07:31 PM by Bob Russell in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Have you got a pda that needs to be fixed? Maybe it needs a new screen? More memory? Bet you didn't know you could fix it yourself. If you're feeling adventurous, an excellent source of fix-it kits is available at pocketpctechs.

Personally, I'll tinker with computers and pdas with little fear. But I tend to shy away from working on cars and houses. Ever since I changed the starter switch in an old Dodge station wagon and set it on fire, I've realized that do it yourself projects can be very expensive!

(Via PocketPC Magazine)

07:14 PM by Bob Russell in Miscellaneous | Lounge

SiliconValley.com is reporting that "Last week, Hewlett-Packard board member Thomas Perkins lifted the lid on a project in development at HP Labs to thwart movie pirates who make copies of movies in theaters... 'We have a new projection technology that we think will make the image immune from a teenager . . . with a video camera'"

If it works, this might be a great solution.

06:13 AM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Edit: Download link posted further down in this thread. Thanks Doctorow.

It's been one of the most wanted still missing features in NetFront for Pocket PC: native VGA support. ACCESS listened to our pleas and worked on a "technical preview" of the upcoming NetFront V3.3 release. Not only does it include VGA support, but also other new features including

• "smart" frame mode
• password manager
• popup blocker
• RSS/Atom support
• page translation
• SMIL and SVG support
• enhanced CSS support

Their Web site is all in Japanese, but with some luck you might be able to download the Japanese preview version.

05:48 AM by Colin Dunstan in Miscellaneous | Lounge

The Linux-Mobile-Guide is a guide for users of Linux and laptops, notebooks, PDAs and other mobile computers, which covers various installation methods, security issues, and much more. Released under the GNU Free Documentation License.

For your reading pleasure you find attached the latest version V3.17 of the guide converted in the iSilo and Plucker formats.

05:37 PM by sUnShInE in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, T-Mobile is offering free Wi-Fi connectivity in the hurricane damaged states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama in hotspot locations. This policy goes into effective immediately.

T-Mobile HotSpot locations offering this service (if open for business) include:

• Borders Books and Music
• FedEx Kinko's
• Starbucks
• Hyatt Hotels
• Red Roof Inn Motels
• American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and US Airways clubs and lounges

The free service is intended for those who have been displaced from their homes or are seeking refuge from the hurricane. All people in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama needing internet access for communication purposes may visit any open Starbucks, Borders Books or FedEx Kinko's location throughout the state. There will be no charge for T-Mobile HotSpot service, at these locations, through the end of day Friday, September 2, 2005. The situation will be re-evaluated at that time to determine if the free service will continue.

For a complete listing of T-Mobile HotSpot locations in these states, visit www.t-mobile.com/hotspot or call toll-free within the US: 1-877-822-SPOT (7768).

Source: Digital Divide News

A Hurricane Katrina blog has also been set up to help those wishing to take action and help with relief efforts. Instructions on how to submit materials, including phone recorded podcast messages and Flickr photos of the missing or devastation, can be found here.

Our deepest sympathies go out to everyone affected by the hurricane. We hope this can help you get your lives back together, even if a little bit.
-- The MobileRead Team

04:02 PM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Lounge

A little while ago Lifehacker posted instruction how you could use Gmail's SMTP server to send mail from any e-mail address. Drawback: Google would always rewrite your From: address back to your original Gmail address, kinda defeating our original idea. Last week then, Google added a new feature allowing Gmail users to add multiple e-mail addys and to choose one from a drop-down list when sending a message via the Gmail interface. What hasn't been mentioned yet is that once you've added another verified e-mail address to your Gmail account, Gmail's SMTP server would happily forward the new From: address! And this is how you do it:

• Log in to your Gmail account.
• Click 'Settings' along the top of any page, and then select the 'Accounts' tab.
• Click 'Add another email address' in the 'Send mail as:' section.
• Enter your full name in the 'Name:' field, and the email address you'd like to send messages from in the 'Email address:' field.
• Click 'Next Step >>,' and then click 'Send Verification' to complete the process. Gmail will send a verification message to your other email address to confirm that you'd like to add it to your Gmail account.
• Now go to your e-mail client software to setup your e-mail account.
• Under e-mail address, use one of the verified e-mails you've added to your Gmail account.
• Under outgoing mail smtp server, use smtp.gmail.com. Since it requires SMTP authorization, use your Gmail account as username (e.g. yourname@gmail.com) and your Gmail password as password. You can turn TSL on or off.

02:47 PM by Bob Russell in Miscellaneous | Lounge

Dan Gillmor is ruffling some heavyweight feathers again, this time with his newest opinion piece in ComputerWorld. The biggest issue related to information and technology is the issue of control. I heartily agree.

"Technology vendors strive for lock-in. They lock us in with obvious tricks, such as Microsoft with its file formats, a monopoly mechanism as pervasive as its Windows desktop control. They control us with digital rights management (DRM, more properly called digital restrictions management) schemes that force us to break the law to make backups or even to quote from other works...

[T]he open-source advantage in the freeing of data and choice. Portability is the most essential escape valve in any data relationship. If you can move it without incurring massive costs, you have leverage. If you can't, you don't. With open-source products, you do...

The technology and entertainment industries don't believe in such rights. For everyone's sake, I hope IT will fight back, and hard."

12:16 PM by Alexander Turcic in Archive | Mobile Sites

The free mobile-friendly Web proxy Skweezer has been nominated in the Personal Software: Mobile Web Content Utility category of the 2005 Mobile Star Awards. The awards honor and promote the best companies and products in mobile and wireless technology.

My best to Monica from Greenlight Wireless and good luck with the nomination!