The Epson PX-8 a.k.a. Geneva was a small
laptop
A laptop, laptop computer, or notebook computer is a small, portable personal computer (PC) with a screen and alphanumeric keyboard. Laptops typically have a clam shell form factor with the screen mounted on the inside of the upper li ...
computer made by the
Epson Corporation in the mid-1980s.
It had a
Z80 compatible microprocessor, and ran a customized version of the
CP/M
CP/M, originally standing for Control Program/Monitor and later Control Program for Microcomputers, is a mass-market operating system created in 1974 for Intel 8080/ 85-based microcomputers by Gary Kildall of Digital Research, Inc. Initial ...
-80
operating system as well as various applications from a pair of ROM cartridge slots which were treated as drives. For file storage, it had a built-in microcassette drive.
The PX-8 did not have an internal disk drive, and instead allowed either memory to be partitioned into application memory and a RAM disk, or an external 60 KB or 120 KB intelligent RAM disk module to be attached (64K and 128K internally but some used for the processor). The intelligent RAM disk module had its own Z80 processor with a backup battery.
The PX-8 had an 80 column by 8 line LCD display, which was monochromatic and non-backlit. It used an internal nickel-cadmium battery, and had a battery life in the range of 6–8 hours when using word-processing software. An additional battery provided backup for the internal RAM.
There were a number of proprietary accessories available including a portable printer, bar code reader, and an early 3.5-inch diskette drive, the PF-10.
The disk drives from the
HX-20 could also be used. For the ROM cartridge slots a number of applications were available: Basic, CP/M utilities, Portable
WordStar, CalcStar, Scheduler, dBase II and Portable Cardbox-Plus.
The PX-8 was not initially a commercial success, especially compared against the
TRS-80 Model 100 portable computer but achieved some increased success after a large number were sold discounted in the United States through the
DAK Catalog. The PX-8 combined some of the features from its predecessors, the
HX-20 being portable, battery operated and the
QX-10 being
CP/M
CP/M, originally standing for Control Program/Monitor and later Control Program for Microcomputers, is a mass-market operating system created in 1974 for Intel 8080/ 85-based microcomputers by Gary Kildall of Digital Research, Inc. Initial ...
compatible.
In 1985, Epson introduced the
PX-4, combining features from both the PX-8 and the
HX-20.
Reception
''
BYTE'' in February 1985 called the PX-8 "a good second computer, especially for people with CP/M systems" or WordStar users. The magazine approved of its documentation and tape storage, and described the display as "acceptable" but less legible than the Model 100's. ''BYTE'' concluded that "after the disappointment of the Epson HX-20, the Geneva PX-8 represents a giant improvement. It is, at this time, the most powerful 8-bit portable available".
References
External links
ByteCellar's 1984 PX-8 magazine review scansEpson PX-8 used as Mac OS X dumb terminalPX-8 info, documentation and softwareeven making ROMs
USA patent on the PX-8Official Epson PX-8 Brochure*
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PX-8 Geneva