In the early 1990s, Hewlett Packard introduced a line of handheld computers that many people still use daily. The HP200LX, released in 1994, wasn't the first – that honor goes to the HP95LX from 1991 – but it was one of the most powerful: a 100% IBM-XT compatible with a CGA screen, up to 4MB of RAM, and it could run for 30 hours on two AA batteries, all in a device that fits in the palm of your hand. Doesn't that make you want one?
Some computers, so to speak, made history. The Altair 8800, the Apple I, the ZX-81, the Commodore Amiga, and many more turned their users into true fanatics who could spend days without sleep trying to master every feature. The arrival of the IBM PC in the early 1980s also gave businesses and serious users a toy specifically designed for administrative work. Its size and appearance became a standard that has stayed with us to this day.
However, the miniaturization of electronic components led manufacturers to work on a portable version of these machines, something that users would appreciate. The first laptops were square boxes weighing 10 to 12 kilograms, with a PC and a CRT monitor inside. But they quickly shrank, and in the early 1990s, Hewlett Packard surprised the world with its LX series.
The HP95LX: A Pocket Powerhouse
These devices, presented on April 23, 1991, fell into the "pocket computer" category. They were true marvels of miniaturization that, despite their size, carried the PC compatible seal and ran the star operating system of the time: MS-DOS. The first of them was the HP95LX, released in 1991, after the company had spent a couple of years on its design. The development team had called it "Project Jaguar".
The HP95LX measures 16 x 8.5 x 2.5 centimeters and weighs just 312 grams, batteries included. It draws its power from two AA batteries, providing approximately 30 hours of operation. Its launch price was $699 and its 1MB ROM included a suite of useful applications – a database manager, a spreadsheet, a graphing calculator, a notepad, and communication software – making it a great tool.
But its IBM PC compatibility made it even more interesting. Equipped with an NEC V20H processor (an improved 8088) running at 5.37 MHz and between 512KB (in 1991) and 1MB (in 1992) of RAM, it could run almost all programs available for desktop computers. Its main difference was the screen, which could display only 16 lines of 40 characters in text mode and up to 248 x 128 pixels in graphics mode. Its keyboard (QWERTY, similar to a calculator's, with 80 keys) is very comfortable and robust despite its size. You can work for a couple of hours on an HP95LX without ending up sore.
The LX in the name of these machines stands for Lotus Expandable, as the integrated spreadsheet was the renowned Lotus 1-2-3, considered the standard of the era. The machine can be expanded with PCMCIA 1.0 cards, and several games and applications – including the popular math software "Derive" – were released by HP. For communications, the HP95LX has an infrared port and a serial port, to which a phone modem, a printer, or a desktop computer can connect for file exchange. It was replaced in 1993 by the HP100LX, but the best was yet to come.
The HP200LX: The Next Generation
In 1992, HP began work on Project Felix, which in 1994 would bring the HP200LX to users. This machine, highly prized by collectors, differs from its predecessor by having more RAM (between 1 and 4 MB), a CGA-compatible screen with 80x25 characters in text mode and 640x200 pixels in graphics mode, with four shades of gray and – like the others – no backlight. The processor was improved, with an Intel 80186 running at 7.91 MHz replacing the NEC of the HP95LX. Many extra applications were also added to its 3MB ROM, including the famous Pocket Quicken.
The version of DOS used in the HP200LX is 5.00, and its PCMCIA slot was upgraded to version 2.0. The model we have at Neoteo has a PCMCIA card with 10MB of capacity, more than enough to store programs that average no more than 50 or 60KB. These machines have a backup battery that preserves the state of memory when you turn them off, so when you press the power button they're instantly ready to use.
The HP200LX can use two rechargeable AA batteries instead of the standard ones. The power management software can be configured for this, and when using the AC adapter, it can recharge these batteries if needed. Since the text on the screen can be very small for some people, it has three zoom levels for comfortable reading.
Several versions of the HP200LX emerged in the following years. The HP1000LX was a fairly popular stripped-down version, low-priced and without ROM software. And the HP700LX, basically an HP200LX with a NOKIA 2110i mobile phone attached to the lid, sold in large quantities, especially in Japan. All of them were discontinued in the late 1990s when Windows CE devices began to appear.
For more information, see the Wikipedia article on the HP200LX.
