Pocket viewer
Encyclopedia
Pocket Viewer was a model range of personal digital assistant
s (PDAs) developed by Casio
.
x86 based processors (manufactured by NEC
). Later models used Hitachi
processors from the SuperH
family. Both models ran Casio's proprietary OS 'CASIO PVOS'. The functionality of the pocket viewers extended beyond the digital diary segment and targeted consumers who needed more compute power in their personal organizers. The pocket viewers competed directly with the then market leader in the segment the Palm-pilots
. They were priced under $200 at first release.
The pocket viewers, weighing under 5 ounces, were light and portable. The face of the device was almost entirely covered by a monochrome liquid crystal display
. Towards the bottom of the LCD there were a few navigation keys. The lower most part of the LCD had quick short cuts to the standard applications permanently indicated. The short-cuts include off, back-light, Scheduler, Contacts, Quick Memo, Sync Start, Escape, Menubar. The standard applications available on the pocket viewer include Expense, PVsheet, Quickmemo, Contacts, Scheduler, ToDo list, Reminder/Calendar and Alarm. The starting interface consisted of a scrollable two column list of icons. Clicking on the icon starts the application. Text was entered via an on-screen keyboard. The pocket viewer did not have in-built hand writing recognition support. A third party GPL addin PVMerlin may have attempted to provide hand writing recognition.
Pocket viewers used conventional 2 x AAA batteries and under normal use a completely charged battery lasted around 2 months. When not actively being used the pocket viewer switches off the display and goes into power saving mode. The specifications stated that it could function for 50 hours on alkaline batteries without use of back-light. Except for PV-S1600 which used Universal Serial Bus
(USB) 1.0, all the other pocket viewers used a COM (RS-232
) port to communication between a personal computer and the pocket viewer.
Casio made the pocket viewer SDK available. Using the SDK users could create their own applications called add-ins, which could be downloaded to the pocket viewer using the synchronization software. In time, a small user base who created and made their add-in applications available on-line for free or for profit emerged. User forums such as pocketviewer.de, pocketviewer.com, pocket-viewer.ru and pocketviewer webring
s flourished in their time and have since closed. During 2005-2010, the second hand market was on the vane. OWBasic
, a third party add-in, provided the easy to learn and use BASIC
interpreted programming language on the hand-helds, expanding their functionality to also being programmable hand-held calculators/computers. The device had the computer power and functionality as the home computer
s of the 80s.
The pocket viewers ability to access the internet was limited. PC software could synchronize email with the device which was not convenient. The device had a specialized serial port, and could theoretically communicate with other devices using the Serial Line Internet Protocol
and execute modem AT commands.
Casio also provided some additional applications. Enterprise Harmony, which enabled Outlook 2003 synchronization of Outlook contacts, calendar On windows. PVsheet, a spread sheet application, which could upload/download comma separated spread-sheets. Travel phrase guide, which could translate preset text between English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese.
The Casio pocket viewer series was sandwiched between digital dairies and the pocket PC series Casio Cassiopeia
. Casio discontinued the pocket viewers as the pocket PCs became popular and their price came down.
Personal digital assistant
A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
s (PDAs) developed by Casio
Casio
is a multinational electronic devices manufacturing company founded in 1946, with its headquarters in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Casio is best known for its electronic products, such as calculators, audio equipment, PDAs, cameras, musical instruments, and watches...
.
Description
Pocket Viewer was a model range of PDAs from Casio. Early models used IntelIntel Corporation
Intel Corporation is an American multinational semiconductor chip maker corporation headquartered in Santa Clara, California, United States and the world's largest semiconductor chip maker, based on revenue. It is the inventor of the x86 series of microprocessors, the processors found in most...
x86 based processors (manufactured by NEC
NEC
, a Japanese multinational IT company, has its headquarters in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. NEC, part of the Sumitomo Group, provides information technology and network solutions to business enterprises, communications services providers and government....
). Later models used Hitachi
Hitachi, Ltd.
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate headquartered in Marunouchi 1-chome, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company is the parent of the Hitachi Group as part of the larger DKB Group companies...
processors from the SuperH
SuperH
SuperH is a 32-bit reduced instruction set computer instruction set architecture developed by Hitachi. It is implemented by microcontrollers and microprocessors for embedded systems....
family. Both models ran Casio's proprietary OS 'CASIO PVOS'. The functionality of the pocket viewers extended beyond the digital diary segment and targeted consumers who needed more compute power in their personal organizers. The pocket viewers competed directly with the then market leader in the segment the Palm-pilots
Palm (PDA)
Palm handhelds were Personal Digital Assistants which ran the Palm OS. Palm devices have evolved from handhelds to smartphones which run Palm OS, WebOS, and Windows Mobile...
. They were priced under $200 at first release.
The pocket viewers, weighing under 5 ounces, were light and portable. The face of the device was almost entirely covered by a monochrome liquid crystal display
Liquid crystal display
A liquid crystal display is a flat panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals . LCs do not emit light directly....
. Towards the bottom of the LCD there were a few navigation keys. The lower most part of the LCD had quick short cuts to the standard applications permanently indicated. The short-cuts include off, back-light, Scheduler, Contacts, Quick Memo, Sync Start, Escape, Menubar. The standard applications available on the pocket viewer include Expense, PVsheet, Quickmemo, Contacts, Scheduler, ToDo list, Reminder/Calendar and Alarm. The starting interface consisted of a scrollable two column list of icons. Clicking on the icon starts the application. Text was entered via an on-screen keyboard. The pocket viewer did not have in-built hand writing recognition support. A third party GPL addin PVMerlin may have attempted to provide hand writing recognition.
Pocket viewers used conventional 2 x AAA batteries and under normal use a completely charged battery lasted around 2 months. When not actively being used the pocket viewer switches off the display and goes into power saving mode. The specifications stated that it could function for 50 hours on alkaline batteries without use of back-light. Except for PV-S1600 which used Universal Serial Bus
Universal Serial Bus
USB is an industry standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines the cables, connectors and protocols used in a bus for connection, communication and power supply between computers and electronic devices....
(USB) 1.0, all the other pocket viewers used a COM (RS-232
RS-232
In telecommunications, RS-232 is the traditional name for a series of standards for serial binary single-ended data and control signals connecting between a DTE and a DCE . It is commonly used in computer serial ports...
) port to communication between a personal computer and the pocket viewer.
Casio made the pocket viewer SDK available. Using the SDK users could create their own applications called add-ins, which could be downloaded to the pocket viewer using the synchronization software. In time, a small user base who created and made their add-in applications available on-line for free or for profit emerged. User forums such as pocketviewer.de, pocketviewer.com, pocket-viewer.ru and pocketviewer webring
Webring
A webring is a collection of websites linked together in a circular structure, and usually organized around a specific theme, often educational or social...
s flourished in their time and have since closed. During 2005-2010, the second hand market was on the vane. OWBasic
OWBasic
OWBasic is an interpreted language environment that can be downloaded to the Personal digital assistants like the Casio's Pocket viewer.-Description:...
, a third party add-in, provided the easy to learn and use BASIC
BASIC
BASIC is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages whose design philosophy emphasizes ease of use - the name is an acronym from Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code....
interpreted programming language on the hand-helds, expanding their functionality to also being programmable hand-held calculators/computers. The device had the computer power and functionality as the home computer
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
s of the 80s.
The pocket viewers ability to access the internet was limited. PC software could synchronize email with the device which was not convenient. The device had a specialized serial port, and could theoretically communicate with other devices using the Serial Line Internet Protocol
Serial Line Internet Protocol
The Serial Line Internet Protocol is an encapsulation of the Internet Protocol designed to work over serial ports and modem connections. It is documented in RFC 1055...
and execute modem AT commands.
Casio also provided some additional applications. Enterprise Harmony, which enabled Outlook 2003 synchronization of Outlook contacts, calendar On windows. PVsheet, a spread sheet application, which could upload/download comma separated spread-sheets. Travel phrase guide, which could translate preset text between English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese.
The Casio pocket viewer series was sandwiched between digital dairies and the pocket PC series Casio Cassiopeia
Casio Cassiopeia
Casio Cassiopeia was the brand name of a PDA manufactured by Casio. It used Windows CE as the Operating system. Casio was one of the first manufacturers of PDAs, developing at the beginning small pocket-sized computers with keyboards and grayscale displays and subsequently moving to smaller units...
. Casio discontinued the pocket viewers as the pocket PCs became popular and their price came down.
Models
| Generation | Model | Year | Data Storage | Interface | Processor | Display | Expandable | Market | Extra Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | PV-100 Casio PV-100 The Casio Pocket Viewer 100 was a PDA manufactured by Casio in 1999. It was the first PDA in the Pocket Viewer-range, and the only pocket viewer not to have a backlit display.- Specifications :... PV-200 |
1999 | 1 MB 2 MB |
RS-232 | NEC V30MZ | 128x128 | - | Worldwide | |
| 1. | PV-170 PV-270 |
1999 | 1 MB 2 MB |
RS-232 | NEC V30MZ | 160x240 | - | China | |
| 2. | PV-250X PV-450X |
2000 | 2 MB 4 MB |
RS-232 | NEC V30MZ | 160x160 | (by OS-Update) | Europe | |
| 2. | PV-200A PV-400A |
2000 | 2 MB 4 MB |
RS-232 | NEC V30MZ | 160x160 | - | USA | |
| 2. | PV-750 / PV-750Plus | 2000 | 2 MB | RS-232 | NEC V30MZ | 160x160 | yes | Europe | IrDA IRDA IRDA may refer to:* Infrared Data Association, in information and communications technology , a standard for communication between devices over short distances using infrared signals... -Interface |
| 3. | PV-S250 PV-S450 |
2001 | 2 MB 4 MB |
RS-232 | NEC V30MZ | 160x160 | yes | Europe | |
| 3. | PV-200e PV-400Plus |
2001 | 2 MB 4 MB |
RS-232 | NEC V30MZ | 160x160 | - | USA | |
| 4. | PV-S460 PV-S660 |
2002 | 2 MB 4 MB |
RS-232 | NEC V30MZ | 160x160 | yes | Europe | |
| 4. | PV-S400Plus PV-S600Plus |
2002 | 2 MB 4 MB |
RS-232 | NEC V30MZ | 160x160 | yes | USA | |
| 5. | PV-S1600 | 2003 | 12 MB | USB 1.0 | Hitachi SH-3 | 160x160 | yes | Worldwide |
Technical details
- The PV-100 did not have a back light. While the back light was available on PV-200 onwards, Casio by default did not allow the back-light to remain on more than 30 seconds. Casio did not recommend extending the duration of the back light citing damage and battery drain. as A third party application back light extender add in was required to keep the back light on beyond the default duration. The back-light was Casio's trade marked EL-back-light, which is an electro-luminescent panel that causes the entire face to glow.
- The PV-S1600 did not use a NEC V30MZ processor, but used a Hitachi SH-3. The processor architectures are not compatible hence programs compiled for the earlier architectures do not work on the PV-S1600 without recompilation. OWBasic programs will work as they run in an interpreter.
- The NEC V30MZ was a 16 bit processor which used a segmented memory space. An indirect consequence is that those models can download a maximum of 16 addins
- The file system is divided into PVOS modes and sub modes. Each record is part of a file that is specified by mode and submode. Depending on the mode data sets are null-terminated in either binary or text format. Binary data sets are to 3 KB or 32 KB (records that are greater than 3 KB, can be loaded only into the far-segment, PV-S1600 has no restriction), text data sets to 2 KB (PV-S1600: limited 32 KB).
- The PV-750 has an IrDA port. Using IrDA, it is possible to send and receive email messages using a GSM-enabled mobile phone. SMS can also be sent on the PV-750Plus. The address book of the mobile phone can also be synchronized with that of PV. Casio's operating system update for the PV-750 gives it the same functionality of the PV-750Plus.