12:29 PM by Laurens in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Is it time to overhaul the Palm GUI? asks Kent Pribbernow of PocketFactory:

The Palm interface just works, and has done its job with great zeal since 1997. [...] And yet, as elegant and simple as the Palm interface is, it was originally designed years ago for monochrome organizer screens, and has remained largely unchanged since that time. [...] I think PalmSource should take this opportunity to borrow a page from Apple's playbook by starting over from the beginning. OSX still retains the classic Mac interface while building upon it with modern technologies like Quartz and Aqua. So too, I think, PalmSource should strive to achieve the same goal.

Interesting read, and the screens look great!

01:22 AM by pruss in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

I have just released version 1.65 of my FontSmoother, a utility for hi-res OS 5 devices to support smooth (antialiased) fonts. News and changes:

1.65:

• Added Sony small font support--see "Advanced" options.
• Moved "Application options" from menu to "Advanced" panel (one fewer tap to access).
• Renamed "Smart Layout" to "eBook Mode", but made it a touch smarter.
• Can configure a separate font package for the "Clock Popup Window" (the window you get by tapping on the statusbar clock) on the T3/T5/TX/LifeDrive in the applications list.
• Included new YAHM version (2.5.111), compatible with both Zodiac and non-Zodiac devices.
• Fixed two "Quick Make Font" naming problems.
• Added menu white-space fix to "Use Fonts4OS5's fonts" mode. Fixed compatibility problem between Silverscreen and some earlier OS 5 devices. Fixed bug in FontHack-style font handling, and renamed FontHack_fonts to eReaderPro_fonts.

Get it from the usual places:
http://palmgear.com/index.cfm?xyz=90288
http://zlthemes.com/Programs.php

10:25 AM by Colin Dunstan in E-Book Readers | Alternative Devices

Okay, according to a guy who knows a guy who told my friend who told me, some crackers have discovered a method to run Opera Mobile 8.5 (not to be confused with Opera Mini) on any Windows Mobile 5.0 handheld. The crack involves patching opera.dll to unlock the browser from the Sharp/Willcom W-Zero3 device. As a matter of fact, you can officially download Opera Mobile from here (I don't think anyone has posted about this before). HOWEVER I'm not about to point you to the crack, you filthy, evil pirate.

Screenshots attached.

PS: It came also to my ears that Opera is to officially announce Opera Mobile on January 15th.

07:02 AM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Softick Card Export II emulates a USB Mass Storage device on Windows Mobile handhelds, thus making it possible to mount storage cards or file stores as logical disks under Windows-, Mac-, and Linux-desktops. The latest beta 2.10 released today supports Windows Mobile 5.0 and also allows switching between Active Sync and USB Mass Storage modes without disconnecting the USB cable.

Download from here.

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

Bite-sized MobileRead for your weekend pleasure:

Announcements
Mobileread wins Palm Addict Excellence Award

Current E-Books Trends
Sony to launch "iPod for e-books" at CES

E-Book Readers
Bookeen releases Cybook firmware upgrade - and pulls it again

General Chat
100 Notable books of 2005
Mobileplay offers free content on the go
Moonfighter game released for PalmOS and Pocket PC
Read O'Reilly Hacks Series books using Google hack

Link Swap
Top RSS humor site feeds

Other Gadgets
Paper-like notepads... The one remaining killer app for PDAs
The all-in-one card computer... for 2006?

Other Readers
CHM eBook Reader 2.5 for PPC released

Palm
Palm/PocketGear 15% discount through Jan 3rd, 2006

Pocket PC
Minimo CE 012 released
Xmas Pipes - Freeware game for PPC

06:09 PM by Bob Russell in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

There's an article about an "all-in-one card" that's been getting a lot of buzz recently. Unfortunately, it's just the article is getting the buzz, not the card. Supposedly that concept handheld computer will be able to replace pdas, cell phones and mp3 players. And next year, no less. Chandan's writeup is definitely an attention getter, even if the idea is not quite new.

Basically, he describes thin client computing with a small card whose front surface is completely an e-ink type of display. Sort of a Star Trek tablet taken to the extreme. We've talked about that before, and I'm sure that it will be discussed even more as the technology advances to make it feasible.

There's really not a lot to argue about except for the claim that it can be done in 2006. Such a small device, a dreamy display, no place for the battery or fuel cell, no place for the wireless transmitter and antenna, etc etc. Forget all-in-one cards... we would be delighted even to get a display like that in 2006 for an ebook reader!

But as a discussion piece to give a concept of what may be to come, I think he's done a very good job. And if he knows how to really make it feasible now, then he could turn the industry upside down in a year. Personally, I'm a skeptic, but you can read the entire writeup here.

11:30 AM by Alexander Turcic in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Check out PalmGear and PocketGear to see what software your PDA is still missing and use the holiday discount code NEWYEAR upon checkout to receive 15% off your purchase. Valid through January 3rd, 2006.

[via PalmAddict]

11:19 AM by Bob Russell in Miscellaneous | Lounge

You may have picked up on the buzz recently about how many more games are being developed for Pocket PC than PalmOS. Don't let that fool you into thinking developers have given up on PalmOS. Here, for example, is a new game called Moonfighter that has just been published from Astraware which includes both Windows Mobile and PalmOS fans in the fun.

"Moonfighter is a fun gravity-based shoot-em-up that challenges players to pilot their spacecraft around lunar terrains and blast aliens whilst collecting energy spheres to extend their mission time. Players can progress through thousands of Moonfighter levels, each one offering more challenging terrains and more enemy attacks.

" 'This is the kind of spacey game I grew up with - careful maneuvering, rotate and thrust just enough to stay in place but not too much...' said Howard Tomlinson, CEO of Astraware. 'Great for practising and getting my dexterity back!' "

The game is available from Astraware. It's normally $19.95, but is available at release for $9.95. It was developed by Pazzazz Games who also created familiar games such as GTS Racing Challenge and Hellfire: Apache vs Hind.