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A Palmtop PC is an obsolete, approximately pocket calculator-sized, battery-powered computer in a horizontal clamshell design with integrated keyboard and display. It could be used like a modern subnotebook, but was light enough to be comfortably used handheld as well. Most Palmtop PCs were small enough to be stored in a user's shirt or jacket pockets.
Palmtop PCs distinguish from other palmtop computers by using a mostly IBM-compatible PC architecture, and BIOS as well as an Intel-compatible x86 processor. All such devices were DOS-based, with DOS stored in ROM. While many Palmtop PCs came with a number of PDA and office applications pre-installed in ROM, most of them could also run generic, off-the-shelf PC software with no or little modifications. Some could also run other operating systems such as GEOS, Windows 1.0-3.0 (in Real mode only), or MINIX 2.0.
Most Palmtop PCs have been based on a static hardware design for low power consumption, and instant-on/off without the need to reboot. Depending on the model, the battery could power the device for a period ranging from several hours up to several days while running, or between a week and a year in standby mode. Combined with the instant-on/off feature, a battery would typically last from a week up to several months in practical use as PDA.
The first Palmtop PC was the DIP Pocket PC (aka Atari Portfolio) in 1989. [1]
Palmtop PCs include:
Some touch-screen computers may also be included in this category:
A Pocket PC is a class of personal digital assistant (PDA) that runs the Windows Mobile operating system, which is based on Windows CE/Windows Embedded Compact, and that has some of the abilities of modern desktop PCs. The name was introduced by Microsoft in 2000 as a rebranding of the Palm-size PC category and was marketed until 2007. Some of these devices also had integrated phone and data capabilities, which were called Pocket PC Phone Edition. Windows "Smartphone" is another Windows CE based platform for non-touch and non-PDA devices.
The Poqet PC is a line of palmtop PCs introduced in 1989 by Poqet Computer Corporation. The eponymous first model was the first IBM PC–compatible palmtop computer capable of running MS-DOS at CGA resolutions. The Poqet PC is powered by two AA batteries. Through the use of aggressive power management, which includes stopping the CPU between keystrokes, the batteries are able to power the computer for anywhere between a couple of weeks and a couple of months, depending on usage. The computer also uses an "instant on" feature, such that after powering it down, it can be used again immediately without having to go through a full booting sequence. The Poqet PC is comparable to the HP 95LX/HP 100LX/HP 200LX and the Atari Portfolio handheld computers. The computer originally sold for US$2,000; it was discontinued after Fujitsu Ltd. bought Poqet Computer Corp.
HP-150 was a compact, powerful and innovative computer made by Hewlett-Packard in 1983. It was based on the Intel 8088 CPU and was one of the world's earliest commercialized touch screen computers. Like other "workalike" IBM PC clones of the time, despite running customized MS-DOS versions 2.01, 2.11 and 3.20, the machine was not IBM PC DOS compatible. Its 8088 CPU, rated at 8 MHz, was faster than the 4.77 MHz CPUs used by the IBM PC of that period. Using add-on cards, main memory could be increased from 256 KB to 640 KB. However, its mainboard did not have a slot for the optional Intel 8087 math coprocessor due to space constraints. An HP-150 with an optional hard disk was called HP Touchscreen MAX.
The Atari Portfolio is an IBM PC-compatible palmtop PC, released by Atari Corporation in June 1989. It was the first palmtop computer compatible with the IBM PC ever released.
GEOS is a computer operating environment, graphical user interface (GUI), and suite of application software. Originally released as PC/GEOS, it runs on MS-DOS-based, IBM PC compatible computers. Versions for some handheld platforms were also released and licensed to some companies.
The HP 200LX Palmtop PC, also known as project Felix, is a personal digital assistant introduced by Hewlett-Packard in August 1994. It was often called a Palmtop PC, and it was notable that it was, with some minor exceptions, a DOS-compatible computer in a palmtop format, complete with a monochrome graphic display, QWERTY keyboard, serial port, and PCMCIA expansion slot. The abbreviation "LX" stood for "Lotus Expandable".
A pocket computer is a class of handheld computer characterized by very short displays and calculator-style alphanumeric keypads. Pocket computers occupy a small footprint, allowing the unit to be comfortably stashed in one's pocket when on the go, and usually weigh less than 1 pound (0.45 kg). Many feature a port for an expansion chassis, allowing the computers to be used with external peripherals.
A handheld computer, also called a palmtop computer, is a term that has variously been used to describe a small-sized personal computer (PC) typically built around a clamshell form factor and a laptop-like keyboard, including: Palmtop PCs, personal digital assistants (PDA), ultra-mobile PCs (UMPC) or portable gaming PCs. The brand Handheld PC specifically is a now-defunct class of computers introduced in the 1990s that was marketed by Microsoft, and is detailed below.
Ian H. S. Cullimore is an English-born mathematician and computer scientist who has been influential in the pocket PC arena.
OmniBook is a brand for a line of laptop computers originally produced by Hewlett-Packard and currently marketed by its successor, HP Inc. HP first introduced the brand as a line of business-oriented laptops and notebooks produced between 1993 and 2002.
The HP 95LX Palmtop PC, also known as project Jaguar, is Hewlett Packard's first DOS-based pocket computer, or personal digital assistant, introduced in April 1991 in collaboration with Lotus Development Corporation. The abbreviation "LX" stood for "Lotus Expandable". The computer can be seen as successor to a series of larger portable PCs like the HP 110 and HP 110 Plus.
Following the introduction of the IBM Personal Computer, many other personal computer architectures became extinct within just a few years. It led to a wave of IBM PC compatible systems being released.
Smartphone & Pocket PC was a magazine published every two months by Thaddeus Computing and covered Windows Mobile devices, software, and accessories. It included news, tips, articles, reviews, how-tos, and an enterprise section. Its headquarters was in Fairfield, Iowa.
HP Vectra was a line of business-oriented personal computers manufactured by Hewlett-Packard. It was introduced in October 1985 as HP's first IBM-compatible PC.
In computing, a hardware code page (HWCP) refers to a code page supported natively by a hardware device such as a display adapter or printer. The glyphs to present the characters are stored in the alphanumeric character generator's resident read-only memory and are thus not user-changeable. They are available for use by the system without having to load any font definitions into the device first. Startup messages issued by a PC's System BIOS or displayed by an operating system before initializing its own code page switching logic and font management and before switching to graphics mode are displayed in a computer's default hardware code page.
The Zeos Pocket PC is a palmtop PC marketed by Zeos International beginning in 1992. The palmtop features an NEC V30 clocked at 7.15 MHz, came shipped with MS-DOS 5.0 in ROM, and has a monochrome LCD capable of displaying graphics at maximum resolution of 640×200 (CGA). These features make the Pocket PC compatible with most IBM PC software out at the time of its release. The Pocket PC is a badge-engineered version of the Tidalwave PS-1000, manufactured by Tidalwave Microtech of Taiwan. It sought to compete with the Poqet PC, another PC-compatible palmtop computer.
The Sharp PC-3000 was an MS-DOS-based palmtop computer introduced in 1991. The "SPC" was designed and developed by Distributed Information Processing Research Ltd. ("DIP") in the UK. DIP had earlier designed the Atari Portfolio and the two machines shared many design features both in hardware and software.