AWS

There have been a couple threads that have made mention of a Taiwan company called RunPDA which is doing 32MB upgrades to a number of PDA models including the T Series Clies (T615, T665, T415).

Why do all Palm devices top at 16MB?
http://www.cliesource.com/forums/sh...ighlight=RunPDA

and

QN: ThoughtManager, FlashPlayer, SJ33 32MB upgrade, Xforcer, Fictionwise discounts
http://www.cliesource.com/forums/sh...ighlight=RunPDA

I did a little research on their site and exchanged a few emails with RunPDA. I am tempted to upgrade my T665 so I can hold out until an OS6 model is available but I was wondering if anyone has gotten one of these upgrades or has any comments.

Here is the URL to their price list:
http://netcity7.web.hinet.net/UserD...A/Eservices.htm

Here is some of my exchange with RunPDA:
-----------------------
Hi,

I just have a few questions about upgrading the memory for the Sony PEG-T665C PDA:

1. I would prefer to use PayPal but I am unclear about the process. Do I make the PayPal payment and then send the PDA directly to you in Taiwan? Do I need to use some special order number to correlate the payment with the PDA when you recieve it?

2. Does the upgrade require any special drivers? If yes, how does the PDA function after a hard reset? If the drivers is required and is lost during a hard reset then I guess the PDA will not recognize all 32MB. Does it require that I have to install the driver, do soft reset, than restore from memory stick backup?

I am interested but I am also concerned about how long I will have to go without my PDA.

Thank you,
------------------------------
Dear Customer:

You can attach replied mail from Paypal. We will check it.

Not to require any driver. We will update OS. Let it support 32MB RAM directly. Not any attention. You just use it as well as before.

We send back to you in USA about 4 day .

Best regards,
RunPDA
http://www.RunPDA.com
Tel: 886-2-25531858 Fax: 886-2-2557-8252
------------------------------------

Do you modify the ROM? and if so, does it conflict with using JackFlash and JackSprat?
------------------------------------

Dear Customer:

100% compatibility with Palm OS & APP totally, Because we inherit the original function of memory management.

It includes JackFlash also.

Best regards,
RunPDA
http://www.RunPDA.com
Tel: 886-2-25531858 Fax: 886-2-2557-8252
-----------------------------------

If I understand correctly, you install a new memory management module in the ROM using JackFlash. Since "It includes JackFlash also" can I then use JackFlash myself to add other programs into remaining space in ROM?
----------------------------------

Dear Customer

We Patch the OS directly, But not use JackFlash. We use our software to flash it.
You can use JackFlash yourself to add other programs into remaining space in ROM

Best regards,
RunPDA
http://www.RunPDA.com
Tel: 886-2-25531858 Fax: 886-2-2557-8252
----------------------------------

I am tempted... Any comments?

AWS

Just to clarify...

My interest in getting the RAM upgrade for my T665C is so that I can have more of my oft' used apps in RAM. That way I can change out the MS for different content and not worry about what apps I have on which MS.

terue5b0

I asked the same question in the SJ/SL forums recently, but all I got was some smart mouth member that kept telling me that it's not worth it and to wait til next year for OS6. WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO WAIT TIL NEXT YEAR, OK? WE WOULD JUST LIKE TO HAVE MORE ONBOARD MEMORY SO AS TO INCREASE THE LENGTH OF TIME WE HAVE TO USE OUR CLIE AND SO WE WON"T HAVE TO UPGRADE TO ONE OF THOSE UBER-EXPENSIVE CLIES.

http://www.cliesource.com/forums/sh...&threadid=18065

Unregistered

anyone remember the 2/4 to 8mb upgrades in V and III's? I'd guess your battery life would bite for this one. i had 2 v upgraded to 8mb (before vx) came out. your warranty is void and the battery performance drops. anyone with an extended warranty cannot do this.

terue5b0

I would like to see palmpilotupgrade.com offer the same service for the SJ33 at a comparable price... Right now, their 32MB upgrade is $100+, while RunPDA's price is only $65. palmpilotupgrade.com doesn't to T665's or SJ series yet either. I asked them about a T665 and SJ series 32MB upgrade last year around October and they replied saying that they would have that service "soon". I then asked them about the upgrade again in April of this year, 2003, and they replied with the exact same answer... "soon".

ZPWeeks

You need to keep in mind, however, that those were the first internal RAM upgrades on the market. It was bound to be shaky at first. I'm no memory expert (well, thanks to my IQ, I do have a photographic memory ), but I'm pretty sure that now the service is perfected with palmpilotupgrade.com.... It shouldn't cost the battery too much.

As for going for this upgrade, I would be wary. This company doesn't seem to really know as much as palmpilotupgrade (no, I don't work for PPU... I'm a student...) and I wouldn't trust them with something as expensive as a Clie. Also, they don't seem to understand some of the messages that AWS sent in regards to ROM, JackFlash, and other things. My advice: the $35 off isn't worth risking your handheld. Wait for palmpilotupgrade.com to do it.... Seems like you can trust them.

Though it does suck that they haven't developed an upgrade for SJ's yet...

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Yo' mama was pro-life

dsonic

i have send my T650c to RunPDA for repairing before. I was surprise by their working effeciency. It only took me 1 week to get my PDA back. I thought it will take me at least 3 weeks. I was satisfied by their service. I think they are the company u can trust base on my pxperience.

terue5b0

Where are you from? Are you on the mainland USA? I'm in Honolulu and I'm still hesitant to send my SJ33 to them. I'm just a little hesitant to send my SJ33 to RunPDA 'cause it doesn't say on their site that they test the unit before sending it back to you. PalmPilotupgrade.com says that they test it for like two days before sending it back...

terue5b0

Someone at nXtClieClub (a Yahoo group) just posted their experience with RunPDA's memory upgrade service. I'm not sure if you have to be registered with Yahoo to see the message, but here is the link:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nXtClieClub/message/17104

billtaiwan

Someone asked me to post my experience here. I had posted on another yahoogroup forum already, but it seems like most of the discussion was here. I'm fortunate in this case, because I live in Taiwan, so I could go to the place and talk with the guy who I was handing my Clie over to. It also means that I had no postage, which made the price even more attractive when I was first considering this.

I also speak Chinese, and that helped me get over the language barrier. One of the questions that came up on this forum was concerning RunPDA's reply to some questions, and assuming from that that he didn't know much about JackFlash. However, you have to remember that this guy's mother tongue is Chinese, not English, so he's struggling what that when he replies. I talked to him, and he knows JackFlash well, he just doesn't use it when he reflashes the memory. . Come on, they guy knows how to go into the OS and twink it to recognize more memory than Palm or Sony had been able to give. They just said that OS 4 couldn't do it, and we had to go to OS 5. He knows how to then reflash it back without using JackFlash. Give the guy some credit. And, with 32 mb, do you really need JackFlash? But, my understanding is that, if you do, you can still do so, but you need to back up the ROM as he has it so that if you have to reflash it later, you will have the OS tweaks there for the 32 mb.

Anyway, I was extrememly wary at first also. I know that some software can be really sensitive to any differences in OS, so that sometimes what works fon on a N760 has a glitch when you run it on a T665, etc. I didn't like the idea of fiddling with the OS, so was originally going to stick with an upgrade to 16mb. However, after talking to them, I decided to just do it anyway. (Don't tell my wife, but I think I was secretly hoping something would go wrong and give me an excuse to get the Tungsten C).

Short version of the story is that I now have an Clie N760 (actually a 710 that was upgraded soon after I bought it) with 32mb of ROM (of which 31 is available), and so far it works flawlessly. I see no evidence that the case was tampered with. The OS is still 4.1. I run a ton of software and around 8 or 9 hacks, and I have been trying everything over and over, and have had no crashes or any problems. I really use of a lot of software. I didn't even move everything in the PiDirect folder over to ROM and yet I now am using 20mb of that 31 mb available, so there is plenty that could go wrong if something bad was done to the OS. I'm using such mainstay apps as Datebk5 (v5.0c pi), Shadow Plan, SuperNames, AcidImage, AfterSync, Avantgo, Colorize, Diddlebug HR, HandyShopper, Iambic Mail, Slap, Tiny Sheet, Fonts4OS4, Travel Tracker, WordSmith, Xmaster, and tons of games as well as the regular Sony apps. Hacks are EasyLaunch, FastCapHack, LookStart, McPhling, ShadowLink, SilenceHack, TealLens. And, by the way, I don't see any effect on the battery life.

So, I don't have any hesitation in telling you that if you're interested, go for it. I was impressed with the guy I met, and felt that he was a really good guy who cares about his product enough to do what it takes to make things right. I also think he knows his stuff. I'm a power user of the Palm, and have had one since it was called a PalmPilot and only had 1mb.

I am in no way affilated with the company, etc. I just wanted to contribute my experience in case anyone else was interested, but still wanted to know if there were any others who had already tried it. And, after meeting the guy who does this, and understanding the struggle with trying to communicate his stuff in English, I did want to help answer some of the communication problems.

Bill

ZPWeeks

Thanks, billtaiwan! You really offered a lot of information we couldn't have gotten before... Thanks for clarifying everything.

I'm pretty unlikely to upgrade to 32MB on my 760 yet, because I'm finding myself shocked when I see the likes of C|Net complaining when they see a handheld with "only" 16MB of RAM....

I have 8MB, use a 32MB stick with PowerRun for most of my stuff, plus JackFlash and JackSprat (I freed up over a meg of ROM!) and I have 3 Megs left over in my RAM.... And I use a ton of software. So, I personally don't need to upgrade.

I just can't wait until the CF drivers for NX support MicroDrives.... They're about to make some big ones, like 10-15gig.... Can you imagine being able to store an iPod worth of MP3's on an NX?

__________________
Yo' mama was pro-life

billtaiwan

I am the one above who described my experience with upgrading my 760 to 32 mb. Since, when I wrote that, I had just had the upgrade for about a week, I thought I'd write again. It's now been over a month and I have still had no problems. I think any software conflicts would have shown up by now, and I have had enough time to also compare battery life. I've not done any particular test to be able to give a definitive answer, but I can't tell any difference. I'm still very satisfied, and I am certainly enjoying all the extra RAM. It's also sped things up for apps that I can now run from RAM instead of the MS.

By the way, a friend of mine sent his HandEra in a couple of weeks ago to upgrade to 16mb, and is also very happy with the results.

Hope this helps someone.

Bill

terue5b0

I live in Las Vegas now and am really thinking about getting that 32MB RAM upgrade for my SJ33. RunPDA's address is this:

RunPDA
5F No. 22 Lan-jou St. Taipei 103, Taiwan

Tel: +886-2-2553-1858



How should I format that address on my shipping label? I have never shipped anything to a foreign country before. I'm so confused about how to write that address on my label. I know this is how you do it for a US address:

terue5b0
15 Flamingo Road
Las Vegas, NV 89115
USA


so how do I format this:

RunPDA
5F No. 22 Lan-jou St. Taipei 103, Taiwan

Tel: +886-2-2553-1858


into the proper... format?

DanT

Just like the USA address, you got the #, street, city and country. So this is how I would write it:

RunPDA
5F No.22 Lan-jou St.
Taipei 103
TAIWAN

I would underline the country part.

Let us know how you do. I'm intereseted to know the turn around time for us in USA, as I don't want to miss my N760C for too long.

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