From: kevink@samsara.tv.tek.com (Kevin Karth)
Subject: Re: Your chance to spend someone else's $$$! 
Reply-To: kevink@tv.tv.tek.com
Organization: Tektronix, Inc.,  Beaverton, OR
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 21:52:38 GMT

In article <725060207snz@chrism.demon.co.uk>, chris@chrism.demon.co.uk (Chris Marriott) writes:
|> In article <1992Dec22.042540.22754@vpnet.chi.il.us> cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us writes:
|> 
|> >Everyone should have my problems.
|> >
|> >For tax reasons I need to spend about $850 by the end of the end of
|> >the year, and I have decided I need :-) a palmtop. (PDA?  Whatever.)
|> >
|> >I consider PC data exchange a necessity, so the cost of a
|> >"Connectivity Pack" or equivalent should be included.
|> >
|> >My primary use for this will be multiple-project management.  With two
|> >jobs and multiple tasks at each job, I need something to remind me of
|> >impending milestones / deadlines.
|> >
|> >Next priority would be maintaining a list of contacts:  Name, Company,
|> >Phone number, and freeform notes.  Need to be able to search for
|> >things like "The guy in California with the laser".
|> >
|> >While I don't plan on playing Lacrosse with this thing in my pocket, I
|> >don't want to have to baby it, either.  (Then again, perhaps I could
|> >project some game stats...)
|> >
|> >The Newton isn't out yet.
|> >
|> >I've played with the HP95, the Psion 3, and the OZ-9600.
|> >
|> >If you had to drop $850 on pocketable computer hardware in the next
|> >week-and-a-half, what would _you_ get?  Where would you get it?
|> >
|> >Email or post; I read this group daily.  I'll post my shopping list
|> >first thing next year.
|> >
|> >-- 
|> >----------------------------------------------------
|> >Gordon S. Hlavenka           cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us
|> >Vote straight ticket Procrastination party Dec. 3rd!
|> >
|> 
|> Personally I'd go for the Psion 3 but, heck, I'm biased, I already have
|> one and love it!
|> 
|> I used to have a Sharp 8200 but I ditched it - it's a real fancy organizer,
|> but, at least IMHO, it ain't a computer.  I must admit I haven't seen the
|> 9000.
|> 
|> The HP95 is DOS compatible but I consider that to be a positive
|> *disadvantage* I'm afraid.  There are very few, if any, DOS apps you can
|> actually run on it sensibly because of the screen size.
|> 
|> The Psion uses a multitasking operating system that WORKS.  You can play
|> a game of chess (Psion chess - *highly* recommended!), leave it "thinking"
|> in the background whilst you consult your diary, write a memo, download
|> a file from your PC, etc.  It uses Microsoft's "flash RAM" filing system -
|> a fully DOS compatible file system - and, with the addition of the "3Link"
|> comms cable simply sees the PC or Mac's disks as additional disks attached
|> to it, and vice versa of course. (ie, no special procedures for file
|> transfer - just plug in the cable and do "copy a:\*.* c:").  It has a
|> useable keyboard and a good screen.
|> 
|> Best of all, at least for the purposes I bought it for, it's a proper
|> computer too.  It has an excellent built in programming language (OPL)
|> which is a form of structured BASIC.  For more serious software development,
|> you write in C on a PC and transfer the compiled code to the Psion via the
|> comms link.
|> 
|> As far as software goes, it has a good diary, a reasonable "word processor"
|> which is Microsoft Word compatible - complete with Styles, Outlining, etc,
|> and a *wonderful* 123-compatible spreadsheet.  Both Psion and 3rd parties
|> make a wide range of other software for it.
|> 
|> Anyway, enough said - I'd get the Psion (but you might have guessed that
|> already..... )
|> 
|> Chris

My bid would be for the OZ-9600 primarily because of the excellent scheduling
software built in as it would apply to your stated objectives.

Milestones and deadline objectives could be tracked by the "to-do" function
which is integrated with the scheduler which could be used to track and graph 
actual performance as related to planned project objectives.  The built in
notepad is more than sufficient for note taking and memos.  Drivers for HPLJ
series printers, Canon BJ series printers, Epson FX & LQ series, and the lowly
IBM Proprinter are built in.  The VT-100 emmulation is servicable and Xmodem
and ASCII file transfer protocols are built in as well.   Windows based 
"Pak-Rat" software would be a reasonable package to interface with the OZ-9600.

Secondly, your need for free-form databases is nicely met by the "user-file"
function in the Wiz.  The little beasty gives you nine user definable fields
within three separate database structures which can be further categorized
and collated with the "filer" function in any manner you wish.  The free form
search function is very easy to use, fast, flexible, and effective.

No, I don't work for Sharp, but I do own a 9600 and have owned a 5200, 8000,
8200, and 8600 Sharps.  Until the 9600 came along, they at best rated 5 - 7
on a scale of 1 - 10, (log scale) for me with regards to their effectiveness
and utility.  The 9600 is an order of magnitude improvement over the 8600!  
It rates at least an 8.5 to 9! 

Caveats:  There are a few holes yet in the "system."  

1.  No "Sharp" supplied PC or MAC interface software yet available.
    (one must use "Xmodem" and then deal with data structure conversion.)

2.  No application cards specifically designed for the 9600 yet available.

3.  The contrast ratio of the display leaves much to be desired.  The display 
on the 8000 series was close to the best I'd ever seen for LCD's but the 9600
with its greatly increased pixel count really needs TFT's to drive each pixel,
rather than row/column drivers.

4.  Although card-expandable, it is evident with the advent of graphics 
    support that more internal memory is a necessity.  

    Hey Sharp,  WITH MEMORY AS CHEAP AS IT IS NOW, WHY ONLY 256K RAM?  
    
    One needs at least a Meg. of RAM! 

There you have my biases for what their worth!

kevink@tv.tv.tek.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.palmtops