From: DJ Vollkasko (DJ_Vollkasko_at_gmx.net)
Date: Thu Apr 15 2004 - 00:24:58 PDT
>In order to focus my resources most effectively, I need your input.
>
>Please put the following in order of importance (to you):
>
>A) Additional internal memory on 2x00 and emate.
>
>B) Speed switch circuit for 2x00 and emate.
>
>C) Audio in/out.
>
>D) Other?
>
>The item with the most votes will be worked on.
First of all, I'd herewith like to ask Victor officially to rename Newton
Talk to "Mailing List where dumb apes like meself getta stare at incredible
folks like you". I think Mlwdalmgsaifly really has a much cooler ring to it
than NTLK. Ever tried to pronounce NTLK? See, that's what I'm talking
about. ;=}
>D) Other?
So, that being said, I find the choices pretty hard. Of course I'd rally
for a 450 MHz CPU-option for the MP 1x0 and a fat 64 MB RAM upgrade there,
plus throwing a board for MP 2x000 ROMs-inna-1x0 case into the mix for NOS
2.1 and Works, but I don't think there's any chance. Would be more than
nice, though, to get NOS 2.1 and high performance in a 1x0 form factor.
Secondly there's been the "Apple Multifunction Interconnect Adapter"
(<http://www.normalkid.com/collector/inter.html>http://www.normalkid.com/collector/inter.html
) discussed a couple days ago here at NTLK, which totally replaces the
Interconnect socket with line out, line in, power line and two (2) serial
ports. Sweet. And that rolled in one with, let's say... *Bluetooth* - that
would be truly amazing. May I use capital letters? Then let me say again:
AHMAHEZEINK. Simply AHMAHEZEINK. It's, like, this would be totally awesome,
dude.
Then I'm still very intrigued by the statements of Apple folks and Cirrus
about Voyagers readily available four (4) PC Card 2.01-compatible ports
(http://tools.unna.org/wikiwikinewt/index.php/AdditionalPcmciaPorts ).
But what does cascadeable mean? I haven't been able to shake a single
explanation out of anybody here NTLK yet, so apparently nobody else knows
either. Where and how are those PC slots wired to? Are there any special
items on the board per slot, or is it one-controller-serves-all, does the
OS limit the number of PC Card ports, even though the chipset doesn't? Or
is it just a matter of soldering a couple of additional sockets in line,
like e.g. IDE or SCSI work?
Might be well worth investigating - imagine what a MessagePad could run
off 4 PC Cards (e.g. WLAN, Bluetooth, storage and GPS at the same time - or
storage, storage, storage, storage ;=} ). The eMate would profit from this
research much, too.
Or just plain ole SER001 combined with internal Bluetooth for starters:
Instead of running Bluetooth off a PC Card, stick it inside the case and
hook it directly to whatever such stuff wants to be hooked up with.
-- I know that some of these are wild dreams, but that's why they are (or
should be) on the Hardware Wish List
(http://tools.unna.org/wikiwikinewt/index.php/HardwareWishList ): maybe if
we only wish strong enough and with enough people, our collective wish can
bend the time-space continuum and... Aw, forget that new agey mumbojumbo.
Just build 'em all! ;=}
>C) Audio in/out.
This would be really cool if combined with other stuff (see above), would
be pretty cool stand-alone, too.
Actually it would be much much cooler than any of the other things
(besides a complete Interconnect replacement) if there were more nice audio
packages available. I mean, there's sequencer/drum machines for the Gameboy
(of all clumsy devices! The Newton has much more oomph and better suited
interfaces, no?), also samplers, soft-synths and whatever, with MIDI and
stuff to synchronize playback from several devices, maybe a Roland
Groovebox emulation or a 303 or 505 ripoff. Or even just a basic audio
editor with which I could cut and edit a recorded interview and save and
export to .wav or .mp3, so I could either sock the Newt to a aux-port in
the studio and play back off my recording device with the apple on it, or
else transfer to desktop and burn it to audio CD. THAT would really make my
life better.
If the Newton had these applications, audio out and in would be most
valuable to have. Might pull fresh people to the Newton, too.
>B) Speed switch circuit for 2x00 and emate.
Are we talking about an overclocking-within-specs-board? Very nice. Do one
for MP 130, pls. ;=}
Hm, I wonder if this is not an offering already covered for MP 2x00 by the
German Implant accelerator (same folks once *did* offer an 1x0 accelerator,
too). David, if your approach would offer something new and more powerful
than that while leaving audio recording and playback undistorted, also
serial and IR and the other good stuff, I'd say go, otherwise I'd probably
say let's aim at previously unavailable stuff first.
A) Additional internal memory on 2x00 and emate.
Brilliant thing to have, to be sure, but just like the speed hack it
doesn't really take the Newton to new shores in my more than humble opinion
- unless those be significant increases. But to run out of heap on 2100
you'd hafta run a lot of pretty hefty packages, no? For 2000 and UMP it's
worse, admitted, so there's a demand, but line in/out or Bluetooth might be
more valuable in daily use to more people.
Just my two cents. Ah, and of course it'd be brilliant if additions would
not infringe real estate currently occupied by any of the available cards,
Implant, SER001, the eMate RAM board, etc. to preserve previous
investments. Of course in some cases this would not be possible (e.g.
Interconnect-replacement would displace SER001), so this applies where
applicable. ;=}
As always respectfully and cordially yours,
that guy the 'Kasko.
-- This is the NewtonTalk list - http://www.newtontalk.net/ for all inquiries Official Newton FAQ: http://www.chuma.org/newton/faq/ WikiWikiNewt for all kinds of articles: http://tools.unna.org/wikiwikinewt/
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