The Compaq Portable; the first portable IBM PC compatible. The Compaq Portable was the first product in the Compaq portable series to be commercially available under the Compaq Computer Corporation brand. IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT.

Modern mobile computer of one Army. An army (from Latin Armata "act of arming" via Old French armée) in the broadest sense is the land-based Armed forces

A portable computer is a computer that is designed to be moved from one place to another. A computer is a Machine that manipulates data according to a list of instructions. Portable computers, by their nature, are microcomputers. microcomputer is a Computer with a Microprocessor as its Central processing unit. Early portables were unkindly referred to as "luggables," referring to their great size and weight.

Xerox NoteTaker, developed in 1976 at Xerox PARC, was the precursor to portable computers, though it remained a prototype and did not enter production. The Xerox NoteTaker was perhaps the first Portable computer. It was developed at Xerox PARC in Palo Alto California, in 1976. PARC (Palo Alto Research Center Inc formerly Xerox PARC, is a Research and development company in Palo Alto California that began as a division of

The first portable computer was manufactured by GM Research, a small company in Santa Monica, California. The machine which was designed and patented (US Patent No. 4,294,496) by James Murez was first delivered to The Computer Store, Santa Monica, Ca in mid 1977. It was called the Micro Star and later changed the name to The Small One. Although Xerox claims to have designed the first such system, the machine by Murez predated anything on the market or that had been documented in any publication at the time - hence the patent was issued. As early as 1979 the U. S. Government was contracting to purchase these machines. Other major customers included Sandia Labs, General Dynamics, BBN (featured on the cover of their annual report in 1980 as the C. A. T. system) and several dozen private individuals and companies around the world. In 1979, Osborn viewed the machine along with several hundred other visitors at the first computer show that was sponsored by the IEEE Westec in Los Angeles. Later that year the machine was also shown at the first Comdex show.

The first mass-produced portable computer was the Osborne 1, developed by Adam Osborne, which owed much to the NoteTaker's design. The Osborne 1 was the first commercially successful portable Microcomputer, released in April 1981 by Osborne Computer Corporation. Adam Osborne ( March 6, 1939 &ndash March 18, 2003) was an American Author, Book and software The first IBM PC compatible portable computer (and indeed the first 100% IBM PC compatible, or "clone," of any kind) was the Compaq Portable. IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. The Compaq Portable was the first product in the Compaq portable series to be commercially available under the Compaq Computer Corporation brand. The first full-color portable computer was the Commodore SX-64. The Commodore SX-64 also known as the Executive 64 or VIP-64 in Europe was a Portable, briefcase/suitcase-size "luggable" version of the popular Commodore 64

The term portable computer is now almost exclusively used to refer to portable computers that are larger than a laptop, often use conventional parts and usually do not run on batteries. A laptop computer, also known as a notebook computer, is a small Personal computer designed for mobile use. In electronics a battery is a combination of two or more Electrochemical cells which store chemical Energy which can be converted into electrical energy Very few manufacturers remain for this type of computer one is Sterling Computer Sales. Smaller portable computers are also known as mobile computers. Mobile computing is a generic term describing one's ability to use technology while moving as opposed to Portable computers which are only practical for use while deployed in They are referred to by their more specific terms:

• The laptop (or notebook) with a flat panel display and keyboard, requiring a seated position and both hands. A laptop computer, also known as a notebook computer, is a small Personal computer designed for mobile use. Flat panel displays encompass a growing number of technologies enabling video displays that are lighter and much thinner than traditional television and video displays that use Cathode In Computing, a keyboard is an Input device partially modelled after the typewriter keyboard which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys A relatively recently introduced modification has been the Tablet PC, which essentially is a laptop operated with a stylus on a touch-sensitive screen. A Tablet PC is a Notebook or slate-shaped Mobile computer, equipped with a Touchscreen or Graphics tablet/screen hybrid technology which allows See also desktop replacement computer, a large laptop designed to perform all of the functions of a desktop computer. A desktop replacement computer ( dtr) is a Personal computer that provides the full capabilities of a Desktop computer while remaining portable A desktop computer is a Personal computer (PC in a form intended for regular use at a single location as opposed to a mobile Laptop or portable computer
• The sub-notebook which is something between a laptop and a PDA. A subnotebook is a small and lightweight portable Computer, with most of the features of a standard Laptop computer but smaller They have a full keyboard (though often in reduced size), 11-13" screens and usually no internal optical drive.
• The pocket computer, which was mostly a phenomenon of the 1980s, and combined the features of an alphanumeric calculator, a small home computer (usually programmable in BASIC), and a PDA. A pocket computer is a small Calculator -sized Handheld computer programmable in BASIC. Alphanumeric is a is Portmanteau of Alphabetic and Numeric and is used to describe the collection of Latin letters and Arabic digits A calculator is device for performing mathematical calculations distinguished from a Computer by having a limited problem solving ability and an interface optimized for interactive A home computer was a class of Personal computer entering the market in 1977 and becoming common during the 1980s In Computer programming, BASIC (an Acronym for Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of High-level programming languages Manufacturers of these included Tandy/Radio Shack, Hewlett-Packard, Casio, and Sharp Corporation. RadioShack Corporation (formerly Tandy Corporation) (  is a chain of electronics retail stores in the United States, as well as parts of North America ( is a Japanese electronic devices manufacturing company founded in 1946 with its Headquarters in Tokyo. () is a Japanese Electronics manufacturer founded in 1912 It takes its name from one of its founder's first inventions the Ever-Sharp Mechanical pencil, which
• The personal digital assistant (PDA), usually held in one hand and operated with the other.
• The wearable computer with handsfree interface, and usually some voice capability (speech recognition and speech synthesis). Wearable computers are Computers that are worn on the body They have been applied to areas such as Behavioral modeling, Health monitoring systems information Handsfree is an adjective describing equipment that can be used without the use of hands (for example via voice commands or in a wider sense equipment which needs only limited use of The user interface (or Human Computer Interface) is the aggregate of means by which people&mdash the users '&mdash interact with the System Speech recognition (also known as automatic speech recognition or computer speech recognition) converts spoken words to machine-readable input (for example to keypresses Speech synthesis is the artificial production of human speech.

Portable computers have been increasing in popularity over the past decade, as they do not restrict the user in terms of mobility as a desktop computer would. A desktop computer is a Personal computer (PC in a form intended for regular use at a single location as opposed to a mobile Laptop or portable computer Wireless Internet, extended battery life and more comfortable ergonomics have been factors driving this increase in popularity. The Internet is a global system of interconnected Computer networks In electronics a battery is a combination of two or more Electrochemical cells which store chemical Energy which can be converted into electrical energy Ergonomics is the Scientific discipline concerned with Designing according to the human needs and the profession that applies theory principles data and methods All-in-One PCs such as the iMac can also be considered portable computers and often have handles built-in to the case. A desktop computer is a Personal computer (PC in a form intended for regular use at a single location as opposed to a mobile Laptop or portable computer The iMac is a desktop Macintosh computer designed and built by Apple Inc

See also

• Laptops
• Palmtops
• Personal digital assistant (PDA)
• DYSEAC The Second Standards Electronic Automatic Computer. A laptop computer, also known as a notebook computer, is a small Personal computer designed for mobile use. DYSEAC was the Second Standards Electronic Automatic Computer DYSEAC was a first-generation computer built by the National Bureau of Standards for the US Army Signal Corps. It was housed in a truck, making it one of the first portable computers (perhaps the first). It went into operation in April 1954.