Get PlecoDict for Treo 650 without using a PC

[lars-petersson]

I bought a Treo 650 with Internet package and now I'm looking for a way to install PlecoDict without having to use my decrepit Win98 Laptop with unstable Internet access.

The PlecoDict manual clearly indicates that the installation process is PC based, still, I'm wondering whether there's a way around it, e.g. by downloading directly from the web to my Treo. The built-in web browser has a fairly ridiculous file size limitation to 2MB, but I would be happy to get a better browser. Any recommendations for a good browser for Treo 650 that doesn't have this limitation, and has good performance otherwise, too?

But it's possible I will be out of luck until I get a new PC. Or until PlecoDict becomes available on SD. If nothing else, please take this as a strong indication of interest for the SD edition. I would be happy to purchase that one in advance if it helps move the whole project forward and a release is likely within our lifetimes.

Thanks a lot for any advice that helps steer me in the right direction!

 

[Anonymous]

Can you not just borrow a friends pc for 15 minutes to download the application and then install it on your treo?

 

[mikelove]

The SD card version was put on hold for licensing reasons - we may have a way to get around them in Pleco 2.0, but it's doubtful there'll be an SD version before the end of this year if we manage to release one at all. A CD version is more likely, but I guess that wouldn't do much good in your case.

But are you sure that your laptop wouldn't be able to handle the job? You wouldn't need to install Palm Desktop, you could use a utility like the wonderful Softick Card Export to turn your Treo into a USB flash drive and copy the files over directly. So the only issue would be the internet access, and since we allow unlimited re-downloads you don't have to fret too much about the possibility of an interrupted download. (if your Treo's internet connection is more reliable than your laptop's, you could always use your Treo as a Bluetooth modem and download the files to your laptop that way)

 

[lars-petersson]

Hi Mike,

I don't pursue the Softick option as I found out that the synchronization software unexpectedly does work on my Win98SE. I was even able to install the Basic version based on ppox103.exe on my Treo without much of a problem last week. But as I am interested in the Complete version, I also tried to run ppcomplete103.exe, and ran into problems.

I got an error message with "Error installing PSI file" in the blue bar on top. In the main field there was an exclamation mark in a yellow triangle on the left side, and a message saying "Failed to open C:\Program Files\palmOne\Installed Packages\ppcomplete103.psi". Does this sound familiar? As mentioned, I had no problems with ppox103.exe, so what is the difference between these files that could cause the problem? Could the problem with ppcomplete103.exe be caused by my earlier work with ppox103.exe; is there anything that needs to be reset or files deleted? I emptied the "Installed Packages" directory, but I am reluctant to remove it entirely. I would like to note that at this point I am working on my PC only, and Treo or the interaction between Treo and PC shouldn't be the problem.

Are there any complications involved in getting the Basic version now, i.e. reinstalling the software (which is hopefully as unproblematic as last week) and then make sure that the purchase with the installation of the keyfile works, too. Would it then be possible to easily upgrade to Professional, i.e. buying the additional two dictionaries and installing them without using the .exe file that causes the problems now.

If you have an idea as to what to try next, could you please let me know.

Thank you very much for your help,

Lars.

 

[mikelove]

If the ppox installer is working and the ppcomplete one isn't, the most likely problem is that your Treo is running low on memory - do you have an SD card for your Treo? You'll need one in order to have enough space to install the Complete version, but once you get one the complete installer should work fine (there's not really any way that the earlier installation could interfere with it).

You don't need to buy anything to install the Professional dictionaries separately; just download the "Manual Install" version of the software (ppcomplete103.zip) and install the "ABC" and "NWP" files from the "Dictionaries" folder. But if you don't have enough memory on your Treo then the files won't install no matter what method you use. You certainly could buy the Basic version and then upgrade, but that's not going to help any with installing the larger dictionaries.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Mike, thank you very much for your unbelievably quick response. Yes, I had bought a 2GB card just recently, and while I have done a few synchronizations in the meantime, the complete version still doesn't run on my PC for the same reasons described earlier. Anyway, the purchase of the keyfile and its installation went smoothly, so I finally have my mobile electronic Pleco dictionary! I will keep trying to work on the other dictionaries. Thanks again, cheers, Lars.

 

[mikelove]

Glad to hear it! And it's strange that it's failing with a card that big - is your Treo 650 running the latest ROM update from Palm? If not, or if you're not sure, go to http://www.palm.com/ and look for the "Treo 650 Updater" link - that will give you instructions for how to check your current ROM version and how to update it if needed. (your cellular carrier may also be able to do this at a service center) I believe some of the early Treo 650 ROM versions could occasionally have problems installing large files even with an SD card, so updating to the latest ROM might help with this.