Sharp PC-8201 Portable Personal Computer

Tri-Fold A4 Colour Leaflet
 
Text from the leaflet :
 
No bigger than a notebook, but it holds volumes of information. Thai's the PC-8201, the amazing portable computer from NEC. This little marvel is completely portable and battery-operated, yet has all the features you'd expect to find on a much larger computer.

Best of all, the PC-8201 is permanently equipped with three of the most popular and useful programs. No special-loading procedures are needed; the moment you switch it on, the PC-8201 is a dedicated machine, ready for use as a word processor or communication terminal—and naturally, it's also a standard computer that with the proper program can perform any of the dozens of other tasks you'll find for it.

The PC-8201 easily slips into a briefcase, so you can use it at home, in waiting rooms, on airplanes or commuter trains. The computer's memory is all nonvolatile, so it saves everything for you even when it's turned off. And with additional peripheral devices, the PC-8201 can become the centerpiece of an entire computer system, processing data and printing results.

Handy Notebook Size
The elegant, eye-catching PC-8201 is about the size of a standard notebook page, and weighs less than four pounds {i.e., about 1.7kg). Carry it like a book, or tuck it into briefcase or purse, ready for use at any free moment.

Three-Way Menu
When you turn on the PC-8201, it "wakes up" ready
to go to work, with three applications programs already
inside it. Just position the cursor and press the return
key to choose from the following menu:
•Word processor
• Terminal communications
•N82-BASIC interpreter

Computer-Size Memory—That Really Remembers
PC-8201 memory starts with a truly computer-sized 32K bytes of ROM and 16K bytes of RAM, and is expandable up to a total of 128K bytes. Best of all, this memory is CMOS, which means that it is saved even when you turn the PC-8201 off. So even if you're in the middle of a program or letter and have to run to catch a plane, the PC-8201 remembers all your entries.

Power-Pinching Display
Instead of a bulky, battery-gobbling cathode-ray tube, the PC-8201 uses a low-power liquid crystal display. This LCD shows you eight lines at a time, with up to 40 characters per line (or a matrix of 240x64 dots in graphics mode). A variable control lets you adjust the display contrast for comfortable, strain-free viewing.

Fast Cursor Movement
The big four-way control button moves the cursor to any location on the screen—quickly. This control also helps you to "scroll" the display to any line of a document.
Power That Lasts and Lasts Power consumption of the PC-8201 is astonishingly low. Four AA batteries keep you up and running for 18 hours of continuous operation. Or there's an optional rechargeable nicad battery pack that provides 5.5 hours of operation between charges. A front-panel light gives you ample warning when it's time to renew or recharge the batteries. And even if the regular power supply is exhausted, a separate battery in the PC-8201 maintains all memory contents for up to 26 days.

Easy Connection to Other Computers
By itself, the PC-8201 is a powerful tool for accounting, word processing, programming, and a host of other applications. There's an audio cassette interface for storage, too. And the PC-8201 can be connected to other computers, either directly or through a telephone modem, so you can expand its capabilities still further. This interconnection also gives access to floppy disks and other standard computer peripheral devices.
 
 

Date : Unknown

Creator : Sharp

Related Items in the Collection:

This exhibit has a reference ID of CH2471. Please quote this reference ID in any communication with the Centre for Computing History.
 

Scan of Document: Sharp PC-8201 Portable Personal Computer

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