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January 14, 2004 |
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus
This week's news |
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SLAP!!!
Tired of fumbling with the buttons while talking to an important person? Wouldn't you like your Palm device to be faster and easier to use? Write your notes in Slap, and then let Slap intelligently turn your notes into contacts, appointments, tasks and more!
Get Slap for only $12.95, or try it FREE at Hands High Software. |
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NEW NAME. SAME GREAT HANDHELDS.
The name palmOne was chosen following interviews with a broad spectrum of Palm customers, partners, employees, naming consultants and industry influencers.
When people inside and outside the company reflect on Palm's essence, three ideas emerged consistently: the company's heritage as a pioneer in handheld computing, Palm's worldwide leadership, which it has retained despite an influx of competitors; and the conviction that Palm always would place customers first, thereby delivering what matters most to them.
Continue to palmOne.com |
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STOP THOSE AD WINDOWS FROM SHOWING UP ON YOUR DESKTOP
You're working on your computer, minding your own business. And bam! Suddenly something weird shows up. It's not an email. You're not even browsing the Web, so you know it's not one of those annoying Web pop-ups. What the heck is it? Someone just stuck an ad in the middle of your screen.
Shoot The Messenger's an amazing little program. It's the sheriff that completely bans those bad boys from ever showing up on your machine again. It takes about two minutes to install, and Shoot The Messenger's on guard instantly, all the time.
Plus, click here to learn more about how Shoot The Messenger safeguards your IM sessions. |
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PRODUCT REVIEW
Oxford American Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus
By Jen Edwards
One of the things I've noticed recently is that my handheld is far more than my calendar and address book. It also serves as my notepad, ebook reader, entertainer (games and music), and my teacher/reference librarian. The Oxford American Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus fits into that last category quite nicely. Instead of having to drag that dusty old dictionary off of the shelf, or even worse, skip over a word because I don't know what it means or settle for an overused word when I'm writing an article or review, I can use this program on my handheld to instantly look up any word and get instant answers.
The Palm OS version of the application requires 5.5 MB of RAM or expansion card space, and the Pocket PC version requires 5.7 MB of space. While this review mainly covers the Palm OS version of the program, both versions are virtually identical. Installation is quick and easy, once the Oxford American Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus is downloaded. Tap on the program in your handheld application launcher, and it starts up in list view. Every available control is visible on the main screen of the application, as shown below.
FIGURE A
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The main screen of the Oxford American Dictionary and Thesaurus. Click picture for a larger image.
Starting at the top left corner, the Oxford button brings up the available menus. The "i" button at the top right side of the screen provides information about the application version, and the question mark icon allows you to access the help system. On the next line you'll see an "eraser" button that clears out whatever has been typed in the search button just to the right. Next, towards the right of the screen, is a button that allows you to see what words have been most recently looked up in the dictionary and quickly jump back to them. The A-Z button on the right allows you to switch between list and definition view. This is particularly helpful if the word you're interested in has several closely related forms.
The main part of the window contains either a dictionary-style listing of words or a particular definition, depending on which view you have chosen. There's also a scroll bar to the side that allows you to move through the list either by page (tapping on the uppermost and lowest button or by word if you tap on the buttons closer to the middle of the scroll bar). At the bottom of the screen you'll find the controls for changing the color scheme, the "Word of the Day" button, a pronunciation guide button, and a keyboard icon that allows you to use the onscreen keyboard instead of the Graffiti area.
FIGURE B
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An example definition and synonyms Click picture for a larger image.
Actually using the Oxford American Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus is quite simple. You can either scroll up and down the list of words using your stylus or the scroll buttons on your device, or you can enter in a specific word using the Graffiti area of the device or the onscreen keyboard. You may not have to enter the entire word, either, as the list view is constantly updated with appropriate matches. This can save a significant amount of time. Another time-saver is the hyperlinking that you'll find in the word entries. Look up "loan" for example, and you'll find that the synonyms at the bottom are blue and underlined in much the same way as in a typical Web browser. Tap on any of those words and you'll be taken directly to that entry in the program so that you can see the pronunciation, definition, and additional synonyms.
I found the application to be quite complete and a valuable reference. The Oxford American Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus has over 100,000 entries and definitions, plus more than 175,000 synonyms. It's perfect for students, journalists, business professionals, and anyone else who needs quick access to an English language reference. It's hard to go back to that heavy printed dictionary on the bookshelf once you've used this handy program from Handmark. It's available now for $29.95 from the Handmark website at http://www.handmark.com.
OUR RATING: 4 of 5
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Jen Edwards is a student and handheld technology enthusiast in Dallas, TX. She is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of PocketGoddess.com and has also written numerous reviews for Brighthand and Geek.com.
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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HOW TO BUY A DIGITAL CAMERA
Your First Digital Camera is a comprehensive 4-CD audio workshop (also available on MP3) that will help you understand digital cameras.
If you're thinking about moving from film to digital, if you're curious what really makes a digital camera tick, if you're confused by all the terms, buzzwords, and hype, or if you're looking to buy a camera and want to become a very informed consumer, this audio workshop is perfect for you.
Enter coupon code CP921477 to save $20. Order today! |
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COMPUTING UNPLUGGED NEWS CENTER
This week's news
Want to get the very latest mobile and wireless news? The Computing Unplugged News Center is updated every day with news of product releases, industry info, tips, techniques, and pointers to great mobile and wireless resources on the Web. Here's this week's news:
Robotics turns to insects
A new generation of robots may incorporate the mobile and visual characteristics of insects. The technology is being considered for future aerial probes on Mars as well as other applications.
Spirit set free
The Martian rover Spirit has been given the go ahead to begin roaming. After leaving its landing platform, Spirit will conduct rock and soil tests, then move on to explore a crater, but JPL scientists want it to head for the hills in those awesome pictures.
High-Tech shorts measure up
A Honk Kong tailor has developed a set of disposable shorts that when worn will take a customer's measurements and project their figure into a special fitting-room. The shorts are designed to alleviate the discomfort some customers feel when the inseam is measured. Now, this is just plain weird.
Mobile phones safe?
A report from UK government scientists states that mobile phones don't appear to generate harmful radiowaves as previously believed. The consensus though is that more research needs to be done in order to declare the matter settled.
FCC leaks new Clies
The FCC has leaked images and information regarding three new upcoming Sony Clie's. Full details can be found in this article at Palm Infocenter.
Solar-powered attire
This solar-powered gadget-charging jacket was introduced at CES this year. The jacket has solar panels integrated into it, allowing a wearer to use the generated electricy to charge PDAs, cell phones, and mobile music players.
DVR designs could change
Although a lawsuit against ReplayTV was recently dismissed, the case may cause ripples that change the structure of DVRs in the future. The point at issue is the ability of consumers to skip over commercials inserted in programs they have digitally recorded.
Nokia on manners
Nokia's brochure reads like a list from Miss Manners. In addition to giving instruction on how to use their phones, it also gives lessons in manners, driving etiquette, and interpersonal skills.
Wireless tune transfer
Aireo, a portable digital music player from Minnesota-based SoniqCast allows users to transfer digital music from their PC to the unit wirelessly by means of built-in wireless networking capabilities. The device is due to hit shelves at Best Buy in the next month and will retail for about $300.
PalmSource goes public
PalmSource has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to make a public offering of 2,750,000 shares of common stock. Underwriters were also given the opportunity of purchasing an additional 412,500 shares of common stock.
Bluetooth GPS receiver
BluetoothNews.com takes a look at the new TomTom Bluetooth GPS receiver. See their full review for information on this nifty new product.
Are OLEDS the future?
Organic Light-Emitting Diodes could be the future in high-tech gadgets. The secret is a luminous screen that has no backlight, uses less power, and is capable of more vibrant colors. The devices could be used in things like PDAs, cameras and notebook computers.
AT&T Wi-Fi hits retail
Best Buy and CompUSA are set to begin selling AT&T brand Wi-Fi home networking equipment. A wireless router and three adapters for laptops and desktops will be marketed by VTech and carry the 802.11g wireless standard.
HP designs iPod
HP and Apple are collaborating on an HP-branded version of the iPod. The unit is to be available this summer and as part of the deal, HP will pre-install Apple's iTunes jukebox software on their desktops and notbooks.
Motorola MPx220 rumors
Rumors are circulating regarding the possibility of a Motorola Smartphone dubbed the MPx220. According to the rumor report by Brighthand, the phone will be a clam-shell design and use Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform. The MPx220 is supposed to be the first of three new Motorola models.
MP3 Players get smaller
An article in PC World says that MP3 players are shrinking in size, but offering more storage space. Some of the units are dropping in weight to just 2 ounces and upping storage capacity to 4 GB. Others are even offering FM tuners with the ability to record.
Spirit's Martian panorama
Cornell Labs has produced a panoramic shot of the Martian landscape taken at Spirit's landing site. The shot was created by compiling 225 shots that Spirit took over a period of three days. The image shows Mars' trademark reddish-brown soil, rocks and distant hills. Amazing. Just friggin' amazing.
Toshiba's speedy SD cards
New speed records for data transfer have been set with Toshiba's new High Speed SD cards. The new memory cards, initially available in 128 MB and 256 MB models, boast write speeds of 5 MB per second, trumping the current 1 MB per second standard.
Employers ban camera phones
USA Today reports that many major employers are banning camera phones in an effort to preserve personal privacy and company security. Companies are concerned the small cameras included in some models of mobile phones could be used for corporate espionage.
New HD disc format
CRN's Edward Moltzen reports on the new Blu-Ray disc format due out in 2004. According to the article, the new optical disc format designed for higher data rates, such as HDTV and Broadband Internet, is supported by HP and Dell and can hold approximately four hours of HD video on one disc. Start saving your pennies. We've got more new toys to buy.
VoIP legistlation
CNET News reports that U.S. Senator John Sununu is preparing legislation that would keep state regulators out of voice over Internet Protocol. He would rather it be placed under the purview of the FCC to prevent over-taxing and over-regulation by individual states if it can't remain totally unregulated.
New Audiovox camera-phone with built-in flash
In Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show, Audiovox unveiled their new CDM-8910 mobile handset with a built-in digital camera and flash. The phone has a 1.3 megapixel digital camera with macro function, is Java-capable, and data capable with a USB interface.
SanDisk's 2GB memory stick
On January 8, 2004 in Las Vegas, SanDisk introduced its new 2 GB Memory Stick Pro, the largest memory stick available. The high capacity cards are designed to meet consumers' growing need for more available storage in variety of portable devices such as cameras and PDAs.
Palmsource offers Expert Guides
At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Palmsource announced their release of Expert Guides. The guides are a collection of Palm OS software, e-books, online resources, and user experiences covering topics such as astronomy, games, real estate, medicine, word processing and much more to help people get more use out of their Palm powered devices.
Toshiba's mini 2GB drive
Toshiba has released its new postage-stamp sized miniature hard disk drives to be available in 2.0 GB and 4.0 GB capacities. They are designed to increase the possibilities of the next generation of PDAs, digital cameras, camcorders, and digital music players.
Sprint teams with Gameloft
On January 8, 2004 Sprint and Gameloft announced a partnership to begin offering wireless gaming to Sprint PCS Vision customers. The games can be downloaded to and played on select Java-enabled wireless phones and played on Sprint's nationwide network.
Inside cheap DVD players
The Seattle Times has a fascinating story about how the ultra-cheap DVD players we've been seeing at Wal-Mart and other large retailers are able to be so inexpensive. Things I didn't know: according to the article, all DVD players are made in China (I'm not sure I believe that some other asian countries aren't in the game), cheap DVD players are often produced without paying royalties on patents (saving $10-15/unit), and to get these produced at these low prices, slave-like labor needs to be used. So, do we buy or not? Read the article. The author's as conflicted as I am.
Broadcom introduces new Wi-Fi chipset
CNET News.com reports that Broadcom has introduced a Wi-Fi chipset that it says can speed the performance of 802.11g networks to 125mbps, potentially creating new opportunities for routing high-bandwidth media across wireless networks. The company's 54g MaxPerformance chipset, with AfterBurner technology, is designed to be compatible with existing 802.11g networks, with an added performance mode that offers the equivalent to a signal rate of 125mbps.
TiVo to offer new services
TiVo will soon offer new services through its Home Media Option, notably the ability to transfer and burn recorded programs using a PC. According to PC World, owners of the TiVo Series 2 hardware who have networked the device with the $100 Home Media Option will be able to transfer recordings to a PC to view or burn to DVD disc.
IBM strikes deal with Real Networks
IBM and RealNetworks struck a deal to provide businesses provide subscription-based, on-demand digital video and audio services to their customers. InternetNews.com reports that the joint offering, announced at the Consumer Electronics Show, will help media companies cut start-up costs associated with forging a digital media service, which may include TV programming, mobile music services and in-car digital music from scratch. RealNetworks plans to bundle its newly-announced Real 10 digital media platform with such IBM middleware as WebSphere Digital Media Enabler, WebSphere Commerce and DB2 Content Manager.
Verizon Wireless to roll out BroadbandAccess
InfoWorld reports that Verizon Wireless will roll out a fast cellular data service in many large U.S. cities during this summer. The service, called BroadbandAccess, is based on CDMA2000 1x EV-DO (Code Division Multiple Access Evolution-Data Only). Nationwide, Verizon now offers voice and data services on CDMA2000 1x, which delivers roughly the speed of a dial-up Internet connection.
Fiorina takes tough stand against digital music piracy
PC World reports that Sheryl Crow, Dr. Dre, and Alicia Keys were among the major recording artists who backed Carly Fiorina on stage at the Consumer Electronics Show, where the Hewlett-Packard chairman and CEO took perhaps the toughest stand yet by a technology industry executive against digital music piracy.At a conference where products for recording and sharing digital content are in abundance, Fiorina said HP is determined to help stamp out the illegal copying of music and video by building tough protection technologies into virtually all its consumer products.
Emirates adding wireless email service
Emirates is now adding a wireless LAN email service on some aircraft. Tenzing is working with Europe's Airbus S.A.S. and a division of Matsushita Electric Industrial to equip Emirates' new Airbus A340-500 jets with Wi-Fi LANs. Tenzing's software supports a wide variety of email clients including any POP3 client, and can support some types of corporate virtual private networks. The company probably will offer support for IBM Lotus Notes mail in the next few months.
Yahoo closer to adding RSS to My Yahoo
InternetNews.com reports that Yahoo is getting closer to adding a Rich Site Summary aggregator to its My Yahoo service, a move that could provide a major boost to the XML format for content syndication. Separately, NewsGator Technologies has launched a new service that would push RSS aggregation beyond the desktop and on to HTML-enabled mobile devices. NewsGator, which markets an enterprise-focused RSS aggregator within the Microsoft Outlook client, said the new Online Services product would allow synchronization of RSS subscriptions between multiple machines, Web browsers, POP3 email clients and mobile devices like cell phones and PDAs.
Gates outlines vision for future
Elecronic House reports that Bill Gates envisions a world where people can seamlessly access all of their digital music, movies and information from any device in any location at any time. In his keynote address at CES, Gates unveiled MSN Premium, which offers email features that bring the organization and planning tools of Microsoft's Outlook program into Web-based Hotmail accounts.
Gates opens CES
Bill Gates opened up the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas by introducing technology that allows users to take their Windows Media Center PCs and any digital photos, music and video running on the platform, and display them on TVs or other entertainment devices. The Globe and Mail reports that the devices would hook up to a TV and connect to the Media Center PC through a wired or wireless computer network.
New products from Sony
CRN reports that Sony executives said the company was poised to deliver LCD-TVs with improved definition; new performance in optical recording with a dual-channel, DVD recorder featuring 24X dubbing speed; wireless DVD systems for distributing audio and video; and location-free TV, which, in a network, will send streaming audio from a central PC or device into a handheld viewing screen.
New Rolodex Electronics organizers
Franklin Electronic Publishers today introduced new Rolodex Electronics organizers as part of their E-Z FILE and Touch FILE series. Franklin's unique Rolodex Electronics touch-screen PDA's feature Pumatech's highly acclaimed Intellisync Software, which allows for two-way synchronization between the handheld and PC with renowned applications like Microsoft Outlook.
Smart Watches for MSN Direct shipping
Smart Watches for MSN Direct are now shipping for broad retail availability, as announced by Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates during his keynote address at the 2004 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Smart Watches, manufactured by Fossil Inc. and Suunto, utilize MSN Direct to receive personalized content including news, weather, personal messages, calendar appointment reminders and stock quotes. Subscribers to MSN Direct service can receive personal messages via MSN Messenger and calendar appointment reminders from Microsoft Outlook.
NewsGator offers new service
NewsGator Technologies, known for its news aggregator that plugs into Microsoft Outlook, is reaching beyond the single email client with a new service offering. eWeek reports that NewsGator Online Services is a set of tools for reading content from RSS and Atom syndication feeds via the Web, through any POP3-compliant email client and on mobile devices that support HTML.
Digital camera for Tungsten devices
Veo introduced a 1.3 megapixel camera designed to utilize Secure Digital IO(SDIO) card slots on select Tungsten handheld devices from palmOne. The Photo Traveler 130S is equipped with a true 1.3 megapixel sensor and standardized JPEG encoding, which allows users to transfer photos between devices or print 3"x5" photos directly from their handheld.
SnapStream introduces two products
SnapStream Media announced two new products: the Beyond Media software for photos, music, DVD and videos and the Firefly PC remote control. The upcoming Beyond Media product is designed to complement the company's Beyond TV personal video recording (PVR) software, bringing digital photography, digital music, DVDs and digital videos into the living room.
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Copyright © 2003, ZATZ:Pure Internet Publishing, a unit of Component Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.
Computing Unplugged is an independent publication of ZATZ:Pure Internet Publishing, a unit of Component Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. Component Enterprises, Inc. ZATZ, the ZATZ logo, and Computing Unplugged are trademarks of ZATZ Publishing, a unit of Component Enterprises. All other brands and product names are trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective holders.
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