Palm Pilots... any other users?

[NeoNSX]

I've received a Palm Tungsten E from one of my jobs, which is all very nice, but i'm wondering how i can make effective use of it. I work heavily from spreadsheets, a printed list of contacts and a diary.

Anyone else use a Palm? If so, what applications do you recommend? Any other tips would be appreciated.

Also... any good games for the Palm??? I can't do without my Palm now simply for <A HERF="http://www.cs.unimaas.nl/p.spronck/picoverse/spacetrader/STFrames.html">Space Trader</A>.

 

[lemansnsx]

Long time Palm user, former hardware beta tester for TRG (TRG Pro w/ Palm OS) - later became Handera.
Tons and tons of apps, some great freeware, some great shareware. Loads of accessories.
You can do almost anything with a Palm - even use as OBD-II scanner, program Cisco routers, etc.
I just yesterday picked up a Garmin Ique 3600 which uses Palm OS5 and has built-in GPS. So far the battery life sucks and the screen isn't bright enough but my expectations for that are highly un-realistic. The GPS is awesome. I really think I'm going to like using this.

 

[ChopsJazz]

Mike, my favorite calandar for the Palm is Weekview from Pimlico. You can use it for free for awhile but it will only let you view a 2 week window. Register it and you get the whole program.

 

[lemansnsx]

Mike, my favorite calandar for the Palm is Weekview from Pimlico. You can use it for free for awhile but it will only let you view a 2 week window. Register it and you get the whole program.

Far and away the most fully featured calendar for the Palm OS is Datebk5 from Pimlico but, of course, this is a highly personal thing so try several and see what you like.

The classic is the guy I used to work with who just couldn't get the hang of using a PDA. His solution? Write notes on post-it notes and stick them on the screen of his Palm Pilot!!!!

 

[NA1 #2853]

I have a Treo 600 (Phone), Zire 72 (Home), and Handspring Visor Color (Work)

Couple things that are cool to have, for the Handspring i have a OBD-2 scanner attachment, and i also have a 2-Channel lab scope attachment, awesome for graphing voltages & waveforms from sensors in the car.

Some of the fun games are the Atari old school remakes, and Bejewled type games. Pocket-Tunes is a great MP3 Player, i use it on the Zire and Treo. On the Treo i stream internet music stations onto it.

-Ray

 

[White92]

i have a OBD-2 scanner attachment

Where can I get this attachment? If that was the only thing I used my Palm for, it would me worth it!

 

[GOTTSPD]

I have a treo 600. It's an amazing device. I have a GPS mouse attached to it when in the car. Not as good as the iQue, but workable.

The voice recorder, phone, mp3, camera, etc. more than make up for it!

 

[PHOEN$X]

I have an old 3Com brand Palm III that my brother gave me. I actually left it at Costco twice by accident, and both times it was returned to the lost & found. I guess no one wants a PDA that ancient.

The programs I use most are HandyShop, Hearts, BlackJack, and the built in date planner and phone book. Email me if you want any of my apps. I couldn't go back to a paper planner!

 

[lemansnsx]

Where can I get this attachment? If that was the only thing I used my Palm for, it would me worth it!

OBD Gauge Software

ScanTool software, OBD-II adapters, forum, etc.

Multiplex Engineering OBD-II interfaces

Auterra OBD II Scan Tool and Dynamometer for Palm Handhelds

OBD Scan for Palm Handhelds

Nice guide to labscopes in general with section on OBD and labscope for handhelds.

Injectoclean OBD-II CJ-II Scanner

 

[Motegi]

I've had multiple PalmOS devices and am currently using the iQue primarily for GPS/in-car purposes and a Sony Clie for daily work.

One very handy program that I use on my Palms is DocumentsToGo by Dataviz software. It basically puts MS Word and Excel on your Palm allowing you to both read, edit, and create Word and Excel documents right on your Palm. Its been around for a while and is pretty inexpensive.

LeMansNSX: The battery life on the iQue is not the greatest but the key is to reduce the screen brightness when running off of the internal battery. Even the slightest reduction from max brightness will drastically affect the battery life. Also the battery gauge seems to be based more on current draw than actual time remaining. You will notice it fluctuate significantly based on usage. For the iQue to be used in GPS mode in your NSX it is pretty much mandatory that it be tethered to a power source. It has a Palm universal connector so any compatible Palm 12V cigarette adapter should work. The best option is to use one of Garmin's Navigation Kits.

 

[lemansnsx]

LeMansNSX: The battery life on the iQue is not the greatest but the key is to reduce the screen brightness when running off of the internal battery. Even the slightest reduction from max brightness will drastically affect the battery life. Also the battery gauge seems to be based more on current draw than actual time remaining. You will notice it fluctuate significantly based on usage. For the iQue to be used in GPS mode in your NSX it is pretty much mandatory that it be tethered to a power source. It has a Palm universal connector so any compatible Palm 12V cigarette adapter should work. The best option is to use one of Garmin's Navigation Kits.

Look, it was just a general observation!

I'm spoiled by some of the old hardware kicking around here that goes weeks without being charged (Palm IIIc for instance) but is always there when you need it. The Ique surprised me a little by dropping by like 2/3 or more just from one game of Bejewelled which is why I made the comment. It did come back up 'though which is quite normal for this type of thing.
I'm using the Garmin suction cup with the lighter plug, btw, so in the car is no problem at all.
As for brightness adjustments etc, did I mention I'm a registered developer and former hardware beta tester with Palm?

 

[Motegi]

Look, it was just a general observation!

As for brightness adjustments etc, did I mention I'm a registered developer and former hardware beta tester with Palm?

I wasn't meaning to appear argumentative or terse in any way. I just wanted to make a few friendly suggestions from one NSX iQue user to another. I'm not sure what comparing educational/employment backgrounds has to do with anything but I find that the iQue behaves quite differently from all other PalmOS devices that I've used in terms of power management. None of my other Palm devices seem to be quite so sensitive between max brightness and one increment below. Could it be due to the actual display that they used or the power management firmware? (most likely both) That is all I wanted to convey. No need to make a big deal.

 

[NeoNSX]

...errrr....ok.


Back to the topic.
Thanks for the suggestions. I have been trying out DocumentsToGo, and I must say... VERY IMPRESSIVE. This will be very useful in viewing spreadsheets from work, and while I don't need to edit them, this software is very capable despite the small screen.

I also discovered Sega released some of their own 8-bit games... including SHINOBI from the Game Gear!!! Call me a nerd, but I am delighted at this.

I've got Datebk5 but haven't tried it yet.

I've also been trying some other odds & ends like video & mp3 playback. Anyone else tried MMplayer, AeroPlayer, Konima, and pTunes??? Curious what you think is the best.

thanks for the positive comments... much appreciated.

 

[NA1 #2853]

I like pocet tunes 3, its better than realplayer by far, and it is customizable with skins, and such.

Kinoma i use, i've taken .AVI & .MPG files and have comrpesed them, and put them on SD cards, to watch.

When i took a trip to boston i took my Zire72 with me, and i loaded 2 MTV music videos, 3 Letterman interviews, 1 Episode of The OC, and 35 MP3 songs to keep me entertained on the plain trip. Videos were 320x240 standard VCD quality sources compressed with kinoma with acceptable quality considering i had to fit all of that on 1 512MB card.

PTunes & Kinoma offer free demos with "Trial Periods" so it cant hurt to try them out yourself to see if you want them or not.

-Ray