Brother, can you spare a laptop?

New package for an old idea: The Brother Color GeoBook is a '90s successor to the tried-and-true Tandy Model 100, offering a simple way to surf the 'Net, get e-mail, write a story and file it.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- It's been 15 years since Tandy Corp. introduced the $999 Model 100, the notebook computer that set the standard for journalists.

It and its younger sibling, the Model 200 (introduced in 1985), were hugely successful because they were writing and transmitting machines with most applications build into ROM. No complex operating system, no hard disk, and stories were stored in RAM.

Well, it's 1998, and finally, another company woke up and smelled the coffee -- at least the coffee that journalists prefer. Say a hearty hello to the Brother Color GeoBook, which was being shown in a small booth at NEXPO '98.

Small booth, big idea -- a notebook computer for reporters that handles all functions needed by a mobile journalist, affordably priced at $599.

The GeoBook's not perfect, but it does have what a reporter of the 1990s needs: connectivity to the office and the Internet, and a nearly foolproof way to produce stories and save them without a hard disk.

The Brother NB-80C has a 10.4-inch VGA dual scan color display, a touch pad and the option to use a mouse. The standard-size keyboard includes 12 function keys.

The Brotherworks '98 software suite built into the machine includes a word processor, spreadsheet, scheduling features, e-mail and Internet connectivity.

The built-in modem runs at 33.6 kilobits per second, fast enough to pull in needed info from the World-Wide Web. It also has a send-only fax capability that runs at 14.4 kilobits per second,

Stories can be saved on a DOS-formatted disk in the built-in 1.4 megabyte floppy drive, or in the flash memory that holds one megabyte. There is no hard disk, but there is a Type II PC card slot for adding as much as 10 megabytes of memory on a card.

At 5.97 pounds, it may be a bit heavier than some laptops, and the color screen may make battery life an issue for some. The NB-80C can hold two rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries which last just two hours.

Will this machine be able to stand up to the rigors of newsroom use? The prospects seem good. This is a piece of important hardware that cost-conscious newsrooms shouldn't overlook.

Brother International Corp., (800) 284-1937.

-- George Powell

From THE COLE PAPERS, July 1998, Copyright © 1998, All Rights Reserved.