The Toshiba T1000 was a laptop computer manufactured by the
Toshiba Corporation
, commonly known as Toshiba and stylized as TOSHIBA, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure system ...
in 1987. It had a similar specification to the
IBM PC Convertible
The IBM PC Convertible (model 5140) is a laptop computer made by IBM, first sold in April 1986. The Convertible was IBM's first laptop-style computer, following the luggable IBM Portable, and introduced the 3½-inch floppy disk format to the IB ...
, with a 4.77 MHz 80C88 processor, 512 KB of RAM, and a monochrome
CGA-compatible
LCD
A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat-panel display or other electronically modulated optical device that uses the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals combined with polarizers. Liquid crystals do not emit light directly but in ...
. Unlike the Convertible, it includes a standard
serial port
In computing, a serial port is a serial communication interface through which information transfers in or out sequentially one bit at a time. This is in contrast to a parallel port, which communicates multiple bits simultaneously in parallel. ...
and
parallel port
In computing, a parallel port is a type of interface found on early computers (personal and otherwise) for connecting peripherals. The name refers to the way the data is sent; parallel ports send multiple bits of data at once ( parallel ...
, connectors for an external monitor, and a
real-time clock
A real-time clock (RTC) is an electronic device (most often in the form of an integrated circuit) that measures the passage of time.
Although the term often refers to the devices in personal computers, servers and embedded systems, RTCs are pr ...
.
Unusually for an IBM compatible PC, the T1000 contained a 256 KB ROM with a copy of
MS-DOS
MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few ope ...
2.11. This acted as a small, read-only
hard drive
A hard disk drive (HDD), hard disk, hard drive, or fixed disk is an electro-mechanical data storage device that stores and retrieves digital data using magnetic storage with one or more rigid rapidly rotating platters coated with magnet ...
. Alternative operating systems could still be loaded from the floppy drive, or (if present) the RAM disk.
Along with the
T1200 and earlier
T1100, the Toshiba T1000 was one of the early computers to feature a "laptop" form factor and battery-powered operation.
Reception
''
PC Magazine
''PC Magazine'' (shortened as ''PCMag'') is an American computer magazine published by Ziff Davis. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009. Publication of online editions started in late 1994 and have continued to the present d ...
'' in 1988 named the Toshiba T1000 an "Editor's Choice" among 12 tested portable computers. One reviewer called it "the first real DOS laptop" and a plausible replacement for his
Tandy 200
The TRS-80 Model 100 is a portable computer introduced in April 26th, 1983. It is one of the first notebook-style computers, featuring a keyboard and liquid crystal display, in a battery-powered package roughly the size and shape of a notepad o ...
, while another praised its durability after 60,000 miles of traveling and "incredible bargain" $800 street price.
''
BYTE
The byte is a unit of digital information that most commonly consists of eight bits. Historically, the byte was the number of bits used to encode a single character of text in a computer and for this reason it is the smallest addressable unit ...
'' in 1989 listed the T1000 as among the "Excellence" winners of the BYTE Awards, stating that it "takes portability to the limit ... as self-contained as you can get and still have a real computer that can handle real-world workloads." Noting that it was available for as little as $850, the magazine reported that "Many of us are in love with this one."
In the same issue,
Jerry Pournelle
Jerry Eugene Pournelle (; August 7, 1933 – September 8, 2017) was an American scientist in the area of operations research and human factors research, a science fiction writer, essayist, journalist, and one of the first bloggers. In the 1960s ...
praised it as a "little gem". While acknowledging that it cost more than the
TRS-80 Model 100
The TRS-80 Model 100 is a portable computer introduced in April 26th, 1983. It is one of the first notebook-style computers, featuring a keyboard and liquid crystal display, in a battery-powered package roughly the size and shape of a notepad or ...
and
NEC PC-8201
The TRS-80 Model 100 is a portable computer introduced in April 26th, 1983. It is one of the first notebook-style computers, featuring a keyboard and liquid crystal display, in a battery-powered package roughly the size and shape of a notepad o ...
, he believed that "you get quite a lot for the added weight and price", and reported that "Many writers swear by the T1000.
David Drake
David A. Drake (born September 24, 1945) is an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now a writer in the military science fiction genre.
Biography
Drake graduated Phi ...
loves his."
Specification
Software Compatibility
Compatible with software written for the
IBM PC/XT
The IBM Personal Computer XT (model 5160, often shortened to PC/XT) is the second computer in the IBM Personal Computer line, released on March 8, 1983. Except for the addition of a built-in hard drive and extra expansion slots, it is very simila ...
using a color graphics adapter (CGA) display
Interfaces
* RGB (CGA) color video port
* Composite B&W monochrome video port
* RS-232-C serial port
* Parallel printer port
* Numeric keypad port
* External diskette drive port
* Toshiba proprietary memory slot
* Toshiba proprietary modem slot - "B" form factor
See also
*
Toshiba T1000LE
The Toshiba T1000LE was a Toshiba laptop made in 1990 as a member of their LE/SE/XE family. It used a 9.54/4.77 MHz Intel 80C86, with the clock speed being switchable by using function keys on the keyboard. The laptop came with a 20 MB hard driv ...
*
Toshiba T1100
The Toshiba T1100 is a laptop manufactured by Toshiba in 1985, and has subsequently been described by Toshiba as "''the world's first mass-market laptop computer''". Its technical specifications were comparable to the original IBM PC desktop, using ...
*
Toshiba T1200
The Toshiba T1200 is a discontinued laptop that was manufactured by the Toshiba Corporation, first made in 1987. It is an upgraded version of the Toshiba T1100 Plus.
It is equipped with an Intel 80C86 processor at of which 384 KB can be used f ...
*
Toshiba T3100
The Toshiba T3100 was a portable PC manufactured by Toshiba released in 1986. It featured a hard drive, 8 MHz Intel 80286 CPU and a black & orange 9.6" gas-plasma display with a resolution of 640x400 pixels.
The portable had for the time a ...
Notes
The laptop's battery pack must be charged and working for the laptop to power on.
References
*
*
* Toshiba Corporation, ''T1000 Portable Personal Computer User's Manual'', 1987
*
{{Toshiba
IBM PC compatibles
T1000