June/July 1995
Pen Lab Review
Amstrad PIC-700
Impressive RISC-based second generation PDA with integrated alphanumeric
pager
Remember Amstrad's PenPad PDA600? I could not find one at Amstrad's booth
at CeBIT '95 in Hanover, Germany, so I asked if the company had gone out
of the PDA market altogether. Considering the PenPad's lack of success,
a reasonable assumption. Yes, the PenPad was taken off the market. However,
this was to make room for the brand-new Amstrad PIC700 InfoPad. PIC stands
for Personal Information Center, and with this device, Amstrad follows the
current trend on the PDA market of merging the latest achievements in computing
and communication.
Similar in shape to the original PenPad but with major enhancements, the
InfoPad PIC700 is based on a powerful 32-bit Hitachi SH7034 RISC-processor
designed with PDAs in mind. The operating system is based on a pre-emptive
multi-tasking kernel supported by ADAM (Advanced Database Access Manager)
and EVE (Eden Visual Environment - an object oriented graphic interface).
The PIC700 has a 320x480 dot non-backlit screen with a very small (.22mm)
dot screen, a minimum of 512 KB of RAM, a PCMCIA II slot, a serial port,
and an IRDA-standard infrared port. Three AA size alkaline cells provide
an estimated 40 hours of battery life. The InfoPad relies on the pen as
the sole medium for navigation and data entry. You can write directly on
the display or use the on screen-keyboard. Amstrad offers character-based
recognition or, supported by a user entered word list, a cursive writing
recognition engine. Amstrad claims that recognition rates as high as 95%
have been seen straight out of the box. Most applications allow input of
both text and ink so that a annotation can quickly be added to an existing
text entry. Since the PIC700 uses two overlaid screen pages, ink can easily
be erased.
The PIC700 incorporates common organizer functions such as address book,
diary, ToDo-list world time-clock and calculator. The memo editor accepts
text as well as graphics. Enhancements include the addition of security
so that sections of data can be protected. A new linking feature allows
hypertext links to be added to documents so that, for example, an address
entry could be linked to a map on a notes pages.
The InfoPad's real strength is found in its communication capabilities.
A built-in alpha-numeric radio paging receiver operating on the 466MHz band
lets you receive personal messages as well as broadcast information services.
Regularly updated information on news, finances, travel, and sports can
be received without being bound to a desk or having to tote around a modem.
I was pretty impressed by that feature, especially when the news section
was updated right at that moment when we were talking about the product.
Two-way communication is possible through the PCMCIA slot in connection
with a cellular phone. There is no fax or communications software included
in the machine, though.
Overall I had a favorable impression of the PIC700. Aside from the very
user-friendly interface, the InfoPad's appeal definitely lies in the user's
ability to retrieve information via paging technology. In a market where
the big companies seem to make little steps at a time, Amstrad has taken
quite a leap. Would I buy one for myself? The answer is a definite yes.
The InfoPad is expected to hit the European market by the middle of 1995.
Linking up with American partners will delay introduction to the US market
for at least another six months.
Pen Computing Issue #5