Rex 6000

Unsorted Introduction

Writing this on my brand new Rex 6000, about the very same device. Really makes you realize just how good the Palm way of writing really is, tapping on an on-screen keyboard like this is like using a keyboard with one finger ... Otherwise this is a pretty damn cool thing, entering the realm of lossy computing (a neat term I just came up with for computers so small you can easily lose them :-) with style. But the space allowed per memo is just too short. Wonder if someone has an app to fix this ... 2 megs is plenty for text after all ... Then again, I don't suppose text entry is something they thought people would do much of on this thing ... Are there rechargable batteries of this size? I hate buying batteries ... Guess I'll report more later (and maybe in other ways since this is already four memos and things seem to slow down the longer they get :-) ...

Cool things may come in small packages, but the one for the Rex was pretty large for the size of the contents. Went the extra mile in wet snow and against the wind (quite literally, I tell you) to get the nicely large and soft package when it arrived, a few days after what I had hoped for.

Switching over to the Palm like this makes you realize just how great Graffitti and a larger screen (even a scratched one covered in overhead plastic like this) really is. This is speed writing at its finest compared to the Rex! Of course, it's nothing compared to a real keyboard but try to keep the perspective, okay? By the way, a Palm is a damn bulky device now that I think about it :-) ...

Cold, Hard Facts

So, what is the Rex really then that makes a Palm look clumsy by comparison? Well, quite simply it's a PDA the size of a PCMCIA card (just think credit card, only about five times thicker). This combined with the fact that it does most things my Palm does (only slower and smaller) makes it pretty damn cool indeed. Go ahead and click on the externals to find pics of the little wonder.

My Rex came with a USB cradle, something I liked. However, it turns out that the serial cradle is actually the preferred alternative among Rex users. First and foremost, if you push the Rex all the way in the fit is really tight. So tight actually that it'll resist attempts to be removed until outright dangerous levels of force are applied. After I threw it all across the desk twice I learned to only insert it just far enough to connect properly, not all the way in ... The serial cradle appearantly has an eject button to avoid this problem. However, I like the fact that the USB cradle doesn't use batteries (maybe I'm a freak, but I want to be reliable on as few things as possible that can run out of batteries) and I can live with being careful on insertion and removal from the cradle.

I guess about the only seriously bad thing about the Rex is that it's out of production, but that's something I can live with (especially since that may well be the reason I could get one so cheap). Just too bad that means no more driver updates, seems people experience both one and two bugs that would need a little fixing.

The Speed Issue

This must be said, the Rex isn't a very fast device. Not fast at all in fact, things can take both one and two seconds to happen, even when it's just flipping to the next day in the calendar. Text entry isn't fast either, especially not since it for some reason slows down after the nth (30-something I think it was) character. There are discussions that this is because of memory and battery issues, but that's not all that relevant. I can live with it if it conserves batteries ... It isn't fast at all in syncing either, but appearantly it's powered by the cradle when doing this, so I can live with that too. Anything that conserves batteries I can live with :-) ...

It's Sooo Cool!

Get one if you can, they're cool! Just think about some moment when someone is showing off a Palm, and you can pull out something not one third the size that does most of the same stuff :-) ...

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