IBM PCradio
PCradio running its bespoke task management software; its thermal printer sits above the keyboard.
ManufacturerInternational Business Machines
TypeNotebook
Release dateDecember 1991 (1991-12)
Lifespan1991–1993
Introductory priceStarting at $5,500[1]
Discontinued1993
Units soldFewer than 10,000
Operating systemPC DOS
CPUIntel 80C186 at 5–10 MHz
Memory640 KB
StorageSRAM modules (up to 2 MB)
DisplayMonochrome LCD
GraphicsCGA
Dimensions10.5 in × 8.4 in × 2.5 in (26.7 cm × 21.3 cm × 6.4 cm)[2]
Mass6.4 pounds (2.9 kg)[3]

The PCradio was a notebook computer released by International Business Machines (IBM) in late 1991.[4] Designed primarily for mobile workers such as service technicians, salespersons and public safety workers, the PCradio featured a ruggedized build with no internal hard disk drive and was optioned with either a cellular or ARDIS RF modem, in addition to a standard landline modem.[5][6]

Components

The internals of the PCradio were encased in a slate-gray,[7] hardened plastic case, which IBM said was resistant to heat, moisture, impact and certain chemicals. Its port doors, connectors, and keyboard were designed to be water-resistant through the use of gaskets, seals, and O-rings.[5] It featured a monochrome LCD capable of rendering graphics in CGA mode and text at 80 columns by 25 lines. The laptop was powered by either a nickel–cadmium battery or a wall or car power adapter.[5][8]

To keep the PCradio ruggedized, IBM offered SRAM modules of various capacities up to 2 MB for file storage, in lieu of a mechanical hard disk drive.[2][3] Special versions of Siega System's One-Button Mail, an e-mail client,[7] Traveling Software's Battery Watch, a battery management application, and LapLink, a file transfer program, were developed with drivers to support the PCradio's special hardware.[9] The latter, renamed to Notebook Manager, came bundled with the PCradio as a ROM module.[2] Owing to its ruggedized nature, the PCradio could operate between 32 degrees and 132 degrees Fahrenheit.[3] A thermal printer which accepted paper 3-1/8 inches in diameter was optional.[8]

The cellular model was capable of sending and receiving faxes,[10] at a rate of 9.6 KB per second—twice that of its cellular data speed of 4.8 KB per second.[3] Meanwhile the landline model was capable of sending but not receiving faxes, and the ARDIS model could not receive faxes whatsoever.[10] The cellular model could also be used for voice communications with the optional handset.[3]

Development

The PCradio project was helmed by Robert A. Lundy, a director and general manager in charge of the wireless business unit of IBM's Industry Products Group facility Boca Raton, Florida.[11] The project commenced in 1989 and comprised a team of 25 people in Boca Raton, including Lundy.[12] They hired Vadem, an original design manufacturer from San Jose, California, as a consultant on the project.[13] IBM reportedly spent $50 million in development costs.[1] The PCradio was ultimately manufactured at IBM's North Carolina and Scotland facilities, with the cellular modem made by Novatel Communications at their Lethbridge, Alberta, factory and IBM's Don Mills, Toronto, facility.[14] The ARDIS modem, meanwhile, was manufactured by Motorola and designed at their Richmond, British Columbia, facility. This ARDIS modem was designed to consume less power than conventional data radios, enabling the PCradio's battery to last longer on a charge.[15]

A month before its FCC approval in December 1991,[4] McCaw Cellular forged a relationship with IBM to become the first carrier of the cellular model of PCradio.[16] Coverage eventually expanded to other carriers operated by the Regional Bell Operating Companies,[17] including BellSouth.[18]

Reception

One analyst saw a large market for the PCradio and other digital wireless devices,[10] which IBM hoped to dominate similar to how they captured the personal computer market with the IBM PC in the early 1980s.[7] According to Robert R. Daly, a product manager of the Boca Raton facility, the company expected to sell up to 100,000 units in two years.[12] However, only slightly fewer than 10,000 units of the PCradio were sold by August 1994.[1] Among the few and first to use it was Sears, whose service technicians in California used the PCradio to receive timely updates to parts availability and prices from 1992 until 1994, when they replaced it with a more powerful unit produced by Itronix.[19] Several police departments and emergency services in the United States also used the PCradio,[1] including the Baltimore Police Department, who purchased a fleet of PCradios for their officers and dispatchers, where it was used to call up vehicle information and map directions and send and receive incident reports. The Department also used it for making discreet reports of drug dealings, instead of having to use the vocal police radio channels to which dealers often had scanners tuned—fleeing the scene if an officer made a description of their likeness.[20]

IBM discontinued the PCradio in 1993,[21] and in August 1994, they sold their remaining stock, parts and tooling to Aspen Marine Group of West Palm Beach, Florida, where they rebadged the unsold PCradios under their Aptek sub-brand and sold an equivalent model targeting the same market.[1] The same month, IBM released the Simon, a BellSouth-powered cellular PDA that could place phone calls and access the Internet.[22]

Models

PCradio[4]
IBM P/N Processor Clock
speed		 RAM Communications
method		 Communications
speed		 Fax capability
and speed
9075-001 Intel 80C186 5–10 MHz 640 KB Landline 2.4 KB/sec Yes (sending only),[10] 2.4 KB/sec
9075-002 ARDIS 4.8 KB/sec No
9075-003 Cellular 4.8 KB/sec Yes (sending and receiving),[10] 9.6 KB/sec
Features and accessories[5]
Feature IBM P/N
0.5 MB SRAM storage04G1470
0.5 MB ROM04G1472
2.0 MB ROM04G1473
Combination 0.5 MB SRAM storage/0.5 MB ROM04G1474
Combination 1.0MB SRAM storage/0.5 MB ROM04G1475
40-column thermal printer92F1132
Breakout box92F1131
Model 001 to 002 conversion kit92F1148
Model 001 to 003 conversion kit92F1149
Ni-Cd battery pack92F1135
AC adapter92F1145
Telephone cable, 6-ft92F1138
DC car charger92F1146
Carrying case92F1140
Cellular telephone handset92F1134
Carrying strap92F1142

Timeline

Timeline of the IBM Personal Computer
IBM ThinkCentreIBM NetVistaIBM Palm Top PC 110IBM PC SeriesIBM AptivaIBM PS/ValuePointThinkPadEduQuestIBM PS/noteAmbra Computer CorporationIBM PCradioIBM PS/1IBM Industrial SystemIBM PS/55IBM PS/2IBM Personal Computer XT 286IBM PC ConvertibleIBM JXIBM Personal Computer AT/370IBM Personal Computer ATIBM Industrial ComputerIBM PCjrIBM Portable Personal ComputerIBM Personal Computer XT/370IBM 3270 PCIBM Personal Computer XTIBM 5550IBM Personal ComputerIBM System/23 DatamasterIBM 5120IBM 5110IBM 5100
Asterisk (*) denotes a model released in Japan only

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Lorek, L. A. (August 22, 1994). "IBM PCradio Gets New Start". Sun Sentinel. Tribune Publishing. p. 11. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021 – via ProQuest.
  2. 1 2 3 Boudette, Neal (December 23, 1991). "IBM Ships a 186-Based Cellular Notebook". PC Week. QuinStreet Enterprise. 8 (51): 14 – via Gale OneFile.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Quinlan, Tom (August 19, 1991). "IBM's PCradio Notebooks Specialize in Connectivity". InfoWorld. CW Communications. 13 (33): 28 – via Google Books.
  4. 1 2 3 Staff writer (January 1992). "What's New" (PDF). Radio Electronics. Gernsback Publications. 63 (1): 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 9, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "IBM PCradio Announcement Letter". International Business Machines. December 10, 1991. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Definition of PCradio". PC Magazine Encyclopedia. Ziff-Davis. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 Fuori, William M. (1994). Computers and Information Systems (Revised ed.). Prentice Hall. p. 177. ISBN 9780132357227 – via the Internet Archive.
  8. 1 2 Staff writer (August 26, 1991). "Data Packets". Network World. IDG Publications. 8 (34): 13–14 – via Google Books.
  9. ↑ Brownstein, Mark (January 6, 1992). "IBM Notebook Modem Sports Built-in Software". InfoWorld. CW Communications. 14 (1): 6 – via Google Books.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Staff writer (August 14, 1991). "IBM to Offer PC-Cellular Phone Device". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021.
  11. ↑ Grech, Ronda (May 6, 2008). "Vitesse Names Robert A. Lundy as Independent Director". Comtex – via Gale OneFile.
  12. 1 2 McCabe, Robert (August 14, 1991). "Radio Days: IBM Wireless Computer Attuned to Mobile Needs". Sun Sentinel. Tribune Publishing. p. 1D. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021 – via ProQuest.
  13. ↑ Alpdemir, Ahmet (November 11, 1996). "NEC and Vadem Forge Strategic Alliance to Develop Windows CE Devices". PR Newswire – via Gale OneFile.
  14. ↑ Motherwell, Cathryn (October 3, 1991). "Computer Designed for Cellular Systems". The Globe and Mail. p. B12 – via ProQuest.
  15. ↑ Bell, Ken (August 21, 1991). "IBM Computer Hits the Road". The Province. Postmedia Network. p. 34 – via ProQuest.
  16. ↑ Staff writer (November 6, 1991). "Company News: McCaw Service In I.B.M. Radio". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 25, 2015.
  17. ↑ Gregg, Lynne (June 22, 1992). "Living in a Wireless World with PDAs". InfoWorld. CW Communications. 14 (25): S76–S78 – via Google Books.
  18. ↑ Staff writer (April 23, 1992). "For the Record". Jacksonville Business Journal. 7 (28): 21 – via Google Books.
  19. ↑ DeRose, James F. (2004). The Wireless Data Handbook. Wiley. p. 310. ISBN 9780471463986 – via Google Books.
  20. ↑ Thompson, Stephanie (May 1992). "Dick Tracy Lives". American City & County. Penton Media. 107 (6): 46 – via Gale OneFile.
  21. ↑ "Announcement Index". International Business Machines. August 3, 1993. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021.
  22. ↑ Koblentz, Evan (2011). "How It Started: Mobile Internet Devices of the Previous Millennium". In Joanna Lumsden (ed.). Human-Computer Interaction and Innovation in Handheld, Mobile and Wearable Technologies. Information Science Reference. pp. 172–174. ISBN 9781609604998 – via the Internet Archive.
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