Retro Hack Shack
In the past couple of years , laptop have been secrete that I never intend would be possible . Whether it ’s a foldable laptop like theThinkPad X1 16 Gen 1 , a amply modular gaming laptop like theFramework 16 , or alaptop with a glasses - free 3D display , we ’re in a gilt era of design experimentation properly now .
But there ’s a farseeing legacy of experimentation with laptop computer aim , and as I calculate back , I came across plenty of quondam machines from the 1990s and 2000s that are every bit as strange and conceptual .
Retro Hack Shack
HP OmniBook 800CT
First is a laptop computer that visually look different from anything the reality had seen in 1993 , the HP OmniBook 800CT . This laptop , rather than send with a trackball or TrackPoint beneath the keyboard , issue forth with a singular pa - out mouse that you could boot out from the side of the laptop .
you could press a clitoris on the soma to “ eject ” the mouse , and then pull out the ribbon cable to use it as you see fit . Everything else was pretty standard with this laptop computer , though , down to its Pentium CPU , the 800×600 resolution show , as well as the Windows 95 OS under the hoodlum . It ’s just the mouse that made it weird . YouTuber Retro Hack Shackgave the equipment a nice rundown in the picture above .
IBM ThinkPad 701
IBM made the best laptops back in the olden Clarence Day , but one of the weirdest ones back in 1995 was the ThinkPad 701C. This laptop featured a 4:3 aspect ratio screen , but more importantly , a fold - out keyboard . Every time you ’d launch the hat on the laptop computer , the mechanical keyboard would retract upward , spread up like a butterfly ’s wings . And , no , this is n’t the butterfly keyboard that Apple come up with in 2015 that plagued MacBooks . Rather , this keyboard sported a split figure that hangs at the side of the laptop computer chassis when open , giving you way to type .
Unfortunately , though , the laptop did n’t last too long , as laptops with broad screens were more trust , so the conception no longer made sensation . One modder , though , grapple to put the Framework Laptop motherboard inside the IMB Thinkpad 701 and get the original keyboard working with a innovative PC , so it does live on in one little fashion .
Lenovo ThinkPad W700ds
These Clarence Day , you ’re probably familiar with connecting your laptop to an extraneous monitor or using a portable monitor for some productivity when you ’re on the go . Before portable monitors were mainstream , though , Lenovo had its own solution for those who wanted to be productive on the go . Dubbed “ the ultimate mobile workstation , ” this 17 - inch Windows laptop from 2009 featured Intel vPro and Core 2 Extreme processors under the hood .
But it is the exhibit that matters . You could add an optional secondary exhibit that you could “ pull ” from the side to have more screen space . Of course , theLenovo ThinkPad W700sdlaptop was pretty operose and gawky , though , come in in at 11 pounds , so it ’s no wonder why it was n’t popular . Instead , Lenovo now has dual - screen laptops and laptop computer with a 2d CRT screen built into the ribbon rest .
Asus Taichi
When Windows 8 first launch and the Microsoft Surface line was assume , it became common to hear the phrase “ plow your laptop into a lozenge ” since the 2 - in-1 form factor became more prevalent . Asus , though , did thing in its unparalleled way . TheAsus Taichilaptop was n’t only a convertible where you could flip the concealment around , but the back eyelid of the laptop was a 2nd screen . Yes , that ’s correct . There are two screens on this laptop , one where you ask it and one where you do n’t look it .
Asus still has a internet site up for this laptop today , and it highlights how the second screen could be used singly to show a second window or even mirror what ’s on the master screen . It all sounds pretty like to twofold - silver screen laptops like theYoga Book 9i , so it ’s nice to see the concept is n’t dead . you’re able to see our original hands - on experience with the laptop from 2013 above .
Dell XPS M2010
The XPS batting order is known for bear on the envelope in design , but what if we enjoin you there was once a 20 - inch XPS laptop computer ? You heard that right . Back in 2006 , Dell had one of the biggest laptop that the world has ever realise , at least in terms of screen sizing . When closed , the laptop looks like a large briefcase , complete with a handle tie to the chassis with leather straps .
you could even detach the full - sizing keyboard , which has a built - in trackpad for consumption when on the go . Even cooler ? There ’s a pop - up standard candle drive in the center , 8 speaker unit in the front , and a subwoofer on the bottom for the ultimate movie experience . Heck , even the webcam on the top of the laptop computer ’s showing could swivel around . The machine weighs in at 18.3 pound , though , so it ’s not quite a portable laptop computer as the XPS machine we know these days , but it ’s still wicked nerveless , and the theme live on .
Though it ’s an all - in - one personal computer , HP latterly launched theHP Envy Move , which choose some inspiration from the XPS M2010 , like the big 23 - column inch video display , the briefcase deal , and the portable keyboard that houses in the back .
There’s still a lot of wild laptops out there
Those were five of my favorite “ unearthly ” laptop computer , but the digger I cash in one’s chips into matter , the more I realized that there ’s a lot more out there . Small 7 - inch laptop like theVia NanoBookand theAsus ROG GX700 , which was a laptop computer with a built - in liquid state cooler , are just two exercise . It make me enquire , 20 or 30 age from now , what nerveless technology will be out that make our modern laptop look vintage and “ unearthly . ”
