as the rest of Africa, has failed to realize the importance of general IT introduction. Financially, most countries invest only in arms and political paychecks. They fail to realize that "Education is the Key." Thankfully, South Africa is moving forward, albeit slowly.
Back to the point, a friend directed me to your site and, needless to say, he moved up my best friend list as your site is a hidden trove of treasure. I haven’t been able to stop reading your articles. You seem to have a knack for turning the overlooked mundane into business gold. I am also involved in a project focusing on tourism. I think our project is financially viable due to the dollar/rand exchange. Basically, we want to rent mobile devices with the most up-to-date information to tourists. As well as being able to communicate with their families back home by mail, they will be able to access South African sites and sounds on the fly. South Africa is one of the few countries one can tour by foot and car. We possess an entire world in one country, including climatic extremes and variation in population.
I have been to England, Scotland, and Wales on a study promotion. I studied law (please no jokes). Frankly, I didn’t enjoy the trip as the English and their culture were one dimensional. Being fortunate to experience "First World" conditions, I am now interested in implementing business change with regard to quantifying workflow and success. I don’t want to take up to much of your time, so thanks again for your interesting articles. I’m looking forward to reading more.
Warmest regards,
Marcellinho van Driel
.H1 Can’t see the keys
I am very disappointed in regard to the great reviews that the Treo 90 has received. None of the articles make mention of a flaw that limits the device’s functionality in low light. This is the fact that the Treo lacks a backlit keyboard. Who cares how bright the screen is if you can’t use the keyboard?!
Arin Kats
.H2 Editor Steve Niles responds
Interesting point. In fact, some Treo 90 and Treo 270 screens don’t even have a functioning backlight as evidenced by a recent post at Handspring’s support Web site at http://support.handspring.com/esupport/forms/hsresolutionview.jsp?resolutionid=8427.
.H2 Arin responds to the response
At least that’s just a malfunction that is going to be corrected. But why hasn’t anyone mentioned the lack of a backlit keyboard that turns the Treo 90 into a bad choice instead of a great deal? Any talk about an updated version by Handspring or a copy by Palm?
.H2 Steve Niles responds to the response’s response
I haven’t heard any talk of an updated version. I just scheduled an article on the Treo 90 for the September issue. I’ll mention your concerns to the author we have working on it. He may wish to address them in his piece.
.H1 Repair issue
I need to know where I send a PalmPower to be repaired to. The glass on the front is cracked. Can it be repaired, and what do I need to do?
Shelley Tingle
.H2 Editor Steve Niles responds
PalmPower is our magazine about Palm handhelds and not an actual product. You may want to contact Palm, Inc., the makers of Palm handhelds. Contact information should be available at http://www.palm.com/support/.
Alternatively, you can read an article I wrote (at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200204/gethightech001.html) about do-it-yourself repairs. In it, I talk to Robby Stanley of Gethightech.com, an online business that sells new and used Palm OS parts and accessories.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on Handspring’s attempts to address Treo 90 and Treo 270 backlight problems, visit http://support.handspring.com/esupport/forms/hsresolutionview.jsp?resolutionid=8427.
For the article, "Do-it-yourself handheld repairs," by Steve Niles in the April 2002 issue of PalmPower, visit http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200204/gethightech001.html.
For more information on Palm handhelds, visit http://www.palm.com.
.H1 Easy, flexible article reprints
ZATZ now offers a quick, easy, flexible and inexpensive way to use article reprints in your marketing and promotion efforts. You can now get article reprints for a one-time fee of only $200. For details, visit http://mediakit.zatz.com/reprints.
.END_SIDEBAR
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