The Palm Pre is out. Without a doubt the most revolutionary handset since the release of the first generation iPhone, the Pre challenges old ways of thinking in the mobile space. It’s contact integration, multi-tasking, and refinement are second to none.

What does this mean for the old-fashioned Palm Handheld, and mobile computing in the scientific world?

For nearly 15 years, Palm’s stand-alone PDAs were the number one choice for physicians, business travelers, and scientists working in the field. But with the launch of the Pre and the final end of the line for Palm’s remaining PDAs, the TX, Tungsten E2, and Z22, it’s clear that Palm is leaving this market behind, with these products having been removed from the Palm website several months ago. Major retailers no longer have them in stock.

It’s been a long time coming. Palm’s OS and PDA hardware haven’t been updated since 2005. But to many, it comes as a shock that the go-to mobile device is essentially gone.

But wait, you say, what about the smartphone? Can’t it do anything a PDA can?

In a sense, yes. But there are a particular set of qualities that make a stand-alone PDA irreplacable.

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One of the most recent additions to Windows 7 is the heavily hyped “Windows XP Mode.”  Through the use of a brand new version of Microsoft’s VirtualPC technology, it allows users to seamlessly run legacy Windows XP compatible programs alongside newer products.  It’s especially targeted towards businesses that don’t want to upgrade older software.  Does it deliver?  Absolutely.  But there are a few factors to consider before banking on XP Mode to solve all of your problems.

Installation of XP Mode was a breeze.  Simply go to Microsoft’s website, download the Virtual PC update, and then install Virtual Windows XP.  This 445MB download finished quickly and installed in a surprisingly short period of time on our test PC.  Both steps required a reboot, but after that was out of the way, it was time to test it out.

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Well, the Windows 7 Release Candidate has arrived-and a day ahead of schedule, at that.

After a quick, painless installation, it’s immediatly clear that Microsoft has been hard at work since the Beta release from several months ago.  Enhanced speed and visual refinement are immediately evident.  And full screen resolution is automatically detected upon installation, something Windows Vista couldn’t do.

Overall, the feature set is similar to the Beta, just with more refinement.  New enhanced “Jump Lists” offer more easy-to-access options for various programs.  Additionally, Internet Explorer has been updated to a new release of Version 8 with a new Welcome wizard and enhanced touch performance and security.

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We’ve been using Windows 7 Beta build 7000 for several months, and it’s been tested on various hardware from SciencePro Tech.

So far, the Beta has been faster, more stable, and far more intuitive than Vista, addressing many complaints that have plauged the OS since its launch in January 2007.  Billed as a “better Vista” by Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s newest release takes a more Apple-like approach to an OS upgrade, focusing on smaller changes and performance optimizations instead of a complete overhaul.  So far, the strategies have worked:  Microsoft has shown that it is still at the top of the OS heap, producing a Beta OS that is nearly as polished as Vista itself after over 2 years.

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Jailbreaking just got a whole lot easier for iPod Touch 2nd Generation owners with the release of QuickFreedom (www.quickfreedom.com).

This simple app uses a full GUI to walk you through the process of unlocking your iPod Touch 2nd Generation.  After you are done, be sure to launch Cydia, install any updates, and install these recommended apps (continued after the break):

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SciencePro is proud to announce a brand new member of the SciencePro family with the opening of SciencePro Studios.

SciencePro Studios is a premium recording studio with regular video podcasts, recording tips, product advice and reviews, and community features.

Learn more at www.ScienceProStudios.com

SciencePro USA is proud to announce a brand new mobile version of the site.

Visit www.scienceprousa.com on any mobile device with web access (cell phone, PDA, iPhone, iPod Touch) and you’ll now have a fast, mobile freindly version of our site optimized for your device.

Check out a preview on your PC here.

For those of you looking for quick updates to our latest articles, be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed by clicking on the blue logo on any page.

Gimp is another example of a terrific open source program.  For myself and many users, Gimp offers an easier-to-use experience than Photoshop for less complex things.  Making a starfield is one of them, with the main principles being the creation of “noise” or static and colorization of certain regions.

Start by downloading and installing Gimp, for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.  In addition, obtain the planet-render plugin from here and paste it into the “plugins” folder in the application directory.  This is not necessary, but it enables for stylish planets to be added to the starfield when you’re done.  In ubuntu, you can install this plugin automatically by installing the gimp-plugin-registry package.

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Open source software has long been the passion of Linux users and general computer enthusiasts alike.  However, early applications were buggier and lacked the features of their commercial counterparts.

But these days are mostly over.  In the past several years, the open source community has taken great leaps.  OpenOffice.org, a viable alternative to Microsoft Office, recently released a new 3.0 version that strengthens its hold as a completely free alternative that accomplishes most of the same tasks as Microsoft’s offering.

There are literally thousands of open source projects in operation.  However, one especially worth mentioning is Blender.  Billed as “the free open source 3D content creation suite,” Blender offers astonishingly excellent animation capabilities that give DreamWorks and Pixar’s own proprietary tools and those from industry heavyweight Avid a run for their money.

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