#Newton & the Amiga
18 messages in this thread
Jeff
I have a Newton MessagePad 110 and a Amiga 2000/40. My boss gave me the
MessagePad as a gift. But not owning a Mac makes it difficult to backup
important data, download great FREE software and utilities from Compuserve. I'm
not sure if Software packages are on Floppy disk or Memory cards?
You also have to buy a connection kit for either the Mac or IBM in order
load software into your MP.
Don Youngner
I backup/import data/etc.. to and from my Messagepad 110 using my Emplant
board, it works great!
John
John, This seems the best way to go Don
Don Youngner
Dan,
Have you tried uploading notes or letters from the newton into your Amiga.
That's what I was curious about.
Jeff
Hi Jeff,
I have had a MP110 since May along with my A1200. I have never tried to
interface the two machines. I do use the Amiga to download packages from CIS,
unstuff them using Cross-PC and then install them at work on my pc.
I have heard some rumors about a dos based package installer for the Newt. But
I have to think it will require a 386 or higher with my luck.
Darald
This may be a little off the subject, but does any one use a different handheld
computer with the Amiga? I have an HP 100LX, and I know some people use the
PSion. Any others out there?
Rick Green via AutoPilot 1.77
I am using a Zoomer, and Love IT!!!
Are you using the Zoomer and the Amiga together in some way?
Rick Green via AutoPilot 1.77
I just found out I'll be getting an HP 95LX, or 95something anyway. I'm
coming in late on this thread — is there any decent stuff to talk to it with
from the Amiga, or will I have to warm up the ol' Bridgeboard? 🙂
— Tom
Well, for now you'll probably have to use the Bridgeboard (Which one do you
have?). The 95LX is an older model, I hope you are getting a deal on it :^)
I'm thinking about writing some utility software for the Amiga to make use of
the LX series. The A1200 would be great since it has the built in PCMCIA port;
they could share information through the flashcards. I don't know anything
about programming the Amiga's PCMCIA port, though, so I have a lot to learn
before I can start.
On my 100LX, I have a Megahertz PCMCIA 14.4 X-Jack modem, and it works great
(although it does eat up battery time). I can communicate with the Amiga
through the serial port, but it doesn't do much good right now (just for
backing up files).
Rick Green via AutoPilot 1.77
> The 95LX is an older model
That's okay. It's not costing a penny. <g> What's this X-jack you mention
on your modem?
I'm gonna be looking into a PCMCIA modem for my HP if I can find one at a
decent price. 2400 bps is plenty fast for me at this point. It's coming with
some kinda connectivity pack, so it'll already be able to hook up to the
Amiga's serial port. My idea for the modem is to be able to grab email on the
road from, if need be, a pay phone or hotel phone. I guess I really need to
stop by the palmtop forum, but if you think of any novel uses for an Amiga/LX
combo I'd love to hear about it. It'd be neat to come up with a GUI that could
read/write textfiles, etc. while hooked up to the LX series. 🙂
On that utility software, you don't necessarily have to go the PCMCIA route
right away. Had you seen the LX connectivity stuff? I don't know a lot about it
yet — should have it in a week or two.
Which Bridgeboard do I have? The ancient XT version, with a '286
"accelerator". Slow but affordable at this point, with what little DOS stuff I
do…
— Tom
Well, the best things in life are free, aren't they :^)
The X-Jack is a PCMCIA modem that requires no special cable. Instead, this
little push in-push out special RJ-11 jack pops out. It's quite clever, and at
14.4kbs and fax capability at 14.4, it flies in the 100LX (although the screen
updates are slow). They have a Compuserve offline navigation program available
now for the HP LX series palmtops called aaCIS. I haven't seen it, but it
sounds like a limited version of AutoPilot.
Go by the palmtop forum (Go HPHAND). They have good support over there.
The connectivity pack gives you a special null modem cable and some software
for the IBM. The LX series have a special 10 pin serial connector.
I have the '386sx 20mhz bridgeboard, but I don't have my A2000 up and running
yet. I just got an HD controller for it, and I hope to have it up soon. If
you just want to run HP LX software on the Amiga, even PC-Task would work fine
(The 95-100LX is just an XT machine. The 200LX uses an 80186 CPU).
Rick Green via AutoPilot 1.77
It's funny, but right after I asked you what the XJACK connector was I saw
one in a catalog. <g> MicroWarehouse has a new datacomm catalog with PCMCIA
modems in it. Talk about good timing! 🙂 That jack looks like it could be
kinda flimsy — the modular plug (RJ11) just sorta plugs into a "jack" with no
back or protection around it. The 2-wire connection just sorta sticks out into
space. I s'pose it's secure, since it gets retracted into the modem case when
not in use, but it looks like those wires could get bent pretty easy.
aaCIS, huh? Outstanding! I'll sure test it out. And I had guessed (actually,
hoped) that the 95LX was at least an XT machine; its 640k RAM was what gave me
a clue. I sure can't complain for a pocket-sized machine! But I still really
don't know much about it besides having seen it briefly. I'll definitely check
out the HPHAND forum. Maybe I'll seeya over there — I sure do appreciate the
background info!
— Tom
Rick,
I use an HP 48SX with my Amiga. I mainly use the Amiga as MASS
storage, though I can use it to read the Educomp disks for the HP.
James Du Bois via AutoPilot
Don't ya just love remote control?
>>This may be a little off the subject, but does any one use a different
>>handheld computer with the Amiga? I have an HP 100LX, and I know some
>>people use the PSion. Any others out there?
Rick,
If I had known then (when I bought my Newton), what I know now, things might
have been different. When I was looking for a PDA I looked at the Psion, Zoomer
and the Newton. There was no way to interface my Amiga with any of them then.
Now there is a way to interface the Psion with the Amiga. That _might_ have
caused me to look at the Psion a little more closely. I never really even
considered the Zoomer and I don't know why. I could not get a chance to play
with any of them except for the Newton without a salesperson trying every way
possible to get me to buy it. My Apple rep (I work in computer software retail
management) had one when he came in on of my stores one day, he gave me a demo
and I fell in love. I ran out the next week and spent over $800 and the rest is
history.
Someone out there needs to figure out a way to connect these two great
machines….
Darald
Don't they make some kind of connectivity hardware/software for the Newton? I'm
sure it is only to connect to a PC or MAC, but if it's serial, you can connect
it to the Amiga. Also, there is PCMCIA. Just have to get a driver for the
Amiga's PCMCIA port to read the flash cards (No driver exists for that yet,
though).
Rick Green via AutoPilot 1.77
I'm in the same boat you are in. I have a Newton MessagePad 100 and nothing
to connect it to. Some purchased software comes on memory cards but most, over
half, comes on floppies (Mac/IBM formats.)
You can buy a floppy that connects to the Newton but I don't know what the
price of such a thing might be. There ARE Amiga programs that read Mac disks
so there is a possiblity you could buy the drive, attach it to the Newton to
load commercial software and ->POSSIBLY<- save data on this drive to a disk
readable by an Amiga running a Mac disk reading program.
It may be worth investigating.
Leslie, Thanks for the info i'll look into it Don
Don Youngner