Gateway Handbook

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By using the Dillo browser, it is possible to browse web pages on a Handbook 486 running Linux
By using the Dillo browser, it is possible to browse web pages on a Handbook 486 running Linux

The Gateway Handbook was a very small and lightweight subnotebook manufactured by Gateway Computers in the early 1990s.

The product was only 9.7 inches (246 mm) wide, 5.9 inches (150 mm) deep, and 1.6 inches (41 mm) high, and weighed less than three pounds (1.4 kg).[1] While it used a Chips and Technologies 8680 microprocessor, it was marketed as having 286-level performance.[2][3] It had 640 KiB of RAM, a 20 megabyte hard drive, and a monochrome blue-white CGA compatible display. The unit could be powered by a rechargeable battery or 6 AA batteries in a special battery pack. The rechargeable batteries were unusual in that they are able to be charged without actually being in the laptop. A floppy disk was attached through a proprietary parallel port connector.

After the success of the original Gateway Handbook, Gateway came out with a 486 model. The Handbook 486 (as it was called) was originally available as two models: A 486SX/25 and a 486DX/40 model. Gateway later on came out with Handbook 486 models utilizing a 486SX/33 or 486DX/50 processor. All of these handbooks used a grayscale 640x480 VGA display. Because of the small size of the unit, the display was distorted--what appear as circles on other displays come out as ovals on the Handbook 486.

The built in hard disk for the Handbook 486 was usually 120 megabytes in size. The Handbook 486 was produced between 1993 and 1995.[4][5][6] The Handbook 486 had 4 MiB of built-in RAM, which can be expanded to 20 MiB. As of 2005, it is still possible to buy memory for the Handbook 486, although one should test the memory with memtest since memory for older computers is more likely to be defective.

It is possible to install Linux or OpenBSD on these computers; the Handbook 486 is probably the earliest Linux-compatible subnotebook released. It is even possible to run the X Window System after the memory is expanded. The Handbook 486 has a PCMCIA II interface. While Modern Cardbus cards do not work with this interface, most older PCMCIA II cards (as long as they use no more than 250 mA of power[7]) work fine. The Handbook 486 also has a pointing device similar to the IBM trackpoint located on the right hand side of the keyboard just above the enter key.

The Gateway Handbook remains one of the smallest laptops ever produced; other subnotebook include the Toshiba Libretto, the Fujitsu Lifebook P1000 series, the Panasonic R3, and the Asus Eee PC.

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/HAND486/486DX2SP.shtml
  2. ^ http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=3vocj2%24hhd%40umt.umt.edu
  3. ^ http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/HAND286/HB2SPEC.shtml
  4. ^ http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=1993Oct1.091148.54016%40kuhub.cc.ukans.edu
  5. ^ http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=CI3K5t.Fys%40news.Hawaii.Edu
  6. ^ http://groups.google.cl/groups?selm=varmas-161295154943%40129.59.192.40
  7. ^ http://support.3com.com/infodeli/inotes/techtran/2506_5ea.htm

[edit] External links