Re: [NTLK] Assorted Questions

From: Laurent Daudelin (laurent_daudelin_at_fanniemae.com)
Date: Fri Nov 02 2001 - 11:03:02 EST


on 11/2/01 2:41 AM, Mietek at mietek_at_icpnet.pl wrote:

> Dear Newtoneers, I'm considering buying a Newton MP2100, and I have a few
> questions.
>
> Firstly, is it still a good idea to buy one or should I interest myself in
> other PDA's? (Please, don't accuse me of blasphemy ;-)

It's worst than that, that's high treason! We did hang people for less than
that! ;-)

>
> Is 200-250 a reasonable offer for an used MP2100?

Depends on the condition of the said 2100. If it's in relative good shape,
i.e. no dents or scratches on the screen, case in good condition, flip door
working, clips to hold flip door on the back working, both PCMCIA slot
working, then I would say that 200-250 is a fair price. I'm assuming you're
talking about US dollars. I don't know which currency character you used,
but it didn't get through. In fact, I don't know which email software you
did use, but a lot of characters didn't make it through the list and I did
spend a little bit of time to reformat, rewrap and put back quoting in your
original message ;-)
 
>
> Is the text recognition engine good enough for rapid note-taking, for
> example during a lecture?

Yes, fairly good, unless you don't know to write.

>
> Does it support diacritic characters, specifically those found in the Polish
> language? (a, c' e, l- n' o' s'= z' z*)

I've read Jon's reply that he was never able to have those recognized. Maybe
they're not part of what the HWR can recognize. For my part, I am perfectly
able, using printed writing, to have any french accentuated characters
recognized.

>
> Can I easily mix drawings with text?

That depends on the application you use, but with the Notepad, you can do
it, although it's not like a PageMaker or a Xpress...

>
> Is there a charging station for the MP2100, similar to the one for the
> 120/130's?

Nope.

>
> Can I still buy the leather Newton & Keyboard carrying case?

Yes, usually on eBay. You might have to find someone willing to ship
overseas, though, as not all sellers will want to go through that extra
work.

>
> Or is the HandStand from PDA Concepts a better choice? How is the PDA Panache
> stylus different than the MP2100 one?

I've heard that the HandStand was pretty good. Yes, the Panache is quite
different than the standard pen. Personally, I'm using a Rotring Quattro. It
combines a nice tip for my Newton screen, a pen, a pencil and an highlighter
all in one pen. The only drawback is that it doesn't fit the 2100's pen
holder.

>
> Are there any combo Ethernet & Modem PC cards that work with the Newton?

Nope. Check the Ethernet section on UNNA
<http://www.chuma.org/newton/ethernet/> for a list of compatible Ethernet
cards for the 2100.

>
> I remember there was one TDK model that did work... Is a 20 MB PC card the
> biggest available?

I think that 32MB is currently the largest flash RAM card available. It will
probably cost as much if not more than the Newton itself, but if you really
need it... OTOH, with the ATA driver from Paul Guyot, you'll have access to
a lot of additional storage solutions a lot cheaper.

>
> What screen protector brand is the best?

I personally always used the WriteRight, which is, unfortunately, no longer
manufactured. The only screen protector still in production is the
NuShield.

>
> What exactly is a "Dongle" - a serial adapter? :-)

The "dongle" is the "Interconnect adaptor". Yes, you could call it a serial
adapter. With an Ethernet card, its usage is greatly reduced. You still have
to find a way to install the packages that will let you use your Ethernet
card, though, so one "dongle" is almost mandatory.

-Laurent.

-- 
=====================================================================
Laurent Daudelin              Developer, Multifamily, ESO, Fannie Mae
mailto:Laurent_Daudelin_at_fanniemae.com             Washington, DC, USA
********************** Usual disclaimers apply **********************
copy protection n.: A class of methods for preventing incompetent pirates
from stealing software and legitimate customers from using it. Considered
silly. 

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