T|X Training

[JAmerican]

Some months ago, a teacher saw my UX and asked me about PDAs and what type she should get. So I actually referred her not to a Sony CLIE site or ebay but to the Palm site showing her the different types of devices she can get.

Today, she requested my asistance in training her on how to use the TX. I found it very interesting when I walked into the room and saw her with the TX. Being that I was running Palm OS 5.2 on my UX, some applications were new to me such as AddIt, organization of the preferences, and a few minor things. I helped her out today with a few things such as changing the date and basic things. She wanted to know how to add audio books to Audible and being that I don't use Audible, I couldn't help her once again. So I told her to bring in the software and sync cable that came with it and her laptop so that we could go step by step.

This was really the first time I saw the TX and not a demo unit. After my discussion with Dimitry about laptops and college, I've been considering a few things and decided to cut back on other things. This is not definate but if I find to like the TX while helping my teacher out, I may look into it more so than before. Not quote me on it because I am known to change my mind. But being that college does have computer labs and laptops are known to be stolen in college as well, I may just get a TX. Even if it doesn't have the keyboard or CF slot, it at least has built-in WiFi/BT and great screen.

If you guys could help me by telling me a few things I could do to make my teacher's TX experience great. That would be great. Thanks.

JAmerican

[cyberdude]

Some things to consider when dealing with a TX are the following:

Check out all apps for compatibility. You can find compatibility lists here (http://palmfocus.com/txsoftware.php) and here (http://palmfacts.com/devices/tx/software.php).

Use Dmitry's apps from palmpowerups.com. more later ...

[Dick Tracy]

First app to install is Uninstall Manager followed by a file manager (FileZ or Resco Explorer). Change out the crappy alarm sounds with EmeraldSounds. Walk through everything in Prefs and then through Preferences in each of the PIMs. Show her the value of Categories. If she doesn't have a card reader, suggest one; syncing audiobooks and other large files through hotsync is tedious. Go over to Brighthand and search on "dummies" in the TX forum for a primer on router and WiFi setup. PalmPDF! There's also an Education forum at Brighthand where teachers share industry-specific tips. I wouldn't worry about discussing or adding any of Tyler's or Dmitry's applications until she's a bit more familiar and sees the need for change. Best to get her hooked on the basics and then show the possibilities.

You have a few more weeks in the semester and have the opportunity to get a real feel for the TX rather than a retail snippet, use it. I bought my TX at a Palm Store (more like a kiosk) in a mall and it wasn't comfortable having a uniformed guard stare at me while I was studying file versions in FileZ (installed on the demo) and comparing to my E2 in my other hand. The employees were just too busy trying to sell Treos to notice my presence. :(

[JAmerican]

I've been to CompUSA before and I've been able to mess with the TX and LD like a week after each came out. They didn't mind. I know that if I do get the TX, the first thing I'm doing is installing the Mobile Stream Home replacement or some home replacement button.

JAmerican

[veritech]

Show your teacher how to use the Documents to go desktop application, and avvenu and they'll be in love.

On the topic of T|X buying, this is how it went for me

First you will love it, loads of memory, fast cpu, wifi... and then as you load more applications, it will start to show it's ugly (made by palm) head, better known as 5.4.9. You will then begin to miss your clie inbetween resets, install some hacked clie apps, plus some of the great stuff from our friends tyler and dmitry, and completely forget about your clie, until you realise that you don't have any SD cards larger than 128MB, and Memory sticks may fit, but certainly don't work.

Just to clarify, i do love my T|X, but 5.4.9 makes me cry sometimes.

[JAmerican]

Show your teacher how to use the Documents to go desktop application, and avvenu and they'll be in love.

On the topic of T|X buying, this is how it went for me

First you will love it, loads of memory, fast cpu, wifi... and then as you load more applications, it will start to show it's ugly (made by palm) head, better known as 5.4.9. You will then begin to miss your clie inbetween resets, install some hacked clie apps, plus some of the great stuff from our friends tyler and dmitry, and completely forget about your clie, until you realise that you don't have any SD cards larger than 128MB, and Memory sticks may fit, but certainly don't work.

Just to clarify, i do love my T|X, but 5.4.9 makes me cry sometimes.

Thanks for the information. I feel that the only real grudge I had against the TX was a keyboard not being built-in as well as my experience with Colligan when I got my first PDA (Treo 90) and it died in a week. Not to good. But if I do get the TX, I hope that the old wounds opened by the Treo 90 will be healed.

JAmerican

[blues]

I have also recommended the Palm.com website to a few friends who have asked me advise on which pda to get. The TX is really a great buy at under $300, especually considering all the features it has for that price.

Most users who buy the TX as their first pda will find it a very stable, and productive device. Although I prefer the extra features the Treo offers, the TX is one of the best devices on the market right now.

[Kitten]

I'm using MySkin/MyKbd to remap my home button. 3 PDA's before the TX made me need my silkscreen button. Also, I really like MyKbd for text entry. It's taken some getting used to, but I really enjoy it.

[Church Punk]

This is true...

(...)The TX is really a great buy at under $300, especually considering all the features it has for that price.

Most users who buy the TX as their first pda will find it a very stable, and productive device. (...)

The only thing im not familiar with is the hard reset. First i didnt know what was a "hard reset" i thought there was only the simple reset. I read somewhere about that once, if im not wrong it is like a combo of buttons? Anyhow, as the quote said, I find the TX very stable till now. Im still cautios and I try to inform myself about programs that can low the performance of the device (like games, inestable betas, etc...).

I do consider suggesting an expansion card, it is very useful, it must not be a 4GB card but a 512 would be ok...

[cyberdude]

I bought my TX off ebay brand new for $210, I 've since seen it there for $240. You just have to keep an eye out. I agree that one essential is a SD card along with a backup app, preferrably Rescoe Backup as this has been shown to be the most stable on the TX. And if you're getting Rescoe Backup, you might as well get in on the deal, if it's still going, for the combined RB and Rescoe Explorer, otherwise filez is fine. If you or someone else sets up Dmitry's UnCache, your teacher will be most appreciative (especially if (s)he plans to use blazer to surf the web - with uncache the load time is instantaneous while w/o uncache it's a tedious wait). I also recommend either SkinUI or PalmRevolt. While neither of these is necessary, the eye-candy will enhance the palm computing experience. An outlining app such as shadowplan 4.3.1 or bonzai is essential in an educational environment. A dictionary such as MSDict or Nexus might come in handy as well. I think one of the apps I use most often is ereader - I have about 350 ebooks on my card (but then again if the person is using audible this may not apply).

Definitely look at the docs for Docs2Go 7 that comes preinstalled. This is a very handy app and anybody in ed. will most likely be using word.

[JAmerican]

I was on ebay looking up TXs and guess what I found...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=38331&item=5873370832

The guy that sold JJF his TX. Looks like he doesn't sell often.

JAmerican

[cyberdude]

I was on ebay looking up TXs and guess what I found...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=38331&item=5873370832

The guy that sold JJF his TX. Looks like he doesn't sell often.

JAmerican
The seller that sold me my TX off ebay only sold every so often and had about 15 TXs each time. (S)He did not bid them out, there was a fixed price with no shipping. The units went in a day or two. All units were marked as coming from Dell and the purchaser was marked as a batch purchase. It looked as if this was an employee getting a volume discount. Taking a small group at a time so as not to ruffle any higher ups. If this person was able to sell for $210 they must have been getting them for well below $200 in order to make any profit. I registerred my palm, so it was perfectly legal, not gray market or anything.

[_Em]

As far as SD cards go, I would recommend a 1GB card for the T|X; they're only around $49 nowdays, and I find that a card of this size is perfect for storing 1 one hour movie, 6 hours of music, 40 eBooks, a lot of emulated games, a full reference library, 10 or so selected photos from my camera (which takes SD cards), an Audible book, 3 sequential backups of my Palm device, and an archive of encrypted personal data I'd never want to lose off my desktop computer. All this, and I still have 50MB free on the card ;)

[cyberdude]

As far as SD cards go, I would recommend a 1GB card for the T|X; they're only around $49 nowdays, and I find that a card of this size is perfect for storing 1 one hour movie, 6 hours of music, 40 eBooks, a lot of emulated games, a full reference library, 10 or so selected photos from my camera (which takes SD cards), an Audible book, 3 sequential backups of my Palm device, and an archive of encrypted personal data I'd never want to lose off my desktop computer. All this, and I still have 50MB free on the card ;)
I never thought of storing a backup of stuff from my computer on my card. I have a 512mb (got it with my T|T and transferred it over). I store over 350 ebooks, 20mb of music, 60 pics (jpeg format), 10 scheduled backup sets, and a ton of apps - since I keep almost all my apps on the card, and I still have 45mb left over. I really want to get a 2gb card though.

[PinCushionQueen]

I have a 4GB card :cool: and with filePC2pda(Palm File Browser) I can store backup of both my PDA on my PC and some PC files on my PDA. Highly recommend filePC2pda. It's much, much, faster than my card reader, and completely blows palm install out of the water. It allows you to use your stock pda/USB cable to transfer files back and forth to your PC. Plus it's FREE!! And allows you to get to ROM files as well as RAM files.

http://mytreo.net/downloads/details-220.html?Palm_File_Browser

[geste]

First app to install is Uninstall Manager followed by a file manager (FileZ or Resco Explorer). Change out the crappy alarm sounds with EmeraldSounds. .. :(


How did U get EmeraldSounds to be visible on the TX? I have hotsynced and copied from the SD using Filez & still see nothing on the Palm!

ThankA!
:)


Ok I found the alarms in the palm Calender & To Do Apps. No visible application. Now, is there a way I can add my own Midi files? :confused:

[_Em]

Yes; you can download them via Blazer and it'll ask you if you want to install them. Polyphonic MIDI isn't supported, however.
You can also make your own using a little app called Melody Editor. It lets you save your works as exportable Memo documents, in its own database, or you can save your compositions to the alarm database :) It has a built in keyboard and a record function, as well as octave shifting, a legato switch, and a few other nice features.

[oz-nom]

Thanks for the information. I feel that the only real grudge I had against the TX was a keyboard not being built-in as well as my experience with Colligan when I got my first PDA (Treo 90) and it died in a week. Not to good. But if I do get the TX, I hope that the old wounds opened by the Treo 90 will be healed.

JAmerican

If you're thinking of the TX for college, you might also want to consider the Palm Universal Wireless Keyboard. Combined with DocsToGo and you've got a great sub-notebook that you can use to take notes, edit assignments, check email, etc. It's not great for formatting documents, or any "heay duty" task, so I wouldn't recommend it nstead of a computer. But if you have a home computer (as you obviously do) then a TX + keyboard is a lot cheaper than a notebook.

Cheers,
Tim

[veritech]

If you're thinking of the TX for college, you might also want to consider the Palm Universal Wireless Keyboard. Combined with DocsToGo and you've got a great sub-notebook that you can use to take notes, edit assignments, check email, etc. It's not great for formatting documents, or any "heay duty" task, so I wouldn't recommend it nstead of a computer. But if you have a home computer (as you obviously do) then a TX + keyboard is a lot cheaper than a notebook.

Cheers,
Tim
Thats exactly what i went for, i considered buying a Ibook, or a PDA. And if you already have a computer the pda is just the better solution.

It's cheaper
more mobile
has better battery life (i just found out that you can get 24 hours with underclocking!)
Your data is better protected via backups etc.
and it's less hassle.

It only falls down on screen size, but the plus's out weigh the negatives.

[Dick Tracy]

How did U get EmeraldSounds to be visible on the TX? I have hotsynced and copied from the SD using Filez & still see nothing on the Palm!

ThankA!
:)

Ok I found the alarms in the palm Calender & To Do Apps. No visible application. Now, is there a way I can add my own Midi files? :confused:

Sama-sama-lah.

EmeraldSounds replaces the System MIDI Sounds file on your TX. I have not played with adding MIDI files, perhaps a Google on Palm MIDI will yield some suggestions.

[JAmerican]

The only problem is that I code in VB.net as well as code in HB++ occasionally. So for me to continue my coding projects in college, I would need a Windows system of some sort. I don't want to lug my custom-built PC with me due to its just too big but I may look into a case like the Mac Mini and just add my HDD in that then have my PDA on hand. Also, I'm considering a laptop but not sure. Will be doing some thinking about this still.

JAmerican

[JAmerican]

My teacher's TX...

http://jamerican.net/1src/TX/Teachers/TeachersTX1.JPG

http://jamerican.net/1src/TX/Teachers/TeachersTX2.JPG

The more I look at it, the more I want it but yet I'm not willing to spend 200+ on it yet. Everytime I look on ebay as well, I think about my UX and how it still works. I've offically lost DUN service with T-Mobile. I regained it before but looks like I'm not getting it anymore. So, I might switch to Sprint if my family allows me to.

JAmerican

[antoinepierre]

My teacher's TX...
http://jamerican.net/1src/TX/Teachers/TeachersTX2.JPGJAmericanYour teacher should learn how to put correctly a screen protector. ;)

[veritech]

Your teacher should learn how to put correctly a screen protector. ;)

lol

I hear ya about the coding, however i think the T|X is best for when you walking and suddenly think, "if i execute the loop this way, then it won't crash!" and quickly code it all out, rather than spend hours staring at it's 3 and 1/2 inch screen. But i have coded a few webpages with grafitti, and it wasn't bad, but i don't wanna make a habit out of it. However the latest version of Srcedit is very tempting(hi-res support!).

I bought my T|X instead of a 12" Powerbook, and so i treat it as such. Although i still haven't figured out where the dvd's go ^_^

[JAmerican]

lol

I hear ya about the coding, however i think the T|X is best for when you walking and suddenly think, "if i execute the loop this way, then it won't crash!" and quickly code it all out, rather than spend hours staring at it's 3 and 1/2 inch screen. But i have coded a few webpages with grafitti, and it wasn't bad, but i don't wanna make a habit out of it. However the latest version of Srcedit is very tempting(hi-res support!).

I bought my T|X instead of a 12" Powerbook, and so i treat it as such. Although i still haven't figured out where the dvd's go ^_^

on the 2GB SD card :) (btw, I got a 2GB SD from NewEgg :) for $50)

JAmerican

[cyberdude]

on the 2GB SD card :) (btw, I got a 2GB SD from NewEgg :) for $50)

JAmerican
I tried to get one of those but they're out of stock. I may go over to buy.com and get the one there.