- Re. job

- Re: Rollable Displays

- Nokia 9500 problem + rant

- Re: Personal computers - old & new.

- Re: What we will be using???

- Windows Notebook + emulator versus Psion NetBook

- problem loading programs

- HTC S710,

- What we will be using?

- Psion 5mx repair

- Help Please -- Java Psion Link under Ubuntu

Date: 23 Feb 2007 19:46:26 +0100
From: Ian Chapple <address truncated>
Subject: Re. job

Alan.

>>Unfortunately, there will never be a true Psion replacement.  Psions were made to do a job.  Now products are made to appear to do a job, but frequently fail.<<

I think you're being extremely negative here. If you look at the job that smartphones are attempting to do, most of them achieve it most of the time. However, the job that they are attempting to do is not the job that you want them to do, which is not the same thing....

Cheers, Ian.

Date: 23 Feb 2007 20:43:06 +0100
From: Mike Dyer <address truncated>
Subject: Re: Rollable Displays

Date: 22 Feb 2007 12:35:46 +0100
From: Itamar Engelsman <address truncated>
Subject: Rollable Displays,

Answer to: Mike Dyer

Re.: Rollable Displays - The idea is great but do we really want to go back to greyscale screens (for those that still use a 5MX / Revo  it is no difference of course). Why not project the screen onto a wall, that would be fun !?

Best regards,
Itamar Engelsman
London, UK

-------------

Hi Itamar,

colour rollable displays will appear in time, it's just getting the cost down, and the reliability up.

Mini built in projectors is definately a good idea for a future mobile device, powered by modern high intensity LED's you could easily project a decent screen sized image with excellent battery life.

For the record I totally disagree with the allaboutsymbian guys comments about getting over the 5mx.
Just because something is newer doesn't make it better, I still haven't come across a smartphone with a diary/calendar as clear and as useable as the built in Datebk3 software on my Treo 600.

Though if anyone can point me out a screenshot of a comparable week to view that would be interesting...

Regards,
Mike Dyer.

Date: 23 Feb 2007 23:36:21 +0100
From: Chris Handley
Subject: Nokia 9500 problem + rant

Since I've had my Nokia 9500, it has occasionally cut me off in the middle of a telephone call, while briefly making a few bleeping noises (actual 3 or 4 descending notes repeated twice).  I don't think it has anything to do with a poor signal, or accidentally pressing any buttons.

It seems to me that this is either a hardware fault (despite it otherwise working well), or a software bug.  I have firmware 5.22(7).  Has anyone else suffered this problem?

I would like to upgrade to a more recent firmware, which I read was released some time ago, but all the Nokia Services Centres in Britain I tried said 5.22 was the latest.  Any suggestions?  I'm hoping it would cure the above mentioned problem, as well as maybe helping with some speed issues mentioned below.  P.S.  My phone product code (found under the battery) is 0527176, which seems to determine what firmwares are available.

Why is the Music player so god-damn slow at reading the ID3 tags from MP3 files (for stuff like song name & artist)???  It takes about one second per MP3, which is f**king ridiculous - it only has to read a few bytes (i.e. on the order of a few milliseconds at worst - or whatever the seek time of an SD card is).  I bet the ID3v1 tag reader I wrote in OPL (for my Psion MP3Play program) would out pace the (presumably C++ based) Music player by a factor of 100+, no joke.

Not to mention that opening the 9500 (into clam shell mode), there is an (approx) one second pause before I can do anything, which is really irritating sometimes.

Oh, and Calendar (the S80 version of Agenda) is soooooo slooooooow, which is kind of stupid given it's one of the apps I use the most.  Open any entry for editing, and it literally takes one second or more before anything happens!  Make any changes, and closing takes it's sweet time too.  Not to forget that switching to the To Do list part of Calendar is often horrendously slow too (several seconds) - for even just a few items it can take an age to appear, flickering madly as it apparently refreshes the whole display each time the next item is add to the display (even when off the screen), and switching between To Do lists is quite slow too.

All this is quite maddening, because the 9500 has a CPU as fast as the Netbook, and uses a colour screen that can't be any more demanding than the Netbook's 640x480 8-bit display.  The only conclusion I can reach is that S80 contains a few very badly written bits of software, even if it is reasonably fast overall.  Psion really spoiled us with EPOC, at least by the time they reached release 5.  And it's not like Nokia haven't had the time to sort S80, because they've had since the 9200 came out years ago.

But IMHO the 9500 still seems to be the best replacement for a Psion, and will probably remain that way given how badly Nokia have dumbed down the E90 by using S60 (at least unless they put some SERIOUS development effort into enhancing it's PIM capabilites, back to something like what S80 had, and perhaps replace the limited S60 menu system with something closer to that used S80 & EPOC).

End of rant!  Now could somebody please answer my question/problem that I started this email with....
--
Chris Handley

P.S.  Digest admin, the digest is still being sent to my old address, rather than my Gmail one.  I didn't want to press the matter, since I expected to leave the Digest soon, but while there is the E90 to discuss....

Date: 24 Feb 2007 00:08:58 +0100
From: Chris Handley
Subject: Re: Personal computers - old & new.

Alan Morris wrote:
> } The idea is that it will convert my AmigaE code into whatever > } programming language I have available, whether it be OPL, C++ > } or whatever

> Is that on an old CBM Amiga?  I had an Amiga B2000, which I used with a > TV sync generator to produce TV displays, but never had the need to
> program it.

The AmigaE language was written for the CBM Amiga, yes.  The author had planned to port his "E" language to other systems, but never got around to it.  So I'm effectively doing that, from scratch - although in a completely different way (translating to C++ etc) than what he'd have done (most likely directly generating raw x86 machine code).

But I wouldn't stress the Amiga history of the E language, because that would suggest it was a quaint & outdated language - rather than the cutting-edge language that it was 10+ years ago (but since development stopped, C++/etc caught-up & over-took E).  Even today I see some parallels & similarities between AmigaE & the popular Ruby language (which might actually replace Java).

And backwards compatibility to AmigaE is secondary to portability and adding modern features, particularly enhancing it's Object Orientation system.  The idea is to make a nice language that I like & can stick with, whatever OS or programming language happens to be in vogue!

Still, probably best I stop waffling on about it, since there's probably no-one actually interested in it here...
---
Chris Handley

Date: 24 Feb 2007 01:34:14 +0100
From: David Steer \(Plus\) <address truncated>
Subject: Re: What we will be using???

To Cozzani,
Subject: What we will be using???

> Sorry David, I just cannot let this one go!
>
> Using only Windows?? Over my dead body! This is what I will be using as
> of next year:
> http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=2500

At the time I wrote my comments, this anouncement was only rumour that seemed to have been satisfied by the anouncement of the iPhone!

The only problem I have with using MAC OS X is that what I need is a device I can receive e-mails on (and send) and then replicate at the end of the day with my main client (currently Outlook 2002).  My Psion does this very well, the Apple would not.  However, Windows Mobile does, though is does suffer connection and sync problems in simular ways as PsiWIN did.  So for me a critical part of the functionality is address book, diary and e-mail synchronisation.  As great as a mini Apple Macbook would be - and I would love to have one (especially if it has a touch screen akin to the iPhones!) - it can't do this essential function as far as I am aware of.

Regards
David

Date: 24 Feb 2007 13:36:44 +0100
From: Jean Guillonneau <address truncated>
Subject: Windows Notebook + emulator versus Psion NetBook

Hi all !

Like many of us I'm trying to figure out what could be the best combination of different devices.

I think I will still stick to my 5 mx until some other device offers something like OPL, macros, good keyboard, excellent Agenda and of course small size.

But I would like two other things in a still portable way :
* a good screen ;
* all the up to date facilities.
(The phone problem is not so relevant for me : a phone can just be a phone you put on your hear, but it's of course nice if you can also take snapshots with it. It's also nice if I can receive and send emails on the 5mx through the phone).

So the NetBook is a solution. You have got all the EPOC tools and a way to connect to the web. But the webbrowsers are not really up to date !
Theoretically, there is another solution. Why not a small windows notebook with the EPOC emulator ? Here, you have both : EPOC tools and all the web engines. Plus PsiWin.

What are the experience of the digestees in that matter : Windows Notebook + emulator / Psion NetBook ?

Jean

Date: 24 Feb 2007 13:55:27 +0100
From: Jean Guillonneau <address truncated>
Subject: problem loading programs

Hi Franco,

> I am trying to install apps on the D drive of my MC218 (clone to the
5mx), using a Sandisk CF card of 512 MB, and I get error messages withall of them when I try to run them (they apparently installed in the
extras menu just fine).

I experienced the same problem with a Sandisk Ultra II 1Gb. I read in PsionWelt forum that it happened also to some else.. I tried to partition the CF Card, but it didn't help.

But a Sandisk Ultra II 256 Mb is now in my 5 mx without any issue (this was not always the same with other brands).

Just one solution : take another CF Card. (Pulster from pulster.de garantees his cards to work with Psions).

Ciao,
Jean

Date: 25 Feb 2007 01:22:46 +0100
From: Itamar Engelsman <address truncated>
Subject: HTC S710,

Answer to: Mike Dyer

Re.: HTC S710 - Thanks for that URL, interesting to see all the new phones. I think thisphone is similar to the Qtek 9100 and other HTC phones that have the thumbboard as well but no keys on the front which makes the screen a lot bigger which in my humble opinion is a better option. Why does one need a dual control, on the front as well as on the foldable thumbboard ?

Best regards,
Itamar Engelsman
London, UK

Date: 25 Feb 2007 02:48:12 +0100
From: Eric Lindsay <address truncated>
Subject: What we will be using?

>   The Digest    Fri, 23 Feb 2007    Volume 01  :  Number 1059

> From: "Cozzani Franco" <address truncated>
> Subject: What we will be using???
> Using only Windows?? Over my dead body! This is what I will be > using as
> of next year:
>  http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=2500

> But Windows is not the only alternative to Psion computing

> But, with a smallish Apple laptop, you do discover that some of the > magic in using Psions is still there. Only better.

While I agree with Cozzani regarding the merits of Apple, and particularly OS X, we do need to remember the situation regarding replacements for a stand alone Psion computer is unchanged. The sites Cozzani cites specialise in rumours. There is still no replacement model announced, and Apple may never produce what Cozzani and I both hope for. Even if Apple do, it is likely to be more a NetBook replacement than a Psion 5mx or Revo replacement. Sometimes even a NetBook is too large and too heavy.

While I have gradually moved a lot of my former Psion computing to Apple (and online in Google apps), I could do that partly because I retired, and no longer had as much need for the portable power of my Psion for working purposes. Were I still working, I suspect I would still be using my Psion 5mx full time.

I also note that there seems little out there that is the equal to Agenda in flexibility and ease of use.

When I travel, I take my Apple Powerbook only about 50% of the time (when I know I will be doing a lot of internet related activities). The rest of the trips, I still take either my Psion 7 (if I know I will be taking extensive notes at conferences) or my 5mx (when I don't expect to be producing lots of notes, or when using light planes where the weight limits are very tight, and the AA batteries very handy in remote areas).

I also note the recently announced Apple iPhone seems no more a Psion 5mx or Revo replacement than any number of fine Symbian based or other smart phones seen over the years since the Psion PDA disappeared.

Date: 25 Feb 2007 10:31:40 +0100
From: Pierre Le Corfec <address truncated>
Subject: Psion 5mx repair

Based on several reports on the Digest about the great work accomplished by www.psionflexi.co.uk in repairing Psions I sent mine for a screen cable problem.
I want to express here my satisfaction about the work done not only on the screen cable but also on broken screen spring latches
which was not expected nor requested .I consider this  very professional and quality driven .
Great work  and many thanks to Paul.

Date: 25 Feb 2007 17:07:49 +0100
From: Stephen Stone <address truncated>
Subject: Help Please -- Java Psion Link under Ubuntu

In reading years of discussions of what device might replace our Psions, I've finally come to the realization that I want to replace Windows, not my Psion.  For security reasons, I'm going to move to Linux or MAC.

I'm looking at ways to replace the basic functions of PsiWin and have found the Java program Java Psion Link:
http://www.littlespikeyland.com/psionlink/

I'm new to Linux. Ubuntu 6.06 LTS looks like it may fulfill my needs.  While I believe that I've been able to  successfully install Java and the port API Javax.comm under Ubuntu, I can't seem to figure out how to place the component files of Java Psion Link within Ubuntu's file structure.

Can any Digest readers explain how to do this please? Thank you,

/Stephen Stone