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A Cheap and Portable Word Processor?
An anonymous reader asks: "Last evening I was waiting for a bus and realized that it would be very nice to have a little portable word processor; not a fancy PDA, but something with a bare minimum of processing power, small screen, and a cheap mini-keyboard, so that it could fit in a jacket pocket. It doesn't seem like an infeasable product - consider the price that all-in-one 8-bit game machines like the C64 DTV go for, add that to the price that the cheap organizers go for, and you get a retail value under $50. The only major difference would be in the software, and with some attention given to expansibility it might even be a decent device for homebrews. Does Slashdot have any thoughts on what might fill these gap, or is there really no product that tries to be small, cheap and low-powered like what I'm looking for?"
"When I got home, I did a search for any such devices, and came up with two choices: bulky 1980s machines with outdated connectivity options, found on eBay for pennies - some of these are actually programmable too, interestingly enough; and overpriced 'educational' machines which are almost equivalent to the 80s machines (over $200 or even $300). Electronic organizers are going for under $20, but they are woefully limited machines. The only other cheap option is to get a used PDA."
I'm a big fan of the Danger SideKick. It has the best form factor for text of all the typable phone/pdas. You can get one for a song if you sign up with the right provider. Me I signed up for a year and I paid -$35 (via rebates) for the unit.
Plus, I love posting first.
P.S. infeasable?
I think there's a major difference between your proposed cheap word processor and a handheld game/organizer, which is the output requrement.
I'm sure you would like to move your documents somewhere, maybe to a desktop for final processing, printing and whatnot? So maybe a USB, IR or a memory slot so that you can transfer data effortlessly?
Although these "expansions" are not expensive, they still cost money. So it's commercially inviable to produce it, because "for a little bit more" one can probably produce a PDA or mobile phone.
And what's wrong with the pencil/paper solution? Paper is a non-volatile memory so you don't have to worry about system crashes or forgetting to save your documents.
From my experience with PDA, you'll write/type about as fast on a PDA as you would on a piece of paper
Rock that crushes, Paper & Scissors that don't matter.
Pen and paper?
Now if they would only throw in Clippy.
Mead v1.0 carbon based cellulose WordPad. Unfortunately, you also need to purchase the Bic v2.0 ballpoint inkjet.
You want to type words into a cheapo, pocket device, that is clear. Then what? Keep it there and only read from the chepo device? Do more editing on cheapo device? grep text on cheapo device? transfer text to some other device? via what means? how much text?
"I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey
Or maybe a pad of paper and a pencil. Way under $50.
A fundamental limitation of any device like this will be the crappy data-entry device. Blackberry users get RSI problems with their thumbs just from doing short emails, so you probably wouldn't want to write your PhD thesis on one of these things, even if they did exist.
Have you read my blog lately?
But it looks like you've got that covered. I am also interested in this. I must say though that I have a Treo 600 and it does admirably well. I take notes with it all the time. Its VERY useful for its purpose. A small laptop-sized keygboard with a 2 or 3 line LCD, and a USB connection would be uber-nice though.
Nobodies Prefect
Tidbits for Techs Technology Blog
A black n white palm pilot. or even a blackberry.
Just buy a cheap tape recorder from Wal-Mart, and anytime when you get some creative spark (I assume you want this device to write creatively with), just turn on the recorder, and speak to your hearts content. Then, get home, and transcribe your notes onto your computer.
A used PDA would be good.. or maybe you could try Pocketmail (see pocketmail.com) - write yourself emails and hold the acoustic coupler up to the phone to transmit it. The service isn't cheap though.
-molo
Using your sig line to advertise for friends is lame.
You know, that wooden thing with carbon in the middle? Carry a piece of paper in your wallet, and you're good to go. It's small, portable, and it doesn't need batteries! Heck, you could even use a pen if you're willing to talk on the wild side!
I'm constantly amazed at this gadget obsession people have.....
The very first hit led me to these two devices which seem to fit the bill exactly.
Alphasmart
Quickpad
I have one of the original model Zaurus's. Has a keyboard, 16 shades of green lcd, weighs a but too much, several useful apps including a word processor annd spreadsheet, and it connects to the cpu with a serial to usb adapter (serial only necessary, I just don't have serial ports).
A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned to walk forward. -- FDR
get an old toshiba libretto 70ct.
e tto_70ct
http://ophinity.com/pix/?album=/geek/toshiba_libr
wireless, linux, niceness.
Perhaps a Psion organizer or an old HP palmtop would be your answer.
Besides all the functional benefits something like this would have over a little notebook, which are significant (but also mixed), some people are more productive- and perhaps even think better- when at a keyboard than with a pencil and notebook.
People should use whatever device allows them to get their thoughts out into some coherent form. For some, that's going to be a little pocket notebook, and for others who usually do their thinking in front of a keyboard, it'll be a device such as this fellow is looking for.
I'm much more productive (at this point in my life, at least) with a keyboard under my hands than with a pencil in my fingers. Said like that it sounds so unromantic... but I'm interested to hear what sorts of devices are out there.
I would think a PDA and folding keyboard could be snagged on eBay for not much over $50..
Pen and paper?
Exactly!
And the beauty is that your response is not only the best answer, it's also sarcastic, cynical and funny! Holy smokes! It's like a work of art in three words!
You still need a way to get files off. Wireless would be cool (except for certain security issues), or cable (might be cheaper, too).
I remember using these things in elementary school (I'm in college now) -- they seemed decent then, and I'm sure they're even better now. They're a bit bigger than what you were looking for, but they are a simple, portable word processor.
This question reminds me of a joke gift I had a while back. It was a small, elongated, yellow box with the words "Emergency backup word processor" on it. Inside was a pencil with the word "input" and an arrow pointing to the tip of the pencil, and the word "delete" with an arrow pointing to the ereaser. I don't have it anymore, I gave it to my roomate when his hard drive fizzled the night before a paper was due.
word processor central...
Some of us type more than ten times faster than we write and like to transfer our text conveniently.
There are easy solutions though - a used Jornada off ebay and a targus stowaway keyboard cost me less than $100. It isn't the perfect solution, but it actually addresses the poster's needs.
For all of you writing those novels on notecards with pencils, good luck with that. Seems to have worked for Stephenson.
...isn't it a bit cumbersome to transfer the notes to the computer afterwards? I don't think OCR is advanced enough to actually recognize my handwriting.
The filesystem is the package manager
Combining simple word processor functionality with cellphones might not be a bad idea. I think cellphones are the only devices which people don't want to forget when they leave home. That is..now everybody carries them. ,train or even loo.
With this u can read your fav eBook on your cell whenever you have a little spare time. That might be a bus stop
http://www.alphasmart.com/
Doesn't quite meet your specs, but worth looking into.
I've always wanted some cheap portable device designed for taking notes, hacking etc. sort of a sub-$100 electronic notepad w/ a decent keyboard.
:)
The Psion Revo/Diamond Mako was pretty close. It had a nice wide display (but it wasn't backlit), a decent keyboard (for being a 1/3rd size keyboard), a pen interface (for drawing a picture in your notes), and my favorite part is that it was a clamshell design so you could just fold-and-go.
The draw backs were that when it was new it was fairly expensive (I got mine for $50 new, but that's because the stores were just trying to get rid of them). And it had no flash memory (you let the batteries run down and you've lost everything since your last backup), and no way to insert external memory (MMC/SD/CF would have been nice).
A less powerful pda in the same form factor that sold for a little bit more than those "pocket organizers" would seem like a good idea to me. If oyu make it close enough in price to a pocket organizer, but flexible enough to do more than just addresses that'd be great.
Honestly I don't need a 400Mhz cpu, color screen, wireless headset, and 64Mb of RAM. Especially if it means I will have a $300+ device in my pocket that can get broken or stolen.
What would be neat is some arm-thumb or 68hc11 device with an MMC/SD slot(the interface to those is dead simple to do). Running maybe Contiki or some other 8-bit, but "modern" OS.
Although they have compactflash readers(look for SuperCard) for Gameboy Advance, and it's not hard to wire a small or fullsize keyboard into a GBA. You could probably build yourself something interesting with a cheap used gba and some hot glue.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
A revolution in input devices. Graphics cards, RAM, storage, etc, have all been making leaps and bounds in technology, but we're still hammering away at the same(-ish) keyboard. While I don't know what I'd do without my carpal-tunnel, I'm curious what the replacement for the keyboard will be. I'm not sure if it will be a voice recognition system, or something middle-of-the-road, but I definitely think something like that is a limiting factor for me and PDA's, or the organizer you mention. I just can't separate myself from a keyboard, where I can type ~100 wpm, versus a rickety little Graffiti-esque POS, where I'm doomed to five letters a minute on. Anyhow, rather tangential, but jus' what I'm thinking. :D
- - - -
KickingDragon
Take a regular TI graphing calculator (you might have one already from high school or college) and add the TI Keyboard. If you have a computer uplink of some sort for the calculator (either a GraphLink or on-board USB for the newer models), you can transfer your documents to MS Word.
(Vernier's not the only source; they're just one of the cheaper ones. TI doesn't sell the keyboard directly anymore.)
I'll agree with an earlier poster that the original Danger Hiptop (T-Mobile Sidekick) has the best keyboard of any other like device, it has the absolute worst connectivity. The likelihood of getting my data off the thing dropped as near to zero as made no difference, so I gave up on it.
The old Apple eMate -- a Newton laptop -- did me well for years. It's got a tripod mount on the bottom, it gets 12 hours of battery life with no problem, it's a real trooper. They only made them for educational folk, but you can find them on eBay still for pretty cheap -- there are a number there now, from $28 to $100. And hey, no moving parts plus a great keyboard. It's the relatively modern equivalent of the '80s word processors mentioned above.
Today, the Sharp Zaurus is the most awesome thing I've used in some time. By that I mean the C750-class clamshell machine, on through the modern 3000 & 1000 devices, only produced for Japan but also available on eBay. And there's OpenBSD for the durn things now, too. Only drawback is battery life. And price -- you're looking at >$500 for one of those.
Check out the Alphasmart website. They make modern word processors. Their products have full-size keyboards, extremely long battery life, and are very durable. The Dana, for example, is made of ABS plastic molded into a great form factor. It weighs 2 pounds and the rechargeable battery lasts 12-15 hours but can be replaced by regular AA's if you need to. It runs PalmOS.
the Alphasmart 3000 is the cheapest version. The battery will last pretty much forever. It is an absolutely basic writing tool (other than paper and pencil) and has a good reputation also.
Stop the Slashdot Effect! Don't read the articles!
One bit of outdated, too big to fit in your coat-pocket is the Vadem Clio, you can find these on ebay for varying prices... They shipped with Wince 2.11, Microsoft Word, and a scrunched little keyboard.. They flip open like a tablet PC and have a 10hour battery life. Very cool, totally useless.
Other than that, I'd suggest a Palm. That grafitti stuff is pretty damn slick, and there are thumb-keyboards for them also. I'd suggest the i705 for a $30 really decent palm.
Each processor would proceed sequentially as if it had been better for them not to rise against Saul.
Or, you could try Logitech's Digital Writing System here:
e s/digitalwriting/US/EN,crid=1545
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/featur
I don't have one, but a co-worker of mine does and he uses it all the time.
Try a Palm IIIe, and get an old keyboard with it off of eBay. You could get that whole package for about $30-$40 bucks, and it would probably work better than a generic made word processor.
Now available cheap. Someone will come along and tell you who sold/branded it in the US - but it does exactly what you want in the way you want it to. No messy external keyboards, decent keys, just enough CPU to perform, etc. etc.
Jolyon
Please read my Canon EOS tech blog at http://www.everyothershot.com
http://container.50megs.com/alphasmart.html
Nokia Communicator ...
"I love my job, but I hate talking to people like you" (Freddie Mercury)
I can recommend the Alphasmart Dana. Palm based with a large display, decent keyboard, and built in word processor. http://www3.alphasmart.com/products/dana.html Shameless plug - great keyboarding tutor for the Dana - http://www.bytesoflearning.com/UltraKeyProduct/UKP almOSEd.html
It's listed at $379
I'd love something like the Alphasmart Dana except in clamshell style. Doesn't need to be incredibly tiny, just as big as a small keyboard.
Unfortunately, even if I liked the size of this device, it costs around $600. Smaller and cheaper than a laptop, my butt. I'm currently using a used IBM T21 laptop that cost $425.
Yes, it's a glorified PDA. However, it has a usable thumbboard and supports SD/MMC cards for file transfer. Being a PalmOS device, there is plenty of support for synching with the platform of your choice. It's also small enough to fit in your jeans pocket (unlike the fancier Tungsten C).
Shame they're not made any more.
Why not a low-end PDA? I used to take notes in my class on a Palm folding keyboard and an old Palm IIIx. Downloaded a free editor that was way better than what came with the OS, I was in business. Entire thing could be folded up and easily carried. Syncing is already taken care of, and you have the additional programmability you're looking for.
Yep, an MP2000/2100 with a keyboard is very usable day-to-day.
I have a Newton MessagePad 2000. It came with file transfer software compatible with Mac OS 8, and that was fine when I used a Macintosh Performa computer. But now that I no longer use a classic Mac as my primary computer, where can I get software to move files between my MP2000 and my Windows PC?
I still have my Poqet PC from ~1989. Fujitsu bought them out and while they haven't been made for years, you can still find them on eBay - usually for less than $100.
80x25 screen, MS-DOS, keyboard you can touch-type on, Lotus 1-2-3, etc. It's instant-on and runs for weeks on a pair of AA batteries. It won a 1989 Byte award of distinction.
I suppose a Palm with a folding keyboard might do the trick nowdays but the Poqet was (is) a slick little machine.
~~~~~~~
"You are not remembered for doing what is expected of you." - Atul Chitnis
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These guys function on 4 AA batteries... Seems perfect...
Try to hack my 31337 firewall!
wintel, but excellent
I picked up a mint 880 for 300$ (and paid too much) it has 800X600 res, and can run terminal services into my xp machine.
fits inside my Scott EVest inside pocket.
the 790 are half the size, with a 800X400?300? resolution
(half vga)
seriously consider this...
every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
On the other hand, if you want something that can create hevily stylized documents of high quality, but where you can enter the text quickly, you're probably after a TeX-aware text editor, where you can pipe the output through LaTeX to generate a quality document, but where the source is 100% editable on something that has very low overhead.
But, then, if all you want is a jotter, rather than an actual text processor, you're really wanting something that's a graphics tablet that has enough space for only one letter/symbol, with no display, and two buttons - space and backspace. It would have all the power you'd need for a jotter, and wouldn't have anything you didn't need (such as word recognition).
Now, if what is REALLY wanted is a very fast, very small device, then a 5-key chord keyboard, with memory, should be sufficient. 2^5=32, which means you've enough combinations for all letters and a good range of symbols. A bubble memory would be fine for this, as you're just storing and recalling linear streams. Bubble is good, because it is small, low-power and can survive total loss of power.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
And now it is cheap - its called an HP100LX. I see them on ebay for ~$50. 200LX is still pricey tho.
It runs for weeks on AA batteries.
Leben Sie jetzt die Fragen.
|3 Months | 6 Months | 12 Months | 24 Months
Plan Cost | $49.95 | $90.00 | $149.00 | $238.80
Monthly Cost | $16.65 | $15.00 | $12.42 | $9.95
ps - I can't figure out how to format it nicely in a post.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
Old 66mhz laptop (found at ebay).
e gory=177&item=5199094786&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
e gory=42202&item=6771867163&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
Here's one at $15
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&cat
Oh, there's another one starting at a buck!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&cat
Just search. You'll get waaay more features than on a PDA. You could install DOS, Windows 3.11 or simply Linux. Easy. Conveniant. Powerful. You use the floppy drive to transfer your documments or even the parralel port!
The hip way to get your IP. No ads, ever.
A few years ago, a number of companies produced Windows CE powered "handheld PCs".
Many of the second-generation models had full-sized keyboards. They are cheap (often sub-$150), and have excellent battery life (10+ hours).
Not to mention that they boot instantly, have no moving parts, often have USB host ports, and have PCMCIA for adding Wifi or ethernet. Not to mention the color touchscreen and capability to add software like a full-featured web browser (NetFront) or word processor (TextMaker).
"Imagine a portable device that runs on 4 AA batteries & runs for 20 hours+, has an address book, a date book, a notepad-like app, a built-in modem, a full-travel keyboard, a terminal application, even the ability to connect to a modern Windows or Linux based PC & transfer files. Sounds great doesn't it? But in 1983? No way I hear you say! What are you smoking son?"
The 3c has a small, but complete, keyboard, and typing with two fingers, I could get 20-25 wpm. It has a built-in spell checker, 80-column wide screen by at least 10 or 14 lines, can print to many printers, and with PsiWin software, import and export MS Word and Excel files seamlessly. And it runs for weeks on a pair of AA's, and there's a good backlight.
The 5mx has bigger keys, a touchscreen, and a prettier GUI, along with all the benefits described above.
Both fit in a hip or coat pocket easily. Both connect to a PC via a serial port, and your PC probably still has one of those.
Check ebay for units with PsiWin software. Then Google around for a huge library of 3rd party software.
Yes, they are both old, but Psion had more PDA experience in 1992 than Palm has now. Psion software is almostly always amazingly good.
I use a top-o-the-line color wireless Palm these days, but I still think my Psion 3c had it beat in almost all areas relating to software, power, and convenience.
I do not have a PDA. I have a little notebook. Frankly I think if you need a PDA to be "more productive" with keeping a phone list and showing up where and when you're supposed to be there is something wrong with you.
On the other hand, I know for a fact that there is something wrong with me. I am disgraphic. I cannot handle paper and pencil beyond a very crude level, and only for short periods of time.
Different lack of strokes for different folks I guess.
I need to type. It's neuro-physical thing that nothing can be done about. Sounds like a job for a Z80/6800, a bit of flash mem and a Twiddler to me, if Twiddlers didn't go for a couple of hundred.
KFG
My son had problems with writing. His hand strength wasn't great and writing for even a short period would tire his hands/arms. The teacher gave him one of these to use and he was able to transition from struggling with writing to actually getting ideas down on and focussing on the content of the stories. They may not be perfect, but in some cases these machines are great.
21st-Century-Citizen
I just solved this problem myself by purchasing a new-in-box Palm V keyboard for $1.25 on EBay. (I'm serious.)
The used Palm V itself cost a little more, but it's one of the best products Palm ever made. The Palm V is pocket-sized; the keyboard, when folded, is not much bigger.
This a much more versatile solution than a hunk of text-processing-dedicated hardware.
Rich And Stupid is not so bad as Working For Rich And Stupid.
I used this extensively in college.
Endless battery life. Easy syncing.
Should not cost much these days.
Leonid S. Knyshov
Find me on Quora
http://search.ebay.com/jornada-680_W0QQfromZR40QQs ojsZ1
I see you submitted that comment using the trusty handwriting recognition capabilities of your Apple Newton.
If you want to be insufferably hip, I recommended getting a pen/pencil and a Moleskine notebook. It's "the legendary notebook of Van Gogh, Chatwin, Hemingway, Matisse and Céline." Despite the pretentiousness of carrying one, I can attest that they are very good notebooks -- very nice cover feel; the binding lets you easily write to the margins; it has a built-in bookmark, elastic, and pockets; plus you can feel like Hemingway when you're jotting down your grocery list. Expensive for a pad of paper, but cheaper (and nicer feel) than a PDA.
For example:
"I love my job, but I hate talking to people like you" (Freddie Mercury)
I've got one of these, and it comes in handy from time to time.
http://www1.alphasmart.com/
Ph-nglui mglw'nafh Gates M'dna wgah'nagl fhtagn.
Your more in the realm of a voice recorder. PDA, tape, solid state or otherwise. Otherwise, carry a pencil. Otherwise carry a laptop.
What the hell? Did you think somebody was going to show you OpenOffice running on an 80's wrist band?
Come on slash...
I can understand this, but how sure are you that your productivity would transfer to the tiny keyboard the post describes? I would think that it has more to do with "what you're used to." I'm most productive (for most things) at my laptop keyboard (which I'm using now.) I'd rather switch to pen and paper than either a tiny keyboard like the author wants, or, for that matter, to a typewriter. For me, it's not the keys, it's the overall feel.
Of course, it's also activity-specific: I can't use Maple on an American keyboard, nor can I program C on a French keyboard. Just a question of where I learned to do what.
Tandy had a few of those things, pretty cheap on Ebay these days... ( such as the WP2, Mdl100 )
They may not be 'full screen' but they are very portable, run forever on a set of batteries, and weigh nothing..
You can still get *unopened* sinclair Z88's if you look around..
---- Booth was a patriot ----
It's a little big for your jacket pocket, but I wrote half a novel on mine.
Pros: The keyboard is awesome and, with no moving parts to power, the battery life is fantastic--six hours for me, easy. The screen is bright and 640x480 will give you all the text you need to see. It weighs 2.6 pounds. Instant-on. Pocket Office is in ROM.
Cons: Pocket Office is in ROM. WinCE is a little...buggy. You definitely want to store your documents on CompactFlash rather than relying on the battery-backed RAM of the unit.
You can also look at the HP Jornada 820 for another example of a WinCE mini-laptop. I like the IBM better--the Jornada isn't as sturdy, it's slower, the keyboard isn't as nice, and the screen gets hella-bad interference from something in the machine. But if you can get one cheap, it's okay. I wrote the other half of a novel on one.
There are a number of PDAs out that that sport full keyboards. Of them, the Psion 5a was probably the best. I still don't understand why clamshell keyboards aren't more popular.
My dad still owns an HP 2000, going on for more than 10 years now, and refuses to even touch Palm or Windows Mobile.
The 9300 and 9500 are out so owners are upgrading to the newer sleeker kit. It's basically the next generation Psion palmtop that Psion never made, with a mobile phone attached, a bit of a brick but you'd have all of your information with you, everywhere.
And I mean some weird shit information as well, there's quite a community of people creating stuff for these machines:
e.g.
http://3lib.ukonline.co.uk/pocketinfo/
And it has a useful keyboard, unlike all these useless Palm clones. I have one, but I'm terrified to get rid of it, my life would basically stop working without it.
Deleted
Frogpad does this with a most used letter format http://www.frogpad.com/ And then there are cording keyborads like the BAT Keyboard http://www.onehandkeyboard.com/product_view.asp?Re cordNumber=12&sbcolor=%23FF9966&option=keyboard&su bcategory=&CatTxt=&optiontxt=Keyboard
These do make a lot more sense in a world where one hand is on a mouse and they adapt to smaller form factors more gracefully
Get a Handspring Visor (or Palm Pilot) and portable keyboard off eBay. I picked up a new Visor Platinum for $22 a few weeks back. Keyboards are available around the $25-30 range.
The great thing about the older visors is they are cheap and run on AAA batteries, with battery life of 3-6 weeks depending on how much you use em.
small, portable, good battery life, good keyboard. Only fly in the ointment is connectivity, but if you just want text download/upload, it shouldn't be too difficult to hack up a solution.
There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself
-Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye
And you, what, plug the notebook into your computer with a USB->wire-bound adapter?
The point of the question is that he wants to be able to write things like emails or such that he can later transfer to computer without having to retype. If you have to retype it, you haven't saved any time at all.
Comment of the year
The radio shack m100 from way way back would probably fit the bill, but it wouldn't fit in a jacket pocket. If I remember correctly, it ran on AA batteries. I think it had a serial port too. 64k ram, and a built in word processor...
Given the amount of energy that goes into making a piece of high technology, and the loss of metals and petroleum to build something that is vastly more toxic to dispose of than paper and pencil, and how little energy goes into making a pencil and small pad of paper, I think it is the height of idiocy to apply such high technology to something that can be just as easily handled with a pencil and paper.
I use a pen and a hard cover composition notebook. A bit higher tech, a bit more pricey, but still cheaper than $5.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
It seems to me this could've been done a decade ago, but I guess maybe it's too niche for any providers to care.
Clamshell "phone", modest keyboard facing, say, an 80x40 screen. Give it a text-only ssh. That's it for a base model. For unlimited low bandwidth, that could be worth, I guess, $200 down and $30 a month.
Optionally, you can up the resolution and perhaps do some X11 over the ssh. The key is I don't want some poor PDA apps and annoying syncronization issues. I want to talk to my home server anywhere. I don't need frilly widgets or pointless toys.
Strangely enough, I have a PDA *because* i can write on it, the fact it keeps tabs on what i'm meant to be doing is a handy side effect.
My recommendation is to get a cheap PDA and use Graffiti or something similar to transcribe your handwriting. Just check if the input is touchscreen or styluspoint, because touchscreens can't be leant on.
How many people can read hex if only you and dead people can read hex?
I love writing, but I'm also a gadget geek. Both actually conflict when trying to actually do some writing.
I used to own a compaq ipaq with targus keyboard, and although I felt cool, I was always knocking the thing about.
In the end I settled for a $250 pen and a $3 notebook. I take them everywhere. Having a nice fountain pen not only makes me want to write, it's a great experience when I do.
Of course, I then have to transcribe pages of scribbles onto the computer eventually, but I find it easier to think on paper where I can write and draw pictures, cross out stuff, and generally sort out the mayhem.
YMMV.
The reason girls and Windows users don't understand UNIX is because all the documentation is in Man files.
I've got an Oregon Scientific Osaris...which is basically a PDA running EPOC similar to a Psion Revo/Mako...with the addition of a CF slot. I used it for the purpose of portable word-processing on the go. I don't have the serial sync cable, but even if I did, the transfer rate is pretty slow, so I just store everything on the CF card and transfer that way. Having all of my stuff on the CF card also prevents any accidental data loss... I'm actually willing to sell it...since I've found that I scribble on paper much faster than I can touch-type.
semper ubi sub ubi
Last Friday I picked up a Palm VIIx with folding keyboard for $50 CDN. This is my fist PDA and am very happy with it. With 8 MB memory, I don't forsee a problem with filling it up with text anytime soon. Although this PDA is 4 years old and has a vestigual antenna for Palm.Net (which doesn't exist anymore), it serves my purposes very well, especially with the keyboard. It was $600 four years ago, so I was pleased to pick it up at a fraction of the cost. I bought it at XS Cargo, and they are sold out now, but things like this might come up again so keep your eyes peeled.
--- to swing on the spiral...
I have long been lusting for a really light, low-powered laptop I could carry around and write with. I'm thinking something with the power and screen of my old 233mhz laptop, but with in a thinner form factor. I paid something like $2000 for the thing back in 98, and it still works for writing papers and internet, but is too bulky to lug around. I don't need a super clear screen, with a fast harddrive and cdburner. Just give me something lightweight that has a fairly normal sized keyboard, can edit text documents and get online.
http://www.popularculturegaming.com -- my blog about the culture of videogame players
I had a Palm IIIxe, and a Palm Folding Keyboard (Accordian Style).
Used to take it to work (lifeguarding). When nobody was around (crummy days, especially early in the morning), would write my papers for High School.
Got paid to do homework! Rather than sit around and play with my toes.
Got home, would sync up with my computer, spell check, and print.
No problemo.
That's what I think...
A cheap, notebook thing, with simple word processing capabilities and long battery life would be perfect for my wife.
She's studing History, and right now preparing her graduate thesis. She have accumulated amazing quantities of hand-written text... and now she is stating to compile all this text into the thesis, if she used a notebook to do her annotations it would be a matter of "copy-and-paste".
I cant afford a notebook for her, not even an used one, and even if I could those things are so heavy and cumbersome that she wouldnt carry it around.
Something with the power of a Palm, with a decent monocromatic screen, and a keyboard would be perfect for her. Better, if it could run a light word processor like AbiWord it would be the perfect solution.
An ARM or PPC processor @100Hz, with 512MB of Flash RAM, a SD Card expansion slot, 1 USB host port and a monocromatic 800x600 passive LCD. I guess that this would become a very decent Linux platform, expecially if you use the FrameBuffer directly, instead of a XServer. And it would give you insanely long battery life!
But, as I said, companies are selling features, not solutions. They need to do this, so you actually have a reason to upgrade your machine... The same happens with cellphones.
---- You know how some doctors have the Messiah complex - they need to save the world? You've got the "Rubik's" complex
Go out and buy a journal. A really nice one costs $15. Buy yourself a fountain pen. A halfway decent one costs $25. Dust off those memories on cursive handwriting. The writing flows smoothly and I find it to be quite pleasant, relaxing even. Ink cartridges last about a week apiece.
I must take two or three pages of notes a day, that have nothing to do with work. Really useful for looking up what you were thinking about last month, errant phone numbers, confirmation codes, and the like.
Fits in a jacket pocket. Always on. No software to manage.
I feel vulnerable if I leave the house without it.
In Canada they weren't success, but I knew few people who were using these as backup to their more powerfull laptops/computers.
Old:
LIBRETTO 50 Pentium 75MHz CPU, 16Mb RAM, 810Mb hard disk, 6.1" TFT display
LIBRETTO 60 Pentium 100MHz CPU, 16Mb RAM, 810Mb hard disk, 6.1" TFT display
LIBRETTO 70 Pentium 120MHz MMX CPU, 16Mb RAM, 1.6Gb hard disk, 6.1" TFT display
LIBRETTO 100 Pentium 166MHz MMX CPU, 32Mb RAM, 2.1Gb hard disk, 7.1" TFT display
Toshiba Libretto 100
Launch date: 3rd February 1998
This is a major revision of the model - for the first time since its inception, the size of the overall unit has changed, along with the size of the display.
Intel Pentium 166MHz MMX processor 32Mb EDO RAM (expandable to 64Mb) 2Gb hard disk (9.5mm high) 7.1 inch TFT display, (800 x 480 resolution), 16.7 million colours External display options: 640x480 x 16M, 800x600 x 16M, 1024x768 x 65K, 85Hz refresh rate Neomagic 128XD graphics system (2Mb video RAM) Dimensions (W x D x H) 210 x 132 x 35mm Weight 910 grams Sound Blaster Pro compatible sound system (Yamaha OPL3 SA3) 2 x PC Card (PCMCIA) Type II slot (32 bit "CardBus" type) Universal 100 - 240V power supply Speaker and socket Microphone Serial infra-red port (supports Fast Infra-Red standard) Mini port replicator with ECP parallel (printer) port, RS-232 serial port (9 pin), SVGA monitor port and PS/2 mouse/keyboard port 1.44Mb external PC Card floppy drive (Note: not included with "Japanese" models) Microsoft Windows 95 and various Toshiba utilities included
New:
Model: Libretto U100 Motherboard Features CPU: Intel Pentium M 733 1.2 GHZ L2 Cache: 2MB RAM: 512MB (1GB max) Storage HDD: 60GB (Ultra ATA) Graphic / Video Features Chip: Intel 855GME VRAM: 64MB Display: 7.2" WXGA Clear SuperView LCD Resolution: 1280 x 768 pixels External Resolution: 2048 x 1536 pixels Sound system Sound Card: 16-bit Stereo, AC ' 97 conformity Interface PCMCIA: 1 x Type II CardBus compatible Modem: fax/modem 56K flex V.90 internal voice Integrated ports: USB 2.0x2; modem RJ-11 x1; microphone x1; headphones x1; 100/10baseT x1; 802.11b/g; SD Memory Card Slot x1; Bluetooth Version 2.0+EDR conformity;I.LINK (IEEE1394) S400 (4 pins) ×1 Input / Output Devices Keyboard: 14mm key pitch, 1.5mm keystroke Pointing Device: AccuPoint Pointing Stick Battery Life: 5.3 hours Power Consumption: 45W A/C adapter: 100~240V / 50-60 Hz Physical Features Size: 8.27(W) x 6.5(L) x 1.17 - 1.31 (H) [inch] 210mm (width) ×165mm (depth) × 29.8mm-33.4mm (height) Weight: 2.2 lbs / 999g Other Package contains: A/C adapter; Standard Battery; Mini RGB Cable Operating System: Windows XP Professional
That's not a bad idea. Back in High school I got pretty good at typing on the TI-85. Even better would be a HP-48, as there are some pretty powerful editing program for the HP's. I've had one called MinWrt on my 48G for as long as I can remember.
I can relate to this; I'm an occasional journaller and I've gone back and forth btw paper and pen and handheld organizers.
The Newton, of course, was awesome, but the external keyboard was big and clunky - would have been great if it folded over the screen.
Have used a Palm and a folding keyboard; this was great as well but the sync software still is somewhat lousy when it comes to uploading documents as plain text (why can't I just have a directory appear, like on a flash drive, and drag-copy documents from there?) There are third-party solutions for this, of course. Palm sync is still a pain on the Mac, more so with Sony which makes (or used to) cuter hardware.
One of my favorites, tho, which I also used as a fantastic portable RS-232 serial terminal, was an HP200LX. Sturdy (i.e. droppable), relatively inexpensive. Difficult to sync with Mac, IIRC.
My dream machine would be a 200LX form factor, running UX of some flavor, with USB, network, and 802.11 connectivity. Which would of course price it out of the market of your question. Needs to have a clamshell keyboard though.
I tend to agree with most of the pen and paper posts - I think you can't really get a useful device that does it all for twenty bucks.
But that got me thinkin'. How about skipping the display? Maybe a little UBS hub with a power source that you can plug a thumb drive into and a little folding usb keyboard. I mean, you can't really edit without a display, but if you just want rough input for ideas - you can capture them here, plug the key into a real computer and do your fixing and formatting there.
I'm not aware of a device liek that on the market. Personally, I wouldn't use it - I'd pony up for a PDA...
We used AlphaSmarts in English class a few years ago... They worked really well for typing stuff up during class, and we'd just pritn everything out at the end. It's not quite as portable as one would like, but it's the closest I've seen to such a device.
I resemble that remark. And I do have (multiple) something wrong with me, from Asperger's syndrome to just plain over-30 lowered brain space.
SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
Yes, that's the ticket. I sure wish they would reproduce these babies - with a little better screen though.
Strange things are afoot at the Circle-K.
I'm guessing that you want to write something somewhat long. If you didn't, you could use paper more easily. Anything more than paragraph though, and you run into editing problems.
I'm guessing that you won't really be happy with anything you try. Pencil and paper is too slow, and anything short of a laptop won't be fast enough to get your thoughts out.
I'm not saying this to be a troll. If you can type fast enough, there isn't the intermediate step of storing the words in your head while your sluggish right hand tries to spit out words with a pencil or pen.
I've tried a number of solutions. These include an old Windows CE machine with a keyboard, a Palm m505 with an external keyboard, and the same Palm m505 using the "Fitaly" input. In the end, I'm not using any of them.
The problem is that none of them allowed me to express myself with the ease I feel with a keyboard. (No, I'm not saying my writing is fluid or even good -- I'm just saying that I feel fluid.)
I never tried it, but one thing that was suggested to me was to try to learn shorthand. You may have to re-type everything later, but at least you can get the words down quickly.
if you want to store ideas when you are out and about just get a small voice recorder. They are cheap and can store information fasther than you can type on a small keyboard. If you have a good voice recorder you can use a speech to text engine to convert it to text when you get back home.
An older Blackberry can be had pretty cheap ($100) off ebay, and the interface for entering text from a small and durable device is hard to beat. I think you can use the desktop sync software and even run your own non-networked J2ME apps without turning up service with a wireless carrier.
In GSM markets the old black 5800s are getting replaced with newer models, and some new BB server versions don't support the old handhelds, so you may be able to get some second-hand.
Without a SIM card (so no phone line costs) you may still be able to syncronise "memopad" items with a PC (never tried it though...), and the options include ASCII text as well as MS Outlook.
I work in the library at a semi-under privileged high school. A lot of our kids don't have computers at home, but they still have the same requirements as every other high schooler in the country. Reports: typed, double-spaced, etc.
So, we check out AlphaSmarts. Basically, they are keyboards with a 3 or 4 line LCD screen and built-in word processor. The units we have can store 8 different files of decent length.
When kids are ready to transfer documents, they hook it up to ANY computer with a standard USB cable and hit Send. The AS then emulates keyboard input and transfers all the characters to whatever application is active (ideally, a word processor).
They are pretty slick and robust enough to withstand high schoolers, and not too expensive second hand. A quick look on eBay shows newish models for $50.
(*Obviously, I get no compensation for this plug. Just a satisified middle-man spreading the word.)
little portable word processor; not a fancy PDA, but something with a bare minimum of processing power, small screen, and a cheap mini-keyboard, so that it could fit in a jacket pocket.
Not a fancy PDA? Check!
Bare minimum processing power? Check!
Small screen? Check!
Mini-keyboard? Check!
Fits into your pocket? Check!
It is called a cellphone. Here is one There is even a demo on the site and I believe you can even run ssh on it, so you can connect to your server and work on that.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
Search Ebay for a cheap, used laptop. Go for an older model, like something powered by a Pentium III, and you can get it very cheap, with enough power for most anything save for the newest games. I/O would not be a problem.
Windows has detected an undetectable error.
while commuting i do all my writing as txt msgs using my cell phone
who needs all those space wasting keys on a regular keyboard when you can layer several symbols onto each button like they do on my cell phone. fits in my pocket this way!
i am writing this comment using an rs232 hacked cell phone connectd to my pc as the input device!
--- -- - -
Give me LIBERTY, or give me a check.
Is exactly, exactly, exactly what you need. They don't make 'em any more, so it'll have to be ebay.
The youngsters may not know Psion - they were makers of some of the earliest PDAs, and were the company that begot Symbian, the people who make the best smartphone OS software.
Why the 5MX? Because it has the single best keyboard any PDA has ever had, no question. All the other PDA keyboards have buttons like calculators or mobile phones; the 5 has a keyboard like a... well... like a keyboard actually. Some very clever engineering means it folds up smaller than seems possible.
Runs on AA batteries, too.
Decent word processor built in, also various text editors etc. are still available to download - http://www.ericlindsay.com/epoc/siedit5.htm#text has plenty.
There are good open sync tools for Linux too. Come to that, it has a CF slot so you can use that to move your files about no matter what machine you have. Hell, before now I've transfered files by using zmodem out the serial port on the back!
Seriously, you need to check out the 5mx.
~~~~~ BigLig2? You mean there's another one of me?
Ive got a friend that still takes notes on his 200. 14 + hours on 4 AA batteries, great text entry, light weight, and hack the serial connection and you can transfer stuff. sounds like the perfect solution to me.
Psion really only had two problems: not enough U.S. marketing, and product-design people who overestimated the durability of the materials that the devices would be made of. Otherwise their devices were first-rate. A couple years ago, my Revo broke beyond repair and I finally gave in and bought a PalmOS PDA. Within a couple months I was on eBay looking for Revo; PalmOS just couldn't hold a candle to EPOC. I take the Revo with me just about any time I leave the house, and use it frequently for logging ideas and so on. In a pinch, I use it to actually compose text, but the keyboard's a bit cramped for much of that. I have a Windows 98 machine with an RS232 serial port that I maintain specifically to run the backup/link software for it. I plan to hold out as long as I can, using it until something with a comparable combination of portability and usability comes along.
(The older Psion Series3a is worth considering for this sort of use. The software isn't as sophisticated, and the keyboard isn't as good, but it has the advantage of using replaceable AAs, so its prospects for long-term use are better than for the Revo, whose batteries will eventually refuse to hold a charge.)
Another example of old tech that would meet the OP's wants (if adapted for modern standards) is the old Poqet PC, a DOS-capable 8088 with an 80x25 character screen that runs for days on a couple AAs and a just-typable keyboard, in a package the size of a VHS cassette. Replace the PCMCIA slots with a recessed USB port and a fitted flash drive, load it with a wordprocessor app that can write RTF files, and you'd be good to go.
http://alternatives.rzero.com/
I understand where the submitter is coming from completely -- this type of device has been my Holy Grail for a long time too.
The closest I ever came to the perfect solution was pulling together the following kit:
Total cost: approximately $200-250. Others have pointed out that there are devices that wrap all this functionality into one unit (the much-loved Psion devices such as the Revo and the 5mx spring to mind), but with the PalmOS solution you're at least dealing with stuff that's all still currently manufactured and supported, so you won't have to futz with hunting down obscure software and strange replacement parts just to get things done. And if the device dies, big whoop, at $80 it's not the end of the world.
(If you're into this sort of thing, Jeff Kirvin's blog Writing on Your Palm is a good source for advice on mobile writing.)
Read my blog.
I'm serious. It is the best portable machine ever made, in my opinion.
I'm retrofitting one I got on eBay to have a Linux coprocessor, connected via serial port. Someone wrote a termcap entry for it.
How about just buying a low price pda instead. I've had a Palm Tungsten E for a few years and loved it. It was the $100 range and is probably much cheaper now.
My trs-80 model 100 had pretty much everything you'd need but the size. It was also fully programmable.
It didn't have a tonne of memory, but it was all text base. You could type for a month straight and still not fill it up.
I agree, why can't this be reduced to a tiny format and sold for $39.95/ea. Hell, put a wireless adapter inside and Lynx and you're set.
I've never used a better pocket portable device for typing documents than a Psion Series 3a (or later a 3c). I've since used a Psion Series 5, a Windows CE clamshell, a Palm Zire 71 with an external keyboard and none of them could keep up. If all I did was type docs and couldn't carry a laptop, I'd carry a Series 3a (or look at an Apple eMate).
There's always a scanner and OCR. If you print quasi-legible block letters, OCR won't do a half-bad job on them.
---
Mod me down, you fucking twits. Go ahead. I dare you.
(I read with sigs off.)
Type it out in plain text/ascii and format it properly when you get home and u/l the files to your real computer via it's RS-232 serial port. 16 + Hour battery life on 4 AA batteries that you can find anywhere. Full sized keyboard, small form factor. There have been many a journalist/writer who swears by one of these for use in absolutely primitive/harsh 3rd world conditions. These little suckers are apparently very tough and tres retro. Wired had an article about the TRS 100/102's and other old/obsolete but still serviceable computers.
Some of the lower memory versions are avaiable /near-mint/used/refurbished starting at $75.
Or check out E-Bay, found a few going really cheap right now:
- Model 100's
- http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&c
a tegory=74947&item=5197944964&rd=1
- http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&c
a tegory=1247&item=5199719083&rd=1
- http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&c
a tegory=74947&item=5200179003&rd=1
- http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&c
a tegory=74947&item=5201521879&rd=1
- http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&c
a tegory=4193&item=5200512388&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
- http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&c
a tegory=74947&item=5200683165&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
- http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&c
a tegory=74947&item=5200683165&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
I sound like a relic, but ahhh, they don't make them like they used to...Model 102's
DaveC
There are no stupid questions...just stupid people.
2mb ram, 2mb flash, works on the tandy 100, 102, and 200. very cool project. The Tandy Model T community still has a lot of the old, late 1970s hacker-programmer-computer enthusiast ethic. very very cool people.
I miss my old Psion 3 (stolen). Even my old Psion II was better for typing documents than just about any modern PDA. I've been tempted to build my own PDA, with a decent amount of RAM and Flash, from a microcontroller, an FPGA and some other parts. But I can't find a supplier of small keyboards. I guess I could gut an old Psion off ebay...
Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
I have a Psion series 5mx (used to have the Series 5). This is a bigger brother to the Revo, it has a backlight screen and a larger keyboard. It also runs on AA batteries instead of a built in battery and the serial connector is via a cable rather than a dock (good for connecting to other mobile devices). The series 5/5mx also feature a compact flash slot making it easier to backup and transfer data.
I think the word processor it includes is also better than the revo one (built in spell checker). The series 5 has 8 meg of memory and a 16mhz CPU (more than enough for word processing) and the 5mx has 16meg of RAM and a 33mhz CPU. They still fetch quite a high price on ebay when compared to Palm and WinCE machines of similar specs.
I used my Series 5 to take notes throught my first year and a half at university and it prooved more than adequate for this (and playing games in boring lectures!). Definately a lot easier than using a laptop.
If you want something a little modern then I recommend the HP Jornada 720. This is slightly bigger than the Psion, runs WinCE (will also do Linux), includes a colour screen, PCMCIA and CF slots. In many ways it sounds like the modern(ish) incarnation of the Poqet. Its a shame there haven't been any more systems using this form factor recently.
You could get a K-Byte ZipIt Wireless Instant Messenger and flash it to run a customized version of Linux. Probably slightly more work than you were looking for, but it would be a great little toy. (Retaining the instant messenging ability would be cool, too.)
--Ender
Loose things are easy to lose. You're getting your hair cut. They're going there to see their aunt.
It's got an integrated keyboard but still fits in my pocket easily. It's thin and light weight but powerful enough to handle the word processor the media player and the integrated wireless connection at the same time.
To me what makes it perfect is I can clamp on the headphones and it comes with enough memory that I can carry two hours worth of music while I work.
It's not cheap but to me it's some of the best tech money I've ever spent. And it comes with the software to sync with your desktop and backup your writing.
That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
i have to agree with this question. sure i carry a pad and paper with me most everywhere i go. you never know when an idea will hit you. however, if you get rather prolific with that pen and paper you eventually have to transfer those words to the word processor (OpenOffice preferably).
now before you toss up your arms and say "how hard is that?" you have to understand that some people write a LOT. and when you write as part of your living the last thing you want to do is to have to waste time writing over and over the same words (i would think coders would appreciate that).
of course even if you were to get something portable enough, entering text into one of those horribly user un-friendly keyboards would stink. so i guess what we'd be looking for was something of a micro-laptop like device.
anyway - i was just standing up for the man's question because i think it's valid.
nature loves variety::society hates it get your variety at http://www.monkeypantz.net
Small, reasonably powered. Mine is a 5MX I wish it was a 5mx pro.
:)
you can fairly often find them on ebay. expansys has them refurbished for... ouch! quite a bit.
and of course the obligatory linux plug:
http://linux-7110.sourceforge.net/
Yes Virginia, it does run linux
The Poqet PC ran MSDOS programs, 80x25 screen, used ram cards of various size for disk, battery life 50-100 hours, although the Plus version had NiCads.
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
My girlfriend has one called a QuickPad and she uses it a lot. it has a 4 line LCD, and transmits to your computer over IR. it comes with an IR receiver which taps into the PS/2 jack. here's a quick google: http://www.enablemart.com/productDetail.aspx?store =10&pid=945&dept=15
Pick one up on eBay - they're cheap.
I have owned a few devices that would qualify:
- Radio Shack Model 100 (http://www.club100.org/), was a great very simple computer that was completely indestructible. Sure, it used cassettes for storage, but who needs storage when you have a serial port and a modem? They're on eBay for $25-50.
- Atari and HP both made stripped down DOS handhelds with decent, if small, keyboards. They were great for taking notes in class/meetings.
- Apple's eMate was wonderful for this. It ran the Newton OS, so it was fast and simple to use, and had a real keyboard, so it was pleasant to type on.
- I often wondered why Apple never sold a stripped down Apple II with AppleWorks in ROM as the perfect word processor. You could make a PDA with a 6502 and 128 KB of RAM for under a dollar (my watch and cell phone both have better tech), stick in a B&W display and a keyboard, and perhaps a CF or CD slot for storage, and have a perfect "workstation" for trivial cost. Sure, no web browsing, but for text editing, spreadsheet, and simple database work, it's just great. I still think that someone could crank out tons of these things and sell them in the third world...
Enable 3D printed prosthetics!
I had one of those for a couple years before I upgraded to an M500. The M500 is similar, but has an SD slot, and slightly better scroll buttons that actually make it a lot easier to use for reading books. I use Plucker to read books, and Convert LITto convert those pesky Microsoft LIT files to HTML.
the applications are bloatless and cheap. you can find alot on p2p and newsgroups if you are cheap. The case is metal but if you are looking for more durability like I was, rhinoskin makes a fited aluminum case. the palm with its included leather cover, would last 100 years in a shirt pocket or a breif case but if you are putting it in a jeans pocket or are a college student the rhinoskin is a must, if you want it to last that long ;)
The keyboard isn't as nearly as durable but it comes with a foamish bodyglove type case that will protect it from most drops that are impossible for an iPod.
>waiting for my wife to finish eating (she pushes her food around and pouts at it instead of actually eating)
If your wife is with you for dinner, and you start typing while she is eating, it may not be the food she is pouting about...
On the other hand, this is slashdot, so any relationship advice here is suspect...
It is really dumb, basically an intelligent keyboard that remembers what you type. When you get to a PC, you plug it into the PS/2 keyboard port and it types it all in for you.
Alphasmart was reccomended to me--I've not had a chance to get one, but it looks like the best bet so far. Or actually Dana--because it has wireless abilities, something that will be useful getting my data back onto my home machine.
I don't want a PDA with keyboard--I want something durable that's one piece with a full sized keyboard that I can carry around like a keyboard in my backpack. I don't want it SMALL. I don't want a fancy shiny PDA thingie. I want it sturdy and durable, and to last for a few years.
I don't want all the features of a laptop--else I'd get a laptop!
I want something I can transfer data into and out of easily to common word processing programs.
Thus far, Alphasmart looks like the best bet for authors. :)
NEC MobilePro 770 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&cate gory=38331&item=5776147486&rd=1
I used to have one of these- great keyboard, Pocket Word, Internet connectivity with built-in modem.
At 200+ comments, I'm sure someone's said it, but the AlphaSmart is quite nice. Not too expensive, and the transfer is easy - plug it in via USB, put your cursor in a word processing program, and it simulates a keyboard to transfer everything. Not sure, but I believe the higher-end ones can use a floppy, too.
I've used em' a lot; they're not Model Ms, or whatever the "keyboard of the day" is right now, but they're not uncomfortable or chiclet-like. Worst thing is that the key action is a bit heavy, but a bit of use should solve that.
I use a Dell Axim x50v and a Bluetooth keyboard. See the details.
try pocketmail, which would let you email your files to yourself:
http://www.pocketmail.com/
there have been others in the past, although some not as portable. ascii output saved to floppy disks was a common interchange format, which you may find useless.
i'd second the sidekick as the best of it's ilk, although i don't own one (and won't buy one.) i may need one for work, in which case I'll bite the bullet perhaps.
an old Psion device (readily availalbe on eBay) might fit your bill, depending on your interface of choice. the keyboards on these were quite palatable.
finding something with USB might be difficult; you may be able to use IRDA to get data off of these, although finding a reasonably modern machine with IRDA appears to be tough - adapters are available that might bring you bliss.
Skot Nelson music is my saviour / i was maimed by rock and roll
DreamWriters are incredible little devices that were originally designed for use in schools. They have readable screens, full keyboards, and include calculator, calendar, address book, etc.
I bought a few different DreamWriter models off of eBay for $5 each. For those without a floppy drive, I cobbled a serial data cable. They worked great. Although they are older than dirt, Branium of Canada provides some amazing support for them.
If you are looking for something new and enjoy a tinkering challenge, then pick up a brand new MailStation from OfficeMax for $9. Even though they are configured for their own ISP, it is a simple matter to wipe out the presets and customize it for your own use.
For Linux tinkering types, it is possible to transfer data via a null modem cable. For those of us not inclined to tinker to that extent, simply attach to a phone line and email your docs to yourself.
A pretty neat device for $9
I played with a Jornada 820 for a while in 2000/2001 and loved it. Especially with a Sierra Wireless CDPD modem.
Another great unit is the IBM WorkPad z50. Looked just like a ThinkPad from the outside.
I have a two-year-old Clie T665C (man that thing is trusty) that can be had for a little over $100 hooked up to a $30 Stowaway keyboard. They were having a deal a few months back for Clies, I'm not sure about now. I can type upwards of 100 WPM into my Memo Pad and when I hit the Sync button, poof! The data's in JPilot. Now, there is a better option if you run Windows. Get a Pocket Word-type app (The PalmOS versions are wayyy better than PPC Word). It directly syncs Word, Excel, and PowerPoint docs. WHen you edit it on your palm and sync, boom! the word doc is updated. There is even some limited formatting. The screen on this little puppy is amazing. It's a few years old, but it's bright, clear, beautiful, and I only have one dead pixel.
Oh, and this is what I prefer over my Sidekick. I have a Sidekick Color that I use for web surfing etc. and sometimes typing, but nothing beats a full sized qwerty keyboard. I love the Sidekick, but I'm not ditching the palm until I get a laptop.
Your absolute best bet is an old palm with a keyboard attachment. Theyre going for under 20 bucks on ebay used, and it allows for data transfer to your PC. Theyre not that heavy and theyll definately get the job done!
I used to use a Palm IIIe with a fold up keyboard to take notes in class. It was pocketable, lasted about 30 days on two AAA's (very handy since I was in school in a foreign country, so I didn't have to deal with 220v conversion), and did more than word processing. I always had ALL my notes with me, so whenever I felt like studying I could. In the park, on the toilet, waiting for friends, etc.
;)
Downsides? It crashed on me twice while taking notes. No data loss, but I was worried. Occasionally, I could type faster than it would display. No spell check (I'd just upload to the home PC and put it into Word). The screen on the old Palms were kinda lacking; in low light, forget about it.
I'll sell you the whole kit for $50.
Often in Error, Never in Doubt.
Buy a used Palm Pilot, MS Word for the Pilot, and a fold up keyboard. Less than 200.00.
Find yourself an HP 95LX or 200LX. The 95LX is pretty cool - it's a DOS based clam shell with full, if mini kb and a decent sized display.
The only caveat is it eats batteries. I'd strongly recommend getting ni-mh's for it.
I don't know if a real word processor would work with such a cheap little processor. My computer dealer tells me I really can't live without word processing software at least as powerful as Microsoft Word. Word is, of course, the choice of most professionals, who do have a lot of money to spend to get the very best. I did once have an older version of Word (Word 6.0), but it wouldn't open any of the newer documents that my friends write with their newer Word 2000, and MS Office XP. (I'm sure I need something with an "X" in it.) It would cost only about $200 or so to upgrade. But I'm told I would need a much faster computer, and at least 512MB of memory, as well as an upgrade to Windows XP. (I do need an "X"!)
I know it sounds expensive, but do really want to be able to add all the fancy stuff (icons and pictures and sounds!) to emails and letters that I write. And I want to be sure to have all the features that the best word-processors are capable of, like macros that run in the background and record my credit-card numbers, then use them to order stuff that I may really, really need -- before I even know that I need it!
I just don't think a cheap little gadget like you're talking about is going to be sufficient.
I have owned an Alphasmart Dana for about a year and a half now, and it lives in a backpack that goes with me pretty much everywhere I go. It is not as small as a clam-shell style device might be but it is lightweight, has a full size keyboard (that is a joy to type on) and is durable as hell. The battery lasts about 20 hours even after a year and a half and it will take three AA batteries in a pinch. It runs Palm 4 and has two SD/MMC slots, allowing for back-ups on the fly (with 3rd party software like CardBkup or Back-Up-Buddy) and a whole lot of additional storage (I have the complete American Heritage Collegiate Dictionary and Roget's Thesaurus on mine, as well as a bunch of other things).
At the time that I bought it, the other option from Alphasmart was the AS3000, which did not appeal to me at the time. Since then, though, they have released the Neo. It is essentially the same as the AS3000 but with the form factor of the Dana and a screen that falls somewhere between the two. It runs for 700 hours on three AA batteries. If they had these when I was buying I would likely have chosen a Neo over the Dana. In fact, my mom and I split on a Neo for my sister who is in college now. She has a laptop (a fairly nice one, too) but wouldn't take it to classes unless she absolutely had to (for the normal reasons: weight, boot time, battery life) but the Neo is light and tough and instant on.
Alphasmart has a great user forum that I lurked through for quite a while before purchasing. I still go there from time to time to see what's up.
And no, I don't get any kickbacks from the peeps at Alphasmart. I am just a fanboy, apparently.
OMG....this has been on my mind a lot in the last few years. My old Kaypro had a simple, but sufficient, word processor. Was it WordStar? I don't remember but it seems like it fit on a floppy (5 1/4" and all of about 120 K per disk) and you still had room on the disk to store plenty of documents. It didn't do anything fancy but you could put out some pretty good documents with it.
So that was mid 80's and todays PDA's blow that hardware away. So yeah, how hard would it be to take some of those old word processor concepts, dust them off, and make something work?
. Quit playing Monopoly with Bill. Switch to one of many non-Microsoft products today.
i've been using a palm m500 with QED for three years now,
and have used it primarily for long text file (400k - 1Mb) editing
and readingfound it a really good system for this. i couldn't care
less about the palm's 'organizer' capabilities, but as a wee portable
text editor and word processor, it rocks!
regards,
j.
It is frankly amazing that with all of the friggin companies in the world trying to make gadgets, that nobody has matched the Newton/eMate. The Psions are very cool! But why can we not get a device in this profile with a good screen for a reasonable price. This should be given to evry student in the country, as opposed to them carrying around $300 in textbooks a year!
I develop education materials. Paper is great! But, we expect to educate children to function in a world were the only people who are not using computers and continuously online are flipping burgers!
Is there anything like he is asking for but allow you to read as well. Sometimes I like to view a computer page like a book but obviously can't leave the monitor. It's like a PDA but only has text editing and viewing capabilities. It could be PDA sized but only have scrollbars but with a mini-KB attachable to write as well.
Do stores sell anything like that? Or would I have to get it on something like Ebay? I just like getting it new.
If not then is there a real PDA that does little but that. It would be more like a palm, et al. but much less powerful.
Are there any new store-bought ones that are $50 or less? Or at least less that $100?
Why don't you guys have friends or journals?
While I was in college, I used to use a HP 100LX as a mini-word processor and I wrote many journal entries on it. It works fine if you don't mind typing with your thumbs.
e v.htm G =Search+Images
Review and Screenshots: http://www.crypticlife.net/attic/www/hp200lx/lx-r
Pictures: http://images.google.com/images?q=100LX&hl=en&btn
The HP100LX still my favorite miniature computer and I feel bad it was discontinued. It runs for months on two AA batteries and has a very nice and functional user interface created by a parnership between HP and Lotus. For those who don't know, the 100LX is a IBM PC XT class microcomputer that was shrunk to fit in your pocket.
It has DOS 5.5 on it, so you can run PC software on it. During college I had loaded up MATLAB, Derive (a symbolic algebra package), TURBO C++ and all sorts of goodies that became indespensable during my studies.
Today I still use my 100LX as a password database and an alarm clock.
-- Marcio
The sidekick is a closed system. In order to install your own apps with the USB port you have to "prove" you're a developer by uploading them your sidekick programs.
Otherwise, it's freaking $10 for a lame SSH client, $4 for each of their *terrible* downloadable ring-tones, and $4 - $10 for each little game.
I was excited when I got it because I would be able to install all sorts of fun little applets that people make. But you can't.
- It's not the Macs I hate. It's Digg users. -
The sidekick has a big problem in that the battery is not removable. However, my sidekick lasts two days of regular use (several calls, usually short, sometimes an hour or so) and it charges from dead empty in less then 60 minutes.
But I still hate the thing because you can't install your own programs without applying for a special developer key, which you can only get if you submit your programs to Danger *before* getting the key. (they have a windows-based dev tool you can use to write programs.)
- It's not the Macs I hate. It's Digg users. -
Pick two.
Second thought, only one.In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
I'm married to an author and through her know three dozen other authors, and many of them swear by the Alphasmart keyboard. Instant On, Instant Save, runs on three AA batteries for days...
I called the thing an overpriced kid's toy. At first. Then I realized the simplistic beauty of what just a keyboard can do for the muse. The Alphasmart Pro, with it's translucent green plastic, has the worst keyboard I can think of. The keys start sticking, making it harder and harder to press.
I'm told the more expensive models have better keyboards, but then why pay so much for JUST a keyboard?
I need to learn how to attach a better keyboard to the guts of the Alphie we now have.
But the psychological impact of using something to type stuff in with that you CAN'T use for ANYTHING else is underrated.
I guess they just felt their paper wasn't differentiated enough from generic Office Depot brand paper. Before that, once you removed it from the bag, it looked just like any other paper.
This way, the slightly-richer kids can lord it over the rest... "Where's the logo on your paper?"
Hey! Thanks for the link. I'm going to put this on my Palm m515.
I remember in middle school at the computer teacher's TA I was given the task of opening up a couple dozen Alphasmarts and replacing the ROM chips to upgrade the software.
It doesn't even seem that long ago.
-tom
Like the parent says, the Series 5 is a great device. Unfortunately one day mine stopped working... screen went berserk, made a faint high pitch noise, etc. I would have replaced it, but I suspect small devices die rather easily when you keep them in your pocket all the time because of all the stress, humidity, etc.
I'm not a journalist, but I play one on slashdot
Speed of typing: z
Speed of reading handwritting: y
Speed of writing documents on paper whilst travelling: x + y + z.
For everything else there is mastercard.
If you write things on paper, how do you propose to make them useful? File them somewhere? OCR them?
Anything noted on paper is a waste of paper, if it is worth you reading it again, store it electronically. (Yes, even shopping lists).
I was thinking this morning, I would ike a connected device to be able to edit a version of my project docs when something occurs to me. The immediacy of having the document open everywhere makes writers block a thing of the past.
I saw a great system using two 8 directional thumbpads for input, or even better, a one handed ergonomic a-e-i-u-o then multiples of combinations to spell things out. Type on a vga eye screen while walking, talking etc.
No 'one handed typing jokes' please. Oops too late.
#hostfile 0.0.0.0 primidi.com 0.0.0.0 www.primidi.com 0.0.0.0 radio.weblogs.com
it's portable, has unlimited storage, easy to use, cheap, comes in nice colors, doesn't require batteries. what more do you wish for?
That's right, I'm in the planning stages for just such a device, because I need something like it for my writing projects. I plan to use Gumstix boards, some form of portable, battery-operated display (hopefully not the terribly expensive head-mounted displays I've been looking at recently) and Python scriptable code gluing the system together behind the scenes.
Does anyone have a lead on some nicely hackable portable displays, like used in many (most) PDAs? I don't necessarily need a touch-screen, as I'm not sure what I'd use it for if the system just uses a Bluetooth/USB mouse, but you're welcome to suggest uses for touch-screen ability.
hejdig.
/OF
My 5-10 years old Casio Cassiopeia running WinCE with a keyboard/cradle works nicely for me when writing short stories.
There are some drawbacks like WindowsOnly(R) and serial interface but buy a slightly newer with USB and PocketPC and it might work.
companies do NOT want products on the market that are cheap and meet a simple need. such products will cut DIRECTLY into their bottom line - competing with their (much higher margin) bleeding edge offerings.
Unfortunately capitalism is NOT set up to offer the best value to the consumer, it is set up to push the market to the lowest value still acceptable by consumers. if you doubt this, go walk around Wal-Mart, check out the wall boards in the corner of the room you're sitting in, or try finding a printed book today that will last more than 5 years before it falls apart.
I had an Amstrad NC100 about 10-11 years ago. It was pretty good and lasted about five years of some heavy and some intermitent use.
It did have a few bugs though - Amstrad's standard dodgy keyboard driver, e.g. if you type 'wer' quickly it appends 't' on the end for you. It would crash very occasionally, which was annoying, and uploading my text through serial took an age.
It's got a version of BASIC built in, and some comms software so occasionally a mate would use it to log in to his Linux box through serial so he could kill an awkward process. So it gets some geek cred.
Even though it had it's faults, I did miss it when it finally broke. The simplicity, lightness and general robustness of it was great.
"What if they're using IE?" "I've dumbed Mozilla down to cope with it." - BOFH
Not exactly sure if this is what you are after exactly, but i was considering using it for university.
digimemo Its basically a special notepad and pen combo that generates a digital image of whatever you write on the paper.
I decided not to get it however, as the redundancy of having to write your notes on paper to begin with was a major turn off
What iam interested is not typing, but reading ebooks. ,so that I can read ebooks when Iam traveling etc..
I have never used a handheld before, and I would now like to get a cheap handheld [ since iam a first time user ] kind of thing
Any suggestions?
Why does yahoo do this
If it's 'cheap but functional' you're after, what about the Cybiko Xtreme?
Aimed at teens but looks like an affordable solution for what being discussed here.
CN=poolmeister.OU=lurkers.CN=slashdot
Yes, it's an 80s machine - but: Really good functionality. A4. Light. (1cm thick approx.) Still supported by knowledgeable community. On/Off, no boot up time. Good wordprocessor. All apps support suspend/task switching. Programmable, expandable (up to 2Mb Flash). 23 hours ON time. Several months OFF time. AA batteries. Mains adaptor. Full size keyboard. Just beautiful; and the best bit: a stockpile still for sale brand new at 80gbp, or second hand at 40gbp. (The only drawback to buying second hand is that the keyboard collects a bit of dust - but its nothing you couldn't wipe down.)
Screen is about 180chars x 10chars (this approx, as I don't remember) - which, again, is plenty for wordprocessing. (Also manages to squeeze in a page-view down the side as well.)
Well thought out software design with fast and easy to learn shortcuts.
Connectivity over serial is fine for transferring wordprocessor documents (which is basically all you'd really be wanting to transfer); and maybe backing up any applications you write for it.
I am not an advert. I am just a happy user! Google or ebay for a seller.
... That'll be called a pencil and a bit of paper.
they tend to break every one, two years (the display cable is the culprit) but there are companies who still repair them.
it's a pity that psion has such a lousy management, a psion 6 with bluetooth, wlan and a color screen would be a dream machine..
PAT
SEO Test: TIGI und SEBASTIAN - Online Shop - V
Well here's a thought: a pad of paper and a pencil, very cheap, very portable!
Honi soit qui mal y pense.
What is doubly silly is that pencil and paper is technolgy. The leap from previous technologies to the paper and pen probably made as much difference as the leap from paper to computers. It is really no different.
So this guy wants to do something different. The technology is not quite there. But it is possible, and it is practical. Unless we want to go back to the technology of stone tablets.
"She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
I carried one around for years and the keyboard is tops for any handheld. It is still the closest to "whip it out and touchtype" you can get.
You can pick up a used Palm off of ebay. I used to use a Palm Vx. Thin, rechargable battery, and plenty of ebook software out there. Go with a Palm III if you'd prefer batteries.
Now I just use my cell phone, a nokia 6620, with mobipocket reader software.
it has a standard PCMCIA slot which will accept an ethernet or wireless card - drivers available online, but you'll likely still need a machine that can connect over serial to do the initial install. there's a number of shareware and open source apps for pc, mac and linux that you can use to sync data, contacts, etc. links below
s tats/emate_300.html
/
i have a 2100 that i sync up over my 802.11 network at home.
for that matter, you may be able to save your documents on the a pc flash card, and pop that into your laptop or other device that accepts such cards. i'm doubtful of this, tho, since the newton os stores everything in "soups" instead of a traditional filesystem - built from the ground up to use flash memory instead of spinning media.
anyhoo, specs for the emate are here:
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/messagepad/
emates for $50 here:
http://macsruscomputers.com/apple-newton.html
nsync software here:
http://homepage.mac.com/nowhereman77/hacks/newton
another similar package here (tho it may be defunct now)
http://www.everchanging.com/newton/
if you've got one, subscribe to newtontalk for a very active and helpful community of newt users:
http://www.newtontalk.net/
- Entertaining Bits from the Ancient Kernel Tree
I only paid US$4.00 + S&H for the two Palm-branded Stowaway folding keyboards that I bought for my Palm m105.
eBay is a great place to find used Palms and add-ons. My second m105 was only US$28, and my two V.90 ClipModems (yes, a Palm m105 can do PPP and can also telnet via pTelnet or do web browsing via Xiino) were US$1.50 apiece, etc.
Mainframe/UNIX Bit Twiddler and long time Windows/Linux Hobbyist.
The Theorem Theorem: If If, Then Then.
I usually type better, but sometimes I need to sketch something out. I can work with a keyboard, but it... takes... forever...
Makes me want a Tablet PC, so I can type AND draw at the same time (flip the screen back (to eliminate gorilla arm), sketch, bring it back up)...
TRS-80 Model 100
I have one of these. I used to use it to write in the subway. (That was a while back. These days, I'd have to drive for an hour to get to a subway and I've invested in a (used) Thinkpad running Linux.)
Pros:
Cons:
Anyway, the Tandy 100 et. al. are pretty much what you want.
Also, it has two advantages over pencil and paper:
Then you could just call her and have her write things down in Word or whatever. No synchronization issues, but it'd of course be a problem whenever she's out of the office.
Yes, most of my use of pen and paper is as an engineer, making sketches of concepts, and even working drawings. Most of my use of portable devices is for typing text and reading ASCII ebooks, currently handled by a 486 laptop. Just the right kind of tablet would fit both uses quite well. A current Toshiba offering comes sooooooo close, but not quite. And it's expensive.
I keep threatening to just build my own, but the need just isn't that pressing. That still leaves the cost of the Twiddler, which impresses me as the ideal primary input tool for such a machine and the story is about low cost devices.
My ideal device would be about 4 1/4"x7"x3/4", the size of a 300 page "Pocket Book." All the buttons would be on the top edge of the device, leaving the entire face free to be used for the glass stylus activated touch screen, perfectly workable by wrapping your fingers over the top of the case, but unpressed by just sticking it in your pocket. Just enough flash memory to support the Linux/BSD operating system and relevant apps, a 4GB flashcard should do, data storage being handled by the recessed flash key drive. It would have a couple of USB ports free for external devices so you could use a standard keyboard, Twiddler, mouse, printer, whatever. Don't bother wasting space on the device itself for some brain dead, nonfunctional, mechanical input device. If I want to type slowly and painfully I'll just use the touch screen.
Nice features would include color, a mini CD drive, GPS and sound, but these would be subservient to the form factor and getting 8 hours of use from a couple of standard AA batteries.
Wrap it all up for $100 less i/o devices and I'll take one.
KFG
Closer to $350 but handles your problem nicely. WiFi for portability, Linux for any editor you want + grep. Extendable. Faster than 8bitter, Damn, dealbreaker.
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http://search.ebay.com/brother_Consumer-Electroni
--= /oblig CAPTCHA joke.
God, If only there was a script to do this.
OSGGFG - Open Source Gamers Guide to Free Games
I'd like to recommend looking into the Dana by Alphasmart. It runs over 10,000 Palm OS Applications, and costs $379.00. Or, you could try the dana wireless which uses 802.11b and costs $429.00. I haven't personally tried it, but it looks like it might be worthwhile. They have a Quickoffice Pro module that looks a lot like MS Office: http://www2.alphasmart.com/danastore/software-feat ures-quickoff.html
Dana can be found at this site.
http://www2.alphasmart.com/danastore/dana-features .html