The Grid Compass (written GRiD by its manufacturer GRiD Systems Corporation) was one of the first laptop computers when the initial model was introduced in April 1982 (the model 1101). The computer was designed by British industrial designer Bill Moggridge. It began development in 1979, and was eventually completed and sold three years later.
Design
The design used a clamshell case (where the screen folds flat to the rest of the computer when closed), which was made from a magnesium alloy. The computer featured an Intel 8086 processor, a 320 × 240-pixel electroluminescent display, 340-kilobyte magnetic bubble memory, and a 1,200 bit/s modem. Devices such as hard drives and floppy drives could be connected via the IEEE-488 I/O (also known as the GPIB or General Purpose Instrumentation Bus). This port made it possible to connect multiple devices to the addressable device bus. It weighed 5 kg (11 lb). The power input is ~110/220 V AC, 47â€"66 Hz, 75 W.
The Compass ran its own operating system, GRiD-OS. Its specialized software and high price (US$8,000â€"$10,000) meant that it was limited to specialized applications. The main buyer was the U.S. government. NASA used it on the Space Shuttle during the early 1980s, as it was powerful, lightweight, and compact. The military Special Forces also purchased the machine, as it could be used by paratroopers in combat.
Along with the Gavilan SC and Sharp PC-5000 released the following year, the GRiD Compass established much of the basic design of subsequent laptop computers, although the laptop concept itself owed much to the Dynabook project developed at Xerox PARC from the late 1960s. The Compass company subsequently earned significant returns on its patent rights as its innovations became commonplace.
The portable Osborne 1 computer sold at around the same time as the GRiD, was more affordable and more popular, and ran the popular CP/M operating system. But, unlike the Compass, the Osborne was not a laptop and lacked the Compass's refinement and small size.
The Compass's manufacturer, Grid Systems Corp., was acquired by Tandy Corporation (RadioShack) in 1988.
Popular culture
On December 17, 1983, fictional character Murray Bozinsky was shown using a Grid Compass 1101 in the American television program Riptide (Season 1, Episode 3: “Somebody's Killing the Great Geeks of Americaâ€).
John Travolta's character uses one in the 1985 film Perfect.
Notes
References
External links
- GRiD, UKÂ .
- "GRiD Compass 1101", Old computers .
- GRiD (FTP), Ari Service â€" see Grid (plain text) .
- Clare, "GRiDs in Space", Net magic .
- "GRiD", Old computers (museum)Â .
- Hrothgar, "GRiD Compass", Cool Old Junk, Total .
- "Engineering the GRiD Compass", Video, Google .
- "Engineering the GRiD Compass", Video, Google .
- InfoWorld Aug 2, 1982
- InfoWorld Nov 8, 1982
- Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. "GRiD Compass". Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. Retrieved 10 October 2012.Â
- "GRiD Compass 1100, 360 degree model", Russian Vintage Laptop Museum (museum)Â
- "GRiD Compass", Video about GRiD Compass (youtube video)Â .
