zaphod@madnix.UUCP (Ron Bean) (02/19/90)
I've been looking at the Casio "B.O.S.S.", and it looks real
tempting, but I haven't gotten a look at a user's manual for it
yet. What I mainly want to know is, does the "memo" program have
any kind of text-editing features (at least cut & paste)? If not,
it seems like it would be of limited usefulness to me, since it's
not likely to be programmable at the system level.
(Waldensoftware is selling them for $200, but I don't know what
they want for the PC file-transfer adapter).
The Atari Portfolio is such a near miss that I expect someone
will do it right one of these years (I'd be more tempted if it
had the serial port built in). In fact, I'm a little afraid to
buy anything right now, they keep getting better-- I'm also
starting to look at the Psion MC200, even though it's larger &
more expensive (we would have called it small a couple of years
ago).
P.S. I crossposted this to both comp.sys.laptops and comp.sys handhelds
because I don't know which is really appropriate. Most of the time
the latter is dominated by HP calculators. Any comments?
==================
zaphod@madnix.UUCP (Ron Bean)
{harvard|rutgers|ucbvax}!uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!madnix!zaphod
{decvax|att}!jordan_b_pollack@toto.cis.ohio-state.edu (02/20/90)
I bought a casio fx720p (and cassette/printer) in 1984, and love it, but only as calculator and programmable toy, and as proof of "what could be"; a full machine with keyboard, display, mass storrage and printer. Opening it was ominous, as Casio could afford to package 2 custom surface-mount chips on a single sided PCB for $50. The memory is 4k, the display 12 characters, the keyboard non-usable. (I also have a TRS model 100 for the same reason, only its got 32k and 4 by 40 display and usable keyboard) I wouldn't get a nonprogrammable toy like the Wizard or Boss, especially for scheduling, because pretty soon one of the pocket 80C88 machines (e.g. atari, poquet, go, psion) will include Lotus Agenda... -- Jordan Pollack Assistant Professor CIS Dept/OSU Laboratory for AI Research 2036 Neil Ave Email: pollack@cis.ohio-state.edu Columbus, OH 43210 Fax/Phone: (614) 292-4890
wd4fsu@kd4nc.UUCP (owen adair) (02/20/90)
In article <POLLACK.90Feb19224442@toto.cis.ohio-state.edu> pollack@cis.ohio-state.edu writes: >I wouldn't get a nonprogrammable toy like the Wizard or Boss, >especially for scheduling, because pretty soon one of the pocket > >-- When I was looking for a machine on which to keep phone numbers, addresses, and scheduling info the most important consideration was the size. I knew from experience of having a laptop that if it wasn't absolutely convenient to carry, I wouldn't. Therefore, one that fits into my shirt pocket was a necessity. The Casio BOSS computers are the only ones that adequately do the job for that size. I have the 7500, which has a serial port built in, although you need to buy the comm package for the software. It has 64K memory, very nice scheduling feature (beeps at the appt time) and seems very durable. The keyboard is the membrane type, but I find I can type quite fast on it. For 168 bucks (Service Merchandise) it is a great buy. If you want Lotus Agenda, then buy a Psion or Portfolio then watch it grow mold in your briefcase. :-) Owen ...gatech!kd4nc!owen
dlow@hpspcoi.HP.COM (Danny Low) (02/21/90)
> I've been looking at the Casio "B.O.S.S.", and it looks real >tempting, but I haven't gotten a look at a user's manual for it >yet. What I mainly want to know is, does the "memo" program have >any kind of text-editing features (at least cut & paste)? If not, >it seems like it would be of limited usefulness to me, since it's >not likely to be programmable at the system level. You can edit memos but it is a simple delete, insert or replace characters editing. It's really intended to be a just a memo to yourself to do something. It is not an text editor in any sense of the word. The BOSS is basically an electronic Daytimer(tm). As such it is very successful. I have one and love it. However it is in no way a portable computer. Danny Low "Question Authority and the Authorities will question You" Valley of Hearts Delight, Silicon Valley HP SPCD dlow%hpspcoi@hplabs.hp.com ...!hplabs!hpspcoi!dlow
chapman@parc.xerox.com (Brent Chapman) (02/23/90)
In article <GOBBEL.90Feb20180217@wimsey.parc.xerox.com> gobbel@parc.xerox.com (Randy Gobbel) writes: >Don't know about the "B.O.S.S.", but the Sharp Wizard has cut&paste editing >(you can also cut and paste between applications), all the other features of >the B.O.S.S. (modulo the narrower, but taller, screen and the #$&%@ >non-qwerty keyboard), and in general a much more intuitive user interface. >I've heard that user programming for the Wizard is in the works. As someone who has both of these things (a Wizard given to me for Christmas, and a Casio SF-7500 that I picked for myself a month later), I definitely prefer the Casio, for a number of reasons: - It's much smaller. I don't wear shirts with pockets (my way of avoiding the nerd "pocket protector" stereotype :-), but the BOSS fits just fine in my front pants pocket, without trying to me do bodily harm when I sit down. - The keyboard is much nicer. First, it's QWERTY; granted, I can't touch-type on it (my hands are far too large), but I can do fairly well with two fingers (or two thumbs, if I'm holding it in my hands) because I don't have to hunt for the damn keys. I imagine that I could eventually get used to the layout on the Wizard, but why? - I prefer the wider display on the Casio. - The Wizard is almost impossible to use effectively without setting it down on a table or something; I can easily hold the Casio in both hands and type with my thumbs. If a more powerful, more featureful, DOS-compatible (this is a feature?) unit of similar size comes out in a year or two, so what? The Casio cost less than $200; if it has a useful life of a year or two, I'll be quite satisfied. -Brent
mec@cbnewsj.ATT.COM (michael.e.connick) (02/23/90)
In article <3826@kd4nc.UUCP> wd4fsu@kd4nc.UUCP (owen adair) writes: > For 168 bucks (Service Merchandise) it is a great buy. If you want Lotus > Agenda, then buy a Psion or Portfolio then watch it grow mold in > your briefcase. > > :-) I noticed the "smiley face" but still want to comment on the portibility of the Atari Portfolio. First of all, for all of those people who need to wear suits or sportcoats at work, the Portfolio fits nicely into an inside breast pocket. For people like me who don't wear jackets at work, the Portfolio is still extremely handy to carry about in your hand. Really, if it were any smaller I couldn't type on it! It's certainly a lot smaller to carry around than my old log book, which I used to take with me everywhere at work. It's replaced both my DayTimer and my log book so I now actually need to carry less junk with me at the office. I never carry it in a briefcase. It's usually in my hand, on my desk, or in some kind of jacket or coat pocket when I outside or in my car. Finally, although I don't have Agenda running on my Portfolio, I do have a nice terminal program in it and Tiny Basic for the occasional quick little program. In addition I'm also developing some custom software for it. It's very easy to write software on a PC using Microsoft C and just download it to the Portfolio. You can't do that with a BOSS! ;-) ----------------------------------------------------- Michael Connick mec@mtfmi.ATT.COM 201-957-3057 AT&T Bell Labs MT 3F-113 (Dept. 79151)
news@udenva.cair.du.edu (netnews) (02/24/90)
In article <3826@kd4nc.UUCP> wd4fsu@kd4nc.UUCP (owen adair) writes: >very durable. The keyboard is the membrane type, but I find I can type quite >fast on it. > Quite fast on membrane???? >For 168 bucks (Service Merchandise) it is a great buy. If you want Lotus >Agenda, then buy a Psion or Portfolio then watch it grow mold in >your briefcase. B Funny, no mold growing on my Portfolio, you must have been doing something wrong...
pdel@zodiac.ADS.COM (Peter Delevoryas) (02/26/90)
In article <8540002@hpspcoi.HP.COM> dlow@hpspcoi.HP.COM (Danny Low) writes: >> I've been looking at the Casio "B.O.S.S.", and it looks real >>tempting, but I haven't gotten a look at a user's manual for it >>yet. What I mainly want to know is, does the "memo" program have >>any kind of text-editing features (at least cut & paste)? If not, >>it seems like it would be of limited usefulness to me, since it's >>not likely to be programmable at the system level. > >You can edit memos but it is a simple delete, insert or replace characters >editing. It's really intended to be a just a memo to yourself to >do something. It is not an text editor in any sense of the word. >The BOSS is basically an electronic Daytimer(tm). As such it is >very successful. I have one and love it. However it is in no way >a portable computer. > > Danny Low > "Question Authority and the Authorities will question You" > Valley of Hearts Delight, Silicon Valley > HP SPCD dlow%hpspcoi@hplabs.hp.com ...!hplabs!hpspcoi!dlow Hi, I hope this posts okay, as I'm *very* new to doing this. Anyway, I read your question about the B.O.S.S., and since I have one, I'll try to give you some info on it. I have the SF-7500 model; it works fine for me (my girlfriend got it for me for Christmas, otherwise I *might* have purchased a different model), but entering data on the touch-pad keyboard is kind of a pain. Then I bought the mac-pc link interface for it, and I think it will be a lot more useful. The BOSS by itself does not have that many editing functions, such as cut- and-paste, as you asked about. BUT, with the mac-link, it does a lot more. I won't list everything here, but I'll put in some excerpts out of the PC-link manual. BTW, there is also a PC-Link for IBM-compatibles. Page 7-4 in the Casio-Link manual says you can delete and insert new text, as well as entire memos. You can also do this in the other fields, Phone, Business Card, and Schedule. In addition, you can print out any of the fields. Chapter 9 says: You can use commands on the Conversion menu to convert CasioLink Mac records into file formats that can be read by a variety of database programs or by HyperCard for use in HyperCard Address and DateBook functions, or in Focal Point II Daily Planner and Directory functions. You can also import database files or HyperCard stacks into the CasioLink Mac functions. This allows you to print reports from CasioLink Mac or transfer the data to the Casio BOSS. I think that should give you a little more info on the BOSS. If you need more info, let me know. PS I hope this posts correctly, if not, I apologize. Peter