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[CM] Bugger the jetpack, I want a 21st century Psion

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  [CM] Bugger the jetpack, I want a 21st century Psion RS Wood  <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2014-03-09 19:02 +0000
    Re: [CM] Bugger the jetpack, I want a 21st century Psion Oregonian Haruspex <bob_davis_retired@yahoo.com> - 2014-03-10 00:22 +0000
      Re: [CM] Bugger the jetpack, I want a 21st century Psion RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2014-03-10 10:00 +0000
        Re: [CM] Bugger the jetpack, I want a 21st century Psion Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> - 2014-03-10 10:44 +0000
        Re: [CM] Bugger the jetpack, I want a 21st century Psion Tim Streater <timstreater@greenbee.net> - 2014-03-10 11:10 +0000
          Re: [CM] Bugger the jetpack, I want a 21st century Psion RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2014-03-10 11:37 +0000
          Re: [CM] Bugger the jetpack, I want a 21st century Psion Paul Sture <nospam@sture.ch> - 2014-03-10 21:50 +0100
            Re: [CM] Bugger the jetpack, I want a 21st century Psion Tom Cole <tacoleNOSPAM@yahoo.co.nz.invalid> - 2014-03-11 10:36 +1300
              Re: [CM] Bugger the jetpack, I want a 21st century Psion Tim Streater <timstreater@greenbee.net> - 2014-03-10 22:29 +0000
        Re: [CM] Bugger the jetpack, I want a 21st century Psion Dave Garland <dave.garland@wizinfo.com> - 2014-03-10 10:38 -0500
    Re: CM  Bugger the jetpack  I want a 21st century Psion "tdk" <forum.tdk@squte.com> - 2014-03-10 08:12 -0600
      Re: CM  Bugger the jetpack  I want a 21st century Psion RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2014-03-11 10:37 +0000

#1395 — [CM] Bugger the jetpack, I want a 21st century Psion

From the «yeah, me too» department:
Title: Bugger the jetpack, where's my 21st-century Psion?
Author: Liam Proven
Date: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 06:04:09 -0500
Link: http://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.co.uk/2014/03/07/bugger_my_jetpack_wheres_my_21stcentury_psion/

Forgotten form factors #2: The handheld PC

Way back in 2011 we covered[1] a handy category of portable computer that has
completely disappeared. The early A4 portables were a specialist item, much
beloved of journalists but not a big hit with the wider world. It took a
different design to win those hearts.…

Links:
[1]: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/10/portable_writing_tool/ (link)

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#1401

RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> wrote:
> From the «yeah, me too» department:
> Title: Bugger the jetpack, where's my 21st-century Psion?
> Author: Liam Proven
> Date: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 06:04:09 -0500
> Link:
> http://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.co.uk/2014/03/07/bugger_my_jetpack_wheres_my_21stcentury_psion/
> 
> Forgotten form factors #2: The handheld PC
> 
> Way back in 2011 we covered[1] a handy category of portable computer that has
> completely disappeared. The early A4 portables were a specialist item, much
> beloved of journalists but not a big hit with the wider world. It took a
> different design to win those hearts.…
> 
> Links:
> [1]: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/10/portable_writing_tool/ (link)

Today we have tablets and smartphones and netbooks and Ultrabooks...

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#1406

On Mon, 10 Mar 2014 00:22:00 +0000 (UTC)
Oregonian Haruspex <bob_davis_retired@yahoo.com> wrote:

> RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> wrote:
> > From the «yeah, me too» department:
> > Title: Bugger the jetpack, where's my 21st-century Psion?
> > Author: Liam Proven
> > Date: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 06:04:09 -0500
> > Link:
> > http://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.co.uk/2014/03/07/bugger_my_jetpack_wheres_my_21stcentury_psion/
> > 
> > Forgotten form factors #2: The handheld PC
> > 
> > Way back in 2011 we covered[1] a handy category of portable computer that has
> > completely disappeared. The early A4 portables were a specialist item, much
> > beloved of journalists but not a big hit with the wider world. It took a
> > different design to win those hearts.…
> > 
> > Links:
> > [1]: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/10/portable_writing_tool/ (link)
> 
> Today we have tablets and smartphones and netbooks and Ultrabooks...


Sure, they're different devices and are good/useful for different
reasons.  (I happen to hate the word "ultrabook" though.  It speaks
more of marketing than of actual device distinction.

If you've ever had your hands on a Psion though you'd see they really
were great devices in a way the others aren't.  I wouldn't trade in my
smart phone now because of its superior email, contact lists, and
calendar.  But I find that when I want to write while on a bus or
something, the Psion was awesome in ways my modern devices aren't.
Real keyboard, runs on two AA batteries for months, and no Internet! (a
benefit when you're trying to concentrate on your writing).

I wrote about mine here:
"http://therandymon.com/index.php?/171-The-Psion-5-For-Writers-on-the-Move.html"

Oh well, time passes and devices become obsolete.  But I will remember
my Psion fondly, and if a modern device came out that replicated that
form factor I'd be certainly tempted by it.  In the meantime I've got
my Note 3 and a Bluetooth keyboard, which isn't bad at all.

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#1409

On 2014-03-10, RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> wrote:

> If you've ever had your hands on a Psion though you'd see they really
> were great devices in a way the others aren't.  I wouldn't trade in my
> smart phone now because of its superior email, contact lists, and
> calendar.  But I find that when I want to write while on a bus or
> something, the Psion was awesome in ways my modern devices aren't.
> Real keyboard, runs on two AA batteries for months, and no Internet! (a
> benefit when you're trying to concentrate on your writing).
>
> I wrote about mine here:
> "http://therandymon.com/index.php?/171-The-Psion-5-For-Writers-on-the-Move.html"
>
> Oh well, time passes and devices become obsolete.  But I will remember
> my Psion fondly, and if a modern device came out that replicated that
> form factor I'd be certainly tempted by it.  In the meantime I've got
> my Note 3 and a Bluetooth keyboard, which isn't bad at all.

I still miss my Psion 5MX. Brilliant form factor, good keyboard, good
size & weight and the best set of Personal Information Management apps I've
ever seen.


-- 
Today is Prickle-Prickle, the 69th day of Chaos in the YOLD 3180
"As long as the government is perceived as working for the benefit of the
children, the people will happily endure almost any curtailment of liberty
and almost any deprivation." Adolf Hitler , Mein Kampf

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#1411

In article <20140310100033.856575b2.rsw@therandymon.com>, RS Wood
<rsw@therandymon.com> wrote:

> If you've ever had your hands on a Psion though you'd see they really
> were great devices in a way the others aren't.  I wouldn't trade in my
> smart phone now because of its superior email, contact lists, and
> calendar.  But I find that when I want to write while on a bus or
> something, the Psion was awesome in ways my modern devices aren't.
> Real keyboard, runs on two AA batteries for months, and no Internet! (a
> benefit when you're trying to concentrate on your writing).

Real keyboard a serious minus - something mechanical to go wrong. Agree
on the batteries however. Other thing that was cute but ultimately a
waste of time was the supplied programming language. Should have put
the effort into apps instead, of which there were not enough. Otherwise
it's like early PCs: supplied with Basic and not much else.

-- 
Tim

"That excessive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines imposed,
nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted"  --  Bill of Rights 1689

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#1412

On Mon, 10 Mar 2014 11:10:19 +0000
Tim Streater <timstreater@greenbee.net> wrote:

> In article <20140310100033.856575b2.rsw@therandymon.com>, RS Wood
> <rsw@therandymon.com> wrote:
> 
> > If you've ever had your hands on a Psion though you'd see they really
> > were great devices in a way the others aren't.  I wouldn't trade in my
> > smart phone now because of its superior email, contact lists, and
> > calendar.  But I find that when I want to write while on a bus or
> > something, the Psion was awesome in ways my modern devices aren't.
> > Real keyboard, runs on two AA batteries for months, and no Internet! (a
> > benefit when you're trying to concentrate on your writing).
> 
> Real keyboard a serious minus - something mechanical to go wrong. Agree
> on the batteries however. Other thing that was cute but ultimately a
> waste of time was the supplied programming language. Should have put
> the effort into apps instead, of which there were not enough. Otherwise
> it's like early PCs: supplied with Basic and not much else.


You're right about the keyboard being a point of failure, but neither
my Psion 5 nor my Psion 5MX had keyboard trouble, fortunately.  On the
other hand I suffered personally from their other known physical
failure points: that stupid internal, flexible video cable that
eventually snaps (severing your video), and the weak hinges that
eventually break (making the clamshell open/close ridiculous).

To this day there's a guy earning decent money replacing those screen
cables. http://www.psionflexi.co.uk/home.htm  He got some of my money,
once, and it was worth it as it gave my Psion5 another couple of years'
life.

There's clearly someone at the Register (http://theregister.co.uk) with
a love for Psions.  They publish an article like this every year or
so.  This article links to a good retrospective they did in 2011.

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#1433

On 2014-03-10, Tim Streater <timstreater@greenbee.net> wrote:
> In article <20140310100033.856575b2.rsw@therandymon.com>, RS Wood
><rsw@therandymon.com> wrote:
>
>> If you've ever had your hands on a Psion though you'd see they really
>> were great devices in a way the others aren't.  I wouldn't trade in my
>> smart phone now because of its superior email, contact lists, and
>> calendar.  But I find that when I want to write while on a bus or
>> something, the Psion was awesome in ways my modern devices aren't.
>> Real keyboard, runs on two AA batteries for months, and no Internet! (a
>> benefit when you're trying to concentrate on your writing).
>
> Real keyboard a serious minus - something mechanical to go wrong. 

I had several Psions and never had a keyboard problem.  The first one,
a Psion 3a, gave several years of totally reliable service, but was
constricted in terms of memory IIRC.

I wish I could say the same for the Series 5, which didn't last long enough
to make a further purchase worthwhile IMO.  I had two goes with 'em then
wasn't prepared to throw good money after bad.

No European wide warranty either.  I saved quite a chunk of money by buying
the last one in Manchester Airport's duty free shop, but to get a warranty
repair I was supposed to take it back there.  The cost of return air fare,
not to mention what else I'd spend on a trip back to Blightly meant it
didn't get returned.

> Agree on the batteries however.

If I could avoid using the serial or parallel cables they were good for
about 4 weeks.  Those cables would quickly turn that into a couple of days.

The other problem with them was

a) the lack of a mains power supply. We had one on order for at least a
   year to work, but it never materialised.  I don't think they were any
   more than vapourware.
b) the flash disks were a proprietary thing and worse still, incompatible
   between the Series 3 and the Series 5.  It was a question of "Have data,
   have no means of accessing it" when the Series 3 packed up.

> Other thing that was cute but ultimately a waste of time was the
> supplied programming language. Should have put the effort into apps
> instead, of which there were not enough. Otherwise it's like early PCs:
> supplied with Basic and not much else.

I did get the SDK and there was an emulator for a PC you could use for
development on a decent sized screen.  I got chucked off with the
unreliability of the hardware before I got too deep into that though.

-- 
Paul Sture
"No flying cars yet?", he wrote from a 2 inch by 4 inch pocket computer
instantaneously to subscribers worldwide using only his right thumb.
                                                          -- @wjflowers

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#1436

On Mon, 10 Mar 2014 21:50:14 +0100, Paul Sture <nospam@sture.ch>
wrote:

>
>I had several Psions and never had a keyboard problem.  The first one,
>a Psion 3a, gave several years of totally reliable service, but was
>constricted in terms of memory IIRC.
>
I started with the Psion 3C, upgraded to the 3mx, and then switched to
the Diamond Mako (a US re-badged Psion Revo). Actually it is still
going strong! 

Keyboard is still good and it only needs charging once a week. I
seldom close it (just leave it open on my desk) unless I'm traveling. 

My killer applications are Agenda (of course), Spell, and RMRBank.
Also it is very useful to be able to knock up a quick spreadsheet.

I bought the Mako plus 2 spares for $99US each in 2001 when the US
company was shedding stock, and I'm still using the 1st one.

There's nothing out there to replace it.

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#1440

In article <luash9h2q5h5k15pqq9v5sn4l4i26jrdjd@4ax.com>, Tom Cole
<tacoleNOSPAM@yahoo.co.nz.invalid> wrote:

> On Mon, 10 Mar 2014 21:50:14 +0100, Paul Sture <nospam@sture.ch>
> wrote:
> 
> >
> >I had several Psions and never had a keyboard problem.  The first one,
> >a Psion 3a, gave several years of totally reliable service, but was
> >constricted in terms of memory IIRC.
> >
> I started with the Psion 3C, upgraded to the 3mx, and then switched to
> the Diamond Mako (a US re-badged Psion Revo). Actually it is still
> going strong! 
> 
> Keyboard is still good and it only needs charging once a week. I
> seldom close it (just leave it open on my desk) unless I'm traveling. 
> 
> My killer applications are Agenda (of course), Spell, and RMRBank.
> Also it is very useful to be able to knock up a quick spreadsheet.
> 
> I bought the Mako plus 2 spares for $99US each in 2001 when the US
> company was shedding stock, and I'm still using the 1st one.
> 
> There's nothing out there to replace it.

I had a 3, 3a, 5, and 5mx. After that I got a number of Palms, thinking
that the lack of moving parts would lead to better reliability. They
were junk, unfortunately - the touchscreen aspect became impossible to
calibrate, typically.

After that I realised I didn't need one anyway, just like I don't need
a watch.

-- 
"People don't buy Microsoft for quality, they buy it for compatibility
with what Bob in accounting bought last year. Trace it back - they buy
Microsoft because the IBM Selectric didn't suck much" - P Seebach, afc

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#1427

[c.s.p.m trimmed]

On 3/10/2014 5:00 AM, RS Wood wrote:

> Oh well, time passes and devices become obsolete.  But I will remember
> my Psion fondly, and if a modern device came out that replicated that
> form factor I'd be certainly tempted by it.  In the meantime I've got
> my Note 3 and a Bluetooth keyboard, which isn't bad at all.
> 
Never had a Psion, but (counted while going through old receipts last
weekend for the RAM class action settlement) I had at least 3 Sharp
Wizards and 3 Palm Pilots. I liked the Wizards better because of the
keyboard (and because I'd worked up a time-logging system where I
could just upload my time to a PC and automatically generate
invoices). But I kept breaking them, and then they were discontinued.

The only such small portable device that has ever lasted me more than
a year  is my LG (stupid) flipphone. I did break the outer LCD but the
phone is still otherwise intact after 5 years or so.

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#1419 — Re: CM Bugger the jetpack I want a 21st century Psion

> But I find that when I want to write while on a bus or something, the Psion was 
> awesome in ways my modern devices aren't. Real keyboard, runs on two AA batteries 
> for months, and no Internet! 


Alphasmart makes devices specially for writers nowadays 
http://awriterstools.wordpress.com/2008/12/30/the-alphasmart-a-must-for-the-travelling- 
writer 
-- 
regards
~tdk
View this thread at http://squte.com/node/5360#comment-16907

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#1453 — Re: CM Bugger the jetpack I want a 21st century Psion

On Mon, 10 Mar 2014 08:12:53 -0600
"tdk" <forum.tdk@squte.com> wrote:

> 
> > But I find that when I want to write while on a bus or something, the Psion was 
> > awesome in ways my modern devices aren't. Real keyboard, runs on two AA batteries 
> > for months, and no Internet! 
> 
> 
> Alphasmart makes devices specially for writers nowadays 
> http://awriterstools.wordpress.com/2008/12/30/the-alphasmart-a-must-for-the-travelling- 
> writer 
> -- 
> regards
> ~tdk
> View this thread at http://squte.com/node/5360#comment-16907
> 


I'd looked at an alphasmart with some curiosity a few years back -
2010, maybe - and realized on the inside they're just Palm PDAs with a
writing app.  You find them for relatively cheap on ebay these days.
On the other hand, $200 new seems a bit steep.  You can get a full
Nexus 7 running Android for the same price.  Never has the "you can't
have it all" mantra been more true than in the world of small consumer
electronics.

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