Ahhhh... the disease strikes again!
And I thought I was the only mad one here!!
I've recently learnt a very poignant lesson that this post really touches
on.
(And like my Canadian friend, the Australian dollar is looking quite sad
against the unchallanged might of the old greenback, so I too thought I
would never use one again).
A brief history:
I bought a MP2K almost 3 years ago when they appeared (wow, it has been that
long).
Like a fool, I disposed of it early '98 when a few of us, understandably,
panicked in reaction to an unspeakably short-sighted announcement made by
Apple.
Last year, I finally delved into CE2.0 land. Bereft of almost any redeeming
qualities, ergonomic, operational, and pragmatic (no Mac sync), I thought I
would move on to greener (EPOC) pastures.
The Psion 5mx is a nice machine, but a MP2k it ain't, and still no Mac
sync...
Last week by sheer accident I picked up a mint MP2100. A week later I catch
myself laughing out loud, in appreciative incredulity at the embarrassing
elegance of this beast. I have already purchased Newton software & Flashram
cards online; and have my Macs & MP2k happily talking & syncing over
10baseT.
I mean , really, a window that shows all your Macs folders and files over
ethernet! The handwriting recognition! (NO it is NOT Grafitti!!!).
I could go on and bore you all silly, but you know what I mean.
We are truly fortunate folk, let us know how it goes Albatross!!
Cheers to you all !
--David Corazza digimelb@ozemail.com.au
---------- From: Albatross <amuir@cgocable.net> To: <newtontalk@planetnewton.com> Subject: NTLK Anticipation Date: Sun, 30 Jan 2000 4:17 PM
As of writing I am awaiting the arrival of my first Newton ever. I have never owned or evened handled, for more than a few minutes in some electronics barn, a PDA!
Once I understood the concept behind the PDA I knew I needed to have one. Once I realized I needed to have one, it only took a few moments to figure out that it had to be a Newton. The reason for these conclusions are as follows:
1) I'm a scribbler. At work my desk is a blizzard of post it notes. Telephone numbers scrawled here and there, on the backs of envelopes, note pads partially filled with half sentences and addresses . . . you get the picture. And can I locate one of these information packets 15 minutes after creating it? Maybe. More likely not. You get the picture more clearly.
2) I suffer from Macophilia. Love my current desktop, love reading about what's coming next. I love surfing aimlessly from one Mac related site to another. MacCentral, MacAddict, lowendmac, etc. etc. What's the latest hardware? New OS coming soon . . .
3) I am a gadget freak. More specifically I am an Apple gadget freak. I'm not sure exactly why this is, but I can tell you, I have only a passing interest in other brands of gadgets. Sure I looked at the Palm line, then I figured out I didn't want to spend several hundred dollars for an electronic addressbook. (Hyperbole for emphasis? Perhaps)
Once I decided Newton, it narrowed quickly to a 130 or 2*00 series. The price of the 130 was attractive relative to the 2*00, but the difference in processing power was enormous. It just seemed to me that the 2*00 represented a major evolutionary step beyond the earlier models, and I began to want one very badly. The more I read about it, the more I wanted . . .no needed one. Why even the scribes from the other 97% of the puter world had to admit the 2000 series Newt was one funky digital companion. Not that I care what they think . . . I must have read that one in the dentist's office.
Soon after making up my mind I began to perform the usual exercises in rationalization. I'm sure most of you are familiar with them, even though you have been deprived by His Jobsness of needing to think up new ones for a MessagePad 3000. "This will help me get organized." " I'll be more efficient at work" " I can get those 243 pens out of my glove box" " I won't have to keep looking through the receipts and scraps of paper in my wallet for important telephone numbers"
And forget about the "spousal justification training" I underwent. How about " Now I'll always remember our anniversary honey!" I can't recall any others at the moment. (It's almost sad really)
Having lurked around Ebay for ages, studying the selling prices of the various Newts, I began to despair of ever finding a 2100 for much under about $1000 CAN. That's the other big bummer. All the really cool stuff demands hard, cold US currency. With the exchange hovering around a buck and a half (Loonies to Washingtons), I was having to spend extra time in rationalization mode. To cut to the chase, I casually tossed a low ball bid in on an upgraded 2000 package, fully expecting it to get stomped in the 2 days remaining in auction. As it turned out . . . .
I 've now been tracking that puppy on ups.com like a nervous granny. Somewhere between San Antonio and Windsor, the object of my obsession moves ever so slowly towards my door.
What I find so strange about the whole process, is not only how excited I am to actually get my hands on it (far too excited for a grown man I should think), but also how I feel as if I will be somehow joining something. Becoming a part of some larger community of . . . of . . . of what? Of likeminded weirdos who badly need to get a life? ;) Perhaps.
More likely it is the larger sense of people who have been brought together by an expresson of technology. A technology that somehow allows and encourages its user to feel both connected and liberated at the same time. On top all this, judging by the kinds of things Newton users say when they speak of their machines, the Newton seems to become an extension of personality or at least lifestyle. A mass produced device that somehow can enhance the user's sense of being unique and individual. This is a rare thing indeed. Too rare, because this was part of the promise of personal computing. At least in Cupertino at some time it was.
I hope readers will forgive the length of this post. I'm sure this all sounds a bit over the top, but when I surf what remains of the online Newton universe, and read both what and how people talk of this device, I'm convinced I'm not alone.
Here's to everyone on newtontalk! And here's to the brown van showing up at my door real soon!!
"Any sufficiently advanced form of technology is indistinguishable from magic"
Arthur C. Clarke.
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