The Compaq TC1000 was released around late 2002 by what was the Compaq Computer Corporation.
The
machine cost a small fortune for a portable computer, although was
"about right" for a machine in what was the ultraportable bracket. You
could probably pick on of these
up for about $3K 'back in the day.'
Even for the price, you
didn't get all that much in terms of hardware capability. You got a
Transmeta Crusoe TM5800 running at just 1GHz with the VIA chipset.
Being a "generic" CPU might have increased battery life and cut costs for Compaq, but
certainly couldn't compete in terms of performance. This processor cannot even compare to a Pentium 3 in perforance.
Graphics was
provided by a nVidia Geforce2GO graphics chip, it is of the PCI type,
with 16mb of VRAM. This at least eliminates "RAM Robbing" from
integrated graphics. Last but not least, you got a 20GB hard-drive.
Extenal connectivity on this model, as well
as the TC1100, were quite good. Provided were 2x USB 1.1 Ports, 1 56k
Dial-up Modem Port, 10/100 Intel Ethernet, 802.11b (Intel or Atheros)
wireless (same bus as modem), Bluetooth 1.1, 1 VGA port, TI PCI1520
Cardbus and CompactFlash slot.
Screen
size was 10.4",
perfect for a machine of this size. The machine isn't too wide/tall,
and is "just right" in terms of handling in tablet or slate modes. In
comparison, today's models incorporate "Widescreens," which make
handling in the portrait orientation tedious, to say the least.
Exactly
how did Compaq create a tablet design here? Well, they incorporated a
snap-on keyboard with a 180° swivel (or "Lazy-Susan") base, allowing
the keyboard to be effortlessly folded away. Additionally, a slider
controlling two extendable "locks"
helps secure the display in place when the keyboard is folded away.
Mine had these pinds, but both broke during a loss between Gravity and
the TC1100, (Superglue does work, but not not be a lasting solution, in
this case).
Not only did you have a swivel base, the keyboard
was also removable, via a small latch on the machine's backside. This
transforms the tablet into a "slate," which can be used in Portrait or
Landscape orientation.
At present, I am unware of the
touch-digitizer that was used by Compaq in this machine. What I do
know, and wish to warn you about, is the touch-pen input on this PC.
Unfortunately, in order to operate, you need either 1 or 2 AAAA
batteries to operate the RF device within the pen.
These
batteries aren't all that easy to find these days either, and
probably cost another small fortune. No doubt this frustrated many
tablet users - the extreme cost, scarcity of the product and the effort
required to even get at the batteries probably caused several "Hammer
vs. PC" incidents over the lifespan of these machines.
Even
today, some of the tablet's I've seen (Such as the new Sony Flip-Screen
machines) use these stupid RF pens with AAAA batteries. I think this is
a huge mistake. Let's boycott machines that have this design, shall we?
Compaq
also designed the machine with usability in mind, and as such included
several commonly-used buttons on the machine. Another page outlining
these exist below.
Today, The TC1000 is largely redundant, having been succeeded by newer and faster tablets capable of much, much more.
However, the machines are still the only to date that utilise the Swivel & Detach keyboard base, which in my eyes is a
real winner.
Even though they are woefully outdated, the design is still a winner in
my eyes. You can sign a petition to bring back the TC-Tablet design
down below...
