Pocket-sized palmtop handheld computing device
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Pocket-sized computer describes the post-programmable calculator / pre-smartphone pocket-sized portable-office hardware devices that included the earlier DOS-based palmtops and subsequent Windows-CE handhelds, as well as a few other terms, primarily covering the 1980s through 2007. Sometimes called Pocket-sized computing devices, they were a series of internally different devices, and included ''Handheld'' ("Pocket-sized handheld computing device"),"Mobile phone: A pocket-sized handheld computing device (e.g. iPhone, HTC Tytan, Nokia N90, PDAs)." "The invention relates, in another embodiment, to a pocket sized handheld computing device." "The rugged CETEON TXF1500 .. is .. pocket-sized Handheld Computing Device .." and the earlier-introduced ''Palmtop'' ("Pocket-sized palmtop computing device") and "pocket-sized palmtop computer." The New York Times used the term "palmtop/handheld." The media called "the first computer that fits in your palm and weighs less than a pound" and its early day competitors a palmtop. Although the word "handheld" was used before Microsoft's 1996 introduction of Windows CE, a lawsuit by Palm, Inc pushed Microsoft's use of the new term Handheld PC.


Timeline summary

* 1973 - The first portable computer, the
MCM/70 The MCM/70 was a pioneering microcomputer first built in 1973 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and released the next year. This makes it one of the first microcomputers in the world, the second to be shipped in completed form, and the first portable co ...
, was introduced. It weighed about 9 kg. * 1975 - The second portable computer, the IBM 5100, was introduced. It weighed 50 pounds (24 kg). * 1977 - The original TRS-80 was introduced. It used an 8-bit Z-80 processor. * 1980 - The term Pocket computer began in 1980 with the popular acceptance of the oddly-named TRS-80/
Tandy Pocket Computer The Tandy Pocket Computer or TRS-80 Pocket Computer is one of a line of 1980s small pocket computers—calculator-sized programmable computing devices—sold by Tandy Corporation under the "''Tandy''" or "''Radio Shack TRS-80''" brands. A ...
. It was not a TRS-80, and was the first of 8 models named PC-1 through PC-8. The TRS-80 Pocket Computer PC-1 was a rebadged Sharp PC-1211. that used two 4-bit processors. * 1981 - The first IBM Personal Computer * 1989 - The first Palmtop PC, using a 16-bit X86 processor * 1996 - The first Handheld PC Neither the Palmtop PC nor the Handheld PC were pocket computers. As late as March 1981 a "computer small enough to fit in a coat pocket" had yet to be introduced.


Market acceptance

The first hand-held device compatible with desktop IBM personal computers of the time was the
DIP Pocket PC The Atari Portfolio (Atari PC Folio) is an IBM PC-compatible palmtop PC, released by Atari Corporation in June 1989. This makes it the world's first palmtop computer.
aka Atari Portfolio in 1989. The term "Handheld PC" described the product first introduced in 1989 by Atari as "the first computer that fits in your palm and weighs less than a pound." The full version of the ad ran as eight pages and showed the device in actual size, including one page topped by a hand placing an Atari Portfolio(tm) into a suit inner lapel pocket. Other early models were the
Poqet PC The Poqet PC is a very small, portable IBM PC compatible computer, introduced in 1989 by Poqet Computer Corporation with a price of $2000. The computer was discontinued after Fujitsu Ltd. bought Poqet Computer Corp. It was the first subnotebook ...
of 1989 and the Hewlett Packard
HP 95LX The HP 95LX Palmtop PC (F1000A, F1010A), also known as ''project Jaguar'', was Hewlett Packard's first MS-DOS-based pocket computer, or personal digital assistant, introduced in April 1991 in collaboration with Lotus Development Corporation. ...
of 1991. Other DOS-compatible hand-held computers also existed. Some handheld PCs use Microsoft's Windows CE operating system, with the term also covering Windows CE devices released by the broader commercial market. Despite the arrival in the early 2010s of devices lacking keyboards, demand for used pocket computers remained strong. The PsiXpda Ultimate Pocket Computer from 2009; the GPD Win from 2016; the Gemini from 2018 and the eponymous GPD Pocket commercial offerings continue to supply this market while the
crowd-funded Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and Alternative Finance, alternative finance. In 2015, over was rais ...
open source hardware
Pandora In Greek mythology, Pandora (Greek: , derived from , ''pān'', i.e. "all" and , ''dōron'', i.e. "gift", thus "the all-endowed", "all-gifted" or "all-giving") was the first human woman created by Hephaestus on the instructions of Zeus. As Hes ...
and Pyra maintain small-scale production and ongoing development. A combination of price and size makes them useful both for business and education; they also target the "games" market.


Nomenclature

By the mid 1990s, the New York Times referred to these portable office devices as: * Palmtop computer * Handheld computer * Pocket-size computer * Palmtop PC * Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) * Personal Intelligent Communicator (PIC) Pocket computer was another term used. Subsequently, another publisher's "10 awesome handheld computers from yesteryear" included "1991 - HP 95LX pocket computer" even though HP called it a palmtop and HPmueum called it a handheld PC. As recently as 2017, these terms were intermixed.


Comparison among alternatives

Early Palmtops, beginning with Atari's 1989 Portfolio, used Intel-compatible x86 processors and a mostly IBM-compatible
PC architecture IBM PC compatible computers are similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT, all from computer giant IBM, that are able to use the same software and expansion cards. Such computers were referred to as PC clones, IBM clones or IBM PC clones. ...
and
BIOS In computing, BIOS (, ; Basic Input/Output System, also known as the System BIOS, ROM BIOS, BIOS ROM or PC BIOS) is firmware used to provide runtime services for operating systems and programs and to perform hardware initialization during the ...
. Their operating system was DOS-like. By the late-1990s, non-Intel processors and other operating systems were used for some devices, using Microsoft's Windows CE operating system, even as the term Handheld was growing. The term PC was helpful, since many Palmtop PCs and Handheld PCs came with some personal-computer,
PDA PDA may refer to: Science and technology * Patron-driven acquisition, a mechanism for libraries to purchase books *Personal digital assistant, a mobile device * Photodiode array, a type of detector * Polydiacetylenes, a family of conducting poly ...
and office applications pre-installed in ROM, and most of them could also run generic, off-the-shelf PC software with minimal if any modifications. Some could also run other operating systems such as
GEOS #REDIRECT GEOS {{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from ambiguous page ...
, MINIX 2.0, Windows 1.0- 3.0 (in
Real mode Real mode, also called real address mode, is an operating mode of all x86-compatible CPUs. The mode gets its name from the fact that addresses in real mode always correspond to real locations in memory. Real mode is characterized by a 20-bit seg ...
only), or Linux. Most palmtop PCs were based on a static hardware design for low power consumption and instant-on/off without a need to reboot. Depending on the model, the battery could power the device from several hours up to several days while running, or between a week and a year in standby mode. Combined with the instant-on/off feature, a battery would typically last from a week up to several months in practical use as PDA. Handheld computer, Palm PC, Palmtop and Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) were used concurrently and almost interchangeably. to describe these pocket-sized computing devices. The acronym PIM referred to Personal Information Manager, a similar type of device that often came with a stylus interface instead of a keyboard. None of these, at the time, were intended to replace the PC.


Non-Wintel (Palm-top/Palm-size/Pocket computer)

Not all of the pocket-sized hardware was/is used for Windows/Intel systems. At one point the Windows CE market share was less than 10%. Terms used included: * Internet tablets -or- * Tablet computers. Not all Windows-running devices had a keyboard. If they matched all of the hardware requirements except for lacking a keyboard they were known as: * Windows Tablet PCs * Windows CE Tablet PCs


A list of handheld/pocket Linux computers

Some of them ran/run Linux.


History

Each term had a role:


Palmtop PC

Palmtop PCs from 1989 through 1996 included: *
DIP Pocket PC The Atari Portfolio (Atari PC Folio) is an IBM PC-compatible palmtop PC, released by Atari Corporation in June 1989. This makes it the world's first palmtop computer.
( DIP DOS 2.11, 1989) * Atari Portfolio (DIP DOS 2.11, 1989) *
Poqet PC Classic The Poqet PC is a very small, portable computer, portable IBM PC compatible computer, introduced in 1989 by Poqet Computer Corporation with a price of $2000. The computer was discontinued after Fujitsu Ltd. bought Poqet Computer Corp. It was th ...
(
MS-DOS 3.3 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 oper ...
, 80C88, 1989) *
Poqet PC Prime The Poqet PC is a very small, portable IBM PC compatible computer, introduced in 1989 by Poqet Computer Corporation with a price of $2000. The computer was discontinued after Fujitsu Ltd. bought Poqet Computer Corp. It was the first subnotebook ...
(MS-DOS 3.3, 80C88) * Poqet PC Plus (
MS-DOS 5.0 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 ...
,
NEC V30 The NEC V20 is a microprocessor that was designed and produced by NEC. It is both pin compatible and object code compatible with the Intel 8088, with an instruction set architecture (ISA) similar to that of the Intel 80188 with some extension ...
) *
ZEOS Pocket PC Zeos International, Ltd. (stylized as ZEŌS), was a PC manufacturer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Originally based in New Brighton, Minnesota, and founded by Gregory E. Herrick, the company incorporated in Minnesota in 1981. Prior to manuf ...
(MS-DOS 5.0, 1991) *
Sharp PC-3000 The Sharp PC-3000 was a palmtop computer introduced in 1991. The "SPC" was designed and developed by Distributed Information Processing Research Ltd. ("DIP") in the UK. DIP had earlier designed the Atari Portfolio and the two machines shared many ...
(MS-DOS 3.3, 1991) *
Sharp PC-3100 The Sharp PC-3000 was a palmtop computer introduced in 1991. The "SPC" was designed and developed by Distributed Information Processing Research Ltd. ("DIP") in the UK. DIP had earlier designed the Atari Portfolio and the two machines shared many de ...
(MS-DOS 3.3, 1991) * Hewlett-Packard: ** 95LX (1991) - MS-DOS 3.22, NEC V20 ** MS-DOS 5.0, 80186-compatible HP Hornet: *** 100LX (1993) *** 200LX (1994) *** 1000CX (1995) *** 700LX (1996)


Handheld PC

The Handheld PC was a late 1990s hardware design for personal digital assistant (PDA) devices running Windows CE. It provided the appointment calendar functions usual for any PDA. The intent of Windows CE was to provide an environment for applications compatible with the Microsoft Windows operating system, on processors better suited to low-power operation in a portable device. Originally announced in 1996, the Handheld PC was distinct from the Palm-size,
Pocket PC A Pocket PC (P/PC, PPC) is a class of personal digital assistant (PDA) that runs the Windows Mobile or Windows Embedded Compact operating system that has some of the abilities of modern desktop PCs. The name was introduced by Microsoft in 2000 ...
, or smartphone in that the specification provided for larger screen sizes as well as a keyboard.


Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)

Psion's 1984-introduced handheld palmtop device was the first Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). Two years later the
Psion Organizer Psion Organiser was the brand name of a range of pocket computers developed by the British company Psion in the 1980s. The Organiser I (launched in 1984) and Organiser II (launched in 1986) had a characteristic hard plastic sliding cover pro ...
was followed by the Psion Organizer II and other pocket-sized computers. Other, less expensive devices of this type were Palm Inc's Palm Pilot and various Pocket PCs running Windows CE. Their main era was the 1990s, and included the Apple Newton.


Personal Information Manager (PIM)

Both by goal and by marketing, the audience for the "Personal Information Manager (PIM)" was the individual, not the corporation. Market research showed that people "wanted a device that would straddle the telephone and computer." Until the smartphones of the 2010s, the goal of what an AT&T studyKevin Compton, AT&T called "an intelligent cellphone" was still pending.


See also

* Sub-notebook, IBM- and x86- compatible, clamshell design, but larger than palmtop PCs * Psion netBook, ARM-based clamshell design * generic
Netbook Netbook was a commonly used term that identified a product class of small and inexpensive laptops which were sold from 2007 to around 2013. These machines were designed primarily as cost-effective tools for consumers to access the Inte ...
, IBM- and x86- compatible, legacy-free, clamshell design typically much larger than a pocket * Ultra-mobile PC, IBM- and x86- compatible, legacy-free, not necessarily clamshell design * Pen computing, using a pen/stylus rather than a keyboard, joystick or mouse *
ActiveSync ActiveSync is a mobile data synchronization app developed by Microsoft, originally released in 1996. It synchronizes data with handheld devices and desktop computers. In the Windows Task Manager, the associated process is called wcescomm.exe. O ...
, Application for synchronizing hand-held devices and Windows PCs * Smartbook *
EPOC EPOC may be: * Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption * Emotiv EPOC, consumer brain–computer interface devices for PC. * EPOC (operating system), the precursor OS to the Symbian operating system * Efficient Probabilistic Public-Key Encryption ...
, operating system of Psion's x86 and ARM -based palmtops and pocket computers. * Windows CE, one operating system of Palm-sized PCs. * Windows Mobile, one operating system of Pocket PCs. * HP Jornada, A line of Handheld, Palm-size and Pocket PCs. * Atari Portfolio, the first (1989) * Palm (PDA)


References


External links

* {{url, www.tankraider.com/DOSPALMTOP/list.html List of DOS based palmtop PCs] History of computing hardware Personal digital assistants Handheld personal computers