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| Manufacturer | IBM |
|---|---|
| Type | Palmtop computer |
| Release date | September 1995; 30 years ago (1995-09) |
| Introductory price | Starting at JP¥169,000US$1,533 (equivalent to $3,163 in 2024) |
| Operating system | |
| CPU | Intel 80486SX at 33 MHz |
| Memory | 4–20 MB |
| Weight | 630 g (1.39 lb) |
| Website | ibm.com at theWayback Machine (archived 2001-04-18) |
ThePalm Top PC 110 is apalmtop computer that was developed jointly byIBM'sJapanese subsidiary andRicoh. It was released exclusively in Japan in September 1995. It used theIntel 80486SX microprocessor and was available in three different configurations. It used a Japanese keyboard, could be used in a docking station, and had a modem connection. During the development phase, the size was decreased. After the release, it was received positively for the number of features, but negatively for the small keyboard.
The Palm Top PC 110 measured 158 by 133 by 33 mm (6.2 by 5.2 by 1.3 in).[1] Despite the chassis being constructed out ofduralumin,[2] the PC 110 weighed 630 g (1.39 lb) with the battery inserted. Unlike other handheld PCs in its range, the battery of the PC 110 was a standard 7.2 Vlithium-ion pack (NP500 series) commonly used byVideo8 camcorders manufactured by companies such asSony andPanasonic.[3][4] The 89-key keyboard was laid out in theJIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) format for the Japanese market. Above it is a smalldigitizer that allows the user to make handwritten notes on the computer with a stylus or ballpoint pen. On both sides of the digitizer are mouse buttons for left- and right-clicking. IBM provided only oneTrackPoint pointing stick, however, on the left side.[5]
TwoPC Card slots, both Type I and II—the two could be combined into one Type III slot for cards occupying both slots—were put on the main unit.[3] IBM offered an expansion dock that added the standard suite of ports for the time, including those for keyboard, mouse,parallel andserial.[5] As the PC 110 lacks an internal 3.5 infloppy disk drive, IBM offered an external drive; however, this drive could only be inserted into the optional expansion dock.[6]
The PC 110 ran on theIntel 486SX which was based on thei486 that was released in 1989, with a clock speed of 33 MHz.[5] Thedual-scan passive-matrix LCD measured 4.7 inches (11.9 cm) diagonally with a resolution of640 × 480 and was capable of displaying 256 colors.[7] TheChips and Technologies 65535display controller supported a resolution of800 × 600 with 16 colors when supplied an external monitor.[3] In lieu of a traditionalhard disk drive, the PC 110 contained 4 MB of flash memory,[8] preinstalled with the Japanese version ofPC DOS 7.0 and Personaware,[5] a basicgraphical operating system developed by IBM Japan exclusively for the PC 110.[7] In addition to this internal flash chip, the PC 110 included oneCompact Flash card slot for external storage.[9]
IBM offered the PC 110 in three configurations. The first and least expensive configuration supplied 4 MB of RAM, while the last two doubled that amount. The last and most expensive configuration supplied a 260 MB hard drive with a Type III PC Card header that occupied both PC Card slots in the unit.[5] Manufactured byIntégral Peripherals,[7] this hard drive initially came preinstalled with the Japanese version ofWindows 3.1;[3] IBM later configured it withWindows 95.[5]
The PC 110 came equipped with a speaker and microphone, both powered by aSound Blaster-compatible chip. It also had a built-in voice–datamodem with a swing-out modem jack engineered jointly by IBM, Ricoh andHosiden. This modem supported voice communication with the PC 110's speaker and microphone, which could be repurposed as a receiver and transmitter respectively, effectively turning the PC 110 into ahandset.[7] Voice communication could also be achieved viaheadset.[3] To add to its multimedia capabilities, IBM commissionedCanon to manufacture an optionalwebcam that connects to the PC 110 via thePC Card slot.[10]
IBM Japan commissioned optical imaging company Ricoh to co-develop the Palm Top PC 110, withTetsuya Kaku(ja) as its chief engineer.[7] The PC 110 was designed to be a successor to their popularThinkPad 200 subnotebook line.[2] The first prototypes were roughly the size of aVHS cassette. The engineers soon adjusted the case to be much narrower and thicker both because they observed testers using their thumbs to type with the built-in keyboard and to accommodate the size of the camcorder battery used to power the machine when not plugged in.[7] The process ofminiaturizing each component in the computer meant that the cost of production was relatively high for handheld PCs in its class. Kaku and company strove to reuse parts where possible; for example, the 4.7 in screen was the same panel used in color-capableGPS receivers of its day.[7] A version of the PC 110 with aCT2-capable cellular modem was planned but never released.[7]
Unlike even the smallestsubnotebook, a machine this light and little almost begs you to take it everywhere, if only to turn heads when you open it up.
The PC 110 was released exclusively in Japan in September 1995.[9] In Japan, IBM used thetokusatsu superhero characterUltraman under license fromTsuburaya as an advertising mascot for the Palm Top PC 110.[11]
While the Palm Top PC 110 was lauded for integrating many features in such a small package, the compact layout of the keyboard as well as the minuscule size of its individual keys was poorly received by both Japanese users and Western journalists.[1][5][12] Steven Myers forComputing Japan called it "difficult to use unless the unit is lying flat on a table—and virtually impossible to use while standing."[1]Stephen Manes inThe New York Times agreed, though he was able to invent some "halfway-decent"hunt-and-peck typing styles with practice—allowing him to write his review on the PC 110 itself.[5] Aside from this, reviewers were generally impressed with the capability the manufacturers were able to squeeze in such a small package.[1][5] Myers praised the high resolution and readability of the LCD, especially in comparison to the monochrome displays featured in contemporaneous handheld devices such as theSharp Zaurus.[1] For Manes, the fact that the PC 110 was fundamentallycompatible with IBM PC software including Windows positioned it firmly ahead of the competition from Sharp andPsion, though the 486SX processor ran newer software slowly. Manes recommended IBM incorporate the "butterfly keyboard" mechanism of theThinkPad 701 and that they add an additional PC Card slot in the main unit to allow for further expansion when the PC Card hard drive is installed.[1]
IBM silently discontinued the PC 110 in 1999 with the release of theWorkPad Z50, aWindows CE-powered handheld PC. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the ThinkPad brand in 2002, Hideo Ishii ofPC Watch(ja) called the PC 110 "ahead of its time".[2]
| Timeline of the IBM Personal Computer |
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| Asterisk (*) denotes a model released in Japan only |
