Perooz Some Free Treo Content
I absolutely love all the digital entertainment capabilities that my Treo offers – such as music, videos, photos, games, ebooks and audiobooks – but I nonetheless keep being amazed at just how difficult it is to find some good free as well as paying content to enjoy while on the go.
I recently came across a website called Perooz.com which offers some fun “light” free content such as mobizines (mobile magazines) from the likes of GQ, FHM and Maxim as well as comics and movie trailers – as a bonus many of the images of the mobizines can be used as wallpaper for your Treo as well.
Mobizines
All the mobizines offered average some 70 high resolution jpeg images (about 5MB). Simply dowload the ZIP file to your PC, unzip and copy to the DCIM folder on your SD card. You’ll then be able to read/view the mobizine on your Treo using the Pics&Videos application (images below).
Because the jpeg images are numbered from 01 to 70+ you’ll just need to ensure that you select View > Sort by Name in the top menu. Here below, some of the articles from FHM and GQ which all seem to alternate between the ‘babes’ and the ‘stars’ but as I said it’s meant as light entertainment.
Some people have argued that offering a mobizine as jpeg’s is not exactly ‘advanced’ but the immediate benefit is that it’s extremely easy to view on your Treo and does not require you to install a separate eBook reader.
Wallpaper
Because all mobizine images are in widescreen format I also inadvertently found them to make ideal wallpapers. Here below I quickly changed (Options > Phone Display Options) the standard Treonauts wallpaper on my Treo 680 to the somewhat more exotic presence of Amanda Beard…
As I’ve mentioned in the past, I am disappointed that no PalmOS developer has yet come up with a better wallpaper management solution that would allow me to ‘shuffle’ images from a file (eg: “My Family” pictures) so as to for example have a different image appear everytime I turn my Treo on. In the case of the Treo 680 where the main Phone tab displays the wallpaper I could easily use the up/center/down 5Way buttons to navigate through more images for example. I certainly see many opportunities to further enhance the ‘Home’ screen.
Comics
Another interesting download for me proved to be a comic titled ‘Hitless’ (also viewed using the Pics&Video app). It wasn’t so much about this particular story but because it was the first time that I experienced reading a comic on my Treo. I have to admit that I rather liked it and actually wish that a lot more ‘digital comics’ titles could become available.
Movie Trailers
Finally, Perooz also offers movie trailer downloads in MPEG4 format (about 23MB) which can be viewed with either the free TCPMP player or the new CorePlayer (both by far my preferred Treo video players). Here I was able to discover and watch previews of movies I wasn’t even aware were coming out such as Transformers, Live Free or Die Hard, Rise of the Silver Surfer and Ocean’s 13.
Conclusion
Both Perooz’ site navigation as well as the download/install methods are far from perfect but since all the content is free there’s only so much that I will complain about.
However, what I would naturally very much like to see is a “Digital Entertainment Portal” dedicated to our Treo offering music, videos, photos, games, mobizines, eBooks, audiobooks, software, wallpapers and ringtones with both free and paid content that could easily be downloaded over-the-air or via a periodic HotSync conduit… Nothing of the sort exists at the moment but stay tuned for developments on this front during the coming year as I know of a few people that are working on something along these lines.
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Comments
I always apperciate the efforts that you go through to find and review great products and software for these profesional mobile devices. I am, however, dissapointed to find the content that was on your website this morning though. Do you really need to post images such as these on a website that is supposed to be reviewing cellphone/pda's and their accessories? I know, many people will find my comments perhaps prudish, but I don't think these kind of full screenshots of scantily clad women (dare I even say "soft porn"?) are appropriate for a business environment. I would be very uncomfortable looking at this article in mixed company, especially in today's world of overaggressive sexual harrassment claims. I understand the need to review the software. But I would urge you to perhaps rethink about the content that you post on this website.
Having said that, I still think you have a great website, and please do keep up the good work.
I noticed that I had to copy the images from the folder that I unzipped and paste them into EITHER a folder in DCIM or into DCIM itself. I created another folder in DCIM and pasted the images in there. Hope that helps people.
Austin, Kevin: on the Treo 700 you can also use the Pics&Videos app while on the Treo 650 you can use the Media app. For videos you'll need to install either TCPMP or CorePlayer.
Chris: point taken - I agree that the images are somewhat titillating but GQ, FHM and Maxim from where they are taken are mainstream 'Men's' magazines and do not fall in the 'Adult' category. To be honest with you many of the pictures that I see in women's magazines such as Vogue, Elle or Marie Claire these days are just as (if not more) revealing.
Cheers, A.
Thanks Andrew - which format is best to DL for the 700? The Zen Vision W?
Kevin - yes, the Zen or Zune downloads will work fine.
Cheers, A.
This is an awesome sight! I like that mainstream content is available to download and put on your PDA and you are not forced to get it only by web browsing and using previous minutes/data. The JPG idea is a little daunting (70 jpgs on the already slow treo media player), but I pop them into an Isilo file, a little smaller and much easier to manage, and store. I was just wowing people with the GQ issue on my treo. Also if it is not available for mobile phones, I find the Ipod formatted on works fine. Shame they don’t have some ladies fashion mags on their though (they say it’s coming), would keep a ladyfriend occupied on trips and show you am thinking of her needs to
I found the pictures quite offensive. We use the Treo for business purposes and appreciate the review of the software, but not the inclusion of the soft porn.
I totally agree with you Sandee, I also found De Niro's picture quite offensive. It's the closest to soft porn that I have seen. The others were fine though. Thanks Andrew.
[Edited] Geeez. Grow up people. If you are going to be this prudish about some pics, then I question what you are doing viewing a blog on company time.
Andrew - Thanks for the tips. I'm going to go hit upperooz.com and then come back and drool over the "soft" images... ;-))
Andrew - I can't seem to find valid URLs for the TCPMP program. I get a page not found when I follow your links.
http://tcpmp.corecodec.org seems to be the correct URL, but it doesn't work (page not found).
GJ
I think the pics are rather racey and it doesn't much matter to me that they are normally published in magazines like GQ and Maxim, magazines that often publish racey images to appeal to its predominately male audience. When I first came to this page, I wasn't sure I was at the Treonauts; I had to double-check. Secondly, the pictures are unappreciated for another reason-- technology writers often overlook the fact that women are consumers of technology and readers of technology blogs and other publications. We are often relegated to parenethical references, i.e. "Most guys (and gals), etc., etc." That is bad enough, but posting images of objectified women makes it worse. I'm confident many will disagree with me and tell me to lighten up, but until men are constantly exposed to images of men being similarly objectified, one should seek to understand rather than merely dismiss.
Andrew, you have a great site, but this is, in my opinion, a misstep.
Good review and post, andrew. If the rest of the people here find it too prudish, maybe they should go back into the closets they're hiding in.
Great find! Another great commuter pastime! Unfortunately, in this day in age, someone is always offended. Anyway, keep up the great work!
I too object to the scantily clad ladies in these pictures. When I surf the web on company time I want to be able to read blogs, write crap on internet forums, and stalk 14-year old girls on myspace without being exposed to this smut. For shame!
Why do vendors always assume that the only people who buy technology are men? Idiots.
The website is an interesting concept; thanks, Andrew, for bringing it up. They obviously have a rather narrow target market! And, yes, I too personally found the pix obnoxious - but mostly laughable (ain't Photoshop grand?). Which is one reason why I'm not interested in that website, so I won't be looking at it in future. There is no content there that is of any interest to me.
One thought: for those surfing at work, maybe an NSFW warning? Some businesses wouldn't be too pleased to find their staff viewing the pix you used for your posting, regardless of how they got there. Yes, it's their problem, but still... One wouldn't normally expect to find photos of, um, that "caliber" on this website, so it could take someone by surprise.
Ladies and Gentlemen, if these images offend you it's very simple ...DON'T download the images and DON'T go to the Website or open that particular link. No one is saying you must download these images onto your device. The Treonaut Website is about possibilities (as I see it). I don't feel that any of what was displayed was a mistake. If you don't like it, don't use it. Thank You Andrew for all of your interesting postings.
I have to agree with those that object to images that downgrade women and are not decent. While it`s true that we can avoid those pages and the magazines that show them, why should we be exposed to them on a site like Treonauts? Why can`t this site only show material that is acceptable to everyone? This is the first time I have seen material like this on this site, and I`ve been a devoted reader for over a year. Thank you for respecting my opinion as I respect yours.
In 2007, I'd like to have a Treo 800p with high speed data and a user interface that is slick like the ui on the iPhone. I'd also like people to not be offended by se x. In Europe, nudity is celebrated, not censored. Those who are offended by "prudish" images are usually not found attractive by the attractive people they wish they could attract. I feel their frustration, but find it to be rather ignoble. If my boss were offended by images such as these, I would slap his face. The human body is beautiful in all shapes, sizes, and colors. I just don't understand the pique (I used my Treo to look up that word in an online thesaurus, and then I downloaded some porn). Oh, and do you think the girls in these pictures are offended?
Hello,
I think it would be wise for you to remove this post, or clean up the images. This is not relevant to your target audience and it drops your level of professionalism.
Regards,
James
I found the comments to me much more entertaining than the images, which were also humerous. But as long as we are standing up for equal rights...Andrew, if you want to include some spicy pic's of a "few good men" in the next article, I certainly will not complain one bit!
heh heh heh
Everyone lighten up! I don't find the pics offensive, but people are right about being uncomfortable viewing the pics of this particular posting in a U.S. office. People outside of this country won't believe just how unforgiving the environment here is when it comes to sexual harassment issues in the businessplace. It's perfectly possible for a female employee who saw these pics on the screen of a male co-worker she did not like to get him fired because of it.
Andrew, I truly feel that you should replace the pics of the women with less controversial ones from the site (the band members, for example). After all, a large part of your target audience are people who surf to your site from a business computer (simply because it's faster than their home internet connection).
Again, I'm suggesting this only because I fully support you and your site and don't want you to lose visitors. Unfortunately, this is the world we live in today.
Cheers.
Hmmm...
I have to agree with Jack's previous post. While I personally found nothing offensive about the post (aside from the fluff piece factor) I use this website as entertainment...not a business resource for Treo information. There's a much larger debate that can go on here but this probably isn't the place to have it.
I enjoy your website and find it to be the best of the Treo sites. If you choose to stand behind posting what and how you want I will still visit. But potentially offending people isn't good for business. Perhaps if there was a section for entertainment items like this.
Oh...and Amanda Beard is a Bronze, Silver, and Gold medalist for the American Olympic swim team. She has done a lot for your country and its Olympic presence. She takes pride in the fact she's an athlete and has worked hard to achieve the body she has.
Interesting that no one seems to be offended by the picture of the guy getting the crap kicked out of him or the soldiers being attacked by the lumbering metallic beast.
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