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TRS-80 Model 100 seriously fits the bill. Basic, word processor and spreadsheet in ROM, pixel addressable display, fabulous keyboard for its size. RS-232 and 30

TRS-80 Model 100 seriously fits the bill. Basic, word processor and spreadsheet in ROM, pixel addressable display, fabulous keyboard for its size. RS-232 and 300bps modem. The recent Clockwork-PI evokes it - but the keyboard is a toy and then it’s just a Linux laptop with all the distractions therein. The Model 100 was carried by journalists well into the 90s, to compose and upload stories to service bureaus.

Jun8 2y ago
I had one and in a moment of greed sold it :-( What I loved about it was: * Used regular batteries, no charging, easily obtainable, lasts quite a bit * Keyboard was awesome * Retro look & feel * Size What I didn't like: * 8 line display is tiny! * Would prefer a bit smaller * Getting data off is a pain (ether are many workarounds but you have to fiddle with it) So, assuming a $200 price point and using the 5x rule of thumb for HW products, BOM should be $40. Problem is eInk displays are kind of expensive. Putting $15-ish for a 7-inch+ display, rest seems bearable doable. (I've never developed a consumer HW product, so these are wild guesses.)
- nine_k 2y ago
  What's the point of e-ink? I's good when the picture changes once in a few hours, sucks for word processing. A monochrome transreflective LCD (without a backlight) would consume fractions of a milliwatt, can be a high resolution graphical display or character-based display, and would look plenty sharp under direct sunlight. Also widely available and inexpensive. It can't have such a high contrast as e-ink though.
  - kragen 2y ago
    typically monochrome transflective lcds consume quite a bit more than fractions of a milliwatt, though it does depend on how big they are. the two-line reflective lcds commonly found on pocket calculators do indeed consume a fraction of a milliwatt, but power consumption scales mostly with display size e-ink is fast enough to be usable for word processing because the updates are small and incremental and, most importantly, can tolerate some ghosting
  - JKCalhoun 2y ago
    Yeah, best compromise is a single row LCD display for the "live", "editing" line of text and then eInk for the rows of text above. Of course scrolling the eInk is still slow.
    - kragen 2y ago
      the memory-in-pixel lcd is better than that approach in every way except that it's more expensive, there's no grayscale, and the display panels don't come in large sizes
pushfoo 2y ago
TL;DR: The TRS-80 Model 100[1] indeed looks closer than the AlphaSmart! If something like that TRS had e-ink, it might be what I'd had in mind. If you're familiar with the idea of the OLPC hardware[2], like that except: * More durable * Lower power * E-ink * Not effectively vaporware On a related note, I heard Pixel Qi[3] displays were interesting. However, the company folded. Some panels seem to pop up for sale now and then, but my understanding is they're effectively obsolete. > The recent Clockwork-PI evokes it - but the keyboard is a toy That's a shame. > it’s just a Linux laptop with all the distractions therein After taking a look at the device, this seems like an understatement. The Clockwork-PI[4] looks like it's mostly an emulation machine. For anyone who doesn't want to click through, it's a Game Boy form factor with a few extra buttons and a keyboard below the D-pad. To be fair to the device, I think it's different class of device. It also fills some very specific niches: 1. Prototyping for GB/GBC games on higher-power hardware and higher-level languages 2. A decent front-end attached sensors if you can use USB As example of #2: Mapping WiFi signal strength. Walking around a building holding a clunky laptop while someone else held the antenna wasn't fun. It was what we had to work with given the deadline, but if I had to do it often, I might want something like the Clockwork PI if someone could source better keyboards. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80_Model_100 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80_Model_100 [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OLPC_XO https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OLPC_XO [3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel_Qi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel_Qi [4]: https://www.clockworkpi.com/ https://www.clockworkpi.com/
- cancerhacker 2y ago
  Just to be clear - I was referring to what they call the “Devterm”[1] with the wide screen and toy keyboard. They even sell it in a color scheme that matches the Model 100 - and it has a built in printer like the Epson (? Something-20) if that era. [1] https://www.clockworkpi.com/devterm https://www.clockworkpi.com/devterm
eschneider 2y ago
I always loved the simplicity and form-factor of the Model 100. For a "practical" modern version, the tricky bit is getting data on and off. Wifi/ethernet would definitely replace the modem, but for comms ssh/scp isn't that convenient for folks looking for something "simple". Personally, some combination of Dropbox-esque file sharing and SMB disk mounting strike me as practical. I doubt that there's anything like a commercial product here, but I find it a really fascinating design space.

Jun8 2y ago

I had one and in a moment of greed sold it :-( What I loved about it was: * Used regular batteries, no charging, easily obtainable, lasts quite a bit * Keyboard was awesome * Retro look & feel * Size What I didn't like: * 8 line display is tiny! * Would prefer a bit smaller * Getting data off is a pain (ether are many workarounds but you have to fiddle with it) So, assuming a $200 price point and using the 5x rule of thumb for HW products, BOM should be $40. Problem is eInk displays are kind of expensive. Putting $15-ish for a 7-inch+ display, rest seems bearable doable. (I've never developed a consumer HW product, so these are wild guesses.)

nine_k 2y ago
What's the point of e-ink? I's good when the picture changes once in a few hours, sucks for word processing. A monochrome transreflective LCD (without a backlight) would consume fractions of a milliwatt, can be a high resolution graphical display or character-based display, and would look plenty sharp under direct sunlight. Also widely available and inexpensive. It can't have such a high contrast as e-ink though.
- kragen 2y ago
  typically monochrome transflective lcds consume quite a bit more than fractions of a milliwatt, though it does depend on how big they are. the two-line reflective lcds commonly found on pocket calculators do indeed consume a fraction of a milliwatt, but power consumption scales mostly with display size e-ink is fast enough to be usable for word processing because the updates are small and incremental and, most importantly, can tolerate some ghosting
- JKCalhoun 2y ago
  Yeah, best compromise is a single row LCD display for the "live", "editing" line of text and then eInk for the rows of text above. Of course scrolling the eInk is still slow.
  - kragen 2y ago
    the memory-in-pixel lcd is better than that approach in every way except that it's more expensive, there's no grayscale, and the display panels don't come in large sizes

pushfoo 2y ago

TL;DR: The TRS-80 Model 100[1] indeed looks closer than the AlphaSmart! If something like that TRS had e-ink, it might be what I'd had in mind. If you're familiar with the idea of the OLPC hardware[2], like that except: * More durable * Lower power * E-ink * Not effectively vaporware On a related note, I heard Pixel Qi[3] displays were interesting. However, the company folded. Some panels seem to pop up for sale now and then, but my understanding is they're effectively obsolete. > The recent Clockwork-PI evokes it - but the keyboard is a toy That's a shame. > it’s just a Linux laptop with all the distractions therein After taking a look at the device, this seems like an understatement. The Clockwork-PI[4] looks like it's mostly an emulation machine. For anyone who doesn't want to click through, it's a Game Boy form factor with a few extra buttons and a keyboard below the D-pad. To be fair to the device, I think it's different class of device. It also fills some very specific niches: 1. Prototyping for GB/GBC games on higher-power hardware and higher-level languages 2. A decent front-end attached sensors if you can use USB As example of #2: Mapping WiFi signal strength. Walking around a building holding a clunky laptop while someone else held the antenna wasn't fun. It was what we had to work with given the deadline, but if I had to do it often, I might want something like the Clockwork PI if someone could source better keyboards. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80_Model_100 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80_Model_100 [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OLPC_XO https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OLPC_XO [3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel_Qi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel_Qi [4]: https://www.clockworkpi.com/ https://www.clockworkpi.com/

cancerhacker 2y ago
Just to be clear - I was referring to what they call the “Devterm”[1] with the wide screen and toy keyboard. They even sell it in a color scheme that matches the Model 100 - and it has a built in printer like the Epson (? Something-20) if that era. [1] https://www.clockworkpi.com/devterm https://www.clockworkpi.com/devterm

eschneider 2y ago

I always loved the simplicity and form-factor of the Model 100. For a "practical" modern version, the tricky bit is getting data on and off. Wifi/ethernet would definitely replace the modem, but for comms ssh/scp isn't that convenient for folks looking for something "simple". Personally, some combination of Dropbox-esque file sharing and SMB disk mounting strike me as practical. I doubt that there's anything like a commercial product here, but I find it a really fascinating design space.