Reactivating the handprint data entry concept pioneered by Quest Automation in the mid-1970s, Fremont, California-based Tandy Corp subsidiary Grid Systems Corp has come out with the 4 lbs 8 oz GridPad handheld 80C86-based MS-DOS micro aimed at people that collect data on the move. Small enough to be held in one hand and used while walking, it has no built-in keyboard and data is entered by writing with an electronic stylus on the screen – but it takes the thing a couple of seconds to recognise each character and put it up on the screen. It runs four to eight hours, with a power down button that takes users back where they left off when pressed again. It has a 10 640 by 400 pixel screen that can also put up a representation of keyboard or keypad, and the machine, with 1Mb and 10MHz CPU costs $2,370 and $425 for the essential memory card. An optional 20Mb disk and keyboard turn the thing into a desktop computer. –
