Imagine an era before smartphones, before laptops, a time when computers were largely found anchored to desks in office buildings. In the late 1980s, "portable" computing still involved lugging a heavy suitcase of equipment. But a tiny startup dared to dream that powerful computing could be untethered, slipping easily into a pocket. Their vision culminated in the remarkable yet short-lived Poqet PC – the world‘s first subnotebook form factor that presaged our modern mobile digital lives.
Let‘s explore the innovations that allowed the Poqet PC to boast desktop capabilities in a package weighing barely over one pound. We‘ll see how it overcame both hardware and software barriers thought impassable to provide no-compromise computing on the go.
The Quest for the Holy Grail of Portable Computing
As the 1980s drew to a close, the race was on in Silicon Valley to crack the next great frontier – truly portable computing. Alan Kay‘s Dynabook vision tantalized engineers – fitting the power of hulking mainframes into a svelte, intimate package for individual use.
Apple‘s Macintosh and Radio Shack‘s TRS-80 Model 100 tantalizingly suggested the possibilities. But they still involved bulky machines with severe performance or software compromises. The promise of computing anywhere, unhindered and untapped, remained out of reach.
It was in this environment that three gifted engineers – John Fairbanks, Stav Prodromou, and Nobutoshi Umeda dared to dream. They wondered – could desktop-class computing hardware and software be condensed not just into a suitcase portable but a pocketable form factor? Could batteries drive a full-fledged PC for not just hours – but weeks at a time?
In 1987, Fairbanks and Prodromou founded Poqet Computer Corp. They assembled a scrappy team to turn their vision into reality. Industry luminaries scoffed that modern software would never run efficiently on low-power hardware. Or that the user experience would be too compromised on tiny screens and keyboards.
But the Poqet team would soon dramatically disprove these notions. Partnering with Japanese manufacturing giant Fujitsu for production and financing, Poqet set out to conquer the next great frontier of personal computing – true mobility.
Technical Innovations Power the 1.2 lb Dynamo
Reviewing the Poqet PC‘s technical specifications, one is astonished at what was achieved given its diminutive footprint:
Dimensions: 170mm x 100mm x 25mm
Weight: 1.2 lbs (with batteries)
CPU: 16 MHz NEC V30
Memory: Up to 2 MB RAM
Storage: Up to 1.26 MB Solid State
Display: 640×200 C&W backlit LCD
OS: MS-DOS v3.3 + PoqetTools
To appreciate the engineering mastery that enabled these specs, one must consider precisely what barriers the Poqet team overcame.
Modern laptops provide power, longevity and functionality by splitting components across relatively large surface areas. But when squeezed into a form factor not much larger than a checkbook, extreme optimizations become necessary.
For one, the Poqet PC motherboard was custom designed, eschewing off-the-shelf parts for maximum space savings. This highly integrated layout packing the CPU, RAM and other critical ICs proved a masterclass in pcboard real estate efficiency unseen in larger computers. Tradeoffs that wouldn‘t fly in a desktop were made to grant space for the full keyboard.
But even an efficient layout would prove worthless without miserly power management unrivaled in its day. By aggressively throttling, disabling and put parts of system to "sleep", the Poqet pushed battery technology to its limits. Variants of these strategies we now take for granted in modern laptops today trace their lineage directly back to the Poqet.
Even application software had to be designed for stringent efficiency – the Poqet ROMDrive stored critical apps in read-only memory to avoid needing disk access just to load WordPerfect. Every micro-optimization extended battery life and minimized size to cheat physics and squeeze a complete IBM desktop-compatible PC into a shirt pocket.
Contemporary Reviews – Marveling at the 1 Pound Wonder
When the Poqet PC debuted in 1989, it astonished reviewers and developers alike. After seeing early prototypes, major software vendors scrambled to ensure their MS-DOS applications could fluently run on a low power "v20" series CPU never designed to manage overlapping programs.
BYTE Magazine dubbed it a "1 pound technological marvel", gushing over its software compatibility and hinting at the new vistas of possibility it presented:
"What happens when you have an MS-DOS computer and modem that weighs 22 ounces, fits in your pocket and can run on two AA batteries for 30 hours? An awful lot of new applications start to make sense…"
PC Magazine likewise heaped acclaim for overcoming multiple size constraints while retaining desktop utility:
"The Poqet PC redefines portability. It packs the power of a desktop into something that fits in your pocket…this achievement demands technical innovation reaching across disciplines."
Reviewers variously described the Poqet as "visionary", "boundary breaking" and "stunningly aggressive". Despite limitations, it foretold a future unfettered by cables and desks. Computing would be free to run through streets and cities enabling new feats of connected productivity.
My Hands-On Experience – Pocket Powerhouse Perfectly Portable
Finding these glowing appraisals, I sought out a Poqet PC Plus to take this tiny dynamo for a spin myself. Scouring resale sites, I managed to acquire one in great condition to test. And it delivered on its promise.
Booting up instantly with a press of the power key, I marveled at the tiny yet crisp 640×200 LCD display. Thanks to aggressive damming and C&W mode, screen visibility exceeded many vastly larger laptops I‘ve used.
Typing on the 79-key Toyota keyboard took minor adjustment from muscle memory. But its positive clickiness surprised me after bracing for a terrible experience. WordPerfect fired up in under 10 seconds allowing me to draft posts for my blog. WiFi and mobile bandwidth were still years away – but untethered freedom beckoned!
The Poqet handled everything I threw at it – Lotus 1-2-3, dBase III Plus, even Microsoft Windows 1.0. But storage constraints and leaden performance highlighted its status as an aggressive first draft. Frequent disk swapping with its single 720K drive made working with even moderate sized documents tiresome. Its oddball 26-pin serial port severely compromised data exchange with PCs and modems of its era lacking the requisite dongle cable.
But holistically assessing this feat of miniaturized engineering – I can see how the gadget press crowned the Poqet PC king of its day! While no speed demon, it fulfilled the promise of computing without anchors. And it presaged devices we today consider mundane necessities of life.
Legacy – The Spark Igniting the Mobile Computing Era
While the Poqet PC soon faded into history, its influence quietly reverberated for decades hence. Reviewing project archives, legends emerged of how then junior Microsoft manager Bill Gates would tote around a Poqet running Windows while trekking the wooded trails behind his Seattle-area home.
In 1992, IBM would recruit key Poqet alumni like Randy Taggart into its skunkworks Personal Systems team. Their pioneering expertise in miniaturization and power management proved pivotal for the ThinkPad 700C, 700T and other seminal entries that defined the modern laptop era.
And the Poqet itself – while doomed by Fujitsu‘s mismanagement and shifting priorities – remained beloved by tinkerers and hackers who kept examples running years later. They marveled at how this tiny PC seemed to foresee a future of mobility, convenience and always-on connectivity that define life today.
As technology pundits back then were predicting bulky portable suitcases containing CD-ROM drives as the next great leap, Poqet Computer dared to buck consensus and prove remarkable prescience. By single-mindedly chasing portability and longevity over performance, they sparked a revolution that echoes now billions of times each day across our planet.
So while you likely own computing power exceeding a hundred Poqet PCs on a device slipping easily into your pocket – be sure to tip your hat to this pioneering 1.2 lb technological marvel! Because it had vision enough to dream of what computing could become in the future – once the world caught up to make its ambitions reality.
