Z88 Laptop Reveals Quirks And Perks
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday November 21, 1988
MY Z88 laptop from Cambridge Computers, which I have reported upon before, goes from strength to strength. This most desirable of laptops which, as far as I can ascertain, is the lightest in the world, is distributed here by ZComm(telephone 02 958 2797).
Since I acquired this splendid machine in England I have made several discoveries.
* The built-in database is primitive. Usable for telephone lists and, possibly, addresses, but not much more. Think of it as a file manager and you won't go far wrong.
* Transferring files back and forth to a PC is a doddle. There is a special kit available but I have found it is cheaper-quicker-better to use the import/export program that is built into the machine and make up a wire connector following the diagram found at the back of the instruction book. I have now slung over 30,000 words back and forth and I have not lost a single character nor had any data garbled. The system appears to be foolproof.
* The alarm must not be depended on. Sleeping through the alarm, which is built in, is extremely easy. This is a discreet alarm, indeed. Rather like Jeeves coughing gently to wake the young master. The first time I used it I nearly missed an early morning flight from Bangkok.
* Despite the fact that this computer uses four AA batteries of 1.5 volts each, which by quick calculation you can see comes to six volts, you need a transformer giving 6.5 volts. The transformer and a battery charger for ni-cad batteries are useful because you could find yourself paying out upwards of $10 a week for batteries.
* When standard pen light batteries run low, you get plenty of warning and you can continue for nearly an hour before the machine partially locks up as a final warning. But ni-cad batteries give you sudden death and no warning. If you are using ni-cads you have to carry a spare set with your computer at all times.
* The more memory you add the more critical it is that the computer is plugged into the mains when you change the batteries. By my calculation it is simply impossible to do this quickly enough without the added back-up of the mains when you have maximum memory, a quite amazing three megabytes, installed.
* The spreadsheet works like a wonder and I keep feeling I have seen it somewhere before. My guess is that the software is based - perhaps unwittingly- on the concepts of T-Maker, which is produced in the United States by the amazing Roisen family.
* Unless someone brings out a machine that is dramatically better or cheaper, I have a feeling that this Z88 computer will carve out a significant slice of the market. It is not shatteringly expensive at under $1,000, is ultra light, totally silent, stylish and a great business tool.
My only worry is that the man behind it is Sir Clive Sinclair, whose track record with running electronic companies - as opposed to designing computers -has not been of the best.
© 1988 Sydney Morning Herald
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