- Orange GPRS;

- RE. Jotter vs. Data

- Re: HP Clamshell Future

- Scripting for WAP Access

- Re: Word for Series 5: getting rid of page breaks

- Re: Using Opera browser on 5MX

- Re: Modem cable / Symbian 7

- Re: Mail via S35 and O2-Mailbox

- Re: Modem connections

- Re: Rechargable AAs

- Re: 56K Travel Modem data transfer rates

- Re: Demise of orange.net

- Re: Opera with 5mx

- Re: Analysis

- Re: EPOC DIGEST V1 # 096

- best place to buy psions, Tinycalc,

- 14.4k on GSM, wireless netBook

Date: 25 Oct 2002 22:47:29 +0100
From: Mike McConnell <address truncated>
Subject: Orange GPRS;

To Bill Fuggle

<< Incidentally Orange have only just got their GPRS billing working so, until now, you could pay for a 0.5Mb bundle but use 5Mb for no extra cost. >>

Wish I'd known that earlier :-)

Could you possibly post the CP/Modems and CP/Internet settings to use GPRS with Orange? I've seen settings for both Vodafone and O2 but not Orange and I might give it a try.

--
Regards,
Mike            [Dundee, Scotland] __________________________________________

Mobile Phone & SMS: +44 (0)7870 236984
Mobile Fax: +44 (0)7977 156138
Web: http://www.mikemcc.net
__________________________________________

Date: 25 Oct 2002 23:52:36 +0100
From: "Euan Mee" <address truncated>
Subject: RE. Jotter vs. Data

On 24 Oct 2002, 18:17:07, Owen Morgan wrote:
> ... yes, before you say, it could have been done in Data, but it's easier in Jotter.

Too many people fail to see the distinction between functionality
and usability.

For instance, I have a perfectly fine Toshiba video recorder.  Does
everything one expects of a video recorder.

Prior to this, I had a Nokia VCR, which died after years of faithful
service.  It did less than my Toshiba now does.

When I was unable to replace the Nokia with another Nokia, I pined.

If I ever got the chance again, I'd replace the fully-functional Tosh
with one of those old Nokias.

"Why?" I hope I hear you ask.

Simple - I could access all of the functions of the Nokia in a straigh-
forward easy way.  I didn't need the aid of a 12 year-old, or a read
through of  the printed manual to use its functions.

Most importantly, theprocess of setting it up to tape something on
the timer was not depending on following a whole sequence of
fiddly steps, each easy to get wrong and with no feedback until it's
too late to fix it.  There's nothing worse your VCR can do to you
than tell you, on your return from 
the pub / your neighbours / the cinema, that it didn't bother to tape
that latest episode of Buffy the Swimsuit Wearer / the latest in-
depth investigative C5 documentary on lesbian threesomes and
their importance in modern-day suburban life / the CIS cup final
match.

Ease of use, which makes you more productive, the softwqare
easier to learn, the experience less frustration, teh facilities more
memorable when you don't use them constantly and keeps the rate
of errors you make down are much more important than features.

Yes, data /can/ be used as a jotter.  This does not mean that
Jotter is an irrelevance.

Remember, Excel supplanted 1-2-3 because it was easier to use,
and not because it did things that 1-2-3 did not.

(Yes, I was using Excel back in 1980-odd, when it supplied it's own
Windows 1.0 or 2.0 environment on your DOS PC. Using Excel via
a Wimp was easier, more productive, less error prone, easier to
learn and remember than the character-based 1-2-3   -   and I had
been a long-time 1-2-3 power-user and app developer at that stage).
Cheers,
    Euan
<address truncated>

Date: 26 Oct 2002 00:11:41 +0100
From: Alan Morris <address truncated>
Subject: Re: HP Clamshell Future

Rolf Brunsting <address truncated> wrote:-

<< I've never needed to re-calibrate the touchscreen of my Psions. ....  I've *never* needed to do all of this in five years of owning EPOC based Psions. >>

Arrr. You've not got a Psion 7 then.  But agree with my 5, 5mx, 5mx(Spare) & Revo+ over 4 years of EPOC.

--
Alan R Morris, G4ENS.
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK.
Using a Psion 7 & Nokia 6210e

Date: 26 Oct 2002 10:18:26 +0100
From: "Marcus von Cube" <address truncated>
Subject: Scripting for WAP Access

Hello,

I'm going to write my first script for the Internet applet on my netBook. The reason why is a problem with GPRS and my Nokia 6310i.

I'm going to connect to the (German) e-plus WAP service. In order to do that, I need to connect to the GPRS node "wap.eplus.de". My phone is configured for generic Internet access ("internet.eplus.de"). To access the WAP service, I have to feed lengthy commands into the
phone (AT+CDGCONT=2,"IP","wap.eplus.de" and "ATD*99***2#"). I tried to enter these as init
and dial strings into the Internet configuration but everytime i try to connect the ETEL-Server crashes and I have to softreset my netBook :-(

Now I have the following settings:

direct connection (dialling is in the script)
user: eplus
password: wap
IP adress & DNS from server

Script:
send "AT+CGDCONT=2,"+<0x22>+"IP"+<0x22>+","+<0x22>+"wap.eplus.de"+<0x22>+<0x0d>
wait 6 { "OK" ok }
EXIT KErrTimeout$
ok:
send "ATD*99***2#"+<0x0d>
wait 15 { "CONNECT" done }
EXIT KErrTimeout$
done:
WAIT 2 {}
EXIT

WAP still doesn't work (no connection to gateway)!

Questions:
1) Is my script correct (I don't get errors)?
2) Do I send the correct AT commands to my phone?
3) There are named settings stored on the phone, is there a way to address these instead of trying to set the access point name the way I do? (I'm unable to download the most recent version fo the AT reference from Nokia, anybody else?)
4) Where do I find a manual for the right script commands? (The comms manual has a discription but the language seems to differ from what I found in connection scripts.)

Thanks for any pointers.

Marcus

http://www.mvcsys.de

Date: 26 Oct 2002 12:00:52 +0100
From: Rolf Brunsting <address truncated>
Subject: Re: Word for Series 5: getting rid of page breaks

Dear Chris,

<< Can anyone tlell me the correct way to get rid of an inserted page break in Word? >>

Quite simple:
1) Place the cursor behind the last character of the last word before the page break.
2) Press [Shift] and place the cursor before the first character of the first word after the page break. In other words, highlight the page break.
3) Press [Enter] to replace the page break by a new line.
4) In case the dotted page break line is still visible, use Menu -> Tools -> Paginate to remove it from screen.

--
Kind Regards,
Rolf Brunsting - Darp - Netherlands

Date: 26 Oct 2002 12:00:55 +0100
From: Rolf Brunsting <address truncated>
Subject: Re: Using Opera browser on 5MX

Dear T,

<< I have tried to install the Opera Browser and each time I use it it get an error message >>

You don't give us much to go on. It's best in situations like these to mention:
a) The version of the software
b) The device it's running on
c) What you do before you get the error message
d) The exact text of the error message
You mention that you suspect a lack of memory. What you don't mention is how much free memory there is before you start Opera.

--
Kind Regards,
Rolf Brunsting - Darp - Netherlands

Date: 26 Oct 2002 12:00:58 +0100
From: Rolf Brunsting <address truncated>
Subject: Re: Modem cable / Symbian 7

Dear Itamar,

Re: Modem cable

<< Well, some years ago I tried to connect my modem the same way at home and it did not work. After I brought home a modem cable from work it did work >>

In other words, you changed the cable between modem and computer as that's what a modem cable is. Just as the serial cable linking two computers is a null-modem cable. In case you changed the cable between modem and phone socket you've changed the line cord.

Terminology ... isn't it wonderful? <G>


Re.: Symbian 7

<< I remember years ago when the Psion was introduced in the USA how everybody on the Compuserve Psion forum was saying they used bad marketing concepts. If it was clear to the public I never understood why it was not clear to Psion >>

I know the Psion Forum discussions and remember them as rather simplistic. A number of people said that Psion should advertise on television. What they didn't realise, or simply forgot, is that a number of other things need to be in place *before* you can start to think about TV commercials. Like having your product on the shop shelves of at least three major national retail chains, for example. As that's where people start to look for your product after having seen the commercial. Which automatically triggers the far from simple question of how to get your product accepted by these retailers, etc, etc.

I therefore think it's not that Psion didn't know how to market its products. It's more a case of Psion having to work within a number of constraints that didn't allow the company to do some of the things that were proposed on CompuServe's Psion Forum.

<< As several others wrote I think Symbian is mainly interested in the huge mobile telephone and less so the PDA market >>

Strip the phone out of a Nokia 9210 or SonyEricsson P800 and you have a PDA. Add a dash of the characteristic house style, put the name on the device and you have a Psion. I'm not going to deny that Symbian has a mobile phone bias but it doesn't prevent Psion from building Symbian OS based PDAs. In other words, there's much more to Psion's withdrawal from the market than Symbian's bias. I'm afraid the bias is too often used as a quick and easy explanation.

<< Today such a machine will have to be truly a miracle machine to upset the powers to be (Palm and MS) >>

That's not really the case. Have a look at the way Palm and Nokia develop their product portfolio. The M515 isn't a radical departure from the Palm V. The same can be said for the Nokia 6310 in comparison to the 6210. Palm and Nokia update their products in a step by step fashion. And they time the launch of a these "new and improved" models in such a way that there's always a new model in the shops or a new model on the horizon. A new "blows your socks off" model needs to be launched only once every three years.

--
Kind Regards,
Rolf Brunsting - Darp - Netherlands

Date: 26 Oct 2002 12:01:05 +0100
From: Rolf Brunsting <address truncated>
Subject: Re: Mail via S35 and O2-Mailbox

Dear, Karsten,

<< However, sending mails gives me the message: 'Email message has an invalid ""To", "CC" or "Bcc" address' >>

The error message exactly means what it says in the majority of cases. There's something in the To, CC and BCC address fields that's not right. Which can be a typing error or hidden character due to corruption.

<< Any special formats that are supposed to be used? >>

You can enter the e-mail  address 'as is' straight into these fields. In your case this would be:

     <address truncated>

You can also add a name or description to the address. What you need to do to distinguish the name from the e-mail address is to place the address between 'smaller than' and 'higher than' characters. In your case this can be:

     Karsten Liebmann <address truncated>

     or,

     "Karsten Liebmann" <address truncated>

     or,

     "Dow - K. Liebmann" <address truncated>

What's sure to give problems is:

     "Karsten Liebmann" <address truncated>

... as all text before the @ character is then considered part of the address. While the quote characters (") and the space character are invalid for e-mail addresses.

<< Any smart tests that can be done to check out what is going wrong here? >>

When you get the error message again the procedure is:
a) Open the Outbox
b) Open the message
c) Copy the text of the message
d) Close the message
e) Open a new message
d) Enter the e-mail addresses anew
e) Enter the subject
f) Paste the text of the message.
g) Save the new message in the Outbox
h) Delete the problematic message from the Outbox

--
Kind Regards,
Rolf Brunsting - Darp - Netherlands

Date: 26 Oct 2002 12:01:10 +0100
From: Rolf Brunsting <address truncated>
Subject: Re: Modem connections

Dear Stephan,

<< I think however ... that this particular modem model, being in some sort an "international modem" since it is (was :-( ) targeted mosty at traveling users, is wired like a "rest-of-the-world" modem >>

It's not 'travel' aspect of Psion's Travel Modem that it has an RJ-11 socket with the two inner prongs for the phone line. The international standard, adopted by ITU-T, is for an RJ-11 terminated line cord to use the two inner cores for the phone line and the two outer cores for control purposes. The reason why 99.9% of the modems on the market have a socket just like the Travel Modem's.

The problem is that Britain and France deviate from the standard, using the two outer cores of an RJ-11 line cord. What's more, telephones imported into these two countries from abroad can be wired as standard. You're therefore not always sure whether the line cord you pull out of the phone and plug into your modem is standard (inner two) or non-standard (outer two).

What's more, some of the older corporate and hotel telephone exchanges have their own wiring schemes even though they use RJ-11 plugs and sockets.

It's much less of a headache for the traveller nowadays. Even the smaller hotels have separate RJ-11 wall sockets for modems in their rooms, or a phone with an integrated RJ-11 modem socket. The sockets being wired as standard (inner two).

--
Kind Regards,
Rolf Brunsting - Darp - Netherlands

Date: 26 Oct 2002 12:01:14 +0100
From: Rolf Brunsting <address truncated>
Subject: Re: Rechargable AAs

Dear Edward,

<< But if you count the time from a full 3v charge down to the minimum charge that's safe for writing to the CF card (2.6v), the usable time on disposable batteries is a lot less >>

You can continue writing to CF card until the voltage goes below the 2.2 Volt mark, whatever the type of battery.

--
Kind Regards,
Rolf Brunsting - Darp - Netherlands

Date: 26 Oct 2002 12:01:17 +0100
From: Rolf Brunsting <address truncated>
Subject: Re: 56K Travel Modem data transfer rates

Dear Kevin,

<< I've bought a Psion 56K travel modem to use with my Revo Plus and have noticed, when trying to view web pages via Opera, that the actual data transfer rates are in the order of 1-2KBps rather than 56K >>

I'm afraid there are a few things you overlook.

The first is that the speed rating of the Travel Modem is 56 kilobit per second (kbps) while the download speed Opera reports is in kilobyte per second (kBps). A difference of a factor 8 : 56 kbps equals 7 kBps.

The second is that it's rare for a 56 kbps modem to establish a connection at its highest speed. It only does that when it's connected to a really excellent phone line. One spec of dust on the line, so to speak, and it's no longer able to connect at 56 kbps. A speed of around 44 kbps (5.5 kBps) is a more practical figure.

Third is that, when you use standard modem settings, the modem will automatically retrain when line conditions change. That is, when the modem notices that line conditions have improved, or worsened, it will negotiate with the remote modem to switch to a higher or lower speed. Retraining takes time during which no data is passed from modem to modem. When you're dealing with a bit of a flakey phone line the automatic retraining can do more harm than good.

Fourth aspect is that Opera records the effective download speed. Which takes account of the fact that a web server won't send the data representing pages and graphics in a continuous stream. You're not the only one who's connected to the web server. The server will need to distribute its capacity between an x-number of users. The result is that there will be pauses in the data stream - the server 'stutters'. Say that the web server sends 1 kByte in a second, pauses for 2 seconds and sends another 1 kByte in a second and the effective download speed is 0.5 kBps.

Number five is that Opera's rendering of pages and graphics on screen takes processing power. Meaning that Opera will temporarily halt the data flow when it has a lot of work to do. Needless to say that this has an effect on the effective download speed.

I trust the above explains why you're not always getting the download speeds your modem is capable of.

--
Kind Regards,
Rolf Brunsting - Darp - Netherlands

Date: 26 Oct 2002 12:01:22 +0100
From: Rolf Brunsting <address truncated>
Subject: Re: Demise of orange.net

Dear Mike,

<< ... However, as you will no longer be able to connect with Orange as an ISP,  use of their SMTP server for *sending* mail will require "SMTP Authentication" which is not supported by the Psion ... >>

That's not the case - check out the XJMail client.

--
Kind Regards,
Rolf Brunsting - Darp - Netherlands

Date: 26 Oct 2002 12:01:27 +0100
From: Rolf Brunsting <address truncated>
Subject: Re: Opera with 5mx

Dear Jan,

<< Yes, the best tip is: don't try Opera! IMO, you will only run into trouble >>

I don't see any reason for not trying out the Opera web browser. It will be a *trial* allowing people to see what Opera offers to them and how it performs. When they're not pleased with it, they can remove Opera from their Psions and keep using Web.

Sure, a trial will take a bit of time to check what Opera does. But the proverb of "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" applies here.

--
Kind Regards,
Rolf Brunsting - Darp - Netherlands

Date: 26 Oct 2002 12:01:31 +0100
From: Rolf Brunsting <address truncated>
Subject: Re: Analysis

Dear Itamar,

<< Unfortunately for Psion I tend to agree with the lines of your analysis >>

It's an analysis based on the idea that Microsoft's entry in a particular market or product segment automatically means Microsoft becomes the dominant player. While there are sufficient examples of Microsoft products that failed or haven't become the dominant product in their segment.

Handheld computer software is currently one of these non-dominant products, strange as it may sound. Though WindowsCE / PocketPC devices sell in sizeable numbers their volume has yet to reach a level and a consistency to allow a "dominant player" classification. Specially when we take the various degrees of merger between handheld computer and mobile phone into account.

<< We EPOC users are "the past", hanging on to our superior machines until they "drop dead" >>

It's the hard linkage between EPOC and Psion that's something of the past as the link was broken when Psion decided to license the operating system. People who own a Nokia 9210, a 7650 or an Ericsson R380 are just as much EPOC users as you are. And the ranks of EPOC users will swell when the Ericsson P800 and Nokia 3650 arrive in the shops.

<< There will be no new software, no new accessories and most probably we will loose interest in a few years when newer and up to date solutions will be available >>

This would have happened anyway. Every product fades away into times past, whether its manufacturer survives or not. Some will end up as exhibits in a museum where grandpa Itamar can say to his grandsons "Look! ... There! ... I used to own one of those".

--
Kind Regards,
Rolf Brunsting - Darp - Netherlands

Date: 26 Oct 2002 12:01:35 +0100
From: Rolf Brunsting <address truncated>
Subject: Re: EPOC DIGEST V1 # 096

Dear Aleck,

Help! Psion got wet and cold.

<< My wife got drenched on her way to work, it was very cold and very wet (Scotland) and her psion revo+ would not switch on when she got to work, despite the fact that it didn't seem to be wet >>

The Revo may not have looked wet because it wasn't dripping with water but the high humidity can have had the result of condensation forming inside the casing. It was therefore not such a good idea to plug the Revo into the charger as the combination of moisture and electricity tends not to have positive effects.

I'm afraid the Revo will need to be examined by a qualified service engineer and the place that immediately comes to mind is POS Ltd.

     Pinnock Organiser Services Ltd
     143 Streatham High Road
     London SW16 6EG
     Tel. ; 020-86779246
     Web pages : www.posltd.com

--
Kind Regards,
Rolf Brunsting - Darp - Netherlands

Date: 27 Oct 2002 02:22:45 +0100
From: Itamar Engelsman <address truncated>
Subject: best place to buy psions, Tinycalc,

Answer to: Taylor Ben

Re. best place to buy psions - You can't find them new anymore. You could try eBay or other auction sites, or PsionEx at 01522-811707 or via email<address truncated>Try also Clove Technology at www.clove.co.uk or 0870-727 0037. Success.

Answer to: Philip Bister

Re. Tinycalc - Thanks for the additional info.

Best regards,
Itamar Engelsman
London, UK

Date: 27 Oct 2002 17:52:33 +0100
From: Kevin Thorne <address truncated>
Subject: 14.4k on GSM, wireless netBook

Reply to Mike McConnell:

<I just pay a higher rate for 28.8k HSCSD calls with no additional monthly fee but, as you say, there is no additional charge for the 14.4k connection. It's just a matter of entering the appropriate Data string.>

This got me thinking.  I've just realised after upgrading from a Nokia 8210 to the 9210 back in the summer that I'm still using the same data string in my S7 modem settings.  Works fine on linking the 9210 to my S7 but am I restricting the 9210's faster modem to 9.6k by using the old data string (AT&F&K4)?  I'm on Orange Everyday 50 using just the bog standard GSM connection.

Reply to Kate Head:

<Just to let you know that on Tuesday 22nd October in the London Evening Standard newspaper there was the following (from a page about surfing the web from the bath etc. - now easier because of wireless access meaning no cables):
"...And the Psion is back - with a wireless card for its classy, leatherbound netBook hand-held computer.  Great for people who work on the move - the netBook is solid, with a battery that lasts for days rather than minutes.>

Is this the 2nd generation netBook I've heard about I wonder?  Could be as there are no drivers available for wireless card support on the present model.  Here's hoping :-)

Regards
Kevin Thorne