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43-541: The Ericsson Portable PC (EPPC) was a portable computer introduced by Ericsson in March 1985. It was a small computer with a weight of 8 kg. It had an Intel 8088 processor at 4.77 MHz and 256-512 kB of RAM. An optional built-in thermal printer and modem was available. The EPPC was the first portable computer on the market to have a plasma display . Said display was a monochrome amber unit capable of displaying 25 lines of 80-column text. This computer hardware article

86-478: A 32-character screen, a floppy disk: capacity = 140 000 characters, of a thermal printer: speed = 28 characters / sec, an asynchronous channel, a synchronous channel, a 220 V power supply. Designed for an operating temperature of 15–35 °C (59–95 °F), it weighed 12 kilograms (26 lb) and its dimensions were 45 cm × 45 cm × 15 cm (17.7 in × 17.7 in × 5.9 in). It provided total mobility. Its operating system

129-455: A 5100 could be connected to a television. An external video monitor receiver could be connected to the IBM 5100 via a BNC connector on the back panel. While the 5100 had a front panel switch to select between white on black or black on white for the internal display, this switch did not affect the external monitor, which only offered white characters on a black background. The vertical scan rate

172-963: A continuous connection to an external power source; this limitation was later overcome by the laptop computers . Laptops were followed by lighter models such as netbooks , so that in the 2000s mobile devices and by 2007 smartphones made the term "portable" rather meaningless. The 2010s introduced wearable computers such as smartwatches . Portable computers, by their nature, are generally microcomputers . Larger portable computers were commonly known as 'Lunchbox' or 'Luggable' computers. They are also called 'Portable Workstations' or 'Portable PCs'. In Japan they were often called 'Bentocom'. ( ベントコン , Bentokon ) from " bento ". Portable computers, more narrowly defined, are distinct from desktop replacement computers in that they usually were constructed from full-specification desktop components, and often do not incorporate features associated with laptops or mobile devices. A portable computer in this usage, versus

215-443: A determined user could manage the memory space and write stable multi-tasking programs using interrupts. The 5100 was based on IBM's innovative concept that, using an emulator written in microcode , a small and relatively cheap computer could run programs already written for much larger, and much more expensive, existing computers, without the time and expense of writing and debugging new programs. Two such programs were included:

258-509: A laptop or other mobile computing device , have a standard motherboard or backplane providing plug-in slots for add-in cards. This allows mission specific cards such as test, A/D, or communication protocol (IEEE-488, 1553) to be installed. Portable computers also provide for more disk storage by using standard disk drives and provide for multiple drives. In 1973, the IBM Los Gatos Scientific Center developed

301-550: A portable computer prototype called SCAMP (Special Computer APL Machine Portable) based on the IBM PALM processor with a Philips compact cassette drive, small CRT and full function keyboard. SCAMP emulated an IBM 1130 minicomputer in order to run APL\1130. In 1973, APL was generally available only on mainframe computers, and most desktop sized microcomputers such as the Wang 2200 or HP 9800 offered only BASIC . Because SCAMP

344-440: A prototype and did not enter production. Successful demonstrations of the 1973 SCAMP prototype led to the first commercial IBM 5100 portable microcomputer launched in 1975. The product incorporated an IBM PALM processor , 5-inch (130 mm) CRT, full function keyboard and the ability to be programmed in both APL and BASIC for engineers, analysts, statisticians and other business problem-solvers. (IBM provided different models of

387-457: A second (Model 5106) could be added in an attached box. The data format included several types and were written in 512 byte records. The introduction of a floppy option was not until the IBM 5110 . At the same time IBM announced the IBM 5100, it also announced the IBM 5100 Communications Adapter, which allowed the 5100 to transmit data to and receive data from a remote system. It made the 5100 appear

430-573: A slightly modified version of APLSV, IBM's APL interpreter for its System/370 mainframes, and the BASIC interpreter used on IBM's System/3 minicomputer. Consequently, the 5100's microcode was written to emulate most of the functionality of both a System/370 and a System/3. IBM later used the same approach for its 1983 introduction of the XT/370 model of the IBM PC , which was a standard IBM PC XT with

473-581: A team at the IBM Los Gatos Scientific Center. SCAMP has been dubbed in PC Magazine as "the world's first personal computer". The IBM Los Gatos engineering prototype and a design model by IBM Industrial designer Tom Hardy, were utilized internally by Lowe in his early efforts to demonstrate the viability of creating a single-user computer. SCAMP emulated an IBM 1130 minicomputer in order to run APL\1130. In 1973, APL

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516-429: A truck-based IBM 1401 was configured in 1960 for military use and referred to as a mobile computer. The IBM 5100 was withdrawn in March 1982, by which time IBM had announced its larger cousins, the IBM 5110 (January 1978) and the IBM 5120 (February 1980). In 1973, Bill Lowe was instrumental in fostering an engineering prototype called SCAMP (Special Computer APL Machine Portable) created by Dr. Paul Friedl and

559-469: A versatile data acquisition and control interface for experiments in which data rates do not exceed 9600 baud . Two experiments exemplify the use of the system. The Research Device Coupler described in this paper is a prototype of the IBM 7406 Device Coupler." The 5100 was available with APL , BASIC , or both programming languages. At the time of introduction, APL was generally available only on mainframe computers, and most desktop sized computers such as

602-478: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Portable computer The first commercially sold portable computer might be the 20-pound (9.1 kg) MCM/70 , released 1974. The next major portables were the 50-pound (23 kg) IBM 5100 (1975), Osborne 's 24-pound (11 kg) CP/M -based Osborne 1 (1981) and Compaq 's 28-pound (13 kg), advertised as 100% IBM PC compatible Compaq Portable (1983). These luggable computers still required

645-499: Is about the size and weight of a sewing machine, and was advertised as the only computer that would fit underneath an airline seat . Another early portable computer released in 1982 was named the Kaypro II , although it was the company's first commercially available product. Some of the press mocked its design—one magazine described Kaypro Corporation as "producing computers packaged in tin cans". Others raved about its value, as

688-592: Is an optional Serial I/O Adapter. In order to access the port extensions, they needed to be loaded from tape for the APL and BASIC programming languages. Unlike the Communications Adapter which could only be used to connect devices that supported the IBM 2741, this feature allowed users to connect and code for any device that used a standard serial I/O port, including devices not made by IBM. One periodical described "an interesting standard feature"; that

731-696: Is unknown but ADD instructions are documented as taking 16μs, i.e. ~62k ADD/s. IBM 5100 The IBM 5100 Portable Computer is one of the first portable computers , introduced in September 1975, six years before the IBM Personal Computer , and eight before the first successful IBM compatible portable computer, the Compaq Portable . It was the evolution of a prototype called the SCAMP (Special Computer APL Machine Portable) that

774-541: The HP 9830 , did not include a CRT nor nearly as much memory. The 5100 has an internal CRT (five-inch diagonal) and displays 16 lines of 64 characters. IBM provided an option switch to allow the user to display all 64 characters of each line, or only the left or right 32 characters (interspersed with spaces). Also there was a switch to display the first 512 bytes of main memory in hexadecimal for diagnostic purposes. Two solutions existed for obtaining hardcopy output: printers such as

817-402: The IBM 5103 , and attaching a typewriter via an interface. The TYCOM 5100 (from a company named Tycom Systems Corporation ) enabled controlling an IBM Selectric typewriter, printing at 15.5 CPS. Mass storage was provided by removable quarter-inch cartridge (QIC) magnetic tape drives that use standard DC300 cartridges to store 204 KB . One drive was installed in the machine and

860-513: The Wang 2200 or HP 9830 offered only BASIC. As a desktop computer offering APL, the 5100 competed with, and indeed may have been inspired by, the earlier MCM/70 . Machines that supported both languages provided a toggle switch on the front panel to select the language. On the 5100's front panel, it was the third toggle from the left: up for APL, down for BASIC. When the engineers at IBM asked one beta tester, Donald Polonis, for his analysis, he commented that if folks had to learn APL to use it,

903-699: The "portable" Hyperion Computer System. Both Eagle Computer and Columbia were sued by IBM for copyright infringement of its BIOS. They settled and were forced to halt production. Neither the Columbia nor the Eagle were nearly as IBM PC DOS compatible as Compaq's offerings. The first full-color portable computer was the Commodore SX-64 in January 1984.. Originally announced in 1987, the Atari STacy

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946-464: The 5100 supporting only BASIC, only APL, or both selectable by a physical switch on the front panel.) IBM referred to its PALM processor as a microprocessor , though they used that term to mean a processor that executes microcode to implement a higher-level instruction set , rather than its conventional definition of a complete processor on a single silicon integrated circuit ; the PALM processor

989-488: The IBM 5100 would not make it as a personal computer. He tried to impress the fact that a personal computer had to be easy to use to be accepted. Presumably, the special APL character set and APL keyboard were the primary obstacles to newcomers learning APL easily. APL had powerful features for manipulating data as vectors and matrices , while the competing HP 9830 had to offer language extensions on an add-on ROM for matrix operations. Although not meant for regular users,

1032-645: The MIT Digital Systems Laboratory as a thesis project, it never entered production. It is currently in the collection of Dr. Hoo-Min D. Toong. An early portable computer was manufactured in 1979 by GM Research, a small company in Santa Monica, California. The machine which was designed and patented by James Murez. It was called the Micro Star and later the name was changed to The Small One. Although Xerox claims to have designed

1075-721: The PALM module as the controller . The PALM could directly address 64  KB of memory. Some configurations of the IBM 5100 had Executable ROS ( ROM ) and RAM memory totalling more than 64 KB , so a simple bank switching scheme was used. The actual APL and BASIC interpreters were stored in a separate Language ROS address space which the PALM treats as a peripheral device. There were twelve models available: with BASIC, APL, or both. Memory could be 16  KB , 32 KB , 48 KB or 64 KB of main storage. The 5100 sold for between $ 8,975 and $ 19,975 (between $ 51,000 and $ 113,000 in today's dollars). Often described as being "approximately fifty pounds", its weight

1118-547: The company advertised the Kaypro II as "the $ 1,595 computer that sells for $ 1,595 ", some noting that the included software bundle had a retail value over $ 1,000 by itself, and by mid-1983 the company was selling more than 10,000 units a month, briefly making it the fifth-largest computer maker in the world. It managed to correct most of the Osborne 1 's deficiencies: the screen was larger and showed more characters at once,

1161-464: The first such system, the machine by Murez predated anything on the market or that had been documented in any publication at the time – hence the patent was issued. As early as 1979, the U.S. Government was contracting to purchase these machines. Other major customers included Sandia Labs, General Dynamics, BBN (featured on the cover of their annual report in 1980 as the C.A.T. system) and several dozen private individuals and companies around

1204-480: The floppy drives stored over twice as much data, the case was more attractive-looking, and it was also much better-built and more reliable. The Grid Compass ran its own operating system, GRiD-OS. Its specialized software and high price (US$ 8,000–10,000) meant that it was limited to specialized applications. The main buyer was the U.S. government. NASA used it on the Space Shuttle during the early 1980s, as it

1247-492: The maintenance manual described a keyboard sequence to switch the 5100 into a maintenance mode. In this mode it was possible to read and write directly in RAM memory, video memory, CPU registers, interrupt vectors, clock counter, etc., using hexadecimal codes equivalent to assembly language. This allowed writing sophisticated programs directly into RAM. As this mode was a single-user system effectively running without an operating system,

1290-463: The same as an IBM 2741 Communications Terminal and was designed to be able to communicate with IBM 2741 compatible machines in start-stop mode using the EBCD ( E xtended B inary C oded D ecimal) notation, referred to as PTTC/EBCD in IBM 2741 documentation. EBCD was similar to the more common IBM EBCDIC code, but not identical. A feature that does not appear in any advertisement for this computer

1333-688: The world. In 1979, Adam Osborne viewed the machine along with several hundred other visitors at the first computer show that was sponsored by the IEEE Westec in Los Angeles. Later that year the machine was also shown at the first COMDEX show. The portable micro computer; the " Portal " of the French company R2E Micral CCMC officially appeared in September 1980 at the Sicob show in Paris. The Portal

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1376-522: Was Prolog . A few hundred were sold between 1980 and 1983. The first mass-produced microprocessor-based portable computer released in 1981 was the Osborne 1 , developed by Osborne, which owed much to the NoteTaker's design. The company had early success with the design and went public but later due to small screen sizes and other devices being released found trouble selling the Osborne. The Osborne 1

1419-407: Was a large circuit board populated with over a dozen chips. In the late 1960s, such a machine would have been nearly as large as two desks and would have weighed about half a ton (0.45 t). In comparison, the IBM 5100 weighed about 53 pounds (24 kg and very portable for that time). The MIT Suitcase Computer, constructed in 1975, was the first known microprocessor-based portable computer. It

1462-409: Was a portable microcomputer designed and marketed by the studies and developments department of the French firm R2E Micral in 1980 at the request of the company CCMC specializing in payroll and accounting. The Portal was based on an intel 8085 processor, 8-bit, clocked at 2 MHz. It was equipped with a central 64 KB RAM, a keyboard with 58 alpha numeric keys and 11 numeric keys (separate blocks),

1505-459: Was based on the Motorola 6800 . Constructed in a Samsonite suitcase approximately 20 by 30 by 8 inches (510 mm × 760 mm × 200 mm) and weighing approximately 20 lb (9.1 kg), it had 4K of SRAM, a serial port to accept downloaded software and connect to a modem, a keyboard and a 40-column thermal printer taken from a cash register. Built by student David Emberson in

1548-566: Was closer to 55 pounds (25 kg). In December 1975 BYTE stated "Welcome, IBM, to personal computing". Describing the 5100 as "a 50-lb package of interactive personal computing," the magazine said that with the company's announcement "personal computing gains an entry from the industry's production and service giant," albeit "at a premium price". A single integrated unit provided the keyboard, five-inch CRT display , tape drive , processor , several hundred KB of read-only memory containing system software , and up to 64  KB of RAM. It

1591-560: Was developed at the IBM Palo Alto Scientific Center in 1973. Whether considered evolutionary from SCAMP or revolutionary, it still needed to be plugged into an electric socket. When the IBM PC was introduced in 1981, it was originally designated as the IBM 5150, putting it in the "5100" series, though its architecture was unrelated to the IBM 5100's. The 5100 was IBM's second transportable computer. Previously,

1634-571: Was fixed at 60  Hz . In Volume 16, Number 1, Page 41 (1977) of the IBM Systems Journal the article "The IBM 5100 and the Research Device Coupler — A personal laboratory automation system" read: "A small laboratory automation system has been developed by using the IBM 5100 Portable Computer in conjunction with the Research Device Coupler. This compact system provides a dedicated, high-level-language computer and

1677-535: Was generally available only on mainframe computers, and most desktop sized microcomputers such as the Wang 2200 or HP 9800 offered only BASIC . Because SCAMP was the first to emulate APL\1130 performance on a portable, single user computer, PC Magazine in 1983 designated SCAMP a "revolutionary concept" and "the world's first personal computer". The IBM 5100 is based on a 16- bit processor module called PALM ( P rogram A ll L ogic in M icrocode). The IBM 5100 Maintenance Information Manual also referred to

1720-469: Was powerful, lightweight, and compact. The military Special Forces also purchased the machine, as it could be used by paratroopers in combat. Although Columbia Data Product 's MPC 1600, "Multi Personal Computer" came out in June 1983, one of the first extensively IBM PC compatible computers was the Compaq Portable . Eagle Computer then came out with their offering. and Corona Data Systems 's PPC-400.,

1763-916: Was released to the public in December 1989 and was one of the first laptop-like portables. Apple Inc. introduced and released the Macintosh Portable in 1989, though this device came with a battery, which added to its substantial weight. The Portable has features similar to the Atari STacy , include integrated trackball and clamshell case. After release of IBM PC Convertible in 1986, IBM still produced classic portable computers, include released in 1989 PS/2 P70 (with upgrade in 1990 to P75 ), and IBM produce portables for up to release of PS/2 Note and PS/55note notebook lines. In today's world of laptops, smart phones, and tablets, portable computers have evolved and are now mostly used for industrial, commercial or military applications. Clock speed

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1806-500: Was the first to emulate APL\1130 performance on a portable, single user computer, PC Magazine in 1983 designated SCAMP a "revolutionary concept" and "the world's first personal computer". The engineering prototype is in the Smithsonian Institution . Xerox NoteTaker , developed in 1976 at Xerox PARC , was a precursor to later portable computers from Osborne Computer Corporation and Compaq , though it remained

1849-414: Was the size of a small suitcase, weighed about 55  lb ( 25  kg ), and could be transported in an optional carrying case, hence the "portable" designation. In 1975, it was an amazing technical accomplishment to package a complete computer with a large amount of ROM and RAM, CRT display, and a tape drive into a machine that small. Earlier desktop computers of approximately the same size, such as

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