(Click on an image for more info about that unit.)

HP OmniGo 100	Amstrad PDA-600	Motorola Envoy	Sony MagicLink
	Newton MP2100	Newton MP100

4/20/98 - Acquired Newton MessagePad 100

Purchased another PDA from Arnold, a Newton MessagePad 100 (exact same unit as the Original MessagePad but with a somewhat more recent OS version) for $50. In excellent condition, this MessagePad has a welcome place in my collection.

Also, while in Richmond, we managed to once again lay our all of the PDA's we have between us and get a digital photo. Click for larger image.

Over the past few weeks I've bought some used hardware/software off the net for my MagicCap-based handhelds (the Envoy and MagicLink). I've acquired a PC link cable with connectivity software (hard to come by), a 1mb SRAM card, and some software, including Graffiti. Graffiti is much nicer than QuickPrint, the HWR software on my MagicCap v1.5-based Motorola Envoy (the MagicLink lacked HWR as QuickPrint is not bundled with MagicCap v1.0, which is on the MagicLink) and expands the functionality of these machines significantly. These MagicCap machines are indeed quite a joy to use.

The MagicLink PIC-1000 came COD today. Excellent condition. I'm quite pleased with this one. Click on the image above for more info. I am surprised how much I like MagicCap.

I located someone selling an unused Sony MagicLink 1000 for $75 with full docs, box, etc. Ordered it with some software. Should be here within a week. The MagicLink 1000 is basically a Motorola Envoy without the wireless communications, and with better landline communications. Internally they are almost identical. Should be nifty. Runs MagicCap 1.0. I'll speak more of it when I receive the unit.

The page on which this newsitem is written went online today!!

This weekend I headed down to Richmond to visit my friend Arnold (of Nemesis Productions) who is a PDA freak as well. (Click on the thumbnail image below to view a quick pic I took of all of our combined PDA's.) While there, I picked up a Motorola Envoy 100 which Arnold had ordered for me over the net ($70 with extra battery and charger, not bad). I'm extremely impressed with this Magic Cap-based device, which truly is an amazing machine, especially when you consider when it came out (1993). For more info on Magic Cap, check out General Magic's web page. What is especially fine is the fact that the Magic Cap OS, which has been a "dead OS" for several years, has recently been reborn with the recent introduction of the Oki DataRover 840, which is higlighted on General Magic's page.

I also picked up (was given, actually) an Amstrad PDA-600, a device that debuted in 1992 in Europe (don't think it was sold in the US) which was one of the very first PDA's. It has character recognition and a suite of quite basic, built-in applications. Interesting machine. It was actually an unused unit which came in an unopened box, sold in a liquidation for $40. Not a bad price. For more info on either of these devices, click on their picture(s) above.

Well, I shelled out for a used PDA. I should be receiving, early next week, a used (but excellent condition) HP OmniGo 100. I have always found GEOS (the OmniGo's OS) to be interesting, but never actually had a machine that ran it (it was available for the Commodore 64/128, the Casio Zoomer PDA, etc.). The OminoGo is also interesting in that although it does sport a small keyboard, the 240x240 LCD display can be flipped all the way around behind the unit for use in a "writing pad" orientation (see picture links below). At any rate, I just thought I'd mention it here. Should be fun to play with.
OmniGo page 1, OmniGo page 2 (with demo), OmniGo FAQ, Pic 1, Pic 2, Pic 3