From: Vaguely Radio (vradio_at_maine.rr.com)
Date: Wed Sep 22 2004 - 17:16:15 PDT
I love my DataRover. Were it not for a few specific shortcomings I'd
like it even more than the Newton, though as it is it's a lot less
useful.
A not-necessarily-comprehensive list of things I find lacking:
1) mediocre ethernet/wi-fi support - it exists but not with the number
of devices supported by the Newton.
2) no HWR. The handwriting in the notepad is a poor-man's substitute.
The onscreen keyboard is definitely the best an onscreen keyboard can
be, though. They did what they could with it.
3) truly a "dead platform". no developers to speak of...
3b) ...and virtually no software. This is not a good situation.
4) no syncing. what you put in the DataRover stays in the DataRover.
What you want to put in the DataRover, you have to put in yourself, by
stylus or onscreen keyboard.
Those complaints aside, the OS itself is beautiful in its simplicity
and very polished for something so ill-fated. There are some edges
that could be improved (a little more interoperability in the UI
between programs), but by and large it's a huge success in my humble
opinion. Fun to use and immediately easy to grasp, probably the best
example of using real-world metaphors in a computing platform that I
can think of (yes, I am considering Microsoft "Bob" in that decree...
*shiver*). It's even object-oriented so you can drag and drop text for
editing much like with the Newton. The "stamper" object concept, once
you get it, is a glorious idea that sadly never quite fulfilled its
promise.
Agree with you also on the build quality - it's a little "rattley", but
overall still feels acceptably rugged. The ability to unfold the
screen cover and another tab on the back of the device into its own
stand is a nice touch. The backlight isn't the exciting green of the
Newton's but it's nice and comfortably bright in my opinion. The phone
jack pops open cutely but I would fear breakage under constant wear.
The "magic bus" slot is, sadly, useless.
It makes a nice little fax machine/email device. Then again, so does a
Newton, and a lot more besides. If you want to get packages (the very
few that exist - but hey, you have room in memory for literally every
application I've ever found for the Datarover! Now that's a
comprehensive software library in the palm of your hand!), check out
https://www.multipart-mixed.com and go to the Rosemary software
archive. The best way to get them onto your DataRover (since you don't
have a cable/sync solution or another DR to beam the packages from) is
to e-mail them to yourself and then retrieve them on the DataRover.
E-mailing packages will involve changing MIME headers in your e-mail
program so that the device recognizes the attachments on the other side
(something like "X-Application-MagicCap", but I forget exactly what -
found it on a magic cap list somewhere on the net).
Anyway, play with it a little. I bet you'll arrive at the same
conclusion - fun, but limited, and overall a damn shame.
-Dan
On Sep 22, 2004, at 5:29 PM, Brian G. wrote:
> I received my new/mint Datarover 840 purchased from the ebay auction
> today. It's currently undergoing its first charge. Physically, not a
> bad unit but nowhere near the quality and feel of my MP2100.
>
> Anyone else on the list get one?
>
> Brian
> --
> 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/
>
-- 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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