HP 300LX
| Company type | Handheld PC |
|---|---|
| Industry | Consumer electronics |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Products | Handheld PC |
The HP 300LX was one of the pioneering handheld PCs operating on Microsoft's Windows CE 1.0. It was introduced in 1996 and became available in the second quarter of 1997, launched simultaneously with the 320LX model. Its display offered a superior resolution resistive touchscreen (640x240 pixels, supporting 4 shades of gray) when compared to rivals such as the Casio Cassiopeia A-10. For connectivity, it included a full PC card slot, a serial port, and an infrared interface.
Preinstalled software comprised Pocket editions of Microsoft Word, Excel, and personal information management tools (Tasks, Calendar, Contacts). Additionally, it came with a basic version of Internet Explorer and an Inbox application for email. To access the Internet, users needed third-party PCMCIA modem or network cards.
The device featured a grey plastic chassis with a stylus conveniently stored beneath the keyboard. On its left side was the PCMCIA slot, while the right side housed the infrared port. The rear contained a proprietary serial connector supporting up to 115,200 baud and a power input. Power was supplied by two AA batteries along with a CR2032 backup battery. It also included a mono speaker and had removable compartments for both ROM and batteries located underneath.
Package contents included:
- HP 300LX unit
- User guide
- Serial communication cable
- CD with third-party software
- Handheld PC Explorer software CD
320LX
Launched concurrently with the 300LX in 1997, the HP 320LX introduced improvements such as a backlit display, doubled RAM from 2 MB to 4 MB, and an additional CompactFlash slot. It supported upgrading to Windows CE 2.0 through ROM replacement. The 320LX bundle also featured an AC adapter and serial cradle alongside the standard accessories provided with the 300LX.
360LX
Debuting on November 10, 1997, the HP 360LX enhanced performance by increasing RAM to 8 MB and boosting CPU speed to 60 MHz. It shipped preloaded with Windows CE 2.0 and had an initial retail price of $699.
Ericsson MC12 and MC16
Ericsson marketed rebranded versions of the 320LX and 360LX under the names MC12 and MC16 respectively. These devices shared identical hardware specifications but were bundled with cables and software that allowed certain Ericsson mobile phones to operate as modems.