3 ms·

I was sent one of these by a reader who also sent me a couple of EO Personal Communicators (which I wrote about for Input a couple of years ago: https://www.inp

I was sent one of these by a reader who also sent me a couple of EO Personal Communicators (which I wrote about for Input a couple of years ago: https://www.inputmag.com/features/fax-on-the-beach-the-story-of-atts-eo-communicator-90s-ipad-flop https://www.inputmag.com/features/fax-on-the-beach-the-story...). None of these devices worked, though there were a few in the box that did, most notably two still-functional Apple Newtons. I especially had little luck with the IBM Simon. The batteries simply did not want to charge and from what I read the charging process on them was supposedly quite involved even when the gadgets were new. If anyone has any ideas on how to get the device to connect to some source of power I’m happy to give it another shot, however.

shortformblog 5y ago
Just to offer some context as to why the phone is so hard to charge, here is a manual for the Simon as preserved, ironically, by a Microsoft employee: https://www.microsoft.com/buxtoncollection/a/pdf/Simon%20User%20Manuals.pdf#page=6 https://www.microsoft.com/buxtoncollection/a/pdf/Simon%20Use... The relevant passage: > It needs to charge for 14-16 hours to condition the battery. this applies only to a battery's first charge. It takes about 90 minutes to recharge a battery.) You will see a flashing amber light for about two seconds and then a solid amber light (marked with the number 2) indicating the battery is charging. If the amber light keeps flashing and you know your battery is hot or cold, just wait. Otherwise, try taking it out and putting it back in. If the light doesn't stop flashing, contact your service representative. So, brand new, you had to charge this phone for more than half a day just to calibrate the battery. I tried doing the charge on the battery for more than a day using the charger I was also given, to little effect.

shortformblog 5y ago

Just to offer some context as to why the phone is so hard to charge, here is a manual for the Simon as preserved, ironically, by a Microsoft employee: https://www.microsoft.com/buxtoncollection/a/pdf/Simon%20User%20Manuals.pdf#page=6 https://www.microsoft.com/buxtoncollection/a/pdf/Simon%20Use... The relevant passage: > It needs to charge for 14-16 hours to condition the battery. this applies only to a battery's first charge. It takes about 90 minutes to recharge a battery.) You will see a flashing amber light for about two seconds and then a solid amber light (marked with the number 2) indicating the battery is charging. If the amber light keeps flashing and you know your battery is hot or cold, just wait. Otherwise, try taking it out and putting it back in. If the light doesn't stop flashing, contact your service representative. So, brand new, you had to charge this phone for more than half a day just to calibrate the battery. I tried doing the charge on the battery for more than a day using the charger I was also given, to little effect.