Picking a question to follow on from yesterday - Have you ever considered developing?  If so, then why?  If not, then why not?

I (Peter) have actually been considering doing a "blog" type thing of my experience as I try to learn and start to do some things - might that encourage you at all?  (Que lots of posts pointing out places where these exist already - please do, i'd love to read them!)

"3G iPhone's poor call quality 'due to chip'" is an article at Mobiletoday.  Ironically, I appear to have been slightly out of it on this area, as it's everywhere but i'd not heard about it.

It would appear that some users are having signal issues with their shiny new 3G iPhones that might even be hardware not software (Putting doubts on the effectiveness of potential firmware updates)

I still find it amusing that "3G" has seen its boost in data transfers, where of course it was originally brought on board for Video Calling - Here's a question for you - how many of you have actually ever had a Video Call on your mobile?  I'm far to boring and traditional sadly, "3G" was banded as being the "3rd Generation" for that technology.  The iPhone of course, is technically "2nd Generation", with "3G mobile technology". 

Thanks to Jah.

The Palm Treo Pro has popped up again, this time on thenewsmarket.com. This has since been pulled - so I've no idea what's going on - it sounds like Palm's PR department is trying a new publicity concept.

For anyone who's not heard about it or seen it, welcome back from your holiday in Alpha Centuri, I suggest you just google it :)

Shaun's on a well earned holiday this week, so if you have news information to share that you might usually send to shaun, feel free to send it to me - peter(at)247corp.com

Many thanks to those of you who've emailed me, if i've not mentioned you, it's either because i've run out of time, posted it for another day, or not gone through my overly enthusiastic spam filters :)

Statto made a very good point in the forum the other day concerning the new Treo Pro from Palm. "Palm does Palms, Blackberry does Blackberries and Apple does the iPhone. (all other smartphones look the same to me). At least it's recognisable as a Palm (although whether that's a good thing....... most of the people I meet think my Centro is a Blackberry)."

So, which manufacturer 'designs' the best smartphones in your opinion? I wouldn't personally say Palm, but take a look at this link for some detailed pictures of the Treo Pro- it isn't bad at all...

For those of you who know me, my background is very much technical, but has moved into business over the last few years.

In an attempt to pretend i'm not getting old and I still can do all that teccy stuff, i've been trying to remind myself what object orientation is, and this new J# and other such fancy things are.

I then took a peek at the latest development options for our devices, and with so many different platforms, wonder how any poor developer can make a profit without having a nervous breakdown.  Gone was the day where developing for PDA meant for Palm of course, but I wonder how much more development will happen for any devices, barring possibly iPhone.  Why?  Because the sales options for a specific "build" must be pretty low.

This is before I get into potential costs of development software.  The PPC SDK only works with Visual Studio standard or later (Having investigated Visual Studio 2008).  My local PC World has cheerfully quoted me £300 for a copy of this...

I have to say, I really feel for our poor mobile developers, and if any of you are reading, please feel free to leave your thoughts and experiences...

Unlike certain site-owners we all know, I have to go through a significant and difficult budgeting/begging process to buy a new gadget of any kind.  My wife was in fact deeply suspicious of the original Palm 5000 and fiercely opposed its purchase.

Fast-forward to The Age of The Visor Pro.  I was running late for a meeting in a hotel's conference center.  Running from the parking structure into the main hotel, I took out my Visor Pro and pressed the Calendar button to see what room my meeting was in.  Having secured this information, I started moving the Visor down towards my pocket, when it slipped out of my hand.  Before I could stop or do anything else, the Visor flew unerringly to impact the toe of my size thirteen shoe.  From there it flew into the wall and shattered.

I used a great deal of profanity as I picked up the pieces of my Visor and trotted off to the meeting.

One advantage of this pre-convergence time is that I was able to use my cellphone to inform my wife of my woeful PDA-less state.  It was months before my birthday, and while I had been hoping to get a Visor Prism then, I told her, I need a PDA for work.  She said she'd think about it.

When I got home, my wife and I talked at length about my immediate need for a Visor Prism.  My persistence paid off and she agreed I could go get one.  That's when I went back into the garage, popped the trunk and brought in the shopping bag containing the Prism I'd bought.
 
Man, was she angry! Michael.

How do you justify your PDA upgrades to your significant other? I tend to tell her that it's a review model and when I end up keeping it, I say that I was given it:) Let's hope she never reads this!

teejay69 massaged our ego's so well in the forum the other day that we simply had to post it on the front pages- comments like this make it all worthwhile:)

"I love my PALM device. Beginning with HANDSPRING, thru CLIE, and currently to the TX. Through all of this PALM 247 has gained my loyalty by staying on top of the field. It gives honest views, and scoops up info from all over the place, and brings that info back to the site. How everyone does that and still have real jobs, families, and lives is amazing. To think that this is a side venture for the core team is an amazing feat, yet the quality of the info stays high, and bottom line that is why I come back. Other than my email, and checking on my favorite baseball team (NY METS), I have visited PALM 247 since somewhere in 2001 everyday, sometimes 2, 3, 4 times a day. NO ONE does it like this. Others have come and gone, but you guys have rode it through. The bells and whistles along the side have grown to be helpful, and I have bought many a game and program thru your reccomendations from both sponsors, and you, and I am grateful. Thank you Shaun, and all of you who have made this site happen."

engadget is running a story about the Palm Treo 850 actually being the 'Treo Pro'. It doesn't seem to have anything groundbreaking on board, but at least Palm is trying...

"Would you look at this. A very official looking page -- at a Palm.com domain, no less -- has unveiled the previously rumored Treo 850 as the Treo Pro. We're still digging the new look, though the keyboard does look suspiciously small in these shots. At a cursory glance we've got WiFi, a camera and a 3.5mm stereo jack. A couple more pics after the break."

The iPhone has caused many debates on 247, and whenever we mention it lots of you have an opinion on whether it is indeed the Jesus phone or merely an expensive excercise in marketing from Apple with little substance. Myself and Neil were discussing our thoughts on it over the phone the other night and decided to share our views on each of the main parts of the iPhone. It is amazing how much our views differ on the same pieceof technology, and truly goes to show that it is the person, not the phone that decides if it is a worthy piece of kit.

PHONE
 
Shaun: The call quality is average and the speakerphone is dreadful. It does not feel like a phone at all, but more like holding an older style PDA to my head. Dialling feels unatural and there is little to like in the 'phone' department.
 
Neil: I like the iPhone as a phone- it's convenient, and I've no problems with call quality. Most people around me as their BlackBerry as a phone, so, the iPhone is really no differen in size, and is, in virtually all cases, slimmer. I agree about the speakerphone, but, as I tend to use a headset most of the time, I don't really notice this.

ENTERTAINMENT
 
Shaun: Hard to fault- great music quality and superb video playback. The battery also holds up well when using it for entertainment for extended periods of time.
 
Neil: Agreed- it is a great media device. Native MMS support would have been nice, to make the most of the camera, but, it can be added easily, so not a huge problem. Creating "on the go" playlists is not as easy as on my previous iPod, which is a shame. I'm not a huge user of media, other than listening to music, but, I've got no complaints here.

DATA ENTRY
 
Shaun: I have tried and tried, but still cannot muster the knack of using the on screen keyboard. It feels slow and clunky and is the major drawback of the iPhone for me. Menu options and navigation works well, but pure data entry is hopeless!
 
Neil: Love it. I'm typing this on the iPhone, and the words are just appearing on the screen as if I were using a hardware keyboard- I have a very high words per minute rate. It took me a week or so to get used to it, but, since then, I just fly through emails and messages. This was a revelation to me, as I was not expecting to like it, especially the lack of tactile feedback, but, it's really grown on me. For substantial mobile word processing, I'll still use my EEE, though.

SCREEN AND BATTERY
 
Shaun: Love them both. I use a first generation iPhone so have no battery issue (due to no 3G). It is amazing that Apple has managed to make a touch screen that works well in bright sunlight- few other manufacturers have managed that.
 
Neil: No problems here either- although, on a hard day, I've dropped to below 50% battery life without really trying- a combination of Wi-Fi and several hours on the phone, so, I cannot really complain.

SYNCHRONISATION
 
Shaun: Hopeless. Lots of conflicts and duplicate entries. Never had this issue with ActiveSync, HotSync, Mail for Exchange or Nokia PC Suite.
 
Neil: Atrocious when I wanted to sync between two PCs. The iPhone should have kept everything synchronized, but, that's far from the case. I don't know which, if any, of my data sets are accurate. This is a major issue, and probably my biggest complaint.

SPEED
 
Shaun: The OS is quick and seemless, but that data entry issue still slows me down for anything important or things that need to be done in a hurry.
 
Neil: Perfectly happy with it, although, I do find the 2.0.1 firmware rather buggier than the first version- it seems to hang on occasions, which is disappointing.

THE COMPETITION
 
Shaun: Personally this is not quite the device for me, but I do use it for my work SIM- I need a hardware keyboarded device for my personal SIM and mobile email and thus the E71 trumps the iPhone in too many areas that are important to me.
 
Neil: Not going to be moving away from the iPhone in the foreseeable future- other than perhaps to the 3G version. I use my phone as a phone, with some PIM and music functionality- when I need a mobile computer, I have my EEE.

Dmitry Grinberg has received a letter from Palm asking him to change the name of his website, PalmPowerUps, and also the title of his PalmSDHC product because it "is likely to give customers and potential customers the erroneous impression that your company has a relationship with Palm..."

He rightly mentions that no other websites with 'Palm' in the title have received letters, and in his case it is a real shame because he has spent the last few years releasing add-ons and fixes for Palm devices that Palm failed to do themselves. After years of poor quality products from Palm, it is a shame that this has happened to him because they should be employing him!

"Recently I received a letter from Palm Inc's militarist arm - "Fenwick & West LLP" notifying me that Palm Inc suddenly decided to object to my site's name, that has been in use (with Palm's knowledge) for over 5 years. It would not take much to connect this with the impeding release of my SDHC driver.

Let it be known - I take this well-founded fear from Palm Inc as a great compliment.

As per the letter, this website will no longer be used for Palm handheld-related things. This site has been moved to www.PlmPowerups.com, where you can now purchase all my software. This is because it is my belief that Palm Inc cannot claim ownership of the three letters "Plm".

If you share my feelings and have a desire to express it, feel free to call Palm Inc's corporate headquarters at +1(408) 617-7000, or fax them at +1(408) 617-0100. You may also call their "enforcers" - "Fenwick & West LLP" at +1(650) 335-7663 or fax them at +1(650) 938-5200.

The original letter has been posted here for you all to see. Surprisingly FreewarePalm, PalmInfoCenter, PalmBlvd, PalmGear, PalmOpenSource, PalmAddict, and other sites with Palm-themed names did not get such letters. So why me? If you visited this site before and/or use any of my programs I'll let judge for yourselves..."

Like I said before, I had perfect reception over in the Marbella area of Spain, even on 3g. We like to think of ourselves here in the UK, mistakenly as it transpires, as being at the forefront of mobile technology and all things phone related yet our phone coverage, if you judge this by reception quality, seems to be second rate in comparison to Spain. The amount of folk knocking about in Spain with ancient looking Nokia mobiles was amazing, I saw some real antiques when I was there. Fuengirola is not the biggest place in the world but there were loads of phone shops.

I'm just in the throes of finally updating the iPhone software via iTunes, this is turning out to be an extremely sloooooooowww process."

OK, for the benefit of Murray and all those of you who have emailed on this subject I promise to get full 247 RSS sorted as soon as I am back from holiday!

The following was recently sent to software developers regarding Mobihand's recent aquisition, at least that is how it reads to me, of TheSmartPhoneExperts. The email states 'Handmark', but apparently they got it wrong- it is Mobihand:) "This email contains important information about your software supplier account at TheSmartPhonePeople.com (mytreo.net - palmaddictstore.com - msmobiles.com - xda-developers.com - everythingpalm.com).

We wish to inform you that with immediate effect our stores are now run by TheSmartPhoneExperts and we have closed our own software, phone and accessory stores.

This means that we will be winding down our relationship with you as software suppliers.

We will continue selling software in our new stores but this will be done through our partner Handmark. If you already list your software at Handmark then it will remain available through our stores but all the order handling and payments for your future sales will be made through the usual Handmark channels and no further action is required on your part.

Over the next two weeks we will be contacting you again and providing a full statement of your account detailing the products you have sold to-date and the royalties owed along with details of how and when these payments will be made. We appreciate your patience in receiving this information...."

As a way to say thanks for your feedback and for making eReader the most popular reading application for the iPhone and iPod touch, we are running a special promotion for you.

WIN STORE CREDITS: Download any eBook from your Fictionwise or eReader account using the eReader 1.1 application onto your iPhone or iPod touch before August 22, and you will automatically be entered into a drawing to win eReader store credits or Fictionwise Micropay. No purchase is necessary. The prizes are:

1st: $500 eReader Store Credit or Fictionwise Micropay (1 winner)
2nd: $100 eReader Store Credit or Fictionwise Micropay (10 winners)
3rd: $10 eReader Store Credit or Fictionwise Micropay (100 winners)

Simply upgrade to the free eReader 1.1 for iPhone and iPod touch, download any eBook by August 22th, and you will automatically be entered in this contest.
Don't Have an iPod touch? Win One!

Even if you don't have an iPhone or iPod touch you can still win! To qualify for a drawing for a free 8 gigabyte iPod touch simply log in to either your eReader.com or Fictionwise.com account and make sure you are signed up to receive our newsletters. Log in any time between August 1 and August 22, and you must be opted in for newsletters by the end of day August 22. One iPod touch will be awarded randomly to a lucky customer who meets those requirements. Customers who do not live in the USA or Canada will receive a $300 store credit/Micropay instead of being shipped an iPod touch, due to legal and import restriction reasons.