#Portable Computer

[sovereignsimmer]

SS23 Orpheus Notebook: Personalization at its Best! [Simblreen 2023]

Greetings, fellow simmers!

Ever since the release of Discover University, I've been using "MyComputer UoG X19 Athena". While the Athena laptop has its charm with its assortment of stickers, they mainly revolved around universities and soccer—a hobby I don't personally share, neither do my sims. That's when inspiration struck, leading me to create something new and exciting: the SS23 Orpheus Notebook.

The SS23 Orpheus Notebook offers a world of customization with its three base colors (black, grey, and white) and a whopping 25 sets of unique stickers. In total, you'll have access to a stunning array of 78 swatches, allowing your sims to express their individuality through their customized computers. While crafting these swatches, I took great care to include a wide range of hobbies and interests, catering to every sim's preferences. Whether your sim is into music, cooking, plants, pets, science, or art, there's a sticker set that suits them. And for those who embrace the supernatural, fear not—I've ensured there are plenty of options for vampires, werewolves, ghosts, witches, and more.

Preview gif is under the cut!

But that's not all! The Orpheus Notebook comes with an ACTUAL SIMLISH KEYBOARD, adding an authentic touch to your sim's computing experience!

You can locate it under the Electronics / Computers category in build-buy OR simply head to the search box and use keywords like "sovereignsimmer," "laptop," or "notebook." It is very affordable; reliability is not the best but not the worst either. Despite its low-poly design, the textures are high-quality. When you adjust your graphic settings accordingly, you'll be able to appreciate all the intricate details.

UPDATE 2: Fixed tuning, it is now BGC & added live-drag functionality. Please redownload & enjoy!

Download Here

[Patreon, Always Free ♥ But your donations are greatly appreciated!]

PS: I've also made an override for Discover University notebook, upscaled its textures with AI. In case you want it, I'm dropping link here. Xx

[mechanical-creature]

Another 2022-present portable computer thing. This is a 1991 Corvallis Microtechnologies PC5-L. It's a ruggedized, waterproof handheld MS-DOS computer meant for industrial applications. It ran on Ni-Cd batteries and they died so now it runs on AA's I got two of them for $50 on eBay during one of those months when i impulse buy obscure electronics as a form of escapism This thing is an absolute brick. You could murder someone by hitting them on the head with this, and it would work fine afterwards. Here's pictures of its organs for anyone curious:

That thick red wire around the screen PCB is a heater. Yep there's a setting to heat up the LCD so it doesn't get sluggish or shatter when you decide to leave it in the freezer. The thing runs on a little system-on-chip thing, which is interesting to see coming from the early 90's. Iirc the datasheet says it's capable of analog video out as well as driving the LCD, but I haven't poked around enough to enable it. Might be cool to hook it up to a TV. I did, however, open those 512k storage modules and I saw some unpopulated footprints on the boards. So I ordered some of the same chips, and at some point I'mma try soldering them on and see if it recognizes the extra space. They came with two voltmeter modules, which I couldn't get to work, so I took one of the casings and made it into a USB and WiFi adapter using an ESP32 running Zimodem, since this thing has RS232 ports on the top. I also made my own charging adapter, since they didn't come with one. I see that internal PCMCIA slot, and I tried putting a CF card adapter in, and tried installing the drivers, but it didn't work. I'm not good at DOS tbh, and I know nothing of what this slot is for. I might come back to it later. I did all of this in 2022-23 and haven't messed with it since. Except to use it to talk to my Kaypro 4 '84:

More on that one later. I love portable computers !!!!!

[eightiesfan]

[kply-industries]

[upthespiralstaircase]

Untitled by Mykyta Nikiforov

[regretsretrotech]

There's a block on my bench... oh wait no, it's a Kaypro. Same difference, just one we tricked a rock into thinking.

Kaypro's are a legendary luggable, that's right than thing was meant to be used on the go. Used is generous term, we'll get back to that. Tough and reliable, these machines found themselves in places that a microcomputer had not been seen before.

In this case for my collection the Kaypro is more than just representing itself, but also representing CP/M machines as a whole, a role that I think it works well in.

CP/M was a once standard OS, much like Windows is now, any company could build a Z80 based computer and license a version of CP/M for it! Once that was done, porting applications was trivial. The OS is extremely simple, the version here for the Kaypro is version 2.2G which is drive aware but has no concept of things like folders (Thats where you store your disks, right?) CP/M precedes MS-DOS (Or more accurately MS DOS is based off CP/M) The basic DOS command for switching disks and displaying a disk directory are identical. Launching a program is just as easy as typing it's name into the command prompt.

For a microcomputer, this system was more aimed at productivity, wordprocessing, spreadsheets and databases were all common applications for CP/M machines although games and BASIC could be found as well as other languages of the day.

Now I mentioned it's a luggable, which is to say, the system closed up could be moved around. It does not have any internal batteries and must be plugged in to run, on top of that this machine is not light, coming in around 40 lbs (19kg)!

[arise-o-tech]

Arise O Tech Electronics is a trusted name in the realm of rugged computing solutions, offering a comprehensive range of portable computers tailored for challenging environments. Their systems are built with fireproof ABS plastic or metal chassis, ensuring durability and longevity.

http://ariseotechelectronics.com/products/portable-computers/

[supplyside]

portable computer

[amandafj45]

There was a time when having a “portable” (well lugable) computer like this one was a nice addition to my life.

At this point in my life; I am grateful to have been able to have such a computer at that time.

Working during travel allowed me be more productive.

[grouchydairy]

portable computer

[miscpav]

1985 Data General One Portable Computer "It gives you freedom from your desk" TV Commercial

[odinsblog]

“I hope this email finds you well …”

[wisconsincomputerclub]

Such a neat idea and a good looking machine- shame the performance held it back so much. It does make me wonder what a portable Amiga might have looked like if Commodore had been mad enough to develop such a thing.

Atari Stacy

[technoplanet]

radio shack trs-80 model 100 (1983), it had a built-in modem and could run for 20 hours on four AA batteries, being at the time the most successful “flat-top” design.

[centralbunnyunit]

[kaleidoru]

"I hallucinated seeing god at the crosswalk, where they assured me what was happening was very, very real..."