Slashdot Mirror
AlphaSmart Shows Palm-Based Laptop
krswan writes: "AlphaSmart, which has built proprietary 'mini-laptops' for education in the past, has released a Palm Compatible device with a full keyboard, built in rechargeable batteries, 2 USB ports, and two Secure Digital and Multimedia Card compatible slots - all for $399. It is only about 2 lbs and the screen resolution is 560X160. As a teacher, I would love 30 or so for my classroom. More details at the Dana website." It's basically still more a glorified keyboard (like the older AlphaSmart products) than a laptop, but that's not a bad thing.
I would think a bunch of thin-clients would make more sense than these suckers -- the spec pages seem to show that they are more geared toward PDA-similar stuff -- store appointments and the like
would be nice to have somebody remind me when that next physics test would be, though
My life in the land of the rising sun.
Something like this has been needed for over a decade. A diskless mini-laptop with a useable keyboard and very long battery life, good for basic text typing and email checking, without battery-hungry color displays or Quake 3-capable processors. My only obvious complaint is it would be good if it had a little more screen resolution, to hold a 25x80 telnet/ssh window. But I already want one. Wow!
nothing on the site about it's ASCIIQuake benchmarks...they must be hiding something!
In SOVIET RUSSIA... erm...NSA AMERICA, the Internet logs onto YOU!
H/PC Pro device manufacturers didn't stay onboard with these WinCE-based machines. They offered too little functionality for too much cost.
Now AlphaSmart is offering less power for only slightly less cost? I've seen the picture of the device, I don't think they are in this for the long haul.
I have been pwned because my
Just add wireless and IM software and it could easily replace my toilet computer/laptop.
Its an interesting idea for educational use because of its low price and palm compatibility but the screen size is a bit odd. The screen is perfect for text but what about graphics/games or was that purposely left out for the educational part ;-).
Advanced LCD with backlight. 3.5 times wider than the typical handheld.
A laptop without color?
PalmOS Software v4.1
Flash, or burnt?
8MB of memory
It doesn't scale up with the size it seems.
Looks like a case mod of a normal Palm to me...
I gotta get one of those!!!! 3.5 times wider screen than the typical handheld Oh, but wait. It's not an handheld. "It's a true alternative to an laptop". Yeah right.
it could easily replace my toilet computer/laptop
If you're spending enough time on the toilet to need a computer there, may I suggest more fiber in your diet? Wow.
I've got one of their original models (very limited memory, no spellcheck / IR / curvy blue plastic) that's still going strong. In almost 10 years of owning it, I think I've changed the batteries 3 times, once when I left it on for a week. I've replaced the keyboard (it just got too gummy and dusty for my taste) and the power switch (they sent me a replacement for free and I soldered it in) but it's been tossed, dropped, scratched, and neglected for 10 years and other than that switch has only cosmetic damage to show for it.
It's ugly as sin and fairly limited, but it does what it does with nothing to crash, with nonvolatile memory, and with nary a complaint. An upgraded product is definately appreciated, but somehow I don't see this new model providing the same trouble-free experience as the old standby.
High-speed Road Trip (18.000KPH)
I think a DOS-based system like that makes a lot more sense than something based on PalmOS. PalmOS has trouble with dealing with larger screens, PalmOS applications don't assume a keyboard, software for PalmOS often assumes a 160x160 pixel screen, and the set of applications and tools for PalmOS pales in comparison with what is out there for DOS.
***yawn*** offline data input with verification before transfer to the mainframe just got smaller.
Panurge has posted for the last time. Thanks for the positive moderations.
As a writer, working for a magazine or even writing heavier stuff than articles, it might be a nice alternative, or addition to a laptop.
At least if batteries are any longer lasting than the average laptop (i.e. 3 hours)...
release what I wanted :) The Treo 270 (or something similar) embedded into
Portable keyboard. The setup should be such that the screen is inside the portable keyboard, when folded together and this all should be in one package. When folded, it would only work as a phone, kind of similar principles as in the Nokia 9210 Communicator - when opened you would have a natural size keyboard and all.
really a recycled Tandy 100 ...
...several people who've worked there, in fact.
The original alphasmart is really a nifty product - it's a low cost keyboard with basic word processing capabilities and easy downloading to a PC. What's interesting is that I hear their biggest market has been k-12 schools. They're used for teaching typing skills and basic computer concepts (save, print, etc.).
This palmOS version looks great - certainly more capable than just a keyboard w/memory.
...that the design completely sucks!
./? Isn't it more cost effective to buy yourself a decent handheld with more memory/better display/ability to hold in one hand/expansion capability/maybe linux on in/that fancy laser-keyboard? You could do much more with it, it'll last longer because of above thoughts.
What has happened to that fancy laser-projecting keyboard mentioned quite a time ago here on
Or buy yourself a real laptop. Yay, it'll cost you more but I don't see the need to buy such an ugly peace just for word-processing. In this case, even an inflatable palm-keyboard would do for me. And finally this is going to be another big chunk in your bag besides palm/mobile/laptop etc...
just my 2 ?-cents
0 001 11 1
Hey, how do I put the darn EURO-Symbol in my comments?
0 001 11 1
With the massive number of applications available for Palm OS plus a large number of good thirdparty RAD tools. This could be great for schools. PalmOS/PalmOS based devices are great for the vertical market. Long barttery life, Simple interface, Simple API's.
/b
[Please type your sig here.]
im not sure the pictur is the same. it look like a palm holder to me and the statement sayes it is lap top?
I'm where I say something at end of the lineComentes?
There is no niche between a Palm Pilot (in my briefcase) and a subnotebook (used to type this reply).
This has been born out by the failure of every smart keyboard since the TRS-100.
Beal
bamph
To be a worthy successor, a "smart keyboard" should
- Cost under $500, so the Omnibook 300 is out.
- Have a full sized keyboard--Poqet, WinCE pocket PC's etc. are out.
- Turn on instantly (no boot delay) and not make noise (i.e. no hard disk). Subnotebooks are out.
- Run for 10+ hours on a battery charge. Subnotebooks are out again. Preferably it should run on standard AA cells and not depend on a charger; this Dana thing fails on that count, but it's not fatal.
- Weigh under 2 pounds--the TRS 100 could get away with 4 pounds because there were no alternatives til the 3-pound TRS 102--but these days subnotes are too heavy.
- Run a reasonably standard OS with free development tools--PalmOS is sort of ok, WinCE loses. Linux would be better but you can't have everything.
I don't think anything has been made since the TRS 102 days (well maybe the Sinclair Z88) which meets all these criteria, even though it could have been done easily.I don't understand the allure of the Palm Pilot. I've never seen a pen-based PDA remotely as useable as the HP 100lx, which is still my favorite.
... is to use the IrDA with say an Agenda VR3 with GSM modem/phone (e.g. Voxson). This should allow people to type up a decent set of notes/minutes, then use the Linux PDA as a blog input system. The AlphaSmart is cheaper than losing a laptop and doesn't have the power consumption (their claim is a month with 3 AAA batteries). The disadvantage is that the LCD display ix only 4x40 characters.
The AlphaSmart 3000 also has what they call Applets (downloadable) which you can purchase separately from their web site. In theory, if someone figured out the USB protocol, they could hack in either emacs or vi bindings (or even Nedit if really dedicated). You can see the Mac legacy in their use of command keys (navigation is not as smooth as it could be).
In summary, a interesting device to hack and extend if people are so interested.
LL
It'd be great if this could run BSD so we could educate the next generation better than the ones lost on Windows or *linux.
But why not get the real thing instead, with a 32-bit preemptive multitasking OS?.
Did you know you can fertilize your lawn with used motor oil?
Yeah...
I mean jeez... just write an IRC client for your 802.11b-equipped handheld like normal people
You can get used laptops for similar prices, and you should be able to run Linux as an X terminal if you don't think the applications are fast enough. You can certainly get new full-sized machines, and you can get Thin Clients for about $200 plus screen. Spending that much money for a machine that doesn't run a browser, doesn't have a big enough screen to read a page of text well, can't show color pictures... doesn't seem right.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
Apple tried this same thing with the eMate running the NewtonOS.....the device looked *very* cool, but it just didn't catch on. I suspect the same will happen to this device too.
my 2 cents
The hypothetical backpacker's laptop is a tool
to facilitate email communications when all your
posessions must fit into a backpack and all
Internet access takes place in Internet cafes.
The requirements are:
1) cheap (in case it gets lost/stolen)
2) light
3) durable (whether on airplanes or chicken
trucks, luggage tends to get kicked around)
4) Has a keyboard and reasonable size screen.
5) Has a floppy drive.
The last one may not be obvious to those who haven't traveled in this manner. The only way
you can reliably move data between a laptop and
the PC at an Internet cafe is with a floppy. For
everything else, the machines will either be too
primitive or policies too restrictive.
A side note: Has anyone managed to get a USB
equiped PDA to talk directly to a USB floppy?
My favourite device for younger children would have to be the tablet. These little devices are all fine and good, but a tablet can use either an attached keyboard or pen with a monitor size considerably larger than these tiny screens.
:)
And they're pretty cheap for what you get
Sincerely,
-Matt
---
Got web Hosting? RackNine Inc.
--- Need web hosting?
I think I've seen this somewhere before :-) That's a link to the Amstrad NC- series of computers which had Z80 processors and a clone of BBC BASIC, including an assembler! Great little machines, shame I lost mine in a burglary a few years back.
Matthew @ Bytemark Hosting
This thing is certainly more advanced than the TRS-80's and Apple II's I used in school. Hell, most palm pilots have more computing power than my first Mac SE.
It's not the size of the memory or the speed of the processor that counts, it's the skill of the programmer.
evanchik.net
I've been waiting for a Palm-based sub-laptop form typing device for a long time. But this thing is kind of a kludge. For one thing, it's expensive. For another, it's kind of ugly.
Since the screen is touch sensitive (I'm assuming, since it is a Palm device), that means some sort of resistive touchscreen (again, I'm assuming.) This means glass, which means increased weight, and if there isn't a cover for it, it means a broken screen if I try tossing it in my backpack like you can do with the other Alphasmarts.
My main complaint is the cost. I'd wish someone would hack a LCD screen driver for a cheap, low-power monochrome screen, so I could recycle my old Pilot into a portable writing slate. As it is, I think the best portable writing slate on the market is a QuickPad Pro. It's cheap, has CF support (I have a spare 16MB CF card that I have lying around since I got a 160MB card for my camera), has a serial port, runs off of AA batts, and uses a stripped-down version of DOS for an OS, which they hint can allow you to write code to run on it.
Of course, the Dana has the Palm codebase to work off of (and a couple of nifty apps - a MS word compatible word processor and a widescreen book reader), so maybe my first impressions are a bit harsh. But $399 for a damn keyboard, no serial port, and no CF support... I am NOT buying a new computer (to get a USB port) just to use a writing slate!
I could see myself buying a Dana. I can see Danas selling here and there. But I don't expect the Dana to be a monster hit.
You can take a Palm PDA and plug it into a keyboard. I have a Visor Deluxe and a GoType, and I do this. But when you do this, you only have a 160x160 display, and you have to be a bit careful with it because it's easy to knock the PDA free from the keyboard.
The Dana gives you a wider screen, good for looking at lots of text or perhaps column data such as a spreadsheet. It's all one unit, and it looks tough. That means you can grab it with one hand and walk around with it casually, or fling it into a backpack to take it to the library. (I hope the keys don't clack too loudly!)
Take a look at the USB ports. Looks like one is an A connector and one is a B! You can hang USB devices off this, such as a printer, and use them. Or you can plug this into a USB port, probably to hotsync your data with your desktop computer. Oh yes.
Now all it needs is a good way to hook it up to a phone line or a cell phone. You ought to be able to get a USB external modem working with this, and you might be able to get a cable that will let a Startac work with it for data. With 560x160 resolution, you can have an 80 column display, although 24 lines would be pretty cramped, but anyway you should be able to use this thing as a remote terminal.
I remember that Apple used to sell a small gadget something like this; they called it an eMate. Schools used to buy eMates. Any school that would buy an eMate would buy one of these; it can do more, it should be equally tough or tougher, and it is half the price the eMate used to be.
steveha
lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
Palm PDAs have always been intended to have a symbiotic relationship with your desktop computer. You run Palm Desktop on your desktop computer, and you can pull up all your data, edit your data using the full-size keyboard on your desktop, and hotsync. If you have an accident with the batteries on your Palm, your data is safely backed up in Palm Desktop.
Can you use the USB port on the Dana to hook up a Palm PDA such as a Treo 90, and then do a hotsync? If so, you could use both the Dana and your PDA to work with your data, and reconcile it with hotsync automatically. I'm not sure how useful that might be, but I'm wondering if it would work.
steveha
lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
I use it daily for notes in my classes with my ancient Visor Solo. The coolness factor of the keyboard folding and unfolding is off the charts, and it's very easy and natural to type on.
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
While the K-12 crowd is nice... I can see using it to capture some data, then hotsyncin' it, and storing it in a DB...
Maybe even capturing the data and printing out something right away via an IR printer... This thing definately has possibilities... When can I get one?
It looks almost identical (save for the fluro colours) as a spelling toy i had in the mid 80's.. it would say a word vocally and i would have to spell it..
Now thats education
Now where was it.. Ah yes! :)
...have a look at their specs page. This thing weighs 910 gms, and is quite large. In fact, it is larger / heavier then laptops like Fujitsu, Sony or JVC models discussed previously.
I wonder why these guys didn't consider the form factor. Sounds like a good alternative to input a lot of data on the go.
It doesn't look pretty either. Imagine carrying this around in a business meeting...
1: SD-cards. Pity to see this device being used so widely. WMMV, but round here they're about 80% more expensive that CF oe SM cards of the same capacity, and the one device I do have that uses them is prohibitively slow because of their SDMI implementation (an MP3 player that insists on secure formats: uploading 2 hours of music takes about half an hour). But that just aside - the Dana takes MMCs as well. They got that right, at least.
2: One of my favourite hobby horses: Apple's old e-mate (basically a newton in a clamshell, with a keyboard). Imagine a mobile that is useful - or at least amusing - and usable for market segments pre-schoolers, over students, up to professionals. You can use it as a glorified etch-a-sketch, or you can network it in a heterogenous environment. Takes a PCMCIA for WL and all. Plus - and this is always my main gripe: you could read a book on it. The screen was big enough for a page of text. My main turnoff for the Dana.
yes, we have no bananas
QuickPad Pro runs MS-DOS (and use CF) and hence has a lot of software available for it, all of it keyboard- and large-screen aware. CalcuScribe is another device aimed at the educational market.
It seems like a somewhat interesting device to have around as a toy. It'd even help kids to have something like that to use at school, and overall, it sounds like a reasonable quality machine for the price. Unfortunately, I don't see how learning Palm OS would be a huge asset for children, and I shudder to think of how filthy/broken/stolen those things would get in any school. When I was in elementary school, all we had were Apple IIe's and Unisys ICONs. Neither gave me any relevant experience with computers, nor were they ever actually used for anything practical. If all these computers do is give kids a fancy calculator to do things that they should learn to use their brains for, and type (or scribble graffitti shit) out things that they could otherwise write, they aren't worth it. Computers in the classroom are good, but only if they do more than just make things a little bit easier.
What a great idea! Take the worst part of the Palm handheld (severely limited OS), and give it the worst features of the notebook (compared to the handheld-Bulk which prevents it from being pocket-able).
So, it's too big to fit in your pocket, and the software sucks... Thanks, but no thnks, I'll stick with my Psion 5MX, which has a keyboard, the best handheld OS & the best productivity apps of any handheld. The 5MX has 16MB of memory, runs for a month on 2AAs, has a half-VGA display (640x240), cost approximately the same, and has the most USEFUL & PRODUCTIVE apps out there, most free. Those apps include SSH, PGP, Telnet, vt100 term., irChat, Fibre optic loss calc., Bash-Like command-line, Full-featured RPN Calc. etc.
I still don't understand why Psion/Symbian devices haven't caught on. They beat the hell out of Palm & WinCE in every single aspect... And that is a totally objective point of view.
Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
How about a solar or wind-up version for use in places that many miles away from the nearest electric socket or battery shop?
Stop worrying about the risks of nuclear power and start worrying about the risks of not using nuclear power.
I recall that there was a Pocket PC that had a USB host port - there it is, the Casio E-200. I know it had drivers for USB keyboards, but I think that was the extent of it. You could probably write a driver for a floppy, though. This couldn't be done with a PDA that syncs over USB, though, because those are USB peripherals and not host devices.
-Kurt
How long is "normal" to spend on the toilet? I regularly spend between 60 and 90 minutes taking a crap each morning. Granted, not all that time is spent defecating.. I like to read novels and it is a good use of quiet time. Maybe I do need more fiber though. I just refuse to defecate in a public toilet so I have to be careful that I don't have to shit during the day until I can get home. Sometimes my shit is very solid and comes out very fast but I still like to spend an hour reading. Other times the shit is very smooth and sticky like melted milk chocolate. I have to wipe a lot for it to clean it all off and even then I must shower or I feel dirty. I can't stand taking a crap without taking a shower afterwards.
The Psion 7 was a sub-laptop with an almost full-size keyboard.
Doesn't this sound an awful lot like the Newton eMate by Apple not too long ago?
Actually, the eMate was a huge hit with the people (mostly in the education market) who actually got to use one. Not only did students and teachers like them, but journalists went nuts for them - just the thing for traveling and writing. The big downside was that the eMate wasn't nearly as quick or powerful as the Newton 2000/2100.
There was rampant speculation for a while that Apple was going to put the more-powerful (167Mhz ARM) Newton 2000/2100 guts into an eMate case and retarget it towards business users: a "bMate".
The AlphaSmart Dana reminds me a lot of the "bMate" concept. I bet it quickly develops a cult following, especially if the Internet functionality (wireless, e-mail, Web, and blogging, anyone?) is up to speed.
-Mark
This has the potential to be a real win for journalists, students, bloggers, e-mail jockeys, and anyone else who's make use of computer is to read, enter, and edit text.
The big problem that I see is that it needs a hard lid that closes over the keyboard and screen to protect them so you can just toss this into your backpack without filling the keyboard with Doritos crumbs.
The eMate design handled this nicely, but any hard lid would be great.
-Mark
Because I can only think of one reason to have a laptop in the bathroom, and having it in black and white would be like going back to 320x200-style like you'd get off of BBS's fifteen years ago.
"As a teacher, I would love 30 or so for my classroom." In the 20 years since PC's have become popular all we keep hearing is that schools need more and more of them otherwise 'johnny won't learn'. Is there even one study that shows conclusively (or even close) that computers in fact lead to better grades? The poster wants 30 of these in class.. for what? I can see having computers available in the library as a reference tool for kids doing papers and what not. But not in every classroom. Don't teachers actually teach anymore? Don't they explain the assignments and reading material? Or do they just say 'ok class go to www.....
But it says 'Compaq' on it and it says 'Armada 4110' on the bottom. It's 800x600 11.3" display, P100 Intel, only 24mb ram. I've had NT4, w98, Slackware, and Mandrake on it.
But for some reason my battery only gets about three hours...
Oh, and I have about $100 in it total...
LR
From the specs: .DOCs and would fill up that 8Mb.
AlphaWord, a full-featured word processor with spell-checker and thesaurus, compatible with Microsoft Word file format
So what do they mean by "Microsoft Word compatible"?
I really hope they didn't include too much of the file format, or a couple of
So much to do, so little bandwidth.
--
Try Mozilla
When I called it a Visor Deluxe with a Targus removable keyboard.
Visor Deluxe (refurb) = $100 @ Fry's or online.
Targus Keyboard = $100
Foam Keyboard Pad, as the Targus is EVIL to carpal tunnels = $4
Total difference: $195.
Seems a lot for a slightly widened (and still monochrome) screen.
Nice try, though.
ceci n'est pas un sig.
She has found that when her kids were given these, the kids who had done NO work all year, were suddenly writeing papers, doing homework, and makeing B's (which for those kids is somthing)...
Its amazeing how much they get done when properly motivated. and its incrediable how the alpha smart motivates them.
The Code Ninja is swift with his tool, precise in his delivery, and deadly accurate in his execution.
--I don't own one, but supposedly one of the iBook braggers is that it will withstand a three foot drop to concrete.
I honestly do NOT understand this huge attempt to have a portable computer when they already make them. Reality is reality, most people are going to need some sort of "normal" size keyboard, this should be where a portable starts at in size. Now ytou need a screen that isn't totally ridiculuous for size on the small end. this is ergonomic point two. the rest is chips and drivers, etc. Gee whillikers, we have these things now.
Not being able to carry an extra one or 1.5 lbs is the lamest excuse for these tiny stoopid devices, all of them. Pal, psion, all of them. All they are is gadgets, they are sort of like those powered skateboards as compared to at least a moped or compact car, ie, "stoopid really". Real notebook sized computer works, buy some extra batteries, done. I'm not wasting my loot on some tiny thing when for the same exact money I can get a used for-real functional laptop of some brand that has a screen, runs any normal program, stores tons of stuff, has all the options and connections.
Just my two bytes worth, not meant as a flame to anyone or their hardware, I just can't see these tiny things being very usefull. they are starbucks styled eye candy gadgets. For one hundred dollars tops-well maybe. Beyond that, get a laptop and be done with it.
this is starting to look a lot like the hitch hikers guide to the galaxy as described in the first novel.
im going to buy one and await the vogon invasion.
Well at 399 you can buy almost a Pocket PC which makes it more attractive since I would need the xtra memory. Then if I want a laptop replacement I will get a Fujitsu tablet Pc or something like that. And even in designtechnica.com have some review on a laptop replacent that at least run WindowsXP for less than 1000, not to mention that you can get a IBM Thinkpad for $600 at http://app.infopia.com
The JZA
... get a regular Palm and buy Fitaly Stamp
what ever happened to installing a tv and gaming system across from the toilet? those were the good ol' days where you could beat 4 levels of mario bro.s/duck hunt while spending quality time on the throne...then again you've got idiots that would try to play games or somethin in the bath tub (those that take baths instead of showers) and zap themselves to death....dont incourage them.
-Alicia
Come on put in an 802.11b and then it would really rock. Heck my company might carry them.
I whole heartedly agree.
If you want to get any serious computing done while you are on the toilet, a high-speed fiber connection may be called for. Especially if you are working with large graphics files in there.
Most people could probably get by with a more modest 100Mb ethernet, but for graphic designers and CAD people, consider investing in fiber.
Why would they use the Palm OS? I know they don't want to have to spend time or money developing their own OS, and they probably don't want to be proprietary, but in my experience Palm OS is totally inadequate. It gets by on Palm Pilots because there is no keyboard and there is only 1 way to access the machine, but there is a keyboard on this, and I can't see Palm OS as anything but a hindrance for this kind of thing. The OS is one (of the many) reasons I can't use a Palm Pilot.
Lack of eloquence does not denote lack of intelligence, though they often coincide.
I'm glad to see the TRS-80 Model 100 back in black!
second society
Why get this when you can get a brand new desktop from walmart for $299?
Based on upvotes, Ageism is the only "-ism" Slashdotters care about and think isn't SJW
I was under the impression that the CF floppy adapter required putting some sort of driver software on the computer that was going to read it. In which case, this would not get us around the Internet Cafe problem.
Hahahahahah, that is almost so sick it is funny
One school system just outside Richmond, Virginia has issued iBooks to all of high school and next years middle school students...This thing could make a nice, and cheaper alternative for other school systems to provide students with technology to teach in the class room, replacing TI graphing calculators, expensive out of date school computer labs, and all for $300-400 a piece. Put in a modem and let each school system give free dialup internet access to kids in classes and you've just opened the doors of the email and text messaging into the homes of every family home in America. True, no big color sreen, no MS Word, no printer included, but hey it's cheap! Needs a handle and screen cover though.(and as it says on the website for the Dana, there are 10,000 Palm OS applications...that's way more than my eMate's Newton OS Softare!)
Why not teach the kids more than how to type?
, ,0 0.html?nFormID=9007&keyword=laptop&MANUFACTER_ID=0 &result_id=300&SortBy=0&Operator=&Min_price=370&Ma x_price=650&act_kw=laptop&bKeywordModified=&GSID={ 2924F288-E0E7-44C3-8313-7441199B4FC2}
h tm l
Just buy old 486/pentium I laptops and put Linux on 'em? You could even run the Palm emulator on it to get these apps!
These can be had at the same price, and are color...
http://www.dealtime.com/GSE/GseWrapCache/1,6902
http://www.off-leasecomputers.com/toslib10p164.
Here's the url: http://www.ncus.org.uk/intro.htm, which has been posted already, but without mentioning the floppy.
If you can ignore the ease-of-use colored buttons and that sort of thing, it might be good for travel use only.
A lot of people here are way too quick to dismiss the incredible usefulness of a device like this. Those of us that have owned and used the Tandy Model 100, 102, or the later, sleeker (but buggier) WP-2 know better. So do those millions of us for whom our Palm device is *by far* the most indispensible computer we own. (You can have my PC and 17" LCD monitor long before I turn loose of my Kyocera Smartphone or some other Palm device.)
While clearly not capable of doing everything a real laptop does, these things are in a usefulness class that's *far* beyond any laptop (and I think I speak with some authority, as a former program manager with responsibility for both Latitude and Inspiron at Dell.) Windows CE/PocketPC/HPC has tried to play here, but still doesn't "get it" - there's tremendous value in instant-on, simple applications that just allow the work to get done - fancy GUIs are actually a detriment in such form factors. Battery life measured in weeks or months of ordinary use is incredibly liberating. My dream is to one day own a computer with real desktop capabilities, that can operate through an entire day of hard use (conferences or client meetings), and that does not require luggage for all its life support equipment (rechargers, floppy & CD drives, etc.) Although some have come close (Some ThinkPads, and the new iBook), I've never seen such a thing actually make it to market. (Keep in mind that one of the largest target market for portable devices is the healthcare field, but they can really only consider devices that can make it through an entire shift without recharging - that pretty much eliminates all laptops, leaving you back with a Palm or CE choice. Sadly, too many are being decived by color screens and a "familiar" (not really) Windows interface.
This is a very interesting and useful gadget, but lacks one crucial capability to be a real, viable replacement for a laptop on a business trip: a graphical web browser. Sadly, the last time I checked, there were no native graphical web browsers for Palm devices (WAP is useless, text-based browsers are nearly so, and the TopGun derivatives require impractical transcoding proxies.)
Even so, this is a great tool for those that write a lot, either for deliverables, or simply notes to document the work they do. I can see lots of these in use by consultants, lawyers, and businessmen of all kinds. The main strategic error I see is one of physical form factor - my slim WP-2 is far easier to throw into my breifcase "just in case" than the Dana, with that wierd curved design that doubles its thickness. The second biggest erro is the lack of a real network connection (wired or unwired), but that's a Palm problem and not properly something that's the Dana's fault. (It is inexcusable that Palm hasn't fixed this in the years they've had to do so. It is the single biggest reason the CE devices are starting to kick their butt in vertical applications, but they seem oblivious, as usual.)
This sort of thing could be really interesting with the next-gen BeOS-derived environment. I can't wait. Buying one of these would be easier (and about the same cost) as hacking my WP-2 to run a uSimm/uCLinux card internally, although that would have the advantage of a real Ethernet interface...
"The future's good and the present is nothing to sneeze at." - Roblimo's last
"Sanity is not statistical", George Orwell, "1984"
I've got a Palm M505 with a folding keyboard and Documents To Go. The keyboard is about the size of a laptop's, I can open and start working on my documents at the touch of a button, without any annoying extended boot time. Together, they weigh a fraction of what a laptop weighs, take up about 10% of the space, and last about 6 hours of continuous use. The M500 (b&w) would last longer, but I was unwilling to forgo color. Total price: $450+$100. I could have gotten the same functionality from an M100, at $100.
The screen size is too small, but until someone comes up with an accordion-folding screen, super portability means "small screen".
The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them. - Mark Twain
My Clie supports a resolution of 320x320 right now, I wonder why they didn't just make it 560x320. Or even 400+ like the new Clie's. Perhaps wider too.
Then again we have those compatability issues. Having a high resolution screen is nice, but when your fonts are just as large as they were with the old Palm apps it kind of defeats the purpose sometimes.
Maybe all of these font issues will get fixed at 5.0, but then again who knows what the future holds.
Archie - CIO-for-hire
lemme just say, the eMate rocked, it had a huge screen, good battery life and never failed me once. just because this dana has 10,000 applications available for it doesn't mean they are 10,000 good applications. the emate was by far the best newton apple ever thought of. i still ue mine at school ( got it in 5th grade as a gift, in 11th now) and its just as reliable as ever. my dads school baught up 900 emates whole sale from a refurbisher and now all the students and faculty own one. it's truly an amazing piece of hardware...they got each one for like 30 bucks each, that was like 2 years ago, it was the best investment their school made....well next to their 10 ibook rolling airport labs and the 200 new imacs with super drive they got, but yeah the emate is the best plamtop you can find.
He specified a /usable/ keyboard - IE: Probably one larger than a videocasette, and with a little more travel than a slab of particleboard.
The Psion was a answer for a question nobody cared about - It diden't do much better in Europe, where it WAS heavily marketed.
I'm glad you are happy with your Psion device. I am happy with my Palm based Kyocera Smartphone. It has increased my personal productivty to levels I have never seen before. My battles against the ever raging forces of Procrastination are finally winnable now. I am a new man. I will never forget what my PDA has done for me. GO PALM!
Mac OS X and Windows XP working side by side to fight back the night.
Why get this when you can get a brand new desktop from walmart for $299?
I'm glad you thought of that. I followed your advice and bought one. Here is what happened.
I got it home, opened it up, and -- WTF? -- I couldn't figure out where to put the batteries in, so I figured the battery was internal (not replacable). But it came with a black cord to recharge it, so I put the cord into the wall. Then I turned on the computer and it worked great.
Then I needed to go over to my friend's house. He has a palm, and when he comes over, his palm is often in his shirt pocket. So I thought I would try that. I placed the walmart pc in my pocket, and my pocket ripped! My pocket couldn't hold 5 cubic feet of equipment, for some reason. (Maybe I should have bought my pc at target or kmart instead?)
So I had to carry the computer, but it was heavy. I am strong, though, so I was able to do it.
Then, the darndest thing happened. As I stepped out the door, the recharging cord pulled loose, and get this: the computer turned off! I figured it was just in power saving mode, so I left for my friend's house.
I got in my car (the computer took up a whole seat) and started driving. At a stoplight, there was a van next to me, and someone rolled down the window and -- get this! It was the Swedish Bikini Team! Oh yes! The girls said they wanted to immediately have sex with me, but I said I had to over to my friend's house so he could palm-beam me his space invaders game. They said, no problem, they can wait, and gave me their hotel phone number. I was pretty happy then! And I drove away.
But then I started thinking, "what if I forget the girls number?" and I turned to my walmart pc that I got such a good deal on compared to one of those shitty palm machines. I pressed the button, but nothing happened. I don't get it, was the battery dead? It didn't work. I forgot the number, so the Swedish Bikini Team didn't get to have sex with me.
Then I get to my friend's house, and say "beam me space invaders" and he looked at my walmart pc like I was dumb or something. Then I said, "oh wait, I have to turn it on," and I kept pressing the button and muttering about how it had done the same thing when the bikini team gave me their phone number. My friend kept looking at me like I was dumb or something. Then he called me a bad name.
I guess he's not really a good friend. But YOU are, because you gave me the idea of getting a walmart pc, instead of wasting my money on a stupid palmos machine.
If you give folding Palm keyboards to grade school kids, they will destroy them.
If you give them regular Palms, they will break them or lose them.
These things are supposed to be tough and last a long time on the battery pack. For their intended purpose, they will rock.
I wonder if you could run one off of solar cells?
Jon Acheson
All opinions expressed herein are my own, and not those of my employers, who are appalled.
It uses a rechargeable battery pack that can be replaced by 3 AAs.
Check the product sheet.
Jon Acheson
All opinions expressed herein are my own, and not those of my employers, who are appalled.
I would suggest wiring the braces on their teeth up to the Dana and feeding them lemons, which apparently will generate enough power to run a calculator, but that would be wrong. :)
Also, braces are plastic nowadays instead of metal.
Jon Acheson
All opinions expressed herein are my own, and not those of my employers, who are appalled.
This unit was manufacture by the HandEra corporation for AlphaSmart...
http://www.handera.com/
Polymorphism -- It's what you make of it.