The venerable Radio Shack Tandy TRS-80 Model 100 was a portable computer when the word laptop had not even been invented yet.
Wayne Lorentz discusses using this marvel for reporting the news:
After a while, I developed a routine. Go to place where there was news. Take notes and gather sound. Drive to a place where there was cell service. Phone in a few facts from a giant Motorola AMPS bag phone for the anchors to use. Write my story on my TRS-80. Phone in a live report. Drive back to the newsroom. Put together three versions of a proper story with sound. Repeat.
The Model 100 proved to be a reliable companion. It’s supposed to run for a week or so on a set of AA batteries. I don’t remember if I got that kind of performance out of it, but I do remember never worrying about running low on juice the way I do with my modern laptops.
He goes into detail on the interfacing done with the Associated press and more. See the full article here.
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