Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uunet!mcsun!ukc!dcl-cs!aber-cs!cjp
From: cjp@aber-cs.UUCP (Chris Price)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.laptops
Subject: Re: Z88
Message-ID: <1702@aber-cs.UUCP>
Date: 29 Mar 90 08:37:35 GMT
References: <1333@mindlink.UUCP> <1691@aber-cs.UUCP> <15524@vlsisj.VLSI.COM>
Reply-To: cjp@uk.ac.aber.cs (Chris Price)
Organization: CS Dept, University College of Wales, Aberystwyth
Lines: 47

In article <1691@aber-cs.UUCP> I wrote:
>>Final warning: I heard of someone who pressed lots of soft things in his
>>briefcase on top of his Z88. The SHIFT keys were continually being pressed
>>as his bag moved, completely exhausting the batteries.  Store the Z88 next
>>to something hard (that pad of A4 paper you keep in case the machine breaks
>>down). 

David Chapman (davidc@vlsisj.vlsi.com) replied:
>It's worse than that, actually.  My Z88 keyboard seems to be on the fritz
>(it's been abused horribly - don't blame Cambridge!).  I spoke to Cambridge
>North America's technical support and they told me that it wakes up *every*
>time *any* key is pressed to see if it's the two shift keys.  So battery
>life goes down if you press keys by any means.  Keep things off the top of it.

You're right about any key - but I did say that I wrote the review a year or
so ago.  Since then, I've joined the UK's Z88 Club, and the Club Magazine
went into detail about the states that a Z88 can be in. There are 4 - but
can I remember them all?

	1. Asleep - minimum power used to conserve RAM contents.
	2. Dozing - you've pressed any key and it is ready for you to do
		something. Higher levels of power needed.
	3. Shifted - one shift key pressed, looking for other.
		Power needs vrey similar to dozing.
        4. Awake - screen on etc.

David also commented:
>I'll probably try to rig a hard shell (sheet aluminum) around it next
>time I stuff it into my bicycle's panniers.

Someone in this country has put together a cover for the Z88 (called the
Cambridge Topper). It is a piece of plastic the right shape to fit snugly
over the top of the Z88. My colleague who lost his files has one and has not
had any further trouble. I haven't bothered, as I don't have much trouble of
this kind. It costs 8 quid.

The Z88 Club magazine has also had discussions about whether you can run the
Z88 off rechargeables. Some people seem to have trouble. I've been running
mine off them for a long time with no problem. I have two sets, and swap as
soon as the battery low indicator appears (or as soon as the screen goes off
if I don't notice the indicator). The rechargeables give a maximum of about
10 hours usage (that may be an optimistic figure, as I don't count, I just
swap batteries...).

Cheers,

Chris Price