NEC PC-8201A Laptop

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NEC PC-8201A Laptop	by Bill Degnan - 01/25/2008 20:14
For the past six months I have been doing a lot of reading and research on the early laptop computers. The NEC 8201A is not the first, but it's an excellent example of what "laptop" meant in 1983. The 8201 is actually a re-packaged Kyotronic KC-85 (named for it's Intel 8085 processor), and also is it's third sibling, the Tandy TRS 80 Model 100. Future issues of this web site will feature many more of these early laptops. Some call the Kyotronic "Kyrocera 85" but my Kyotronic has a company called "Kyosel" on the label. ?? The name must have changed to "Kyocera" at some point soon thereafter. ?? The real expert on this subject is Evan Koblentz of http://www.snarc.net and he is a great source on laptop history. NEC PC-8201A Reply
Correction - there is no Kyosel company	by Bill Degnan - 11/03/2009 22:50
Evan Koblentz sends his comment: ..You wrote, "my Kyotronic has a company called 'Kyosel' on the label. The name must have changed to 'Kyocera' at some point thereafter. The real expert on this subject is Evan...." Well, at least you got that last part correct. :) Kyosel isn't a company. It is a common Japanese word that means "harmony" or something along those lines. The name "Kyocera" is a portmanteau of "Kyoto Cermanics" .... same deal with "Toshiba" which stemmed from "Tokyo Shibaura". Both part of the Japanese trend to Westernize their names in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Reply

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