Osborne 1

Owner: R. Kuhlenschmidt (first version, pictured)
Location: Pacific Palisades, CA

Perhaps the first portable (?) computer. Check out the pair of 5 1/4" drives flanking a teeny, tiny screen. (3.55" horizontal by 2.63" vertical, to be exact) It was the owner's first computer. He adds:

"I used this for my business. It was given to me by someone who thought that CP/M just wasn't going to be around much longer. Can you believe it?

At any rate, I was able to maintain my mailing list and write invoices and even print labels on my daisy wheel printer. It still has the Wordstar template on the keyboard."

So next time you're cursing the weight or small screen of your laptop, remember how big these things used to be! (The Osborne 1 even had a battery pack available, for true portability!?!)

Other quasi-portable computers include the Kaypro II, the IBM 5155 Personal Portable Computer, and the Commodore Executive 64 (SX-64).

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