At 02:27 PM 10/2/2002 -0400, "David C. Myers" <myers_at_aedifice.net> wrote:
I have a love/hate relationship with my Newton keyboard. I really want it
to work for me but there are numerous minor annoyances that always get the
best of my attempts to work with it.
The great thing about the keyboard is it enables me to do serious writing
on the Newton. As great as handwriting recognition is, I find it too slow
for writing lengthy texts (say, anything longer than an e-mail). I'd love
to be able to write in my diary, write articles, reviews, etc. on the Newt
and for these things I find a keyboard is required.
There is no one killer problem with the keyboard, but several minor nits
that add up. First is the noise -- it's too noisy to use in a quiet library
or in a classroom/conference room setting where other people are around
trying to listen or concentrate. Second, the key travel isn't very long.
You don't get much tactile feedback that your keystrokes are registering.
Third, on an MP2x00, a dongle or SER-001 is required. Neither of these is
foolproof -- the dongle is big and clunky, can get lost, and can get
disconnected during use. The SER-001 works great with the keyboard but (in
my experience) is flaky for other purposes like syncing and package installs.
The other minor annoyances are related to the impliemtation of keyboard
support in the NewtOS. While there are many shortcuts built-in, other
things are missing. For example in Notepad, you can create a new note with
a shortcut, but in order to start writing you have to pick up the pen and
tap in the newly created note. The caret doesn't automatically appear in a
new note. There is no way to navigate word-by-word or jump to the beginning
or end of a line. There's no way to make boilerplate text by keystroke. All
minor things that would make editing text with a keyboard faster and more
useful.
In general, I find that I end up picking up the pen much more often than I
would like to tap some interface item that can't be accessed from the
keyboard. Sometimes I resort to typing with the pen in my hand, at which
point I realize how ridiculous this is and give up.
>2. Does it kill the battery life? (Or does it take batteries of its own?)
I don't think there's any noticable impact on battery life. It doesn't take
its own.
>3. How do you cart it around? Having it clang around inside my briefcase
>doesn't seem like a good idea. Do you use some sort of case that holds
>both Newton and keyboard? Any pointers on where to find such a thing?
Mine came with a case that holds the keyboard itself. I later bought an
Apple-branded case that holds both the keyboard and MP2x00 in a laptop-like
configuration. I bought it from Ferdi Ozguner back when he was selling
Newton items. Perhaps someone on the list knows what this thing is called,
and where one can be procured? I like it okay -- it's kind of big though.
There once was another third-party executive-style (and executive-priced)
case available that did the same thing with a smaller form factor -- maybe
someone remembers what that was called. I don't
Personally, on occasions where I want to have the keyboard with me, I just
carry it around loose in my portfolio and whip it out when I need it. It
actually seems pretty rugged.
>4. Is it worth it? (Say, for general note taking at the library or
>whatever.)
YMMV (but I would say definitely not for library use due to noise). Read my
opinions and others and decide for yourself. If you can find one cheap you
might just buy and try. You can always resell if you find yourself not
using it.
Regards,
-Jeremy
-- Jeremy Bond Shepherd jbond_at_jameswhale.comAmericans practice different faiths in churches, synagogues, mosques and temples. And many good people practice no faith at all. - George W. Bush, finally gets it right in his Easter Address of 2002 My PGP key is available on public keyservers.
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