🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <32304B02.1EBA@wharton.upenn.edu>, Richard Van Nostrand wrote:


>When I bought the Newton, I
>fancied it to be four things:
>
>1.  A day to day organizer

It has one and it's really great; I've tried 3rd-party stuff as add-ons,
but I prefer the built-in Date application to anything else.

>2.  A note pad

Again, it works great; I use it all the time and have folders for various
topics. 

>3.  An Address Book

Same as #1. I prefer the built-in, and use it every day; I keep over 900
names & addresses in it, and have never lost any data in over a year.

>4.  A plug and play device, I buy an application and it expands the
>functionality.  

That's what the Newton is. In fact, that's what Apple Computer is about,
as opposed to the PC world.

>The key word here is "expands".  I was foolish in believing that the
>functionality of the prior three embedded packages (the first three
>points) would be sufficient for MY needs.  

Sounds like you need a laptop.

If they meet YOUR needs, then
>great, but nearly everyone responding to this thread has indicated a
>variety of expansion packages each prefers.

Not me.

>  Most people are not only
>expanding the functionality of their Newtons but also supplanting the
>functionality of the packaged programs.  I wanted to bring this point
>out explicitly because I believe a number of consumers have the
>expectation that they can buy a Newton and use the software shipped with
>it as the core functionality of the Newton.

But you CAN. That's what I do every day. I don't need additional software
to make the Dates & Names apps work for me; they work great as they are.

>  What I'm hearing from many
>of you expert users is that the Newton is best used with third party
>software.

No, but there are some great 3rd-party utilities available, and they're
nice to have.

>The Newton is not right for me.  I expected a more mature package.  When
>I buy a laptop now.  I open it up, plug it in, and put in a CD. 
>Everything is taken care of.  My needs on a PC are rather simple.

It's a good thing! Since when is a PC a "plug-and-play" device? Since
Windoze 95? Hah... my brother, who works for Hewlett-Packard and who is a
computer expert (on PCs), spent over an hour on the phone with a cousin
who was trying to get a new CD-ROM device to work. They finally gave up.
>  I need to write letters, to perpare presentations and to run numbers.  My
>needs on a PDA are rather simple.  I need to take notes, to schedule
>meetings, to collect addresses, and to run numbers.  My PC needs are
>met.  My PDA needs are not.  I believe in another generation or two of
>products, they will be.   The trick is to figure out how to manage with
>the Newton 120 until then.

Again, you may need a laptop. A non-keyboard device like the Newton is not
ideal for extensive note-taking, although I use it all the time for short
notes. I can't imagine using it in a meeting to take long notes, though. 

Another option is to buy the add-on Newton keyboard, which works great and
which makes note-taking a breeze. The Newton will take anything you can
type into it, and the keyboard is small and lightweight, and almost the
same as a normal keyboard, in terms of key spacing.

However, the next incarnation is supposed to be 10x faster, which should
make note-taking more feasible; text recognition will be blazing! I can't
wait. Until then, my 120 works great and has been a reliable tool.

Beware of slamming the Newton in this newsgroup, cuz most of us here not
only Newton lovers, but some of us (myself included) are also Newton
programmers. I moved up from a Sharp Wizard when the 120 came out, and
I've loved my Newton. BTW, I'll give you $100 cash for yours!
-- 
Bob Patin
bskate@nashville.net
Web Page: http://www.nashville.net/~bskate