Messages

Thanks, Spydaz, that is extrememely helpful considering the one feature I do not use is the speech-recognition feature (until they get it working a LOT more like it's represented in shows like "Star Trek" it's pretty useless to me because I tend to have a lot of varience in my voice).  I did get the "Hint" and I'm happy to say that it was sussessful (I am on a dial-up, so it took two nights and a good part of a day with Gozilla doing all the work).  It's a shame that the Deskmate programs I have(noted in the "Xtras" folder) don't seem to work graphically with 5.0 but I guess beggars can't be choicy.
 I'd like to also thank Art for sending me a couple of heads-up e-mails as well.  If you two guys aren't working for Zabaware then you should be!  Best tech help I've gotten ever on any Zabaware products.

I'm not meaning to sound like a warthog or anything, but even paying an extra $20 on top of what I've paid for....I dunno.  You would think that maybe some of us who have actually bought the full versions in the past would get a better deal and maybe a wee bit of service.  (and yes, I tend to miss the snakes due to the fact that I just might not be as computer savy as the rest of you, and clicking on Spydaz' link seems to put me in a directory of fun things..but nothing that jumps out and says "Upgrade".
 BTW, I went and re-installed Ultra Hal 4.0...first thing it said was that there was an upgrade to the system and that I can download the demo (and it kindly brought up the demo page).  
 Demos are nice, but I really abhor shareware...I much prefer full programs over "demos".  My guess is...is the upgrade worth $20?  I dunno.  Hal's fun, if not a bit confusing.  As he is now he's a bit buggy on my system.  I did go to Verbot and downloaded their newest version ($10), and I'm pleased with it.  It was rather nice seeing Ka again.
  I guess that some things are pretty much the same.  Don't get me wrong, I think Hal's a fine product..or at least has the potential of being so.  I understand that Zabaware is a small company and can only do so much.  But I also understand that I downloaded the demo years ago and was impressed, so I bought the product (complete with the excuse that they were ironing out the problems), then I bought the newest version (still working on the problems, but now we have more faces to play with!), and now....faith only goes so far!  And it doesn't help if you have to play easter-egg hunt to find the upgrades (even Microsoft has a "click here to view the latest upgrades" site, and we all know how hard it is to get any help from them!)
  Forgive me if I sound like the typical irate customer (and no, I don't mean shoot at the messenger, sorry Art) but maybe Zabaware can strive for a bit more professionalism.  
  Sooooo, it's gonna cost me an extra $20 to find out if it's gonna finally work as expected...sigh....I feel like the guy who bought a car..then when it was delivered I find out it had no wheels..so I had to go buy wheels for it...only to discover that they kinda left the engine out, and if I want an Engine I'll have to order one....just worried now that the transmission might not be included.  All I know is that this had best be a pretty good car when it's finished, lol!
  Hint, guys, please make it easier.  I'd love nothing better than to be able to suggest this product to others and say, "Yeah, man, it's really cool...it remembers things like an address book, and reminds ya when you have an appointment and things" (I still haven't gotten it to remember my wife's birthday correctly yet).  I know..I know...you get what ya paid for.  Well..at this rate I'm not so sure anymore.
  Thanks for your help guys.  If anyone else has any suggestions I'm all ears.  I'll do some more research and stuff...I really don't wanna have to throw good money after bad just to satisfy a curiousity.  Let's face it, when I shelved Hal back when I upgraded to Win Me due to the lack of support at the time, I was quite able to get along without him.  He's a novelty item at best, on par with Verbots (although the Verbot people have made quite a few improvements over old Hal recently).   I wish I could say he's lived up to expectations in the past but I cannot, but I do see his potential and that's why I have invested what I have invested so far.
 It's got game...and it'll be the closest I'm sure I'll ever come to any sort of artificial Intelligence (even if it's just GI-GO) I'll come across in my lifetime (is anyone else kinda miffed that the year 2000 came and went and we still don't have the jet packs and robots we were promised in popular sci fi?  Lol!)  But, It's not just $20..it'll just be making that +$60 I spent on him so far that much more noticable as money I spent on a product that still needs work.  And, Like a fool, I'll probably do it..and be back again next year complaining again...sigh....

That reminds me of "The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy".  Ok, I'm game, I've spend hours reading the forum...where is the upgrade to download Hal from version 4 to version 5?  Is it in a locked file cabinet in a dis-used bathroom in a basement without any lights with a sign on the door saying, "Beware of the Leopard?"?????  Funny, you'd think it would be placed someplace like, oh, the DOWNLOAD Section????
   Art...sooo, your theory is that Hal is upgradable at half the cost of the original....let's see...I don't remember how much I spent to buy him oridinally (I wanna say around $30, but I may be wrong).  Now I do remember he was like $40 when I bought the CD for 4.0.   Sooo, you're saying that maybe if I fork over another, what, $20 I might be able to get him updated?  That's a nice thought...$90 for a program that "Might" work on my system...what fun!
   Don't get me wrong, I really like Hal.  I've even bought a couple of the Desktopmates to kinda spruce him up a bit (Luckily I saved those as well...I wonder if they'll work with the newest Hal as well).
   Ok..I'm not giving up.  I'll re-read the forum..maybe I'm missing something.  At least I'm actually getting SOME input (I do remember that I got very little help when I asked about upgrading him the first time...that's why I bit the bullet and bought him again...but to be honest I don't think I want to risk another $40 to just end up with a nice and colorful coaster with a hole in the middle, if you know what I mean)

I actually own a copy of Ultra Hal Assistant 4.0 that I ordered to upgrade the first Ultra Hal I had (I bought both...I wasn't aware if either came with any upgrades since I never saw any posted, but I figured what the heck at the time).  Since then Hal doesn't seem to like my current computer (I am running with Windows ME now,but when I bought him I was still running Win 98, and I have no intention of going XP).  Now I see that there's a version 5.0!!!!  Is there an upgrade?  Or do I have to buy ole Ultra Hal a THIRD Time?
  I looked around and I see there's now an upgrade from 3 to 4 (my first Hal, I think, was 2.4 and I can probably find the CD if I look hard enough), but no mention of jumping from 4 to 5.
  Now I haven't re-installed Ultra Hal since I took him off once I discovered he didn't really seem to like Win ME, but I would be interested in giving him another go being that there is another version now available.
  That being the case...can someone tell me how I can upgrade him?  I would just download the new demo version but after buying Hal twice already, I really don't want to settle for just the demo.
 Thank You.