GRiDPad was a trademarked name for a series of

pen computing Pen computing refers to any computer user-interface using a pen or stylus and tablet, over input devices such as a keyboard or a mouse. Pen computing is also used to refer to the usage of mobile devices such as tablet computers, PDAs and GPS rec ...

tablets built by Grid Systems Corporation. The GRiDPad 1900, released in 1989, is regarded as the first commercially successful tablet computer.

Jeff Hawkins Jeffrey Hawkins is a co-founder of the companies Palm Computing, where he co-created the PalmPilot, and Handspring, where he was one of the creators of the Treo.Jeff Hawkins, ''On Intelligence'', p.28 He subsequently turned to work on neurosc ...

went on to use the GRiDPad as a predecessor for his best known-invention, the

Palm Pilot The PalmPilot Personal and PalmPilot Professional are the second generation of Palm PDA devices produced by Palm Inc (then a subsidiary of U.S. Robotics, later 3Com). These devices were launched on March 10, 1997. Accessories and pricing Pa ...

Specifications

The GRiDPad 1900 measured and weighed . The main distinguishing aspect was its touchscreen interface with a

stylus A stylus (plural styli or styluses) is a writing utensil or a small tool for some other form of marking or shaping, for example, in pottery. It can also be a computer accessory that is used to assist in navigating or providing more precision ...

, a pen-like tool to aid with precision in a touchscreen device. The stylus was able to use handwriting-recognition software. The GRiDPad also included these features: *10 MHz 80C86 processor *

MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few oper ...

operating system – the popular operating system used by IBM PC-compatible personal computers *A monochromatic Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) display resolution of 640x400 *256KB or 512KB battery-backed RAM cards *1MB or 2MB of system memory *One

serial port In computing, a serial port is a serial communication interface through which information transfers in or out sequentially one bit at a time. This is in contrast to a parallel port, which communicates multiple bits simultaneously in paralle ...

, two ATA-FLASH slots, and an expansion bus connector

Models

Because of its use for inventory management, the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

specified more durable versions of the tablet made out of magnesium that were not sold to the general public. The US Army specially ordered magnesium because it is a strong yet light metal, making it ideal for use in demanding environments. According to a patent submitted in 1992 by an engineer at GRiD Systems, the touchscreen in the GRiDPad works by magnifying an internal

Cartesian plane A Cartesian coordinate system (, ) in a plane is a coordinate system that specifies each point uniquely by a pair of numerical coordinates, which are the signed distances to the point from two fixed perpendicular oriented lines, measured i ...

and calculating the displacement. Further patents by Jeff Hawkins describe flipping the screen orientation between landscape and portrait.

Reception

Because of its text-recognition interface, the GRiDPad was marketed toward specialist consumers who would use the tablet for bookkeeping. The GRiDPad was "designed to streamline the chores of workers such as route delivery drivers and claims adjusters, who typically recorded data on paper forms." Some of the agencies that used the GRiDPad included

Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automot ...

San Jose Police Department The San Jose Police Department (SJPD) is the police agency for San Jose, California. The San Jose Police Department is led by Chief of Police Anthony Mata. The department makes its calls for service available to the public; it is the first Am ...

, and even the

US Government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a feder ...

. The first commercial customer to use the GRiDPad and who contributed to the overall requirements was Best Foods Baking Group, a division of CPC International. The average selling price for one unit was US$2,370 without software, and $3,000 with software. It was so successful that it sold approximately $30 million in its best year.

Legacy

Although the GriDPad had the same operating system as personal computers, it was not designed to be a replacement for computers. Hawkins once said, "I never saw pen computers as a replacement for a full PC..." Although it did not replace computers, it did pave the way for other companies to invest more into tablet computers. Not only did the GRiDPad start paving the way for tablet computers, it also helped propel Jeff Hawkins' career. Hawkins used the same stylus technology to develop his most commercially successful product, the Palm Pilot, making the GRiDPad its predecessor.

References

{{GRiD Touchscreens Tablet computers Grid Systems laptops

Specifications

Models

Reception

Legacy

See also

References