Small - but not too small
Article Abstract:
Miniaturization of computing devices is limited fundamentally by the human body; working electronic devices could theoretically be made extremely small but would not be usable. Zenith Data Systems faced the hurdle of balancing miniaturization and usability when designing its Z-Lite 320L 'sub-notebook' computer. The 7.6-by-10-by-1.3-inch Z-Lite weighs 3.9 pounds; its keyboard, with the aid of the noted industrial-design firm frogdesign, was shaved in size by making the keys slightly smaller and placing them closer together. Zenith also chose to eliminate the floppy disk drive from the Z-Lite and make it an optional attachment and to save a square inch of circuit board by not including a numeric coprocessor. Dell Computer Corp and Gateway 2000 Inc made similar design compromises with their respective 320SLi and Handbook computers. The 3.5-pound Dell 320SLi uses a reflective rather than a backlit screen, while the 2.7-pound Handbook has miniature keys. Gateway 2000 engineers shrank the outside keys more than the inside ones in order to reduce the inherent loss of usability that results from making keys smaller. The Handbook also runs its display, disk storage and memory off a single chip and has a less-powerful microprocessor than notebook-sized computers.
Publication Name: The Wall Street Journal Western Edition
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0193-2241
Year: 1992
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Notebook PC unfolds to compact design
Article Abstract:
BCC introduces the BCC SL007 portable computer, a microcomputer with a screen that pivots into place and thereby takes up less room than other notebooks. The SL007 is ten inches deep, which is shorter than the 12- and 14-inch depth found in other portables. The SL007's keyboard is angled downward to avoid needing rear flip-down feet. Power management features include a mode that turns the computer off in between keystrokes. The battery can last up to eight hours using this method. The Apple Macintosh PowerBook is a direct competitor and designers from Apple believe that the PowerBook's trackball placement and built-in palm rest help avoid over-crowding on airplanes.
Publication Name: The Wall Street Journal Western Edition
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0193-2241
Year: 1992
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
In fourth try, windfall oil-profits tax once again is unlikely to clearr Congress
Article Abstract:
il industries
Publication Name: The Wall Street Journal Western Edition
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0193-2241
Year: 1979
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
- Abstracts: Watch out for the cyber squatters that prey on company names. The death of the dot-com fantasy
- Abstracts: A smell of success. The toll road to riches. CPERP and CGT set the takeover ball rolling
- Abstracts: Boardrooms take the slow boat to Asia. In a one-world order, contradictions of capital take on a new significance
- Abstracts: A slow fuse burns under industry funds. Phoenix companies keep rising. Old money, old hatreds
- Abstracts: Hot time for coal. King of the aisles. A setback, but not a calamity