markxx@garnet.berkeley.edu (10/01/89)
Hi. Does anyone who reads this group have a Compaq SLT laptop? I am currently writing a grant proposal that will include a request for a laptop that will have to use batteries, at least a 286 processor, and be fairly rugged (as it will be in the tropics). I think that the SLT seems to fit the bill (though if I was assured of the money I would probably look into GRiD). Any feedback or reccomendations would be appreciated. Thanks. Mark Ritchie markxx@garnet.berkeley.edu
cwraight@lotus.com (Chris Wraight - UNIX Mktg) (10/03/89)
I have been using a SLT for over six months now, with favorable
impressions. Some of the good points:
* Long battery life
* VGA screen
* good power conservation utilities
* runs OS/2 (1.2 verified)
* 40MB disk size
* desktop expansion chassis
* good memory expansion (3.6MB)
Some of the bad points:
* Heavy, very heavy for trips
* Expensive
* No battery strip charger like Toshiba's
*
Some of the untested options:
* 12V adapter (nice feature)
* External charger (one at a time)
If it were not for the VGA graphic capabilities, I probably would have
opted for the Toshiba 1600, with the big tradeoff also being a smaller hard
disk (20MB). Another one to look at would be the NEC ProSpeed.
I personally like the concept of a "dual service system", a la the desktop
expansion chassis which allows me to pick up and take my system home with
me. This facilitates the use of the system as my primary email repository.
I've also got the expansion chassis hooked up with a PC-Net card, along
with an external Bernouilli box for those humungous applications. I'm not
going to make it my permanent environment until Compaq ships a 386-based
SLT (listening?), despite the NEC product, my company is predominantly
Compaqs and Toshibas.
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are entirely personal and do not
reflect the views of my employer.
--
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Chris Wraight TEL: 617-577-8500
Lotus Development Corp. {uunet,attmail}!lotus!cwraight
55 Cambridge Pkwy, Cambridge, MA 02142yap@me.utoronto.ca (Davin Yap) (10/04/89)
In article <1989Oct3.121144.14052@lotus.com> cwraight@lotus.UUCP (Chris Wraight - UNIX Mktg) writes: >If it were not for the VGA graphic capabilities, I probably would have >opted for the Toshiba 1600, with the big tradeoff also being a smaller hard >disk (20MB). Another one to look at would be the NEC ProSpeed. > I've had a NEC ProSpeed 286 for three months now, and have been very happy with it. Having seen both the ProSpeed and the SLT I feel qualified to make the following observations (of course I'll be biased towards the ProSpeed :-): - The vga display on the Nec is much better than on the SLT for two reasons. First, the prospeed uses a display technology that provides (pitch) black characters as opposed to the blue characters on the slt. Second, the prospeed displays 16 shades of gray (verified - you should see fmaid3.gif on the box) as opposed to the 4 shades on the slt. - The prospeed runs at 16 Mhz as opposed to 12 Mhz for the slt. The difference is noticeable. Caveat: the 287 on the prospeed only runs at 8 mhz, while the slt has the socket for intel's new cmos 287. - The detachable keyboard on the slt is very nice, top marks for this one. However, I've been happy with the keyboard on the Nec, it's well laid out and the feel is quite nice. If you'd like, the Nec comes with a port for a standard AT keyboard - not just a numeric keypad. - You can get the prospeed with either a 20, 40 or 100 meg drive (the 100 meg is real nice: 25 ms, 1.25 Mbyte/sec transfer rate, and it only weighs an ounce or two more than the 40 meg drive) all drives are RLL 7/11 (whatever that means) - both machines weigh about the same - too much to comfortably tote about for too long - approx. 15 lb - both machines have a docking station - the batteries on the slt last longer, though I've never used mine. Anyone looking for a battery for a Nec ProSpeed 286 :-) I've never found myself too far from AC - at least not where I've wanted to use a computer. >Disclaimer: The views expressed above are entirely personal and do not >reflect the views of my employer. >+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ >Chris Wraight TEL: 617-577-8500 Too naive to leave a disclaimer: I've never yet been sued! Davin _______________leave_nothing_to_the_imagination_of_those_without_______________ GOAL: To dance the light fan- |Davin Yap, Mechanical Engineering, U of Toronto tastic in the face of derision,| yap@me.toronto.edu yap@me.utoronto.bitnet from those bland at heart. | ...{pyramid,uunet}!utai!utme!yap