Apple Newton Messagepad 2000

sgtpepper · Post by **sgtpepper** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 5:49 pm

So I was digging through some of my dad's old stuff today, and I came across his Newton Messagepad 2000! These things were basically the first real PDAs and people continue to use them to this day. Fortunately there are tons of information out there about keeping it from being outdated. Unfortunately, there is sooo much out there, I don't know where to begin! So is there anyone around here who has any experience with these, and maybe knows how to connect to it through Mac OS X?...

Thanks!

Sir Games-A-Lot · Post by **Sir Games-A-Lot** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 7:39 pm

Man you are waaaayyyy lucky, have you seen what those things can go for on eBay!?

I've wanted one forever, (back when I first discovered them, the only thing that differentiated them from still in production PDA's was the monochrome screen, despitethe fact that they had been discontinued for some time)

But unless your strapped for an extra 150 - 200 bucks, I say hang on to it (maybe even have it upgraded to a 2100, there are still some places that do that for you)! alkaline powered PDA's FTW!

Felino · Post by **Felino** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 11:49 pm

I know one guy that uses his as a web server!

You are sooo lucky man!

Post by **bicostp** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 11:27 am

Newtons are awesome. Mine's an original MessagePad, and its 2 MB storage card is packed with everything from PentiuMath (it's a calculator that subtracts a random decimal from your answer, poking fun at the Pentium) to a couple e-books to Battleship and Daleks!

However there are two reasons I don't use it much:

1. It's bulky
2. It eats through 4 rechargeable AAAs faster than Fat Albert eats through a buffet

The bulk has its upsides, though. The screen takes up almost the entire unit so you get a lot of clear, useful real estate.

As for software, check this site out:

http://www.unna.org/

I just skimmed but it seems to be a pretty extensive archive.

joevennix · Post by **joevennix** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 3:35 pm

Someone I knew used to have one of those, the coolest thing I remember is the fact that it is basically the only PDA ever to have a built-in PCMIA slot, wow... think of wifi on that thing

. As for OS X compatibility: linky.

EDIT: if you have an ethernet card or something, you may try FTP'ing or somehow syncing over that. Would be easier.

sgtpepper · Post by **sgtpepper** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 6:28 pm

Ok well I've decided to pursue a few different goals with this Newton, but there's a slight problem with getting software from my computer to the Newton... I'll use pictures to illustrate-

I've got a USB to Serial adapter that will let me connect to a serial device within Mac OS X. I've also got this converter cable that converts a regular serial DB9 connector to this. The problem is, both the USB adapter and the serial converter DB9 ports are female (or are they male? I can never tell

). So I need to know what the heck the round serial port is called, so I can find another adapter to get this whole thing working... So any help would be much appreciated!

And if anyone wants to see some pictures of this most awesome piece of technology, check this out:
Newton, Manual, Keyboard, and Dongle
Newton, open
Newton, on (the screen is flawless!)
Newton in action- I prefer landscape mode

Felino · Post by **Felino** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 11:37 pm

Well, think of it like well.

The one with the stick is, male. The hole that it goes into is female. Get it?

Have fun mods.

Post by **Black Six** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 4:10 am

sgtpepper wrote:Ok well I've decided to pursue a few different goals with this Newton, but there's a slight problem with getting software from my computer to the Newton... I'll use pictures to illustrate-

I've got a USB to Serial adapter that will let me connect to a serial device within Mac OS X. I've also got this converter cable that converts a regular serial DB9 connector to this. The problem is, both the USB adapter and the serial converter DB9 ports are female (or are they male? I can never tell ). So I need to know what the heck the round serial port is called, so I can find another adapter to get this whole thing working... So any help would be much appreciated!

Well, it looks to me like the USB to Serial adapter has a male DB-9 connector, and, although it's impossible to tell from the pic, the PC to Mac (Geoport!) adapter looks like it has a female DB-9 and a male Geoport.

Hope that helps.

sgtpepper · Post by **sgtpepper** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 5:37 pm

Well I've gotten the Newton connected up to my computer and it's now running with some pretty sweet apps, not to mention a few hardware upgrades.

I ordered two 24MB flash cards for $10 bucks apiece, and as meager as that sounds, it's a HUGE amount of space compared to the two 2MB cards it used to have. I also ordered a Lucent Technologies Silver WaveLAN 802.11b card. With these two upgrades, my Newton can surf the internet with plenty of space for a cache. Here it is, browsing Fake Steve, unfortunately minus the images. I still need to install a JPEG driver

but you get the idea!

Edutainment · Post by **Edutainment** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 5:43 pm

Wanna sell it to me for like... $5?

sgtpepper · Post by **sgtpepper** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 10:31 pm

Edutainment wrote:Wanna sell it to me for like... $5?

No, but you can drool in amazement as I control my computer through my Newton's VNC application!

gamemasterAS · Post by **gamemasterAS** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 10:35 pm

sgtpepper wrote:
Edutainment wrote:Wanna sell it to me for like... $5?
No, but you can drool in amazement as I control my computer through my Newton's VNC application!

Thats cool, Would be cooler if it did color though

Felino · Post by **Felino** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 4:08 am

I just made the best appl efind ever! Around 30 used emates! All in working condition! Score!

Post by **bicostp** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 10:25 am

gamemasterAS wrote:Thats cool, Would be cooler if it did color though

The Newton's only got a 16-shade-of-gray screen. If I remember right color Palm Pilots only started coming out a few years after the Newton was canned.

VNC on a Newton?

gamemasterAS · Post by **gamemasterAS** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 11:53 am

bicostp wrote:
gamemasterAS wrote:Thats cool, Would be cooler if it did color though
The Newton's only got a 16-shade-of-gray screen. If I remember right color Palm Pilots only started coming out a few years after the Newton was canned.

VNC on a Newton?

But is there a horrible lag ?