Hello, handheld folks!
I am a newcomer to the realm of HPCs. Recently I took over a bunch of vintage stuff
(PDAs, very old subnotebooks and peripherals
) from my collector friend, Among them I am particularly fond of the Jornda 720. In stark contrast to today's forced/planned obsolescence on the gadget market, I really adore the superb product quality of the 720. Despite being a vintage product made two decades ago, my device still remains in an excellent condition, probably thanks to the top notch design at the time, commanding the original USD$900+ price tag of course.
Surprisingly, the little old 720 has got so many checks in my list of features of the ideal mobile device: clamshell form factor, portabaility, comfortable keyboard, widescreen display, reasonable battery life, expandabiity, user friendly and practical applications.
Pardon my sidetracking: I am also aware of the Gemini PDA. I was seriously contemplating on getting one last year, but I gave it a pass at last. Andriod updates go as far as 8, plus the unclear state of fully working
(including calls, screen functionalities, and power management
) linux ports on the device. As for the Cosmo Communicator, I personally dislike the slide mechanism and the price is way beyond my budget. A $200 new Samsung plus a small portable keyboard can just suit my needs. The PinePhone looks neat, but the software development seems like it needs to take another year or two before the product can become more ready for the consumer market.
Okay enough rants, back on the Jornada. It's my first time trully using wince for real. The builtin programs are a decent surprise. The HP Quickpad is a hidden gem
(hidden in the Windows folder and not being shown on the desktop
) and is just amazing! It is designed as the default point of qucik data entry
(or "Inbox" in GTD lingo
) and is able to send the written notes the builtin Email, Calendar, Contact, Task, and Quick Word programs. The PIM Suite actually works really nicely together and seems to just fit my daily use. The Task program is really great for project and task planning. Despite not having outlining features, the fully customizable columns and filters rival Bonsai for Palm OS, a killer app for GTD enthusiasts.
It just amuses me to see how much hardware resources and bloated software are needed to perform such simple tasks in today's "smart" devices. And no thanks I don't actually love the idea of using a 24/7-connected machine to take care of my very personal and private life.... I must stop ranting now.
I was not among the fortunate ones back in the days being able to afford such high end gadgets. But now I am super happy to be a proud owner of a J720.
My near future plan to "upgrade" my Jornada experience:
(1
) In my treasure chest also lie a bunch of spare ROM boards for Jornada 728
(is it 64MB?
) . Not sure if they are Japanese or English. Will test them out
(my friend said they're working when trying them years back
) and try to swap one with the stock Japanese version on my machine.
(2
) I think I do need an English 720/728 keyboard for a better typing experience. Anyone out there selling one, or just a junk machine with a working keyboard? It's also possible to trade one with my ROM boards...
(3
) Last but not least, Linux!! Stefan is doing such a great job injecting new life into the Jornada. I've been learning and switching from Windows 10 to Linux
(Ubuntu and Debian
) over the last few months and am very excited to see a relatively modern kernel and userland working on the Jornada as a more powerful alter ego.
(4
) Replace the aging cells in the battery. The battery that comes with my J720 holds charge but it doesn't last very long. I've learned that the cells are just commonplace 18650 and there's no corporate top secret locking mechanism in the charging circuit. My soldering skills suck but I believe I can manage that.
If Alphasmart Dana is my queen of Palm OS, then the Jornada is my King of HPC.
That's all for now. It's my poor habit to type too much in a post
(as typing on Dana is simply addictive
).