I have two main units.
type computer
country USA
year 1987
os MS-DOS 3.1
cpu Intel 80286
speed 12 MHz
ram 640 KB
storage 20 M hard drive, 1.2 M 5,1/4″ floppy
graphic 640×200, 80 x 25 text, 10″ gas plasma screen
colors mono
sound beeper
ports serial, RGB, parallel
The Compaq Portable III — The Premium Business Luggable
Released in 1987, the Compaq Portable III was Compaq’s most sophisticated luggable computer — a premium business machine using an Intel 80286 processor at 8 or 12 MHz combined with one of the finest portable displays available: a high-resolution orange-on-black gas plasma flat panel display that offered crisp, readable text and graphics far superior to the fluorescent backlights of competing LCD portables. Weighing approximately 8.6 kg and priced at $4,799 to $5,999 depending on configuration, it was aimed squarely at the executive market.
The Gas Plasma Display
The Compaq Portable III’s most distinctive feature was its 640×400 pixel gas plasma display — a technology that produced sharp, high-contrast orange text on a black background with no backlighting required. Unlike the passive-matrix LCDs of competing portables, which suffered from slow response times and poor viewing angles, the plasma display was fast, clear, and readable from virtually any angle. Many users considered it the finest portable display available in 1987, and the orange glow of the plasma screen became a distinctive visual signature of Compaq’s premium portable line.
286 Performance
The 80286 processor at 8 or 12 MHz provided genuine business computing performance — fast enough to run Lotus 1-2-3, WordPerfect, and dBASE effectively, and capable of running DOS applications that were pushing the boundaries of what 8088-based machines could handle. The Model 2660 configuration included a 20 MB hard drive, providing ample storage for a complete business software installation alongside substantial data files.
The Executive Portable
The Portable III was genuinely designed for the business executive who needed full PC capability on the road. Its premium construction, excellent display, and powerful processor made it a status symbol as much as a tool — the portable computer that signalled its user was serious about mobile computing in an era when most people still considered lugging a 8 kg computer aboard an aircraft to be eccentric behaviour.