Bringing Zaurus C760 back from the dead

I had a scary PDA moment yesterday when it seemed I killed my new Sharp C760 device. I wrote up a rave blurb on PDAGeek describing the situation. I was just trying to clean up the device and get my WiFi card working and thought for sure I had turned it into an expensive brick. You can't imagine the relief when I saw the Sharp boot screen appear and everything come back to life again. I still haven't figured out how to get the WiFi card working, but at least I can use the device again. The display really is beautiful and photos looks amazing on it. I now want to try getting some videos on there to see how they look on the display.

The rumored MDA III device was officially announced by T-Mobile Germany yesterday so now I need to decide if I want to move up to the MDA III or the Motorola MPx from my current MDA II. I love thumb keyboards and both of these devices have them along with a 1.3 megapixel camera and integrated WiFi that are improvements over the MDA II. I played with the MDA III/CU928 at our user group meeting and the keyboard is very nice and well backlit. I like the 128MB RAM of the MDA II and MDA III and need to see what the MPx production models contain. I don't know how the MDA III will be carried in a case with the sliding keyboard and I need to see a MPx to decide if the display is too small for me.

C760 arrived and 4 kittens did too!

I received the Zaurus C760 on Friday, but was swamped all weekend and haven't had much chance to play with it yet. It has been absolutely beautiful here in Western Washington so I spent many hours working on cleaning up the yard and getting a pool setup for the girls to enjoy.

My tree climbing cat had her kittens on Sunday morning so that was a great time for the girls. She had 4 small kittens and Mommy is doing very well and is quite protective of them. I'll be sending Sammy over at Palm Addict a photo since he likes to post cat photos taken with Palm device cameras. I will also try to post some to my photo blog, which I am way behind in updating with photos I have taken on my devices.

Axim X30 demo, no Reader in ROM, UX50 trade and limited availability

I gave a presentation on WM2003 Second Edition and the Dell Axim X30 High last night at the PSHUG meeting. While preparing, I found that Microsoft Reader was not included in the ROM and at first I was a bit disappointed. Then I realized Dell gives you almost 31MB of ROM to use on the device for storage and remembered that users have had to update Reader a couple of times taking up a couple megs of RAM so I would actually prefer to not have Reader in ROM and make it an option for me to load or not. I actually prefer Mobipocket due to its features and the fact that I can use it on my MS Smartphone, Nokia 3650, Palm devices, and Windows Mobile devices. Do you prefer Reader in ROM or is this a nice touch by Dell?

I just sent off my UX50, new 256MB Memory Stick Pro (I didn't even get to use it once), and extended battery as part of the trade deal for the Zaurus C760. I am very excited about getting another Zaurus and hope it lives up to my expectations. I did also find an extended battery for my other UX50 (they are very limited everywhere and you can't generally even find them on ebay) at Fry's Electronics for $85. I had a chance to buy one of these and a 256 card a couple weeks ago for $100 and am seriously kicking myself now for giving up on that deal:(

I have some more final book edits to do tonight and then plan on cranking up some reviews, including one for the Axim X30.

More on the UX50 - Zaurus C760 trade

I checked out the blurry pics of the C760 that I was sent and the scratch on the outer casing should be fine since I am mainly concerned with the display and keyboard on the device. I am sending the new, non-whining screen UX50, along with the other gear, to the guy I am trading with since I don't want to pass my loud UX50 on to someone who is making a decent deal. I debated about continuing the trade because the UX50 really is slick and I don't like the fact that the 760 has no wireless integrated into the device, but requires external cards. He is throwing a CF WiFi card in the deal, so that helps. The 760 still has some Japanese stuff on it and there is no warranty, but then again Sony doesn't honor warranties to anyone other than the original buyer either so I guess that is the same as if I kep the UX50. Joel said he would probably keep the UX50, but I do enjoy playing with the Linux ROMs on the Zaurus models and if there is anyone I would consider buying then one with hardware close to the UX50 is it. You can check out this excellent PDA Buyer's Guide review of the Zaurus C760 if you are unfamiliar with the device.

Today is my middle daughter's 8th birthday and my 11th wedding anniversary so we have a busy couple of days planned with dinners and fun. I am giving a demo of the Dell Axim X30 tomorrow and will be taking my oldest daughter since they always ask to go to the meetings and my middle daughter has her softball awards party.

Trading UX50 for Sharp C760

The UX50 my PR contact sent me is a used one in mint condition. I was planning on keeping both UX50s when Lisa mentioned she likes the Sharp Zaurus C760/860 device. Amazingly I found a guy on the Zaurus User Group site that wants to trade his 760 for a UX50. I have to throw in my new 256 Memory Stick and extended battery, but the Z looks awesome in almost the same form factor so the trade is progressing. He said the 760 was well used and there is external scratches so I will check out some pics tonight. I would love to use Opera on a mobile device again, but really wish there was some type of integrated wireless capabilities.

We are still camping, but will be heading home today since we have an eventful week coming up. It has been great lying around the pool and relaxing with the family though.

Palm connected to SPV E200, Sony CLIE explanation, camping trip

I just wanted to say thanks to Lisa Gade from the excellent PDA Buyer's Guide website who just solved my issue with the SPV E200 and Palm Powered devices trying to connect to the T-Mobile data network. You have to use a Motorola phone profile and string to get the connection made and now I am one happy camper! I have both my T3 and UX50 connecting with the E200 now so I am going to try using the E200 Smartphone with the UX50 for a while. The MDA II is very nice and is serving me well, but it definitely lags in speed compared to Palm Powered devices.

I used my E200 running Mapopolis with my Pharos Bluetooth GPS the other day to get my daughers and me around Seattle and it worked flawlessly. I didn't try to receive a call or anything at the same time to see how it would react, but it was a very usable GPS/mapping interface.

I just read an interesting article on Brighthand regarding issues surrounding Sony's decison on CLIE devices. I think the author may have hit on something with the expectations of the public and the mobile device interface. That may also explain why so many of us serious PDA geek enthusiasts liked CLIE device, yet the public overwhelmingly goes for the Zire 71 or 72.

We made it to the campground about 9 pm last night and I got everything setup before hitting the sack and coming into work this morning. It is hot in Western Washington this week and we should have a blast at the campground with great facilities and a large pool. I received the Axim X30 and charged it up last night. I played with it a bit and will be using it a lot this weekend as I prepare for my demonstration at the PSHUG meeting on Tuesday, the 22nd.

Axim X30 here, UX50 issue resolved, camping weekend coming

I just received an email that the Dell Axim X30 review sample arrived via FedEx at my house today and I can't wait to check out the latest WM2003 Second Edition enhancements on the device. I will be giving a demonstration of this device at the PSHUG meeting on the 22nd and also working up a review for PDAGeek.

I also received a response back from a Sony Customer Service executive that stated the warranty clearly states it is non-transferable and only valid for the person who has the original retail receipt. So if you are looking for a CLIE on ebay, be aware that you will probably not get any warranty coverage if something happens to the device even if it is only a day old. On the other hand, my PR contact felt I had a good argument and is sending me a UX50 device as a resolution to the matter. I told the Timothy, the guy I bought the whiny UX50 from, to go ahead and cash the check and I'll keep both UX50 devices. I didn't want to stick him with a faulty device, especially since he was willing to take it back and was patient with me as I went through the warranty request process. I love the UX50 and am happy to keep a couple since I may be able to salvage from each other as time goes on.

I still have my Tungsten T3 and it is really tough for me to sell it online because it really is a super PDA and I love to use it as well. My PDA collection is stacking up, but there is nothing out there yet that is spurring me to have a fire sale. Yet, that is:)

We may go camping over in Fall City tonight, which is only about an hour away from our house and stay until Sunday. I will just drive into work the next couple of days to avoid burning my leave, since I really do not get much yet at my company. My 11th anniversary is coming Monday along with my middle daughter's 8th birthday on the same day with Father's Day on Sunday.

Cat in the tree again and UX50 warranty problem

You probably won't believe me when I tell you that my cat again took off and went up another large tree. She was gone for 2 and a half days this time when I decided to go looking and I found her 65 to 70 feet up a huge cedar tree. I grabbed gloves and jeans this time so I didn't get cut up, but I will have to grab my digital camera next time as proof of how high I am climbing to fetch her. She is an avid hunter and I believe she may have been chasing squirrels to get up this high. She was actually nestled in a squirrel's nest this time and yes, she is still pregnant. However, if she keeps going a couple days without food or water I don't know how healthy they will be. We will again try to keep her secured inside, but it is tough when the garage serves as the main entrance and exit from our house.

I should hopefully get the Dell Axim X30 to review today. I am scheduled to give a demo at next Tuesday's PSHUG meeting. I think iBiz is having problems with the Virtual Keyboard since I still haven't received the review unit and the PR contacts haven't returned any of my calls or emails. I did see a couple of review of the Think Outside Bluetooth keyboards, but think I may just get a IR one from Think Outside at half the cost and less hassle with setup and Bluetooth stack issues.

I haven't written yet about the major issue I am having with my UX-50. This unit has a very loud screen whine and I cannot read it in bed at night without disturbing my wife or use it in a quiet environment without going nuts from the sound. My first UX50 did not have this issue and I read that some people on 1src.com have had it fixed with a Sony screen repair. I called Sony customer service and they told me you need an original retail receipt to get warranty coverage. I tried a couple of reps with the same answer and then went to my Sony PR contact to get the straight story on this. I expect a response today and have a rant blurb all written up for PDAGeek if the issue is not resolved. Luckily, the seller has agreed to take it back if Sony will not fix the defect. Timothy is a farmer who hasn't used the device for a couple of months and he said he is a bit hard of hearing from all the years on a tractor so he didn't notice the screen whine. He is truly a gentlemen for honoring his word about the trial period with the device and it is refreshing to see there are still good honest people in this world.

PlanMaker released for Pocket PC and Handheld PC

I have been beta testing PlanMaker on my Pocket PC and Handheld PC for over a month now and they just released the full version for purchase this week. I have also been trying SpreadCE because it is $20 versus the $50 for PlanMaker. PlanMaker has more functions and is really a desktop application on a small platform, but SpreadCE seems to do everything I want so far. I don't know how SpreadCE will do on a new WM2003 Second Edition device in landscape, but if I ever get the Dell X30 to review I can test it out. Do you use a spreadsheet application other than Pocket Excel and what are your experiences?

Do you like cats?

I had quite an adventure with our pregnant cat last weekend and Sammy posted my story over at Palm Addict where you can read all the details and even see a photo I took with my new UX50. By the way, wasn't the cat in Shrek 2 the show stealer!!! I took my 3 girls the first day it was out and thought it was much better than the first one, which I thought was great too.

It's 5am and I haven't even gone to bed yet

I am now getting ready for work after staying up all night to get the last chapter of our Windows Mobile 2003 book done in time to meet the deadline and still get published. WOW, that was a ton of work, but I actually think there will be some good stuff in the book and people will be happy with it. I am sure it won't be perfect because the platform is not the easiest to completely understand, especially when you get into the enterprise and Exchanger server stuff.

It sure is a relief to be done and I may have to leave work early just to take a nap:)

Fixed UX50 shortcut issue, now do I use two devices or stay with one?

You knew I was going to solve the UX50 issue with the rogue shortcuts and programs, right? Thanks to some forum members over at the 1src.com UX board I discovered that these apps may be hidden in the Internal Media area and then I needed to use McFile or FileZ to change the shortcuts attributes so that they were no longer Read Only. I then let my battery drain down to zero and let it sit for an hour plus before recharging it back up and then performing another hard reset. The UX50 is beautiful and clean now so I have to go fill it up with my favorite applications like Documents To Go, SnapperMail, Warfare Incorporated, and others.

Now should I go back to a two device solution with the UX50 and SPV E200 or Nokia 3650 or should I stick with the MDA II converged device. I have been using and loving the MDA II now for about a month so I may give the two device solution another try again with the UX50. I do like using WiFi with the UX50 since this baby is so dang portable and durable.

UX50 has arrived, but no keyboard or Axim yet

A PDAGeek reader offered me a great deal on a used UX50 and extended battery that I just couldn't pass up since I really miss that device and with no more new CLIEs coming out my hope for a UX60 was dashed. I just received the unit yesterday and realize why I loved it so much. The only issue I have with this unit is a couple of shortcuts to apps that cannot be removed and force me to soft reset if I tap them. I am researching a solution to this now and will then load up the device with apps I use regularly. This really is my favorite Palm Powered device and would be awesome if it had phone capabilities.

I still haven't received the iBiz keyboard even though I received two e-mails almost two weeks ago telling me it shipped. They must be using horseback to deliver them:)

I finished 4 new chapters in the book after about 5 hours of total sleep over the weekend and have 1 more left to go (on the Phone Edition devices). I need to finish that tonight to meet our approaching deadline to ensure the book is published by mid-August.

Less blog posts for a couple days with more book writing

I just found out one of the book's contributors will not be writing a few chapters so in order to meet the deadline, I will be writing 4 more chapters. Thus, I may not have much time to post on my blog until next week. I will let you know if the X30 or iBiz keyboard come in and my initial thoughts though.

Back from a weekend of camping

We returned from a 4 day weekend of camping in Soap Lake, WA and had a great time! We had weather in the 70 to 80s and sun most of the time so spent a lot of time in the pool. We went to the Grand Coulee Dam on Sunday night and watched the laser light history show followed by a great fireworks show. I will post a couple pics to my TextAmerica photo blog soon.

I was not connected these last few days and it was actually a bit refreshing. Then again I do love to check out what is going on in the mobile world.

It seems Sony will not release another device in the US this year and I don't think that is good news for PalmSource since Sony tends to be the innovator in the Palm world. I am working on a deal for a UX-50 since I think that is the best Palm Powered device out there and if there arernormore CLIEs coming out then I would like to get one I loved even though OS 6 devices should be out soon.