GoodSync (www.goodsync.com) is a great free little program that allows you to keep specific folders of computers on your network synchronized. I'd been looking for a program that would keep the 'My Pictures' folder up to date on our two home computers. That way when pictures are added on either computer, the other computer will have the same pictures automatically. I tried a few different programs but this was by far the best one. It is free, but you are pretty limited in the amount of data you synchronize. After only a few weeks of use, I was over the limit and needed to upgrade to the Pro version ($20), but totally worth it. I've also found it a very good way to back up files on your computer in case the hard drive ever dies. I just tell it to back up my 'Documents and Settings' folder anytime the computer is idle for more than 2 hours. Saves everything I need to a separate hard drive. This seems to work better than the NERO Back It Up program I've been using for a long time (version 6). NERO tends to hang for some reason, then you don't have an updated backup.
The nice thing about Goodsync versus NERO is that the files in Goodsync are always available. Basically you are making an identical copy of your folders to another location. With NERO, you need to use NERO to restore the files.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Fake TiVO
LRM-519 by LG. the coolest thing since TiVO. The biggest difference is that there are no monthly subscription fees, yet you get the most up to date TV listings for your area. It connects either to your telephone or your computer via Ethernet cable or USB wireless adapter. It goes to Microsoft's TV listing directory and downloads two weeks worth of listings. I've had some frustrations with it not always being able to connect to the internet, yet still be connected and visible to the network, I think that's an issue with my crappy D-Link router though.
It has DVD Burner built into it so you can burn your recorded programs right to DVD. You can also transfer the MPEG2 files to your computer and use a program like Tsunami MPEG Editor to edit out he commercials, then burn from your computer.
Like TiVO, you can tell it to record a specific TV show and it will record it whenever it's on, it doesn't just record a specific channel at a specific time like old style VCRs, although you can do that as well.
Since it is part of your computer network, you can play all your MP3s that live on your computer through your TV/Stereo. Same with JPEGs, but unfortunately no video clips. It works through Windows Media Player so whatever playlists you have set up on WIndows Media Player, the LRM-519 will see it and play your playlists, specific genres, full albums, specific artits, etc.
It records live TV for 90 minutes....even if you change channels. TiVo I think only does 30 minutes, and if you change the channel it erases what it already recorded. With the LRM-519 it keeps 90 minutes of whatever you were watching. So if you're watching channel 5, then switch to channel 7, then back to 5....you can rewind up to 90 minutes and watch it again. You can pause live TV if you get a phone call or interrupted somehow, then just hit play and pick up where you left off. You can then fast forward through the commercials and get caught up.
It's a great little device...more expensive than TiVO up front but you save in the long run on monthly subscription fees. It can record off of satellite, cable, rabbit ears....whatever!!
Things I like:
You can watch something you've recorded while recording something else
Live TV recording continues while watching a recorded program
Computer networking to play music and see JPEGs from your computer
Built in DVD Burner
74 hours of record time at best quality
Unlimited hard drive expandability via external USB hard drives (I haven't tried this yet)
Drawbacks to it:
You can only watch what you are recording, it doesn't have dual tuners to let you watch one thing live and record another
I wish it would play video clips off the computer
Has problems connecting to the internet (but that might be my router)
It has DVD Burner built into it so you can burn your recorded programs right to DVD. You can also transfer the MPEG2 files to your computer and use a program like Tsunami MPEG Editor to edit out he commercials, then burn from your computer.
Like TiVO, you can tell it to record a specific TV show and it will record it whenever it's on, it doesn't just record a specific channel at a specific time like old style VCRs, although you can do that as well.
Since it is part of your computer network, you can play all your MP3s that live on your computer through your TV/Stereo. Same with JPEGs, but unfortunately no video clips. It works through Windows Media Player so whatever playlists you have set up on WIndows Media Player, the LRM-519 will see it and play your playlists, specific genres, full albums, specific artits, etc.
It records live TV for 90 minutes....even if you change channels. TiVo I think only does 30 minutes, and if you change the channel it erases what it already recorded. With the LRM-519 it keeps 90 minutes of whatever you were watching. So if you're watching channel 5, then switch to channel 7, then back to 5....you can rewind up to 90 minutes and watch it again. You can pause live TV if you get a phone call or interrupted somehow, then just hit play and pick up where you left off. You can then fast forward through the commercials and get caught up.
It's a great little device...more expensive than TiVO up front but you save in the long run on monthly subscription fees. It can record off of satellite, cable, rabbit ears....whatever!!
Things I like:
You can watch something you've recorded while recording something else
Live TV recording continues while watching a recorded program
Computer networking to play music and see JPEGs from your computer
Built in DVD Burner
74 hours of record time at best quality
Unlimited hard drive expandability via external USB hard drives (I haven't tried this yet)
Drawbacks to it:
You can only watch what you are recording, it doesn't have dual tuners to let you watch one thing live and record another
I wish it would play video clips off the computer
Has problems connecting to the internet (but that might be my router)
Friday, January 26, 2007
EMTAC GPS Navigator 3.0 Bundle for Palm TX
I've wanted to have GPS for a very long time. I finally found something that uses the super cool Palm TX as the display that connects wirelesly to a GPS receiver via BlueTooth. The EMTAC Navigator 3.0 Bundle comes with the BlueTooth GPS receiver and a pretty powerful piece of software including maps for each state in the United States (except Alaska and Hawaii for some reason).
If you are unfamiliar with GPS, here is what it is. GPS, abreviation for Global Positioning System, allows you to see exactly where you are on any GPS enabled map using three of 20 orbiting Satellites. The accuracy depends on the GPS receiver you have and the accuracy of the maps you are using. The EMTAC is rated accurate to 10 meters. The software allows you to see your current position, choose a destination, then the software will calculate the best or fastest route to that destination. Good software will recaclulate the route on the fly if you miss a turn.
The GPS receiver itself is very small, it fits easly in the palm of your hand....a bit smaller and flatter than a racketball ball. (I got the 'Mini' since the standard was out of stock). It comes with a wall charger and a car charger and takes only about an hour to fully charge. Once it is turned on, it can take a few minutes to get a lock on your position depending where the unit is located. I have had it zipped up in my camera bag on the passenger seat of the car and still get a lock. I find it easier to set it on the dashboard of the car to get a lock, then put it in my bag, in the glove compartment or in the armrest and not lose the signal. It connects via Bluetooth to the Palm so there's no extra cords to mess with.
One great thing about the Bluetooth connection is that you can set the screen where you can easly access it and put the receiver on the dashboard or in the glove box or wherever. Since the screen and receiver are separate you don't need to put the screen in a special place to get the best signal.
Since I have never used any GPS unit or software before, I have nothing to compare it to, but so far I really like EMTAC Navigator 3.0. The software is very customizable but has several quirky tricks that take a while to get used to. As far as customization, you can view your map in a top-down map style view or in a 3-D view which gives you a broader view of what's coming up. The map scales automatically based on your current speed and distance to next turn, which is really nice. The map is manually scalable using the hardware navigation buttons on the bottom of the TX in case you need a different scale that the current display. You can zoom in , out or even tilt when in 3-D mode. A simple press of a giant hand in the upper left corner gets you back to auto zoom mode.
The audible directions are great, although not street name specific. She will tell you when to turn left or right, but won't say the name of the street you are turning onto....for that you have to read the screen. But the voice is loud and crisp. You have control over the volume of the voice from within the software so if you are listening to music through the Palm at the same time, you can adjust the voice accordingly so it can still be heard through the music.
You can create a 'favorites' list which is extremely handy for places you may go frequently. I have Home and work stored so no matter where I am I can quickly find my way home without always typing in my address. It's also a good way to plan ahead for trips. Save your future destination as a favorite, then when you get in the car to go, you already have it saved.
Recently I typed in an address and followed the directions exactly to get there. Once I arrived, I found that it had taken me to the wrong place. From now on, if it's a place I've never been, I will cross reference the map location in EMTAC Navigator with Google Maps or Mapquest to be sure they all get the same results. It's kind of my fault though for not looking at the street signs as I was driving and only trusting the voice commands. Had I seen that the house numbers were getting bigger instead of smaller, I may have realized that I was going the wrong way.
It has the capabilities of looking up addresses from your contacts list, but I have had mixed results with that. Most of the time it just comes up blank when I try to use a contact. I've read that others have the same problem.
Another problem that I have found is when I'm in downtown Seattle in between all the tall buildings. Either the satellites can't see my exact position, or the map is off by 1/2 a block. When stopped at an intersection it will show that I am in between streets then will try to recalculate my route, most of the time indicating that I need to turn onto the street I'm already on. As long as I am moving it doesn't seem to be a big problem but when I stop every block for a stop light, it gets confused. I don't know if that would be the same for every major city, or just Seattle...you can always tell the software not to recalculate your route.
If you are unfamiliar with GPS, here is what it is. GPS, abreviation for Global Positioning System, allows you to see exactly where you are on any GPS enabled map using three of 20 orbiting Satellites. The accuracy depends on the GPS receiver you have and the accuracy of the maps you are using. The EMTAC is rated accurate to 10 meters. The software allows you to see your current position, choose a destination, then the software will calculate the best or fastest route to that destination. Good software will recaclulate the route on the fly if you miss a turn.
The GPS receiver itself is very small, it fits easly in the palm of your hand....a bit smaller and flatter than a racketball ball. (I got the 'Mini' since the standard was out of stock). It comes with a wall charger and a car charger and takes only about an hour to fully charge. Once it is turned on, it can take a few minutes to get a lock on your position depending where the unit is located. I have had it zipped up in my camera bag on the passenger seat of the car and still get a lock. I find it easier to set it on the dashboard of the car to get a lock, then put it in my bag, in the glove compartment or in the armrest and not lose the signal. It connects via Bluetooth to the Palm so there's no extra cords to mess with.
One great thing about the Bluetooth connection is that you can set the screen where you can easly access it and put the receiver on the dashboard or in the glove box or wherever. Since the screen and receiver are separate you don't need to put the screen in a special place to get the best signal.
Since I have never used any GPS unit or software before, I have nothing to compare it to, but so far I really like EMTAC Navigator 3.0. The software is very customizable but has several quirky tricks that take a while to get used to. As far as customization, you can view your map in a top-down map style view or in a 3-D view which gives you a broader view of what's coming up. The map scales automatically based on your current speed and distance to next turn, which is really nice. The map is manually scalable using the hardware navigation buttons on the bottom of the TX in case you need a different scale that the current display. You can zoom in , out or even tilt when in 3-D mode. A simple press of a giant hand in the upper left corner gets you back to auto zoom mode.
The audible directions are great, although not street name specific. She will tell you when to turn left or right, but won't say the name of the street you are turning onto....for that you have to read the screen. But the voice is loud and crisp. You have control over the volume of the voice from within the software so if you are listening to music through the Palm at the same time, you can adjust the voice accordingly so it can still be heard through the music.
You can create a 'favorites' list which is extremely handy for places you may go frequently. I have Home and work stored so no matter where I am I can quickly find my way home without always typing in my address. It's also a good way to plan ahead for trips. Save your future destination as a favorite, then when you get in the car to go, you already have it saved.
Recently I typed in an address and followed the directions exactly to get there. Once I arrived, I found that it had taken me to the wrong place. From now on, if it's a place I've never been, I will cross reference the map location in EMTAC Navigator with Google Maps or Mapquest to be sure they all get the same results. It's kind of my fault though for not looking at the street signs as I was driving and only trusting the voice commands. Had I seen that the house numbers were getting bigger instead of smaller, I may have realized that I was going the wrong way.
It has the capabilities of looking up addresses from your contacts list, but I have had mixed results with that. Most of the time it just comes up blank when I try to use a contact. I've read that others have the same problem.
Another problem that I have found is when I'm in downtown Seattle in between all the tall buildings. Either the satellites can't see my exact position, or the map is off by 1/2 a block. When stopped at an intersection it will show that I am in between streets then will try to recalculate my route, most of the time indicating that I need to turn onto the street I'm already on. As long as I am moving it doesn't seem to be a big problem but when I stop every block for a stop light, it gets confused. I don't know if that would be the same for every major city, or just Seattle...you can always tell the software not to recalculate your route.
The maps come on a DVD and you can load only the ones you need onto the PALM or your expansion card. I like that because you're not wasting memory on a map of a state you'll never travel to. My 2GB card has a few surrounding state maps, favorite music and several videos on it with plenty of room to spare.
Overall I really really like this new toy. I use it far too frequently and especially when I don't need it at all. Like going to and from work....I already know how to get there, but it's kind of fun to see my current position on the map, my speed, average speed altitude, estimated time of arrival etc.
Things I like:
Clear audible directions so you don't have to always look at the display when driving
Big on-screen finger pushable buttons that don't require the use of the stylus
The ability to tell the software whether you want to take small back roads or the freeways
2-D and 3-D views
Favorites list
Bluetooth wireless connection to the GPS unit
Things I don't like:
No in depth user manual to tell you what ALL of the icons mean
Not pinpoint accurate in Downtown Seattle when stopped
Unable to accurately map contacts in the address book
It's a great price for software and GPS unit for the PALM TX. I like it better than the handheld all-in-one because it uses a nice big color display already on the PALM. Also, if you don't like the EMTAC software, you can still use the GPS receiver for any other PALM map software. Earthcomber is free, it won't give you turn by turn directions, but it can show you where you are on a map and show you restaurants, gas stations, ATMs, around you.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Earthcomber
I've had this program on my Palm TX for a very long time. I downloaded it when I was looking for Free Wi-Fi access points but was quickly overwhelmed and confused by it. It seemed as though things were not put in categories that made sense to me so I stopped using it and deleted it last week because the maps were so big. I have now re-installed the program and have been looking at the website a bit more closely now. I found that you can make your own lists and categorize thing exactly the way you want to.
Earthcomber is a Palm and Windows Mobile program that lets you (and anyone else who uses it) mark places on basic but pretty accurate maps. The information is then uploaded to the central server next time you sync the Palm and run the Earthcomber updater. This allows you to mark anything (gas stations, restaurants, Wi-Fi access points, stores, trails etc..) in your area so others can find them. Next time someone who uses Earthcomber is in my area, they can see anywhere there are ATMs, Gas Stations, Shopping centers, hotels, motels, pet food stores...ANYTHING.
The maps are big, so you'll definitely need a device with lots of on board memory available or some sort of add-on memory card. The Seattle map is just under 6MB, the Los Angeles map is 17MB, Chicago is about 10MB, and the New York map is just under 2MB. Earthcomber also supports GPS units so you can get an exact pinpoint of where you are on the map.
One big drawback to this program is if you ask it to give you directions, it requires an Internet connection. It's a bit strange since it already has the map on your handheld. But I suppose you could just look at the map and figure it out yourself if you have no Internet connection.
By the way....did I mention Earthcomber is completely FREE?
Earthcomber is a Palm and Windows Mobile program that lets you (and anyone else who uses it) mark places on basic but pretty accurate maps. The information is then uploaded to the central server next time you sync the Palm and run the Earthcomber updater. This allows you to mark anything (gas stations, restaurants, Wi-Fi access points, stores, trails etc..) in your area so others can find them. Next time someone who uses Earthcomber is in my area, they can see anywhere there are ATMs, Gas Stations, Shopping centers, hotels, motels, pet food stores...ANYTHING.
The maps are big, so you'll definitely need a device with lots of on board memory available or some sort of add-on memory card. The Seattle map is just under 6MB, the Los Angeles map is 17MB, Chicago is about 10MB, and the New York map is just under 2MB. Earthcomber also supports GPS units so you can get an exact pinpoint of where you are on the map.
One big drawback to this program is if you ask it to give you directions, it requires an Internet connection. It's a bit strange since it already has the map on your handheld. But I suppose you could just look at the map and figure it out yourself if you have no Internet connection.
By the way....did I mention Earthcomber is completely FREE?
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
FujiFilm FinePix S5200
The FujiFilm FinePix S5200 is a great camera. We got ours back in March 2006 and love it. There are a few minor complaints that I'll get to later, but overall it is a great camera for anyone wanting a step up from a point and shoot. It has auto focus (and manual focus that I can't quite figure out yet), optical zoom (10x), built in flash, full auto mode all the way through full manual mode. The auto mode lets you use it as a point and shoot...where it determines the shutter aperture settings automatically. You can flip it to shutter priority or aperture priority if you want a bit more control over those items.
The biggest bonus in my book is the fact that it shoots in the Camera Raw format. Each 5 megapixel file is about 10MB, which is HUGE compared to it's 2MB JPEG counterpart. The benefit here is there is absolutely no compression on the file written to your XDPicture card media. This gives you ultimate control over the image in post-processing. You have about 4 f-stops worth of exposure control after the picture is taken. Now for those who simply want to take a picture, and upload it to the computer....this is not a very efficient way to go. If you do like to play around with the images in Photoshop, this is the best way to go. You have to download the latest update for Photoshop for it to read the RAW (file extension is RAF) files, but it works great.
I prefer shooting RAW because I think the S5200 has too many compression artifacts and image smoothing when shooting in JPEG mode. It's a pain to get the files ready for emailing when shooting RAW, but it's worth the hassle in my opinion. The S5200 also seems to shoot everything a little too blue for my eye and I like the fact that I can adjust color temperature to make the pictures more true to life.....without recompressing the file.
The things that bug me about the camera:
1) Color temperature seems too blue in auto
2) Has a hard time focusing sometimes in low light or on moving objects
3) JPEG images have too much image smoothing and artifacts
4) Seems to take a bit too long to to write the image to the media...this means you can't easily take a quick sequence of shots.
5) Images get too grainy/noisy at 800 and 1600 ISO
The things I really like about the camera:
1) Shoots in the RAW format
2) Has great battery life (4x AA batteries)
3) Good video quality at 640x480 30fps
4) Great image quality when shooting RAW
5) Standard 55mm lens thread so you can use filters from other cameras
Read more detailed info here at Photoxels. Another good source of information is here at DPReview. I would highly recommend this camera if you're looking for an upgrade from a point and shoot.
The biggest bonus in my book is the fact that it shoots in the Camera Raw format. Each 5 megapixel file is about 10MB, which is HUGE compared to it's 2MB JPEG counterpart. The benefit here is there is absolutely no compression on the file written to your XDPicture card media. This gives you ultimate control over the image in post-processing. You have about 4 f-stops worth of exposure control after the picture is taken. Now for those who simply want to take a picture, and upload it to the computer....this is not a very efficient way to go. If you do like to play around with the images in Photoshop, this is the best way to go. You have to download the latest update for Photoshop for it to read the RAW (file extension is RAF) files, but it works great.
I prefer shooting RAW because I think the S5200 has too many compression artifacts and image smoothing when shooting in JPEG mode. It's a pain to get the files ready for emailing when shooting RAW, but it's worth the hassle in my opinion. The S5200 also seems to shoot everything a little too blue for my eye and I like the fact that I can adjust color temperature to make the pictures more true to life.....without recompressing the file.
The things that bug me about the camera:
1) Color temperature seems too blue in auto
2) Has a hard time focusing sometimes in low light or on moving objects
3) JPEG images have too much image smoothing and artifacts
4) Seems to take a bit too long to to write the image to the media...this means you can't easily take a quick sequence of shots.
5) Images get too grainy/noisy at 800 and 1600 ISO
The things I really like about the camera:
1) Shoots in the RAW format
2) Has great battery life (4x AA batteries)
3) Good video quality at 640x480 30fps
4) Great image quality when shooting RAW
5) Standard 55mm lens thread so you can use filters from other cameras
Read more detailed info here at Photoxels. Another good source of information is here at DPReview. I would highly recommend this camera if you're looking for an upgrade from a point and shoot.
Friday, December 01, 2006
U3 USB Flash Drives
Several months ago I was looking for a larger capacity USB Flash drive to take files to and from work so I could work on them from home. I found a Kingston 1GB drive for $20 at Buy.com so I started researching it. It had something called 'U3' technology which I didn't know anything about. What it allows you to do is run programs straight off the keychain sized flash memory stick as though it was a CD-ROM. There are several programs for these U3 drives and a lot of the most useful ones are free.
This allows you to load a web browser on your keychain and take it to any Windows XP machine and surf the web anonymously. No cookies or form data is saved to the host computer....it all goes on the keychain. So when you unplug the U3 keychain, it's like you were never there.
Web browsers, email clients, chat programs, office document reader/editors, photo viewers/editors are all available for free. If you need a new Flash drive and you work on Windows XP, definitely get a U3 drive.
The one complaint I have about my Kingston drive is that the little plastic part that connects to my keychain breaks all the time. I have to super glue it once every couple weeks. That is annoying. Other than that, I like it a lot. 1GB for $20 that also lets me take my email, favorite website links and chat programs with me wherever I go is great!!
This allows you to load a web browser on your keychain and take it to any Windows XP machine and surf the web anonymously. No cookies or form data is saved to the host computer....it all goes on the keychain. So when you unplug the U3 keychain, it's like you were never there.
Web browsers, email clients, chat programs, office document reader/editors, photo viewers/editors are all available for free. If you need a new Flash drive and you work on Windows XP, definitely get a U3 drive.
The one complaint I have about my Kingston drive is that the little plastic part that connects to my keychain breaks all the time. I have to super glue it once every couple weeks. That is annoying. Other than that, I like it a lot. 1GB for $20 that also lets me take my email, favorite website links and chat programs with me wherever I go is great!!
Monday, November 27, 2006
6.25 MPH
That is what my evening commute home averaged to be today.....25 miles in 4 hours. It is a rare occasion that the roads in Seattle are so ice packed. There were cars, trucks and busses all over the place. I finally pulled over and chained up just so I would feel a bit more safe knowing at least I wouldn't be the one to crach into someone. I left work at about 7pm and arrived home just in time for the 11pm news. It was extremely stressful, luckily I had just recently made an MP3 disc of all my favorite tunes to listen to in the car. While stopped in traffic, I had a bit of trouble finding unsecure Wi-Fi hotspots to check the traffic up ahead on Google Maps for Mobile Devices....but there were a few areas I could find one. Would have been nice to have bluetooth internet through my cel phone, but I am resolved to the fact that it just won't happen.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
No more Samsung A920
I've decided that it's not worth all the hassle to get internet on my PDA through this Samsung A920 Phone. While we would end up getting the phone for free anyway, I decided to return it for a different model that won't be so overkill for a new Cel Phone. The A920 is very cool....but it's way too much for me. It playes MP3s, takes pictures and video, connects to the internet and a lot more I don't even know about....but I don't need all that. I found a different phone that is much cheaper that looks cool and does everything I need it to do as an upgrade to my current Nokia phone. The Samsung A640 is the one I plan on trading 'down' to. It has a speaker phone, a VGA camera and Bluetooth technology. At this point I don't hink I need anything more than that.
The special deal we are getting through Qwest is that we got a $150 bill credit for renewing a contract on MY Nokia phone. By upgrading my wife's phone to a new one, we still get the special discouted price for the new phone ($99 for the A920 and $39 for the A640) So either way the phone is free PLUS a credit. This just means we get more of a credit by getting the cheaper phone.
In order for me to get the new phone and not break my current phones contract was to get my wife the new phone, activate it, then change the number. It all went very smoothly, but now that I want to trade phones, it's a bit of a hassle because the original contract on that phone was on my wifes number. Confusing I know. Hopefully it gets sorted out and we don't have to pay a $200 cancellation fee. We shouldn't need to since I am cancelling before my 15 day trail period is up.
Anyway, I am disppointed that I won't have all-the-time web access through my Palm TX, but I am excited about a new phone. While the Nokia 3586i worked great, the new phones are smaller and sound better....hopefully they can also pull in a stronger signal.
The special deal we are getting through Qwest is that we got a $150 bill credit for renewing a contract on MY Nokia phone. By upgrading my wife's phone to a new one, we still get the special discouted price for the new phone ($99 for the A920 and $39 for the A640) So either way the phone is free PLUS a credit. This just means we get more of a credit by getting the cheaper phone.
In order for me to get the new phone and not break my current phones contract was to get my wife the new phone, activate it, then change the number. It all went very smoothly, but now that I want to trade phones, it's a bit of a hassle because the original contract on that phone was on my wifes number. Confusing I know. Hopefully it gets sorted out and we don't have to pay a $200 cancellation fee. We shouldn't need to since I am cancelling before my 15 day trail period is up.
Anyway, I am disppointed that I won't have all-the-time web access through my Palm TX, but I am excited about a new phone. While the Nokia 3586i worked great, the new phones are smaller and sound better....hopefully they can also pull in a stronger signal.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Samsung A920 wireless phone and the Palm TX
So I have this new phone that supposedly will allow me to connect my Palm TX to the internet through the phone via Bluetooth. I can get the phone and Palm connected as trusted Bluetooth devices no problem. But I can't get the phone to 'log on' to the network. I can connect to the internet on the phone through the phone's on board web browser so I know I have service.
I connect to the phone via Bluetooth and the Phone reads something like "connected to Palm TX as Data Modem" then a couple seconds later it drops the connection and gives me an error code saying Registration failure, PCS Vision username or password may be incorrect. I never got a password from Qwest.
I went through the Palm network setup and have the connections all set. I think the only thing I am missing is my Power Vision Password. The Palm asks for that in the setup process, but no one at Qwest will give it to me for some reason. One response via email from Qwest was to contact Palm to solve the problem. Earlier today I sat on hold for about 30 minutes waiting for some help. When I asked for the password she said she would do some troubleshooting then would be right back. Unfortunately my call got dropped due to another incoming call on my phone so I lost her.
My next step is to go to a Qwest Wireless store here locally and ask for some help. I think if they see the errors I get on the phone they will help me work through it....I'm doubtful though.
I did read somewhere on the internet that Palm does not support CDMA phone networks and I'm not sure what Qwest is. However I did read here http://forums.palm.com/pe/action/forums/displaypost?postID=20320033 about how to connect to CDMA networks and it is the same setup I went through normally....so I don't know.
The process is to connect to -phone-via bluetooth- and dial -#777- as the connection number. It also asks for username and password....which I don't have so I think this is the problem. http://forums.palm.com/pe/action/forums/displaysinglethread?rootPostID=20305990&returnExpertiseCode= The guy I talked with originally at Qwest said his buddy connects his laptop to the internet through the Samsung A920 and has no problems, also claims he never had to type in a username or password. Although I'm pretty sure connecting a laptop is different than a Palm.
All I want to do is connect my Palm TX to the internet through my phone so I don't always have to be on the lookout for a Wi-Fi network. I really really want this to work!!
I connect to the phone via Bluetooth and the Phone reads something like "connected to Palm TX as Data Modem" then a couple seconds later it drops the connection and gives me an error code saying Registration failure, PCS Vision username or password may be incorrect. I never got a password from Qwest.
I went through the Palm network setup and have the connections all set. I think the only thing I am missing is my Power Vision Password. The Palm asks for that in the setup process, but no one at Qwest will give it to me for some reason. One response via email from Qwest was to contact Palm to solve the problem. Earlier today I sat on hold for about 30 minutes waiting for some help. When I asked for the password she said she would do some troubleshooting then would be right back. Unfortunately my call got dropped due to another incoming call on my phone so I lost her.
My next step is to go to a Qwest Wireless store here locally and ask for some help. I think if they see the errors I get on the phone they will help me work through it....I'm doubtful though.
I did read somewhere on the internet that Palm does not support CDMA phone networks and I'm not sure what Qwest is. However I did read here http://forums.palm.com/pe/action/forums/displaypost?postID=20320033 about how to connect to CDMA networks and it is the same setup I went through normally....so I don't know.
The process is to connect to -phone-
All I want to do is connect my Palm TX to the internet through my phone so I don't always have to be on the lookout for a Wi-Fi network. I really really want this to work!!
Friday, November 17, 2006
Palm TX
I just recently purchased the Palm TX from OfficeMax. I ablsoutley love it so far. This was an upgrade from the Palm m130 and I like how much faster it is, the screen is much larger, it has bluetooth and Wi-Fi, displays pictures and video great and can easily sync to Microsoft Outlook which is great for keping contacts and a calendar up to date.
One of the big challenges I wanted to overcome was the fact that if you added video to the Palm through the Palm Desktop software, it would always re-encode it to save space....but I wasn't happy with the quality. So the solution (after a few days of research) was to get an SD Card reader and add MPEG1 files created with Sorenson Squeeze or TMPGEnc directly to the card. While those files will paly back in the default multimedia software that came with the Palm TX, I found it plays back better using TCPMP (The Core Pocket Media Player). So now I have great looking video playing back on the Palm....great for showing off video of my son or our company demo reel.
I have found that copying music to an SD card via a card reader is much faster than syncing Windows Media Player to the card through the TX. I don't know why it is, but the end result is the same....just a big speed difference.
I have had a few odd things happen when connected to Wi-Fi. For some reason it will lock up and I have to use the RESET button on the back, or the TX will just reboot itself. I have never lost any information from those reboots, but it is a bit annoying.
I just got a new Samsung A920 cel phone from Qwest that supposedly will allow me to connect to the PDA via Bluetooth and access the internet without needing to find a Wi-Fi hotspot. I'll let you know how that goes.
One super sweet free download for the Palm TX is Google Maps. You have to be connected to the internet to use it, but it is really really cool! You can actually have real time traffic conditions shown on the map. So far I have only used it to check traffic down the I-5 corridor in Seattle and seems to be pretty accurate. Side streets and non-major highways aren't monitored so it may not be helpful in all areas....but what a cool thing to have! I was thinking about getting a GPS add on for the TX but I think this is a much better solution if you just need to get directions.
If you're in the market for a PDA with great functionality and a large screen, I highly recommend the Palm TX.
One of the big challenges I wanted to overcome was the fact that if you added video to the Palm through the Palm Desktop software, it would always re-encode it to save space....but I wasn't happy with the quality. So the solution (after a few days of research) was to get an SD Card reader and add MPEG1 files created with Sorenson Squeeze or TMPGEnc directly to the card. While those files will paly back in the default multimedia software that came with the Palm TX, I found it plays back better using TCPMP (The Core Pocket Media Player). So now I have great looking video playing back on the Palm....great for showing off video of my son or our company demo reel.
I have found that copying music to an SD card via a card reader is much faster than syncing Windows Media Player to the card through the TX. I don't know why it is, but the end result is the same....just a big speed difference.
I have had a few odd things happen when connected to Wi-Fi. For some reason it will lock up and I have to use the RESET button on the back, or the TX will just reboot itself. I have never lost any information from those reboots, but it is a bit annoying.
I just got a new Samsung A920 cel phone from Qwest that supposedly will allow me to connect to the PDA via Bluetooth and access the internet without needing to find a Wi-Fi hotspot. I'll let you know how that goes.
One super sweet free download for the Palm TX is Google Maps. You have to be connected to the internet to use it, but it is really really cool! You can actually have real time traffic conditions shown on the map. So far I have only used it to check traffic down the I-5 corridor in Seattle and seems to be pretty accurate. Side streets and non-major highways aren't monitored so it may not be helpful in all areas....but what a cool thing to have! I was thinking about getting a GPS add on for the TX but I think this is a much better solution if you just need to get directions.
If you're in the market for a PDA with great functionality and a large screen, I highly recommend the Palm TX.
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