HP 150

The HP 150 was an MS-DOS business computer controlled through an infrared touchscreen built around its CRT. Invisible light beams detected a finger before it physically touched the display surface.

It was an unusually early commercial touchscreen computer, although its hardware was not fully IBM PC compatible.

Notable Features

• Infrared emitters and sensors formed a touch grid across the display.
• The system was among the earliest computers to adopt Sony-style 3.5-inch floppy disks.

Historical Significance

• It was an unusually early commercial touchscreen computer, although its hardware was not fully IBM PC compatible.

Collector’s Notes

• Original HP manuals, peripherals and software media are particularly useful because many interfaces and formats were proprietary.
• Memory, storage, displays and expansion hardware should be documented because configurations often changed during a system’s working life.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	HP 150
Manufacturer	Hewlett-Packard
Launched	Saturday, January 1, 1983
Discontinued	1985
Country	United States
CPU	Intel 8088 at 8 MHz
Units Sold
Form Factor	All-in-one touchscreen computer
Power	Internal mains supply
Networking	Optional communications adapters
Operating System	MS-DOS with HP graphical software
Expansion / I/O	HP-IB, serial, parallel and external storage
Keyboard	Detached keyboard plus touchscreen
Storage	3.5-inch floppy drives in companion unit; optional hard disk
Sound	Internal beeper
Colours	Monochrome
Graphics	512 x 390 monochrome graphics
Display	Built-in 9-inch CRT with infrared touchscreen
ROM	HP BIOS and touchscreen firmware
RAM	256KB–640KB
CPU Speed	8 MHz