Hello,
On Friday, March 17, 2000, 7:40:17 AM, Ed wrote:
EK> --- rothesay@sprynet.com wrote:
>> There has been a great deal of talk about a Palm emulator for the Newton
>> lately. While I admit, I would probably buy such a curiosity myself -
>> that's all it would be: a curiosity.
Right. For me as well.
<kindaranting>
Really, it would have to "disappear into the woodwork" to be like anything
useful, i.e. just run essential Pilot app's without having to fiddle with
configuation too often - _then_ it could be useful.
>> I would be far more interested in a
>> Newton emulator for the Palm. Then we would be talking about something.
EK> The Palm is too wimpy in the processor category to even begin to undertake
EK> any kind of serious computing.
EK> Especially being somekind of emulator.
I believe you could do a Super Pilot based on a 68060 (the beefiest of the
lot) with lots of memory. Then such _could_ be thought of.
I _expect_ the Pilot to get better over time - it's the _mass_ product right
now _and_ it's conquered the corporate mind as well: "We want everyone here to
use a mobile schedule solution. What'll we buy?...". Thought so.
EK> In my eyes, the Palm is just a digital day-timer.
EK> <snip>
But, sadly, Palm _is_ a mass market. So, anything new likely is for _it_(then
Wince, then Psion), if at all feasible.
Remember Windows 3.x' heyday and its kind of "can do anything" software? Just so.
>> Which brings me around to my point (albeit somewhat obliquely). Our Newtons
>> are in danger of becoming little islands of productivity in the coming
>> wireless world. I already use a Palm Vx as a PIM because I can carry it
>> anywhere, but wireless access to the Palm will let me do e-mail and simple
>> web-browsing. The Newton is a far more capable platform, and with wireless
>> connectivity my MP2000 becomes a networked laptop wherever I am at a
>> fraction of the weight. I would pay a lot for that.
EK> The Newton already has wireless AND network capabilities in it.
EK> There are some awsome links on ethernet cards for the Newt in this community, and
EK> even wireless network cards.
I have yet to see wireless ethernet cards with drivers for our beloved
Newt (_please_ correct me here if i'm wrong!).
EK> Plus, if you want, you can even use CDMA, ARDIS and
EK> BellSouth Wireless (RAM) on your Newt through any of the carriers selling those services.
Aren't all of them modems (which was ok 3 or 4 years ago)?
EK> I don't see anything that the Palm can do that the Newt CAN'T at least in the hardware
EK> arena.
Apple cut off so much development that we can only guess at, like ATA-flash
drivers, more Ethernet drivers, the mysterious case features of the 2x00s
(sqare beside dongle port, rectangle below lid hinge, ...), OS color support &
color models, Palm size models, ... ok, there i maybe got carried away ;-)
But hardware and driver development has dwindled here, while there it's still
growing. Think of Bluetooth! Newt... ? Nah. Palm... ? Thought so.
EK> One thing I would like to see come to the Newt would be an Oracle client...but
EK> otherwise, the Newt is a far more complete computing platform than any of the available
EK> systems out today, including the various CEs
Right, except for sync'ing, which you said elsewhere you don't need much.
As for me (NT4), syncing with NCU in all variations never worked without
problems: duplicated, mangled, omitted or deleted entries cured me from trying.
The line-up of (possible) field associations for names and schedule (best of
the bunch) is frightening enough - if a field is named differently chances are
it's also handled differently by the other program.
So, no (seamless) sync for me as well.
EK> (although, I sure would like to play with one of those Philips Nino's for a week!)
Me, too. But not seriously (played with a Compaq wince once - weird)
>> The Newton doesn't need to emulate the Palm, it needs to communicate with it
and it does already with BACKTALK (getting better all the time, la la la...;-)
>> and the networks that are being built right now.
EK> The Palm is built on a proprietary platform. The Newts
EK> is more open what with the newfound "grass-roots"
EK> effort of the Newt programming community! I don't see
EK> the Palm being able to read standard HTML (it's
EK> browser can only read websites that have been filtered
EK> to be seen on the Palm) I don't see the Palm with an
EK> IP stack,
Wait for the >2MB Palms to be in the marketplace longer. You'll see better
Browsers and IP stacks as well.
EK> I don't see the Palm using industry standard PC cards...
But the Visors already use (industry standard) Compact Flash cards and there's
other Devices for that socket like modems already there or coming up...
Again: Palms (& alikes) are the _mass_ market; anything new or interesting will _come_ to them.
We Newtonites, on the other hand, have to _pull_ new things in, so to speak.
EK> And I carry my Newt with me everywhere I go. It's at my side when I go to bed at night,
Mine, too.
EK> it wakes me up in the morning,
Nah, too bothersome to shut off the wailing ;-). Instead of just bashing on it
you have to get nearly awake to open the lid and focus on hitting a smallish
squared x. Nah.
EK> downloads my email while I get ready for work,
Never have 'nuff room left in mine for such antics...
though i avidly follow the develelopment of simplemail.
EK> I can browse websites wirelessly while driving to work, and respond back
EK> to email at stoplights.
Do you get honked at a lot after it changed to green? 8^)))
EK> It maintains my schedule, with no intervention from my desktop...
After 2 1/2 years i'm still trying to get organized with it (i'm kind of a
messy), but it gets better.
EK> and when I place the speaker close enough to the Mic on my work phone, it
EK> will even dial the numbers for me (autodial).
A curiosity here, doesn't work so good with german phones.
EK> I don't need a keyboard, or to learn some archaic cuniform
EK> writing structure to be understood by my own PDA. and
That's the Newts BIGGEST plus! (At least with OS2.x)
Meeting people never having seen one, that's the greatest kick every time.
Though for me, it could still improve in accuracy - not that i'm .
EK> it takes notes and even records audio as fast as I can write or open a new note.
Ah, yes, but then you get used to that and crave more... ;-)
F.e. a default configuration that makes audio recording & playback actually
good & audible enough...
EK> In my opinion, the world still hasn't even caught up with the Newt...
Yes, but it is catching up. IMHO the area where it's least likely to do so is
the Newts GUI concept.
The technically most interesting PDAs in the market, the newer PSIONs, have
a GUI and OS that's AFAIK even older than the OMP...
At least (i believe) its concepts are not nearly as revolutionary as NOS' GUI.
_But_ they're based on StrongARMs and _mucho_ memory! (hint, hint... ;-)
EK> In fact, only NOW are the CE devices using processors that are
EK> equal to the power of a Newton
How right you are.
EK> that has been discontinued for over a year! (has it really been two years now?)
EK> The only viable reason to own a Palm is because every one else has one...
And sadly, that's a very good reason.
EK> but with that new beaming package that allows you to beam to Palms, that's no longer a
EK> viable excuse!
Backtalk will extend the Newts usefulness, but not make it a Palm
replacement (regarding public stance & industry support)... 8-(
So, as you see, i look on my Newt2100 with both a happy and a sad eye (have 2,
see? 8^), since its evident value as a workhorse (& geek toy!) doesn't distract
from its officially nearly abandoned status in the marketplace.
</kindaranting>
Thanks for enduring the ramble... (^8
Best regards,
W.Lichtenberger mailto:w_l@gmx.net
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