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- From: er+@cs.cmu.edu (Ekkehard Rohwedder)
- Newsgroups: comp.sys.palmtops
- Subject: Re: Boss, Wizard, 95, Opinions?
- Message-ID: <C0IEB1.G1w.1@cs.cmu.edu>
- Date: 8 Jan 93 00:20:57 GMT
- Article-I.D.: cs.C0IEB1.G1w.1
- References: <86289@ut-emx.uucp>
- Sender: news@cs.cmu.edu (Usenet News System)
- Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon
- Lines: 59
- Nntp-Posting-Host: kurt.tip.cs.cmu.edu
-
- Here's my $0.02 on two *low-end* organizers:
-
- For the most part I want to use these beasties as note-takers/data repositories.
- Secondly I did not want to spend more than $150 (figuring that I'll shell out
- another $100 for the PC-link).
-
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
- I first tried out the Sharp (OZ?)-5000 which comes with 32kB (costs around
- $140-$150). It does not take extra cards.
-
- I thought that it was pretty intuitive to use: there are lots of `mini-menues'
- e.g. for selecting world timezones, special characters... that display the 10
- choices you used last. It also allows a primitive form of cut-and-paste between
- applications. It has an expense calculator with flexible categories. Its
- scheduler also allows weekly views.
- I thought the Sharp's interface was relly nifty - you could tell they tried to
- creatively overcome the limitations of using and editing on limited keyboard and
- display space.
-
- What I did not like: the shift key works like a CAPS key. It becomes very
- irritating when you type in mixed text. (Its display: 16x8 chars.)
-
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
- However, I then ended up with the Casio BOSS-8000, mainly because it has 64kB,
- a larger 32x6 character display, while it only runs up some $120. It also has
- a nicer tactile feeling.
-
- Its user interface, however, is FAR INFERIOR to the Sharp: e.g. INSERT just
- makes a space so you can insert another character (anyone remembering the
- CBM-PET/VC-64 BASIC?). I find the user interface pretty confusing and inelegant,
- there are also too many other weird keys where they should have left room
- for a bigger space-key.
- I do like the Business-card application: since cards are sorted by company and
- then by name you can use it to mimick a notion of several files with records
- in them.
- I do NOT like, however, that once you have entered text into the different
- categories, you cannot move it between these categories. (This is fine for
- someone who really uses it to record business cards, but that is not what I
- intend it for. The Sharp on the other hand sees category-boundaries merely as
- a special character which may be inserted or deleted.)
-
- I do like that the BOSS offers different data views (one line per entry vs.
- full entries), but generally they could have done a much better job in their
- user interface! The shift-key only shifts the next character that is entered,
- which I like better, but it still is not a real shift!
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- What I do not like about both machines is that entries are limited to
- 384 and 512 chars, respectively, which -considering the CASIO's atrocious
- editing capabilities- can probably be seen as a safeguard-"feature".
-
- One suggestion would be to check out different organizers from places
- which have liberal return-without-questions-asked policies.
-
- I would also like to hear other people's opinions on different models that they
- have played with. I wonder if the higher-end models also use the very same
- user interface.
-
- -- Ekkehard
-