A History of Portable Computing

PCM2 writes "MobilePC magazine is running an exhaustive history of portable computers, going all the way from the IBM Portable 5100 to last year's OQO. Do you remember the three-pound Epson HX-20 from 1982 that boasted a 50-hour battery life? Or that the first color portable came from Commodore? Interesting stuff." They have the compaq luggable I learned BASIC on in middle school in the 80s. 28lbs of power baby!

Comments

Programmable Calculators ?

[karvind]

I would include them as well in the list.

Bollocks on the IBM 5100

[AndroidCat]

Sticklers agree: The 5100 represents the first production portable computer. So does the Smithsonian, where a prototype now resides.

Sticklers do not agree. For some weird and stupid reason probably related to marketing, the HP9830 (1974) was classified as a "programable calculator". Balls. It was a 16 bit computer and had BASIC. (There was a thermal printer that attached to the top.) Guts and stuff

Re:Complete?

[vasqzr]

Yep, no mention of Titanium Powerbooks. Those things set the world on fire, and companies still try to imitate them with no success.

Re:And as ever, Apple creates the current paradigm

[un1xl0ser]

The NEC computer looks pretty much the same, and that was before.

If the paradigm is fold up screen, then the GRID is the first one like that.

If the paradigm is the computer being stored under the keyboard, instead of in back of it, then they probably get the credit.

Overrated

[geekee]

Apple powerbook shouldn't even be on the list. It looks just like a thinkpad. Hardly innovative. Reminds me of an article on /. awhile ago that rated the powerbook 100 as the best portable gadget ever. Give me a break. The only interesting thing about the powerbook 100 is that people who liked MacOS back then finally got a portable to run it on.