roseann@eeg.UUCP (White) (09/26/88)
I prepare tax returns, do heir finder and I am also grad student who spends a lot of time in the library. A portable pc would be very handy since I travel a lot and it would be nice to type the info I need right into the computer. I have looked at a compaq portable with a 286 or a 386 processor that will also take on a 10 opr 20 megabyte hard disk. I have also seen a printer made by kodak that can be held in my palm for about $475. I would like to know if anyone has or has read anything about portables and if they have any recommendations of which brands are good and what processor to get, etc. I think that this is a good topic for discussions since I think portables are going to be the wave of the future. Roseann Fowler-White
svirsky@ttidca.TTI.COM (Bill Svirsky) (09/28/88)
In article <533@eeg.UUCP> roseann@eeg.UUCP (White) writes:
+... I would like to know if anyone
+has read anything about portables and if they have
+any recommendations of which brands are good
+and what processor to get, etc.
PC Magazine Oct 11, 1988 issue reviews 12 286 and 386 portables.
--
Bill Svirsky, Citicorp+TTI, 3100 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405
Work phone: 213-450-9111 x2597
svirsky@ttidca.tti.com | ...!{csun,psivax,rdlvax,retix}!ttidca!svirskystanwyck@druco.ATT.COM (D. Stanwyck) (10/01/88)
in article <533@eeg.UUCP>, roseann@eeg.UUCP (White) says: > I prepare tax returns, do heir finder and I am also grad student who > spends a lot of time in the library. A portable pc would be very handy since > I travel a lot and it would be nice to type the info I need right into the > computer. I have looked at a compaq portable with a 286 or a 386 processor > that will also take on a 10 opr 20 megabyte hard disk. I have also seen a > printer made by kodak that can be held in my palm for about $475. I would > like to know if anyone has or has read anything about portables and if they > have > any recommendations of which brands are good and what processor to get, > etc. > I think that this is a good topic for discussions since I think > portables are going to be the wave of the future. >Roseann Fowler-White As one who travels 50%+, I carry a laptop and printer for my work. The Diconix 150 (referred to above) can be bought for well under $400, if you shop for it. As far as laptops and portables go, I long ago concluded that there is good reason to have all the different ones on the market that are there. For instance: 1. Do you need battery operation? If so, how long? Do you need battery backed up RAM (i.e. ram disk that doesn't disappear when the machine is turned off) or are you happy with hard/floppy disks. 2. Do you ever work in the dark or in low light conditions (e.g., aircraft at night)? (Backlit/plasma display vs. unlit LCD). 3. What are your size requirements? Weight requirements? 4. What are your display requirements? Do you mind 11 line displays, or if you require 80x25, do you care if the letters are extremely crunched? 5. What are your in-machine storage requirements? a floppy? two? Hard disk? 10, 20 40, more Mbytes? Really? 6. What tradeoffs are you willing to make? price/performance? battery life vs. hard disk vs. backlit display vs. ??? As you can see, there are many issues. The worst one is - how soon do you want it. The day after you buy it there will be a better one for your needs available or announced. Three years ago we bought a Panasonic Exec-partner. We beleived it to be the best for our needs then. Last November (~1 year ago) we bought a Zenith 181 + Diconix 150. Today we would buy something different. Our many concerns included: Good screen (thus the Zenith), long battery life (no hard disk), rugged, light weight, but not necessarily very light weight. We are very happy with the Zenith 181, and the Diconix is a lifesaver. Today we would still buy the printer, but would probably get an 80286 Zenith with >=20 Mb Hard drive. -- AT&T o o 303-538-5004 Don Stanwyck || druco!stanwyck Denver, CO USA \__/ Telecom Standards