Wow, this is a 25-year-old Palm Pilot still being used in 2025

“They were the original distraction-free technology before we even needed such a thing. You didn’t spend the money on a Palm Pilot to play games or scroll social media. You spent the extra money on a Palm PDA because you had a job to do. Palm Pilots were the original productivity monsters, keeping us on schedule and connected through lightweight email programs and RSS feeds.”

I don’t think many of the youth today could visualise a really distraction-free and advert-free piece of technology. Today notifications keep popping up, adverts clutter pages, as well as pop-up cookie notices.

I remember using a Palm Pilot myself, and I used to sync my notes, e-mails, etc with my desktop PC. A Palm Pilot was one of the really early productivity devices, being able to run all sorts of 3rd party downloadable apps. I remember, too, the early database apps, I think mine was called HandyDB.

This is PURE productivity at its best. Technically, with the Pebble watches making a comeback, there is no real reason why Palm Pilots could not also do so. Big Tech would of course hate this as they still want to sell newer flashier devices to you, that can pop up all sorts of messages and disclaimers.

And look at this: “Surprisingly, the 25-year-old rechargeable battery still works well, holding a charge for over a month.”

See androidpolice.com/i-still-use-…
#Blog, #palmpilot, #retro, #technology

Keep Tabs On Your Vehicle’s Needs With Self-Hosted LubeLogger

“This free and open source software tool is designed to make it easy for individuals to keep track of both the routine maintenance needs of their vehicles, as well as keep track of any previous or upcoming repairs and upgrades. In perhaps the most basic example, LubeLogger allows the user to add their vehicle to a virtual garage and set up routine maintenance tasks (such as oil changes), and fire off reminders when tasks are due. But it can also do things like track your vehicle’s mileage and fuel efficiency over time, and break down its operating costs.”

It looks like a great app to track all of this data. You can test it out on the app’s website, where there is a demo version. The only pity is there is no knowledge base of vehicles with the recommended maintenance. I suppose you’d enter this from the owner’s manual yourself.

I do like the touch for choosing an oil change based on date or mileage, whichever comes first.

See hackaday.com/2025/03/28/keep-t… or their website at lubelogger.com/
#Blog, #opensource, #selfhosting, #technology, #vehicles

These 5 Companies Make Linux-First PCs

Many probably take this for granted, but I remember well the painful years about 3 to 4 decades ago where Microsoft would have prohibited us having this choice at all.

Yes, back then any OEM wanting to get the discounted price of having Microsoft Windows pre-installed on their desktops or laptops, was only allowed to sell Windows desktops and laptops. So all that a buyer would find to buy, would be PCs with Windows on. Many ended up buying a Windows PC (including paying for that Windows license) and then formatting it to put Linux or a different OS on.

This was how Windows became so dominant today. Today it does not matter much to Microsoft as they are firstly not interested really in selling to the end user, and secondly they have entrenched themselves into schools to ensure the youth are exposed to their OS and apps early on.

It is great that today at least buyers can choose freely what they want to buy, and if they buy a Linux laptop, they won’t be paying for a Windows license.

So, if you are intending to run Linux on your PC or laptop, and want to buy a ready to use device, then try to support these PC makers.

The PC makers mentioned are:

• Kubuntu Focus
• Laptop With Linux
• Star Labs
• System76
• Tuxedo Computers
• Dell (still offers this, but not exclusively)

See perplexity.ai/search/does-dell…
#Blog, #linux, #opensource, #technology

First direct-to-satellite phone call in South Africa using a LEO satellite and unmodified mobile phones

“MTN South Africa and low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite service company Lynk Global carried out a successful technical trial of one of the first satellite-to-mobile device phone calls in South Africa. The phone call, made in Vryburg, North West, allowed the companies to test voice call quality and SMS capabilities over an LEO satellite connection.”

Once this goes commercial, this will obviously be useful for disasters and very remote areas. Although these satellites will work with ordinary unmodified cellphones, including older models, right now it may not be a 24/7 coverage. I’d imagine though for a commercial service in future there will either need to be more satellites, or there may need to be a few geostationary satellites.

Still, it shows what is possible, and that you don’t necessarily need Starlink to offer such a service.

See mybroadband.co.za/news/telecom…
#Blog, #satellite, #southafrica, #technology

4 reasons CryptPad is the best privacy-focused alternative to Google Drive, Docs, and Sheets

“There are a lot of self-hosted Google Drive alternatives out there, one of the biggest being Nextcloud. Complete with Nextcloud Office which aims to replace Google’s entire suite of document software, enthusiasts are spoiled for choice these days. However, one little-known alternative that I personally see as the best replacement for Google’s overall suite of services (if you care about privacy more than anything else, that is) is CryptPad. It’s a privacy-focused open-source end-to-end encrypted online collaboration application, and the myriad of options it has match and even surpass some of Google’s own offerings.”

I use CryptPad myself, mostly for sharing various spreadsheets in public posts. It provides a very private (to me) way of sharing like this.

CryptPad is to Google Docs or MS Office like SimpleX, Session, etc is to WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram. CryptPad is really private. It requires no real name or phone number to use the service. It is privacy done right.

If anyone wants to take it even further, they can also self-host it.

See xda-developers.com/reasons-cry…
#Blog, #officesuites, #privacy, #technology

Sez Us Is A New Social Media App Punishes Users for Rage-Baiting

“If there is one certainty of social media in 2025, it’s this: Rage clicks rule. Hyperbole, hate, brash deception—it’s all par for the course—and often rewarded with virality. On Sez Us, users who are intentionally inflammatory may score lower than those who gain influence through respectful dialog.”

I must say I do love this concept. The app is trying to build up trust, civility, transparency, and reputation. Because of this, I’m going to give it a try.

My early impressions are I do like having a 300 character post title and 15,000 characters available for the body text. An interesting point too, is you can link to X (yes I know…) as well as Bluesky, and set toggles on the post to send to those networks at the same time.

But don’t worry, the feed view only shows a few lines from the post, so the scrolling is quite easy.

Their business model says that Sez Us is built on advertisers working directly with creators and investing in great content. There is nothing I could see about their technology, but it appears to be a centralised platform. There are also mobile apps I see available.

See wired.com/story/this-platform-… and you can find Sez Us at sez.us/category/uncategorized/…
#Blog, #SezUs, #socialnetworks, #technology

Signal vs WhatsApp: Signal is still the most private by a long way

Users adding an incorrect user by mistake to a group is no reflection at all on the security of any app. This happens across all apps, as the user is the issue, not the app.

I had long ago deleted the WhatsApp app off my phone, mainly because of its metadata collection, and the sharing of that data with their upstream ‘partners’ including Facebook and others. This is clearly stated in WhatsApp’s T&C’s.

‘In a statement, a WhatsApp spokesman said it relies on metadata to prevent spam and “keep the service safe from abuse”.’ This is just not true, in that this is not the reason why WhatsApp collects metadata — their T&C’s state it is to be shared elsewhere.

Yes, both Signal and WhatsApp keep the message content secure, and use the same encryption protocol. But WhatsApp is also collecting your location continuously, when you message who, for how long, when you wake up, when you go to sleep, where you shop, etc (and of course shares this with your consent).

This is not Signal’s business model, nor do they obtain your consent to share this data. WhatsApp/Instagram/Facebook are all about targeting users for advertisers, and sharing data for that targeting (and of course being US owned they have to share that data under the CLOUD and Patriot Acts with the US government as well when requested).

What came out of the US Congressional hearing this week was also interesting to hear — the CIA have Signal installed on their desktops, and they use Signal themselves.

I’m not saying at all that Signal is perfect, as it still requires a verified phone number. So the user is still always identifiable (unlike other messengers such as Threema, SimpleX, Matrix, Session, etc).

It is about what data is collected, and what data is shared with anyone outside of the organisation. Between WhatsApp and Signal, Signal is the clear winner here.

For this reason, there is no WhatsApp app on my mobile phone. If organisations want to ensure better privacy, they should use Signal (like the CIA does) or go a step further and self-host a service like Matrix on their premises where they fully control the data as well as the user access verification.

WhatsApp was a very good app (I used to use it) before they got bought out by Facebook, and it is that business model that has ruined it.

See techcentral.co.za/signal-vs-wh…
#Blog, #messengers, #metadata, #privacy, #technology

Powerfoyle may be able to keep many battery powered products permanently charged

This is a flexible type of solar charging device that can be moulded to fit many devices such as wireless headphones, Bluetooth speakers, etc to keep them topped up whenever there is outdoor or even ambient light.

Yes, it’s not going to be used to charge car batteries, and is really aimed at wearable devices. But with so many devices going battery powered today, keeping track of charging and ensuring they are ready for use at any time, all becomes a bit of a pain.

It will be interesting to see how this gets used in the future. Already big brands such as Adidas, Porsche, Urbanista, Philips, JBL, and POC are starting to incorporate Powerfoyle into their products.

See youtube.com/watch?v=H1xjUnDlSr…
#Blog, #environment, #solar, #technology

inZOI is a hyperrealistic life simulation going into public early access by end March 2025

Yes, it is similar to The Sims in terms of what it is about, but it is a whole two or three levels above what The Sims ever reached. The character setup is incredibly detailed and of an extremely high quality, as are the buildings. The gameplay is very AI driven and certainly delves into lots of life’s normal events such as births, deaths, relationships, marriages, divorce, banking, working, jail, etc.

It appears to be a single player game, though, so nothing like you’d get in Second Life where you are interacting with real people.

The reviewer here is actually not using the highest quality video, as I’ve seen some other video that shows a lot of finer detail, and I’d imagine this depends on what graphics card you’re using.

Also to be seen in other video reviews is the actual making of food. You’d see the actual egg broken in the pan, and being stirred until it turns to scramble egg. These types of detail in the game would be enthralling to experience.

Another point this reviewer mentions is that you can upload a photo of a real world object, and the AI in the game will convert it to an in-game object which you can use. That is probably a taste of what more there is still to come.

This is still an early access game, so I’d expect a lot of what is mentioned by the reviewer, would be addressed and expanded on in future. The game looks pretty playable right now, though.

Hopefully in future too, you could travel as a tourist to the other cities, and I’m sure there may be more cities coming as well.

The cost is expected to be about US$40, but this is apparently a discounted price, so this won’t be any quick impulsive buy for most folks.

See youtube.com/watch?v=VL-60fSpTu…
#Blog

It’s true that Big Tech are not the most innovative companies around

The linked article is about the many shortcomings that Google Password Manager has, and it is quite true that many of the dedicated password managers out there have way better features than Google has.

It was for the same reason that I never used Google’s Authentication app at all. The same went for their passkey management.

Many Big Tech companies have millions or billions of funds to throw at buying out their competition, and to cobble products together. The reason they buy out their competition is, because the competition has something better that they cannot just use, unless they buy the business and own the patents. Often they even kill those products off, or they neuter them (like the original peer-to-peer Skype) and let them die off.

Big Tech is no friend of innovation, and can use their financial (and other muscle) to kill off the competition. Anyone still remember the early days of Microsoft Windows when the deal was struck for discounting Windows with new PCs as long as the manufacturers only pre-installed Windows? I remember a government department having to also pay for Windows licenses for all their Linux computers (which had no Windows installed on them) because the licensing deal was “all” PC’s irrespective of what OS was installed. This all helps us understand how the “Big” came about in Big Tech…

But I digress, the point being actually Big Tech is really not that good at innovating, and this is especially true once their own founders have departed the organisation. Their founders were often the ones who were innovative (OK, excluding Microsoft) when they started out themselves.

See androidpolice.com/reasons-stop…
#Blog, #bigtech, #innovation, #technology