I couldn’t help but scour the iPhone’s new App Store for applications that mimicked what the Newton MessagePad offered at its height. Here’s what I came up with so far.
Good ol’ PocketMoney. This is a Newton classic, and they even brag about it on the description page. The Newton version is still available, and the new one will set you back $10. I was actually going to review the old school PocketMoney. Instead, it may call for a comparison.
Starmap here is a take on the Newton’s StarChart: basically a star-finder and map that helps you look for planets and such when you’re in your backyard with a telescope. Darned handy if you are an astronomy fan.
Squiggles is pure fun. You can take iPhone photos and doodle all over them in different colors. Your finger becomes the brush. I picked this one because it’s the first one I saw that, in whatever way, translates the MessagePad’s handwriting recognition into a creative app.
Sketches looks like it has the most potential to be Newton-ish. Basically you draw notes, diagrams, or whatever with your finger, and save the file for later. Notepad, anyone?
Have you tried out any of these, or another iPhone app that copies the Newton’s capabilities? Let me know in the comments. I’m going to try some of these myself, and offer a review later.
Squiggles looks like a great way to keep the kids occupied for a few minutes.
Posted by Partners in Grime on July 14th, 2008.
And by kids, you mean bored adults, right? Maybe it’s just me…
Posted by davelawrence8 on July 14th, 2008.
Thanks for the kind words about Squiggles. For those who already have it be sure to get the update. For those who don’t have it check out the demo video and website to get an idea what you can do. It’s actually a major upgrade. Color stamp brushes, overlay images, text layers along with brush smoothing, opacity and cursor. So any one who’s bored can have fun with it and for those who like to create and paint here’s a chance to do that when you don’t have a paintbush handy.
Posted by scott squires on August 15th, 2008.
[…] are a few iPhone apps available that attempt to mimick Newton features, such as an updated PocketMoney and a few sketching […]
Posted by Newton Poetry — WritePad offers Newton-like features for the iPhone on March 30th, 2009.
Don’t forget MPG!
Posted by paN1k on January 29th, 2010.