From the crew here at Canuck PDA, we hope you have a great and blessed holiday season!
Best wishes and happy new year!
Happy Holidays!
100th Anniversary of Broadcast Radio
This Christmas Eve is the 100th Anniversary of Broadcast Radio, and it was achieved by a Canadian, eh!
Personally, I can’t imagine what our world would be like today if it hadn’t all started with AM radio. With no AM radio, there’d be no FM radio, no television, possibly no moving pictures (movies), and certainly no Podcasts!
I've pulled a little information from Wikipedia to help fill you in.
Reginald Aubrey Fessenden (6 October 1866 – 22 July 1932) was a Canadian inventor, and rival of Italian Guglielmo Marconi. Fessenden is best known for his work in early radio. Three of his most notable achievements include: the first audio transmission by radio (1900), the first two-way transatlantic radio transmission (1906), and the first radio broadcast of entertainment and music (1906).
On the evening of 24 December 1906 (Christmas Eve), Fessenden used the alternator-transmitter to send out a short program from Brant Rock, which included his playing the song O Holy Night on the violin and reading a passage from the Bible. On 31 December, New Year's Eve, a second short program was broadcast. The main audience for both these transmissions was an unknown number of shipboard radio operators along the Atlantic Coast. Although now seen as a landmark, these two broadcasts were barely noticed at the time and soon forgotten — the only first-hand account appears to be a letter Fessenden wrote on 29 January 1932 to his former associate, Samuel M. Kinter. There are no known accounts in any ships radio logs, nor any contemporary literature, of the reported holiday demonstrations. In addition, Fessenden does not appear to have made any additional broadcasts intended for a general audience, and was actually promoting the alternator-transmitter as ideal for point-to-point wireless telephone service. Still, in retrospect, it was an important glimpse of the future of radio. (Although primarily designed for transmissions spanning a few kilometers, on a couple of occasions the test Brant Rock audio transmissions were apparently overheard by NESCO employee James C. Armor across the Atlantic at the Machrihanish site).
Here is the full background information from Wikipedia, and a link to the SlashDot posting where I first learned of this significant (Canadian) milestone.
The Treo 680 - Even More Surprises, of the SDHC Kind!
Palm, why oh why won't you promote the hidden features of your new Treo?
Seriously, seems like everyday now we're finding that our humble little Treo 680s can do a lot more than we thought, like take an 8Gb SDHC card into it and USE IT. That's right! SDHC cards work in the Treo 680. What's the bigger news? Take the slot driver from the 680, plunk it into the 700p, and woo hoo! a Treo 700p with SDHC support. There have been at least two confirmed cases of 8Gb SDHC cards working in the 700p so far, and who knows, other devices might work too!
Oh, 32Gb SDHC cards are coming out later this year. For next Christmas I want to turn my LifeDrive into a 36Gb monster!
TreoCentral
PalmInfocenter
Panasonic Develops Battery That Won't Overheat
"New battery a welcome addition to the market after recall costs laptop manufacturers millions" says a PC-World article by: Martyn Williams.
This is great news to those of us with a healthy fear of experiencing a "Dell Bomb" exploding laptop first hand (see photo from Japan).
Panasonic said it has developed a lithium-ion battery that won't overheat even if a short circuit occurs.
The new battery includes a heat-resistive insulator inside the battery cell, next to an existing separator that insulates the anode and cathode. If that separator is punctured a short circuit occurs that typically causes the battery to overheat and in some circumstances catch fire. Panasonic said its insulation layer ensures that the battery won't overheat even in the event of a short circuit.
Panasonic's announcement responds to consumers' concern about the safety of lithium-ion batteries following a number of incidents involving them.
You can read the full PC-World article here, and there is a similar article with different background information on arstechnica.com entitled Safer laptop battery developed by Matsushita
Hopefully this technological advance will lead to safer batteries for our PDAs too!
Fake Treo spotted for sale in Brazil
From PalmInfoCenter:
Engadget are reporting that a Brazilian retailer has been what looks to be a Treo-branded iPod Nano knockoff in a sickly hue of lime green. No word on specs or features other than it looks like a cheap Nano clone without the touch-sensitive scroll wheel.
The Treo logo on the unit and its packaging is identical to the one used by Palm. This highly illicit device has a sales price for $270. The Chinese knockoff factories have manage to do something Palm has yet to pull off on a Treo; this unit appears to be sporting a full-size stereo headphone jack. (also via MobilityBeat)
Also on Engadget and MobilityBeat
Palm in Canada to Grow by 25%...Uh...Right?
A story in IT Business magazine has Michael Moskowitz, vice-president of Americas International with Palm Inc. saying that he expects 25% growth over the next 5 years in the converged mobile device market up here in the jolly North. Uh...over the next 5 years? Hmm, is that a big or small number then? I'm not too sure myself, but it's interesting nonetheless, as Palm recognizes that Canada is actually a very ripe market, one that could see a lot of growth in the next few years. Could well be an exciting time for Palm addicts and Treo-heads such as ourselves. Now if only Rogers lowers their darned data rates...
What do you think? Let us know in the forums!
IT Business
WiFi on the Treo 680: Surprise, Surprise!
Who says that the Treo 680 doesn't have WiFi? Well, OK, it doesn't, but you can add it! I just got my Copper 680 this morning (shortly thereafter I unceremoniously dropped and dented it, but that's another issue), popped the latest beta of the Enfora WiFi Manager on to it, attached my Enfora WiFi Sled, and ALAKAZAM!
WiFi!
As the sled was designed for the 650, there are a few gaps, plus it doesn't lock on to the 680 as it does with the replacement battery cover for the 650. When I tried the sled with the 700p earlier this year, I had to take off the battery cover before putting it in the sled. With the 680's slightly slimmer profile, this is not necessary at all. Handy!
Sure, it's not perfect, but hey, I might just be holding the only Treo 680 in Canada with WiFi right now, and THAT'S cool.
ALP Delayed to 2007
It seems that Access' next generation handheld platform, known as Access Linux Platform, hasn't quite made timing as promised earlier this year. Access announced in February of this year that they would have the ALP operating system ready for developers by the end of 2006. Then earlier today they stated that they are pushing back this time to sometime in the first half of 2007.
What does this mean, Access? What are you trying to tells us? Is your operating system not working? Have you even begun making it? Are you out of coffee and donuts?
Questions are beginning to fly around as people learn of this news. But I like to think of it as a good sign: that Access is taking their time to make a platform worthy of succeeding the original PalmOS operating system.
The PalmOS' Destiny back with Palm
 | Breaking news from the handheld world! Palm just bought licensed forever the Palm OS 5.4 (Garnet) source code from ACCESS, the company which until today, had proprietary control over it. What does this mean? Palm can fiddle with what some Palm peeps have affectionately (or infamously) christened "FrankenGarnet". Yes it's been around for years, and despite what many have said, this Palm addict thinks it's got some life to it yet. Edit: Looks like the news got changed on me, it's "licensed" not "purchased" the source code now. |
Body of James Kim found in Oregon Wilderness
From KGW.COM:
MERLIN, Ore. -- The body of James Kim was found Wednesday, after a massive search effort for the missing San Francisco man in the Southern Oregon wilderness.
Josephine County Undersheriff Brian Anderson said the body was found in the Big Windy Creek drainage at 12:03 p.m.
Kim's wife and two children were found safe Monday near their stranded station wagon. The Kims had been missing since Nov. 25, when they left Portland headed home after a holiday trip to the Pacific Northwest to stay at a resort in Gold Beach. The family told their rescuers that James Kim left his family about 7:45 a.m. Saturday in search of help and went the way they had come, saying he would return by 1 p.m. if he found none.
...
On Monday, searchers in a helicopter hired by the family spotted Kati Kim, 30, and daughters Penelope, 4, and Sabine, 7 months. They were airlifted to Three Rivers Community Hospital in Grants Pass where Sabine was admitted. She was released on Tuesday. All three were described in good condition.
...
Earlier, searchers found several items of clothing they believe were left by Kim as clues for rescuers.
According to Hastings, searchers found two gray long-sleeved shirts, a red short-sleeved shirt, a wool sock, a blue skirt, and an Oregon state map cut up in pieces. Hastings said authorities believe these were signs placed by James Kim.
Meanwhile, dense fog Wednesday morning delayed the start of the day's search until 10 a.m. Authorities were dropping supply kits into an area where they believe the San Francisco man was stranded in the snowy Oregon Coast range, hoping the food, supplies, and a heartfelt letter from his family will keep Kim alive until searchers find him.
Rogers Launches the Treo 680
 | Without much fanfare, Rogers Wireless has officially launched the Palm Treo 680 smartphone in Canada. A "PDA" as they call it, it can be had for $299.99 CAD when purchased with a three-year voice and data service agreement. Without a contract, the price jumps to $499.99. On Palm's site, the Unlocked GSM version in Copper, Arctic, Crimson, as well as the defeault Rogers colour of Graphite can be had for the same price, however the Bonus Music Pack (headphones, SD card, additional software and Yahoo! Music Unlimited) is not available for Canadian consumers. Neither is free shipping (available in the US), which is another slap in the face for Canadian consumers I think! The Treo 650 has not been discontinued in Canada, but rather its price has been slashed to as low as $199.99 on Rogers, and $49.99 on Telus. The Treo 750 has been rumoured to arrive on Canadian shores soon along with Rogers' nationwide rollout of HSDPA, but that has yet to be confirmed. |
Treo 680 News
I dropped by my local neighbourhood Rogers store (Pacific Cellular) at Metrotown here in Vancouver, and when I asked about a "new Treo" (again) the guy whipped out a demo unit of a Graphite 680! "Any day now," he says. The guy said it will most likely come in a few colours to Rogers, and cost around $399 without a data plan. After playing with it for a couple of minutes, I wasn't actually too impressed with the form factor. It doesn't feel all that slim despite what some reviews have said, and the new button designs (not the keyboard) look and feel cheap compared to the 650 and the 700s. The SD card slot cover was halfway between good and flimsy. However, it was a lot easier to hold, and although it was a little bit on the wide side, I had a good grip on it and it wasn't doing any sort of flight (like my old Cingular 650). I also noticed that on the fake screen, pTunes has been renamed to "MP3".
Good news regardless!
Double-Whammy from Bell Mobility
 | Say "Hi" to the | |
Income trust taxation issues? Who cares! Let's just release another Treo!
That's what I think is going on at Bell's HQ because they just dropped another Treo on our Great Northern Land. The Palm Treo 700p is out on Bell's CDMA network now, with support for some really high-speed EvDO mobile internet. I've fooled around with one for a while, and while I prefer my 650 because it has support for the rather unsightly Enfora WiFi Sled for my 802.11b needs, if you can afford an EvDO-enabled data plan, you will go nuts over the 700p.
Don't like the antenna? No worries, there are some folks at TreoCentral that have started producing short ones, for all the 700-series Treos and the 650. A review of one of those when mine arrives!
Canuck Treo 680: Sooner Than We Think?
So, the wait continues!
Treo 680 Released In the US
So the question now is, Telus and Bell just got the 700wx, when will Rogers fight back with the 680? We know it's coming, but when?
List - A Simple Database
Try it, I know you'll like it! And, it's Canadian!
Here is some of the information from Roo's "about" page:
List started as a project back when the Pilot 1000 and Pilot 5000 were first available. For more information on the history of the Palm I suggest you start with the wikipedia entry. At the time there was no easy development environment, I relied on resouces hosted by Darrin Massena. The original code was intended to be a CD List application limited to storing information about my music collection - I had done quite a bit of work in assembly using Pila as a GCC port had not been done yet.
Before long GCC was made available, and moving to C was an obvious step. While doing this re-write I made the code more generic to allow for any type of simple list. The first official release of List was on 19 April 1998. Very little has changed from the original design since then, the goals were to make it a very Palm-like application - simple and intuiative to use. It only supports 3 fields, two which can be customized and a note field.
The number of users, and uses of the List program have continued to amaze me. Now there are other database programs for PalmOS that are freely available and provide much more functionality - but List seems to have a particular niche.
Up until 2003 I was able to maintain a single version of List that supported all of the PalmOS devices. This included all of the legacy devices back to the Pilot 1000. However, with the introduction of newer devices it become more difficult to have a single code base that supported the new features that users were looking for, and maintained backwards compatibility. The download page will always have links to older versions for anyone who’s got an very old device, but more recent versions will target the devices that are current.
MIT Working on Broadcast Power
The following is part of an article by Tim Gray on Sci-Tech-Today. According to this, it won't be long until we won't even have to plug in our PDAs to charge them. Even more freedom for us!
Scientists have known for nearly two hundred years that certain kinds of energy can be transferred without wires, but light energy from the Sun for solar power or the transfer of microwaves for communication involves relatively low levels of energy. The MIT researchers are working on a project to transfer much higher levels of energy for powering consumer-electronics devices.
We might be approaching one of the final frontiers in the wireless world as researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) say they have developed a wireless power transfer device that would enable wireless charging of consumer-electronic devices, such as mobile phones, MP3 players, and laptops.
While the need for cables and wires to operate notebook Relevant Products/Services PCs and connect to the Internet has slowly disappeared in recent years, with audio and data transmissions being piped through the air, cables have been needed to recharge portable devices.
The concept behind this new device is not new, said Marin Soljacic, an assistant professor in MIT's Department of Physics and Research Laboratory of Electronics, who co-authored the study.
Scientists have known for nearly two hundred years that energy can be transferred without wires. This wireless transfer of energy, such as light energy from the Sun for solar power or the transfer of microwaves from transmitters for communication, involves relatively low levels of energy.
However, recharging devices like laptops requires a much higher concentration of energy that, if run through the air, could be dangerous.
The researchers have built a prototype that can exploit the resonance of electromagnetic waves, including radio waves, infrared, and X-rays. It is capable of transferring energy over approximately 10 to 15 feet wirelessly, according to the researchers.
Although a consumer device has not been built, in theory it would have a lock-and-key mechanism in which the transmitter and receiver are both tuned to the same frequency range that enables energy to be transferred only to the target, according to researchers.
You can read the entire article here on Sci-Tech-Today.
PGP is 15 Years Old
Thanks to this SlashDot article, I learned that PGP, today's most used cryptography software, is now 15 years old.
Here's the introduction to the article on HelpNetSecurity. They also have an interview with Jon Callas, CTO and CSO of PGP Corporation that covers The Story of PGP: Past, Present and Future.
PGP Corporation salutes the 15th anniversary of PGP encryption technology. Developed and released in 1991 by Phil Zimmermann, Pretty Good Privacy 1.0 set the standard for safe, accessible technology to protect and share online information. Used by millions of users and tens of thousands of companies around the world, PGP technology continues to be recognised for its contributions to the software industry, Internet commerce, and the protection of privacy. Recently, PGP encryption technology was named one of the top 25 most influential products of the first 25 years of enterprise personal computing.
Men flashing fancy mobiles to pick up girls
Is that a phone in your pocket or... ?
By Gemma Simpson
Published: Monday 13 November 2006
Forget the cheesy chat-up lines, flash car or dodgy dancing, men are now whipping out their mobiles to attract the ladies, research from Sheffield Hallam University reveals.
The research also found men actively display their phones more than women in social situations to look important and popular and also to show off to male peers.
Dr Simeon Yates, director of the Cultural, Communication and Computing Research Institute at Sheffield Hallam who headed up the research, told silicon.com the situation is "much more complicated and more to do with how we use the phones".
Yates said men might fiddle with mobiles because they don't have handbags or anywhere else to store them and the phones can also act as a point of conversation with one's peers. "But they could just be showing off," he added.
Yates said both men and women will try to 'maintain face' in same sex groups by checking caller IDs - with women double checking an intimate call isn't incoming and blokes worried it could be their mums on the other end of the line.
The two-year study observed men and women in various public locations including restaurants, bars and coffee shops.
Yates has also completed research on how the different sexes text each other, finding that women write texts to other women that are twice as long as male-to-male text correspondence.
From silicon.com
Well well, I type texts that are twice as long as my female friends, because I have a Treo, and I suppose I am also guilty of showing off, because I have a Treo. A Black Tie Treo. Bwahaha!
PalmInfocenter Treo 700p Giveaway
To Enter... Simply post a comment to Ryan's article, telling them about your favorite Palm OS application and why it's your favorite. Unfortunately this giveaway is limited to US residents only.
Next week, one lucky member will be chosen at random from all valid entries. Only one entry per person. Because this is a US centric product, we will be limiting this contest to US residents only. We will announce an additional giveaway soon that will be open to all PIC members worldwide.
Contest Rules
To participate in the giveaway readers can post their response to the contest question below in this article's discussion area. The contest is open to all PalmInfocenter members residing in the US. One (1) valid entry per person; deliberate multiple entries will result in total disqualification. The giveaway winner will be chosen at random from all valid entries. The contest will be open for one week. Entries must be received by November 21 11:59 PM PST.
Winner will have a choice between a Sprint or Verizon Treo 700p.
Glyph (game) Now Available for Pre-Order
Glyph for Palm OS(R) and Windows Mobile(R) for Pocket PC and Smartphone is based on the highly-acclaimed PC game by Sandlot games and will be released by Astraware on 6th December.
Glyph is a beautiful puzzle adventure featuring more than 250 levels of gameplay across Quest and Action modes. Astraware is making it available for pre-order now with $5 discount off the regular price: http://www.astraware.com/preview/glyph. Alternatively, sign up to be notified as soon as the game is available and receive a 10% release discount!
Save the dying world of Kuros by reassembling ancient glyphs hidden beneath layers of rock and glistening stones. Clear groups of like-colored gemstones to break through the layers of rock and reveal the glyphs. Several different types of powerup will aid you in your task. Progress through 5 elemental areas and 125 levels to complete Quest mode, or explore the simpler challenge of over 100 levels in Action mode.
Glyph for Palm OS® and Windows Mobile® is based upon the highly-acclaimed PC game from Sandlot Games. With its beautiful graphics, ethereal soundtrack and atmospheric sound effects, Glyph is the perfect game to enjoy through the Holiday Season and into the New Year.
- 2 play modes: Action and Quest
- Bonus powerups help you clear the stones
- Stunning visual effects
- Play in 5 elemental worlds
- Supports hi-res (320x320) and hi-res+ (320x480 and 480x320) Palm OS® devices
- Supports native QVGA (240x320), VGA (480x640) and Square screen (240x240) Windows Mobile® for Pocket PC handhelds
- Supports standard (176x220), native QVGA (240x320) and landscape QVGA (320x240) Windows Mobile® for Smartphone
System Requirements:
Palm OS®: Hi-res color screen, Palm OS 5.0 or later
Windows Mobile® for Pocket PC: Pocket PC 2002 or later
WIndows Mobile® for Smartphone: Smartphone 2002 or later
‘Try Before You Buy’ FrogPad Demo
FrogPad, Inc.
, the leading innovator in productive mobile data entry technologies, has announced that its partnership with Giletech of Munich, Germany, has resulted in an on-screen Better Typing product that will help users learn touch-typing on the standard-setting FrogPad™ mobile computing accessory in as little as five hours, cutting learning to type one-handed by 75%.
“This is how you achieve real mobile productivity – chopping the learning curve for touch-typing one-handed on our product,” says Linda Marroquin, President and CEO of FrogPad. “We’re grateful to Giletech for continuing the rapid development of applications and aids for our keyboard. You could say the FrogPad’s really jumping right now!”
The on-screen Better Typing Software keyboard replication lets users look at the screen instead of the keyboard, because the keyboard is reproduced on whatever standard input program – a Word document, for example, or an Excel spreadsheet – is being used.
“Better Typing Software combined with FrogPad dramatically cuts the touch-typing learning curve,” says Marroquin. The result is maximum improvement of eye-hand coordination and muscle memory. User can even download the Giletech e-tutor (a Windows application) as a ‘Try Before You Buy’ FrogPad demo. Available at www.giletech.net/Typing-Tutor/bt4fpdemo_set.exe
For those who don't know what a FrogPad keypad is, here are the first couple of questions from the FrogPad FAQ page. I think it's an extremely intriguing product. One of these days I'll get my hands on a BlueTooth FrogPad Keypad and find out how well it will work as a replacement for the Palm Universal Wireless Keyboard I currently use with my Palm TX.
What is the FrogPad™ keypad?
A: An elegantly small, intuitive and powerful interface for input and information access with a variety of devices. It solves the keyboard limitations that until now have stood in the way of achieving the objective of information access anytime, anywhere and from any device. It also replaces device interfaces that are awkward, space inefficient, time-consuming to learn and inappropriate for wireless computing because they are based on keyboard layouts that are over 100 years old and technologies that are nearly fifty years old. View Full Image of FrogPad
Q: How does FrogPad™ work?
A: Unlike chording keyboards, 86% of the time you only have one key to press. You never press more than two keys at one time, similar to the shift on your current keyboard.
Q: How small is the FrogPad™?
A: The FrogPad™ is 5 x 3.5 x .4 inches and weighs 4.9 ounces but the keys are the same size as those found on a standard size keyboard.
Q: Is the FrogPad™ compatible with my device?
A: FrogPad™ is a standard USB plug-and-play keyboard and can be used with wearable PC's, Tablets, DeskTops, Laptops, Linux, and MACs (OS 9) and above. It has a cable connector for both a standard PC and all USB host applications. The Bluetooth FrogPad™ will interface to all Bluetooth MAC’s and PC’s and we have beta drivers for Mobile phones and PDA’s.
Stressed! Updated to v2.0
Activate the game via the PalmOS commandbar (or hard button) and let the fun begin. You are able to choose one of four weapons of destruction: hammer, chainsaw, gun, and laser. It’s a straightforward game that is great for those spare moments when you need to unwind and get rid of some stress.
Requirements:
-256kb of RAM
-Device with a minimum screen resolution of 320x320
-Palm OS 5.0 or greater
Update History
Version 2.0
-Better user interface
-Automatically disables sound effects for unsupported, older OS5 devices
-Hard button activation option
-volume control, with mute button
-Customized instructions on usage per device
-Full landscape/portrait support
-Fixed and improved uninstall option
Version 1.0
-Initial release
Get it here.
Palm Treo 700p is Top Business Phone
CNET just published a business phone review entitled: Top 6 Phones for Business Users in which they choose the Palm Treo 700p as THE top business phone.
If the BlackBerry debacle taught us anything, it's how much we depend on devices to stay in touch with the office, get work done on the road, obtain news and more. Smart phones have changed the way we work, so no longer are we slaves to our desks.
So which models make the best business associates? A number of qualified candidates are out there, but these are our six favorites. These smart phones are stocked with productivity tools such as QWERTY keyboards, e-mail and software, as well as connectivity features such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HSPDA and EV-DO, and they've proven themselves in the performance department. Read on to see if one is right for you.
1. Palm Treo 700p
- Editors' rating: 7.7 (Very Good)
- The good: The Palm Treo 700p boasts EV-DO support, a 1.3-megapixel camera, increased memory, a sharp display and Bluetooth 1.2. The smart phone can also be used as a wireless modem and has solid call quality.
- The bad: The Palm Treo 700p lacks integrated Wi-Fi and runs the stale Palm OS 5.4.9.
- The bottom line: With EV-DO support, increased memory and enhanced multimedia capabilities, the Palm Treo 700p makes a powerful smart phone even better. Sure, it's not perfect, but the solid performance and new features make it worth the upgrade.
2. Cingular 8525
- Editors' rating: 8.0
3. T-Mobile Dash (aka HTC Excalibur)
- Editors' rating: 8.0
4. Nextel i930 by Motorola
- Editors' rating: 6.6
5. Sprint PCS Vision Smart Device (PPC-6700)
- Editors' rating: 7.0
6. Nokia E62
- Editors' rating: 7.3
As you can see, the Treo 700p did not receive the top Editors' rating, in fact two of these phones beat it out. But they didn't earn the TOP SPOT, and the Treo 700p did. I think this proves that the overall worth of a phone is not determined solely by how well it does individual tasks, but rather by how well the whole package works together. Despite the Treo's stale Palm OS it does excel at being a great overall smart phone. I encourage you to read the rest of the CNET article to find out for yourself why a better Editors' rating didn't mean the top spot in this Top Six list.
Canadians Honour War Dead
People across Canada paused for a moment of silence on Saturday to mark Remembrance Day and honour the more than 100,000 Canadians killed in war and peacekeeping missions during the past century.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, his wife and their two children attended the main ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa under rainy skies. Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean was also among the dignitaries.
...
The prime minister was asked for his comments after the ceremonies and praised the three remaining Canadian veterans of the First World War.
"I said earlier this week we think particularly about the people who are serving in Afghanistan now. But there's been a lot talk this year about the fact there are still three World War One veterans living, and I think we should cherish every moment they're still with us."
...
In Kandahar, Afghanistan, about 500 Canadian soldiers marked Remembrance Day with a poignant ceremony. They gathered on the parade square at National Command Headquarters in front of a grey stone cenotaph bearing the names and photographs of Canadians who have been killed in Afghanistan.
...
Canadian Military Personnel Killed
First World War: 1914-1918 66,655 Second World War: 1939-1945 44,893 Korean conflict: 1950-1953 516 Peacekeeping: 1956-2006 121 Afghanistan: 2002-2006 42
Hillier said he's used to Remembrance Day sending a chill down his spine. "But this week, the chill down my spine and the emotion that I and all of us feel across this country is greater than it has ever been," he said during Ontario's first Tribute to the Fallen ceremony.
I recommend you read the full CBC News article.Canuck-PDA Remembers!
NS BASIC/Palm 6 Released
NS BASIC Corporation has announced the release of NS Basic/Palm 6.0. Major new features include enhanced features for Treo devices, faster compile times, Modal Forms and support for Vista.
"NS Basic/Palm 6 makes it easier for developers take advantage of the features of Treo devices.", said George Henne, President of NS BASIC Corporation. "Faster compile times and support for Vista make sure that developers can develop even better apps in the future."
The new release also includes PDB Creator Pro, a desktop application that allows you to create, edit and modify NS Basic/Palm databases on the desktop.
The new version is available immediately for $149.95 USD for single developers. An Enterprise Edition, allowing unlimited developers at a single location is priced at $449.95. There are no runtime charges for applications created using NS Basic/Palm. Combo packs with NS Basic/CE, allowing development for Pocket PC devices, are also available.
Upgrades for existing users start at $49.95. Registered users who bought after October 1, 2006 will get the upgrade for free. Existing NS Basic programs are upwardly compatible with the new version.
Here is some of what has been added in 6.0:
- 1. IDE: Navigation capabilities added for Treo and other recent Palm, Inc. devices.
2. IDE: Compile times are about 40% faster.
3. IDE: Support for Vista added
4. IDE: Modal forms with Tips now supported.
5. TreoLib: New functions added: GetLibRefNum, GetRingProfile, GetRoamMode, GetRoamWarnings, PhonePower, SetRingProfile, SetRoamMode and SetRoamWarnings.
6. Support added for PDB Creator Pro - Create, view and edit Palm databases on the desktop.
There are also documentation updates, new samples and bug fixes.
More about NS Basic/Palm
NS Basic/Palm allows developers who program with tools such as Visual Basic to use their experience to create applications for handheld devices. NS Basic is a complete, powerful environment enabling the development of applications for the enterprise, business, personal productivity and education. It includes features such as databases, net, serial and IR communications, signature capture and more.
Applications developed with NS Basic are distributed royalty free. NS Basic costs $149.95 for a single user. Enterprise licenses are also available. The toolkit allows development on Windows 98SE, 2000, XP and Vista.
NS Basic has the following NS Basic/Palm 6 information available online:
Press Release: http://www.nsbasic.com/palm/PR/PR.061107a.html
Tour: http://www.nsbasic.com/palm/info/Tour.html
FAQ: http://www.nsbasic.com/palm/info/faq.html
Specifications: http://www.nsbasic.com/palm/info/Specifications.html
NS Basic also has a Fall Sale on, which will save you $20 off the cost of NS Basic/Palm 6.
Thanks go to Ryan at Palm Infocenter for the heads up on this release.
Treo 680 FCC Approved
With the recent approval of the Treo 750v by the FCC yesterday, it's no surprise that the Treo 680 would see the light shortly after.
And now that Palm has been given the thumbs-up, Cingular customers will see the 680 on the shelves soon, and soon enough for Christmas time.
Of course, this is extremely good news. The only downside is... what colour to get?
Questioning NTP Patent Rights
From BusinessWeek.com:
"The people behind the Virginia holding company NTP struck gold when they settled a long-running patent dispute with Research In Motion (RIMM) for $612.5 million in March. They hope to do it again with a similar lawsuit against handheld maker Palm."Read the full story here.
By way of reminder, NTP says it came up with the technology used by both companies to provide wireless paging services. But now, Oren Tavory, a 43-year-old software developer living in West Palm Beach, Fla., says he got there first.
Tavory says he's not listed as a co-inventor "through omission, inadvertence and/or error," and is seeking to change that.
That [patent] review process is ongoing, a point Palm made in a statement issued Nov. 7 in response to NTP's lawsuit. "All seven of the patents asserted are being re-examined by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and have been rejected by the re-examiners as invalid.… Palm is disappointed that, after many months of silence and repeated rejections of NTP's claims by the PTO, NTP has chosen to sue on patents of doubtful validity."
A final dismissal of the patents wouldn't help Tavory's case, Conwell says. "We're not seeking to invalidate the patents at all," he says. "We're simply asking the court to add his name as a co-inventor, and to recognize his rights."
Treo Fanatic: Part Deux
Treo Fanatic: Part Deux
Last month I tore apart a Treo 700p dummy and tried to put my Treo 650 in it, only to discover that the 650's keyboard not only does not fit in the 700's front housing, but neither do the bottom and top rows of buttons line up. After a bit of case modification I got the 650's mainboard to fit in nicely, but that was it. This time, I got my hands on an actual 700p that had a broken screen but working everything else, and took its keyboard as the latest trophy in my quest for a one-of-a-kind 650 transplant. Read on to see what happens this time!
DISCLAIMER: Canuck PDA is not responsible if you try to do this at home! Any physical modification to your Treo will void your warranty, and it's all done at your own risk. You have been warned!
Palm Responds to NTP Lawsuit
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov 06, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM) today issued the following statement in response to a patent-infringement lawsuit filed against it by patent-holding company NTP Inc.
The NTP lawsuit claims that certain Palm products infringe seven NTP patents. All seven of the patents asserted are being re-examined by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) and have been rejected by the re-examiners as invalid. Palm also noted that the NTP patents disclose a pager-based email service that has nothing in common with the mobile-computing devices invented by Palm.
Palm has been in occasional contact with NTP concerning a license to these patents. When Palm last communicated with NTP many months ago, however, each of the patents already was the subject of re-examination proceedings by the PTO. Palm is disappointed that, after many months of silence and repeated rejections of NTP's claims by the PTO, NTP has chosen to sue on patents of doubtful validity.
Palm respects legitimate intellectual property rights, but will defend itself vigorously against the attempted misuse of the patent and judicial systems to extract monetary value for rights to patents that may ultimately have no value at all.
Thanks to Ryan at Palm Infocenter for this information.
tejpWriter Version 3.40 Released
tejpWriter
version 3.40 has been released by Peter Thorstenson.
tejpWriter is the program I use when I write my stories. It's an editor made for pure text — no secret file formats or document formats — only pure open text. The simplicity makes tejpWriter easy to use, flexible, and powerful. I don't use any desktop computer or notebook — only a Palm Tungsten|T5. tejpWriter fits nicely into it, letting me take my "office" with me to the places where I find peace and inspiration. tejpWriter helped me discover writing as a true handcraft.
What's new in version 3.40?
This release is featuring strong encryption of text files and a true HTML 4.01 export of tW Formatted documents. Apart from that, it's a button release. All Editor buttons are now working and three of the Viewer buttons. Many bug fixes and an improved memory handling aiming to make it less likely to crash.
Features in Version 3.40
Requirements
A Palm with a Virtual Files System compatible memory card like SD and MMC, Palm OS 5.0+ and a 320x320 HiRes color screen. Support now for big screens 320x480, portrait and landscape (not Sony).
License
tejpWriter is released under GNU General Public License (GPL). tejpWriter is free! Isn't that great?
I’ve used tejpWriter for quite some time now and have found it to be an extremely capable program. This excellent text editor is definitely one worth checking out.
Courtesy of TamsPalm who has done a very good review of tejpWriter version 3.0.
NTP Sues Palm Over Wireless Patents
From Palm247:
NTP, the company behind the epic patent infringement lawsuit against BlackBerry maker Research In Motion, is now going after Palm.Read more at Yahoo and at CNet.
In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Virginia Monday, NTP asserted that Palm's products, services, systems and processes infringe NTP's patents. NTP is looking for an injunction on the sale of Palm products that supposedly violate its patents, as well as monetary damages.
Donald E. Stout, NTP's co-founder, said, "We have attempted -- on numerous occasions -- to resolve this issue with Palm without resorting to litigation that is both time consuming and costly. Despite our efforts, Palm has chosen to continue to unlawfully infringe on our patents. Though we would still prefer to resolve this issue with Palm in a negotiated license agreement that is fair and reasonable to both parties, we are filing action today as a last resort to protect our valuable intellectual property."
The company settled a multiyear legal ordeal with RIM earlier this year for $612.5 million after alleging that RIM's BlackBerry devices and wireless e-mail service infringed on NTP's patents.
Palm's stock price is down nearly 8% for the day on the news.
Daily Quote 1.0 for Palm Released
Tamoggemon Software has released DailyQuote!
Daily Quote is the first quote of the day tool for Palm OS handhelds and smartphones. Users can create quote databases on the go and have their favourite quotes displayed at start-up! Daily Quote pops up a quote at start-up over the currently running application - you can continue to work with the application after closing the popup!
Daily Quote costs $7.49 and can be purchased at MobiHand's; a 14-day evaluation version is available from www.palmdailyquote.com!
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