Its great to see that Palm has not changed anything about how they do business!    The trend for a while was to offer a Treo in different colors, but still no real innovation.  I guess they considered the fact that they could make the Treo even smaller and thinner was such an innovation that they couldn't call it it a Treo any longer so they called it a "Centro".  So what to do to innovate a Centro?  "Lets offer it in Pink", said those very creative guys at Palm!  Are those guys on the cutting edge anymore or what?

My dad is a large part of who I am!  Friends tell me I am witty.  They seem to like my sarcastic humor. Traits I feel certain I picked up from my dad.  Dad is all about life!  So am I!  Camping and the outdoors?  Yea, dad certainly instilled that in me! Proud of family? I don't know how much dad had to do with that, but I am certainly as proud of mine as he was of his!  Dad spent Christmas in the Hospital. Every day, his only hope was that he would go home to his dog, Molly. Not because it was Christmas, but simply because he missed his dog!  But his heart just wouldn't cooperate!  At 75 years old, dad's heart was only working at about 25% of what it should have been.  Medicine, pacemaker, and medical procedures were no good anymore!  Finally Sunday, the doctor told dad what he wanted to hear!  They were letting him go home Monday! 

Sunday night, dad passed on! And the World moves on in spite of my dad's passing!  But make no mistake about it, the world is not as bright of a place today, as it used to be. 

Dad, for all you did for me, I say thank you!  Your wisdom, and your wit are two things I will always miss the most!  

You know, its been an interesting year for Technology.  Some highlights and certainly some lowlights!  I thought I might take a little time to look backwards and recap  some of what we have seen, and maybe layout some predictions for 08.

• So Vista came about!  I ended up going with Vista on my laptop that I purchased 2 months ago.  I HATED it at first, but I am getting used to it now and think its a decent OS.  Beautiful to look at for sure, but since its my computer, why does it ask me twice everytime I download something if I really want to download something?  The bottom line:  Most all OSes Microsoft has introduced usually don't become solid until the first Service Pack release.  Now that I am getting used to it, I think it might be a fine OS, and think the majority of folks who use it will also.  We also got a peek into Leopard, the new Apple OS.  I have read where some testers knocked it, but I am betting that just like Vista, by the time we see a couple of upgrades, this is going to be one solid operating system. 
• iPhone and iPod touch!  Man, at the hype of this one!  But give Apple credit!  They have a product that many just swears is the greatest product ever invented, because Jobs told them so . . . .   The iPhone is a step forward, but Apple is crippling the device.  If they open it up, look out!  On the other hand, I would love to have an iPod Touch! This way, I can keep legit "push" email and calendars on my phone, and get that slick entertainment device with that awesome interface!  Apple has done a great job of marketing iPods and I know I love the nano!  Perfect size and shape and very versatile!  In the phone world however, I would suggest they look out!  HTC and Microsoft probably have some tricks up their sleeves.  And even though the word "iPod" has almost replaced the word "mp-3 player" I expect to see some innovations in the year coming from players such as Microsoft and others. 
  
• NO Gphone!  We all just knew that Google was going to roll out the gPhone this year!  What we learned is that Google is readying "Android".  An open-source linux OS for mobile phones! Google is going to buy up the 700 mhz spectrum however, and I expect a new mobile player right around the corner!  2008 should be a great year for Mobile Phones.
• EEE PC.  Ground breaking, only weighs two pounds and only costs $400.  Look for this market to heat up in 08
• Palm doesn't deliver!  First, they announced this ground-breaking device called the "Foleo".  A linux based device that worked in tandem with your Treo.  The Palm community was outraged!  They were looking for a new Treo running Linux.  About one week before the Foleo was to arrive on store shelves, Palm pulled the plug.  The second week of December, they sent several Employees home and told them not to return.  We are still waiting on a new Palm Treo with a new Operating System.  My question for 2008 for Palm:  Can you survive? I want you to, but I am increasingly frustrated at how you have sat on your tail for 8 years now, offering me another Treo in a different color.
• Year of the Game Console  That is what I would call this year.  The three main players:  Microsoft, Sony and Nitendo, are all three healthy and doing great!  Microsoft introduced Halo 3 and the world rejoiced!  Sony is offering its Blu-ray technology in its Playstation 3, and sales are strong to say the least!  The Wii has been selling strong for a year now and is still hard to come by!  When you build a console that is easily enjoyed by young as well as old, you have a winner on your hands.  I have never been much of a gamer, but man if that Wii don't look like a lot of fun! 
  
• LCD TV made affordable:  Remember when the first thin-lined TV's started showing up in your local electroncs store? And remember how you could buy a new motorcycle for cheaper than you could buy that TV?  Just like most electronics, those prices have plummeted. With the new standard getting closer and closer, look for these units to continue to sell well.  Sony announced this week, that they will no longer produce a tube TV.  Its only a matter of time before all the major players follow suit . . .

It turns out the story I referenced in this article isn't entriely accurate . .  The Howell's did rip their own CD's but they placed them on a file sharing network and that is a No-no!  Still, the RIAA states that if you rip your own CD then you are stealing.  That much is very accurate.  I have done some digging and have found some interesting links for anyone interested . . .

• http://blogs.zdnet.com/ip-telephony/?p=2851

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJn_jC4FNDo

• http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071002-sony-bmgs-chief-anti-piracy-lawyer-copying-music-you-own-is-stealing.html

• http://www.recordingartistscoalition.com/industrypractices.php

So even though the story is not correct about the Howell's, it is correct that if you rip a CD that you have legally purchased, you are breaking the law according to the RIAA.  

This really makes me mad . . .  

So have you heard the latest out of the RIAA ? In case you don't know this is the group bringing all those lawsuits against people who share music online. Its an acronym for Recording Industry Association of America.  But now they are going after persons who legally purchase music and download that music to their personal computers!  Thats right, you heard me!  I am sorry, but this is ludicris! Once I LEGALLY purchase something, it is mine to do with what I want!  Don't get me wrong.  I support efforts to protect the companies and the artists.  Online sharing is WRONG!  It should be enforced and with an iron hand!  But it should stop there!  Think about it. . . . . .  Once you buy something, it is yours, and you should be able to do with it what you want. As long as your not duplicating it and giving it away, what is the problem? To this day, I still buy CD's and many of those end up on my personal MP-3 player.  According to the RIAA, I am breaking the law! 

In my very humble opinion, this is why the recording industry is struggling.  They have a business model that is failing!  When the media we had in record stores were Albums, that by the way, took extreme care to keep sounding good, along came the cassette tape.  Most audiophiles made copies of their albums and a few of us actually listened to the tapes to protect and preserve the original. No one sent me letters threatening me then.  The best I remember, cassette companies actually charged a little extra and paid "hush" money to the record industry. When the personal computer hit, and the net opened up the easy sharing of files, then the business model had to change again.  

And I agree that it should change!  In a Los Angeles Times poll, 69 percent of teenagers surveyed said they thought it was legal to copy a CD they own and give it to a friend. The RIAA cites a study that found that more than half of current college students download music and movies illegally. If we are going to continue to enjoy great entertainment, people have to get paid and producers have to make money! But they shouldn't necessarily be greedy!!!!!!!!  

And that is exactly what they are being when  someone leagally purchases music or a movie and digitally puts it on their computer for their personal use!  And every consumer out there recognizes them for being just that.  GREEDY.  RIAA, you are making more enemies than you are helping your cause when you go after people like you are now going after.  You had my support when you went after persons downloading and sharing on the peer networks.  Those need to be stopped.  Me taking a movie or CD that I have purchased, dropping it on my computer or iPod for my pleasure shouldn't be a crime, and just because you convinced the government to make it one, doesn't mean you should pursue persons who do.  We are not your enemy.  Persons using peer networks are!

First of all, I appreciate all the email I have received on my review of the Tom Tom one.  I appreciate all the comments, and to the one guy who just emailed to point out that I am a redneck ,  yea, I am a redneck!  And after visiting your youtube site, I realized I would much rather talk like a redneck, as to spew four letter words constantly!  And remember, where I am from, I don't talk weird . . . . . . you do!

After I did the review, I thought it might be a good idea to capture the Tom Tom in action.  This morning I had to go to the hospital, and so I grabbed my video camera and a tripod, set it up to capture the Tom Tom, hit the record button and let it do its thing.  When I got home this afternoon, I edited out the stuff where it really wasn't doing anything other than tracking, to shorten the video up!  Hope you enjoy! 

Wow!  I was not prepared for the response I got when I posted the Shomi Specs and a little bit about the unit!  The emails and comments have been very nice to say the least!  But the bottom line here is that the Shomi has terrible documentation and no web site that I can find, thus the many questions that you are having.  Let me stress, I am no Shomi Expert.  And this is my first Digital Picture Frame!  I shopped a couple of stores before buyiing this one and really was buying on price alone.

Many of the questions you had, were to do with the best/easiest way to get photos from your camera to your Digital Player.  My suggestion would be to dedicate a card to your Shomi Player and if you don't have a card reader to buy a USB card reader.  The video below covers a few options on getting those pictures from the camera to player and the steps you might have to take.  

I just read over at Engadget that they got their hands on a Palm Foleo and will be offering up a review shortly.  Many credit (blame) Engadget with the death of the Foleo.  But I think it was the Palm community as a whole who brought about this untimely death! But I did get to thinking about something.  We all know that the techie gift of 2007 was the seven inch, Linux OS Eee PC from Asus!  Its basically a bare bones PC with four gigs of Flash memory, WiFi, and a camera.  Its very limited in what it can do, and retails for $399.  Remember the Foleo retailed for $599.  So with that in Mind, I thought it might be fun to compare the two as we know/knew them, just to see which one might have come out on top since the two were very similar in their approaches.  Of course, the Foleo was going to depend upon a Palm OS Treo to function, and the Eee depends largely on a WiFi network, to function.

	Palm Foleo	Asus Eee
Function
Flash Storage	128 megs of RAM and 256 megs of flash,	4 Gigs of Flash RAM
Weight	2.5 Pounds	2.0 pounds
Display	LCD Size / Type: 10.2" Wide	LCD Size / Type: 7" Wide LCD Resolution: 800x480 (~WVGA)
Chipset	*?  But seems like it was the same as the Treo chip the best I can remember	Processor: Intel Mobile CPU Chipset: Intel Mobile Chipset
Operating System	Linux developed and hacked by Palm and who is now Acess Linux	Linux Preloaded (Windows XP Compatible, Drivers included)
Ethernet Communication	None, as it depended upon the Treo's data connection or Wifi	10/100
WiFi	B	B/G
Camera for Video Conferencing	None for the Foleo	Eee has this covered
Expansion Slot	SD and Compact Flash	SD Card Slot
Price	$599	$399

The Eee PC for $400 delivers a unit that does email, surfs the web, runs on WiFi, has much more storage, would handle pictures, includes Windows drivers, and is generally a much more versatile device.  And for a list price $200 cheaper than the Foleo was supposed to debut at.  I too, vented about the Foleo and how stupid I thought this idea was. And my biggest argument at the time, was that for the same amount of money that the Foleo was, I could go to my local Office Depot and come home with a Laptop that also played music and movies as well as sync with my Treo and all that it cost me was a couple of pounds.  

If you look at Eee sales, you know that they have a winner on their hands!  This little Linux Wonder is a big hit for sure! This was what the Foleo could have been!  These could have been Foleo sales!  But Palm didn't want to build a Linux Laptop, they wanted to build a companion device to a unit whose OS was dieing a slow death.  Palm, you were close, but no cigar . . . 

zLauncher is one of my favorite apps for the Palm Treo.  It does so much more than just launch Palm apps!  Here is a short video review of this very cool app!

zLauncher is very affordable!  Only $19.95 and you can get it here .   This app makes your Treo much more useable!  I would highly recommend!