HP200LX, e-text and vertical reader

[Steven M Jones]

Ray Arachelian wrote:
 >
> Alexander Schreiber wrote:
>> 
>> Yes, it was my trustu companion for years, I even wrote some code for it
>> (to use it as a big clock when giving talks and to read books on it).
> 
> Nice. I vaguely remember there was some shareware that let you read text
> vertically, and some nice sets of fonts for it too.

I picked up a surplus/remaindered PoquetPC back in the mid-90s, with 
some 2MB SRAM cards and the serial adapter, from California Digital. It 
was larger but cheaper than the HP LX handhelds, only ran MS-DOS 3.3 but 
was equally practical. Still have it around here somewhere...

One use for the critter was to read e-texts from Project Gutenberg on 
the subway in Manhattan during rush hour. The software I used was called 
"VR," short for the Vertical Reader. Wonderful stuff, I wound up finally 
reading a whole bunch of Burroughs' John Carter stories that way.

There are still signs of VR and this class of palmtop out there. Here 
are some links:

Good PoqetPC site with VR available for download:
http://www.bmason.com/PoqetPC/software/index.html#VR

Fourth Q&A here covers VR, but is likely out of date:
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/hp/palmtops-faq/section-9.html

VR is mentioned halfway through this 1999 interview with Avi Meshar of 
D&A Software:
http://www.hplx.net/interviews.dasoft.html


FWIW,
--S.