RCH@cup.portal.com (Ric C Helton) (12/29/88)
I am requesting opinions of net readers on the Amstrad PPC640 portable. I am considering buying one, and I would like to know how users of the computer like it, and what net readers may have heard about it. I intend to use it mainly for word processing and telecommunications (it has a built i 2400b modem). Briefly: Amstrad PPC640 Features: 8086 8MHz, 640K, twin 3.5" 720K floppies, MDA/CGA compat. LCD screen and integrated color graphics adaptor, built-in 2400b Hayes-compat. modem, serial & parallel ports, full-sized 101-key AT-style keyboard, and MS-DOS 3.3 I am leaving a lot out, but it is pretty common stuff. I do not read this newsgroup, so please send any replies in mail to me. Thanks so much for your help!!! Happy New Year all! -Ric Helton RCH@cup.portal.com ...sun!portal!cup.portal.com!RCH Freestyle BBS 404/546-8256
astieber@csd4.milw.wisc.edu (Anthony J Stieber) (12/30/88)
I just took a look at one of these Amstrads today. The LCD seemed to be less readable than the one I have on my own Toshiba T1000, although the square display has an aspect ration closer to that of a CRT. I found the squashed display of my T1000 a problem at times. The keyboard does NOT lock in position, rather it just flops into position. It is nice to have to have full enhanced keyboard though, many laptops have a semi-enhanced. The T1000 has seperate cursor control and an optional external keypad, missing keys are embedded into the rest of the keyboard. The Amstrad laptop is unique in using off the self batteries ( 8 'C' cells I think), others use internal non-removable or proprietary battery packs. There is a nice door which covers the ports (one of which is a full sized 25 pin serial port) in the back of the machine. When this door is closed and keyboard is locked over the top of the machine there are no exposed switches, knobs, or ports. The handle is nice solid block which juts from the right side to protect the disk drives. Overall the machine seems too big for casual laptop use, especially with the keyboard having a non-locking hinge. I have used LCD's on several machines, even the best of them (back-lit Zenith) wasn't as good as a CRT. If you can get it, even a cheap composite monitor would be better than an LCD. As a microcomputer consultant I have known many people who had a machine that had only 3.5" drives. All of these people have later regreted having just the micro floppy drives (including me). Be prepared for headaches. I am cross posting this to comp.sys.laptops, and setting the followup to the same group. -- internet:astieber@csd4.milw.wisc.edu |\|BeingNet: Tony Stieber bitnet :astieber%csd4.milw.wisc.edu@INTERBIT |/|BustedUpNet: 414-529-2663 uucp :att!uwmcsd1!uwmcsd4!astieber |\|Terranet: 8858 Garden Lane csnet :astieber%csd4.milw.wisc.edu@uwm.CSNET|/| Greendale WI 53129