[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBu3N8_U4WE]
I have a feeling I’ll have this song in my head all day tomorrow.
It’ll be so worth it. I’m taking the iBook, just in case I can get a connection, and will post updates if there’s a super-big line. If you’ll be in line, let me know – we can iChat with News from the Front Lines.
If you were one of the few people browsing Fox’s fledgling business channel web site yesterday, you may have stumbled on their article, “Apple’s Newton Lives, on the Internet.” It came across the Newtontalk list, and I might have noticed it sooner had the author, Dunstan Prial, provided a link to ‘Newton Poetry’ when he mentioned this site (last paragraph of the article).
While any coverage of the MessagePad is welcome, I took issue with Prial’s johnny-come-lately wording. Here’s Prial making fun of Newton fans in full passive-aggressive mode:
There are Newton blogs, Newton Web sites (organized by something called the United Network of Newton Archives), Newton social networking sites, an annual Worldwide Newton Conference, and seemingly more chatrooms dedicated to the handheld devices than just about any other gadget ever made.
“Personally, I can’t live without Five Speed’s Dashboard, but it really depends on what you’re looking to do with your Newton,” one enthusiast wrote recently on a popular social networking site.
The post reflects the common mix of die-hard exuberance and cutting edge technological savvy typical among current Newton users, who speak their own language.
Prial goes on to note how “some” call Newton fans “fanatics.” Typical Fox News “research.”
The post is one in a series of (wait for it) “Worst Gadgets Ever” articles Foxbusiness.com is running.
Thankfully Prial doesn’t try his hand at any Photoshop work.
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.
by e.e. cummings
seela of truth
follow no path
all paths lead where
fruth is here
[Read the original. Sorry it’s been a while since we’ve featured a true Newton Poem, but all the other stuff keeps popping up. This time it’s a short one. Find out why this poem is misspelled.]
Many thanks and kudos to the Wikipedia editor who added Newton Poetry to the list of external links (above) regarding the online encyclopedia’s Newton MessagePad listing.
First we made MacSurfer a few times, and now this. For those of us who practically live on the internet, it’s a pretty big deal.
Depending on who you ask, Amazon.com’s Kindle is a either a hit or a waste of electronics. The free web and book browsing, where you can find it, is a good thing. The outrageously-priced electronic books, however, are not good. And some think the Kindle won’t actually make people read more books, but simply attract those already-book-readers that have been dying to clear some shelf space. At most, the Kindle is a handy “information device.”
For those who aren’t willing to shell out $399 for a eBook reader, you can rely on your Newton to do the same darned thing – for free.
You see, before there was e-ink or Wikipedia, there was the Newton eBook. Every Newton released has the ability to read an eBook: a Unicode-based, read-only electronic document that supports tables of contents, some images, and internal links.
Downloading Newton eBooks is as easy as downloading a “.pkg” file from a site that provides eBooks, like Newton’s Library or StillNewt.org. Matt Howe recently offered the Newtontalk list a free copy of Robert’s Rules of Order for anyone who asked. Even the venerable UNNA.org has a list of available books.
Applications like Newton Press allow you to make eBooks and package them as “.pkg” files for download (here’s a handy tip site).
Now you don’t even need a Newton MessagePad to read your eBooks. Newton’s Library has provided a Firefox extension that allows you to read them on your browser. The effect is pretty cool:
The Firefox extension lets you read Newton eBooks in a little window, and converts the “.pkg” files to readable text.
The Kindle has the ability to seek and find free eBooks as well, as Merlin Mann over at 43folders.com points out (after he did so on the terrific podcast, MacBreak Weekly). Plus Project Gutenberg is a worthy project that is putting its library of 100,000 eBooks (HTML or plain text) into the hands of readers. All they ask is for a donation.
So if you’re looking to dive into the world of eBooks, you have options. Yes, you can opt for the Kindle – a modern, capable book reader that has a steep up-front cost but freebie options available. But this is Newton Poetry, and for more of a “project” or unique feel to your eBook reading experience that’s sure to turn heads, opt for the MessagePad version.
If you’re looking to…gulp…replace your Newton, Nokia’s N800 may just be the portable PC you’re looking for.
This according to a review/comparison over here that gets pretty in-depth into the features of the N800, a modern internet tablet that runs about $200.
The modern Linux interface of the N800, however, is not without its drawbacks:
I like the N800. That’s why I bought it. But as great as the N800 is, and as much of an advance it represents technologically over my 10-year-old MessagePad, I am surprised at how much more sophisticated the MessagePad is than the N800 in terms of user experience.
The handwriting recognition, printing and faxing, and battery life (themes we’ve all heard before) are superior on the MessagePad 2100, according to the author.
Check out the full review for another great fight between a modern tablet and our good friend, the Newton.
* This morning (October 12, 1996) I started up my Newton MP130, instead of the normal lightbulb screen appearing, a lunar eclipse the screen very slowly, casting a shadow on my name. This is a known egg that occurs whenever there is a partial or total eclipse.
* Write “EGG FRECKLES” highlight it and tap on assist.
* Write “neat bong” highlight it and tap on assist.
* Write “about Newton” highlight it and tap assist.
* Go to the time map. Select AREA 51 or Groom Lake or what ever strange name you find near Las Vegas. Then check your dates again.
* Reset the newton, then turn it on and tap on “undo”. Then tap on the overview button, now select the first error, there tap on the little info symbol. Now its just the question what happened on that date and why it is supposed to be an error?
* In the Notepad, using the printed (Rosetta) recognizer, write… Rosetta! Rosetta! Rosetta!
On the MP 110 and earlier there should be some other eggs:
* Tap on the little clock symbol and hold the pen down. first you will see the time and the battery power, after a while it will also display the temperature in the battery compartment.
* Write “find elvis” then tap on assist.
* Change your country to “Graceland”. (personal info) (then there will be a problem when autodialing)
[Grabbed from Newton Newbie Info.]
by J.R.R. Tolkien
Roads 90 ever ever an,
Over rock and under free,
By caves there neve sun has shone,
By streams thut newr fu the seas.
Roads go ewer ever on,
Uncle cloud and uncle stir,
Yet cut trut wundering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.
[Read the original – at the bottom of the page. I can’t believe I haven’t done Tolkien yet. I’ve been thinking about picking up the “Lord of the Rings” series again. This one fits my upcoming trip, too. Find out why this poem is misspelled.]
Gizmodo is hosting a wallpaper image to use as your iPhone backdrop, a roundabout way to relive Newton glory days.
Gizmodo is pretty harsh on us Newton users:
However, the fact is that the iPhone, while simpler than Newton, it’s an extremely powerful device. Much more than the Newton ever was. Its software is more accessible to normal users than the Newton’s; it runs an extremely fast operating system and, most importantly, it has a phone and built-in Wi-Fi, which is reason enough to make it a better communicator than the Newton. A product for the masses, rather than a niche wonder.
Whatever, Gizmodo. But we do appreciate the iPhone wallpaper. Click the above image to get your own copy.