> if there was ever a case of a company making some sort of serial ASCII terminal, but in a portable factor Well, it all depends on the definition of dumb, portable and terminal. Let's go with the most common definition: - Dumb as in "no higher function", a glass-TTY. A VT05 is already non-dumb - Portable as in "made for being used in constant changing places", not just movable. - Terminal as in "made to interactive operate a remote host", not just some terminal device. A prime candidate would of course be the [TI Silent 700][1] series of transportable printing terminals. Some with integrated modems and battery packs, so as portable as it could get in the 1970s. > such as a laptop or even reasonable luggable. They have been available in any size, from luggable to fairly small. [![TI Silent 735][2]][2] (Image from [this 1976 brochure][3]) While the original 1971 Silent 700, like the above 735, was quite a large beast, weighing more than 10kg, later models, like the shown 745 (below) became barely larger than an average typewriter. They were an all in one mobile solutions including an acoustic coupler or integrated modem and (optional) batteries. [![TI Silent 745][4]][4] (Image taken [from Wikipedia][5]) Later models were even smaller. The 700 series was produced all the way into the mid 1980s. While TI had quite a strong standing in the market for portable terminals, they were neither the only or even the first. _Computer Transceiver Systems Execuport series_, starting with the [Execuport 300][6] in 1969 beat them by more than two years. They sold units well into the 1980s - the last development was an improved Executell 400, introduced as late as 1982(!) Another contender would be the 1970 _Porta Com_ by [Data Products Corp.][7], a well-renowned manufacturer of peripherals and disks. They used an impact printer, giving a better image, but also additional weight to carry. While such terminals have usually been a niche for specialized manufacturers and often been sold by third parties as part of turnkey solutions, computer companies did also try to cover that area, such as DEC with their [LA12 series][8]. [![DEC LA12][9]][9] _(Image taken from the [VT100.net website][10])_ > but I’m more curious of devices designed specifically for that purpose. There has been quite a use case for them. Think insurance agents, mortgage brokers or even car dealers meeting their customers at home. With a terminal and a phone line they could not only show some glossy paper advertisements, but generate an offer right away. Keep in mind, there were no portable computers in the 1970s - at least not in a way that would allow use like today's laptops. A small printing terminal could fill the gap by connecting to a central system providing the functionality. The salesman only had to key in the customer's data and not only get a tailored offer (*1), but with printout for the customer or even print the contracts right away, closing the sale in one visit. A CRT-based terminal would have been way too heavy, eating up too much power and still needing an additional printer to fulfil the same role. It wasn't until [Kyotronic][11] style handheld devices (Olivetti M10, Tandy M100, Epson HX20, etc.) began to take over that niche by not only using lightwight LCD, but also putting the needed computing power and data storage right into the same suitcase. [![Nixdorf FST using an Olivetti M10][12]][12] (Field Service Terminal as used by Nixdorf in the mid 1980s) --- *1 - At least that's what they were told to tell :)) [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_700 [2]: https://i.sstatic.net/RPv5Q.jpg [3]: http://s3data.computerhistory.org/brochures/ti.silent700.1976.102646198.pdf [4]: https://i.sstatic.net/YhBNZ.jpg [5]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Silent-700.jpg [6]: http://vtda.org/docs/computing/CTS/Execuport300PagePrintingTransceiverTerminalBrochure.pdf [7]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dataproducts [8]: https://vt100.net/docs/tp83/chapter13.html [9]: https://i.sstatic.net/1S6Q4.jpg [10]: https://vt100.net/docs/tp83/cal1301.html [11]: https://www.sinasohn.com/cgi-bin/clascomp/bldhtm.pl?computer=kc85 [12]: https://i.sstatic.net/DaF95.jpg