Which beloved handheld does it most resemble??

07-22-01

Ok, I found this interesting...here's an excerpt from the link...

PDA and Gesture Use in Practice: Insights for Designers of Pen-based User Interfaces

The results on application usage suggest that Newton and Pilot PDAs are used differently. Newton owners use their PDAs as notebooks. Pilot users, on the other hand, use their PDAs as personal datebooks and addressbooks.

There are several reasons for using the two devices differently. The Newton is better suited to be a notebook. It has a significantly larger screen. Users might also prefer the Newton for note taking because it recognizes normal English printing and script, whereas the Pilot only recognizes Graffiti. In addition, the Newton?s built-in software allows the user to draw and include text with the drawings. Conversely, the Pilot?s smaller size makes it more convenient to carry everywhere, which is desirable for a datebook or addressbook.

The difference in application usage between Newtons and Pilots may also be explained, at least in part, by characteristics of the respondents. According to our survey, Newton users are more technically oriented than Pilot users. This effect is shown by the technical sophistication rating but more so by respondents? occupations. Newton users are much more likely to have technical jobs related to computers than any other job, whereas Pilot users are quite likely to be managers or executives.

Although Newtons are used as notebooks more often than Pilots are, users take the same kinds of notes on both PDAs, at least in meetings. As shown in Figure 5, there is little difference between the kinds of notes that users take.

It is interesting that the two kinds of shared notes (i.e., events to share and ideas to share) are the two least used note types. More and better collaborative software is needed.

And this just in from NTLK (I LOVE THIS - HAHA! - Thanks for sharing, Ivan!)

Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2001 11:34:38 -0400
From: "Ivan T. Shaw" (ishaw@sympatico.ca)
Subject: [NTLK] So much for presumed obsolescence

I have just used an Ethernet-equipped MP2100 to save a friend's professional gluteus maximus.

Situation: small office environment which just upgraded from ARCnet(!) to 802.11b; Internet access being provided by Bell Canada's HSE for Business ADSL service using a SMC Wireless Barricade. Inexpensive solution for a peer LAN with a minimum of upkeep.

Problem: 128-bit WEP and customized comm settings are implemented on the Barricade without writing down what these new settings are. Clients automatically lose connection since they don't carry the appropriate configurations or keys. No machines have wire-based Ethernet so no method within the office to connect to the Barricade.

Solution: MP2100 + NewtsCape to configure the Barricade's web-based configurator.

The "IT guy" hired turns out to be the nephew of one of the workers, who did the old "I read it on .... so it must work" routine. Got some derisive remarks about using a Newton (because it's not a Palm) until Newtscape connected over Ethernet and permitted us to obtain the WEP information. Definitely an interesting 10 minutes of my time.

----------
Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2001 09:54:45 -0400
From: "Ivan T. Shaw" (ishaw@sympatico.ca)
Subject: Re: [NTLK] So much for presumed obsolescence

At 07:19 PM 7/21/01 +0000, Adrian Carter wrote:
>What was the guy's face like when you helped him out :)

Which one? The person who works at that particular company showed nothing but relief since they were essentially locked out of their own network. The nephew probably won't be invited back and I'm certain that he's acquiring a whole new vocabulary to use when describing me.

--
Ivan T. Shaw, PhD
http://www3.sympatico.ca/ishaw
http://www.ivanshaw.com

07-16-01

He is back, yes Adam Tow...!! Hey, Adam, I really like your site, it's designed such that I feel like I know you personally. It's one of the coolest I've been to..thanks $1M for signing my guestbook, I'm...well...honored! Here's an excellent article on Adam's NPDS server

I was playing around with my MP100 this weekend and remembered how less capable the HWR was (especially since I hadn't used it in sometime) and I had a Doonesbury flash back. I entered the words "text fax" and the result..."mouthwash" (LOL!)

Well, my quest for a new MP2100 case is over. I opted for the DayTimer Verona (item# 82581). A desk size personal planner that does a great job for a case. Though I couldn't meet two of my requirements (low cost (planner price-$69), mobile phone area), everything else fits like a glove. One good thing is I didn't have to remove the 3-ring blinder clasp, so I can use it as intended if a choose to. The Newton is securely held in place by industrial strength velcro. Removal of the MP a few times caused no velcro problems. Here is a picture of it open, and another, one showing the MP vertical in the case, and the case closed(no pun intended). Have a good one.

07-11-01

I love the Newton's HWR!!!

graffiti : something you spray on the side of subway cars.

I love to read stories about the Newton. Here's one by Josh Burker, interesting ending. Thanks Josh...

Date: Wed, 03 Jan 2001 07:18:14 -0800
From: Josh Burker (Josh_Burker@misd.wednet.edu)
To: newtontalk@planetnewton.com
Subject: Newton as Crime Fighter

On December 6th, at 2:15 in the morning, three men kicked in the front door of the house where my girlfriend and I lived looking for money, drugs, and the former tenants of our house. After realizing they were in the wrong place and assaulting us, they left, taking with them my Newton 2100 (it was in an Eagle Creek bag, which they probably thought was a purse or a handgun). Fortunately, both my girlfriend and I were relatively unscathed. However, my entire professional life is on that Newton, as well as my NPDS server and much personal information.

As we sat in the house being questioned by the police and filling out statements, the phone rang. I was summoned to the phone, where I was greeted by a sheriff (the police were handling this incident, which made the phone call seem a little strange). The sheriff asked if I was missing an Apple Newton. I said yes, and he asked if I'd been robbed. Incredulous, I asked him if he was unaware of what had transpired an hour and a half previously, and put one of the police officers on the phone.

North of where I lived a sheriff had paced a car going 5 miles over the speed limit and missing its rear view mirror. After following the car for a few blocks the sheriff pulled it over. When the sheriff recognized the driver from previous encounters (and the driver was unable to produce a license), the sheriff emptied the car of its occupants and searched the car. He found a samurai sword, a machete, and my Newton. Turning it on and seeing my name on Avi's Backdrop (thanks Avi!), the sheriff then proceeded to open the address book, called my parents for some reason, then called me.

Unfortunately, this saga drags on. They have one suspect in custody on $100,000 bail. Also regretfully, my Newton is the one piece of evidence they have on this guy, so it's going to be out of my hands for a long, long time. I have pleaded with the detective, the prosecutor, and my advocate as my Newton has my entire professional life on it, but my requests seem to be falling on deaf ears. I knew I depended upon my Newton but I never knew how much until it was violently taken from me.

I just wanted to share this story with the list to show what an effective crime fighter the Newton can be. If anybody out there has a spare that they are willing to part with at a reasonable cost, I would be interested in talking with her or him off list; my Newton is covered by my insurance, and at the rate things are going it might make sense to have my insurance cover the loss and get a different one.

Josh Burker

07-05-01

Well, over the last week or so, I've been keeping a journal on the MP2100 regarding the writing of a book on cybercommunities. In my travels around the web, I've come across some interesting scenarios that have intrigued me. How close is real and virtual world interaction...? Maybe the book will get written, maybe not. Either way, the Newt's excellent HWR sure makes it easy to get thoughts down digitally. Aloha.

07-03-01

((heavy sigh)) --> That was me after someone peering over my shoulder at a school meeting, admiring how easily I took notes on my MP2100, asked the question..."What is that, a Palm Pilot??"

06-19-01

Yet another musing...bathed in Newtonium backlighting (not meant to offend)

06-13-01

Wired has always been one of my favorite magazines, just picked up the current issue. Although, I've heard it doesn't get the greatest respect from the computing community, I've enjoyed it since it's inception. I have the 2nd issue and many afterwards. While I thought they provided excellent coverage of the Newton platform, they missed this very important issue:

Oh well...

06-12-01

Here's "NewtRunner" (aka SpyRacerII), a combination of Lego Technics Set 8244 (Spy Runner) and one of the Lego Insectasoid sets (the name escapes me). I like the flourescent green satellite radome, antennae, laser gun, and engine thruster cones...



Last month, I went to see Jeff Lorber in concert in Annapolis, MD. Since I've been a fan of his since 1980, I contacted him and to make a long story short, I designed an unofficial website for him. I decided to write a review of the concert to put on the site, and since it was a jazz club, the atmosphere was as expected - low lights, good food, great music. I took my UMP2100 and wrote the entire review on it comfortably (no Palm graffitti worries), in real time, thanks to it's great HWR and backlighting. The other four people at the table were obviously wowed and asked the typical questions like, "How long has that been around?", and "Where can I get one?" ...cool is as cool does...

I'm always fascinated to read about how Newtons are used in the workforce also. Though I've collected articles along the way, here's a recent one from the Aussie Newton list about Newts being used in pole inspections...

"The Newtons are running a custom built application which extends thecorporate GIS (Geographic Information System) out into the field wheredata is most important, in the hands of the crews.

The system was actually designed back in the days of NOS 1.3 and running on an MP120. As you may know there are a number of limitations with that OS and the system didn't get into the beta testing stage until NOS 2.0 was released. So the first trials were performed on a couple of upgraded MP120s running NOS 2.0 with 8MB flash cards for storing the mapping data.

There was a period where the software was trialed communicating with a range of GPS cards, all of which really sucked power to the point that you couldn't run the system for an 8 hr day on a single set of AA's. So the GPS stuff was shelved for the time being in place of a extensive set of mapping data provided by the Land Information Council (LIC).

Those first trials involved capturing the location of every street tree in the Parramatta City Council area and plotting them onto the maps. After a couple of months a full set of data was available to the energy authority and council on what trees were where right down to the level of species, health, whether they would impact the power lines, or if they were a protected tree, etc.

The system was then evaluated and a few design modifications planned. When it emerged from the oven the second time it was just in time for the release of the MP2000. And WOW what a difference good hardware makes. The system was fast, had more screen real estate (especially important for a mapping application) and even had two slots so you could run a modem/GPS while still enough space for memory expansion.

The software by this time had taken on the role of a full GIS application allowing full customisation of the map editing features and information to be recorded against each asset type. All through the simple use of Excel spread sheets or Newton Outlines. The maps and assets can be transferred to the system via a standard terminal program or the use of a web browser (Lunasuite). GPS was revisited with the release of new low powered cards and were finally showing potential.

By this stage quite a bit of interest was being shown by councils and other companies at the features that could be provided to mobile staff from such a small and relatively cheap device (remember the only alternative back then was a laptop which were fragile and un-user friendly). So the application was going public at last... (Dec 97)

(Feb 98) The Newton gets Job'ed...

Councils still showing interest as there was no other alternative even though hardware was starting to get hard to find. The system still launched internally for the electricity authority who has continued to use and build it up to a force of around 70 units. The councils and others fell by the way side as reality set in on using discontinued hardware.

Minor feature additions and bug fixes over the time have help keep it alive. The system is great and can be used for all kinds of mapping and/or data collection. Apart from Pole Inspections as is being used here it can be configured in many ways limited only be the imagination :-) To record locations of power points and data cables in an office, trees and street furniture, restaurants and council buildings, even a general street directory with hot spots. And for each object you want to place on the map you can define what gets recorded against it. You can even run it in a non-mapping mode just as a survey/inspection system.

How do I know all this you might ask...

That's right I designed and built it ;-)

Cheers
Ian.

06-11-01

I've delighted in seeing all the discussion on the net about the use of the e-Mate in the school systems (still...Mr Jobs!). Here is a link to a recent article in the Washington Post about e-Mate usage in a Fairfax County, VA school...good reading!

06-9-01

Mr Charles Haddad has written an interesting article in Business Week about why Apple shouldn't re-enter the PDA market. While the article wasn't about the Newton, per se, IMHO, he has taken some potshots at the unit that are unwarranted. Many readers have commented, and my answers to Mr. Haddad's piece are below...."Keep The Green!"





05-22-01

Happy New Year!!! I know what u are saying..."What's this guy on!!?? Well, I would have wished it at the appropriate time...BUT I FORGOT MY PASSWORD TO THIS ACCOUNT AND JUST REMEMBERED THE INFO TO GET A NEW ONE!!! LOL! Anyway...still lovin' my UMP2000!
A very interesting (and embarrassing) thing occurred in a meeting the other day! I have Modplayer set to play alarms and the Newton clock was a minute slow. The alarm went off - REPEATEDLY...AND LOUD...Talk about being flushed face!! I drew a few looks, but in the end, the Newt's coolness factor drew good ccommentary (wink). Good to be back!

11-22-00

Well, I'm converting all my data in my Palm IIIe back to my 2100U to use for work and play. The Palm's plus over the 2100U is only size and desktop connectivity/data transfer, but for everything else, the Newton wins hands down! It's a good day!

11-20-00

Wow, ten days passed quickly. I just got back from California. Took a business trip to visit JPL (Jet Propulsion Lab) and DSN (Deep Space Network). I didn't know the Mojave Desert could be so cold!!!. Had lots of fun, it was quite a learning experience. I also took the "Dynamic Duo" (my 2100U and PowerBook 5300cs). Pretty much used those two to clean house on the 2100U, install some e-books, etc. The trip back to the east coast wasn't that great at all. Got to LAX at 11:30a for a 2:20pm flight - figured I'd grab some lunch, catch up on some magazine reading, etc. Turns out there was a delay out of S.F. It started out only being an hour delay, which in 45 minutes turned out to be 2.5 hours! After the magazine reading, I took some interesting URLs from some articles and put them in the 2100U, added a bunch of new contacts, played Kung Fu, updated some journal entries, some To-Do's and read some e-books. I finally decided to fully use my 2100U for work instead of the Palm IIIe I've been using. Now starts the conversion of space mission data/text and contacts. Thank goodness for NCU (Claris Organizer) and the Palm Desktop. Backtalk would be great to have right about now!

11-10-00

Earlier this week, there was an interesting thread on NewtonTalk that had to do with carrying your Newton in a holster (I'll post the original message in the upcoming Newton Story section, as I found it interesting). Anyway, it got me to thinking about the many different carrying cases for the Newton: The Apple Communications Case (which I've used), the MP2000 Nylon Case w/Newton Logo, Apple Newton Briefcase, The Satellite, and all the various Newton "Glove" type cases. I've been most interested in the do-it-yourself cases folks have come up with. I wanted my carrying case to be big enough to carry what I deem to be essential, but small enough to easily fit in a briefcase, bookbag or backpack. After shopping around awhile, I came up with Daytimer "Bomber Jacket" (Item #43984T), which I purchased earlier this year from Target for $21.00. The planner measures 6.75" x 3.75", comes in black or tan, and is complete with a plastic card holder insert and calender sheets. After seeing that my MP2100U would fit nicely, all I did was remove the ring binder portion, card holder, and sheets and voila...! Here is a picture of the case closed and opened. It works great, holds three pens, two extra storage cards, some paper, is sturdy, and not much bigger than some of the Palm cases I've seen on the market!

11-09-00

If Newtons and other PDA's were around, say, since the 1950's, I often wonder who'd be using them? The Newton would, opf course, be the choice handsdown. I think this guy would (I'd be angry too, if my backlighting went out...). You'd definitely see this guy using one...she would probably carry hers in a holster...and I bet this character would've used a MP130 to jot down his plans and schemes....

11-08-00

(S)Election Day 2000! Today was a bit longer of a wait...two hours at the polls. I passed the time by reading some select Bible scriptures, a good story, "Free Kevin" about famed cracker Kevin Mitnick, another article about NSA, cyberattacks, and cybersurveillance..and entered some data into GeekSafe. All and all, not too bad. Nothing like the Newton too pass time. Almost time for lunch!

11-07-00

Well, the wedding in NJ was pretty good, saw lotsa family, etc, etc. Turns out that the dress my wife ordered for the wedding didn't make it to the house before we left, so I went with her to the mall when we arrived in NJ. After walking around a bit, she chose a "non-men optimized" women's department store. I've always been of the belief that women's departments that are optimized with men in mind have a chair near the dressing room or at least in the immediate vicinity. This had none for miles around, hence the term I coined above. I had my 2100U with me, so while she went through four outfits, I read three e-articles, one short e-book, and played 2 games of Kung-Fu. When we got to the counter, I pulled out a pen from my carrying case to sign the credit slip...the cashier curiously stared at the Newton (what else is new).

11-03-00

Ok, we've read comparisons between the Newton and Palm platform many times, but here is one that I particularly like. Yes, it's outdated, but on the other hand it shows again how innovative Apple was in it's thinking with the Newton years ago. Maybe I'll get around to updating it, but you get my drift. Thanks to Paul Filmer, for letting me borrow it from his NPDS page.

11-02-00

"...A later model will offer diffused infrared capability, which will allow you to log on to an AppleTalk network and then walk around the office freely while still maintaining full contact with all zones on the net."..."With auto-grouping, if you select several objects, they'll automatically be grouped into a single object. With auto-joining, if you position one object to touch another, they'll automatically be joined into a single compound object."..."The calendar/scheduler offers some basic personal scheduling functions, supplemented with intelligence. For example, if you enter "lunch meeting with Jeff Bailey on Tuesday", the scheduler will "know" that you are probably talking about the Jeff Bailey in your Rolodex, the nearest Tuesday in the future, and that lunch should occur between noon and 1 pm. It will then automatically propose these as the date and time for your next meeting"

Amazing, huh? The above quotes were taken from the August 1992 MacUser Magazine article entitled "Newton's World" in their Sneak Preview/New On The Menu section. The article and cover show the OMP (which I think had the coolest look). The above underlying technologies were revealed at the Consumer Electronics show in Chicago the May before, and the year before the first PDAs were to be released. The wireless concept sounded then like what Apple's AirPort is today. Too bad they never even made it to even tbe 2100...well, maybe the wireless networking capability that WaveLAN, Driver LABO, etc, present may make it possible. Also, see Stacey Tenen's Wireless Primer For the Newton! Apple eventually came out with the Newton Messaging Card and you may already know that The Merlin Wireless PC Card can be configured for Newton MP2000/2100 use. I could go on and on about Newton wireless communication possibilities...but I won't (smile). Can't tell me that Apple was not way ahead of everyone else in this area...
I came across the article while perusing through my collection of old MacUser/MacWorld mags. Very interesting...

11-01-00

Pretty nominal yesterday...but what I continue to notice is how easy it is to get information into the Newton without the aid of a desktop computer. Sure, once you take the time to learn Graffiti for the Palm platform, that maybe ok (I watched a guy sitting next to me in a meeting yesterday using it for entry into his Palm), but why learn to write all over again, just for a portable data access unit? In any event, even during the drive home, at a stop light, I can input data into my 2100U. As a matter of fact. I pulled up to a stop light yesterday, pulled out my Newton to add some directions, and at the exact same time, a guy in the car next to me takes out his Palm device and begins tapping away.... could have been the makings of a cool Newton commercial...oh well. Today's no different than the other days, here is the current backdrop...the OMP in Paris. Enjoy.

10-30-00

The Newton text-to-speech capability is way cool. I have Macintalk and Speaktext loaded and have fun with that everyone once and awhile. The voice of "Fred" is the default of Macintalk and heard a voice very similar to his this morning on an NPR newsbyte about GPS navigational systems. The piece described a particular GPS nav system that not only has voice recognition (albeit poor), but talks directions back also. The system voice sounded a lot like "Fred" and it got me to thinking about speech synthesis. I've always wondered what nationality Fred's accent is and subsequently where my Newton is from when it "speaks"...(ha ha). What nationality *does* "Fred" most closely represent? I tend to use the baritone voice of "Ralph" or a modified version of "Kathy" (I like the female voice)! Speaking of which, today's backdrop... Jazmine, who looks like she just remembered she left her homework at, well...at home! "Keep The Green"

10-28-00

Well, I didn't make it to NJ this weekend...so here I am. I did make to the meeting today mentioned in my 10-24-00 entry. I proceeded to take notes once the meeting started. One of the audio engineers sitting next to me kept peeking over at my Newton to see how I was taking notes, but I guess it didn't peak her interest enough for her to comment (oh well...). Note taking went well, as expected. In the midst of the meeting, however, I did drop the stylus on the hard floor! After it bounced around a bit, one of the other engineers picked it up, gave it a strange look (as if to say "...what kind of pen is this...??), then passed it back to me. He then took a long glance at what I was doing taking notes on this green thing, when everyone else was using spiral notebooks...cool. Oh, as usual, more backdrop fun. Here is the latest addition to my collection and today's backdrop. This is a side you don't see of this superhero...Enjoy!

10-27-00

Last night I had a photo shoot which went well, the model was very comfortable in front of the lens. In all the previous assignments, I decided to keep notes in a small spiral binder. This time around I thought the Newton would be a better vehicle to use. Its built-in Notes application did just fine. I used the outline portion to record such things as film used, exposure settings, location, and image concept...worked great. There's a little app called "Filters" on their that tells me different types of filters to use with B&W film. Speaking of Newton apps, here's what's currently on my Newton

Made a few more backdrops last nite. Here's today's backdrop... Have a good weekend, I'm off to NJ...

10-26-00

Not much on the musing front today. I did download a bunch of images to make into backdrops this evening (Marvel Comics superheroes, pics from "Defying Gravity" book (the story of the Newton MessagePad), a nice B&W Newton ad, and . If you like the two I have up and would like to download the rest, let me know and I'll set up a download area.

Now that I think about it, I do have a MP100 at home that I decided to pick up for cheap. I figured it'll be a good platform to learn programming on, without messing around with my UMP2000. Aside from that, I'm wondering what else I could use it for now. Initially, I thought it'd make a good universal IR control for my entertainment equipment, or use it just as an "electronic" vault to hold sensitive data. Anybody have any other ideas? Drop me a line. Oh yeah, Happy B'day to Ken Shipley, a longtime consistent friend since the 7th grade (22 years ago)!

10-25-00

(flashback) Driving to work this morning made me think of a horribly long commute home I had one snowy evening two years ago. Although my commute is now only 15-20 mins, previously it was an hour---on a good day! In any event, this snowy evening made traversing the major arteries crazy. It took me three hours to get home as the traffic moved at a snail's pace, stop and go. Luckily, it was moving slowly enough that I was able to pull out my MP130 and read an e-book. It was a pretty good space epic (the name escapes me). The 130's large screen and excellent backlighting made the read easier and the trip go a little quicker.

Been also having fun with Avi's Backdrop. Here are a few backdrops I have loaded on my UMP2000, from Toy Story II and the Boondocks comic strip...enjoy!

10-24-00

This morning I had to jot down some quick comments for a meeting I have to miss this weekend. The recipient's office is not yet e-mail capable (can you believe that in this day and age?). Over a bagel and juice, I was quickly able to write out the document and fax it to the office in under ten minutes - all without an external keyboard and bulky fax peripheral, and in my own handwriting quickly converted to digital ink, thanks to the MP2000's design. Afterwards, I quickly exported the document to my Powerbook 5300cs via X-Port. Apple has always made productivity quick and easy.

10-23-00

Wife (at 5am...): "Where's that music coming from...do you hear it??"
Me: (groggy...) "What music...I don't hear anything...."
Wife: (back to the bedroom after returning from the living room, MP in hand, smiling): "Hon...it's your Newton..."

I set Roger Milne's Mod Player to wake me up each morning at 5 o'clock with "Cyber.mod". Hey, beats that annoying clock radio... (smile)

10-18-00

Met a young (high school) upright bass player at a band rehearsal this evening. After some discussion, I proceeded to add him to my "Musicians" names list in my MP. As I was entering his info, one of the horn players walked up to me and noticed a cartoon I have using Avi's Backdrop. Surprised, she had a good laugh, and exclaimed "...that is so cool...where can I get one!" Sighing to myself, I'm thinkin'... "Why, Steve....why..."

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