Sony Clié PEG-UX50

Back in 2003 I was a PalmOS-toting fanboy. I had a Palm Tungsten T3, but what I wanted really was the Sony Clie PEG-UX50 Personal Entertainment Communicator. Sony was in the process of exiting the PDA market, no doubt to concentrate on their Sony Ericsson partnership (which resulted in the Symbian-powered P800 the year earlier), but not before unleashing a couple of really desirable hardware (the TH55 was another one). Sadly the UX50 was too expensive, retailing at around £500, but then it had specs and features that were unheard of back then. In fact the 480x320 high resolution screen found on the UX50 was so advance that even Apple was still using that screen resolution on their iPhone models until 2010.

Palm m515

I was clearing up some boxes and found this old Palm m515 PDA. Remember those? I myself prefer the Sony Clie devices (I had various, the T615C and NR70 being my favourite) but this was one sexy looking device and is easily the last solidly built Palm device (the Tungsten T3 was a great device, but had plenty of issues with the slider). They don't build them like they used to... Next to this, the Pre feels like a cheap toy!

If I can just find the charger cradle, I may actually use it as a desk clock.

Palm webOS and Pre smartphone

My first proper tablet PDA was a Palm m500. I've since owned various Palm OS devices since including the Sony Clie N760, T615 (sexier than an iPhone - look it up), NR70V and the famous Palm Tungsten T3. What I've never owned however was their Treo smartphone line. Instead I've always preferred Series 60 or Windows Mobile for my smartphone need. This may soon change...

Many has writen off Palm, Inc. as a dead horse (including me), but today has proven us wrong (well almost). Palm still has a lot to do if they ever want to claw their previous marketshare (highly unlikely IMO), and the new webOS and Palm Pre smartphone seems to be the right start. The OS look the part, and more importantly they seem to be designed with functionality first. The Pre on the other hand reminds me of the HTC Blue Angel (which I owned briefly) and seems to be very usable, albeit a bit on the ugly side. Hopefully the GSM version will be prettier.

PalmOS for Linux

PalmSource has purchased a China based mobile phone company called China MobileSoft which specialises in embedded LinuxOS mobiles. The point is to create the popular PalmOS GUI and API on top of the LinuxOS. PalmSource has stated that the new version will sit along side PalmOS 5 Garnet and PalmOS 6 Cobalt and not to replace them.

My take on this is PalmSource might be intending to create a cheaper OS that it can sell. Also, China MobileSoft has a vast network of inside knowledge in China's mobile market. I think PalmSource is doing the right thing here. What they are buying from CMS is not only the Linux optimization knowledge but also an entry into China's expanding mobile phone market (5 million a month sold). Another great thing I can think of is applications that work on mobile Linux and the thousands of existing PalmOS applications can work on this PalmOS version if they are properly coded.

You can read PalmSource's press release on the acquisition here. If you care, there is an open letter to the PalmOS community as well as an open letter to the Linux community. A FAQ is available here.

A note here, Palm, Inc. originally wanted to take PalmOS forward into Linux a few years back before the company split. However they finally settled on BeOS.

BargainPDA : First Thoughts on Tungsten T5

BargainPDA has some original pictures of their palmOne Tungsten T5 review unit. Looks nice. I love the idea of returning to the Palm m5xx form factor but I sure wish palmOne had thought of another design rather than reusing a design that was first released on a budget model (Tungsten E).

I also wish they kept the slider but hei, if people (based on palmOne's market research) do not want a slider then fine by me.

While the 416Mhz Intel X-Scale PXA27x processor sounds slow when compared to some of the beast founs on Pocket PCs I think it does not matter. This Palm runs on PalmOS 5.4 which is pretty fast. Even my Hewlett-Packard iPAQ h4150 with its 400Mhz processor feels slow when compared to my similarly spec'ed T3 so while Pocket PC needs all the clock speed it can get, I doubt any (current) Palms would need one over 500Mhz.

And finally the death of Palm's Universal Connector! Hurrah! While I wish palmOne remove the serial connector all together it seems many people still wish for one. So a new serial connector. Personally I don't care as I try not to invest in serial connector accessories for my PDAs and mobile phones.

One thing I will miss (if I get this) is the spring loaded stylus that first came with the Palm Tungsten T. It was a classic and in my opinion the best stylus ever created. However the stylus here is the same size as those on the m5xx and V series and I have a Cross Micro stylus that can fit in this!!!

There are roughly 215Mb of space accessable to users. 55Mb of which acts as normal RAM. palmOne has stated that the RAM would not lose its content when power is cut even for months. Could the T5 be running magnetic RAM? Who knows? PDA manufacturers are always reluctant to publish detailed specifications on their products.

Personally I think palmOne has a winner here. It will debut at the same price as the T3 a year ago and will have some improvements - namely the bigger battery, newer OS, faster processor and bigger RAM/ROM space. The bigger space might temp someone who wanted a mp3 player (out of the box) and a PDA.

To me WiFi is useless and pointless in this day and age where people are always connected through their mobile phone. Not to mention WiFi has yet to mature enough to handle seamless re-connection. I hate it when walking around London and have to connect to a different Access Point every other minute. And what free WiFi? There are almost no free WiFi access in London.

But if you really need WiFi, you can always buy an add-on SDIO WiFi card that palmOne is also selling.

PalmOS 6.1 news

If you look at the right panel on my blogspot you will notice that Palm Infocenter has a flurry of new PalmOS news the most important I believe is the announcement of PalmOS 6.1 (Cobalt) for smartphones. The GUI improvements are very evident.



PalmOS now natively supports VGA screens as well as well as landscape mode. PalmOS now supports multiple resolutions including the classic 320x320, 320x480, 240x320 and 480x640.

I can't wait. I hope the VGA implementation of PalmOS works well and hopefully not as crippled as the new PocketPC 2003 SE.

Source: Palm Infocenter

PDAMill's 50% PalmOS games

PDAMill is running a 50% off promotion on all of their Palm OS products this week, that is the Palm OS versions of Snails, GameBox Asia, Classics, Gems and Solitaire. To use this special promotion you have to go to www.pdamill.com, add the item(s) to your shopping cart and enter 'PDAMILL' as the promotion code, then hit 'Recalculate'.


The promotion is only for this week and is limited to the first 200 buyers.

PalmOne Treo 650

Well it had to happen and it finally did, pictures of the new PalmOne PDA smartphone has been leaked. The PDA coded name Ace is set for release this coming Autumn. It would sadly run on OS5 and not OS6 (Cobalt).

The specs are reasonable. Early indications is that it would feature an Intel XScale 312Mhz processor, built-in Bluetooth, 1.3Mp digital camera, 32Mb RAM, 320x320 resolution transreflective LCD screen


I doubt my preferred carrier - o2 UK - would carry this. The old Treo was an Orange exclusive so even if o2 managed to get their hands on the new Treo - it would probably be months after Orange starts to market this. I am not complaining though - while this looks nice, I am happy with my PalmOne Tungsten T3 and Hewlett-Packard iPAQ h4150. My 12 months initial contract with o2 has complete and I would soon order a Sony Ericsson K700i.

Hopefully by Summer 2005, a bunch of cheap VGA PDAs running either PalmOS or Pocket PC would have flooded the market.

Source: Palm Info Center

PDA Buyer's Guide reviews PalmOne GPS

This is a nice review for western Europeans and North Americans users who wish to purchase the PalmOne GPS Navigator for PalmOne Tungsten T3. The unit is a hardware in the form of wireless bluetooth.

The application is suppled by TomTom. TomTom is a great company and I really like their mapping interface. I have long been a user of their TomTom CityMaps Europe edition although But being mostly in Brighton and London it is not a big problem. CityMaps is also quite cheap. I got both CityMaps and RoutePlanner for 40 quid and both are European editions. Nice - it enables me to travel to most parts of Western Europe including France and Germany.

CityMaps is a little old now (2001) so unless you are on a really tight budget, you should try to get Navigator since it uses the latest 2003 TeleAtlas map data. Unfortunately the editoon of Navigator that you purchase will only work on either PalmOS or PocketPC. If you bought one for PalmOS - you would have to purchase another edition for PocketPC if you switched. At 100 quid for the European edition that would be very expensive! Luckily for me CityMaps and RoutePlanner contains the applications for PalmOS 4, PocketPC 2002/2003, Psion Series 3/5 and Nokia 9xxx.


Screenshot from PocketGPS

The only grip is the lack of proper maps for Malaysia. Every year I return to Malaysia to find that the roads have changed and it is so difficult to travel around Klang Valley. My father recently bought a new car and it comes with GPS hardware. Unfortunately the car manufacturer did not have any map data for Malaysia. Instead they gave him a CD with maps for Europe (including the Vatican - I did not know there are roads inside the Holy City)! As though he is going to drive across Asia to Europe. Crazy!

Other nice reviews of GPS units for T3s:

PocketGPS reviews the TomTom Navigator for T3
PocketGPS reviews the Kirrio Palm GPS
PocketGPS reviews the Navman SmartST Pro V2

Snails review

Snails was originally a PocketPC game developed by Futech Kft (PDAMill). It was released back in early 2002. I remembered playing this game 1 ½ years ago on my Toshiba e310. When I moved back to PalmOS, this was the game which I missed most. I wanted to ditch my Tungsten T3 just to be able to play this game.

However PDAMill took notice of the PalmOS gaming community who are generally swamped with low quality games. They released Snails for PalmOS a few months ago after a long beta testing period. They have also released the game on Windows for Smartphone and SymbianOS Series 60 platform. The game would also be released on PC.

For those who grew up with the Worms series, this game would be very familiar as it is a turn-based action game. The rules and game style are also similar to Worms. There are missions to be followed through three different Snail races – the Moogums, Lupeez and Nooginz, with each level completion bringing a new weapon to your arsenal.

Every game of Snails involves two groups Snails army battling against each other with a bunch of weapons. The results are brutal and funny. However this is not just another mindless game.



The game itself is pretty straight forward to play. You won’t be needing any guidance or manuals, but just in case – there is one in the main menu. There is a great selections of weapons that can be used. Some are locked until you advance through the game and most have limited quantities. The most powerful weapon that can be used is the ‘Nuke’ which is pretty powerful. But my favourite is Napalm Gel. If you aim properly – you will surely finish of your target.





As you can see from the two screenshots above, physics play a large part in the game and how well you manage to kill of your target. Winds can be a disadvantage but use it properly and you can reach your enemy’s hiding place. In places such as the moon mission – the physics are a little different. Snails can jump higher due to the lack of strong gravity.

Graphics are well done with nice special effects for when the Snails bounce, explode and more importantly visual effects spectacle caused when a rocket slams into your enemy (or yourself). Particle effects such as rocket trail are also included.



Humour features highly around the game from expressions to the one-liners. The music and ambient sound is very well done and takes full advantage of the amazing speaker found on the Tungsten T3.

Sadly, unlike the PocketPC version – Snails for PalmOS does not feature multiplayer gaming – yet. So you can’t pick it up and go head to head with other PalmOS or PocketPC users. PDAMill has stated that the feature would be implemented in the future.

Some older Sony Clie PDAs would have problems playing audio (I am sure most of you know why). But most of the newer ones do work nicely.

You can check out Snails forum for information on how to obtain the tool editor. You would need it if you want to create custom missions, weapons and maps for the game.

The price is a mind-boggling cheap US$9.95 [BUY] and gives you access right to all the Snails game released on other platforms. The game is around 3Mb in size but if you use the editor to add additional weapons et al., you would need to make sure your device can handle it. It should be noted that Snails for PalmOS requires a OS5 device.

8/10

Original article: Palm Info Center

Palm Infocenter - Snails review

I got my first ever review up online as a guest reviewer for PalmInfoCenter. The review concerns the classic PDAMill game - Snails. You can read the review here. Thanks to Ryan for letting me write the review.