02/10/94 Pocket Book Range September 1994.

• Pocket Book from Acorn: a range of palmtop computers which covers the IT needs in the curriculum for all pupils.
• Pocket Book ensures that you always have access to IT tools whenever and wherever you need them.
• All Pocket Books in the range, from the original - a major success of the NCET portables‘ trial - to the new, top-of-the range 512K Pocket Book II with its large screen and extra in-built applications, are supported by a range of peripherals.
• The optional desktop links provide the technology to enable you to transfer data to or from your desktop system whether PC, Apple or Acorn, when you return to your desktop computer.

Pocket Book computers

The Pocket Book

The Pocket Book is a palmtop computer which provides a full set of menu-driven applications, considerable memory capacity and an integral computer screen, all in a robust, ergonomically designed case about the size of a spectacle case. It is the truly personal computer for education, giving pupils and teachers immediate access to IT whenever and wherever it is required. The built-in spreadsheet, word processor, spelling checker, database and scientific calculator provide all the basic tools necessary for organising and recording ideas, notes and data.

Pocket Book II

Pocket Book II extends the Pocket Book range, offering the enhancements of a larger screen area and resolution and additional software applications while retaining the proven case design. Pocket Book II offers the choice of two models, with either 256K or 512K of RAM.

AHB03 Pocket Book 256K
AHB05 Pocket Book II 256K
AHB06 Pocket Book II 512K

Pocket Book peripherals

All the peripherals work with both the Pocket Book and Pocket Book II.

Desktop links

Desktop links connect Pocket Book to Acorn 32-bit computers, PC compatibles and Apple Macintosh, providing a quick and easy way of transferring files and data between the two. This extends both the power of Pocket Book and the range of the desktop computer.

AHA30 *A-Link for Acorn 32-bit computers
AHA36 PC Link for IBM PC compatibles
AHA37 M Link for Apple Macintosh

Parallel Link

The Parallel Link connects Pocket Book to a wide range of standard printers. Examples include Canon BJ-10e, Canon BJ-300, IBM Proprinter X24E, Epson RX and Epson LQ. Most dot matrix printers that have an Epson or IBM Proprinter emulation mode can also be used. In addition, Pocket Book also supports a general purpose printer driver that will allow you to print plain text to almost any printer that can accept plain text.

Mains Adaptor

The Mains Adaptor connects Pocket Book to a standard 13 amp mains power supply to provide an alternative power source to the batteries. When used in conjunction with the desktop links, the Mains Adaptor can extend battery life considerably, since the desktop links require significant power to drive the serial port.

AHA35 Mains Adaptor

Solid State Disks (SSDs)

Solid State Disks fit inside Pocket Book and provide additional space for storing information, which can be protected from accidental deletion by moving a write-protect switch. The RAM SSD has its own lithium battery to retain data and behaves like other random access storage devices such as the standard floppy disc or hard disc: you can read and write files to them and delete some or all of your files, freeing up available space on the SSD. The RAM SSD is best for storing information that is frequently altered, such as the personal files that you are currently working on. Flash SSDs do not require a back-up battery to retain data, and you can read and write to them, but deleted files still use up space (which can be recovered by reformatting the disc). However, Flash SSDs are more cost-effective than the RAM SSD and are ideal for material you wish to access frequently but seldom change, such as software programs, resources and personal files you wish to archive.

AHA20 RAM Disc 128K
AHA21 Flash Disc 256K
AHA22 Flash Disc 512K

Class Packs

Pocket Book Class Pack

This consists of ten Pocket Books with an additional Pocket Book (making 11 in total), desktop link and Mains Adaptor.

Pocket Book II Class Pack

This consists of ten Pocket Book IIs** with an additional Parallel Link, desktop link and Mains Adaptor.

AHB10 Pocket Book Class Pack
AHB12 Pocket Book II Class Pack

Software upgrades for the Pocket Book

These upgrades are not required for Pocket Book II, which includes Plotter and Schedule as standard in the ROM.

Plotter

Plotter is a graph plotting application which increases the capability of the Pocket Book and fulfils the role of a specialist graphical calculator. It has been designed to meet all curriculum needs in Maths and Science for Key Stages 3 and 4 onwards (11-16) and will also meet most of the requirements for A-level. It is supplied on a ROM SSD with a manual.

Acorn Schedule

Schedule combines a diary, personal organiser and timetabler, and has been designed specifically for the growing number of people in education using the Pocket Book as a personal aid. It is supplied on an SSD ROM card with a manual, and includes the Spell spelling checker so that the two applications still only use one card slot on the Pocket Book.

AHA42 Schedule
AHA11 Schedule Class Pack (11 Schedules)

OPL Editor

OPL is a powerful programming language for the Pocket Book. The pack contains all you need to start writing your own programs, and includes a comprehensive manual. Programs are entered using the Program Editor, which is similar to the Write word processor provided with your Pocket Book. To execute a program you have written, simply select it from the list of programs displayed on the Desktop screen. Once familiar with the basics you will soon be able to move on to more advanced techniques, including turning your favourite program into an application and installing it onto the Desktop screen.

AHA41 OPL Editor

* A-Link requires RISC OS 3 (version 3.10 or later)
** Pocket Book 256K

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