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From: trb@stag.UUCP ( Todd Burkey )
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Portfolio sounds great but...
Message-ID: <818@stag.UUCP>
Date: 11 May 89 05:07:47 GMT
References: <890509.17325439.078728@SFA.CP6> <24235@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Reply-To: trb@stag.UUCP ( Todd Burkey )
Organization: Mindtools ST Access Group, Plymouth, MN
Lines: 29

In article <24235@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> c60c-3ds@web-1b.berkeley.edu (John Kawakami) writes:
>I'd suggest to Atari (or anyone) to build a Writer's Notebook, with a full
>size keyboard, at least 10 inches wide, with an 80 column screen (at 
>least six lines should be fine).  It would fold over, like the Folio.
>Plus, it would come with a simple word processor, and some way to get data
>to the outside world (probably an RS232-C port).  No drive is necessary.
>This Notebook would not be as compact as the Folio, but it would be easier
>to use.  I looks to me like there's a built in market of writers, power
>user execs, and touch typists :-> who would go ga-ga over this.

You basically described the Epson Geneva which has been in the DAK
catalog off and on for the last few years. I bought one for my wife
for around $400 and that price included a NLQ printer, an internal 300 baud
modem, nice keyboard, 80x8 screen display (virtual 80x24), 12-18
hours on the rechargable batteries, built in microcassette, clock
(features that let me use it as an alarm clock/meeting reminder, RS232,
analog, bar code, and bus ports. The Geneva easily fit in any briefcase
(with room to spare for other things). It used snap in ROM chips
(the configuration that I got from DAK supported 3 ROM chips at a
time), so I could have Wordstar, Basic, and a spreedsheet program all
instantly available for use. The unit also had a 128K ramdrive, more
than enough for what I or my wife would ever type on a trip...besides,
the microcassettes support file names, so although slow, they fill in
the gap if you do need more than the ramdrive allows. One bad note if
you are a PCDOS lover...the Geneva is CP/M. The Geneva base unit used
to sell for $900, but that was 6-7 years ago.

  -Todd Burkey
   pwcs!stag!trb