I have been told that there is shareware for some palms that can be installed onto a Palm and have the functionality of a Pronto. Has anyone heard if this is possible?

Yup, there's a whole seperate Forum right here at RemoteCentral.com:
[Link: remotecentral.com]

but as a shortcut, the 2 sites you'll need are:
http://www.pacificneotek.com/ follow link to
[Link: pacificneotek.com] (OmniRemote)

and:
http://www.ordesktop.com/ (their PC-based editor ala ProntoEdit)

I can't endorse it (never tried it as it didn't look like it would work as well for me as Pronto does/will as soon as I finish my CCF files :)

good luck
Kuyper

http://www.pacificneotek.com/

Before you spend too much time setting up your Palm to do this, you might want to investigate how practical it will really be. I've heard it's possible but that the Palm's IR transmitter is comparatively weak and may not serve as a practical option for a remote control. That is you might have to be within a couple of feet of the device to get it to work. It's really designed for syncing with a PC while it's right next to the PC.

I have tried a couple of IR programs on my Palm V. They work nicely but the range is awful - 3 feet or so at the max. I have heard there are "repeaters" that boost the Palm IR signal.

But by then you've spent more than a Pronto and you are always having to turn the Palm on (no touch screen activation like the Pronto).

It didn't seem quite worth it especially since the Pronto works so darn well.

-- Kevin

What you can do with the software is more limited than the Pronto, too. (IMO)

Of course it's all more limited than the Pronto, but you can use a Palm for other things than remote control , while it's about the same price.

Robert,

I checked out the Omniremote before buying an RC5000i. In my view, the issues are as follows:

1. Design of buttons is limited to boxes with names in with limited support of special 'transport symbols'.

2. Range of the Palm device is really poor on a Palm III at around 4 - 5 feet.

On the up side...

3. The ORdesktop software is not bad at all (unless I haven't found it yet in RCSetup) you can copy all buttons to another panel rather than one at a time and otherwise works in a very similar way to RCsetup Support for jumps and macros is I think very much more limited, but, you can make a remote controller out of it.

4. There is a hardware based version that will 'slot in' to a visor, which is marketed as having vastly improved power over the standard IR interface.

5. Yep, you can do all the other nice things YOU CAN do on a palm as well.

I checked with Pacific Neotek about color support as this would seem to be a significantly cheaper option than the forthcoming color Pronto. They said that they may add support in a future release. For me if OmniRemote had supported color buttons, I'd have bought a Color Visor with the hardware module from pacific as I too felt the other functions would make the palm a potentially more powerful device than just a learning IR (I'd have bought a dedicated visor and left it with the TV.).

I tried out OR deesktop as a cheap way to determine if I could 'get along' with a touch screen remote, and for around $40 the excercise was a valuable one for me.

As Kuyper says, check out the forums on this site although I'd advise, don't get into the heated debates about the pro's and con's of Pronto vs PDA based learning remotes. It's clear that everyone will have their favourite for their own special reasons.


Alan

RobHoedemakers: the thing is if you use your palm as a DA, then what happens when someone wants to control the TV? Plus most of the things can be (and have been) recreated on the Pronto: Calendars, Tel. directories, CD/DVD menus, games.....

But I wouldn't like the Pronto in my shirt pocket!

I have a Handsppring Visor Deluxe with the OmniRemote Springboard module and it works great. I have been able to use it from distances of around 20 feet. Plus, much like the concept of the Palm interface itself, it is very simple but very useful for most A/V systems. Better yet the Module only cost $49! Beat that price.

and how much did the Handsppring Visor Deluxe cost? Once you buy the Pronto what is needed to make it work at 20 feet is $0, beat that price. :)

It seems to me that practical use is the issue here. I too have a Visor and I too bought (and returned) the OmniRemote module. After playing wiht my $475 mutlifunction daytimer, calendar, word-processor, calculator which doubled as a universal remote control I opted to go with two speciallized function devices each the best of its kind so I returned the OmniRemote and bought a Pronot. Now I have the best PDA and the best programable, universal remote.

Can you saddle up a mule and ride into town on it? Sure you can. But you will get there much faster, more comfortably(sp?) and look much better on a horse. Each has its place and function.

But this is my humble oppinion I could be wrong.

I have the Casiopeia and it is best of all the palm pc's. Though it is possible to do almost anything, I take solice in the fact that I have one really cool dedicated remote. Besides, if I get rid of the Pronto then I'd have to find a new hobby.

--Alexis