- New Series 3, 5 and 7

- Re: The Digest V1 # 1294 (4)

- GPS on a Psion The Digest V1 # 1294 (2)

- RE: GPS on a Psion

- Re: Use of Psions

- Re: The Digest V1 # 1293 (8)

- GPS on a Psion,

- Usage of Psions

Date: 26 Nov 2008 01:23:39 +0000
From: Bob <address truncated>
Subject: New Series 3, 5 and 7

New Series 3, 5 and 7

There is a new Series 3, 5 and 7 but don't get too excited.  Its  a Braun electric shaver.  When I first heard that I immediately thought of our venerable old Psions, but alas its not any thing like that.
Thanks,
Bobbyr

Date: 26 Nov 2008 07:20:04 +0000
From: ExAbEtAl <address truncated>
Subject: Re: The Digest V1 # 1294 (4)

Hi All,

Nice thread here on 2008 Psion use.

I just want to report that I also still use my 5mx (number 4, after the other three died and also two Makos). I never used a Netbook. I'm a converted MacBook Pro user now after many years of Windows PCs.

I use my 5mx mainly as a storage for several Data and Contacts files, but mostly for my own CodeSafe program. And it goes with me on holidays where Word and Sheet serve as perfect little Travelog tools.

Of course the B&W screen and weak screen cable of the 5mx is stone age technology now (and I think were the main reasons for the company to give up further PDA development), but the form factor (clam shell, keyboard) and capabilities (instant on, 40h use, simple alkalines, supreme operating system) were far ahead of anything else in its days and they still are.

I'm happy to see that several of you still use CodeSafe and I would like to point to my ExAbEtAl website (http://website.leidenuniv.nl/~linthorsthjm/)were CodeSafe and my other programs are still available for free downloading.

Huub Linthorst
http://website.leidenuniv.nl/~linthorsthjm/

Date: 26 Nov 2008 13:41:43 +0000
From: Vlad A <address truncated>
Subject: GPS on a Psion The Digest V1 # 1294 (2)

Hi, Peter,

I am using a Garmin eTrex with a Psion cable I made to replace a male-to-female (null-modem, pm me for a jpg w. the scheme) adapter from 232 Garmin to Psion. Here:
http://www.millican.f2s.com/realmaps/gpsconn.htmyou'll find some instructions.

http://www.tapr.org/~kh2z/Waypoint/Connections.htmhttp://web.archive.org/web/19960101-re_/http://www.tapr.org/~kh2z/Waypoint/Connections.htm

- pfranc used to sell this plug:
http://pfranc.com/index.htmhttp://pfranc.com/projects/g45contr/emap/index.htmhttp://pfranc.com/cables/index.shtml
Somewhere around there, there used to be a cable which also recharges or at least feeds your GPS and the Psion, if I remember right. Maybe this:
http://www.nomad.ee/micros/etrex.shtmlhttp://www.tramsoft.ch/gps/garmin_etrex-summit_en.html#Hauptseiten
The page has disappeared, can be found here:
http://web.archive.org/web/19960101-re_/http://home.cdsnet.net/~purple/projects/g45contr/ePlug/assembly.jpg

You may find some more in the Digest, fi a thead on March 27 2004 (Alan and Itamar ao).

Hope this helps.

vlad a

Date: 26 Nov 2008 15:21:28 +0000
From: Alan R Morris <address truncated>
Subject: RE: GPS on a Psion

From: Peter McCafferty <address truncated>

# Have been reading a lot recently about GPS on Psion. Have
# found a supplier who has some Palmtop GPS receiver units
# available for £80.
# (I have En Route on my Netbook).

That sounds rather expensive for a GPSr, but see below.

EnRoute was the original name for Route Planner, Palmtop were forced to
change the name by another user of that name.  I now have the last
TomTom version on my 7 or netBook and also Street Planner, the streets
details within towns.  Better in colour on 7/netBook.

# Q. Am I right in assuming that the GPS output from the
# Palmtop is read directly by the Psion (NB & 5mx) through a
# straight cabled connection into the RS232 port and thus with
# EnRoute? (With no awkward messing about).

That is a big advantage with the Palmtop GPSr - it's real plug & play.
Plug in to ciggy socket in Landy (Ah, not standard on a Series IIa,
remembering back to when I had one.) and plug in to the Psion serial
port.  So for ease of putting into use, possibly worth £80.

# Q. If I wanted to save a few quid, could I but one of the
# many GPS units on Ebay that have a cabled output for
# PDA/Laptops etc, and then splice the data cable into a
# rewired RS232 cable? (I found a couple of very useful
# websites that have wiring diagrams etc).

Problem with many modern GPSrs is that they are USB and you can't
'splice in' a serial port connection.  Many folk (especially if they are
selling) don't know the difference between USB and serial ports as the
word 'serial' is in both names.

# I have just bought an 1971 Series IIa Land Rover and want to
# equip with SatNav. So any advice on cabling the GPS & Netbook
# onto this would also be warmly received. Any relevant kit
# someone might want to offload/sell to a Psion devotee also welcome.

Well Peter, after my SIIa, many years later I bought a Discovery in
1991.  I used a Garmin GPS-75 with an external antenna (with magnet
base) on the steel roof.  That makes a massive improvement, despite what
others may say, who don't understand how a GPSr works with radio
signals.

At first I used my Psion 3a and with a Psion 5, the software improved -
EnRoute.  I later bought a Garmin eMap.  Then I bought a Garmin 2610.
Now that's a nice GPS navigator (tells you where to go), but it's USB
only, so using a Psion is not possible.

On Psions, I used PsiGar to manage my routes and waypoints, so I then
had to use a Windows laptop for this.  Downloading onto a Psion would be
completed before the Windows PC had even finished booting!  From that
time, my records are now in a bit of a mess as they are no longer
manageable on my Psions.

I would however say that the Palmtop (now trading using the TomTom name)
software on EPOC Psions has never been improved on for how I used my
Psions in my cars.  A Defender 130 is the current car.

I could go on with more details, but here is possibly the wrong place
???

Alan

Date: 27 Nov 2008 15:36:56 +0000
From: Andy B <address truncated>
Subject: Re: Use of Psions

It's interesting to read about how people are still using and highly valuing their Psions.

I still use my mBook daily - mainly Agenda, Data, Word, Macro5, FastBackup, SafePlace (mainly for that ever expanding list of login names/passwords on the internet!). In fact, I was wondering how to export all that SafePlace info into a non-proprietary format when the Psions finally die. I don't
fancy the prospect of manually copying all that data out!

Also have a 5mx for traveling (and a 5 in storage). I use FastBackup to move stuff over from the mBook to 5mx using a CF card. I think the main disadvantage of the 5mx is the poor screen. Everything else works very well. Definitely ahead of its time.

I have kept my eye out over the years for a successor to the Psions - the Asus EEE has caught my eye the most, though there are now "me too" Atom processor products appearing. I'll be watching in interest to see how they all fair and how people are adjusting to them after their Psions. Also, I'm not sure about Linux, since I haven't used it for years and it wasn't too friendly.

>>> Glad to hear that Jim Watson and Keith Giles are still Psion users -
>>> some
years ago when I was living near San Francisco we all met for a Psioneers meeting, and it was good to put faces to the names.  Hope you're both doing well.

Yes, I remember those meetings. Must've been around 1999. It was good to see people in the flesh, though now we're somewhat of a scattered group... I'm now in AZ.

Andy Beale

Date: 30 Nov 2008 18:11:00 +0000
From: mail lists <address truncated>
Subject: Re: The Digest V1 # 1293 (8)

On 23 Nov, TheDigest<address truncated> wrote:
> Date: 21 Nov 2008 22:51:01 +0000
> From: Stéphane Sage <address truncated>
> Subject: Use of Psion
> Hello all (and Itamar...)
> I still use my 5mx every day and always carry it around in my
> shoulder bag (with a spare one in a drawer)
> Uses : 2 _agendas_ (work + home/garden,  with very thorough tasks
> section, which I should look at more often...)

Hello Stéphane,

I decided to start a garden Agenda, partly inspired by your example
thank you. Could you let me know how you have arranged your garden
tasks and notes?

For my use I want to record progress of our several small raised
vegetable garden plots here at home, recording when seeds were sown,
seedlings appeared, planted out, etc.

And I'd like to show when I might expect a plant to (idealy) reach a
stage: to germinate, to show secondary leaves, etc.

I'm don't quite know yet what's most useful to me: individual plant
progress or jobs orientation. To record the progress of each
vegetable species, or the time of year tasks were done each year.
That's something I'm trying to develop as I understand what's
possible with Agenda.

As a secondary interest, I also want to show, perhaps in Busy view,
when common local veggies and fruit are in season. Maybe I could
start a separate Agenda file showing plant seasons - maybe one day
merge it with the garden one.

I've learned it's possible to define the colour of the little
box/character 'entry symbol' (Tools=>Entry symbol colours) so the
different stages appear in colours in Year and Busy view. but it's
quite slow to do this for each plant. Better to restrict this to a
more general use such as showing when ANY seed was sown, when ANY
plant started bearing. Or, another way, to show types such as leaf
vegetables, climbing crop, root veggies, fruit trees, etc.

As you can see I'm finding it hard to decide on a useful way to
arrange the things I want to show. Perhaps your experience would
help me out!

Greetings from the South Pacific.

Brian
Auckland NEW ZEALAND

Date: 1 Dec 2008 00:56:55 +0000
From: Itamar Engelsman <address truncated>
Subject: GPS on a Psion,

Att.: Peter McCafferty

Re.: GPS on a Psion - Oh, that is a long time ago that I used GPS with a Psion. I started with the 5MX and later used my mBook in the car as well although it was akward to keep it balanced and in position due to it's size. I had a GPS unit that indeed connected with a cable that I bought from a guy in Ireland, don't remember his name anymore. I don't know whether it was a straight cable or not. It did work well though and the big screen of the netBook of course makes it much easier to follow the road than the small screens on the mobile phones. Now I have a bluetooth GPS unit that connects to my mobile phone with a Tomtom Navigator program. I seem to remember that not all units worked with the Psions but why don't you search in the old digests on our website for more information ?  There is a searcheable index on the website too.

I still have a Garmin eTrex if you are interested let me know.

Best regards,

Itamar

Date: 1 Dec 2008 00:56:55 +0000
From: Itamar Engelsman <address truncated>
Subject: Usage of Psions

WOW !   What a great number of answers and how amazing how some of us still use their Psions so intensively. Personally I stopped taking my netBook when traveling as I found it more and more difficult to connect my netBook to the wifi internet services (cable even more difficult). On my laptop I now use "logmein" to connect to my computer at work and I work as if I am in the office with all the various files and programs available. As said, ABP5 and Money are the main programs I still use.
I used Routeplanner and Citymaps quite a long time but now I have got Tomtom Navigator on my mobile which is much easier to keep in a holder on my dashboard and it is more up to date of course.
I think Keith Giles gets the price for using his Psion's the most.
For calculator I quite often use the one on my Ipod Touch as it is so easy to use the touch function on these machines.

By the way, I got my first Psion series 3 back somewhere in the mid nineties and still remember the Psion forum on Compuserve before the time of the internet. Who was around than ?We had a special program on the Psion to download the forum messages and send answers back, partially written by John Boyce, also a name of the past. We had Psion meetings in the UK, some in London and others in Reading.

Was anything lilke Macro5 written for any of the other Symbian machines ? It was so easy to create your own macros, I still use a lot of them.

Best regards,

Itamar