SPGJAF@CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU (Joseph A. Faracchio {415} 642-7638 {w}) (01/14/91)
Saw you're note on the handheld list. Wow, a non-48C discussion! :-)
Funny you should mention the Wizard right now. I am using the ZQ-2200
and ZQ-5200. I'm carrying the 2200 around in place of a small pocket calendar.
and I'm using the 5200 as a very expensive i/o cable :-) between my 2200 and pc
Yeah I know, call me crazy. The 5200 is very much like the 8200 but w/o the
plug-in card capability. In fact the software that comes with the PC cable
assumes I have a OZ-7000 with the time/expense/do list card 'plugged in'.
But they are incorporated into the 5200 since it can't take cards.
I'd say if you're friend is really ambitious about this data collection then
they should also consider a laptop or other (T102) as well. Unless its truly
intended to be a >palmtop< key entry device. I find,making small cryptic notes
to myself ok but if I had time to kill and wanted to compose a letter to some-
one I'd think twice about it. Don't get me wrong ,
I could do it but it would be very slow and a bit tiresome (in other words I
only do it if I was stuck somewheres with time to kill, really!)
Fortunately Sharp switched from the ABCD keyboard (7200) to a QWERTY keyboard
(2200,5200,8200) but it is intended to be used as a palmtop so this means
mixed case is produced >not by holding down the shift< but by pressing CAPS
to turn capitalization on/off, pressing the key you want in upper or lower
case and then pressing CAPS to get it switched again. I.E.
Its not a touch typists dream. I can't comment about the 8200. Its
larger but the 2200 and 5200 are very small keyboards truly intended to be
typed on with 1 finger while holding the thing in the palm of the other hand.
The bulk of the info I intend to carry around in it will be transferred to it
from the pc.
About the PC interface I hope this helps: I bought the OZ-791A cable w/
software. It was originally intended for the OZ-7000 but works with the 5200
as I've previously commented. It's a bit archaic (from a "computerist's" point
of view) Lots of menus, poor documentations, strange kinda of options that it
forces you to make. Arbitrary restrictions : you can't restore ANN,DO,Expense
and the manual gives the only reason to be that you SHOULDN'T !
But there's hope! I am writing my own software to get around these limitations
and I'm finding it NOT impossible to reverse-engineer how the transfer occurs.
Although I originally tried to get the 2200 to work with a PC by data analyzing
two 2200s exchanging data, here a UC Berkeley I even went to my big-gun co-
workers 'in the basement' to scope the signal out and we still couldn't figure
what was going on. So that's why I resorted to buying a 5200 as well and using
it as a transfer device.
My initial requirements are to do full backup /restores to the 5200 with 1
command. Unlike the software supplied that makes you do about 5-10 menu
selections to do any 1 (memo, tel, schedule) bkup/restr. I have discovered two
interesting commands not documented: one turns the wizard off (from the PC)
and the other take it out of pc transfer mode. neat!
And it appears that even though you "shouldn't" restore ANN's, DO lists nor
Expense data FROM the PC I think I can do it.
Well I've rambled on here too long. If you have any other questions
don't hesitate to ask. Hope this helps.
cheers ... joe.f.
p.s. you can't make the cable yourself its got circuitry and power
supply on it. ;-( Seems a bit more complicated then its worth.