#grid compass

[vic-sinclair-96]

Fat bottom girls, they make the rockin' world go round.

Tandy 1400 and a GRID Compass showing off their asses ;)

[rogix]

SPOC (Shuttle Portable On-Board Computer) was the very first laptop that flew into space. It was on board of the space shuttle Columbia in 1983. That was a pretty conventional GRiD Compass computer with a special ‘space software’ and some improvements being made to adapt to the new environment: for instance a new external fan was added. GRiD Compass had no any fans, it used convective cooling. But there is no convective cooling in zero-G, so a fan was attached to cool the laptop.

[monkeycrisisonmars]

Grid Compass (1982)

The Grid Compass (written GRiD by its manufacturer GRiD Systems Corporation) was one of the first laptop computers when the initial model was introduced in April 1982 (the model 1101[a]). The computer was designed by British industrial designer Bill Moggridge in 1979, and first sold three years later.

The design used a clamshell case (where the screen folds flat to the rest of the computer when closed), which was made from a magnesium alloy. The computer featured an Intel 8086 processor, a 320 × 240-pixel electroluminescent display, 340-kilobyte magnetic bubble memory, and a 1,200 bit/s modem.

The Compass ran its own operating system, GRiD-OS. Its specialized software and high price (US$8–10,000) meant that it was limited to specialized applications. The main buyer was the U.S. government. NASA used it on the Space Shuttle during the early 1980s, as it was both powerful and lightweight. The military Special Forces also purchased the machine, as it could be used by paratroopers in combat.

[kotzendeseinhorn]

Der erste Laptop der Welt

http://dlvr.it/6s4rl1

[danielbulinski]

Grid Compass. First laptop device. Designed by Bill Moggridge.

[veranoenvenenado]

[fab-blog1]

Yesterday, the world lost a pioneer. British industrial designer Bill Moggridge was the creator of the Grid Compass, a portable computer that set the precedent for the today's modern laptop. 

Bill's focus on usability redefined the culture of design, and his innovative contributions changed the course of interactive design within the field of technology. One year after being awarded a lifetime achievement award by Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, Bill took over at its helm, working to establish the organization as a paramount presence in design (read on about his work at the museum here). Soon after taking on the position in 2010, Bill received Britain's most prestigious design award, the Prince Philip Designers Prize.

The son of an artist and a civil servant, William Moggridge, born in London on June 25th, 1943, once said, "Few people think about it or are aware of it. But there is nothing made by human beings that does not involve a design decision somewhere."

Learn more about his life and work here.

[shortformblog]

RIP Bill Moggridge: Developer of the Grid Compass, one of the earliest laptops

That's astronaut John Creighton with Bill's invention. In 1982, Bill Moggridge developed the industrial design for one of the first computers with the closeable notebook shape that's common on most portable computers today. Moggridge's client, GRiD Systems Corporation, was so ahead of the game that they actually owned the patent for the clamshell-style laptop. “In terms of the industrial design of the enclosure, Moggridge was instrumental in proposing that,” said Alex Bochannek of the Computer History Museum. “He came up with that particular form factor.” Being first meant it was extremely expensive, though — at the time of its release in 1982, it cost $8,150 — but it found a home with the U.S. government, particularly NASA. Moggridge's career didn't end there, however — he was one of the co-founders of IDEO, an international design company that's still going strong to this day. Moggridge was 69. (photo via NASA)