You Can't Take It With You
In 1987, Compaq
released a "portable” computer. It weighed 40 lbs. It was heavy, it was a slow, and it had a
tiny monochrome screen. It was all that and wonderful, too. THE first
computer!
In the 1990s, manufacturer's strove to develop laptops that weighed less
than 7-pounds. These data bricks looked like an Etch-a-Sketch (with or
without a keyboard) and they were about as dumb as computers go. But,
this was progress: the portable PC was down from 40 lbs to 7.
Or Can You?
Microsoft developed a skinny version of Windows called
Windows CE. Windows CE runs
on different kinds of machines: Palm, laptops, and Cell Phones.
Palm PCs belong to the same family as the Apple
Newton, the first and
original computer companion. They are about the size of a small Franklin
Planner. A Palm PC lets you download Email, contacts and appointments
from Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Organizer, and other calendar programs.
