Palm-Mac

Palm Centro arrives

No doubt you will all have seen and read the extensive coverage given to the new Centro on the big palm websites over the last day or two. It looks very nice and the slimmer, smaller form factor and 3g connectivity make it very appealing.

I'd love to get my hands on one but can't. I'm sure there are quite a few existing 680 owners who would also like to trade up and if you're not in the US or near the end of your current phone contract that is not an option yet.

Another Palm "exclusivity" deal for 3 months with a carrier, once again narrowing down the range of people who can get their hands on one of their recent releases. Seems a bit strange...they're trying to get the smartphone to "the masses" yet cut out most of "the masses" for the first 4/5 months.

It's all a bit frustrating for me. The Centro doesn't appear to be GSM so it's unlikely we will ever see it here in Europe, much like the 755p in fact. We do however get blessed with the Win-Mob version instead, probably not much use though for those who prefer to continue with the palm o/s.

iSilo 5

After what seems like an eternity, the latest update of the excellent iSilo is now out...version 5. So, what extra does this nifty little application add?

Version 5.0 adds the following new features: Is it worth the upgrade?

All platforms:

• Ability to annotate document text:
  • Copy mode changed to select mode. After text is selected, a context menu appears with option to Copy or Annotate.
  • Annotations have one of sixteen background colors to highlight the annotated text.
  • When not in select mode, holding the pen/mouse down on the annotated text shows one line of the associated comment and provides options for viewing/editing/deleting the annotation.
• Ability to associate any annotations file:
  • When adding an annotation to a document with no associated annotations file, the user is prompted to select one or create a new one, which defaults to the same directory as the document.
  • The user can optionally select an existing annotations file to associate with the document, thus giving the ability for a document to have different sets of annotations for different purposes.
  • Because the annotations file is separate from the document file, the annotations file can easily be shared with other users of the same document.

LifeShaker for mac - list type application

Link: Apple - Downloads - Productivity Tools - LifeShaker.

Just noticed this now available for mac lovers worldwide....

About LifeShaker

Does the world really need yet another to-do list program? We think so. You see the problem with a traditional to-do list, whether on paper, a computer screen or even a tablet of stone is…it’s a list and quite frankly there’s nothing more uninspiring than a list of tasks.

LifeShaker revolutionises to-do lists with its unique interface and novel approach to getting stuff done:

- See nine goals at a glance in LifeShaker’s innovative grid view
- Shake up the grid to bring new goals into the mix
- Create categories for your goals and give them custom colours
- Break a goal down into steps and see only the next step in the grid
- Marvel at the top secret code that keeps the grid view fresh
- Prioritise your goals with our special stars
- Drag completed goals to the tick and hear the sweet sound of success
- Drop those pesky goals (that you’re avoiding) on the Backburner but mind your fingers…it’s hot!
- …and listen out for some nifty sound effects

iPhoto Buddy for mac

Link: iPhoto Buddy Home Page.

This both looks and sounds very interesting. Not only that but it is currently freeware.

What is iPhoto Buddy?

iPhoto Buddy is a Mac OS X application (Universal) that allows you to easily create, manage, and switch between multiple iPhoto Libraries. The advantages of splitting your One Huge Photo Library into multiple, smaller ones include improved iPhoto performance, increased flexibility in organizing your digital photo collection, and a consistency with most other Mac applications that allow their respective data to be stored in as many documents (in this case, "Libraries") as you like.

iPhoto Buddy uses a simple, streamlined interface that was inspired by iPhoto itself. Anyone that has used iPhoto will immediately feel right at home using iPhoto Buddy. It truly is a companion application--a real buddy!

iPhoto Buddy will never alter/move/delete your Libraries or your photo files.  It's perfectly safe!

What can you do with it?

With iPhoto Buddy, you can easily manage an entire list of iPhoto Libraries, enabling you to quickly and easily open the Library of your choice for viewing/editing/printing in iPhoto. You can easily switch between your multiple Libraries, and iPhoto Buddy will automatically quit iPhoto and instantly re-launch it with the newly selected Library (iPhoto can only have one Library open at a time). There is no limit to the number of Libraries, and they can be located in various locations--even on external hard disk drives, network volumes, or encrypted disk images. Each Library can be assigned its own name that differs from its folder name in the Finder; each Library can be assigned a thumbnail image that can help to remind you of its contents; and each Library can be password protected for privacy/security.

iPhoto Buddy also displays various details about your Libraries without launching iPhoto. Information like each Library's size and image count as well as a complete listing of the Albums, Smart Albums, Folders, Books, Slide Shows, etc. contained therein.

And in keeping with the enhanced integration of the iApps that Apple introduced with the original iLife package, iPhoto Buddy also allows you to open iMovie, iDVD, and iWeb using any of your iPhoto Libraries for importing photos into your Movies, DVDs and websites. In fact with iPhoto Buddy, any application that contains a Media Browser for accessing your iPhoto Library, can used with ANY of your iPhoto Libraries.

Get lost Palm...or is it Palm gets lost? Either is appropriate!!

Centro

available only through Sprint in the US..

woohhhhh...another new device....not available to 75% of those who might actually want to buy it.

Nice job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ilium Software Tipster

Link: Ilium Software Tipster.

Ilium make some great stuff such as ListPro for Palm and Win-Mob and NewsBreak RSS reader for Win-Mob. They have just announced an updated version of their free Tipster application which is available for both touchscreen and smartphone WM and Palm.
This should sort out any restaurant tipping probs you may have....

I just need to speak to Julie at Ilium about getting NewsBreak and ListPro onto the Blackberry platform and then I will be well sorted for the Curve, I'm sure they're hard at work on this already...ahem...I wish.

hands on iphone experience...over here

I received an email recently from somebody who is UK based and he has managed to get his hands on an iphone...I'll just quote what he says below as it makes extremely interesting reading.

Forget what all the niggling complainers say about the iPhone
(especially those who've never actually had hands on with one) - if
you get to handle it you will mysteriously find yourself offering up
your credit card without even taking your eyes of the iPhone, as you
repeatedly mutter 'the screen, the screen...'
The experience of actually using it is astonishing. Screen looks like
litho-printed glossy magazine, can be easily read outdoors - even in
full sunlight. Build quality superb, thin, but with a satisfying weight.
OS behaves just like the magical Jobs presentation, this does not
disappoint.
I've used it outside too, as a phone, for mail and Google maps - not
bad for being on GPRS, useable.
But when you get onto wi-fi - yyyeeeehaaaa...

Definitely the best handheld I've ever seen, nothing else even close.

As Stephen Fry so accurately puts it: "Apple gets it, why don't the
other bastards get it?"

Not all rosy in the garden of course, there are some puzzling
omissions from the iPhone features, hopefully to be resolved soon,
keyboard takes a bit of getting used to and I really wish it was 3G,
but overall still a stunning first version entry into the smartphone
world from Apple.
Hell, their competitiors are on versions 5+ with some of their
devices and look at the state of them.
And as I marvel at the integration of hardware, OS and software I
wonder again, what the blazes have the big guns of the handheld world
been doing these past two years while Apple quietly prepped an 'every-
other-phone-killer'?

Immediately after using the iPhone al the other OS and interfaces
seems like quaint antiques. How utterly laughable are the dunderheads
who think that the iPhone OS is just a cosmetic 'gloss' over a device
no different from all the others, may their handhelds rest in peace.

All Splashed out

Just noticed this very well written post from Confused & Emotional. This blog has not been updated much of late as Bruce has been concentrating on his other main site which has a sailing focus. Nevertheless, this is a good post. I must say it surprises me when people go on about the likes of Splash ID and particularly SplashPhoto. The latter gets positively wiped out by, for example, Resco Pic Viewer both in terms of features and useability.
I really like SplashNotes but SplashNews is not very good, Splash ID, despite its recent update is barely better than it was. eWallet, to my mind is much better.

The worst thing for me though is this...if you have purchased a SplashData application, say SplashID, then the code you get is not related to your hotsync ID and thus can be used on any platform. For example, I was using SplashID for a while on both palm and win-mob using the same reg code. However, if you go onto the Splash site they offer "crossgrade" upgrades for $9.99 roughly to get a new reg code for an app for another platform & they must very patently know that the original code will work on that other platform anyway with there being no need to pay another $9.99. Now, you can say they should be entitled to do this if you are using an app on two different platforms as virtually every other developer charges for the same thing but it is more than just a little bit sneaky is it not?

"Now Confused+Emotional is a huge SplashData fan of long standing, so it's always a shame when things go wrong, but we can't help think this is indicative of a new overly-commercial approach by SplashData. When we first encountered the company, back in the day, they appeared to be a developer-led company of great talent, producing software that filled a need and met with great success. We're proud to own SplashID, SplashPhoto & to a degree, SplashTravel. Regular updates provided welcome improvements and increased functionality, and they were always a company to watch"

Upgrade/Downgrade/Sidegrade

Two contrasting posts here, the first from the venerable SJM at Palmaddicts who advises people to stick with a device rather than turfing it early doors, and the second from pda247. The latter is talking about someone being disappointed by a newer device in comparison to their old one. I must admit I tend to give new devices a limited amount of time, if they can't cut the mustard after a couple of days I tend to abandon all hope of ever making them the grade...mind you, having said that, I wasn't too impressed with the Curve initially and look what has transpired there. Looks like ol' Sammy boy is spot on.

Most people would generally expect a newer device, the one they are upgrading to, to be better than the older one. Certainly, invariably, that is true in terms of specs and features but as we all know features do not necessarily "maketh the phone". Useability does and hence the reason why I think the Curve is such a good device. Features wise, things are a bit sparse with no 3g or gps (not that that bothes me one iota) or wifi (again that doesn't concern me) but it makes up for this by just being so utterly useable, loads of keyboard shortcuts, no silly memory management issues, very stable with no crashes yet, easy to use built in apps and the nicest form factor of any device I have used to date. This is why I get so annoyed about people harping on about bloody features and processor speeds as if they are the be all and end all of matters...far from it. Hence also the reason why I have been palming it with the 680 for the last 2 months nearly...it just does the things I need to get done quicker and with less fuss than other handhelds (less maintenance too)

For me then, going with the Curve, and I have used it almost exclusively over the past month, has been an on paper downgrade from the more powerful windows mobile devices but an in reality upgrade.

Blackjack 2 Rocks Touchscreen? - WMExperts

Link: Blackjack 2 Rocks Touchscreen? - WMExperts.

Interesting looking device this, a Blackjack with WM6 instead of the smartphone version. There's a short video clip linked to in the post which shows that it has plenty of memory and GPS built in. One or two people mention the similarity to the treo range.

It's funny how there have been a few devices out of late that do bear a striking resemblance to the treo...my Curve for one and now this.

I wonder if it as thin as the current Blackjack? That device tended to suffer from poor battery life, surprisingly enough, but was decent enough. I never managed to get mine to sync with activesync so I had to return it to expansys. I also felt that the screen looked far too small.