If an MS-DOS palmtop PC came out in 2017, would you buy it?

edited April 2017 in Hardware
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.)

Comments

  • 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 would get it if it was Windows 10, not MS-DOS 6.22
  • DOSBox exists.
  • Run DosBOX on a GPD Win?
  • 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.
  • @ampharos, run actual DOS on it.
  • Note: If I don't use the quote thing that these forums use, I'm replying to multiple people.
    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.
  • eli573 wrote:
    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.
    That's basically what I meant when I said keypad.
    eli573 wrote:
    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.
    I only said SD because that's the most common phone storage medium today. Adapters are bulky and can be heavy.
    eli573 wrote:
    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.
    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.
  • BigCJ wrote:
    Adapters are bulky and can be heavy.
    Who said it even protruded from the confines of the unit? The PCMCIA CF card never even protrudes from the unit.
    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.
    MS-DOS, so let's say CGA or EGA compatibility mode graphics, do you really think that it is going to load every .js, .jpg, etc? No, it's just going to load some text, maybe some formatting and some .GIFs, but that's it. A website would load very quickly.
    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.
    Again, limited web browsing is only going to take a few seconds to load at 14.4Kbps. That, is tolerable. Look up Omnigo 700LX, but it's all gathered in one confine, without or a shrunken cell phone interface on one side.
  • BigCJ wrote:
    Adapters... can be heavy.
    Having a slot for the storage medium built-in is no problem. If you use early Wi-Fi, this problem probably won't apply. If you were to insist on Ethernet, a real DOS laptop would still be the best route.
    eli573 wrote:
    MS-DOS, so let's say CGA or EGA compatibility mode graphics, do you really think that it is going to load every .js, .jpg, etc? No, it's just going to load some text, maybe some formatting and some .GIFs, but that's it.
    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.
    eli573 wrote:
    Again, limited web browsing is only going to take a few seconds to load at 14.4Kbps. That, is tolerable. Look up Omnigo 700LX, but it's all gathered in one confine, without or a shrunken cell phone interface on one side.
    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.
  • A Raspberry Pi in a case with a keyboard and a colour display would be better
  • eli573 wrote:
    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."

    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
  • toml_12953 wrote:
    eli573 wrote:
    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."

    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
    Potential Kickstarter idea? I don't know how hard it would be to get OEM licenses of MS-DOS though.
  • FreeDOS exists, but if you want a credible Kickstarter project, you're going to need:

    * 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?
  • The market for this would be extremely small. The only people that would be slightly interested would be people into vintage computing and they would probably only buy it as a novelty if the price was low enough.
  • I would be interested, despite the drawbacks already mentioned. I'd gripe and complain, but I'd play with it anyway.

    Beyond these boards, would anyone buy it? Meh, probably not.

    Why, do you have a business plan in mind?
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