Hi Franco and Sergio,
sorry for the last posting in the TheDigest #1327. The posting was made by Sergio, but not by Franco.
It's a error in the digest composing program, caused by Sergios From address<address truncated> <address truncated>).
I will try to fix this bug.
BR
Rolf
@ Bernard Hill
>>Well I don't know what a bling is... but having tried to use a Palm I can forcefully say it is NOT what this user wants.
I want a diary, database, reference book, email client. AND A PROPER KEYBOARD. I am a touch typist and am comfortable on the Psion 7 and can put up with the Psion 5. Typing thousands of words a day on email does not bear thinking about on anything without a keyboard!<<
I agree with you about the S7/netbook keyboard, it is absolutely brilliant. But some of the modern netbooks have similar sized keyboards and much better connectivity. Don't get me wrong, I am not, and never would, knock Psion.
However, the simple fact is, the vast majority of users are/were happy with a device without a keyboard; I'm not one of them, which is why I moved from a SE P910i to an E90. But comparing your use (ie. writing 1000s of words a day) to the average non-keyboard pda/phone user is like comparing apples and pears; most users DON'T write so much, and therefore don't need/want the weight/complexity/size of a keyboard. And it this market most manufacturers are aiming at, and not the Psion-owning niche which most of fall/fell under.
Ian Chapple
(sent from my mobile phone)
Bernard Hill wrote :
> I want a diary, database, reference book, email client.
> AND A PROPER KEYBOARD.
> I am a touch typist and am comfortable on the
Psion 7 and can put up with the Psion 5.
> Typing thousands of words a day on email does
not bear thinking about on anything without a
> keyboard !
Hello Bernard,
Yes, like you I am a touch typist but I also have
two Sony Clié's (PDA), two Hewlett Packard
Jornada 720's, and two HP iPaq's (small PDA's) plus my trusty Nokia N95....
So what you might say ... well, for ALL of them I
purchased a FULL SIZE KEYBOARD from the original manufacturers.
All right maybe not 100% full size but so near as to make no difference.
In fact I have 2 keyboards (slightly different)
for the Sony Clié and the HP Jornada one is as rare as 'hens teeth'.
When on the move you can't, or don't, want to
carry round a big keyboard, especially in the
case of the pocket size Clié's and the HP iPAQ's
but there again I don't type loads of emails or lists on the bus or train !
In the house it is a different matter and these keyboards come into their own !
I would also point out that all these keyboards
with the exception of the one for the Jornada
fold down to about 5" x 3.5" x 0.5" on average so
if you wanted to you could carry them round you can.
In fact my local GP often goes to London on the
train and takes his PDA and keyboard with him to
type stuff, rather than take his laptop !
On the downside of these keyboards are the "price" ...
a) The HP iPAQ one cost me £33.15 from eBay (Over
£90 RRP) in 2004 and it was brand new.
b) The 2 Sony Keyboards were about £90 each
c) The HP Jornada 720 one was around £80
d) The Nokia N95 one (it's Wireless) was £68.99
I am one of those sad people who when I but
something, I like to find out what accessories
are available and usually buy as many as I can
afford/find at the time (this goes for Psion's
too), but I find that the majority of people just
buy the basic PDA etc without even looking at
what else is available, and the manufacturers are
at fault too as they don't seem to be pushing or
advertising the accessories either, thereby loosing sales !
And I always buy the GENUINE manufacturers
accessories too .. no 3rd party stuff for me !
Regards,
Steve
Quote from Ian (Chapple)
"Psion basically had it right all those years ago" : market rules mention that should your product come too early or too late, your sales will never properly start ; should you but hit the right time, they will bring you wealth and fame...The original Netbook was too early (with an OS that could not compete (marketing wise) with Micro$oft).
Greetings from Grenoble (France)
Stephane SAGE
For not very much money you can buy either a plug-in keyboard or one that connects to the Palm via Infrared. Of course it depends on which model Palm you get. Palm itself makes at least one such keyboard but there are many others made by third parties. I paid £25 for one in 2004 and it works very well.
Harold Fuchs
London, England
---
Original Message
---
Date: 20 Feb 2009 17:20:05 +0000
From: Bernard Hill <address truncated>
Subject: Palm vs Psion
<snip
I want a diary, database, reference book, email client. AND A PROPER KEYBOARD. I am a touch typist and am comfortable on the Psion 7 and can put up with the Psion 5. Typing thousands of words a day on email does not bear thinking about on anything without a keyboard!
Bernard Hill
Braeburn Software
I have no doubt that when Palm-style PDAs started to appear, in the
late 1990s, they filled a need for many people, although due to the
lack of a keyboard their input capability was limited. It took a few
years for thumbboards, and folding portable keyboards, to emerge to
fill that need, albeit still unsatisfactorily for convenient use. The
format has in recent years largely been displaced by mobile phones,
which now tend to have many of the same functions.
But at the time Palms were launched, several manufacturers had been
making Psion-style clamshell palmtop computers, which by means of a
wider screen and a miniature keyboard, provided for a wider range of
input. They also had a wider range of inbuilt apps, so could be used
for more activities than basic palm-style devices. With longer battery
life than laptops, they were also particularly useful in locations
remote from power supplies.
Psion was a relatively small company operating from a relatively small
national base, with insufficient resouces for an international sales
force, relying instead on local oveseas agents, and without the
resources to develop new items fast enough to enhance their product
line. The other manufacturers of similar palmtops were large
corporations with large national markets, established international
marketing chains, and many other product lines, who could therefore
afford to chop and change models. Palm was operating from a much
larger national base than Psion, with a simpler, cheaper product,
which helped to build the company fast, and to finance a bigger
overseas sales force.
From Australian experience, the local Psion price was about double
the UK price, advertising was patchy, reviews infrequent, and few
local shops carried stock, let alone accessories. The Palm price was a
much lower markup compared with the USA a Palm and an (expensive)
folding keyboard were about half the price of a P5. Palm advertising
and reviews were quickly ubiquitous, as was availability in shops.
And, of course, P5 synching especially with a Mac was poor, whilst
Palm synching even with a Mac was good.
I found the P3 very suited to my needs, for an ‘always handy’ basic
computer, particularly in locations some distance from a power socket.
When it broke, I found the P5 had half the battery life and lousy
synching with my Mac. The Palm had worse battery life and a clumsy
input system whether using inbuilt facilities or folding keyboard,
and was virtually useless for spreadsheeting, database other than
addresses or diary, compared with the Psion. I reverted to my 50
year old filofax, and started using a digital camera and OCR to
supplement notetaking.
Now, sadly, I note that although the ‘netbook’ format has been
resurrected, the trend has been to make them bigger and more capable,
rather than smaller and more basic. An A5 size was heading in the
right direction, an A6 sized one would be even better,
Noting that current new ‘netbooks’ come in pink, and other colours -
presumably aimed at the ladies reminds me that when I found myself
at a conference in the late ‘90s, seated next to a university
professor, and both of us had a P3, I asked her what she liked about
it. She replied that as dresses had few pockets, she had to carry a
handbag for purse, keys, makeup etc. and as the P3 fitted in it
conveniently, she avoided the need to carry a second thing a laptop
to meetings. So if manufacturers are really considering targeting
the female market, a handbag-sized offering might be something to
consider.
Cyril Catt
Hi all!
Please, can anyone tell me how to export a so-called "tab-delimited text file" from the Data application? I see the export options, but have no idea what to put in the three fields. I need a tab delimited file to import in Mac's Adressbook an experiment I haven't made so far.
thankyou!
best,
vlad a
I've been a Psion fan since the 3a days, I've owned Zauris's, the 3a, a 5, a 5mx, a Revo, an MBook. I've also explored the Palm realm, usually when having cable problems on the 5mx or battery problems on the revo.
I've gone through a Treo, a Dana,a Tugnston C and now have the TX.
The Psion has always had superior software but the cable problem is remorsless, I have three 5mxs now and play "whiche one gets shipped to Canada this time" games with them.
All this time the Palms have improved. My TX does WiFi, it's date book is as good as my Psion Agenda, contacts are good and with Docs to go, I can do word processing just fine. The screen keyboard is good enough for quick notes and the fold-up keyboard is better than my 5mx keyboards.
The cost of the 5mx is low enough that I can replace it when it goes bad out of warranty, I can replace it without too much pain. The hotsynch backup utility is excellent.
I've just about given up on my Psions I have them in my studio and use them for my publishing and poetry needs. For walking around PDA, the Palm has taken over.
jim