- Re: S3a to Mac: PsiMac

- HTC Universal

- MAC connect

- soft bells sound?

Date: 1 May 2006 22:11:01 +0000
From: Bruce A.Knox <address truncated>
Subject: Re: S3a to Mac: PsiMac

Trygve wrote:

> While the MacConnect software sucks, it CAN still be bought, over 
> at http://www.psionex.co.uk
> Whether that is for OS X or older versions, though...

MacConnect sucks indeed - and I never had any luck connecting my old 
S3a to an old Mac using it. The earlier PsiMac software was not bad 
however: unfortunately I don't have a copy to offer. Anyway PsiMac 
certainly would not work with OS X - nor would MacConnect. I 
seriously doubt whether either will work even in "Classic" mode on 
the newer Macs. I wish it were otherwise, as I'd rather like to be 
able to set up my 3a again, simply as a PDA (telephone numbers & 
Diary) which is lighter than the 5mx.

Mournfully yours ----- Bruce Knox

Date: 2 May 2006 10:26:06 +0000
From: Hugh Dibley <address truncated>
Subject: HTC Universal

I apologize if this has been discussed already and I missed it, but the HTC
Universal, marketed by phone companies under various names, seems it might
suit my needs as the replacement for my Psion 5mxs.

Although of different proportions It is of similar size to the 5mx, has an
acceptable size screen which rotates and folds, and a QWERTY keyboard that
while as not as good as the 5mx is certainly usable.

A passenger in the next aircraft seat was using one and showed it
multi-tasked properly with applications remaining in their current state.
It certainly looked very impressive to me.

It runs the dreaded Windows, but apparently did not crash - but not likely
to compare with my about two crashes in some 15 years with my Psions 3s and
5s!

However, I bought a Nokia 9500 last year hoping for a 5mx replacement and in
a few hours realized that for my needs it was a disaster.  None of my
Agendas nor records could be  transferred and I found the programmes, such
as Word, Sheet/Excel, did not run nearly as well as on the Psion.

So accepting that my old data cannot be transferred, would I not be better
off using a Windows based PDA which runs the programmes I use on my PC -
Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint?  I would switch from using Psion Agenda
(which I love for its ability to access notes easily via Sft-Ctl-Z and have
used as a diary since 1993 - and can refer back to in a few seconds) to
Outlook bit it seems that it what I will have to accept?

Of interest at the Psion AGM last year I asked David Potter why they stopped
making the Psion 5mx which I showed him I was still using.  He said he still
used his, and that it was a mistake to stop.  When he was very ill a few
years ago and was forced to hand over running of the company to others, he
said he had hoped he had educated them sufficiently that it was necessary to
concentrate on developing the technology, but to his regret he said the then
management went for market share.  (David Potter did not have his 5mx with
him but was using a high end mobile phone - for his agenda/records I
believe:  He said he did not use his phone for emails - nor do I use my 5mx
for that.)

After the meeting one of the current Psion directors told me that as there
were no Psion 5mx replacements available yet that indicated there was not a
market for such a device.  The HTC Universal seems to me to be getting close
to being a 5mx replacement for my needs - mainly note taking/writing at any
time, plus Agenda, Word, Sheet, Route, Spell, dual language dictionaries,
Michelin, Red Guide, etc - many available on Palms, etc of course. .  But I
doubt it will ever be as good as a colour screen 5mx with WiFi
connections/whatever.- it mystifies me why Nokia / some of you experts
cannot come up with such a device!

The current price of the HTC Universal seems to be about UKL£600 - on eBay
they're around U$900.  (My companion on the aircraft had his on a free
upgrade after some 10 years and as a favour over a dispute with Orange.)
At our local Orange shop for a new subscription they wanted UKL£150 down and
£40 pm for a year which they agreed was about the price of a new one.

I'd be very interested to hear your expert opinions.

Hugh Dibley
London and Toulouse 

Date: 2 May 2006 13:30:14 +0000
From: Itamar Engelsman <address truncated>
Subject: MAC connect

For what it is worth I still have a 3Link cable lying around in the office. If it would help someone to connect their 3 series to a computer you can have it for free.

Best regards,
Itamar Engelsman
London, UK

Date: 2 May 2006 20:50:35 +0000
From: Chris Kantarjiev <address truncated>
Subject: soft bells sound?

I have to admit that I am being tempted to stray from my psion 3c; I've been looking at other PDAs and have a new smartphone (cingular 2125, made by HTC).

But after 12 years of being imprinted with the Psion "soft bells" sound, I want very much to continue using it. I haven't figure out how to extract the bits from the ROM ... could someone tell me how, or
perhaps provide me with the sound as a WAV?

Thanks very much.

Best,
chris