Super-Sub

To take full advantage of Flickr, you should use a JavaScript-enabled browser and
install the latest version of the Macromedia Flash Player.

View andyi's map

Taken in a place with no name (See more photos or videos here)

The NEC MobilePro 790 Handheld PC...my ten-dollar MIT Flea purchase. I knew that it worked, but didn't know if I'd find it useful. But I was pretty sure that I could afford to blow ten bucks on something kewl.

Well, Gorblimey...I'm actually getting a lot of use out of it. Pocket Word can read and save RTF files, and Pocket Excel can also deal with data created by my desktop Excel. I can simply shuttle files between my Mac and the MobilePro on a CompactFlash card. No cables or transmogrification software necessary.

A quick rummage through my junk drawer turned up an Orinoco WiFi PC Card, and after a bit of Googling, I'd located and installed a set of Windows CE drivers for it. So: Explorer is now working, as is the email client.

After a little more rummaging through the office, I found a power supply that works (9 volts at 1 amp). The "dead" battery it came with actually charges to 50%; I was able to buy a practically new battery on eBay for all of $20, so that's covered.

But the big deal is that it's actually a very handy word processor. The keyboard is big enough to touch-type on, and with at least 6 hours of battery life on the "good" battery I sure won't have to budget my time on this. I won't get too bent out of shape if it ever gets stolen or broken, either...finally, a machine I can happily take into the desert!

Best of all, even though it's comfy to work with, it's small enouh for tray-table use. So this is shaping up to be a fine expenditure; I've already written two or three "real" things on it.

It reminds me of that old joke where a wealthy guy offers a woman at his high-school reunion a million dollars to have sex with him. When he gets an eager affirmative he suddenly lowers the offer to fifty bucks. "What kind of a woman do you think I am?" she sniffs. "We know what kind of a woman you are," he said. "Now, we're just haggling over the price."

This machine was a pretty serious flop at its 2001 intro price of $900; neat as it was, it wasn't different enough from notebooks or PDAs to justify nearly a grand. But cut the price by 90% or more and you've really got something there...

Comments

	joe holmes says: Reminds me of my Tandy WP-2 from long ago. Tiny but oh so useful. Posted 13 months ago. ( permalink )
	andyi says: Yeah, it's very Tandy 100-ish. Posted 13 months ago. ( permalink )
	Crazy Apple Rumors says: If it only ran OS X... Ooh, but I bet it would run Linux. Posted 13 months ago. ( permalink )
	andyi says: In fact, there's a NetBSD that runs on the MobilePro, and a project to port JLime Linux to it is just starting to heat up. You can find these things on eBay for well under a hundred bucks, easy. Posted 13 months ago. ( permalink )
	techmeister says: Yeah - these are pretty robust units. I'm sad they stopped selling them (I work at NEC and have a friend that used to sell these) Posted 12 months ago. ( permalink )
	andyi says: I was really surprised at how much email I've received about the MobilePro...it has plenty of fans. I even had a nice chat with one of them in a coffeeshop, after working on a column on the thing for a half an hour. Posted 12 months ago. ( permalink )
	Austruck says: I bought a 770 a few years ago on eBay and LOVE it. It fits in my purse, and even the used battery it came with gets five hours of use on a full charge. I got a Wifi card for it (but had to be careful about getting a compatible one) and found it does a semi-decent job getting online too. Considering. ;) I'm surprised they're not making stuff like this all over again now that people are clamoring for portability in their devices. Posted 12 months ago. ( permalink )
	kiwi_dave says: How does this compare to say a Newton Messagepad with the serial keyboard - in terms of portability, usability and the ability to communicate to your office machines? I remember a TWiT or MacBreak podcast a while back when you were talking about your MobilePro and also the very positive recollections the rest of the panel had when the Newton was mentioned. I have a Newton and tend to use it is a very similar fashion. Just wondered if there was any benefit inherent in the NEC machine? Posted 10 months ago. ( permalink )
	andyi says: Superior in terms of portability. It's one think that folds and clicks shut, as opposed to a separate screen and keyboard...and I remember having to carry a little easel or something with me so that I could prop my Newton up as I type. I can get WiFi via a card, so I can't complain about connectivity. I haven't fired up my Newton in years so I can't say whether or not anybody's gotten around to writing the proper drivers for it. The bottom line is that it's easy to get data in and out of it (the built-in apps open and save universal formats, and you can use a CompactFlash card as a floppy disc to shuttle files without using any desktop apps). For ten bucks at a flea market, it's a good deal. For the $80 it costs on eBay, it's also a good value for someone who needs ultraportability for casual use but who already has a "real" notebook for the heavy lifting. Posted 10 months ago. ( permalink )
	kiwi_dave says: I would agree that the portability of the Newton is something of a mixed bag. I have found the carry case that incorporates the Newton keyboard as well as a little easel for the Newton itself is great, though rather bulky. In fact it takes up almost half the space of my PowerBook in my bag. Obviously a lots less weight though. You do have the option of simply writing directly on the Newton for small amounts of text entry. There are some drivers for WiFi but these are not supported anymore - I think the Japanese guy who developed them has stopped talking registrations. They do work and many people are using their Newt wirelessly. For all the elegance and intuitive OS, the Newton 'experience' need to be ported to a more modern and connectable hardware platform. I think there was some work around installing the OS on a Zaurus. Not sure if that has progressed far. If I come across a MobilePro at the right price (as a grad student, that price will have be to very 'right') I would be very tempted to get it for taking notes in class, research in the library or short pieces of writing. Keep up the great work, especially on MacBreak and MacNotables. Posted 10 months ago. ( permalink )
	dakegra says: That looks like a fantastic alternative. I'd been considering an EeePC, but this looks like a better bet. None on ebay (UK) though. -- Seen on unclutterer.com (?) Posted 3 months ago. ( permalink )

Would you like to comment?

[?]

	andyi's photostream
		2,866 uploads

Additional Information

Some rights reserved. This photo is public

Taken with a Nikon D80.
More properties
Taken on May 2, 2007

6 people call this photo a favorite

Viewed 1,516 times

You	Sign in \| Create Your Free Account
Explore	Places \| Last 7 Days \| This Month \| Popular Tags \| Creative Commons \| Search
Help	Community Guidelines \| The Help Forum \| FAQ \| Sitemap \| Help by Email

Super-Sub

Comments

joe holmes says:

andyi says:

Crazy Apple Rumors says:

andyi says:

techmeister says:

andyi says:

Austruck says:

kiwi_dave says:

andyi says:

kiwi_dave says:

dakegra says:

Would you like to comment?

andyi's photostream

Tags

Additional Information