Last spring I raved about how great the MessagePad 2000 (MP2K) was over the previous iterations from Apple, and it was truly a milestone machine. It finally lived up to the hype we'd all heard when the MessagePads were introduced several years ago. But it still had an annoying, typically Apple shortcoming. They had configured it with the minimum system memory necessary to get it to perform all the features they advertised for it, just barely.

Since I carry the MP2K with me nearly everywhere, I had to find a way around this shortcoming to make the most of the computer's power. I accomplished this by installing a shareware product that would manually clean up the Newton's system heap (memory) whenever I wanted to run one of its more memory intensive applications, such as Pocket Quicken, or NetHopper.

This memory constraint has been an on-going complaint about the MP2K, and Apple finally fixed it with the MessagePad 2100. By adding an extra 3MB of system memory, you can upgrade your MP2K to become the new MessagePad 2100, with everything except the slightly modified case of the newer model.

For anyone hesitating on proceeding with this upgrade, don't. The last I heard, Apple had nearly a three month backlog of upgrades in the works (with several 10's of thousands of MP2K's out there, the backlog may increase). If you can get your MP2K upgraded (only $99), you should.

In this month's comments, I thought I'd share my experience in proceeding with this upgrade. First off, I really hated to let my MP2K go for a week and a half. I missed meetings, didn't have phone numbers at my fingertips, and was forced to manually write things down on pieces of paper to put into my Newton when it returned. My finances were a mess, since I couldn't record expenses in Pocket Quicken, which meant I had to remember (!) to manually enter them in my Mac when I was at home. The reconciliation I had to perform when I got my MP2k back with all the data my Newton had missed out on was not pretty. It was a traumatic week, since my Newton had become a central part of managing all the information I need to access daily in my life.

Attempting to get the upgrade scheduled was a mess. Apple's special automated dial-up system didn't work, so I had to fudge with options to get a live person on-line, only to have them tell me to call back later. After two days, and about a dozen calls, I was finally able to get Apple to ship me the package to box up my MP2k and FedEx it off to Tennessee.

It took nearly two weeks for the shipping package to arrive (just before Thanksgiving). Once it arrived, I waited until after Thanksgiving to actually ship my MP2k off. Apple returned my upgraded Newton in just a little over a week. It was undamaged, and everything worked perfectly. The upgraded system software was installed during the upgrade process, and Apple shipped a CD with the shipping box, in case I had to reinstall it later.

I must share parenthetically that one of my friends did have some problems with the upgrade. During the upgrade process they scratched his screen, which required he re-ship it back. But they accepted liability and replaced the damaged screen for free.

For me, other than the problems I experienced being without my Newton during the upgrade, the process was completely painless.

As an aside, with a 160MHz processor, 4MB of system memory, 4MB of internal flash storage memory, 8MB of ROM containing operating system code, a MegaHertz PC Card modem, a 10MB PC Card for additional storage, and a cellular phone to plug into the modem card, I have a fully functional laptop computer replacement weighing in at just 1.5 pounds. It includes a Microsoft-compatible word processor and spreadsheet, calendar, names database, notepad, to-do list, alarms, email, and Internet browser, all available in a package that fits in my hand. Its hand-printing recognition doesn't require I print words out one character at a time in a small box at the bottom of the screen using a strange gesturing technique. And I don't have to even own another computer to make it completely useful, although I do. At work, when I want to print out notes I've taken at a meeting, I simply point its IrDA-complaint infrared port at our HP5M laser printer, and a few seconds later walk away with a hard copy of my notes. When I want to backup either the internal storage, or the PC Card storage information, I can plug it into either a Mac or PC-clone machine, run the included Newton Connection Utilities, and save the data to my computer. And, just to stop rambling on, the Newton's NiMH battery runs for a week on one charge with my heavy usage, and three to six weeks for more casual users, with a recharge taking only a little over an hour.

All in all, I'd have to say my upgraded Newton is now even more useful, and faster, since its system memory doesn't have to jump through so many hoops to shoehorn applications into it to run. I've even run ALL my installed applications, including Pocket Quicken, concurrently within the new, larger system heap (memory), with nary a complaint. Well done, Apple!

- Dave Marsh