Sounds

[horseshoe7]

What's up with the lack of sound options on the E740?

When I set an alarm, I do it because I want to hear it - not get some little bleep or tinkle that couldn't scare a paranoid shizophrenic... With my old Palm M100, I had much more options for alarm types, sounds, and sound levels.

But, I shouldn't expect Toshiba to do anything about this little problem, when we've go so many other bigger software problems - like reporting the battery is at 0%, when it just got charged, or constantly bothering us with popup alarms when the battery goes to 40%, or when it is incorrectly reporting 0% - criminy, there are bugs on top of bugs on the power level meter! - NO WONDER they hide the battery level meter three menu levels deep(man, on my M100, I could see it right there when I turned it on, and it was always right on). Then, there is the fact that many of us can't use the WiFi software with WEP turned on(or being able to know if the change we made on the buggy WEP change menu even took place)... oh - and why do I seem to always have to be doing a hard reset on my E740 to correct this or that little bugaboo? Oh, sure, some of these problems are most certainly PocketPC 2002-related problems - but you would think that Toshiba could have at least fixed ONE of these problems by now, and RELEASE AN UPGRADE... I mean we paid GOOD MONEY for these devices - and it doesn't look like Toshiba is going to start fixing things unless they start feeling it were it really hurts - in the pocketbook. ... oh, and did I mention that the USB ActiveSync connection cuts out and back in again at random... my officemates HATE that bug, because the stupid thing keeps sounding alarm when it is in the USB/charging holster... and that brings me back to the lack of sound options... bugs on top of bugs.

Some manager at Toshiba has got to wake up to the fact that just because the programmer(they can't have more than 1, can they?) got the thing to compile and work halfway, that he could just lay the poor bastard off. I mean, come on, software takes work - it isn't like hardware... How about a software PATCH or an UPDATE Toshiba?

[ctitanic]

You know what, I agree with you.... you should go back, return your PocketPC and get a Palm.

The majority all your problems are just complains from a Palm user that could not find that he is working in a different platform.

Do you want more alarm sounds, just copy any .wav file to your windows folders and they will be available. You can replace the alarm1.wav ~ alarm4.wav from that folder if you like with other wav file with a higher volume.

The battery alarm at 40 %, it's just how it works (*) , it's not a Toshiba bug. You are right, it's not good but it's Microsoft. In another hand Microsoft is giving you another world of possibilities that you did not have with Palm.

About the Toshiba's bugs I invite you to visit this site (www.pc-counselor.8m.com/e740.htm) If you think that you have a bug and it's not listed there, beleive me, you don't have a bug, you have a problem that can be like in the case of WiFi can be located in other of the components of the network (check the firmware version in your AP or other WiFi card on your PC). Wep is working fine.

It's a known fact already that Toshiba is working in a ROM fix. But there are other many facts involved in the process of creating a new ROM. To give you an idea, the ATI video driver will be replaced with this new ROM from Toshiba. So it there are many programers from different companies working in this fix. In my experience I have not found any company releasing a ROM fix in the first 3 months after they released a new PocketPC.

And you can be sure I'm not working for Toshiba either paid by Toshiba in any case. I'm a former owner of a Visor and Palm m100 so I know very well what are the Pros of Palm System and its Cons also as well as the Pros and Cons of Windows CE.

(*) there is a registry hack that allows you to change a little bit how this option work but the 40% limite will stay unchanged.

[horseshoe7]

Originally posted by ctitanic
You know what, I agree with you.... you should go back, return your PocketPC and get a Palm.

The majority all your problems are just complains from a Palm user that could not find that he is working in a different platform.

Do you want more alarm sounds, just copy any .wav file to your windows folders and they will be available. You can replace the alarm1.wav ~ alarm4.wav from that folder if you like with other wav file with a higher volume.



Just complains from a Palm user, huh? Let me 'splain something to you, Lucy - I'm going with PocketPC, and that's the way it is. However, the platform still needs a lot of work.

Regarding the alarm sounds... While you think it would be nice to be able to put a different .wav file in place, it won't really do me any good, because there are too few alarm option types, that my officemates would be hearing a loud wake up alarm, everytime the Toshiba's ActiveSync reconnect bug rears its ugly head.

Why WOULDN'T you want more alarm types, and for Toshiba to fix their ActiveSync reconnect bug?

[ctitanic]

Originally posted by horseshoe7


Why WOULDN'T you want more alarm types, and for Toshiba to fix their ActiveSync reconnect bug?

Well, I would like Toshiba to fix the bug in the AS and the other 4 or 5 bugs they really currently have, as you can see at my site where I have those bugs posted so everybody can see it.

About the alarms, I really don't care. If I wanted to have that feature I could keep my old m100 playing those midi sounds. ;) This is a matter of preferences and what someone really want.

In my case I wanted something in my pocket the most similar to a real PC that I can find. And that... beleive me is a pocket pc, now I have word, excel, email, network connectivity, I can do network administration from my ppc via wifi, I can even open and run programs located in the hard drive of any PC on my work network. Palm was not even close to that.

In another hand, Palm is much better in any thing relative with Contacts, calendar, reminders, etc.... That's a reallity... but these point are nothing to me... I'm an IT Manager and what I need is just a computer in my pocket and that's what I got LUCY.

[horseshoe7]

Since I've switched to the PocketPC, I've noticed more minuses than pluses... but, I'm in it for the long haul, so I'm willing to put up the the annoyances up to a point.

Here is a comparison, based on a prioritized list of features that I find important(YMMV):

Development environment: + PocketPC
While VS.NET SDE/CF is still in Beta, it is miles ahead of CodeWarrior in potential; and I can use the same C# development environment for PC apps (and we have started to switch over to VB.NET at my work too). I am thoroughly convinced this is the right way to go for the future.

Notes: A Draw between Palm & PocketPC
Palm Brainforest is better than anything I've seen on/for the PocketPC, but the easy synchronization of PocketPC Notes with the PC is awesome, allowing you to easily import the stuff into PC documents. I'm hoping that M$ will update Notes to include more organizational(cascading and collapsable subtrees) note-taking features, like what is available in BrainForest.

Screen: +PocketPC
I work with maps in my applications, and the extra resolution and colors are imperative.

PC compatibility: + PocketPC

Usability: + Palm
Alarms, indicators, general functionality is much more mature on the Palm. Eventually PocketPC should be able to meet and surpass Palm.

Bugs: + Palm
PocketPCs are still virtually Beta platforms. Eventually this will become less of an issue.

Speed(for applications I use): +Palm
PocketPC apps carry more baggage than Palm apps, and require faster processors - as processor speeds increase, this will become less of an issue.

Wireless: Draw (+Toshiba)
I'm developing my own wireless system standard for PocketPCs, as I feel 802.11 is too weak a system to be that useful in the real world for PDAs.

[ctitanic]

Well, now we are talking in the same language. But... the fact that you are like me a former palm user is telling me that you found more pluses on the PPC side than minuses. ;)

[dtreadaway]

< horseshoe7 said >:
I'm developing my own wireless system standard for PocketPCs, as I feel 802.11 is too weak a system to be that useful in the real world for PDAs.

-------------------------------------------
< treadaway1 couldn't stop himself from saying > :

Developing your own wireless standard......

Whoa dude......slow down a minute.

The only thing that has made wireless networking finally affordable, and thus relatively common place (i.e. imbedded in a handheld), is a single set of standards that MANY MANUFACTURERS can endorse.

The world of wireless communications has seen many highly technical COMPANIES try and fail to establish a widespread adoption of a technically superior product.

I have watched it for well over 20 years.

Once a NON-PROPRIETARY technology becomes ADEQUATE (as 802.11 is) the marketing forces will win out over TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE, every time.

Put your heart and mind elsewhere.....................
unless you can be satisfied with a <personal success> where 20 nodes run on your exceptional network while one billion devices run on the admittedly lesser 802.11 standard.

I figure that I am wasting my words though.....
Your comments in the various threads here remind me of several other technologists who I have worked with down through the years, and who I have respected in regards to their technical ability. (big compliment to you)
However, I have learned that the more innovative and creative the person, the more likely they are to spend their time creating what they consider to be a better version something that already exists and NOT filling a void where something doesn't exist.

If you have time, consider reading Crystal Fire.
It is about the people involved in the development of the transistor at Bell Labs during the mid 20th century.
It can provide some decent insight into the power of marketability over technical excellence.
(I am a subscriber to Audible.com, so I downloaded an audio version that I listened to while commuting.)

Of course, just think about Microsoft and you can see the greatest modern example of well marketed "adequacy" winning over excellence.

Good luck.

[treyjazz]

get gigabar. it puts itself overtop of the regular taskbar and allows you to put a battery meter as well as many other controls on top. also it allows you to close programs for good--not just hide them.

[horseshoe7]

Originally posted by dtreadaway
< treadaway1 couldn't stop himself from saying > :

Developing your own wireless standard......



I'm not talking about competing against or replacing 802.11... what I meant by "weak" is that it is too short range to be useful in many instances.

By using slower speeds, and interfacing thru standard off-the-shelf commercial radios, a limited(but useful) set of PDA-specific applications are achievable over distances 100's of times greater than achievable with 802.11 built in to a PDA... of course, people would have to accept the need to carry two handheld devices (the PDA and the radio), instead of just one - but most people have more than one pocket :) ... and they probably already have a radio that would do the job... I'm talking about FRS radios at this point, where digital isn't legal presently - but there is MURS, which Motorola and the FCC are keeping under raps, where digital is pefectly legal, and (like FRS), no license is required.

For more info, see:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MURS-OPEN
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/murslink

- Stewart

[treyjazz]

im thinking that that's what is going to happen in the future, right now is kinda the beta stage of wireless connections between computers. i think mostly due to the fact that it gives anyone in the vicinity access to the network if the person who set it up didnt make it secure enough (and that's a lot of people probably).

[treyjazz]

i came upon this today and remembered your post. it is a freeware program to modify the sound scheme just like in win9x :)