The Legend of the HP Palmtop Computer

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  • @deBaer
    @deBaer Рік тому +154

    In the second half of the 90s, the 200LX was my main machine. I always had it (and a big PCMCIA flash drive) with me, read and wrote 1000s of emails and Usenet posts on it, traded megabytes worth of files on BBSs and all that good stuff. I think it was the most important computer I ever had.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +18

      Nice, I really enjoy hearing how much of an impact this had.

    • @KoKe-y8i
      @KoKe-y8i Рік тому +5

      japan made nec

    • @marcbarilla5584
      @marcbarilla5584 Рік тому +1

      I still have one. This is really a wonderful piece of technology 😊

    • @seththebeatmxchine
      @seththebeatmxchine 11 місяців тому +1

      I wonder what it would have been like to bop around with this thing back in the day

    • @georgeyreynolds
      @georgeyreynolds 9 місяців тому +2

      How did you connect to BBS?

  • @Vatican4ss4ssin
    @Vatican4ss4ssin Рік тому +60

    Not sure how you got Star Trek Generations playing on that thing, but I'm glad you did haha. Very appropriate.

  • @grumpybollox7949
    @grumpybollox7949 Рік тому +2

    beers on me, thanks for showing us such an unique device!

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +1

      That's very kind of you, thank you.

    • @grumpybollox7949
      @grumpybollox7949 Рік тому +2

      your content is so good, its a crime to watch with an adblock. the algorithm blessed me with your channel so even youtube knows whats good

  • @richardvargas81
    @richardvargas81 5 місяців тому +9

    My father gave it to me in 1995, i was 14.... Still have it in a perfect state of conservation. Is an excellent machine.

  • @axelprino
    @axelprino Рік тому +84

    Not sure why but I just love when it's possible to get something to work through two or more layers of adapters, it's the visual of the nested nonsense that works regardless, seeing that old tiny PC reading a micro SD thanks to three different adapters brought a smile to my face :)

    • @adameichler
      @adameichler Рік тому +7

      Well that reminds me of my iPod Video. I wanted to replace its dying harddrive. It is storage is a 32 GB microSDHC in several adapters: microSD->SD>CF->IDE. Works like a charm :D

    • @imstupidbut
      @imstupidbut Рік тому +4

      it’s like me using a usb c to a cable, then an sd adapter, then a micro sd adapater

    • @teamredstudio7012
      @teamredstudio7012 Рік тому +5

      When you're an Apple fanboy this happens daily. You can charge your iPhone 15 from firewire using a firewire to 30 pin, then 30 pin to lightning, then lightning to usb c adapter.

    • @mark030a
      @mark030a Рік тому +5

      There is no such thing as not compatible! *Sometimes it just takes a tower of adapters*

    • @KoKe-y8i
      @KoKe-y8i Рік тому +1

      japan made nec

  • @graealex
    @graealex Рік тому +43

    I was so obsessed with mobile computers back then. The first were personal digital assistant devices my grandfather didn't use anymore. When I had my own money, I got a Palm, an iPaq and later a Pocket LOOX, and a Samsung PDA/smart device.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +6

      Ooh, some nice machines you had there.

    • @1blisslife
      @1blisslife Рік тому +2

      These and even some of the Windows CE Machines are great in their own regard. 😊

    • @graealex
      @graealex Рік тому +3

      @@1blisslife I loved the Windows CE stuff. Even after the iPhone came out, I still laughed because the Apple users neither had Exchange syncing, nor copy-and-paste. Obviously that's all stuff from past.

    • @richardvargas81
      @richardvargas81 5 місяців тому

      X2, i have a collection of old portable pcs. Is amazing.

  • @nctangman
    @nctangman Рік тому +9

    Oh this makes me so happy to watch. Can't tell you how many hours I spent working with my 200. I also had the 95LX first! Incredible machine. I had a bootable PCMCIA card and ran an accounting software on it. It went everywhere I went for a long time. I wish I had it back.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +1

      Nice, this must have been an awesome experience to have these.

  • @JuliaMono
    @JuliaMono Рік тому +1

    Thanks

  • @Shotblur
    @Shotblur Рік тому +19

    Thanks for doing the captions! They're of very high quality and I'm sure many people like myself also appreciate them.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +3

      I'm very pleased you find them useful.

    • @drhabber
      @drhabber Рік тому

      @@JanusCycle Extra useful!

  • @jamesmccombe6269
    @jamesmccombe6269 Рік тому +11

    Thanks! Love your well researched and understated presentations

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +3

      You are awesome! thank you. This will help make even better videos :)

    • @SOTP.
      @SOTP. Рік тому

      @@JanusCyclelike videos about the fujitsu f-07c

  • @boydpukalo8980
    @boydpukalo8980 Рік тому +27

    I owned a 95LX in the 1990's, and used it in math/engineering college classes with Derive symbolic calculus software on a PCMCIA care, now owned by TI and in their fancy calculators all these years later. It was a neat machine and batteries lasted a long time. I had a SCSI adapter and also a little printer. Eventually while in college I stepped up to a Dell Dimension XPS 90 tower system, which was a major improvement. I think I still have the HP somewhere. Cool video. Brings back memories.

    • @xTHETRINCHOx
      @xTHETRINCHOx Рік тому +2

      It might sound desperate, and that's because I am... I believe you're the only living person I know who knows about DERIVE. I've been searching for it for years for my HP 95LX since it's my everyday computer. I can't get hold of any copy of those files from that version, nor can I buy or locate a PCMCIA like the one you mentioned. I earnestly implore you that if you have it, please contact me so I can purchase it from you because, as I mentioned, I'm desperate to obtain it. Thank you so much in advance.

    • @boydpukalo8980
      @boydpukalo8980 Рік тому +1

      I can only recommend getting a PCMCIA memory card and putting the Derive for DOS files on it. I have never seen it show up on ebay, let alone the windows version of it (5) which I never did buy, only 4.0 but that was buggy. Good luck.

    • @xTHETRINCHOx
      @xTHETRINCHOx Рік тому +1

      Do you have does files? Cant get It on web. I have 32mb sundisk pcmcia But no derive. THX btw

  • @ironlion45
    @ironlion45 Рік тому +10

    Glad you mentioned the n900. IMO, one of the most capable mobile devices ever made for its time, bar none. It could even run a full debian linux GUI.

  • @Devo_gx
    @Devo_gx Рік тому +6

    I remember being handed one of these during a computer & technology-focused summer camp as a kid. I was absolutely blown away by the little device! When they said "Palmtop" I didn't think such a thing was possible outside of your cheap pocket organizers.

  • @johnprouty6583
    @johnprouty6583 Рік тому +12

    I was working for one of HP’s instrument divisions when these came out. I ended up using these to interface to mechanical measurement devices and network analyzers to run statistical process control software we wrote. We also worked on some CNC projects to assist manufacturing with assembly tasks. It was an incredibly capable device that could punch well above its weight. The various HIL peripherals made it possible to interface with a lot of external devices.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +3

      I love hearing how these were being used at HP, thanks for sharing.

  • @JoCaTen
    @JoCaTen Рік тому +38

    90s technology really is fascinating
    How some companies made devices we never thought they did, devices that are similar to our current tech and yet so different in terms of specs and functionality or similar and predating current things.

  • @puls44
    @puls44 Рік тому +8

    90s stuff is so hardware amazing and ahead of its time that it still fascinates me and I'm always happy when i nab a cool piece of 90s tech!
    I still have a newer Jornada 720 w a color screen but it's not in a good shape, still want another working one and also a Psion 5mx those things were amazing, I regret selling mine 20yrs ago.
    Nice video!

  • @crazyidiot5309
    @crazyidiot5309 23 дні тому +1

    Bro, your content is criminally underrated. You put SO MUCH into the post on these and with all your knowledge... these could almost be CC for how good and your knowledge of the tech. As for the display I think it's a transflective grayscale panel so it still looks good during the day even as old as it is.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  19 днів тому +1

      I really appreciate your kind words, thank you. I just finished making a new video. Hopefully it's good.

    • @crazyidiot5309
      @crazyidiot5309 19 днів тому +1

      @JanusCycle absolutely! First vid was a sub and I've been glued since. The devices you feature are always my favs. I once had a Viliv S5 from Dynamism. A video on that one would be gold as I was always kinda afraid to take that one apart, and I KNOW my tech. 😆 ISP owner here! 👋

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  19 днів тому +1

      @@crazyidiot5309 but this is the S5. Do you mean the X70? I'm looking for one. Or the S7, also hard to find.
      Oh, the new video will be public Friday around 12:00 UTC.

    • @crazyidiot5309
      @crazyidiot5309 19 днів тому +1

      @@JanusCycle I completely missed that vid. THANK YOU for featuring this total oddity of a UMPC from that time. I had it in 2010/11.

  • @team_alt_und_blind
    @team_alt_und_blind Рік тому +3

    My father owned a 200LX for his business back in the 90s and I wrote a software tailored for his uses and made especially for this system. These were my first steps in software development. I remember the pure feeling of freedom when running this machine, opening the whole DOS world in a pocket, and that with amazing specs for the times! And thanks for your video - it's a wholesome appreciation for this powerful device!

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +2

      I love your description of freedom. You have just articulated some of what I feel about this as well. Thank you.

  • @Zetaplus117
    @Zetaplus117 Рік тому +3

    I had one of these (HP200LX) back in the day. Carried it around and the battery can last a long time. I had several ebooks on it. Ran spreadsheets on it, wrote notes and so on. Even had a infrared port. Very capably device for its time.

  • @michaelheathcote9488
    @michaelheathcote9488 Рік тому +5

    I had the HP95LX and was awesome as a design engineer writing my own solver equations. Later I had the Toshiba Libretto, and ran the companion pack HP software so I could still use all my solver equations.
    I also bought the Rex too!

  • @teamredstudio7012
    @teamredstudio7012 Рік тому +18

    it would be fun to try coding assembly for these old devices to write code that's as optimised as possible and try to get some 3d graphics out of it. This tech is so fascinating, it's really fun to see a pda fit inside another pda, if one battery dies, you move on to the other.

    • @Leeki85
      @Leeki85 Рік тому +3

      This is just early x86 PC with very minor improvements. It isn't even fast enough to redraw full screen at acceptable FPS. You can do 3D, but using clever tricks, that minimize amount of updated pixels every frame. You could also use text mode as 80x50 display. On such small LCD screen it should still look fine and allow for quite fast polygonal 3D graphics or fast 2D with scrolling like shown in Magiduck.
      Anyway regular x86 PCs are a bit more fun to play with. You have various CRT tricks and CGA has also composite output with artificial colors that can be pushed to display up to 1024 colors on screen (as seen in 8088 MPH demo).

    • @SatanIsTheLord
      @SatanIsTheLord 10 місяців тому

      @@Leeki85 I'd just remove all electronic, leaving just keyboard and display. Then put some modern board there. ;)

  • @BurritoVampire
    @BurritoVampire Рік тому +40

    Star Trek: Generations! Even text based I would recognize that beautiful ship anywhere!
    EDIT: For bonus points, its the scene in stellar cartography right before they warp to Veridian III.
    I'm going to go get a life now!

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +5

      If you could see that in the text based video then we’ll done!

    • @Dystopikachu
      @Dystopikachu Рік тому +9

      The silhouette of Patrick Stewart was a clear giveaway, the shining baldness plus the Starfleet uniform is just too iconic to forget. I'm super impressed you were able to point to the exact scene, that is way beyond my level.

    • @Linuxpunk81
      @Linuxpunk81 Рік тому +6

      I knew right away from the two color uniforms, then the ship brought it home. Sir Patrick's aura shines through even if it's only text based graphics 😂🖖

    • @Linuxpunk81
      @Linuxpunk81 Рік тому +4

      I know it gets a bad rap but it's still one of my favorite trek movies 😂I remember seeing it in theaters when I was 13 so that might have something to do with it

    • @johnq4951
      @johnq4951 Рік тому +1

      Yep recognised it instantly too😂

  • @ahmedp8009
    @ahmedp8009 Рік тому +6

    Love your videos.
    Please do one on the Nokia Communicator. best phone Nokia ever made in my opinion.

    • @Matt.Willoughby
      @Matt.Willoughby Рік тому +3

      The 9000 wasn't great but the 9110 was getting there and 9210i was perfect. I used a 9500 until it fell apart in the mid 2010's

    • @ahmedp8009
      @ahmedp8009 Рік тому +3

      @@Matt.Willoughby I still remember the moment when I first laid my eyes on the 9210 (not sure if it was the "i"), I instantly fell in love, there was nothing like it then, and nothing like it today (except maybe Plant Computers' Cosmo and Astro).

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +1

      I do agree the Communicator deserves a video one day.

  • @Benedict-01
    @Benedict-01 Рік тому +3

    Couldn't believe my eyes seeing the whole PCMCIA Card fitted inside the device! This makes the size of this device even more astonishing!

  • @leatherwiz
    @leatherwiz Рік тому +2

    Amazing to see this today. It was a dream machine for nerds in those days.

  • @pj2600
    @pj2600 Рік тому +2

    thanks for great content!

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +1

      Thank you, your're helping me make even better videos!

  • @kaitlyn__L
    @kaitlyn__L Рік тому +4

    Ooo, that outro track is an excellent cover! Interesting how they transposed the key. It made it simultaneously familiar yet strange, like going back to your home town and the roads aren’t quite as they used to be.

  • @leos3003
    @leos3003 Рік тому +1

    That was my organizer and I used most of it's functions for a few years. Really a very helpful little computer.

  • @AppliedCryogenics
    @AppliedCryogenics Рік тому +43

    This is one of the last products to bear the DNA from the HP-35, the first pocket scientific calculator, from 1972. HP was still innovating at that point, but the seeds of ruin had already been planted in 1987, with the introduction of the HP PaintJet. Now, HP is just a big corporate cash grab.

    • @Magpie1701
      @Magpie1701 Рік тому +4

      It is a shame what became of such a once innovative company

    • @prakashm1468
      @prakashm1468 Рік тому +1

      Perhaps they employed Steve Balmer after the first success. Just like MS did with Windows 8.

    • @Winter-zv1dv
      @Winter-zv1dv Рік тому +2

      Replace “HP” with “The World”

    • @KenTheSteak
      @KenTheSteak Рік тому +1

      You wanna buy some toner?

    • @BomberBlur07
      @BomberBlur07 11 місяців тому +2

      What did the PaintJet do?

  • @JonGallon
    @JonGallon Рік тому +7

    12:32 I really do appreciate that you (and some other content creators) put captions / subtitles im their videos. It helps me a lot since English is not my native language (but your accent is a joy and make understanding very easy). Also, and most importantly, this is very respectful and inclusive to those who are deaf / hard of hearing. Even some music videos from big labels nowadays are providing captions too since they can enjoy the visuals together with the lyrics.
    And lots of 'UA-camrs' does not even turn on the automatic captions in their videos. Sure, they are far from perfect but it helps a lot and most mistakes are easy to guess.
    So, thank you very much for the captions too. 😊

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +1

      Thank you. It's really good to know that the work I put into making correct captions is helpful and appreciated.

  • @zachwhite2716
    @zachwhite2716 Рік тому +3

    I made so many webpages in the lates 90s when I was supposed to be paying attention in class. I had macros for common html tags to help write them. Thanks for bringing back those memories.
    I had the 100lx, always wanted to get the 200 but as a student it was out of reach.

  • @CBitsTech
    @CBitsTech Рік тому +3

    Loved the card > adapter > adapter > adapter solution.

  • @emabuono9992
    @emabuono9992 Рік тому +3

    Love your channel, presenting somewhat obscure devices, especially for my age, and very soothing calming voice to present. Nice video this one. Cheers.

  • @electrohoard
    @electrohoard Рік тому +1

    Thanks for the video! I’ve had several HP Palmtops in the past and love them so much that I even started making videos about them recently. Its great to see people are still interested in such devices like I am.😊

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +2

      Hey, I was recommended you channel recently. Great stuff! keep it up.

    • @electrohoard
      @electrohoard Рік тому

      @@JanusCycle thank you for the kind words and for providing us all with such quality content!!

  • @nackeyt3068
    @nackeyt3068 Рік тому +1

    hp200LXはその前身の95LXの頃から憧れてた。結局使い勝手からLibrettoをチョイスしたけど。PCカードスロットにPHS差し込んで今のタブレット的用途に重宝してた。

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому

      Nice, I also really like Libretto

  • @teerapatadullayathum8713
    @teerapatadullayathum8713 Рік тому +3

    I love to see this video because it make me feel like I sat in Delorean and bring me back in the time that I was young. Technology in 90s were always so cool, exciting and fascinating moment.....
    I growing up with 286...386...486...pentium 4...
    or monochrome....cga/ega...vga...svga....
    or super famicom/ gameboy...play 1/wii...
    or VHS/laser disc...vcd...dvd...bluray...streaming
    or Symbion phone...pocketPC phone...smartphone (iOS/Android)
    ....It's extraordinary experience to see everything around us changed step-by-step during we 're growing up 😉😉😉

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +1

      There did seem to be a rush of new technologies as digital rapidly kept advancing at the time.

    • @teerapatadullayathum8713
      @teerapatadullayathum8713 Рік тому +1

      I exactly agree with you especially during 1990s to early 2000s...

  • @ShuAsphalt
    @ShuAsphalt Рік тому +2

    Always good to see a new video

  • @MegaManNeo
    @MegaManNeo Рік тому +5

    This looks like a fun device for retro computing hours even without games.
    Really reminds me of the whole era of PALM handhelds except as full blown PC.

  • @svobodo2
    @svobodo2 Рік тому +14

    I bought a second hand one in (I think) 2000 or 2001 and used it daily for about a decade. Lovely little machines. One drawback was that it was possible to lock it up so badly that even the ctrl-shift-on combo wouldn't work. Frequent backups were a good idea.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +2

      I did read that it could lock up so badly that all the batteries would have to be removed for several minutes to reset. Thanks for confirming this, and that ctrl-shift-on is not necessarily a full hardware interrupt.

    • @stpworld
      @stpworld Рік тому

      some of these things could be seriously defective we tried one from a new company in the 1990s callled velo and it would work great then start randomly resetting. My parents thought it would be better for me then a full sized laptop at the time. My aunts company got these to and some of them had defective batteriest to. @@JanusCycle

    • @MadBison
      @MadBison Рік тому +1

      I used a h95lx and later a hp200lx from 1992 to around 1999 or 2000. I had software carousel installed, which swapped different apps in and out of memory. I used them for a lot of tasks, and I don't remember this hard lockup issue at all. I did get the faster chip upgrade and the memory upgrade aftermarket. I had to ship it from Australia to the USA and back to get that done! I used to read and type emails while standing on the London Underground when I worked in London. PCMCIA modem and a landline at home to do the send and receive. There was a great email list group for the HPLX. The only real issue i had was the hinge cracked, which was common, but i used the email list group to repair it and the crack is barely noticeable to today.

  • @dosgos
    @dosgos Рік тому +5

    Modern computers frequently do not format SD cards properly. Try formatting with a different device for formatting (e.g. a good camera, pda, etc.). And look on forums to see what SD card brands/sizes are confirmed to work with your HP 200LX (or other old device).

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +1

      I had to try many cards to find the few that worked. Seems kind of random which one do.

  • @ai-with-steve
    @ai-with-steve Рік тому +2

    When I was a kid, I saw one at a store. I wanted one so badly! I begged my parents for one. They laughed and said yeah, right. I vowed to one day have such a device.
    I had blackberries. The first Android phone. An iPhone in my pocket right now. :-)

  • @natet3345
    @natet3345 Рік тому +2

    I am so absolutely impressed with your tone of voice when you said 640K. Lol most excellent delivery better than I’ve ever heard before props to you dude

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +1

      Thank you! I wasn't sure how well that would be noticed :)

  • @jasonblalock4429
    @jasonblalock4429 Рік тому +1

    10:30 You magnificent bastard.
    Also, I actually recognized some of those demos going by on its tiny screen, so it was doing something right!

  • @Colt45hatchback
    @Colt45hatchback Рік тому +4

    I wish someone would make something like this nowdays, surely a full high end 486 dx2 100 with a bunch of cache 16mb ram (maybe 32?) Sound blaster and such can be made small enough to fit and work well, real good screen from a modern phone, but the same form factor and actual real usesable keyboard, perhaps with a thinkpad nub style mouse in it and a pair of micro sd card slots, usb type a, and of course a gameport. It would be great to be able to windows 95 in my pocket. I had always hoped i could one day mod my nokia n97 to run a different os, but i dont have the patience to learn to code, let alone port a bunch of software to it.

  • @lakromani8172
    @lakromani8172 Рік тому +1

    I do have one with manuals etc, but not used for long time. Loved this device when I worked in HP back in the 90.

  • @hakhaimo
    @hakhaimo Рік тому +1

    I always being fascinated by the charm of older machines.

  • @ptonpc
    @ptonpc Рік тому +1

    The film with the line "Time is the fire in which we burn" I still have my Libretto 100 with docking station. I sometimes turn it one for old times sake. I first saw one running NT4 server and being used as an emergency file server.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому

      Nice line, and nice machine you have there.

  • @s81n
    @s81n 11 місяців тому +1

    I miss this era of computing. Although I had no access to a computer back then I would see all these great devices in magazines (the closest I could get to a computer) and fawn over them. The internet was still new to most people and utterly fascinating. I always imagined how cool it would be to have a job when I grew up where I would have these types of computers and travel all around.

  • @rainboworange
    @rainboworange Рік тому +3

    The adaptor-recursion was just perfect! Had a good laugh. Also great use of the REX card!

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +2

      Thanks!, it was fun making that bit :)

  • @nickthaskater
    @nickthaskater Рік тому +1

    Need a physical keyboard attachment for the Galaxy Fold. Basically the same form factor as this.

  • @HPPalmtopTube
    @HPPalmtopTube Місяць тому

    I have a whole channel dedicated to 200LX machines: ua-cam.com/channels/CVChzZ62a-c4MdJWyRwdCQ.html

  • @alexandrestolte
    @alexandrestolte Рік тому +1

    I had twice of this wonder computer in midle 90 here in Brazil, use the worksheet a lot on my business, controling production and results. Useg also with a moden on internet and e-mail!!! Just run very fast, very trustfull and very ease to use & understanding.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому

      That must have been an amazing experience and really turned some heads! Thanks for sharing.

  • @Memememe-is1yn
    @Memememe-is1yn 11 місяців тому +2

    Star Trek: Generations. Picard and Data in the Stellar Cartography room.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  11 місяців тому +1

      Yep, correct film and scene :)

  • @falafell
    @falafell 2 місяці тому +1

    I love the form factor, and I love the video style, amazing quality.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  2 місяці тому +1

      I'm pleased you enjoyed this :)

    • @falafell
      @falafell 2 місяці тому +1

      @@JanusCycleAll of your other videos I have found to be of similar quality as well, so needless to say I have become a fan of the channel :)

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  2 місяці тому

      Great to hear, thank you :)

    • @falafell
      @falafell 2 місяці тому +2

      @JanusCycle Thank _you_ for replying to tons of comments!

  • @ClaudioKirk
    @ClaudioKirk Рік тому +1

    The image is Capitain Picarf and Data, from Star Trek the Next Generation

  • @AndyTanguay
    @AndyTanguay Рік тому +1

    It was SO cool. We were issued one at work, and were always shocked at how much it could do. Loved having it on me all the time.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +1

      It must have been amazing to carry this around with you,

    • @AndyTanguay
      @AndyTanguay Рік тому +1

      @@JanusCycle Honestly, it REALLY was. It's hard to describe what the PC landscape was like back then. Laptops were barely 'a thing'...and they certainly weren't small. And you know, it was honestly useful for YEARS. Just having an serial terminal with you all the time was a joy. Same thing for a spreadsheet. I hate to admit it, but I think I threw it away just maybe 10 years ago.

  • @agenttexx
    @agenttexx 11 місяців тому +2

    I remember this machine as our Industrial Technology teacher had one.

  • @simonclark8100
    @simonclark8100 Рік тому +2

    I still use my 200lx to run a msdos qbasic program talking through the serial port with an arduino allow it to interface to the real world. It works much better than a PC as it can run off batteries for weeks. I log the data to a old cisco 128mb ATA flash card. I'm planning to use a esp32 to make a hp200 web server... one day.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому

      Beautiful, really glad to hear how the 200XL lives on today.

  • @scotty3114
    @scotty3114 Рік тому +1

    I had one back in the day. Gat a modem that pluged irto the serial port, hooked that to the bag phone in my car. Thus I could access the company network. No one could figure out how I was getting my data in the system while still on the road!
    I miss that little 'puter! That was the neatest portable device ever.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому

      Great story, I love hearing this sort if thing. That must have been amazing to do that.

    • @scotty3114
      @scotty3114 Рік тому

      @JanusCycle Yes, it was, that's why no one figured it out. They didn't really twig that such things existed. I must admit I was a texter while driving, I would sit the HP on the dashboard. It was then just below my line of sight to the road. All I had to do was shift the focus of my eyes, and I didn't have to move them at all! So I could update the mainframe while zipping across the countryside. I live in the desert southwest, so it wasn't too onerous of a task. Although I wouldn't recommend it, especially nowadays, traffic is much worse than it was then. Old memories, thanks.

  • @JanusCycle
    @JanusCycle  Рік тому +21

    Having now experienced the HP 200LX up close, I can see this is a stunning machine compared to other handhelds that were around.
    Even though it stayed mostly in the business world, this was a top shelf product from the 90s. I hope this video shows how amazing it was for it's time.
    If you owned or used one of these back then then let me know. I've heard that people loved the 200LX so much that many continued to use them well into the 2000s.
    There is also a fan base that continues to this day. Hi and welcome to you. I hope you enjoyed this take on the HP 200LX.

    • @IunahYT
      @IunahYT Рік тому

      No pinning comments, sorry.

    • @John.0z
      @John.0z Рік тому +2

      One minor error - CGA was 320x200, not 640. So this palmtop had a higher graphics resolution than a IBM CGA monitor!
      From the first day I used one, I thought the CGA was horrible. But as it was using the US NTSC TV hardware, I understood why IBM had opted for it - it was cheap and low-risk.

    • @cpyt
      @cpyt Рік тому +4

      I wonder how windows 3.0 would run on there

    • @jaydprogamer4485
      @jaydprogamer4485 Рік тому +2

      i guess star trek is what your playing on the screen?

    • @eDoc2020
      @eDoc2020 Рік тому +1

      @@John.0z 2-bit color graphics modes are only 320x200. 1-bit monochrome graphics (as well as 80 column text) is 640x200.

  • @JoeSteele
    @JoeSteele Рік тому +2

    Nice presentation. I especially like the Rex syncing at the end. That was a trick I always wanted to try, but never bought a Rex when they were big. I still have my HP200LX (and a 100LX too) and a bunch of add-ons. I have a 4GB Sandisk CF card that works in the HP (although partitioned into multiple disks IIRC). I have the DoubleSpeed variant with the 8MB expansion. I used it for on-the-go DOS development (mostly scripting) back in the day. You could even run AOL 1.6 on it (via the serial port) and get on the internet at one point!

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +1

      Nice, your HP sounds really decked out (and having a 100LX as well). I was able to get a 512MB card working but slow calculating the free space under DOS. Partitioning sounds like a good idea. But 4GB? you must have many partitions. The double speed must help speed that up as well.

  • @t.p.0104
    @t.p.0104 Рік тому +1

    Even the voice over sounds retro. Very nice😊

  • @c64club
    @c64club Рік тому +1

    My fav laptop of all times. Miss this form factor and mono screen till today. I added extenal COM port, 2 megs of RAM, screen backlight... Pocket Quicken was the best personal finance manager I've ever seen.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому

      A backlight would be an challenging to add, well done. Thanks for sharing your setup.

    • @c64club
      @c64club Рік тому

      @@JanusCycleThe backlight setup was quite popular that times. It consisted of electroluminescent foil (like in backlit watches and oldest Palm devices) plus a simple yet small inverter. There even were some tutorials on web pages. The biggest problem was to get big enough foil. Disadvantage was that screen was a bit darker when backlight was not used. Light color was blue-greenish.

  • @cheetahfurry9107
    @cheetahfurry9107 Рік тому +1

    I have this sitting on my desk right now working. I just changed out the backup battery this week.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому

      Nice, I'm pleased to hear these are still going strong.

    • @cheetahfurry9107
      @cheetahfurry9107 Рік тому

      @@JanusCycle wondering if I can update the screen to color :) it’s fun I play old dos games on it and I was thinking of getting a huge storage card.

  • @MadBison
    @MadBison Рік тому +1

    I still have my hp95lx and hp200lx, and the pocket modem and a couple of 1MB and 2MB PCMCIA cards. I used the 200lx for many years! I have installed Software Carousel. Still boot it up occasionally for nostalgia. The Solver function in the calculator was by far the best solver I have used, and wish i could replicate that functionality now.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому

      I'm really glad to hear you still power yours up from time to time.

  • @kippie80
    @kippie80 Рік тому +1

    Used it up until iphone2. For about 10 years. Their replacement program was awesome.

  • @coney2010grads
    @coney2010grads Рік тому +1

    That star trek video with 1 bit sound reminds me of watching tv on a 13 inch black and white tv in my grandparents house in the 90s.

  • @drsmack3000
    @drsmack3000 Рік тому +5

    One of my teachers had one of these and I so badly wanted to play with it! thank you for reviewing it and showing the games! It's so cool what it could do for that time.

    • @KiKo-y1s
      @KiKo-y1s Рік тому

      japan made sharp japan products

  • @LK-dz6pb
    @LK-dz6pb 3 місяці тому +2

    My fave part is how to closer to end it's revealed that about half of the space inside this tiny mofo was empty to fit the full-size PCMCIA card reader, lol

  • @willjudy5623
    @willjudy5623 Рік тому +1

    They were awesome. I grew up in the same city where they were produced and my friends parents worked at HP. So we had early access to them.

  • @Koutsie
    @Koutsie Рік тому +10

    I don't know if you noticed but theres a very high pitched noise in your voiceover and its a bit distracting, other than that - what a lovely machine!!

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +6

      I didn’t notice, thanks for mentioning it. I did use a high cut filter as usual. I’ll check and do better next time.

  • @michelvondenhoff9673
    @michelvondenhoff9673 Рік тому +1

    That Rex HP combo reminds me of the Seiko watch you could put upon a docking station for information swaps and/or text input.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому

      That Seiko watch is cool. I'd love to try it.

  • @cmdrflint9115
    @cmdrflint9115 Рік тому

    I had one of the follow ups, the HP 320lx I think, loved it at the time, gonna go digging in the attic and see if I can find it now!

  • @IraQNid
    @IraQNid Рік тому +2

    A PIM inside a Palmtop PC running full DOS. These were super cool at the time.

  • @sonic2000gr
    @sonic2000gr Рік тому +4

    I remember this one vividly. I also almost bought their later Windows CE based version.

    • @frstesiste7670
      @frstesiste7670 Рік тому

      I bought the later CE version, it was horrible compared to the LX200

  • @rezaruhbani4979
    @rezaruhbani4979 Рік тому +1

    please make more of these videos, you did a great job

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому

      Thank you. I will do my best to keep exploring tech and making these videos.

  • @ofey
    @ofey Рік тому +1

    I used to own one of these in the late 90s (post '96). I remember Windows 3.11 could run on this and Ultima was a great game to play on it. I wish I still had mine. I sold it in the 2010s online. Watching your video brought a tear to my eye .. Oh the memories.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому

      Nice, good to hear from an original user. Though it was probably Windows 3.0, since I have been reading that 3.1 was not compatible. Must have been cool to have Ultima on the go.

    • @ofey
      @ofey Рік тому

      @@JanusCycle Indeed it was a gool device to have. I passed on the Palm Pilot (tablet with small pen) and kept my 200LX which had gone through the RAM upgrade to 4MB and I still have my 48MB SanDisk Compact Flash memory card in my belongings somewhere. The best part about this was that it was truly a portable PC which I could carry around with me. As a teen, I had this in a small bum bag and my skateboard and my Sony walkman. Arguably the most memorable days of my life. Having DOS and a C-compiler made my engineering student life pretty good as well. I learnt to work anywhere, I could draft reports, code and set up spreadsheets to automate calculations easily.
      The 200LX's capability at the time and its footprint was unparalleled.

  • @RadioChief52
    @RadioChief52 Рік тому +1

    I still have my 200LX with a custom internal memory upgrade and few different expansion cards for more memory and WiFi. I even have the book that came with it. I can't throw anything away.

    • @brodriguez11000
      @brodriguez11000 Рік тому +1

      Still have that Ark of the Covenant lying around? 😀

  • @oldtwinsna8347
    @oldtwinsna8347 Рік тому +1

    Had a 200LX in the 90s since I couldn't afford a "real" laptop that cost thousands and were too clunky and huge so didn't really want one anyways. The fact you got a real x86 powered machine in a handheld size was truly unreal back then. This wasn't just some watered down chipset running a proprietary OS, but the real deal MS-DOS that had tens of thousands of software titles out for it and most non-gaming ran just fine.

  • @ScottHenion
    @ScottHenion Рік тому +1

    Had one of those back in the day. The 80186 includes much of the support chips needed for the 8086. However, its integrated interrupt controller is different than that the 8086 PC's. So games using interrupts bay crash. I think some of the Tandy PCs had the same issue.
    Did a lot of design using the 80186. Real nice to use in embedded systems as that is what it was designed for.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +1

      Wow, you sound very familiar indeed with the 80186. Interesting detail on the 80186 interrupts, thank you.

  • @XdB1Gz7StR4C7
    @XdB1Gz7StR4C7 3 місяці тому +1

    I'm so impressed. 👍👌👏💪💪Massive thank you for this video. Enjoyed your video? I forgot to take breath when I was watching. Great memories. 💻💽😄🥰

  • @LA6NPA
    @LA6NPA Рік тому +1

    Thank you! This was fun!

  • @slicey80
    @slicey80 Рік тому +2

    I had one of these as a kid... I got it in the early 2000s from a garage sale... I wish I still had it now

    • @MaxOakland
      @MaxOakland Рік тому +1

      That's so COOL! I always dreamed I'd find something cool like that at a garagesale as a kid

    • @slicey80
      @slicey80 Рік тому

      @@MaxOakland man the amount of things I found at garage sales as a kid that today are worth so much money and are so rare... sadly 99% of it I no longer have

  • @zudemaster
    @zudemaster Рік тому +2

    This looks like a device i found way back when. Probably 1995. I was coming out of a office building - if i remember right it was a doctors office and it was laying in the parking lot. It was in a soft padded case. I opened it up, I could tell it was something special so i took it back inside and gave it to the lady at the reception desk. Don't know what became of it after that.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому

      I love that story. I bet someone really appreciated getting theirs back.

  • @lucastasi
    @lucastasi Рік тому +1

    It seems to appeared in old TV set called "Mission: impossible" ,which pulished on NBC.

  • @hotrodmercury3941
    @hotrodmercury3941 Рік тому +1

    So my mom actually had one of these, well both my parents before they upgraded. They bought it used for a okay price back then, it was in color and she used it for invoices and accounting. The both of them were making a shit ton of cash in the mid 90s-early 00s through their construction business. They would use laptops and stuff, but would use these when they didnt want to lug around a laptop. I always tried to get either this or the PDA from my dads truck to "play" on.
    Meetings, customer info, invoices, material invoices, manifests, phone numbers, equipment info, equipment insurance, emails, the whole lot was on those things. My mom eventually got rid of it in a yard sale around 2006? Just before the crash was on the horizon. She sold a lot of her business computers for like $30 when in reality she couldve netted around $200 or more each. She still has the mentality that if she tries to sell a PC or whatever that no one will want it and will sell it for god awful cheap.
    (I being a very young child fondly remember playing on it with note pad and stuff. Just typing gibberish or playing with a calculator function lmao)

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому

      Great memories, thanks for sharing. Tech has a cycle where prices keep falling for about ten years. It's hard to keep it around because it just seems to be taking up space. Then begins rising again after 15 - 20 years and become intriguing again. But in a different way.

  • @TheBugkillah
    @TheBugkillah Рік тому +26

    But will it play Doom?

    • @OfficialJaska
      @OfficialJaska 5 місяців тому +3

      Yes

    • @Nelson_C_KNOWS
      @Nelson_C_KNOWS 3 місяці тому +1

      I interested in seeing this device play doom lol

    • @hannahlamond7710
      @hannahlamond7710 Місяць тому +1

      Yes, but just not on thursdays, we don't talk about what it does on thursdays

    • @Nelson_C_KNOWS
      @Nelson_C_KNOWS Місяць тому +1

      @@hannahlamond7710Friday is a better day. In fact it’s the best day. TGIF😅

    • @Agola666
      @Agola666 6 днів тому

      no 1mb ram amk

  • @dkdndjdndjd
    @dkdndjdndjd Рік тому +2

    I love this device. Not any PDAs and smartphone has such a perfect keyboard and good figures to handle. Just 2 alkaline batteries work for weeks!

  • @WoodyW2k
    @WoodyW2k Рік тому +4

    Fantastic. I love both those devices. I was lucky enough to get an HP 95LX back in the day from someone that upgraded to an HP 200LX. Both brilliant machines and I did quite a bit of word processing on it at the time. Thanks for sharing!

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому

      Nice, must have been amazing to have these at the time.

    • @KiKo-y1s
      @KiKo-y1s Рік тому

      japan made sharp japan products

  • @Flying0Dismount
    @Flying0Dismount Рік тому +1

    I still have mine and it still works great...

  • @bradrobinson7960
    @bradrobinson7960 Рік тому +1

    1:31 It's the stellar cartography scene from Star Trek Generations.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +1

      Correct scene and film! double points award :)

  • @samuzamu
    @samuzamu Рік тому +1

    Ooh nostalgic. Got the first of that series, the 95LX, from my grandpa, in the early noughties. Super outdated even by then, but I adored it, as a nerdy kid. Learnt a lot of my first words in english trying to understand the contents of the 1000+ page manual. Must have thrown the computer away after its hinges broke, would love to have it back.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому

      That sounds like a really cool way to learn, thanks for the story.

  • @xantam23
    @xantam23 Рік тому +2

    I got the HP OmniGo 700LX, which is basically a 200LX with 2MB RAM and a spot to clip on a Nokia 2110. I love tinkering with it from time to time.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому

      I saw that model variation in photos, I read that it has two PCMCIA slots? very interesting.

    • @xantam23
      @xantam23 Рік тому

      Yes, on accessible from externally and one internal for the 2110.

  • @alainpierre
    @alainpierre Рік тому +1

    I once met a doctor who had one, if not the same, very similar. But as I was never able to use one of these, I was only left with the memory that these PDAs existed.

  • @r_firefly4292
    @r_firefly4292 2 місяці тому +1

    This video is the major reason for me to purchase a 200lx, now I think it is the single most valuable investment in my life! An extremely well-made FreeCell Solitaire for 200lx helped me pass time on a delayed flight while consuming virtually no battery, many DOS games also run surprisingly well on 200lx (The ones without a lot of motion). I have also managed to track down a compatible ethernet card, and with much, I can connect to the internet on 200lx, how cool is that?
    The fact that 200lx takes AA batteries means it doesn't suffer from the curse of the 2000s electronics, which is you can't find the battery for them anymore (The main reason I didn't purchase a Zaurus). With rechargeable AA batteries and very low consumption, the joy of using it can almost last forever.
    Another thing is that being able to communicate with modern computers via serial port and CF card also makes 200lx surprisingly useful in the modern days, so good that I carry it wherever I go.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  2 місяці тому

      That is awesome to hear. The battery life is astonishing for it's capability and the time this came out. And there is so much DOS software available. I really appreciate this little computer.

    • @r_firefly4292
      @r_firefly4292 2 місяці тому +1

      @@JanusCycle Many thanks! A small question here: do you know if hp2rex works with REX 5000/ REX 6000? I am also interested with picking one up.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  2 місяці тому

      @@r_firefly4292 I did try hp2rex with a REX 5 and it didn't seem to detect. I have not tried with a REX 6000 and I expect it may not be compatible. I will be revisiting this subject one day.

    • @r_firefly4292
      @r_firefly4292 2 місяці тому +1

      @@JanusCycle Cool! Looking forward to that

  • @brockachoo
    @brockachoo Рік тому +1

    This was amazing!!!

  • @vinylcabasse
    @vinylcabasse Рік тому +1

    would be cool if you could do a video on the Cassiopeia em-500. i had one of these in high school around 2000 or 2001 and it felt like the future. (mine was the boring blue-gray, i really wanted one of the yellow or orange ones!) had a beautiful TFT display, 16mb ram, an MMC card slot. pocket player worked on it for videos, but the coolest thing it had was an NES emulator - and the perfect button layout to map to the NES controller keys. i remember coming across something on an early forum showing pictures of how you could draw a trace on the circuit board with pencil lead that would overclock the CPU from 133 or 166 to 188 or something like that, which i tried and it worked!

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +1

      I do love Casio devices and wish I had some. That overclock sounds cool!

  • @Stefan-
    @Stefan- Рік тому +1

    Its crazy how it can fit the whole PCMCIA card inside that small computer especially for its time, one would think that it would be absolutely filled with electronics and then you put that comparatively huge card inside it. I was born in the early 70´s and i would have been well into my 20´s when this came out, i worked repairing cell phones in the 90´s at an authorized service center for Nokia and i remember the Nokia 9000 communicator which came in sometimes, it was in reality one of the first smartphones.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому +1

      Great perspective, thank you. The Communicator is another interesting device that I need to try out.

  • @correlation917
    @correlation917 Рік тому +1

    Theres something beautiful about 90s tech

  • @eDoc2020
    @eDoc2020 Рік тому +2

    I have a 100LX (same internal hardware, different included software) I picked up well after they were current. Mine has 2 megs of RAM as well as an original 10 meg Hewlett-Packard branded PCMCIA card made by Sundisk. That's Sundisk with a U, they changed their name to SanDisk a couple years later.

    • @JanusCycle
      @JanusCycle  Рік тому

      Nice, I like the way the black case looks on the 100LX in photos.