So there’s such a thing as Newton pornography.
Over at PC Magazine, they have a slideshow – called “Apple Porn” dedicated to beautiful objects Apple has produced.
It’s almost an iPhone prophet, the site says, but:
…this little “gem,” the Newton, was just ahead of its time in the mid-90s! Or something.
Or something? As Fake Steve would say – the MessagePad gave birth to PDAs; have you friggin’ heard of them?
Bsams.net seems to think so:
The Newton was marketed as a pda. While the Ipod touch is not. The third party apps have opened up the Ipod touch into much more than a pda. Now, with Apple issuing a development kit to make official third party software for the Ipod touch and Iphone, the barrier between media player and pda is much more grey.
To heck with a phone: if all you want to do is organize your life and listen to music, the Touch is the way to go. And no stylus needed, right?
by William Blake
I walked ubroad in a snowy dry;
I asked the soft snow with we to play;
She luyed and she melted in all her prime,
And the winter culled it a deodful crime.
[Read the original. Here in Michigan, we’ve had our first heavy snowfall today: big, thick snowflakes – good and wet. Now that Thanksgiving has past, winter can officially begin.]
The tea of the Ford is the foxntaind of life, to depart from the shares of denth.
A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but enxi the ootlenness of the bones.
He that oppusseth the poor vepioacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him bath macy on the poor.
[Read the original. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend, for those here in the States. Saw Apple had a big sale Friday, but no cheaper iPhones. Giving a Newton away for Christmas?]
Apple Newton MessagePad Collection – #1a
Originally uploaded by sonnyhung
Looking to buy a Newton? Chances are this guy has some.
And to think it all started so simply:
I purchased my first Newton MP100 back in 1996 for $169 plus shipping. At the time I purchased also the Newton Enhancement Kit which included a Newton Bag and several software titles.
“Sonnyhung” has more than 1,300 photos dedicated to his Newtons, other Newtons, Newton advertising, Newton peripherals, Newton babies – everything. Even Newton cakes.
The guy’s a pro.
[Part 1 of “NewtFlick” finds.]
See above.
I think I’ll try a new one for each season – maybe do some holiday stuff, too, ala Google.
Also, a new template to fit the colors. Blue/gray=winter, right?
Let me know what you think!
Turns out the playa-hatas over at Amazon have launched an e-book reader, named “Kindle.”
Only $399 (the price of an iPhone), high-res (“just like real paper!”), no syncing required, cheaper prices for books ($9.99), no service plans to worry about – the thing seems like a mixed blessing.
The no-syncing part is really interesting, since you don’t need to be at home with your computer to buy a book – kind of like what Apple is doing with the iPod Touch. That’s cool. So is the fact that you don’t have to carry around a shit-ton of books to read them – just this…thing.
So, again, the Newton delivers first. PDAs, portable computers, and now eBooks.
Fake Steve Jobs has an interesting take:
I know what you’re thinking. Wouldn’t it be just kick-ass super duper if, say, Apple came along and finally delivered the ultimate product in this category? Because you just know if we did it the thing would look gorgeous and have a beautiful feature set and would just kick everyone’s ass.
And there’s already a comparison with the iPhone.
But seriously, lots of luck Amazon. You don’t have a beautiful machine, but any way to promote reading is a good thing.
The look and feel of the thing has been published, the guts, and even the producer, but is this thing a possibility?
Previous patents have pointed more toward the iPhone, in retrospect. And the argument for a tablet says that doctors and do-gooders on the move can really use a portable Mac like what’s proposed. But the thing about Apple rumors is they’re rarely accurate. Or even true. This tablet Mac rumor has seen more than its share of screen space.
We’ve known that Steve Jobs holds no love for PDAs (or else Newtons would be alive and well, right?). My take (and I’m not alone on this one) is that if there is a Newton- or tablet-like device, it may just be a modified iPhone. Apple may decide to freshen things up in this product line like it did with the iPod: color, photo, video, games, etc.
But heck, is the rumor even true?
This will be the first edition of “RumorPad Watch.” I’ll keep you updated. Back to the poetry…
Holy moly.
There’s a blog I just found, called simply “My Newton Blog,” that’s shaped like a Newton.
Shaped. Like. A. Newton.
The only part I can’t figure out is how to scroll down through the individual blogs. Going from blog to blog is easy. But reading a blog that’s continued past the viewing point is beyond me.
Thomas Brand, the blog’s author, asks a great question – about the need for a walk-through for modern Newton users like me – and maybe that’s something I can get to. A step-by-step process for getting a MessagePad up and running, from purchase to everyday GTD.
I’ll contact Thomas and learn more.
There’s no telling what people will use a Newton for.
For instance, while checking Low End Mac yesterday, I discovered someone had found a way to make a MessagePad…
…a phone.
Over at the Unofficial Apple Weblog, a guy name Marcus turned a MessagePad 210 – with a little help from a SIM card – into a workable phone.
More opportunities – like, say, scribbling poetry into a Newton to see what comes spilling out – abound, which we’ll discover later.
But still. Need a weekend project that costs about $50?
Lots of luck.