Even though the temps (high 90s to triple-digit) indicate that it's summer throughout the U.S. and in Europe (where the British Open is being held in record heat), the world of Treo isn't off chillin' in the nearest swimming hole or wine cellar. Surprisingly, there were quite a few stories this week that were on the "techie" side of things � perhaps in an attempt to appeal to the inner geek in all of us. Then again, it could be completely coincidental. So let's talk Treo!
Palm News
Cincinnati Hospital Selects Palm Devices
This week, Palm announced that the University Hospital Cincinnati, a leading provider of quality healthcare, cutting-edge research and education for more than 182 years, has selected Palm handheld devices (the Palm TX, LifeDrive and Treo) "to increase efficiency and provide patients the highest quality of care." When using these Palm devices, physicians will be able to access patient records, lab results, x-ray reports, vital signs and email. A big selling point was that this can all be done in a form factor that fits comfortably in a lab-coat pocket.
Is Palm Facing Pricing Pressure?
According to a story that appeared in Forbes this week, Bear Stearns has upgraded Palm to "peer perform" from "underperform," saying shares of the handheld device maker have a more balanced risk-reward profile at current prices. Good news, right? Well not from the viewpoint of analyst Andrew Neff. He said in a report that he continues to be concerned regarding intensifying competition and the potential for heavier declines in average selling prices for Palm devices. Though this news may make shareholders toss and turn, competition could be a good thing (okay, great thing) for consumers.
Who's Talkin Treo 700p?
Things are right in the world of Treo (and this column) when I can mention somebody's review of the Treo 700p. This week there were two reviews of note.
Gadgeteer's Hands-On Review of the Treo 700p by Julie Strietelmeier
This review is very thorough and has a lot of pictures. Julie writes:
"So, do I think the Palm Treo 700p is a smartphone worthy of your hard earned cash? My answer is maybe. If you have already had a perfectly good Treo 650, I would say the upgrade doesn't give you enough oomph to justify trading up. This is especially true for me as I'm on the Cingular network and so far there isn't a GSM version of the 700p available. But for those of you that have yet to try a Treo smartphone, I would not hesitate to recommend the 700p. It's an easy to use phone with a great feature set, tons of accessories, even more software and a large established community base."
Network World Discusses the "Toy of Summer"
I love what Kevin Shaw at Network World had to say about the Treo 700p being a Toy of Summer:
"If you really need to be connected to the office while you're on vacation, the Treo 700p offers access to your e-mail, but in a package that also lets you listen to some tunes (via the included music player and SD card support) or browse the Web, since the EV-DO connection allows for high-speed downloads."
Recent TreoCentral Guides, Reviews & More
Using del.icio.us on your Treo - By Dieter Bohn
The author of this piece loves del.icio.us -- a social bookmarking site. If you don't know what that is, no worries. This article should help and give you a new perspective on the world of bookmark sharing.
Digital Dice and Electronic Magic - By Xious Sonenberg
Are you into RPG (that's Roll Playing Games)? What about dice? If you could find a way to roll dice on your Treo, would you be ecstatic? Then this article is for you.
Some details emerge about PalmSource's upcoming OS - By Dieter Bohn
The author discusses what he describes are "some interesting details" about the Access Linux Platform.
Ecamm Networks Nutshell - By Harv Laser
In a nutshell, this article describes a more efficient way to distribute software applications to Treo users.
"Nutshell is an absolutely dazzling piece of work. I never saw a bug or a crash so I'd grade it as pretty much bulletproof. I wish all PalmOS software developers used it to build their installers. Hey, I'm no developer � I couldn't code my way out of a paper sack, but I was building Nutshell installers within half an hour of reading its docs."
Okay you PalmOS application developers, take a hint.
Hidden Treasures: The other calculators, Pt 2 - By Jay Gross
Here's part two of the series that first appeared on July 5.
The author writes:
"The Treo 650 and 700P include powerful math, trigonometry, and financial calculators, and that's just the beginning. Curious that the powerful features aren't documented in Treo manuals, but the information in this and the next part of this continuing saga should get you going."
News & Reviews from Elsewhere in the Treo Community
Everything Treo Reviews Smartphone Experts MC6 Case
Christopher Meinck at Everything Treo had this to say about the Smartphone Experts MC6 Magnesium case:
"The Smartphone Experts MC6 Magnesium is clearly designed for individuals who carry their Palm Treo in the toughest of environments. The build quality is excellent offering a perfect fit for the Palm Treo 650 and I had no doubts about its ability to protect the Treo in the harshest of conditions. Unfortunately, the case suffers from an insufficient belt clip, poor storage security and access to buttons on the Treo hindered my ability to use the Treo while in the case. If you're looking for a solid build and protection, the M6 offers that and more, but expect less than optimal usability when the cover is closed."
You Gotta See the New Yahtzee!
This week, Andrew at Treonauts wrote about Yahtzee for the Treo:
"I last remember enjoying playing Yahtzee a few years ago on my Treo 600 but I had grown somewhat tired of the basic graphics and animation that it provided. The latest version of Yahtzee has thankfully addressed this with much improved graphics and dice animation as well as great sound."
Clever Treo Tricks
According to PC World's James Martin, "With the right software, your Palm smart phone can pull off some surprising things." In this article, he discusses five clever tricks your Treo can do.
Missing Something?
How about a way to sync your Treo 700w with an Intel-based Mac? Mark/Space just announced that they are the first to market with Windows Mobile 5 Sync for Mac OS X. The new 2.5 release runs natively on Intel and PowerPC Macs alike and adds support for smartphones and Pocket PCs that run Microsoft's Windows Mobile 5 operating system, including models from Dell, HP, HTC, i-mate, Palm, Motorola and Samsung.
Endnotes & Ponderables
Text messaging has gone mainstream. The Wall Street Journal just ran a story (registration required) about how more and more television shows are using text messaging to encourage audience participation and motivate viewers to watch shows when they are aired, rather than on tape or video on demand.
This was a big part of "American Idol" and is a regular part of Fox's "Hell's Kitchen."
Interestingly enough, Starbuck's is taking text messaging to a new level - They are doing a promotion this summer that is text and photo messaging intensive.
Called Starbucks Summer Pursuit, this mobile scavenger hunt game was designed to recognize a picture of the answer as well as text.
Each week participants will be text messaged three summer themed clues. The objective is to rack up enough correct answers to become eligible for a chance to play the Ultimate Scavenger Hunt in NYC and compete for a trip to Costa Rica. See the Site for details.
This looks like something right up the alley of Treo users.
That's a wrap!
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