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Psion Series 5mx released
Pelle Braendgaard writes "The long awaited Psion Series 5mx is released on Tuesday. 5alive jumped the gun a bit and have a full detailed
review up. I'm drooling already. Full JDK1.1 support, better screen, more ram, faster ARM CPU, etc.
Someone's rev-eng'ed the link protocol and produced a Linux client. Istr they were talking about a kernel module to integrate it, too.
:}).
And, like someone else said, there's p3nfs although that's a bit of a hack (but more portable
-- i will protect you from ideals to save you from defeat
The full screen apps don't waste screen space on window decorations, the menubar is normally hidden until needed, and it doesn't waste space on s silly application bar either.
Deleted
It's 16 grayscale "colors" - for those that have sat at grayscale X terminals, that can be very clear to look at - possibly better for the eyes than colour in some lighting conditions.
And it uses EPOC/32, not Windows CE. Once Opera/32 is completed, I know what I'll do if I get some excess money to burn... :-)
ARM, the company, produces the designs and sells these on to partners who manufacture them and then resell them to customers who put them in machines who tehn resell *them* to end users like us who buy the things.
The Psion 5 uses an ARM design licensed to Cirrus. The StrongARM is actually an ARM clone originally designed by Digital (now manufactured by Intel) which is code-compatible.
(Disclaimer: I work for ARM, but I don't officially speak for them).
-- i will protect you from ideals to save you from defeat
Given the size, I'm betting the keyboard is not useable for touch typing
ARM used to stand for *Advanced* RISC Machines (not Acorn), but they've changed the name to just be ARM now.
-- i will protect you from ideals to save you from defeat
I thought PalmOS was CE's main competitor... Anyway, i'm due for a new Palmtop anyway... (i'm still using the Psion 3a, which no longer fits my needs)
Does anyone know if these things sync with Linux?
Opinionated Law Student Strikes Again!
I have a #a, and it does some pretty neeto sound effects on its speaker, i colud only hope the speaker got better with time...
Opinionated Law Student Strikes Again!
Why do you want colour?? Do you have shares in Duracell by any chance?? :-)
And why didn't they put the Message Suite (e-mail, fax, and web browser - an amazing little package) on the ROM?
See the Beeb's (Auntie) write up on Psion at:
d _369000/369589.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsi
Buzz.
Buzz Lightyear
(I don't have the project website on me - anybody?)
The Linux 7K project is at:
http://www.calcaria.net
--
--
Midgard Project - Open Source CMS
It's not a beeper. In fact, the psion 5 has three buttons on the back which are record,play and fast forward buttons and it has a microphone on the front. These allow you to use it as a dictating machine which is quite cool. The speaker is reasonable for a small machine and you can sample sounds and then use them as alarms.
Regards
Well, the '5mx won't run Linux from day one, as it uses a slightly different "system chip" than the CL-PS7110 present in the Series 5. But it's pretty close, so I imagine you'll see Linux running on the '5mx eventually...
Ed
But the E-100 claims that it has:
"Anticipated Avg. Rechargeable Bat. Life 25 Hours"
Casio wouldn't exaggerate, would they?!?!?
:-)
I couldn't tell if you were experimenting with poor-man's cryogenics or looking for the orange sherbet.
And MS know this damned well.
The moment you can carry around a few megs of porn in your pocket and play it back in color, in the privacy of your own bathroom stall, you will have your future pocket-sized PDA leader.
Sad but true.
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
Touch typing would be doable if it weren't for two things:
This is by far the deciding factor for me. I don't want to have to boot windows to sync the thing. So, does anyone know if there will be any linux support?
See also Psion's own press release and website for the 5mx.
Regards, Ralph.
Heck, get one on eBay and you save even more! You can get a Palm Original for $100 and a Palm Pro for $130. Just make sure your seller has good feedback, though.
(btw, does anyone have a happy hacker keyboard they no longer need/want? The Lite version is $70, but I'm a poor student...)
I bought a Psion Series 5 about four months ago and have absolutely loved it. I take notes on it in class, write papers on it when I have a few minutes in the library between classes. If I have articles I need to read, but don't have time at home, I just download them to my Series 5 and read them when I have a few minutes on campus. The Series 5 is nice because it turns on instantly (I don't have to wait a minute for Windows to boot) and it is small enough to just throw in my backpack and carry it with me wherever I go. I got mine on eBay for under $300 and it has been well worth every dollar!!
The Psion Series 5 is an excellent machine (disclaimer: I own one) but I really wonder what Psion/Symbian has been doing for the last two years. A faster processor, a slightly better screen and some improvements to the built-in apps? That's a little bit disappointing. There's very little that I can't do with my 'old' Series 5 right now that the 5mx can. With a CF disk I should be able to install all the new apps without a thought and Psion's even considering a ROM update for the plain 5.
;-).
So what do you get? Some more speed and a slighlty better screen. Considering the fact that speed never was a problem for me anyway (even searching my company's contact database with >3000 entries only takes a few seconds) - all that remains is the improved screen.
Hm, I really was expecting something more dramatic to wipe out the CE competition (despite the fact that the 5mx probably still is the best PDA with keynoard around). To kick MS's ass they have to do better. Otherwise the Big Bad Company's marketing power will stomp Psion sooner or later (we've seen them doing that before and everybody knows that Beta was superior to VHS
[Sidenote: I sent my Psion in for repairs almost three months ago and still waiting for the machine - grr. Their customer support is really awful]
-- Truth suffers from too much analysis.
I did not see anything about color.. I want color..and I don't want windows CE either...
Only 'flamers' flame!
So they are shipping the Java VM as software on the included CD with the 5mx. Does that mean that it will also run on the Series 5? And will they make it available for the series5 as a download or will they expect me to buy a 5mx to get it? I downloaded the EPOC Java SDK today and it only comes with the Java runtime for their windows development emulator....
I don't have much of a need for these devices except to play around, especially since I'm still a student. Somehow the stigma of being caught dead playing with a device as bulky as this and typing stuff in it is too much for me. Even the palm pilot is too much, although it would be neat to be able to put assignments into that and/or schedule my days a little bit better since I tend to get lazy.
All of these things cost quite a bit for a student, are they worth it? I've only gotten to use a palm pilot for a small period of time. Are there any students out there using palm-size devices with any luck?
Hi Ben,
I picked up a Pilot 5000 when I was finishing school, a Pilot Pro when it came out and a Psion Series 5 last year (and I'm still going to night school ) so I thought I could give you some thoughts on this.
I found that the Pilot was indispensable to me while I was in school. I used to carry a calendar book around with me to jot notes in and keep my schedule etc. Entering data was nice and easy, but *finding* stuff I'd previously written wasn't always fun. The searching abilities for a PDA are very valuable for me. A nice thing about the Pilot is that searching occurs across all apps/data. It's also smaller than a paper planner and you never need to look for a pen.
My schedule and contact list is simple enough that the Pilot has no trouble with it. A lot of people in sales etc. complain that (the address book especially) isn't powerfule enough for them. I don't use a desktop PIM so the included Pilot Desktop is plenty for me (and modern Pilots sync with Outlook).
The downsides to the Pilots were low contrast (steadily improved with each generation... the current ones are quite good), bad case design (but the new Palm V is great), not enough memory (addressed through third parties) and no backlight (introduced with the second generation). I also would have preferred an integrated rechargeable battery instead the ability to use AAA's because I am seldom that far from an outlet. I would love to see the ability to use compact flash or smart media added in the future.
Unfortunately, I was never able to take notes in class. I can't write graffiti fast enough and in engineering classes you often need to scribble diagrams and equations as well. I addition, in hostile environments it can be tough to write things by hand.
I picked up a Psion Series 5 because it offered a keyboard and most of the computing power and PDA functionality that I needed. I considered a Windows CE machine at the time, but found that they all felt too sluggish and had too much decoration clogging the limited screen real estate (an especially big shock if you are used to the Pilot). For the past year, I have successfully used the Psion to touch type notes in my classes. It doesn't have a small document length limit like the Pilot, has bulleting and formatting options and the ability to quickly insert sketches.
I also use the Psion as a serial console for my Linux box and as a serial debug console for embedded devices I program at work. When I wake up early enough, I download my e-mail to read on the bus. The main reason I am using the Psion right now instead of a Pilot even though it is bigger and clumsier (and the build quality is abysmal) is because of the keyboard. I find that I can type in environments wherein I would not dream of trying to write by hand.
Also, I read a lot of e-texts and the 640x240 screen fits a lot more text than the 160x160 of the Pilot (although the screen contrast is also very bad). The S5 can handle HTML and text natively and has automagic conversion for RTF, Word and a host of other word processor formats.
For me, PDAs are definitely worth it. They help to organise my life, help me to keep track of important information. Are they perfect? No, each machine is a different compromise (although the Palm V comes pretty close to perfect for me) but I definitely consider them useful enough to carry around. I'm not sure why you would consider it a "stigma" to carry a device as "big" as a PDA since most are smaller than equivalent paper planners. Then again, some people in my class type their notes on IBM PC110s and Toshiba Librettos (which although bigger, actually have worse keyboards than my S5!)
Hope this gives you an additional point of view.
Looks good to me [= How much do they cost?
--- Stampede linux for me! I play with fire to break the ice..
I saw an article in info week or some other rag last month that Psion was also working on something called "Project Jedi" which was supposed to cost about $1,200 and be released later this year.
The specs were: 8.5x11 clamshell design, 64MB of mem (48 available, the rest used by the OS), nice color screen and a 200MHz StrongARM CPU... though the 5mx looks like a really nice handheld (I've got a series 5, and it's REALLY handy).
-nate
I don't mean to be messing with Hemos or anything, but why is the Psion so much better than other things. I am still convinced that the Cassiopeia E-100/105 is quite a bit better than this guy. I mean, color screen, 131 Mhz processor (OK, it is DragonBall) and Wince does make it not quite as good, but still. . . Any explanations as to the Psion's superiority would be appriciated. . .
I couldn't tell if you were experimenting with poor-man's cryogenics or looking for the orange sherbet.
A machine like this, combined with a *specific* distribution such as one tailored for network debugging, or one tailored for project management or for contact management, would be *the* perfect use for Linux, to my mind.
With the scalibility of the kernel, the widely adaptable interfaces offered by X (and it's micro sized cousins), all it would take is some decent niche apps to *really* make a killer handheld.
I find the Pilot is wonderful... but still limited in that it's yet another OS/environment/set of SDKs to program in. Same with Epoch, and I don't think it will ever catch on with as much shareware/freeware as PalmOS or even Windows itself has.
Linux is catching up *rapidly* to the dearth of Windows shareware/freeware available (anyone remember the early days of www.winfiles.com?).
All someone really needs to do is write a *GOOD* clone of Outlook, and a GOOD clone of Office (StarOffice falls under mediocre, not good) scaled for the type of use a handheld would get. For instance, mostly read, rather than hardcore write/edit, ease of connectivity, screen real-estate a focus. That would kill off WinCE, which is trying to be too much all at once.
If you want to specialize, like a doctor carrying a bag of medicines and examination tools, keep a small, real-estate-friendly interface, or even a command line, and compile what apps you need.
The biggest questions are A: Does this thing have a flash ROM that you can overwrite with your own boot code, and B: Is anyone up for the task?
mindslip
One thing in particular that makes me like this device is the Next-like scrollbars and such. It's a really nice clean-cut design that kicks the pants out of Windows CE in my opinion.
I don't have much of a need for these devices except to play around, especially since I'm still a student. Somehow the stigma of being caught dead playing with a device as bulky as this and typing stuff in it is too much for me. Even the palm pilot is too much, although it would be neat to be able to put assignments into that and/or schedule my days a little bit better since I tend to get lazy.
All of these things cost quite a bit for a student, are they worth it? I've only gotten to use a palm pilot for a small period of time. Are there any students out there using palm-size devices with any luck?
Ben
Hi, just wanting to know. Is the ARM, as used in Acorn RISC, Psion etc., related to the StrongARM (from Intel I think?). Thanks.
well, i got my palm IIIx cause i'm lazy and would loose track of time...
i planed on using it for college but there was an shortage of money.... i use it at work.
i really like having all my addresses, things to do, etc... in one place. also i was in a need of a new graphing cal. i have not found a program that does that easyly but i do have a nice programmers cal.
i wouldnt want to try and write my notes in it, but, having them with you all the time would be helpful. maybe when studying.
the palm IIIx costs under $300 so if someone wrote a graphing cal. app. you would be only paying $200 more...
hmmm, better get back to work....
nmarshall
#include "standard_disclaimer.h"
R.U. SIRIUS: THE ONLY POSSIBLE RESPONSE
nmarshall
The law is that which it boldly asserted and plausibly maintained..
--Colonel Burr 1783
It seems like the company that makes Psions is actually providing hardware information and helping to port Linux to these beasts.
Linux already runs on these machines.
Take a look here. They have screenshots of the machines running Linux, too.
Very very cool!
You're right that these things are expensive, but they're absolutely brilliant when you make a point of using them. I use mine for knocking up web pages when I'm away from my computer, writing reports, keeping track of email addresses and my timetable, recording quicky voice notes and anything else I can dream up (playing old ZX Spectrum games is a biggy ;).
Probably the worst thing is the size. Not so bad in winter when I can shove it into my jacket pocket, but finding room for it can be a bit of a pain in the butt in hotter weather.
20+ hours battery life.
Fantastic touchtypeable keyboard.
WP supports fonts, styles, spellchecker.
Spreadsheet has full graphing capability.
Sound support.
You can embed all the different types of document in one another (sound, spreadsheets, pictures, graphs etc etc).
Doesn't fall over when you tap the screen.
Can run Linux.
Has LOADS of software.
Realtime OS.
Application documents are usually very small.
Supports 128Mb+ CF disks.
Built in IRDA.
And it does all this faster on a 18MHz CPU than WinCE on a 75MHz CPU.
Oh, yeah... It doesn't crash either...
Once you have one of these, you don't need a PC AT ALL. There's more, but you should check out the psion web site; www.psion.com
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I'd rather have something that was truly useful than something that is just pretty.
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The number one question...
Have they fixed the blasted hinges yet!
That is the number one weakness of all Psion
products, those stupid weak hinges on the screen.
Starman97@Gmail.com (bring it on spammers)
Win CE machines need colour because the user interface sucks without it.
Can someone tell me what the psion sound device is like, and if it's a beeper as i suspect ;), if it's possible to add some sort of sound device to it? :-)
I've no desire for color, but i'd really like to be able to compose on the run
Commodore 64, Loading up the dance floor!