Apple Newton vs. Samsung Q1 UMPC smackdown

I will admit that I still think the Apple Newton I owned years and years ago was one of the most innovative gadgets ever produced.  I think part of the reason the Newton was discontinued was because it was so far ahead of its time that people just didn’t get it.  CNET UK has published a 8 round smackdown battle pitting the Apple Newton against the Samsung Q1 UMPC that is really fun to read.  As they have billed the battle– two gadgets, ten years between them, one fight to the death.  They pit the two devices in some great categories:

1. Design
2. Screen
3. Applications
4. Usability
5. I/O and synchronization
6. Reliability
7. Networking capabilities
8. Special powers

I’m not going to spoil it for you and tell you who won the competition but I will say that the Newton’s capabilities are all the more impressive having taken a look at them over a decade after it was released.

(via jkOnTheRun reader Paul Phillips)

-jk

Comments

[Snappy!]

Well ... the knock-out match failed to highlight that newtons are no longer in production and hence repair a struggle or impossible feat for most users. ... Not that Q1 repair is any easier for most users, but at least there is warranty. ;)