A new life to your old Canon Powershot Cameras!

Got an old Canon Power Shot camera? This includes the SD and G models. Sure looks outdated. But cheer up! All is not lost! Go visit the URL- http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK. And bring life to your old Canon. The most important new feature is the ability to record in RAW mode. Can my old Canon do that? Why did Canon not include RAW? Probably Canon feared that enabling RAW in their Compacts will erode sales of their DLSR line.

First step is to check if your model is supported. And then download the approriate HACK to your camera's memory card. And choose FIRMWARE UPDATE from your Camera Menu. Presto! You now can shoot in both RAW and JPEG. You can alter your shot to your desire without losing precious details due to JPEG. The hack does not alter your Camera's firmware. It only appends to your firmware. You can remove it anytime you want.

I tried the hack on my Canon Powershot A700. And have not experienced any problems. You get the option to save the RAW file in a separate folder or JPEG folder. It took approximately 3 seconds to save the file to my memory Card. Other cool features - a Histogram display when taking your shot, Under/Over exposure indicators, and 2 GAMES- reversi and sokoban. :)

Fring anyone?

Fring is a software that allows you to call or chat with various IM platforms- Skype, Google Talk, AIM, Yahoo and MSN via WIFI or your carrier's data plan. The software is available for Symbian and WM devices. There are 3 major advantages for downloading Fring to your device- a. The software is FREE. b. You can call/chat with various IM platform in one software. c. It integrates your Phone contacts when you run the application.

Voice clarity using SKYPE was good. Just make sure you are on WIFI or on a 3G broadband Plan. And you have enough SKYPE credits to make the call. The call will be cheaper if you are on a free WIFI area.

The multiple IM's enable you to chat to almost everyone you know on different messenger platforms.

Magic Button 2.1 a perfect complement to IFONZ

IFONZ is a great WM Interface. You can run a particular application at a touch of a button. But the interface lacks the ability to multi-task. The solution- download Magic Button. The software allows you move out of an application and return to the IFONZ interface to run another Program. It displays running programs as ICONS on the WM Task Bar. Simply press a Program Icon to return t0 a running application.

And you can configure the program to really CLOSE programs. Other uses of Magic Button are- shut-down or soft reset your PDA and look for the Definition of a particular WORD if you installed the WORD Dictionary.

It's a great program to install. And only uses 71kb of your memory.

New IFONZ update

The application IFONZ has been updated to 0.9.4. New features added to this update are:

1. Slide down your finger or stylus to minimize the program.
2. Added the ability to slide through pages from left to right.
   
3. Addition of System Information to show battery and memory status.
4. Added Notifications and Move Gestures in the Setting Menu.
5. Allower user to set the Program to ask first before closing down the program.
6. Additional animation effect when pressing a button.

And many more fixes and enhancements.

The program uses approximately 2.5mb of Free RAM. I detected some Memory Leaks which causes your PDA to report less available RAM after closing a program. The version 8.8 fixed the leaks. But the leaks returned in this new version. You need a program like Memmaid or GBA (Game Boy Advance Emulator) to restore lost RAM. Looking forward to version 1.0.

To download the new version click on this URL address- http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=369241. And do Donate when the program turns to version 1.0.

Why I still love WM?

The market is littered with a variety of mobile Platforms- to name a few Apple,Palm, Symbian, Android, and QT. But the Window platform remains my Mobile Platform choice when the innovation of Palm stopped. Like Palm, there are a myriad of applications, free or paid, to jazz up your device. Its this lack of applications which will prove to be a liability for other Platforms. WM Platform provides true flexibility to cater to your specific requirements- be it Business or Personal. Until a better Platform will arrive and hypnotize the Market, the WM Platform still remains the leader and choice Mobile platform of the Future.

Which Touch Interface for WM?

There are now 4 exceptional Touch Interface software available for WM devices- SPB Shell 2.0, Goodwin, Pointui and Ifonz. Which one to choose?

Once deciding factor to consider is Simplicity. And Ifonz wins. The application is reminiscent of the PALM interface- one press of a button to run a Program. Plus the added convenience of Touch to view Pages. Beats the hassle of pressing the Program menu, Searching for the Program, and Running the Program. Further, the interface allows the user to program the application they want to RUN- e.g. PocketInformant in lieu of the bland WM Calendar. And the internet is littered with free and paid programs to make your WM Device graphically tasteful!

The second best program is Pointui. It gives instant access to Time, Appointments, Tasks and Contacts by sweeping your finger across the screen. Its a Graphically intensive application. But fails in providing instant access to Programs. You still have to go to the graphical Program Menu to look for the application you want to run.

The third best program is SPB Shell 2.0. It gives instant access to Time, Weather, and Appointments. With ICONS littered in the Today screen to access your Phone, Mail, Programs and Contacts. Although it provides 12 slots for your Favorite Programs, other applications have to be accessed using the Program Folder. It could have been my second choice, but Graphically the program is a history of its previous iterations. SPB just added the touch and animation feel.

And Goodwin comes in at a distant fourth. The application fall shorts of WOW! factor. Just the ability to use Touch on your screen.

SPB Shell 2.0- another Touch Interface Concept

SPB just released an update to their Shell application. Some interesting features are

1. A Touch Interface with 3 Panel View- Today, Applications and Contacts. Just sweep across your Screen to change views.
   
2. The Today View shows a Big Analog Clock with Weather or an Analog Clog with Appointments. Easy access to your Calendar, Programs, Contacts,Mail,SMS,Phone Profile and Weather.
   
3. The Application View shows 12 of your Favorite Programs plus instant access to Settings.
4. The Contact View shows 19 of your Favorite Contacts.
5. A choice of Animation Effects.
6. A small memory footprint.

The program costs US$29.95. Users of previous SPB Shell versions can upgrade at 50% discount of the price.