DESCRIPTION
The OmniGo 700LX is a strange bastard. Inside you will find a 200LX Palmtop PC running a DOS compatible system on a 80186 compatible CPU. The external PCMCIA port has been modified with an extra internal one for the Nokia Cellular Data Card that enables communication with the Nokia 2110 GSM mobile phone that can be slided into the top of the device. The connection with the Nokia 2110 enables the palmtop to add functionality like data, fax and sms.
The external appearance is, to put it mildly, obscure. It looks very bulky and enormous compared to the small and elegant 200LX palmtop. Because of the Nokia phone outside it has a very similar look compared to the Nokia 9000 Communicator – a small LCD, physical keys and the external antenna. The Nokia 9000 Communicator was also the main reason why the OmniGo 700LX never got popular. It came out just under a year after and packed similar features in a relative smaller, lighter and more elegant design. At that time the Nokia 2110 would start to become obsolete making the OmniGo 700LX a short-term investment to buy.
This is pure speculations from my side but I think the idea to the OmniGo 700LX must have come from someone at HP using their 200LX with the Nokia PCMCIA card connected to their Nokia phone and found it a bit messy and annoyed having the PCMCIA slot always in use with the Nokia without possibility of using other cards at the same time. They then reached out to Nokia asking them to help integrate the setup in a new model. At the same time Nokia had been working on their own solutions to this in the form of the first Nokia Communicator. They must have known at the time of design that the OmniGo 700LX was a bad idea.
RELEVANCE
One of my main fascinations about collecting vintage computers and palmtops is models that show the development and strange form factors. This model has to be on the top 3 of most strange form factors I have in my collection. A mobile phone plugged directly into a palmtop pc that looks more like a design study or prototype than a finished product.
The HP OmniGo 700LX ended up as a total failure since Nokia revealed its Nokia 9000 Communicator at the time of shipment.
GALLERY
SPECIFICATIONS
| Manufacturer | Hewlett Packard |
| Model | OmniGo 700 LX |
| Form factor | Palmtop PC with a piggyback mobile phone |
| Released | 1995 |
| Price | US$1000 (excluding the Nokia 2110) |
| CPU | 7.91 MHz 80186 Compatible Hornet |
| RAM | 2 MB RAM (640 kB is RAM rest is storage space) 4 MB ROM |
| Storage | 1024 MB NAND flash memory |
| Display | 5.1″ CGA 640×200 |
| OS | Microsoft MS-DOS 5.0 |
| Dimensions | 191x87x56 mm (with Nokia 2110 mounted) |
| Weight | 678 g (with Nokia 2110 mounted) |
| I/O ports | IR port, Serial, PCMCIA |
| Power | DC 12V plug, 2xAA battery, backup battery (CR2032) |
| Special features | A HP 200LX with a piggyback Nokia 2110, battery cover has a small support leg Art of Earth on the left side of the keyboard |
| Condition | Very good condition with almost no signs of wear. Working |
| Accessories | None |
| Serial ID | SHC8290063B |
| To do | I haven’t tested it together with the Nokia 2110. Could be fun to find a full-size SIM card and test the data connection. |
PURCHASE
I bought it on DBA from a seller who didn’t know what it was or if it worked. This was a very lucky find sinces it is rare to come by and often rather expensive. Even on eBay they only show up once in a while. By pure luck I already had a Nokia 2110 laying around that fits perfectly on top of the HP OmniGo 700LX. I’m not sure if it was sold together as a bundle from new or purchased separately.
RESTORATIONS AND MODIFICATION
Except for giving it a brief cleaning with a cloth, nothing has been done to this palmtop. My guess is that it has been lying in its cardbox for almost all of its life.
LINKS
