HPC/Windows CE device recommendation

that Sharp PT-9000 looks pretty good! external floppy as an option is beautiful to see (why the heck is it 80 pins though?!), but no built in keyboard feels scary on tech this old.

I also watch those auctions - that's a crazy price, but that's what they seem to go for these days. Poqets also seem to go for crazy prices. Makes me wonder what one of my MobilePro 700s would go for.

Rick

If I remember right (and it's been a long time since I've actually used the PT-9000) there is an on-screen keyboard and hand writing recognition. You can also attach any external XT keyboard to it.

Rick

Specs of the PT-9000 make reference to an optional "compact keyboard." Wonder what that looked like.

Jake

If I remember correctly, there is/was a page on the net somewhere where someone showed a complete PT-9000, with the compact keyboard and floppy. Also, IIRC, the keyboard did not have a keypad on the right. I just checked the box and there are no photos of the compact keyboard. The manuals only have a drawing of a regular XT keyboard.

Rick





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Yeah, I was intrigued at how form-fitting it would've been, perhaps folding up like an Ipad keyboard, etc.

Great manual shot, many thanks.

Jake

Edited by Jake 2021-02-04 7:57 PM

I have a sharp PC3100 and the screen contrast is quite a challenge, also IIRC it only likes SRAM cards or PCMCIA flash cards out of the box and needs a driver to get compact flash cards to work. On the other hand it's more of an actual DOS machine than something like an 200LX, so you should be able to boot anything on it (like ELKS or fuzix) and it has more or less a full ISA bus on the expansion connector, which could make for really interesting hardware add ons.

I have an alphasmart dana as well, but found palm OS difficult to live with, and much more limiting than CE/EPOC/DOS.

Amstrad NC100 and NC200 are interesting options, they will run CP/M if you can stomach that. File transfer is basically serial only though.

The fact that you can't tilt the screen on the dana and NC100 drives me nuts too. Other devices have hinges for a really good reason!

Edited by munchausen 2021-02-04 9:36 PM

Bit of a necropost here...

But indeed, that was prescient of you. My z50 died...

On the hunt for a new device