[NTLK] Possibilities of NTLK having been a presentation platform?

From: Jim Witte (jswitte_at_bloomington.in.us)
Date: Mon Aug 30 2004 - 10:40:21 PDT


Hello,

   There's been a lot of talk about how the Newton was too-expensive and
mispriced ($900 was about a $400 premium over the best "electronic
rolodex", and no competition really for people who could afford
sib-notebooks).

   But what if Newton had become a presentation platform - being able to
build, import, export, and play PowerPoint presentation and the like?
I believe there either was or was planned to be powerpoint software.
There was a VGA connection (apparently with color, according to one
photo), and there are references in the EZVGA driver package to mouse
support. I've even heard rumors (I'm not sure I believe them) about
native Java support on the Newton.

   In addition to Powerpoint, the Newtonbook could have made a good
presentation alternative, except for the resolution, which could have
been handled (postscript with a PCMCIA PS processor to high-res
projector?). Animations could be done with pre-packaged NS inside the
Netonbooks,

   Any ideas? Because if my N2000 could allow me to build a powerpoint
quickly while I'm jetting over to Singapore (not that I jet over to
Singapore regularly :), then seamlessly connect to the high-res
projector in the conference hall (perhaps through a wireless link, let
me run it, with the aid of a Bluetooth spatial-mouse (okay - this would
have had to change - bluetooth didn't exist, and I'm not sure how good
spatial positioning was then), I think it *would* have been worth at
least $400. Maybe not $900 - but if Apple had done what they arguably
should have and introduced the fabled "Newton NC" at about $99 [like
Palm did], that could have allowed them to lower the price of the N2000
(or at least N1500 down to $500.

   Any thoughts?

Jim

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