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PDA Forum / Psion / August 2008The Shrinking Island of Psioneers await the WPU
[WPU = Worthy Psion Upgrade] I thought a couple of Psion 5mx's would keep me going until the Worthy Psion Upgrade arrived. It was a long wait and I grew impatient with the dim screen and the lack of modern comms facilities. In these days a modern general purpose computer requires easy web connectability. So I got a Nokia 9500. Loved the excellent connectability. Loved the bright clear screen. Loved the pocketability. Was annoyed by the dumbing down of the standard Psion applications. Got a bluetooth keyboard for more serious typing. Unfolded it was bigger than a 5mx keyboard, but not as good. So I ended up running the 9500 and 5mx in parallel. And sometimes carrying them both. And then, because I do like to do a lot of writing on the hoof, more often carrying them both. So the Nokia 9500 wasn't quite a Worthy Psion Upgrade, although definitely an interesting Psion accessory. And I really like using the 9600 as a mobile phone. I prefer its size to the modern fashionable tart's handbag phones, and I really like using it open in its excellent speakerphone mode while being able to read and write notes. Carrying it around I was surprised to discover just how much fashion has a grip of the phone market. Lots of people I would never have suspected of being fashion victims were rather apalled that I was carrying around a mobile phone that was so obviously seriously old. Various half-completed contenders for the title of WPU have bobbed up in the marketplace and sunk again. It seems that the original Psion concept had simply become too unfashionable for it to be worth anyone's while making something for such a tiny eccentric niche market. Indeed, even Psion had shown signs of distrusting their original concept. The Psion5mx was in many ways a very good improvement on the 3a, but even its designers couldn't help being swayed for the seductive glamour of the fortune of the fat and ugly Micros**t bitch. They saw the 5 series as an accessory to a Micros**t home computer. Despite being more capable and powerful than the 3 series, it was less independent of the Rich Micros**t Bitch than the 3 series, when it should have been, and could have been, more independent. A lot of work by Psion enthusiasts managed to produce patches and program to remedy its lack of independence and generality, and the somewhat tattered and unfinished state of some of Psion's own software, which had clearly been rushed into the market before it had even finished its breakfast. But if even Psion had wavered in their faith, how realistic was it to expect some independent company to produce the Worthy Psion Upgrade? Despite the promising start of its Communicators, Nokia seemed to have drifted away from the idea of producing improved successors to the idea of a small portable general purpose clam-shell computer. So what about a somewhat bigger machine, a subnotebook, a small laptop? Memory and computer power are now cheap enough to fit a general purpose PC into a subnotebook, but even at the size of a laptop the batteries needed to run that kind of power are still a big problem. Forget AAs! Even using the latest high power density and expensive Lithium Ion rechargeables no laptop or subnotebook running Micros**t's elephantine OS could happily run for a long working day away from a mains plug. A few manufacturers realised that you need much less computer power if only you stop trying to power the Micros**t elephant. Some of them have managed to produce machines which look nearly as good as a Netbook. So to cheer me up while I wait for the WPU (Worthy Psion Upgrade) I've got myself a Netbook. So far so delightful! It'll take me a while to discover how many crutches and compromises it will need to get it up into modern webspace. With some luck and a following wind I might be able to make my next posting on this topic from the Netbook. In the meantime this is just a wave to any others who're still trying to survive on this shrinking island by renovating bits of old Psion and Symbian kit that get washed up on the shores :-)  SignatureChris Malcolm cam@infirmatics.ed.ac.uk DoD #205 IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK [http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/] Quoting Chris Malcolm's message of Yesterday: > In the meantime this is just a wave to any others who're still trying > to survive on this shrinking island by renovating bits of old Psion > and Symbian kit that get washed up on the shores :-) Indeed. My collection is part hobby and part backup! The 5mx is still the ideal machine for me, particularly with the Data application to handle casework details, along with the decent Word processor which is more than good enough for letter writing. I tried to use an XDA smartphone while the Psion was in for repair, but the instability of the OS, the lack of a simple flat file database, and the little thumb keyboard made it less easy to use. I have a Series 7 "to play with", but prefer the (jacket-) portability of the 5mx. The Revo would serve me well if I could find one with a working battery, but I think I'd still prefer the 5mx. One other thing about the Psion range that has gone out of fasion is programmability, Psion's commitment to which also started to disappear during its own zenith. I'd need some form of on-board programmability in any new device if it was to gain my interest. I don't think that's going to happen. SignatureDamian - http://psion.snigfarp.karoo.net/ For email replies, substitute "psion" for "damian" in my email address. One of the things I really like is the fact that I can "hack together" my own little apps for my MC218 (aka 5MX): - keep score for Mah Jong - "treasure tables" for my AD&D sessions etc. I would *love* a WPU with a brighter screen, WiFi and USB... Instead PsionTeklogix takes a perfectly good Netbook and equipts it with WinCE - makes me wince indeed - --Roderik (rxbakker goes straight into the bin, try replacing the x with a dot) > One of the things I really like is the fact that I can "hack together" > my own little apps for my MC218 (aka 5MX): > - keep score for Mah Jong > - "treasure tables" for my AD&D sessions etc. > I would *love* a WPU with a brighter screen, WiFi and USB... > Instead PsionTeklogix takes a perfectly good Netbook and equipts it > with WinCE > - makes me wince indeed - According to this rather good history of Psion in the Register http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/06/26/psion_special/ the original intention was that the Netbook Pro (a faster Netbook with more memory, USB, etc.) would be a triple boot machine: EPOC, Linux, and WinCE. So near and yet so far... <sigh> SignatureChris Malcolm cam@infirmatics.ed.ac.uk DoD #205 IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK [http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/] > the original intention was that the Netbook Pro (a faster Netbook > with more memory, USB, etc.) would be a triple boot machine: EPOC, > Linux, and WinCE. So near and yet so far... The Netbook PRO is already working fine with Windows CE.net and Linux. Some few great EPOC application as Agenda has some very nice CE ports: http://www.hpcfactor.com/reviews/software/hyunkeun/ceagenda-1-0-6-5/ other EPOC applications like Opera browser are obsolete. My price for the PRO is 199 eur for nice english refurbsihed machines. So what more do you need ? Christoph (PSION shop pulster.eu) > I'd need some form of on-board > programmability in any new device if it was to gain my interest. I > don't think that's going to happen. I haven't entirely given up on my 3mx, but bought a Pocket Loox with WM5.0 (GPS & WiFi, but the latter is mere bling so far). And have just discovered that there is a Basic environment (http://www.basic4ppc.com/Downloads.html) that runs on the PDA as well as desktop for $54 (not bad at current GBP exchange rate, I suppose!). Haven't really got anywhere with trial version yet, to justify actual expenditure... (There are a number of freeware programs built with it to give confidence, though.) Mike. SignatureIf reply address is invalid, remove spurious "@" and substitute "plus" where needed. Quoting Mike Coon's message of Friday: > I haven't entirely given up on my 3mx, but bought a Pocket Loox with WM5.0 > (GPS & WiFi, but the latter is mere bling so far). And have just discovered > that there is a Basic environment (http://www.basic4ppc.com/Downloads.html) > that runs on the PDA as well as desktop for $54 (not bad at current GBP > exchange rate, I suppose!). Haven't really got anywhere with trial version > yet, to justify actual expenditure... A lot of the newer machines have programmability available, but it's either at a price, or it's community-supported and sometimes in an unfinished state (like OPL on the S60, when I had one) with lots of limitations and problems reported. That doesn't come near having a powerful language like OPL built in. SignatureDamian - http://psion.snigfarp.karoo.net/ For email replies, substitute "psion" for "damian" in my email address. Interesting piece! I was, until fairly recently, a happy Psion 5mx user, but finally gave up as it was getting so long in the tooth, and my latest mobile phone refused to speak with the IRDA port properly. What I have now is an HTC TyTN II, aka Kaiser, also aka T-Mobile MDA Vario III. It's a completely different kettle of fish really, being somewhat smaller, but I do like it a lot, almost as much as my old Psion. It has a slide out keyboard, but it's very small, so not as good as the 5mx keyboard - but usable. Battery life is godawful, and the Windows Mobile OS isn't great either. However, it comes with a fairly usable office suite, web browser and calendar, and with built- in 3G, Wifi and HSDPA, connecting up to things is a breeze. It even has GPS for Geocaching. :) It performs pretty nicely, but it's not really the same. I have, however, also got an Asus Eee, which I can't help but feel is the sort of thing Psion would be making if they were still in business, and this compact, Linux-powered beauty almost feels like there should be a Psion badge on it somewhere. I can't recommend these highly enough - Asus has spotted a gap in the market that they've admirably filled. Lee > tart's handbag phones, I know what you mean1 > and I really like using it open in its > excellent speakerphone mode while being able to read and write I didn't know that the Nokia could do that (because I haven't RTFM'd, because I'm not in the market for a new phone). Very good idea. > Lots of people I would never > have suspected of being fashion victims were rather apalled that I was > carrying around a mobile phone that was so obviously seriously old. This is a use of the word "people" which is rather suspect. Probably they are anthropoid apes (as are real people), but they would appear to fail the intelligence test for being real people. > In the meantime this is just a wave to any others who're still trying > to survive on this shrinking island by renovating bits of old Psion > and Symbian kit that get washed up on the shores :-) Do I have any photos of me using my Psion on that desert island off the coast of Tanzania? Alas not. SignatureAidan Karley, Aberdeen, Scotland Written at Tue, 20 May 2008 15:31 +0100, but posted later. 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 >> and I really like using it [9500] open in its >> excellent speakerphone mode while being able to read and write >> > I didn't know that the Nokia could do that (because I haven't RTFM'd, > because I'm not in the market for a new phone). Very good idea. >> Lots of people I would never >> have suspected of being fashion victims were rather apalled that I was [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Probably they are anthropoid apes (as are real people), but they would > appear to fail the intelligence test for being real people. Some of my friends take pity on my ancient brick of a phone (Nokia 9500) and proudly show me their latest extremely does-everything-imaginable-and-more phone. Wnen I express an interest in all those wonderful advanced features it turns out they don't actually know how to use them, and further questioning often reveals that they probably won't ever use them. I suppose once you can start selling your high-tech gadgetry as jewellery and status symbolism it doesn't actually have to work particularly well. Worked for the Swiss clockwork watch industry, which is still selling exquisitely expensive laboratory certified chronometers which can't keep time as well as a Casio which costs less than a round of drinks and needs servicing more often than the Casio needs its battery replacing. >> In the meantime this is just a wave to any others who're still trying >> to survive on this shrinking island by renovating bits of old Psion >> and Symbian kit that get washed up on the shores :-) > Do I have any photos of me using my Psion on that desert island > off the coast of Tanzania? Alas not. Me neither. But I do recall many long train journeys and a few long flights which started out with lots of laptops open, but as the hours passed more and more of them had to give up with tired batteries. I also recall conferences when at inter session breaks there was a mad dash for the power points, and the more enterprising geeks had not only brought along their power supplies but a multi-plug as well, so they could talk someone into sharing a power point. SignatureChris Malcolm cam@infirmatics.ed.ac.uk DoD #205 IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK [http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/] > >> and I really like using it [9500] open in its > >> excellent speakerphone mode while being able to read and write [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > actually know how to use them, and further questioning often reveals > that they probably won't ever use them. I suppose once you can start Reminds me of a friend who used an MDA (organizer with inbuilt phone, windows pocket pc os) which is now mine, because she bathed it in a kettle of tea and half of the backlight vanished. So I got the MDA with manual and PSU from her and realized that one can only install most apps with the thingy connected to your Windows PC. When I asked for the missing cable it became obvious that she had never installed any new program, never imported any new document, never used the internal programs apart from the calender, never synced with her PC. And she owned it for several years and bought the successor for replacement... Just for completeness: The os is horrible (slow and buggy), the inbuild apps a joke and it misses lots of functions Psion had for years. And the Irda-port connects sloooooow to my 5mx Pro. SignatureOliver > and the more enterprising geeks had not > only brought along their power supplies but a multi-plug as well, The 4-way power strip lives in my travel bag with a couple of wire-on plugs (UK, US and European), with battery-charger (carrying 2xAA + 2xAAA) phone charger and laptop charger plugged into it. Screwdriver in the bag. Assorted gender-bender bits and bobs in the corner of the bag too. I've had that particular tee-shirt longer than I've had a Psion. SignatureAidan Karley, Aberdeen, Scotland Written at Fri, 23 May 2008 16:23 +0100, but posted later. 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 I'm on that island as well, using a Psion S5 then a 5mx going on eleven years now and not able to part with it. I miss connectability, I miss syncing to Google Calendar and Gmail, but I cannot let go of the excellent keyboard and hi-res screen -- and the unbeatable battery life! (Weeks!!) I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the much-hyped iPhone yet. Here in Austria it has not yet arrived officially but many have imported them privately. It seems to offer much but still with serious limits (nonreplaceable battery, no SD-card slot) and the "keyboard" remains an open question -- except for serious writers who need a real keyboard. However, the very smooth non-MS user interface is enchanting and the device contains a great many of those things that Windows never did, like a decent Alarm app to name one. The Asus Eee is a very good bet as a WPU, but I miss phone capabilities and it's too big to carry always. That's the absolute strength of the iPhone and may just be the factor that wins me over someday. I have found that a WPU for me is roughly a lightweight PDA with a decent keyboard and an integrated cell phone = one that I can always carry on my person and that has it all. Any Windows device would nearly do this, were it not for the poor OS. > I'm on that island as well, using a Psion S5 then a 5mx going on > eleven years now and not able to part with it. I miss connectability, [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > always carry on my person and that has it all. Any Windows device > would nearly do this, were it not for the poor OS. I've found, though I wouldn't call it quite 'worthy', my Psion has been replaced by a Palm treo 650. It happened gradually, I didn't know I was hooked until it happened. My Psion broke, so a borrowed a Palm 'until I found a screen flexi'. After about a month, I realised I couldn't really go back... After my initial horror at the fact it couln't multitask, that my ToDos couldn't appear at specific times of the day, it tried to pretend there wasn't a file system, and that the keyboard was tiny(!) I realised it had some big advantages. It would sync with my Mac, I could suck calendars from all over the internet onto my phone (iCal), it had an amazing PDF Reader (Picsel Browser) that was more intuitive than any app on any other platform performing the same task. Best of all, I could carry it all the time without a bag. I have a keyboard for it that combined takes me to about the size of the Psion, and the keyboard is nearly as good... It's fast, simple and I have a single contact list for everything... I can do email on the move properly with it... On reflection I think it comes down to something like this: Palm OS is very basic, but it has been basic for so long and is (was) so common that many freeware apps exist to bring it back to a really good level of functionality. So, it isn't worthy, I am still waiting, but I do have a replacement, of sorts... Chris Malcolm wrote in comp.sys.psion.misc about: The Shrinking Island of Psioneers await the WPU > [WPU = Worthy Psion Upgrade] [..] > So what about a somewhat bigger machine, a subnotebook, a small > laptop? Memory and computer power are now cheap enough to fit a [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Some of them have managed to produce machines which look nearly as > good as a Netbook. I'm surprised that more people aren't mentioning "netbooks" (small-n) here. Yes, the nickname for this 'new' product niche has been somewhat nicked from Psion (by people who for the most part, sadly, probably never even knew Psion existed), but it has been very interesting to see this niche rapidly emerge seemingly from nothing barely 6 months ago. I realised a long time ago that mobile internet access was a very useful thing to have, and sadly my Psion 5mx never quite filled that niche, despite its (then) best efforts. Despite the good screen size, its browser(s) soon got left behind, and 'dial-up' CSD data calls were never value for money. I ended up using my phone's browser (almost equally limited) and that only because a quirk in my then contract allowed me free off-peak CSD WAP access from my inclusive minutes (only valid from the phone browser, not when using the phone as a modem). (Now I've switched to a new contract, with a generous 3G data bundle, and a phone with a much improved web browser (Nokia 6120c). It's a Symbian phone and it's sort of amusing that you can still see its Psion ancestry in the interface, to some extent!) But, now, more than ever, I realise that I do need some kind of 'netbook' device, with a good-sized screen and keyboard, to give me full internet connectivity, email and a range of applications. Linux is the natural choice nowadays for the tinkerer, and the fact that these new netbooks are are all capable of running full Linux systems means that there is an enormous wealth of software available [1]. And if for some reason some particular software niche isn't already filled, I'm sure somebody else will be along soon to measure it up.. [1] and not at the mercy of always arcane Windoze sync/backup software, either. A netbook similar to a high-end eee is certainly very tempting, the snag is that at the high-end eee price point, it becomes very hard not to see a low-end 'proper' laptop as being better value for money, apart from the portability. The low-end eee is perhaps the most appropriate Psion successor at present, but I know that if I bought one, I'd soon end up cursing the 800px screen width - or, more specifically, all of the web designers who in recent months have decided that 1024px is the new minimum <sigh>, making it hard to display two browser windows side-by-side even on normal computer displays.. David. SignatureDavid M. -- Edinburgh, Scotland. --[en,fr,(de) <-- corrections welcome] *Please remove quotes not needed for context and interleave reply text* *No-context, excess-quoted, slug-trailed, zero-content posts filtered.* David M <david@bogus.domain.dom.invalid> espoused: > Chris Malcolm wrote in comp.sys.psion.misc > about: The Shrinking Island of Psioneers await the WPU [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > never even knew Psion existed), but it has been very interesting to see > this niche rapidly emerge seemingly from nothing barely 6 months ago. I would beg to differ here... a lot of us with Nokia 770s and N800s either still have, or used to have, psion devices (I have a 5mx myself, used to have a Revo but No1 child lost it on the way to school), as well as having had several symbian phones. > I realised a long time ago that mobile internet access was a very > useful thing to have, and sadly my Psion 5mx never quite filled that [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > allowed me free off-peak CSD WAP access from my inclusive minutes > (only valid from the phone browser, not when using the phone as a modem). The Nokia webtablets are superior in most respects here, as they include wifi, even wimax on the latest version (N810), as well as the capability to bluetooth back to a phone for 3G/EDGE/2.5G/2G data connections when there's no wifi available. You might also want to look at the Pandora project, which is, in many respects, surprisingly similar to the Psion 5/5mx. > (Now I've switched to a new contract, with a generous 3G data bundle, and > a phone with a much improved web browser (Nokia 6120c). It's a Symbian > phone and it's sort of amusing that you can still see its Psion ancestry > in the interface, to some extent!) If you've used a psion, then symbian phones have a reconisable feel :-) > But, now, more than ever, I realise that I do need some kind of > 'netbook' device, with a good-sized screen and keyboard, to give me full [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > a low-end 'proper' laptop as being better value for money, apart from > the portability. The pandora project, or a Nokia, might be better, if you want something very portable. Plus, a bluetooth keyboard works very well with a Nokia. > The low-end eee is perhaps the most appropriate Psion successor at > present, but I know that if I bought one, I'd soon end up cursing the > 800px screen width - or, more specifically, all of the web designers who > in recent months have decided that 1024px is the new minimum <sigh>, > making it hard to display two browser windows side-by-side even on > normal computer displays.. Eee looks like an excellent machine, although they're being upgraded every minute. There's also the Elonex machine, too, and several others if you look around. Personally, if you /really/ want a tinkerer's machine, I'd suggest a Freerunner phone and Pandora combination, although personally, I'll be waiting for a 3G freerunner myself. In any case, have fun. | mark at ellandroad dot demon dot co dot uk | | Cola faq: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/linux/advocacy/faq-and-primer/ | | Cola trolls: http://colatrolls.blogspot.com/ | | Open platforms prevent vendor lock-in. Own your Own services! | Hi all I have succumbed to a basic 4gb Linux eee. I used a 5MX for many years, still got it and will be selling when I get around to it, (do get in touch if interested and in UK) and before then a Revo. Lovely little gizmos but gave up for 2 reasons. Firstly it became too expensive to use on dial up for emails let alone anything else (incoming emails with attachments cost a bomb!) and secondly because I really wanted something portable to take to Record Offices to do genealogical research. I looked into getting Gramps but too complicated for non-geeks, so I just convert my data into html and off to go! When away on research trips and staying in hotels or staying with friends with wireless, it's a piece of cake and v cheap (or free in the latter case!) to get online. Ok so the screen is small compared to a grown up PC, but it does just fine for on the move. The only thing that doesn't work as well as the Psion (because you can't synchronise) is the diary - you can download to google but quite frankly it's easier to print off a couple of pages from Outlook before leaving the house. Oh, and the battery life is a bit minimal so it helps if you are near a plug! It depends what you want it for, but the eee works just fine for me. Of course it's a crying shame that Psion didn't move with the times, but there you go! TTFN Joss >David M <david@bogus.domain.dom.invalid> espoused: >> Chris Malcolm wrote in comp.sys.psion.misc >> about: The Shrinking Island of Psioneers await the WPU >> The low-end eee is perhaps the most appropriate Psion successor at >> present, but I know that if I bought one, I'd soon end up cursing the [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > >In any case, have fun. |
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