Palm Pre’s New Operating System
January 14, 2009
by Walter S. Mossberg
Here are a few questions I’ve received recently from people like you, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability.
Does the new Palm Pre smart phone use the traditional Palm operating system and the many programs that have been written for it?
Palm’s Pre, which is due out later this year to compete with the iPhone and the BlackBerry, doesn’t use this older software, which was once the best smart-phone operating system, but has grown stale. It uses an entirely new operating system called the Palm webOS, which will have to attract developers willing to write new programs for it. It is a clean break from Palm’s previous hardware and software.
How does the Clickfree computer backup system you covered last week compare with Apple’s Time Machine or online backup services like Mozy or Carbonite?
Clickfree simplifies the chore of backing up files to an external hard disk. However, as I noted in the review, it doesn’t back up your whole hard disk, it doesn’t work automatically in the background, and it doesn’t create a backup physically distant from your computer.
Time Machine, which is built into the Macintosh operating system, automatically backs up your entire computer in the background and includes a very easy method for recovering files. It works with external hard disks. But it doesn’t work on Windows PCs, and it doesn’t create a remote backup over the Internet.
Mozy and Carbonite are online backup solutions. Their advantages are that they work unattended and create offsite backups. But they aren’t intended to back up an entire computer, they don’t create a local backup, and they carry service fees.
Does my 13-inch MacBook come with the capability to view PowerPoint files?
No. While Macs come out of the box with the ability to view and create files in the Microsoft Word and Adobe PDF formats, they don’t come with a PowerPoint viewer. In order to view (and create) PowerPoint files on a Mac, your best bet is to buy the Macintosh version of Microsoft Office, which includes PowerPoint itself. There are other methods as well. For instance, Apple’s own lower-priced iWork suite can also open PowerPoint files and create files in the PowerPoint format. And some Web-based office programs, like Google Docs, allow you to view PowerPoint files on Macs.
You can find Mossberg’s Mailbox, and my other columns, online free of charge at the new All Things Digital Web site, http://walt.allthingsd.com.
Comments
Actually, Walt, so long as you have Mac OS X Leopard, you can view Microsoft Office documents in QuickLook. All you have to do is select the document in the finder and press the space bar. A preview will pop up immediately. This does not, however, have a feature that will allow you to play the presentation; it only lets you preview its contents. If you need to be able to present or a Powerpoint document, Microsoft Office 2008 or iWork ’09 is your best bet.
Posted by Jonathan Sterling at January 14th, 2009 at 6:56 pmIf you mostly just want to view PowerPoint files, and not make complicated edits, there’s no need to buy the expensive MS Office. Just download the open-source, free Open Office from openoffice.org… or its more OS X-native brother NeoOffice.
It may hiccup if you are doing some very complex formatting, but otherwise works well… especially considering the price!
Posted by Stewart Midwinter at January 14th, 2009 at 11:20 pmTwo clarifications re: this week’s column.
Time Machine, contrary to reports, can also run on an internal drive. All TM needs is a second drive, internal or external.
The current version of NeoOffice is more than ready for prime time. The only hassle is the need to “manually” save in the Office format, not NO’s native format. If money is a user’s issue, then, yeah, it’s a terrific deal. (I only broke down and bought Office because my wife and daughter insisted.) (That said, I have to give props to Word in Office 2008; nothing too radical but the interface is a joy to work in and work with. Great job by Microsoft’s MBU.)
Posted by Mitchell F. Senft at January 15th, 2009 at 2:56 amWalt, it would be less expensive to by iWork at $79 vs. Office which comes with Keynote that dutifully opens, views, edits and plays Powerpoint presentations.
Posted by Joe Allen at January 15th, 2009 at 12:03 pmActually, I can view and create Powerpoint compatible slideshows with no difficulty using NeoOffice on the Mac. I’ve been able to receive and edit Powerpoint-created shows as well, and they play in Powerpoint without issue.
Posted by Tommy Chuck at January 23rd, 2009 at 11:08 am