Pocket computer

A pocket computer is a small calculator-sized handheld programmable computer.

This specific category of computers existed primarily in the 1980s. Manufacturers included Casio, Hewlett-Packard, Sharp, Tandy/Radio Shack (Selling Casio and Sharp models under their own TRS line) and many more.

The programming language was usually BASIC, but some devices offered alternatives. For example the Casio PB-2000 could be programmed in Assembly, BASIC, C, and Lisp.^[1] An important feature of pocket computers was that all programming languages were available for the device itself, not downloaded from a cross-compiler on a larger computer.

Though not identical in principle, personal digital assistants, handheld PCs, and programmable calculators serve many of the same functions as the old pocket computers, generally with significantly more computing power in a package the same size or smaller. The main distinction is that more modern designs (with the exception of programmable calculators) usually do not have included programming ability and are usually set up to act as clients of a larger system rather than as self-contained environments of their own, whereas the early pocket computers had their own data storage and input/output facilities such as printers and tape drives.

List of devices

Manufacturer	Model
Casio	FX-702P, FX-850P, PB-1000, PB-2000, PB-80, PB-100, PB-500F, PB-770, Z1-GR
Elektronika	MK 85, MK-85M, MK-90, MK-95, MK-98
HP	HP-75C, HP-71B, HP 95LX
Kikuichi	PC-A10, PC-A2
Olympia	OL-H004
Panasonic	RL-H1400 HHC (also sold as Quasar HK-2600TE), RL-H1800 HHC
Psion Organiser
Sharp	PC-1211, PC-1500, PC-1600, PC-1280, PC-1350, PC-1360, PC-E500S
Tandy Corporation	Tandy Pocket Computer range
Texas Instruments	TI-74, TI-74S
Toshiba	IHC-8000 system