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View Full Version : ZDNet Reviews AvantGo


Darius Wey
02-06-2005, 04:30 AM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/AvantGo_2005/4505-3638_16-31272316-2.html?tag=tab' target='_blank'>http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/AvantG...-2.html?tag=tab</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Five years ago, iAnywhere Solutions brought a new Web-surfing experience to handheld users with its AvantGo service. It gave wrists a break from having to scroll in all directions to view a site on PDAs and smart phones by delivering specially formatted and personalized Web sites to your device. And now, 7 million users later, version 2005 adds improvements such as enhanced wireless synchronization, better channel management and selection, and more integrated help options."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20050206-AvantGo.gif" /><br /><br />ZDNet have just reviewed the latest version of AvantGo, but I'm not entirely convinced by it. Although it brought many new features, it also took away many old (and might I add, useful) features, so I'm not entirely sure it deserves an 8/10. However, this is largely an opinionated topic, so it's best if you share your thoughts on this one. Is it worthy of an 8/10, or do you think it's overrated?

ctmagnus
02-06-2005, 05:01 AM
Meh, I used to use it but the new version (the old version as well, come to think of it) is highly overrated imo. RSS is a much better solution due simply to the amount of content available vs AvantGo.

MS Mobiles
02-06-2005, 05:04 AM
I have reviewed AvantGo (new version 05) also myself. See this review here (http://www.msmobiles.com/catalog/i.php/560.html). And my review is in some respect better than this from ZDNet because it has many screenshots. :rock on dude!:

Jerry Raia
02-06-2005, 05:45 AM
I have used both versions and the new one is just OK. It is so much slower to sync that the ability to selectively sync channels is meaningless. I'd give it a bit lower score because when something was lean and was fast and is now bloated and slow it is a step backwards. We are just reading news here. We don't need bloat.

alabij
02-06-2005, 05:50 AM
True! I've stopped using Avantgo with the release of '05. It's bloated and ridiculously slow. What were they thinking?

Jerry Raia
02-06-2005, 05:56 AM
What were they thinking?

They weren't. 8)

phritosan
02-06-2005, 06:36 AM
the loss of the ability to use the dpad to scroll is a huge dissappointment.

Jerry Raia
02-06-2005, 06:39 AM
What ever happened to the axiom, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"?

jngold_me
02-06-2005, 06:42 AM
I have used both versions and the new one is just OK. It is so much slower to sync that the ability to selectively sync channels is meaningless.

Huh? The capability to perform selective wireless channel sync has been worth any performance degredation (and btw, it runs fine on my 4150). In the morning when I sync my channels via my wifi is speedy enough. The best though, is when I am on the road and sync via my BT connection to my V505.

I for one like the new interface. The only thing I miss is using IE's full screen mode with MultiIE.

Jerry Raia
02-06-2005, 06:53 AM
I have used both versions and the new one is just OK. It is so much slower to sync that the ability to selectively sync channels is meaningless.

Huh? The capability to perform selective wireless channel sync has been worth any performance degredation (and btw, it runs fine on my 4150). In the morning when I sync my channels via my wifi is speedy enough. The best though, is when I am on the road and sync via my BT connection to my V505.

I for one like the new interface. The only thing I miss is using IE's full screen mode with MultiIE.

I disagree, I could sync everything much faster and not think about what I wanted to sync. Checking boxes to choose what I want to sync is not faster for me. :)

KTamas
02-06-2005, 07:13 AM
Way too overrated. I've stopped using avango when '05 came out too, however i may reinstall cause i miss my TV-schedule :)

JonathanAquino
02-06-2005, 09:16 AM
There are free alternatives to AvantGo that do not have its 2MB limit (I assume the new AvantGo still has this restriction?). The one I use is called JPluck.

Shaun Stuart
02-06-2005, 10:26 AM
The biggest problem with the new version is that its new browser does not format customized sites as well as WM2003se - I am now back to side scrolling.

Stephen Beesley
02-06-2005, 10:32 AM
I have recently started using AvantGo again (the new version) on my Toshiba e755. I have two accounts and honestly do not find the new version any slower to sync than the older version.

As for the new interface - I can take it or leave it. I do not think it adds any real improvements over the old AvantGo in Pocket IE model, but by the same token it does not seem to be any worse.

As for bloat - yes it is bigger but I have it installed on my internal flash file storage and it seems to work fine from there.

As for the more general question of Avantgo v RSS - for me the big advantage of Avantgo (and Journal Bar, which I also use) is that you download the entire story not just the headlines and a quick summary. The summary is well and good if you have internet access at hand and can quickly get to the full story - but I like to use AvantGo and Journal Bar to provide my reading for my daily two hours of commuting to and from work by train. Not much chance of getting on line there...

All in all I am fairly happy with AvantGo but would probaby have preferred it if they had stuck with using Pocket IE as the interface.

acollet
02-06-2005, 01:12 PM
For me, Avantgo had its place in time a year or two ago and was very useful back then. Now with RSS out, I perfer it MUCH more over Avantgo and no longer use Avantgo.

stevew
02-06-2005, 02:21 PM
I like the new version better. I sync the max amount of channels very fast. I'm on a fast internet connection which helps. Even in the cradle it syncs fast. WiFi sync is very fast. The fasted way to sync the channels is wirelessly directly thru Avantgo software bypassing activesync. It's also easier to use Avantgo wireless surfing for me. It's fast viewing for me on my SX 66 also. I haven't noticed any bloat.

Since my fairly recent move to a converged device, I don't use Avanto as much. I'd rather use GPRS or WiFi to surf the many mobile sites out there.

Don't install channels on SD or CD card it slows everything down to a crawl.

PR.
02-06-2005, 02:27 PM
I have used both versions and the new one is just OK. It is so much slower to sync that the ability to selectively sync channels is meaningless.

Huh? The capability to perform selective wireless channel sync has been worth any performance degradation (and btw, it runs fine on my 4150). In the morning when I sync my channels via my wifi is speedy enough. The best though, is when I am on the road and sync via my BT connection to my V505.

I for one like the new interface. The only thing I miss is using IE's full screen mode with MultiIE.

I disagree, I could sync everything much faster and not think about what I wanted to sync. Checking boxes to choose what I want to sync is not faster for me. :)

That's not why its there, it is there for people who sync over GPRS connections who pay by the megabyte you can save money by syncing only the channels you really want updated.

Personally I used the demo on my 4700 but the lack of VGA support and the fact its no longer built into PIE has sent me back to the old version.

gorkon280
02-06-2005, 02:53 PM
This thing is a steaming pile of goo. It syncs fine, but tapping on the links within it and it readering pages that are ALREADY in memory is damn slow. When I have my WiFi on, it's useless. I tap on the Accuweather page with in avantgo and I get a screen with ok in the corner. When online, I browse accuweather with PIE. At least it works. It just seems, to me, the folks responsible for the new avantgo tried to make it better and failed miserably. Anyone know what happened to Minimo? Minimo was a version of Mozilla Firefox for portable devices. It started out on Linux devices and as far as I know is still in alpha. I need a STANDARDS compliant browser on my PPC. We're not dealing with 160 MHz processors anymore. They DO have the power to run a full browser.

shawnc
02-06-2005, 02:57 PM
Being a sucker for punishment, and someone who always likes the latest version of anything, I am SOOOO tempted to try this version of Avantgo. But I just kept reading the horror stories in an earlier thread about sync problems and how slow and bloated it was and was simply scared off. I seem to be one of the few people who have experienced very few problems with Avantgo. I wirelessly sync my content every day. Takes less than a minute and I never have to turn my laptop on. Even on days when I'm almost certain I'll never read it, I sync anyway, just because it is so easy and convenient.

I guess I agree with an earlier post, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

jngold_me
02-06-2005, 03:29 PM
I disagree, I could sync everything much faster and not think about what I wanted to sync. Checking boxes to choose what I want to sync is not faster for me. :)

Um, don't know if you noticed or not but if you set "wireless mode", you only need to check the channels you want synced once and each time Avantgo senses you are wireless, it will sync the checked channels. If you are performing a sync via AS, everything will be refreshed.

I usually set my news channels to sync when wireless as I mentioned before I perform wireless syncs in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon when I am away from my work PC.

As for some others who mentioned RSS being an alternative to Avantgo, I say that RSS is way too limited. Most RSS feeds are just news "blurbs" which, IMHO, just doesn't provide the level of info I look for when reading news.

To those who are moaning about Avantgo's speed, I say get over it. Regardless of whether it was in a browser or in it's own app, it does what it's supposed to do - cache information for later viewing. As for the speed, so what I wait an extra .001 nano-seconds for a page to render. Like I mentioned before on a Autoscaled 4150, Avantgo runs more than fine.

Underwater Mike
02-06-2005, 04:21 PM
I thought the sloooooooow synching was some mistake of mine until I started reading others' complaints. I'm still using it, but only because I'm too lazy to install and configure an RSS reader. :oops:

SteveHoward999
02-06-2005, 04:21 PM
I don't plan to try AG 5 again. They made a bad mistake creating their own browser instead of letting us continue using the browser of our own choice.

I tried it out in Beta and had a number of issues with it. I could find no way to report these issues, and it seems like none have been addressed ... amazing huh?

I like the old version of AG and will keep using it.

pdclarkipaq
02-06-2005, 04:52 PM
I made alot of changes to my iPaq 2210 after getting a new screen. I switched to cable broadband with a wifi card, upgraded to Avantgo 5.0 and upgraded the ROM to 1.1. Speed is incredible compared to dialup and bluetooth and the system seems more stable. I'm not sure what changed my temp. internet files, but it's like there is a very small limit of files and it is in a new location under file explorer. I tried deleting the new location and going back to the original, but a warning says the index is being used by another program. Could this be Avantgo? I can't view any pictures from the internet like I could before. There a lot of features I like about the new Avantgo like speed and format but not page scrolling. I'm getting better at it, but I hope they fix it with an upgrade. Has anyone experienced my problem with limited temp. internet files?

dugn
02-06-2005, 05:40 PM
This thing is a steaming pile of goo. It syncs fine, but tapping on the links within it and it readering pages that are ALREADY in memory is damn slow. When I have my WiFi on, it's useless. I tap on the Accuweather page with in avantgo and I get a screen with ok in the corner. When online, I browse accuweather with PIE. At least it works. It just seems, to me, the folks responsible for the new avantgo tried to make it better and failed miserably. ... I need a STANDARDS compliant browser on my PPC. We're not dealing with 160 MHz processors anymore. They DO have the power to run a full browser.


I couldn't agree more. I have been a religious AvantGo user since I bought my first Jornada 525 and I'm still using it on my dated 568 each and every day to read full news stories at night in bed after my wife turns out the light.

WARNING: I upgraded to the new 5.7 standalone version, hated the BLOAT and overheard it created and the lack of IE functionality, and wanted to uninstall it. YOU CAN'T. You have to HARD reset your device to remove it. You think I'm kidding? Check out the AvantGo support pages if you doubt it. I sent an e-mail to AvantGo support just to make sure this was the ONLY WAY to remove it and restore the older integrated 3.3 client - and a hard reset was my only recourse. Not sure if that's applicable to all PPC's, but my otherwise perfect Jornada that I have never had to reset - was suddenly forced to a hard reset and full re-install of my applications to get AvantGo 3.3 back. Ugh!

Unless you NEED the wireless channel selectivity mentioned in this thread (I don't), I honestly don't see a reason to move to this steaming pile of goo that takes up a LOT more memory space and provides a substantially reduced set of browsing/viewing features than built into IE and useable through the integrated 3.3 client. User beware...

Jerry Raia
02-06-2005, 05:41 PM
I don't plan to try AG 5 again. They made a bad mistake creating their own browser instead of letting us continue using the browser of our own choice.

I tried it out in Beta and had a number of issues with it. I could find no way to report these issues, and it seems like none have been addressed ... amazing huh?

I like the old version of AG and will keep using it.

I wonder if the old version will always be avialable.

Underwater Mike
02-06-2005, 05:54 PM
WARNING: I upgraded to the new 5.7 standalone version, hated the BLOAT and overheard it created and the lack of IE functionality, and wanted to uninstall it. YOU CAN'T. You have to HARD reset your device to remove it. You think I'm kidding? Check out the AvantGo support pages if you doubt it. I sent an e-mail to AvantGo support just to make sure this was the ONLY WAY to remove it and restore the older integrated 3.3 client - and a hard reset was my only recourse. Not sure if that's applicable to all PPC's, but my otherwise perfect Jornada that I have never had to reset - was suddenly forced to a hard reset and full re-install of my applications to get AvantGo 3.3 back. Ugh!

That's the only reason I haven't gone back: the PITA of a hard reset. I figured I'd wait until the next naturally occurring PPC disaster and downgrade then.

Jerry Raia
02-06-2005, 05:59 PM
WARNING: I upgraded to the new 5.7 standalone version, hated the BLOAT and overheard it created and the lack of IE functionality, and wanted to uninstall it. YOU CAN'T. You have to HARD reset your device to remove it. You think I'm kidding? Check out the AvantGo support pages if you doubt it. I sent an e-mail to AvantGo support just to make sure this was the ONLY WAY to remove it and restore the older integrated 3.3 client - and a hard reset was my only recourse. Not sure if that's applicable to all PPC's, but my otherwise perfect Jornada that I have never had to reset - was suddenly forced to a hard reset and full re-install of my applications to get AvantGo 3.3 back. Ugh!

Oh now that is a great feature isn't it? I'm sold on it now! :lol:

Stephen Beesley
02-06-2005, 06:07 PM
As for some others who mentioned RSS being an alternative to Avantgo, I say that RSS is way too limited. Most RSS feeds are just news "blurbs" which, IMHO, just doesn't provide the level of info I look for when reading news...

Exactly the reason I just cannot see RSS as being a viable alternative to AvantGo (or in my case AvantGo and Journal Bar).

SteveHoward999
02-06-2005, 07:10 PM
WARNING: I upgraded to the new 5.7 standalone version, hated the BLOAT and overheard it created and the lack of IE functionality, and wanted to uninstall it. YOU CAN'T. You have to HARD reset your device to remove it. You think I'm kidding?


No you don't. I posted a while ago how to get rid of it, here's what I said:-


When I uninstalled it [the beta] to revert to AvantGo 3.3 (the current public version) AvantGo would not find files in PIE. I eventually fixed it by uninstalling AvantGo, deleting the AvantGo folder in Windows and using a registry editor to remove both of the AvantGo trees. Then I reinstalled 3.3 and all was normal again in Kansas.

peeta
02-06-2005, 07:18 PM
Ok, the hard reset is a deal breaker for me. I always thought AG had problems but it all went out the window when I got an iPaq with Wifi and didn't really need it anymore.

This brings me to my main question...which RSS reader is a good alternative?

SteveHoward999
02-06-2005, 07:44 PM
I wonder if the old version will always be avialable.


No doubt it will go eventually, but I don;t care right now as I have backed up the installer for 3.3. I suppose it will eventually be unsupported, but by then AG will either have died, or fixed what they broke.

Underwater Mike
02-06-2005, 08:50 PM
Steve,

Thanks for reiterating the procedure. I used it successfully and am now back with the tried-and-true v3.3.

SassKwatch
02-06-2005, 09:26 PM
As for the more general question of Avantgo v RSS - for me the big advantage of Avantgo (and Journal Bar, which I also use) is that you download the entire story not just the headlines and a quick summary.
And here I thought I was the only one who felt that way. I like RSS when I'm sitting at home with the laptop. But those teaser headline/short summary items are all but useless to me in an unconnected environment.

dugn
02-06-2005, 10:26 PM
No you don't. I posted a while ago how to get rid of it, here's what I said:-


When I uninstalled it [the beta] to revert to AvantGo 3.3 (the current public version) AvantGo would not find files in PIE. I eventually fixed it by uninstalling AvantGo, deleting the AvantGo folder in Windows and using a registry editor to remove both of the AvantGo trees. Then I reinstalled 3.3 and all was normal again in Kansas.

Not sure that works on all devices. Older (PPC2000 and 2002) - where an early 3.3 build of AvantGo is baked into the OS, the support folks said there was no way (and I tried your method). Not sure why my experience was different - maybe PPC2002?

ignar
02-06-2005, 10:55 PM
Wow. I'm surprised to know there are many of you still using Avantgo. Ever since I get a Wifi/BT enabled PDA and a BT phone, I stopped offline browsing. I do use rss though since it's very useful for quickly checking updates and reading some contents without visiting each site. I might be lucky, but most of my subscribed feeds provide full contents.

Underwater Mike
02-06-2005, 11:10 PM
Wow. I'm surprised to know there are many of you still using Avantgo. Ever since I get a Wifi/BT enabled PDA and a BT phone, I stopped offline browsing. I do use rss though since it's very useful for quickly checking updates and reading some contents without visiting each site. I might be lucky, but most of my subscribed feeds provide full contents.

I'd rather use my BT/GPRS connection, but I have tons of trouble WRT reliability, and Cingular's support is virtually nonexistent. It's actually turned out to be just as bad as Sprint's, which I thought impossible. I just do not understand why US wireless proviers offer such poor support. :(

dma1965
02-06-2005, 11:39 PM
Meh, I used to use it but the new version (the old version as well, come to think of it) is highly overrated imo. RSS is a much better solution due simply to the amount of content available vs AvantGo.

I agree ! AvantGo was great when it came out, since there was nothing else that did what it did on the (originally) Palm Platform, and they did not bombard you with ads and all kinds of rules. On my SX66 the new version definitely runs much faster (the IE integrated version was as slow as my molasses on any and all Pocket PC's I had), but RSS is my preferred news scraper now, especially since PocketRSS is now available as a PocketBreeze plugin. This, coupled with JournalBar and GPRS/WiFi is all I really need now to keep myself busy while I wait in line, wait to see my doctor, or just when I want to scan headlines. I really only have AvantGo on my SX66 because I have the room to spare (gotta love those 128meg devices!!!!) :D

What AvantGo should do is partner up with TVGuide, or DirecTV, or someone like that to offer TV listings. That would be cool. I currently use and love Pocket TV Browser, but would probably switch to Avantgo if they could do this right, since Avantgo can do more, and I love multitasking applications.

As Alton Brown says, there is only room for one unitasker in the kitchen, and that is a fire extinguisher! :multi:

ignar
02-06-2005, 11:41 PM
I'd rather use my BT/GPRS connection, but I have tons of trouble WRT reliability, and Cingular's support is virtually nonexistent. It's actually turned out to be just as bad as Sprint's, which I thought impossible. I just do not understand why US wireless proviers offer such poor support. :(

Umm, Cingular officially doesn't support tethering to PDA for $20 plan. (This is a slightly different approach from Sprint where they officially do not allow tethering at all.) So technically they are not supposed to help you when you mention "PDA" unless you are subscribing higher priced data plans.

GadgetMan
02-07-2005, 12:00 AM
I have used AvantGo from the moment it became available for Handheld PC (I had HP Jornada 680 back then) and enjoyed it a lot.

Unfortunately, AvantGo 5.0 proven to be a major step backwards. The display (font, its positioning, size, justification, etc.) looks HORRIBLE on my VGA iPaq hx4700, the synchronization is much, much slower than with previous version, and the new built-in web browser is a cruel joke, even when compared with default MS Pocket IE. It is one of the worst applications I have ever seen in my 6 or 7 years of using Windows CE devices. Therefore, I had no choice but to completely discontinue using AvantGo.

I now use two products to get my daily information fix:

- SunnySoft World Off-line (it goes and grabs AvantGo formated channels directly from their original web sites, bypassig AvantGo and then displays them off line in Pocket IE),
- Ilium Software's News Break for RSS feeds.

I will keep my eye on AvantGo and should they ever revamp their application to make it even half decent, I will try it again. For now, the experience is just to painful :(

Cheers,

l0o5er
02-07-2005, 02:06 AM
www.isilo.com leaves every other PPC-based offline browsing solution for dead (including RSS).

* no limit on what webpages can be read
* does both HTML &amp; RSS (I personally find HTML pages are a much better source than RSS for off-line reading because the content is generally richer &amp; better summarised so will always choose an HTML page over a RSS feed)
* heaps of options (in isilox - the converter application) to configure the conversion of HTML sites into good PPC-readable ones
* In conjunction with www.Timelyweb.com's ability to notify of changes of to website &amp; then fire off a batch application (isiloxc) creates a totally up-to-the-minute solution (ie. have it update when you want it too, not when avantgo does).
* the best reader application by a country mile. Probably one of the best designed applications for the PPC in terms of its purposes. Extremely configurable. Lovely to use - take note - every other reader application out there.
* always being upgraded with more useful features.

If you do much off-line reading then the cost (US$20) will pay itself back in no time

Also, check out www.mobileread.com for the best resources on PDA-based off-line reading.

Mitch

SteveHoward999
02-07-2005, 02:14 AM
Not sure that works on all devices. Older (PPC2000 and 2002) - where an early 3.3 build of AvantGo is baked into the OS, the support folks said there was no way (and I tried your method). Not sure why my experience was different - maybe PPC2002?


Hmmm - I am pretty sure I have done this with both PPC 2002 and 2003 installed to my Toshiba E750. Maybe it's something more to do with the ROM build and hence the manufacturer of your machine?

I don't see how AvantGo can be so smart as to install something that cannot them be uninstalled by a normal user without a hard reset. They should provide an uninstaller if they are being so invasive.

Sven Johannsen
02-07-2005, 02:39 AM
As Alton Brown says, there is only room for one unitasker in the kitchen, and that is a fire extinguisher! :multi:

In a pinch, you can use it to chill beer ;)

Ed Hansberry
02-07-2005, 02:51 AM
True! I've stopped using Avantgo with the release of '05. It's bloated and ridiculously slow. What were they thinking?How could it be slower than previous versions? I gave it up because it was so slow. :|
This thing is a steaming pile of goo.
Stop beating around the bush Gorkon and tell us what you think about it.

Ed Hansberry
02-07-2005, 03:06 AM
This brings me to my main question...which RSS reader is a good alternative?
I use NewsBreak from www.iliumsoft.com. Works quite well. They have a trial, and I assure you, if you don't like it, you will not have to do a hard reset. :wink:

MitchellO
02-07-2005, 03:13 AM
I upgraded on my ipaq, and it is CR4P. it is soooo slow, and i had to install to a SD card due to size! :evil: they really took a step back. PIE integration was sooo much nicer. Pages dont even fit properly in the new version. i get a scroll bar on the bottom of the screen all the time that does nothing

Darius Wey
02-07-2005, 07:17 AM
I wonder if the old version will always be avialable.

If you look through the help files, AvantGo acknowledge that the new version is lacking a few features that its predecessor had, and it advises those who want the old features to revert back to the older version. Because of that, it seems logical that until the new version improves, the old version should (although, no guarantees) be made available.

MitchellO
02-07-2005, 07:27 AM
I went to read some today, and some of my channels aren't there?! I really dislike this "new avantgo". :cry:

Menneisyys
02-07-2005, 12:25 PM
Meh, I used to use it but the new version (the old version as well, come to think of it) is highly overrated imo. RSS is a much better solution due simply to the amount of content available vs AvantGo.

Or, if you don't mind desktop-based synchronization and web extraction, Mobipocket Web Companion - it's still working much better than most RSS streams (and, for that matter, AvantGo).

Ratel10mm
02-07-2005, 06:04 PM
I'm trying AvantGo for the first time at the moment, but frankly find it irritating in that no matter what I set the depth for, I cannot get past the front pages of my chosen (non-AvantGo Channel) sites. According to Avantgo's FAQ, this is probably because the sites do not allow further penetration. But afaik, they do. I certainly don't need to use a password to get around within these sites! :evil:

Stephen Beesley
02-08-2005, 07:11 AM
I now use two products to get my daily information fix:

- SunnySoft World Off-line (it goes and grabs AvantGo formated channels directly from their original web sites, bypassig AvantGo and then displays them off line in Pocket IE)

Just tried this for the first time and so far very impressed. If only I could work out some easy way of getting my Avantgo Channels into it. Some of them it is just impossible to find the actual web address of the mobile channel Avantgo is using and the main sites are often not much help.

Jonathon Watkins
02-08-2005, 09:53 AM
I now use two products to get my daily information fix:

- SunnySoft World Off-line (it goes and grabs AvantGo formated channels directly from their original web sites, bypassig AvantGo and then displays them off line in Pocket IE)

Just tried this for the first time and so far very impressed.

When I last tried World Off-line I found it very good, but very slow. I did not buy it after the trial expired. However I have a hard reset coming up with the new X50v firmware update, so maybe I'll give it another go.

redraiduzz
02-11-2005, 05:50 PM
I'm glad you guys have given this the collective thumbs down before I could make a mistake and install it. I still have the older version and use it -- albeit not as frequently as I once did.

Not having used RSS, can you get ANY site downloaded or just preferred ones or what? I like the way a content provider will offer a PDA version, i.e. Belo's Ch 8 and Dallas Morning News, that I can choose and have synched to my PDA. Does RSS allow for similar?
I'm not too familiar with it, other than the fact I realize it's some type of XML feed. Is there a limit, also?

FortimirCE
02-11-2005, 11:17 PM
I use AvantGo on my hx4700, because when I am at school, I cannot access the wireless networks, and I like to read my news... so I just sync before I go to school.

I am a senior in high school and have been using AvantGo since I was in SIXTH GRADE on my brand spanking new (at the time) Palm IIIx... and this is by far the biggest step backwards. The images are horribly grainy... it takes so long to load pages after you click a link that I contimplate "do I REALLY want to read this article and go through the hassle"... and not to mention how long it takes to sync 1200+ pages.

When are more people going to realize that there are VGA devices now? I am going to contact Google and tell them to make their http://www.google.com/palm page with a higher-res Google logo.

jkbargo
02-12-2005, 12:59 AM
I have used the new version since it was introduced, and I like it much better than the previous version. It is easier to navigate and is much more stable than the older version. 8 out of 10? Maybe, but I still have times when not all the content I was expecting is downloaded. All in all, it's not bad.

Darius Wey
02-12-2005, 02:04 AM
Not having used RSS, can you get ANY site downloaded or just preferred ones or what? I like the way a content provider will offer a PDA version, i.e. Belo's Ch 8 and Dallas Morning News, that I can choose and have synched to my PDA. Does RSS allow for similar?
I'm not too familiar with it, other than the fact I realize it's some type of XML feed. Is there a limit, also?

You can't really get optimised versions of every site. It's up to the company to provide the content to AvantGo who provide it as a service to you. But you'll find most news sites (globally) will offer an AvantGo-friendly version. You can set different options of what to sync, when to sync, and how to sync - the most common way is through ActiveSync. RSS can be compared to it, but a lot of RSS don't have offline viewing enabled unless you choose to have that done. Your limit is 2MB of content (a usage meter is displayed when you login to your AvantGo account at http://www.avantgo.com/), but if you want to upgrade to a premium account (which you have to pay for), you get 8MB.

MBurch
02-15-2005, 07:40 PM
I hated the new version so much that I uninstalled it. Kept trying to connect to the internet even when my device did not have a connection available. I installed it on my Toshiba e405 with WM2003SE. It did not work well at all compared to the old version that ran within PIE.

I use Mobipocket for this sort of thing anyway. Its desktop client is much faster and trouble-free. Avantgo? Avantgone. :mrgreen:

muddog
02-24-2005, 03:29 PM
Does anybody know of other services like Avantgo? I can't get the software at all. Avantgo customer service told me to try a few things but none of them worked. I'm told to close my Netscape browser, I don't have a Netscape browser or anything on my desktop that uses a Netscape broswer that I know of. I have'nt found anything in the line of RSS feeds that provides the kind of information that Avantgo provides. Thanks for your help.

Darius Wey
02-25-2005, 02:57 AM
Does anybody know of other services like Avantgo? I can't get the software at all. Avantgo customer service told me to try a few things but none of them worked. I'm told to close my Netscape browser, I don't have a Netscape browser or anything on my desktop that uses a Netscape broswer that I know of. I have'nt found anything in the line of RSS feeds that provides the kind of information that Avantgo provides. Thanks for your help.

Are you running a Mozilla browser (e.g. Firefox)? A lot of the time, many software products identify a Mozilla browser to be Netscape, so you will need to close that as well.

muddog
02-26-2005, 03:02 AM
No I have an Explorer Browser. I have found something like Avantgo anyway so I have downloaded the trial version and will try it. If anybody is interested this is the link, I think somebody else has posted this in this forum. www.sunnysoft.cz