I've been searching for the 2MB/IR upgrade for my Palm Pilot Personal with no luck. Where can these be found?

-b

Banjo,

I've heard that the best bet to find the upgrade is on www.ebay.com

Good luck.

Apart from Palm Pilto could not one use any palm device e.g. a Casiopeia as a remote?

A few observations on using the Palm as a universal (and a tip for screen-flipping) . . .

Background:
Since (a) I meet the criteria in Marco's post for using a Palm as both an organizer and as a remote, and (b) none of the non-Pronto remotes I tried (including the One for All A/V Producer 8) came close to being flexible enough to control my system, and (c) I just can't bring myself to spend ~$400 for a device that does nothing more than control components, I decided to try my Palm Vx (which is always with me anyway) as my remote control. Except for a small mystery glitch (explained below), I'm very happy with the results.

Observations:
(a) The OmniRemote software has to be one of the great bargains for $20. It's extremely easy to set-up to your exact preferences and to label and/or use its icons for each function so you don't have to remember your esoteric key assignments (and, if you sync the Palm to your PC and use BackupBuddy, you always have a back-up of all your work).
(b) the built-in IR port on the Palm V was strong enough to control my Sony TV (KP48V80)from 12-14 feet away, but pretty hopeless from that distance for my other components (Denon AVR-3200; Denon DVD-2500; Pioneer LaserDisc CLD-M90; JVC VCR HR-S3500; Scientific-Atlanta Explorer 2000 cable box which has been customized by my digital cable supplier -- all of which are controlled by a single IR receiver through a Niles Audio IR extender).

I tried both the IR Blaster from Tech Center Labs ([Link: members.aol.com] -- go to the order form for the Palm V version), and the RF converter from SmartHome (see PDD's posts).
Advantages of the RF converter:
(a) significantly greater range, and omni-directional;
(b) it fits over the existing IR port, so there's no need to flip screens;
(c) it frees my hot-sync port, and I can keep my palm connected to AC power using the travel kit AC adapter -- no auto-off hassels. Or, if I'm feeling particularly nerdy, I can attach my OmniSky/Minstrel wireless modem and get movie reviews, TV listings, or whatever, from the Web. (Try that, Pronto users!)
(d) makes it much easier to program/test various commands, since it uses the internal IR port. Using the blaster, you have to switch between internal and external ports for learning/testing, which gets old very quickly.
Disadvantages: more expensive, and requires the dreaded velcro to attach it to the Palm.

However, if you're using the external port and need to flip the screen, there's a terrific "flip hack" for this at
www.palmgear.com
It will rotate the screen left or right (Visor users take note) or flip it, and it stays rotated/flipped until the hack is disabled (unlike the OmniRemote flip setting, which is disabled if you use the category lists to change categories).

If you're using OmniRemote, be sure to notice that you can assign any keys to the Palm hardware buttons -- makes it very easy to access volume (just use the up/down button) and other frequently used functions. You also can set the Palm preferences so that a single swipe up the screen turns backlighting on/off.
It took just seconds create/label a button and to teach the Palm the command or macro. The only time-consuming part is deciding on your layout.

My Palm Vx now contains virtually every remote command available for each of my components, as well as several macros, using a total of 104k of its memory. The only disadvantage I see in using the Palm versus the Pronto is when it comes to commands that are toggled, or where the remote cycles through a number of choices -- it's hard/impossible to create a macro that contains one of these. Also, there is a certain lighting range (dim but not dark) in which the Palm's screen is difficult to read, with or without backlighting.

Now for the glitch: intermittently, some components (especially the Denon ones,
which are notorious for flaky remote control operations, but occasionally the cable converter as well) just don't respond. They all will work perfectly one day, and the next day . . . no command has any effect (the VCR and Laserdisc player have always worked fine).
I've tried positioning the Palm (without the RF converter) right in front of the component's IR receiver, and also experimented with changing the distance between the RF converter and the Niles IR receiver. Eventually, everything has started working correctly, but I haven't experimented enough to be able to tell where the problem is. Has anyone else using the Palm (or another remote, for that matter) had a similar problem?

Excellent post Becky! Glad I found this forum.

Since I was considering a Pronto at $300+ I must say I very much like the idea of a Palm with it's open, non-proprietary design. However I still think there is one notable weakness in the RC software.

OmniRemote developer(s) take note:!
It lacks PC software to allow for more complex and creative designs to the remote control configuration, more sophisticated macros etc. The Pronto has this naturally. I think further software enhancements combined with a PC based 'designer' would largely address the s/w issues raised by Becky.

I'm wondering if there are PC emulators for Palms available on the PC that would allow you to work with and create RC designs on your PC with the OmniRemote s/w THEN download to the 'real' Palm???

Philips take note:
The Pronto still dominates but the price compels creative alternatives like this to be considered. These prices create a nice market opening for companies like NeoTek and 3Com etc. If Pilot s/w and h/w continues on it's present course of innovation and Philips doesn't counter, things may change considerably in time. For starters, I'm obviously disappointed the price hasn't come down more since it's intro.

I was 'just' about to rationalize current prices on a Pronto but this little thread's discovery has just about got me hooked on getting a Pilot instead as a univ remote. The prices for entry level or used Pilots are hard to argue with.

Thanks,
-Todd (on the fence and teetering...)

Becky,

Excellent post. Thanks for your input.

To address your problem: I've never experienced your problem to the extent that you've stated. Every once in a while I push a button (physical or touchscreen) and get no response, but I attribute that to the positioning of the RF receiver relative to my components and perhaps some 'noise' causing slight variations to the frequency in which the RF receiver translates to IR.

My advice to you would be to make sure that when you train your palm with the Denon's IR, be sure that you do it in an ideal location (dim to no lights, tv off, etc.). Basically, an ideal location is one with minimal eletrical interference.

Hope this helps!

Todd,

I agree with your post about possibly having a PC interface. The one advantage of having the Palm and Omniremote software is that they can always develop patches or upgrades to expand the Palm to pretty much whatever we imagine a remote should do. This development is not even limited to pacificneotek, as some other programmers have dabbled with their own ehancements to the omniremote. As more and more people come across the Palm as a URC option, the demand will increase, and so will the development of the software. Thus, by posting, we are doing our part to the progress of the perfect Universal Remote Control or rather how I like to think of it; entertainment controller.

Thanks for the tip re electrical interference, PDD. I had retrained the Denon components in near-dark (using a little flashlight when necessary to tell which button was being trained), but had my system blasting away at the time. I'll try again with the system off and let you know if that cures the problem.

Two further notes . . .

After searching through the Pronto forum, I learned that the Denon components don't have any discrete commands for on/off or for the cycled choices. So for my system, the Palm and Pronto tie on this issue.

There's a Japanese remote control app for the Palm at [Link: hp.vector.co.jp]

The most interesting difference to me between the Japanese product (Remocon) and OmniRemote is that the Japanese one lets you combine on-screen buttons with Graffiti commands, which seems like a cool idea.

Also, the Japanese product does not support the 2 MB upgrade kit, and just recently added support for the Palm Vx. I don't know enough about the technology involved (i.e., I know nothing about it) to know why changes would be necessary for the various Palm models, but would be interested to know.

Becky
Thanks for the tip on the software.While its not perfect it is worth the $20.

Well I hope so PDD. I did however receive an email respons from Neotek which wasn't real iluminating about a PC design interface. That coupled with a generation of powerful IR Palms would blow the thing wide open. Maybe Philips should get into the s/w business as well... heh heh.

i owned the rv2000 (sony's brick style remote) for about a week. i hated the 10lb basturd. now i own the pp IIIe (got it at Best Buy for $130 + $40 for a 3 yr service plan that covers ware & tare and a bunch of other stuff) i L O V E the setup. ultra-cool!! but the ir booster from www.pacificneotek.com does not control my 51" projo unless i superaim and im less than 8ft. about the only downside.

i owned the av2000 (sony's brick style remote) for about a week. i hated the 10lb basturd. now i own the pp IIIe (got it at Best Buy for $130 + $40 for a 3 yr service plan that covers ware & tare and a bunch of other stuff) i L O V E the setup. ultra-cool!! but the ir booster from www.pacificneotek.com does not control my 51" projo unless i superaim and im less than 8ft. about the only downside. i don't like the look of the [Link: smarthome.com] thing and don't want to sink too much more $$$ into this. help me out.
cameron

For anyone interested in using IR to RF converters (the SmartHome unit or the PowerMid system)to extend the Palm's signal, I've posted some photos of both, with a bit of info, at [Link: pro-bono.net]

Hi Becky,

How to use a IR to RF converter on a Palm IIIe (just bought today). Can I:

1. a SmartHome Infrared Remote Extender
[Link: smarthome.com] ($59.95)

2. the base unit of the Infrared Remote Extender connect to a 4 Emitter Connecting Block
[Link: smarthome.com] ($38.95)

3. 2 Mini Dual Stick-On IR Emitters to control 4 IR devices
[Link: smarthome.com] ($11.99 each)

Is such setup possible? Thanks in advance.

regards,

Li On

Good question, Li, but I think you'd be missing one link. The IR/RF receiver doesn't have any way to send its IR signal to the Connecting Block (which seems to want a wired connection).

The manual for the Connecting Block shows it wired to a "Xantech IR Receiver" and I suspect you'd need this also (I couldn't find it on the SmartHome site).

My Niles Audio system works this way, too: IR/RF transmitter > IR/RF receiver > Niles receiving unit ("IR sensor") > Niles connecting block ("IR repeater system") > Niles IR emitters ("IR flashers"). But even if you need the Xantech receiver, the whole setup still should be considerably cheaper than the Niles system.

Here's a great resource for anyone using a Palm as a remote, and who also has a PC with Web access.

First, set up for a free account at http://avantgo.com/ and setup their software to sync with your palm (it's easy). Then subscribe to the GistTV channel (also free) in AvantGo, and customize it to include your local/cable/satellite channels. (GistTV has an impressive database of local cable systems, including the new digital services -- just enter your zip code. You can exclude any channels you never watch.)

Now, anytime you perform the one-button hotsync operation between your Palm and your PC, AvantGo/GistTV will install a nicely formatted listing of the day's TV programs(with descriptions)onto your Palm, for the channels/time frame you've selected.

Now your Palm is not just a great remote control unit, but also a free, electronic custom TV guide.

Is this cool, or what??