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The Amstrad PDA 600.

There is still a lot to be done regarding this computer because I do not have the Amstrad Personal Digital Assistant PDA 600 for that long. Contrary to most aging Amstrads this model, along with the NC Notebook and the Mega, is an item searched for and this little gem is still worth some money. I got one only recently: prices range from 20-40 Euros, depending on the condition it is in and the accessories that come with it.

This PDA is a penpad computer, a small computer that can be operated by means of a pen. Contrary to the introduction date mentioned in the FAQ (stating 1993) the back of my PDA mentions 1991 so I guess that the thing is 15 years old by now. After all these years it is still going strong. The size and weight may be called sturdy for a modern PDA but the features are still pretty neat. This little gem is not only a collectors item, it still can compete with more modern PDA's like the Psion or Windows CE computers in some fields.

The PDA 600 (with Amstrad you can usually guess where the number comes from, but this time I have absolutely no idea) has a Zilog Z8S180 processor that runs on 14mHz and has a memory capacity of 128kb. although this has been separated in segments for screen, OCR-operation and storage. You can expand up to 2 megabytes SRAM using PCMCIA (called PC Card nowadays) type 1 cards. This is one of the first things I will need to do: gather a few of these cards. Not that I am running out of memory but with a full address book and some other data it is already for some 50% used up.

The software that comes installed is pretty standard for a PDA: an address book, a to-do list, calculator, world times, agenda, notepad and a few other gadgets. What really is missing is an adequate password protection: if you loose it your affairs are out in the open (literally). But as it is a computer that could be programmed - something worthwhile investigating. The required information and files are available at Amstrad's Home Page (the unofficial pages from Cliff Lawson - opens in a new window), the former project manager of the PDA 600-project with Amstrad.

The interesting aspect with this computer is in it's operation. A plastic stick (stored safely in a slot on the back of the machine) is supplied with the PDA 600 and is to function as a pen: the screen of the PDA-600 is a pressure sensitive LCD screen. A keyboard is missing altogether and the only button fitted by Amstrad is the power on/power off toggle button. A loud beep, also sounded when you take certain other actions, is sounded with the boot of the PDA - basically the only annoying thing of the PDA. It is a rather loud, far-ranging noise that discourages you from using it in public.

Amstrad supplied a multi-lingual instruction book, certificate of guarantee, a spare pen and a few sets of stickers (instructions on how to operate the PDA in various languages). Mine has the German sticker attached but fortunately the others are still present (yet another action point: replace the German sticker by the English). This sticker is applied on the inside of the cover and provides an overview of all options at a single glance. All icons, graphics used to represent an action/choice or menu, are displayed and explained briefly.

It is easy to select the menu options, including the menu settings to change the language of the PDA itself (English, German, French, Italian and Spanish are built-in). This process requires no elaboration. Just touch the appropriate option on the screen using the pen and the setting will be changed.

More interesting (than the pushing of buttons) is the input of, for instance, an entry in the address book: click on a line and a window pops up with empty boxes (visible in the photograph on the left). You write the letters and figures in these boxes and the PDA, using optical character recognition, translates it into the corresponding computer characters.

It is unfortunate that I cannot get it on photo but the transformation from handwriting to computer font is processed too fast. Not that unfortunate for the daily user, I would say... You can learn the PDA your handwriting but the initial recognising is quite good already. When you find that the PDA interprets your handwritten D as an O instead, you can (directly from the application you are in at that time) call the character set and click on the offending character. Four boxes (similar to the ones showed earlier, above) appear in which you can write the character. This reconciliation process works great, even when compared to more modern OCR-equipment or software. You can also opt to leave your handwriting intact and unchanged, in the notepad, as graphics. Drawings and the like can be stored too, of course.

The PDA has a mini-sized RS232 port, hidden behind a slide. This allows the PDA to communicate with other computers. I do not know much about the required connections and software yet, but I will find out in the future (at present I do not have the time to study the manual and other documentation). Communication with a personal computer is high on the agenda list, as that is the best method to synchronize efficiently. Imagine the PDA running out of power for an extended period and that it will thus loose all data: imagine having to type over the whole bunch... Acceptable for once (the initial data entry) but after that it is supposed to remain stored for ever, or at least replenish able quickly: this is exactly what you can do with a connection between PC and PDA. I intend to make a do-it-yourself project (welding the cable and connectors, that is).

The picture on the right shows the PDA on it's back with the battery compartment opened: the machine takes 3 penlight AA batteries which will power 40 operational hours (when not in use the power consumption is considerably less). The PDA also has a back-up lithium battery.

Visible in the front (and one half inserted on the left side of the PDA) are the SRM PCMCIA cards: the pda comes with a dummy plastic card to prevent the slot from pollution. The PDA can use SRAM cards of up to a maximum of 2 megabytes: no card with more memory or, for instance, flash memory.

The photo demonstrates the size relatively well, but you will be surprised when you pick the thing up: it weighs more than a pound. On the bright side that means that it is no fragile thing but on the other hand you cannot exactly call it 'pocket'. Unless you have really large pockets...

Here are a few of the extra programs that I managed to lay my hands on (I also got the spreadsheet but that is still subject to copy rights, although I do not believe that is still available on the market), a few game collections: three games. Crazy Money, Mosaic and Pagged (65.344 bytes). Plus a second collection: games2 containing Game44, Squares and FliView (255.775 bytes). As far as I know these games never made it beyond the experimental phase and were not marketed. Both collections have been stored in a ZIP-archive and are images of a 512 kb SRAM PCMCIA card.

You can write the images back onto a PCICIA card (of 512 kb size or greater) using a program like Elan Memory Card Explorer (the software that I use, see http://www.elan-digital-systems.co.uk/pcmcia/pcmciarw.html). Other software will also work fine, as far as I understood from the various reactions.

For more information, examples and software please take a look at Amstrad's Home Page (the unofficial Amstrad pages by Cliff Lawson - opens in a new window).

Questions about the PDA 600 via the contact formQuestions on the PDA 600

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