IrDA HotSyncing for Older Palms and Visors
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Configuring your Handspring Visor
Even though Visors use essentially the same Palm OS software, there are a few notable differences concerning how you prepare them for IrDA HotSyncing. Primarily this is a result of their USB capability.
To begin with, when you download the Palm OS patch for IrDA, make sure that you only install the SerIrCommLib.prc file, and then dump the others. If you were to accidentally install the other three files on your Visor, you would most likely find yourself staring right into the teeth of a hard reset.
Once you have SerIrCommLib.prc installed on your Visor, I have some really good news for you. Download the free IrDA middleware BeamSync. There's an English and a Japanese version; choose the language of your choice, and be sure to check out the ReadMe.
BeamSync doesn't have all the frills that come with IrLink, but it also doesn't have the $19.95 price tag. Unfortunately, I haven't had any luck getting BeamSync to work on a Palm PDA. I'd love to hear about it if someone has more information about this.
After you install BeamSync and perform a soft reset, it lives in the dropdown menu on the Preferences panel. You can turn it off and on from there. When it's on, you simply point your Visor's Ir port at the laptop's Ir port, then HotSync as normal. It's that easy.
Just like for Palm PDA users, I recommend that you turn off "Beam Receive"; it's located at Preferences > General (dropdown menu) > Beam Receive. I like it off because I've had instances when the "Waiting for Sender" message has appeared during IrDA operations. It doesn't hurt anything, but it's annoying.
Setting up your Windows laptop
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In the "HotSync SetUp" panel, make sure to change the port to COM4 to enable IrDA connectivity. |
OK, our gizmos are now ready to beam. All we have to do is make a few adjustments on our laptops, and we're talking wirelessly.
First, open your "Infrared Monitor" Control Panel and click the "Options" tab. Check all four boxes including the "Enable Infrared Communications" box. I've found that for some reason, HotSyncing works a lot better when the "Limit Connection Speed" box is also checked. I usually just set it to "4Mbps," even though you'll never HotSync that fast. Now you can click OK.
Next, you need to open your Palm's desktop software "HotSync SetUp" panel. Click the "Local" tab and set the Serial Port setting to "COM4." I usually just set the speed to "57600 bps." Click OK.
That's it. Now you're ready to HotSync via IrDA.
Setting up your Macintosh PowerBook
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You can even "watch" the two devices talking to each other via the Mac's Infrared control panel. |
For HotSyncing with a Mac, make sure that the "Infrared" Control Panel is installed and active along with the "IrDA Tool" and "IrDALib" extensions. If your Mac is IrDA compatible, these system components should already be installed.
Then, open the "HotSync Software Setup" panel that is part of your Palm desktop software. Click on the "Serial Port Settings" tab, and change your "Local Setup" port to "Infrared Port." I set the speed setting to "as fast as possible."
It's time to rumble.
Look, Ma, no wires!
If you're using IrLink 1.5, then you initiate the HotSync from within that application by tapping the "Local" icon. Make sure the "Redirect Cradle" box is checked, and that the Ir sensors of your two devices are pointing at each other.
Visor owners who have BeamSync need to make sure that the application is turned on, then initiate the HotSync as normal by launching the HotSync application.
I've used this set-up for installing files, syncing data, and even for grabbing live AvantGo downloads from the Internet. Since I use a Visor, I have a nice USB cradle that's really fast for syncing. When it's handy, I use it. But more often that not, the cradle is far away from my laptop, so I just beam it. The sense of freedom that come with wireless connectivity is fantastic.
Derrick Story is the author of The Photoshop CS4 Companion for Photographers, The Digital Photography Companion, and Digital Photography Hacks, and coauthor of iPhoto: The Missing Manual, with David Pogue. You can follow him on Twitter or visit www.thedigitalstory.com.
Related:
24 Hours With a Wireless Palm Vx
Making the Palm/Linux Connection
Digital Slide Shows on Your Palm
Visor Hacks: Tap Thinmodem's Flash Memory
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