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This wasn't an isolated incident of innovation from Canon. Can anyone remember their 486 laptop with built in printer/scanner? The 'note jet' had the same form
by Theodores 13y ago
This wasn't an isolated incident of innovation from Canon. Can anyone remember their 486 laptop with built in printer/scanner?
The 'note jet' had the same form factor as a normal notebook of the era. The printing part was roughly where you would expect the function keys to be, under the hood there was a miniature inkjet cartridge that could be swapped out for a scanning cartridge. The paper line was pretty good, going under the keyboard. I can't remember there being a paper tray.
In those days 'executives' struggled to plug a printer in so it solved the 'check connections' problems they faced. It also looked very cool, distinctly 'from the future'. Actually the idea was from the past - this was a take on the standalone electronic typewriter. I always felt the idea needed to live on, not least for travelling salesmen that need some sales order printed out and signed whilst at a customer's site.
They dropped the model when the Pentium came along for the idea never to be seen again.
- huxley 13y agoYou can relive the memories by reading the 1993 NY Times review: http://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/18/business/the-executive-computer-canon-s-new-laptop-packs-a-nice-printer-inside.html http://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/18/business/the-executive-com...
- mikeash 13y agoI loved this bit: "The Note Jet is also a harbinger of future generations of mobile computers that offer many features that executives now enjoy in their offices. If a laser-quality printer can be tucked inside a notebook PC, it probably won't be long until we see built-in cellular telephones with answering machines, wireless pagers and beepers, send and receive facsimile capabilities with a built-in scanner, and even video cameras for remote teleconferencing." I was reading this from a tiny computer containing a built-in cellular telephone with (remote) answering machine, wireless paging and beeping (text messaging), send and receive facsimile capabilities (e-mail or other messaging, with images) with a built-in scanner (camera), and even two video cameras for remote teleconferencing. This paragraph struck me as remarkably prescient.
- noonespecial 13y agoSome images of it. http://computer-museum.webs.com/canonnotejet.htm http://computer-museum.webs.com/canonnotejet.htm
- Theodores 13y agoThanks! However, in my minds eye I did not choose to remember the screen ugliness - the somewhat large contrast/brightness controls. Or the keyboard chunkiness or the sizeable height of the thing. Seeing this reminds me of meeting my 'athletic' uncle after he returned home from having emigrated twenty or so years ago - he had a paunch and other alcohol related signs. Sometimes it is preferable to keep one's memories untarnished by unvarnished reality.