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Tiqit Handheld PC
ParisTG sent us: "Tiqit Computers unveiled the eightythree, basically a handheld PC (as in IBM compatible). It will even boot Linux. Comes with 128-256MB RAM, 266-300MHz, 640x480 18bit screen, and a 10GB hard drive. The brochure with images (pdf) is online."
First Handheld Computer to Run Windows, Linux or Unix OS to Be Unveiled at CeBIT
March 8, 2002. eightythree, said to be the first computer that combines the portability of a handheld with the functionality and software compatibility of a Windows/Linux/UNIX PC, will be unveiled at the opening of CeBIT next week by Tiqit Computers.
According to Tiqit, although this feature was previously considered impossible to engineer, the eightythree is not a concept product. Instead, Tiqit says it has built - a mass produced -- a fully functioning x86 handheld device out of cutting-edge but available parts, designed specifically for enterprise use and immediate production. The computer will be introduced at CeBIT, the world's largest telecommunications and IT conference, scheduled for next week, March 13-20, in Hannover, Germany.
According to the company, eightythree offers clear benefits to the enterprise community. Workers reportedly gain increased mobility and function with a device that allows them to depend on a single operating system, and companies can reduce their total cost of ownership. Possessing the storage capacity and processing power to enable the extension of many software services to areas formerly unreachable, the eightythree also has the flexibility of using all of the software and hardware extensions currently available in the mainstream PC market, Tiqit maintains.
"This product will greatly accelerate adoption and use of handhelds in the enterprise," said Ian Blasch, CEO, Tiqit Computers. "It uses standard operating systems -- Windows XP, Linux or UNIX -- and is compatible with all associated applications, including legacy software. Almost anything you can do on a laptop or PC, you can do on eightythree -- only it is smaller and more mobile."
The eightythree form factor is 5.4-in long, 4-in wide, 1.1-in thin and weighs 20 oz. It is the size of a large PDA, has laptop-quality screen resolution, SMS keyboard, thumb-operated micro joystick with mouse buttons, touchscreen, a cardbus PC card slot to support all standard wireless modems, a USB port, a Secure Digital (SD) slot and internal speaker. Therefore, says Tiqit, it connects with other standard devices, from digital cameras to bar code scanners to docking stations. On the software end, it incorporates all the applications you would find on a laptop or PDA, including voice communication, e-mail, web access, PIM, enterprise applications and the ability to download attachments.
In terms of components, eightythree's CPU is the National Semiconductor Geode, 266-300 MHz, RAM is 128 MB or 256 MB, and there is a 10 GB hard drive. The screen is a 4-in 640X480 TFT (18-bit color) with touchscreen and backlight. The external monitor displays up to 1280 x 1024 at 75 Hz, 1024 x 768 at 85 Hz. eightythree is powered by an internal lithium ion rechargeable battery.