Pepper 3.2 released for Pepper Pad 3
Shortly after the Pepper Pad 3 (PP3) got its last software update in December, the Linux-based Web tablet I once made a fuss about began to fall out of my favor. The occasional crashes and intermittent touchscreen responsiveness always grated on my nerves, but it was when the PP3 required a complete reboot every time I wanted to go online that I began to use it less often. A device I once picked up several times daily turned into something I looked at two or three times a week.
That’s why I didn’t find out until just now that Pepper Computer released Pepper 3.2 a few days ago. Included in the software update are several new features and other enhancements (read the manifest here), but what rekindles my interest in the neglected PP3 are the wi-fi improvements: reduced disconnects, more reliable access-point connection, and automatic connection to networks with the strongest signal.
It’s too soon to tell for sure, of course, but so far it looks like things between me and the PP3 can only get better from here. I think we’re gonna be okay.
UPDATE (5/16/07): Looks like this post ruffled someone’s feathers beyond the point of unruffling. Apparently, I should be letting people know the current status of my individual relationships with all the gadgets I have at home.
I know that some sites post about the day-to-day issues and highlights about their new toys, but I don’t. A quick look through the archives makes that clear. I’ve never been interested in daily "Oh, I can’t get something installed" followed by "Hooray, I got it working!" posts because . . . well, I’m just not interested in them. As a reader, it bores me to tears to read about the minutiae of a writer’s experiences with a gadget that I have or don’t have and am not ever interested in having. If I want to read a diary of John Doe and his UMPC, I’ll go to his MeAndMyUMPC.com website. Since I don’t like reading about that kind of stuff (unless on a dedicated site where such content is expected), I’m certainly not going to write about it. In my FAQ, I explicitly state that "I just write about what interests me." And updates on how I use (or don’t use) something I haven’t written about in 4 months doesn’t interest me.
I also stop using all of my gadgets at some point and pick them back up again when I feel like it. For example, I haven’t even turned on my Q1P in weeks (and when I did, it was just to take those comparison pics next to the Archos 704 WiFi). My PSP is dead from at least six months of inactivity. I haven’t used my Creative Zen V since finishing the review. Is this something you really want to know? For me, this all falls into the "who cares?" category.
I think most people understand and assume that a person’s opinions can/will change over time, especially if something starts malfunctioning. That’s why when readers are interested in buying a gadget I reviewed, they usually ask me how I feel about it now since it’s been months and months since the review. And just because something malfunctions during month 5 of ownership doesn’t mean that all the great stuff about the product during month 1 is thrown out the window. Everything still applies.
Oh, and just to be clear, no one pays me to write reviews and except where noted otherwise, I buy all of the gadgets featured on this site myself (well, okay, my husband buys them for me but let’s not split hairs). There’s a running list of my gadgets here, none of which were given to me by companies/vendors and all of which were financed by the Lee bank account.
