Date   : Wed, 08 Dec 1982 11:16:00-PST (Wednesday)
From   : teklabs!tektronix!tekmdp!scotth@Ucb-C70 (UNIX-to-UNIX Copy)
Subject: Re: portables

I hope this gets to Jerry Pournelle and others interested in portables--
I am a neophyte on the net, and am not sure just what's happenin' here...

Kaypro:

       The Kaypro screen flicker and terrible character set has
       a hardware solution (so I here from a friend that has one).

       The solution is a character ROM originally built for the
       BigBoard from Digital Research Computers (of Texas, not the
       folks of CP/M).  It's available from the folks at Micro-
       Cornucopia in Bend, Oregon.  $25.00 US price, or $5.00
       each if you send a fast ROM and prepaid return mailing.

       This ROM should get rid of the flicker and give a better
       character set (lower-case descenders, real semi-colon...)

       Their address:
               MICRO CORNUCOPIA
               PO Box 223
               Bend, Oregon 97709
       
       They also have a lot other neat things which go well with
       the KayPro, especially their magazine ``Micro Cornucopia--
       the Single Board Systems Journal'', which means Xerox 820, too.

Otrona:

       For a lot of people (I know at least five!) the Otrona screen
       is ``just right.''  The normal distance one sits from the screen
       makes the characters just a shade larger than what you see when
       reading the newspaper at normal distance.  For me, the only time
       I'll need a larger monitor is for demonstrations, and working with
       more than one other person.  The reason for the success of Otrona's
       screen is its high resolution.  The characters are clear (unlike
       some other 5" screens).  If the Otrona is called a
       ``portable'', then anything else (I have seen) is merely
       ``movable.''

       Does anyone else have a problem with the clips on the south
       corners of the keyboard (used to hold the keyboard in place
       when closed) ?  They dig into the fleshy parts below by little
       fingers when I place my hands on the keyboard in my usual way.