05:31 AM by Alexander Turcic in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why Access keeps on releasing "technical previews" of their upcoming NetFront 3.3 browser, but it's not going to help them winning back their disgruntled customers who went already over to Opera Mobile and Opera Mini. The only new "feature" I can detect is official support for Windows Mobile 5.0.

You can download the latest technical preview from here.

04:13 AM by Alexander Turcic in E-Book Readers | Sony Reader

It's not as if any of us need any more proprietary formats in our lives, but Sony is hitting us up with their new Sony Reader that will be based on its own e-book format (Broad Band eBook aka BBeB). Although the device will also display Adobe PDFs, these will have to be first converted to BBeB on a PC using the software provided with the reader. Adobe blogger Bill McCoy, a firm believer in interoperable XML-based formats, has a nifty little blurb on this topic arguing that BBeB "is simply one of the best of a number of what I would call "compiled from XML" derivative formats". It's also supposed to turn into an open format, but we'll believe that when we see it.

More over at Adobe Blogs.

Related: Structure of BBeB (PDF), Sony's new e-book reader officially announced, Sony Reader vs. iRex Iliad e-book reader

01:58 PM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Lounge

Happy Birthday to Shaun and the entire crew from PDA247 who just turned four today! To celebrate the event, they are giving away some cool prizes that you shouldn't miss. For more info, check out this link.

01:41 PM by Alexander Turcic in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Connexion by Boeing, the division of the aircraft maker that has leased satellite transponders around the globe to provide airborne broadband access, has just been granted a patent for their on-board WLAN technology. Patent 6,990,338 describes

"A wireless local area network adapted for use by users traveling on a mobile platform such as an aircraft. The network includes a network server located on the mobile platform, and at least one network access point connected to the server and accessible wirelessly by at least one user portable electronic device over one of a plurality of non-overlapping network frequency channels. The RF characteristics of this wireless network are specifically tailored to meet applicable standards for electromagnetic compatibility with aircraft systems and RF exposure levels for passengers and flight crews."

The wireless network is described as such that it can be accessed by connected notebooks and handhelds without causing interferences with the navigation and communication systems on board the aircraft. The first attached image is a view of a WLAN adapted for use on an aircraft; the second image is a graph of E-field strength of emissions versus transmitter-to-victim distance; and the third is a view of a portion of a passenger cabin, shown from above the overhead area, in which more than one connected mobile device is in use.

Related: Connexion to start airborne Internet TV, Alex speaking from Flight LH 432

12:41 PM by Alexander Turcic in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

In an e-mail conversation with Sammy this morning I made the pleasant discovery that Palm Addict is heading toward radical changes in near future. While I promised not to reveal any details, what I can share with you is that these changes will be concluded with a launch party at the Rockefeller Center, NYC, celebrating not only a new era of PA but also its seven-year existence.

Keep a close eye on Palm Addict to not miss the moment when Sammy will let the cat out of the bag.

07:00 AM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Week in Review

Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time for our weekly roundup of what's new and interesting in the world of mobile gadgets.

Browsers
Opera Mini 1.2 officially available (can it get any more official?)

Current E-Books Trends
Celebrate e-books during Read An E-Book Week

E-Book Readers
DjVu Reader V0.1 for Sony Librie released

E-Book Webstores
Unabridgedbooks offers DRM-free audiobooks

General Chat
DRM: The bigger they are, the harder they fall
Google targeting iTunes, analyst claims
Life after the CrackBerry
Mobile Google features wrap up
Nokia working on mobile phone web servers
Withdrawal pains - a day with "half a Treo"!

Other Gadgets
Belkin CableFree USB Hub takes away the wire from USB
E-Ink cell phone design
GPE Environment V2.7 for Linux PDAs released

Other Readers
Quickipedia: The access-anywhere encyclopedia for your Palm

Palm
Ed Colligan re-confirms commitment to PalmOS
New Palm Addict Newsletter out
Palm Treo 650 1.13 update for Sprint customers
Podcasts: PalmAddict 30 and 1src 59
Thoughts on screen protectors

Pocket PC
Current Dell Axim discounts (35% and up)
Don't ever enter "->" into Pocket Word in Windows Mobile!
PocketUAE Amiga Emulator for PPC updated
Skype for Pocket PC V2.0.0.39 beta released
TCPMP V0.71i adds Nullsoft Streaming Video support

Portable Audio/Video
TV networks snag huge slice of iPod pie

Sunrise
Sunrise XP alpha 3 released

11:23 PM by Bob Russell in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

If you own a mobile device with a touch sensitive screen, then plain and simple you should get a screen protector. If you don't you will probably regret it because even a stylus will leave scrape marks and scratches on the screen eventually. Even more so if a piece of dirt gets on the stylus to make it act like a diamond tipped engraving tool.

So how to know what to choose? A Google search will get you plenty of reviews of specific brands, but I'd like to point out a few things that may not be so obvious unless you've personally tried multiple types of screen protectors (like I have).

First of all, the basic idea is always to lay a slightly sticky transparent plastic sheet on top of your screen surface. It should not decrease the clarity or brightness of the display, and it should be pleasant to use the touch sensitive screen with your finger or stylus.

Some screen protectors are called washable, but I don't advise washing and reusing them because they will never be like pristine condition after they are used once. Even applying and removing multiple times can get dust on it, stretch it in places, and generally make it less than perfect.

Secondly, be sure to not destroy it when you apply it. You'll need to make sure the screen is very clean (I use a lens cleaning cloth or an eyeglasses cleaning wipe), and that you apply it from one side of the screen to the other. Preferably by pulling it only partly away from the backing paper and then laying it down and carefully smoothing it flat with a piece of hard paper or business card or credit card.

The idea is to make it lay straight and uniformly flat, and to keep bubbles out. Other than signs left by applying and removing and reapplying too much in the process due to improper alignment (some adjustments are okay if you catch it before you go too far), bubbles and dust are your main enemies. Keep smoothing out the bubbles and making sure the screen is clean before you start will give you much better success.

Does it have to be applied perfectly? No, not at all. And it probably never will be applied perfectly. But the better you get it on there, the less "defects" you will see. If you use it all the time, it's worth a little care to do it reasonably well.

What are the differences between screen protectors? Several main factors come into play. First is the hardness or softness. A hard protector will probably last longer, but it can tend to give you less "feel" when you use the touch screen. It seems to spread out the touch point a bit. One good hard protector I've used is from Boxwave. It lasts fairly long, is very clear, and applies well to the screen. I don't care for the "touchability" but it's not bad, and isn't a big deal with a Treo because you don't use graffiti on it, so there's really not that much stylus work anyway. They are a bit more expensive, but they last longer, so it probably works out not bad in the long run.

Soft protectors are sometimes too rubbery, and can tend to stretch when you push too hard when dragging the stylus across the screen. They also tend to collect bubbles more on the original application, and when you try to get the bubbles out you leave little stretches, and leave other small bubbles. Not a big deal, but noticable. The bargain protectors I bought from eBay really cheaply were this soft kind. I like them, but they may need to be replaced every few months or so.

The other factor you need to take into account is the affect on display quality. It should be very clear and transparent. A friend of mine had extras and gave me a few. I tried one and it left a grid sort of like a graph paper overlay on top of the screen. And even worse it ended up slightly off kilter so with that protector on, the screen always had this optical illusion of being very crooked! It was actually the best protector I've ever used except for that grid that ruined the screen. Both soft and hard protectors can be clear, so it's often just a matter of quality. You don't want one that introduces more glare (already a problem using pdas outdoors), or decreases the brightness. But that's something that you can only learn from experience with a particular brand or by reading reviews.

I just recently removed my "grid" screen protector and replaced it with my eBay cheapee. I had been considering separate cell phone and a T|X recently, but with the new screen protector I've rediscovered the beauty of the Treo display once again. It's like I've fallen in love with the device all over again. I can't tell you enough how much it's worth your while to make sure you are not stuck with an inferior protector. If you are, you definitely want to do a little research and find another option. Maybe some of our readers will share their experiences with various brands in this thread also.

One final important comment relative to the Treo screen in particular. It's the smallest screen of any Palm device. Why is that important? Because it means you have an option that is not available to the devices with big screens. You can pretty much take any screen protector for any device and cut it down to size and use it on your Treo. That means you can find some on sale really cheap, or even use protectors that you have left over from your previous pda.

It may or may not be worth the aggrevation of the cutting to save a few bucks. After doing that cutting myself a bunch of times now, I guess I'm going to keep cutting, but sometimes I think it might just be worth ordering them the right size!

But for now, I have a bunch of protectors left over, so I'm doing the cutting. The method I use is simply to lay the old one down on the new one and draw a line around the outside of it. Then I cut the new one to barely remove the line and it makes for a good fit. But I've ruined a couple also, so it doesn't always work.

The Treo came with a "universal" screen protector that was large enough to work for any size Palm device and guide lines for where to cut for each model. I suppose it might be helpful if I could make a copy at 1:1 ratio with now magnification and lay it on a protector. But I haven't really found that to be useful yet. I've also tried measuring the screen and using that to mark the new one before cutting. But I always run into trouble with the width of the mark. Do I cut outside or inside? Did I measure right? Etc.

I'd be interested to hear how other people have successfully cut them down, or if they just leave it with a flap where it hangs over.

So there you have it. Some thoughts on screen protectors. Time for you to add your own thoughts now.

12:32 PM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Dell Home USA has some deep discounts on their current Axim handhelds. For a limited time, take 35% off the Axim X51v 624Mhz, or choose an Axim "Deal of the Week," a specially configured handheld package, to save up to 40%.

[via PPC Thoughts]