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Posted by Richard Goodwin on 17:00, 16/10/2007
| Hardware, Reviews, Mobile computing, Linux
A guilty secret: limited though they were, I used to love working with early Palm and Psion PDAs. Neal Stephonson wrote in his novel Cryptonomicon: Eb is doodling on one of those little computers that uses a stylus so that you can write on the screen. In general, hackers don't use them, but Eb [...] wrote the software for this model and so he has a lot of them lying around. ...which stuck in my head as it described my situation at the time. Apart from the bit where Eb is an über-hacker and I was a junior Perl mangler, obviously. Screen-wise the Palm V was just low-res black on a sort of olive green, and getting data on to them usually required a precariously-balanced IR-capable mobile phone and a lot of patience (or the foresight to sync everything before leaving home), but a small, omni-present device that responded to the touch always seemed so much more satisfying than the mouse or the glidepoint. Fast forward a few years, and along comes the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet: a small device with a touchscreen, but updated for the 21 st century with wifi Internet access, a widescreen, full colour display, a proper Web browser and bluetooth connectivity. I'd looked at the proliferation of Windows-based PDAs over the years and they'd never appealed. Where the Palm and Psion devices felt like they'd been designed from the start with mobile computing in mind, WinCE always seemed like a big OS shoehorned into a little device, and wifi an afterthought if available at all. And don't get me started on small keyboards after the disaster that was the Psion Revo. Maybe this Linux-based device could put the fun back in to computing? |
Posted by Phil Mellor on 19:01, 9/1/2007
| Mobile computing, Mac
 Steve Jobs has just completed his keynote speech at the Macworld Expo show in San Francisco, where he had something rather special to show us... Say hello to the iPhone. It's gorgeous. |
Posted by Mark Thompson on 09:00, 5/1/2007
| Mobile computing
 It is amusingly ironic that a gadget designed to keep people ‘connected’ is in fact having the opposite effect. For many, the compulsive checking of emails and internet browsing that BlackBerry devices afford are ‘disconnecting’ users from family and friends. Distracted home life, vacations where the spouse plays second fiddle: BlackBerries are very possibly the newest type of social vice. And it is, experts warn, a serious medical condition. So much so that treatment used to wean heavy users from their neurotic habit (who often cannot go more than a few minutes without checking their email) is similar to that of alcohol or drug addiction. |
Posted by Jeffrey Lee on 19:01, 27/11/2006
| Linux, Mobile computing, Open source, Networks, Reviews
 The Zaurus range from Sharp are fairly unique in the world of PDAs. Not only do they have keyboards - a rare feature for a PDA since Psion left the market - but they also run Linux. Combine this with the high-res screens, fast processors, and copious amounts of memory sported by the latest models and you have a go-anywhere, do-anything personal computer that fits in your pocket. This review will concern itself with the SL-C1000 model - a clamshell design PDA (Or as Sharp call it PMT - Personal Mobile Tool) with 64MB internal flash memory for storage and 64MB RAM (Half of both of these are taken up by the OS however). With practically the same dimensions as a DS Lite, the Zaurus features a full colour 640x480 touchscreen, full QWERTY keyboard, CF and SD slots, IRDA, builtin rechargrable battery, and a combined USB host/client port. This means you can either connect it to a PC as a client, or connect it to standard USB devices such as keyboards or mice as a host. The wealth of USB drivers available for Linux allow you to connect it to pretty much anything. Out of the SL-C series, the SL-C1000 is the lower-end model. The current high-end model, the SL-C3200, is essentially identical in design except it sports more memory and a 6GB internal hard disc. |
Posted by Richard Goodwin on 07:49, 6/7/2006
| RISC OS, Hardware, Mobile computing, Internet, Acorn, Google, Castle Technology
 Cut to the chase: according to a recent press release, 30% of Castle  is about to become available: Pattotek Ltd owns a 30% share in the voting capital of Castle Technology Ltd ("Castle"), owner of the RISC OS Operating System and developer of RISC OS based desktop computers. Pattotek Ltd today announced that, due to diverging business interests, it is examining its options regarding Castle and would like to hear from potential investors in the RISC OS community who could be interested in gaining control of this stake in Castle.
Pattotek's CEO, Pete Wild said, "after almost 20 years personal involvement in RISC OS, it is regrettably no longer core business and we must consider what is best for the future of the OS". He added, "However, Castle still has a dynamic management team, and exciting new plans for the future of RISC OS; here is an opportunity for the user community to have more of a say in those plans. Given the past history between Castle and RISCOS Ltd, this could represent a chance for the re-unification of efforts to move RISC OS forward."
Interested parties should email castleinvest@pattotek.com Coming off the back of Intel getting shot of the XScale (StrongARM), now might be the time for RISC OS fans to look down the back of the sofa for that loose change... Source: Google Groups |
Posted by Phil Mellor on 17:19, 13/5/2006
| RISC OS, Shows, Mobile computing, Acorn, Hardware
Here is our full report from the Wakefield 2006 RISC OS show. Highlights include the release of the A9 home and demonstrations of the A9 with bluetooth and mobile telephony support. If you have any news or photos to share, please email us. Wakefield 2006 photos and show report [Update] Binary Dinosaurs has a short review of the show up on their website, too.
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Posted by Richard Goodwin on 11:23, 3/4/2006
| RISC OS, Mobile computing, Emulation, Acorn, Hardware
 Following up on our world exclusive on RISC OS being used on TV, here's some more shots. Paul Middleton sent in eight shots from a show filmed in 2001, starring Daniela "This Life" Nardini. Hopefully we'll be getting our hands on some more shots soon, which we'll add to the collection. If you have any, let us know.  Check out 7th Software's MoreDesk, a bad-ass virtual desktop app with different backdrops for each "desktop" and previews of window positions etc. Or don't, see if I care. It's £14.99 for the full version, but there's a two-desktop, 10 minute demo available gratis.
risc-os.de is a new German website from the Arcsite's Carlos Michael Santillán. As part of this RISC OS advocacy site, Carlos would like as many different RISC OS version screenshots as possible. I know a good starting place... So CJE Micros is celebrating 25 years in business? Alas my laptop started making some very nasty crunching noises over the weekend, so you'll have to wait until they update their website to see what special offers they're going to celebrate with.
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Posted by Richard Goodwin on 11:51, 26/2/2006
| RISC OS, Sound and music, RISCOS Ltd, Open source, Retro, Mobile computing, Internet, Emulation, Acorn, Hardware, Site, Writing, IYONIX, Castle Technology, The Vigay
In this roundup: !AVerMedia; CJE stock; APDL world domination; RISCOS Ltd's latest offer; BeebIt 0.59; other new releases.  For those of you with USB capabilities on your RISC OS machines, and a need for software to control USB radios, Dave Higton brings you !AVerMedia hot on the heels of !DRU-R100. !AVerMedia is free, the code is GPL, you can use it with other apps (e.g. !Alarm) and it works on both the Castle and Simtec USB stacks. So how about throwing Dave a couple of quid so he can actually buy his own unit instead of borrowing one, for when you lot start wanting support? As for where you'd actually buy an AVerMedia USB radio, I dunno, surely even CJE Micros don't... oh, they do? In stock too? Should have known.
Link: !AVerMedia
Speaking as we were of CJE Micros and their legendary stock levels, they have a few other new tricks up their sleeves. First up is the Sharp 172GW 17" LCD monitor, which has those handy dual inputs y'all apparently seem to like: one's a DVI, but with a handy converter you can plug in two regular VGA connectors and switch between them. 225 GBP (inc VAT, ex-delivery) for the monitor, 14 GBP (inc VAT) for the converter, say about a tenner for delivery.
Next up are two Iyonix-compatible external USB hard drives, in 40GB and 80GB flavours - 125 and 140 earth pounds respectively, fully inclusive. They've also reduced prices on Virtal RiscPC-equipped Windows laptops. There's a lot of other new stuff - USB seems to be in this month - but the shocking news is a "What's Not In Stock" page! It mostly seems to be old hardware (video stuff like Viewfinder 8, 32 or 128MB, Irlam VideoDesk, 24i16 or i16 and Eagle M2 podules), computers (working BBC Masters, A4s in any condition) and other bits (A540 PSU, Risc PC Econet, and unused 80 track floppy media), so if you're sitting on any of this stuff (VIGAY!) now might be the time to make a little cash...
Link: CJE Micros
David Bradforth has announced that the Alligata line of books are going digital via self-publish website lulu.com. Basic V: A Dabhand Guide by Mike Williams can currently be downloaded for $6 (what, only three and a half quid?) or bought printed for $12.45. Those prices are set to change RSN though. APDL are also looking for testers for 32-bit neutral WimpBasic and an Excel loader/exporter for Schema2! Email info(at)apdl.co.uk, but make sure you have the latest versions, returned your registration card etc.
Link: APDL RISCOS Ltd. celebrates the "7th Anniversary of signing Agreement with Element 14" by offering RISC OS 4.39 "Adjust" ROMs for 69 quid (63 + p&p); you've only got from Wednesday 1st March to Friday 17th March for this one though.
Link: RISCOS Ltd. Michael Foot, one of my favourite Kiwis (after Peter Jackson and my Uncle Bob of course), has released v0.59 of 8-bit Acorn emulator BeebIt. A lot of work appears to have been done to the memory handling, which has the not inconsequencial effect of allowing Level 9 adventures to run in BBC Master and B+ modes.
Link: BeebIt Other releases | |
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