If an MS-DOS palmtop PC came out in 2017, would you buy it?
Hello, greetings,
I believe that someone could manufacture one of these in 2017, there is a demand for them, mostly to tinker with an IBM PC/XT compatible palmtop, but there is a demand for them. For people who have no idea of what I am talking about, look up "HP 200LX" or "Poqet PC."
I'd personally go for an HP 200LX or a 700LX. (A 200LX, but with a cell phone cradle, for use with a certain Nokia cell phone.)
I believe that someone could manufacture one of these in 2017, there is a demand for them, mostly to tinker with an IBM PC/XT compatible palmtop, but there is a demand for them. For people who have no idea of what I am talking about, look up "HP 200LX" or "Poqet PC."
I'd personally go for an HP 200LX or a 700LX. (A 200LX, but with a cell phone cradle, for use with a certain Nokia cell phone.)
Comments
I play old DOS software mainly to run on IBM PC 5150/5160.
But it is enough for me to run emulator (PCE or PCEM) on modern PC.
IBMPC5150 SAID: "Well, it is up to DOS software.
I play old DOS software mainly to run on IBM PC 5150/5160.
But it is enough for me to run emulator (PCE or PCEM) on modern PC."
It is a palmtop device with a physical keyboard. You could type something up on it with Word 6.0, maybe use Windows 2.0, just something you could do easier on it than lets say a smart phone. It would be cheap due to it's wither technology (See DMG GameBoy for an example of wither technology for budget.) And could be cheaper than a cell phone, which it could be used ad a cell phone due to similar configurations in which it has a Nokia 2110 attached on the Omnigo 700LX with a cellular fax modem and SMS, not to mention the cell phones own ability to make calls. Put that in an all in one package, and sell it for a price less than $100, and we just rebooted the concept of the palmtop MS-DOS device.
BIGCJ SAID: "No. I love DOS, but it's a big enough pain in the ass typing out commands on a desktop, much less a little touchscreen or keypad. Also, there would have to be some kind of driver written to allow SD cards or some other sort of removable storage to bring programs to the device and to store files. Lastly, how would it connect to internet? A Wi-Fi TSR would have to be written. With all the trouble of programming the thing, along with low demand, nobody's going to make something like this. Try a mobile port of DOSBox."
I don't have a problem to type on a small physical keyboard like that on an old slide phone, but put on a miniaturized laptop, except maybe with individual keys instead of a membrane keyboard. Who said SD, there is already support for CF cards on these devices using a PCMCIA adapter, so put the SD card in an SD to CF adapter. Just large disk would be an issue. It could be connected to the internet. The HP 200LX has been connected using modems, ethernet cards, and even some early WIFI cards for the PCMCIA card. Even the 700LX has cellular dial up support, so that is the internet. Again, due to wither technology, the prices would be considerably less than a cellphone, both to produce and to sell. Anyone who likes MS-DOS could use this as an alternative to a basic flip phone.
I only said SD because that's the most common phone storage medium today. Adapters are bulky and can be heavy.
I never said that it couldn't be done, but again, cards and adapters are bulky. They'd have to build the functionality into the system hardware. Remember, we're not dealing with a big desktop system where size and weight don't matter. This needs to fit in your pocket. Also, early Wi-Fi is pretty slow, and dial-up and Ethernet are stationary connections. Dial-up is almost non-existent in this day and age, so that's out. If it would include an Ethernet port, for one thing, that'd be a big port for a relatively small handheld. You could only take the system as far as the cable would allow.
That being said, with bulky adapters and slow Wi-Fi or highly restrictive (mobility-wise) Ethernet network connections, you may as well just use a DOS laptop.
Exactly. I know very few people who want such a minimal browsing experience. In fact, being so stripped-down has the potential for breaking some sites to the point where you can't see them at all.
Again, few people want such limited access to the web. Your main market would be to older people who really liked DOS and extreme enthusiasts. An everyday user who wants to run DOS programs on the go should get a cheap smartphone (they aren't that expensive, really!) and download a mobile port of DOSBox.
If it had an SD card slot that it could use as a disk drive and an RS-232 compatible serial port, I'd probably buy one! I realize that it would have to have a special cable to connect it to a DB-9 or DB-25 connector on the other machine. A full-color VGA screen would be a big plus.
Tom L
* hardware design: I expect a working prototype at the minimum
* plans as to how you can mass produce these prototypes
* a business plan
* a market for this
And to be honest, why would I buy one when I could get say, a GPD WIN running DOSbox?
Beyond these boards, would anyone buy it? Meh, probably not.
Why, do you have a business plan in mind?