Epocdigest V1 # 348

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Epoc Digest Thu, 25 Sep 2003 Volume 01 : Number 348

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Sent to: 792 subscribers

In today's Epoc Digest 12 messages:

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- Zip preference settings

- Re: Belkin USB-Serial on Win XP

- Re: ISPs for under£15pm

- 5mx, Sony Clie NX73V,

- Faulty screen 5MX

- PsiWin, Internet accounts, Dana, Sony's Hot Crossover PDA ,

- Cheap batteries in UK

- Transreflective Screen

- Repairing faulty screen

- REX, netBook PSU, Luggage, Memory lane...

- FoxPop/AbiWord/Airline Baggage

- Airline baggage handling

*++++++++++&

Date: 24 Sep 2003 12:32:23 +0100

From: Astrid Stappenbeck

Subject: Zip preference settings

Hi,

I used to open my zip files with RMRZip as standard. I recently had Navigator installed and since then my Psion regards this app as default. I have opened a couple of files with RMR but the settings remained, I uninstalled Navigator and it still looks only for this program. I tried a soft reset - no change. I know I can use third party apps to set the preferences - this works for files on the system screen but not for zipped files wihin a zip archive.

Could there be some kind of setting in AlarmPlus that is responsible? And if so - how can I change it?

TIA

Astrid

*++++++++++&

Date: 24 Sep 2003 12:38:27 +0100

From: michael robins

Subject: Re: Belkin USB-Serial on Win XP

>Alan Morris wrote:

>That's if you can get it to work. Many, myself included, can't get quality Belkin >converters to work with XP.

I had problems with my Belkin USB to Serial converter, the solution was

to get the very latest (XP) drivers from the Belkin Web site.

Miker

*++++++++++&

Date: 24 Sep 2003 12:51:34 +0100

From: michael robins

Subject: Re: ISPs for under£15pm

>From: Andy Hayes, Subject: ISP Value

> Is anyone aware of any ISP giving unlimited access for less than £15 per month?

Andy.

Onetel offer Internet package (unlimited access) for £13.99 per month

www.onetel.co.uk

www.onetel.co.uk/index.php/packages

I use onetel as a telephone service provider and have no complaints -

generally very good but communication is all via the internet so you

need to be able to browse & log on to thier secure web site.

If you use onetel for your telephone, as I do, they discount the

internet access to £9.99 per month I think)

(onetel is owned by centrica same as British gas and the AA).

MikeR

*++++++++++&

Date: 24 Sep 2003 13:57:43 +0100

From: Itamar Engelsman

Subject: 5mx, Sony Clie NX73V,

Answer to: Malcolm

Re.: 5mx - Hi Malcolm, reading your message I started to wonder what attribute Psion users have that make them a social bunch of people willing to help each other. Is there someting else we all have in common besides the ownership of a Psion ? I have used my Series 3(a & c), 5, 5MX and S7 also at a variety of different places, although not as extreme as yours <G>. Still, I don't feel a "pride" in owning a Psion, I did not design or produce them but am only a (heavy) user of one. I have been lucky as well with my Psions and I can think of only one repair of a broken screen after I dropped it onto a concrete floor at an airport.

At the moment I will also continue to use them as long as possible, but who knows what the future will bring ? Maybe next year we will see an "all singing and dancing" new keyboard machine we will all jump to, or maybe a machine that will be driven by speech ? I think the technology will continue to develop further and further.

Answer to: Wong Koi Hin

Re. Sony Clie NX73V - I don't think it is marginal for me either. I looked at the options in stores and found that an on-screen keyboard takes up a considerable part of the screen, and if the screen is anyhow already smaller it leaves very little space for the original application to be shown. With this machine the screen is 8.4 cm long and the handwriting recognition part is 3.8 cm, leaving just over half the screen to show the application. However, when using the thumbboard you have the full 8.4 cm of screen.

Best regards,

Itamar Engelsman

London, UK

*++++++++++&

Date: 24 Sep 2003 13:57:45 +0100

From: Itamar Engelsman

Subject: Faulty screen 5MX

I am afraid you might have the screen cable problem. You could either send it up to Psion or POS for a repair or alternatively try and buy a new one from Clove or 2nd hand via eBay. A third option is to buy a different make, but you would loose certainly the keyboard and superior Operating System. For further reference :

www.posltd.com

www.clove.co.uk

Best regards,

Itamar Engelsman

London, UK

*++++++++++&

Date: 24 Sep 2003 13:57:46 +0100

From: Itamar Engelsman

Subject: PsiWin, Internet accounts, Dana, Sony's Hot Crossover PDA ,

Answer to: Alan Morris

Re.: PsiWin - First of all of course Psiwin is not in ROM and as such not that difficult to update and put the patch / change on Psion's website. Secondly, do you really believe that Microsoft has got a team of people that scrutinise other Companies software (Lotus, Psion) and design ways to make it difficult for those softwares to run on Windows ? I don't think any Company would put that in their strategy as it would of course be an unendless game of "tick and tack".

Answer to: Owen H. Morgan

Re. Internet accounts - Reading your message, just out of interest that is exactly what we do with Freeserve and the digest mailbox account. Once every two months or so I enter the mailbox via the Freeserve settings to keep the account alive, while all the operators of the digest (including myself) enter the mailbox via the internet <G>. They surely don't make money from this digest either <BG>.

Answer to: Larry De Coste

Re. Dana - I don't know really how you can be satisfied with the Dana instead of the S7 or nB (but for the price). The S7/nB is just as easy to put in a briefcase, has got a much larger screen and great keyboard, colours, and far superior software allowing multiple apps and files to be open at the same time. Synchronisation is not a problem if - like me and many others - you left the contacts in DATA bases instead of using the contacts program (I always touch typed on my 5MX and my fingers are not that small ....). Finally, did you not have a back-up to get your contact data from that you needed Menu5 and keystrokes without screen ? Also with your Dana do take back-ups, any computer can (and will <G>) go wrong one day or another.

Answer to: Janet I. Fine

Re. Sony's Hot Crossover PDA - Are you right ? I think yes and no. With the standard software you are right, but I have seen on the net already software for the Palms that will allow you to open, edit and save WORD and EXCEL files _without_ any conversion at all. I did not download it as I for one will not use my Palm for WORD and SHEET / EXCEL files, I've got the great S7 for that.

Best regards,

Itamar Engelsman

London, UK

*++++++++++&

Date: 24 Sep 2003 13:57:47 +0100

From: Itamar Engelsman

Subject: Cheap batteries in UK

For all UK subscribers, I just bought Duracell AA batteries in Sainsbury, 8 batteries (4 for free) for Gbp 2.99 which I believe is a very good price.

Best regards,

Itamar Engelsman

London, UK

*++++++++++&

Date: 24 Sep 2003 18:53:22 +0100

From: Anthony Napier

Subject: Transreflective Screen

Andy

For a long time I was frustrated by this for a long time until I discovered how to change the screen brightness through the 9 settings (control panel) or Fn +space bar. I am sure you knew this already but I didn't! I can cope indoors most of the time now but admittedly not too well in the garden.

Kind regards

Tony

*++++++++++&

Date: 24 Sep 2003 19:14:53 +0100

From: Timothy H.D. Williams

Subject: Repairing faulty screen

On Wednesday, September 24, 2003, at 08:47 AM, Epoc Digest wrote:

> To make a successfull stab at repairing it yourself, you need: >

> 1. A very steady hand

> 2. Experience with soldering electronics

> 3. A soldering iron with a very thin tip (you can file it), and > preferable thermostatically controlled temperature.

> 4. Some very thin resin cored electronics solder.

> 5. A new screen cable.

> 6. Balls the size of coconuts.

> 7. A web site with a description on how to disassemble the 5mx. > (Optional, but very useful)

Where do I get I,2,3, 4,5 and 7 from?

Best

T in the Caribbean

*++++++++++&

Date: 24 Sep 2003 19:34:15 +0100

From: Trygve Henriksen

Subject: REX, netBook PSU, Luggage, Memory lane...

Greetings!

francisco.vegas wrote:

> did anyone of you try to sync a XIRCOM REX 6000 with a netBook ?

That's not possible. At least not directly.

For those that doesn't know, a REX is a PCMCIA sized PDA, where the first versions had 128KB RAM and were a 'read only' type of storage. You could only read what you transferred to it, either by slotting it into a laptop, or using a small docking cradle.

The Series 3 or 3000 as it was also known was typically 512KB, and you had the possibility of ticking off tasks...

The 5000 and 6000 expanded upon this with the 6000 even having a virtual keyboard.

They're neat, but difficult to get hold of today since they're no longer manufactured.

(I believe there's a website at www.rex6000.org or something)

Anyway, the cards are SRAM devicess so the netBook won't acknowledge them if you slot them in.

The docking cradle is a safer bet since they use a relatively simple serial protocol.

There is a group of programmers that was working on HP 200LX (DOS based PDA) software to read the files on the card, but that was for the REX 3/3000 series. The last I heard about that was that the files on the 6000 series was way more advanced and that they were struggling with decoding them.

I was looking into possibly making an OPL based program to synch the REX 3 with a Psion, but I never came further than hacking the serial protocol.

> Possibly someone of you had experiences ...

I don't really have the time, but if anyone is willing to try, and have experience in serial programming, I could send them the notes about the serial protocol...

(And maybe even dig out the mail address of the HP coders)

----

Andy Hayes wrote:

> I have finally dug out the spare PSU that I brought to Shetland with

> me and can confirm that the problem is not with the end of the PSU

> cable as I had hoped, but rather it is with the power connector within

> the netBook.

The same happened with my netBook...

The connector is inadequately fastened to the PCB, and when force is applied to it, it'll eventually break free.

It needs to be removed, resoldered and glued into place...

There's a good explanation of how to open your netBook over on FoxPop...

But you'll need a fine-tipped soldering iron and an anti-static workplace.

You'll also need some sort of glue on the connector; I used a small glue-gun and liberal doses of hot glue...

If you need more details, mail me off-list...

> but a freak brainwave (they get freakier as you get older I have found!)

> suggested that I just blew in the power socket. Well it is at least a

> 90% improvement on what I had before.

Don't do THAT!

Probably some of the moisture in your breath is ending up between the PCB and the pads of the connector, allowing the electricity to cross the gap, but...

that same moisture can wreak havok with the delicate circuitry in there!

Owen H. Morgan wrote:

> Sorry about the long OT post, but as I have noticed many of our

> readers travel by air, this should be relevant, and hopefully

> educational to some.

This was definitely on-topic, particularly since most Psioneers seems to be of the migrating kind. And thank you for the unique look behind the scenes...

Personally I NEVER check in luggage unless I absolutely have to.

(My netBook is always in the bag, well padded from any accidents)

I don't even own a suitcase...

There's a few more tips for the diehard check-in type, though...

1. if your suitcase have wheels, use duct-tape on them!

Many suitcases with wheels gets stuck in the automated luggage handling systems at modern airports. (The wheels slips into cracks between castors and so on)

2. remember that many airport luggage handling systems use bar-code readers to route the luggage to the correct aircraft. On 'self-serve' check-ins where you use an ATM wannabe machine, then dump the luggage onto a conveyor yourself, you must make certain that the label you affixed isn't under the item.

----

ladecoste wrote:

> It was the best small computer I've ever owned (started with Casio

> programmable in 1981 and then an Epson HX-20 in 1983 and an

> Atari Portfolio in 1986 & first Psion in 1992 & stuck with them 2 As,

> 3C, then the 5mx)but the screen flaw was critical and unacceptable.

Which Casio was that?

(Just wondering if I have it in my collection :-)

I already have the HX-20, which is considered the first practical Laptop EVER, and the Atari Portfolio which was the first REAL pocketcomputer with a clamshell design. (It's also the one depicted if you check the clip-art for PDA in M$ Powerpoint.)

:-)

Trygve

*++++++++++&

Date: 24 Sep 2003 22:00:22 +0100

From: Keith Giles

Subject: FoxPop/AbiWord/Airline Baggage

A bit OT. I haven't looked at FoxPop for some time. It's been mentioned several times in the last few Digests so I wanted to look. I use Opera 7.11 for my PC(XP) browser. I can get to the home page, but when I then try a link, the browser freezes. I can maneuver through FoxPop with IE OK. Anyone else have this problem with Opera 7.11?

David Steer wrote:

> I am interested in anyone who has had success both reading and

> writing Psion Word files and what version they are using.

I have v1.99.6 - the one I was directed to when I answered that I had Windows. I can't open Psion Word, and have no idea how to use it to write Psion Word. I'm one of those guys who, when he sees a reference to something, has to try it. I think my AbiWord will go the way a lot of my stuff goes - into the trash can. If I want to write Psion Word on my PC, the emulator will do just fine. If someone were to explain just how to write Psion Word on it, what advantage does it have over the emulator?

Re, Airline baggage: 11. NEVER EVER fly RyanAir. Just kidding, Owen.

:-)

Happy Cycling,

Keith Sunnyvale, CA http://ohsix827.home.comcast.net

Thought For The Day: Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate.

*++++++++++&

Date: 25 Sep 2003 05:20:03 +0100

From: Gary Y Reyes

Subject: Airline baggage handling

>Date: 23 Sep 2003 22:37:45 +0100

>From: Owen H. Morgan >Subject: Airline baggage handling (OT)

Owen,

Many thanks for the posting. Very good tips.

Quickly, this reminds me of my traveling years. I was in the air going somewhere at least once every month for a period of about 14 years.

I must be one lucky bloke because in all these trips, never did I lose luggage and had a broken suitcase only once (during my first year of travelling when I overloaded my case). My stuff was always at my end destination.