Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Austin, TX USA
Posts: 178

What fun thing to do with a solo?

I have a Visor Solo (well, not really as I have a cradle... but it is the 2mb model) that I don't know what to do with. I upgraded to a 16mb Prism, so all of my PDA needs are already filled.

I would like to do something "fun" with it...

I thought about making it an mp3 player with one of the $12 minijams on ebay.

I thought about getting a modem or a serial tcpip connection to my home PC and using VNC on the Visor to remote control my PC from my bed. (I use my pc as my TV and Stereo.)

I thought about picking up a used GPS module for it, but they still seem kinda pricey for just a whim.

Anyone else have any suggestions? I am shooting for cool/clever/cheap.

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ThirdMan

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 118

If you can find a ParaPhone for cheap, you can get a cordless phone for your home with great speed dial features:
http://www.visorcentral.com/content...heet-59-27-.htm
I hate the speed dial on my home phone - I can't tell who is on Button1, etc.

Also, aren't Sprint Digital Links free with service activation?

Or OmniRemote. Have you seen the prices ($$) for universal remotes with touchscreens?!!

Check out AirClock:
http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_story.asp?ID=4781

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: "Children are a gift from God, they are a reward"
Posts: 1049

Coaster? That's really cheap!

Really, don't you know some young impressionable kid that you could foist it on, thereby insuring that yet another soul would be pulled into the ever delightful world of PDA-dom.

Also if you could find a cheap eyemodule you could buy a radio shack R/C car and make a little scoutmobile and take weird pictures from interesting angles.

I do like the VNC, but how many people are going to see that in your bedroom... wait, I don't want to know the answer to that!

Michael

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"I am a debtor both to Greeks and to Barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish."

Registered: Aug 2002
Location: Vermont
Posts: 148

Second on OmniRemote - get the Springboard OmniRemote with the X10 RF control ($75) and you could have a touchscreen remote with home automation control... can a expensive touchscreen remote do that?

- cml

Registered: Jul 2001
Location: OOB, ME
Posts: 176

buy a plat/neo/pro with a busted screen for next to nuthin and fix it.

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Only in a Jeep.

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 391

Eyemodule won't work well in a Visor Solo or Deluxe.

I would get the cordless phone module and the Omniremote software and use it as your couch potato control center. You shouldn't really need the remote module, because the Visor IR is quite powerful. If your printer has IR, get an IR print program as well, so you can take notes on it... if the cordless module supports a headset... and print them out. When you're really beat, turn off the phone and hook up the Raycom personal massager instead...

Can your Pocket PC do all that?

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Rev. Peter da Silva, ULC<br>
<a href=http://www.taronga.com/~peter/>Ar rug t� barr�g ar do mhact�re inniu?</a>

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 118

You could also use it at night with Planetarium. That is the best star charting program. The weak backlight will not ruin your nightvision.

Registered: Feb 2000
Location: Moved to Clie Land
Posts: 331

skeet?

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"Stupid Handspring."

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 391

Be kind of hard to shoehorn Planetarium and much of anything else into a Solo. You'd need to install it first, then shuttle it over to a flash memory module.

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Rev. Peter da Silva, ULC<br>
<a href=http://www.taronga.com/~peter/>Ar rug t� barr�g ar do mhact�re inniu?</a>

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 118

Planetarium, with databases, is about 240k on my Prism. I don't have all the databases loaded (comets, faint objects).

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Nebraska- the Good life
Posts: 695

My son uses our Solo (like yours, really just the plain Visor, but that never sounds right). We have it set up with a cheapo Matchbook Drive and have rigged it up for:

- a Portable Entertainment Device, loaded with several games, e-books (and CSpotRun and iSilo Free), etc. for use in the car, etc.

- Universal Remote for the TV, VCR, and DVD player, as well as our Bose radio using an older, registered version of OmniRemote software and built-in IR (which is good enough for our needs) and Second Screen TV for the listings.

- Software appropriate for his schoolwork (right now, mostly just the built-in datebook and address book and BDicty.

You can also rig it to be a second family computer for many uses (especially word processing for homework- the biggest thing most of our kids need our computer for!) by outfitting it with a memory card of some type, a keyboard, and access to a printer.

If you have multiple PDAs, I recommend the Wireless Link keyboard from Micro-Innovations. This is not nearly as cool or nice as the Stowaway, but it works with all Palm and PocketPC devices. You can also get a Stowaway for great prices for the Visors.

Printing can either happen by syncing back to the desktop computer, or getting printing software and either an IR-ready printer or an IR adaptor to put on your printer (like the infraReady at www.bachmannsoftware.com).

Now all you need is some word processing software, etc. and you have a mini-computer you can set up anywhere for your kids to do their homework on while you use the 'big' computer.

Add a modem and the Visor can also surf the 'Net and do e-mail. (Try www.access-4-free.com for a cheap ISP for that purpose if necessary)

(Yeah, I know- keyboard + IR system + software + modules can equal a cheap desktop computer nowadays, but then you got to find a place to set it up, etc. Besides, you probably already have most of the stuff and can get the rest real cheap if you look enough!)

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Do what you can, with what you have, where you are at!

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: "Children are a gift from God, they are a reward"
Posts: 1049

quote:

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Eyemodule won't work well in a Visor Solo or Deluxe.

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Does that mean I should throw away my deluxe and eyemodule?

What do you mean by well?

I wouldn't take the quality over even a inexpensive webcam, but he's talking about cheap and fun.

I would have suggested making a robot, but that's not cheap,
here and here

Michael

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"I am a debtor both to Greeks and to Barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish."

Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Austin, TX USA
Posts: 178

quote:

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Originally posted by BobbyMike

I would have suggested making a robot, but that's not cheap,
here and here
Michael

---

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ThirdMan

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: "Children are a gift from God, they are a reward"
Posts: 1049

I wonder if you could combine a robot with a remote? That way you would never lose the remote, it could follow you around....

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"I am a debtor both to Greeks and to Barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish."

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 391

quote:

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Originally posted by BobbyMike
Does that mean I should throw away my deluxe and eyemodule?

What do you mean by well?

---

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Rev. Peter da Silva, ULC<br>
<a href=http://www.taronga.com/~peter/>Ar rug t� barr�g ar do mhact�re inniu?</a>

Registered: Aug 2002
Location: Vermont
Posts: 148

quote:

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Originally posted by argent
Did that X10 module ever come out?

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Registered: Dec 1999
Location: "Children are a gift from God, they are a reward"
Posts: 1049

quote:

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Originally posted by argent
I tried to get my Eyemodule working acceptably in my Deluxe and finally gave up. Even after upgrading the software it still had missing lines and pixels. It worked in my Prism (though, as you say, the quality isn't great) but not in the Deluxe.

If you managed it, maybe I should give it another shot. What version of the Eyemodule software were you using?

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I don't actually remember! It was soooo long ago. I'll see if I can dig up that info. I bought the eyemodule after the eyemodule 2 came out. I actually had a problem getting it to work with my Prism and gave up. What version were you using?

Michael

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"I am a debtor both to Greeks and to Barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish."

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 391

quote:

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Originally posted by BobbyMike
I don't actually remember! It was soooo long ago. I'll see if I can dig up that info. I bought the eyemodule after the eyemodule 2 came out. I actually had a problem getting it to work with my Prism and gave up. What version were you using?

---

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Rev. Peter da Silva, ULC<br>
<a href=http://www.taronga.com/~peter/>Ar rug t� barr�g ar do mhact�re inniu?</a>

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: "Children are a gift from God, they are a reward"
Posts: 1049

It's currently on my deluxe, which is somewhere? I just moved all my office and computer detrius out to my studio. The deluxe is in a box somewhere, I'm sure of it! So I do have it installed, I'm just kinda missing the visor! (I use my Prism everyday so I know where that is!). I will find it for you though....
Michael

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"I am a debtor both to Greeks and to Barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish."

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: "Children are a gift from God, they are a reward"
Posts: 1049

Found my deluxe. Batteries were .. dead. So it's a little, well, clean now. So I'm a big fat liar. I have no idea what version was using, just that it wasn't the one that came on the CD.
Last place it might be is on the HD of my oyher computer as i tend to squirrel everything away.

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"I am a debtor both to Greeks and to Barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish."