h a l f b a k e r yBirth of a Notion.
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I've been wanting one of these for fifteen years, but display technology is just now catching up to me - a briefcase sized, desktop replacement with integrated cell phone and printer, and perhaps some bundled software to track the decaying orbit of the iridium sattelites (why didn't those guys make little
base station that you could keep in your car with a remote headset?). It would be a little more cumbersome, but it might actually stay on your lap, and you could have bigger batteries, a full size keyboard and mouse, not to mention the main thing - a 19 in. monitor. The monitor image could perhaps be resized to conserve battery life. this would be a boon to digital photographers in particular, and I'm sure there are others who would find it convenient to use the same machine at work, home and on the road.
(?) Osborne 1
http://home.wanadoo...rtb/txt/osborne.htm
Baked already. OK, it doesn't have a 19" screen, but you can't expect to have everything. You will get admiring looks from all sorts of people impressed at your retro chic, and you'll get lots of dates. [hippo, Jul 27 2000, last modified Oct 04 2004]
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So this is basically a monster laptop? |
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I was going to say, that if one could live without the screen, one could get an osborne, but a 5 in. screen? c'mon, please. plus, isn't it more like one of those old fashioned suitcases that you need to tie a belt around to keep from falling open? |
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So where will you put your newspaper, Wired magazine, paperwork and other sundries? One thing to carry is enough for me (two if the other item is an umbrella). |
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The Osborne is less like a suitcase than a cooler. It doesn't open like a clamshell, it has a lid that you remove, that has the keyboard. The screen is beneath that, and the 5.25" floppy. The HD and so on are inside the rest of it, and the handle folds down to lift the monitor a bit, making it a more comfortable viewing position. Definately not a lap top. |
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Commodore had something similar, but had a color screen, where the Osborne had only mono. |
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I was reffering to the general dimensions, I'm familiar with the Osborne, a great idea for it's time, but I had in mind a much larger, though thinner and lighter unit, basically a breifcase clamshell design that could accomodate a full size 17, 19 or even a 21 inch screen, as they become available. As mentioned before, one might find a way to digitally downsize the display to conserve some power, and/or unhinge the lid to upgrade the display. You'd also have room for your lunch. |
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I'd hate to have to try and read a bluprint off of a 5 inch screen, and 14 is not a whole lot better. |
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p.s. Thanks for the CallWave link, StarChaser. |
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I know there was also a later model "Luggable" (That's the word we're all looking for by the way) Commodore 64 variant that was remarkably similar in size, design, and components to this Osborne.
All-in-all, luggables were mostly shunned by the nomad community. A variant to try that might be nice would be a "Protable Docking Station" Something that can remain wrapped around a slim & light laptop that will allow you to convert it into a nice desk-personalizer whenever you get where you're going. Though the prices for them are too high, a larger diplay would be perfect. Also, a full-sized keyboard, connector sockets out the wazoo and space for limited (or not) office supplies would be key. |
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