Filed under: Portables
How to "Get things done" with a Newton
Several of the TUAW bloggers are fans of David Allen's Getting Things Done. There are also a couple of Newton fans among our numbers (myself included), so it's inevitable that the two would come together.Eckhart Köppen took it a step further and described the evolution of his Newton GTD system, from the very start to his detailed solution. With simple applications like DateMan, Super NotePad and More Folders, Eckhart has constructed a nice solution for his Newton.
Thanks for posting this, Eckhart! I'll try it myself.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ralph said 11:04AM on 9-17-2007
How long can you hold on to this thing? it was past it's prime 6 years ago but still had some use... get an iphone, or a blackberry! Come on!!!!
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Joe said 11:18AM on 9-17-2007
Ralph, I don't think you're getting the point. Some of us enjoy putting old technology to new uses. And frankly, I still love hosting Ms. Pac-Man tournaments on my Atari 7800.
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chnacat said 11:28AM on 9-17-2007
i have 2 newtons for sale. both in great condition. one's a 120 and one's a 110. both have their manuals and extras. email me if you want 'em.
chnacat@sbcglobal.net
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Christina Warren said 12:13PM on 9-17-2007
Oh Newton! My dad's best friend had what I guess was one of the first Newton OS 2.0 models (it had the Doonesbury "Egg Freckles" easter egg - and that's all I can remember) - but he absolutely hated it and got a PalmPilot instead. It was somehow bequeathed to me, but I'll be honest - I was never overly impressed with the device -- although I'm sure 14 year old girls were hardly their target market anyway.
I understand why some enjoy finding new uses for old technology and I can relate to cult fanaticism for small niche products (I was a MiniDisc devotee for quite some time), so this is still cool to see. I don't regret Goodwilling that Newton (I do sort of regret giving away the Nintendo Virtual Boy I got for $20, brand new -- if only because it means I'll have to re-buy one for way, way more once I inevitably build my own video game museum) - but it's cool to see people making new uses out of such a flawed and ridiculed device.
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Karl Childers said 12:13PM on 9-17-2007
In other news...
Sundial can still tell time, Wheel still rolls and fire still cooks food.
Lets leave this thing where it belongs. In history.
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Paul said 12:46PM on 9-17-2007
Guess what, Karl...
We still use wheels and fire, too. :-)
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Joe Smith said 1:17PM on 9-17-2007
damn. Remind me again what fire is?
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serge said 2:35PM on 9-17-2007
if anybody knows where i can find 802.11g drivers for newton that would be great...
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Edward said 4:12PM on 9-17-2007
Newton? Would David Allen call this a low-tech solution? ;)
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mark audacity said 8:41PM on 9-17-2007
@ralph, karl: Have you used a Newton? Some of the ways it organizes and presents data still have not been equalled for efficiency, intuitiveness, and ease of use. The iPhone is good—great, even—but it is no Newton.
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Kristopher Browne said 9:21PM on 9-17-2007
Show me how to use natural handwriting on an iPhone or Palm and maybe we'll talk about giving up my newton.... But graffiti doesn't count, it's nothing but a pain in the fingers... And thumb-typing is not the same.
The newton means I don't carry paper for notes anymore, since the notes actually import/export via software (Last I heard the iPhone's notes don't sync and Palm's you can't access without Desktop.)
There are things a Newton can do that just don't have a substitute yet... When someone gets inkwell behaving on an iPhone and a way to get the notes out of it, maybe that'll be when I switch.
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Mike said 11:23PM on 9-17-2007
When it came out 14 years ago, the Newton MessagePad was ahead of its time in many respects:
-form factor
-input
-connectivity
-and best of all, its Newton Intelligence.
While it has been surpassed by newer devices in connectivity, the 2x00 model is still superior to most current devices. The 2x00 handwriting recognition is second to none. The form factor is no different than today's UMPC. Lastly, NO device out there is smart enough to assist the user with simple tasks. For example if you wanted to book a luncheon with Mary, you would simply write "lunch with Mary tomorrow" in the Assistant and Newton would look up Mary, set a calendar date at noon for the following day, and set a reminder.
So please... before dissing the Newton learn what it can actually do.
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Eckhart said 12:59PM on 9-18-2007
Nice to see this getting picked up by TUAW :) Regarding the comments about using ancient technology like the Newton: Believe me, it's not as if I didn't want to have the latest and greatest tool to help me do my job and stay organized. But I won't compromise on battery life, reliability and usability. Ever. That rules out devices which need a network connection, devices without user replacable batteries (and replacing as a repair step doesn't cut it), devices which I can't literally throw into my backpack, and devices which use Windows ;) I would consider using paper and pen though.
Which brings me back to the original topic. I think that many people trying GTD get stuck in the "which tool to use" phase, and never see any actual results. Instead, they spend their time finding and then tinkering with their latest gadget. For me thougyh this is about getting things done, and not futzing around. I don't have time for that.
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