SL4 basics

i forgot to mention hpcnotes (similar to phatnotes, right?) works too.

I dunno why the Sig3 guy used sprite. Maybe the backup program was still in Japanese, this was awhile ago.

I like the .net desktop look. I like POS for PIM. I don't like wordpad. I like Messenger, and some other tidbits caught my eye. If Mullenger sells his rom to users (with some sort of antipiracy code) over the wire I'll buy it certainly. Um, price reduction would help also. I guess it's not a bad idea to have one hpc running a "modern" supported OS.

Since I still don't know what rom is in the SL4 (and I would rather know the day the box arrives, it's more fun that way) I'm gearing up mentally for either or.

One thing puzzles me. Shouldn't any .net arm program work on any .net arm platform.? I thought that was a big part of .net . I have and use GPSDash II, which requires the .net framework. So there's no way it will work on hpc2k? And iffy anyway on 4.1 net?

OT. Has anyone tried installing the .net compact framework on a hpc2k? Any luck?

Anyway, back to topic. Cmonex, try as I might, the kbds on the j series are too small for me. Sure I like the pocketability idea of them, but more often than not I used calligrapher or its' onscreen keyboard anyway. I made an honest fruitless effort to touch type on the 690 .

For all intents my j690 was nothing more to me than an oversized folding piddle pee cee, with a bigger screen and nice stylus. Yes, I loved that stylus, but I digress. Having renewed my acquaintence with the j series, the keys haven't grown any bigger so my typing's no better.

So hey, I keep my crappy Casio beater in my pocket all the time for notes n such and take a real tool (6651/Libretto/SL4 in future) when I know I need to do real work. I'm really comfortable, as mentioned, using my 6651 to replace my desktop instead of as a complement.

I think I'll be really comfortable with the size and heft of the SL4 for everything. I am eager to see if it's display is as crisp and sharp as a 6651. It's bigger with more res so I'm hoping. The first task after bootup is to benchmark it and see how it peforms on paper.

I never thought I'd say "I'm done" in terms of buying hpc gear but I feel I am. Oh, I still have to get goodies like a bluetooth dongle, maybe the ratoc card (so expensive) bigger flash cards perhaps, a gprs card maybe, a big maybe, but another hpc?

Naw. I have no desire for a 4" VGA or 5" SVGA or similar unit with keys so small a hamster would have issues touch typing. More cpu speed won't make me type any faster. More ram is nice but IMHO I'm the small footprint master (Under 1600Kb storage ram used and steadily dropping!!)

With the SL4 addition I don't see any circumstances I can't handle, except burning disks. I'll give my desktop the win there. But I will admit to always keeping one eye peeled for a spotless e755 for cheap to replace my Casio.

I think I'll be content until hpcs come with a virtual 19" hires lcd eyepiece, integrate an 80gb nanodrive, run desktop software, go for a week of actual use on a single charge, of course integrate satellite phone and gps, and finally, cost about $300. But until then...

I love my lifestyle, due in large part to hpcs liberating me from a desktop. I loathe spending time in front of my desktop. I'm gonna hide my desktop in a ventilated closet where it belongs.

Stands and taps microphone. "My name is Wally and I'm a recovering desktop junkie."

Good old Dr. Phil has some wise words." We never rid ourselves of an addiction, we substitute it for another addiction." I'll take hpc addiction any day.

Steps off soapbox. Boy, did I go on a tangent. But I'd still rather carry two hpcs than one laptop.

edit: Does anyone read this drivel?

Edited by wallythacker 2005-08-22 12:28 AM

Unfortunately

Hey, wait a minute. This site

http://handhelds.org/~florian/simpad/feed/

Lists usb hid and usb storage modules for the SL4. How can that be if the SL4 USB port is slave/client only? Has anyone actually tried the deje drivers on either a hpc2k or .net SL4?

Well, you can bet I will the minute I have it.

Snappy, I downloaded a 16mb file from opensimpad.org. Is that all I need, does it have x-windows and all the apps? Forgive me here, my last nix exposure was in 1994 with SGI boxes.

I just flash that file and, poof! , reboot to nix? That simple?

And add the modules above to get usb host functions? This is getting interesting.

Not too sure about the USB hid/storage modules thingie. For a device to be a USB host, it requires a USB host controller ... I doubt its similiar to what goes on a client device.

For flashing to opensimpad, you need

1. New bootloader
2. Image (which you may have gotten)

You should get an image that is around 24++ mb ... its for the SL4. The 16MB image is for the SLC which has only 16MB flash rom.

There are instructions on flashing the SL4 to opensimpad. But if you are using the newer 0.9.x roms, then the bootloader is *not* compatible to siemens images. If you later want to revert back, you need to reflash the bootloader to accept the siemens images. But no rocket science ... just have to be careful!

wally, unfortunately i read it too! and even more unfortunate: i'll answer as well!

what's your problem with wordpad? i assume then you never liked pocketword in hpc2000 either. correct?
(wordpad is the same app as pocketword..)

.net can run on hpc2000, at least on a jornada 72x. my experience
gsICQ runs beautifully with the .net cf on the jornada, but interestingly this program (gsICQ) has some problem with the built-in .net on the MP 900C. i haven't tried it on the sig3 yet but i'll look at it
i tried another .net program on hpc2000 and it started up with an error and didn't work.. so .net isn't perfect yet. 50% (1 out of 2) of programs runs.. 50% doesn't.. hum..

pocketability and size.. as you said somewhere to each their own
i don't actually put my hpc's in my pocket (i'm not always able to do that even with my small phone). but i need them to be relatively small (the 900C is an exception ). with a very good keyboard of course! and only jornada / sig3 size can provide that for me.
i really don't think the jornadas are just oversized folding piddle pc's. sorry but it hurt my feelings! there's a lot of difference.
anyway we agree, 4" VGA isn't too good. the sig3 is a little better (and the keyboard might be even better than a jornada keyboard). it isn't SVGA btw, just WVGA. but one of the nexios have SVGA on 5" (and an unusable keyboard, eh).
ram: you'll still like the 64 MB in the SL4! you'll have more program ram than ever. even if you don't fiddle with saving storage ram you'll have much much more program ram.

benchmarks: just visit rothberger.net and look at the benchmarks. SL4 has already been benchmarked with every OS from hpc2000 to ce.net 4.2.

hehe i feel the same about hpc's, i'm done now that i got the sig3
my current hpc's will be enough for me really. and there's no better hpc on the market any more... maybe in the future.. i hope..

Well then, I made a wrong turn somewhere.

I have a 16mb .8 image (quoted as for the SL4) from opensimpad.org initrd-sl4_0_8_1-1.bin

I think nix can stay on a far back burner for awhile till I get some experience flashing from hpc2k to .net and back again. I'll still try the deje drivers out, if there's USB host support in nix (it sure looks like it) then perhaps?

Monica, I had a long edit typed and timed out , figures.

I'm not dissing the 7x0s. IMO for their size I think they're the best combo of a ppc and a hpc there is. But my 690, other than having a keybaord, was pretty limited even compared to my casio for what I needed to do, hence my folding piddle pee cee comment.

I realized I needed to step up a size and learn to worjk with that. And my 6651 has been the best tool for the jobs I've tossed at it. I doublt I'd have the patience to key this on the 690, (if I could even get to this site, I never surfed on it) without going nuts from all the mistakes. same thing moving downsize. I'd go bonkers using the piddle pee cee to tap or write this message. Not worth the effort IMO.

But, hey, the 6x0, 7x0, and various ppcs are perfect for a lot of people and the tasks they have. I'll be the first to say what's right for me doesn't make it right for you.

Curious. Will you be replacing all your 7x0s with SIG3s and selling the 7x0s? Or are you going to keep some variety in the fleet?

the 690 was crippled by a crappy SH3 cpu and by an older OS. that's why it was limited compared to your casio
so it's not a piddle pc at all.
so, yes, they're perfect for many ppl, as jornada size is good for those who can type fast on that keyboard (i can), and/or the size factor matters!

i don't know about my jornadas' fate yet. the 720 is already sold ... only in theory so it's still with me
i'm still in the process of testing the sig3, but probably i'll get it all perfect soon. and i need to find an extended battery for it. after that .. the 728.. hm probably i wouldn't want to sell it. why not keep a backup + testmachine? what's more i could still have an use for it!


oh and don't forget to copy your longer posts to clipboard before submitting it.

Edited by cmonex 2005-08-23 2:24 PM

Hmmm, no SL4 hpc2k bench at rothberger, just .net stuff.

It looks like the SL4 is on par speedwise with my 6651, unless it gets overclocked, then it edges it out. I'm not a fan of o/c cpus with passive cooling so...Since I'm pleased with the speed of my 6651 the SL4 will be fine.

I think hpc2k will be my starting point considering the above. .net performs like a pig in many cases. No wonder the push for faster cpus in ce devices running .net.

I didn't see a MP790 score, but I remember Zapper got 271, a 780 gets 225, so a 780 with 790 rom is likely to be in the 225 range.

Monica, that Sig of yours is pretty fast. Is it 400 or 530mhz? It must fly. Can it do a tablet flipover?

Edited by wallythacker 2005-08-24 2:26 AM

oops, i see there's really no hpc2000 benchmark for it.
you should do it... please!

MP790... hm didn't zapper submit his scores there? i'll tell him to do so!
i think the 780 with the 790 rom will be 271. it is the same hardware, just the OS is different, so an upgraded 780 = 790.

the sig3 is 400 Mhz by default, but i might try the 530 Mhz mode as well!
yes it's very fast in many cases (there are exceptions tho). the ATI video chip is very good at video playback according to tcpmp benchmarks. (i'll play with it soon..)
it can't do tablet mode if it could it would be the 100000% perfect hpc!!!
(i can open it in 180 degrees though. i like that)

Edited by cmonex 2005-08-24 6:45 AM

On 2nd thought I guess the 780 is the same speed as the 790so theyshold bench the same.
But is easy to see how the rated specs of a machine are meeaningless compared to a bench.


Example. on paper the 6651 is slower than a J690 until the bench gets run, then WOW1 the 6651 shows off.

darned double post.. Add a few 1000% if the OS was english and didn't need hacking. I sort of vowed to buy a Sig 3 if someone englished the rom but that was 2 years ago and nothing yet, so I guessing it's not likely to happen.

Edited by wallythacker 2005-08-24 10:16 AM

780 is slower in the benchmarks because the older OS is not so optimized

is the 6651 slower on paper? why? i'm a little surprised at that the intermec has mips and the 690 just sh3 so it was always obvious for me that the intermec is faster...
you mean the difference in the Mhz? that does not mean anything as we can see here.

oh i forgot that the OS isn't english.
now you can see it doesn't really matter after getting used to it. i even forgot it's a disadvantage apart from the lack of tablet mode
if you install the english files etc. it will become an english OS to a fair extent.
if you want 100% english OS:
C:Amie once mentioned there's a canadian company which will reflash sig3 to an english ce.net 4.1 OS. now... you're based there, aren't you?