TamsPalm - the Palm OS Blog

Palm OS news and opinion source

August 24th, 2005

PalmSource Web Browser for Cobalt

There is no cobalt device yet, but there is already a simulator for developers - and a web browser SDK for developers. “Palm Web Browser 3.0 for Cobalt” is its name. The old standard browser for Palms is Web Pro, the new one is called “Blazer”. Palm Web Browser is another browser line. The only device that has Web Browser I know is the Tungsten C (Web Browser 2.0 for Garnet).

For the moment, it could be better than Web Pro, Blazer and perhaps better than NetFront, too. Highlights are “Tabbed-Browsing” (Firefox, …), VGA support, zoom (50%, 75% or 100%) and Small-Screen-Rendering, JavaScript and Pop-ups with integrated blocker. I couldn’t get the simulator connected to the internet so I can’t tell how fast it is etc.

Here some screenshots:

http://www.palmos.com/dev/tech/webbrowser/web_browser_30.html

August 21st, 2005

Google Maps and Palm OS

Google maps is a free map service, its web page is http://maps.google.com. You can’t yet view maps of the whole world, but in America, England etc. If you try to load the page on your palm, you will notice that won’t show the page because it is using ActiveX.

With KMaps (http://www.alealea.com) it is possible to view Google Maps on your palm / smartphone. Soon it shall be availible for other phones, so the developer decided to use Java technology. This means that you need to have installed “IBM Websphere Environment” (http://www.palm.com/us/support/jvm/download.html).

Now it would be cool to have even Google Earth on your Palm! Google Earth uses much pictures, so it would take much expensive downloading time on your smartphone, but there are Palms with Wireless LAN, too.

So this is the second interesting Java project, after Opera, in this month.

August 20th, 2005

The new PIMs on old Palms - part 2

This is the second part of “The new PIMs on old Palms” - you could read that the new applications “Calendar”, “Contacts” and others run on Palm OS 4.1, even on Palm III, V, IIIc and so on. Now I’ll tell how to copy them. Many of you had to wait long for this news, because there were problems. For example, I couldn’t use the files from the T5.

First, you need a real device (Tungsten T3 or Tungsten E) or a device-specific simulator (get it at http://pluggedin.palmone.com). Zire 31, 72, Tungsten T5 and newer palms have those applications, too, but those files made problems, for example the “Contacts”-application crashed if I tried to beam an address. Perhaps the reason is that the *very* new programs (on T5 or Zire 72) use libraries for contact photos and calendar backgrounds. If you use the simulator you can’t copy libraries because they are compiled to DLL files (x86). If you want to be sure you should use a T|T3 or T|E or their simulators.

You need a file manager, of course, I recommend FileZ (http://www.nosleep.net”). Copy it to your palm and then start it. Choose “View and Edit Files” and show the “Internal Memory”. Now look for the files. You need the following files:

  • Calender-PDat + localization files (Calendar-PDat_deDE for a german-”speaking” palm, …)
  • Contacts-PAdd + localization files
  • Memos-PMem + localization files
  • Tasks-PTod + localization files

If you use a Zire 72 or 31 for copying, you need additionaly “CategoryLib-catL” + localization files. You must install them first, otherwise your palm will crash.

Select them and copy them to your card or beam them to your old device. If you use the device-specific simulator, you’ll have to copy them to “POSESlot1″, that’s a virtual card, you find the contents in the folder “Card0″ in the simulator folder. But often FileZ doesn’t recognize virtual cards. Then use “GentleMan”, another good file manager (http://www.mulliner.org”), it will recognize it.

August 17th, 2005

Opera for the Palm

Opera Software has developed a J2ME version of his well-known internet browser “Opera” which runs on Java-enabled mobile phones. It can display real HTML web pages and even images or forms. It is freeware, but it can only be downloaded in Norway because the download is provided by the TV channel “TV2″.

But now, it is number 1 in the list “hot downloads” on Mytreo.net with 1520 downloads! To be run on a palm, it needs “IBM WebSphere Environment” , a java runtime. It isn’t as good as the smartphone version “Opera for Series 60″, but many people say that it would be better than “Blazer”. It even runs in hires+ mode (320×480) on Tungsten T3, T5 , …

Java runtime download - Software description on mytreo.net - discussion on Mytreo.net, with instructions how to change the language - news on 1src.com - discussion on 1src.com

Now have fun with it, and give feedback!

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