A Palm-Compatible PDA for $100?

LinuxWolf asks: "This ad on PDABuzz is for an Oregon Scientific OSPro (2MB). The device has 2MB of memory, a screen size slightly larger than the Palm, little bit more software than the Palm, IrDA capability, and (allegedly, according to advertisements) "Compatible with PalmPilot". The regular price is $279, but the ad site has it listed for $79. This is really cool, but then I ask, "can it run PalmOS software?" The OS in use is a proprietary one, but I cannot find any additional information on this thing. Oregon Scientific does not seem to have a FAQ or sales e-mail, either. Anybody know more?"

palm os compatible

[RalfM]

There is a press release at http://www.pmn.co.uk/public/ce/ news/july1999/1.html [pmn.co.uk], which has the fantastic quote:

Significantly, it is compatible with the Palm Computing platform, although it is unclear whether it has licensed this technology from Palm Computing itself.

There are also some discussion forums [pdabuzz.com] at PDA Buzz [pdabuzz.com], particularly this one [pdabuzz.com], that you may want to pursue. Having a quick look myself, it doesn't appear that Palm apps work unfortunately, but there is a bunch of information there...

Regards,

Ralf

The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.

Don't get your hopes up

[Matthew Weigel]

I saw one in a catalog just a couple yesterday -- the same catalog that sold 'tiny reading glasses in a large pen' as a 'geek toy.' It looks like a glorified version of a phone number manager, rather than something on the level of the Palm Pilot (which, really, is much closer to a computer with limited ports than an addressbook).

It would be nice to believe, but it looks like a cheap knock-off for people who can't tell the difference.

Funny Definition of Compatible

[Bruce Perens]

Compatible, in this case, means file formats, and that's at the PC host level.

Bruce

Re:palm os compatible..Not

[SEWilco]

The discussion in PDABuzz indicates that it is not running a Palm OS. It's using the PPSM [apspg.com] with another layer on top. The processor is similar to a Palm, although I didn't see whether the memory modules are compatible nor how to reflash the OS with something else.

I have an old PDA for which only a few apps were produced, and I have no use for the games and few specialized apps for it. I'll be getting either a Palm or a Linux handheld.

Palm Compatible WAP Browsers

[Amos Wang]

On a side note, can anyone tell me what WAP browsers are currently available for the Palm platform other than WAPman (http://www.thewirelessedge.com). Thanks, Amos Wang

THIS PRODUCT IS ON BACKORDER UNTIL THE END OF SUMM

[rhyder]

Well it is not much good now - kind of bulky looking anyway. End of summer should see a lot of 2 MB devices at that price point.

Why do you want WAP on the palm?

[jonr]

Just use something like Proxyweb and browse real html. Heck, I could even read slashdot! :)
J.

Jeezus!

[gopherguts]

Dude, if you're going to do this played-out first post shit, could you at least be a little more original!? Hell, if it were me, it would have gone something like:

There once was a fellow named Tate
Whose penis ran Win 98.
While grabbin' some ass
Some commands failed to pass
And his hardon got stuck at "please wait."

Followed, of course, by "first post!"

It uses EPOC

[Midnight Thunder]

The device, according the FAQ, uses EPOC. This is the OS used by the Psion PDAs.

Re:emulation

[Midnight Thunder]

The specs say that it is Psion compatible. Reading further it would seem the OS is EPOC (see on the PDA's page) and therefore I would assume that it is compatible in the sense that you can beam information between the two devices.

Hmm...

[cr0sh]

I remember seeing this at Fry's not too long back, and wondering exactly what it was (it was $99.00). I could tell it wasn't OS/software compatible from the packaging, but that was about it...

What I wanted to know is how one could create applications for it - games, real apps, etc. I mean, for all of the wonderful ways that TI calculators are used for games, you would think this device could be used that way as well...

Anybody know of any compilers, etc for it?