That's probably why we jot. When We want to remember something the natural thing is to grab for a pencil or pen—and begin writing, doodling, scribbling, or sketching on the nearest scrap of paper.
Using an Apple Newton Notepad feels just as natural. By writing on its screen, you can record everything from phone numbers to meeting notes, from lunch dates to ideas for your next great vacation.
What's equally useful is that Newton transforms what you write into neat text. Which means you'll actually be able to read your notes when you look at them later.
It also means that you can easily share your notes with others—without having to type or rewrite them.
-Sketch
"I can't draw," you say.
That's okay. Most people can't. Fortunately, Newton is pretty good at it.
Draw a rough circle. Newton transforms it into a perfect one. Draw two squares that you intend to be the same size. Newton knows, and makes them the same size. Make a mistake? Scribble it out.
Draw a map to a client's office, a diagram of your latest invention, the floor plan of the new addition to your house, Newton skillfully straightens the edges, aligns the objects that should be aligned, and neatens up your lettering.
Newton can make things look the way you intended them to look (even if you can't draw them exactly as you see them in your mind).
This ability to transform what you draw makes the Newton Notepad an ideal way to get your thoughts down.
With Newton, even your sketchiest ideas can look polished.
-Organize
Do you suffer from life entropy?
(It's the tendency for the little things in life to pile up and become overwhelmingly disorganized.)
Here's a simple test to find out:
Take everything out of your pockets and dump it on your desk. Now take all the business cards you've kept. Your notes. Your files. Your calendar. All the things you've written on scraps of paper and yellow sticky notes. Put everything in front of you.
Now sort it. Say, out of this pile you've amassed, you want to look at everything that relates to a project at work. Or a client. Or a new pastime—like remodeling your house.
Chances are, it would be tough. But if you had jotted that information in your Newton Notepad, it would be a breeze to pinpoint specific pieces. Newton lets you look at all the information in your life in whatever way is most useful for you.
So you can always find what you're looking for—instantly.
-Plan
People seem to fall into one of two camps. The Organized—and the Not-So-Organized.
The organized are list makers. They plan their lives weeks in advance. They're good with dates and times. They file things the minute they receive them (and throw out the things that don't interest them). They detest disorder.
The approach of the Not-So-Organized is a bit more renegade. They plan from day to day (and in some cases, hour to hour). They hold a lot of information in their heads (and frequently lose it there). They start to-do lists (but often misplace them). And they happen to like piles of unfiled papers and year-old memos and unopened mail.
There's good news for both camps.
Newton can assist you in managing your life—no matter what your approach.
Newton offers a helpful to-do list, so you can record everything you want to do. You can assign priorities to items. Newton even updates your lists as you check things off.
Newton comes with a handy way to keep track of everyone you know. It will help you recall addresses, telephone numbers, fax numbers, even birthdays.
Newton also comes with a calendar to help you plan your time. You can instantly view your schedule by month, by week, and by day.
What's more, Newton shares information between your to-do list, your address book and your calendar—making smart connections to help you. So, for instance, when you see "Lunch with Bob" on your calendar, you can have Newton automatically look up Bob's telephone number, along with directions to his office.
Newton may not change your life completely—but it could very well help you gain control of it.
-Fax
So there you are at 32,000 feet, when you remember you were supposed to send on important fax before you left the office.
An I-can't-believe-I-forgot-to-send-it-fax.
No problem. Grab your Newton Notepad and begin jotting.
Newton even helps out. It can bring up relevant notes to jog your memory, or search your calendar for dates you're free to meet, or check your phone log to see when you and your colleague last talked about this topic.
Sometime between "The captain has turned off the fasten-seat-belt sign" and "Headphones, four dollars," you finish your fax. Newton automatically places it in your "out box," ready for sending.
Upon arriving at your hotel, you can easily send you fax—without having to deal with a temperamental fax machine (or concierge, for that matter).
Using a convenient, pocket-size device called a Newton fax modem, you can connect your Newton Notepad to a standard telephone line.
Then simply tap the fax button. Newton does the rest.
It automatically looks up the recipient's name in your address book, finds the fax number, and creates a cover sheet. Then it sends the fax.
Newton can even confirm that your fax has been sent.
Meanwhile, on the receiving end, your fax will be printed more clearly than if you had sent a traditional fax.
-Format & Print
Ah, to have a full-time typist always there to rescue you. Someone who can decipher your handwriting, type your correspondence, and remember that Samuel always goes by "Slim."
Unfortunately, the talented typist is becoming a rarity.
There is help, however. It comes in the form of Newton.
You'll need to do a little work to get things going. Start by jotting down the text of your letter, memo, or fax. Newton takes it from there.
Simply tap a button and your words can be formatted as a standard business letter. (Newton will look up the recipient's address and fill it in). Or as a fax (Newton will automatically create a cover sheet).
Newton takes the drudgery out of written communications, so you can concentrate on more important things. Like what you want to say.
Once your happy with your letter or memo, you can print it.
You can connect your Newton Notepad to an Apple Laser Writer printer, as well as a variety of printers from other companies.
Then, simply tap the Print button, and Newton prints your correspondence for you.
-Zap And Share
Newton uses wireless networking technology, which lets you share information with other people who have Newton Notepads.
There are no cables to attach, no networking voodoo to master.
Rather, you simply write something on a screen—then zap it to anyone in the room. For instance, you can send a confidential note to a colleague during a meeting. Or zap an electronic version of your business card to someone you've just met. Or zap your calendar to a co-worker, and schedule a meeting without having to play the "Are-uou-free-at-two-on-Tuesday?" game.
It's spontaneous. It's easy. And it's a great way to communicate, without saying a word.
You don't have to know a thing about computers to use a Newton. But if you do have a computer, you'll be happy to know that the Newton Notepad connects easily to MS-DOS and Apple Macintosh computers. You can transfer information from Newton to your computer and work with it. You can also use your computer like a file cabinet, to store or back up information from your Newton.
-Newton intelligence: A whole new approach-
Newton started as a special project in the R&D group at Apple about five years ago.
We set out to create products that are remarkably intuitive—products that know enough about what you do to help you get things done. Whether it's taking notes, sketching a diagram, sending a fax, or planning your day.
Our goal is to build intelligence into products—to teach them about people, and how people do things. We want these products to learn about their owners and adapt to their individual style.
-Newton technology: Making products more friendly, intelligent, and useful-
The engineers, psychologists, anthropologists, and human-interface designers who make up the Newton Group had the opportunity to start with a clean slate.
We've pioneered hundreds of new technologies—technologies that will enable Newton to read your writing. To transform your sketches into neat drawings. To recall a piece of information the second you need it. To send and receive electronic mail, faxes, paging messages, and notes.
We're inventing these new technologies so that Apple (and other companies) can create Newton products that will help you change your world. In small ways. And in big ways.
The product concepts at left show where Newton technology could lead. (Newton product concepts illustrated on left side of page)
-The Newton Notepad: Our first Newton product-
Our first Newton product is called the Newton Notepad. It will help you get your ideas down—and just as important, find them later.
It will help you organize your days. Make the most of your time. And simplify your life.
It will understand exactly what you're trying to do—and actively help you do it.
It will be easy. And useful. And work exactly the way you'd expect.
The Newton Notepad won't be available until 1993. But we promise: It will be well worth waiting
(Information contained in brochure describing Newton passed out by Apple Computer at MacWorld Expo, San Francisco, January, 1993)
