The Geofox One - First
Impressions
Thanks to the folk at Geofox in Cambridge (just down the
road from Acorn) I've got a Geofox One on loan for a while. The main purpose
was to review it in Archive Magazine, but here's some initial
thoughts:
- It's bigger than the S5 (won't easily fit in my shirt pocket, and
only just fits in my trouser pocket). Being slimmer than the Series 5 does
make it more comfortable to carry in the hand though, and it is very light.
- The screen is wonderfully large and clear.
- The keyboard has more keys, with less need to use the <Fn> key to
access common punctuation marks and calculator functions.
- I find the keyboard is not as easy to type on than the S5, but better
than the S3a (there's more room and a better response from the keys). I'm
getting more used to it as I continue to work with it, though.
- The "mouse pad" is taking more getting used to, and I think the S5
touch screen has "spoiled" me for that, as I keep having to resist the
temptation to tap the screen. I'm learning the keystrokes rather quicker
than with my S5!
- I've found the ideal piece of software to speed up switching between
applications via the keyboard on the Geofox (or S5, but the GF really
benefits from it), and that's Henry Hirst's re-written and dramatically
improved HotKeys.
- The bigger, clearer, screen (clearer because of the lack of the touch
sensitivity) really is superb for spreadsheets and word processing, and
makes email and Web browsing much easier thanks to being able to see more.
It has to be the main attraction - my S5 screen now feels very cramped!
- The backlight is a gentle blue instead of the S5's green, and whines
very slightly rather than buzzing.
- Battery life is a bit less than with the S5, thanks to the bigger screen
drawing more current. Geofox suggest 25 hrs max. against the S5's 35 hrs
max. With lots of use of the backlight, sound, serial link and Infra Red,
that will drop. My first set lasted 10 hours, but then so did the ones in
the S5 I was using to beam stuff to the Geofox!
- Most S5 applications work, with some of them (e.g. Grapher,
Mapper, S5Zip, VReader5, Plan) using the full
screen. Others (e.g. Nstore5, Procyon, and lots more) run in
the top portion of the screen with a lot of blank space below.
- Some third-party applications behave oddly from time to time, but I'm
starting to talk to the authors to let them know (if they don't already).
- There's a few patches on the Geofox Web site that I've loaded onto the
machine to correct some known bugs (e.g. it does a soft reset if it goes
into a 16 colour mode unless the right patch is there).
The Geofox is aimed at a different bit of the market to the
Series 5, being billed as a laptop alternative for business travellers. The
large screen and use of the "mouse pad" instead of pen are understandable
choices for folk who are moving from a laptop to a PDA. The PCMCIA slot
means you can use a modem card (a Psion Dacom one is supplied with some
models) or a CompactFlash with a suitable adaptor. The modem will drain the
batteries in less than 30 minutes, so normally it is disabled unless on
mains (but you can over-ride that). As the mains adaptor comes with the
modem models, and is a multi-voltage one with different "heads" for UK, US
and mainland Europe, that isn't too much of a restriction. You can also use
a battery-powered modem connected to the other serial port, as with the S5
(the GF's serial port connector is different, but a lead is supplied).
Geofox give a three year hardware guarantee, lifetime
technical help, and supply the machine with batteries and pre-loaded with
the Message Suite (also on CD) and software to re-programme the modem to
settings appropriate to the country it's being used in.
It's an
interesting machine, and worth considering in its own right. If the modem
card, wonderful screen, and excellent support attract you, and you wouldn't
miss sacrificing the touch screen of the S5 for the greater clarity, it's
worth a look at. On the other hand, the larger size, shorter battery life,
lack of touch screen and rubbery keys might put you off.
At the moment,
I think I'd still just choose the S5 (for its size, keyboard and touch
screen), but that Geofox screen is wonderfully tempting, and I'm really
starting to wonder whether the Geofox isn't a better all-round machine.
If you want to buy one, Geofox sell direct via mail order,
and CJE Micro's have recently become
Geofox dealers. IMS are also selling them and including a free copy of PsiRisc to connect it to Acorn RISC OS machines. Arclink5 will also work with the Geofox One.
I've written an in-depth review to complement
these initial thoughts.
Connectivity -
Support - Education - Programming - Acorn Reviews
- EPOC32 Reviews - Acorn
Links - Psion S5 Links - Home
Any comments?
Please let me know.
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pages on this site are all © John Woodthorpe, and are my personal
opinions. All trademarks are acknowledged.