Clié questions...

[Krokus]

Hi. I'm brand new to the PDA world. I just got a T665C and I was hoping some of you might be able to answer a couple of questions. I can't seem to get the FAQS section to show me any threads.

1) I notice that the HotSync options on the T665C support IR, but the Palm Desktop Software does not appear to do the same. Is it possible to do an IR HotSync (with my Sony Vaio)?

2) I was hoping to use the T665C as a remote control for my home theatre, using OmniRemote Pro. However, the OmniRemote Pro software is rather buggy (lots of visual glitches) and the range is terrible (even after ensuring that the I'm training at the correct frequency), as is the spread (have to be pointing the Clié almost directly at the device, which makes macros kind of useless). I was looking at the IR Blaster, but it's not available for the T Series (yet?). Is there a solution to the range/spread issues, or am I better off sticking with my Marantz RC5000 remote?

I had several other questions, but they were answered elsewhere in the forums. I appreciate any help. I am very, very happy to have found this site. :)

[sindu]

You can certainly synchronize with your IR. In the hot sync manager (in desktop), choose "InfraRed".

[Krokus]

After mucking about with the HotSync Manager for a while, I realized that I had to use "Local Serial" with my laptop's IR mapped to a COM "port". Unfortunately, I've been unable to get a connection. My HotSync Manager (v4.0.1) doesn't have "Infrared" as a selection.

I thought the IR might be be broken on my laptop, so I tried an experiment to test it. I noticed that the Windows IR dialog showed a blinking icon with the text "No infrared communication is in progress", so I took my Marantz remote, pointed it at the laptop's IR, and held the down the "volume up" button. As long as I held the button down, the icon would stop blinking. When I let go, the icon immediately started blinking again. So I assume the Rx is working.

To test the Transmit, I use the nightvision on my Sony DSC-F707 to look at the IR port on both the laptop and the T665C. I set the laptop to check for an IR device every three seconds. Sure enough, the nightvision picked up the bright flashing LED every three seconds on the laptop. The T665C LED also lit up when I clicked the HotSync, but it was very faint by comparison (probably the reason why the range and spread is bad). I therefore assume that the laptop IR is working.

So it's a mystery as to why I can't get a connection working (no device conflicts, everything seems peachy). I suppose I'll continue plugging away it. Perhaps it's a Windows 98 issue...