This review appeared in the October 96 issue of Pen Computing prior to the
release of MoreInfo 4.0.
MoreInfo 3.03
The missing links
Contact managers bug me. The prospect of documenting every move I make makes
me feel claustrophobic. Spontaneity and inspiration are important to me,
so I have avoided contact managers. One reason is that Newton products in
this category always require me to use different tools that the ones I already
use: the built-in Names and Dates applications. After three years with a
personal information manager, I find it very hard to switch to something
new.
MoreInfo 3.03 from SilverWare just changed all that. A contact management
system masquerading as an OS enhancement, MoreInfo is quite simply one of
the most elegant pieces of software I have used. I don't know how I managed
to miss it for so long, since it is one of the first applications of its
kind for the Newton. Names can be deceptive; MoreInfo does a lot more than
you might think.
Familiar territory
In a nutshell, MoreInfo is an extension for the Newton 2.0 operating system
that significantly enhances the connectivity between the built-in Note Pad,
Names, Dates/To Do, and Calls applications. Once installed, the level of
interconnectedness turns these powerful, familiar tools into an surprisingly
well integrated contact management system. MoreInfo does this by extending
the functionality of these apps, and by cleverly utilizing the existing
Names and Calls soups to store the MoreInfo enhanced data. His approach
yields complete compatibility with all your existing data.
You first notice MoreInfo's system-wide enhancements in the Note Pad's
new MI button. From here, you can create a new meeting, event, to do, call,
logbook entry, or name card. This button can also activate MoreInfo's excellent
At a Glance feature, a big improvement over the stock Names Agenda view
which includes calls and logbook entries in addition to the usual meetings,
events, and to dos. At a Glance can also be activated directly from Names
by using another MI button. This compact and informative view of your agenda
can also be automatically substituted for the normal overview screen when
you tap the Newton's Overview p; AKA "belly button") p;
dot while in Dates. This feature, along with virtually every other feature
of MoreInfo, can be selectively enabled or disabled in the extensive Preferences
section.
Hot meetings
Another property worth mentioning is MoreInfo's "hot" meetings
and events. Let me back up and explain the enhancements to conventional
(cool?) Dates items. MoreInfo adds a set of powerful data entry slip options
in the New menu button in Dates. Each of these identically named options
are clearly marked; for example, "Meeting (MI)". Selecting any
of these options presents you with an enhanced entry slip. Choose New Event
(MI) and you get not only a calendar that you can drag through to select
your date range, you also see your existing appointments listed so you can
avoid double-booking yourself. There is also a With: field that you can
use to link the new event to a name card, as well as an editable popup Re:
list of common activities such as Lunch, Order, Trip, and so on. You even
get an alarm time picker to quickly and accurately set the reminder for
the event. Similar enhancements are available from all the MoreInfo entry
options.
When you enter a new meeting or event from a MoreInfo menu or one of the
enhanced entry slips, the data becomes "hot"; tap on an entry
in the At a Glance view and up pops a menu with an amazing array of choices.
In addition to simply editing the data, you can directly delete it or log
it. My favorite options are "New Meeting with" and "New To
Do with", which creates a new meeting or to do with the person whose
name appears in the selected entry. This is a real time saver which always
seems to pop up right when I need it.
Souped-up Names
When it was released in 1994, MoreInfo 1.0 was an OS enhancement designed
to increase the number of data fields available in Names. Not surprisingly,
version 3.03 has refined this feature into a state that approaches perfection.
Perhaps the most powerful of these enhancements is CardLinks, which allows
you to link together related name cards and have the ability to navigate
between linked cards very quickly. In my case, I have a large number of
name cards for my contacts at Apple Computer. Some of them are Apple employees,
while some work for various PR agencies. Some are listed under "Newton"
and some are listed under "Apple". Using MoreInfo, I created a
master company card for Apple Computer, then linked each of the related
contact cards to it. When you create a CardLink, the slip contains a checkbox
option which establishes a "back-link" from the linked card to
the source card, allowing easy two-way navigation between cards. The process
resembles nothing more than creating links when building a web site. Maybe
SilverWare should call the product Pocket Intranet!
MoreInfo also adds a bevy of useful field to your names cards, all with
convenient, time-saving shortcuts to speed you through the tedium of data
entry. There's a URL field for web sites, an Abbreviation field for nicknames
and initials, Account Info for credit cards and bank accounts, Company Info
for department names, and an enhanced Custom field for anything else you
can think of. The real chin-dropper, in my opinion, is the ultra-cool Directions
field. Tap on Add, then choose Directions, and a full-screen entry slip
pops up. The caret is ready in a field called "Directions to:",
so you blast in the place name, then tap below in the text area. Now, instead
of furiously writing to keep up with the directions some New Yorker is giving
you at warp speed, you simply select form the three rows of little icons
across the bottom of the screen, each of which represents a generic direction
such as "turn right," or "bear left". This is great
stuff. The only thing I would add is a compass point cluster, since I prefer
to give directions this way.
Captain's Log
Confession: I never use the Calls application, though I probably should.
Always seems like too much trouble. However, a great software product like
MoreInfo has a way of giving you a new perspective on things. Specifically,
the Logbook feature makes use of the Calls data soup to let you record notes
about your various contacts. The manual points out that Calls is nothing
more than a log book with phone extensions, so it makes sense to use it
for other things. Combined with the inclusion of Calls and Logbook items
in MoreInfo's At a Glance view, I have all the incentive I need to begin
logging my calls. When something this handy is right there, you use it,
right now.
CardNotes
MoreInfo adds several welcome new features to the Note Pad. A new note stationery
type is added called CardNote, which is essentially a regular note that
sports a With field to link the note to a name card, and a When field with
a calendar/time picker to time stamp the event. A side advantage is that
the time you enter here actually alters the creation date of the note, so
you can reorder your notes any way you like. I can't think of a handier
way to keep track of the thousand scraps of information I track every day,
short of hiring an human assistant.
MoreInfo has more neat features than I have room to relate here. I see plenty
of fine software go through my computers, but this one is a keeper. Highly
recommended!
Category: contact management/OS enhancement
Cost: US$69.95
Contact: SilverWare 508-521-5262
Email: 74774.3715@compuserve.com
Newton memory: 200K internal, 6K heap
System needs: Newton 2.0
Copyright 1996 Pen Computing Magazine.
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