1) First off, when was Qool formed and how large is it currently? When did it release the QDA-700?
Based in Singapore, Qool Labs Pte Ltd is one of the fastest growing technological start-up companies. Since its release of their flagship product, QDA 700, in early March 2005, Qool Labs has been receiving overwhelming positive responses from the public. Founded and established in 2003, Qool Labs is mainly focusing on digital lifestyle products, evolving with the rapid changes in the digital lifestyle environment as well as being in sync with the up and coming fashion trends. With a mission to innovate and create state-of-the-art digital technological products that will complement and complete the many facets of various lifestyles. Qool Labs has an estimated headcount of 10 and counting due to our rapid expansion.
2) At one point, I remember reading that the QDA-700 was being created by PiTech. Was it ca colaboration between the two companies, or what? A little clarification on that would be good.
Qool Labs has our own team of professionals who are responsible for Product Design, Research and Development. At times, we also outsource manufacturers to manufacture our products specially cater to our products requirements, hence PiTech in this instance.
3) Why do you think your company chose the Palm OS? Why do you think your company chose to create a smartphone in perticular?
Qool Labs strongly believes that Palm OS is able to reach out to the majority as it is a well known fact that Palm has been in the market since 1996 and has been defined as the trends and expectation for mobile computing. Qool Labs is confident that with Palm OS Garnet, an enhanced version of Palm OS 5, which provides features such as dynamic input area, improved network communication, and support for a broad range of screen resolutions including QVGA. We see a lot of opportunities in the smartphone industry. A lot of enhancement and improvement can be made to the existing smartphones out there.
4) What do you think makes the QDA stand out from the competition?
QDA700 offers users the latest Palm OS Garnet that supports multilingual functions that includes English, French, Italian, Germany, Swiss, Thai, Tagalog, Chinese localization which not many conventional smartphones can offer. Has an edge over the rest with its 1.3 Megal Pixel camera that can be internally interpolated to 5 Mega Pixel resolutions. QDA700 is also well known for its 2.8 transflective TFT ultra-sensitive touch screen LCD and also allows up to 6 party conference calling. To sum up, QDA sparkles together with its other features such as Photo caller ID, MP3 Player, Voice Recording, Phot Viewer, Image Editor, Video Player and Recorder.
5) I read a while ago that the QDA was only available in European and Asian countries. Do you plan on expanding to North America (USA, Canada, Mexico, etc.)?
As of now, QDA is only available in European and Asian Countries and we have already generated many positive responses. And yes, we are working in the direction of expanding to places like North America and hopefully, will generate similar responses.
6) Did an independant survey on a few palm forums. It seemed that the number 1 thing people make their purchase based on is the phone network. Why did Qool Labs choose GSM/GPRS?
Qool Labs has chosen GSM / GPRS networks which is widely used in most countries (more than 170 countries) that allows users to maintain a virtual connection to the wireless network for data services, also highlighting on GPRS which is designed for wide-area data communication while GSM offers high quality mobile voice services. Also, Qool Labs favors the theoretical maximum speeds of up to 171.2kbps that GPRS offers, which is about 3 times as fast as the data transmission speeds possible over today's fixed telecommunications networks, and not forgeting GSM with its satellite roaming that has extended its services access to areas where terrestrial coverage is not available.
7) On that same survey, people were divided on 2 matters. The votes were divided between hidden antenna vs. external antenna, and flip-top phone vs. candy bar-styled phone. It seems that people like the flip-top since it protects the screen, but they also hate the flip-top since most of the time they're flimsy. How do you respond to this in relation to the QDA-700?
Prior designing the QDA700, Qool Labs has also conducted an informal independent survey and has realized that majority favored the flip-top phone feature. That is why, Qool Labs has specially designed a "Push Flip Button" for users to flip open the phone, acting as a flip-top protector, flipping open the top at the best appropriate pressure that will not cause the phone to be flimsy like most flip-top phones. QDA700 favors external antenna as it has a better RF coverage for areas with low signal strength or no signal strength compared to hidden antenna.
8) Also on the survey, the thing ranked second on the list of the important smartphone features was screen resolution. 240x320 is a rarely used screen size. Why was that used on the QDA-700, and not 320x320 or 320x480? Will future smartphones have a more "standard" screen size?
We wanted to have the best of both worlds - to be Big and Compact at the same time. By using 240x320, Qool Labs has come up with one of the biggest screen among all the smartphones but still compact enough to fit into a mini stylish form factor.
9) It seems that whenever someone thinks of a Palm OS smartphone, they think of the Treo 650, or even the Treo 600. What do you think that is? What features in the QDA-700 could change that manner of thinking? What features in future Qool Labs smarphones will separate and raise it from the competition?
We understand that Treo has an upper hand at this moment but we are confident that QDA700 is able to catch up with the race. QDA700 has an edge over the rest of the competition with its multilingual platforms, allowing users to use both or switch between English and Chinese interfaces. Another winning point is that QDA700 has a 1.3 Megal Pixel Camera that can be interpolated to 5 Mega Pixel Resolution. For users who prefer a more compact yet giving them a bigger screen, QDA700 will be the ideal smartphone for them.
10) Recently a Treo hacker, known as shadowmite, has partly enabled the the palmOne wi-fi SDIO card to work with the Treo 650. On the survey I conducted, it was mentioned many times that internal wi-fi and/or bluetooth (preferrably wi-fi) included in a smartphone, would be a hit. You told me earlier that you plan to have a wi-fi external attachment for the QDA-700. Do you believe that attachment will be enough to keep the QDA-700 near the top of the Palm OS smartphone creators? Will future smartphones include any internal or external bluetooth or wi-fi?
QDA700 currently do not have any internal wi-fi and/or bluetooth, but we are working on an external attachment (Bluetooth battery) which will be as good as an internal bluetooth. We do not rule out the possibility of our future smartphones supporting internal bluetooth and more. Look out for our future smartphones!
11) Why do you think smartphones have grown in popularity?
Cellphone is just ain't enough these days. Technology is advancing by miles every min and is no wonder that people with purchasing power have higher expectation when it comes to their needs and wants. People with busy schedules would have a much easier life with a smartphone guarding and organizing their diaries and schedule. And by the rate that the world is constantly evolving, people will be and are getting busier compared to 5 years ago.
12) Approximately how long is the battery life of the QDA-700?
QDA700 has a talk time of up to 3 hours and a standby time of up to 100 hours.
13) As far as I know, the only Palm OS handheld that included a camera with a flash was the Sony Clie NZ90, and the Palm OS community has yet to see an internal camera with a flash on a smartphone. This has angered some Treo owners, as well as myself, a Zire 72 owner. A digital camera can have all the colour sensors and low-light enhancers, but it can't fully replace a flash. Why doesn't the QDA-700 include a flash?
Having taken the consideration that most users would take mutual self portrait at arms' length rather than asking a passerby to take the picture, it is only logical for QDA700 to have excluded a flash. As much as we agree that inbuilt flash camera does greatly increases the picture quality, the inbuilt flash is only effective to around a metre which will require others or passerbys to take the pictures for the users as the flash will be too bright for shots closer than around 50cm, often leaving the subject over exposed. To prevent the picture to be over exposed while taking self portraits using digital phone camera, users would often activated the appropriate mode (morning, night, auto, flash modes) and keep the flash switch off. In other words, with inbuilt flash, users would not able to take a mutual ?self portrait at arm length, hence QDA700 is built with a non-flash camera that enables users to take self portraits.
14) I know the QDA-700's camera is 1.3 megapixel, but how good is the quality?
Well, for one thing, the higher the resolution the camera has, the better the picture quality will be. QDA700 stores the images in JPEG format, compresses and reduces the file size of the images that does not eat up the storage space unlike TIFF format. Unlike others, QDA700's camera quality does not have little squiggles and extra graininess. QDA700's camera has 4 different modes to cater to different requirements and in addition, it allows interpolation to 5 Mega Pixel, improving the images' quality.
15) I own a Zire 72 and find that it can take up to 3 full seconds to take a single picture with the Zire 72's 1.3 megapixel camera. This gives a high and almost certain chance of blurring. Does this happen with the QDA-700's camera? How long is the photo capture time?
QDA700 takes up less than 3 seconds to take a single picture, as mentioned above, QDA700 camera quality does not have little squiggles and extra graininess, eliminates double visions and blurring images. Also, QDA700 camera has the fastest reaction speed, capturing and reflecting the movement in the screen at a much faster speed compare to most digital cameras.
16) How do you believe smartphones have affected the sales and design of ordinary handhelds?
Smartphones have greatly affected the sales and design of ordinary handhelds. Smartphones are afterall, a cell phone and more - with PDA, games, audio players, video players, digital camera thrown in. In terms of appearances, the compact form factors of the smartphones are very similiar with the ordinary handhelds, while some of them even look better. Ordinary Handheld is half the package while Smartphone is a complete package.
17) How are smarphone companies, other than palmOne, reacting to the abundance of features in the Treo series?
We are in no position to comment for the other smartphone companies.
18) What does the future hold for Qool Labs?
We see ourselves pitting against the bigger players, eventually gaining more market share with our cutting edge of merging technology with lifestyle as well as being in sync with the up and coming fashion trends. We are very optimistic about the future. I must say, while there are alot of competition, there are also a lot of opportunities.
19) What does the future hold for smartphones in general?
There is alot to look forward in terms of the smartphones industry. 3G has arrived. It is not surprising to learn that there will be a 3G smartphone coming up next. The future for smartphones is definitely bright.
20) Are there any other comments you would like to give about the QDA-700, Qool Labs, smartphones in general, etc.?
Well, I would say, Qool Labs doesn't stop here. This is only a beginning for us. Be sure to look out for more products from us.
An Interview With Qool Labs
Redefining the Definitions of the Palm Podcast
Moaz from PalmDubai sent me an email with an article he wrote about Palm podcasting and was nice enough to let me post it here at Canuck PDA. Before you read it, you'll want to listen to Jeff Kirvin's 38th Podcast here. Anyway, here's what Moaz wrote:
Here in Dubai, and I'm sure in many part of the world, we live in a very competitive and fast life, and many of us find it very hard to find the time to give back or hang out in our favorite Palm forums and websites. The best thing is that no matter which site or forum you are at, we've always been, and still are, one community united by a definition of simplicity and elegance in a single word, Palm.
Jeff and I believe Tyler especially (in his early Podcasts) talked a lot about if he can call his Podcast a 'Palmcast'. And recently, Lance Wehrung adopted the name 'Palmcast' for his Palmfocus Podcast, so I don't see why we can't call it a 'Palmcast'.
I believe that the Palm community needs to redefine the Podcast definition and come up with our own definition, and that will be the birth of the Palmcast (I have a lot of thought here that I think it'll take me a month to write it all down. Jeff and everybody reading this, I hope you guys are reading between the lines).
The new definition of a Palmcast is on everyone's mind and everybody just keeps going around it in circles and back to the Podcast, and I absolutely won't try to figure out how it all started, but the short time we have in a 24-hour day is the reason why I listen to Jim Mahon's weekly Podcast, and why I think that a week is too long to wait for a Jeff Kirvin Podcast, and why I'm frustrated that iTunes is not downloading Sammy's PalmAddict Podcast. It's very hard to find the time, and with reading becoming very difficult these busy days, I absolutely miss chilling out in a cafe reading Palm editorials and reviews.
This the time for the Palmcast. Where Tyler, Jeff, Lance, Sammy, Jim, Carl, and of course Alan can record a short thought of what they thinking about a particular news or hot topic like Jeff said "Breaking news", and it'll go with the name Palmcast 'cuz of it simplicity, and it's easy to download to our wireless enable handhelds or smartphone. Especially if we are on the move most of the time, and that will make the Palmcast very much appreciated. A short Palmcast will also make more sense to download wirelessly via RSS readers (like Quick News) for people who have no unlimited plan (I believe most of Europe, Asia, and Africa have no unlimited GPRS plan like in the US) to download a full 20-40 minute Podcast.
As much as I love the idea of the Palmcast, and I wish everybody will adopt it soon, I still think that one weekly Palm Podcast should continue, alongside the 3 or 7 Palmcast's weekly (depending in the week news), 'cuz the Palm Podcast is very much fun and entertaining, and of course very informative and I absolutely love it even the out of topic discussions are very much appreciated.
Personally I like the lengthy radio-talk style podcasts. They always come out at the same time each week and it's somewhat comforting to look foreword to. However, with the major or urgent topics, a 5-minute podcast might be necessary. But those are just my opinions, and to each their own.
Due Yesterday Updated!
NoSleep Software has just released Due Yesterday version 6.3. You can get it here.
This is an exceptional program, only made more exceptional by it's Freeware status and excellent support.
Brief Description:
Due Yesterday is the premiere classwork, class information, and grade tracking software for Palm OS devices. Since it's start over two years ago, Due Yesterday has combined an extensive feature set with an easy to use and intuitive user interface. It remains the most useful and user-friendly of any student software available for the Palm OS; for any student, from middle school to grad school.
Cleanup Your Palm Wi-Fi Drivers
Once you've entered the program, you're presented with a variety of useful options. The "Check and List WiFi Files" button will check your palm and list, in a memo file, which of the required wi-fi driver files have been found, and which are missing.
If you're missing any files (which is very likely since there are 100+ files), then you'll have to remove the drivers. Palm Inc. would have you believe that you would have to do a hard reset, then start from scratch, but WiFi Cleanup provides an alternative. First, you'll have to preform a no-notify warm reset, which is when you hold the page up button while prssing the reset button, and don't release the page up button until you see the Palm OS screen come up. Then, right after the warm reset, go into WiFi Cleanup and tap the "Remove ALL WiFi Files" button. All of your wi-fi driver files will be deleted and a log of the deletion will be in a memo file. From here, you can install the latest driver from http://palmone.r3h.net/downloads.palmone.com/palmOneWiFiCard_v1_2.zip.
One other, really useful feature of WiFi Cleanup is the ability to remove the non-english files. Just tap the "Remove Non English Files" button and all your non-engligh wi-fi driver files will be deleted, with the details logged in a memo file. It'll save you about 200KB of memory.
I hope WiFi Cleanup helps you, I know it's helped me ^_^
Starting Up
Well, I've just got the website up and running. This website, Canuck PDA, is commited to bringing you the latest in Palm news, from the newest marketing decisions, to the gritty rumours. In addition, our forums will serve as an online Canadian PUG, so come on in and check it out!
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