Atari News - Portfolio
Prickett
From: "Information Week" - Issue 215 (4/10/89) Pg. 36
Atari Computer began shipping Portfolio, a 1-pound MS-DOS
machine. Retailing for $400, it's expandable to 640K, runs
on AA batteries, and offers an 8-line, 40 char. LCD display.
The handheld unit comes with a text processor, Lotus 1-2-3
compatable speadsheet, and built-in modem.
This is the first I've heard of this. Thought the rest of you Atarians
would like the news as well.
Signed,
Marcus "Orphan Computer" Prickett (I keep my 800XL next to my TI99/4A :-})
Mark Knutsen
> From: "Information Week" - Issue 215 (4/10/89) Pg. 36
> Atari Computer began shipping Portfolio, a 1-pound MS-DOS
> machine.
Atari began shipping something new? This close to April 1, it looks
like an April Fool's joke.
--
Mark Knutsen knu...@rutgers.edu -or- {...}!rutgers!knutsen
Vice President, USACS ____ ____ ____ ____ /
...the Rutgers Undergraduate Student / //___ /___// /___ /
Association for Computer Science /___/____// //___ ____/ .
Peter Ted Szymonik
at COMDEX.
Peter Szymonik
Xo...@cup.portal.com
Mark Knutsen
Szymonik) writes:
[regarding the new Atari MS-DOS machine]
> Nope, this one is REAL folks! Really caught the eyes of the MS-DOSers
> at COMDEX.
So it would seem. I received the following from Atari:
] From: atari!j...@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Jim Tittsler)
] To: knu...@athos.rutgers.edu
] Subject: Re: Atari News - Portfolio
] In-Reply-To: your article <Apr.15.10.03....@athos.rutgers.edu>
]
] > In article <10...@ihlpb.ATT.COM> m...@ihlpb.ATT.COM (Prickett) writes:
] > > From: "Information Week" - Issue 215 (4/10/89) Pg. 36
] > > Atari Computer began shipping Portfolio, a 1-pound MS-DOS
] > > machine.
] > Atari began shipping something new? This close to April 1, it looks
] > like an April Fool's joke.
]
] No, it is not shipping yet. We have demonstrated prototypes, but public
] shipments have not begun.
]
] Jim Tittsler, Systems Engineer, Atari Corp.
Perhaps Mr. Tittsler would be willing to give us some more
information. Keyboard style? (I suppose we don't get a full-size
QWERTY keyboard for one pound) Memory capacity? External storage?
Price?
Lisa T Raine
IF this little machine turns out to be what I need, it will be
a gem! YOU have any idea what this Portfolio means to me?
I'm speech impaired due to cerebral palsy. I am mobile, so a
clumsy heavy Laptop and / or DECtalker, wouldn't do me much good.
Have struggled ok with a tiny tandy for four years, but it really
is much too tiny to type on, and only holds 2 or 3 k... 3 lines
3 -short- lines of text........
And if my eyes didn't decieve me , I saw a speaker on the side...
If it can do speech synthesis, it will be a double blessing...
I will at long last- have a voice- and be able to carry on more
'normal' in-person conversations........maybe even give poetry readings.
'So, say a prayer....
My dad asked the following questions;
does it have a serial port? Does it have a paralell port?
Does it have internal disk drives...<-- answered in article, i know ;>
Is there room to add ibm compatible 1/2 cards?
Anybody selling it at discount for handicapped?
WOW!, the possibilities are astounding....... I've only waited
33 years for something like this...... Knew the tech was here, but
didn't think anybody was gonna put it all into one tidy
package so soon! YAY!......... Hey, I can dream, can't I?
Lisa Raine
Bob_BobR...@cup.portal.com
handicapped...
Sunny... I know what you're dreaming of, but unfortunately, the Atari
Portfolio is NOT it... I wish it was, for you..
BobR
Lisa T Raine
Bob, why not? With a little help from canada who has come up
with a speech synthesizer about the same size as the folio,
why wouldn't it work?
Anything bigger than my tiny tandy pocket puter's gotta be better!
even if it doesnt 'talk' I still have a bigger screen & keyboard
to work with.....
Thanks bob, I know you worked hard, with many others to get the
special rates for handicapped pc pursuiters.....
Gotta call my doctoir on monday first thing & get that letter!
Sunny
Ken Badertscher
| Bob Reteel says he knows what I'm dreaming of........
|
| Bob, why not? With a little help from canada who has come up
| with a speech synthesizer about the same size as the folio,
| why wouldn't it work?
|
| Anything bigger than my tiny tandy pocket puter's gotta be better!
| even if it doesnt 'talk' I still have a bigger screen & keyboard
| to work with.....
|
text-to-speech software, the Portfolio would be ideal for Lisa's needs.
Remember, folks, Portfolio is an MS-DOS(tm) compatible, with a built-in
speaker!
--
||| Ken Badertscher (ames!atari!kbad)
||| Atari R&D System Software Engine
/ | \ #include <disclaimer>
Bob_BobR...@cup.portal.com
(Regarding its use for the handicapped, and my reply that it wouldn't be
suitable..)
>Bob, why not? With a little help from canada who has come up
>with a speech synthesizer about the same size as the folio,
>why wouldn't it work?
being marketed by Atari... they had nothing to do with its development,
and as far as I know, nothing to do with its manufacture.. they're just
slapping an Atari label on it...
The Portfolio has no standard interfaces or "ports" on it, so any devices
like speech synthesizers which needed an RS-232 interface, would be useless..
There are no "internal card slots" to use standard IBM PC style expansion
cards (actually, that's understandable, given the compact size), so that
avenue of expansion is closed..
There is no provision for attaching any standard printers or disk drives...
There is virtually *NO* software available for it, despite the fact that it
will *RUN* any MS-DOS programs, because of the "RAM-Card" storage device..
(try an experiment... call any IBM software store, and ask them how many IBM
programs they have... then ask them how many of those are available *now* on
"RAM-Cards"... if they're polite, they'll wait until after they hang up
before they laugh..)
There *IS* built-in software provided with the Portfolio... anyone who plans
to use a "Lotus 1-2-3" spreadsheet clone with an 8-line by 40 character
display, raise their hands... I didn't think so...
There is a "wordprocessor" built-in, but with no printer support, and no
disk drives to easily port your documents (again, typed on an 8-line by
40 character display), it's nothing but an electronic "notepad"...
Supposedly you'll be able to buy a "RAM-Card drive" to attach to a "real"
computer so that you can transfer data from the Portfolio to a more capable
machine for printing or whatever.. add the cost of that to the Portfolio's
original cost...
There *is* a 60 pin connector on the back of the Portfolio which could
theoretically be used to go to a serial/parallel port adapter, but none
are currently available, and unless Atari manages to sell an awful lot
of Portfolios, I don't expect to see much in the way of this kind of
peripherial...
In short, Atari has found a convenient "short term profit" vehicle, which
has the added advantage of attracting a lot of Press coverage because it
has the "magic word," MS-DOS attached to it...
I expect to see the Atari Portfolio a year from now, if indeed we see it
at all, in Perry Drug Stores, right next to the Timex/Sinclair 1000...
or given away free with every air-conditioner from Crazy Fred's appliance
store, like the Atari/Hartech calculators...
To get back to Lisa's original question... by the time you'd add all the
things missing from the Portfolio, you'd have a monstrosity that would be
twice as big and expensive, and far more bulky, than a "real" computer
that had all those features built-in...
The Portfolio sounds nice when you read the publicity releases.. but take
a closer look before getting your hopes up...
BobR
Roy Good
in article <17...@cup.portal.com>, Bob_BobR...@cup.portal.com says:
>
> ... the "Atari" Portfolio is a toy computer which is only
> being marketed by Atari... they had nothing to do with its development,
> and as far as I know, nothing to do with its manufacture.. they're just
> slapping an Atari label on it...
1) It is most certainly NOT a toy - not when some large companies show
interest in buying large quantities for internal use.
2) Atari has been VERY closely involved in development - all packaging and
production engineering has been done by Atari/Japan. Design eng'g
and software features have also be with Atari's full participation.
3) Atari is solely responsible for its manufacture.
>
> The Portfolio has no standard interfaces or "ports" on it, so any devices
> like speech synthesizers which needed an RS-232 interface, would be useless..
Portfolio has a very flexible "bus-style" connector, making it easy to
develop customized dumb or intelligent cables for all manner of expansion
possibilities, and not just slow RS232. Indeed, Atari is developing several
such options.
>
> There are no "internal card slots" to use standard IBM PC style expansion
> cards (actually, that's understandable, given the compact size), so that
> avenue of expansion is closed..
One of the interface cables will allow direct connection to a PC Bus.
>
> There is no provision for attaching any standard printers or disk drives...
See comments re cables interface above.
>
> There is virtually *NO* software available for it, despite the fact that it
> will *RUN* any MS-DOS programs, because of the "RAM-Card" storage device..
> (try an experiment... call any IBM software store, and ask them how many IBM
> programs they have... then ask them how many of those are available *now* on
> "RAM-Cards"... if they're polite, they'll wait until after they hang up
> before they laugh..)
But how many, subject to copyright issues, could be downloaded via the
intelligent cable into the battery-backed RAM card? And some packages have
a license which allows you to have copies on more than one system provided
you only use one of them at a time. Of course, some users might just like to
develop their own programs and download them - no copyright problems at all!
>
> There *IS* built-in software provided with the Portfolio... anyone who plans
> to use a "Lotus 1-2-3" spreadsheet clone with an 8-line by 40 character
> display, raise their hands... I didn't think so...
Sure beats a pencil (and eraser!!), calculator and pocket notebook!
>
> There is a "wordprocessor" built-in, but with no printer support, and no
> disk drives to easily port your documents (again, typed on an 8-line by
> 40 character display), it's nothing but an electronic "notepad"...
See previous comments re connectability etc.
>
> Supposedly you'll be able to buy a "RAM-Card drive" to attach to a "real"
> computer so that you can transfer data from the Portfolio to a more capable
> machine for printing or whatever.. add the cost of that to the Portfolio's
> original cost...
.... which is a remarkably low entry-level price in the first place - about
equal to the sales tax on a full blown system?.
>
> There *is* a 60 pin connector on the back of the Portfolio which could
> theoretically be used to go to a serial/parallel port adapter, but none
> are currently available, and unless Atari manages to sell an awful lot
> of Portfolios, I don't expect to see much in the way of this kind of
> peripherial...
See above.
>
> In short, Atari has found a convenient "short term profit" vehicle, which
> has the added advantage of attracting a lot of Press coverage because it
> has the "magic word," MS-DOS attached to it...
Not to mention attracting a lot of potential buyer coverage.
>
> I expect to see the Atari Portfolio a year from now, if indeed we see it
> at all, in Perry Drug Stores, right next to the Timex/Sinclair 1000...
> or given away free with every air-conditioner from Crazy Fred's appliance
> store, like the Atari/Hartech calculators...
You certainly will see it a year from now. You'll also see it a lot sooner,
provided your eyes (and mind?) are open.
>
> To get back to Lisa's original question... by the time you'd add all the
> things missing from the Portfolio, you'd have a monstrosity that would be
> twice as big and expensive, and far more bulky, than a "real" computer
> that had all those features built-in...
Of course, a "real" computer probably wouldn't weigh a pound or so and
fit in a normal briefcase, purse etc. And the size/cost estimates are wildly
imaginative!
>
> The Portfolio sounds nice when you read the publicity releases.. but take
> a closer look before getting your hopes up...
... and then you'll see that publicity releases, press articles, and word of
mouth just can't do it justice - it's even better!
>
> BobR
Roy Good / Atari
Richard E. Covert
> THIS IS IN RESPONSE TO BOB RETELLE'S RATHER ONE-SIDED POSTING RE PORTFOLIO:
>
> in article <17...@cup.portal.com>, Bob_BobR...@cup.portal.com says:
> >
> > ... the "Atari" Portfolio is a toy computer which is only
> > being marketed by Atari... they had nothing to do with its development,
> > and as far as I know, nothing to do with its manufacture.. they're just
> > slapping an Atari label on it...
>
> mouth just can't do it justice - it's even better!
> >
> > BobR
>
> Roy Good / Atari
I, for one. appluade Roy Good@ATARI for his reply!!
I am happy to see someone from
Atari repsond to flames about
Vaporware product announcements!!
I can't wait to see the new Atari Portfolio P.C.!!!
So, thanks Roy for your comments about the new Portfolio (tm).
I sure hope that it will make a lot of $$ for Atari!!
Richard (One of the Original SLiMers!!!) Covert