.jpg) Apple Newton eMate 300 open | |
| Manufacturer | Apple Computer |
|---|---|
| Type | Personal digital assistant |
| Release date | March 7, 1997; 28 years ago (1997-03-07)[1] |
| Introductory price | US$799 (equivalent to $1,570 in 2024) |
| Discontinued | February 27, 1998 (1998-02-27) |
| Operating system | Newton operating system |
| CPU | ARM 710a @25 MHz[2] |
| Memory | 1 MB, expandable to 4 MB |
| Storage | 3 MB |
| Display | 480x320 pixels w/ touchscreen |
| Input | Keyboard and touchscreen with stylus |
| Online services | online service/s offered |
| Weight | 4 pounds (1.8 kg) |
| Related | MessagePad |
TheeMate 300 is apersonal digital assistant designed, manufactured and sold byApple Computer to the education market as a low-costlaptop running theNewton operating system. It was the onlyApple Newton Device with a built-in keyboard.[3] The eMate was introduced on March 7, 1997 forUS$799 and was discontinued along with theApple Newton product line and its operating system on February 27, 1998.[1]
The eMate 300 featured a 6.8" 480x320 resolution 16-shade grayscale display with abacklight,stylus pen, keyboard,infrared port, and standard Macintoshserial/LocalTalk ports.[4][5]
The keyboard was roughly 85% the size of a standard "full size" keyboard.
Power came from built-in rechargeablebatteries, which lasted up to 28 hours on full charge. In order to achieve its low price, the eMate 300 did not have all the features of the contemporary Newton equivalent, the MessagePad 2000. The eMate used a 25 MHzARM 710aRISC processor and had lessmemory than theMessagePad 2000 which used aStrongARM 110 RISC processor and was more expandable. However, the eMate 300 was faster than the previous MessagePad 130.[6][7]
Unlike the MessagePad line, the eMate 300 featured an internal memory expansion slot.[6] It was located in the hatch under the battery door, next to the ROM card. Both cards fit into both slots, but the ROM card was larger. The expansion card is on the left. Companies like Newertech produced cards for the eMate. Most cards expanded the data bus from 16 bits to 32 bits, as well as providing additional DRAM (program memory), and flash (storage). When one of these cards was installed, the internal DRAM was disabled, but the internal flash RAM is combined with the flash on the card. For example: If a memory card were to have 4 MB of DRAM and 2 MB of flash, the Newton would report having 4 MB of flash, and 4 MB of DRAM, not 5 MB of DRAM.[8]
In addition to the expansion slot, the eMate also featured a single non-CardBusPCMCIA slot. It could be used for a number of different cards, including modems,Ethernet cards, wireless cards, bluetooth cards, and flash memory (linear and ATA/Compact Flash).[6]
Apple designerJony Ive was assigned to the company'sIndustrial Design Group in 1992 and created the design for the eMate 300, as well as the smallerMessagePad models prior.[9] The eMate 300 featured a green-colored translucent durablecase designed for intense use inclassrooms.[7] The eMate 300 featured a dark green-coloredkeyboard similar to that ofPowerBooks of the same era. Purple, clear, red, and orange colored eMateprototypes were produced for show only and were never put intomass production.[10][11]
| Timeline of Newton models |
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