Hewlett-Packard HP110 Portable Plus

[vin86]

The HP 110 Portable Plus, released in 1985, was a groundbreaking MS-DOS-compatible laptop notable for its built-in software (including Lotus 1-2-3, MemoMaker, and a terminal emulator in ROM), long battery life (up to 16–20 hours), and a tiltable, high-resolution LCD display that folded over the keyboard for portability. Its claim to fame was being Hewlett-Packard’s first true laptop, offering unprecedented portability and performance for its time, with advanced power-saving features, a robust build, and the largest memory available in a portable computer when launched.

Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard (HP)
Type: Laptop
Model: HP110 Portable Plus
Release Date: 1985
Cost at release: USD $2,295 (CAD ~$8,000 adjusted for inflation)
MIPS: 0.3 (300 KIPS)

Hardware Specifications

CPU: Motorola 68030, 20 MHz (optional Motorola 68882 FPU coprocessor)
RAM: 1 MB soldered onboard, expandable to 17 MB (4 × 30-pin SIMM slots, 100 ns)
ROM: 512 KB
Hard Drive: 40 MB, 80 MB, or 160 MB internal SCSI hard drive; 1.44 MB SuperDrive floppy disk
Video: Uses system RAM as VRAM; supports up to 8-bit color at 640 × 480 resolution
Expansion: 1 NuBus or Processor Direct Slot (PDS)
Ports: ADB (keyboard/mouse): 1, SCSI: 1 (DB-25), Floppy: 1 (DB-19), Serial: 2 (Mini DIN-8), Audio: 8-bit stereo out, 8-bit mono in (3.5mm jacks), Printer and modem ports
Modem: Internal 1200 bps (baud) modem
Keyboard: Mechanical, 75 keys, 8 function keys
Storage: No built-in floppy or hard drive; supports external 3.5″ floppy drive via HP-IL

Operating System & Programming Languages

OS: MS-DOS 2.11 in ROM
Programming Languages: While it did not have a built-in BASIC interpreter, users could run standard MS-DOS-compatible programming languages—including BASIC (when loaded from external storage), Pascal, C, and assembly language—by installing them via external floppy drive or RAM disk
Built-in Applications: Lotus 1-2-3, MemoMaker, Terminal Emulator (all in ROM)

Notables

The HP 110 Portable Plus was Hewlett-Packard’s first true laptop and was internally codenamed “Nomad”.
At launch, it had the largest memory available in any portable computer, with 384 KB ROM and up to 1 MB RAM.
Its suite of built-in software in ROM—including Lotus 1-2-3, MemoMaker, and a terminal emulator—was unusual and allowed instant-on productivity without loading from disk.
The display could tilt for better visibility and folded over the keyboard, a novel design for the era.
It boasted exceptional battery life (up to 16–20 hours), thanks to advanced power-saving features and a sealed lead-acid battery.
The HP-IL interface allowed daisy-chaining up to 30 devices, including printers and external floppy drives, which was rare for laptops at the time.
The RAM could be partitioned to act as a RAM disk, preserving data for months on a single charge.
It was praised as the “almost perfect portable” and “the finest notebook computer available on the market today” by Creative Computing magazine, which annoyed some competitors’ fans.
The HP 110 was not a mass-market hit due to its high price and business focus, but it was highly respected and influential among early mobile professionals

Donated by: Arlen Michaels

Vintage Computing Collection