Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!aplcen!haven!umbc3!umbc5.umbc.edu!chuck
From: chuck@umbc5.umbc.edu (Chuck Rickard; (PC))
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Stacy's Power
Message-ID: <2749@umbc3.UMBC.EDU>
Date: 3 Feb 90 04:58:54 GMT
References: <2741@umbc3.UMBC.EDU> <20467@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
Sender: newspost@umbc3.UMBC.EDU
Reply-To: chuck@umbc5.umbc.edu.UUCP (Chuck Rickard)
Organization: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Lines: 32

In article <20467@watdragon.waterloo.edu> swklassen@tiger.waterloo.edu (Steven W. Klassen) writes:
>In article <2741@umbc3.UMBC.EDU> chuck@umbc5.umbc.edu () writes:
>>I recently heard from my local dealer that the Stacy is going to run off of
>>ordinary C-cell batteries!  Also, the dealers should have them by March!
>>Wow, I guess Atari doesn't want to be stuck-up like the other laptop makers
>>and actually use rechargable battery packs!  Now when your computer runs out
>>of juice (about 15 seconds with a hard drive), you can run to your local
>>thrifty store and pick up eight more!  Gee, thanks !!!
>
>So...if you like rechargeable batteries, buy rechargable C-cell batteries
>and a recharger!  If you think it's a waste and will mostly run the Stacy
>from an adapter or something, don't bother.
>
>Some might argue that using ordinary batteries is even better than a
>custom rechargable battery pack since you can use the 'fast' rechargers
>advertised by some companies.  On the down side, you will have to
>actually remove them in order to recharge.

I was mainly trying to say that this tends to make the Stacy look like the
kind of product you might find in a toy store, albeit a $1500 toy.  Tandy,
a company known for its overpriced products, has a laptop for $1500 that
comes with two drives, P/S ports, internal slots, and a rechargable battery
pack that charges in one hour.  And also, who in their right mind wants to
carry around a charger that can hold 8 (or more) batteries!  That would be
at least a third of the size of the laptop intself!  If they included an
internal FAST charger, that would be different, but C-cells are an inefficient
use of space.  Battery packs can hold more and take less space.

Chuck Rickard
University of Maryland
Baltimore County
(chuck@umbc5.umbc.edu)