The Poqet PC is a very small, portableIBM PC compatiblecomputer, introduced in 1989 by Poqet Computer Corporation with a price of $2000. The computer was discontinued after Fujitsu Ltd. bought Poqet Computer Corp. It was the first subnotebook form factor IBM PC compatible computer that ran MS-DOS. The Poqet PC is powered by two AA-size batteries. Through the use of aggressive power management, which includes stopping the CPU between keystrokes, the batteries are able to power the computer for anywhere between a couple of weeks and a couple of months, depending on usage. The computer also uses an "instant on" feature, such that after powering it down, it can be used again immediately without having to go through a full booting sequence. The Poqet PC is comparable to the HP 95LX/HP 100LX/HP 200LX and the Atari Portfolio handheld computers.
Three variants were produced. The Poqet PC was the first to be introduced and the Poqet PC Prime followed shortly after. (The original version was subsequently renamed the Poqet PC "Classic"). Several years later, the Poqet PC Plus was introduced. The main difference between the Poqet PC Classic and the Prime was the expansion of RAM from 512 to 640 KB and enhancement of the power management features.
Specificationsedit
Size: 8.8 in (220 mm) x 4.3 in (110 mm) x 1 in (25 mm)
Weight: 1.2 lb (0.54 kg) with batteries
Battery life: 50–100 hours (expect a lot less if running long, CPU-intensive programs (10-20 h approx.))
Built-in software: MS-DOS 3.3, PoqetLink, and PoqetTools
Poqet PC Plusedit
Poqet PC Plus
Several years after the Poqet Prime and Classic, and some time after Fujitsu purchased Poqet Computer Corp., the new and improved Poqet PC Plus was introduced. The Poqet PC Plus had significant differences from the Classic and Prime models, some better than others. It features a rechargeable battery pack that holds a smaller charge than the "Classic", enhanced PC Card slots that now support more PC Cards, a transflective backlit LCD and 2 MB of RAM (640 KB to DOS, 64 KB shadow, and 1-1344 KB for a RAM disk). The Poqet "Classic"'s LCD didn't have a backlight and was more prone to breaking than the Poqet PC Plus. It also only took Type I, Release 1.0 SRAM cards, as opposed to Type II cards and Release 2.0 cards, including flash, SRAM, and a few modem cards. The Plus also had more memory. Despite many improvements, the Plus also had its drawbacks. The Poqet PC Plus was considerably larger and heavier than its predecessors. It weighed approximately 1.83 lb (0.83 kg) as opposed to the Classic's 1.2 lb (0.54 kg). It also has a very odd miniature 26-pin serial connector for which there is no currently available adapter. However, many Toshiba external floppy drives and dongles used this same JAE connector. An amateur radio hobbyist who uses a Poqet has found a way to make a suitable adapter.[1] It also is not totally PCMCIA Release 2.0 compatible, so not all memory cards will work, and, as Bryan Mason says on his Poqet site, only the "PNB Samantha modem, Megahertz 14.4 kbit/s modem with XJACK, and the AT&T Paradyne KeepInTouch 14.4 kbit/s modems" will work in it.[2] In addition, not all CompactFlash cards work in the Poqet. Users have found that many machines do not work with newer CF cards.
Specificationsedit
Size: 9.05 in (230 mm) x 5.12 in (130 mm) x 1.42 in (36 mm)
Memory: 2 MB (Memory above 640 KB is configurable as EMS or a RAM disk. 64 KB is reserved for shadow BIOS.)
Display: Transflective LCD with backlight on demand. 7.25 in (184 mm) diagonal size.
Display compatibility: MDA: 80 x 25 characters CGA: 640 x 200 pixels
Expansion: 2 × Type II PCMCIA slots (nearly compatible with PCMCIA Revision 2.0.) 1 × TTL serial port 1 × TTL/RS-232 serial port (configurable)
PCMCIA Compatibility: Supports SunDisk (SanDisk) ATA Flash, 3.3 V and 5 V SRAM; AT&T Paradyne KeepInTouch modem, Megahertz PCMCIA 14.4 kbit/s modem with XJACK, and PNB Samantha modem.
Secondary storage: Drive A: Left PCMCIA slot Drive B: Right PCMCIA slot Drive C: ROM drive with MS-DOS 5.0 Drive D: 784 KB Flash drive Drive E: RAM drive (if configured)
Built-in software: MS-DOS 5.0, EMS driver, RAM Disk driver, Flash utility, barcode reader, PenConnect serial communications software, PCMCIA driver.
The Poqet PC was one of the first subnotebooks to exist in the marketplace, and still today[when?] is one of the smallest, although it is beaten by the HP 200LX. It was immediately recognized as a milestone in portable computing when PC Magazine awarded the Poqet PC development team (Ian H. S. Cullimore, John P. Fairbanks, Leroy D. Harper, Shinpei Ichikawa, Stavro Evangelo Prodromou) its coveted Technical Excellence Award for 1989.[3] The same device that PC World called "one of the 50 greatest gadgets of the last 50 years"[4] had a very short lifespan, from only about 1989-1994. After Poqet was bought by Fujitsu, the Poqet was soon axed. For a short time Poqet value declined, with the onset of Windows CE. A similar decline in HP 200LX demand also occurred after the introduction of HP Windows CE machines. However, despite the new machines' power, their operating system soon proved to be inefficient. The Poqets and HP 'LX' DOS machines became very high in demand. Poqets also are in fairly high demand, but fetch somewhat lower prices. A Cherry Hill, NJ business, Disks 'n' Data, once had a stock of Classics and Pluses. As the owner of the store, Jerry Tessler, put it: "I sold them all in twenty minutes." Unlike running Windows CE, running DOS in near-standard specifications meant that everything from Lotus 1-2-3 to Zork worked as expected.
^"The 6th Annual Awards (1989)". PC Magazine. 12 March 2002. Retrieved 2013-02-24.
^"The 50 Greatest Gadgets of the Past 50 Years". PCWorld. 2005-12-24. Retrieved 2013-02-24.
Further readingedit
The Poqet PC User's Guide(PDF). Poqet Computer Corp. 1989. Retrieved 2018-09-14.
External linksedit
The Poqet PC Home Page A collection of Poqet information, along with documentation, software downloads, and FAQs.
A Poqet PC Wiki is a wiki about the Poqet PC that is currently under construction.
Fujitsu's Home Page The company that eventually sold Poqets later on in the series' short lifespan.
Poqet PC ... QRPer's field computing dream! A page on the Poqet used for ham radio. Many links and much info.
Poqet PC Plus Serial Adapter Making a Poqet PC Plus serial adapter.
California Digital sells Poqet PC Pluses and accessories.
Poqet PC A review of the Classic by Tom Carlson.
PC World - The 50 Greatest Gadgets of the Past 50 Years mentions the Poqet computer in a part of its article
PC Magazine also mentioned the Poqet PC in this article
New York Times May 14, 1989 "The Big News in Tiny Computers" by John Markoff
January 01, 1970
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Not to be confused with Pocket PC or Pocket computer The Poqet PC is a very small portable IBM PC compatible computer introduced in 1989 by Poqet Computer Corporation with a price of 2000 The computer was discontinued after Fujitsu Ltd bought Poqet Computer Corp It was the first subnotebook form factor IBM PC compatible computer that ran MS DOS The Poqet PC is powered by two AA size batteries Through the use of aggressive power management which includes stopping the CPU between keystrokes the batteries are able to power the computer for anywhere between a couple of weeks and a couple of months depending on usage The computer also uses an instant on feature such that after powering it down it can be used again immediately without having to go through a full booting sequence The Poqet PC is comparable to the HP 95LX HP 100LX HP 200LX and the Atari Portfolio handheld computers Poqet PC Contents 1 Poqet PC Classic and Prime 1 1 Specifications 2 Poqet PC Plus 2 1 Specifications 3 Reception 4 See also 5 References 5 1 Sources 5 2 Citations 6 Further reading 7 External linksPoqet PC Classic and Prime editThree variants were produced The Poqet PC was the first to be introduced and the Poqet PC Prime followed shortly after The original version was subsequently renamed the Poqet PC Classic Several years later the Poqet PC Plus was introduced The main difference between the Poqet PC Classic and the Prime was the expansion of RAM from 512 to 640 KB and enhancement of the power management features Specifications edit Size 8 8 in 220 mm x 4 3 in 110 mm x 1 in 25 mm Weight 1 2 lb 0 54 kg with batteries Battery life 50 100 hours expect a lot less if running long CPU intensive programs 10 20 h approx Microprocessor 80C88 7 MHz Memory 640 KB SRAM Display Reflective DSTN no backlight Display compatibility MDA 80 25 characters CGA 640 200 pixels PCMCIA 2 Type I Revision 1 0 memory card slots Secondary storage Drive A 512 KB 2 MB PCMCIA not included Drive B 512 2 MB PCMCIA not included Drive C 768 KB ROM drive with MS DOS 3 3 and PoqetTools Drive D 22 KB volatile RAM drive Built in software MS DOS 3 3 PoqetLink and PoqetToolsPoqet PC Plus edit nbsp Poqet PC Plus Several years after the Poqet Prime and Classic and some time after Fujitsu purchased Poqet Computer Corp the new and improved Poqet PC Plus was introduced The Poqet PC Plus had significant differences from the Classic and Prime models some better than others It features a rechargeable battery pack that holds a smaller charge than the Classic enhanced PC Card slots that now support more PC Cards a transflective backlit LCD and 2 MB of RAM 640 KB to DOS 64 KB shadow and 1 1344 KB for a RAM disk The Poqet Classic s LCD didn t have a backlight and was more prone to breaking than the Poqet PC Plus It also only took Type I Release 1 0 SRAM cards as opposed to Type II cards and Release 2 0 cards including flash SRAM and a few modem cards The Plus also had more memory Despite many improvements the Plus also had its drawbacks The Poqet PC Plus was considerably larger and heavier than its predecessors It weighed approximately 1 83 lb 0 83 kg as opposed to the Classic s 1 2 lb 0 54 kg It also has a very odd miniature 26 pin serial connector for which there is no currently available adapter However many Toshiba external floppy drives and dongles used this same JAE connector An amateur radio hobbyist who uses a Poqet has found a way to make a suitable adapter 1 It also is not totally PCMCIA Release 2 0 compatible so not all memory cards will work and as Bryan Mason says on his Poqet site only the PNB Samantha modem Megahertz 14 4 kbit s modem with XJACK and the AT amp T Paradyne KeepInTouch 14 4 kbit s modems will work in it 2 In addition not all CompactFlash cards work in the Poqet Users have found that many machines do not work with newer CF cards Specifications edit Size 9 05 in 230 mm x 5 12 in 130 mm x 1 42 in 36 mm Weight 1 54 lb 0 70 kg w batteries Battery life 3 12 hours application dependent Microprocessor NEC V30 at 16 MHz Memory 2 MB Memory above 640 KB is configurable as EMS or a RAM disk 64 KB is reserved for shadow BIOS Display Transflective LCD with backlight on demand 7 25 in 184 mm diagonal size Display compatibility MDA 80 x 25 characters CGA 640 x 200 pixels Expansion 2 Type II PCMCIA slots nearly compatible with PCMCIA Revision 2 0 1 TTL serial port 1 TTL RS 232 serial port configurable PCMCIA Compatibility Supports SunDisk SanDisk ATA Flash 3 3 V and 5 V SRAM AT amp T Paradyne KeepInTouch modem Megahertz PCMCIA 14 4 kbit s modem with XJACK and PNB Samantha modem Secondary storage Drive A Left PCMCIA slot Drive B Right PCMCIA slot Drive C ROM drive with MS DOS 5 0 Drive D 784 KB Flash drive Drive E RAM drive if configured Built in software MS DOS 5 0 EMS driver RAM Disk driver Flash utility barcode reader PenConnect serial communications software PCMCIA driver Reception editThis article possibly contains original research Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations Statements consisting only of original research should be removed April 2010 Learn how and when to remove this message The Poqet PC was one of the first subnotebooks to exist in the marketplace and still today when is one of the smallest although it is beaten by the HP 200LX It was immediately recognized as a milestone in portable computing when PC Magazine awarded the Poqet PC development team Ian H S Cullimore John P Fairbanks Leroy D Harper Shinpei Ichikawa Stavro Evangelo Prodromou its coveted Technical Excellence Award for 1989 3 The same device that PC World called one of the 50 greatest gadgets of the last 50 years 4 had a very short lifespan from only about 1989 1994 After Poqet was bought by Fujitsu the Poqet was soon axed For a short time Poqet value declined with the onset of Windows CE A similar decline in HP 200LX demand also occurred after the introduction of HP Windows CE machines However despite the new machines power their operating system soon proved to be inefficient The Poqets and HP LX DOS machines became very high in demand Poqets also are in fairly high demand but fetch somewhat lower prices A Cherry Hill NJ business Disks n Data once had a stock of Classics and Pluses As the owner of the store Jerry Tessler put it I sold them all in twenty minutes Unlike running Windows CE running DOS in near standard specifications meant that everything from Lotus 1 2 3 to Zork worked as expected See also editAtari Portfolio Zeos Pocket PC HP 95LX HP 100LX HP 200LX HP 1000CX HP OmniGo 700LX Toshiba Libretto Fujitsu Lifebook Subnotebook Netbook Palmtop PC Ultra mobile PC UMPC References editSources edit California Digital 2006 2006 12 22 Mason Bryan The Poqet PC Home Page 2006 2006 12 25 Poqet PC Plus Serial Adapter 2005 2006 12 22 Wong Al Al s Review of Fujitsu s Poqet PC Plus 2001 2006 12 23 Citations edit Poqet PC Plus Serial Adapter The Poqet PC Home Page The 6th Annual Awards 1989 PC Magazine 12 March 2002 Retrieved 2013 02 24 The 50 Greatest Gadgets of the Past 50 Years PCWorld 2005 12 24 Retrieved 2013 02 24 Further reading editThe Poqet PC User s Guide PDF Poqet Computer Corp 1989 Retrieved 2018 09 14 External links editThe Poqet PC Home Page A collection of Poqet information along with documentation software downloads and FAQs A Poqet PC Wiki is a wiki about the Poqet PC that is currently under construction Fujitsu s Home Page The company that eventually sold Poqets later on in the series short lifespan Poqet PC QRPer s field computing dream A page on the Poqet used for ham radio Many links and much info Poqet PC Plus Serial Adapter Making a Poqet PC Plus serial adapter California Digital sells Poqet PC Pluses and accessories Poqet PC A review of the Classic by Tom Carlson PC World The 50 Greatest Gadgets of the Past 50 Years mentions the Poqet computer in a part of its article PC Magazine also mentioned the Poqet PC in this article New York Times May 14 1989 The Big News in Tiny Computers by John Markoff Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Poqet PC amp oldid 1165827310 Plus, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
