Msg: 6724 *Conference*
08-01-96 18:16:15
From: THOMAS MCKEAN
To : ALL
Subj: RICK'S LITTLE PACKAGE
Well... I don't know what to say. Mind you, I think maybe that I *would* know what to say... If only I knew what it was! :) For those waiting to know what Rick's little "package" was, best I can describe it is...well, it is definitely an orphan computer, no doubt about that. It says it is a "WorkSlate Model WK-100." Ring any bells? It is a little laptop thing with a keyboard that has round keys which, quite frankly, leave much to be desired. The monitor, such as it is, I have not quite figured out yet, but I would say it is superior to the Model 100 monitor. So it all evens out. It has a very nice (and what seems to be very reliable) microcassette storage drive instead of a disk drive. Definitely Orphan. The most annoying thing (in fact, the *only* annoying thing) about this machine is that for all the documentation Rick sent with it, he sent me no documentation whatsoever. There are tons of little "microcassette programs," all geared toward business and travel (with the possible exception of a terminal program) and all of them have docs. The main unit, however, has NO docs at all. I find this to be mildly discouraging, yet also a challenge. With no docs, I have to figure it out by myself. This I can do, but unless Rick can find the main owner's manual laying around somewhere, I will always wonder what neato features this thing has that I haven't found. So far the neatest thing I have found (in the short time I have been playing with it) is that it seems to have a voice phone built into it. This phone is built into the main computer itself. So you talk to your computer (well, talk to the numeric keypad, anyway) and you listen to your computer. And you carry on a conversation that way, dialing by way of the numeric keypad. The operating system is copyright 1983, making me wonder why ALL laptops don't incorporate this voice phone techology into them. I am thrilled to have this. There can be no doubt that whatever this is, it is as orphan as they come and the more orphan, the more I like it. But there is still so much I want to know about it. Like how much memory does it have? (Looking at it, I would have to guess 8 to 16k, if that.) How do you create your own programs? IS there even a way to write your own programs? Is there a way to do graphics? Sound seems possible with the phone built in, how would I access that feature? With the micro cassette drive, would it be possible to save the audio phone coversations to tape as they are being carried out? I notice there is a terminal built into the unit as well. So far I have only been able to access the speakerphone. I haven't got the terminal up and running yet. When (if?) I do, I will call here on it as a test. It has a calculator, a calendar (with a fairly loud alarm. Would it go off if the unit were turned off? Gotta see!), it has a word processor (which I *hope* would write straight ASCII files. If so, how big can the files be and how do I transfer them to another system?), and a spreadsheet similar to VisiCalc or LOTUS 123, and a telephone directory, among many other things I am sure I haven't found. And, as I said before, lots and lots and lots of business (and travel) software. I may have to look the travel software over, what with all the travels I do. This unit also looks to be like it is in "brand new" condition. I like that. :) I was afraid I would have to go hunting for AA batteries. Then I opened up the battery compartment and there was a Ni-CAD. Kewl! I keep getting periodic messages on the screen about replacing the back up batteries. This is of course to be expected. Thank you for mailing this to me, Rick. All I can ask now is that you look for the owner's manual to the main unit. If you find it, I will be a very happy Thomas! If not, I will pursue (for a limited time) trying to find one on my own. If I can't, I will let it go and surely enjoy what I have. stc P.S. There is a special key on the unit marked "Do It." I keep pushing this button and waiting for a really cute girl to appear before me to fulfill my every command (including "Doing It"), but so far nothing. Maybe this key is defective? *Blink*