From: Woo Lee (vitcitylb_at_earthlink.net)
Date: Tue Sep 16 2003 - 15:16:01 PDT
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>still, the vertical market is allergic to legacy ports and obviously
>prefer hardware buttons. the fact that you need the pen for basically
>any type of input makes it necessary to
More due to the fact the 'software' was/is behind the hardware. I've
looked at Telxon, Symbol, and Fujitsu for the past ten+ years, none of the
software was reliable for 'writing', most had 'soft buttons',
pop-up/pop-down menus and/or HW buttons since you couldn't use the small
screens for anything but selecting input. The 'Rosetta/NewtonOS2.x' was/is
the only 'writing software' that works where HW buttons are not needed, but
that is my experience, YMMV. I've used the Newton-keyboard only twice in
all the years I've had it. I got a free one back in 1997, I've sold over
twenty keyboards to NTLK'ers since I don't need/use them. My nine
employees have to use an eMate since the MP21K can't handle nine different
writing styles.
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>if you look at the units that have taken considerable shares in the
>vertical market, they all have hardware buttons and use standard ports.
Which ones? Except for qwerty keyboards , the HW buttons are for
navigation. Pen and/or touch is better 'if' the software was usable.
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>if the vertical market was the prime target, it is a significant
>mistake in the design process to foresee those needs. at least the OMP
>was not marketed to VM specifically, i think only the 130 was.
The OMP was a 'scaled-down and rushed-into-production' compromise from the
original concept. When it was introduced, both the hardware and software
wasn't ready. If Sculley had waited and introduced the MP110, it would
have been a little bit better. But the 'software deals' usually are done
before release of hardware hence some of the great software that came out
for OS 1.3 and 2.x. Even bar-code scanning software was available for OS
1.3. I use my scanner once in a while since the 'pen' or 'fingernail'
works just as well with the usable software.
Newton Inc. 'had' big plans for the MP2K's for the VM and military
customers, until NI was '$teved'.
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!ooW %-) www.lanug.org
Pres. of LA Newton Users Group!...over $teve's Live Body.
A NewtonAddict on MacAddictYr2003!
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