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27 years later and the Psion 3a is still wonderful (2020)

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Re: 27 years later and the Psion 3a is still wonderful (2020)

#71
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks! Oh, looks like I'm old now. :c

Reddit is for old geezers, so I doubt any of the above answers is in any way in touch with 2023. And I'm not sure who calls Macbooks "$2000 Facebook machines". That sounds like the ancient DOS era bs that "Macs are toys" (funny, the PC ended getting all the gamers and meat-and-potatoes OS needs, i.e. email+web, older people). In the west, where they can afford it, a huge chunk of programmers, graphic designers, data…

>Reddit is for old geezers

Please let all the Gen-Z-ers know they should vacate Reddit.

Re: 27 years later and the Psion 3a is still wonderful (2020)

#72

I will never understand why we do not have this kind of device anymore. A small computer, running linux, proper keyboard, integrated LTE - it would be a messaging and writing dream. Back in the days i developed custom software for the Revo, the SDK was a dream to work with as well.

Nowadays you need a modern web browser which is a resource hog.

Re: 27 years later and the Psion 3a is still wonderful (2020)

#73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are very similar things available. https://store.planetcom.co.uk/collections/popular-items/prod... is basically mimicking the Psion 5 in its physical design, and there are a number of other very small laptops around like https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09FQ7QNFB/ or GPD's various models if you want higher specs and have the cash to flash, and so on. But for longer messaging on the move (and occasionally other thin…

I find as I get older and my eyesight isn't quite as good that what I want for that sort of use case is an external keyboard and a monocle, or some other head-mounted display. Any portable device with a stand that's any smaller than a laptop means leaning over and squinting.

Regarding head mounted display - I've been wanting to try something like NReal Air Ar glasses. Sounds like it fits your description:

https://www.reddit.com/r/digitalnomad/comments/y155e1/my_nom...

Re: 27 years later and the Psion 3a is still wonderful (2020)

#74
post #26

I will never understand why we do not have this kind of device anymore. A small computer, running linux, proper keyboard, integrated LTE - it would be a messaging and writing dream. Back in the days i developed custom software for the Revo, the SDK was a dream to work with as well.

The market is too small. I had a HP Jornada 720, and it dramatically changed how I worked. I followed the several later projects that tried to continue with small size, touch-typeable keyboard, and desktop compatible OS, but they all fizzled from lack of market interest.

Just adding...I haven't thought about these devices for a long time, but now looking at the things that are available, I realize I wouldn't even want one now. Notebook computers have become so light that it's not a hassle to carry one in my bag, and suspend mode works well enough for "instant on". There isn't the great advantage there used to be.

Re: 27 years later and the Psion 3a is still wonderful (2020)

#75
post #29

I will never understand why we do not have this kind of device anymore. A small computer, running linux, proper keyboard, integrated LTE - it would be a messaging and writing dream. Back in the days i developed custom software for the Revo, the SDK was a dream to work with as well.

The GDP Pocket 3 https://www.gpd.hk/gpdpocket3 comes very close to your requirements.

I like it. On the other hand, for this amount of money (1000€) i can buy a Macbook Air M1 which is somewhat bigger but also much more usable.

So while i lust after such a tiny device, in real life i'm pretty happy with the more practical form factor dictated by the keyboard size.

Re: 27 years later and the Psion 3a is still wonderful (2020)

#76

I will never understand why we do not have this kind of device anymore. A small computer, running linux, proper keyboard, integrated LTE - it would be a messaging and writing dream. Back in the days i developed custom software for the Revo, the SDK was a dream to work with as well.

I had a Psion series 5mx and it was amazing. The keyboard was not quite big enough for me to touch type, but it was fast enough to take notes. The apps were extremely well made despite greyscale screen. Where I was, the most popular competitor were Palm devices. The larger screen and integrated keyboard made me feel like a king compared to those around me using Palm devices. I was sad to hear that Psion was pivoting to phone operating systems with Symbian and did not get a chance to try any of their other devices or form factors (Psion series 7, netPad, etc.)

Later I had a Blackberry Curve. It had the best keyboard and form factor for mobile typing I have ever used. The keys were smaller than the virtual ones on onscreen smartphone keyboards, but even today I prefer the physical buttons and cannot type as fast or as accurately as I could on the Curve.

Today I use an Android smartphone with Termux (https://termux.dev/en/) and occasionally bring along an external bluetooth keyboard if I plan to use it for more serious work. If there were a mainstream brand Android smartphone with an integrated physical keyboard, I would buy one immediately. There are a few off-brand smartphones with physical keyboards, but they are not well-maintained (typically running older versions of Android with few or no security updates) and some have questionable build quality and heritage (e.g. might come with factory-installed malware).

Re: 27 years later and the Psion 3a is still wonderful (2020)

#77

Lots of focus on the hardware here but its form factor still exists in niches. What has vanished, is our ability to do general-purpose computing at ~8MHz. Consider the computers you had in the 90s. Windows 3.11 and Office ran on a 286 but I sit here with 12 cores at ~4Ghz just to post this crumby comment. We are spoilt. It really makes me yearn to do more with less.

Ive looked for a 5mx form factor in the form of a phone and not been able to find it.

Re: 27 years later and the Psion 3a is still wonderful (2020)

#78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find as I get older and my eyesight isn't quite as good that what I want for that sort of use case is an external keyboard and a monocle, or some other head-mounted display. Any portable device with a stand that's any smaller than a laptop means leaning over and squinting.

Regarding head mounted display - I've been wanting to try something like NReal Air Ar glasses. Sounds like it fits your description: https://www.reddit.com/r/digitalnomad/comments/y155e1/my_nom...

Hm. They look very interesting. Wonder if there's anywhere I could try them out. I wear glasses for mild astigmatism, and I've always wondered if that's a blocker. For things like https://brilliant.xyz/ that's obviously less of an issue, but also they aren't aiming at the same sort of display.

Re: 27 years later and the Psion 3a is still wonderful (2020)

#79
post #77

Lots of focus on the hardware here but its form factor still exists in niches. What has vanished, is our ability to do general-purpose computing at ~8MHz. Consider the computers you had in the 90s. Windows 3.11 and Office ran on a 286 but I sit here with 12 cores at ~4Ghz just to post this crumby comment. We are spoilt. It really makes me yearn to do more with less.

Ive looked for a 5mx form factor in the form of a phone and not been able to find it.

Did you find the Gemini PDA and friends? It's very very similar.

Re: 27 years later and the Psion 3a is still wonderful (2020)

#80
post #65

I will never understand why we do not have this kind of device anymore. A small computer, running linux, proper keyboard, integrated LTE - it would be a messaging and writing dream. Back in the days i developed custom software for the Revo, the SDK was a dream to work with as well.

How about a Pinephone with the keyboard case?

Never tried it myself as I am holding off for the software stack to stabilise. But it certainly looks promising:

https://pine64.com/product/pinephone-pinephone-pro-keyboard-...

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