Phil's Everex Freestyle A-10 Review
Phillip R. Olstein
I read in a post today that local CompUSA stores are seling the A-10
today - so I spent a few hours calling sotres. Finally found one that
had 6 (!!) in stock - all came in today. Unfortunatly, the store that
had them was about 70 miles away - but I could have it shipped by
tommorow .
Faced with such a same choice, I did the only thing that made sence -
drove down and picked it up (sigh).
Anyhow, I've been playing with the unit for about an hour now, and
though I'd post a quick review. I'm a longtime Pilot user, so my view
may be skewed.
First off, I got the Freestyle at the West Palm beach, Florida CompUsa
for 317.99 including tax, and totally forgot to ask about the rebate.
They still have 4 in stock - I bought one and the other equally insane
person that went with me bought one - and yes they do ship FedEx.
I have 10 days to decide to return it to any CompUSA (like the one I
pass to work every day).
I am also on Micron Addition's list to get an A-15 or A-20 - whatever
comes first. According to Everex, the A-15 will ship "1st week of
June", the A-20 "mid-June". I figure i have 9 days to decide which
path to take = so I'm staying on the list for now.
Also, the rep at Everex said that he played with all units, and id
*not* notice a speed difference between them, but he was personally
concerned with the 4 megs of ram vs the 8 that the others offer. When
i asked, he said that the rought plan was to allow 48 hour upgrades of
the main board for around $120 (to upgrade A-10 to A-15). The
modem/cradle is an accessory that will be available in mid-June.
<sorry for rambling>
The size: Almost 100% identical to a Palm Pilot 5000. Slightly
taller (maybe 1-2mm's). Same width. The screen is about 1mm smaller
(but you get to use the whole area as you wish). The Pilot seems to
fit into my hand better - it was awkward holding the Freestyle &
trying to use the buttons - for now I'll assume I'll get used to it.
the Freestyle also seemed a touch heavier then the Pilot (I read in
the specs that it's supposed to be a bit less).
The Case: Sturdy. you can feel the flimsiness on a Pilot case. No
problems here. There's 4 buttons on the front (Notetaker, Tasks,
Address, and umm Calender off the top of my head). The left side has
(bottom to top) a contrast button, the backlight button, a
mic/headphone plug, and the voice recorder button. The right side has
(also bottom to top) a place to plug in A/C, a power button, rocker
down, rocker "enter" rocker up, and exit buttons. I keep accidently
hitting the power button as I pick it up. The top has the infared
port, the card slot, and the stylus.
The screen: So far, this is the biggest *dissapointment*. The Pilot
screen is MUCH better. Unless there's some settings I am missing,
there is not even a comparison here. The contrast button is not as
easy as a contrast wheel. When you hit the button, the screen gets
brighter & brighter until it is at its brightest, and then gets darker
& darker (kind of like the old game Archon). This means that you
can't do something like... "oke, a little brighter - no that is too
much, let me go back one." The backlight is not very bright, and when
it's on, the text tends to fade away (instead of standing out more).
The screen is usable - it's just not anywhere as good as expected.
Glare is about the same as the Pilot.
Speed: I was worried about this one, but it does not appear to be a
problem (yet). I get very quick hourglass flickers. Speed is
slightly slower then a Pilot. Delays are under 1/2 a second. I
assume that the A-15, A-20 will be better.
Notetake/Jot: Very impressive. So far, I have only seen Jot suggest
one word as I am writing (didn't the "Guiding Hand" video show several
words?), but according to the book, the more you use it, the better it
gets. Time will tell. I'm used to Graffiti letters, so this one will
throw me off for a time. You can "learn" how to enter a letter, and
watch the unit draw it for you (some letters in several variations!).
Voice Recorder: I'm using the default setting on this one with the
volume allll the way up. Not so good. The HPC's seem to be better.
I'll try tommorow with different settings. Usable - barely. Seems
more of a problem with the microphone then the speaker. Maybe it's
me. I'll have to try more then 2 tests to be sure.
The stylus: Lighter then a Pilot's (which is bad). I'm used to the
other, so this isn't the most fair review. I like the tip, it is hard
to describe, but the barrel of the stylus is curved, and just at the
end gets 25% smaller - kind of the like a ball point pen. Seems
accurate to use, I am simply not used to it. The stylus fits
perfectly into the back of the unit (I'm used to the side - but the
Pilot III has it on the back also...).
Battery: Comes with a NIMH battery (looks like 2 AAA's taped
together). I almost peeled the two apart in the dark until I saw what
I was doing! Will charge the unit tonight and test life span over the
weekend.
Sounds: Found my 1st bug in the unit here. I turned tap & button
noises on. It played a nice tapping noise. I went into the sound
settings to play some sample sounds - now whenever I tap, it plays the
last sound that the Freestyle played! So, if I delete an item, and it
make a "crunching noise", it plays the first note of the "crunching
noise" when ever I click anywhere. Will call tech about this
tommorow.
The infared port: On a HPC, you can print through this. In
notetaker, I could not find a print option :(
Overall impression: So far so good. Natrually, it needs more then 1
hour of playing. I will keep playing tommorow and over the weekend,
and post more thought as I progress.
Tommorow, I will try synching to my notebook PC (NT 4.0 with Outlook
97) - I already have the HPC software in there (my company owns a
HP620 LX which I tested) - so I assume that the software is the same.
I'll post more about synching tommorow. I am also interested in the
Channel viewer.
If you have any specific questions or things you'd like me to look at
post to comp.sys.palmtops or write me at pols...@wsvn.com. I'll be
in touch all tommorow (Friday).
FloydW8504
Thanks for your review! Does the Freestyle have a "Global" search capability?
This is an excellent feature that I use constantly on my Pilot and to date I
have not heard any reference to global search capabilities for Windows CE Palm
PC's.
Thanks -Floyd
Phillip R. Olstein
On 22 May 1998 10:11:54 GMT, floyd...@aol.com (FloydW8504) wrote:
Yes. You can search through a large list of selections including:
All Data
All Outlook Data
Appointments (all)
Appointments (recurring only)
Channel Items
Contacts
Mail Messages
Note Taker notes
Tasks (all)
Tasks (recurring only)
Voice recordings
While I'm here, a couple of new things I learned staying up a bit late
last night:
Jot: I found the options for it. You can have it suggest 1-4 words
after 1-7 characters of input. You can choose to add a space after,
or not. You can also
Favor longer words
Favor more common words
Favor learned words (I have this one selected now)
Balance Word Selection
The Case that the Freestyle is stored in: While I'm sure that many
3rd party vendors will release their own cases, the one that comes
with the Everex isn't bad. There is no belt loop or shoulder strap,
just a sinple sleeve with no top. Both the front & back of the case
have cardboard in them to make it very rigid. The Freestyle also fits
90% in, leaving the top sticking out - the left side of the case is
curved down, exposing the Freestyle's Record button, while on the
right side the microphone (top right front) just sticks out) - so you
can do voice recordings in the case.
Phillip R. Olstein
Steve Makofsky
Not sure about PalmPC, but HPC's has bSquare's bFIND, which finds just about
everything on the device.. Check out www.bsquare.com
FloydW8504 wrote in message
<199805221011...@ladder03.news.aol.com>...
Thorsten Lange
Phillip R. Olstein schrieb in Nachricht
<6F67AF37480BBCE6.3985F395...@library-proxy.airnews.ne
t>...
>Tommorow, I will try synching to my notebook PC (NT 4.0 with Outlook
>97) - I already have the HPC software in there (my company owns a
>HP620 LX which I tested) - so I assume that the software is the same.
No, you need to upgrade to CE-services 2.1 that came with your P/PC. 2.1
works with H/PCs and P/PCs whiel the old 2.0 only works with H/PCs (since it
has been released before the P/PC had been finalised).
>I'll post more about synching tommorow. I am also interested in the
>Channel viewer.
Especially the Channel view is part of CE Services 2.1
Thorsten
WENK PRODUCTS & PADshop
Die Spezialisten für Mobile Computing.
http://www.wenk.com
mailto:in...@wenk.com bzw. mailto:pad...@wenk.com
Phillip R. Olstein
On Fri, 22 May 1998 19:59:25 +0200, "Thorsten Lange"
Today I instaled IE 4.01 (got the newest version off of Microsoft's
web site), and went to the MSnbc channel - found out that the latest
version is NOT compatible with the channel browser ?!? I de-installed
IE 4.01, and installed the version that came with the CD. When I went
to the web page, it attempted to download some software...but still no
luck.
When I go to the Mobile Connections, I do not get the option for
Channels. I am re-installing 2.1 from scratch - hopefully that will
do the trick.
In other news, the sound/tap problem I mentioned, Everex is now
calling a "CE Feature". BS. I do not want the sound to change every
time I tap on something on the screen. I am very interesed in
feedback on this problem.
Finally, I am told that to print through infared, go to Notetaker,
compose a note, save it and exit the note. Hightlight the note, and
click File > Send to > Infared. I tried it to a HP LaserJet 6p - no
luck here either. Everex will get back to me on this one.
Phillip R. Olstin
<Thorste...@wenk.com> wrote:
>>Tommorow, I will try synching to my notebook PC (NT 4.0 with Outlook
>>97) - I already have the HPC software in there (my company owns a
>>HP620 LX which I tested) - so I assume that the software is the same.
>
>No, you need to upgrade to CE-services 2.1 that came with your P/PC. 2.1
>works with H/PCs and P/PCs whiel the old 2.0 only works with H/PCs (since it
>has been released before the P/PC had been finalised).
>
>>I'll post more about synching tommorow. I am also interested in the
>>Channel viewer.
Obelenwa
Someday PSPCs will be good enough and the PIII will yield to the MS
behemoth. For now it seems buying a PSPC is the equivalent of being a beta
tester.....and paying a lot of money to do so :)
Phillip R. Olstein wrote in message ...
>On Fri, 22 May 1998 19:59:25 +0200, "Thorsten Lange"
>
>Today I instaled IE 4.01 (got the newest version off of Microsoft's
>web site), and went to the MSnbc channel - found out that the latest
>version is NOT compatible with the channel browser ?!? I de-installed
>IE 4.01, and installed the version that came with the CD. When I went
>to the web page, it attempted to download some software...but still no
>luck.
>
>When I go to the Mobile Connections, I do not get the option for
>Channels. I am re-installing 2.1 from scratch - hopefully that will
>do the trick.
>
>In other news, the sound/tap problem I mentioned, Everex is now
>calling a "CE Feature". BS. I do not want the sound to change every
>time I tap on something on the screen. I am very interesed in
>feedback on this problem.
>
>Finally, I am told that to print through infared, go to Notetaker,
>compose a note, save it and exit the note. Hightlight the note, and
>click File > Send to > Infared. I tried it to a HP LaserJet 6p - no
>luck here either. Everex will get back to me on this one.
>
>Phillip R. Olstin
>
><Thorste...@wenk.com> wrote:
>
>>>Tommorow, I will try synching to my notebook PC (NT 4.0 with Outlook
>>>97) - I already have the HPC software in there (my company owns a
>>>HP620 LX which I tested) - so I assume that the software is the same.
>>
>>No, you need to upgrade to CE-services 2.1 that came with your P/PC. 2.1
>>works with H/PCs and P/PCs whiel the old 2.0 only works with H/PCs (since
it
>>has been released before the P/PC had been finalised).
>>
>>>I'll post more about synching tommorow. I am also interested in the
>>>Channel viewer.
Gump
I dub thee TROLL!
Looking up "Obelenwa" on Deja News shows that you have been posting nothing
but negative comments regarding Palm Sized PC's. First off.. YOU DON'T HAVE
one so who are you to talk? And..you're using a Microsoft product as your
newsreader..If Microsoft is so bad, why don't you get a MAC and go away.
TROLL!
Obelenwa wrote in message <6k4qma$5bk$1...@winter.news.erols.com>...
>Someday PSPCs will be good enough and the PIII will yield to the MS
>behemoth. For now it seems buying a PSPC is the equivalent of being a beta
>tester.....and paying a lot of money to do so :)
>
>
>Phillip R. Olstein wrote in message ...
>>On Fri, 22 May 1998 19:59:25 +0200, "Thorsten Lange"
>>
>>Today I instaled IE 4.01 (got the newest version off of Microsoft's
>>web site), and went to the MSnbc channel - found out that the latest
>>version is NOT compatible with the channel browser ?!? I de-installed
>>IE 4.01, and installed the version that came with the CD. When I went
>>to the web page, it attempted to download some software...but still no
>>luck.
>>
>>When I go to the Mobile Connections, I do not get the option for
>>Channels. I am re-installing 2.1 from scratch - hopefully that will
>>do the trick.
>>
>>In other news, the sound/tap problem I mentioned, Everex is now
>>calling a "CE Feature". BS. I do not want the sound to change every
>>time I tap on something on the screen. I am very interesed in
>>feedback on this problem.
>>
>>Finally, I am told that to print through infared, go to Notetaker,
>>compose a note, save it and exit the note. Hightlight the note, and
>>click File > Send to > Infared. I tried it to a HP LaserJet 6p - no
>>luck here either. Everex will get back to me on this one.
>>
>>Phillip R. Olstin
>>
>><Thorste...@wenk.com> wrote:
>>
>>>>Tommorow, I will try synching to my notebook PC (NT 4.0 with Outlook
>>>>97) - I already have the HPC software in there (my company owns a
>>>>HP620 LX which I tested) - so I assume that the software is the same.
>>>
>>>No, you need to upgrade to CE-services 2.1 that came with your P/PC. 2.1
>>>works with H/PCs and P/PCs whiel the old 2.0 only works with H/PCs (since
>it
>>>has been released before the P/PC had been finalised).
>>>
>>>>I'll post more about synching tommorow. I am also interested in the
>>>>Channel viewer.
sdd
Paying money to be a beta tester...I agree. So? That's me.
>>>>Tommorow, I will try synching to my notebook PC (NT 4.0 with Outlook
>>>>97) - I already have the HPC software in there (my company owns a
>>>>HP620 LX which I tested) - so I assume that the software is the same.
>>>
>>>No, you need to upgrade to CE-services 2.1 that came with your P/PC. 2.1
>>>works with H/PCs and P/PCs whiel the old 2.0 only works with H/PCs (since
>it
>>>has been released before the P/PC had been finalised).
>>>
>>>>I'll post more about synching tommorow. I am also interested in the
>>>>Channel viewer.
sdd
Phil:
Just got the A-10, and have a couple problems.
1. How do I recognize my CF card, and move files to and from it? When I put
the card in it asks for a driver, and I don't know what to enter. What do I
do? I cannot find any references (manual or web) telling me supported CF
cards.
2. My rechargeable battery pack doesn't seem to work. I charge all night,
and I check that I've got the power plug icon under start/settings/power,
and as soon as I unplug and turn it on, I get a main batteries very low
warning. It seems the pack is defective. Is yours working OK?
Thanks,
Kevin
Phillip R. Olstein wrote in message ...
>On Fri, 22 May 1998 19:59:25 +0200, "Thorsten Lange"
>
>Today I instaled IE 4.01 (got the newest version off of Microsoft's
>web site), and went to the MSnbc channel - found out that the latest
>version is NOT compatible with the channel browser ?!? I de-installed
>IE 4.01, and installed the version that came with the CD. When I went
>to the web page, it attempted to download some software...but still no
>luck.
>
>When I go to the Mobile Connections, I do not get the option for
>Channels. I am re-installing 2.1 from scratch - hopefully that will
>do the trick.
>
>In other news, the sound/tap problem I mentioned, Everex is now
>calling a "CE Feature". BS. I do not want the sound to change every
>time I tap on something on the screen. I am very interesed in
>feedback on this problem.
>
>Finally, I am told that to print through infared, go to Notetaker,
>compose a note, save it and exit the note. Hightlight the note, and
>click File > Send to > Infared. I tried it to a HP LaserJet 6p - no
>luck here either. Everex will get back to me on this one.
>
>Phillip R. Olstin
>
><Thorste...@wenk.com> wrote:
>
>>>Tommorow, I will try synching to my notebook PC (NT 4.0 with Outlook
>>>97) - I already have the HPC software in there (my company owns a
>>>HP620 LX which I tested) - so I assume that the software is the same.
>>
>>No, you need to upgrade to CE-services 2.1 that came with your P/PC. 2.1
>>works with H/PCs and P/PCs whiel the old 2.0 only works with H/PCs (since
it
>>has been released before the P/PC had been finalised).
>>
>>>I'll post more about synching tommorow. I am also interested in the
>>>Channel viewer.
Phillip R. Olstein
On 23 May 1998 13:33:30 EDT, "sdd" <swa...@concentric.net> wrote:
No idea on the CF card, I'm trying to find out myself.
I was just now about to see if tech support was open, as I am having
battery problems. I charged my battery all night, used it for about 5
minutes tofay & got low power warnings. I put in 2 AAA's, but didn't
use the unit for more then a few minutes.
I'm looking at the MiMH battery & the Everex now, and just learned
something *VERY IMPORTANT*
(Everyone pay attention now):
With the Everex unit lyind on my desk, face up, put the batteries in
with the "Sanyo" label showing you. The - should be on top, the + on
the bottom, the arrow pointing in.
This seems counter to what the little diagram on the back shows,
because I was trying to line up the + and - on the Sanyo sticker to to
match the two of them. If you put the battery in "upside-down", even
though you still have the batteries matching the picture, the NiMH
will ***NOT*** charge.
This can be verified by putting in the battery, plugging in the power
supply and going to Start > Settings > Power. When you have the
battery in correctly it says, "Charging" (the book has this right).
When you have the batterys in wrong, the unit *WILL* turn on, but the
unit says that it's using "External Power" - it does not say that it
is charging.
I'll have to wait 8 hours to know if I got a good chage or not
though.. could be that I had them in wrong and the battery never
charged - could be that I had them in right, and they batteries still
stink.
Phillip R. Olstein
>>>>Tommorow, I will try synching to my notebook PC (NT 4.0 with Outlook
>>>>97) - I already have the HPC software in there (my company owns a
>>>>HP620 LX which I tested) - so I assume that the software is the same.
>>>
>>>No, you need to upgrade to CE-services 2.1 that came with your P/PC. 2.1
>>>works with H/PCs and P/PCs whiel the old 2.0 only works with H/PCs (since
>it
>>>has been released before the P/PC had been finalised).
>>>
>>>>I'll post more about synching tommorow. I am also interested in the
>>>>Channel viewer.
sdd
Wow, I hope you're right. It's the opposite orientation for the batteries
than what I had thought. I'll try it.
Let me know on the CF card. I've tried two now: a SanDisk 30 and a Viking
16. In both cases, when I turn the Everex on it asks me for a driver for
the CF card. I have no clue what to do.
Kevin
>>>>>Tommorow, I will try synching to my notebook PC (NT 4.0 with Outlook
>>>>>97) - I already have the HPC software in there (my company owns a
>>>>>HP620 LX which I tested) - so I assume that the software is the same.
>>>>
>>>>No, you need to upgrade to CE-services 2.1 that came with your P/PC. 2.1
>>>>works with H/PCs and P/PCs whiel the old 2.0 only works with H/PCs
(since
>>it
>>>>has been released before the P/PC had been finalised).
>>>>
>>>>>I'll post more about synching tommorow. I am also interested in the
>>>>>Channel viewer.
bean...@my-dejanews.com
I have the same problem! My battery pack seems to be either dead or defective,
or perhaps the powermanager is defective in the Everex software version?
I bought some alkalines just in case but I am almost CERTAIN my NiMH batteries
are no good. Anyone have an answer for this?
Yes, I too am searching for that list of acceptable compact flash cards. It
says in the manual to check the web site but there aint anything there!
aloha!
\\scott\\
In article <6k719a$6...@examiner.concentric.net>,
> >>>Tommorow, I will try synching to my notebook PC (NT 4.0 with Outlook
> >>>97) - I already have the HPC software in there (my company owns a
> >>>HP620 LX which I tested) - so I assume that the software is the same.
> >>
> >>No, you need to upgrade to CE-services 2.1 that came with your P/PC. 2.1
> >>works with H/PCs and P/PCs whiel the old 2.0 only works with H/PCs (since
> it
> >>has been released before the P/PC had been finalised).
> >>
> >>>I'll post more about synching tommorow. I am also interested in the
> >>>Channel viewer.
> >>Especially the Channel view is part of CE Services 2.1
> >>
> >>Thorsten
> >>WENK PRODUCTS & PADshop
> >>Die Spezialisten für Mobile Computing.
> >>http://www.wenk.com
> >>mailto:in...@wenk.com bzw. mailto:pad...@wenk.com
> >>
> >
>
>
-----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==-----
http://www.dejanews.com/ Now offering spam-free web-based newsreading
sce...@wsvn.com
I am the other insane person Phil was talking about. Note: I have no
experience with any handheld devices. I really like the palmtop everything
seemed to be fine but the only concern that I encountered was the 4mb of
ram... so i have made the painful decision to go return it and await the
release of the next unit. Overall I gave this unit a B/B+. Other may
disagree. I would love to see pocket word, excel, powerpoint for these
handheld. Another concern of mine is the battery life...I expected more..
Steven Cejas
sce...@wsvn.com
In article <6F67AF37480BBCE6.3985F3956AF238C4.C9E4BE6214042E8B@library-
proxy.airnews.net>,
comtr...@my-dejanews.com
Interesting....I called Everex, spoke to a nice lady, and she is mailing me
"free" a replacement unit with win ce 2.1., and several upgraded features.
Why this isn't what they are selling, I don't know. She says it's an
upgrade, and doesn't have some of the problems that the unit i purchased has.
I told her i was returning the unit, and came up with the replacement
solution. (don't send out for the rebate if youre returning the unit)
As far as the CF card, I have no info.
I also had the battery problem, and fixed it by correcting the position. For
$9.95 I am recieving rechargeable Lithium batteries from Energizer. They las
30 - 40% longer according to the lady, she gave me their number in NY to
call. I think Everex wanted to be first with the product, but should have
made a little better planning.
In article <6k8jnv$f...@examiner.concentric.net>,
"sdd" <swa...@concentric.net> wrote:
>
> Wow, I hope you're right. It's the opposite orientation for the batteries
> than what I had thought. I'll try it.
>
> Let me know on the CF card. I've tried two now: a SanDisk 30 and a Viking
> 16. In both cases, when I turn the Everex on it asks me for a driver for
> the CF card. I have no clue what to do.
>
> Kevin
>
> Phillip R. Olstein wrote in message ...
> >>>>>Tommorow, I will try synching to my notebook PC (NT 4.0 with Outlook
> >>>>>97) - I already have the HPC software in there (my company owns a
> >>>>>HP620 LX which I tested) - so I assume that the software is the same.
> >>>>
> >>>>No, you need to upgrade to CE-services 2.1 that came with your P/PC. 2.1
> >>>>works with H/PCs and P/PCs whiel the old 2.0 only works with H/PCs
> (since
> >>it
> >>>>has been released before the P/PC had been finalised).
> >>>>
> >>>>>I'll post more about synching tommorow. I am also interested in the
> >>>>>Channel viewer.
> >>>>Especially the Channel view is part of CE Services 2.1
> >>>>
> >>>>Thorsten
> >>>>WENK PRODUCTS & PADshop
> >>>>Die Spezialisten für Mobile Computing.
> >>>>http://www.wenk.com
> >>>>mailto:in...@wenk.com bzw. mailto:pad...@wenk.com
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>
> >
>
>
Phillip R. Olstein
On Mon, 25 May 1998 13:45:22 GMT, comtr...@my-dejanews.com wrote:
I called and asked about your "free" upgrade - the person I talked to
had no idea about what you mentioned. Can you explain further?
Phillip R. Olstein