VisorCentral.com (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/index.php)
- Springboard Modules (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/forumdisplay.php?forumid=10)
-- Very Disappointing InnoGear News-Are they calling it the '5 Pak' now??? (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/showthread.php?threadid=5516)

[slightly off-topic but please indulge me]

Guess my somewhat agonizing decision to go to the Aero 1550 has been fully vindicated. I most missed the voice recording feature of the Pocket PC /Win CE devices. I had LONG held out-from 10/99 to 6/2000 in the hope that either the 6 pack or some other module would include simple voice recording.

Today (after 2 weeks away) I see where the recording function has been removed from both the MiniJam AND the 'Six-Pak' (sic).

Maybe it's me but almost a year since the PDA's been out with not ONE module capable of hooking up to the microphone circuitry is a huge embarrassment. Sony at least will not make that mistake with theirs.

Mike

Where did you get this information?

www.innogear.com

Could you tell us more specifically where on the site? I just looked again and the 6 pack listing still includes the voice recorder w/ speaker.

Well under the FAQ section for SixPak it's been removed-it still shows under general product info it's still listed (as number 3)

mike

Personally I think that Innogear should get it's act together. Their items are way over priced and seems to to be vapor(hard)ware
Why shoud a module be more expensive that a comparable item. Just look at the pricing of new mp3 players and the Minijam. Please do not give me a supply & demand answer or the rising cost of flash memory. The modules should never be more expensive than a VDX.


------------------
Dave B (Grandpa Geek)"If it ain't broke, don't fix it yet!
BUT IF IT IS PLEEZ FIX"

quote:

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Originally posted by dabirk:
Personally I think that Innogear should get it's act together. Their items are way over priced and seems to to be vapor(hard)ware
Why shoud a module be more expensive that a comparable item. Just look at the pricing of new mp3 players and the Minijam. Please do not give me a supply & demand answer or the rising cost of flash memory. The modules should never be more expensive than a VDX.

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quote:

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And if you concider that it can also be storage for your visor, AND will have software upgrades to make it a voice recorder (I think), it's quite a good deal!

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Q: What is The SixPak Combo?

A: The SixPak Combo, considered by many to be the �killer� Springboard Module. It packs SIX useful features into one, standard size Springboard Module:

56Kbps WIRELINE MODEM: V.90 phone modem connects at up to 56Kbps directly to phone lines without the need of any dongle

CELLULAR CAPABLE MODEM: External expansion port allows a data connection with Cellular phones while on the road (optional cable will be sold separately by InnoGear)

VIBRATING ALARM: Silent alert (vibratory) allows for alarms in situations where beeps are inappropriate

FLASHING LED ALARM: Visual alert flashes red or green through the integrated HotSync

MEMORY EXPANSION FOR YOUR VISOR: 8-Megabytes of Flash memory allows for OEM developer bundles, program storage and data backup.

For Innogear to delete the voice recorder function (way more important than the vibrating alarm or or flashing LED, for which there are already $40 modules) from the SixPak's product description while maintaining the claim that it "packs SIX useful features" can only be attributed to duplicity on the company's part -- unless it was an oversight. Would someone from Innogear like to chime in here?

[This message has been edited by Gameboy70 (edited 07-15-2000).]

I sent Innogear an e-mail today, and their response was that the six-pack will still have voice recording and playback capabilities!!!!!!!

Hmmm, maybe they meant to edit the MiniJam page.

Anyone besides me think it was odd that the VC interview with Bob Fullerton steered clear of the Six-Pack? I clicked on the link to the article in great anticipation of learning about the six-er and...no joy. If I had a captive audience of Innogear, I'd ask 'em all day long about the six-pack.

Maybe I'm the only person that interested in it.

Disclaimer: This is not a slam on the the interview per se, but speculative critisism on the (likely pre-interview) "ground-rules" of the questioning.

Anyone else?

tyler

Tyler:

I see you are a cynic . I can see where you are coming from though. One would think that the interviewer would ask some questions about the most anticipated module for the visor.

I will take innogear at their word though. They said that their six-pack will *be* a six pack with voice recorder according to an earlier post. If they don't deliver, they are going to face a huge consumer backlash. One in which they will not recover from.

I'm sure Innoger will get six-pak out eventualy.

Innogear.....some words of advice....You need to be more like the Palm guys. Don't even talk about your new products until they are ready ship. When the Palm V came out, it was under so much of a secret about the only thing anyone knew about it was it was code named RAZOR. I beleive you have made a big mistake by posting your product details so far in advance......

I'll still buy a six-pak after I have seen reviews but for future reference.....don't get us all excited.

Heyday

SixPak is still as SixPak...we are still a voice recorder...we will check into the web site information....we are completely rebuilding the web site, so possibly someting happened to the text data.

Hang in there people...we are building a company that is dedicated to bringing Springboards solutions to the market...we are a startup and growing fast. As far as pricing goes, we cannot help that there is price gouging on memory chips and other key components...several articles about this market fact has been posted on this web site by others...your complaints should be directed to those companies getting rich off of the short supply/high demand/worldwide shortages of key components. We are at very normal margins, but we are running a business would never sell products below our cost.

Thanks!
InnoGear.

quote:

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Originally posted by tyler:
Hmmm, maybe they meant to edit the MiniJam page.

Anyone besides me think it was odd that the VC interview with Bob Fullerton steered clear of the Six-Pack?

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quote:

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Originally posted by JHromadka:
No conspiracy there. I talked with Bob more on the MiniJam because that was the product that was about to come out.

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Thanks, Innogear, for taking the time to respond.

This is why its more then just an MP3 Player!
See if your other portables can do this..


- The worlds first MP3 Player for the PalmOS. MiniJam is a plug-and-play
hardware device for the Handspring Visor Springboard Expansion System.

-. MiniJam plays MP3 files and comes in two memory configurations; 32
Megabyte and 64 Megabyte.
-MiniJam currently supports up to 128 Megabytes (2 hours) using optional
MMC Upgrade.
-Other "non music" uses of MP3 include news, spoken word, etc..., MiniJam
will be supporting various spoken word applications and services.
-MiniJam is more than just a MP3 Player...MiniJam brings a full multimedia
experience and useful utilities to the Visor user including
- Megabyte FLASH memory expansion
-Mass storage of PalmOS Applications and Database files (stored on the
MMC).
-Programmable, flashing LED Silent Alarm.
-A suite of pre-loaded applications that provide a full multimedia
experience on the Visor including:
-MiniJukeBox: Our MP3 player.
1. Full playback control including Play, Pause, Stop, Next Track, Previous
Track, Fast Forward, Rewind, etc...
2. Full track information including song name, title, artist, sample rate
and frequency (quality)
3. Playlist management
4. Graphic Equalizer with sliding control bars.
5. ID3 TAG information (complete information about the song track)
6. SKINS!! MiniJam provides this popular desktop software feature on a Palm
screen!!!
ii. "eBooks"
1. Pre-loaded new version of "Peanut Reader" from Peanut Press plus sample
eBook and magazine. Read eBooks on your Visor.
iii. Image Viewer and Slide Show
1. Pre-loaded version of "Album to Go" from Club Photo . Drag and drop any
bitmap image on your desktop computer to MiniJam. View images one at a
time, or as a slide show.
iv. Entertainment
4. MiniJam comes complete with:
a. MiniJam Springboard Module that includes the 2 Megabyte Internal Flash
Memory Expansion for the Visor with pre-loaded multimedia applications, user
control button on top, headphone jack, Auxilery DC Jack for external
extended power accessories.
i. MiniJam comes in ICE or GRAPHITE
b. High Quality Headphones ).
c. Desktop MP3 utility programs including MusicMatch PLUS (a $29.99 value);
full retail version.
d. Sample MP3 Songs and content including tracks from eMusic.
e. SanDisk MMC storage cards (totaling 32MB or 64MB depending on SKU)
f. A free user account at minijam.com, the community and content site
companion to MiniJam.

quote:

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Originally posted by Gameboy70:
Thanks, Innogear, for taking the time to respond.

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Well, the MiniJam sounds like it should be good. It is expensive though.

If you're interested only in MP3 playback though, another option is one of those CD-R/MP3 players. But buyer beware... I ordered a MamboX and the company I ordered from (not Tagram) went bankrupt and took my money with them. So, now I've ordered a Genica. Unfortunately, neither do high bitrate MP3 or VBR very well from what I hear. The main benefit is the 650 MB storage space, but size is an issue, not to mention the lack of features. However, if you were thinking of a CD portable already, this may be a good option.

[This message has been edited by Eug (edited 07-17-2000).]