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From: ashley@usage.csd.oz (Ashley Aitken)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds
Subject: Re: Atari Portfolio (summary) : More Opinions
Message-ID: <701@spinifex.eecs.unsw.oz>
Date: 18 Nov 90 11:38:34 GMT
Sender: ashley@spectrum.cs.unsw.oz.au (Ashley Aitken)
Reply-To: ashley@spectrum.cs.unsw.oz.au (Ashley Aitken)
Distribution: comp
Organization: University of New South Wales (EECS)
Lines: 76

I have also been looking at the Atari Portfolio, some comments:

	Keyboard seemed ok (although I only tried to type for a couple of
	minutes, and in contrast to reports from others) for its size. Of
	course a full size keyboard would be better ...

	Display was very disappointing! Only 4 lines of 40 or so chars in
	the usual display mode (ie with border). I thought this was the 
	biggest negative. I want to see at least 8 lines of 80 characters
	or about a paragraph of text. Yes, I know it scrolls etc.

	RAM is too expensive!

	It would of been great if they had also built into ROM a version
	of BASIC (or some other interpreter). Yes, I know you can write 
	code on a PC and run it on the Portfolio, but what if you want to
	write a little code on the run in a bus at peak hour ... Yes, I 
	know you can put something like Tiny-Basic on a RAM (or ROM?) card
	but see the previous point, and also remember there is only one 
	card in the machine at any time.

	MAC connection seemed (from what I could work out from the glossies)
	to be only a second-rate connection compared with the PC connection.
	The PC was parallel etc and could even control the Portfolio's 
	operation, whereas the MAC was via the normal serial type connection
	etc. Pity they didn't make connecting simpler, I think that it is 
	a VERY IMPORTANT point to be able to easily upload and download info
	to the portable (unless you are just going to use the Portfolio as 
	an expensive reminder, calendar, phone number database etc).

	Great package. It feels sturdy but still light. Nice hinge. Seems like
	it would last!

	Some questions I had on my mind afterwards:

		Could I effectively take notes in a lecture or meeting with 
		it?

		Could I really interconnect it with my Mac, or would I do it
		once and then never again?

		Will RAM prices come down real-soon-now?

		Should I buy it? :-)

I normally carry a clipboard around with a lot of printouts of documents from
my Unix account, ie diary information, to-do list, latest draft of something 
I am writing, ... I want to replace this with a handheld or notebook computer.

Clive Sinclair's notebook computer (the name of which escapes me at this time)
seems to be a contender too. Although not PC compatible it seems to have all
the things I need. It can be effectively used to take notes in a lecture or
meeting. I have a friend who is evidence of that. They say it can easily
connect with a Mac and it has a nice keyboard. The only thing is, I think it
has too little memory and the upgrades are very expensive.

Still looking.
Bye for now,
Ashley Aitken.

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