Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!rochester!bbn!kgregory
From: kgregory@bbn.COM (Keith D. Gregory)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Portable or laptop computers
Keywords: portable laptop pc-compatible
Message-ID: <5972@ccv.bbn.COM>
Date: 12 Jan 88 16:14:25 GMT
References: <117@cetc.Wichita.NCR.COM>
Reply-To: kgregory@ccv.bbn.com (Keith D. Gregory)
Distribution: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., Cambdridge MA
Lines: 56

In article <117@cetc.Wichita.NCR.COM> crand@cetc.UUCP (Collette Rand) writes:
>
>We've been looking for a portable or a laptop here at work.
>Our requirements are as follows:
>
>    A hard disk (20 meg.)
>    Either a 5 1/4" disk drive or a cable link to a desktop
>    An internal modem (preferably 2400 baud)
>    640K minimum of memory (preferably expandable to 2 meg at least)
>    RGB video port
>    Serial/parallel ports
>    "Good" screen (ambiguous enough for you?)
>    80286 processor (80386 if we can afford it)
>
>We've looked at the Compaq Portable III and the Toshiba T1100 and the
>Toshiba 3100 and the NEC Multispeed HD.  

First off, what will you be using this beast for?

A couple of possibilities:

1 - For employees to take home at night / on business trips

2 - For employess to use on planes trains and automobiles
  
  
In case 1, you probably want a portable, such as the Compaq.  Since it will
be used as a "computer away from computer", you will want a system that is
at least equivalent to the one that you're used to.  I haven't spent much
time looking at such things, but the Compaq Portable II (the small one) would
probably be what you want.  It has a gas-plasma screen, which some people like
and some hate, and is in all other respects equivalent to a desktop machine
(exepts that it weighs around 25 pounds). 

If #2 is your wish, then you will want a laptop.  Forget the HD - it makes
battery use impossible.  I have the Zenith Z-183, which meets all of your
above requisites except the HD - 640k, 2 drives (3-1/2), serial/parallel/RGB
ports, option for built-in modem, and option for an external 5-1/2 floppy 
(as well as a bus extension, for such things as HD's).
  
The battery lasts for 3-4 hours, which is more than enough to cover my
morning/evening commute (as a contractor, I can't afford a 3 hour commute :-)
I'm not sure whether the FAA would allow you to use it on a plane - you
might want to check on that.  What else can I say - it's slower than my AT
(I replaced the original 80c88 with an NEC V-20, which runs at 8MHz), but is
comfortable to look at (Blue backlit screen), and will do just about anything
that is wanted (although I wouldn't want to spend 8+ hours a day using it).
  
The Toshiba laptops, while on the surface impressive, suffer from one bad
point - they are laptops which are competing with portables.  You give up a
full-sized keyboard (read AT or XT size), but still have to run off a 
battery.
  
** Any other comments? Any Holy Wars about to be started? :-) **
 
-kdg