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April 7, 2004 |
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
He said, she said: a screen
protector product shootout
This week's news |
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HE SAID, SHE SAID
True grit, a review of Exim Screen Protectors
By Dan Wolfson
True grit: any device that uses a stylus for input is at risk of having its screen scratched. A stylus can get a piece of grit embedded in its tip that scratches the glass or plastic screen every time you use it. Screen protectors are your best defense, and cost much less than replacing your device's screen. There are a variety of protectors available, from inexpensive Radio Shack throw-aways to low-tac adhesive stick-on's to no-stick versions that slide under the screen frame. Whichever flavor you choose, your screen will be protected from damage. They are well worth the relatively small investment.
I can see clearly now
I received two sets of screen protectors from Exim for my Kyocera 7135 SmartPhone. One was marked as their new clear version being released in 2004. The other set had a very slight frosted look.
After throroughly (I thought) cleaning the screen and Grafitti area, I peeled off the backings and applied both protectors. The Grafitti area protector was slightly undersized and went on easily with no problems. The protector for the screen was slightly oversized and it was a wrestling match to get the sticky plastic film to fit and tuck the edges under the metal screen frame. If I had it to do over, I would have trimmed the protector to just a hair smaller than the screen.
Once applied, the Exim protectors work great. They are crystal clear and very easy to write on with the stylus. So far they have resisted any scratching and they seem smoother and more durable that other protectors I have used.
During the above-mentioned wrestling match, I managed to get a few tiny grains of flotsam beneath the screen protector which caused few small bubbles. Fortunately these are virtually invisible when using the device head-on; they can only be seen from an angle. So the message here is if you are working with screen protectors that are adhesive, even the low-tac kind, you must make sure your screen is clean-room clean. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Photos of transparent screen protectors would seem oxymoronic. I rate the Exim products 4 out of 5.
OUR RATING: 4 of 5
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Dan Wolfson is a senior process analyst for Qwest Communications as well as a freelance writer and photographer in San Diego. His work has been published in Time, Life, USA Today and the South China Morning Post.
HE SAID, SHE SAID
Exim Screen Protector Ultra Protect for Zire 71
By Claire Pieterek
Well, my trusty Brando Workshop screen protector was so scratched it was time to give it up. I had just bought a pack of Belkin Clear Screen Protectors from the local office box store. Boy, what a mistake! They rivalled the very first Concept Kitchen (now Fellowes) Write Rights in their odd texture and sludgy Graffiti area feel on my Zire's screen.
Fortunately, the next day was Monday, and there in my mailbox awaited a most welcome surprise: an envelope containing two Exim screen protectors: one for Zire 71 and another for Sony Clie PEG-N710. With much anticipation and great desire, I eagerly ripped the Belkin Clear Screen off of the Zire, and applied the Exim Screen Protector Ultra Protect (Exim SPUP).
What a difference a day made! The Exim SPUP is light and bright, not dingy and dull like the Belkin. The feel is nice and slick, which makes it necessary to have a decent stylus with a rubbery tip, unlike the retro-style plastic stick the palmOne powers-that-be provided with the Zire 71. I'm using a Tornado two-in-one pen/stylus, which works rather nicely, although I may spring for a Pilot Pen Chameleon that will fit in the Zire's stylus silo.
The Exim SPUP is self-adhering, with no chances for annoying bubbles or other artefacts, unlike the Belkin product. Just make sure you start with a clean screen, with no dirt or dust underneath, before you apply your Exim SPUP. Thus far, the Exim SPUP has held up well, with no scratching and great Graffiti recognition. The Exim SPUP ranks right up in my screen protector top ten list, along with Brando Workshop's product. Let's just see how long it can take the abuse I dish out on it, though.
I do remember one poster to the Pilot mailing list that really liked the original Write Rights. Hey, Arno--if you're reading this, post to the Pilot list, and I'll send you those Belkin Clear Screens!
I'd prefer to rate this a 4.5 out of five. The provisional .5 is because it's going to take a while to see how well it will hold up to long-term use. But since Computing Unplugged's rating system is only whole numbers from 0 to 5, I'll give this product a 4 out of 5.
OUR RATING: 4 of 5
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Claire Pieterek is a long-time Palm handheld user. On a mission to ditch her Franklin Planner, she bought her first--a Pilot 5000--in May, 1996. She currently owns a Japanese-language Sony Clie 650C, a Sony Clie 710C, and a Palm Zire 71, among others. She is most at home in Chicago and Kyoto, and is a student of life, the universe, and Japanese.
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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:
March record month for spam
According to security company Sybari, spam jumped 30 per cent during the month of March. The company said each spam outbreak was made up of thousands and often millions of emails sent to inboxes around the world. This article on Vnunet.com has more complete details.
BugMe! Notepad released
BugMe! for Palm OS has been completely redesigned and is being re-launched as BugMe! Notepad. This latest version includes a host of new features such as scrollable notes, bundled clip-art and distinctive alarm sounds. BugMe! Notepad also enables users to share notes by email, MMS or Bluetooth or save them to memory cards for use in documents and email messages.
palmOne Mobile Business Solutions
palmOne Professional Services, in conjunction with select system integrators, independent hardware and software vendors, and value-added resellers, provides businesses with the resources and know-how required to conceive, design, test, implement and deploy customized mobile solutions with palmOne devices. It also offers technical expertise to help businesses complete mobile solutions already in progress. palmOne Professional Services can work on-site with developers, leading or assisting with any stage of a mobile solution's development lifecycle.
Secure Internet for mobile workforce
PlanetRoam provides Internet access for mobile users from small, medium and large enterprises, worldwide with one single point of invoice. This new service was launched by Network Utilities at the Wireless LAN Event in Olympia, London.
UTS Software updates
UTrackSys.com has unveiled new versions of UTS software components. Now, the company's Palm OS programs, UTS Blood Pressure, UTS Diabetes, and UTS Weight, support 320x480 (Portrait and Landscape) screen mode on Palm-brand devices.
Neoware sub-$200 Thin Clients
Neoware Systems has introduced their new lineup of Capio and Eon thin client appliances. With a starting price of $199, they can be managed by industry standard management software, including IBM Tivoli, Microsoft SMS, and Altiris Deployment Solution.
FileMaker 7 AppleScript Reference Guide
..com Solutions, developer of multi-platform database development tools, has released its FileMaker 7 AppleScript Reference guide. This AppleScript scripting language guide provides a side by side quick reference for commonly used FileMaker 6 and FileMaker 7 AppleScript code examples.
Outsourcing is good for US?
The Information Technology Association of America reports that offshoring is actually boosting the US gross domestic product and helping to generate US jobs. The report states that offshore resources lower inflation, increase productivity, and lower interest rates, thereby boosting business and consumer spending and increasing economic activity.
Linux-based PDA for enterprises
Sharp has started shipping a Linux-based handheld supporting enterprise applications and databases. The PDA is powered by an Intel XScale 400Mhz processor, with 64 Mbytes of synchronous dynamic Ram, 64 Mbytes of flash memory and a lithium-polymer battery.
Windows CE has new ties to Exchange
Microsoft has announced new voice over Internet Protocol features for the latest version of its Windows CE embedded operating system. Among the new VoIP capabilities of Windows CE 5.0 is integration with Exchange Server 2003 for contacts and calendaring. It also provides automatic provisioning to Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) servers.
Formulae 1 for PalmOS
Formulae 1 (F1) is a Computer Algebra System designed specially for students and professionals that require mathematical support on the go. F1 gives the user the ability to see intermediate steps of calculations as well as final answers.
Missing Sync for Tapwave
Mark/Space, makers of the Missing Sync software family, announced the availability of Missing Sync for Tapwave, enabling users to connect and synchronize information between a Zodiac console and a Mac computer running Mac OS X v10.2.8 or later via USB or Bluetooth.
Mac OS version of SplashID 3.0
SplashData has launched an upgrade to the Mac OS version of its personal identification organizer, SplashID. SplashID 3.0, which securely maintains personal identification information on a Palm Powered handheld and desktop computer, now offers Mac users a host of new features aimed at simplifying the security of data stored on their PDAs and enabling users to customize the program to suit their particular preferences.
WalMart overcharges 800,000 cards
A computer hardware problem caused more than 800,000 credit and debit card transactions to be double- or triple-billed last week at Wal-Mart stores nationwide, according to officials at First Data Corp., which handled the electronic payments.
SYWARE releases FoneDB 2.0
SYWARE has announced FoneDB 2.0, the newest version of the company's database software for Windows Mobile-powered Smartphones. FoneDB allows users to quickly and easily create personal databases.
New AOSS-enabled router
Buffalo Technology has announced the latest addition to its AirStation series. The AirStation 54Mbps Wireless Cable/DSL Router with AOSS (WBR2-G54) combines 54Mbps of wireless data rates with Buffalo's new connectivity and security technology, AOSS.
MagicScore Maestro 3.7
MagicScore Maestro is a music notation software application with extended editing capabilities and internal spell-checker. It features a variety of input methods, virtual keyboard, external MIDI devices, or an extended set of musical note symbols.
CREDANT supports Windows Mobile 2003 SE
CREDANT Technologies has announced support for Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition software for Smartphones and Pocket PCs on CREDANT Mobile Guardian, its security and management software platform.
Linux guru question
Here's an open question to our Linux gurus out there. I'd like to back up a full Linux file system (containing a / partition, a /boot partition, and a /var partition -- our firewall box). I don't have a second volume on that drive. Is there a way I can back up everything, while the server is running, to a remote destination in such a way that it could later be restored, if necessary? I know that open database files might be problematic, and I'll try to stop those services. If it's possible, what's the best way to do it? Also, any easy way of telling the distro a machine's running? If you've got some ideas, please pop a note off to me at address@hidden. And now, I return you to our regularly scheduled news, and news editor James Booth. -- DG
Linux-powered handheld
Royal Consumer Information Products will ship its delayed Linux-powered handheld sometime this spring. The Linea LX will use a Motorola i.MX1 ARM-based processor running at 200 MHz, the same chip used in the Tapwave Zodiac.
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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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