Netfront, Pocketlink, WebPro on NZ with BT

[davy19]

I tried all the above, once I got my Bluetooth connection working.


netfront is even slower then with wifi, I cannot use it at all...looks great, but between the errors and slowness not worth even surfing.


Webpro cannot get to conecct to anything, I am wondering if their proxy is down, not sure


but the best one was the new version of Pocketlink, not only is it in Hi res, but it runs pretty smooth and very good speed overall...highly recommend to try.

[david.silva]

So you are able to surf the net via Bluetooth? How'd ya do that? I'd really like to know.

[pdagal]

I just tried connecting the NZ to Belkin's new and relatively cheap ($169) BT access point and it works-- yeehah! Though Belkin claims it has 100 meters range indoors, I get about 40 feet through walls. It's pretty fast (723K xfer rate), and feels only slightly slower than WiFi.

[davy19]

david.silva when i get home tonight from work I will write up directions but only know how to do it from a win98se machine, others here can probably help from w2k/xp, actually heard it is easier from w2k/xp

[davy19]

pdagal that sounds a like a lot?


Is this the same one you have?

I got mine for $49 at compusa:

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=294015&pfp=SEARCH


It supposedly works up to 100 meters, but been just trying to get it to connect for the past day have not tested range will do that when I get home.

[david.silva]

Thanks, davy19. I'd like to know. Now I think PDAgal was referring to was an access point (much like wireless access points but for bluetooth).

[pdagal]

I was referring to an access point, not a USB adapter. BT access points, like WiFi access points, serve up Internet connections to your BT-enabled PDAs and computers. Most access points cost $500 or more, so the Belkin one is exciting because it's much cheaper and it works well so far (I'm eval-ing it for a review).

[davy19]

thanks pdagal for the info I did not know there was one, or maybe I would have gottent that instead.

Where did you get it may I ask? Compusa does not have it listed.


Also how easy was it to setup?


Becuase the belkin bluetooth usb adapter was a real pain...and also do you think the accesspoint is faster then the usb adapter using ICS? or it really does not matter?

Thanks

[pdagal]

Belkin sent it to me so I could write a review, so I didn't find it in a store. The review should be up by the beginning of next week on our site. Right now we only have the much pricier Pico Blue access point in our BT roundup review, so this should make a great addition.

It's fairly new, and I imagine retailers should start stocking it, though BT devices aren't big sellers or high stock items yet. You can buy it directly from Belkin's website.

It's exceptionally easy to set up. In most cases, you can just plug it into your router (or whatever is your source of Ethernet) and forget it. It's got a web-based administration app, no need to install software unless you want to use the USB printer-sharing feature.

The range and speed are about the same as the Belkin USB adapter which has the "shark fin" style antenna attached. That one has greater range than their regular (no antenna) adapter. It's quite fast really.

Originally posted by davy19
thanks pdagal for the info I did not know there was one, or maybe I would have gottent that instead.

Where did you get it may I ask? Compusa does not have it listed.


Also how easy was it to setup?


Becuase the belkin bluetooth usb adapter was a real pain...and also do you think the accesspoint is faster then the usb adapter using ICS? or it really does not matter?

Thanks

[davy19]

so it is faster to use the access point to surf the web on the nz90 , then the usb BT adapter?


I guess what I am getting at is it worth it for me to pay $169 for more speed?

or the speed is so insignificant not worth it?

[pdagal]

If you already have the shark fin Belkin USB adapter (that's the one shown in the CompUSA link), then upgrading to the access point probably won't make much of a diff in speeds. It might be a bit quicker since you won't have the overhead of connection sharing, and the radio might get a little more juice.

The real convenience of the access point is that you don't have to use connection sharing in Windows for the NZ to get an Internet connection. I don't use connection sharing on my Win2K boxes, and I won't bore you with the reasons why.

The other great thing is you don't have to keep your PC turned on with the USB adapter inserted just so your Clie can surf the Net. Wastes less electricity, and reduces the temptation to just walk over to the darned PC since it's already on :) .

The Belkin access point also has USB printer sharing (for PCs, might work with Pocket PCs, haven't tested it yet, doubt it'd work with PrintBoy on the NZ).

Originally posted by davy19
so it is faster to use the access point to surf the web on the nz90 , then the usb BT adapter?


I guess what I am getting at is it worth it for me to pay $169 for more speed?

or the speed is so insignificant not worth it?

[Enceladus]

The Belkin adapter i have is the shark fin one. It works good for syncing but im still unable to get Pocketlink to connect with my XP setup. ICS is a real pain i think. Ive enabled everything i have to, still get a "socket busy" error message on the NZ. I might go get a access point for the simplicty alone.

[davy19]

i think i might get it because to be honest even though i have ics working, it is a pain and i think is slowing down my main pc a bit..


can you hotsync through the bt access point?

[pdagal]

No luck with that so far.


Originally posted by davy19

can you hotsync through the bt access point?

[n2ifp]

PocketLink II v2.55 is out on Palmgear

It fixed fatal errors on startup

http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?sid=6CF85FD7-4E6C-42C1-BFAA727274BFB67F&prodID=16405

[rcoffman]

I downloaded 2.55 on my NX & got 2 fatal exceptions right off the bat. Deleted immediately

[Bo_]

Pocket Link installed - crashed twice... deleted... done.

So far - while NetFont is larger, it also does better at displaying the formatting of websites, pocket link aligned everything to the left, did not play animated gifs. And crashed..

Just my experience.


Bo

[TheUltimate]

pocketlink is by far the greatest browser out there!!!

[Bo_]

I realize you know what you are talking about, but it still crashed my Clie on sites which did not crash NetFont. Though I have to agree with you. Netfont takes for EVER to load anything. Kind of strange when you think about that it is not too long time ago we had 200mhz desktop pc's and they surfed a lot faster, I would imagine that PalmOS is lighter than Windows were even back then, so one would think there should be a tad more speed. (smile)

Bo

[n2ifp]

Originally posted by rcoffman
I downloaded 2.55 on my NX & got 2 fatal exceptions right off the bat. Deleted immediately

Strange, as it the same fatal errors that I had with v2.54. There I had to connect first before entering PLink. Now it works good with v2.55, no more fatals, what can I say. BTW, I run it from my memory stick.

[rcoffman]

After deleting and reading threads about how it should work on NX's I downloaded the trial software again from Handango (1st time from Palm Gear, probably unrelated) Reloaded on my NX and now seems to work fine.