I'm thinking of getting a Newton (likely a 2100) in the near future to help a
bit with my studies. Basically, I have a few specific uses in mind, and I'd
like some suggestions as to what hardware/software I might need or if its even
possible to do on a Newton. I am also considering a PocketPC, which may be
useful, albeit a bit more expensive and a bit more of a hassle to use with a Mac.
First of all, Ebooks. I'd like to be able to read texts on my Newton, source
formats: PDF, Word, HTML & plain text. As far as I understand, the Newton can't
display PDF, it has to be converted to HTML and viewed with Newtscape, right?
As for the other formats, I'm aware of Newton Press, which should be able to
deal with them and is available for free. Is this the best solution?
Second of all, Word processing/text editing. I'd like to be able to take notes
on the Newton. Is this practical? Another concern is that the notes would be in
French. Can the Newton properly recognise foreign words, especially accented
characters? With the language kit from Paul Guyot, will I have trouble using
English if I install it? After the notes have been taken, I'd like to apply
some basic formatting to them, and transfer them over to my Mac. I'd like it if
the word processor in the Newton could deal with styles, tables and footnotes,
if possible. Is the basic Notepad combined with NewtonWorks enough?
Third, Internet. It seems to me that Newtons can connect quite well to the
Internet, for simple web-browsing, etc. Which software is best for Web-browsing
and reading/storing IMAP and POP email? Is web browsing usable?
Fourth, Pictures. I have a digital camera, and would like to be able to browse
its pictures on my Newton, as a kind of digital photo album. Its impossible to
connect it directly, since the camera is USB, but can I still see the pictures
(1600x1200 or 800x600 JPEG's) on the Newton? What software would I need? Tibet
for viewing images only?
Fifth, Hardware. What accessories/peripherals are indispensible to get when
buying a Newton? Is it practical to use only CompactFlash cards on the Newton
or should I look at getting a real Newton memory card? Has the ATA Support
driver sufficiently evolved to be useable without the worry of data loss? Is
there a maximum size limit for CompactFlash? How about a modem/ethernet card?
I've looked at quite a few sites that list compatible modems & compatible
ethernet cards, but I haven't been able to find many names of compatible combo
cards. IrDA? I have a PowerBook, so ideally, I'd like to sync my Newton with
IrDA, does it work?
I'd really appreciate some answers to these questions to help me with my decision.
Thanks a lot!
Michael L'Heureux
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