The ZP-150 was one of the early commercially available portable computers. It was released in late 1984 by Zenith data systems

Zenith Data Systems

Zenith Data Systems was a division of Zenith founded in 1979 after Zenith acquired Heathkit, which had, in 1977, entered the personal computer market. Headquartered in Benton Harbor, Michigan, Zenith sold personal computers under both the Heath/Zenith and Zenith Data Systems names...

 and sold by Heathkit

Heathkit

Heathkits were products of the Heath Company, Benton Harbor, Michigan. Their products included electronic test equipment, high fidelity home audio equipment, television receivers, amateur radio equipment, electronic ignition conversion modules for early model cars with point style ignitions, and...

.

Market life

The ZP-150 was offered for US$

United States dollar

The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

1995 when bundled with the $800 Microsoft

Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...

 Works

Microsoft Works

Microsoft Works is an integrated package software that is produced by Microsoft. Works is smaller, less expensive, and has fewer features than Microsoft Office or other major office suites. Its core functionality includes a word processor, a spreadsheet and a database management system...

 software, but could be found in the Fall 1985 Heathkit

Heathkit

Heathkits were products of the Heath Company, Benton Harbor, Michigan. Their products included electronic test equipment, high fidelity home audio equipment, television receivers, amateur radio equipment, electronic ignition conversion modules for early model cars with point style ignitions, and...

 catalog for US$1195. The price came down to $999 in the Winter 1986 edition of the same catalog and $699 in the Fall 1987 edition, as it was being phased out with the release of the Z-181 and Z-183. The main target market was the U.S. government and "the mobile executive", for on-site applications. Its relatively small dimensions and light weight allowed it to be easily carried in a standard briefcase or the included carrying case.

Hardware specifications

• Weight: 7.7 lb
• Dimensions: 13"W × 11.1"D × 1.8"H
• RAM
  Ram
  -Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
  
  : 32K, expandable to 416K
• ROM
  Read-only memory
  Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
  
  : 224K, plus 2 sockets for software expansion
• CPU: Intel 80C88
• Power: 12VDC or 10 AA alkaline batteries (providing 15 hours run-time w/o modem), plus internal nickel-cadmium battery for retaining memory while off, up to 8 days
• Ports:

Parallel printer

RS-232C

Telephone line (300 baud modem)

System bus

BCR (for a bar code reader)

CMT (for data cassette recorder)

ACP (for acoustic coupler

Acoustic coupler

In telecommunications, the term acoustic coupler has the following meanings:# An interface device for coupling electrical signals by acoustical means—usually into and out of a telephone instrument....

)

Handset (of telephone)

• LCD display (80 characters/line with 16 lines), contrast control, volume control, and low-battery indicator
  Battery indicator
  A Battery indicator is a device which gives information about a battery. This will usually be a visual indication of the battery's state of charge. It is particularly important in the case of a battery electric vehicle.-Automobiles:...
  
  
• 75-key typewriter-style keyboard

The stock 32K RAM could hold up to 10 typewritten pages. The main methods of file transfer were via the modem or the RS-232C port and a file transfer program.

Software specifications

The ZP-150 came with a built-in System Manager and calculator program, as well as a special version of Microsoft Works 1.10 stored in ROM. Most programs are very similar to the desktop versions, but with reduced functionality.

Word word processor

Plan electronic spreadsheet, similar to Multiplan

MultiPlan

Multiplan was an early spreadsheet program developed by Microsoft. Known initially by the code name "EP" , it was introduced in 1982 as a competitor for VisiCalc....

 (spreadsheet size up to 255 rows x 63 columns)

Calendar appointment organizer with alarm

File database manager

Telcom telecommunications package

BASIC program editor and compiler

Accessories

• ZP-150-1 power transformer
• ZP-150-2 32K RAM module
• ZP-150-4 Parallel to Centronics printer cable
• CB-5063-27 File transfer software

Historical significance

The most significant aspect of the ZP-150's history is that it is not remembered as one of the first portable computers, despite its relatively early appearance in the marketplace and being referred to in advertising as a "laptop

Laptop

A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...

". Like the IBM PC

IBM PC

The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...

 and Apple II

Apple II

The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...

 computers, the ZP-150 was quickly copied. The most well-known clone is the Tandy 600, which was very similar in packaging, software, and hardware except for the addition of a floppy drive and the lacking of BASIC. This was not the first laptop that Tandy manufactured, but was one in the TRS-80

TRS-80

TRS-80 was Tandy Corporation's desktop microcomputer model line, sold through Tandy's Radio Shack stores in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The first units, ordered unseen, were delivered in November 1977, and rolled out to the stores the third week of December. The line won popularity with...

line.

External links

• IEEE Annals of the History of Computing
• Tandy 600 and Zenith ZP150 photographic comparison of the internal hardware of the Tandy 600 and the Zenith ZP-150
• Zenith Data Systems company timeline