IO00818@MAINE.BITNET (Thru the mirror of my mind) (11/15/90)
What have people heard about the Tandy 1500 HD. It seems to be a good
machine for the price, any used it?
Willie (io00818@maine.maine.edu)holtz@netcord.Eng.Sun.COM (Brian Holtz) (11/23/90)
Radio Shack has the 1500HD on sale for $1699. I strongly suspect I'll go and pick one up tomorrow -- IF they have a modem in stock to put in it. -- Brian Holtz (holtz@netcord.Eng.Sun.COM)
wmf@chinet.chi.il.us (Bill Fischer) (11/24/90)
In article <90319.090501IO00818@MAINE.BITNET> IO00818@MAINE.BITNET (Thru the mirror of my mind) writes: =>What have people heard about the Tandy 1500 HD. It seems to be a good =>machine for the price, any used it? => Had one demo'd to me the other day. Very nice. Good display, keyboard is acceptable, battery life supposed to be better than the 1400 I currently have. I think the influence of Tandy's purchase of GRID shows in the design. At 1699, seems like a pretty good buy. PORTABLE COMPUTING magazine called it one of the best in price / performance. -- | Bill Fischer | US Agent for Omega Electronics & Swiss Timing | | wmf@chinet.chi.il.us | Sports Timing and Display Systems Worldwide | | "Timing the significant moments in sports since 1936" | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
mvolo@uncecs.edu (Michael R. Volow) (11/24/90)
I also looked at the Tandy 1500 HD and was impressed. However, is it true that it has only a 720K (vs 1.44m) floppy; and has only a 8086 processor (vs an 80286)? -- Michael Volow, Psychiatry, Durham VA Med Center, Durham NC 27712 919 286 0411 Ext 6933 mvolo@ecsvax.edu
holtz@netcord.Eng.Sun.COM (Brian Holtz) (11/25/90)
In article <1990Nov24.153954.6164@uncecs.edu> mvolo@uncecs.edu (Michael R. Volow) writes: >is it true that it has only a 720K (vs 1.44m) floppy; and has only a 8086 >processor (vs an 80286)? 1.44Mb floppy; 10MHz V20 (== 8086, I think). -- Brian Holtz (holtz@netcord.Eng.Sun.COM)
smsmith@hpuxa.ircc.ohio-state.edu (Stephen M. Smith) (11/25/90)
wmf@chinet.chi.il.us (Bill Fischer) writes: >(Thru the mirror of my mind) writes: >=>What have people heard about the Tandy 1500 HD. It seems to be a good >=>machine for the price, any used it? > >Had one demo'd to me the other day. Very nice. Good display, keyboard is >acceptable, battery life supposed to be better than the 1400 I currently have. >I think the influence of Tandy's purchase of GRID shows in the design. > >At 1699, seems like a pretty good buy. PORTABLE COMPUTING magazine called it >one of the best in price / performance. I don't know why people insist on paying $1000 more than they have to when they can get a better product for much less money. Let me compare Tandy's 286 laptop (2800 HD) with Packard Bell's 286 laptop: TANDY PACKARD BELL 286 CPU 286 CPU 1 MEG RAM 1 MEG RAM 640x400 EGA 640x480 VGA 20 MEG Hard Drive 40 MEG Hard Drive COST: $2999 COST: $2099 In other words, you get a better display and twice as much hard drive space for $900 less if you buy the Packard Bell. (Can you say "Tandy is a ripoff"?) But let's suppose you don't have this much money, and you want to spend $1699 for a laptop (as one of you unfortunate souls just did). What then? Well, first of all you could have bought it for $1599 if you had ordered it from Fort Worth Computers (1-800-433-7283). According to their ad in the Computer Shopper they are selling the Tandy 1500HD for *at least* $400 less than the list price. (Can you say "Crap! I spent too much!"?) Or if you want to buy another company's laptop for the same price, compare the following: TANDY-1500HD COMPUTREND TOSHIBA-T1200XE 8088 CPU 286 CPU 286 CPU 640k RAM 1 MEG RAM 1 MEG RAM (1.64 MEG max) (16 MEG max) (5 MEG max) 720k floppy 1.44 MB floppy 1.44 MB floppy 640x200 CGA 640x400 CGA ? (ad doesn't say) 20 MEG hard drive 40 MEG hard drive 20 MEG hard drive COST: $1699 COST: $1699 COST: $1290 The above is taken from Radio Shack's 1991 Tandy Computer Catalog (with $400 taken off the price according to a supposed "sale"), and the other two were taken from the recent Computer Shopper magazine (I just glanced through it to find these prices, so I'm sure there are even better deals around). The main difference between these computers is that the Tandy is built on the 8088 CPU (can you say "slow"?). The other two will not only fly right by the Tandy, but their floppy drives will hold twice the info and they have nearly twice the RAM. Now, everyone together..."Tandy is a ripoff, Tandy is a ripoff..." S. "Stevie" Smith \ + / <smsmith@hpuxa. \+++++/ " #*&<-[89s]*(k#$@-_=//a2$]'+=.(2_&*%>,,@ ircc.ohio-state. \ + / {7%*@,..":27g)-=,#*:.#,/6&1*.4-,l@#9:-) " edu> \ + / BTW, WYSInaWYG \ + / --witty.saying.ARC
zhou@brazil.psych.purdue.edu (Albert Zhou) (11/25/90)
It's been on sale since May. I actually bought one from Radio Shack, and later on returned it. Speed is the main reason. With its 8086 processor, it's really slow. I would suggest you guys look into Zenith 286 or 386. Zenith 286 with High Density Drive is around $1500 at educational price. 386 is a little over $2000. .
minsky@media-lab.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Marvin Minsky) (11/25/90)
I have seen several comparisons in which computing power is considered important -- but the size/weight of the laptop is not mentioned. Because of working while travelling, I am more concerned with the weight and battery-life than with speed. Sometimes I even use my z88, because it runs for 24+ hours and weighs less than 2 pounds. Is there anything like this around yet, only with better than 8 x 80 characters on the screen?
holtz@netcord.Eng.Sun.COM (Brian Holtz) (11/25/90)
In article <4161@media-lab.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> minsky@media-lab.media.mit.edu (Marvin Minsky) writes: >I have seen several comparisons in which computing power is considered >important -- but the size/weight of the laptop is not mentioned. Exactly. at just under 6 pounds, the 1500HD I'm typing on right now is _almost_ big and heavy enough to keep me from curling up with it in this, my favorite chair. The Packard Bell somebody mentioned is a hefty 15 lbs., over _3_ inches thick, and considerably wider and deeper. No, I was simply looking for the smallest, lightest machine with a backlit vt100-sized display, a hard drive, an internal modem, and a 1.44 Mb floppy drive to trade data with my SPARCstation at work. I came ever so close to getting the Sharp 6220, but I couldn't be sure in advance that I wouldn't miss an internal floppy. Sanyo has a new machine out, with 286/internal modem/1.44 Mb floppy/ hard drive/VGA/<= $2100, but it's at least 2 inches thick and weighs seven or eight pounds. So in the end, it was a tossup between the 1500HD and Toshiba's comparable new T1000LE. >Sometimes I even use my z88, >because it runs for 24+ hours and weighs less than 2 pounds. Is there >anything like this around yet, only with better than 8 x 80 characters >on the screen? Well, there's the Poquet PC, but I doubt if even the new keyboard for it is good for extended typing. It seems like you really have to push each key twice or thrice as hard as you do a key on any normal keyboard. -- Brian Holtz (holtz@netcord.Eng.Sun.COM)
mvolo@uncecs.edu (Michael R. Volow) (11/25/90)
Where can the Toshiba 1200XE be bought for $1290. I thought that the street price for even the 1000XE was about $1600-1800. -- Michael Volow, Psychiatry, Durham VA Med Center, Durham NC 27712 919 286 0411 Ext 6933 mvolo@ecsvax.edu
mvolo@uncecs.edu (Michael R. Volow) (11/25/90)
Since zhou@brazin.psych.purdue.edu has used the Tandy 1500HD, could he please confirm the size of the floppy drive. Radio Shack's catalog does not discuss the size of the floppy drive or the processor type. I suspect that Tandy is trying to get on the notebook bandwagon without making it obvious that their machine is a lesser machine (8086 processor, probably 720K floppy) than the TI/Sharp/Compuadd notebooks. -- Michael Volow, Psychiatry, Durham VA Med Center, Durham NC 27712 919 286 0411 Ext 6933 mvolo@ecsvax.edu
smsmith@hpuxa.ircc.ohio-state.edu (Stephen M. Smith) (11/26/90)
In article <1990Nov25.150739.19622@uncecs.edu> mvolo@uncecs.edu (Michael R. Volow) writes: > >Where can the Toshiba 1200XE be bought for $1290. I thought that the >street price for even the 1000XE was about $1600-1800. Check the prices in Computer Shopper magazine. There is an excellent index in every issue which divides all the components advertised in each issue into categories and gives you all the pages where each item is featured. The Toshiba T1200XE can be bought for $1289.95 from Tri-State Computer in New York. Their ad appears on page 258 of the December issue of Computer Shopper. Their toll-free number is 1-800-433-5199. According to their ad (which may be a misprint) they are open "Wkdys 9-6, Fri. 9-1:30, Sun. 10-4." All merchandise is new and factory fresh and comes with U.S.A. Warranty; they accept Mastercard, VISA, and Discover. After flipping through the magazine I notice that one company is selling the 1200XE for $2049, and yet another company advertises it for $2769. It may be that Tri-State's ad is a misprint, so just call them to find out. It won't cost you anything but 3 minutes of your time. S. "Stevie" Smith \ + / <smsmith@hpuxa. \+++++/ " #*&<-[89s]*(k#$@-_=//a2$]'+=.(2_&*%>,,@ ircc.ohio-state. \ + / {7%*@,..":27g)-=,#*:.#,/6&1*.4-,l@#9:-) " edu> \ + / BTW, WYSInaWYG \ + / --witty.saying.ARC
holtz@netcord.Eng.Sun.COM (Brian Holtz) (11/26/90)
In article <1990Nov25.151630.19731@uncecs.edu> mvolo@uncecs.edu (Michael R. Volow) writes: >please confirm the size of the floppy drive. Radio Shack's catalog >does not discuss the size of the floppy drive or the processor type. 1.44 Mb floppy 10 MHz V20 (== 8088) -- Brian Holtz (holtz@netcord.Eng.Sun.COM)
wmf@chinet.chi.il.us (Bill Fischer) (11/26/90)
In article <1990Nov24.223734.9245@magnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu> smsmith@hpuxa.ircc.ohio-state.edu (Stephen M. Smith) writes: =>wmf@chinet.chi.il.us (Bill Fischer) writes: => =>>[my favorable comments of the 1500HD deleted] =>>At 1699, seems like a pretty good buy. => =>I don't know why people insist on paying $1000 more than they =>have to when they can get a better product for much less money. => =>Let me compare Tandy's 286 laptop (2800 HD) with Packard Bell's We are not talking about a this level of machine. =>But let's suppose you don't have this much money, and you want =>to spend $1699 for a laptop (as one of you unfortunate souls just =>did). What then? => =>Well, first of all you could have bought it for $1599 if you had =>ordered it from Fort Worth Computers (1-800-433-7283). According =>to their ad in the Computer Shopper they are selling the Tandy =>1500HD for *at least* $400 less than the list price. I agree that the few "grandfathered" Tandy approved mail order houses can save you some significant money. Perry Computers of Perry, MI also offers roughly the same deal. =>Or if you want to buy another company's laptop for the same price, =>compare the following: => => TANDY-1500HD COMPUTREND TOSHIBA-T1200XE => =>The main difference between these computers is that the Tandy =>is built on the 8088 CPU (can you say "slow"?). The other two =>will not only fly right by the Tandy, but their floppy drives =>will hold twice the info and they have nearly twice the RAM. => I don't have the specs for any of these machines in front of me, but I think you miss the main advantage of the 1500HD... IT'S SIZE and WEIGHT. I have to lug a laptop all over the country, work on it in airplanes and set it up in a customer's office. I don't need blinding speed or megs of memory. Just give me a modem and enough horsepower to run PROCOMM and MS WORKS and I am a happy guy. I currently use a 1400HD, which has roughly the same performance specs of the 1500HD, and have never suffered for lack of power. My arms and shoulders have complained loudly after traversing an airport to catch a plane, however. -- | Bill Fischer | US Agent for Omega Electronics & Swiss Timing | | wmf@chinet.chi.il.us | Sports Timing and Display Systems Worldwide | | "Timing the significant moments in sports since 1936" | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
IO00818@MAINE.BITNET (The monsters are gone) (11/27/90)
The Tandy 1500 HD is a great little machine. It has a 23 msec. Hard drive, 1.44 meg floppy, 640K, great keyboard, alright screen. Of course, the keyboard and screen are a biased subject, but if I wanted to run windows, or other powerful multitasking program I would spend the money on desktop with a color screen (VGA). But for me, a student, who would just like to run WordStar, and Lotus and don't want my arm to fall off on the way to the Library, the Tandy 1500 HD was my best buy. Unlike the T1000SE it has a hard drive, and Unlike the t1000Xe it has a floppy. ALL contained in a sleek black case weighing in at a air weight of 5.9 pounds. I wonder what it would cost to buy a hard drive for the t1000SE, or a floppy drive for the t1000xe, probably about the same as the t1200xe. No a settle for the tandy 1500 HD, it is better than the 1000XE/se anyway. Willie
smsmith@hpuxa.ircc.ohio-state.edu (Stephen M. Smith) (11/28/90)
Michael R. Volow writes: > >Where can the Toshiba 1200XE be bought for $1290. I thought that the >street price for even the 1000XE was about $1600-1800. It might be a misprint, but on p. 258 of the December issue of Computer Shopper Tri-State Computer has it listed at $1289.95. The ad has a little picture of it and the price is in bold beside it, so maybe it's legit. Tri-State's number is 1-800-433-5199. They are based in New York. S. "Stevie" Smith \ + / <smsmith@hpuxa. \+++++/ " #*&<-[89s]*(k#$@-_=//a2$]'+=.(2_&*%>,,@ ircc.ohio-state. \ + / {7%*@,..":27g)-=,#*:.#,/6&1*.4-,l@#9:-) " edu> \ + / BTW, WYSInaWYG \ + / --witty.saying.ARC
smsmith@hpuxa.ircc.ohio-state.edu (Stephen M. Smith) (11/28/90)
mvolo@uncecs.edu (Michael R. Volow) writes: >Where can the Toshiba 1200XE be bought for $1290. I thought that the >street price for even the 1000XE was about $1600-1800. I've tried to post this twice but it never got through. Here goes again... The Toshiba 1200XE is advertised for $1289.95 on p. 258 of the December issue of Computer Shopper. It might be a misprint since other companies are selling it for $2000-$2700. The ad has a picture of this laptop with the price in bold beside it, so maybe it's legit. The company's name is Tri-State Computer and their phone # is 1-800-433-5199. They're based in New York. S. "Stevie" Smith \ + / <smsmith@hpuxa. \+++++/ " #*&<-[89s]*(k#$@-_=//a2$]'+=.(2_&*%>,,@ ircc.ohio-state. \ + / {7%*@,..":27g)-=,#*:.#,/6&1*.4-,l@#9:-) " edu> \ + / BTW, WYSInaWYG \ + / --witty.saying.ARC
dlow@hpspcoi.HP.COM (Danny Low) (11/28/90)
>(Stephen M. Smith) >>Where can the Toshiba 1200XE be bought for $1290. I thought that the >>street price for even the 1000XE was about $1600-1800. > >It might be a misprint, but on p. 258 of the December issue of >Computer Shopper Tri-State Computer has it listed at $1289.95. It is almost certainly not a misprint and equally certainly not a legitimate price. This type of deceptive price advertising is very common by certain mail order camera stores, one of which is called Tri-State. Coincident? Not likely. BTW Toshiba just drop the prices of their portables. Locally I've seen $100 drop in 1000SE and XE prices already. Danny Low "Question Authority and the Authorities will question You" Valley of Hearts Delight, Silicon Valley HP CPCD dlow%hpspcoi@hplabs.hp.com ...!hplabs!hpspcoi!dlow
wmf@chinet.chi.il.us (Bill Fischer) (11/28/90)
Hmmm... if you saw this before, apologies. Perry Computer of Perry, Mi. (sorry, address/phone is at work) is now offering the Tandy 1500HD at $1402.00. Makes a good buy even better. wmf -- | Bill Fischer | US Agent for Omega Electronics of Switzerland | | wmf@chinet.chi.il.us | Sports Timing and Display Systems Worldwide | | "Timing the significant moments in sports since 1936" | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
mvolo@uncecs.edu (Michael R. Volow) (11/29/90)
I called Tri-State. It's a misprint. -- Michael Volow, Psychiatry, Durham VA Med Center, Durham NC 27712 919 286 0411 Ext 6933 mvolo@ecsvax.edu
mvolo@uncecs.edu (Michael R. Volow) (11/29/90)
There is a Panasonic laptop that is reportedly similar to the Tandy 1500HD. Mail order street price is about $1399. Has anyone seen the Panasonic (I don't have the model number handy), and if so, would they compare it to the Tandy 1500HD? -- Michael Volow, Psychiatry, Durham VA Med Center, Durham NC 27712 919 286 0411 Ext 6933 mvolo@ecsvax.edu