Content deleted Content added
added Category:Computer terminals using HotCat |
Sectioning |
||
Line 12:
The '''Walkabout''' is a family of notebook-sized [[Laptop|laptop computer]]s introduced by [[Data General]] in 1989 and discontinued in 1993. The first entry in the line, simply named the '''Walkabout''', was a battery-powered [[Computer terminal|portable terminal]] capable of emulating multiple protocols; as well, it contains a rudimentary word processor, an [[autodialer]] utility for placing phone calls, and a [[real-time clock]] display and timer application for setting reminders. The successor to the first model, the '''Walkabout/SX''', released in 1990, was an architectural redesign allowing the laptop to be used as a general-purpose [[IBM PC compatible]]. The penultimate entry, the '''Walkabout/320''', increased its predecessor's [[Intel 80386SX|i386SX]] processor [[clock speed]] from 16 MHz to 20 MHz, while the last entry in the line, the '''Walkabout/386SL''', replaced the processor with [[Intel]]'s portable-centric [[i386SL]] processor clocked at 25 MHz.
==Development
Development of the Walkabout began in the mid-1980s, with [[Vernon Weiss]] leading the design team as [[Data General]]'s portable product manager.<ref name=damer1>{{cite web | last=Damer | first=Bruce | author2=Allan Lundell | date=2004 | url=https://digibarn.com/collections/systems/dg-walkabout/index.html | title=Data General Walkabout | work=DigiBarn.com | publisher=DigiBarn Computer Museum | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040225230129/https://digibarn.com/collections/systems/dg-walkabout/index.html | archivedate=February 25, 2004}}</ref> Weiss was also responsible for leading the team behind the [[Data General/One]], one of the first [[IBM PC compatible|IBM PC–compatible]] laptops on the market.<ref name=damer2>{{cite web | last=Damer | first=Bruce | author2=Allan Lundell | date=2004 | url=https://digibarn.com/collections/systems/dg-1/index.html | title=Data General DG/One with Printer and DG/One Model 2 | work=DigiBarn.com | publisher=DigiBarn Computer Museum | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040224142806/https://digibarn.com/collections/systems/dg-1/index.html | archivedate=February 24, 2004}}</ref> Weiss and the design team conceived of the original Walkabout as a portable email client: a device which would allow users to check their [[email]]s remotely via [[modem]].<ref name=damer1 /><ref name=cnet>{{cite web | last=Haff | first=Gordon | date=January 25, 2008 | url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/hp-goes-thin-and-mobile/ | title=HP goes thin and mobile | work=CNET | publisher=CBS Interactive | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220703182614/https://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/hp-goes-thin-and-mobile/ | archivedate=July 3, 2022}}</ref> Therefore, the computer was made a [[Computer terminal|portable terminal]] instead of a general-purpose personal computer.
==Specifications==
===1st generation===
Introduced in December 1989,<ref name=pcw /> the original Walkabout has a built-in modem capable of communicating at speeds of either 1,200 baud or 2,400 baud, depending on the model ordered.<ref name=cw>{{cite journal | date=February 12, 1990 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pq-eT9Lz6gkC&pg=PA30 | title=I/O devices | work=Computerworld | publisher=CW Communications | volume=XXIV | issue=7 | page=30 | via=Google Books}}</ref> Aside from its terminal emulation functionality, the original Walkabout contains in [[Read-only memory|ROM]] a rudimentary [[word processor]] application, capable of composing and storing up to 16 KB of text. An [[autodialer]] utility allows users to store contact information in a virtual [[phone book]] and automatically dial out one's phone number over the [[public switched telephone network]] via its modem. The laptop also includes a [[real-time clock]] application that displays the time in the corner of the screen, as well as a timer function allowing users to set timed reminders over the course of using the machine.<ref name=pcw />
| |||