Handy Shopper

I live on my palm Treo. I realized that the one non Palm application that I use the most is -- Handy Shopper. A freeware shopping list manager. It is a little quirky. But it does the job. It is the perfect app for a PDA. Go try it out.

Google Map on Treo !!

Finally, we don't have to suffer the not very useful mapquest smartphone interface. Go to Google here right on the treo to download and install the software. You can see satellite view (glad we have EVDO speed) and traffic condition. Very cool app for the Treo.

Treo as a PDA

I owned a long list of PDA's and ultra portable devices before they were mainstream. It never worked for me. No matter how small these devices are, I just couldn't carry one around with me all the time. The only thing that carry with me at all times is -- yes, my cellphone. I don't even carry my wallet with me at all times. But cell phone? Yes. It tell times (see the much quoted NYT article), it keeps me connected (by voice), I have to carry it. Now that I have my Treo 700p for a month, I can honestly say that, because it is a cellphone, I carry it with me everywhere. As a result, I have my PDA with me at all times! Contact list, emails, calendar, isn't it great? I put my driver license, a credit card and an ATM card into my Treo carrying case, and I have everything that I need with me at all times.

Hotsync is going to kill PalmOS

I love my Treo 700p. It's the first time I have my PDA with me all the time, because it's also my phone, and my link to the internet. I also like PalmOS. I often think of it as the Mac of Smartphone. However, I hate the HotSync process. It is a way to backup your data, yes. But if I want to drag a little article onto my TREO for reading later, must I go thru four steps and 3 minutes to sync my phone? No!! Where is the "quick sync" mode? Why do I have to buy third party apps to access my SD card on the treo so that I can drag and drop? Arrgghh. On a related note, Palm OS UI is great. It's good, but it's dated. Their new Access Linux Platform does not sound so good. What company in the world design great, usable, simple UI for small devices? Apple, did I hear? Where is the TREO killer? Surely Steve is thinking about this, a lot more seriously if you believe this news...

Palm OS Program Installation

Many Palm OS programs "ships" in a zip file. You unzip the zip archive, and click on the PRC file to send it to the Palm via HotSync. Simple, right? I wish more authors / publishers will make sure that their zip archive are setup so that it unzips into its own directory. The Mundu Instant Messenger application does that. It unzips by default to a "MunduInteroperableMessengerV3.0.6" directory. Makes organizing all the application install files easier on the PC.

The Web of Treos

Since I got my Treo 700p, I started lots of research on the web for reviews, tips and tricks, and products. After a while I notice some thing strange. A lot of the online retailers are related or backed by the same company. I dug deeper. What I found is pretty "interesting".

Starting with TreoCentral. It is owned by Palm. From their website's disclaimer at the page bottom:

TREO and TreoCentral are trademarks or registered trademarks of
palm, Inc. in the United States and other countries;
the TreoCentral mark and domain name are used under license
from palm, Inc. The views expressed on this website are solely
those of the proprietor, or contributors to the site, and do not
necessarily reflect the views of palm, Inc.

Look under their "about" page, it confirmed what I thought -- the Smartphone Experts brand of products are behind the store front as well:

Today, the infrastructure created for the TreoCentral stores
powers a wide variety of Smartphone stores under the
umbrella organization Smartphone Experts.

Checking on the Smartphone Experts website confirms that they powered the store part of most of the treo sites out there:

• TreoCentral Store
• Treonauts Store
• Everything Treo Store
• Treo Addicts Store
• and BlueShop for bluetooth stuff.

So when these Treo sites review products, are they truly independent of the Smartphone Expert brand? You thought it matters which site to buy stuff from, but it really doesn't since they are all the same store? What do you think?

Treo 700p User Review

I made the switch. I am ebaying my Nokia 9300 smartphone and switched over to a Treo 700p on Verizon Wireless.You can read my full review here.

Why switch? Two reasons:

1. I can never get good reception in my loft with T-Mobile
2. While Edge is pretty good for data, EVDO rocks.