ISSN 1496-3221
December 22, 2005
Who’s heading to Macworld this January? Hands please. Why not kick around town over the weekend and join some of your PDA-toting peers at the 2006 Worldwide Newton Conference in San Francisco. The event is conveniently scheduled directly following Macworld Expo, from January 13 — 15, 2006. The conference program is still a state of … More
October 4, 2005
I see Newton’s underpants. Well, perhaps not underpants. Underpinnings, maybe. Invigorated by this thread on the NewtonTalk mailing list, I somehow decided it would be good idea to post and annotate an x-ray image of a MessagePad. It’s partly an exercise in technical documentation, but it’s also pure, green-bleeding geekiness. Come on, admit it… you … More
February 27, 2003
… please turn off the backlight? The title of this post refers to a popular email signature that floats around on the NewtonTalk mailing list. I mention it not only because it’s oddly appropriate given what day it is, but it’s somewhat ironic as well. Today marks the fifth anniversary of Steve Jobs’ questionable decision … More
January 16, 2003
The indubitable Eckhart Koppen, developer of impossible software wonders, has started a new weblog dedicated to hacking the Newton. Mottek means “hammer” in a certain German dialect and loosely refers to the Hammer debugger used in developing for the ARM processor found in Newton devices. So what’s Eckhart got up his sleeve? I don’t know, … More
December 10, 2002
It’s time to cast your final votes for the 2002 edition of the Newtie Awards. What the heck is a Newtie? A fair question given that most upstanding folks haven’t been hanging around Newtons as much as some of us. The Newties are annual awards given out by Mr Rich Lindsay of This Old Newt … More
December 6, 2002
I am pleased to report that the first meeting involving two of Calgary’s four or five remaining Newton users occurred last night. I say four or five because the count varies based on who happens to be in town and responding to their email at any given time. As far I as can recall, this … More
October 6, 2002
The almost definitive online guide to Newton-related terms and definitions has finally been updated. Yes, I’m talking about the indispensable Newton Glossary. Now sporting over 700 terms for your perusal and subsequent enjoyment. I know it seems like forever since I updated the glossary, but hey, it hasn’t even been ten months yet. Yeesh. And … More
September 28, 2002
Cutting it as close to their pre-announced deadline as per usual, Apple has finally made iSync available in public beta form. There’s nothing specifically technical regarding the way iSync operates amidst the current batch of support documents, but I’m hoping that it will be open enough to support third-party plug-ins like iTunes does. The fact … More
February 27, 2002
Yes, another signpost along obsolete technology highway goes flying past in the rear view mirror. Please ignore my lame prose for a moment and take note that today marks the fourth anniversary of Apple (or more accurately, Steve Jobs) deciding to unilaterally discontinue development of the Newton. So, is the deep green platform truly dead? … More
February 14, 2002
Don’t you just love it when someone proves a point through sheer pluck and attitude? More specifically, someone demonstrates that a seemingly dead and abandoned technology can be dragged kicking and screaming into the present. What the heck am I yammering on about? Please direct your attention to the inaugural release of Eric Schneck’s iTunes … More