News

Well fellow Osaris users, I've been working to establish the Osaris in the PDA front as one of the best little machines out there. I know that most of you feel neglected on the Internet as many people ignore the Osaris. Lets look at the evidence however. The Osaris costs about �130 in the UK , and $120 in the U.S. for the 4mb, model and about �170 for the 8mb version. The Psion 5mx costs about �400 in the UK (16 mb). It cost �40 to put say a 16mb compact flash memory card in the Osaris to make it a 20mb machine. (as I have done and it works great!). So you compare a 20mb Osaris with a 16mb 5mx. Now the 5mx has a 36mhz processor compared to the Osaris 18mhz processor. However are you really going to play processor intensive games on your Osaris like Half Life? No, but then you wouldn't on a 5mx either! The processor difference on the 5mx with the Osaris would be negligible for playing simple games, or dealing with spreadsheets and word documents. If you really wanted a power PDA you would go for a pocket PC with processors up to 202mhz!! (more than my PC!). The Psion 5mx and Revo use EPOC , the same operating system as your Osaris, so you can transfer files with Psion machines, and have all the same functions, as in Sheet or Word. There have admittedly been initial hardware faults with the Osaris, but recently these have been ironed out by Oregon, and most people who have had faults admit that Oregon quickly replace faulty machines. OK the screen is smaller than the 5mx, but the only real use for a long screen would be a slightly more conveniant spreadsheet and the Defender game. Most games work nicely on screen dimensions similar to your PC monitor (nearly square). One last point is the keyboard. The Osaris is maybe not as good as the 5mx, but a lot better than the Revo's. With the Revo's it feels like your pushing Playdo. The Osaris keyboard is however excellent compared to dodgy handwriting recognition on the Palm. You can get a good speed up on the Osaris, and if you miss a key, then just use Spell Check!

So there you have it , why pay �400 for a machine when you can pay �130 (+�40 if you want extra memory, sorry , US countries I'm not sure of the prices-let me know!). You pay more than double for a machine that is essentially the same, but with less memory (if you put a CF card in). The only people who can change the attitude of the PDA software producers is you, the user.

I recently sent emails to prominent PDA software companies and have had some excellent response from them. RMR software (see links page) admitted that there software is not Osaris compatable, but are aiming to rectify this soon. They say as soon as they make their software compatible with the Osaris they will put a link to this site on their site. The editor of Foxpop (also see links page) is currently re-working their site, and will be putting a link to Osaris Oasis on their site very soon. So by emailing software providers we can make a difference. If they don't know Osaris users exist then we will be forgotten like Mega Drive users! Well thats the news for now, if you have any comments you would like to make about this article please feel free to email me. My Email address is at the bottom of the page. So for now keep Osarissing and visit this site regularly as there's lots more to come.

Jason Patrick , the ED.