"Zoomer" is a
marketing name for the
Tandy/
Casio Z-PDA 7000. This is a pocket computer, essentially an
IBM XT, with a touch screen. It ran
PC-GEOS, a now-
antiquated operating system (In the same way that
Windows 3.1 is an operating system) which was also available for the
Commodore 64. The operating system and applications were prepared by
Palm Computing, which was later acquired by
3Com, and then spun back off into its own company. It was also sold as the
AST Gridpad 2390. I have owned both the Casio and AST branded units, and they are identical save for the labels.
@@@@W
@@@WG@@@@2@
@@@M@@@@#@@@@@@@
@@@#g@@Gz7g#g@@WM@@@gZ
@@@WW@@#228aZzz9g@@M#@@@@Wc;
@@@M@@@gX288EZGES92z99g@@W@@@@@@
@@@M@@@8SZ9G9a2GWE9GZGE29GSWM@@WW@@@@@ MSsG
@@@#@@@9s2aSaZGGEZEGaWa899Z99ZaSG#@@WW@@@@@zr @@@@@@@ .9
@@@@M@@Ez2GgE9EZEEEZZG2E99GgGGEg89Z2ZgW@@#@@@@@@@ rW@@@#@@@a ;
@@@@M@@GsaaSG999SZGG89g88GG8GS992EE9GEGSZGZWgM@#g@@@@@ ,@@@@@@@@Y X
:W@@@@@@Zz2Z9ZG9ZGZaGaSEGGZ2EE9G88999Z8gGE8EZ9gESg8M@E@M@@@@@, rs@@@@Z@@
a@@@@M@@ZYcS9Z9SS9G99GG99EGaG9E9Z99GGEEG88GEE9GSE89#98#M@MM@@@@@@@s a@@@@@@@@c
a@@@@g@Z ,cs22aaaZaaa2Z9992SGSG9E998EEEEE9ZE8GE8WGM8EEgGWEaZSsaW@#WW@@@@Y 7z;
@@as8G@aEMYrYs9GaSaaG9Z22agG9aW9EZZZG9G9GE8ES9899GzS@GG9ZY@E27M@@@@@##W#@@gG
@@WM2zW9@@8#:.YzZSSSZGGgSZ2GZ8zS8999GEZZGE8gE99gW#EGgZ@ZSWaW@@@ZsX#M#@@g@@@@ZM
7@@@@@@22GM@@#s:rc7szzz22Z8ESS8aE998g9GEGSSEGGGEE8EGZEGW #@@@8@ 7gM#gWGzS@@@@@
@@@@@@@aSS#@@#Gs;cXzaSSZsS9GSGSE9S92S8EGGE9S99GZ8G#z@@@@gW@@@@@@M@@@#G8@@g#@@@
8X@@@@@WaZM@@@a97;2z2ESG7ZS9WaG9G99EG9GEW8Z8@s @@a@G@g@W98s9@@@g9E@@MW@@@@M
ca@@@@@SzG@@@@g2 r7S99E99a9G2E9SZ9999z9@2 @@@ @@E@8@s 9@M9ag@@@@@@EW@
9@@@@@S2GW@@@@s YYs2za2GZGZZESaSEWr2W#@ gE@#WM#@@@@@@gZE@@@#@@MMM@
Y9@@@@#92Z8@@@@79 X9saSZZaZSZGGWWM@@@@@@@@MWg8##M@@@M@@M#M@WE@9
#@@@@@Z2SzM@@@zzYXzS9aSgEZZ8@@@M@ ; EE@@@@@@@@7sM@@@@#@@SX
@@M@@@GzS8MM@@Z7Y,rss,2@M@@g Y7zsY c@#M@2gW@@@@@M@@@@
@@@@g@EE9EM@@@@92W@@@@G .X222cz @@EEggM@@M#Wg@@9
@@@@MZzE9GM@@@@#ggWa .,,,Yg@gG@@@##MMWW@@G
@@@@@@ZaZZg@@@@@@@@M@E#@@@E@MMg@@@@M@@G
:.@@@@#@E2Saa8@@@@@@@MW@WMMMM@@#EM@@
#@@@@@@g99aS8W@@Wg8@@M#M@MW@@@
;@@@@@@8GasZG9MW@g#@@W@@@
g@@@@@@@z9W#M@WW@@@
rg@@@@@@MW@gM@@
W@@@@@@@@
W9@
The Zoomer has a V20 CPU running at 10MHz. Hacks were available to double this speed. It has a 384x512 LCD display supporting multiple levels of gray. It has 1 MB of RAM, 640KB of which is used for executing code, and 384KB of which is used for data storage. It has no hard disk, and no backlight. Any stylus can be used on its touch-sensitive screen. The unit has exceptional audio for a palmtop, featuring 4 channel, 16 bit 44.1KHz stereo sound. It has one serial port and one infrared communications port. It has one Type II PCMCIA slot. It also has a keypad and buttons labeled "A" and "B".
Physically, the unit has quite a bit in common with a Casio watch. It's made out of black plastic, and the outside of the case and the flip-over cover are coated with a grippy black rubber with a matte finish. The infrared window is never covered by the flip-over lid. There is a headphone jack, a volume knob, a sliding power switch, and a small serial port on the sides of the unit. Presumably the hardware technology came from GRiD Computing by way of AST, who acquired them. GRiD had quite a bit of experience with handheld computers. The case is pure Casio, however.
The software shipped with the zoomer included a currency converter, 20 language translator including esperanto, a sketchpad/notepad supporting vectored graphics and vectored, variable-size fonts.
PROJECTIONS
(AST unit depicted; to imagine Casio unit, picture it saying Casio where it says AST, there is no other difference.)
Top View
Latch --. Lid --.
| |
V V
___________________________________________________________
___----|--------------------------OOOOO----------------------------|----___
.------------------------------------"""""""--------------------------------------.
| HEADPHONE .-` |
| / _ \ PEN / .--.|
|_______________________________________________|'_'|______________________| | ||
| ____________________________________________|___|_________________ \ `--'|
| | | '-._ |
`--------------------------------------------------------------------------------''
A
|
Battery Door --'
Top View
___----|-----------------------------------------------------------|----___
.--| | | |--.
| ```---__|___________________________________________________________|_---''' |
| | __.---,----------------,----.__ | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | |________________| | | | |
`__________|_____________|__|_________________________|__|_____________|__________'
A A
| |
Hinge --' `-- IR Sensor/Transmitter
Front and Right Side Views
,---------------------------. .-._____
.--|.---------------------------.|--. /|o | `.
| | | | | | ||| | |
| | | | | | ||| | |
| | | | | | ||| || |
| | | | | | <---. ||| || | <-- Volume
| | | | | | | ||| || |
| | | | | | Lid ||| | |
| | | | | | | ||| .|. |
| | | | | | `---> ||| |-| | <-- Power
| | | | | | ||| |-| |
| | ' ' | | ||| `|' |
| | | | | | ||| | |
| | | | | | ||| || |
| | | | | | `|| || | <-- Contrast
| | ' ' | | || || |
| | | | | | || | |
| | | | | | || | |
| | | | | | || | |
| | ' AST ' | | || | |
| || || | || | |
| |' '| | || | |
| | | | || | |
| \____________________________/ | '| | |
| | --- | ....... | '| | |
| '-----' ::::::: | | | |
`-._______________________________,-' '._|___,'
A A
| |
Latch --' `-- Speaker
Read and Left Side Views
,---------------------------. _____.-.
.----| .--'------'---. |---,. .'| | o|\
| `-----' `-----'|__|| <-------> | | | |||
| -=| |__|| Card |_| | |||
| _ _ .| Eject |. | |||
| / \ AST. / \ || || | |||
| | | ...... | |.'| | . | |||
| | | | || | <-------> | | | |||
| | | | || | Card | | | |||
| | | | || | Slot | | | |||
| | | | |`.| |.' | |||
| | | | | || ||_ | |||
| | | Legalese | | `| |'= | |||
| | | and FCC ID here | | | |(o) | |||
| | | ..................... | | .| |----| ||'
| | | ..................... | | || <-------> | | ||
| \_/ Serial No. here \_/ || Serial | | ||
| `| Port |----| ||
| .-------------------------. | | | ||
| | ------ | | | | ||
| | ---- | | | | ||
| | \/ | | | | ||
| | | | | | ||
| | | | | | |'
| | | | | | |'
| | | | | | |
`-.__|_________________________|__,-' `.___|_.'
A
|
Battery Door --'