The Great White Newton Mod is compliments of NewtonTraveler.com. This mod is a complete makeover from the original black loook for the newton. Added a case and more features as well. Take a look at this guide to see the new and improved newton.
Phase I
Phase I complete: Oliver Cromwell, my MessagePad 2000 (on the right in
this photo) is now shiny and white, and almost matches my iBook.
This is the result of several hours of sanding, scraping, and carving
the black plastic case of the MP2000 into a rounder, more friendly shape.
In many cases, the plastic was so thin that my sanding opened holes in
the case that I filled in with plastic filler.
Once the general shape was satisfactory, i.e. that it was mostly curves
and not as many corners and seams, I began to apply paint and filler,
sanding down the result to smooth the surface further. In some places
the paint is thicker than the plastic of the case itself.
You can see above that I re-opened the microphone port and speaker grille,
which were covered over completely by paint in the end. I also took care
to keep the cover latch in working order, painting the latch widget separately,
as well as the stylus holder. I plan on adding a translucent screen cover
that will latch into place as the original did, which is why the latch
is still here. 
Two to three layers of a glossy varnish bring the whole unit to a gleaming
shine. Unfortunately, the varnish has yet to harden, so if I leave the
newt on a textured surface, the bottom picks up the texture. Holding the
newt for long periods also leaves fingerprints that do not wipe away.
I'll have to do another layer of varnish, hopefully in a formula that
hardens faster.
You can see above that I have attached small plastic "feet"
to the bottom of the newt to prevent it skidding off tables, as well as
minimizing the effect of the varnish picking up textures. These I managed
to acquire from a previous furniture project - they are intended to protect
a wood table from a glass tabletop. I had 4 left over, and they went to
good use here.
Yes, the port cover door still works. I even went so far as to disassemble
the original stylus and give the "eraser" end a white coat as
well.
The inner part of the case is still black, as is the battery and the power
switch. I was a little hesitant to put these parts under the gun, so to
speak, as they would require masking off the bare circuit boards to paint
them. You can also see that the assembly isn't quite as seamless as I
had hoped, as there are gaps in the case. Part of this is because of paint
buildup in the seams. |
Phase II
I managed to get my hands on some excellent translucent plastic material,
the kind used for file folders and notebook covers, and fashioned it
into a pretty decent replacement cover for Oliver Cromwell, as you can
see below.
I actually made two of these covers, one built entirely out of the translucent
plastic, and the mk II (pictured) which uses the original hinge, painted
white to match the iNewt. It latches into the tab on the front when
closed, as the original cover did, and folds flat to the back when opened.
I'm continually impressed with Apple's engineering and attention to
detail on the Newton line.
The large white Apple logo comes compliments of a new G4 we purchased
at my office - am I the only one who is surprised Apple still sends
stickers out with new computers?
I mocked up and printed out the smaller blue logo myself, on some transparent,
adhesive-backed stock from 3M. The office color laser printer does an
absolutely gorgeous job on this stuff, though the media is a little
foggy, as you can see around the "iNewt" and Newton logo at
the top of these pictures.
The pictures didn't turn out as good as the first batch, so I need to
note that the blue logo is actually much more "graphite" in
color, and I did some color tweaking in PhotoShop so the logo didn't
appear completely black.
I had to put my mark on this guy somewhere, so i put my credit line
on the back. If this ever turns up in the wrong hands, I trust someone
will report it to me :)
Next Steps: an airport-compatible wavelan card and compact flash
reader, with a nice big CF card to hold all the Newton software I can
scrounge.
I'm also having a friend who works in vinyl and leather help me with
making a cover/sleeve of my design to hold the iNewt in style. Once
she has made a prototype, I'll report back on progress.
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Phase III
Yes, the case is done. My friend Holly
Aiken,who makes some excellent, tragically hip handbags and purses
(Check her site
out if you want a killer purse, messenger bag, or tiBook case. She works
in vinyl as well as leather and other materials.) put together the sleeve
for my newt from my own design. It's a little funky at the moment, as
the vinyl hasn't broken in yet, and the folds are still trying to flatten
out, but I'm confident that with use, it will be more comfortable.
Please forgive the lousy, inconsistent quality of these and all the
other iNewt photos, as I am quickly realizing just how difficult it
is to photograph white objects on a white background. I have to wonder
how Apple does it...
As you can see, it's not much bigger than the iNewt itself, so it doesn't
add any more bulk to what I carry around with me. Plus it has a built-in
place to hold two pens, or an extra-big Sharpie, by design. White outside
with a nice CCC grey inside means it's two layers of vinyl, so it should
be plenty hardy for taking lumps and padding the precious Oliver Cromwell
inside.
The above and below photos show the main flap open, with its obligatory
business card sleeve. Yes, that's the iNewt inside the case. I might
add another slit to hold longer pieces behind the business cards - i.e.
my checkbook, if it's not too fat.
You can see that there are cutouts at the top for the stylus holder
and IR bulb, so I won't have to extricate the newt for any reason except
to change PC cards. Inside, there will be a white Apple logo sticker,
if i can find my Stash :)
Rolled all the way open, it becomes apparent how the whole shebang is
held together with Velcro. I'm not sure about how it feels on the parts
that are in contact with the newt itself, so I may remove the Velcro
on some of the parts and just sew them together for a slimmer, more
permanent bond. Open this far, I can change batteries, swap out PC cards
With the flap at the top open (in this shot, fully unfolded, but it
can be pulled open while the case is completely closed), the interconnect
port and AC plug become accessible, so I can recharge the little bugger
or sync it without taking it out of the case.
Another feature of my design, which I neglected to photograph, is that
the cover folds completely back behind the case and Velcros to the same
spot that holds it shut, keeping it conveniently out of the way whilst
I work on the screen.
This all begs the question: Why cover up the lovely gleaming white iNewt?
For one, the finish isn't as pretty as it looks online - it picks up
fingerprints and any texture it sits on for any length of time. Plus
the paint job and seams look a little clunky under close inspection.
However, as a showpiece, it still kicks big booty, so I expect I'll
be using the new white case for my MP2100 (once I rid it of the Jaggies
it has taken on as of late), and keeping the iNewt naked, just for grins.
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