The Psion 3a was launched in 1993, 17 years ago, which seems like more than a few lifetimes in the mobile industry. In an industry where two years always brings change that would have been inconceivable 24 months earlier, the Psion 3a defies everything we think about the mobile industry and presents an experience that does not seem possible. It is surely impossible that a 17 year old PDA can be useful in 2010. Looking at the specifications you would believe that it the case-
7.68Mhz processor, 480 x 160 pixel monochrome LCD, 19,200 bit/s RS-232 connectivity. Expansion via solid state disks; flash which need to be formatted to reclaim space and RAM which require a battery to hold the data.
It sounds pathetic doesn’t it, but those specs highlight everything that was great about the Psion PDA setup. The minimal processor and mono screen helped to produce a battery life measured in weeks, not hours. Two AA batteries would last over a month for typical users and it does put the rechargeable batteries we use today in context. Of course the batteries of today have to cope with the technology of today so it is not a good comparison, but what would you choose? Thirty days of use on replaceable batteries or one day on rechargeables?
I bought a Psion 3a last week specifically for this review for the huge amount of £5 + postage and using one again has not only brought back some memories, but some surprises as well. It says as much about what is wrong with smartphones today as it shows off the great strides that have been made in the past seventeen years. It is far from small by today’s standards, but it does have an aesthetic quality that verges on beautiful. That may sound over the top, and it is, but the way in which it opens with the super clever icon panel pivoting out from nowhere still enchants me today. The 2D icons above the rounded keys, none of which quite match each other, exemplify the 1990’s from a gadget point of view more than anything else in the mobile world.
The keyboard is big and is actually too big to thumb type comfortably, but the space between the keys makes typing far easier than it should. Of course Psion nailed the mobile keyboard with the 5 series that followed, but this one is capable of allowing comfortable periods of data entry. The monochrome screen is perfectly viewable in all conditions, except the dark due to no backlight until the 3c, and has a good resolution which makes word processing and spreadsheet management a breeze.
In terms of pre-loaded software, the 3a had a lot included; Data (contacts), Word, Agenda, Time, Calc and Sheet offered everything that was needed in 1993 to replace the dreadful Filofax. When you consider the thousands of applications that became available the Psion 3a was the very first PDA to offer a flexible mobile experience that was suitable for the organised and the tinkerers. The Apple Newton MessagePad 100 was released in the same year, but from a personal point of view it offers a backwards scenario to what we see today. At the time Apple offered a clunky solution that was not suitable for the masses and Psion nailed it first time. Today the reverse is true; Apple has nailed the mass mobile market.
Every part of the OS on the Psion is consistently implemented and the Agenda has, to the day, never been beaten. It offers a split screen day view, week view, year view, To-do list, Anniversaries and a list view. The wide screen form factor helps, but it looks so natural and is perfect for those who like a calendar to be visually organised. The contacts app offers everything you need to keep a huge database of contacts handy and you can even dial numbers audibly by clicking one simple key combination.
Word includes word counts, pagination, outlines, style galleries and all sorts of other features that were not standard at the time. The Sheet application contains a huge number of features that can be used to create quite complex files which are almost as featured as can be created on a smartphone today. Even the calculator comes with powerful functions such as logs, radians and trig. Throw in OPL which allows you to create apps directly on the Psion and you start to see how powerful this PDA was at the time.
If only it was super quick and never crashed. Oh yes, it is super quick and never crashes. The fact is that the Psion 3a was remarkable at the time and in many ways is still remarkable today. I am not saying for one moment that it competes with smartphones of today, but that it not to say that it could not be used as an organisational tool and one which will do almost everything you need. With the addition of some powerful apps it could be used for serious activities too; I remember the official Money application which was way ahead of anything I had used elsewhere and even TomTom started out by producing mapping solutions for the Psion range. There were some excellent games released as well of which HomeRun and Jumpy are still firm favourites of mine.
I admit that sentimentality plays a big part in this review. I admit to once spending over £100 on a 1MB Psion flash expansion card. I admit to owning as many Psion accessories as I could lay my hands on and I admit to being completely besotted with the device at the time. The real surprise is that seventeen years later, it is still a joy to use and is an object that holds its own in a world of super stylish smartphones that have ten times the power my first PC had, and a thousand times the power this little (big) Psion has.
The Psion 3a had a big impact on me at the time, so much so that I started my first website dedicated to Psions (see here) and it will always have a special place in my heart. Seventeen years later I spend hours each day writing about smartphones for PDA-247 and freelance projects, and it is all because of this PDA which was further ahead of its time than any mobile device has been since.
Look out for my retro review of the iPhone 3GS in 2027, which would also have cost me £5 from eBay.
I will try to write a retro review once a week and will be looking at influential PDAs, mobile phones and smartphones from times gone by that helped to shape what we use today.
I’ve still not found a smartphone as functional and useful as my Psion Revo. Netbooks are too large and not instantly on, nokia communicators are too small. I’d love to to see someone produce a decent clamshell. Alas they are too geeky for the mainstream and it will be nothing but iPad clones for a long while.
Thanks for the look back! You and Philippa have a point. Instant on and core PIM functionality that really works a still a thing to be sought after. (Another thing: Will HP use webOS to a point where they come up with a usable PIM?
A 1Mb Psion Series 3a was my introduction to the world of PDAs. I differ from Shaun, in that thanks to my ape-sized hands, thumb typing comfortable was not just possible, but after a while, it became so second nature that setting the device down to type just felt weird…
2x 2Mb SSD’s in the slots underneath meant I could carry all the data and software I could need (and obtaining these was no mean feat for someone who was, at the time, a lowly student).
I completely agree about the battery life. To this day, I still prefer AA’s to rechargeable battery packs for some applications (such as in a digital camera). When you’re out and about, how likely is it that you will be unable to locate a couple of fresh AA’s, as opposed to finding a way of charging a dead battery?
Great retro piece, Shaun – how about revisiting the Palm Pilot Professional next?
As for me, I’m now scouring eBay!
You nailed it! As you say a lot:) Great writing!!!
Thanks for the memories. My Psions may be gone, but they are not forgotten.
This was my first REAL pda as well. But it was the 5mx that really nailed it for me. What a shame that such a great OS with such suburb hardware was been left to rot. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, but with a bit of TLC the Series 5, 7 and the netbook could be something quite desirable. The netbooks running windows are great, but lack stability and instant on (mine one completely crashed on me yesterday and is stuck in some kind of a reboot loop… it can’t boot up!) The iPad is fun, but lacks versatility. The a Psion netbook updated to something we expect in 2010 would fill a lot of gaps methinks.
Bit late to comment on this but just want to say thanks for the good retro review, it was a good read Shaun! As mentioned, there’s still nothing filling the gap between netbook and Communicator (Nokia) with instant on.