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The Canonical List of MessagePad Questions and Answers ====================================================== This document is a collection of Questions and Answers about the Apple Newton MessagePad. This list has been broken out of the longer Canonical List of Newton Questions and Answers; that list was becoming too unwieldy, so I'm breaking it into a couple of parts in order to maintain them separately and present the information better. Author ------ Collected and written by Paul R. Potts, potts@oit.itd.umich.edu. Or, call me at home, (313) 662-1462, and leave a message if I'm not there. If you inhabit CompuServe, I can be found on CompuServe at 71561,3362, although I don't use my account more often than a couple of times per month (I have to pay off my Newton!) Copyright --------- Permission is granted for the free use and distribution, of this document, in any form, provided that: - My name stays on it. - You do not distribute this document with alterations. If it has my name on it, I want to be the one to make changes. I am writing this posting as a private individual and developer and not in my official capacity as an employee of the University of Michigan. The views expressed herein are not necessarily the views of the University of Michigan. Version ------- version 1.1, Revised 9-28-93. Update Information ------------------ Putting together a list like this and keeping it up-to-date takes a lot of time, and I'm not paid to do it. So, please don't send me requests that will take me a lot of time to fulfill. Please *do* send me updates, factual corrections, bug reports, and suggested changes. I am trying to keep this document as up-to-date as possible. Before sending me something to add, please scan through the list and see if there is already an item that describes the problem, gripe, or wish that you're suggesting. That will save me time. I've been asked to include information on which parts of this document have changed since the last version. Well, I'd love to, except this last batch of revisions included hundreds of additions, minor edits, shortening paragraphs, and fixing typos. It just isn't practical for me to mark all that. I'll try to come up with a way to do it in future versions. Late-Breaking News ------------------ Apple has released Newton system software version 1.04. If you need an update to Newton system software version 1.04, you have many options. If you own a Connection Kit, CompuServe, AppleLink, and America OnLine all carry the patch as a "Package" that you can install with the Connection Kit software. If you have ftp capability, you can get the 1.04 update files from bnnrc-srv.med.jhu.edu (if you can't use the name, the IP number for this site is 128.220.81.221). With the connection kit, choose "Install Package" on the Mac, then open up the Connection applet in the Extras box on the Newton, choose the connection type, and hit Connect. Download should proceed easily, and you will be asked to reset your Newton afterwards. After you have reset the Newton using the on-screen button, you should also RESET AGAIN. Apparently the 1.04 needs two resets before it can start to perform optimally. If you have a fax modem for your Newton, you can call 1-800-NEWTON-9. Under Extras, open the In Box, select "Receive," then choose "Enhancement" from the popup, write in the phone number, hit "Call," and the update will be installed. (Information from Mark Mitchell, mmitch@netcom.com). The Newton will ask you to reboot; after rebooting, reboot again for good measure and you should be all set. If you have the Connection Kit but no connectivity, Apple includes system update disks along with the Newton Connection Kit version 1.0 (which is now shipping). If you don't have the Newton Connection Kit or a modem, call 1-800-242-3374 to get a PCMCIA card with the software update, with a postage-paid envelope to return the card in. You will have to give a credit card number so that, if you don't return the card to Apple, you can be billed for it. Connection Kit News: Apple has dropped the Connection Kit Pro and will add the features planned for the Pro kit to the standard version, beginning in version 2.0 (forthcoming). All owners of 1.0 will be able to upgrade for free. I got most of this information from an Apple announcmement, so if you have a question, don't call me, call 1-800-SOS-APPL. Changes in This Version ----------------------- The bug reports have been broken out into a separate file, the Newton Bug, Gripe and Wish list. I have gone through and condensed items here and there to save space. Part 0 - Warnings ================= Memory Cards ------------ WARNING: If you're using a flash memory card (like Apple's 2 megabyte card, or a third party flash card), and you want to perform a long operation, such as backing up the Newton, you may want to plug in the AC power adapter. Writes to flash memory use an unusally large amount of power and will eat batteries for lunch. WARNING: Be careful with 3rd-party PCMCIA memory cards. Some of them are very unreliable with the Newton. If you're interested in getting a non-Apple card to use with your Newton, you might want to call 1-800-SOS-APPL to see if the card has been tested with the Newton. WARNING: An errata sheet with my Newton said that Apple doesn't recommend using PCMCIA memory cards greater than 4 megabytes in size. So, SunDisk or high-capacity Intel cards may not work. Batteries --------- WARNING: When you get a new pair of rechargeable batteries for your Newton, recharge them *fully* before using them for the first time. WARNING: Don't remove both batteries. If you have done this, you'll have to find a way to get the system patches reinstalled in your system. (Start by calling 1-800-SOS-APPL). WARNING: Don't use loose NiCd AAA batteries in the alkaline battery holder (tip from Robert Sadowski). If you do, the Newton will not trickle-charge them while it is plugged in. The Newton can tell the difference between NiCd pack and the alkaline pack. You also won't get accurate battery readings or low-power warnings. WARNING: Remember that rechargeable batteries lose their charge quickly while in storage, while this happens much more gradually with alkaline cells. You might want to carry around a pack of fresh alkaline batteries in case you get stuck in a situation where you can't keep your rechargeables freshly charged. (Suggested by Kent Borg, kentborg@world.std.com). WARNING: I don't recommend (nor does Apple) modifying your alkaline battery holder so that it will recharge alkalines (they can blow up or leak). Users are reporting that they *have* had success using the new Ray-O-Vac rechargeable alkalines, but *don't* recharge them in the Newton or in the external Newton battery charger; they require a special charger. (I haven't tried these new batteries yet; they are called "Renewal" and available at Target and other stores). WARNING: I have heard that Millenium rechargeable batteries (and others) can't be used in the Newton, since the voltage is too low (the Newton NiCd pack has a higher voltage than most NiCd batteries). Danny Burstein (dannyb@panix.com) also reports that NiCd batteries don't have the exact shape of alkaline cells, and may not make good contact with the alkaline battery pack (the tip of the AAA cells may be too fat). If you're going to try to use non-Apple NiCd batteries in the Newton, make sure they are 220 or better milliamp batteries (hard to find). Real Goods Inc. sells 240 ma batteries (1-800-762-7325). Kent Borg and others recommend that if you use 3rd-party NiCds in your Newton, you might want to modify the alkaline battery pack so that it pushes the little microswitch telling the Newton that they should be charged. Once you've done this, though, DO NOT use alkaline batteries in the holder (see above). (Info from Chuck Pliske, chuckp@u.wahington.edu). From what I can tell, none of these techniques for using third- party NiCd batteries are recommended by Apple (I can't blame them; I've seen the kind of damage that leaking batteries can do to a calculator, and my Newton cost a lot more than my calculator). Newton MessagePad Part 1: Questions and Answers =============================================== What kind of cable do I need to connect the Newton to my PC? ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect to a Mac, you will need an 8-pin serial cable. This is the same kind of cable sold for the ImageWriter or StyleWriter printers. You can also use a LocalTalk connector, although I'm not sure if the Connection Kit is as reliable using LocalTalk (the Development Kit isn't). For an IBM-compatible, you'll need something like the cables that come with MacLink PC; I presume the Windows connection kit will come with the appropriate cable. When I turn on my Newt, the screen looks bad, then improves. Why? ----------------------------------------------------------------- According to Andy Stadler at Apple (stadler@apple.com), when it is turned on, the Newton sets the screen contrast to a standard default value. The Newton then immediately goes to sleep. When you actually do something such as touch the screen, it wakes up and the screen driver code comes to life, adjusting the contrast. So, this is really caused by the fact that the Newton stays asleep whenever it can to save battery power. I'm getting "Out of Memory" messages, but I have plenty left! Why? ------------------------------------------------------------------ Memory on the Newton is broken up into the object store, where things like enhancements, date book entries and notes are stored, and system memory, which is analagous to the system heap on a desktop PC (information from John Brewer, jbrewer@wri.com). Running out of space in the system heap will yield an error message. This is usually due to doing a lot of handwriting recognition. Resetting the Newton should solve it, since it clears out the system memory area; your memory remains intact. The Newton turns on when I insert or eject a card! Why? ------------------------------------------------------- This is normal. According to Kevin Altis (kevin@scic.intel.com) the Newton has to come on so that the RemoveScript function can run, which updates the applications and soups on the card. This was incorrectly reported by some users as a bug that occurred only in 1.00 machines, but it seems to happen under 1.02 and 1.03 also. How do I reset the Newton? -------------------------- To do a reset, leave the Newton on, give it a chance to stop doing whatever processing it is currently doing, then take off the battery cover and press the reset button with the pen. Give it a moment to come back on. No data will be lost by this process. Check to make sure the clock is correct after resetting. How do I erase all the memory? ------------------------------ Hold down the power switch, hit the reset button, and continue to hold down the power switch until you get a dialog box that asks you if you want to erase all memory. Answer "yes" twice. MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS REALLY WHAT YOU WANT TO DO, SINCE ALL THE DATA STORED IN YOUR NEWTON WILL BE GONE, INCLUDING YOUR NAME, DICTIONARIES, HANDWRITING TRAINING, ETC. Note: this procedure does not remove your system patches. If I take out a flash memory card from my Newton, will it be erased? -------------------------------------------------------------------- No. Flash memory doesn't need power to keep it around. Static RAM, like Apple's 1 megabyte card, does require electrical power. It comes with a battery and information on how and when to change the battery. This card will also stay "live" for a couple of minutes without the battery. If you get a different card, check with the manufacturer's instructions. I recommend keeping a backup of your card, especially before doing something risky like replacing the battery. Have I used up the lithium cell? I left the switch on "replace main." --------------------------------------------------------------------- No. The switch just locks and unlocks the battery compartments. It doesn't switch the power from one to the other. The Newton won't start up without a main battery. Can I make the Newton forget my handwriting and "start over?" ------------------------------------------------------------- Yes. Don't do this lightly - remember, it takes many hours to completely train a Newton. In the preferences, there are several "return to original settings" buttons. One just affects the speed of recognition, word spacing, and other options that are easily restored. The other will actually wipe out everything the Newton has learned about your writing, and start the learning process from scratch. This one has a dialog box that warns you to make sure that this is what you want to do. You might want to use this feature if you decided to switch from cursive to printing, or to give your Newton to someone else on a permanent basis. If I let someone else write on my Newton, will it learn their writing? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Newton doesn't automatically know who is using it, so the answer is yes. However, there is a check box in Preferences you can set entitled "configure for guest user." When the Newton is in Guest mode, it won't make changes to what it has learned about your writing based on whoever is currently using it. Your "guest" can add words to your dictionary, and can change the guest's settings for letter styles and recognition options. Is it really necessary to fine-tune my letter styles in the Preferences? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ According to Andy Stadler at Apple (stadler@apple.com), this shouldn't be necessary unless you are having "constant, repeatable problems." Stadler gives the following example: if the Newton consistently misrecognizes your lower-case cursive N as an R, you might want to try turning off that shape for the lowercase R. The reasoning behind this advice goes like this: "What we've found is that often, people don't really realize what their writing looks like, and [they] tend to overcompensate settings when they adjust this panel." This sounds reasonable to me; when I checked my letter styles against the Newton's strokes, I found that I had to write words on paper to see exactly how I made letters. Like tying your shoes, when you have to think about exactly how you do it, it becomes much harder. If I back up the Newton, does everything get saved? --------------------------------------------------- Yes. Your notes, dates, business cards, handwriting training, preferences, dictionaries, and system patches all get saved. What is the maximum size of a note on the Newton? ------------------------------------------------- I am not sure. The maximum amount of text that I was able to paste into a note seemed to be about 5830 bytes, where drawings seem to max out at about 2000 bytes. Compression may affect this figure. Clearly the MessagePad isn't ready for word processing yet (third party applications may change this). Can I use my (Brand X) modem with my Newton? -------------------------------------------- The MessagePad is designed to work with a particular Rockwell chip set. (224ATF). Some 3rd-party modems use this chips set; I have a Supra v32.bis fax-modem that I have successfully used to send faxes. I haven't tried using it to call up an on-line service yet (there isn't a lot out there to call). I've also heard that a user has gotten a Zoom VFX modem to work with the Newton by first setting the option "&D3" with a terminal program. Can I use my (Brand X) PCMCIA Modem card with the Newton? --------------------------------------------------------- Most PCMCIA modem card will *not* work with the Newton. I have heard that the Megahertz brand 14.4Kbps modem card does work with the Newton, although it is not officially approved. Software support for things to do with a modem is particularly lacking. Why can't I see some printers in the zones of my AppleTalk network? ------------------------------------------------------------------- If you have a large network, it may take a few seconds for the Newton to locate the relevant devices. Give the Newton some time to scope out the network, then use the "Change Zone" button to pick a zone and look at devices there. (Suggested by Trygve Isaacson, trygve@apple.com). How can I get my Newton to dial my phone? ----------------------------------------- Here are some suggestions from Markus, 26ssvo$o5j@news.bu.edu: Make certain that your country field is set properly (Newton handles international dialing). Make certain that your phone numbers entries in your phone book don't have ones or other special codes before the area code, since Newton tries to handle this by itself. Better quality phones tend to work better when dialing via Newton's speaker. Try holding the Newton at varying distances from the phone's mouthpiece. How can I get my Newton to phone home? -------------------------------------- The Electronic Assistant uses the word "home" to modify names; it looks for their "home" phone number. So, if you type "phone home," the Newton won't know who to call. You can try "Phone Paul at home" and if the Newton knows who Paul is, it will pick out my home number. If you want the Newton to call your own phone, make sure you have a Names entry with your phone number in it, and tell the assistant to call <your name>.