Snoozy using System Sound, not Alarm Sound

[wehmann]

After doing a search for "snoozy" in this forum and not finding a good match for the problem I've observed, I've decided to make a posting describing the problem.  I have a Palm Tungsten E2 and am a registered user of Snoozy 1.10.  The problem is that I get a "System Sound" (a brief chirp) rather than the "Alarm Sound" under certain circumstances.  I will describe one scenario for this to occur.

As an example, say it is 3:07 p.m. and I create "Task 1" with the alarm time for 3:10 p.m., plus "Task 2" with the alarm time set for 3:15 p.m.  Task 1 alarms with the Alarm Sound at 3:10 p.m.  I do nothing in response, and wait until 3:15 p.m.  Task 2 then alarms, with the System Sound.  If I continue to do nothing, I get further System Sounds later on; I didn't check the intervals.

If I disable Snoozy and repeat this test, then Task 1 and Task 2 both alarm with Alarm Sounds.

If I re-enable Snoozy and repeat this test, but with the difference that I respond to the alarm from Task 1 by snoozing it for 10 minutes, then Task 2 alarms with the Alarm Sound.

This behaviour makes Snoozy practically unusable for me.  I too easily miss alarms that use the System Sound.

[ConfusedVorlon]

snoozy doesn't do the sounds - that is up to the app. The attention manager just calls the app that set the alert and gives it the cahnce to do whatever sound it thinks best.

[wehmann]

A simpler exhibition of the use of "System Sound" instead of "Alarm Sound" when Snoozy is enabled is simply to set an alarm for one task.  When the task's alarm first occurs, the sound used is the "Alarm Sound".  If my Palm Tungsten E2 is left untouched after the initial alarm sounds, the next sound heard (after e.g. 5 min) is the "System Sound" (an anemic chirp). 

If Snoozy is disabled and the same test is repeated, the second alarm uses the robust "Alarm Sound".

[ConfusedVorlon]

well - that is certainly freaky.
I have no idea why that would happen though - as I say, Snoozy doesn't get involved in alarms.
It doesn't even call the app to let it know that it is time to remind you...

[wehmann]

I did some further experimenting and have to correct what I wrote previously.   The anemic sound that I thought was the "System Sound" is actually the "Alarm Sound".  I determined this by turning off each of the sounds.  So, the alarm sound is becoming very anemic when Snoozy is enabled & when the user does not respond to the first alarm that results from snoozing with "Snoozy".  The first alarm after snoozing with "Snoozy" is a healthy sound, but if the user doesn't snooze again, then further alarms are anemic (i.e. last only long enough for a quick chirp).

[ConfusedVorlon]

interesting - that makes a bit more sense. I guess snoozy is somehow interrupting the alarm. I'll check it out.

[wehmann]

There doesn't appear to be any action on this front.  A related front seems to be that in "http://mytreo.net/forum/index.php/topic,55544.30.html".  I've missed a number of reminders because of this problem with the alarm sound, so I have Snoozy disabled for now.  If inaction continues, I'd be tempted to invoke the 100% satisfaction guarantee and ask for a refund.

[ConfusedVorlon]

yup - no action yet. I am working on something else at the moment...

[treoseven]

Have been getting the "Chirp" also at times.  Also started having resets, which went away when Snoozy was deactivated.  Great program in concept, but needs:
- Alarm sound solution
- Resolution to resets
- Display clean-up on button sizes which sometimes over write text if a full screen of info/alerts are displayed

[wehmann]

According to my records, my purchase date of Snoozy was 10/24/07.  After a year from that date, I'll have to pay for any upgrade.  Right now I am not using Snoozy, because it has the problem described earlier in this thread (if the user doesn't respond to its first, Snoozed alarm, the ones after that are a small chirp noise and can be easily missed).  This problem is unlikely to be addressed before I have to pay for any upgrades, so I'd like to invoke the "100% no-quibble money back guarantee".  How do I go about requesting my money back?

[treoseven]

So it appears that to purchase the software, gives problems/limits functionality, if you don't re-pay each year??? Hmmmm  Sounds like subscribing to a "payment plan" instead of a purchase w/optional renewal for updates...

Am wondering if this might also explain some issues with Butler.

[ConfusedVorlon]

So it appears that to purchase the software, gives problems/limits functionality, if you don't re-pay each year??? Hmmmm  Sounds like subscribing to a "payment plan" instead of a purchase w/optional renewal for updates...

Am wondering if this might also explain some issues with Butler.

not at all, you can use any version from the time you purchase to a year after the purchase, and you can keep using those versions from now to eternity without putting down an extra cent.

[ConfusedVorlon]

Have been getting the "Chirp" also at times.  Also started having resets, which went away when Snoozy was deactivated. 

do you have any way to recreate this problem? I can't recreate it on my Centro.
It's virtually impossible for me to fix a bug unless I have steps to make it happen for me. We have on report of it happening on a tungsten E2 (I don't have one) and your 'occasional' report.

have you figured out what occasions it happens?

as I have said, it is a vry wierd bug as Snoozy has no part either in playing alarms, nor in telling apps to play their alarms.

[wehmann]

I can recreate this problem on my Palm Zire 31, which is the predecessor to my Palm Tungsten E2.  It is running Palm OS software v. 5.2.8.  I installed Snoozy on the Zire 31 and activated it.  Then I set an alarm on a test task and waited for it to go off.  When the alarm sounded, I did nothing and waited to see what kind of sound I got 5 minutes later.  I got an anemic "chirp" after the five minute wait.

A repeat of this test with Snoozy disabled had a robust alarm sound both for the initial alarm for the task, and for the later one that occurred after a five minute wait.

In Preferences, Sounds & Alerts, I have for this test the "System Sound" Off, the "Game Sound" Off and "Alarm Sound" High

Since I am not using the Palm Zire 31 (but do keep its battery charged), I removed all the applications from it that I had installed on it when it was in heavy use.  Even with all these applications removed, the problem with Snoozy still exists.

The other observation I made was that if I did 1 minute "test alerts from Snoozy" I got no sound at all--on both the Tungsten E2 and the Zire 31.

[treoseven]

I am seeing the same thing on a Treo700p - if the first alert is not responded to then it goes to the chirp - I am missing alerts for that reason as well.  I don't recall this occurring in the early versions of Snoozy, wonder what changed?