Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!convex.csd.uwm.edu!anthony From: anthony@convex.csd.uwm.edu (Anthony J Stieber) Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds Subject: Re: Portfolio, HP-95, M-100 & Message-ID: <13010@uwm.edu> Date: 11 Jun 91 17:43:33 GMT References: <1991Jun9.152710.20556@lsuc.on.ca> <12951@uwm.edu> <1991Jun10.131304.6645@lsuc.on.ca> Sender: news@uwm.edu Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Lines: 102 In article <1991Jun10.131304.6645@lsuc.on.ca> jimomura@lsuc.on.ca (Jim Omura) writes: [...] >Right, but this isn't pocket size. :-) Hey, if you're willing to Well, it fits my pockets. My Psion will fit in all but one of my shirts, which are an ordinary button up style. My pants pockets can easily hold a VHS video tape sized Portfolio. Don't accuse everyone of having tight pants, just because you can't fit a computer in yours. >carry something in your hand, like a lady's "clutch purse", which >is close to the size of these things, then a Toshiba T-1000 is in >the same ballpark. So is the Model-100 of course. For me, my 6.5 pound T1000 is more six times heavier than my less then one pound handheld, I don't see how they are "in the same ballpark". My M100 is still a few times larger and heavier than typical handhelds. > Ahah! A student! I *knew* it! Like I said, you can get >a student to carry just about anything . . . . :-) The Portfolio >and 95LX are advertised as "Executive" tools, not studentware. >When you get out into the work world, you'll find that you shed >a lot of bulk. Strangely, this is compensated for by the acquisition >of a tie in many cases. I think the tie is to cut off the blook >(blood) from reaching the brain, compensating for the extra available >oxygen not used by the muscles carrying all the bulk the student >carries. I'm not sure of this though. I am in the work world as well as being a student. If I didn't carry a pocket computer I have to carry around the equivelent amount of unflexible paper. Some people carry around monstrous Daytimers that outsize the smaller laptops, most business people carry around a briefcase several times larger than a handheld. I don't understand your point of "shed a lot of bulk". Was the above paragraph a joke? :-) > A 6 - 10 word note? Well, if you're not in your office to hand >her the note, why not just call her and tell her (or him -- more >male secretaries are showing up again, which is a good sign). >If your office is particularly high tech, then it could be voice mail, >but usually you can reach your secretary in a good office. Oh, you'll >find some people will use them as portable terminals. But those >people could usually use a notebook computer instead, which is still >easier. If it's something ridiculously short, then it's probably not worthwhile to go to the effort to hook up a modem and access the email system. Unless doing other things such as checking up on all the other email, and say, transfering sales figures, and downloading stock information at the same time. Maybe even make some news postings... I don't have a secretary, lots of people don't. The people that I work with aren't available like a personal secretary. I suppose voice mail could be used, but everyone has to use email anyway in the computer support areas I'm in. Voice mail is also less flexible and less powerful than email. >find some people will use them as portable terminals. But those >people could usually use a notebook computer instead, which is still >easier. A notebook computer can't be carried everywhere. Which is my point, there is a use for these machines. > Uh, right. Imagine it all you want. When you get out in >the work world, you'll find that lunch is not a time you want to >do anything that involved. Lunch is, at most, a time to relax >and maybe reschedule things a bit. I'd need my computer if I want to reschedule things a bit. Fortunatly since it fits in my pocket, I don't have to find space on a cramped table (Dinner for four...and two laptops please!) and possible drop things in it (cf, giving your computer a drink in alt.folklore.computers). Nevermind that if I run low on power, finding a power outlet would be really difficult. > Oh no, "experts" *do* know a lot. What I couldn't believe I don't have much faith in "experts" in most computer magazines, but have to rely on them in part. Too often I've found that they gloss over or aren't aware of issues that are extremely important to me and others. Generally, they're just users and sometimes hackers like anyone else, but they happen to write for a magazine. > Well the point is to put it in ROM, not RAM. ROM doesn't >suck power when the unit is off. At least it shouldn't if it's >well designed. And it leaves RAM for data, which is how something >as small as 128K can be useful. The HP-48sx has it's entire OS in ROM, which resembles Forth in some ways. RAM cards only suck power when the machine is on, when it's off the card will run for several years on it's internal lithium button cell. If you really want ROM, get a One Time Programmable (OTP) card. The standard storage device on a Psion Organiser is an EPROM, the machine has a built in EPROM programmer. They're available in capacities from 16K to 128K. Flash EPROMs are 256K, and can be erased electrically in place. -- <-:(= Anthony Stieber anthony@csd4.csd.uwm.edu uwm!uwmcsd4!anthony Psion Mailing List subscriber submissions psion ----------\ the (human) moderator psion-owner -------+--@csd4.csd.uwm.edu subscriptions and file requests psion-request ----/