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-- Scripting a Synch with my Visor on Win98 (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/showthread.php?threadid=1642)

I had a question about using a script to wake my Win98 machine in the a.m., dial-up my ISP, download my e-mail & AvantGo info, and then sync with my Visor (all before I wake up). Does anyone know of a scripting program that would enable me to do this?
Thanks!

You probably would need to leave the Visor in the cradle and that would drain your batteries at a very high rate. You don't want to leave the Visor (or a Palm) in it's cradle when not in use.

If you have an IR port on your PC, you might do it that way. Anyone else have a suggestion?

-Eric

I thought I read one of the posts awhile back that someone was going to release a cradle that would re-charge NiMH batteries. If so - what type of scripting program would allow me to do all I was trying to do (dial-up my ISP, download my email & AvantGo info, and sync my Visor. . .)
Thanks!

Have no idea what options might be available to you for a scripting language, but on the issue of batteries:

The Visor uses AAA batteries ONLY. It is possible to use rechargeable AAA's (NiMH or alkalines) with the Visor, but the Visor has no feature to allow it to recharge batteries WHILE THEY ARE IN IT. So unless a rechargeable Visor cradle also includes a reworked Visor, it won't do any good.

The only other option would be a cradle that provides AC power to the Visor, but I'm not sure if power can be transferred through the USB port (USB has this in it's specs, but I don't know if the Visor does).

In any case, I hope you find a solution to your rather intriguing idea for automation.

You could use Windows Scripting Host that comes with Windows 98. It uses VBScript or JavaScript and can bind to any Windows COM functionality. I'm not sure if Handspring will have COM enabled synchronization to make this possible. But you could easily schedule these scripts with the built-in Win98 Task Scheduler. The power drain in the cradle seems like a big problem!

Still waiting for my Blue Vx in Boston...

============================================
C:\WIN98>cscript
Microsoft (R) Windows Scripting Host Version 5.0 for Windows
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation 1996-1997. All rights reserved.

Usage: CScript scriptname.extension [option...] [arguments...]
=============================================

Are there any 2nd party scripting programs for Win98?

B:

Your best bet would be to automate everything within Windows 98 except the HotSync process. IOW, and due to the speed of the USB hotsync, you'd be better off running your e-mail application a few minutes before you wake up, then configure AvantGo to get its info immediately thereafter. Or reverse it. Whatever.

Then, before you left for the day, you could then just hit the sync button. According to everything I've read, the sync is four times faster than the standard serial/Palm sync. Which means that it would be about the same time to sync the entire Visor's memory (8MB) as it would to sync a full 2MB Palm device. While I know little about automating and scripting, etc. (I have a DSL Net connection and wouldn't need it), I would think the best thing to do would be to automatically check your e-mail, get your AvantGo channels and then hotsync. Dropping the Visor in the cradle and hitting the button wouldn't take THAT long that it would be worth investigating battery drain (almost definitely, btw) and the inherent complication of remotely starting a sync (doable but messy, my guess) when dropping it in and hitting a button after the info's been automatically d/l'd into your PC would be the easiest solution by far.

Eric:

A follow-up to my post...

Battery drain is something which has been addressed since the first Pilot 1000's were floating around. I'm not sure of the differences between the USB and the serial cradles, but the battery drain isn't _major_ -- although leaving it in the cradle overnight for a month, every night, is bound to eat up batteries quicker than normal.

Overall, a minute here or there isn't deadly, and I can't go by my own experience b/c I NEVER leave my Pilot/etc. in the cradle unless I'm hotsyncing and I happen to walk away before it's completed.

Generally, my recollection is that leaving it in for a few hours at a time will not consume major battery juice. Sort of like a reverse trickle charge, I think.

eric & Hot Carl,

There was a way to prevent battery drain with the Palm. The yellow wire in the Hotsync cradle could be disconnected --- this stopped any battery drainage. You can find details on how to do this on PalmPilot and Palm III on http://www.conklinsystems.com/pilot/drainfix.shtml. My Palm used to sit in its cradle every work day without any battery drainage.

Anyone know if something similar can be done for the Visor?

[This message has been edited by kalahari (edited 10-26-1999).]

I was looking for a similar setup... here's my solution (using Win98).

The key to the whole thing is that I have my Internet preferences set to allow autodial and to hang up after 10 minutes of inactivity.

I use the Windows Task Scheduler to launch my e-mail client (Lotus Notes) at about 3 AM. My client is set to do a send & receive whenever it launches. The client launches, sends & received mail, & (eventually) hangs up.

Then I do a sync in the morning as soon as I wake up. I don't keep my Visor in the cradle due to the battery drain, but placing it in there and pressing the sync button is no big deal.

During the sync, AvantGo activates the autodial again and downloads my Web stuff. It's hung up by the time I get out of the shower. When I'm heading to work I just grab my Visor and go!