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Technology Stocks : COMS & the Ghost of USRX w/ other STUFF -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: David Lawrence who wrote (16304)	6/24/1998 9:21:00 AM
From: Moonray	Respond to of 22053

Palm Reading Washington Post Staff Writer - June 19, 1998 Casio tries to pick off the competition in the handheld-organizer market with its new E-10 Cassiopeia, but this otherwise nifty device is just a little too pokey and complicated for the job. The Cassiopeia is one of the first palm-sized computers to run on Microsoft's Windows CE, a stripped-down version of Windows designed to run on smaller devices. (Similar products are out or coming soon from Everex, Philips and other manufacturers.) Hit the "Start" button on the task bar, just as you would in Windows 95, and a list of programs pops up. You can enter data with a handwriting recognition program (called "Jot") or by tapping the keys on a tiny onscreen keyboard with its included stylus. The main advantage of the E-10 over 3Com's enormously successful PalmPilot and Palm III organizers is its voice recorder - a cool gadget to have onboard, even though it's probably one of the reasons why this device is a bit of a battery eater (it munched two AAAs in three weeks of moderate use). You won't bootleg any concerts with this, but it works for quickly catching random thoughts. There's even an earphone jack to let you listen to your recordings in private - although a volume knob would help. The Cassiopeia's stylus is bigger and fits in the hand a little more comfortably than the Pilot's. Like the similarly-priced Palm III (3Com; Win 95, Mac, $400), the Cassiopeia has an infrared data-exchange transmitter, which lets it beam data to similarly equipped Windows CE devices. Also like the Pilot, buttons on the front of Casio's device provide shortcuts to its calendar, address book and to-do list. But extra buttons on its side also let you do some things one-handed: Turn the small wheel there to flip down through the options in a menu, then press it in to execute a function. To sum up, Casio has done itself proud with this piece of hardware, though its horribly nerdy, pseudo-naugahyde carrying case has got to go. But after playing with a review unit of the Casio for a few weeks, I eventually found myself shelling out my own hard-earned bucks to buy a Palm III instead. Why? Because, to start, when I first tried to back up the Cassiopeia on my computer with its desktop docking unit and Microsoft's synchronization software, I got a steady drizzle of serial-port error messages and tech-support finger-pointing - when I called Casio's toll-free number, I was referred to Microsoft's toll-call number. But aren't Casio's tech-support people Microsoft-certified? "Heck no," I was told. As for help getting my PC's serial port to recognize Casio's dock: "We don't even go there." Then there's the Windows CE ("WinCE" for short) interface. What has made the Pilot such a hit is the simplicity of its onscreen look, something that has rarely been associated with any version of Windows. Everything on the Casio seemed to involve a few more keystrokes and taps than it did on a PalmPilot. Trying to reproduce a Windows 95 screen on a palm-sized computer, furthermore, just isn't a good idea - it's annoying when windows stack up on top of each other to clutter a 3D inch-by-2D inch screen. It's also annoying when you have to watch that familiar Windows hourglass as the WinCE system chugs away at the same tasks a Pilot accomplishes with no waiting time. One of the odd joys of the Pilot is showing it off to friends and watching them start playing with it like a kid with a stack of Legos. In contrast, one of my friends started yelling at the Cassiopeia after about five minutes and nearly threw it against a wall. Needless to say, these things don't come with that sort of crash protection. E-10 Cassiopeia, Casio; Win 95, $399 c Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company o~~~ O

To: David Lawrence who wrote (16304)	6/24/1998 10:39:00 AM
From: Moonray	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 22053

GO2NET, INC. COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF SILICON INVESTOR Bloomberg - Wed, 24 Jun 1998, 9:43am EDT Details on this breaking story are not yet available. Stay tuned to the Bloomberg Website or to Bloomberg Television and Bloomberg Radio for details as the story develops. o~~~ O