Newton FAQ • Hacker News Board

Re: Newton FAQ

#31

Post by getoffmyyawn » Sun, Jan 22, 2023, 3:07 PM UTC

I had an eMate and it was (and still is - if you replace the battery pack) an exceptional device for taking notes and focused distraction free writing.

What makes it great for these tasks is that it wakes from sleep instantly and puts you right back where you were in your document as fast as you can open it. Saving is automatic. You just open it up, type some stuff, and close it again. It's light, rugged, and the battery lasts all day.

What's not great anymore is that it's non-trivial to transfer your writings to a modern system. However, it is still possible.

Re: Newton FAQ

#32

Post by NoahKAndrews » Sun, Jan 22, 2023, 5:49 PM UTC

im_down_w_otp wrote: post #10

I use my MessagePad 2100 regularly. It's a really wonderful device waaaaaaaaay ahead of its time. I am considering getting a reMarkable to use as my "daily driver" replacement, and dedicating the Newton to my home office museum.

I'd also recommend considering Supernote

Re: Newton FAQ

#33

Post by bdcravens » Sun, Jan 22, 2023, 6:34 PM UTC

Looking through the list of 3rd party implementations, I came across the Digital Ocean devices (not the cloud provider; the original company was defunct by the late 1990s) - the Newton came out just a few years before I really started getting into tech (I was a poor high school kid at the time), so not terribly familiar with a lot of companies in that space. I do remember seeing the Newton being used in the Steven Seagal movie, Under Siege 2, which came out in 1995.

https://apple.fandom.com/wiki/Digital_Ocean_Tarpon

Re: Newton FAQ

#34

Post by hungryforcodes » Sun, Jan 22, 2023, 9:18 PM UTC

getoffmyyawn wrote: post #31

I had an eMate and it was (and still is - if you replace the battery pack) an exceptional device for taking notes and focused distraction free writing. What makes it great for these tasks is that it wakes from sleep instantly and puts you right back where you were in your document as fast as you can open it. Saving is automatic. You just open it up, type some stuff, and close it again. It's light, rugged, and the bat…

Kind of like the Freewrite. So there is definitely still a market for these devices today....

(I had an eMate 300 and loved it btw, along with the replaceable batteries)