Intel Chat Pad prototype 2001

Intel Chat Pad prototype c.2001. Looks like a dumb HPC terminal. The keys look nice but the small LCD screen is not top-tier.

This is just a case with nothing inside. But the case/screen/keyboard look finalized.

Oh wow! That looks pretty cool! It reminds me of the early 00's with G3 iMacs and their eMachines etc. clones with translucent color bodies.

You know, like these:
https://512pixels.net/2016/05/imac-clones/

-stingraze

Edited by stingraze 2024-05-06 1:33 AM

You're right...clear copy of the Apple G3 etal. design language.

When I saw this, I was just thinking how clunky and awkward the industrial design was.

There were other accessories in the family that also seemed to have some of that Aubrey (3Com) design language.

The Microsoft Surface is a pretty impressive design (from a company that does not make hardware).

Yes, I like Microsoft's Surface design too. I never got to purchase it... Maybe someday.

-stingraze

I was the UX designer at Intel for this product. I have a functioning unit, it boots up and says it can’t detect a base station. It’s labeled as a beta 0 engineering prototype, serial no. 0080. The industrial design was done by IDEO and yes the idea was to jump on the 2000s translucent tech design fad that Apple started. This product was going to be one of the wireless peripherals that worked with the base station, it would have supported email and chat only from various big name services like Yahoo, AOL and MSN (although I think the only one they were working with when they pulled the plug was AOL). When the project was cancelled (in 2000 or 2001 I think) they gave away all the built products to employees. My recollection is that although they physically looked final including the packaging, the software never went further than alpha or very early beta. I never saw a complete system working with PC + base station + chatpad (or any other wireless peripheral).

Sashazur - thank you for dropping by. That must have been an interesting project!

Was Intel using Windows CE for these gadgets?

No, I’m pretty sure the ChatPad had a proprietary OS - if you could even call it an OS at all. The other devices in the Intel wireless series (keyboard, mouse, game controller) that did make it to market were too simple to require an OS or anything close to it. I’ve sent my bootable ChatPad to Brad who does the Tech Time Traveler YouTube channel, I figure he’ll do an updated video sometime after he receives it.

Edited by Sashazur 2024-05-17 12:14 AM

It will be interesting to see the bootable running. I assumed Intel would have taken some OS off the shelf, but they had the resources to do whatever they wanted to.

There were so many creative and quirky handheld devices decades ago. Today's gear is more capable but boring.

Thanks for sending the ChatPad into the Tech Time Traveler for a "future" video hehehe.