On the Alphasmart, however, I don't think either small screen size or
Graffitti will be a major problem. The screen is considerably larger
than most Palm's (although also apparently much smaller than the
eMate's). And, speaking for myself, I hardly ever right on my eMate's
screen. I type almost everything, and I imagine the same would be true
on an Alphasmart.
The Alphasmart and the eMate each have advantages. The Alphasmart is
apparently smaller, and it works easily and seemlessly with modern Macs
and PCs. It includes almost everything that the eMate came with
application wise, and it is still being actively supported by the
companies involved. It is less likely to break down (no hinge to
puncture a screen cable), and if it does, it will be easier to get
fixed.
However, I really prefer the Newton's interface over Palm's, especially
in Dates and Notes. The outline stationery is a godsend. And, speaking
for myself, I have a fair bit invested in Newt technology. The data on
my flash memory card can be seamlessly moved from my eMate to my 2000.
I have a printer, an ethernet card, a modem, serial cables, and two AC
adapters for my Newts. All of this would need to be updated for an
Alphasmart, plus the initial cost of $400, plus the optional handle
(which I would really want.) Contrast that with a replacement eMate...
$200 at most, I would think.
It's a toss-up, but at least for me, I'm sticking with my Newts. But
someday, when Newts begin to become more and more scarce... I may have
to give Alphasmart a call.
sj
On Thursday, December 5, 2002, at 09:55 AM, Jon Glass wrote:
>
> on 12/4/02 11:53 PM, Brian Pearce at bpearce_at_cloud9.net wrote:
>
>> Graffiti was really the only aspect of the Palm OS I just couldn't get
>> used to. It may not be as elegant as the Newton OS (and the screen
>> size
>> is still too small for what I'd have wanted to use it for), but there
>> was nothing too terrible about it.
>
http://homepage.mac.com/jendra/stevehj
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