While the Epson HX-20 can lay claim to being the first laptop, it had some
severe limitations, the most evident being its 20x4 character LCD display.
The TRS-80 Model 100 had a much more useable 40x8 character display. The
Model 100 also had a built-in editor, address book, schedule, and
telecommunications program, which made it useful right out of the box,
especially for journalists. The result was that the model 100 probably
got more press.
Now, does anyone know which the first notebook was? Was it the Grid
Compass, or the DG/One? Or something else I've never heard of?
-- Bill
On Tue, 20 Jul 1999, Kai Kaltenbach wrote:
> No. Byte Magazine first used the term "laptop" in reference to a production
> computer, after viewing the Epson HX-20 at a trade show in November 1981.
> The Model 100 came out in March 1983.
>
> Kai
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Max Eskin [mailto:max82_at_surfree.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, July 20, 1999 2:54 PM
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
> Subject: First laptop?
>
>
> Hi,
> I walked into Radio Shack today, and was delighted to see a row of posters
> on their wall with photos of old Radio Shack stores and equipment from the
> beginning of the chain to now. They mentioned that the TRS Model 100 was
> 'the first laptop in the industry'. Is this even marginally true?
>
> --Max Eskin (max82_at_surfree.com)
> http://scivault.hypermart.net: Ignorance is Impotence - Knowledge is Power
>
Received on Wed Jul 21 1999 - 04:49:36 BST