Sony PRS-600 e-Book Reader: Newton Replacement Candidate?

MobileTechReview recently took delivery of the latest Sony e-Book reader with a built-in touchscreen.  After reading about the slow refresh rate of e-Ink displays I was pleasantly surprised to see it wasn't as bad as I was first led to believe.  No handwriting recognition that I could see but good access to free e-books.  I didn't see much evidence of a PIM suite in the demo either.  Each iteration of these devices seems to get closer to the Newton but they're not there yet.  Check out their video review:

Using Courier as a RSS reader

Until recently I have only used Courier as a web browser.  However I was recently reminded that Courier could also be used as a RSS reader.  RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication  or Rich Site Summary.  The latter sums up its function better.  It allows you to easily stay informed by retrieving the latest content from the sites you are interested in. You save time by not needing to visit each site individually. You ensure your privacy, by not needing to join each site's email newsletter. The number of sites offering RSS feeds is growing rapidly and includes big names like Yahoo News.

So I got a hold of the URL for an RSS feed for the BBC Business News and loaded it into Courier to see what would happen.  I was pleasantly surprised to see how quickly it loaded compared to loading the equivalent web page.  It took less than half the time to load as an RSS document compared to a normal HTML page, probably because it doesn't have to clean it up as Courier is only a text-only browser.  

Anyway, it looks like RSS best suits my needs as it is supported by most of the sites I frequent.

See also "How to set up Courier Browser"

Barnes & Noble Nook: e-Book readers converge on Apple Newton functionality

Barnes and Noble have recently showed off their e-Book reader, the Nook.  3G, WiFi, native PDF support, an microSD slot, a capacitive LCD touchscreen, a replaceable battery, a MicroUSB connector, 3.5 mm headphone jack, 10 days standby battery life, 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches (cf 7.25 x 4.5 x 0.75 inches for the Newton) and 0.7 lb (cf 0.9 lb for the Newton).

A launch price of $259 looks like they took a sharp pencil into the discussion on this one.  Amazon has reacted quickly and matched B&N's price.

Disappointingly, it seems that annotation is only available on items purchased from Barnes and Noble's eBookstore.  

Nice to see that they have pushed the envelope a little for eBook reader user interface design with their touch sensitive color navigation panel.

With the system being built on Android and a MicroUSB connector allowing software to be transferred to the Nook, all that's needed is a decent SDK to unleash a potential flood of applications.  

When compared to a Newton,apart from the already mentioned SDK, it is still missing: a pen, HWR, Web Browsers, eMail clients, a microphone and some productivity applications.

Spotlight on Dashboard

There are only 2-3 pieces of software that consistently make it into almost everyone's Top Ten Newton program lists.  Dashboard from FiveSpeed Software Inc is one of them.

Dashboard takes the button bar that runs along the bottom of your MP2x00:

And turns it into this:

The target area for tapping the scroll arrows is enlarged and makes it much easier to use a finger when reading.  All those little buttons along the bottom give access to the most common required controls and system information without the inconvenience of launching Extras. With a tap of the button, screen contrast, speaker volume, the default store and even the screen orientation can all be set:

The "Newton" button acts like the MS Windows "Start" button and provides access to a hierarchical menuing system:

All the menus can be configured to suit yourself:

Under "Special Items" one can reset the Newton, execute a -10061 error fix, turn the backlight on or off, change the HWR guest mode on or off, insert the time, date or date & time together in a document, rotate the screen or put the Newton into sleep mode.  Dashboard allows NewtonScripts to be written and launched:

Here is an example script:

Dashboard can be configured to launch applications by writing a letter in the input box on the button bar.  

When all the features are considered together, Dashboard significantly enhances the Newton user interface.

It is available for USD 25 and can be downloaded from here.  Orders can be placed here.

Screenshots by FiveSpeed.

Top 20 "Must-Have" Software Programs and Add-ons

Software from the Newton Museum

Over time, new users are often overwhelmed by the vast array of software and add-ins available for the Newton.  Most of them are now freeware but some remain sufficiently popular that they have kept their commercial value.  

But where to start?  For the Newbie and the seasoned user, its quite useful to see a list of the Top 20 most popular software applications and add-ins (or extensions).

After reviewing all the Newtontalk posts since 2001 here they are, in order of descending popularity:

1. Dashboard (NOS 2.1):  This is a significant enhancement to the Button Bar, providing hierarchical menus nd scripting system for launching multiple actions.  The ButtonBar) enhancements alone are worth the purchase (USD 25), providing a continuous view of the time and battery life as well as easy access to controls for speaker volume, and the back-light.  Get it from http://www.fivespeedsoftware.com/
2. MoreInfo (NOS 2.0):  This is my favourite PIM.  Excellent for contact management, all PIM-related objects such as tasks, meetings, events and notes can be linked to each other.  See http://myapplenewton.blogspot.com/2008/01/my-pim-moreinfo.html for more detail.  MoreInfo can be downloaded from http://www.silverwaresoftware.com/MoreInfo.shtml and purchased for USD 84.95.
3. Avi's Backdrop (NOS 2.0):  A backdrop is the one application that cannot be closed. The Notepad is the default backdrop on Newton MessagePad device and Newton Works is the default on the eMate, but a user can use the Extras Drawer to make a different application the backdrop.  Avi's Backdrop uses very little heap leaving as much as possible for applications.  Free from http://www.unna.org
4. Alarm Clock (NOS 1.x and 2.x):  What do you need in an alarm clock?  Huge buttons so that you can find them in the dark, a sound that can wake the dead so you don't miss that red-eye in the morning.  Adam Tow's Alarm Clock has it all:  free from http://www.tow.com/software/newton.shtml
5. Newtscape (NOS 2.0):  Most people probably use it as a web browser.  It is the more sophisticated and up to date of all the browsers written for the Newton.  Newtscape is also a html publisher, able to produce Newton eBooks from html, Notes and Works documents. USD 20 from http://saweyer.freehostia.com/newton/index.htm
6. SimpleMail (NOS 2.x):  An excellent POP3 email client.  Simon Bell has since produced a new version called Mail V which also supports IMAP.  See also http://myapplenewton.blogspot.com/2008/10/email-simplemail.html and http://myapplenewton.blogspot.com/2009/08/email-how-to-find-simple-mail.html.  SimpleMail is free.
7. i++ (NOS 2.x):  i++ turns the "i" button into a customizable "Start" menu (using MS Windows jargon).  With i++, the "i" button can be used to launch specified programs, recently opened applications, launch Newton OS commands like rotate the screen or turn the sound off.  i++ costs USD 15 and can be obtained from http://www.tl-it.de/newton/pages/ipp.php?lang=e
8. SBM Utilities (NOS 2.x):  This is like PC Tools but for the Newton.  A diverse set of utilities but probably the most important being: the ability to back up one storage card to another; and the ability to perform emergency back ups even though the screen is broken.  Recently released as freeware:  http://myapplenewton.blogspot.com/2009/07/sbm-utilities-released-as-freeware.html
9. BBEditor (NOS 2.1):  However good the handwriting recognition system might be, it still has some difficulty in particular situations.  Sometimes it struggles to decide whether or not a space was intended between letters, or differentiating between apostrophes, commas, semi-colons and full stops.  BBEdit gives a palette of often used editing features.  The palette is accessed by tapping a button in the lower LHS of the button bar.  One of the handiest buttons inserts "'s" wherever the claret is placed.  Once installed this enhancement quickly proved to be indispensable.  BBEdit costs USD 5 from http://home.earthlink.net/~firstvln/bytesize/software2.html.
10. HiLite 2000 (NOS 2.1):  HiLite 2000 pops up a keyboard with common editing commands whenever text is highlighted.  HiLite 2000 costs USD 5 from http://home.earthlink.net/~firstvln/bytesize/software2.html
11. QuickFigure Works (NOS 2.1):  The spreadsheet add-in module for Works.  Its free and downloadable from www.unna.org
12. Styles+:  Styles+ enhances the built-in Styles palette with more fonts, sizes, and styles. Styles+ is free:  http://www.tow.com/software/newton.shtml
13. Works (NOS 2.x): Works is the word processor bundled with the Newton.  It has been written so that other applications can be included as separate add-ins.  QuickFigure is a spreadsheet that was written as a Works add-in.  Works is freely available from www.unna.org
14. 40HZ Software:  Eckhart Koppen is one of the programming statesmen of the Newton World.  He has written a veritable feast of software which provide bluetooth support, allow the Newton to import packages, implement the GTD time management system.  He will be forever honoured for his 2010 OS patch which allowed Newton 2.x devices to perform past January 2010.  Check out his software on www.40hz.org.
15. Alt.Rec (NOS 2.x):  Paul Guyot is another programming statesmen of the Newton World.  Alt.Rec is an enhancement to the built-in Rosetta HWR recognizer.  You can read more background here:  http://web.archive.org/web/20070814132830/www.kallisys.com/newton/alt.rec..../  It is freely available from www.kallisys.com. 
16. DateMan (NOS 2.x):  DateMan is an alternative PIM application.  See http://myapplenewton.blogspot.com/2008/01/newton-pims-comparative-review.html for a discussion of PIMs available for the Newton.  Standalone also give a comparative review of the various PIMs:  http://www.standalone.com/MessagePad/DateMan/content.html  DateMan can be obtained from www.standalone.com/newtonos for USD 10.
17. eBase (NOS 2.1):  eBase is a flat-file database program.  Its pretty easy to set up a new database application and start populating it with new records.  eBase is now freeware and can be downloaded from:  www.unna.org/view.php?/applications/database/EBase
18. Geeksafe (NOS 2.x):  Geeksafe is a database application designed for storing and retrieving passwords, serial numbers and PINs.  Users can export items to Notes.  Geeksafe can be obtained from http://www.unna.org/view.php?/applications/GeekSafe1.1
19. NewtPaint (NOS 2.x):  This is a full-fledged paint program for the Newton. It has a wide set of graphics tools including spray paint patterns and line weights. Drawings can be exported as screen shots.  NewtPaint can be purchased for USD 9.95 from Landware by emailing:  helpdesk@landware.com
20. Pocket Quicken (NOS 2.x):  Pocket Quicken from Intuit is the elder statesmen of personal finance programs for the Newton.  PQ is free and can be downloaded from http://www.unna.org/view.php?/applications/financial/PocketQuicken
    

Microsoft Courier Tablet: Does Microsoft do anything right?

In reviewing comments about the potential release of Microsoft's Courier Tablet, there is plenty of scepticism out there.  A lot of it is born from resentment toward Microsoft's:

1. Dominant position in many of the software markets it serves.
2. Apparent  and perceived business practices 

In fact, there is so much criticism of Microsoft's products and services, you've got to wonder, does Microsoft do anything right?

Chris Pratley

Chris Pratley is currently General Manager of Microsoft's Office Labs.   Chris joined MS Excel Team in 1994, and in 1995 shifted over to work on MS Word.  In 2001 he led the team that developed OneNote.  He was originally an Apple fan before System 7.5.2 broke his faith and he converted to a PC, a year after joining Microsoft.  His blog brings thoughtful insight into the "Microsoft Way" which, when it works can sweep all before it:

In Japan [in the early to mid-90's], where computers had a little different history than they did in the US, word processing was mainly the realm of purpose-built devices called "Wa-Puro" (for "wa-do purosessa-", the Japanese pronunciation of word processor). PCs had only a fraction of the market, and on DOS, a product called "Ichitaro" was king. The Windows version of Word in Japan was basically a port of the English version, and unlike Excel which competed against another US import (Lotus 1-2-3), Ichitaro was a home-grown Japanese product. It sort of defined what "word processing" meant in Japan, and it was pretty different from Word - so Word was only popular with a few people who had to make a lot of English documents. 

To give you an idea of how the Word team was successful at what it did in general, I'll give you a rundown of what we did to "win" in Japan. We had a team there already, but they were mainly a dev team working on porting the English product. We sent planners (and myself) to Japan to visit a lot of customers to find out what they hated about Word. It turned out that they hated Word for 5 major reasons - not because it was a bad product, but some common tasks that they did every day in Ichitaro could not be done in Word. We collected hundreds of sample documents and interviewed many users. We also set up a temporary "usability lab" in our Tokyo office and did side by side tests of Word and Ichitaro to see where we were going wrong. We used typical sample documents we had collected and asked users to create them in each application. What we found was that many of the documents simply could not be created in Word, and those that could took on average 5 times longer than in Ichitaro, even accounting for familiarity with the products. 

So, we developed a prioritized list of things we had to fix in Word. Word 6.0 for Japanese was already in the bag, so our main focus was on Word95 (Word 7). We decided to work on the biggest problem, which was that Japanese documents used a lot of really complex tables - in effect their documents were more like forms than memos. So we built the Table Drawing tool (you can see this in Word today in all languages). In Japanese it is called the border line tool since that was closer to how Japanese users thought about it - table borders as dividing lines. We did a few other things that Japanese users expected, and released the product. 

From a marketing perspective, we knew it was critical to "sim-ship" with (release on the same day as) Windows95, since that was a big deal worldwide and unlike Office, Windows had a huge marketing budget we could draft off of. We made our goal, and having Word95 as the only 32-bit application in the Japanese market just as Win95 hit really helped us too. Now Just Systems, makers of Ichitaro, also knew that Win95 was a big deal (they knew the WP story), and they also tried to hit the same date (which was widely known for more than a year), but they couldn’t quite get it together, and shipped several months later. For those not familiar with Japanese Windows at the time, Win95 was an even bigger deal in Japan than in the US, since Win3.0/3.1 for Japan was a pretty weak product, and the market there really needed a big advance like what Win95 offered to get it expanding as Win3.1 had done in the US. So Win95 was for Japanese Word what Win3.0/3.1 was for English Word. We hit 40% market share of new sales in the year after launch of Word95 for Japan. 

We plowed on with Word97, adding features that Japanese users (and reviewers - not always the same!) expected, such as support for vertical writing, better Japanese input, etc. We simply went down the list of features that people could either tell us they needed, or that we deduced were necessary from our customer research. Word97 added another 20% to our share, and we even did a special Word98 for Japan, with only a couple of new features but a radically improved Japanese input method plus an actual merketing campaign to explain everything we had been doing and our share went even higher. 

About this time, Ichitaro underwent a total rewrite. For some reason Just Systems decided they needed to redo their whole application as "component software" (a fad at the time). You may remember this idea that you would be able to "buy" individual features of a product and plug them together to get the set you wanted. Hmm… Anyway, the rewrite took too long, and in desperation JustSystems put out a buggy, slow (over 30sec to boot - and Word was 8sec on the same machine) Ichitaro that actually had less features than the product it replaced. It also required more memory than any machines in the market had at that time (32MB, vs. the 8MB that Word required. New computers shipped with 16MB!), so to use it you also had to buy extra memory. And their big tagline was "Now, componentized!". They were clearly pretty out of touch with their customers. Meanwhile, we kept going with Word2000, which really polished off the remaining things that people needed in Japan. I went to Japan every six months to meet with customers and understand their concerns. By the time we were working on Office XP (about the year 2000), the customers in Japan had largely dropped their resistance to Word. As they told me - "We don’t see anything wrong with it. It used to drive us nuts but it's pretty good now."

So, that in a nutshell is the Microsoft method. Understand the market, and the customers, and then go pedal to the metal, with release after release focused on what the customers need, incorporating their feedback. That puts the competition into reaction mode. And of course it helps if they also make a strategic error because they are under so much pressure.

Can Microsoft do the business and successfully produce the Courier Tablet?  If they've kept to their core values and maintained the same development ethos, this blog suggests that there is every likelihood.

You can read more in detail at Chris' blog here.  Its well worth reading.

Asus Eee Reader will be dual screen too

Amidst the interest generated by Gizmodo's scoop on the Microsoft Courier, I recalled that Asus had also announced an eBook Reader in development based on the same format.

Asus say it could work in any of four modes:  

1. Laptop;
2. eBook Reader;
3. Cinema; and 
4. Artist (a sketching application)

They demonstrated a prototype at CeBit and then made an announcement early September that it will be released this year in both budget and premium versions.

Nothing was said about what format eBooks the Reader will support.

Joy of Tech: Their "take" on an Apple Tablet

Joy of Tech have just done their take on the Apple Tablet... and the Apple Newton gets a mention.  Check it out here.

Microsoft Courier Tablet: Update

This Microsoft Courier Tablet has certainly stirred a lot of interest.  Here is a video that provides a walkthrough of the user interface.

More [rumoured] details have emerged:

1. It will operate on a Windows 7 kernel
2. Just like the Newton which revolved around Notes, Courier will revolve chiefly around an Infinite Journal, which looks like a more sophisticated OneNote, crossed with a web browser, crossed with...
3. Infinite Journal draws its inspiration from Franklin Covey's day planners.
4. A rumored target release date is Q2 2010.
5. Infinite Journal will (initially?) support three file formats:  Courier, PowerPoint and PDF.
6. Courier could use the xBox business model:  manufactured by Microsoft.
7. Normal Win7 apps won't load, only Courier specific apps allowed. 
8. No mention of eBooks, Music, video playback, desktop synchronisation, virtual or physical keyboards, other productivity apps and... HANDWRITING RECOGNITION.

Read all the detail here and here.

You can watch the original video here.  Wouldn't it be ironic if Microsoft was the company that was first to make a worthy successor to the Newton?!

Defying Gravity update: Where is Michael Tchao now?

Michael Tchao was the marketing executive that convinced John Sculley to support the smaller handheld pda format (code named, Junior) over a larger format machine favoured by Larry Tesler.

According to Tesler, Tchao disagreed with the research that suggested that the Newton would best succeed in vertical markets and instead set out to target a broader market.

The NY Times reports that Tchao has returned to Apple as Vice-President of  Product Marketing after being away for 15 years.  During that time he has worked as a consultant and General Manager of the Nike TechLab.  They link his return to the much rumoured release of an Apple Tablet in 2010.

What goes around, come around?!