May/June 1996
Pen Lab Review
Casio Planeo
The dawn of color organizers
At a time when most pen-based computers are being introduced in vertical
markets, Casio made a bold move and introduced a small pen based organizer
to the consumer market. The Casio Planeo is a classic organizer in function,
grafted to a funky multicolor LCD display with a touch screen interface.
The unit is marketed as a digital diary and Casio aims it squarely at the
organizer crowd.
The Planeo comes in two flavors: the 128K NX-4000 and the 256K NX-6000 tested
here. This small marvel weighs in at just 5.2 ounces (with batteries installed)
and is 4 -7/8 inches tall, 3-1/4 inches wide and 5/8 inches thick, and yes,
it fits in your shirt pocket with a room to spare.
The Planeo's plastic case itself feels solid and capable of withstanding
daily abuse. When not in use the screen is protected by a flip-up cover
which has a magnetic latch to keep it securely closed. The cover folds neatly
back under the unit while in use.
That funky screen
The Planeo has a non-backlit multicolor LCD screen capable of displaying
green, blue and orange (orange!?). Each color can be adjusted via a system
functions menu. The screen contrast is good, especially when the orange
was set a bit darker than the default. Blue looks almost black. The display
shows 21 characters by 8 lines, but the characters themselves are in a well
defined 5 X 8 pixel matrix which makes them very readable.
The surface of the screen is square, roughly 2.5 inches on each side, and
covered by a resistive film digitizer which reacts well to pen and your
finger. The included stylus is a flat back plastic affair which clips to
the right side of the case. While functional, it was not comfortable to
hold and use for any period of time. The actual screen display area is less
than 1-3/4 inches of the display height. The bottom 3/4 inch is taken up
by fixed function soft keys. The only control not part of the unit's screen
is a simple on/off button just below the screen area. This appears to be
a design trend but I prefer larger screens with special function keys dynamically
displayed when needed.
Functions
The Planeo has all of the classic organizer functions: a scheduler, clock,
to do list, memo and sketch pad, calculator, telephone directory, alarms,
and even an expense manager. It also included a special password protectable
area to store those secret versions of all your valuable data.
When you first turn the Planeo on, you are presented with a desktop view
of an office complete with a animated window view. The window lets you change
the view to any one of 12 different scenes. All functions are activated
by selectting items on the desktop or by operating one of the fixed position
function keys at the bottom of the screen area. Maneuvering is performed
via the stylus and the touch keys.
From left to right the desktop contains icons for the To Do list, Text Memos,
Sketch pad, Calculator and Telephone directory. Next to the window there
are icons for the Clock, Calendar, Reminder list and Expense Manager.
The To Do list allows the entry of items of three different priorities.
Each can be checked as completed and can be associated with a due time and
alarm.
The Memo function allows the storage of free format text memos and up to
four types of fixed format memos. The free format memo is just that. Any
amount of text can be entered via the one-screen keyboard. Fixed format
memo areas are available for personal data (credit card numbers), family
members (birthdays), Train timetables, and golf scores. Looks like Casio
really wants you to take your Planeo everywhere.
The Telephone icon transports you to either a personal or business card
directory. While the personal list shows individual people, the business
card list organizes people by their company. The business card includes
a TELEX field but excludes such obvious ones as mobile phone numbers or
email addresses.
The Sketch function allows us to play with the Planeo's drawing features.
The number of sketch pad pages is limited only by available memory. Three
ink widths, three background paper types and up to 16 different animated
stamps are available to adorn each sketch. But none of these features make
up for the fact that the screen is small. Each stored sketch is time and
date stamped. A set of on screen scroll buttons allow you to review your
masterpieces.
The calendar/scheduler allows you to enter meetings and other such dates
and reminders which need to be tied to your schedule. Each entry can be
set with an alarm and one of 24 animated stamps depicting the type of events.
A full view month screen lets you see which days you have things scheduled
and the day screen even shows a set of bars depicting the hours your time
is committed to entered meetings. A separate reminder icon allows you to
create annual, monthly or daily reminders tied to your schedule.
A simple expense manager rounds out the application suite by letting you
collect and manage expense and payment data as well as summarizing it for
you for any period. The payment and expense types have been preset but it
is possible to change all of the categories to completely customize it for
your use.
Power
The Casio gets its power from two included AAA batteries. The unit contains
a backup button cell battery to maintain memory while changing the main
batteries. With a system this small an AC adapter would be out of place
so Casio has made no provisions for external power. There is a plastic tab
and metal collar which secures the main batteries in place but nothing to
prevent you from removing both main and backup batteries at once. Doing
so will cause your valuable data to evaporate.
The unit is rated at between 100 and 200 hours of continuous operation on
2 AAA batteries depending on the type used. The backup battery is rated
at five years assuming the main batteries are replaced when they are low.
With dead main batteries, memory is retained for two years so there is plenty
of cushion to allow you to hop to the corner drug store for some new batteries.
Connectivity
When it comes to connectivity, Casio endowed Planeo with limited capability.
The one external port is a special serial communications plug at the base
of the unit. The port is capable of communications speeds of 4800 or 9600
bps via a special cable to another NX unit, one of Casio's SF or CSF organizers
or a PC. The PC connection is to a Casio-designed software package running
under Windows. Alas, we did not receive a copy of the PC software for this
review. The software should be available at retail stores by the time you
read this.
Cost
Unit pricing is promised in the $200 range for the larger memory NX-6000
version. Main and backup batteries are included as is a 92-page instruction
booklet. While the documentation is complete, some parts could be expanded
a bit for clarity.
Impressions
The Casio Planeo has all of the typical functions of today's organizers
and seems to be a well thought out standalone device. Its operations are
all clean and only the quickest of us hunt-and-peck pen typists will detect
the slight delay between pen taps of the alpha keyboard. After days of entering
data into the unit we had just scratched the surface of its internal memory
capacity, so Casio has done a good job of efficiently using the 256K of
the test unit.
The form factor of the new Casio is just right. We found it easy to drop
in a pocket and dart out the door. The closed design of the proprietary
operating system limit the Planeo to its organizer functionality. The unit
would have much more potential if Casio had based it on the GEOS platform?
We also found ourselves hung up on the apparent lack of connectivity due
to our inability to test the PC transfer link. As a digital diary, the Planeo
has what it takes to help get and keep you organized. If you are looking
for an inexpensive device and are not concerned about its limited expansion
capabilities, the Casio NX series is worth looking at.
-- Dominic Giangrasso
Pen
Computing Issue #10