Reviews of Psion in the computer press.
It is the best piece of design we have ever seen on a computer. From the
futuristic pen to the notebook-like keyboard, every part of the machine
has benefited from the utmost care and attention to detail.
Personal Computer World - Best Handheld Computer, PCW Awards 1998.
While other players entered the handheld computing arena throughout the
year, the Series 5 remains at the top of the tree in terms of both
functionality and sheer usability, and is a desering winner.
PC Plus - Best Mobile Product award.
Psion Series 5 offers everything you need in the palm of
your hand, while the new connecting system (via desktop modem) makes
plugging into the Net a breeze.
Australian Netguide, May 1998, p53.
Although it has been out for over a year, the Series 5 from Psion remains
competitive. It performed data transfers up to four times as fast as
the other systems in our tests.
Byte, July 1998, p104
The new Psion 5 handheld PC uses a custom OS, and at a
street price around $1,000 stands out for the quality of the bundled
tools. It has its own spreadsheet, word processor and applications,
but the synchronisation software will hook to just about any PIM,
and translates MS Office files on the fly. It has a good screen, a
keyboard that raises out when you open the unit, and an easy and fast
docking system. With single click access to most functions, it's
much quicker to operate than my CE-based unit.
... The Psion seems to me ahead of CE-based handheld systems due to
its ease of use.
Jeremy White, editorial in Australian Personal Computer
Magazine, August 1998, p6
The only two serious drawbacks I noted were the button-style keyboard
(vaguely reminiscent of IBM's ill fated PC-Junior) and the Windows CE 2.0
operating system. It's tragic that such a bulky, user-indifferent piece
of software is becoming as ubiquitous as its evil older brother. I
can only hope the industry wises up and begins to explore the excellent
alternatives available, such as the EPOC OS from Symbian.
Lee Goldberg, reviewing Novatel Contact in Electronic Design, 1
September 1998, p64T
We eventually decided that the reason you carry a portable
PDA is so that it is always available to you. So the unit had to be
light, capable, easy to use and long lived. ...
In the Handheld PC category, we have awarded the Editors' Choice to the
Psion Series 5 for a number of reasons. Even though it is not a Windows
CE 2.0 device, it has a wide range of software developed for it, it had
far and away the best keyboard, it was light, and finally, it was also
the least expensive in the category.
PC Magazine Australia, September 1998, p124
Series 5 best Consumer Product Design, and also Best Overall Entry.
Design Business Association, London, 1998.
The Series 5 stands out among present offerings as perhaps one of the
greatest values for mobile computing on the market. Admittedly, this
position is precarious. The handheld computer market is still rather
new, so it is hard to tell where it is going. As mininotebook prices
continue to fall and PPCs gain even more features, the middle niche
may be slowly squeezed out of existence. But today, the Series 5 is
alive and thriving for all the right reasons. Psion will doubtless
keep their line current and, if the Series 5 is any indication, ahead
of the pack.
PC Novice Guide to Computing - Portables and Windows CE, p130
As Winner of the Quality Award in our last PDA Labs, the Psion Series 5
has a lot to live up to. However, despite a deluge of new Windows CE
PDAs, the Series 5 still stands head and shoulders above the competition. ...
The Series 5's operating system, EPOC32, produced fast performance and
seamless multitasking, even with the relatively low low-spec 18 MHz CPU.
You're never left waiting, as is too often the case with Windows CE.
Psion's Series 5 is a triumph of design and usability. Battery life is
impressive and the price is competitive. If you want the most practical
and stylish pocket computer around, this is it.
Australian PC@uthority, January 1999, pp80-81
These first generation Windows CE offerings now look positively unwell
compared to second generation handheld designs. They are too big for
the pocket, not big enough for typing on, generally have poor battery
life and are way down on connectivity compared to the handhelds. Sadly
they can't hold a candle to the Palm devices when it comes to quick and
easy data checking and portability. Even colour screens can't tip the
balance - it just makes battery life even worse. The only exceptions
are the Ericsson MC16 (now dropped) and the Psion 5. These two have
taken specific advantages (IrDA modem and good keyboard respectively)
and made the most of them. Otherwise a pocket clamshell is probably not
that good a buy right now, given the price and the capabilities.
Australian Personal Computer March 1999, pp103-114
Keeping in mind that this review is for out of the box retail units, we
found the Psion Revo to be the best overall unit. It is priced at less
that A$1000, has plenty of storage space and offers a complete range of
useful applications. We also found it the easiest device to integrate
and the most intuitive to use. It even enables you to view email
attachments.
M Tech July 2001, p51