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Subject: Re: What is the Bottom Line on Handhelds?

Author: Mike Byrne

Date: 13:25:22 09/14/03

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On September 14, 2003 at 15:40:24, Bob Durrett wrote:

>On September 14, 2003 at 14:06:56, Christophe Theron wrote:
>
>>On September 14, 2003 at 04:45:04, Alastair Scott wrote:
>>
>>>On September 13, 2003 at 21:25:41, Bob Durrett wrote:
>>>
>>>>I see now that my bulletin in this thread was misleading.  I would use my
>>>>regular PC to obtain a collection of games and put it into a named database.  I
>>>>would then simply COPY it into the handheld's memory storage element [which
>>>>takes the place of a hard disk or floppy].  I would never attempt to perform
>>>>database management on a handheld.
>>>>
>>>>Consider Kasparov's new book, "Gary Kasparov on My Great Predecessors Part I."
>>>>This book is a collection of annotated games.  Almost all of those games are in
>>>>Chessbase's Megabase 2003.  In preparation for the study of this book, I copied
>>>>these games into a small database just for this hardcopy book.  Then, when I
>>>>read the book, I simply call up the game and follow it on the monitor as I read
>>>>the book.  This allows me to evaluate my own ideas using a chess engine.  Doing
>>>>this evaluation of my own ideas helps me to understand the inner workings of
>>>>those games.  Typically, I say to myself:  "Why didn't White play XX-XX?"  I
>>>>play it on the computer and the engine quickly lets me know whether or not my
>>>>idea is any good, and if not why not.
>>>>
>>>>That is what I would propose to do on the handheld.  I would not do any database
>>>>management on the handheld.  Who would?
>>>
>>>In other words, a PGN reader.
>>>
>>>For this task, if you still fancy a PDA, the PocketPC is definitely the winner
>>>as you could just copy the PGN file to it and use Grandmaster Chess
>>>(http://www.pocketgrandmaster.com/ - my favourite) to work it.
>>>
>>>Whereas PalmOS is different; although it has many virtues it has no file system
>>>(a deliberate design decision) and dealing with multiple games is difficult.
>>>
>>>What there would have to be is a PC application, acting as a conduit, to
>>>synchronise each game in the PGN file to a different memo (a text scratchpad
>>>provided as part of PalmOS); Chess Genius for Palm or Chess Tiger for Palm
>>>already offer facilities to pick and choose from games stored as memos.
>>
>>
>>
>>Bob could probably do what he wants to do with Chess Tiger for PalmOS.
>>
>>All he needs to do is to copy/paste his PGN text to the "Palm Desktop
>>application" on his PC, then put the Palm on the cradle and press the Hotsync
>>button.
>>
>>On the Palm he starts Chess Tiger and loads the PGN.
>>
>>Then he starts walking thru the game and is able to play alternate moves and see
>>what the program says by using the "analysis mode". This mode allows the user to
>>move thru the game while the program constantly displays its opinion about the
>>score and the best move in the positions, without ever playing a move itself.
>>
>>There is however a limitation that Bob needs to know: Chess Tiger for PalmOS
>>will load neither the PGN comments nor the variations. It will only load the
>>game as it as been played.
>>
>>This constraint applies to most PalmOS chess programs at this time.
>
>Thanks, much, for the information.  It seems that Palm/Tiger would be useful
>although not being able to load annotations is a disappointment.
>
>Bob D.

One point that is not made clear here - for the Pocket PC , several chess
appilcations (Pocket Grandmaster, Pocket Fritz 2 handle pgn files with
annotations.  A typcial Chess Informant PGN file (1 volume) annotated with about
1000 games will take up about 1 MB.  Just copy the pgn file to your handheld and
your in business.  The Palm , as Chris mentions, requires you do copy each game
indivually to a memo pad.  It is much more tedious if you wanted to copy the
entire CI Volume # 87 in pgn format to your Palm handheld- each game would have
to done one at  time.  And the annotations would not be visible in the Palm.

Mike


>>
>>
>>    Christophe
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>I don't think such a _standalone_ application exists, although it could probably
>>>be easily written. (PocketChess -
>>>http://www.handmark.com/products/detail.php?id=85 - does offer the facilities
>>>I've described on PalmOS, but the playing program is of poor quality; despite
>>>what you say you'll soon want to play the computer :)
>>>
>>>Alastair



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