Okay, well maybe it’s not a true competitor to the iPhone, seeing how it lacks cellular capabilities and only has a 5MHz processor. But it did come out 18 years before the iPhone and was the first hand-held computer made available to consumers. Even Palm’s debut of the Pilot wasn’t for another 7 years. The Atari Portfolio was ahead of it’s time
The Specs
Processor: Intel 80C88 CPU@ 4.9152MHz
Operating System: DIP DOS 2.11
RAM: 128kB
ROM: 256kB
Screen: Monochrome with 240×64 Resolution (40 characters x 8 lines)
Dimensions: 20cm x 10.5cm x 2.5cm
Weight: 17.5 oz / 505g
You may actually remember this device from Terminator 2 when John Connor used it to hack into a bank machine as well as into Cyberdyne Systems. But beyond that, the Portfolio was met with limited success — perhaps the world just wasn’t ready for handheld computers yet.
Here are some pictures of magazine ads for the portfolio that I managed to dig up: Page 1 · Page 2
A seasoned Senior Solutions Architect with 18 years of experience in technology design and implementation. Renowned for innovative solutions and strategic insights, he excels in driving complex projects to success. Outside work, he is a passionate fisherman and fish keeper, specializing in planted tanks.
You forgot about Newton by Apple – I think it is about same years (18 or more years ago)
@Alexey
Thanks, never heard of that one before! Will definitely check it out.
This is a fantastic I love I can get one.
A good software invention.
Thanks.
That is a fabulous blog post, not that hard to go through. Thank you for finding time for you to share your all of your musings.