Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!think.com!laird From: laird@think.com (Laird Popkin) Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds Subject: Re: What kind of a beast is the HP95? Message-ID: <1991Apr26.005857.17320@Think.COM> Date: 26 Apr 91 00:58:57 GMT References: <590@lysator.liu.se> <28174399:2905.1comp.sys.handhelds;1@hpcvbbs.UUCP> Sender: news@Think.COM Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge MA, USA Lines: 75 In article <28174399:2905.1comp.sys.handhelds;1@hpcvbbs.UUCP> akcs.falco@hpcvbbs.UUCP (Andrey Dolgachev) writes: >The HP-95 is basically HP's way of saying "F*ck you, Atari". Trust me, >this thing is trul a work of art. Check out the announcement of the 95lx >posted on comp.sys. on April 23 (16:00). That gives all the info you >would need (except for a picture). Also check out PC mAgazine, and prob. >even a newspaper. > ----Falco Well, I will say that it was awfully arrogant of HP to claim to be inventing the new catagory of palmtop computers despite the Portfolio and Poquet, both of whom have been available for quite some time. Here's a rough comparison, from someone who has been looking for a portable "information appliance" but hasn't bought one yet: 95LX Portfolio ---- --------- List/Street Price $699/$550 $299/$225 Display 16x40 8x40 CPU NEC V20 80C88 System RAM 512K 128K Max system RAM (same?) 512K to 640K (2 3rd party) Storage 128K RAM cards 32-128K RAM Cards 20 Mb HD (3rd party) keyboard tiny QWERTY tiny QWERTY software Lotus 123, DOS, PIM, Lotus 123 clone, DOS clone, simple text editor, simple text editor, appointment book, appointment book, telecommunications, file manager, plus small file manager, plus text DOS app's. small DOS app's. Logos: HP, Lotus Atari Interfaces: IR, serial port expansion bus Options: DOS PIM software serial, parallel port, printers, modems PC Card Drive, printers, modems note: the 95LX uses the new industry standard PCMCIA/JEIDA RAM/ROM cards, whereas the Portfolio, which existed for 2 years before the new standard, uses a proprietary RAM/ROM card from Mitsubishi. In the future the new standard cards should provide a better software availability and (through competition) lower prices. Of course, it is a fairly trivial engineering job to add the new card interface to the Portfolio, or for Atari to come out with a new model PF. note 2: the Portfolio benefits from third party development of hardware and software during the time it has been on the market. It is likely that similar items could appear for the 95LX. note 3: the Portfolio can transfer files through the parallel port, so you can use a single interface for printing and file transfers. note 4: HP and Motorolla have said that in the future they will introduce an add-on to the 95LX that will let it receive "beeper" messages. This is pretty cool, if you have a Motorolla-based beeper. Summary? The main differences are that the 95LX has more RAM and a larger display, while the PF costs half as much and is somewhat thinner. The PC Card Drive makes file transfers to the PF very easy. Some people will like the HP and Lotus logos better than the Atari logo. I think that, marketing aside, the Portfolio is sufficient for most people's needs, at $400 less, but that the 95LX's additional functionality will attract some people. Final comment: with the Poquet selling for under $1K (street price) it's worth looking at if you want a tiny, full featured DOS computer, with a less compromised keyboard and display. The Poquet doesn't bundle applications in ROM (as far as I know) making it less useful as an "information appliance". What am I going to do? Well, for just over $200 I will probably buy a PF and consider it expendable, in that in two years when technology has made both the PF and the 95LX utterly obsolete I won't mind too much when I throw it out and get an equivalently portable Sparc. :) - Laird Popkin