From: James Grubic (jgrubic_at_bozeman.k12.mt.us)
Date: Mon Mar 03 2003 - 10:18:23 PST
Well...I am certainly not a longtime Newton user but I did want to chime
in on the current state of affairs (as I see them) in the PDA realm.
Hope this isn't considered off-topic or offensive.
A few months ago I picked up a Newton 2000 (upped to 2100) off eBay. I
was immediately impressed with the screen size, OS, handwriting
recognition, and PCMCIA slots. Given the age of the technology, I could
easily see why the Newt was considered ahead of its time. I immediately
got an Ethernet card to work and I also got an ATA memory card to work.
I definitely prefer it to my greyscale Sony Clie PalmOS handheld...but
alas, the Newt can't sync with modern versions of MeetingMaker, and I
had to use Classic to install packages etc. I was left in a quandary,
because I now preferred the NewtOS and hardware but needed the Palm to
sync with MeetingMaker - but now hated using the Palm.
Thus enter PocketPC. A friend had an iPaq, and I liked the color screen.
I read information that numerous emulators (C64, SNES, etc) were
available on PocketPC. I saw an announcement from Dell on a new Axim,
which breaks certain price barriers, and I decided to buy one.
My experience with Dell was an absolute nightmare. I ordered the device
in the beginning of January and only received a box from them at the end
of January - a one month wait! And, to top this off, the box I received
contained a *used* Axim with everything opened and strewn about inside,
with one of the power supply cords missing. With the battery I was able
to start up the device briefly, to see someone from Michigan's personal
information. Dell had shipped me a returned item.
After much badgering back and forth with their customer service, I
finally received a new unit the third week of February (they had claimed
at end of January they would send me a new unit overnight). Then we had
numerous runarounds getting this old unit sent back via Airborne. Things
were not looking good so far.
The PocketPC 2002 OS is basically Windows CE. So now I am using a
Windows OS machine (gasp). The color screen is very bright...in fact I
turned it down a few notches to conserve power. It comes with PocketWord
and PocketExcel. It has a CompactFlash slot, and I found that with a
CompactFlash reader I could copy certain files (*.tsk background images,
MP3 songs) over to the PocketPC from my MacOS X G4.
When you can find them, you can also copy .CAB files for PocketPC
programs over via the CF card and then install them from the PocketPC.
Most software however actually needs to run from a Windows desktop box
with ActiveSync installed. There is a solution called PocketMac which
allows for basic synchronization but I was not impressed with the very
limited demo (nor the very expensive price). I have decided to wait for
Missing Sync's offering for any syncs from my Mac...or I could also use
VirtualPC.
Once I installed ActiveSync, I could install some really cool programs.
The games available for PocketPC are very well done. Some of the
astronomy offerings are exceptional. The C64 emulator was very fun to
experiment with. Downside - not many freeware apps.
Summary (and I apologize for the length of this message)...the PocketPC
2002 OS is outstanding and the software being created for the platform
is not only very well done, it's also available in great quantity. Mac
synchronization is a problem right now. So...what of the Newt? With no
new Newton hardware coming out (Apple really dropped the ball with this
market) you will eventually need to decide what serves your needs. The
Newt may continue to do that for years to come. I hope so...but my main
PDA right now is the Dell Axim. A NewtOS emulator should be considered
by those able to accomplish it.
Respectfully Submitted,
James
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