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The HP 300LX was one of the first
handheld PC
A handheld personal computer (PC) is a miniature computer typically built around a clamshell form factor and is significantly smaller than any standard laptop computer, but based on the same principles. It is sometimes referred to as a ''palmt ...
s designed to run the
Windows CE 1.0 operating system from Microsoft. Unlike other HPCs of the time, the resistive touch screen had an enhanced screen resolution of 640x240 with 4 shades of grey, rather than the standard 480x240 resolution of other devices, such as the
Casio Cassiopeia A-10. The device also sported a full
PC card
In computing, PC Card is a configuration for computer parallel communication peripheral interface, designed for laptop computers. Originally introduced as PCMCIA, the PC Card standard as well as its successors like CardBus were defined and devel ...
slot, a
serial link
In telecommunication and data transmission, serial communication is the process of sending data one bit at a time, sequentially, over a communication channel or computer bus. This is in contrast to parallel communication, where several bits are ...
cable plug, and an
infrared
Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...
port.
It was released with 'Pocket' versions of Microsoft applications, such as Word and Excel, and PIM applications such as Tasks, Calendar and Contacts. A very basic version of Internet Explorer was included with Windows CE. Version 1.0 (with an update to 1.1 released shortly after), Inbox was also included for email capability. Access to the internet required use of 3rd party
PCMCIA
The Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) was a group of computer hardware manufacturers, operating under that name from 1989 to 2009. Starting with the PCMCIA card in 1990 (the name later simplified to ''PC Card''), i ...
card modem or network card.
The device was made of moulded grey plastic with a lighter grey plastic stylus which is stored on the right hand side of the device under the keyboard. The left hand side of the device is taken up by the
PCMCIA
The Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) was a group of computer hardware manufacturers, operating under that name from 1989 to 2009. Starting with the PCMCIA card in 1990 (the name later simplified to ''PC Card''), i ...
card slot and eject button. On the right hand side towards the back is the
infrared
Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...
port. On the back of the device is the proprietary serial connection which has a maximum baud rate of 115,200bit/s and the power adapter port. Power for the device was provided by 2 AA batteries with a CR2032 backup battery to save user data when the 2 AA batteries ran out. A single mono speaker,
ROM
Rom, or ROM may refer to:
Biomechanics and medicine
* Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient
* Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac
* ...
door and battery compartment are located on the underside of the device.
In the box
* HP 300LX
* User manual
* Serial cable
* 3rd party software CD
* Handheld PC Explorer software CD
HP 320LX and 360LX
The HP 320LX, released in 1997, was an improved version of the 300LX. It was largely identical to its sister unit, but included a backlit screen, an increase in RAM from 2MB to 4MB, and a dedicated compact flash slot. It was also upgradable to Windows CE 2.0 (which required a physical replacement of the
ROM
Rom, or ROM may refer to:
Biomechanics and medicine
* Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient
* Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac
* ...
card containing the OS). The 320LX came boxed with an
AC adapter
An AC adapter or AC/DC adapter is a type of external power supply, often enclosed in a case similar to an AC plug. Other common names include wall wart, power brick, wall charger, and power adapter. Adapters for battery-powered equipment may ...
and
serial cradle
Serial may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media The presentation of works in sequential segments
* Serial (literature), serialised literature in print
* Serial (publishing), periodical publications and newspapers
* Serial (radio and televisi ...
in addition to the standard equipment from 300LX.
An even later variant, HP 360LX, increased the RAM to 8 megabytes and increased the clock speed of the CPU to 60 MHz. It also shipped with Windows CE 2.0.
Ericsson MC12 and MC16
Ericsson
(lit. "Telephone Stock Company of LM Ericsson"), commonly known as Ericsson, is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm. The company sells infrastructure, software, and services in informat ...
marketed re-branded variants of the 320LX and 360LX named MC12 and MC16, respectively. They consisted of essentially the same hardware, but were shipped with a cable and software combo that allowed for using select Ericsson phones as modems.
See also
*
List of HP Pocket Computers
*
HP 620LX
The HP 620LX (F1250A, F1259A) is a palmtop computer that runs Windows CE 2.0 or 2.11. It has a CompactFlash Type I card slot, a PC card slot, a serial link cable plug, and an infrared port.
It is internet capable by attaching an add-on modem ...
*
HP 660LX
The HP 660LX (F1270A) is a handheld, palmtop organizer that runs Windows CE#Versions, Windows CE 2.0 or 2.11, with hardware very similar to the previous model, the HP 620LX. It has a CompactFlash Type I card slot, a PC card slot, a serial link ca ...
References
{{reflist
300LX