This section has been archived: it is no longer being actively maintained, though I've left it here in case removing it breaks anyone's links.
I bought my first Psion organiser in 1992, a Series 3 256k. What a wonderful machine! In the days when we didn't have any general-purpose computers for staff at work (dark ages, huh?), I needed something with which to write a manual and procedures for our new computerised library management system. Working over two sites (this was before Crewe+Alsager College merged with MMU) meant that even if I commandeered our public-access CD-ROM machine I'd end up writing lots of stuff on paper first and by that point I was used to using a word processor at home on my Atari. Enter the Psion: extremely portable, batteries last for months, keyboard fine for my two-finger crawl and an excellent word processor which gave me my first outliner (best thing since sliced bread for manuals and the like). Plus easy transfer of files to my Atari for backup and for dumping to floppy for printout at work. RTF saves were also essential for transfer to Works at work (yes, this was before we all had Word!).
My original Series 3 lasted for many years, until I replaced it with a second-hand 3a 256k, some time in 1998 or 1999. Nicer screen, more software available (tons on the net), only cost £60! This also opened up the possibility of integrating my diary and address book with Outlook on the PC, by means of the positively brilliant Psi-Sync.
Why no Series 5 or later with tons of RAM? Well, I didn't have a portable modem for the Psion, and carrying it about would have been a pain in the neck anyway, so portable web browsing wasn't an issue. I could do email via the Psi-Sync/Outlook link. Everything else I did with the thing seemed to be not much better on a Series 5, plus the 5's batteries didn't last as long and (stupidest thing I ever heard) Psion removed the outliner from the Series 5 word processor. Also, coming from an Atari (ie non-Microsoft) background, I didn't like the way you had to use Windows software to convert files to standard formats instead of being able to save direct to RTF or Lotus or CSV as I could with the Series 3.
All this of course changed when I came across the Handspring Treo, which is why I no longer use my Psion.
So what did I do with my Psion? Here's a brief list:
- Appointments diary.
- Address book.
- General notes about just about anything (no more post-its stuck to everything in sight).
- Shopping lists.
- Email.
- Keep track of blood glucose records (I'm diabetic).
- Alarm clock.
- Play games.
- Check biorhythms.
- Consult I Ching.
- Consult other oracles (!).
- Program (OK I've only written one, but so what...).
programming
Well, I'm not a programmer really, but I have written one program for my own needs which is no great shakes on the complexity front but serves its purpose. This is an oracle program, by which I mean it randomly selects a single response from a set of available responses. I'm so absurdly proud of it (sad...) that I've given it its own page from where you can download it if you so wish, and where you can find out more.