One of the bunch of PDAs that has never been available in the UK is the Magic Cap range, from General Magic Inc. I bought one a couple of years ago on a trip to San Francisco, when it was almost as much trouble to locate as a Cassiopeia AC adaptor this time. Sony have manufactured a line (with two models) of communicators driven by the Magic Cap OS, called Magic Link. With little or no prospect of new communicator models appearing for the time being, they first switched their efforts to promoting intelligent agents for Unix systems, a concept that was talked about but not much implemented in Magic Cap, and now to releasing Magic Cap for Windows 95.

The Magic Link 2000 includes a 14.4 Kbps fax modem, two PCMCIA card slots, and a version of Magic Cap that supports an add on Internet (SMTP/POP3) mail application and web browser. Add ons available in the USA include a decent keyboard, and a telephone headset.

Magic Cap for Windows 95 is a PDA emulation that runs on your Windows desktop, which sounds strange to being with. It includes a diary, address book, notepad and email/fax application. Very standard, you may think; but without any shadow of doubt, Magic Cap is the lunatic fringe of PDAs. It is so terminally cute that it makes you want to scream. Think of winsome fluffy cats that play on a picture of your desktop, and you are imagining a Magic Cap communicator.

Almost as cute as a purple dinosaur

Despite all this, Magic Cap is very effective. I rate it as one of the top PDAs for usability and functionality, significantly ahead of Psion and Windows CE. The cuteness of the user interface actually works well, much as I hate to admit it. You are involved with the user interface metaphor, and drawn in to the system. You know to look inside the desk drawer to find your calculator or cheque book, because that is where you keep them. If you want to wander around the web, you (metaphorically) wander out of your house into the street, and visit the building that houses your ISP.

To me, this proves that PDAs require a different approach to user interface design to desktop systems. A user interface that works for a desktop machine equipment with a full-size keyboard, mouse and permanent network connection will depend upon a particular size and space allocation. It will not fit into a pocket, be usable for discreet notetaking in meetings, or adapt easily to being plugged into phone sockets or printers on a secretary's desk in a strange office, all of which we expect our PDAs to do.

Words and design by:
Paul Lynch
Last updated: July 30, 1997