For the screen shots you will see attached to the software reviews, I use POSE. It is an open source Palm OS emulator. You do need to own a Palm to download the ROM or look around online for it. I am sure Palm is not that anal about a 12 year old operating system for a dead platform.
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For several years, I have had a site (and well used software feed) at zaurus.cyberphreak.com, for my now departed Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 and 6000. Since then, I picked up a Palm IIIe at a local thrift store and started installing some applications. What I have discovered is a bunch of ad laden sites with broken links. Well, that is why I created this site. A repository for palm applications for the classic Palm Pilot with no clutter or ads. I hope you all enjoy it! As a side note, since I only have a Palm IIIe, which is black and white, all the applications that are listed here will work on that decade old hardware, but I can not guarantee much more than that.
Yesterday I picked up a great new gadget. It stores all of my contacts, does my calender, has thousands of apps available, is easy to use, and has a battery that lasts for months.
Guess what it is yet?
It’s a Palm IIIe. I was browsing at a local thrift store ans saw this little baby sitting on a shelf (with the cradle) with no price on it. In a moment that made me feel really old, the teenage cashier did not know what it was. It’s a PDA and it does not turn on. 50 cents. Sold. I knew it was just a dead set of AAA batteries, but she didn’t. Even on eBay, it can be had for 99 cents.
For less than the price of an iTunes song (and much less than an iPad app) I have a fully functional PDA from 1998. The specs are just stunning. 16Mhz processor, 2mb of storage and a 160×160 black and white screen. Not expandable in any way and the OS is hard wired into the ROM. But, to be honest, it really does what I want it to do. Be a decent replacement for my paper calender and notepad I usually carry and have a battery life that would put any modern device to shame. We are talking months on one set of AAA batteries. It also plays very well with Linux and just plain works.
The other nice thing is, if it dies, I loose it, or I get tired of it, the batteries inside of it cost more than it did. It’s a little sad, really. 12 years ago, this little guy cost $250. Now it is junk. As a strange irony, the 8-track players at the thrift store were priced higher.
So far, I really love it. It boots/turns on instantly. The screen is easy to read. The PDA apps do their job as you would expect them to and relearning Graffiti does not take long. Speaking of Graffiti, I forgot how quickly you could enter information using it. I have added a few essentials like a spreadsheet program and some games. The simplicity is great. No internet to distract, no MP3 playing, just a simple organizer. Plus, I can party like it’s 1999.
Finally got Ubuntu 10.04 installed on the netbook. As a bit of irony, I had to use Windows to write the USB stick correctly. No matter what combination I tried in Mandriva, it just would end up with file errors. Don’t know why. Anyway, at least the system is installed now. It is attractive and fast. The only proprietary drivers on the system are for the Broadcom Wireless card. Since I was connected to the Internet via a cable, it was able to download and install the driver with minimal difficulty. I think the only thing I really don’t care for is the default color scheme. Just a little too dark and 1998 cool looking for my tastes, but that is easily changed.
Applications launch quickly and everything is super up to date. All I need to do now is install some of my favorite applications (like the GIMP) and I have a fully functional netbook/mini notebook again. As a humorous change, the icon for Safe a file has changed from a floppy to a hard drive with an arrow pointing towards it. Much more appropriate, and I am sure many younger computer users have never used, no less seen a floppy disk in action. Even 10 years ago it was rare.
In other news, the 100 days in cyberspace got a little old. I will add more sites, if they really deserve mention. I don’t want to add links to add links. I prefer to spend more time in real life.
Speaking of spending more time in real life, I have the distinct feeling Facebook is burning fast. It is rapidly approaching ad ridden/feature over-bloat uselessness, somewhat like AOL from 8 years ago. A candle that burns twice as bright lasts half as long, and you have burned very very brightly Roy, er, Facebook. (My apologies to the folks who made Bladerunner.)
Had a restful Mother’s Day yesterday, out at Graue Mill, with the the family. It was a nice day, a bit cool, but very relaxing. There is just something about the sound of flowing water that is restful. So, Happy Mother’s Day to every mother out there and especially my dear Mom, Marie.