WSJ(6/19) Mossberg's Mailbox: Get More Juice For Your Treo Smart Phone
Technology columnist Walter S. Mossberg answers readers' questions
There's no other major item most of us own that is as confusing, unpredictable and unreliable as our personal computers. Everybody has questions about them, and we aim to help. Here are a few questions about computers I've received recently, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability.
This week my mailbox contained questions about added battery life for the Treo smart phone, e-mail machines, and printing coffee-table books of your photos.
Q: You are always praising the Treo 300 smart phone, but the battery life is too short for a heavy phone user like me. I barely get two hours of talk time. And the battery isn't removable. Is there any way to get more juice?
A: Sprint has just started selling a snap-on battery for the Treo 300 that adds four extra hours of talk time, for a total of at least six hours. It costs $89.99 and can be bought via phone at 1-800-974-2221, or, in a couple of weeks, online at
http://sprintpcsaccessories.com. This battery snaps onto the back and bottom of the Treo, and acts as a charger for the internal battery. I have been testing it, and it works well, though it makes the Treo much thicker and heavier.
Q: What e-mail-only device can you recommend for my PC-challenged father-in-law?
A: I recommend the one my mother uses: the MailStation from EarthLink. It's a simple box with a keyboard and a small monochrome screen that plugs into a phone line, and sends and receives text e-mails. There are three models: the 150, the 250 and the 350. The 150 is a basic e-mail device. The 250 and 250 add features like a cordless connection, better screens and the delivery of news and photos.
The MailStation doesn't surf the Internet, and can't handle huge e-mail messages, or attachments, other than photos in the top model. Its e-mail service costs $12.95 a month, or $129.50 if you prepay for a year. The base 150 model is actually free, after a rebate, and the other two are $99.99 and $149.99, respectively, after rebates. In all cases, you pay a $10 activation fee, plus shipping and handling. For more information, see
www.earthlink.net/home/mailstation/. Q: Over the winter, you wrote an article reviewing a handful of digital photography services that offered the ability to print photos into a coffee-table-style photo book. One of the services was from Apple; what were the others?
A: The others are really the same: a company called MyPublisher. You can design and order hardbound books of your photos, printed professionally on heavy glossy paper, either from the company's Web site, at
www.mypublisher.com, or via Adobe's Photoshop Album software. A 10-page book with as many as 40 photos is $30. Extra pages cost $3 each.
Using either method, you select from a variety of layouts, choose a cover photo and compose your own titles and text. I like these books a lot. WSJ(6/19) Mossberg's Mailbox: Get More Juice For Your Treo Smart Phone
Technology columnist Walter S. Mossberg answers readers' questions
There's no other major item most of us own that is as confusing, unpredictable and unreliable as our personal computers. Everybody has questions about them, and we aim to help. Here are a few questions about computers I've received recently, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability.
This week my mailbox contained questions about added battery life for the Treo smart phone, e-mail machines, and printing coffee-table books of your photos.
Q: You are always praising the Treo 300 smart phone, but the battery life is too short for a heavy phone user like me. I barely get two hours of talk time. And the battery isn't removable. Is there any way to get more juice?
A: Sprint has just started selling a snap-on battery for the Treo 300 that adds four extra hours of talk time, for a total of at least six hours. It costs $89.99 and can be bought via phone at 1-800-974-2221, or, in a couple of weeks, online at
http://sprintpcsaccessories.com. This battery snaps onto the back and bottom of the Treo, and acts as a charger for the internal battery. I have been testing it, and it works well, though it makes the Treo much thicker and heavier.
Q: What e-mail-only device can you recommend for my PC-challenged father-in-law?
A: I recommend the one my mother uses: the MailStation from EarthLink. It's a simple box with a keyboard and a small monochrome screen that plugs into a phone line, and sends and receives text e-mails. There are three models: the 150, the 250 and the 350. The 150 is a basic e-mail device. The 250 and 250 add features like a cordless connection, better screens and the delivery of news and photos.
The MailStation doesn't surf the Internet, and can't handle huge e-mail messages, or attachments, other than photos in the top model. Its e-mail service costs $12.95 a month, or $129.50 if you prepay for a year. The base 150 model is actually free, after a rebate, and the other two are $99.99 and $149.99, respectively, after rebates. In all cases, you pay a $10 activation fee, plus shipping and handling. For more information, see
www.earthlink.net/home/mailstation/. Q: Over the winter, you wrote an article reviewing a handful of digital photography services that offered the ability to print photos into a coffee-table-style photo book. One of the services was from Apple; what were the others?
A: The others are really the same: a company called MyPublisher. You can design and order hardbound books of your photos, printed professionally on heavy glossy paper, either from the company's Web site, at
www.mypublisher.com, or via Adobe's Photoshop Album software. A 10-page book with as many as 40 photos is $30. Extra pages cost $3 each.
Using either method, you select from a variety of layouts, choose a cover photo and compose your own titles and text. I like these books a lot.
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