The IBM WorkPad z50 is a

handheld PC A handheld computer, also called a palmtop computer, is a term that has variously been used to describe a small-sized personal computer (PC) typically built around a clamshell form factor and a laptop-like keyboard, including: Palmtop PCs, pers ...

that was marketed by

IBM International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...

as part of the

IBM WorkPad IBM WorkPad was a line of portable devices, produced by Palm Inc. and branded by IBM. This line contained personal digital assistants (PDAs) and one subnotebook model (WorkPad Z50). Overview This line was released in 1997 and discontinued in 200 ...

series. It runs on

Windows CE Windows CE, later known as Windows Embedded CE and Windows Embedded Compact, is a discontinued operating system developed by Microsoft for mobile and embedded devices. It was part of the Windows Embedded family and served as the software foun ...

. Unlike the rest of the devices in the IBM WorkPad series it is a

subnotebook Subnotebook, also called ultraportable, superportable, handtop, mini notebook or mini laptop, is a type of laptop computer that is smaller and lighter than a typical notebook-sized laptop. Types and sizes As typical laptop sizes have decreas ...

and not a PDA.

History

It was released in 1999 for a price of $999.

Specifications

z50 is a

, weighing 1206 g, with up-to 8 hours battery life from its Li-ion battery. It uses MIPS 4100 CPU (

NEC is a Japanese multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered at the NEC Supertower in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It provides IT and network solutions, including cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), Inte ...

VR4121) at 131 MHz, and features 16 MiB

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(expandable up to 48 MiB with the official expansion pack) and

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. It has a 640x480 display.

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noted that it bears similarity to the

ThinkPad ThinkPad is a line of business-oriented laptop and Tablet computer, tablet computers produced since 1992. It was originally designed, created and manufactured by the American IBM, International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation. IBM Acquisit ...

series. It has been delivered with

NetBSD NetBSD is a free and open-source Unix-like operating system based on the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD). It was the first open-source BSD descendant officially released after 386BSD was fork (software development), forked. It continues to ...

is also compatible with the z50.

Reception

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noted the great keyboard and large amount of RAM.

References

External links

Review

{{IBM personal computers Windows CE devices WorkPad Z50 Computer-related introductions in 1999