Panasonic Executive Partner Model FT-70F1
physical object
Identifier
2023.10.1
Description
The Panasonic Executive Partner Model FT-70F1 is an IBM PC-compatible portable computer that was introduced by the Panasonic Corporation in 1985. The Panasonic Executive Partner (PEP) was the successor to the Panasonic Senior Partner (PSP) which made it the second attempt from Panasonic to play a significant role in the portable computer market. Although the PEP computer was deemed “portable” it was still heavy to carry around. It weighed in at a whopping 28 pounds.
There were some upgrades from the PSP to the PEP model, some of which included a light-emitting plasma screen display that reduced some of the weight from the first model and a less bulky design. The design of the red-and-orange plasma display was for those who often used the computer at night. The size of the screen was eleven inches, however, the display itself was not as large since the display only made up 60% of the entire screen, and the rest was just black borders. The screen was made of some form of neon gas tightly placed in between two glass panels. Panasonic claimed that it could last four times longer than liquid crystal displays.
Inside the PEP was an 8086-2 microprocessor. It had two modes, a slow mode that could run as fast as an IBM PC and a fast mode that could run twice as fast at 7.16 megahertz. In addition, the computer was equipped with 256 kilobytes of RAM, which could be extended to 640 kilobytes.
The computer could also connect to IBM products and run some of the prominent softwares of the time. The connectors at the back of the computer included serial and parallel ports and a standard 62-pin expansion slot that was compatible with IBM. The Panasonic Executive Partner’s software was based on MS DOS 2.1 operating system which included applications like Wordstar, Dbase II, and Lotus 1-2-3.
The internal printer worked relatively well, but without a tractor feed mechanism, it could jam while printing lots of paper in rapid succession. The printer also uses two optional print heads, a thermal head which requires special thermal paper and an ink-ribbon dot matrix head which uses standard paper. The Panasonic Executive Partner was sold at US $2,595 and included a comprehensive and detailed manual but many critics and users thought it was overpriced, because it the weight meant it wasn’t conveniently portable and that it only appealed to consumers with niche needs.
Related Term
Desktop Computers (describes)
External links
Wikipedia - Panasonic Executive PartnerPanasonic Exec. Partner - AdvertisementPanasonic Exec. Partner - Reference Guide
