[NTLK] What is the easiest way to get text files from an eMate to a Mac Mini running Mac OSX 10.6.5?

[Morgan Aldridge]

On Mon, Jan 3, 2011 at 4:50 PM, Frank Gruendel <newtontalk at pda-soft.de> wrote:
>
> We have a family Intel Mac Mini that I recently acquired because I prefer
> Macs to PCs, it was affordable, the other family members needed a computer,
> and it made sure my family would stop queueing at the PC all the time. This
> Mac is running Mac OS 10.6.4, and it has an infrared port.
>
> I'm wondering if there's a way to get texts from the eMate to the Mac using
> this infrared port. I'm aware that the eMates and Newtons do not support the
> IRDA protocol completely, and I do not know which protocol the Mac Mini
> expects (although I'd assume it would be IRDA). Has anybody out there ever
> been able to do this?

Unfortunately, the infrared receiver on the Mac mini is just that, a
one-way receiver for the remote only (unlike the earliest iMacs and
many of the PowerBook generations which had actual Infrared ports).
So, that option is right out.

> If infrared isn't possible: Has anybody been successful using an USB -
> Serial Adapter? In case sombody made this work, could you please shed some
> light on how you did this?
>
> Just in case this is important: Os uses the simple Finder, and his Mac
> account is supervised by parental control. This means I would have to allow
> every required program (which wouldn't be a problem). I haven't a clue it
> such an account would be able to use a USB - Serial adapter at all.

The various Keyspan (now owned by by Tripp-Lite) USB-to-Serial
adapters work great w/Mac OS X and the Newtons, specifically the
USA-19HS <http://www.tripplite.com/en/products/model.cfm?txtSeriesID=849&txtModelID=3914>
& USA-28XG <http://www.tripplite.com/en/products/model.cfm?txtSeriesID=849&txtModelID=3915>
(probably most affordable through Amazon or favorite Apple gear site).

Simon Bell has written an excellent Newton Connection Utilities (NCU)
replacement for Mac OS X called Newton Connection for OS X (NCX):
http://homepage.mac.com/simonbell/connection/index.html. It supports
grabbing Notes & Works documents for working with on the Mac side. As
long as you install the Keyspan drivers & NCX from an administrator
account and allow your offspring's account to open NCX (using Parental
Controls), then he should be all set.

Morgan
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