The HP Slate 500 reminds me of my old Newton MessagePad

There's something about the HP Slate 500 that reminds me of my old Newton MessagePad (which Apple killed back in 1998). Like the Newton, the HP Slate 500 is simple. It uses a pen and has handwriting recognition through an active digitizer (which results in much better pen-based computing). The HP Slate 500 also comes with a nice portfolio case, and maybe this is why the Slate reminds me of the Newton. I had a variety of cases for my Newton. Almost every case was made by a third party vendor and some were built really well. I still have some of those cases made by companies like E&B Cases, the Newt Boot, and others.

Since the HP Slate 500 has a built-in active digitizer, will it revitalize pen-based computing? Or, will people mainly use it for touch computing?

Apple iSlate vs. Newton

Once the Apple iSlate comes out, I'll be very eager to do a little "iSlate vs. Newton" comparison. I'm sure others will compare these devices as well, but who still has an old Newton MessagePad 2100? I do.

Here's my preliminary iSlate vs. Newton comparison:

I bet the Newton will beat the iSlate in these areas:

• battery life
• handwriting recognition
• novel and innovative apps designed before anyone had a smartphone like the iPhone
• cases and peripherals (like the external keyboard, the different types of PC card accessories, etc.)
• memory expansion capabilities (who still uses Flash PC cards?)
  
• ability to change/swap batteries
  

The iSlate will beat the Newton in these areas:

• color screen and graphics
  
• wireless communications
• processing power
• total # of apps (including useful and useless apps)
• multi-touch gestures
  
• price
  

I'm eager to see what the iSlate looks like.

My favorite mobile computer (Newton MessagePad)

I think my favorite mobile computer will always be the Apple Newton MessagePad. It really is a shame that Apple killed this wonderful product line many years ago. Just think of what could have happened with the Newton!

Maybe the iSlate will make up for it. Let's wait and see as January 26 rolls around. Will the rumors come true? Will the Apple tablet be a top seller in 2010?

Will OQO get acquired?

Jenn at pocketables.net wrote about how OQO might be acquired by the Chinese distributor known as AudioTone. Then, she updated her post by indicating that Picasso (the OQO Talk forum moderator) told her that these are old rumors that have dissolved. So, what's the truth? Does OQO have a chance at survival? It's too bad the major players like Samsung or HTC don't acquire this great technology. It appears that the OQO will suffer the same fate as the Apple Newton Messagepad. Long live the Newton and OQO! I hope that my OQO lives a long life. Although my Newton still works, I don't use it because the grayscale screen just isn't very practical these days. The OQO can always become a small digital picture frame at the least.

Apple Tablet or Giant iPod?

There have been rumors about an Apple Tablet for quite some time (I'm not referring to the Newton Messagepad), but now we seem to be hearing rumors about a giant iPod running the same operating system as the current iPod touch. People are calling the iPod touch the "iTouch" and I wonder if Apple will take that term and create a giant iPod touch (maybe they'll still call it the iTablet). Or the iPod touch G (G = Giant).

What's Your Favorite Gadget?

I love gadgets. I blame that on my MIT education. I just fell in love with technology at MIT. That's why I like to write about medicine and technology.

What's your favorite gadget? I'd have to say that my favorite is the Apple Newton Messagepad 2100. Why? Because it was so innovative for its time. It had a processor that was much faster than most processors found in laptop computers. Plus, the handwriting recognition was unbelievable! It used standard AA batteries, so I even traveled to China with my Newton because I knew that I wouldn't have any problems finding AA batteries.

So, what's your favorite gadget? I'm willing to bet that many young people would say the Apple iPhone. Some may even remember the days when Sony came out with the original "Walkman" (yes, I had one of those).