smithj@jacobs.cs.orst.edu (Jeremy Smith) (02/07/91)
PC Week _8_ #5 p1 2/4/91
HP, Lotus Pact To Put 1-2-3 in Palm-Sized PC by Marc Ferranti.
Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) and Lotus Development Corp. are readying
a featherweight, DOS-compatible "palmtop" that will run Lotus 1-2-3 2.2
at the touch of a calculator button, according to sources close to both
companies.
Code-named Jaguar and small enough to fit in a jacket of shirt
pocket, the 8088-based machine offers a display about the size of a
Rolodex card and weighs less than 12 ounces with batteries and an
industry-standard, 1M-byte RAM card installed, the sources said.
Expected to cost about $600 and debut in late April, the machine
also features 512K bytes of internal memory and comes with Lotus' 1-2-3
2.2 and Metro desktop management software loaded into ROM, the sources
said. Users can bring up 1-2-3 and the Metro memo pad, appointment
book and calendar software by pressing calculator buttons, and issue
commands with a QWERTY keyboard, according to sources who have seen the
product.
The RAM card is used to store data and applications, the sources
said. In the future, the slot that houses the RAM card could be used
for additional storage or to connect a fax or data modem or flash RAM.
The machine will offer the full range of HP business calculator
mathematics. Users of 1-2-3 will have access to all of the core
graphing and spreadsheet capabilities found in version 2.2, the sources
said. In addition, data entered into one area of the Metro memo pad
software can be cut and pasted into other areas, the sources said.
Add-ins such as Lotus' Allways, a program that allows users to
integrate graphics into spreadsheets, however, are not included, the
sources said.
Currently, the logos of both HP and Lotus are emblazoned on the
product, said sources who have seen the machine, and the display of
graphics and numbers on the screen is crisp and easy to read.
A serial port and infrared technology will allow users to transfer
data to and from desktop machines, the sources said.
"This is the first true hand-held DOS computer," according to one
source who has seen the machine. "With the Poqet PC, you can't hold it
in your hand and type, and [it] offers a poor subset of DOS. This
product should take off like a shot, because there are two huge
installed bases that will be interested--1-2-3 DOS users, and the
accountants and real estate people who use HP calculators."
Jaguar's price point, and the fact that 1-2-3 takes no room in
internal memory, should give it an edge in the market, analyst said.
By comparison, Poqet Computer Corp.'s Poqet PC costs $1995.
The market for hand-held machines--including palmtops, pen-based
systems and notebooks--could grow to 4 million to 5 million units
during the next year, industry insiders said.
Analysts said the joint development bodes well for both companies.
"Lotus has been very keen on doing OEM deals like this with
various manufacturers...to protect its current DOS base and exploit an
emerging market. HP, meanwhile, gets good software technology on a
small form," said John Dunkle, president of market researcher WorkGroup
Technologies Inc. in Hampton, N.H.
Lotus is currently negotiating with other manufacturers on similar
joint development projects, Dunkle said.silvert@cs.dal.ca (Bill Silvert) (02/07/91)
In article <1991Feb07.011231.857@usenet@lynx.CS.ORST.EDU> smithj@jacobs.cs.orst.edu (Jeremy Smith) writes: >PC Week _8_ #5 p1 2/4/91 > >HP, Lotus Pact To Put 1-2-3 in Palm-Sized PC by Marc Ferranti. > "This is the first true hand-held DOS computer," according to one >source who has seen the machine. "With the Poqet PC, you can't hold it >in your hand and type, and [it] offers a poor subset of DOS. This I note that the ad positions the Jaguar against the Poquet without mentioning the Portfolio. Although it may be a classier machine, I find that the Pofo (as someone here recently dubbed it) offers me handy builtin spreadsheet functionality at a much lower cost. I can enter data when I travel and upload to a desktop when I get to my office, or do spreadsheet calculations at meetings, etc. Not knocking HP's new machine, but to talk about economy and ignore Atari at the same time is kind of inconsistent. -- William Silvert, Habitat Ecology Division, Bedford Inst. of Oceanography P. O. Box 1006, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, CANADA B2Y 4A2. Tel. (902)426-1577 UUCP=..!{uunet|watmath}!dalcs!biomel!bill BITNET=bill%biomel%dalcs@dalac InterNet=bill%biomel@cs.dal.ca
zaphod@madnix.UUCP (Ron Bean) (02/10/91)
In Article <1991Feb07.011231.857@usenet@lynx.CS.ORST.EDU>, smithj@jacobs.cs.orst.edu (Jeremy Smith) writes: >PC Week _8_ #5 p1 2/4/91 [...] > Code-named Jaguar and small enough to fit in a jacket of shirt >pocket, the 8088-based machine offers a display about the size of a >Rolodex card and weighs less than 12 ounces with batteries and an >industry-standard, 1M-byte RAM card installed, the sources said. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ What exactly is an "industry-standard" RAM card? I thought each manufacturer had their own standard. Perhaps this is wishful thinking on HP's part? And should that be 1M-Bit, or 1M-Byte? Name some other (non-HP) products that use the same RAM card. > "This is the first true hand-held DOS computer," according to one >source who has seen the machine. "With the Poqet PC, you can't hold it >in your hand and type, and [it] offers a poor subset of DOS. Does anyone have dimensions, and how many rows/columns on the screen? A rolodex card-sized screen sounds awfully small, unless it's double-width. And what's missing from Poqet's "subset"? (and I suppose the Portfolio doesn't count either...) > The machine will offer the full range of HP business calculator >mathematics. ^^^^^^^^ Hmmm... does that mean the scientific stuff is missing? If not, it would be a MAJOR advantage. BTW, someone told me Casio is coming out with a new machine, which will have *maps* of major cities available on ROM cards. Nice idea, although they're expensive (they'll also have the usual spreadsheets, etc.). ================== zaphod@madnix.UUCP (Ron Bean) {harvard|rutgers|ucbvax}!uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!madnix!zaphod