Re:My First Reactions

WedgeWWW@aol.com
XXX, 1 Dec 1995 13:58:35 -0400 (EDT)

I returned my Zaurus before ordering my Omnigo, which I just received - so I may be covering some old ground. The screen readability (and resolution) IS brutal at home under normal light conditions but adequate under office fluorescents. It might be a dumb idea, but I'm going to look into something like the really small version of the "Itty Bitty Book Light" to clamp on the unit in dark conditions (office meetings where the lights are turned down, night use, use in general at home at night). I need something to extend my utility of the unit beyond regular office hours. As far as the screen size is concerned, you kind of quickly run out of space when jotting so notes scribbled at the "bottom" of the screen can get chopped off. But note taking is better on the OGO due to better screen feel and faster sensing of stylus strokes. My unit arrived factory new with a very slight, but noticeable, scratch type blemish on the screen. Since I bought it mail order, returning it would be more ha
ssle than it's worth.

As for memory - It does bug me that the Omnigo boots up with 350K available RAM when the Zaurus booted up with 750K. The manual and HP support dept. confirm that this is the amount of available RAM you get. The demo data and sample spreadsheets that come with the OGO only take up 50-70K total (the expense report spreadsheet template, without data, takes 27K) . I asked HP support and they told me that while the applications reside in ROM, that the operating system resides in RAM. I really find the 1 Meg claim to be very misleading when the Z has so much more RAM available. As for using up the RAM on an SRAM card, I don't think it would be too hard once you load any additional sw (Pocket Quicken when we get it) and a lot of Jotter notes. I have an Ecco Pro contact database of 500 names and numbers, and I am very curious how much of this I'll be able to store on the OGO, even with an SRAM. Of course the Z has no spreadsheet and that's one of the things I consider a "must have". I am c
urious whether there would be a way to load a better font, assuming one could be developed, into the unit's ROM.

I'll be patient and wait for the power problems to be resolved with PCM card accesories. I wouldn't mind toting a pocket modem if it becomes necessary, as long as it could link to a cell phone. I read a post on Usenet that alluded to a battery power device available somewhere that inserts in the PCM slot and which the PCM card is then plugged in to. Has anybody else heard of this?

Even though the OGO is only rated at about 2.5 ounces lighter than the Z, it feels a heck of a lot lighter and is much more comfortable to carry in the pocket. With the Z, if you added a modem card and an external battery supply to power the ac adapter (so that the modem card could drive a cell phone) your talking a lot of added weight.

As for the keyboard, the Z has a nicer feel, but it is too sensitive. You end up typing just as quickly on the OGO as the Z even though you have to press down much harder on keys. It was too easy to type fast and get a lot of "sensitive key" typos on the Z.

I know it seems like everybody is complaining about the unit but it is what it is and it is a superior organizer - especially for somebody like me who wanted to get a unit primarily to quit scribbling a dozen notes a day on random paper scraps. But I intend to write a letter to HP about the limited available RAM - based on how the Z manages its 1 Meg, the OGO should be billed as a 512K unit, or HP should offer a sweet deal on SRAM.