Dauphin DTR-1
Dauphin DTR-1
[Vin201]
The Dauphin DTR‑1 (1993) was remarkable for its unique palmtop form factor, featuring a 6-inch backlit VGA touchscreen, detachable mini-keyboard, and a built-in 1.3″ hard drive, a storage size that was extremely rare and unique in consumer devices at the time. Its claim to fame was being a true “desktop replacement” in a handheld PC, combining pen input, significant storage, and full Windows 3.1 functionality years before tablets became mainstream. While its high price and limited popularity kept it from commercial success, the DTR‑1 remains historically important as an ambitious early experiment in ultra-compact, pen-based computing.
- Manufacturer: Dauphin Technology, Inc.
- Type: Palmtop
- Release Date: 1993
- Cost at release: ~$6,000 adjusted for inflation
- MIPS: 35
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- CPU: Cyrix 486SLC, 25 MHz (≈35 MIPS)
- Memory: 4 MB (expandable to 6 MB)
- Storage: Built-in 1.3″ HDD (20 MB or 40 MB) – rare and unique for a palmtop
- Display: 6″ backlit VGA touchscreen, 640 × 480, grayscale
- Input: Stylus pen for touchscreen + detachable mini-keyboard
- Ports: Serial, parallel, modem (RJ-11), Ethernet, PS/2 keyboard, VGA external monitor, support for external floppy or HDD
- Battery/Power: Internal NiMH battery pack or external AC
- Weight: ~2.5 lb (1.1 kg)
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- Operating System: Microsoft Windows 3.1 with Pen Extensions on top of MS‑DOS 5.0/6.0
- Supported Languages:
- MS-DOS/Windows languages:
- BASIC / QuickBASIC / GW-BASIC
- Turbo Pascal / Borland Pascal
- C / C++ (Microsoft C/C++ or Borland C++)
- Assembly language (x86)
- Windows-specific development:
- Visual Basic 3.0/4.0
- FoxPro / dBase (for database applications)
- Scripting & utilities:
- Batch files, small DOS scripts
- MS-DOS/Windows languages:
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- Sometimes called the “Desktop Replacement Handheld” due to its ambition to pack a full PC into a palmtop.
- One of the first Windows‑compatible pen/touchscreen PCs; among the earliest to integrate a 1.3″ microdrive HDD in a consumer device.
- 6″ VGA touchscreen, detachable mini-keyboard, ultra-compact for a 486-class machine.
- 486-class Cyrix SLC running at 25 MHz (~35 MIPS) in a handheld.
- Very expensive (~$2,500 in 1993), making it rare and collectible.
- Foreshadowed later tablet PCs and pen-based computing, decades before mainstream tablets.
- Notable quirks: Short battery life, limited memory, and grayscale display made it more of a technological showcase than a mass-market success.
- Historically significant as an ambitious early attempt at mobile Windows computing, bridging the gap between laptops and future tablets.
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Andrew Miles