PALM PLACE - News and Views

I found a nice Member Forum for the site and thought we would give it a try. Yes, there is plenty of these "forums"surrounding the Palm and Wireless community, but I think we can do it better. And we are at least going to try. So, pop on over and register, remember once your favorite online name is gone, it's gone, so do not delay. Please send me suggestions for topics, what you would like to see and remeber THE SKY'S THE LIMIT!!

ADDED: Bonus I have a few "gifts" that I have been given in the way of Palm Cases and Synch\Charging cords, so I think I will be giving away those at random to those who register, so you never know!! Also, we well NEVER sell your name or abuse your info. It is strictly for the Forums use.
See ya soon at http://wirelessway.proboard27.com, Palm Place Users Forum-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

THANKS TO PDA24/7 for posting a note today (2/26) that showed me how to get this $19.95 game FREE! Here is the promo code: 45103721 You can get it HERE from Palmsource.

I downloaded this and it's actually pretty cool. Great for kids of all ages! Options include the ability to set a password in order for someone to exit the "Playground" (to keep your other data safe), and the normal buttons don't work in "Playground" -- you have to exit using a dropdown from the menu (whether you use password or not).

Paint - a colorbook type application
Icons for paint bucket, brush or spray paint can be used to color in the included pictures; change colors by tapping on the crayon color-selector and then choosing the color you want; use the smiley face in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen to cycle through pictures.

Draw - create your own works of art
Icons for paint bucket, brush or spray paint can be used to color in the included pictures; change colors by tapping on the crayon color-selector and then choosing the color you want; use the smiley face in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen to bring up a blank screen

Match - a pairs game
It starts out with just one pair, and gets progressively more difficult with each level you complete

ScratchOff - simple game for "little ones"
Use the stylus to “scratch off” the image and reveal the picture underneath (try to guess what it is before you uncover it all)

FollowMe - A game of concentration
Follow the pattern of images and sounds. It starts out easy and gets harder as you go along.

PuzzlePath - an animated puzzle game
Move the puzzle pieces around so the little girl can safely collect all the fruit.
(if the path isn't ready when she gets to the end, she turns around and heads back the other way)

NOTE: These PalmSource PROMO's like this are gone as fast as they go up. Needless to say I am sorry if it is discontinued when you go there, so PLEASE HURRY time is awasting!!

-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

palmOne has announced a $30 price drop on the Palm Tungsten T2 making it now only $299. Save $30.00! Plus Free Overnight Shipping!
And just to make things exciting, palmOne has announced a $50 REBATE on the ZIRE 71, making the Palm Zire 71 now only $199 after $50 mail-in rebate. Save $50! Plus Free Shipping!

So, if you haven't been lucky enough to win one of the excellent PALM ADDICT contest's, here is two great new opportunities to get yourself a new palmOne T2 or ZIRE 71.
Ron P.

On Monday 2-26-2004, Motorola announced the Motorola MPx — a part of the Motorola MOTOPro series of handsets featuring Microsoft Windows Mobile software. The dual-hinge device opens both lengthways as a clamshell phone and in landscape mode as an email device with a wide screen and full QWERTY keyboard.
The Motorola MPx aims to replace use of multiple devices by blending the essentials of a mobile phone, personal data assistant (PDA) and email messenger in one device. By opening the device in landscape mode, Internet browsing, streaming video and access to corporate applications are all supposed to be within easy reach using the Motorola MPx.
The tri-band GSM/GRPS Motorola MPx is a business tool, with advanced features such as built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and Infrared support for data exchange. The MPx also sports a 2.8 inch, 16-bit color display providing a resolution of 320x240 pixels.
The device is built on the MOTOPro Innovation Platform, a feature rich software and hardware platform that leverages Motorola’s design and technologies, as well as the Microsoft Windows Mobile software. The Motorola MPx boasts up to 1GB of expandable memory through a SD/MMC slot, an integrated 1.3 mega pixel camera with flash, and Java technology.
The Motorola MPx will be shipped with Windows Media Player for playback of video clips. Video clips and pictures taken by the integrated camera can be sent via e-mail, MMS, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
The Motorola MPx is expected to be available in the second half of 2004, while pricing will depend on operator.



-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

CANNES, France (special to eWEEK.com)—Group Sense PDA, a PalmSource licensee, announced Tuesday at the 3GSM World Congress here its second PalmSource phone: the Xplore G88. This follows up last year's Xplore G18 and is a multifeature smartphone running Palm OS 4.1.2.

It has a a built-in 320-by-240 digital camera with zoom, 16MB RAM, a 22MB Flash Internal Memory Card with WAP/e-mail/Java support and a push-out keyboard like the Nokia 7650, but is a lot smaller and lighter.
Key to this announcement is that the product is a PalmSource smartphone (as opposed to a PalmSource PDA with built-in cellular) and is a high-spec device that networks can put under their own badge and sell in high volumes.

High volumes for smartphones, that is. A useful reality check to keep by you in Cannes is the knowledge that although Symbian has apparently won the smartphone war so far, its total sold licences are dwarfed by the total size of the phone market. In smartphones, PalmSource frequently suffers from the "too little, too late" tag. PalmSource's business development vice president, Albert Chu, declined to share market figures during the company's quiet period.


"We believe that the new G88 demonstrates GSPDA's continued track record to bring innovative and easy-to-use Palm-powered smartphones to market," said PalmSource President and CEO David Nagel. "GSPDA is not only an innovator in Palm-powered smartphone design, they also embrace their development efforts with a cutting-edge time to market approach."

GSPDA, as the company name might imply, started in PDAs and does a great deal of business in mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. In addition to PDAs and phones, it is active in education, entertainment, data storage and communications.
At recent presentations, Nagel has speculated that a wireless MP3 player could be a killer category. The notion of a wireless iPod as the "next big thing" could make a deal of sense. Wireless MP3 is something that GSPDA is looking at, and although it declined to confirm that there's a project in the works, it conceded that it's reasonable to speculate that it is working on devices in this category.





-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

Reader reports have come in that palmOne has begun to ship the Treo 600 to customers that had pre-ordered. The initial shipments are going out early, as previous estimates cited a early march shipping date.


Users that pre-order the device have begin to receive email notifications that the device has now shipped. The Treo 600 can now be ordered immediately online from palmOne.com, and through direct T-Mobile business sales channels and select value-added resellers. The Treo 600 smartphone will be available to new T-Mobile customers at an estimated U.S. street price of $499 when purchased with a service contract.

Through March 2, 2004, palmOne is offering all Treo 180, 270 and 300 owners the ability to upgrade to a Treo 600 smartphone for only $399, exclusively at palmOne.com. The device is now also available on the AT&T, Cingular and Sprint networks.



-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

Spring time is approaching, so it must be time for the rumors of upcoming palmOne handhelds to come in earnest, as palmOne, previously Palm, has traditionally announced new devices in the Spring and Fall. Why last year, the handheld company, released the Tungsten C and the Zire 71, two devices that helped complete a successful product turnaround for the company, which had seen its PDA line-up eclipsed by the likes of Sony and HP for excitement and the latest features.
The most recent rumor, as reported by Palm Addict, places a sequel to the Zire 71, which was palmOne's first PDA with an integrated digital camera, as appearing this spring. This device, the Zire 72, may look like the Tungsten E, palmOne's popular mid-level business PDA released last fall, and include 64MB of RAM with 56 MB available to the user, and like the Zire 71, a digital camera.

The Zire 71 only has 16 MB of memory and the camera on the Zire 72 is purported to be a far superior at 1.3 megapixels. The handheld would run Palm OS 5.2.1, now called Garnet. It may bring Bluetooth to the Zire line also.

Other rumored new handhelds from palmOne include a successor to the Treo 600. This would be the first Treo to come to light after PalmOne's merger with Handspring, the original designer


-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

I recently received and have been using the new Stylograph from a JAVOedge and I must say it is my new FAVORITE stylus. Ever pick something up and it just feels instantly "right"? This is one of those items. I instantly knew it was the right weight, thickness, tip was the right size (after some initial writing, of course) and it just plain looked GOOD! Made in a dulled chrome (also comes in Black and Grey) it looks great as well. Am I overly excited about a PDA stylus? Maybe, but at my age ya gotta grab for all the gusto you can when it comes along. But seriously, I really do like this stylus. And now for the big finish. They have put an extended, Golf Putter style head on the top of it. (Remove the top and get a nice little reset pin!) And the part I really like is that it sticks out of my Palm m500 series PERFECTLY. Just a flick of my thumb and out it pops with ease. I have always had problems fighting every stylus I've ever had. So , if your looking for a new or replacement stylus,( Available for most all makes/models of PDA by the way!) check out the folks at JAVOedge. They're good people with good product. Stay tuned, I have more reviews coming, and maybe a contest or two as well featuring some JAVOedge product !!!
-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

Nokia today launched their enterprise mobility solution for corporate customers. The new Nokia 9500 Communicator is one of the first cellular devices on the market designed to meet the demands of corporate IT departments for customization, manageability and security. The tri-band device supporting E-GPRS (EDGE) and Wi-Fi 802.11b is expected to be available in volume during the fourth quarter of 2004. It includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, MMC Card Slot and a Digital Camera. The price (unsubsidized) of the Nokia 9500 Communicator is expected to be around €800 in Europe or $1000 in the United States.
FULL DETAILS


-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

***ANNOUNCING OUR NEXT CONTEST!! ***WIN A ALUMINUM CASE FOR YOUR PALM (or CLIE) FROM PROPORTA ***!!!

I am pleased to announce that this week starts our next of many contests. PROPORTA (an "E"tailer of excellent PDA accessories) has given PALMPLACE an Aluminum Case for either a PALM or CLIE to Giveaway this weekend. So, heres what you need to do. Go to PROPORTA's WEBSITE at http://www.proporta.com and (after you have looked around and marveled at what is available and the incredible pricing !!) find the two words that they use to describe their warranty/return policy. I found it in 2 places with relative ease, so it should be a breeze. Then send that along with how you heard about this weekends contest to supportstaff@comcast.net. In the SUBJECT line please put CONTEST ENTRY. Then include your full name, shipping address, EMAIL address as well as the model Aluminum case you desire, PALM Model# or SONY CLIE Model#. The contest will run through TUES, MAR. 2nd at Midnite. Winner will be contacted by Chloe at PROPORTA and your case will be shipped off to your location. ALSO, all entrants will receive a discount code good for a nice discount off your next purchase at Proporta.
So all that's left to say is GET TO IT! And, oh, guess what? Please, limit one entry per email /shipping address. Thank You and Good Luck From PROPORTA and PALM PLACE

I use X-10 Home Automation all over my house. In fact, I have actually had X-10 since I was 12 years old. I have the original walnut grained control panal from Radio Shack and the Brown modules from them as well. The stuff does last. I don't wanna telll you how long ago that was, but it is long enough. I have X-10 software/modules turn my lights on automatically, make tea in the morning and automatically turn my lights on and off when I am away. It is worth a look, and it is inexpensive, very inexpensive. So if you have not looked at X-10 check 'em out, they have neat stuff.
Note: I just added a tabletop controller on my Mom's nitestand and gave her a PalmTop Controller for the Living Room/Rest of House. She wakes up, Hits "3 On" and the Tea Pot Starts" I am a hero, she still is not over it! She comes upstairs and forgets to turn the lights off in hallway or downstairs, "4 Off" and she is done. And thank God, No Clapping!! LOL. You can do much more if you use the software, but in her case kjust the standard controllers was all that was needed. If anyone has questions about X-10 stuff, drop me a line be glad to help you with it.

$39.99 Value: Free Deluxe Keyboard Case with purchase of Palm Ultra Thin, Portable or Wireless Keyboard

While supplies last, purchase Palm Ultra Thin, Portable or Wireless Keyboard and receive the Keyboard case for FREE!



Promotion starts 2/23 7:30AM EST and ends 2/29 11:59PM EST. SAVE $$$ on Palm handhelds, accessories, and software. New Special Offers Everyday!


-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

Special deals for medical &healthcare professionals! SAVE on Palm handhelds and software at the Official Palm Store!

Find the right stylus for your Palm handheld. DIRECT from the manufacturer. Click Here!

Get accessories for your Palm m505 DIRECT at the Official Palm Store!

Great accessories for your Palm m130 handheld.Buy DIRECT at the Official Palm Store!

Get accessories for your Palm m125 handheld DIRECT from the manufacturer at the Official Palm Store!

Get accessories for your Palm m105 handheld DIRECT at the Official Palm Store!


-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

Following Directions: The Note Pad on your Palm is a handy place to store directions to a new client's offices and other venues you're not familiar with. Visit the client's Web site for directions to their offices (most companies usually post them under Contact Us or About Us.) Copy the directions from the site and paste them into Note Pad on your Palm™ Desktop. You may want to attach the note to the corresponding event in your Date Book. Don't forget to perform a HotSync® operation!


-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

Get new EXCLUSIVE specials on Best Selling Palm accessories at the Official Palm Store!

-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

A serious Bluetooth security vulnerability allows mobile phone users' contact books to be stolen. You've heard of bluejacking - now meet 'bluesnarfing'
A security flaw has been discovered in Bluetooth that lets an attacker download all contact details along with other information from a vulnerable phone, while leaving no trace of the attack.
Unlike bluejacking, which is where users can send a message to Bluetooth phones without authorisation, this latest discovery for the wireless-data standard allows data, such as telephone numbers and diary entries, stored in a vulnerable device to be stolen by the attacker. The new exploit is called bluesnarfing.
Bluesnarfing is said to affect a number of Sony Ericsson, Ericsson and Nokia handsets, but some models are at greater risk because they invite attack even when in 'invisible mode' -- in which the handset is not supposed to broadcast its identity and should refuse connections from other Bluetooth devices.
Adam Laurie, chief security officer at UK networking and security firm AL Digital, told ZDNet UK that the Nokia 6310, 6310i, 8910 and 8910i models were at greatest risk. "On some models of phone, you are only vulnerable to attack if you are on visible mode; however, there are other models of phones where you are vulnerable even in non-visible mode," he said.
Laurie said he discovered the problem when he was asked to test how safe Bluetooth devices actually were. "Before we deploy any new technology for clients or our own staff, one of my duties is to investigate that technology and ensure it is secure. Actually rolling your sleeves up and looking at it, not just taking the manufacturers' claims at face value. When I did that, I found that it is not secure," he said.
According to Laurie, he can initiate a bluesnarfing attack from his laptop after making a modification to its Bluetooth settings: "It is a standard Bluetooth-enabled laptop and the only special bit is the software I am using in the Bluetooth stack. I have a modified the Bluetooth stack and that enables me to perform this attack," he said.
Bluesnarfing has huge potential for abuse because it leave no trace and victims will be unaware that their details have been stolen: "If your phone is in your pocket, you will be completely unaware," he said.
Laurie said he has had trouble getting the major handset manufacturers to admit the problem exists: "I have had experts telling me that it can't possibly exist because they have been trying to do this and failing."
Although the problem may affect other Bluetooth devices, such as laptops, Laurie said they are more difficult to target because the systems are more complex: "Mobiles are liable to be more vulnerable simply because the resources for menus and configuration are limited. Manufacturers try and make Bluetooth simple to use on phones, so you don't have much granularity in setting options. On a lot of phones, Bluetooth is either on or off," he said.
Laurie said that for now, there is no fix available. He said that the only way to be completely safe is to switch off the Bluetooth functionality.
AL Digital has developed several proof-of-concept utilities, but has not released them into the wild, said Laurie. They include: Bluestumbler, to monitor and log all visible Bluetooth devices (name, MAC address, signal strength, capabilities), and identify the manufacturer from MAC address lookup; and Bluesnarf, which can copy data from a target device.
According to the AL Digital's bluestumbler Web site, vulnerable phones include: Ericsson T68; Sony Ericsson R520m, T68i, T610 and Z1010; and Nokia 6310, 6310i, 7650, 8910 and 8910i.

Nokia and Sony Ericsson were not immediately available for comment.


-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

The Palm operating system is moving forward in two directions, with the announcement of two next-generation versions of the Palm OS that will appear on devices later this year.

The two upcoming releases, mainstream Palm OS Garnet and enterprise-oriented Palm OS Cobalt, are being previewed at the PalmSource Developers Conference in San Jose, California, this week.

Both new versions of the Palm OS are intended to make the popular handheld operating system more powerful than ever, and able to support an even wider range of hardware than the current array of Palm-based personal digital assistants and wireless communicators.

Cobalt's Shine
Palm OS Garnet corresponds to version 5.4 of the Palm OS, while Palm OS Cobalt is the equivalent of version 6. PalmSource hopes that by not using version numbers it will keep prospective Garnet customers from thinking they're getting an old or outdated product, but the bulk of the innovation is clearly going into Palm OS Cobalt
New features in Cobalt include improved graphics and multimedia support. Its customizable status bar will look familiar to owners of recent Tungsten PDAs, and the OS has a more robust contact manager with room for more data and a tabbed layout. PalmSource has also improved its support for various types of connectivity, including simultaneous voice and data sessions.

Under the hood, Cobalt will also have support for much more memory--up to 256MB each in RAM and ROM. PalmSource hopes the memory boost plus better security features will make the OS more suitable for heavy-duty enterprise applications.


Garnet Builds on OS 5
Palm OS Garnet, meanwhile, will basically improve on the most recent Palm 5 release. Among its features are support for higher screen resolutions (including 240 by 320) and a software-based Graffiti input area that can vanish as required (and which will look familiar to Tungsten T3 owners), plus enhanced tools for finding and using Bluetooth networks. Garnet stays within the current memory limits of 128MB in RAM and 16MB in ROM.

PalmSource expects that Cobalt's features will encourage development of new Palm-based devices such as tablets, electronic book readers, game players, and other types of hardware.

Meanwhile, to attract new Palm customers who may not care about the OS's core calendar and datebook features, PalmSource is seeking greater visibility for the 20,000 or so applications for Palms.

To that end, PalmSource's Web site now features a series of expert guides to Palm applications in categories ranging from knitting and religion to law and medicine.

-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

palmOne's
FIND AN APPLICATION QUICKLY
You can open an application from the Home screen by writing the Graffiti character for the first letter of its name. The Home screen scrolls to the first application with a name that begins with that letter.
Quick Menu Commands
To quickly execute menu commands, press the Command Stroke key + the appropriate command letter, for example, Command Stroke key + C to copy, or Command Stroke key + P to paste.
Free Overnight Shipping on the Tungsten T3 Handheld! Plus other exclusive deals available only on the Official Palm Store

-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

Meet the PEG-TJ37 and PEG-TH55, just announced in Japan: features include video playback and cameras as well as coloured shells and typical Sony design.
Japanese giant Sony has added another two models to its PDA lineup: the TJ37 and TH55. Each handheld is to become available in Japan later this month, while no information on release schedules for other markets was available at the time of writing.
The TJ37 follows the general form-factor of the TJ series, adopting a 320 x 320 16-bit display with hard grafitti area in a sleek shell, which is available in a range of colours, including blue, silver and orange. The Palm OS 5-running TJ37 will be equipped with a 200 MHz ARM processor from Sony's i.MXL range, backed up by 32 MB of DRAM and 16 MB ROM.

It also features a VGA digital camera mounted on its reverse, and comes equipped with MP3-playing functionality courtesy of Aero Player. Further media ability is found in Quicktime movie playback. All this sits in a device measuring 75 x 115 x 13 mm.

The TH55 also runs Palm OS 5.2.1 atop a 123 MHz Sony processor, this time with 32 MB of RAM and 32 MB of ROM. The display is larger, running at Sony's highest resolution of 320 x 480, which incorporates a virtual grafitti area. The display is, of course, 16-bit.

This model incorporates the same camera found in the TJ37, but also features integrated 802.11b Wi-Fi and possibly Bluetooth. Quicktime movie playback is supplemented by MPEG-1 support and a voice recorder, although oddly no mention is made of MP3 functionality on this device.

The TH55 comes in black or red and features a new transparent flip-lid designed to allow use of the new Clie Organizer application, which offers handwritten notes and images within a standard PIM view. The device measures 73.3 x 121.5 x 15.7 mm and weighs a solid 185 g.

-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

Security company AL Digital has issued a warning over some Bluetooth mobile phones that could enable a hacker to obtain access to the devices.

The company claims that a hacker could use a phone's Bluetooth connectivity to obtain a wide range of information such as a user's identity, bank account details, sales leads, business contacts and other confidential information. All this could reportedly be downloaded to the hacker's mobile phone using a wireless Bluetooth connection without the victim being aware of the theft.

AL Digital also said that the safety of vulnerable lone children or women could be compromised if their mobile number got into the wrong hands.



-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

Get new EXCLUSIVE specials on Best Selling Palm accessories at the Official Palm Store!



Check out a new supplier of PDA accessories. We have been chatting with the people over at JAVOedge and we like what we are hearing. They specialize in new and unique accessories for all makes and models of PDA's. It appears that convenience and practicality is the driving force behind their ideas and designs. We have some product on the way for review, so stick with us for some more info. Also, look forward for some nice contest's with JAVOedge product as prizes. So check them out!! You'll be glad you did.

NOTE: Anyone who uses Earbuds or Headset needs to take a look at this. One of the reasons I don't carry my MP3 player often is that I hate that cord tangle of my EarBuds. Check out their JAVOearbuds, this item I like alot!


-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World