Newton Envy
By Sean McMains, Microcomputer Consultant ( mcmains@unt.edu)
Apple's Newton MessagePad has been one of the most hyped, most expected,
most raved about, most maligned, most publicized, most criticized piece
of personal electronics to hit the market in a long time. You've
probably seen the commercials, whic are long on flash and short on
substance, and may have even seen Saturday Night Live's parody of the Newton in the form of their
"McIntosh Post-It Notes" commercial (Versatile. Intellegent. Sticky.)
Even Gary Trudeau has gotten into the act, with a lengthy series of
Doonsebury comics poking fun at its abilities.
So what is this little device? What does it do? And why the furor surounding it?
"What is it?" That's a harder question than one might expect to
answer, as the Newton has defined a new class of product: a "Personal
Digital Assistant," or PDA for short. (The other product that falls
squarely in this category is the Tandy
Zoomer.) PDAs are not as capable as a full-featured laptop in some
respects, but they outshine the general purpose machines in other
areas. PDAs are optimized to help an individual to keep track of the
myriad little pieces of information that she gathers, including names
and addresses, appointments, notes, sketches, to do lists, etc. They
generally cost right around $700 - significantly more that a
Wizard-style product, but much less than a full-featured laptop
computer, such as the ThinkPad, PowerBook, or EO (a pen-based computer from AT&T).
So why the extra $400 again over the top of the line Wizard
organizers? PDAs are a far more general-purpose kind of device than are
the lower-cost organizers. The Newton can not only keep track of the
previously mentioned information, but can also send and receive
electronic mail over the Internet, can send faxes, can reformat any of
your notes and print them on 8.5X11 paper using any PostScript Laser Printer, can receive alphanumeric messages over a
pager network, and can exchange information easily with other Newtons
using an infared link that only requires you to point the units at each
other. Additionally, the Newton can store more software in RAM, so
that you can add functionality to the machine in the same way that you
would a computer - just load up a new program.
In addition to all the built-in functionality, there are all kinds
of software packages currently under development for the device. Fodor
has already released a Newton-based guide to various cities in the
United States, so that while traveling, one could ask the Newton if
there were any five-star Chinese food restaurants within walking
distance of one's hotel, and it would respond with a phone number so you
can make reservations and directions from your hotel. There's a
program that provides a map of the Washington DC subway system, along with all of the stations' names
and which lines stop there. Medical students have developed software
to allow them to access information quickly and easily about the
interactions of various drugs. Terminal emulation software is close to
release as well, which will allow the Newton to dial into Compuserve, local bulletin board systems, or even UNT's host systems. Finally, spreadsheet and database
applications are already released or will be shortly.
Much of the commotion that has surrounded the Newton centers around
some of its unique capabilities. Since the unit is too sall to include
a regular keyboard, Apple developed some excellent handwriting
recognition software that would allow a user to write in print or
cursive on the unit and have that writing converted into text that the
unit can understand. Unfortunately, the moment that many individuals
heard "handwriting recognition," they expected perfection, which Apple
has decidedly not delivered. Newton's handwriting recognition is
excellent - by far the best I've ever had the pleasure to work with -
but it's not infallible. For one thing, it does require a day of
training with your particular handwriting style before it will do very
well. Many people also assumed that they would be able to write just
like they always do, but that is not the case. It takes a bit of time to
get used to what the Newton expects to see in one's handwriting, just
as it takes time to learn how to type. Learning how to use writing
effectively on a Newton is certainly a much fast process than learning
how to type, but it is not instantaneous as many expected it would be.
Answering the Charges
Another charge leveled at the emerging class of device is that
they're just too expensive. This is true if one is thinking of them
only as the equivalent of an electronic Rolodex. However, the
additionnal communication functionality as well as the ability to load
and use many other kinds of software as well provide those units with a
far broader range of functionality than these less expensive devices
have. Looking at the from the other direction, they don't quite do all
the neat things that one can do with a good laptop machine, but they
certainly cost a lot less as well. Additionally, they're actually
portable enough to take with you wherever you go, a claim that cannot be
honestly made by the full-featured laptop computers.
Ordering My Life
In the month since I got my Newton, it has
already become indispensable to me. The electronic calendaring
functions have ordered my chaotic schedule, and the alarm function has
certainly gotten me promptly to appointments I might have otherwise
forgotten. Having contact information for both friends and businss
associates at my constant beck and call has proven most valuable. In
addition, my Newton is currently loaded up with several games to while
away the extra time that occasionally presents itself in the lines at
the supermarket (Yahtzee is a current favorite with friends), a program for tuning
my guitar, various books for my enjoyment (currently Heart of Darkness, The Jungle Book, and The Adventure of Black Peter), a sign language reference work, and a network analysis tool.
It Could Be for You
The Newton is not for everyone.
However, it does provide a great means for some people of organizing all
the information that is often so difficult to keep up with, as well as
offering a fairly powerful computing platform that will fit in the palm
of your hand.
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