-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Rollins <mark_at_mrollins.com>
Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2001 15:18:16 -0400
Subject: Re: [NTLK] Newbie Question (now Palm/Newt comparison)
>
> Subject: [NTLK] Newbie Question
> From: "john_fraser_at_mac.com" <john_fraser_at_mac.com>
>
> >I just can't believe that nothing has caught on like the newton
> since.
> Is Apple
> >really that ahead of the game?
>
> Short answer "yes". Really.
>
> Long (verbose) answer:
> Just bought a HandSpring Neo with free VisorPhone. The combo beats
> any
> other thing I've tried for quick, portable Web/e-mail access (Eudora
> browser supports secure connections) and carrying data in your
> pocket.
Sounds cool. Visor is supposed to be releasing new Visors soon with
the phone integrated into them. Samsung has a phone with palm
integrated into in (in color) coming soon if not already and Kyocera
had a (rather large) B&W Palm/phone combo for a while.
> On the plus side:
> - 8 mB instead of 4 internal, but one proprietary expansion slot
> instead of 2 PCMCIA slots.
My HandEra PalmOS clone has two card slots (one Compact Flash, one
SecureDigital/MMC slot, like the newest PalmOS units have)
> - HotSynch is convenient
Yup. Being able to back up/restore to a CF or SD/MMC card, or copy
between them, or copy files and data and apps onto the cards using a
normal card reader on my Mac or PC is even nicer!
> - scroll and control buttons on the case
Yup, plus my Handera has a jog dial and escape voice record button on
the side too (Sony's PalmOS clones also have one or both of these)
> - pretty good battery life
Most Palms take only two AAA's or some have non-removable
rechargeables. My HandEra takes FOUR AAA's (yet weighs less than the
Palm IIIx that it's the same size as) for much longer life or high-
powered CF devices. I get several weeks of life (less if I use the
backlight a lot, but still a week or more.) I also just got the
rechargeable, removable lithium ion battery. Many recent Palms and
clones have Lion, but they are non-removable. A disadvantage if you
run low, you can't just pop in 4 AAA's (or 4AA's) like the HandEra and
the Newton can.
> - HandSpring "SpringBoard" expansion slot, altho a lot of the
> accessories seem overpriced (wow - a 33.3K modem for only $89.95!!)
HandEra has both CF and SD slots. CF for Ethernet, WiFi, modem,
scanner, memory, even IBM 1GB microdrive. SD for memory now and other
stuff later (Bluetooth, 802.11, etc)
> However, I would have never bought it without the phone come-on,
> because:
> - this brand-spankin'-new unit runs at a whopping 33 mHz (vs Newt's
> 169
> mHz), altho I've overclocked it to 47 mHz.
Yet the 33Mhz of my HandEra is snappier than my Newton 2100 was. Blame
interpreted NewtonScript. Both the blessing and the curse of NewtonOS.
> - screen is not rotatable (except some apps support this) and it is
> tiny! I mean tiny tiny. Tiny. The usable screen real estate is about
> 1/4
> the area (15 cm diag vs 8 cm diag) of an MP2000. Couple this with the
> fact that it's 72 pixels per inch and not 100 PPI as the Newt and the
> comparison is more startling: 640X240 (153,600) vs 160X160 (25,600)
> pixels. Over the next decade I'd invest heavily in consumer eyeglass
> companies' stock.
My HandEra support screen rotation in the OS, but of course the app
still has to recognize it, but many are starting to. Newton apps had
to be rewritten to support it too, don't forget. The HE also has a
240x320 screen, grayscale, and the Graffitti area can be collapsed to a
little Newton-like button bar when not in use, such as in a spreadsheet
or book reader.
> - limited address book; 5 slots only for phone and/or e-mail, I don't
> know the limit on the Newton, but it ain't 5.
Newton beats Palm here, defintely.
> - No inter-program cooperation, like on the Newt when you want to fax
> a
> note, and the routing slip allows you to get a fax number from the
> address book. Not even close.
Not quite. This is not a built in feature of NewtonOS. You can, and
programs _DO_ do the same thing on PalmOS. For example, the PalmOS
notepad supports phone lookup from the Palm address book.
I even contacted MoreInfo people, as
> they
> have a Palm OS "app linking" program. They were very honest, and said
> if
> I use and enjoy MoreInfo on the Newt I would not be satisfied with
> their
> product for the Palm.
Doesn't speak much for them as a company if they realize that and
didn't improve their product to match.
> - Visors have a microphone, but it's useless w/o an appropriate
> SpringBoard module, such as the VisorPhone.
The HandEra has a microphone and LOUD, non-piezo speaker. It allows
you to take voice notes and play .WAV files from the card. You can
record to the cards too. Standard feature.
> - Forget MP3s - at least I can approximate them on the Newt with
> SoundIconMaker.
>Most Palms and clones use a piezo buzzer (!) instead of
> a speaker.
Not true, there are MP3 springboard modules for the Visor. The Sony
Palm clones support MP3 playback as well.
So until the warranty is over and I crack it open to add a
> "real" tiny speaker, no HAL startup sounds or Scooby-Doo alarms.
I can do this on my HandEra Palm clone.
> The best one can approximate are MIDI-like tunes, a la a Nokia phone.
> Woopie!
> - no "gestures" for text editing,
Yes and no. You can use keystroke commands like /c for copy, /p for
paste, etc.
> no double-tapping a word to see other
> recognition choices;
No need for this, but I think there is software that tries to
autocomplete words as you write...
> heck you've got to use a menu command to copy
> text.
Nope. Just write /C or /X.
> Apparently 3rd party apps can add these features.
Newton and Palm both are enhanced by 3rd party apps. Newton has a
lot. PalmOS has 1000x more.
> - no soups,
Thanks god. I've always disliked them. Despite what others argue, I
can see no practical benefit and may disadvantages to them compared to
files.
> no global "find"
Uh, that's incorrect. Global find is a standard OS feature. I use it
all the time.
> heck "Find" only searches the first or
> last part of a word!
Get FindHack. More powerful than Newton's find. Come to think of it, I
have an enhancement program for Newton's "Find" too.
> - hand-cramp-inducing toothpick stylus. I know I can buy bigger ones,
> but where do I store them?
Doesn't bother me (and I have large hands) but I used a stylus in a
cross pen on my newton, anyway.
> The Newt's
> full-sized stylus with springloaded stylus holder (and pull-out
> stylus
> rest) is sheer design elegance.
True.
> - to get an app like the memopad to fax or print you need separate
> 3rd
> party fax or print software, which may not work with all apps.
True. PrintBoy does seem to work with most stuff, though.
> - 4-bit greyscale, just like our venerable Newt, but the whole O/S is
> not in greyscale, so you miss the visual appeal.
Actually, neither is the NewtonOS all in grayscale. Very little is, in
fact. Buttons, for example, or menus. or dialog box/slip shadows.
> Also the built-in dithering of images leaves a LOT to be desired vs
the same images on the Newt.
Not sure what you mean.
> - backlight is "reversed" black turns white and visa-versa, like a
photo
> negative.
Not true. That can be switched with a setting on the Palm. And my
HandEra defaults to black on green like the Newton and older Palm
Pilots did.
>I guesss this must be due to some limitation, as I tried a
> utiity to leave the dispay as-is when the backlight is on, and it is
> well-neigh unreadable.
So did I and it was much better than green on white. I think it was
called GreeLightHack.
> - the O/S is single-threaded, no open calculator while your memopad
> is open.
Not true. Use desk accessories. Sort of like the original DA concept
on the original MacOS.
> - no handwriting recognition. Jot seems to work the best of the 3
> available (vs TealScript and the new MyScript) if you want just
> l-e-t-t-e-r--b-y--l-e-t-t-e-r and you have to manually insert spaces.
I wouldn't mind true HWR but have been somewhat surprised by how little
Graffitti actually gets in my way.
> Forget punctuation w/o the soft-keyboard.
Only sort of. Most commonly used punctuation isn't too bad. Only
unusual stuff is a problem. I rarely pop up the keyboard. And on my
HandEra, with it's soft Graffiti area, the keyboard replaces the
graffiti area and you can actually write graffitti strokes on top of
the keyboard so long as you don't tap and release in a single spot.
This means you can do anything EXCEPT the stroke for a period (which is
tap-tap)
My Newton will be taking
> notes
> in meetings and audits for probaby the next 5 years.
The newton hwr was never fast enough for me to do that, and deferred
recognition was never practical for me either.
> Note, I can't speak for PocketPC (or whatever it's called this month)
> but I've played with a color Cassiopeia and a co-worker bought a 150$
> B&W iPac. Feature rich (decent handwriting recognition, MP3 player,
> nice
> display, etc.) but a bizarre, labrynthine, convoluted (I think you
> get
> my drift) interface. Heck, I think it took 5 or 6 taps to stop a
> running application.
That's been my experience too. MS just doesn't get it. Apple AND Palm
both do get it.
> Don't get me wrong, I really like the Visor, but I recognize its
> severe
> limitations. I really think where Apple failed was the NCU app, which
> was farmed out and not perfected, and the Newton's size.
I agree. Especially size and price. Notice that the highest price
Palm STOP where most of the PocketPC's start. Notice that PalmOS still
owns the market despite MS's incessant media lobbying to thwart it, and
FOUR major OS releases with no success and licensees dropping away
constantly (Palm, on the other hand, keeps ADDING licensees and not
losing ANY. Ever. )
> Imagine if
> the
> MP2000/2100 was the size of it's screen only, say with 2 stacked PC
> card slots.
I have, and I own it. The HandEra 330. As close as a PalmOS clone
comes to a newton, and it comes pretty darn close. www.handera.com
> Many, many companies do things like this; a product so far ahead of
> it's
> time that only a few recognize it, and usually too few and too late.
> --
That's the history of Apple. They create excellence, but most folks
seem to settle for WinCrap. Still, Apple's still here and doing well,
for those of us who can see the light.
- Bill
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