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Here’s a bit more detail on setting up your Palm Centro smartphone to play video games. The program we’re using is LJP (available here: http://www.little-john.net/) 

What you’ll need

• A Palm smartphone
• A micro SD card to store the games
• A reader and/or adapter for the SD card

First off, download and install LJP. Pop in the SD card into the reader. You’ll have to either put it in the /palm/launcher folder, or use the installation process that comes with Palm Desktop.

You also need to put the libraries for the emulators in the correct folders on the SD card, the documentation describes this: “Download the ZIP archive, unzip and put the .ZEM files in “/Palm/Programs/LJP” and the .prc file in main memory. ROMs go in /PALM/Programs/LJP/[system]/roms/, where [system] is SNES, NES, GB, WS, NGP, SMS, GG, etc”

The last bit is to put the ROMs in the appropriate folders on the SD card as well. As you’ve seen above, the folder structure is pretty organized for each system. NES for NES, etc. Check their very detailed documentation if this doesn’t make sense so far. It’s not THAT bad. Here.

Ok - now to play, you just have to fire up LJP on the Palm and pick a system/game. Be sure to set up the controls in preferences to whatever is most comfortable.

Now there is a problem that I’ve experienced where the phone will randomly reset. I am not sure what the cause is, but nothing will work until I delete the configuration file. I recommend getting a copy of FILEZ for the palm to do this - that way you don’t need your card reader and computer every time you have to fix it. The configuration file I am referring to is: /palm/programs/ljp/ljp.ini

GOOD LUCK

The Palm Centro is a Smartphone by Palm which can be used on most major networks: Sprint, Verizon, AT&T - for those of us without an iPhone - I say it’s the next best thing!

Hack #1 - Custom ring tones

One of the stupidest things cell providers do to us is make us pay $2.99 or more for 30-second ring tones of songs we probably already own. It’s like they print money. Well the Centro is your phone and you can make YOUR own ringtones. Here’s how. First grab MiniTones here: http://software.palminfocenter.com/product.asp?id=11197 - Now, copy whatever MP3s you wish to use as ringtones to a micro SD card. MiniTones on your Palm will walk you through cropping and installing the mp3s as ringtones.

Hack #2 - Playing GOOD games on your Phone

Well, you can pay $4.99 for Bejeweled or some crap like that or get tons of free games for Palm - just do a little googling for palm os games, and you’ll find some real jems. My personal favorite time waster is LJP -Little john plam, available here: http://www.little-john.net/ - the process is download & install this app to your phone. Be sure to read through their documentation to, you’ll have to do some of the installation manually. Once it’s set up, copy your video game roms to appropriate folders on your SD - and you’re good to go. (Stay tuned for more in LJP)