HP 200LX

The HP 200LX refined HP’s palmtop computer with a more PC-compatible display, DOS 5.0 and an extensive ROM software suite. It could run many ordinary DOS applications from a device small enough for a coat pocket.

Its combination of battery life, keyboard, PCMCIA expansion and open DOS environment created a devoted long-term user community.

Notable Features

• The 640 x 200 display could present a full 80-column DOS screen.
• A standard PCMCIA Type II slot accepted storage and communications cards.

Historical Significance

• Its combination of battery life, keyboard, PCMCIA expansion and open DOS environment created a devoted long-term user community.

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 200LX
Manufacturer	Hewlett-Packard
Launched	Saturday, January 1, 1994
Discontinued	1999
Country	United States
CPU	Intel 80186-compatible Hornet at 7.91 MHz
Units Sold
Form Factor	Clamshell palmtop
Power	Two AA batteries or AC adapter
Networking	Optional PCMCIA modem
Operating System	MS-DOS 5.0 with ROM applications
Expansion / I/O	Serial, infrared and PCMCIA
Keyboard	Compact QWERTY keyboard with numeric keypad
Storage	Internal RAM drive and PCMCIA Type II card slot
Sound	Piezoelectric beeper
Colours	Monochrome
Graphics	CGA-compatible monochrome graphics
Display	640 x 200 monochrome LCD; 80 x 25 text
ROM	System Manager and applications in ROM
RAM	1MB–4MB depending on model
CPU Speed	7.91 MHz