Sharp's Notebook: 1.8 Kilos Of Magic
Sydney Morning Herald
Sunday April 22, 1990
Sharp has developed a 1.8kg notebook-sized personal computer that is, according to computer experts, clearly superior to any existing notebook laptop.
While lighter than most, it the first with a high-resolution "triple super-twist" VGA display screen, while also having an internal hard disk capable of storing the equivalent of more than 20 million characters and a relatively powerful Intel 80286 microprocessor.
Analysts and dealers who have seen prototypes of the Sharp PC-6220 say that its size, equivalent to a 3cm stack of typing paper, is the same as that of the NEC Ultralite, but at 1.8kg including its battery, the Sharp weighs less.
The PC-6220 is expected to reach Australia by May, according to Sharp's national sales and marketing director, Tony Prince. It will cost about $6,000. The early release appears to be designed to get the jump on notebooks expected soon from several rivals.
NEC Information Systems, Compaq, Tandy, Toshiba, and Zenith all have lightweight computer models that can fit inside a briefcase, but the PC-6220 appears to be smaller, lighter and much more powerful than its rivals.
The impressive part, though, is the technology inside the little package. US analysts are impressed. "This is the product that redefines where portables will be going," said Nick Kromenacker, director of national account vendors for a US-based chain Connecting Point of America.
"Sharp just made a leap," Kromenacker concluded after testing a prototype unit. An analyst with the market research firm Dataquest, Bill Lempesis said: "It's clearly a step ahead of anyone else, but they aren't going to ship it until June."
In the fast-moving notebook field, June is a long way away, and Lempesis noted that other computer makers, including the giant IBM, are expected to introduce new or revamped notebooks.
The Intel 80386SX chip is the only microprocessor used in battery-powered computers that is more powerful than the PC-6220's Intel 80C286. Most other notebooks use the less-powerful 80C86 chip or, in the case of the Ultralite, the NEC V-30.
Still, questions remain. A common drawback among notebooks is a cramped and stiff keyboard, and while Sharp asserts that the PC-6220 has a particularly good one, the thin 21.5cm by 27.9cm format of the machine virtually guarantees that some compromises have been made.
Also, the machine's battery life is rated at two hours, the same as Toshiba's notebooks but far less than the five hours credited to Compaq's.
Sharp offers an optional add-on battery that raises the operating life to five hours but also raises the weight to 2.72kg.
It will be difficult to improve on the Sharp display, which at 20.3cm wide by 15.2cm high is larger than those used by most portables. It is also the only notebook computer to use a high-resolution video system called VGA, (video graphics array) which makes characters and graphics appear sharper and easier to read.
Further, the screen uses a new technology called triple-supertwist (as against the double-supertwist used by competitors) to improve brightness and contrast.
The PC-6220 includes a 20-megabyte hard disk drive. Only the Compaq LTE, with an optional 40-megabyte drive, has a higher storage capacity.
The Compaq also has a built-in 3.5-inch disk drive, which the new Sharp does not. (An external 3.5-inch drive is available as an option.) To get programs and data in and out of the hard drive, the PC-6220 relies on a file transfer program called Lap-Link, which moves data back and forth from the notebook to a desktop computer over a high-speed cable.
Both Lap-Link and DOS, the operating system software, are permanently coded into the machine's memory. Sharp will offer an optional expansion unit that will let the user connect two industry-standard PC expansion cards.
© 1990 Sydney Morning Herald
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