From: Eckhart Köppen (eck1001_at_gmx.net)
Date: Tue Dec 16 2003 - 09:03:13 PST
Hello David, all,
first, thanks for the kind words :)! In general, I'm quite happy with
the feedback from the Newton community. I'm only concerned when
somebody has some negative experiences with my software and then
doesn't let me know. That way, I don't have the chance to improve
things or correct bugs. But I don't see that as a huge problem, since
I'm using my software myself and know where the weaknesses are.
The Bluetooth situation is actually quite interesting, also on a larger
level. The software I write and put on 40hz is in all cases of the
"scratch an itch" nature. And I also consider it an itch if I see some
area where I could make use of my Newton. The category of things where
I needed some application were time management (Project80), safe
storage for the dozens of passwords at home and at work (The Fish), and
getting appointment information from work onto my Newton (IC/VC).
The second category is this "the Newton should be quite good at this
too" area. And that is definitely influenced by whatever gadgets and
technological thingies are available. So when I was living in the
States and had cheap broadband available for the first time, streaming
MP3s was certainly interesting, as well as WiFi. Cell phones used to
suck, so no bothering about that at that time ;). But now back in
Europe, having easy access to the latest cell phone technology and
GPRS, that's of course something to think about. The option to have
Internet access *anywhere* is quite compelling. I was actually close to
ditching the Newton altogether because of the lack of connectivity, and
go for a Zaurus instead... but by implementing Nitro and Blunt, I
extended the life span of my Newton probably by another three years.
For me, the situation is quite clear: Any available technology that can
be used in a meaningful way gets used ;) I'm not the person who goes
out and buys any gadget available, but some things are really a
no-brainer: Broadband, WiFi, my SliMP3 player, the iPod, digital
cameras, microwave ovens, Bluetooth, and so on (somebody once said that
broadband is like sex, once you had it, you don't want to miss it).
Implemented fully and without interoperability problems, Bluetooth is
extremely useful. You can trust one company that knows a thing or two
about when to bet on new technologies: Apple (with some exceptions of
course) - the new PowerBooks already have Bluetooth installed and the
rest of their hardware has it as BTO option.
Bluetooth has the advantage of covering also higher level protocols
which are relevant (and designed for) mobile usage, such as OBEX for
simple file transfer, modem connectivity or serial port emulation. WiFi
has to rely on things like FTP or HTTP which are not ideal in a mobile
environment.
Bluetooth lets me do the following at the moment:
- Use my cell phone as a modem to get on the web or use email
- Use my desktop computer as a "modem"
- Exchange calendar and address book data
- Not having to worry about battery consumption (very, very
important!). I'm currently looking at adding an internal BT module
which consumes about 20mA when active and 3mA when in standby mode.
And it would be great to use NewtSync (probably not a big thing to
implement), have location based services (auto-switching of location
settings depending on the Bluetooth devices in the area) or use the
Newton as a remote control.
I will probably never buy any mobile device without Bluetooth anymore,
same as I will never go back to dialup internet access or cable-bound
ethernet. It just doesn't make sense.
Cheers,
Eckhart
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