From: Nick M. (crystal_castle_at_m6.dion.ne.jp)
Date: Mon May 10 2004 - 15:53:04 PDT
Sorry if I've left out some quoting info. It's a little difficult
quoting from digest mode. This is also very long...
> We also have an Ipaq, 4150 I think, and it is a seriously good piece of
> hardware, also has built in wifi (with better range than any of our
> other devices, believe it or not) & bluetooth, and an excellent bright
> screen (and the backlight doesn't do the awful Newton whine thing,
> which
> is nice if I'm reading an ebook in bed), and the handwriting
> recognition
> is actually better for my scrawl than the Newton. Has surprisingly
> good
> battery life as well, considering all the things we do with it.
Yeah, the screen whine thing can get annoying. More so with the 2100
than my 130. There are no hardware buttons, so flipping pages on the
Newton can be a little difficult.
> I also have a Palm, I don't think much of it at all, but it is an old
> one. (Palm V? not sure, can't even find it.)
>
> The Ipaq is definitely my favourite now, even though it is still
> somewhat unintuitive in some ways (clicking close doesn't really
> shutdown an application, for example).
The iPaq has become my favorite, too. My Tungsten C was my favorite for
a while but it crashed more often than I liked. For example when I
enter in a website using the keyboard it never fails to crash,
requiring an unscrewing of the stylus to reset the machine >:^( So far
the iPaq has been worlds better with email & the web.
.......
> This is mainly because i think of a pda as an autonomous device.
> Without the need of carrying a laptop with you.
I agree here.
> I agree that the new devices are excellent value for money. BUT for me
> a very small screen is useless. Also i need to have a keyboard handy.
> In summary, for me a pda should be almost like a laptop, without the
> need for recharging every 2 or 3 hours. I do not fancy just an
> electronic super filofax.
That seems to me, to be the top complaint: screen size. I love my 2100,
but it's too big for me to carry around comfortably. That's why there
was that huge discussion about the "Man Bags" (or whatever they're
called) a few months back :^)
> The fact is that there is a void in the market. mini laptops like
> libretto still suffer from short battery life.
I had one of those small VAIOs once (the N series or something) and
using it gave me such a headache, I sold it within the first week of
getting it. I also have an NEC Mobile Gear somewhere... (and an Atari
Portfolio.)
> This (off) topic is very interesting. I expect some really nice views
> to be heard.
I hope so :^D
> Kostas Theofilis
......
> Where in Japan do you live?
In Aichi prefecture. Newtons are expensive in this country!!
> The Palm OS is not evil. It is a good basic system for a Pen based
> PDA.
> However, it is limited in many ways which I think gives it its evil
> reputation.
Grafitti on my Tungsten C is absolutely terrible; I'm so glad it came
with a keyboard or I would've sold it right away.
>
>> Are PocketPCs also evil?
>
> Other than it being from MSFT, no! :-)
That's what I had in mind when asking ;^)
> Seriously, the Pocket PC OS has improved dramatically over the years.
> The latest version is much better than before.
>
> But like the Palm OS, it is lacking.
>
> I must admit, when given the choice of Palm OS or Pocket PC, I prefer
> Palm OS devices for most things except for browsing and e-mail. The
> Pocket PC works much better in both these areas IMHO.
Before getting the iPaq I would've agreed, but now I think I'd lean
towards the PocketPC. What I really like is having a file
manager/browser where I can go through and see what's there. With
PalmOS, you get a proprietary menu, or you have to DL a 3rd party file
manager. On the other hand, adding software to Palms is _much_ better
than PPCs in my opinion: just upload and you're done. PPC makes it
difficult.
> Sushi
......
> Out of interest, what ways is it limited? It can surf the net, get
> emails,
> instant message, use bluetooth, use 802.11b wireless networking, play
> mp3s,
> show pictures and movies, and do things pdas *should* do - calendar,
> notes,
> diary, and addresses. Oh, and it has real handwriting recognition, not
> hieroglyphics :-)
>
> What else does a PDA need to do? Colour?
Not to start another topic, but weren't PDAs developed originally just
to be a glorified organizer? No one really said that a PDA _has_ to do
color, Bluetooth, WiFi and all that. That it can is a bonus (at least
in my opinion) and that the Newton still holds it's own in this day and
age is *very* cool :^) That's the selling point for PDAs these days I
think, how many more trinkets and things can you squeeze into it.
> Rod!
......
> Yes, have a new TH55 Sony Clie here and yes its great - it has
> blueetooth and WIFI, a colour screen and plays MP3s in stereo out of
> the box, but I can't work with it, due to the small screen and the not
> integrated applications.
That's true, there's no integration between the apps.
> ...Its just comfortable to have
> a big screen, a true pen ( not a toothpick) and to use ones real
> writing.
>
> I teach German and I consider Graffiti to be a true killer for nice
> writing, and a real hard job for ones brain, because it has to 'switch'
> between writing on paper and writing on your Palm PDA - belive me its
> really annoying when you write on the Palm and then switch to piece of
> paper and by mistake write a Graffiti character - it looks terrible !
I agree with this. Switching back and forth is rather difficult at
best, and downright impossible at worst. I'm glad the PocketPC has more
than one input choice (I use graffiti) but all of them don't add up to
the Newton's HWR.
> In the end its very personal thing and therefore those are Personal
> Digital Assistants. For me the Newton is great, for somebody else a
> small PDA for quick information lookup would be better and a third will
> need MP3s for his job to be done. There is no "good" or "bad" or
> "evil".
I want one that'll do all three, so it's hard for me to stick with just
one platform :^)
> cheers
> Christian
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