12:15 PM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Lounge

eBayFeed required a small fix to make it work with some recent changes (10/19/2004) at eBay USA. You are advised to upgrade to eBayFeed 1.11.

source code: here and here.

full package, zipped: here.

You can still see the script in action at halted.de (make sure to copy it on your own server as this server is only for temporary demonstration purposes!)

If you want to give it a quick try, use this feed link with your favorite feed reader like Bloglines, FeedDemon, etc.

About:
eBayFeed/1.11 allows you to create customized RSS 2.0 feeds of your favorite eBay searches. Compared to other eBay-to-RSS solutions, ebayFeed has the following advantages: it is fully customizable and extensible (open-source), it supports eBay platforms of other countries (take a look at config.inc), you can run it on your own server, it doesn't log your clicks on items, nor does it advertise your search habits to others (such as qksrv.net), and it allows you to fully utilize eBay's advanced search forms. It currently supports eBay USA, eBay UK, eBay Germany, eBay France, eBay Italy.

08:57 PM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

OpenZaurus is an alternative linux distribution for Sharp Zaurus-based PDAs (except the SL-A300 and SL-6000). The original purpose behind the project was to create a ROM image (kernel + root filesystem) which was a bit closer to what the developer community specifically desired. The method by which this was accomplished was simply to use the Sharp ROM as a base and make alterations, bugfixes, additions and even removals, where necessary, to make the package more open.

LinuxJournal compares OpenZaurus to the original Sharp ROM:

One might think, why would I want to replace my current Sharp Linux distribution? Although I must admit Sharp's embedded Linux distribution is pretty impressive, some points could be improved. Some of these points include SD card compatability and missing utilities, such as SSH. In addition, OpenZaurus provides 16MB of built-in Flash separate from the 64MB of memory split between, in the SL-5500, 32MB for storage and 32MB for heap. The heap memory also can be written to, allowing you to add and remove applications that you can't touch in the Sharp ROM, such as the Hancom applications. Most importantly, OpenZaurus offers freedom of choice.

The same article also goes into detail how you can download and install OpenZaurus on your own Sharp PDA. See attached images how pretty the system looks like.

11:10 AM by Alexander Turcic in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Thought I should mention that we also have two mobile pages up for a quick overview of new and updated software at PalmGear:

PalmGear New Software PalmGear Updated Software

Link-Depth is 0 for both channels.

Note that the links might change in near future, since I am working on something new which will eventually incorporate those two links.

Enjoy
Alex

09:28 AM by sUnShInE in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

I'm listening to a piece on NPR this morning that PDA sales are down and dropping. According to an IDC press release, PDA sales are down 8.7% from the third quarter last year, and if a handheld device doesn't have voice capabilities, a growing number of users around the world aren't interested.

PalmOne's unit shipments fell 12.7% from the third quarter last year to 736,481. That left the company with 34.7% of the PDA market, down 6.9 percentage points from the second quarter.

David Linsalata, analyst in IDC's Mobile Devices program said, "It is crucial that vendors push handheld devices into new market segments through the integration of existing technology such as GPS bundles in order to energize this market and return it to a growth path.”

05:49 AM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Announcements

Join me in wishing our team member Ignatz a warm and loving ...

Happy Birthday!

Ignatz, I just want to thank you for all the wonderful effort you have put into this community. It simply wouldn't be the same without you!

04:04 AM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Lounge

Because MyYahoo! supports the RSS format, you can now also add MobileRead to your MyYahoo page by simply clicking here. Then follow the instructions.

02:35 AM by Alexander Turcic in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

The Delphi XM MyFi Satellite Radio is the world's first XM2go satellite receiver. For $349.99 you get the player, a home kit, car kit and headphones. Click here if you want to learn more about XM satellite radio.

It supports two modes: A "Memory Mode", which can store up to 5 hours of fresh new XM content (while you listen, or when you schedule MyFi to record your favorite XM shows); and a "Live Mode", which offers over 130 digital XM channels live coast to coast by satellite.

The player also feature a wireless FM transmitter (which is, btw, not allowed in every country, e.g. not in Germany), which can transmit audio to any FM radio speaker system, car, home or portable.

Edit: Slate asks "Will XM's new portable satellite radio make the iPod obsolete?" Interesting read!

Does anyone have XM radio experiences they'd like to share?

02:04 AM by Alexander Turcic in Archive | Portable Audio/Video

Walter Moosberg of WSJ wrote an interesting article about the Rio Carbon ($249), which hit shelves a month ago, the Creative Zen Micro ($249) and the Dell Pocket DJ ($199), both which will be available in November, and he compared them how they compete against Apple's iPod Mini.

According to Moosberg, they certainly have their advantages over the iPod:
- 25% more storage capacity -- five gigabytes vs. four gigabytes, or about 1,200 songs at standard recording quality, vs. the 1,000 Apple claims for the Mini.
- longer battery life than the Mini, which runs up to only eight hours -- the Rio Carbon boasts up to 20 hours.
- work with the numerous online music stores that sell songs in Microsoft's copy-protected file format

Yet, the iPod Mini contenders have failed again, he follows, mainly because they "lag behind badly in simplicity and ease of use":
"[A]spects of the user interfaces were more awkward than Apple's[...]Worse, synchronizing the players with the music on a PC was a real challenge."

Each player has its own short-comings. The Rio Carbon looks like a makeup case, with a small display that is dimmer and has smaller type than the iPod Mini's. It's jog dial is clumsy, the menu structure confusing, and sound quality was disappointing. The Dell Pocket DJ has navigation buttons that make your fingers ache and a hard-to-reach hold switch. And finally the Zen Micro, which at least comes in different colors, but makes you deal with a scrolling device that is so sensitive that you will end up selecting the wrong songs to play.