Throw an MP2100 in there and your set to go.

[Via Draplin Design, via FFFFOUND!]

Take the iPhone form factor, marry it to the Newton’s stellar handwriting recognition, and you have the latest in PDA technology.

Well, kinda.

Above is a Notepod – a simple notepad shaped like an iPhone. For $18, you get three pocket-perfect notepads shipped from Australia. On the outside, you get a blank iPod Touch-like page, while the inside pages have grid-style paper for notes, doodles, or iPhone app ideas.

Maybe best of all, it recognizes your handwriting no matter how drunk you get – even if you don’t.

Or you can simply make your own with the Hipster PDA templates over at Active Voice. Whichever.

Via DIY Planner.

For probably one of the most fascinating explorations of every day uses for your Newton, visit the conversation kicked off by Chris C. at the NewtonTalk list (hit the “Next in thread” link to go from e-mail to e-mail), called “A Day in the life of…”

For a down-and-dirty view, see Don Zahniser’s story. He talks about running a small farm and using Dateman (for to-dos), Notes (grocery lists and garden yields), Works, and more.

Morgan Aldridge has a good breakdown, too, showing which apps he uses throughout the day – everything from PocketMoney to Bills To Pay.

The entire thread is great for discovering apps you’ve never tried out, and practical uses for them in day-to-day life. I found a few I want to try. Browse around the United Network of Newton Archives (UNNA.org) to download some of the apps.

Back when I used my Newton for personal information management (PIM) and notes management, I stuck to the basics like Notes, Dates, To-Dos, and a few games here and there. That’s what is nice about the Newton: you can pick it up and use it as-is.

[Via NewtonTalk.]

Author Peter Straub at his workspace, using either a G5 or Intel iMac.

The Where I Write project has a bunch of great sci-fi author photos taken in their workspace by photographer Kyle Cassidy. I always find it fascinating to see where other people do their creative work. How many Macs can you spot?

[Courtesy of Neil Gaiman.]

When your main system is capable of keeping multiple applications open, it’s easy to be distracted by incoming emails and updated RSS feeds. Not to mention the temptation to search the Web by following the spur of the moment — when that happens, the best case scenario is that I find myself two hours later digesting a lot of information I found following link after link, yet without doing anything really productive.

His solution? Write on a Mac Color Classic, or a Newton eMate 300 when away from home, to cut down on distractions.

“No browsers, no emails, no distractions: just me, my ideas, and the word processor,” Mori says.

It’s a brilliant (and, in a recession, cost-effective) solution to a problem a lot of us face every day. Why be productive when there’s another blog post to read? I’m working on my own, similar setup with my eMate 300.

Nice to see that Mori is getting something done on perfectly capable hardware.

Köppen is a Newton developer as well, and has posted some thoughts on how to do GTD on the Newton.

The good news is there are really smart people working on the Year 2010 issue, and Köppen seems to think getting a patch up and running will require “less black magic than anticipated,” as he told the Newtontalk list.

I don’t think the new spins on productivity software are because we have yet to witness the creation of the Ultimate App and Workflow. These unique and diverse apps are being written because people are unique and diverse.

Each of us has our own way of dealing with responsibility and our own expression of productivity. Tinkering and then switching is usually not the fault of the software. We’re not looking the best app, but rather the best app for us.

I use the desktop version of Things, and have since the 0.8 beta version, and I love it. I haven’t purchased the iPhone version yet, however, but plan to in the near future. Of all the things that are most Newton-like about the iPhone, it’s Thing’s sync-ability between the iPhone and Mac apps that most excites me.

Since Apple can’t get off its dead ass and provide iCal to-do syncing, leave it to third parties to fill the gap.

And Shawn is right: I’ve tried a few to-do apps, and none have really caught on. Things caught on, and I think it’s because it gloms onto whatever your style is. Hardcore GTDer? Scatterbrained lightweight? Things is for both of you.

[Via Daring Fireball]

Over at the NewtonTalk e-mail list there’s a great thread running about how people use their MessagePads. The whole thing was started by a 13-year-old Slovenian student who bought a Newton on eBay on a whim, got hooked, and started this project to compile all the messages into a Newton eBook for later reading.

The response has been huge, and there are some really great examples of how people use their Newton every single day to organize their life. Ryan from Vancouver says his upgraded MP2000 has replaced paper in his work flow:

Essentially, I am using it as a personal office assistant/tablet. It sits next to my MacBook Pro on my desk, and you won’t find any paper around here. I take notes on it, use it for To Dos and reminders, write articles on it for my blog, and am starting to use it more like a tablet PC. That is, reading eBooks and using it for analyzing spreadsheets.

Everything from reading the Bible to reading eBooks on the morning commute is mentioned. If you need practical ideas on how to use your MessagePad, this is a great forum to start with.

What about you? How do you use your Newton?

When Merlin Mann, GTD guru and author of the 43 Folders blog, invented the Hipster PDA, he probably knew the adaptability of a plain index card idea holder would be infinite.

Us Newton MessagePad users, however, might scoff at the idea. Index cards? Color coding? Binder clips? It all seems so…Office Max.

But maybe Mann is on to something. Why can’t we Newton fans adapt the idea of the Hipster PDA into something more, I don’t know, Apple?

That’s why I’m introducing the pNewton, a Hipster-style MessagePad that takes the best ideas of the Hipster PDA and makes them even better.

We all love the Newton because of its sync-ability, its handwriting recognition, its ultra-long battery life, and its wealth of applications that fit our needs. But what if you can’t afford a MessagePad?

That’s where the pNewton comes in. You can make it yourself using standard office supplies, and you can customize it to fit your GTD needs. What are the benefits of going to the plain paper route? How about:

• Fully compatible with OS X. Syncing your MessagePad with Tiger or Leopard can be a project. But with the pNewton, syncing is as easy as reading an index card and typing the entry into Address Book or iCal. No cables (except maybe for a keyboard and mouse) required!
• Super battery life. In fact, the pNewton has infinite battery life. No need for rechargables or charging stations.
• Accurate HWR. The Newton got a bad wrap for its sometimes iffy handwriting recognition. The pNewton, however, is 100% accurate. If you can write, and you can read, you’re set. If you’re a doctor, though, no guarantees that others will be able to read your pNewton notes.
• Customizable stylus. The MessagePad’s stylus was near-perfect. The pNewton’s stylus is absolutely perfect because you pick it! Prefer a gel stylus, or a fountain stylus? Grab one and you’re set.
• Every application available. Newtons had it all: Notepad, Names, to-do lists, folders. Your pNewton can have all those – and more. And no need for downloading. Want games? Start one with tic-tac-toe. Need a list of your contacts? Scribble them all down, or print a list and fold it inside the pNewton. Write your own applications easily in minutes!
• Unlimited memory. If you can afford a stack of index cards, then your pNewton’s memory will never run out. If you use scrap paper for your notes, the memory can expand even more.
• pNewton is fax-ready. Sure, your Newton can send faxes. But your pNewton’s notes are fully fax compatible too. Simple scribble your cover sheet, write down your fax message, and find a fax. It’s just that easy. You can even use your customizable Names list to find a fax number. No bulky modem required.
• Full color glory. Your MessagePad, sadly, is limited in colors; namely, black and green. But with the pNewton, your color choices are only limited by your Crayola box. Write with a different color a day on your multi-hued stylus. Or pick a different color of paper for maximum chromatic fun. iPhone users can’t pick on your about full color any more!
• Lightweight and portable. Detractors called the Newton an “iBrick,” but your pNewton can be as light as you want. Use only a single index card for ultra portability, or a full stack – it’s still lighter than a MessagePad 110! And unlike the Newton, your pNewton can fit easily into your pocket. No medical-grade pants required!

“Great,” you may say, “but how do I make my own pNewton?” That’s the best part. Here are the items you need:

1. A stack of index cards or scrap paper
2. A pen (or “stylus”)
3. A binder clip
4. A handy protector case (optional)
5. An Apple sticker (to make it official)
6. A green marker

From there, it’s just a matter of clipping your notes together, filling in Newton-like details with your green marker, and organizing a system that works best for you.

The Hipster PDA was a great invention, that’s for sure. But the pNewton takes the original idea and adds the cleverness and organizational Zen of Apple’s groundbreaking MessagePad series.

The great thing about the pNewton is that replacements and fixes are super-easy. Check out the hinge above. Need a replacement? How about $6 for 144 of them? Try finding a deal like that on eBay.

Choosing your own stylus, like the one above, lets you modify the pNewton to fit your individual personality and taste. Prefer graphite over ink? Go for it!

Finding the right Hipster PDA holster is also an adventure in individuality. I lucked out by finding the perfect pocket-sized folder. A little black permanent marker and a handy Apple sticker from my iPod Nano box was enough to simplify and beautify the case to fit Cupertino’s high standards of quality. And like I said: memory upgrades are as easy as cutting up scrap paper (above).

Not happy with the original MessagePad’s dock? Make your own! Here I’ve made the most-accessed parts of my GTD life easy to find and manage, with To-Dos, Dates, and shopping lists. Customize your way to a happier, more organized life.

But how is pNewton in the wild? I recently took mine on a grocery shopping and errand trip just to show how easy and accessible the pNewton is. Here I have my whole shopping list, a few notes to remind myself of what to pick up, and when I’m done with it I just recycle it like any other piece of paper. Try recycling notes on your standard MessagePad 2×00!

If all goes well, we could see professionally designed and manufactured pNewtons on the shelf of your favorite office supply, grocery, or chic handbag store (above). Which would you rather buy: a cheap-o address book, or a sleek and stylish Apple pNewton?

The answer is obvious.

Care to share your own personal pNewton? Let us know in the comments – and point us the way to some pictures. We want to see your pNewton in action!

Arthur C. Clarke’s third “prediction law” states that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

In that case, I have a magic Newton, because after showing it to my grandma the other night, she’s convinced that what it does is beyond this world.

Grandma usually has a list of “to do” items every time I visit her – take some books out of the attic, say, or troubleshoot her iMac – so I decided to take my Newton to her place to take note of these items.

“What’s that you’re using there?” she asked me.

“I call it my ‘memory box,’” I told her. “It’s called an Apple Newton.”

I explained to her how it keeps track of my calendar items, and to-do lists, and simple notes, how to recognizes my handwriting – all the stuff the MessagePad is great at.

But it was when I showed her how to erase something, and the “poof” graphic that appears when you do, that her eyes lit up.

And the little trash can that appears when you throw a note away? That was magic, too.

I even let her try the handwriting software, but her super-fancy letters bested the Newton’s attempts at translation.

“I need one of those,” she told me, for the same reason I kept it around: tons of little notes were taking over her living space.

Grandma couldn’t believe that the 110 was made in the early 1990s, and she asked why Apple would ever stop making them.

Good questions, but I explained to her that we’ve since “progressed” to the iPod and iPhone for Newton-like tasks.

“Yes, but I don’t need a phone,” she said. “I want one of those.” She was sold. And who can blame her?

Advanced technology? Maybe not, but my Newton had enough magic in it to win over one more convert.