[clue-talk] Back when they made laptops right

[Matt Gushee]

Well, my laptop died last week ... can't afford a new one, but I need 
some kind of serviceable replacement, so I went over to Action 
Computer's Final Cycle Sale and picked up ... an HP OmniBook 800CT for 
$15 (well, I had to buy an AC adapter for it, so call it $40). And I 
tell you what: compared to what I see on the market today, this thing is 
a friggin' work of art. Electronically, it's barely adequate (Pentium 
166, takes up to 80MB RAM w/ 48 currently), but the general 
well-madeness of this thing just makes me all teary-eyed. With the 
possible exception of a couple of Thinkpads I've used, it has the best 
keyboard I've seen on a laptop: full-size despite the very compact body, 
and with a nice firm feel, showing no signs of decay despite its age. 
Nice crisp TFT display, again reasonably-sized despite the limited 
space. And there's just all kinds of little details that say "designed 
with care": the latches for the removable components, which move with 
just the right amount of force and snap precisely into place; the 
finely-machined Torx screws that they used. There's even a business card 
holder set into the back. Damn, I love this thing!

--
Matt Gushee
Englewood, CO, USA