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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Software Issues and Discussion => Topic started by: on February 05, 2003, 07:12:18 PM

Title: Silent Paws
Post by: on February 05, 2003, 07:12:18 PM
I located a Silent Paws amiga notebook for sale. The owner wants me to make a reasonable offer fot it. They said it was new, but they have been unable to confirm that the lcd screen works. What I want to know, what would a reasonable offer be for this notebook?

sorry, I intended for this to go in the hardware section.  My bad! Wayne, can you move this for me?
Title: Re: Silent Paws
Post by: on February 05, 2003, 07:13:54 PM
200$ ... if he's ignorant he/she might say 'thats great! for this old piece of junk" ...
Title: Re: Silent Paws
Post by: on February 05, 2003, 08:21:56 PM
Seriously has anyone seen one of these actually work?
Title: Re: Silent Paws
Post by: spihunter on February 05, 2003, 09:18:15 PM
I saw one of these in action at a Amiga show in 1998.
It was very cool. It was a bit bulky to be considered a laptop. I would say that it was more of a "luggable" A1200. Does the seller not have a amiga to test it with? From what I remember you slide your Amiga 1200 into the side of the case and it hooks to the keyboard, LCD, and Battery?
Title: Re: Silent Paws
Post by: Desolator on February 05, 2003, 09:45:32 PM
Any pictures of one of those puppies on the net somewhere?
Title: Re: Silent Paws
Post by: spihunter on February 05, 2003, 09:53:14 PM
Here's a picture:
http://amiga.emugaming.com/portamiga.html

Title: Re: Silent Paws
Post by: carls on February 05, 2003, 09:53:54 PM
@Desolator.

Yup.
http://amiga.emugaming.com/paws.jpg

It's HUGE! :-D
Title: Re: Silent Paws
Post by: Desolator on February 05, 2003, 10:03:24 PM
Ooh! I want one!
Title: Re: Silent Paws
Post by: Dan on February 05, 2003, 10:57:01 PM
Very cool but, heavy  Amiga Inc needs to port AOS 4.0 to some onechip computer, i think motorola makes somekind of PPCbased  computers on a chip.
Then it would be possible to make Amiga PDAs, laptops
settopboxes, anything you want
Title: Re: Silent Paws
Post by: starbird80 on February 05, 2003, 11:21:40 PM
Quote

It's HUGE! :-D


Think that's big?  They planned another model to hold the A4000 desktop motherboard, and allow space for Zorro cards.

I wanted one for my Toaster/Flyer, and talked to one of the Silent Paws guys about it at Amiga St. Louis in '97.  He seemed pretty gung ho, as some company had expressed interest in a batch, so I could have got mine added to the production run.  Unfortunately a few days later I got a message that this company had backed out of the deal, and Silent Paws would need to have an order for a batch of at least ten before they'd do any.  (No, I don't know who they were.)
Title: Re: Silent Paws
Post by: on February 05, 2003, 11:41:42 PM
I talked to the seller, he says that he did install a motherboard to the thing, but he could not get it to work. He also said that he did not spend a great deal of time getting it to work.

I offered him a deal of $200 USD  + a powerbook 1400c for the thing. I will see if he takes the offer. Even if it does not work, the neatness of the thing will be worth it to me.
Title: Re: Silent Paws
Post by: AmiNTT on February 06, 2003, 12:51:30 AM
Wonder Computers had a *stack* of these at one point.  They were quite difficult to get to work - I'd say that 95% of Amiga users wouldn't be able to get it to work - I couldn't.  If memory serves, it took three of us togeather to get one working.

If the seller says that he can not confirm if the LCD works, then it is useless/worthless.  I would say offer him $50 and if you can get it to work, send him an additional amount.
Title: Re: Silent Paws
Post by: Themamboman on February 06, 2003, 02:59:40 AM
I always thought the Suzanne project (same page), based on the A600 was cool.  I was surprised that no one tried to make a laptop from a cd32.  The motherboard should have been small enough and you got an EC020 to boot.  Cutting a slot in the case would allow the SX32 expansion to fit (and possibly an 030 upgrade).

Oh well, with the original Amithlon and WinUAE, it would be easier to just buy a windoze laptop and emulate Amiga.
Title: Re: Silent Paws
Post by: carls on February 06, 2003, 08:48:50 AM
@starbird
There was some other company making "luggable" A4000 machines. It was kind of a mini-tower with a briefcase handle on top of it. It also had a built-in LCD screen at one side of the chassi, and a separate keyboard. IIRC they could house a Video Toaster.
Title: Re: Silent Paws
Post by: DaveP on February 06, 2003, 09:01:52 AM
DONT BOTHER!

They are a fiddle to set up and use, it is an entirely
dissapointing experience - you might as well just get
an LCD panel for your existing A1200 and a small suitcase
to "lug" it around OR spend it on a circa 400Mhz PC running Amiga Forever.

*waste*of*money*

Title: Re: Silent Paws
Post by: on February 06, 2003, 09:05:20 AM
DaveP

I agree as a useful machine they totally suck...they use to much power to make them truely portable...and they weigh a ton.

But as a collectors item! now thats a differant story... I would almost gaurentee in 10 years that thing will go up in value 5 fold or more... they have some value as an antique of computing history. and in that reguard I'd gladly fork over a couple hundred bucks to own on.

your entirely right as a functional machine they are not... but as a purchase I think its well worth it.
Title: Re: Silent Paws
Post by: Karlos on February 06, 2003, 03:59:31 PM
Maybe it'd come in useful for Dom Jolly to go with his mobile fone ;-)
Title: Re: Silent Paws
Post by: starbird80 on February 06, 2003, 06:54:10 PM
@carls (and apologies for going even further offtopic)
Quote

There was some other company making "luggable" A4000 machines.


Hmm, never saw such a thing at the time.  After the SP thing fell through I was looking into using shock-mounted racks (like some musicians use for their rack-mount effects and such).  Couldn't find a rack-mount case for the A4000, though there was one produced for the A2000.  Considered moving the Toaster/Flyer to my A2000, but would have needed an accellerator, which I'd just bought for the A4000...

Then the flood of '97 came to Grand Forks, ND, and I ended up relocating to Fargo/Moorhead, and my Toaster/Flyer is still a desktop thing.
Title: Re: Silent Paws
Post by: 420Dude on February 06, 2003, 07:02:02 PM
Message deleted because it violated the Posting Guidelines (http://amiga.org/modules/sections/index.php?op=viewarticle&artid=6)
Title: Re: Silent Paws
Post by: zudobug on February 06, 2003, 07:11:29 PM
420Dude,

When Wayne said feed the kitty, I don't think that's what he had in mind.

 :-o

-zudo
Title: Re: Silent Paws
Post by: zurt on February 06, 2003, 07:48:35 PM
It remembers of my SIMATIC PG Pentium II PLC programmer... It is a really heavy "luggage" case ;-)
Title: Re: Silent Paws
Post by: on February 06, 2003, 08:18:39 PM
The "luggable" A4000 was developed by Quikpak. A  description can be found at Amiga Interactive Guide (http://amiga.emugaming.com/quiky.html)