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Welcome to Newton
| Working with Newton |
Various people: Newton’s about a lot of things, really.
I think the part that excites me the most... has to do with helping people keep in
touch. The idea behind Newton is that it’s an assistant, something that actively
helps you as you capture, organize and communicate your ideas and information.
The possibilities are just limitless.
When you think about it, the most natural way to get thoughts down is to jot, or to sketch.
We wanted Newton to be that natural. Say you’re on a train, or plane, or
the little cafe. You can find the fax, say you want to send that fax to Margaret...
you just highlight Margaret’s name in the text, tap Fax
and Newton will automatically fill out a fax cover sheet with Margaret’s number on it.
| Sending mail |
| Faxing information |
We’ve built in Newton Intelligence, so that Newton knows enough about what
you’re trying to do to help you do it.
The beauty of Newton is that any page you have in your Newton can be sent through email –
text, graphics, pages from your calendar, business cards. You just select
Email and, well, you send it. As simple as that.
It seems to happen all the time these days... You’re expecting a really important
message, but you can’t guarantee you’re going to be easy to reach.
By just getting the Newton Messaging Card, you can get your message wherever you go.
| Newton’s infrared beaming |
| Newton Messaging Card |
You can share anything that’s in your Newton with anyone else. Using
Newton’s built-in infrared networking capability, you can beam things to other people.
It’s pretty handy in meetings, to just be able to send someone
something instantly – your business card, or the notes, or a calendar page.
You can even jot notes to jog your memory later, or set an alarm, or add a task
to your to-do list. Kind of a communication center, or universal in box and out box.
The Newton Connection Kit lets you connect your Newton to your PC or your Macintosh,
and share and store information.
| Writing on Newton |
| Newton outdoors |
This is all about being in charge of your life,
being able to have information so you can keep in touch with people.
It’s gonna help you keep track of your time and your contacts, but it’s gonna
do it in a way that’s not intrusive to your lifestyle. I’d say that Newton
is really peace of mind, right in the palm of your hand.
Introduction
Presenter: Thank you for purchasing the Apple Newton MessagePad. In this 25-minute video
we’ll show you how to best take advantage of your Newton’s state-of-the-art
features and capabilities.
| Presenter |
I’ll spend the first few minutes showing you the
Notepad – the software that’s always on whenever your Newton is on.
I’ll also use the Notepad to show you some basic techniques for getting around and
for getting things done. These techniques work no matter what software you’re
using on Newton. Then I’ll demonstrate some important handwriting and drawing
techniques. I’ll show you these techniques on a Notepad, but they work no matter
where you’re writing or drawing in Newton. Then I’ll show you how
to use Newton for communications. You can print, fax, email or beam the information you
have in your Newton, and you can receive information as well. Next I’ll show you
how to use your Newton to organize your names, dates, and all the information that you
need to keep track of your work and your personal life. Names and Dates come built into
Newton. To conclude, I’ll introduce you to just a few of the many software titles
that are available – titles that increase your Newton’s usefulness in
your business and as a source of information and entertainment. We’ll also talk
about optional accessories that are available for your Newton MessagePad.
If you have your Newton with you as you watch this video, please don’t try
to follow along with it. You’ll be able to learn more by simply watching and
then trying things out later, with the video off. You can always replay the video to
review the things we show you.
Now, let’s get started.
Notepad
| Note overview |
| Scrolling down |
Presenter: The Notepad is like an endless scroll of paper and you move up and down
the scroll by tapping the up and down arrows at the bottom of the screen. Notes in
the Notepad can include both text and drawings. Until you erase or delete it,
information stays in Newton’s memory even when it’s switched off. The
Notepad is always running as long as your Newton is on. Sometimes it’s hidden,
though, by other software, such as Names or Dates.
To see a list of all the notes, tap the dot between the arrows – called
the “overview button.” The up and down arrows and the overview button work
the same way in Names and Dates, as well as in most other Newton software.
| Deleting a note |
| New note separator |
To start a new note, draw a line across the Notepad. The line turns into a separator
bar, which shows today’s date.
The bar also has two buttons – the folder
button, which you use to file your note, and the envelope button called the “action
button,” which you use to print your note, or to send it as electronic mail,
a fax or beamed information. You also use the action button to delete or duplicate the note.
To file something, go to the note or the name card you want to file. Tap the
folder button, tap a folder and then tap File. Browse through the contents of a folder
by tapping up and down arrows and the overview button. To go to a particular folder, tap
the tab at the top of the Notepad, and then tap the folder you want. Filing in folders
work in the same way in Names.
| Filing a note |
Remember that you are moving up and down the contents
of one folder of notes or name cards when you’re tapping the up and down
arrows. If you can’t find a particular note or name card, you may be
looking in the wrong folder.
Handwriting and drawing
Presenter: Newton’s real power lies in its ability to turn your handwriting into text. Remember
that you and your Newton are new to each other. Think of Newton as a new colleague
who has never seen your handwriting. It has to get used to the way you write, and
at the same time you’re learning how Newton recognizes your handwriting. The result is
that Newton becomes fine-tuned to read your handwriting better than anyone else’s.
| Word recognition alternatives |
| Text recognizer button |
To write, make sure the text recognizer button is dark. This shows that the text recognizer
is on. Newton reads your handwriting using two techniques: by comparing what you write
against entries in a word list – this first technique is called “word-based
recognition.” The second is by trying to recognize each letter, “letter-by-letter
recognition.”
When you write something down, Newton uses these techniques
to make its best guess. Often, Newton will get it right the first time, but sometimes
it won’t. To correct a word, tap it twice. A list appears. If the correct word is
on the list, tap it.
| Letter-by-letter recognition |
| On-screen keyboard |
If the correct word is not on the list, there are two ways to go.
You can tap Try Letters, which makes Newton use only letter-by-letter
recognition to try to read the word. Tapping Try Letters is effective if the
word is unusual and not likely to be on the word list. Or you can tap the keyboard button
at the bottom of the list. A keyboard appears, and you can tap out the correct word.
If the word you want is not on Newton’s word list, it asks if you want to add
the word to the list. Once the word is in the list, Newton will have an easier time
recognizing it the next time you write it.
If you know you’re about to write a
word that is probably not on the word list, or numbers like dates and times, you can tap
this button, which turns on letter-by-letter recognition. Remember that letter-by-letter
recognition is on only while you have the button selected, and this box is open.
Letter-by-letter recognition works best when you write in lower case, disconnected
letters. Turn off letter-by-letter recognition by tapping the ×, and
Newton asks if you want to add the word you’ve just written to the word list.
In most cases, word-based recognition is faster and more accurate than letter-by-letter
recognition, so make sure you add to the word list any words that you write fairly often.
| Undoing the last operation |
| Selecting text |
If you’re in a hurry, you can quickly jot down notes and sketches as electronic
ink, and have Newton recognize your handwriting later. To write in electronic ink, make
sure both text and shape recognizers are off as you write. Newton then leaves your
handwriting as is. Later, select your handwriting and tap twice. Newton then converts
the electronic ink to text. If you want to convert only a single word, you don’t
even have to select it. Just tap twice.
Select a word by holding down the pen until a heavy mark appears,
then draw the mark over or around the text. If the selection doesn’t work –
if you draw a line over the word instead of selecting it, for example – tap
Undo and try it again. To customize how you want the text and shape recognizers to
work, you can go to the Recognizers Preference in Prefs.
| Prefs |
Your handbook has more information on how to set these preferences, and how to
use word-based recognition and letter-by-letter recognition. Here are some simple tips
to help Newton recognize your handwriting:
| | | Remember to write at an even pace – not too slowly, and not too quickly.
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| | | Don’t get too far ahead of Newton as it converts your handwriting to text.
And don’t pause in the middle of writing the word. If you pause in the middle
of a word, Newton thinks that you’re finished and tries to read it. And when
you finish writing a word, don’t go back to correct or improve your handwriting if
Newton hasn’t read it yet. When you go back, it throws Newton off, because Newton
figures out what you’re writing based on the timing and sequence of your
handwriting.
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| | | Remember to leave space between words, even exaggerate it, so Newton can
tell when you finished one word and started another.
If you write words too close together, Newton may read them as a single word.
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| | | An important, but basic technique, is to write simply and neatly, from left to
right. Make sure you cross your t’s and dot your i’s. Make your o’s
look like o’s and your a’s look like a’s. It’s common sense,
really, and it makes a big difference in how Newton interprets your handwriting.
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So remember, write in an even pace, don’t pause in the middle of a word,
don’t go back to correct a word if Newton hasn’t read it yet, exaggerate
the space between words, and write simply and neatly.
| On-screen keyboard |
| Deleting a word |
Now, let’s talk a little bit about correcting and editing text. If only a single
letter is wrong, you can correct a letter by writing over it. You can erase the
entire word and start over. To erase a word, you scrub it out with a zig-zag that has
at least four back-and-forth strokes. If a scrub doesn’t work, tap Undo and
try again. Make sure that the zig-zag is taller or wider than the word or letter, and
that the scrub mark is jagged, not wavy. Scrubbing works on almost anything on the screen
– words, single letters, whole paragraphs and drawings.
As an alternative to writing, you can use an on-screen keyboard to tap out the word or
number you are writing. To get the keyboard, tap twice anywhere you’re writing, then tap
in the text.
| Moving text between areas |
| Copying a drawing |
You can also move or copy text and drawings you have selected. To move a word
or drawing, select it, then hold the pen on the word and move it to where you
want it. To copy a word or drawing, select it, then tap it twice. On the second
tap, move the pen away and the copy moves away with it.
You can insert a space between
letters or between lines by drawing a caret. You can also move or copy text and drawings
from one area of Newton to the other. Select the text or drawing, then move or copy
it to any edge of the screen, except the bottom edge. When it reaches the edge of
the screen, the selection becomes a small box. You can then go to any other area and
move the selection from the edge of the screen.
| Drawing figures |
Remember that these techniques for
selecting, moving and copying, work with drawings as well as text. When you’re
drawing, make sure the shape recognizer button is dark, indicating that the shape
recognizer is on. If drawing is all you’ll be doing for the moment, you can turn
the text recognizer off, so Newton won’t mistake your drawings for handwriting
strokes.
Communications
Presenter: From the beginning, Newton was designed to communicate.
| The Out Box icon |
| Newton’s In Box |
Your Newton can send electronic mail
and faxes over fax-modem, print items on a printer, and beam information to another
Newton. It can also receive email, software enhancements, and information beamed from
another Newton. With a Newton Messaging Card, your Newton can even receive wireless
messages, such as pages, and text or number messages.
To send a note, a name
card or a calendar page, all you need to remember are the action button, and the
Out Box. Go to the note, name card or calendar page that you want to send, tap the
action button, and tap your choice. You can send it to a printer to make a paper copy,
fax it, beam it to another Newton, or you can send it as email. Your Newton does not have
to be physically connected to anything when you use the action button. The item simply
gets stored in the Out Box until you’re ready to send email or print, fax, or
beam the item. When you’re ready, go to the Out Box, and tap the item you want
to send.
| Communications connector |
| Infrared transmitter/receiver |
You’ll need to connect your Newton to a Newton fax-modem to send a
fax or electronic mail, and you’ll have to first set up an email account before
you can send email. The materials that came with your Newton include information about
setting up an email account and, of course, your Newton needs to be connected to
a printer before you can print.
All these connections are made through the same connector on your Newton. As for beaming
information, you don’t need anything but two Newtons, because information is beamed
through the infrared transmitter and receiver that is built into every Newton.
| Assist in action |
| Receiving mail |
To receive communications, you go to the In Box. Again, your Newton
has to be connected to a Newton fax-modem to receive electronic mail, and you
first have to have an email account.
If you have a Newton Messaging Card, the In Box is also where you receive your
wireless messages.
Here’s a message from Michael, suggesting a lunch meeting on
Thursday. You can select the text and tap Assist, and then schedule. Newton automatically
puts your lunch date in your calendar.
Names and Dates
| Show options |
| A sample card |
Presenter: You can use Newton to organize the names, dates and all the other bits of information
you use everyday. To go to the names file, tap Names. In Names, in addition to
using the up and down arrows and the overview button, you can tap a letter to go
to the names that start with that letter.
You can look at every entry in the name file in three ways. Card & Notes lets you
add notes to a name card – which is like writing notes on the back of someone’s
business card – and All Info is where you can review and change any of the information
you have on the card. All Info also lets you change how you want the card sorted,
and the layout you want to use for the card.
| Dragging the appointment marker |
| Available card layouts |
Tap New to create a new card in the All Info view. Remember that you can tap
twice anywhere you are writing to use an on-screen keyboard. Of course you don’t
have to write all that information directly into Newton. You can use the Newton Connection
Kit to type your name file entries on a Windows or Macintosh computer, and transfer
them to your Newton through the communication port. You can also transfer and
synchronize information in the Notepad and the Datebook in the same way.
The Datebook is where you keep your calendar and to-do list. To go to the Datebook,
tap Dates. To make an appointment, write on the calendar, and an appointment marker
appears. Move the marker to adjust the appointment time, and tap the marker
to add notes, change the appointment name, or adjust the starting and ending times. You
can also schedule overlapping appointments. As in the Notepad, you can draw as well as
write on the calendar pages.
| Monthly calendar |
| To-do list priorities |
The to-do list is where you write down your to-do items and set priorities. You can check
off an item when it’s done. To go to any date, tap it on a monthly calendar. You
can go to another month, or even another year. To go back quickly to today’s
date, tap Today.
And if you’re looking for something on Newton, you can always tap Find. Write down
what you’re looking for, and Newton finds it for you. Newton can
find items no matter in which part of the software they might be stored. That’s because
all the information in your Newton is interconnected.
| Assist button |
| Find option |
In the same way you can use Assist
to schedule appointments and enter to-do items for you. For example, select a reminder
you’ve written down for yourself and tap Assist. Newton enters the to-do item for
you on the appropriate date. It figures out what you want all by itself.
Software titles and accessories
Presenter: At home, in the office or on the road – Newton software goes anywhere. These
business, information and entertainment titles are designed to increase your productivity
and enjoyment.
| Fodor’s 94 Travel Manager: Top U.S. Cities |
| Newton software |
Fodor’s 94 Travel Manager: Top U.S. Cities gives you instant access to
information on over 500 locations in each of the eight American cities, with details about
restaurant, hotel and business services and interactive maps.
The Fortune 500 Guide To American Business is an enriched electronic version
of the Fortune 500 and Service 500 – the recognized sources for information on all
aspects of America’s largest companies.
Money Magazine’s Financial Assistant is a collection of templates to
assist in making most common financial decisions, and Money Magazine’s Business
Forms helps keep you on track with easy-to-fill-out financial forms – including
expense reports, project plans and loan calculations.
| Personal Time & Billing |
| Financial Assistant |
Manage your client billing and project costs with Personal Time & Billing
from Great Plains Software.
Go Figure combines over 15 different traditional and lifestyle calculators,
and Pocket Call from Ex Machina makes dialing up online information
services even easier with your Newton.
PresenterPad helps you create and manage slide presentations and prescripted speeches.
ExpensePlus compiles and prints expense reports directly from your Newton, and
the Day-Timer Metting & Expense Pack makes planning meetings and tracking
expenses a breeze.
| Columbo’s Mystery Capers |
| Go Figure |
Columbo’s Mystery Capers is a collection of more than 40 brain teasers. Each
humorous mystery opens with a text introduction, and an illustration of the
scene of the crime. Fingertip for Golf helps keep score and provides game statistics
on the course, and Dell Crossword Puzzles and Other Games contains hundreds of
puzzles, as well as cryptograms and word searches.
There’s a full range of optional accessories that will make you and your Newton
work even more productively. To take full advantage of Newton’s communication
power, the fax-modem card lets you send and receive electronic mail, connect to online
services and send faxes anywhere. With a Newton Messaging Card and a subscription to the
Apple Wireless Messaging Service, you can receive and store messages, even when
the card is not plugged into your Newton.
| Newton 2MB storage card |
| Newton accessories |
Whether you work on a Macintosh computer, or a PC running Microsoft Windows, the Connection
Kit contains everything you need to link your Newton to view, edit, synchronize and
back up information.
2- and 4-megabyte storage cards are the perfect way to increase your Newton’s storage
and back up information.
While using your Newton at your desk, quickcharge your internal batteries, and a
spare set as well, with the MessagePad charging station, and protect your Newton and
add-on cards with rugged carrying cases.
Conclusion
| Apple: Intelligence by Newton |
Presenter: Well, we’ve covered a lot of ground. I’ve shown you how to get around in
Newton, how to write and draw, how to use your Newton for communications, and keep track
of the information. We’ve also learned about the revolutionary way information
is interrelated throughout Newton. And, finally, we’ve glimpsed at a few of
the many software titles and accessories that are available for the Newton MessagePad.
Thank you for watching this video. We hope you’ve learned and discovered enough
about your Newton to quickly make it indispensable. Enjoy!
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