Toshiba of Canada upgrades pen-based computer to 80MB hard disk drive
Markham, Ontario (November 8, 1993). Toshiba of Canada Ltd., Information Systems Group (ISG), the leading manufacturer of notebook and portable computer systems, has upgraded its DynaPad T100X penbased computer series from a 40MB hard disk drive to 80MB. The DynaPad T100X will be displayed in the "Toshiba Jet" booth in the Canadian Computer Show, November 22 to 25, at the Toronto International Centre.
"The upgrade of the DynaPad to the T100X/80 reflects Toshiba's commitment to meeting the high productivity demands of today's mobile computer users," says Robert Grossman, Toshiba ISG vice president and general manager.
"The DynaPad is the forerunner of a trend that will substantially change the way thousands of mobile workers perform their daily tasks. It gives users the capability of entering data using a pen rather than a keyboard, offering the power of notebook computing with a significant new ease-of-use, especially for people who are intimidated by computers or must stand while taking notes and recording information."
According to Masa Okumura, Toshiba product manager for the DynaPad, the market will initially be targeted to fleet workers in service industries like merchandising and utilities, sales representatives, medical personnel and mobile professionals such as insurance adjusters.
"The DynaPad can communicate with the office from field sites via two Type II PCMCIA slots. Using either a PCMCIA fax/modem card or PCMCIA Ethernet, Token Ring or mainframe emulation card, the DynaPad can download all field information collected through the day, while uploading all of the up-to-date information necessary for the next day's work," says Okumura.
"For individuals who spend greater amounts of time in the field, or have larger demands for field power or input capability, the more powerful DynaPad T100X/80 is ideal. In addition, the T100X/80 offers an enhanced battery option which extends battery life from the standard 1.5-2 hour range to over 3 hours."
The T100X/80 has a 386SXLV processor running at 25 MHz and a standard 4MB RAM (expandable to 20MB). It features a trans-reflective, sidelit LCD VGA display and offer a choice of Microsoft Windows for Pen or Go Corporations' PenPoint operating systems as part of the package. In order to facilitate the loading of software, an external 3.5" floppy disk drive is also included.
The DynaPad is also equipped with standard serial, parallel and PS/2 type keyboard ports, making it easy to use standard peripherals. An optional stand and keyboard give users an alternate way to key in large volumes of data or for occasional use with software programs that do not support pen input.
The Toshiba DynaPad T100X/80 is being marketed in a pilot project with Filbitron Marketing Corporation, a Value-Added Integrator.
Suggested list price for the DynaPad T100X/80 is $ 4,499.
For more information, to interview Toshiba spokespeople or for a live demonstration of the DynaPad, please contact:
Jo-Ann Austin,
President,
AustinTayshus! Public Relations
Toronto (416) 596-1390
For demos, or evaluation equipment, please contact:
Joanne Musico,
Marketing Co-ordinator
Toshiba Canada, ISG
Markham (905) 470-3478 ext. 274
MarketPlace Backgrounder
Pen-Based Computing -- The Emerging Standard in Mobile Computing
Personal computing is becoming truly natural and intuitive, a familiar, every day process that intimidates no one thanks to the arrival of pen computers.
Pen-operated technology lets users write directly onto a computer screen as though they were scribbling on a note pad using an electronic pen. A glass surface carrying an electromagnetic charge tracks the movements of the cordless electronic pen.
Experts say that pen computers may eventually replace handheld computers, digital diaries and even paper notebooks. More than 30 companies, including giants like IBM, Sony, Compaq, Apple, Fujistu, NEC and Toshiba, have or will soon offer PCs that accept messages printed on their screens with an electronic pen.
The pen computer is the next stage in the PCs evolutionary process and some industry analysts predict sales of pen-operated computers could reach $3-billion by 1995.
Dream Machine, a Cambridge, MA-based market-tracking, computer testing and consulting firm, forecasts that by the year 2000, more than 60 million pen PCs will be in use in the U.S. There are nearly that many personal computers used today.
Experts estimate pen computers could be used for 95 percent of the business data that isn't computerized. Those who support the pen PCs base such projections on their ease-of-use. Pen PCs may be the solution for those who are intimidated by the thought of using a PC with a keyboard and for those who must stand or walk as they input data.
Large corporations are buying pen computers to replace paper forms and link field personnel with corporate databases. Dream Machine found that 15 percent of the 500 U.S. companies with the country's largest computer installations planned major pen computer purchases in 1992, with over half planning to buy evaluation units.
According to Dream Machine's survey, it is most likely field and sales personnel will be pen-automated in the future.
Pen-based computers were designed for "mobile" professionals, including salespeople and insurance adjusters, but they've also been welcomed by courier and utility companies. There are even possible applications for the medical profession for doctors making rounds.
There are four broad categories of pen software, although forms packages will initially be most common:
- forms software with simple menus and check-off boxes that will let the computers function as electronic clipboards;
- personal information managers, word processors and other desktop versions;
- digital ink programs that capture, store and transmit notes and drawings; and
- portable books that make catalogues, price lists and other printed material easy to update.
In a pilot project, State Farm Mutual Insurance Co., Bloomington, IL, used a program that presented an on-screen drawing of a car. When the pen was touched to a fender, the computer presented information on fender replacement and repair costs. Once the forms were filled in, the computer calculated all costs and produced a finished report.
Like all semiconductor-based products, pen PCs will become more functional and more affordable as they evolve. Now averaging about $5,000, prices are expected to decrease 10 to 20 percent per year.
When pen PC competition peaks in the mid 1990s, prices may drop as much as 50 percent. In addition, the batteries that now account for up to half of the unit's total weight will be lighter and last longer between recharges.
Although pen computer proponents tend to discuss pen PCs and handwriting in the same breath, pen PCs are designed to read hand-printed, block letters and input only minimal text.
Recognizing cursive handwriting remains the ultimate goal of pen PC developers. But to date, the pen computer accurately recognizes the printed word about 90 percent of the time and only if the computer has been "trained" to recognize the individual's printed, block letters.
Because the payback period is frequently less than one year, corporations planning to replace paper forms with fleets of pen computers don't have to wait for prices to drop.
The Toshiba DynaPad T100X will be displayed at the Canadian Computer Show, November 22-25 at the
Toronto International Centre.
For more information, to interview Toshiba spokespeople or for a live demonstration of the DynaPad, please contact:
