Compaq Concerto

Compaq Concerto
Compaq Concerto
Operating system	MS-DOS 5.0 / Windows for PEN Computing 1.0
CPU	Intel Intel 80486, 25 or 33 Mhz
Storage capacity	100Mb harddrive; internal 3,5" floppy drive, 1,44Mb
Memory	1 Mb
Display	VGA: 640×480 grayscale
Weight	2kg

The Compaq Concerto was a laptop computer made by Compaq, introduced in 1992. Compaq Concerto was probably the first tablet computer manufactured on a larger scale.

Specifications

There were three Concerto models, varying in hard disk capacity, and processor speed. All had 4MB of RAM soldered to the motherboard, which was expandable to 20MB using proprietary memory modules.

There were two processor options: Intel 486SL @ 25MHz, or Intel 486SL @ 33MHz. The 25MHz model was available with either a 120MB or 240MB IDE hard disk drive, and the 33MHz model had a 240MB IDE hard disk drive. Both models had a built in 3.5" 1.44MB floppy disk drive.

All models shipped with MS-DOS 6.2, with Compaq's unique set of DOS extensions for power management, configuration and model specific help. Windows for PEN Computing Version 1, which was Windows 3.1 with necessary add-ons for pen operation — including handwriting recognition - was also pre-installed.

Modem: Internal modem was available as add-on
PCMCIA: two Type II PCMCIA slots, could also be used as a single Type III PCMCIA slot
Docking Station: a Concerto specific docking station was available

The Concerto was not a very successful laptop, but it did have some special features: a detachable keyboard, and a pen & touch screen (the touch screen only worked with the special pen). It could be considered to be ahead of its time.

Its screen had Wacom functionality, giving it some pointing properties which are still (in 2011) quite unique:

The pen had a button which could indicate double-click or right-click. (Touching the screen gave a single-click.)
The position of the pen could be detected, and the correctly placed pointer could be displayed, even when the pen was up to 1 cm away from the screen. This could e.g. trigger tooltip text display in newer operating systems.

The Concerto was a unique design, in as much as it was "upside-down" - the main body including the motherboard, hard disk drive, floppy disk drive, and expansion slots were behind the screen. The detachable keyboard was used as the lid but could be completely removed, at which point the Concerto became what is known today as a Tablet PC. The pen was connected to the Concerto through an RF link, and there was a compartment in the Concerto for the pen.