pmorriso@gara.une.oz.au (Perry Morrison MATH) (09/06/90)
I bought an mc400 a couple of weeks ago, Here are my general impressions: Ergonomics etc: Nice size (A4) and weight ~4lbs. Screen has good resolution 600 x 400 LCD but needs good rear/side light source for best viewing. Notable lack of screen smear on scrolling. I'm no fusspot on Keyboards. This one is Ok but could be more robust. Function keys are replaced by a pad which acts as a mouse- you use your finger to move a pointer for mouse type operations. This is not as accurate as a mouse, takes practice and can be annoying. Many mouse operations can be replaced by key combinations but some can't. Physically it's a nice package with space for an internal quad modem, fax card and speech compression module. Software: Has its own proprietary gui in ROM- very maclike. Comes with a text processor- very macword like with less fuctionality eg. limited choice of fonts/styles. No centering or justification etc. Has database of limited functionality- used mostly for phone lists etc. No capacity for complex boolean functions. Has appointments/diary application that is quite good. Cutting and pasting between applications/windows is easy. Calculator is a line oriented one unlike those on macs. Laplink is provided and a terminal emulation package also allows up/down loads to a PC/Mac/mainframe for file storage. A structured basic like language is provided which is OK for simple things but not powerful enough for very serious work. The machine is MULTITASKING and switching between tasks/processes is instant. Up/downloading via modem while editing or doing other things simultaneously is very nice. Storage: There are five forms: 1. keeping multiple applications open and leaving them in memory (battery backed) 2. uploading to a PC or mac via laplink 3. Using a modem to upload files to a PC/MAc/mainframe. 4. storage on RAM solid state disk (battery backed memory) 5. saving to a flash disk (somekind of EPROM : doesn't erase old info- just points to alterations, hence it needs to be completely overwritten when full). Note that there is no floppy or hard drive. VERDICT: This is an executive's machine. What do I mean? It is great for entering in text that will be modified/reformatted/professionalized at a later date. It is great for use as a light personal terminal for transferring files up or down for more work or for reading mail/news on a remote mainframe. It replaces several execitive necessities- phone and address book, calculator, capacity for entering/modifying/transferring text or other files, capcity to write short software for complex calculations etc. However, without more sophisticated applications its capacity for local processing is limited. At some point you have to move files to a more powerful machine or more complex applications for more complex analysis or document quality output. GOOD FEATURES 1. 60 hours battery life on 8 AA batteries. If you're stuck for apower point this is a lifesaver. 2. Screen is very nice, crisp and pleasant to use. Most laptops give me headaches. This doesn't. 3. GUI is very intuitive and novices (like my wife) can be productive without knowing DOS. 4. Compact size and self contained modem is very nice. 5. Multitasking is very nice. Our phone lines are so crappy that up/down loads can only reliably proceed at 300 baud. WOrking on something else at the same time is a nice capability. It is a feature that could be exploited if more sophisticated applications come along. BUMMERS 1. Applications are too simple for much local processing. 2. GUI is great for novices but a larger software base like DOS is needed. 3. Lack of a floppy can be annoying- "show me your machine" is not as easy as "sure, here's a floppy with a copy on it". Obvously you can't get the kind of power conseravtion this machine has with a floppy. 4. Storage media are DAMN expensive- $A500 for a 512K flash disk and $800 or so for a RAM disk. You might only need one or two but still! These are Oz dollars i.e. 1x $Oz = .82 x $US. and these prices are tax exempt as well. The machine was cheap for me ($1600) as part of a dealer price. They obviously want to sell a few to universities and were willing to take a profit cut. The real price is $600 more. 5. You need to buy THREE cables- one for laplink to a PC, one to do the same for a MAC and one to communicate with a modem. I think this could be ratinalized ($45 each!). Conclusion: I like the machine despite its limitations. A major factor was to get something light for transport between home and office. Most of my work at home is done via modem to a unix box and I tend to enter text for uploading and further work on that mainframe. I like using their storage facilities, paper, net links etc. Hence lack of local processing power/storage is not important, but could be useful now and then. Another major factor was finding a machine my wife could use with no knowledge of computers. She likes the machine and uses it regularly for typing in drafts of assignments or work related douments. Tha battery life gives a great sense of freedom and with the modem (when it arrives) will provide a nice compact package. Provided enough good software is converted/written for the machine, its multitasking could be a real bonus. Competitors like the Toshiba 1000/se or xe were ruled out because of DOS and (in my view) poor screen qualities. The new Sharp machines with the paper white VGA screen, 80286 and 20 meg disk sound good, but battery life is low and they are more expensive. Lastly, my decision to buy this machine was influenced by the fact that the money was froma research grant. My choices might have been different if it had been my own hard earned cash. Hope this helps somebody. Perry Morrison