From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!zeppo!whuxlb!mash
Newsgroups: net.micro
Title: Personal computer as portable typewriter
Article-I.D.: whuxlb.420
Posted: Fri Aug 20 04:24:47 1982
Received: Fri Aug 20 05:01:14 1982

hou5a.130 noted the wish for the portable device that can be used to take
notes, then upload later: you may have to found your own company;
I've been hunting for it for years, and have had no luck.
My requirements may be more stringent, although they're typical of
managers who both travel and use UNIX heavily for project management,
communication, and text-handling.
I'd like an Alan Kay-style Dynabook, but would settle for the following:
1: KEYBOARD: must be OK for typing, i.e., 11" minimum width, membranes
	and calculators need not apply.
2: DISPLAY: minimum 1 line of 40 characters, with intelligent handling of
	80-character lines
3: MEMORY: must have enough local memory to hold 1-2 days worth of note-taking.
	builtin RAM, plug-in RAM boxes, microcassettes, ANYTHING!
4: COMMUNICATIONS: must be usable as terminal, with reasonable upload
	and download.
5: LOCAL EDITING: minimal, but at least something (for on the plane)
6: TV ADAPTOR: (optional): use as terminal with TV
7: SIZE: package offering items 1-5 must fit in little more than half
	a briefcase, i.e., cannot be much bigger than 8.5 x 11 x 2 inches.

Terminals we've tried:

SONY TypeCorder: closest tothe ideal. Keyboard good (albeit lcaking CTRL
and a few other keys), microcassete, OK, but can only SEND, not RECEIVE!
SONY engineers brought us a prototype of a model with adequate communications,
and it was really pretty good.  I offered a P.O. to buy serial #1 of it,
but after many months, I was told they'd decided not to build them after all.

Panasonic/Quasar Hand Held Computers: they have all the pieces, nicely
packaged, although plugin RAM is much more expensive and awkward than
SONY microcassette. Work OK as terminal.  Keyboard is just too small.

LEX-21 (portably hardcopy, 40 characters wide): not bad, although
hardcopy is not wonderful, and it's a bit bigger than I liked.
It had many weird codes, and seemed a bit hard to use.

GE MarkQuick (the talking one): pretty good, but the one had
was very difficult to make work as a terminal; it also seemed to
run out of local memory very fast.

Any other suggestions?	- john mashey