Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!bellcore!faline!thumper!ulysses!att!alberta!simon
From: simon@alberta.uucp (Simon Tortike)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Cambridge Z88 'MacLite' Portable
Message-ID: <2243@pembina.UUCP>
Date: 28 Apr 89 02:44:09 GMT
References: <8055@pucc.Princeton.EDU>
Sender: news@alberta.UUCP
Reply-To: simon@alberta.UUCP (Simon Tortike)
Organization: Petroleum Engg, U of Alberta
Lines: 23

We picked one of these up in the UK in April last year.  I figured
out a cable to upload text to the Mac and everything went OK except 
for two, unfortunatuly crucial, problems.  One, the batteries seem to 
run down very quickly (we have the basic model plus two RAM modules, no
EEPROM), much quicker than the old Tandy 200s which we liked on the 
'planes.  Secondly, it occasionally resets itself when packed on long
flights, which meant that it couldn't be relied upon.  These points are
a shame, because it has beautiful text processing on the supertwist LCD,
with bold, underline, and altered faces. I am sure it is just our
device, but I should like to hear from anyone who has had similar problems.

One very good point I forgot to mention: it has an 8-bit ascii keyboard,
unlike the old radio shack types---try writing C source code or TeX
source on a Tandy 200! (I did, and made up all sorts of weird combinations).
If you buy from a shop, watch out for cheap demo models that have been 
vandalised by low-lifes: a fingernail along the bottom can cut the
rubber lining, similarly just under the screen.  I saw several of these
in the shop I got ours from.

-------------------
Simon Tortike, Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineering,
The University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, CANADA T6G 2G6.
simon@alberta.uucp || simon@cs.UAlberta.CA || Tel. +1 403 492-3338