I used the HP 200LX when I was going thru grad school. The 200LX was of great use to me in doing all of the various computational assignments and testing that was required. The device out of the box is setup to run HP palmtop OS which makes us of the under lying MS-DOS. However I found the device to be more useful / powerful by using it's built it MS-DOS 5.0 directly.
As a student I used the device primarily as a calculator and a text viewer and editor. It will run most any program that runs on an 8088 desktop computer running MS-Dos 5.0. Also "some" software that requires a 286 based machine will run on the device. I have used the following programs on it:
* Derive 4.11
* Matlab 3.5
* MathCad 2.5
* Lotus-123 ver 2.4
* XtreeGold
* Turbo C
* MS Fortran
* Wordperfect
* MS Word
I bought mine from Thaddeus Computing, they have refurbished and enhanced 200LX units for sale. They can be reached at the following website,I bought one that has been speeded up by them and is referred to as a DoubleSpeed enhancement. I have had my 200LX for about 11 years now and it still works just fine and it is still my calculator of choice. So if you are looking for a powerful calculator like device the HP 200LX is still a good choice.
It is too bad HP stopped making the 200LX. Keyboard handheld devices (running desktop software) are currently not being made and that is a sad thing.
So, these were discontinued about 15 years back and technology has moved on but in some areas has not improved.
Would I recommend a young person buy one and learn to use it as a general purpose machine, no.
Would I recommend it for specific applications that are not offered now or if modern GUIs annoy you, yes.
Every year or two I buy some new thing hoping to replace my HP200LX and after a couple weeks I'm back to carrying the HP and the new toy is the bin of handheld castoffs.
ADVANTAGES:
Battery life, 2+ weeks on a pair of AAs, try that with a new machine.
Size, if fits in a pocket easily.
Screen is readable outdoors.
Keyboard, by using small keys with some space around them it is much easier to type on than similar size keyboards, good tactile feedback, just what you would expect from the best calculator maker.
UI, the bundle of applications is well integrated and the key bindings are the same for all apps.
you don't have to figure out cut and paste, help keys, save, etc. for every new program.
Storage, uses standard PCMCIA cards or more usefully now, a PCMCIA adapter with a CF card (about 300mb max limit).
DOS, if you have an old program you need to run, here you go.
Calculator, every bit of HP calculator software is here. Base N, financial, engineering, currency, units, graphing, and the best solver I've ever used.
rs-232, for talking to older devices, I use mine to program radios and CNC mills.
Built in application suite, the calendar, quicken, a real spreadsheet,...
and fast, power on, hit a couple keys, get what you need. When I'm with friends and we are scheduling a meeting or doing a simple calculation I have the data entered and am putting it away while they are still rummaging for the correct app.
DISADVANTAGES:
They are 15 years old, very few new ones are to be had and the used ones ore very uneven in condition.
Slow, you can double clock them but even that is only about 8Mhz.
Screen, no backlight, if you drop it many times or crush it you tend to loose columns.
The biggest mechanical flaw is the right hinge will crack if you open it too far or eventually may crack from fatigue.
OS, DOS is ancient and very few new programs being written
Connectivity, no wifi support, no graphical browser
After a decade I still find handy little features and things this will do that I had never known and do things new devices can't do. I break it out and people are always wondering what that thing is and are surprised what it can do, impressed until they find it has no internet access.
Buy Hewlett Packard 200LX 2 MB Palmtop PC Now
I'm old enough to remember the whole PC revolution starting in the early 1980s. I've been using an HP 200 LX since 1995 continuously at work (banking). This is, by far, the most useful, timeless, device I have owned out of all my computers, laptops, and even extending to today's smartphones. The 2 AA batteries last for weeks or months, are easily and readily replaced; the storage is virtually unlimimted on a PCMCIA card which can permits easy transfer of data to and from a laptop PC; the MS-DOS apps built in are extremely useful and can be run simultaneously!! (this was something even DOS desktop PCs cound not do!!) I have written entire volumes on the "memo" program; LOTUS 1-2-3 built in can handle anything you're smart enough to use it for, an HP12C financial calculator is built in. I could go on and on. Over the same 18 years I've constantly been relying on my trusty 200lx, computers have come and gone (remember Windows CE?). Even today, most devices don't fit in your pocket or eat batteries. I only wish HP would have kept making the 200lx and updated its features, (screen resolution, color, CPU speed, USB, etc., etc.
Read Best Reviews of Hewlett Packard 200LX 2 MB Palmtop PC Here
They show a picture of a HP 200lx and say that is what you will get! Read the description a bit down and you will find it is a HP 320LX. The most useless Windows CE product ever sold! Don't buy it!!! I was a sucker and just went by the picture and the need of a 200LX to program radios. Face turns red again :(
Want Hewlett Packard 200LX 2 MB Palmtop PC Discount?
I purchased this palm calc to speak to HVAC equipment, (Siemens software)still runs on DAS. Unfortunately the display screen only worked for 1 day of use, which is unfortunate enough, At which point I contacted the seller for return , which was granted, I lost about 21 hours of man time due to this which ads up to approximately 2600 dollars, And the seller now is trying to deny me my refund of the item After I sent it back! I dont think I will ever except another contract were Iam responsible for communications to do my job since most HVAC software is out dated and old electronics are unreliable the seller of this product is a con artist selling broken crap online than making false claims I hope Amazon sticks by there Gaurantee!
A great case for the price. It snaps together easily and works fine with my mirrored screen protector. No paint has scratched off yet, even though I am clumsy and dropped it a few times. It is fairly flimsy, but that's not unexpected due to the fact that it's a very low price. It is thin and easy to access all of the buttons and USB/headphones jacks. The bag is nice and makes it easy to keep in my purse without worrying about extra scratches. Is a nice case and I am overall satisfied with my purchase.
