LGR - The $4,750 HP OmniBook from 1996
Added 2023-10-10 23:48:53 +0000 UTCBack again with a classic LGR retrospective! It's been a good amount of time since I've made a straightforward "here's a cool laptop" video, and while taking some folks through a tour of my collection recently this one happened to stand out to them. So I thought, what the heck, why not finally cover this one?
The Omnibook 800CT here has long been one of my favorite little subnotebooks of the 90s. Not only was it one of the absolute most expensive machines in its class back when it was new, but this one in particular is the cream of the crop with the highest-end CPU option: a Pentium MMX 166! Combine that with the quirky mouse and ID holder and nifty screen and nice sound chip and all the other stuff covered in the video, and yeah, it's simply a pleasant machine to use even now. At least if you're a certain kinda retro weirdo.
I'm also really glad this one came together as smoothly as it did, because wow have there been a few frustrating days lately with projects falling apart and turning more complex. Enjoy this early edit, and lemme know if you notice any errors or anything! The next episode is already starting to come along so (knock on woodgrain) hopefully you'll be seeing that video show up on here about a week from today.
Have a good one and thank you for your ongoing support!
Comments
Probably the cutest mouse i have ever seen, but i bet it's kinda useless for anything other than 'finishing that business thing on the train home' type situation.
Sam Parsons
2023-10-14 08:19:30 +0000 UTCsweet, I've got an omnibook 430 with the same mouse, but I've yet to find drivers that work with it. It's got a sweet reflective LCD, and can run from AAs
adcurtin
2023-10-14 00:44:51 +0000 UTCOh nice, they have a fascinating channel
LGR
2023-10-12 19:16:47 +0000 UTCI have one of these computers myself! Got it in a trade with bbishoppcm!
Evangeline Domenech
2023-10-12 19:11:35 +0000 UTCAyy ๐
LGR
2023-10-12 18:32:24 +0000 UTCWhat a cute and surprisingly capable notebook! I'm actually impressed by the display. Despite the scaling not being on point (lol), it does not look that bad!
Alyxx the Rat
2023-10-12 04:00:44 +0000 UTCYep, that was the only way I got to see these things up close back then! Always a relative with a business job or a government contract, or some friend's rich grandparents or something. Rarely if ever got to use the things since they cost as much as car, but wow were they impressive to see doing their thing when new.
LGR
2023-10-11 22:29:29 +0000 UTCHeh, y'know I actually record those typing bits like four or five times anytime I do them. All about getting the right *sound* as opposed to legitimately typing ๐
LGR
2023-10-11 22:27:57 +0000 UTCNeat! I remember my uncle who worked in "fancy business stuff" had a sub-notebook, for travel, in the 90's. I still remember how insanely cool that was back then!
Tossabaddle
2023-10-11 20:45:07 +0000 UTCThe fake typing at 4:28 is amazing ๐ธ
Skoddie
2023-10-11 20:21:30 +0000 UTCAh that's how it goes, honestly this one I have will probably find a new home sooner or later. Especially owning more capable machines with fewer compromises already. The 800CT is a fun performance level and form factor to play with here and there, but I *always* go for my better-equipped laptops when I'm in the mood for late 90s PC stuff.
LGR
2023-10-11 19:12:16 +0000 UTCI had this model! Unfortunately "had". Sold it some years ago. Was a neat little machine. I loved the cute little mouse.
kepuexe
2023-10-11 17:04:09 +0000 UTCThat would be a gargantuan project, HP is far older and larger than you might think. I also donโt do Tech Tales anymore, but if I did Iโd have to pick a single part of their vast history to focus on rather than the whole company story :)
LGR
2023-10-11 14:52:26 +0000 UTCThanks for the clarification, that makes sense!
LGR
2023-10-11 14:49:36 +0000 UTCHP tech tales maybe?
Hernando Heilbron
2023-10-11 12:43:20 +0000 UTCMMX is just a set of CPU instructions designed to accelerate integer math by allowing single instructions to perform concurrent calculations on multiple values at a time. From what I understand, EXTREMELY few DOS games take advantage of it because of how late MMX was to the DOS gaming party, but there were indeed a handful which did, as anyone who knows the opcodes and assembly language can add MMX support to their software, DOS or otherwise! :D
Kris Asick
2023-10-11 09:46:23 +0000 UTCSeeing POD scaled on software render reminds me of a crisper version of PS1 graphics.
50_SHADES_OF_BEIGE
2023-10-11 03:19:54 +0000 UTCRight? Itโs just slim and slick across the board, especially for having a larger screen and full sized keys.
LGR
2023-10-11 03:19:45 +0000 UTCWow! That's so thin for it's time. It makes my IBM 760 look downright chungus.
50_SHADES_OF_BEIGE
2023-10-11 03:02:57 +0000 UTCIndeed, itโs one of those special machines thatโs more than the sum of its parts Iโd say!
LGR
2023-10-11 01:10:33 +0000 UTCCool! This computer looks awesome despite its limits LGR!
Tom Anderson
2023-10-11 01:03:30 +0000 UTCโThe Pawโ huh. Interesting, Iโve seen no mention of that in the OmniBook documentation, or even in the old reviews or HP software Iโve come across from back then. I do at least have some full size docking stations for other laptops, so weโll get to try such upgrades in the future!
LGR
2023-10-11 00:26:40 +0000 UTCToo bad it didn't include the docking station, it has full size PCI and ISA slots in it and I was always curious if one could upgrade the graphics with a crazy PCI video card and game with it. Also, HP refers to the pop out mouse as "the paw".
jcs
2023-10-11 00:07:09 +0000 UTC
