From: Mark Rollins (mark_at_mrollins.com)
Date: Sat Mar 06 2004 - 05:39:17 PST
I registered on a Website somewhere as "exNewt". I didn't do it to poke fun,
but in homage to our green friend.
You see, I bought a Newton MessagePad 'day one' when they first came out at
MacWorld Boston in what seems like - to borrow the phrase - a long time ago
in a galaxy far, far away. Technically I paid for it then, but the store -
ComputerTown - was out of stock so I picked it up next day, waiting outside
the closed store door like a rabid Patriots fan. Still have it, box and all
stuff, altho it was upgraded to an MP100.
I remember marveling at the size and functionality (wow - faster than the
original Mac, altho curiously it has the same amount of RAM? Didn't Apple
learn anything). When I played with it at MacWorld, I noticed surprisingly
that carefully writing H-E-L-L-O in block capitals (like I did in an older
GridPad) gave some very unusual result. When I wrote more naturally in
lowercase, it recognized - bingo - as "hello". From then on, I began to
integrate the use of this little device into my life.
The note taking was adequate and I began to put every meeting's notes into
it. I still remember for a while I had to allow extra time for a meeting to
start, as everyone wanted to see what I was carrying. Altho some were
negative about the devices future prospects, I chimed in that Sharp was a
licensee, and they sold their own unit as well. I also remember fondly being
the first person (to my knowledge) to find the 'hidden service menu' on the
original MP, and posting this to a CompuServe bulletin board (note for some
of our younger readers this was before the 'Net as you know it, trust me, it
wasn't pretty). This hidden menu hinted at 'deferred recognition' which
actually was enabled in the MP100 upgrade.
As amazing as the OMP was, users like myself quickly discovered the
limitations. No backlight. No communication/one slot, so if you indeed
wanted to FAX or e-mail (wow, at 2400 baud as I recall) you had to get
ready, then pop out the REQUIRED memory card (remember 128k RAM) pop in the
modem, hope there was no 'grip of death' on the card you popped out, and
FAX/e-mail away. Crude, slow, but WOW. I also recall the most amazing
wireless functionality, where using a compact 9V-powered adapter about the
size of a pack of cigarettes, connected to my Motorola FLipFone, and the
accompanying 10 feet of cable I could - after a few fits and starts, often
actually connect wirelessly and send/receive e-mail! And it all fit into a
case the size of a lunchbox!
Now Apple did offer to upgrade the OMP, which I did, and along the way came
out with more models. I resisted the MP120 & 130, as I realized there should
probably be more than 1 slot, and these were not sufficiently 'advanced' for
me to plunk down my hard-earned $. Then came the MP2000. Sleek, sexy, killer
industrial design, FAST, 2 slots, oboy oboy. Again, day 1 purchase, beamed
over all contact and notes info, and gave mp OMP to my son. (this sort of
scares me as he has had an OMP for his younger years, and now has an MP2100
I traded a WiFi card for; I imaging in a few years I ask him for computer
help).
The MP2000 was almost perfect. Now with a modem card that supported CELL I
could connect directly to my newer Moto phone, I could pop in an Ethernet
card, and I also had a huge 8 MB (now 20) card with TONS of storage space.
Recognition (and I should add I have terrible handwriting but I must fit
some model Apple & ParaGraph used as I always had good (85+%) on the OMP,
and darn-near 100 on the MP2000) was perfect, and I could take detailed
notes in meetings or audits. As good as it was, I did take advantage of the
MP2100 upgrade, as - again - not enough RAM was included.
Be sure to go here for a summary of some of the fun I've had and Newton
stuff I've invented/tried/reported on:
http://www.mrollins.com/newton.html
Along the way I found I could connect my digital camera to the Newt, use a
Novatel Merlin card to surf wirelessly (albeit not cheaply!, nor all over
the world), use a WiFi card, etc. But as technology moves ahead, some things
break. When our company's WebMail interface required an HTTPS connection the
Newt was unusable. I would look longingly at smaller Palm and PocketPC
devices, as the fact they were pocketable. Color screens, built-in
keyboards, WiFi, memory made me want more. But what kept me there with the
Newt was the handwriting recognition.
Along the way, mostly due to the "HTTPS" issue and Webmail I acquired a
Visor Prism and VisorPhone. Now this combo kind of sucks, doing neither
phone nor PDA extremely well. But if you need to check a WebMail message or
surf a Website, it could do it anywhere there was a cell signal. Though the
handwriting recognition - even with numerous add-ons - was a pale shadow of
the OMP(!), I found the functionality and size seductive. Plus I could beam
- via BackTalk - to the Palm and back.
I still remember the Newt's spin-off (yay!) spin-in (huh?!) and ultimate
cancellation (arrgh!). Probably the best decision, we'll never know, but
Apple is financially solvent, which was their goal. I also waited in vain
for an "apple tablet" or whatever the rumor mill says is coming.
Which brings me to "exNewt". I'm not rich (unless one uses some Democrat's
definition; my definition of 'rich' is someone who can live on the interest
and dividends from their investments) but every few years I make that big
TECHNOLOGY purchase. As I explain to my wife (not to be sexist, but you can
refer to things' WAF [wife acceptance factor] or SAF [spouse acceptance
factor]) kind of tongue-in-cheek, it's not women, gambling or drugs, but I
get that 'seven year itch' for something new. I researched at length what I
wanted/needed. I figured let's go for as much as you can: wi-fi, memory,
BlueTooth, camera, battery life, keyboard.
I settled on a Sony Clie UX50. Not cheap, but when you add 512MB memory
stick and the requisite battery pack (total only a bit thicker than the
Newt) you have a package that costs less than the MP2000. However, it can do
(and Sony includes a lot of software in the box) HTTPS, even reply via
JavaScript on a Webmail server; take photos and video (not interested in
Speilberg-quality, just for audit purposes), do WiFi, connect via BT through
my 610 phone, play QuickTime MPEG2 files natively (I think all you have to
do is make them the proper size and rename them to a "MQV" extension) flip
to a tablet, and do passable HWR. It does have a backlit keyboard, high-res
screen, and a great industrial design. I can sync with iPhoto & iTunes
(using Mark space's software) and iSync. There's even a skin for a 3-rd
party MP3 player that mimics the iTunes interface. Best of all this is a
package only (with extra battery, otherwise 3/4" thick!) 1-1/8 x 4" x
3-1/2"!
ALWAYS keep in mind though how cutting-edge the Newton was/is; like a 1965
Ferrari or a Mercedes gullwing compared to cars of today. I have 'bested'
PocketPC users in meetings with note taking accuracy, humbled a kiosk-drone
hawking a Windows Tablet (I never wrote the experience up as a story, and I
will, trust me; I also promise sometime soon to put "The Diamond Age" as a
Newton book, as I did with Steven King's "Riding the Bullet" [yeah, that was
me]) and even gave a presentation to a global heath & safety conference on
PDA usage, where I shocked some attendees by showing what I still used
daily. I remember I reached the pinnacle of geekness (do only men do this?)
where a PocketPC user was trying to show me up at lunch, by playing some MP3
files, as he knew the Newton was 'too old' to do this. I didn't play an MP3
per se, I just (having set this up days earlier, and waited for the
appropriate time to spring my 'trap') popped onto a streaming broadcast of
NPR from my laptop via WiFi and listened to it on the Newt! You could hear
the jaws drop.
I do want to personally thank - and if I leave anyone out PLEASE forgive me,
Dr. Newton, Mr. Glass, Woo & Ferdi, Frank G., Paul Guyot, Hiroshi, Mr.
Shepherd, Victor R, Mr. Lindsay, Mr. Weyer, Mr. Luke, Daniel P., Mr.
Hutchinson, and all the others who have contributed software, hardware or
other information to this forum.
I will still subscribe, contribute (Diamond Age, Diamond Age) and still use
the Newt for long meeting notes, you know, those very long meetings where
you begin to understand how a raccoon could gnaw its own foot off to escape
a leghold trap. I plan to be using it in 2010, when the "2010 dates patch"
may be needed.
Long live the green.
-- This is the NewtonTalk list - http://www.newtontalk.net/ for all inquiries Official Newton FAQ: http://www.chuma.org/newton/faq/ WikiWikiNewt for all kinds of articles: http://tools.unna.org/wikiwikinewt/
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