Zenith Data Systems
44-412: The Packard Bell Statesman was an economy line of notebook-sized laptops introduced in 1993 by Packard Bell . They were slower in performance and lacked features compared to most competitor products, but they were lower in price. It was created in a collaboration between Packard Bell and Zenith Data Systems . The Statesman series was essentially a rebrand of Zenith Data Systems Z-Star 433 series, with
88-433: A computer keyboard . Like other pointing devices such as mice , touchpads or trackballs , operating system software translates manipulation of the device into movements of the pointer on the computer screen. Unlike other pointing devices, it reacts to sustained force or strain rather than to gross movement, so it is called an "isometric" pointing device. IBM introduced it commercially in 1992 on its laptops under
132-720: A letter -sized pad of paper . In the mid-1980s, notebooks and laptops came to represent differing form factors of portable computer in the technology press, with notebooks possessing simplified hardware and a slab-like appearance with exposed keyboard (typified by the HX-20 and the TRS-80 Model 100 ); and laptops possessing more advanced hardware and a clamshell case to protect the keyboard. These early notebooks were all but discontinued by 1987, with laptops gaining favor due to their increased versatility. By this point, however, laptops were gaining hardware features faster than
176-539: A pointing stick. In addition to appearing between the G, H and B keys on a QWERTY keyboard, these devices or similar can also appear on gaming devices as an alternative to a D-pad or analog stick . On certain Toshiba Libretto mini laptops, the pointing stick was located next to the display. IBM sold a mouse with a pointing stick in the location where a scroll wheel is common now. Optical pointing sticks are also used on some Ultrabook tablet hybrids, such as
220-489: A size class in between notebooks and palmtop PCs . By late 1992, the higher-end notebooks had run into the same miniaturization issues that laptops had encountered in the 1980s, with some notebooks weighing as much as 14 pounds (6.4 kg). Starting in 1997, screen sizes in notebook computers began increasing rapidly, fueled by consumer preference toward larger displays over compactness. The emergence of LCD panels larger than 12.1 inches diagonally in early 1997 led to
264-588: A size class smaller than the contemporary mainstream units (so-called "luggables" ) but larger than pocket computers . The etymologist William Safire traced the origin of laptop to some time before 1984; the earliest attestation of laptop found by the Oxford English Dictionary dates to 1983. The word is modeled after the term desktop , as in desktop computer . Notebook , meanwhile, emerged earlier in 1982 to describe Epson 's HX-20 portable, whose dimensions roughly correspond to
308-464: A typist 0.75 seconds to shift from the keyboard to the mouse, and comparable time to shift back. Selker built a model of a device that would minimize this time. It was only three years later, working at IBM, that Selker refined his design, resulting in the TrackPoint product for which IBM received US patents in 1996 and 2000. Pointing sticks were the dominant pointing device for laptops before
352-591: A user does not need to avoid resting wrists on a touchpad, which are usually located just below the keyboard. One criticism is that because the pointing stick depends on the user's applying pressure, it can cause hand cramps (although this can be partly solved by setting the sensitivity higher and lifting the finger when the pointer is not being moved). Another criticism is that it stresses the index finger and may lead to repetitive strain injury . A number of ergonomic studies to compare trackpoint and touchpad performance have been performed. Most studies find that touchpad
396-402: Is accelerated or decelerated. Negative Inertia is intended to avoid the feeling of inertia or sluggishness when starting or stopping movement. Usability tests at IBM have shown that it is easier for users to position the pointer with Negative Inertia, and performance is 7.8% better. Another challenge with pointing stick design is identification of the zero position (the position where no motion
440-450: Is desired). Because the amount of motion is small, the sensitivity of the sensors must be high, and they are subject to noise interference. A typical solution, which assumes that pointing sticks frequently go out of calibration, is to interpret a variation below a certain threshold (over a given interval, perhaps one or several seconds) as being a neutral stick. However, the recalibration can also allow brief periods of 'drifting' (movement of
484-430: Is slightly faster; one study found that "the touchpad was operated 15% faster than the trackpoint". Another study found that average object selection time was faster with a touchpad, 1.7 seconds compared to 2.2 seconds with a trackpoint, and object manipulation took 6.2 seconds with a touchpad, on average, against 8.1 seconds with trackpoint. Various informal names have been invented, including "nub", "clit mouse", which
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#1732800983177528-428: The home row to manipulate the mouse pointer. Some people find them more appealing for mobile gaming than a touchpad, because the trackpoint allows infinite movement without repositioning. This is because a user's finger may run off the edge of a touchpad while positioning the pointer, requiring them to reposition their finger in order to continue. Some users feel that pointing sticks cause less wrist strain because
572-416: The 2000s. Button configurations vary depending on vendor and laptop model. ThinkPads have a prominent middle mouse button, but some models have no physical buttons. Toshiba employs concentric arcs. In the early 1990s, Zenith Data Systems shipped a number of laptop computers equipped with a device called J-Mouse, which essentially used a special keyswitch under the J key to allow the J keycap to be used as
616-439: The 200M at $ 2200. Statesman 200M/200C Plus — The 200M/200C Plus were both identical to their previous base models, with the only difference of them having a Cx486SLC2 running at 50 MHz. In 1994 it cost around $ 2,295 for the 200C plus with 4 MB of ram, with 8 MB costing an extra $ 400. The Statesman received fair reception, with most reviewers giving positivity for the low price and high battery life, but mainly criticizing
660-709: The Sony Duo 11, ThinkPad Tablet and Samsung Ativ Q. On the Gateway 2000 Liberty laptop the pointing stick is above the enter key on the right side of the keyboard. A pointing stick was featured in the New Nintendo 3DS as a secondary analog stick, known as the C-Stick . The IBM TrackPoint III and the TrackPoint IV have a feature called Negative Inertia that causes the pointer's velocity to "overreact" when it
704-668: The UltraLite made concessions in terms of data storage compatibility, Compaq 's LTE line of notebooks in 1989 was the first to have full feature parity with the heaviest laptops of the time and jumpstarted the industry for these new notebooks, with scores of other manufacturers announcing their own notebooks. Toshiba in 1989 released the DynaBook in Japan, the "world's first A4 binder size" notebook computer. In direct response to Compaq, both Apple and IBM , top players in
748-470: The West, bringing the cost of notebooks down on the low end of the market. Laptops and notebooks continued to occupy discrete market segments into the mid-1990s, with unit sales tracked separately by research firms such as Dataquest . Notebooks were seen as having a footprint exactly that of or smaller than letter paper (8.5 by 11 inches or 22 by 28 centimetres), while laptops were larger. This distinction
792-608: The Zenith Z-Star notebook computer series. While the Statesman was being advertised by Packard Bell, the Z-Star series was also still being sold by Zenith. The Statesman was first introduced on October 4, 1993. Prices started at $ 1,500 for a monochrome or color DSTN model with a 33 MHz Cyrix Cx486SLC , 4 MB of RAM , 200 MB hard disk drive , internal 1.44 MB floppy disk drive , and MS-DOS 6.0 with Windows 3.1 for
836-430: The advent of the touchpad . During later years, they faced a decline in popularity as most laptop-producing brands switched to touchpads, although as of 2021, some manufacturers like Lenovo still produce laptops with pointing sticks. The pointing stick can be used in ultra-compact netbooks where there would be no place for a touchpad. The pointing stick is positioned such that the hands do not need to be removed from
880-449: The breaking of the 8.5-by-11-inch size barrier. By 1999, portable manufacturers had started integrating 13-, 14-, and even 15-inch LCD panels on their notebooks. Ergonomic considerations, as well the integration of pointing devices such as touchpads , also necessitated increasing the size of laptops to accommodate a larger palm rest area. These developments led to the distinction between and laptops and notebooks becoming blurred by
924-402: The change will be interpreted as an instruction to move the opposite direction. In time, the software will re-calibrate and stop the motion. Additionally, if "press-to-select" is enabled, the software may generate unexpected click events by touching the pointing stick during typing. In 1984, Ted Selker , a researcher at PARC , worked on a pointing stick based on a study showing that it takes
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#1732800983177968-683: The computer industry, made their hotly anticipated entries in the notebook market in 1991, respectively, with the PowerBook and the PS/2 Note (a predecessor to the ThinkPad ). Under the aegis of the Industrial Technology Research Institute , dozens of Taiwanese computer manufacturers formed a consortium to mass manufacture notebook computers starting in 1991. These Taiwanese notebook computers soon flooded
1012-433: The earliest notebooks had monochrome-only LCDs , whereas laptops had color LCDs since 1989 (with NEC's ProSpeed CSX ). Others still preferred laptops for their keyboards, which featured fuller-sized layouts and often superior build quality; journalists evaluated the keyboard poorly in most early notebooks. The year 1991 saw the first notebooks with color displays, as well as the emergence of subnotebooks , which occupy
1056-439: The early 2000s. In English-speaking territories, laptop is now the more common term to describe any clamshell portable computer—notebook-sized or otherwise—likely because of the lack of ambiguity with actual paper notebooks . Pointing stick A pointing stick (or trackpoint , also referred to generically as a nub , nipple or clit ) is a small analog stick used as a pointing device typically mounted centrally in
1100-460: The included operating system. Statesman 200M — The first Statesman model, it came with a DSTN monochrome screen, and a Nickel-cadmium battery pack which could last up to 4 hours. It weighed 7.4 lb and was $ 1500. Statesman 200C — The second Statesman model, it was the same as the 200M with the only notable differences of a DSTN color display rather than monochrome and a slightly decreased battery life of about 3 hours. It cost $ 700 more than
1144-537: The included software. A "J mouse" pointing device was included, similar to the TrackPoint . The Statesman was expected to begin shipping within the next few weeks. CPU The first two models, the 200M and 200C, used the Cyrix Cx486SLC . This was Cyrix's first processor, which was a 386SX pin-compatible chip with on-board L1 cache and 486 instructions , being known as a "hybrid chip". The processor
1188-557: The industry could miniaturize their parts, leading to very heavy laptops—some upwards of 20 pounds (9.1 kg). In October 1988, NEC released the UltraLite , the first notebook-sized clamshell laptop compatible with the IBM PC . The term notebook was promptly revived by journalists to describe the new class of laptop that the UltraLite had invented. Competitors soon came out with competing models, and while initial entries like
1232-607: The keyboard along the centerline. This pointing device has also appeared next to screens on compact-sized laptops such as the Toshiba Libretto and Sony VAIO UX . Pointing sticks typically have a replaceable rubber cap, called a nub, which can be a slightly rough "eraser head" material or another shape. The cap is red on ThinkPads, but is also found in other colors on other machines. It may be gray, pink, black or blue on some Dell models, blue on some HP/Compaq laptops, and green or gray on most Toshiba laptops produced before
1276-412: The largest laptops, while occupying a letter-paper footprint in a clamshell case. A handful of computer manufacturers followed suit with their own notebooks, including Compaq , whose successful LTE achieved full feature parity with laptops and spurred many others to produce their own notebooks. By 1991, the notebook industry was in full swing. Notebooks and laptops occupied distinct market segments into
1320-504: The mid-1990s, but customer preference for larger screens led to notebooks converging with laptops in the late 1990s. Since the early 2000s, the terms laptop and notebook are used interchangeably, irrespective of physical dimensions, with laptop being the more common term in English-speaking territories. The terms laptop and notebook both trace their origins to the early 1980s, coined to describe portable computers in
1364-447: The motherboard and no sound controller. Memory Standard RAM included was 4-8 MB of EDO RAM . The RAM was on a proprietary SIPP package that could only be upgraded to 12 MB maximum if the user had compatible modules. Storage For storage all models used a hard drive with a size of 100 or 200 MB, and all models had an internal 1.44 MB floppy disk drive located on the side of the unit. The maximum capacity hard drive compatible if
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1408-416: The name "TrackPoint", and patented an improved version of it in 1997 (but the patent expired in 2017). It has been used for business laptops, such as Acer 's TravelMate , Dell 's Latitude , HP 's EliteBook and Lenovo 's ThinkPad . The pointing stick senses applied force by using two pairs of resistive strain gauges . A pointing stick can be used by pushing with the fingers in the general direction
1452-399: The only notable difference of the logo in the middle and text on the front bezel. In June 1993 Zenith Data Systems announced an alliance with Packard Bell. Zenith acquired about 20% of Packard Bell and they would both now work together to design and build PC's. Zenith would also provide Packard Bell with private-label versions of their portable PC's. The Packard Bell Statesman was a rebrand of
1496-483: The others, especially the DXs, but then speed isn't everything". It was given pros for low cost and good display, but criticized for its low performance, not having a trackball, and poor external monitor support. Notebook (laptop) A notebook computer or notebook is, historically, a laptop whose length and width approximate that of letter paper (8.5 by 11 inches or 220 by 280 millimetres). The term notebook
1540-426: The performance and screen quality of the model line. A review by PC World writer Rex Farrance and Owen Linderholm said the 200M had a good price, being only $ 1500, and a good battery life which lasted about 4 hours. In benchmarks however, the 200M performed "noticeably below the average". It was noted that the 200M's worst feature was its monochrome display, being "cloudy and a bit dim for our tastes". The J mouse
1584-417: The pointer while the user is not moving the pointing stick). In practice, if the re-calibration interval is set too short and if the user applies moderately consistent pressure to the stick for such an interval, this method results in an incorrect zero point. Additional pressure again moves the pointer, but the calibration may occur again, requiring even more force. If the user releases pressure at this point,
1628-460: The same, with the CT65525 identifying as a CT65530. The CT65530 had an ability of 5V and 3.3V mixed operation and linear video memory addressing. All models used a 9.5in 800x600 resolution DSTN LCD display. The 200M and 200M Plus had a monochrome display, while the 200C and 200C Plus had a color display. Audio All models had only basic audio available, with just a piezo speaker soldered onto
1672-662: The user wanted to upgrade was 500 MB. Ports & Expansion For ports all models had 1x serial , 1x parallel , 1x VGA output , and 1x PS/2 keyboard/mouse input. For expansion all models only had one PCMCIA type II slot. Keyboard & Mouse All models used a small-scale keyboard with control keys. One interesting feature of the keyboard is that the J key also acted as a mouse, working similar to IBM's ThinkPad TrackPoint . On some models additional keys such as S, D, F, G and space let you do other mouse actions such as right click, left click, double click, and middle mouse click. The series shipped with MS-DOS and Windows 3.1 as
1716-476: The user wants the pointer to move. The velocity of the pointer depends on the applied force so increasing pressure causes faster movement. The relation between pressure and pointer speed can be adjusted, just as mouse speed is adjusted. On a QWERTY keyboard, the stick is typically embedded between the G, H and B keys, and the mouse buttons are placed just below the space bar . The mouse buttons can be operated right-handed or left-handed due to their placement below
1760-515: Was clocked at 33 MHz and had 1 KB of L1 cache. It was a 16-bit processor and was pin compatible with the Intel 80386SX . On the bottom of the unit, the motherboard had an empty socket for a Cyrix FasMath co-processor , which could improve floating-point math performance. The 200M and 200C plus models had a Cyrix Cx486SLC2 clocked at 50 MHz, which was 50% faster than the original 486SLC. The SLC2 similarly had 1 KB of on-board cache and
1804-444: Was coined to describe slab-like portable computers that had a letter-paper footprint, such as Epson 's HX-20 and Tandy 's TRS-80 Model 100 of the early 1980s. The popularity of this form factor waned in the middle of the decade, as larger, clamshell -style laptops offered far more capability. In 1988, NEC 's UltraLite defined a new category of notebook: it achieved IBM PC compatibility , making it technically as versatile as
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1848-552: Was considered a decent choice, and was said to be "highly usable" after some practice. The 200M was listed as number 3 on PC World's top 20 budget PC list. PC World also reviewed the 200C, saying the color display is only a "marginal, although an improvement on the monochrome version". The 200C placed 9 on the PC World top 20 budget PC list. Compute! Magazine reviewed the 200C Plus in September 1994 stating it "lagged far behind
1892-555: Was considered important to business buyers, whose attaché cases often had a compartment exactly that size. An additional distinction was weight, with 8 pounds (3.6 kg) a loose upper limit for what journalists would accept as a "notebook" in the press. Aside from size and weight considerations, notebooks were also seen as more sleek and stylish than the bulkier laptops. Compared to notebooks, however, laptops saw quicker improvements in processing speed and memory; featured better upgradability; and were less easy to steal . In addition,
1936-547: Was pin compatible with the previous model. Graphics & Display For video all models used three versions of the Chips & Technologies 655xx, the CT65520, 65525, and 65530. The 65520 was first introduced in early 1992 as the first controller with Super VGA resolution. It supported resolutions up to 1024x768 in 16 colors or shades of gray. If in 800x600 resolution, it can display up to 256 colors. All 3 chips were basically
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