Messages

1

New products and alternatives / New Zaurus Successor?

« on: November 10, 2006, 11:41:26 am »

Well, I emailed Dynamism about these things a couple days ago, they replied that they would look into it.  Now they're available for pre-order.

 Way to go Dynamism!

 I emailed Japan-Direct.com the same day, let's see if they can beat D's $999 price tag.

2

Archos forum / Divx Vs Wmv

« on: October 14, 2006, 11:42:37 pm »

Well, I'm a little late, but I'll kick in...

 In my experience the size is about the same.  WMV might have a slight edge in file size for comparable quality, but I'd say it probably isn't more than 5% to 10%. Without doing a lot of tweaking during the encoding process I find quality is about the same as well though I will reluctantly admit WMV is surprisingly good...sometimes it seems a little better than plain old avi.

  That said, I still use AVI (Divx/Xvid) for most of my DVD ripping purposes.  The only place that I would hands down recommend WMV is if you want to play these files on a Pocket PC of some type.


 Yes...I've gone over to the Dark Side.

 I have both an Ipaq 2215 and an Axim x50v.  While I can of course play Divx on them, it was a bit of a mangle to get it to work, but of course WMV worked right out of the box, and worked beautifully (in WMP).
 But that recommendation would purely be for ease of use.  When you are watching movies on a <4" screen at 320x240 or 640/480 the quality disparity is pretty moot (paticularly if render the movies down to around 250MB...using either codec).


  But if quality is the big thing, I'd just say make sure whichever format you use, rip it directly from the source.  I too have tried converting rips from one format to another (divx -> WMV...WMV -> divx...divx -> Mpeg1...etc...) , and while I've had surprisingly good results there is ALWAYS a loss of quality...even if you set the target bitrates, framerates and whatall as high or higher than the original.

 But if you want to fool around with it, here's a couple of the apps I use.

  - Aoa DVD Ripper : Good feature set, and easy to use.  Though it's been choking on the latest releases of the DIVX codec (maybe my setup is wonky, I'll know better after I build another PC from the ground up...).  But Xvid works fine.  Customer service is pretty good as well...

     http://www.aoamedia.com/dvd_ripper.htm


  -  Ashampoo Movie Shrink & Burn 2 : Very simple and effective for 1/1 conversions (ie Divx -> WMV).  EXCELLENT for shrinking file sizes and lowering bitrates for play on portable devices (shrink by % or final target size).  It would be nice if it ripped directly from the DVDs as well, but what it does it does well.  Interesting company...you can make them an offer on their software and if they accept, that is the price you pay.  This product lists for $50...I paid $16.  Well worth it. Though it hasn't been updated since 2004, curious...

     http://www.ashampoo-root03.com/webcache/ht...uct_2_0137_.htm

 Enjoy!

3

General Discussion / New Zaurus

« on: October 09, 2006, 11:12:26 am »

It may have very little in common with the current C-xxxx series Zaurii indeed.  Don't forget the 'Zaurus' product line has been through quite a bit of evolution (both in mechanics and in purpose).  At it's roots it was an electronic dictionary.  They may simply be attaching the Zaurus name to this product to express that.


 Kinda like the modern Dodge Charger.  Mechanically speaking it has almost nohing in common with it's predecessor.  But the Name conjurs the image they are trying to evoke...

4

General Discussion / Psp Power Brick!

« on: April 05, 2006, 10:15:55 am »

Heads up peeps.  FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!!!

 Just a bit of a warning to those using the PSP power brick from Pelican.  Seems they're being recalled as a fire hazard...

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/recalls04/2...ican_power.html


 Would want any homes or loved ones or heaven forbid, and Zauraii getting imolated...

 Take care all!

5

5x00 Hardware / Sony PEGA-WL-100 WLAN card in 5500?

« on: February 16, 2006, 02:47:05 am »

I should have gotten an NX, huh ?  Well in that case I think I'll just casually look over at the box it came in and MAGICALLY my NV turns into an NX (yeah...I incorrectly reported my device as an NV...at actually IS and NX70V).

 Thanks for the info!  This makes it worthwhile to pay the premium for the W100 (otherwise it's simply classic sony style extortion).  You wouldn't happen to have the correct Palm driver for a Targus CF modem up your OTHER sleeve by any chance, wouldja ?  

 Thanks again!

6

5x00 Hardware / Sony PEGA-WL-100 WLAN card in 5500?

« on: February 15, 2006, 09:43:54 am »

I just recently bought an NV70 Clie.  I originally got it for Kanji lookup, but I ended up also purchasing a Mobilepro 790 for vocab lookup and it has dominated my studies (as if I needed excuses to buy his stuff...).  But all the hype surounding the Nokia 770 (and my inability thus far to acquite a Yopy 3700) have renued my interest in my Clie (which has been collecting dust for a few months).  I'd like to get it outfitted for wireless but I'm curious if the WL100 wifi card that is designed for it will also work in my Cacko 1.23 Romed Zaurus C-1000.  Why would I wonder this ?

 Well, I tried using my D-Link 660W CF card in the Clie and it didn't work.  No big surprise there.  Problem is, since I tried that the 66ow hasn't worked in ANYTHING.  I had it installed on my Mobilepro and my Zaurus, and now neither one is able to recognize it correctly.

 Basically, I think my clie somehow killed it...

 In any case as I now need a new wifi card that will work in my Zaurus as well, I was just curious if anyone had any experience with this Sony card on the C-1000 (particularly with Cacko 1.23)...

 Thanks!

7

C1000/3x00 General discussions / Casual Association...

« on: February 15, 2006, 06:41:17 am »

Has anyone yet devised a way to easily associate a Zaurus C-xx00 with a newly discovered  AP ?  

 As I troll around Japan (and this will likely continue when I return to the US) there are indeed many unsecured access points (particularly in the bigger cities).  But its kind of a pain to have to scan via Wellenreiter, jot down the pertinent info (either on the Z or a napkin or something) and then have to create a whole new wifi setup.  NOTE!  I am very glad I CAN do that though.  And all those who made that possible (Maslovsky (as I am a very content Cacko rom user), and those who create Wellenreiter) have my deepest thanks.  But it would be nice to have it automated.
   I know the best answer to this dilemma is to code such an app/utility myself, but my coding skills in Linux are very limited (as of today anyway, I'm workin' on it...) so I just thought  I'd check and see if anyone had already mashed such up.  I know I'm not the only one who would like a 'site survey' feature...

 Second, and somewhat related question, someone created an ipk called somthing alogn the lines of 'slapa$$' a while ago for the 5500.  As I recall it enabled one to associate fairly automatically with open APs that were detected by Kismet (ar was it Wellenreiter ?).  Anyway, any chance this works on the C1000 ?

 Thanks all, and I apologize if this topic is addressed in another thread.  I did look beforehand, but couldn't find a similar enough topic.

 Thanks again !

8

General Discussion / New Handheld From Dualcor

« on: January 05, 2006, 02:54:50 am »

Looks like an evolutionary step up from the OQO...spec wise anyway.  Having two processors and running as both a straight PDA and a straight tablet machine is an interesting concept (and particularly useful for the indecisive).  Does this mean it syncs with...itself ? It's OTHER self ?

 At $1500 it's beating the OQO in price, but the lack of a keyboard rankles me as much as anyone.  But if this thing ever actually comes to market ('Flipstart', 'Magpie'...I'm looking in your direction(s)...) I'll bet someone can come up with a Nexio style add-on keyboard (handily doubling as a screen cover) and sell it for  <$400.

 A compelling device, no doubt.  I shall have to keep an eye on it.  It will be interesting to see what the next incarnation of the OQO looks like in comparison...

9

C1000/3x00 General discussions / Anywhere I Can Download Stick Drivers ?

« on: December 04, 2005, 08:10:07 am »

Have you tried the conics site?

http://conics.net/shp/pda/zaurus-sl-c700/s...00-english.html
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 Thanks for the tip!  

 I actually had been there already.  The C-1000 link leads to a purely informational page, but at your prompting I checked the C3000 link.  It seems to have the images for the CDs (I'm downloading now).  Hopefully it will work ok.

 Many thanks!

10

C1000/3x00 General discussions / Anywhere I Can Download Stick Drivers ?

« on: December 04, 2005, 02:19:40 am »

In the all the rush and mishigas of packing for my move to Japan, I went and forgot to throw in the original factory CDs that came with my C-1000.

 Surprise surprise, I'm busy as he!! over here and I need to impress my multimedia and web browsing device (yes my C-1000) into service as a PDA becase I can't keep track of all the stuff I gotta do.

 I downloaded Qtopia desktop in the hopes of being able to synch between my laptop and my Z, but I never loaded the USB drivers...which are aparently on the CD.

 I've scoured the web a bit, but either through chance or stupidity, I haven't been able to find anywhere that I can download the contents of the CD from.

 Can anyone point me in the right direction ?

 Any help is greatly appreciated.

 Thanks!

11

General Discussion / Tkcphone With Gizmoproject...doable ?

« on: October 29, 2005, 11:45:15 pm »

Well, I was up till about 2am this morning trying to get the demo of tkcPhone to work on my C-1000.  I'm not exactly sure what results I had (it was late, I was getting frustrated, and I had an ample supply of beer...).  Basically I got it to say that a STUN2 request was sent (using settings for SJPHONE for PocketPCs I found in GizmoProjects knowledgebase) but I'm not exactly sure that means the client actually connected to my GizmoProject account.  I have CallOut credit, but it gave me an error and said it was not configured for 'Land' calling when I tried to dial a PSTN number.  And since it WAS late, and I don't have many friends, I didn't know anyone I could test a PC to PC type call with.  But I did discover a few test numbers online that will supposedly echo back everything you say or just say YOU number back to you.  They didn't seem to work.

 Since this is only the demo, I'm hesitant to write off the full version (since it only costs $20), but I don't really want to purchase it just to continue testing (well I'm not quite that desperate anyway).  Also, the demo I am running was written for the SL-5500, though it seems to be functioning on my C-1000.

 I don't know what's going on...  

 I know many others have been experimenting with such as VOIP, and I know people have gotten Net2Phone and iConnect to work, but I'd rather stick with companies that offer prepaid plans instead of monthly contracts.

 So if anyone can offer any advice or experiences with tkcPhone and/or GizmoProject on the zaurus line, I'd love to hear about it.

 Thanks!

 UPDATE:  Though I definitely have not done what can be considered a success call to PSTN, I was fiddling around with this a bit more and I have since logged into my GizmoPRoject account and noticed that whole bunch of the tests I ran from the Zaurus actually were logged in my Gizmo account.  So it looks like it may be possible after all...seems that TKC phone was able to authenticate anyway even if a real connection was never established...

  I'm gonna continue experimentsing, and I also got a Net2Phone account, but I'm gonna fiddle with it a bit more before I buy PSTN time for it...

12

C1000/3x00 General discussions / Cacko Rom 1.23 For C1000 Progress

« on: October 29, 2005, 10:40:37 pm »

Ha!  I still think there will be a hotfix farther down the road. 
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 Almost certainly, but there will probably be less than there would be if the project was rushed.  I mean nothings PERFECT (your meaning is taken though).  But we can likely expect the same attention to detail in the hotfixes as has been put into the rom itself.

 Yet again I can us MS as an example.  It drove our IT department absolutely NUTS for a few months when that old NT 4.0 vulnerability Hotfix was causing random BSODs.  I'd rather not know that that sort of thing is going on in my pants pocket as well (on a stowed Zaurus I mean...  )

13

C1000/3x00 General discussions / Cacko Rom 1.23 For C1000 Progress

« on: October 29, 2005, 06:12:54 am »

Patience young Padawans...  


 Every day that goes by and Cacko is not released the overwhelming likelyhood is that Maslovsky is hard at work making it better     So when it does come out it will be all it's cracked (cacked ?) up to be, and will have as many bugs as possible already worked out.  I don't think the Mas-man is eager for his Cacko project to have the credibility of a certain microsoft product line that is famous for being delayed and still ending up released full of bugs...


 All things come to those who wait... (at least that's what I keep telling myself   )

14

C1000/3x00 General discussions / Mail Client

« on: October 28, 2005, 11:40:07 am »

I don't think it's possible unless you have POP3 or possibly IMAP access to your Hotmail account. And that of course costs money   ...

 At least that's as far as my endeavors went on that front, as I to invested in a hotmail account at the dawn of the interwebs.  IT's not that I paid the account, but everyone knows that as my email address, so it owuld be rather inconvenient to change.

 I got a free account through Bluebottle (just google it).  It provides (I think) a choice of POP3 and/or IMAP access.  It was pretty easy to set up on the Zaurus.

 Since I only really use the Z as a web/email terminal if I'm traveling (My C-1000 is just powerful enough to replace my laptop when traveling light is most desirable) I make do.  You can of course check your hotmail through the netfont webrowser.  The main reason I wanted to use the e-mail client is it's far more convenient for typing an email ahead of time and then imediately sending it once you connect (when I travel I often use dial-up which costs per minute of course).  You could of course type your emails, save it as a text file, and then copy and paste into email via hotmails web inteface...but that's kind cumbersome.

 I've just asked people that if they receive a message from my Bluebottle account that they make sure they cc the Bluebottle account even if they reply to my hotmail account.

 But, who knows...someone might have come up with a work around since last I checked...

 Ganbate!

15

C1000/3x00 General discussions / Voice Record On C1000?

« on: October 25, 2005, 01:37:21 pm »

Not to thread-jack, but does anyone know where I might be able to pick up a headset and microphone for the Z ?  I'm gonna give Kphone a try and it's actually kind of tough to find a 3.5mm plug with 1/2 headphone(s) and a microphone (or did my C-1000 actually come WITH one).

 Course, I could by a dime-o-dozen PC headphone microphone combo and a miniplug stereo splitter (the kand that splits the channels) and just sort of kludge one together, but I thought I try going legit first.

 Thanks!