Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!pyramid!octopus!pete From: pete@octopus.UUCP (Pete Holzmann) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: Portable or laptop computers Message-ID: <136@octopus.UUCP> Date: 14 Jan 88 06:42:27 GMT References: <117@cetc.Wichita.NCR.COM> <5972@ccv.bbn.COM> Reply-To: pete@octopus.UUCP (Pete Holzmann) Distribution: comp.sys.ibm.pc Organization: Octopus Enterprises, Cupertino CA Lines: 147 Keywords: portable laptop pc-compatible Summary: New Toshiba's really fill the bill! In article <5972@ccv.bbn.COM> kgregory@ccv.bbn.com (Keith D. Gregory) writes: >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: >> >>[summary: 20 MB HD, 5.25 disk or link, modem (2400 pref'd),640K RAM exp >> to >=2MB, RGB, Ser, Parallel, nice screen, '286 or '386] >> >>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? > >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. >...(exepts that it weighs around 25 pounds). ^^^^^^^^^hardly portable nowadays! Toshiba 3100/3200/5100 are far more portable; only around 15 pounds! The 3100 is rather old now. The 3200 has all that Compaq has, (including slots), plus EGA, less weight, easy to carry case. [3200 summary: Avail end of 1/88, $3700 discounted, 12 MHz '286, 40 MB fast HD, 1 MB RAM exp to 4 MB (all excess is EMS and/or extended), EGA gas plasma, full size kbd, 1 16 bit AT slot, 1 8 bit 1/2 slot, socket for external 101 key kbd if you care] The 5100 is like the 3200, but switch to 16 MHz '386, remove the internal slots so the case is more like the 3100. Avail 2/88, $4700 discounted. Note that the list price just went up to $7000 (falling dollar strikes again-- unlike the others, this computer is still made in Japan). I'm *sure* there will be a 5200 soon. >If #2 is your wish, then you will want a laptop. Forget the HD - it makes >battery use impossible. >[talks about Zenith Z-183 which has it all except HD]. Why forget the HD? The new Toshiba 1200 lasts up to 5 hours with a 20 MB hard disk and ~10 MHz 8086 and 1 MB RAM (can carve the excess into EMS and/or battery-backed up RAM-Disk). Typical time seems to be 3-4 hours. But you can carry an extra battery cartridge if you are really all that hot to go. The whole thing only weighs 10 pounds, so it is still not too bad if you carry more batteries. With the fast 8086, the permanent RAM disk, and instant-on startup, (oh- and an 8087 socket), it isn't all that bad compared with an AT. Especially when you get to keep your HD on the road. The thing I like best about the T1200 is that they've really done the power system right. All batteries are rechargeable. First, a slow-drain battery that maintains clock/cal for a *very* long time, no matter what else you leave on. Second, the main battery. Third, an instant-resume battery that maintains the RAM and port info whenever the main battery is dead or the power is off. This is *really* great. If you turn off the system, or let the main battery die, or take it out (to put a new one in).... the next time you turn on the system, it will come up *exactly* where you were before, even right in the middle of a program! Who needs a boot disk or autoexec? Why wait for lotus to start up? The only drawback is that, since the resume- battery is 'hidden' behind the main battery in the power chain, it takes a while to get it fully charged the first time. >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. A strange comment! 'Have to run off a battery'???? Nawww. You can leave it plugged in all you want. You GET to run off a battery whenever you want! The 3200 and 5100 have socket for full sized keyboard. All the Toshibas have a nice keyboard anyway: you give up the numeric-pad numbers, but not the cursor controls. They have a nice inverted T cursor set, plus Hm/End/etc. The one bad thing is that Grey-minus and Grey-plus are a pain (on all but the 3200). > >** Any other comments? Any Holy Wars about to be started? :-) ** > >-kdg My advice: 1) If you care about batteries, or if you are not spending someone else's money :-), the Toshiba T1200 is a real nice choice. 2) If you have $$$, don't mind a power cord, and can wait a little, go for the T3200 or T5100. 3) If you have more time than $$$ and don't mind having a luggable instead of something really light, then go put together one of the new lunchbox-clones. I saw around 2 dozen companies at COMDEX all selling AT-Compaq-Portable-Lunchbox-Clones based on a case and motherboard made by someone or other. Add HD, memory, and go! Something equivalent to Compaq Portable III was only $2495! I even saw one with a real color EGA screen in it. Tiny, but it worked! They all weigh around 25 pounds, and caveat emptor on service... but hey, you've got strong arms, right? Other thoughts: 25 pounds is NOT portable, except for short walks to/from a car. 15 pounds is portable, but not if you have to carry it very long (airport lines, taxi lines, long airport aisles, big building hallways, etc) 10 pounds is great. However, if you carry it around all the time (like many writers I know), it gets to be a drag. 6 pounds is not noticeable. Like a book. New thing I'm checking on: 2400 baud internal modem for laptops. From a third party. Cheap. For Toshiba and other laptops! In the meantime: The Worldport 2400 modem is cheap, plugs in any serial port, is the size of a cigarette pack, enough Hayes compatibility to work right, even has a speaker! A great thing to have if you don't insist on having everything really *inside* your laptop. Re: external 5.25 drives or links to PC's: If you don't have a PC around, go ahead and get the external drive if needed. If you *do* have a PC, get File Shuttle. Fastest, easiest PC to PC file transfer anywhere! >15K bytes per second (>1MB/minute). You can easily pick whole directory sets on one PC, hit a key, and off they all go to the other one. Pretty cheap too. (I have a way to do 70K/sec between 2 PC's, but no time to implement it...THAT would really be nice! Maybe someday...) Time to quit. Pete -- OOO __| ___ Peter Holzmann, Octopus Enterprises OOOOOOO___/ _______ USPS: 19611 La Mar Court, Cupertino, CA 95014 OOOOO \___/ UUCP: {hpda,pyramid}!octopus!pete ___| \_____ Phone: 408/996-7746