Friday, December 12, 2003

Zip-Linq cable for Tungsten E sync AND charging: buy the Zip-Linq mini-USB mouse

rom: jfaughnan@spamcop.net (John Faughnan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.palmtops.pilot
Subject: Zip-Linq cable for Tungsten E sync AND charging: buy the Zip-Linq mini-USB mouse
NNTP-Posting-Host: 209.98.142.122
Message-ID: <5c0dbfb4.0312121044.6d00220@posting.google.com>

Google Groups Posting

The Zip-Linq (USB 1.1 ONLY, not high speed) cable is my favorite 2003 product. A single mini-B cable works with

- the Tungsten E
- some digital cameras
- some cell phones
- the Zip-Linq mini-USB travel mouse
- the Zip-Linq travel charger / power adaptor

If you have a Tungsten E, I'd recommend buying the Zip-Linq mini-USB mouse and getting a very portable sync cable and a very portable optical mouse for $20.

For my other postings on the fabulous Zip-Linq devices, plus URLs, see:

http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=5c0dbfb4.0310231822.15cb711e%40posting.google.com

and

http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=5c0dbfb4.0310231822.15cb711e%40posting.google.com

Since Palm doesn't provide a standard replacement or travel charger for the T|E either a Samsung phone charger [1] or the Zip-Linq charger are good alternatives.

I'm now buying devices in part based on their integration of the mini-B adapter so they work with the Zip-Linq cable family and other similar devices -- including shared power adaptors.

john
jfaughnan@spamcop.net


[1] http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=6nlitvkh9qrk2v49u5b94om3hngh1qs237%404ax.com


"The port is a standard 5 volt/1 amp port, the same one used by many
Samsung cell phones. While I'm sure the E will sell in sufficient
numbers to spawn a line of chargers of its own, for now you can pick up
chargers for the Samsung A460/A500 and use them with the E. I've got a
Belkin car charger that works great. I use the car charger whenever
possible,..."

This quote is in the middle of a pretty decent, comprehensive review.

http://writingonyourpalm.net/column031013.htm

meta: jfaughnan, jgfaughnan, USB, standard, device, integration, travel, compatibility, Zip-Linq, PalmOne, Tungsten E, TE, T|E, Tungsten/E, mobile, cellphone

About WinXP User Accounts: Summary of what accounts have what privileges

About WinXP User Accounts - Help Article

Thursday, December 11, 2003

PalmOne page on cell phones and palm devices -- a bit hard to find!

Palm Wireless Solutions - Bluetooth® Products and Solutions

Apple - Discussions - Changes to the iBook power supply

Apple - Discussions - Changes to the iBook power supply
I own a 1.5 yo G3 dual USB 600MHz iBook. I have recently replaced the battery (down to 40 min life) and the power supply (crummy cheap plastic sheath came off the end).

The only replacements offered are the G4 power supply and battery. A few comments

1. the new battery is much higher amperage, on a G3 it's good for about 4-5 hours depending on whether one uses wireless or note.

2. The new power supply looks very similar to the old one, but it is improved. The plugs slide on and off and fit both power supplies, but the new power supply does not come with the international plugs that I think my iBook came with. The new supplies power cord is very heavy and has a 3 pronged plug, the old power cord was delightfully light and had a 2 pronged plug. The new cord will NOT fit on the old power supply.

The new 65W power supply outputs higher current.

The old supply was 24V 1.875A.
The new supply is 24.5V 2.85A

I'm a bit surprised that the higher Amp power supply will work with my iBook, but that's what the box and web site say.

The new power supply replaced the frail tip on the old one with a sturdier looking plastic cover, and the the plastic post on the old supply is now metal.

Wednesday, December 10, 2003

Panther supports JPEG 2000 with iPhoto?

MacInTouch Home Page
Tom Kornack shared some notes about JPEG 2000 and Mac support for it:

Large JPEG 2000 files in 16 bit format with a specialized color profile store my photography. It's the only compressed format that doesn't throw away 4 of the 12 bit dynamic range that comes out of my camera. On this subject I have three related points:
* iPhoto: I was floored when I plopped one of these files into iPhoto on my machine running 10.3 and saw it appear flawlessly, ready for manipulation, classification, etc. This was not possible using 10.2.
* SIPS: sips is a command line program that provides access to all of OS X's image manipulation routines. It is the only command line program that I know of that can handle JPEG 2000, high bit depth images, color profiles and everything else that one could want. All the images on my web site (http://androsace.com/ - while you're there, note the drop shadow css tag in effect if you're on 10.3 in Safari) are generated using this method. I believe that this is the single most powerful yet unadvertised new feature.
* Photoshop: I was surprised that the JPEG2000 plug-in that is provided with Photoshop CS produces files that do not open correctly in Preview or Graphic Converter. To see this effect, you must save a file for which the pixel dimensions are greater than the tile size.

This is quite extraordinary. It will be interesting to see how this will work with my Canon G2. I may start shooting G2 RAW images, then importing them and using GC to convert to JPEG2000 for import into iPhoto. Of course with an iBook with limited disk pace, a G3, and USB 1.x this would be strictly for test purposes. However if Apple does put out iPhoto 2.x or 3.x in the next few months, and especially if they put out the rumored thin client slate, I may have to buy a G5 sooner than I'd expected.

Monday, December 08, 2003

Using USB charging for multiple devices: iPod, Tungsten T PDA, cellphone and Zip-Linq

From: jfaughnan@spamcop.net (John Faughnan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware.misc
Subject: iPod, Cell, PDA: sharing an external USB power "standard" charger
Message-ID: <5c0dbfb4.0312080754.387af9e6@posting.google.com>

Keyspan and Zip-Linq sell the same devices, all produced in Taiwan.

They're doing some very interesting things, leveraging USB charger standards.

Note this universal charger: http://www.ziplinq.com/pwr.html [1] with a USB connector. If one bought the USB accessory cable for an iPod, I wonder if one could charge with this. Note it emulates a USB power supply, the only "standard" low voltage power source. I also travel with a cell phone and a Tungsten T. Keyspan/Zip-Linq sell USB cables that work with this charger.

So, one could travel with a single charger, a set of Zip-Linq cables, and charge a PDA, Cellphone, and iPod (though not all at once, maybe rotating them one night at a time ... a bit tricky but I think I could do it ...).

Anyone want to try it out and report back?

Come to think of it, another way to so something similar might be to buy a compact powered USB hub. That would also have only one charger, but it could have 3-4 USB connectors. Or combine a passive USB hub with this device to charge multiple things at the same time. Interesting ...

meta: jfaughnan, jgfaughnan, charger, iPod, PDA, Tungsten T, cellphone, mobile phone, cell, charger, adaptor, adapter, travel charger, lithium, battery

[1] AC Wall Plug to 5V USB Adapter
ZIP-PWR-AC / UPC# 724580610137 / MSRP $19.99

This AC power adapter allows you to easily adapt your Ziplinq retractable charging cable to work from any 110VAC outlet. Provides 150-450mA output for super fast charges, even while using your phone. This portable and lightweight adapter rapidly charges NI-Cd, Ni-Mh and Li-Lon batteries in about an hour*.

Specifications:
• Works with any USB charger cable
• Input: 110-240 VAC 50/60HZ (compatible for international travel)
• Output: 5 VDC + 5%
• Min: 150 mA / Max: 450 mA