looking at buying a pocket PC / PDA

[Mike Stein]

> the final nail in the coffin for m100 is the size of my go bag ( 23 * 16 * 1.5cm)
--
Definitely a deal breaker ;-)

But yes, without a memory expansion of some sort the limited RAM size can be frustrating; if you don't mind smaller text sizes or shorter battery life then there are many alternatives, both vintage and modern.

m
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: tom sparks 
  To: Mike Stein ; General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts 
  Sent: Sunday, October 29, 2017 4:38 PM
  Subject: Re: looking at buying a pocket PC / PDA


  On 30/10/17 04:14, Mike Stein wrote:


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "tom sparks" <tomasparks.ts at gmail.com>
To: "Mike Stein" <mhs.stein at gmail.com>; "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Sent: Sunday, October 29, 2017 1:39 PM
Subject: Re: looking at buying a pocket PC / PDA


On 30/10/17 01:22, Mike Stein wrote:

Radio Shack M100 (if you've got a large pocket); still used by some writers for the very reason you mention.

m
I did look at M100 and clones, but I ruled them out, as could not use 
them without extra hardware to get some DOS-like filesystem
----------- 

The internal file system isn't an issue for most people; the max ~30KB RAM disk (and file) size can be a limiting factor,30KB is a limiting factor me, as I dont know how many text files i want to store


 but like many similar units you transfer files in and out via built-in utilities and an RS232 cable or $10.00 bluetooth dongle to whatever file system is at the other end including Android and the other main OSs.I dont want to bring another computing device with me to act as storage,
  I want download all the data before I go and upload it when I return or use a "dial-up" connection[^1]


But as you mentioned, if you otherwise like the unit and can live with an 8x40 (albeit large and very legible) screen, there are various modern expansion options available, including CP/M emulation (under active development).

What makes it still a popular unit are the character size and legibility, the excellent keyboard and the long 4xAA cell battery life; the otherwise identical T102 is a thinner and lighter version.
the final nail in the coffin for m100 is the size of my go bag ( 23 * 16 * 1.5cm)


m
------------- 

[^1]: I am really unsure if I want to go down the TCP/IP path