So does this mean that if I post something, it’ll appear everywhere, and then circle back to appear in the original place, and then over and over, in a vicious cycle?

I feel vaguely like a novice plumber who has somehow connected the toilet to the shower and is now afraid to flush.

He wasn’t too talkative.

Thankfully, it was nowhere near as painful as it sounds, even though I did experience a few problems because of my tools and inexperience.

I started with my old Radio Shack electronics “binder”, a collection of screwdrivers, soldering iron, pliers and wire stripper, augmented it with a toothpick, plastic knife and vicegrip, and I was well on my way. Only three problems:

1. The Torx screws are very soft, and the plastic holding them in had a tight grip. You guessed it: I wound up stripping a few, making it difficult to get them out. It didn’t help that it looked like somebody before me had attempted a hinge fix before, unsuccessfully, and wore them down before I even got to them. My Dremel with a cutting wheel and a fine diamond engraver point were called in to re-slot. So caution dealing with the screws is definitely advised.
2. The first time I put the machine back together, essentially trying to follow the disassembly instructions in reverse, I neglected to align the volume and contrast sliders in the right place. This was just careless.
3. The second time I put the machine back together, I didn’t leave enough slack for the backlight wire connection, and it popped out. Easy enough to determine (thanks to the translucent bezel around the screen — you’ll see the wires and connections at left), and fast to fix.

The operation took about two hours the first time, including the re-slotting of screws. I was paranoid, and definitely took my time. The other issues were fixed in about fifteen minutes each, once I had a little more confidence in what I was doing.

The surgery was a great success. My dear little eMate now feels brand new, with nice smooth hinge action, and no fear of one day puncturing the display cable.

Tags: newton, emate

So, my current set-up: a 15″ MacBook Pro, a stock eMate 300, an old-school Mac serial cable, and a Keyspan USA-28X serial-to-USB adapter. One end of the serial cable plugs into the eMate, the other end into the Keyspan, and the Keyspan’s USB connector into my MacBook Pro. Keyspan drivers are downloaded and installed.

First, the most basic sync program: NewTen, by Panic Software’s Steven Frank. This is basically a package installer. I choose my Keyspan connect, set the eMate to dock via serial, and drag a Newton package onto the app. After a little while –remember that a serial connection can be rather slow– the eMate has the package installed. A one-trick pony at the moment, perhaps, but it works well.

Second, Simon Bell’s NCX, also known as Newton Connection. This is an impressive little app that looks to replace Apple’s official Newton Connection Utilities (NCU). While it doesn’t yet do full synchronisation, it currently has the ability to:

• Install packages through a drag and drop;
• Import and export NewtonWorks “paper” (text) files as RTF and Notes files as text, plus Calendars and Names.
• Back up and restore the programs, extensions and data files on the Newton.
• A pass-through keyboard. This is neat. Whatever you type on your computer comes out on the Newton. Drag and drop text on the window to copy it into whatever program is currently open on the Newton, right where you’ve put the cursor.

The latter has proven handy to drop text right into a NewtonWorks or Notes file right from the Mac’s desktop. The export works well too — I’ve written four articles on the eMate thus far (including this one).

The third program I’ve been trying out is NewtSync, also known as nSync. (*cough*) I’ve already used this program to transfer all 200 of my OS X Address Book entries to my eMate, and am now experimenting with its text, outliner, calendar, and newsfeed synchronisation. It’s still an early release, and so I’m attempting each sync with extreme caution, being sure to back up my data often. Thus far, no problems.

I should note that none of these programs were created by Apple, nor are they sponsored by Apple in any way: these are hard-wrought fan projects, pure and simple. There’s something to be said for the dedication needed to program such things, given that the Newton platform was prematurely canceled nearly a decade ago.

More posts later, no doubt, as I learn the ins and outs, strengths and weaknesses, of each of these applications.

It’s a little bizarre: I normally receive a half-dozen email per article, in addition to the 6-12 comments left on the site. These Newton articles not only generated a lot of comments, but some 30 email, and were picked up by The Unofficial Apple Weblog and –giving me a brief and unexpected laugh-out-loud instant in a supermarket check-out line– on the MacBreak Weekly podcast. Most of the email posed the same conundrum: “I’ve always wanted a Newton, too…. Should I buy one on eBay?”

Now, I really hate giving advice like this, and for several reasons. First, the costs of Newtons in the past few weeks on eBay seem to have jumped significantly, no doubt owing to its sudden re-appearance in various media outlets in the weeks leading up to the iPhone. Second, I prefer not to be responsible for someone bidding for a Newton on an impulse and winding up with a $200 device that seems almost antiquated for most modern-day uses. Third, and most importantly, I’ve only had my Newtons for a few weeks. That means I am a base and uninformed Newt Newbie. I’m not fit to give such advice. I tell these people that the Newtons I have work for my purposes, but that they should join the NewtonTalk mailing list, which is overflowing with wise old masters dispensing advice and practical knowledge.

That these machines are working for me is evidenced by my sudden ability to write articles, notes, lists and other text in a focussed environment. While I dearly love my MacBook Pro, it’s filled with distractions, not the least of which is its proclivity to braise the flesh of my lap. By contrast, the eMate 300 (which I’m using to write this post) remains cool to the touch and allows me to actually concentrate on my words without thinking about websites, email, instant messaging, or even fancy graphics. Text, baby, and nothing else. It’s a handier version of an old-fashioned typewriter. This is the same reason why I’ve been debating getting an AlphaSmart Neo or Dana for so long. The difference is that the eMate (besides being quite a sexy looking machine, in my humble opinion) is roughly 1/20 the price. While getting the initial connections set up wouldn’t be as easy as with an AlphaSmart, the screen is bigger, the ruggedness is legendary, the touchscreen works very well, the 20-hour battery life is nothing to complain about, and –well– there’s something very unique about the machine that that makes a guy feel special. I can see why Batgirl likes it.

Perhaps in the next few weeks, I’ll post about how my Newton experiments are going. I’m still learning the ropes and exploring the machines’ strengths and weaknesses, so I might toss my discoveries out onto the Interwebs for those folks meandering down the same path. I’m sure there’s at least one other person out there….