Re: [NTLK] Newton keyboard questions

From: Scott Roy Atwood (atwood_at_cs.stanford.edu)
Date: Wed Oct 02 2002 - 14:36:52 EDT


* David C. Myers <myers_at_aedifice.net> [021002 18:01]:
> 1. Does the keyboard require a dongle? Or does it connect directly to the
> Newton's serial port?

Yes. The keyboard has a mini-Din-8 connector, so you either need a
dongle or a SER-001.

> 2. Does it kill the battery life? (Or does it take batteries of its own?)

It doesn't have its own batteries. I don't use it frequently enough to
notice the effect on the battery life of the Newton.

> 3. How do you cart it around? Having it clang around inside my briefcase
> doesn't seem like a good idea. Do you use some sort of case that holds
> both Newton and keyboard? Any pointers on where to find such a thing?

When I carry it with me, I have a nylon case that securely holds both
the Newton and the keyboard, and when the case is open, it can prop up
the Newton at angle so you can type, kind of like a tiny notebook
computer. The case is kind of large to carry around for general usage,
especially since it doesn't have any handles or straps. This case has a
Newton logo on it, and I believe it was sold by Apple. There is a case
by PDA Concepts, called the Satellite, that has gotten good reviews:

http://www.pda-concepts.com/cgi-bin/cart.pl?db|datafile.dat|Newton
http://www.pda-concepts.com/Satellite_Description.html
http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/satellite-review.html

> 4. Is it worth it? (Say, for general note taking at the library or
> whatever.)

I'm a touch typist, so it is definitely a lot faster and more
comfortable to use the keyboard instead of the stylus if I know I'm
going to be entering a lot of data. However, I don't frequently find
myself in many situations where I need to enter a lot of data on my
Newton, so the keyboard stays at home a lot.

-Scott

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