What I want is a 2017 apple newton pda. Is note8 it?

[gyounk]

I pulled out my apple newton MessagePad 100 and 2100 out the other day. Put in fresh batteries and relived the best personal digital assistant ever.

For it's age 1993/1999 both newtons were the best pen computing back then. I think it was better than palm and Microsoft xp pen extensions. Palm had graffiti character input which the newton had if you bought palm's graffiti software app.

Enter 2016 and I almost pulled the trigger on a note7. Destiny interviewed and I waited for 2017 and the note8 to finally decide. Is the note platform my apple newton replacement?

What sets the newton apart from other pdas is:
- the intelligent parsing of data like phone numbers
- keep ink as ink until you want to turn it into editable text
- instant convert ink into text
- shape smoothing and making my circle look like a real circle
- the assist button
- stylus

Steve jobs killed the newton platform and I was very sad when that happened. Is 2017 the year apple decided to stop with the vendetta against styluses? Will I be happy with the iPhone 10 Apple Pencil mini combo? Or will apple disappoint me once again and force me into the samsung galaxy note8?

Thoughts? Suggestions of what note8/android app can fill the features I listed above?

I found some I think will work but without testing it with a device I won't know for certain.

 

[cnotes2016]

Buy it. If you don't like it. Return it

 

[kadinldg]

The Note 8 checks all those features you listed (and more) without the need of any extra Android apps.

 

[SpookDroid]

Judgement of the Newton aside, yeah, the Note 8 is pretty much a VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY much improved Newton replacement haha. It has had all the features you list probably since the original Note, improving in accuracy and pressure sensitivity and S-Pen-specific features since then.

BUT modern phones also have what you list save for the accurate pen input. You can pretty much get the same from a lot of 3rd party keyboards (or stock ones with handwriting input) and note-taking apps (One Note, Samsung Notes, etc.). You can even search hand-written text within these apps, no matter if the input was with a precise S-Pen or a broad-stroke regular plastic/metal mesh stylus.

You can test the device in any store now, but Best Buy is your best bet (no pun intended). Or, like the above poster mentions, get the device and return within the allotted time should you not be satisfied. Like I said, you can get most of the features you list on 'normal' Android phones but you won't get the superb experience the increased accuracy of the S-Pen brings.

You might find the screen size, however, not ideal for note taking. In which case I'd suggest an 8-inch or 9+ tablet with S-Pen (Tab S3 is excellent, but I'm not sure it has an 8-inch model).

 

[magichoward]

I loved the Newton and how it all integrated. Could double imagine if Apple would of stayed with it...

 

[Cary Quinn]

1st, much respect from a former Palm Pilot junkie. I was in the same boat as you a few years ago when I decided to go with the Note 3 as a hoped for replacement for my old Palm and Handspring PDAs.

2nd, while the Note series starts out as the closest we are likely to get to the old messagepad experience, fortunately with new technology we are in many ways far beyond what those older devices could do.

If you bite the bullet on the Note 8 (or any previous models on the Note series), I would recommend you get familiar with installing out of store APKs for this video:

which should give some idea of the capabilities of both the old and new note taking apps on this phone.

3rd, and honestly with respect to nostalgia, it is not going to be the same as your remembered experiences with the Newton, but I would bet that by now you can cover 99% of the things you used to do with your Newton, and add a whole gamut of new features on top.

If you get a chance to play with a Note 8 before you decide, I would suggest you make a short list of things you loved doing on the Newton, and see if there is a way to do the same things (or better ways) on the Note 8. That is kind of what I do when I miss graffiti or action linking from the old days.

 

[SpookDroid]

1st, much respect from a former Palm Pilot junkie. I was in the same boat as you a few years ago when I decided to go with the Note 3 as a hoped for replacement for my old Palm and Handspring PDAs.

2nd, while the Note series starts out as the closest we are likely to get to the old messagepad experience, fortunately with new technology we are in many ways far beyond what those older devices could do.

If you bite the bullet on the Note 8 (or any previous models on the Note series), I would recommend you get familiar with installing out of store APKs for this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5dcLgqFrpI

which should give some idea of the capabilities of both the old and new note taking apps on this phone.

3rd, and honestly with respect to nostalgia, it is not going to be the same as your remembered experiences with the Newton, but I would bet that by now you can cover 99% of the things you used to do with your Newton, and add a whole gamut of new features on top.

If you get a chance to play with a Note 8 before you decide, I would suggest you make a short list of things you loved doing on the Newton, and see if there is a way to do the same things (or better ways) on the Note 8. That is kind of what I do when I miss graffiti or action linking from the old days.

Graffiti features have been in the Note line since the first model and action linking since the third (?). Also, grafitti features are now prominent across 3rd party note-taking apps that don't require a Note (OneNote, Evernote, etc.) and even keyboards (Google's Handwriting keyboard, most stock ones, etc.)

 

[gyounk]

Thank you everyone for your comments. Cary Quinn you know exactly what I have been going through with your Palm Pilot experience.

 

[brau0303]

Agree with most of what has been said already. I don't recall details but there was something I found last week when poking around in input settings that allowed a stylus input panel in place of a keyboard when you have the s-pen out. I have not tried this but if it works half as well as graffiti (was available for Android, not sure if it still is) that may give a graffiti like option.

Cheers,
BR

 

[SpookDroid]

Agree with most of what has been said already. I don't recall details but there was something I found last week when poking around in input settings that allowed a stylus input panel in place of a keyboard when you have the s-pen out. I have not tried this but if it works half as well as graffiti (was available for Android, not sure if it still is) that may give a graffiti like option.

Cheers,
BR

It's available on most stock keyboards, and as a separate download with Google Keyboard's Handwriting one.

As for the Samsung one, yup, you can set it to automatically open the keyboard in handwriting input mode if the S-Pen is out. It's EERILY accurate. It can make out my hieroglyphic-style scribbling and still be able to properly convert it. If you don't like that option, you can also turn prompt it from the 'normal' keyboard with the press of a key. If you want to use a 3rd party keyboard but still be able to have handwriting input readily available, then just hover the S-Pen over a text input field and you'll see the Handwriting Input icon appear next to the cursor. Tap that and you're set.

 

[Anthony Martins Rock]

ha that is pretty cool I have those items as well. I was fond most of my palm pilots and graffiti input. The note series phones has far exceeded the capability of those devices you will be happy to know.

Full handwriting and character recognition works very well on the Samsung devices since the early note phones and tablets with no additional applications or software necessary.

 

[brau0303]

I will have to look more closely at that, I was fairly good with Graffiti and MS Block Recognizer.
Perhaps I can use that with better accuracy than my typing

Cheers,
BR

 

[Anthony Martins Rock]

Samsung allows full natural handwriting (interjoined letters). So you won't have to resort to giraf (however fun it was to learn and use a new script alphabet). You can use capitals, lowercase numbers and punctuation. All recognized and input directly.

 

[gyounk]

Now that the iPhone event is over. You guys are stuck with me and my Note8!!

Pen computing here I come again.

 

[SpookDroid]

Yeah, iPhone X sounds like Samsung circa 2016 with better cameras. Meh.