AtTeal Newsletter Issue 05 - PalmOS Software by TealPoint Software; Programs and Accessories for Palm, Visor, and CLIE

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TEALGLANCE 3.35B - updated April 13, 2001
(www.tealpoint.com/softglnc.htm)
Pop-up utility show time, date, appointments and to-dos, and other useful information at powerup. See your day at a glance.

TEALINFO 3.11B - updated December 26, 2000
(www.tealpoint.com/softinfo.htm)
A system for creating and browsing interactive databases, reference works, and mini-application folios; a handheld reference library.

TEALLAUNCH 2.60B - updated October 1, 2001
(www.tealpoint.com/softlnch.htm)
A pop-up application launcher and mapping utility for launching apps and special functions from pen taps, graffiti strokes, or button presses.

TEALLOCK 4.05 - updated January 21, 2002
(www.tealpoint.com/softlock.htm)
Secure automatic locking program with optional data encryption and numerous activation and customization options.

TEALMAGNIFY 2.10 - updated Sept 13, 2000
(www.tealpoint.com/softlens.htm)
An ever-ready magnifying glass that works with most any program, TealMagnify saves your eyes when looking at tiny text.

TEALMASTER 1.44B - updated January 22, 2002
(www.tealpoint.com/softmstr.htm)
A supercharged Hackmaster replacement with 100%-compatibility and enhanced stability, configuration, diagnostic and activation features.

TEALMEAL 3.44B - updated Jan 10, 2002
(www.tealpoint.com/softmeal.htm)
A personal restaurant database and selection wizard. Keep a database of your favorites and easily find them by type or category.

TEALMEMBRAIN 1.01 - updated October 23, 2001
(www.tealpoint.com/softmemb.htm)
Memory monitor and stack manager which helps identify conflicts and greatly improves stability running multiple hacks and drivers.

TEALMOVER 1.20B - updated December 21, 2001
(www.tealpoint.com/softmovr.htm)
File management utility for beaming, deleting, renaming, and copying files both in memory and on VFS-compatible storage cards.

TEALMOVIE 2.20 - updated December 27, 2001
(www.tealpoint.com/softmovi.htm)
High-quality multimedia system with video and synchronized sound. Includes audio/video player and Windows AVI converter program.

TEALNOTES 1.20 - updated July 19, 2001
(www.tealpoint.com/softnote.htm)
Insert freehand graphic "Sticky Notes" into memos, to-do lists, address book entries--almost anywhere you currently have editable text.

TEALPAINT 4.95 - updated September 13, 2001
(www.tealpoint.com/softpnt.htm)
The most powerful paint and sketch app on Palm OS handhelds, featuring 16 tools, 16 patterns, 12 brushes, color, and desktop image conversion.

TEALPHONE 3.51B - updated January 8, 2001
(www.tealpoint.com/softphon.htm)
A powerful Address Book replacement with superior interface, display, search, and indexing options.

>> Continued...

Movies on the Move
Continued from Previous Page

HARDWARE
What's that? Natural sounds on your handheld? While showing graphics on your handheld is nothing new, and moving those graphics is the next natural step, you might be surprised to know that your Palm, Visor, or CLIE can play back more than just alarms, beeps, and computer-sounding tones.

When Motorola designed the Dragonball microprocessor used in current Palm handhelds, they also added in hardware to play back digital sounds and music. On the original Dragonball processor used in the Pilot, PalmPilot and Palm III, there isn't sufficient audio buffering to do anything else when sound is playing. On the Dragonball EZ and VZ processors used in later models such as the IIIx, IIIc, V, m100, etc, however, audio can be played in the background, freeing the processor to perform other tasks as well.

Alas, the quality of the sound produced does depend on some forethought on the part of the hardware designer. Clean sound of sufficient volume requires some external filtering and amplification circuitry, something Palm didn't consider necessary when they designed their original Pilot as a simple digital replacement for a Franklin planner.

Fortunately, sound quality has continually improved in newer and newer models since then. Today's m500 and m505 can reproduce fairly clear speech and music about as well as that old crystal-diode radio you made as a kid out of an empty oatmeal container. Or was that just me?

Anyway, PalmOS licensees have taken audio a step further. HandEra was the first out of the starting gate with their TRGpro handheld and subsequent HandEra 330, both of which feature additional amplifiers and filtering for clear sound output. Sony raised the bar by adding a headphone jack and optional MP3 player (more about that later) in ther newest CLIE devices. Other manufacturers are likely follow suit, leading to improved audio as a standard feature in future devices.

ADD ONS
Multimedia capabilities can be extended further with the addition of third party hardware from companies such as InnoGear and PocketPro. Their respective products, the MiniJam and Porteson Pro, add MP3 playback capabilities to some handheld models. Similar to the MP3 support found in some Sony CLIE models, most are far from a general purpose sound solution, usually adding the equivalent of a stand-alone MP3 player that can be remote controlled to a limited extent by custom Palm software. Other products, such as BeatPlus from Hagiwarasys-com (www.hscus.com), offer more direct software control, allowing enhanced sound effects for games and applications. For any of these products to be useful, however, they need widespread support from software developers, something difficult to achieve without dominance in the market. So until this happens, improving the sound quality of the standard hardware might be the best solution for all.

>> Continued on Next Page...

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