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 Solo 2200 | |
| Developer |
|
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Sanyo (early models) |
| Type | Laptop |
| Release date | September 1995 |
| Lifespan | 1995–2003 |
| Discontinued | 2003 |
| CPU | |
The Solo was a line of laptop computers sold by Gateway, Inc. (originally Gateway 2000), from 1995 to 2003. All models in the range were equipped with Intel x86 processors and came preinstalled with the Windows operating system.
Gateway unveiled the Solo line of laptops on August 15, 1995, shortly before Microsoft's Windows 95 operating system became generally available for sale on August 24, 1995. [1] Initial entries in the Solo lineup were manufactured on an OEM basis by the Japanese company Sanyo. [2] The Solo was the first laptop to have a Windows key and a Menu key, which respectively activate the Start menu and context menus in Windows (the Start menu first appeared in Windows 95). [3] Gateway worked closely with Microsoft on development of the Solo to make it fully optimized with Windows 95, which was a nearly top-down redesign of Microsoft's previous Windows 3.1x operating systems. [4] The Solo replaced Gateway's earlier ColorBook and Liberty line of laptops and were the first of the company's laptops to feature Intel's x86-based Pentium processor, for which Windows 95 was optimized during its development. [1] [5]
The Solo was released to retailers and corporate resellers in September 1995. The first two models—the V75 and the S90—came with Pentium processors clocked at 75 MHz and 90 MHz respectively. [6] Both Solos were multimedia-oriented and came with a Sound Blaster–compatible sound chip and removable CD-ROM drives bays as standard; [4] Gateway later made the CD-ROM drives an optional add-on to reduce cost at the entry level. [6] The company marketed the Solo at the cost-conscious businessperson and positioned it as a budget version of the more upscale IBM ThinkPad and Toshiba Satellite lines of laptops. [2]
Later entries in the Solo line featured the Pentium II, Pentium IIIs, and various P6-based Celerons. [7] [8] [9] [10] The Solo line was retired in late 2002, Gateway still selling refurbished units on their website until 2003. [11] [12]
| Model | Release date | Processor | Clock speed (MHz) | LCD technology | LCD size (in.) | LCD resolution | Stock RAM (max., in MB) | HDD | Notes/ref(s). |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V75 | September 1995 | Pentium | 75 | Color TFT | 10.4 | 640×480 | 8 (40) | 540 MB | [3] [2] |
| S90 | September 1995 | Pentium | 90 | Color TFT | 10.4 | 800×600 | 16 (40) | 720 MB | [3] [2] |
| 2100 | June 1996 | Pentium | 100 or 120 or 133 | Color TFT | 11.3 | 800×600 | 16 (40) | 810 MB or 1.2 GB | [13] |
| 2200 | January 1997 | Pentium MMX | 120 or 133 or 150 or 166 | Color TFT | 12.1 | 800×600 | 16 (80) | 2 GB | [14] [15] [16] |
| 9100 | May 1997 | Pentium MMX | 150 or 166 | Color TFT | 13.3 | 800×600 | 48 (164) | 3 GB | [17] [18] |
| 2300 | July 1997 | Pentium MMX | 150 or 166 or 200 or 233 | Color TFT | 12.1 | 800×600 | 32 (192) | 2 GB | [19] [20] [21] [22] |
| 5100 | January 1998 | Pentium MMX | 166 or 200 or 233 or 266 | Color TFT | 14.1 | 1024×768 | 16 (144) | 2 GB or 3 GB or 4.2 GB | [23] [24] |
| 2500 | May 1998 | Pentium MMX or Mobile Pentium II or Celeron | 233 (Pentium MMX) 233 or 266 or 300 or 333 or 366 (Pentium II) 266 or 300 (Celeron) | Color TFT | 12.1 (LS) 13.3 (XL) | 800×600 (LS) 1024×768 (XL) | 64 (288) | 3 GB or 4.2 GB | [25] [26] [27] [28] |
| 5150 | August 1998 | Mobile Pentium II | 233 or 266 or 300 or 333 or 366 | Color TFT | 14.1 | 1024×768 | 32 (288) | 2 GB or 4 GB or 6.4 GB | [27] [29] |
| 9150 | April 1999 | Mobile Pentium II | 300 or 333 or 366 | Color TFT | 15.1 | 1024×768 | (384) | 14 GB (up to) | [30] |
| 3300 | May 2000 | Mobile Pentium III | 500 | Color TFT | 12.1 | 1024×768 | 64 (128) | 6 GB or 12 GB | [31] |
| 9300 | August 1999 | Mobile Pentium III | 400 | Color TFT | 15.1 | 1024×768 | 128 | 10 GB | [32] |
| 2150 | October 1999 | Celeron or Mobile Pentium III | 400 (Celeron) 450 (Pentium III) | Color TFT | 12.1 14.1 | 800×600 1024×768 | 32 | 6 GB | [33] [34] [35] |
| 2550 | October 1999 | Celeron or Mobile Pentium II or Mobile Pentium III | Various 600 or 650 (Pentium III) | Color TFT | 15.7 | 1280×1024 | (288) | 4–18 GB | [36] [37] |
| 3350 | September 2000 | Celeron or Mobile Pentium III | 500 (Celeron) 600 (Pentium III) | Color TFT | 12.1 | 1024×768 | 64 (256) | 6–20 GB | [38] [39] |
| 5300 | August 2000 | Celeron or Mobile Pentium III | 500–600 (Celeron) 700 (Pentium III) | Color TFT | 12.1 | 1024×768 | 64 (512) | 6–20 GB | [40] [41] |
| 1150 | August 2000 | Celeron | 500 or 550 | Color TFT | 12.1 | 1024×768 | 32 (512) | 5 GB or 6 GB | [42] |
| 9500 | March 2001 | Mobile Pentium III | 700–1000 | Color TFT | 15.1 15.7 (XL Deluxe) | 1280×1024 | 256 (512) | 6 GB or 10 GB | [43] [9] |
| 1200 | July 2001 | Celeron | 800 | Color TFT | 12.1 | 1024×768 | 64 (192) | 10 GB | [44] |
| 3450 | July 2001 | Mobile Pentium III | 750 | Color TFT | 12.1 | 1024×768 | 192 (192) | 10 GB | [44] |
| 9550 | August 2001 | Pentium III-M | 933 or 1000 or 1130 | Color TFT | 15.7 | 1280×1024 | 128 (512) | 10 GB or 20 GB or 30 GB | [45] [46] |
| 1400 | December 2001 | Celeron | 850 | Color TFT | 14.1 | 1024×768 | 128 (512) | 10 GB | [47] [48] |
| 5350 | December 2001 | Pentium III-M | 733–1000 | Color TFT | 14.1 | 1024×768 | 256 (512) | 20 | [47] [49] |
| 1450 | April 2002 | Celeron | 1200 | Color TFT | 14.1 15.1 | 1024×768 (14.1) 1280×1024 (15.1) | 128 (512) | 20 GB | [50] |
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Formerly Gateway 2000; acquired by Acer in 2007 | ||
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