Dmitry Grinberg has just made public a beta of his long awaited SDHC driver. While it is still considered beta, you can get a full license for well supported devices:
The current version supporst only those devices, and has been tested on them, but still is considered a beta.
The beta costs 34.95$ US, while those of you who are patient enough will be able to pick up an official release for 20$ US at a yet unannounced later date.
You can read all about it or download the driver.
Last week the iPhone 3G was released to much fanfare. Along with the new 3G speed and features comes the ability to install applications via Apple’s iTunes store and GPS. Why does it seem like I am the only one steamed about the new phone?
Let me start by saying this: I don’t own, nor have I ever used an iPhone or an iPod Touch. My belief is that there is little behind all those fancy interfaces worth playing with. And the kid in my French class wouldn’t let me toy with his.
The phone itself is definitely one of the better phones on the market without a doubt. It’s spawned more carrier rivalry knockoffs than there are brands of LEGO Knockoffs, especially from LG as of late. The device is just plain cool. So why is lil Ryan so hot under the collar?
Two things: The company and the company’s supporters. Yeah, I expect a lot of, er, wonderful comments from you “Apple can do no wrong” people. You’re the ones I’m writing about, so open up and listen for a while. Apple keeps screwing you boys over and over and, for some reason or another, you welcome it with open arms and shouts of praise!
First it came with the initial release of the iPhone and Touch. Apple delivered a solid phone on time but they told developers they would not be able to develop native applications and would have to rely on the device’s webkit based browser, programming in ajax or another web app language. This limited the devices’ usefulness throughout the first “generation” (more on the quotes later) yet very few people seemed to mind, for some reason. Past that, the devices were solid, albeit fairly overpriced, and the blogosphere and geeks alike went mad over the thing, even over the imo gimmicky multitouch interface (I see that being more use on a larger screen, a la the Win7 demoes people have been throwing around)
Then came the price cuts. Within three months of the phone’s monumental release Apple slashed prices by 200$ with much public outcry. The blogosphere was practically up in arms, the major media, even, had something to say on the matter, yet the fanboys were strangely silent. Apple tried to make amends with the mainstream by giving the early adopters a 100$ credit to the Apple store. Why not? It makes Apple look like the saints they seem so keen on portraying themselves as and they still get to keep all the money they made on the deal. All it did was screw over the early adopters who were brave enough to step out.
And now the latest chapter in what I’d like to term iMania (please don’t sue): the shiny new iPhone 3G. Why isn’t anyone mad about this device? Apple’s “first generation” (I am quoting this because I hardly consider sticking a 3G radio in the first iPhone constitutes a generation) iPhone was, lack of third party SDK withstanding, with one notable fault: it ran on AT&T’s slower 2G network rather than their superior 3G network. So, Apple one-upped themselves with the 3G’s ads proclaiming a better-than-iPhone iPhone and light years ahead of the, what, six month old “first generation” iPhone? And, hey, made it even cheaper! 200$ with a two year contract gets you an iPhone 3G. Maybe the 4G will be free… <_< How bout those early adopters, Apple?
And best of all, the world loved it. The 3G is one of the most talked about things on the market. Hell, it completely dwarfed the release of a new colored Centro, also on AT&T. We can blame Palm for picking a bad release date, but isn’t a new color on a nice stable device about as noteworthy as Apple putting the screws to their user base? Am I wrong in thinking there is a problem with how Apple treats their hardcore user base? Should they be able to get away with defecating on the people that made Apple what it is, and get rave reviews for it, no less? Would Palm get even a fraction of the slack Apple’s been cut?
The HandyWeather giveaway is now over – four winners have each received their license via forum PM. However, the Tamoggemon content team’s pockets are almost endless: today, we are proud to give away the Fortte Centro Case pictured below:
The case is unused (it was used 5min for this review) and will be mailed out to the winner of this giveaway. The sample currently is in Vienna, shipment to international destinations is 4€(payment via Paypal please).
Should you feel like taking it home, please leave a comment in the forum thread below:
http://forum.tamoggemon.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=37&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a
Verizon’s version of the Treo 755p recently received a ROM update that was said to fix “various” smaller and bigger problems. Palm’s vague description didn’t really satisfy anyone – and Ryan Kairer from PalmInfoCenter set out to find out the truth.
His writeup starts off with detailed install instructions, and then moves on to a informal “change log”. Cutting a lojng story short, he claims improved signal strength and music playback capabilities at the expense of 10% less battery life.
The full scoop is available here:
http://www.palminfocenter.com/news/7522/verizon-treo-755p-rom-howto-and-update-guide/
Should you own an AT&T-sourced Nokia phone, please head over to RCR Wireless immediately.
RCR reports that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Nokia, AT&T and a retailer called CommClub. The reason:
The class has suffered injuries in fact and lost money or property as a result of the … acts in that members of the class paid the purchase price for a brand new Nokia cellphone and instead received a used or reconditioned Nokia cellphone that was worth substantially less
Once again: if you have an AT&T Nokia phone (and purchased it at CommClub’s) – please get in touch. You could be using a refurbished device without knowing it. Should you plan to purchase a device now: stay clear of CommClub until the situation clears up!
The Palm OS economy is (/was) a beautiful place. Prospective owners of an electric blue Centro can now feast their eyes on our stock images AND a real-life, hands-on gallery over at the PalmInfoCenter.
Ryan seems to really like the new paint job – he describes it to be:
… very vibrant and really “pops” in person. This color also has a subtle sparkle finish to it when viewed up close. It’s not overwhelmingly sparkly and it makes for a nice effect. The casing is the usual solid plastic. As a nice touch, the included stylus also matches the sapphire motif.
My friend Tobi at Palm’s has undug the following press photos of the blue Centro for your enjoyment – click on any of them in order to feast your eyes on a bigger version. Finally, developers may also like the one with the white screen – it can IMHO be used to create mockups of your app running on an electric blue Centro:
_Preview.JPEG "Electric Blue Centro stock images")
_Preview.JPEG "Electric Blue Centro stock images")
_Preview.JPEG "Electric Blue Centro stock images")
_Preview.JPEG "Electric Blue Centro stock images")
_Preview.JPEG "Electric Blue Centro stock images")
_Preview.JPEG "Electric Blue Centro stock images")
_Preview.JPEG "Electric Blue Centro stock images")
A big thank-you goes out to Tobias Kuderna for providing these images!
The accessory market for Palm OS handhelds has traditionally been dominated by a triumvirate made up of Proporta, Brando and – to a lesser extent – Boxwave. Sir Rohr’s Fortte is a new player and plans to topple the market over by offering exclusive color options and various new form factors. Can their offering for the Centro stack up?
Fortte’s products ship via FedEx from the United States. Unfortunately, the Austrian Customs catch the parcels from time to time…
A small blister protects the case during transportation:
Our case was ordered with belt clip (as it is intended to be given away). The belt clip thus ships in a small satchel along the case. People who dislike belt clips can order their cases without one – the screw in the back is then omitted:
Getting the Centro into the case is easy. The device is slid in, and a clip in the back is then closed. Fortte’s method is more secure than the friction locking systems found in other manufacturer’s offerings:
The device remains perfectly usable while in the case:
Fortte did a great job at keeping the keyboard usable:
The controls at the top and the bottom remain fully functional:
A cutout on the left side keeps the volume buttons accessible:
The Centro’s memory card door is badly designed and requires you to remove the battery door when swapping memory cards. Thus, Fortte chose to cover up the “slot” – no functionality lost.
Finally, here are a few shots showing the Centro next to a QTek 8500 in a pink case. Of course, the case color can be chosen from dozens – the list is available at Fortte’s web site.
In the end, Fortte’s case for the Palm Centro is excellent. People who wish to be able to design their case from the ground up can now do so – but have to accept a higher price. The case we reviewed here costs about 80$…but is worth every penny…
Former PalmSource employee Chris Dunphy worked on the program that we all know as PalmSource installer. A few of you will also know that PalmSource originally planned something similar to the recently-launched Apple Application Store.
Dave’s article begins with the following bold statements:
…
I had two consistent recommendations on what to focus on to maximize the success and competitive differentiation of Palm hardware and the Palm platform.1) Build a great touchscreen phone with a 320×480 screen.
2) More importantly – build a great on-device application purchase experience, and provide the infrastructure to make it as easy as possible for both large and small developers to get rich.
…
Get the full scoop here:
http://www.twostepsbeyond.com/2008/07/11/iphone-eve/
A while back I compared Resco’s IDGuard with SplashID (see “Resco idguard versus splashid: whats in your pocket“). I’ve been beta testing the desktop component Resco has created for IDGuard. The app is just about ready for release. You can already get the latest beta directly from here, or go to this page to read about it and download from the beta section on the page.
Previously, my only real reservation about switching from SplashID to IDGuard was the lack of the desktop component, I have switched now. Resco is honing the desktop component for release (there are still a few bugs, although not in the conduit).
More to come when I’ve more fully tested it!
Palm’s Treo 800w can be considered one of the worst-kept secrets ever (sorry, Georgie..but that’s how it looks). Anyways, the box has now hit Sprint – the “terms of engagement are as follows.
The device has 128MB of program memory and 256MB of user data storage. External memory can be added via a MicroSD slot. The camera has a native resolution of 2MP, the screen indeed is 320×320. Finally, WiFi and GPS radios have been integrated for prosperity…
P.S. Should anyone of you want to access Sprint’s web site directly: use the ZIP code 60001 to bypass the ZIP entry box…
Using Dmitry Grinberg’s new beta of his SDHC driver, the old Tungsten C supports big SDHC cards! Unfortunately, I only have a 2 GB SD card, but it cannot access this card because its slot driver only supports card up to 1 GB. First, file managers didn’t show any contents, but Palm’s Card Info utility could show me several details about the card.
Then I installed Dmitry’s most recent FAT32 driver which is known to work a Tungsten C, T3 and T5 (and should work on others). Now, FileZ had no problems accessing the card anymore.
As the SDHC driver is an early beta – at least on the Tungsten C – it is still far away from working stable and not availible to the public. For example, it does not recognize the ejecting of a card. Inserting my 2 GB card makes the device freezing. But Dmitry told me that he now has a Tungsten C for testing, so the TC users can soon extend their handheld with 2 GB (and higher) memory cards.
An unnamed TealPoint employee recently posted the following explanation about the US trademark law to the palm-entrepreneurs mailing list. As it is excellently written, I felt like reposting it here – enjoy:
1) Functionality
A term cannot usually be trademarked if it is purely descriptive of its functionality. For instance, you cannot trademark “mileage log” for an app that tracks mileage, but I don’t think “Trip” is considered generic by this definition because the name doesn’t describe exactly what it does (trip planner? assistant for clumsy people? Grateful Dead tribute?). Instead, it is considered a “suggestive” mark which can indeed be trademarked. Being a common word isn’t a problem as long as it isn’t “functional”, as “Apple”, “Flash” and many other words are trademarked in a specific application.2) Incontestability
After five years, a registered term does not automatically become “incontestable”, but only if an “affidavit of incontestability” is filed with the PTO. Even then, the term can still technically be contested, but the term cannot be ruled invalid due to “prior art”, “functionality” or “lack of distinctiveness”.3) Infringment
Even if it’s incontestable, just including the term as part of a competing product’s name is not automatically infringement, especially when only a limited number of words could apply to an app that tracks automobile mileage. Otherwise, people would just trademark all applicable words (“mileage”, “log”, and “trip”) and nobody would be able to name a competing product anything at all. The intent of trademark law is to prevent confusion, not limit competition.When determining potential trademark infringment, the PTO assesses the “likelihood of confusion” on the part of customers, e.g. whether they might purchase one product believing it to be the other. If Steven’s product were called “Trip Deluxe”, or even “iTrip” then I think there would be a fair case for infringement. I think it unlikely, however that someone would think “TripLog” and “Trip” were actually the same product.
Dear Readers,
the recent server move turned out to be more problematic than I originally expected it to be – the commenting system at TamsPalm’s currently doesn’t operate correctly.
We currently work on fixing the bugs and hope to be back up soon!
All the best from Vienna
Tam Hanna
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