NYCDAUG 2002 Meeting Minutes & Reviews

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We did not hold a Palm OS Meeting in December, 2002 due to Holidays

Pocket PC Meeting Minutes for November 21, 2002 - by Sam Wagner

During this meeting we talked about GPS devices and software, especially of the new Navman application. Charlie talked about another mapping software called Fugawi which allows you to import custom maps. I also did a quick demo of the new Acer Tablet PC. I know that the meeting was short and I didn't have much time to go into much details I will bring the Tablet PC to our next meeting and will talk about it a little more.

Meeting Minutes for November 4, 2002 - by Joseph Caputo

This special meeting began with NYCDAUG President Peter M. Fine introducing the evening's special guests from Palmsource, Inc., Chief Competitive Officer Michael Mace, and Vice President of Engineering, Product Development Lee Williams. Peter also welcomed members of the NYPC Palm Pilot User Group, who were extended an invitation to join this special meeting.

Our special guests, who are in New York as part of a local press tour, talked to attendees about Palmsource, Inc., the company, its software products, its hardware partners, and its standing in the worldwide economy. A slideshow that accompanied the presentation provided a lot of information about the company and how its software matched up against its competitors, like Microsoft and Symbian.

According to Michael Mace, Palm OS devices have 55% of the world's market share and in the U.S., 83% of handhelds sold use the Palm OS. The Palm OS holds a 54% share in Japan where Sharp's Linux based Zaurus is very popular, and a 49% share in Europe.

According to Mace, Palmsource aims to gain "growth in the field by diversity." Palmsource's idea that "every person is different so every person's information needs are different too" is evident in the wide range of hardware designs and features offered by their hardware partners. Mace suggested that Palm OS based handhelds offer more choices than other handheld systems, including wide-ranging price points, new and desirable technology, and simpler information management solutions.

One example of a diverse product, Alphasmart, Inc.'s "DANA", a Palm OS based interactive learning device and laptop alternative that will cost about $300.00, was shown to the attendees. It looks nothing like any handheld PDA that you would expect to find the Palm OS, but its developers apparently chose the Palm OS to serve as the software interface because of its simple and intuitive interface that will appeal to many.

Mace demonstrated other Palm OS based devices, including Palm's new Tungsten T, and Sony's new NX-70V, the first new products to incorporate Palm OS 5.0 Handspring's newest Treo Communicators were also demonstrated, still running OS4.x due to the extensive lead time any mobile functioned device must endure due to FCC regulations.

Mace gave attendees a look at Tungsten T's multimedia capabilities using the Palm OS5 platform by offering a sneak peek of Palm OS exclusive games like "7 Hexes," a "Myst-like" game, and "Master Thief" with its 3-D interactive 360 degree scrolling screen. Mace also presented ePocrates Rx v6.0, a prescription drug database that is very popular in the medical field. Do you want to know how much sugar is in that bowl of Captain Crunch? Try the incredibly detailed USDA Foods Database. At 1.5 Megabytes, this database is probably best when saved on an external storage card, like a Secure Digital (SD) card.

The Tungsten T will be flash-able to the upcoming Palm OS 6, which will have enhanced security. The Tungsten T will have about 4 to 5 days battery life with active use, similar to the m515.This is typical for any device sporting the wonderful color screens of today's PDAs and inherant in such designs vs. the days one had with B&W.

According to Mace, the Palm OS "roadmap" takes into account that Palm OS4.x and OS5.x will co-exist for a long time to come. The Palm OS5 is ARM based, runs most current applications in emulation mode, and provides multi-media, and RSA security. Good news to some will be that post-OS5 software will provide more than 15 categories in the address book.

Palm OS6 will be scalable, include next generation security and flexible input. Palmsource intends OS6 to retain older application compatibility and is designed to be upgradeable onto Palm OS5 devices. It is set to ship to licensees in 2003, with interim releases possible as upgrades to OS5.

Mace showed and talked briefly about low priced Palm "Zire" handheld that was recently introduced to build a wider customer base by introducing a reliable and affordable information manager. This is the first PDA to break the $100.00 price point, opening a new market and group of end users.

Another hardware solution that was discussed included the Wi-Fi, 802.11B compact flash interface card, PEGA-WL100 that works with the Sony PEG Nx series handhelds permitting wireless network connectivity in places like Starbucks.

How does Monopoly play on a Bluetooth (BT) enabled device? Mike and Lee played a short round using the Tungsten T (with built in BT) and a Sony NX-7V with a BT card in the memory card slot. This card is expected to be released in the US (now in Japan) by the end of this year.

A couple of BT enabled phones were shown; including the Sony/Ericsson BT phone with Triple band GSM (900/1800/1900 MHz), and EMS (Enhanced Messaging Services). A Sony/Ericsson HBH-30 BT headphone, paired with the Palm Tungsten and the Sony/Ericsson BT phone were shown together. This "trio" of devices permits total wireless connectivity for talking, Web browsing, and messaging.

On attendee asked, "Does Palmsource write for Handspring, etc.?" According to Mace, Palmsource provides a co-development relationship exists with their hardware partners. Another attendee asked, "Is it up to Palmsource to assure compatibility?" Mace answered, "Yes, Palmsource certifies Palm OS compatibility amongst its hardware partners' products."

Mace then offered a comparison of the Palm OS, Microsoft's Pocket PC software (MSPPC) interface, and the Symbian OS.

Mace indicated that there are over 15,000 Palm OS applications, fewer than 5,000 available for MSPPC applications, and under 200 for Symbian.

Mace explained the Palm OS's advantages over its competitors for basic tasks like adding an appointment, "beaming" a business card, viewing a full day of appointments, and searching (did you know there is no global search mechanism for PPC nor Symbian?). With the Palm OS, synchronization is a one-button step that synchronizes everything. With the MSPPC, only user-designated files are backed up. Back up on a MSPPC device is a separate process and often unpredictable. Restoring data on a new MSPPC device with the user's old device "name" is impossible.

Mace then showed attendees an example of how a Palm OS third party software application provides truer document transfer compatibility, even with a MS Word document that contained graphics and special formatting. In the demonstration slide, the document appeared to be transferred between the PC and a Palm OS device with perfect results. The same thing done with a MSPPC appeared to yield less than desirable results.

Current member Jeff Dolcimascolo and our newest "instant" member, Kerry P. Kelly, were the big winners of this meeting's raffle. Each winner received a new Palm m515.

Pocket PC Meeting Minutes for September 19, 2002 by Sam Wagner

Tonight's meeting covered a little presentation of BT (BlueTooth) connectivity vs Wi-Fi 802.11b. Sam tried to give as much information as well as the similarities and differences between the two protocols. He talked about a little freeware app called MiniStumbler that allows you to scan for public and WEP encrypted 802.11b networks around.
He showed a BT USB adapter from Belkin as well as an 802.11b card from Socket Communications.

We also talked about upcoming products and technologies such as the Smart Phones vs. Pocket PC Phone Edition as well as different wireless data services. We discussed the advantages and disadvantages of Xscale units and future version of the Pocket PC OS.

Many items were raffled off for Premiere Members and "instant members".

Palm OS Special Meeting Minutes for September 4, 2002 by Joseph Caputo

This special meeting began with NYCDAUG President Peter M. Fine introducing Grace Lee, President of the NYPC Palm Pilot User Group,who's members were extended invites
and the special guest, Doreen S. (Dory) Yochum, Chief Administrative Officer of PalmSource, Inc.

Henry Posner from B&H Photo was thanked for his company's continued generous support in allowing NYCDAUG to meet regularly at their location.

The Q&A session included a discussion on how to transfer old data to a new device, backing up a Handera device, and transferring Palm information to a mobile telephone via infrared, Bluetooth, or PC interface. 
Verizon's software that enables the transfer from a device to telephone was discussed.  Back-up software for PDAís was also discussed.

Dory Yochum of PalmSource, Inc., then spoke to the attendees for more than an hour.  Here is a synopsis of what she discussed with the attendees:

The 12/03/2001 creation of PalmSource, Inc., an independent company dedicated to the support and development of software products, including the 5.0 Operating System;
The beta version of Palm Source's 5.0 OS was released in April/May, 2001; Devices from Sony and the Palm hardware development spin-off company (the official name for the new palm hardware company is still a secret), implementing the Palm 5.0 OS will ship in time for the holiday season; Handspring is also developing products for the 5.0 OS, but not in time for the holidays; 200,000 developers, 16 licensees, and the many other companies that sought to use the Palm OS in their own products were part of the reasoning behind Palm, Inc.ís split into two independent companies; Some hardware developers had problem sharing information with Palm, Inc., especially when they sought to acquire a license for the Palm OS software from a company with its own hardware division.  Companies are already more comfortable sharing their designs with PalmSource since the split; A public offering for both new companiesí stocks will be made available at the end of January, 2003.  A reverse stock split is planned for existing Palm, Inc. stockholders; The new OS will run on devices equipped with ARM processors.  These processors will enable the new devices to be capable of multi-media functions, speedier processing of all applications, multi-threading, larger and denser screens, and other exciting features; The present Palm 4.1 OS will be the final version of the Palm 4 OS series; PalmSource is developing modularized handwriting systems that will be available by next summer; PalmSource is moving from Santa Clara to Sunnyvale, CA during the third week in September, 2002.  The new site will have Bluetooth access points throughout the facility, and beaming stations that offer the top ten Palm OS compatible applications.  Dory was responsible for finding the new location; Mac support for the new Palm OS has been brought up during PalmSource meetings and is in development.  No support for compatibility with Linux systems is available; The focus of the New Palm OS is speed, security, and an improvement to the telephone stack.  Studies have found that most of the worldís markets are interested in devices that offer communication, organization and entertainment; The Garmin company plans to offer a device using the Palm 5.0 OS; PalmSource has partnered with IBM to develop enterprise devices.  The software side of Palm, Inc., agreed to let the Palm hardware company work with IBM to develop a device which will possibly have its own private label; Jeff Hawkins and Donna Dubinsky are at PalmSource OS planning meetings; The price point for Palm 5.0 OS devices will be very attractive;

Apologies to Howard Katz for forgetting to cover his demonstration of Handmark's Monopoly from the last meeting. 

The following is taken from the Handmark Web site: "Now you can play the world's most popular property trading game on your Palm Powered PDA and experience the thrill of owning it all right in the palm of your hand!  Buy, sell, rent, and auction property with up to 4 players!  Practice your Monopoly skills at any time by playing against up to three computer opponents with 8 different "identities" and playing styles. Or you can mix any combination of real people and computer players in any game. If you have ever played the classic board game then you'll immediately know how to play on your Palm Powered PDA. The computer plays the role of the "Banker" so it automatically, accurately, and completely scores every player, every play and every game.The Monopoly game for Palm Powered PDAs includes the ability to auction properties, buy/sell houses and hotels, mortgage/unmortgage properties and even set up complex trades with other players."

Lori Leonard, the big winner of this special meeting's raffle won a new Palm m515. In addition, a number of Palm User Group Tee Shirts were raffled off as well.

Meeting Minutes for August 15, 2002 - Product Reviews by Peter M. Fine and Minutes by Joseph Caputo

The meeting began with the usual introductions by NYCDAUG President Peter M. Fine.  A special Palm OS meeting was announced for Wednesday, September 4, 2002, with Ms. Dory Yochum, PalmSource Chief Administrative Officer as the highlight for this special date. Details on how to register are posted on our meeting page.

During the Q&A session, Backgammon programs received the most attention. Peter demonstrated Backgammon Pro by Standalone, Inc.  The program costs $15.00 to register and is by far the best Palm based version by anyone, includes Hi-Res version of game for Clie, is fast, complex with A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) features - all you could ask for!

The issue of HandEra's future in the handheld industry was debated briefly, as well as problems one of the attendees experienced with Quickcomplete..

Following the Q&A, Peter demonstrated and passed around the "Wrist PDA" watch by Fossil.It sports a 280k memory bank, two user replaceable batteries, software to filter and synchronize the data that passes between your PDA Desktop software and Fossil watch. The watch costs around $150.00, and will work under water.You must configure on your Palm a limited set of contacts,datebook entries or To Dos due to the limited memory before you beam them to the watch but one of the best functions according to Peter is the ability to beam your own "Business Card" to other PDAs. As a footnote, this watch comes in Palm or Pocket PC versions. Neat!

The Sony Clie NR70V was next to be shown to attendees.  An impressive PDA at first look, the SONY NR70V is a multimedia machine with a built in camera, headphone jack and on-board speaker for MP3 playback, high resolution color screen, enhanced infrared with an included remote control software interface for your home electronics, and a graffiti area that disappears when the device needs the extra screen real estate to display a picture or movie.  The screen rotates on a swivel so that you can manipulate the screen for different purposes.  Of course, it's an organizer based using the Palm OS powered by a 66Mhz Dragonball processor, 16MB built in, and a Memory Stick slot for expansion and storage currently to 128 megs.

Sony does not support nor supply Macintosh desktop support so for use on a Macintosh desktop, you must buy the third party software, The Missing Sync 3.0 by Mark/Space which is only a $30.00 download and supports most Clie models not only under Mac OS9 but also under Mac OSX. Peter added this product worked as advertised and extended support to both music and image functions by way of Apple's iTunes and iPhoto under OSX.
One of the other drawbacks that was noted was the Sony NR70V's lack of wireless capability at the present time.  It costs $599.99 List.

Meeting Minutes for June 26, 2002 - Palm OS Meeting (Meeting Photos Below)

Neither pitching winds nor pelting rain could keep attendees and special guests from showing up at this month's special meeting, which was filled to capacity.  Representatives from PalmSource, Handspring and Kyocera, all made great presentations and offered plenty of information and insight into the near and far off future of handheld technology.  Free T-shirts, cookies, soda, and a raffle that gave away three PDA's, an integrated PDA and phone, even more T-shirts, hats, and Frisbees, topped off the evening.

The meeting began with introductions by NYCDAUG President Peter M. Fine.  Also providing introductions was guest Patricia Perlo, Co-Leader of NYPC PalmPilot SIG which is part of NYPC.

During the opening dialogue, tips were offered for keeping your re-chargeable lithium ion batteries lasting longer.  In short, keep lithium batteries ìtopped off,î since they generally don't suffer from the ìmemory effectsî that plague other rechargeable cells.  Draining lithium ion cells to near empty may actually reduce the battery's capacity to hold a charge, thus eventually rendering the battery useless.  A properly maintained lithium ion battery will provide years of service.  Knowing about rechargeable batteries is important since the major manufacturers of handheld devices have incorporated rechargeable cells in their latest models.

Also discussed was the Sprint Springboard that transforms your Springboard slot equipped Handspring device into a CDMA cellular phone.  Coverage for this single band phone presently includes the top 241 populated areas in the U.S.

The first speaker for the evening, Bruce Mendel, introduced the Handspring Treo 90.  Bruce covers the east coast for Handspring out of a New Jersey office and has been with the company since 1999.   He demonstrated the Treo's phone functions, integrated Palm OS organizer, and talked about its email service called Treo-Mail, SMS text messaging and 128 bit encrypted wireless web capabilities.  Bruce touted the Treo's quick look-up functions for the built-in phone book, the ease at how it handles three way and conference calls utilizing its built-in speakerphone, and automated phone log as an aid for easier time-based billing.  The Treo Bruce demonstrated was supported by VoiceStream.  A CDMA color display version of the Treo that will be supported by Sprint is coming out soon.

Rick Goetter, Senior Product Marketing Manager for Kyocera showed us the soon to be released Kyocera 7135 Smart Phone.  Rick demonstrated some of features of this phone, including an external caller ID LCD screen that is readable while the phone is still attached to your belt, user replaceable lithium ion battery (the estimated replacement cost for the battery is $30.00), 65,000 color display, and an MP3 player.  Everyone appeared to be very impressed by this product.  Sprint and Verizon will back the upcoming model over a CDMA network.  Rick estimated that distributors would sell the phone for approximately $500.00.

Our special guest of the evening, David Nagel, President and CEO of PalmSource, was very informative and candid during his presentation.  PalmSource was formed when Palm, Inc., split its software and hardware divisions into separate companies about 6 months ago.  David talked about the company's enterprise strategy, which he rolled out during TechXNY.  David explained that PalmSource's upcoming OS5 addresses data security, a main concern for enterprise customers, especially in the applications that support VPN's (Virtual Private Networks).  OS5 will also provide support for JAVA, despite the fact that JAVA can be argued to be their direct competitor in some applications.

David spoke bluntly about misrepresentations by competitors that have attempted to understate Palm's leading sales achievements in the enterprise and consumer markets.  He compared the narrow-minded philosophy offered by Microsoft's commodity based products against the open model approach, which cultivates and encourages new and different products.  He offered DANA, an educational product created by AlphaSmart, as an example of the benefits of Palm's philosophy.  He added how members of the medical profession have taken to the Palm OS, using versatile products like ePocrates, and generally not using the desktop computer due to its limited mobility.

David talked about how OS5 will support ARM based processors which require relatively low power, but offers up to 20 times the speed of current processors on the market.  He mentioned that game developers are apparently very interested in OS5 devices for their multimedia capabilities.

During a question and answer session, topics were covered including OS5's security features; OS5 support for different VPN systems; text conversion, including RTF format; sales assistance/contact manager programs like ACT; developments applications like AppForge; dedicated HotSync servers; and E-Paper, an MIT invention which will probably become available in two to three years.  Peter M. Fine reminded everyone that serious suggestions and input into software desires and issues should be sent privately to and he will forward them to David Nagel and others as they have requested.

The big winners of this months raffle received a Palm m515, a Palm m125, a Handspring Visor Pro and a Kyocera 7135 Smart Phone.  That's over $1,200.00 in prizes in one night!  In addition, everyone got a Palm User Group Tee shirt and many also got Treo T-shirts, Handspring hats, and Handspring Frisbees.

David Nagel and Peter M. Fine Photo by Wesley Mason	David Nagel Answering Questions Photo by Wesley Mason	Palm m125 Winner Photo by Wesley Mason
Bruce Mendel showing HandSpring's Treo Photo by Wesley Mason	Prize Booty for Raffle Photo by Wesley Mason  HandSpring Visor Winner Mary Ginsburg Photo by Wesley Mason	Palm m515 Winner Howard Katz Photo by Joseph Caputo

Meeting Minutes for May 15, 2002 - Pocket PC Meeting

The following information and opinions were provided by "Member X" who attended the meeting. He requested anonymity. :-)PointSec gave a talk about their enterprise solution for securing
PDA (PPC/Palm) data. It was interesting but of limited value since it is for corporations only right now.

Someone had a fully-kitted Sharp Linux PDA. OK, it's slow only when using stuff that's not built in. And even then, I was told there's a way to speed up loading of apps. It was confirmed to
me that HancomWord lacks a spell-checker, but will have it in the future. I got to see the Opera browser -- wow! Puts PocketIE to shame. I also got to see QTReader (I think that's its name),
a DOC reader. It was *great*! I wish PalmOS DOC readers had its zoom-in feature. The place to go for software is http://www.zauruszone.com/files.

I got to see Resco Picture Viewer in person. Fantastic. Puts PictureGear Pocket on my Sony CLIE to shame. I had to laugh over beaming problems between two HPs (why the heck can't they do IR like PalmOS?).
I also got to complain while checking out Mazingo News on an HP -- it took *six-plus* spins of the wheel to load! I also discovered that the *unabridged* version of Hugo's Les Mis is
available in Reader format. Wow!

Someone came with a Sony CLIE NR70V. I got to finally hear an MP3 on a CLIE (very nice) and see WordSmith with fonts on it. Times 12pt -- which, even with that great screen, I thought was just too thin to comfortably read. In my CUSA tests, I noticed that getting a Dir from my MStick is cut in half by the 66MHz processor -- from 34 seconds to 17 seconds.

This makes me wonder what a blazing XScale-level chip will be like for MSTick Dir access. Anime fans should go to google and search for "Molly Star Racer" (three words in quotes) to see the trailer for this upcoming movie. It is *amazing* -- and it *isn't* Japanese! It's French, with Japanese anime influence. I saw the trailer on a PPC (HP) w/Pocket TV. *Very* impressive.

Proporta's FlashMate 5-in-1 Travel USB Reader/Writer
Review by Peter M. Fine, 5/02

http://www.proporta.com
  
This little device weighs under 2 oz., is about same size as a credit card but 4 times thicker and is a fast and simple way to transfer data between many mobile
gadgets (PDAs, laptops/notebooks, digital cameras, portable digital hi-fi equipment) and a desktop Mac or PC.

The FlashMate handles the following memory formats: Compact Flash, Secure Digital , SmartMedia, MultiMedia and even the IBM Microdrive.

It is the easiest way to get such kinds of data on or off the cards without need to install proprietary (and often buggy) desktop software for each of those
cameras or devices.

As a bonus, It also has 16MB of built in RAM which allows unit to also act as its own USB removable storage device and since unit is so slim and portable,
one can carry this anywhere as well.

The FlashMate comes with protective case, a USB extension cable for use with the desktop machine and drivers for Mac OS 8.6 or higher or
Windows ME/98/98E/2000/XP.Under $60.00 list, US

Meeting Minutes for March 21, 2002

This was the first meeting of our newly merged Pocket PC SIG and it began with a brief introduction by NYCDAUG President Peter M. Fine to welcome our new members. Peter announced a not-yet-confirmed but expected upcoming raffle for an HP Jornada 567 Pocket PC as part of a membership drive for the Pocket PC (PPC) SIG. Funds generated by the raffle will be tracked separately and will be used primarily for PPC functions.

Peter answered questions concerning the number of NYCDAUG members. Here is a rough (off the cuff) estimate of the membership numbers:
375 Palm OS users, 150 Pocket PC users, 20 Psion users and 20 Sharp Zaurus users.

The meeting was then turned over to Jerry Goldbaum, a last minute stand-in for Pocket PC SIG Moderator, Sam Wagner, who had to be out of state.

The meeting continued with a discussion of the PPC Phone Editon and Microsoft's push for mobility in future devices as PDA's converge into communication devices.

The option of holding PPC meetings every month, instead of bi-monthly, was discussed although another location would be needed for those months that the B&H location is used by the Palm OS SIG as we alternate OS platforms monthly.

Quality control issues for several PPC devices were discussed, referencing a recent article on the PocketNow.com website.  Jerry talked about his own experience with the Casio E200, a $600.00 device that has had problematic backlighting, a painted finish that prematurely racks and peels, and that requires hourly resets to keep it running.  Jerry also mentioned that his 567 suffered from the infamous disappearing "safe-store," an area of ROM memory that be used for read/write capability.  This could possibly be a PPC 2002 issue caused by a corrupted file or by filling the safe store to almost full capacity.  Safe-stor is the HP Jornada term for the storage area, and may be termed differently by different PPC manufacturers. A warning was issued to one attendee who sought to upgrade his 3650, a 32 MB device, to the newer Pocket PC 2000 platform.

The introduction of X-Scale into the Pocket PC arena was discussed, bringing newfound speed and proposed elongated battery life to the next gen PPCTs.    Banana PC, a useful PPC interface, new version of Gigabar, and Pocket Blinds was toted as having skin able icons.

Jerry demonstrated Banana PC Ver. 4.2C by Snoopsoft, the makers of Dashboard.  Banana PC is a small program that resides in the menu bar that keeps track of open applications and allows single click closing of an app.  A discussion ensued over the need for third party software applications in order to edit the PPC registry. It was noted that several applications are available at no cost,

File Explorer was discussed, in particular, Resco File Explorer. Jerry explained how it presents the file hierarchy, provides a helpful split view, incorporates a comprehensive "find" function, and permits the user to search by the file's extension. In addition, one helpful feature provides a status bar during Infrared transfers.

Jerry showed the functions included in Dan East Dexplor, described as a "Swiss Army Knife" utility program. For $19.95, Dexplor provides advanced file management thru drag and drop capabilities, file sizes, ZIP compression compatibility with desktop compression programs, and the option of adding plug-ins to customize its functionality.  One of the plugins was the registry editor, which allows Dexplor to be a file manager and registry editor. 

Jerry also showed Pocket Informant 3.0, available from PocketInofrmant.com for approximately $19.95. Pocket Informant is an all-inclusive Personal Information Manager (PIM). Pocket Informant uses the data stored in MS Outlook, loads quickly, and provides better calendar views (sorry, no year view), alarm notes, supports repeating alarms, and links tasks to anything on the device. It also has a useful telephone dialer.

PPC novices and pros alike were encouraged to visit the following Internet Sites for more information about the PPC and our own Pocket PC pages have even more.

Brighthand.com, CEWindows.net, PocketPCThoughts.com and PocketPCPower.net

Meeting Minutes for February 21, 2002

This month's meeting began with the usual introductions and explanations by NYCDAUG President Peter M. Fine.

Peter announced the merger and incorporation of the NYCPPC, the New York City Pocket PC Users Group into our PDA-centric
user group family. Read more about this merger at http://www.nycdaug.org/announce.html. Peter emphasized this was in no way
a move away from Palm OS coverage but rather to expand coverage and support of Pocket PC devices in addition to the Palm OS.

Peter reminded attendees that meeting changes or cancellation notices are posted on NYCDAUG's e-mail list server and Web-based discussion boards located at Yahoo! Groups. Go to http://www.nycdaug.org/egroups.html for more information.

The introduction of the HandSpring Treo was discussed. According to Handspring, the Treo communicator is the one device that does it all. So you'll have your phone, Palm OS PDA organizer, email, SMS text messaging and wireless web all in one incredibly compact device.

Syncbuddy, a/k/a Palm Buddy, is a backup and install management tool for Mac OS users with Palm OS handhelds. Its main goal is to provide for live browsing, backup, install and on-the-fly conversion of Palm OS databases.

A group member demonstrated the new Sharp Zaurus SL500D. This device sports a crisp color high-resolution screen, a hide-away keyboard, Compact Flash & SD card slots and a Linux/Java based operating system. What sets a device like the Sharp Zaurus SL500D
apart is the fact that it has the ability to multi-task, and the open-source operating system that runs the applications. See a 3-D demo
of this interesting PDA at http://developer.sharpsec.com/.

According to the demonstrator, Sharp is the best selling PDA manufacturer in Japan.

Software discussed at this month's meeting included: PowerOn'sNow Contact and Now Up-to-Date software for the Mac,
a replacement for the Palm Desktop Software that is more robust and feature rich and PocketMac,
the first Mac desktop to Pocket PC PDA sync software.

Raffle winners this month received CompressIt by Data Becker software (look for upcoming review), battery back-up supply
by Instant Power, (which has such units for virtually all makes of PDAs and cell phones alike) Silkyboard screen keyboard
overlays and tee shirts from Omnisky, now part of Earthlink.

Jerry with Tee Shirt Raffle Prize and Sam too

Wes Demonstrating on HandSpring Visor

Peter & Jason with new Sharp-Linux PDA

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COMPRESSit v1.3 by Data Becker Review by Joseph Caputo, 02/02

Pros: Save storage space, simple interface, and save money.

Cons: Four-steps to recover compressed files, forgetting what has been compressed, not-so-smooth compression operation and no Macintosh computer support.

COMPRESSit v1.3 is a file compression software application designed for the Palm OS platform. A check of the Data Becker Web site revealed no version of this software for any other PDA platform. I installed it despite the fact that the software package did not list the Palm M505, my handheld, as a supported hardware device. Nevertheless, as I am a risk taker, I tried it out and ignore my twitching eyelid that always acts up under this kind of pressure. The supported Palm devices include M100, M105, Palm VII, Palm Vx, Palm V, Palm IIIc, Palm IIIxe, Palm IIIx, Palm III, IBM WorkPad, Handspring, Sony Clie, and TRGpro.

The System Requirements are as follows: Pentium 166 or higher w/Windows 95C/98(SE)/ME, 32 MB of RAM or Pentium 233 or higher w/Windows NT4(SP6)/2000/XP. 64 MB of RAM, 256 colors with 2MB graphics card, 640 x 480 resolution, comes on CD-ROM Palm OS device w/ Palm OS 3.01 with at least 2 MB of RAM

COMPRESSit is designed to offer you more memory on your handheld.  For $29.95, you can extend your memory without making a big investment in additional hardware.  With COMPRESSit, you have the ability to compress applications and databases you don't use on a daily basis and free up space for additional ones.

Installing COMPRESSit was relatively simple. Slip the CD into your PC (sorry, no Mac version appears to be available), run the install program, and synchronize your device. The first time the program is accessed on your handheld requires that you enter a registration code, based on your Palm user name, that is generated during the installation process. The installation process offers you an opportunity to copy the registration code to a "memo" so that you can cut and paste it into the PDA entry form later. I wrote the registration code down on the CD sleeve instead.

The handheld application presents a two column interface that initially displays all of your uncompressed PDA,s files and the corresponding file's size in K-bytes. Tapping an application brings about a pop-up window that offers choices for compression. At this point, file details can be examined in a separate screen, the individual file can be compressed, or the selected file and its accompanying database files can be compressed. A "+" and "-" symbol at the bottom of the application list provides a means for viewing each main application, in bold, with its sub-files following, in standard font.

This is how Data Becker describes the process:

"It is a simple, one-click compression tool that zips and unzips files on your handheld. Within seconds, it compresses and decompresses applications and databases on your handheld and frees up valuable space -- perfect for files you don't use or need on a regular basis. Compress applications and databases by up to 85%! Extend your memory without expensive additional hardware. You zip files on your PC -- now do it on your handheld."

I looked over my file list and chose several large files to compress. One annoyance surfaced right away as I compressed one large main file that had a large number of smaller sub-files. The annoyance stemmed from a repeating message that prompted me with a choice to compress or retain each of the smaller sub-files. I suggest to Data Becker that a third choice granting the application permission to compress "all" like files would speed up the process.

Once I finished, I looked at the COMPRESSit statistics screen and noticed that I saved 30% of storage space.

One drawback to COMPRESSit derives from the fact that all compressed program icons disappear from the application screen. Since I compressed programs that I use less often, I foresee a time when I will forget that a given program is available to me. Of course, looking at the compressed applications list within COMPRESSit permits immediate uncompression, but this is a step I would like to skip. I suggest a "null" icon that is visible as it always was and the ability to tap and go with COMPRESSit working its magic in the background. A second drawback is that COMPRESSit does not support external storage cards.

I recommend this program for anyone who needs more room on their handheld, does not want to buy a new device with removable storage, or does not want to have to swap out removable storage cards to get to specific programs.

Note: Other programs that compress PDA files include Mem Maker 2.10 by Request LLC; pz v. 0.7.1 and !pZip 1.2. All these programs are available at Palmgear.com.