Considering a 770--A Few Questions

[midwinter]

Hi all.

Now that buy.com has the 770 for $139 (and $109 if you get their credit card), I'm considering purchasing one. I've been plowing around on this forum today and I have a few questions:

1) I hear conflicting reports (some are old) about the general sluggishness of the thing. Assuming that it has the latest updates, what kinds of responsiveness issues are there?

2) I understand that memory is an issue on this unit. If this can be solved, could someone explain how? I mean, I know that it involves getting a card, but it is just about assigning some swap memory and storage space on that card? Can the 770 handle 2 GB cards? Larger?

3) One of the biggest complaints I've seen is that the email client is pretty slow and doesn't support IMAP folders. Is this true? Additionally, are there issues with large amounts of email in the inbox?

4) How difficult is it to move files back and forth on a Mac? Just plug it in and move'em over?

5) If I were to get one and install Abiword on it, how much of a pain is it to move files from the unit to the computer and back?

Thanks in advance for any responses. Basically, I'm becoming increasingly convinced that, for what I need around the house, my laptop (a first-generation 12" powerbook G4) is overkill and expensive. I'm really looking for something small that I can use for 95% surfing, email, ebooks, and IM and 5% fiddling with relatively simple documents for when I take notes somewhere and don't want to wag my powerbook around. Right now, I'm alternating between using a Newton 2100 + keyboard and an iPaq 1945 + keyboard for some of this, but the Newt, cool as it is, is just tooooo old (4MB of memory!) and the iPaq screen is too small. I'm really looking for something in the small UMPC range in terms of size.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Cheers

[Karel Jansens]

Hi all.

Now that buy.com has the 770 for $139 (and $109 if you get their credit card), I'm considering purchasing one. I've been plowing around on this forum today and I have a few questions:
1) I hear conflicting reports (some are old) about the general sluggishness of the thing. Assuming that it has the latest updates, what kinds of responsiveness issues are there?

It's fast enough for its intended use; the community developed programs run at more than acceptable speed; video plays smoothly, provided you stick to the resolutions it can handle. This is on my 770, with the latest ITOS2006 system software. Be advized that the ITOS2007 Hacker Edition may be faster, but that not everything works as with ITOS2006 (video being a notable exception).

2) I understand that memory is an issue on this unit. If this can be solved, could someone explain how? I mean, I know that it involves getting a card, but it is just about assigning some swap memory and storage space on that card? Can the 770 handle 2 GB cards? Larger?

The 770's control panel has an option to set virtual memory on a storage card, with a maximum of 64 MB. This is really only necessary if you like to keep several applications running concurrently. If, like I did, you religiously hit the close button when you're through with an app, virtual memory doesn't seem necessary (but it's nice to have anyway). App loading times are short enough that there is no pressing need to keep them running.

3) One of the biggest complaints I've seen is that the email client is pretty slow and doesn't support IMAP folders. Is this true? Additionally, are there issues with large amounts of email in the inbox?

Yes, yes and yes. Don't use the built in email client. Actually, I wouldn't know, I'm a Gmail guy myself.

4) How difficult is it to move files back and forth on a Mac? Just plug it in and move'em over?

That I wouldn't know. In fact, I only used the USB cable on my Windoze box once, because it's so slow. I just yank out the card, stick it in a reader and transfer that way.

5) If I were to get one and install Abiword on it, how much of a pain is it to move files from the unit to the computer and back?

Either see above or, as I did/do: gmail them to myself.

Thanks in advance for any responses. Basically, I'm becoming increasingly convinced that, for what I need around the house, my laptop (a first-generation 12" powerbook G4) is overkill and expensive. I'm really looking for something small that I can use for 95% surfing, email, ebooks, and IM and 5% fiddling with relatively simple documents for when I take notes somewhere and don't want to wag my powerbook around. Right now, I'm alternating between using a Newton 2100 + keyboard and an iPaq 1945 + keyboard for some of this, but the Newt, cool as it is, is just tooooo old (4MB of memory!) and the iPaq screen is too small. I'm really looking for something in the small UMPC range in terms of size.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Ebooks: FBReader rulez!

Newton: The OpenEinstein emulator/virtualizer has come one step closer to being marginally usable. With OpenEinstein, the 770/N800 would be the coolest machine ever.

(I'd like to add that in the case of the Newton, I find it not so much the oldness of the hardware that bums me out, rather than the complete isolation (hardware and software) of the platform)