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Portable Inventory

Depending on what you consider a handheld (computer?), I may have doubled(*) my collection yesterday. I visited the local flea market and picked up a somewhat rugged Sharp EL-6200 which is said to have been introduced in the late 1970's. I tried to load it with 4 x 1.2V rechargeable batteries, but it was too little voltage to get it running so I need to buy some real 1.5V ones to test if it is working. Maybe the display is kaput, as described on the webpage. In any case, I paid only $7 and got a 20+ years old, still shrink-wrapped unrecorded audio cassette for free. I believe if I find the right collector, it may be worth $4-5 or more on its own.

(*) Since before I have an Atari Portfolio which I acquired in a swap. I have a few branded calculators too, but those definitely don't qualify as handheld computers in my world.
 
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mobilemaster said:
Hi Lawrence.

I only collect computers that are historically significant*, to keep my budget balanced**. That's why I do not have a PC3000. It's a very nice computer, but there is not any significant "first" about it.

I can't believe you can place the Sharp/Dip 3000 in any insignificant category. This did after all come out under the Sharp label in 91 only 2 years after the Portfolio. That delay was because of the Tramiel Atari rejection after he undoubtably had them install the proprietary parallel and serial ports (as was Tramiel custom-looking for after sale profit). That later became it's greatest fault. When it was issued as a Sharp in 91 only the HP and Fugitso Poquet could compare with it. And as many have said it had the best keyboard of them all.

There used to be a great page who's author had it running Win 3.1 as well as many programs which even the most modern of handhelds couldn't handle. Unfortunately the author has folded his tent and his site, Stuart Midwinter.

In Europe the Sharp PC3000 still has many fans and a mailing list.
http://www.informatik.uni-freiburg.de/~utcke/Laptop/sharp-pc3100.html#list

Should I be able to get Stuart Midwinter to resurrect his site you will see how significant the DIP II was.

My nephew recently passed on a Cassiopedia E-11 to me with Win CE and manuals. It's a joke. More than 15 years later, that's all the computer "giants" can produce ?

I only wish I had the free coin to win the E-pay offer of the DTR Orasis a while back, even tho DTR is now a memory. Seems like any new handheld is coupled with a hefty ISP cost which is ongoing for life like death and taxes.

Lawrence
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carlsson said:
I need to buy some real 1.5V ones to test if it is working.
Click to expand...
No go with fresh 1.5V batteries. I managed to get it to flash once: "SETTING". I took it apart, but can't see any visual problems. Probably the display is partly kaput or something else. Oh well, it came with the plastic shell. Maybe a friend of mine who collects handheld systems will be interested in trading even if it is non-functional.
 
Micom 2000 said:
mobilemaster said:
Hi Lawrence.

I only collect computers that are historically significant*, to keep my budget balanced**. That's why I do not have a PC3000. It's a very nice computer, but there is not any significant "first" about it.
Click to expand...

I can't believe you can place the Sharp/Dip 3000 in any insignificant category.
Click to expand...

The thing is, there's a big difference between significant (as in "interesting gadget and/or commercially successful") and historically significant. Lots of examples of the first category -- Psion Organiser, HP-100/200, etc. -- and while I do own some of those, they didn't change the course of anything innovation-wise. Other products with their technology already existed, as was the case for the Sharp unit. Meanwhile a bunch of other systems that most people never heard of are the ones which were REALLY pioneering, such as the Toshiba LC-836, Casio PF-8000, Panasonic FH-2000, and Sony PTC-300.
 
mobilemaster said:
The thing is, there's a big difference between significant (as in "interesting gadget and/or commercially successful") and historically significant. [...]
Click to expand...

Exactly, which leaves those of us too wishy-washy to decide collecting just about everything! :D
 
Fairly new to the forum, I've "lurked" around off and on for a few months. If it is against the community practice to resurrect older threads, my apologies in advance. As a first post, here is a list of my collection to date. Some were impluse purchases, some accidental (as I didn't know what the heck I was doing!), and most qualify at least for interesting vintage computer purchase(s). Hope they bring back good memories for you, as the do for me, and feel free to comment in any manner. I've a tough skin and at the end of the day it doesn't matter if one has acquired what one wanted. (The list may format a bit strangely... I just ripped it from my Excel database.)

Atari 400
TI TI 99/4A
Compaq DeskPro
Commodore Amiga 1000
Epson HX-20
Kyocera Kyotronic 85
NEC PC-8201A
Tandy TRS-80 Model 100
Tandy TRS-80 Model 102
Zenith ZFL-181-92
Toshiba T-1000
NEC UltraLite PC-17-02
Zenith minisPORT
GRiD GRiDPad 1900
Compaq LTE
Compaq LTE 286
Texas Instruments TravelMate LT286/12
Apple PowerBook 170
Gateway Handbook
Hewlett-Packard OmniBook 300
Toshiba Portégé T3400
GRiD Palm Pad G24-2351
Toshiba T200CS/80 Dynapad
Apple PowerBook Duo 280c
Texas Instruments TravelMate 4000WinSX
IBM ThinkPad 701cs
Gateway Solo 2100
Apple PowerBook Duo 2300c
Compaq Armada 7330T
IBM ThinkPad X30
IXO (Digital) TC-200
Sony MagicLink PIC-1000
Texas Instruments Business Analyst II
Tandy TRS-80 PC-4 (PC-1212)
Panasonic HHC RL-H1400
(Lexicon &) Nixdorf LK-3000
* LK-3500 Notepad module
* LK-3200 Language module
TI CC40
Canon X-07
Casio IF-8000 Organizer
Casio PB-1000
Atari Portfolio
Hewlett-Packard HP-95LX
Sharp PC-3100
Hewlett-Packard HP-100LX
Apple Newton MP100 Message Pad
Psion Series 3A
Fujitsu PadPlus RF PQ-3020
Casio Z-7000 Zoomer
Hewlett-Packard Omnigo 100
Sharp Zaurus ZR-5000FX
Philips Velo 1
Ericsson MC16 (OEM HP 320LX)
NEC MobilePro 780
US Robotics Pilot 5000
3Com Palm III
Sony Clie PEG-T615C
 
Well, welcome to the forum, formally, and that's quite the collection you have there.

Nice thing about little computers is you can have more of them cluttering up the same space as a few pieces of "big iron". :)
 
Thanks for the warm welcome. Now, could I persuade you to convey your thoughts about space to the spousal unit...
;)


Druid6900 said:
Nice thing about little computers is you can have more of them cluttering up the same space as a few pieces of "big iron". :)
Click to expand...
 
Hrm, my portable collection is a bit heavy on the Apple side:

Macintosh Portable (backlit, currently with a dead battery, looking into getting it rebuilt.)
68k PowerBooks: 100, 140, 180, 520c
PowerBook Duos: 230c, 2300c
PPC PowerBooks: 520c with PowerPC upgrade, 3x5300c, 5300ce, iBook (original Tangerine), G3 (Lombard), G4 (12" 867 MHz)
Other: MacBook Pro (2.0 GHz Core Duo,) Compaq Presario V2000 (Pentium M 2.26 GHz)
Newton MP 100, MP 120
Palm V, Tapwave Zodiac
Nokia N-Gage, iPhone

I used to have two luggables: a Compaq Portable II and an IBM PS/2 P70, but both were sold off before I started "collecting" computers.

And if you count them, I also have a Mac Plus, 2xSE, SE/30, Classic, Classic II, and Color Classic II. (Hey, they weigh less than the Portable II and PS/2 P70.)
 
TexasCowhand said:
Fairly new to the forum ... As a first post, here is a list of my collection to date.
Click to expand...

Kudos on the Nixdorf LK-3500 Notepad module and the Casio IF-8000. Good finds.

Now you need the Nixdorf "Electronic Directory" module (I can look up the # when I get home to NJ next week) and the Casio PF-8000. The former adds a database app to the LK-3000; the latter puts the IF- to shame by having a character recognition feature.

Your holy grail should be the Toshiba LC-836MN, a.ka. Memo Note 30. As far as I can tell (based on five years of very hard-core research and collecting), that was the first "real" PDA, circa 1978. Canon and Sharp had very similar devices of the same era, but they appear to be me-too products.
 
I've only got portable computers, but compared to most of you guys, I got almost nothing ^^

Portables:
Atari Portfolio (With Parallel Interface and Memory-Expander)
HP 95LX
Psion Organiser II
Psion Revo

Laptops:
Olivetti M15 (case is a bit damaged, I haven't tested if it works yet)
Macbook

Programmable calculators:
Sharp PC-1401
 
I really like the idea of luggable, portable, and handheld since you don't need a ton of room to store them! Here's mine:

Handheld:

Palm m130
TRS-80 PC-3
Sharp PC-1261

Luggables:
None :(
Had a TRS-80 Model 4P once, but I was low on room and had no software for it. I almost knew I'd regret throwing it away, and I still regret it.

Portable:
I've got a Pentium ??? Running Win98.
486 DX-25 with no hard drive :(
...and I recently accidently blew up a 386 SX-25 :(

But I REALLY love my handhelds :). I've got time to kill at work while I'm doing long tests on boards, so I'm typing some basic progs into text files and I'll be uploading them to my Sharp PC-1261.
 
Big addition coming to my collection... an Osborne Encore! Not sure if it works or not, but will find out next week!!!!!
 
Hi Evan! I too think the LK-3000 was an interesting "step along the way" toward development of a personal device (what I want doesn't really have a name... internet tablet comes closest to fitting my personal desires). Progress will get us there eventually.

I still don't have the LK-xxxx Electronic Directory module you referenced. Watching for it to add to my LK-3500 Notepad and LK-3200 Language modules. (What is the number?)

I was already, and continue, to seek the Toshiba LC-836MN... even would "start" with one of its "siblings" until I found it if I could. (Sighs.)

The only additions since my previous posting have been a NEC UltraLite PC-17-01 (to go with my NEC UltraLite PC-17-02) and (at long last!) a Casio PF-8000. It's interesting to note the present movement forward-back to memory "hard-drives" as the UltraLites had/have. Almost didn't buy the -01... so many things, so little money, but I'm really glad I did. While it is used, I have never bought a used computer that had been taken care of so well. It is simply in beautiful condition with the original (has the visual appearance of carbon paper) black plastic sleave it came in as well as a sheet of the same material that rests on the keyboard seperating it (further) from the dislplay.

Still have units I am seeking, but they are far less common than say a TRS-80/100 for example. Now to determine the best way to display those I do have...

BTW, thanks for the site. It's nice to check what others of similar interests are doing from time to time.


EvanK said:
Kudos on the Nixdorf LK-3500 Notepad module and the Casio IF-8000. Good finds.

Now you need the Nixdorf "Electronic Directory" module (I can look up the # when I get home to NJ next week) and the Casio PF-8000. The former adds a database app to the LK-3000; the latter puts the IF- to shame by having a character recognition feature.

Your holy grail should be the Toshiba LC-836MN, a.ka. Memo Note 30. As far as I can tell (based on five years of very hard-core research and collecting), that was the first "real" PDA, circa 1978. Canon and Sharp had very similar devices of the same era, but they appear to be me-too products.
Click to expand...
 
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