gmv@cblpf.ATT.COM (G. Michael Vrbanac) (03/07/90)
I've packed laptops around for a couple of years now, mostly Toshibas and
Zeniths, and for the past six months I've been using a Zenith MiniSport
exclusively. I've been meaning to write up a brief review but never got
around to it till someone on netnews posted a query asking about the
MiniSport. So I'll get on with it. What follows is a brief overview of the
machine, configuration choices and my particular configuration. Then we'll
take a look at it in some detail and I'll finish up with my sujective
impressions.
BIASES: I am admittedly partial to the Zeniths, and I'm the one who
recommended the MiniSport be purchased.
OVERVIEW: the miniSport is a 5.9 pound IBM PC compatible laptop, one of the
first of what the trade press call the "notebook" computers. Truly small and
light. It has a CMOS 8088 cpu chip, backlight CGA display, a single two inch
"mini-floppy" 720k drive and an interchangeable battery pack.
CONFIGURATION: There aren't many choices for configuring a Minisport: it
comes in just two flavors, one megabyte or two megabytes. There is a small
proprietary "slot" for an internal Hayes-command compatible modem. A modem
is essential to my work but I decided to wait for the 2400 baud modems'
availability rather than get the 1200 with the machine. I was told the 2400
would be available in Jan of '90, but I still haven't seen one. Accessories
include extra battery packs, an external 3-1/2" drive and a "start-up" kit
consisting of a PC-to-PC serial link cable (more on that later), a box of ten
mini-floppies and slip-cover type of case.
SOFTWARE: The Minisport comes with a ROMDISK (drive C:) that contains
Zenith's MS-DOS 3.3 and a PC-to-PC serial port file transfer program called
FastWire. If you set up a RAMDISK (drive D:) with the memory over 640k, you
can put your own "autoexec.bat" and "config.sys" in D:\ and DOS will find it
there at boot time.
There is the typical laptop setup program that allows you to define the
ramdisk/EMS memory split, turn on/off the serial/parallel/modem (to save
power), define a setup password, etc, etc. It can has a CPU speed control of
slow (4 mhz), fast (8mhz) and smart (8mhz but automatically drops to 4 mhz
during disk I/O). There is a DOS command that will display and modify a few
of these parameters (CPU SPEED, backlight time-out, internal modem, cursor
size/shape and LCD display color palette.
HOW I RUN IT/PERFORMANCE: For the kind of stuff I use it for, I need about
four different software environments (Lotus Symphony, Lotus Agenda, Turbo-C,
and miscellaneous). The 720k floppy isn't big enough for one floppy to hold
all the software for any given environment, plus it's too slow. So I
initially set up a working environment on the ramdisk, the backed the whole
thing up to two floppies with DOS's backup command. Also, I keep the files
I'm working with on floppies. So, to switch environments I run a batch file
that re-formats the D: ramdisk and DOS restores the new environment from
floppy.
I say all that to say this: the performance specs for this machine look
pretty dismal on paper (8 mhz 80c88, etc, etc) but the darn thing feels
really "quick." Having all the software you use on ramdisk causes it to be
incredibly responsive. Sure, re-calculations of a big spreadsheet take a
while, but I seldom do that sort of stuff. When I develop Turbo-C code, the
speed at which it can do a compile is nothing short of amazing! I know this
probably sounds bizarre, but it's something you have to experience to
appreciate.
CASE/CONSTRUCTION: This miniSport really *is* notebook size, just over an
inch thick, and the construction is typically rock-solid Zenith. The display
is hinged at the middle of the top of the unit and the latches are
interlocked so it can only be opened when the unit is horizontal. A trap
door covers the connectors for the built-in serial port (DB-9, AT-style),
parallel port, monitor and external floppy drive.
DISPLAY: the display is backlit LCD with brightness and contrast
adjustments. It resembles the Toshiba's in that it is somewhat compressed in
the vertical. The backlight isn't real strong, which is good because the
contrast of the characters isn't the greatest. Very good for a machine of
this size, but not near as good as the Zenith SupersPorts. The only time
it's a problem is in bright light situations such as riding in the car in
bright sunshine. In moderate to dim ambient light situations the display is
totally satisfactory. The video interface is pure CGA.
KEYBOARD: The keyboard is a typical Zenith laptop arrangement with some of
the keys having dual uses when coupled with the "Fn" key. For example, the
up-down-left-right arrow keys also perform HOME-PgUp-PgDn-END when the Fn key
is depressed. The feel and tactile feedback of the keyboard is great, which
is all the more impressive in a laptop of this size. There are led indicators
above the keyboard for power/low power, caps lock, num lock, numeric keypad
lock and scroll lock. There are also indicators that light when the
mini-floppy drive is accessed and when the "silicon disk drive" is accessed
(more on this later, too).
FLOPPY DRIVE: one of the controversial aspects of the Minisport is the 2-inch
720k floppy disk drive. Zenith says it's a size/weight issue and that they
are ahead of the pack and that all the laptops will be sporting (no pun
intended) 2" drives in the future. I don't know about that; time will tell.
The 2" functions fine, although the media itself is still pretty pricey.
Also, I'd be more comfortable with it if I could buy a 2" drive for my
desktop; Zenith says soon. Right.
The built-in Fastwire program can be cloned to a desktop over the serial port
connection, but the serial cable itself isn't the same as Brooklyn Bridge's
but a LapLink-III cable will work.
BATTERIES: the battery pack is a cigarette-pack sized NiCad and is designed
to be easily replaced. I usually don't spin the floppy too much, and I get
3-4 hours on a charge, sometimes a little more. There is a "power" light
above the keyboard that glows green when running on a good battery, amber
when running on the AC adapter, and red when the battery is getting low (it
also beeps occasionally when the battery is low). The AC adapter is no
thicker than the Minisport itself, and pretty light weight. The only hassle
with packing the AC adapter is the cords, not the adapter itself.
There are also a pair of lithium batteries that maintain the setup ram
memory.
The setup program can configure the ramdisk memory to be maintained while the
Minisport is powered off, or configured so that the contents of the ramdisk
is lost when the unit is turned off. Now, if you discard the contents of the
ramdisk at power off there is no problem. However, the way I use is to keep
stuff on the ramdisk and I set it up to maintain the ramdisk. BUT, here's
what they don't tell you in the manual. Say, the thing is sitting in the
case, powered off but the battery pack is maintaining the contents of the
ramdisk. What do you suppose happens if the battery pack runs out of juice?
Wrong answer. What really happens is it will continue to maintain the
ramdisk using the lithium batteries. In this mode, these will last approx.
72 hours. Now what do you suppose happens when the lithium batteries go
dead? Good! Right answer this time! The thing won't run at all!
CONS: - no control of the speaker, either on/off nor volume
- insufficient setup of the battery backup modes
- DOS backup/restore command not provided
- display clarity/somewhat meager backlighting
PROS: + size/weight/transportablity
+ battery life/battery swapability
+ "responsiveness"
CONCLUSIONS: I like it. I like it a lot. But then again I've yet to mess
with the Toshiba T1000SE, the new Texas Instruments or the littlest Compaq.
And I suspect that what I like about the Minisport has less to do with the
Minisport itself than it does having a small, lightweight, transportable,
yet fully functional PC. For me, this machine has opened the door to a whole
new dimension of computing. A dimension I had not encountered when I had
to carry around a 10-12 pound laptop, five extra pounds of related stuff,
all enclosed in a bulky carrying case.
Hope this helps. Feel free to send me email if you have questions.
Mike Vrbanac
{att!}cblpf!gmv
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