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(Last updated: Tue., Nov. 7, 2007)
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HA Ponderings Page

In a Slashdot article entitled: Linux on Palm I posted a response about the possible use for Linux on the Palm Pilot and what use it would be. Well here is the posting and my further thoughts on the subject:

How about using it as a remote ....

That sounds kind of stupid doesn't it? But keep reading it's not as limited as that. For the sake of brevity I won't go into each detail. I think I'll post an article on my web page with my thoughts on this subject (and I'll go into details). See the links below.

First I have a PIIIx (4M of ram expandable to 8M and OS3.3), This is one tool I find very useful. I'm also a home automation (HA) enthusiast and I've been pondering/considering using inexpensize items to interface to my HA systems. I have a gameboy, a TI-85, an HP28C, a TRS model 100 and the Palm Pilot. Each has it's limitations, the PIIIx/Visor has several things going for it. But it also has limitations, one of which is you can not task switch an application. You can only do 1 thing with it at a time (this is not a limitation of the processor, I think). By adding multitasking you can send and receive messages (not limited to mail, other types of messages also) run an app, have another app interrupt you to let you know something else is going on (not just appointments or timed todos). If I can get an 802.11 interface connectivity/flexiblity would be further increased. There are still lots of problems to overcome and most of what I am describing sounds very silly but the Palm Pilot provides an simple to use and flexible system to interface to other things. And with the cost of the Visor these devices may just replace the TV remote as a simple device found in just about every home (at least in the US).

One other thing, has anyone noticed that the Palm Pilots are only a little smaller than the report pads used on Star Trek?

The WindStone PE module provides binary compatibility with PalmOS®, the PDA OS developed by 3Com Palm Computing®. With WindStone PE, thousands of PalmOS®x applications can be used without any modification.