ONE topic has buzzed periodically through online discussion groups relating to the Psion handheld computer for the last two years. The users who have provided some of the best add-on software for the Psion 3a as shareware have discussed Internet access and even started, several projects to write a networking "stack" to connect a Psion to the Net.
Now Psion itself has released a set of Internet software. In one of. the most sophisticated program suites available for the Psion it includes a Web browser and email program, plus the Ping, Finger, Lookup, Time and Trace utilities.
The mail program is the most practical of these and likely to be the most widely used. It has in, out and draft trays, message signatures, some basic mail filtering, an address book and the ability to sort received messages into various folders. It can be set to automatically spellcheck outgoing mail and, within the limitations of the Psion keyboard, makes for an excellent mobile email platform.
The Web browser is more limited. It displays .gif images, but does not handle tables or frames in Web pages - thus cutting itself off from a large proportion of Web sites, which use these features and do not provide a text only alternative. It works well with plain pages, but Web browsing pushes the Series 3a to the limit, making for slow surfing. Pages can be cached to improve speed, but this gobbles storage.
Average users will probably not make much use of the extra utilities, even if networking hobbyists find them fascinating. It would have been more practical to include a plain terminal screen for setting up connections.
Without a terminal screen to enter username and password at the keyboard, all dial-ups must be scripted in advance. Psion supplies a ready-made script for a new CompuServe connection, but those who already have Internet connections must try to write a script and correct it by trial and error.
Already, however, scripts for major Internet service providers are being posted on the Net. The users are filling the gap to make it easier to get started with this powerful set of programs.