Newton Connection Utilities for the Windows Operating System



This document contains the latest information on the Newton Connection

Utilties beta version 1.0b5.  Be sure to read this information to use

the Newton Connection Utilities  (NCU) beta software effectively. You'll

also find information on how to report problems that may occur as you

use this pre-release beta software.





This Readme contains information about:



* Getting started * Supported 3rd party applications and file formats *

Tips * NCU version history * Reporting bugs and offering suggestions *

Obtaining Adobe Acrobat Reader to read the Newton Connection Utilities

manual supplied as an Acrobat (PDF) file.





Getting Started





IMPORTANT: Before using the Newton Connection Utilities version 1.0b5,

back-up your Newton device and desktop application data files and store

them in a safe place. If you have used a previous version of NCU, please

delete the contents inside the ILINK\Ildata folder of your NCU

directory.



If you haven't already, install the latest Newton System Updates on your

Newton device. You can find the latest Newton System Updates and release

notes on the Internet at:



http://newton.info.apple.com/newton/solutions/solutions.html





NOTE: If you use the Newton Backup Utility to backup information or

install system updates, be sure to quit NBU before using the Newton

Connection Utilities.  You cannot run the two programs simultaneously.



Next, try out the NCU beta software.  Refer to the manual supplied as a

PDF file for information about NCU's features. To read the PDF file, you

need a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat Viewer. If you

don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader or Viewer, see "Obtaining Adobe Acrobat

Reader" later in this document for information about obtaining a copy.





Supported 3rd Party Applications and File Formats



You can use NCU version 1.0b5 to transfer and synchronize information

with  applications that read these file formats:



* SideKick 2.0 * Lotus Organizer 2.1 * Word 6.0 or 7.0 * Schedule+

7.0/7.0a * RTF Files * ASCII delimited files





Tips



*  For better synchronization results between the built-in Newton

applications and Personal Information Managers (PIMs) on your computer,

it is best to synchronize your Newton information to a new file on your

desktop computer. Then perform the synchronization procedure again with

the same file to ensure all information has been initially synchronized

successfully.  You can then change information on either the Newton

device or the desktop computer, and your changes will be synchronized

correctly on both your Newton device and computer.



*  If you experience connection problems between your Newton device and

your PC, it may be because your PC cannot support the communications

speeds required by NCU. Several packages are supplied with NCU that

allow the Newton device to communicate with your computer at speeds

slower then the default 38.4 KB. These packages are named 2400.PKG,

4800.PKG, and 9600.PKG in the NCU directory. It's recommended that you

install and try out the package that represents the fastest baud rate

(9600 KB) first. Install the other packages if communications problems

persist.





Version History







NCU version 1.0b5



The user interface changed and new buttons were added to support the

importing and exporting of Newton Works documents. These features are

only available for the MessagePad 2000 and the eMate 300 devices.  These

features are not available for the MessagePad 120 or 130.  If you are

using a MessagePad 120 or 130 and you click on one of these buttons, an

alert dialog appears with the message "Exporting NewtonWorks documents"

and a Cancel button.  You should click on the Cancel button at this

point.



In this release, many bugs concerning PIMs were fixed. The Phone label

bug related to the synchronization of the Newton Names with Lotus

Organizer in version 1.0b4 was fixed.





NCU version 1.0b4



The problem of dropped characters visible while using Keyboard

Passthrough in version 1.0b3 was fixed.



The Newton filter was enhanced to better handle unexpected or corrupt

data.  In version 1.0b3, the translation process stopped if corrupt or

problematic data was encountered.  If data is encountered that NCU can't

process, the record is now skipped and error is written to XLATE.LOG

file.



Many bugs were fixed concerning Dates and ToDo information that might

have resulted in repeated meetings being transferred either inaccurately

or not at all.  Problems still exist this this area, however.   If you

encounter apparent loss of data or faulty conversion of a data type to

something that is significantly different from what you expect, please

report the problem.  Your reports are important   It's especially useful

if you send along the translation and error log files created by NCU if

you had a problem:  XLATE.LOGS and ILERROR.LOG (for more information

about locating these files see "Windows Generated Files" later in this

document.)



A new installer was implemented in this version.





NCU version 1.0b3





A new communications driver (Comm driver) was integrated into this

version. This is the same Comm driver used in NBU 1.01. This Comm driver

fixed problems for users who were having problems with the reliability

of their high speed communication connections.







How To Report Bugs or Offer Suggestions





Please use the following information to report problems that you

encounter.



To Report A Bug:



1. Send feedback via email to: NCUFeedback@newton.apple.com



2. Include the key words: "NCU Beta BUG" in the subject line of your

email.



3. Include the following information in your email (Feel free copy the

information format provided here into your email) :



- Your Name:

- What CPU are you using?

- What OS are you using?

- What kind of Newton (120/130)?

- What version Newton OS?

- What version of Newton Connection Utilities are you using?

- Which COM port are you using?

- At what speed are you connecting?

- Do you have an internal modem?

- What were you doing with NCU (BackUp, Restore, Keyboard Pass Thru,

Synchronize) when the problem occurred?

- What Newton files were you working with (i.e, Notes, Names, Dates,

ToDos, etc.)?

- What desktop computer application were you using?

- How often does the problem occur?



Summary of the problem (What steps did you take?):







If you were able to find a way to avoid or resolve the problem, please

describe your solution:





Windows NCU Generated Files:



NCU may generate two files when a problem occurs. It is quite helpful if

you attach these files to you e-mail Bug Report when you send it. These

text files contain information that helps to track down and fix bugs

faster. These two files are called: XLATE.LOG and ILERRORS.LOG.  The

ILERRORS.LOG is located in the NCU Folder.The XLATE.LOG file is located

in the IntelliLink Folder within the NCU Folder.



To Make Product Suggestions



1. Send feedback via email to: NCUFeedback@newton.apple.com



2. Include the key words: "NCU Beta SUGGESTION" in the subject.



Thank you for reporting problems. Your efforts are appreciated. All

feedback is reviewed, although you may not receive a reply.





Obtaining Adobe Acrobat Reader



To read the Newton Connection Utilities manual provided as a PDF file, 

you need  Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat Viewer.  If you don't

have it, it is available online at the following locations: (subject to

change without prior notice)



World Wide Web <http://www.adobe.com/acrobat/readstep.html>



America Online Keyword "Adobe" Adobe Acrobat Reader Software



Compuserve GO "Adobe" Download Adobe Acrobat Viewer





Copyright 1997 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the

Apple logo, Macintosh, Newton, and Power Macintosh are trademarks of

Apple Computer, Inc. registered in the U.S. and other countries. Adobe

and Adobe Acrobat are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated or its

subsidiaries and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Windows is

a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.



Updated January 23, 1997