Psion 3 - A Pocket Marvel

Psion 3 - A Pocket Marvel - Updated!

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6 ай бұрын

In 1988 the Psion II had proved to be a huge hit in just about every sector so Psion decided to go one better creating a new 16 bit OS from scratch, completely new hardware and the Psion 3 was born!
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Пікірлер: 63

@DIGITAL_DECAY.EXE_ 5 ай бұрын

Been watching this channel since you had 100ish subs. This is exactly my niche lol. Not many people covering PDAs to the extent that you do!

@HandheldComputing 5 ай бұрын

Wow, so you have been following for a looooong time! PDA's are defiantly my thing 😉 Thank you so much for becoming a member!

@HPPalmtopTube 12 күн бұрын

If anyone wants one, a Series 3 or Series 3a, let me know, I've got dozens I picked up 15 years ago from an insurance company... Many still in good condition... Happy to sell one or more to a fellow vintage palmtop enthusiast! :)

@richardthunderbay8364 5 ай бұрын

I really enjoyed this video. I'm impressed by the functionality of this palmtop computer. What a nice device!

@HandheldComputing 5 ай бұрын

Glad you liked it. It's still an impressive pocket computer but must have been pretty mind blowing in 1991!

@Stratoliner 5 ай бұрын

Ah the Psion 3! Such a great little device. Mine is thankfully in top notch condition however I've seen many with broken hinges and am afraid one day the plastic will get so brittle / weak that it'll also happen to me. Perhaps if you are able you could do a video about either preventing that from happening or fixing it if it does? Thanks again for another top notch vid!

@HandheldComputing 5 ай бұрын

I have a 3a with 2 broken hinges and a 3C with 1 broken hinge so I am currently working on a fix... Wish me look as I have been through all the forums and no-one seems to have cracked that problem yet!

@CBitsTech 5 ай бұрын

@@HandheldComputingI would have thought we're almost at the stage of being able to 3-D print a replacement, given someone with enough talent to make the design.

@Stratoliner 5 ай бұрын

@@HandheldComputing Oof, good luck! Looking forward to what you come up with!

@Blumf7 5 ай бұрын

Have a 3a and it rates as the very best computing device I've ever had. Functional with a beautiful design.

@HandheldComputing 5 ай бұрын

I agree, they are amazing to use! I might prefer the Sienna though just because its so compact!

@CBitsTech 5 ай бұрын

Great video. I had one of my Psions running about five years ago syncing with a Win XP laptop, which in turn synced Office documents with my Windows 10 PC. Much as i love Psion software, even with my convoluted way of syncing with a modern PC, i couldn't find a practical use for my Psion, sadly.

@HandheldComputing 5 ай бұрын

You do need to want to use them, phones can do everything (not as well as a palmtop a lot of the time) but as you have probably noticed palmtops are my thing so I am always finding new uses for them, taking notes, scheduling, programming, reading books.... 😊

@Megabean 5 ай бұрын

Wonderful channel, keep up the good work! ^_^

@HandheldComputing 5 ай бұрын

Thank you very much! 😃

@EirikrTinkerTries Ай бұрын

This is so super cool!! Have you considered installing ELKS embeddedable 16-bit Linux on this?

@HandheldComputing Ай бұрын

I'm not sure it will run on this, I am fairly sure there is a linux that runs on the 3a but the 3 is a little too limited

@alexquant1335 5 ай бұрын

Ah, that takes me back - jumpers for goalposts, tinfoil for the batteries. Happy days!

@HandheldComputing 5 ай бұрын

Needs must, and a bit of tin foil can do wonders for battery connection issues! Pre-mobile phones certainly were simpler times....

@michaeldhondt368 5 ай бұрын

I had a tetris and chess games for this they went into the card slots. I was 18 when I bought it in 1991

@Stratoliner 5 ай бұрын

So lucky! I'd love to have Tetris! I have chess and scrabble and mahjong (I believe). But man, now I gotta go find Tetris!

@HandheldComputing 5 ай бұрын

My first Psion was the series 5, so I came to the 3 much later and trying to get hold of software SSDs is a bit too expensive for me to pursue!

@HandheldComputing 5 ай бұрын

Love Mahjong, will have a look see if I can find it later 😃 after all I have a 2MB SSD and its not going to fill itself! 🤣

@Celesmeh 5 ай бұрын

This channel is great!

@HandheldComputing 5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much 😃

@1anwrang13r 5 ай бұрын

I had an original Psion Series 3 then a 3c (I think) with a backlit screen and a serial adaptor. I loved those things. At the time I was working as a journalist and, while you wouldn't want to write a whole article on one, they were fantastic for taking notes, juggling diaries and keeping track of expenses. It was such a shame that they were so fragile. The Palm Pilot I eventually replaced it with was way more robust but more limited in what it could do.

@obd6HsN 5 ай бұрын

Interesting! My 3A put up with loads of abuse from me. I tried replacing it with lots of different devices but there was nothing as capable for years after it became obsolete.

@HandheldComputing 5 ай бұрын

I agree, the Palm Pilot is way more robust, works well and graffiti is great for taking notes (you don't even need to look at the device to write) but compared to the Series 3 they lack a lot of functionality even with 3rd party software to help!

@HandheldComputing 5 ай бұрын

I would suggest that there still isn't anything as capable as the S3 for its size and defiantly nothing to rival its battery life!

@ToumalRakesh 5 ай бұрын

The 3a was my jam. I even wrote a sort of remote BBS system using code that was loaded remotely via modem. Of course it would've been a security nightmare, but back them who cared ;)

@HandheldComputing 5 ай бұрын

Security wasn't even a consideration back then!

@WhatALoadOfTosca 5 ай бұрын

Random fact: The memory cards were called SSD's. They used the same pin arrangement and communication protocol as the serial port on the device.

@Drew-Dastardly 5 ай бұрын

No, they were CF cards. SSD is far too modern.

@WhatALoadOfTosca 5 ай бұрын

@@Drew-Dastardly Sorry, you are incorrect. The S3 range used SSD (solid state Disks). They are not the same as what we would now call SSD, but they were indeed sold and marketed as SSD. The S5 was the first to use the CF. Compact flash didn't enter the market until 1994, so there would have had to have been some time travelling involved for the S3 to use a compact flash ;) Do a Google for Psion SSD and you'll find out about these.

@HandheldComputing 5 ай бұрын

I did not know that! I suppose in that case you could use the card slots for external device management if you wanted too.

@HandheldComputing 5 ай бұрын

With the series 5 they started to use CF cards but CF cards were not created till 1994... Psion had already been using Flash memory in the form of flash datapaks for the Psion II in the late 80's - they defiantly didn't have read write speeds like a modern SSD though!

@WhatALoadOfTosca 5 ай бұрын

@@HandheldComputing They did indeed. They produced various types over the years - the datapaks and also RAM and Flash SSDs. CF was their first foray in to using a standard type of storage. Before then there wasn't really any standard for flash style storage across manufacturers. The RAM SSDs had a battery to keep them powered. Without the battery they were wiped. The flash ones retained their contents but as you updated files it used new space so after a while they ran out of space and needed "compacted". They were expensive, particularly the RAM ones. They weren't flash memory like we would refer to it now, it was a very different type of architecture. I don't know anything about the datapaks, but I am very familiar with the SSD format. In addition to the ones you could write to there were also a range of ROM SSDs that held software you could purchase. I tried to post a link but my response kept getting deleted.

@RichsRandomRetroReviews 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for the shout out! Not needed at all but I’m not going to argue 😅

@HandheldComputing 5 ай бұрын

Had to, its listed as a benefit to being a member 😁 I hope you get some extra views 😃

@RichsRandomRetroReviews 5 ай бұрын

@@HandheldComputing TBH I didn't read the benefits - I just figured I'd become a member as your channel is great and it's a way I can support you.

@HandheldComputing 5 ай бұрын

@@RichsRandomRetroReviewsYou are very kind and I really do appreciate the support! I look forward to being on your channel!

@RichsRandomRetroReviews 5 ай бұрын

@@HandheldComputing I look forward to having you! It won't be too much longer. I have a couple of videos to get out of the way and then i want to start a series of videos which you'll feature in one of. Hopefully it'll be fun!

@federicobustamantegamboa2038 5 ай бұрын

Hi, I love your channel. I heard in one of your videos that one of your favourite PDAs is the m500. Could you explain why and compare it with other models? If you feel like it, of course. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences!

@HandheldComputing 5 ай бұрын

The Palm M500 is very slim, the B/W screen is great to read on during the day with backlight for reading in bed at night, it has great battery life and unlike the Vx it has a memory card slot. I like later Palms but the low resolution makes colour screens hard on the eyes and later hi-res models had very poor battery life. As always depends on your use case but the M500 is the palm I've used the most and I have a lot to choose from.... 😁

@michaeldhondt368 5 ай бұрын

I had a Psion series 3 when it was current wish I still had it

@HandheldComputing 5 ай бұрын

I have sold or passed on so many devices since the late 90's it's not even funny, wish I had kept them 😒

@rog2224 5 ай бұрын

If you watch Die Hard 2 you'll see Holly using a Psion MC400.

@HandheldComputing 5 ай бұрын

Good call! I have been compiling a list of PDA's in film and TV.... thinking of making a video on it 😉

@another3997 5 ай бұрын

My favourite 3 series is actually the diminutive Siena. Unfortunately I'm still missing a 3MX and 3C from my collection, with the MX at the very top of my 'Wanted' list. 😍 I'd love a Psion 7 or Netbook, but prices are ridiculous. So if you need someone to look after yours for a while, I volunteer. 😉 Did you know Psion first made their name producing software for Sinclair ZX computers? Their business software suite on the QL was the forerunner of these Psion apps. It too had an integrated programming language to link all the software.

@HandheldComputing 5 ай бұрын

I agree, my favourite is defiantly the Sienna, and the battery life on it is bonkers! I knew Psion made a lot of software for the ZX (including the excellent chess program) but didn't know they had created a business suit for it! If I ever need someone to look after a Psion Netbook or two you will be top of the list 😉

@dlarge6502 5 ай бұрын

I still use a few psions and other digital organisers. I use many (but not all) of their functions in place of my smartphone simply because I like to use what I collect and they work better than smartphone apps that are bloated and slow. All i need to do is maintain a tiny coin cell, copy data to other devices (they all have copies of my phone book for example) and thats it. Should my smartphone break, i don't need to figure out a way to log into my Google account without the ability to use 2FA just so I van look up someones number. I'll deal with that later, till then I can use one of these. 😊

@HandheldComputing 5 ай бұрын

So true, PDAs are very specific at what they do, had pathetic hardware specs (Psion 3

@benholroyd5221 5 ай бұрын

my psion 3(a or c) had the ability to dial numbers from the address book through the speaker. I always thought that was nifty. Still got it somewhere, the lcd needs replacing though.

@HandheldComputing 5 ай бұрын

DTMF dialling must have been a great feature before your phone stored all the numbers, just checked and the 3 cannot do it 😒 must have been added with the 3a!

@cfc3972 Ай бұрын

is there anything i can do about the broken hinges? i have a couple of these psion's

@HandheldComputing Ай бұрын

Maybe? I am currently trying a few options for a repair and will follow with a video if successful - though I do wonder it a 3D printed replacement parts might be better than trying to fix 30 year old plastics 🤔