A Palmtop PC is an obsolete, approximately

pocket calculator An electronic calculator is typically a portable electronic device used to perform calculations, ranging from basic arithmetic to complex mathematics. The first solid-state electronic calculator was created in the early 1960s. Pocket-siz ...

-sized, battery-powered computer in a horizontal clamshell design with integrated keyboard and display. It could be used like a modern

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 ...

, but was light enough to be comfortably used handheld as well. Most Palmtop PCs were small enough to be stored in a user's shirt or jacket pockets. Palmtop PCs distinguish from other

palmtop computer 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 ...

s by using a mostly IBM-compatible PC architecture, and

BIOS In computing, BIOS (, ; Basic Input/Output System, also known as the System BIOS, ROM BIOS, BIOS ROM or PC BIOS) is a type of firmware used to provide runtime services for operating systems and programs and to perform hardware initialization d ...

as well as an Intel-compatible

x86 x86 (also known as 80x86 or the 8086 family) is a family of complex instruction set computer (CISC) instruction set architectures initially developed by Intel, based on the 8086 microprocessor and its 8-bit-external-bus variant, the 8088. Th ...

processor. All such devices were

DOS DOS (, ) is a family of disk-based operating systems for IBM PC compatible computers. The DOS family primarily consists of IBM PC DOS and a rebranded version, Microsoft's MS-DOS, both of which were introduced in 1981. Later compatible syste ...

-based, with DOS stored in

ROM Rom, or ROM may refer to: Biomechanics and medicine * Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient * Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac * ...

. While many Palmtop PCs came with a number of PDA and office applications pre-installed in ROM, most of them could also run generic, off-the-shelf PC software with no or little modifications. Some could also run other operating systems such as GEOS, Windows 1.0- 3.0 (in

Real mode Real mode, also called real address mode, is an operating mode of all x86-compatible CPUs. The mode gets its name from the fact that addresses in real mode always correspond to real locations in memory. Real mode is characterized by a 20- bit s ...

only), or MINIX 2.0. Most Palmtop PCs have been based on a static hardware design for low power consumption, and instant-on/off without the need to reboot. Depending on the model, the battery could power the device for a period ranging from several hours up to several days while running, or between a week and a year in standby mode. Combined with the instant-on/off feature, a battery would typically last from a week up to several months in practical use as PDA. The first Palmtop PC was the DIP Pocket PC (aka

Atari Portfolio The Atari Portfolio (Atari PC Folio) is an IBM PC-compatible palmtop PC, released by Atari Corporation in June 1989. It was the first palmtop computer compatible with the IBM PC ever released. History DIP Research Ltd. based in Guildford, Su ...

) in 1989. Palmtop PCs include: * DIP Pocket PC ( DIP DOS 2.11, 1989) *

(DIP DOS 2.11, 1989) * Poqet PC Classic ( MS-DOS 3.3, 80C88, 1989) * Poqet PC Prime (MS-DOS 3.3, 80C88) * Poqet PC Plus ( MS-DOS 5.0, NEC V30) * ZEOS Pocket PC (MS-DOS 5.0, 1991) * Sharp PC-3000 (MS-DOS 3.3, 1991) * Sharp PC-3100 (MS-DOS 3.3, 1991) * Hewlett-Packard 95LX ( MS-DOS 3.22, NEC V20, 1991) * Hewlett-Packard 100LX (MS-DOS 5.0, 80186-compatible HP Hornet, 1993) * Hewlett-Packard Palmtop FX (MS-DOS 5.0, 80186-compatible HP Hornet, 1993) * Hewlett-Packard 200LX (MS-DOS 5.0, 80186-compatible HP Hornet, 1994) * Hewlett-Packard 1000CX (MS-DOS 5.0, 80186-compatible HP Hornet) * Hewlett-Packard OmniGo 700LX (MS-DOS 5.0, 80186-compatible HP Hornet, 1996) Some touch-screen computers may also be included in this category: * Hewlett-Packard OmniGo 100 ( Datalight ROM-DOS+ PEN/GEOS 2.1, NEC V30HL-compatible Vadem VG230, 1993) * Hewlett-Packard OmniGo 120 (DOS+PEN/GEOS, NEC V30HL-compatible Vadem VG230)

References

Handheld personal computers IBM PC compatibles Mobile computers Subnotebooks {{computing-stub

See also

References