Linked by Thom Holwerda on Thu 3rd May 2007 23:26 UTC
It's the original UMPC: Epson's HX-20, announced in 1981 - 25 years before Intel and Microsoft formally launched the ultra-mobile PC category, in April 2006. Epson's machine wasn't the first portable computer - that honour goes to the Osborne 1. But while the Osborne was a beast of a machine, designed more as a desktop you could take from place to place, the HX-20 was a truly a system for computing on the move. So while the HX-20 combined not only a full QWERTY keyboard, a display, storage and even a printer into its 28.4 x 21.3 x 4.4cm casing, but also a rechargeable Ni-Cad battery.
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Member since:2007-02-22
Member since:2005-07-06
I vaguely remember one...
They really are great machines. You cant break them. I think the only units out there that get as good of battery life and are as rugged are the old husky hunters. Those things are military spec! 
Here is a slashdot posting from a few years back about trs-80s still in use.
http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/07/24/1252207
some of the comments have some interesting info as well.
Club 100 has a lot of cool information about them too.
www.club100.org/
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Member since:
2005-07-06
I have a trash-80 model 100
Came out a bit after the HX-20. Its awesome... Get months of use out of 4 AAs 