palmtopn.adj.
/ˈpɑːmtɒp/, U.S. /ˈpɑ(l)mˌtɑp/ A. n.
A computer small and light enough to be held in one hand. Cf. desktop n. 2 and laptop n..
ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > hardware > computer > [noun] > palm-top
handheld1971
palmtop1987
personal digital assistant1992
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > smallness > [noun] > smallness or scantiness of extent > compactness > compact thing
handheld1971
palmtop1987
1987 Govt. Computer News 5 June 55/3 Perhaps artificial intelligence will soon allow us to communicate from a 10 MIPS cellular palmtop to someone's telephone implant and vice versa.
1993 Computing 27 May 23/1 Whereas in the old days a portable was simply a PC you could carry (although not necessarily use on the move), now you can take your pick from portables, notebooks, sub-notebooks, palmtops and organisers.
2003 PC World (Nexis) 1 July The palmtop will supplant the mobile phone (especially the Smartphone) as the most-used pocket device.
B. adj.
Esp. of a computer: small enough to be held and used in the palm of the hand.
ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > hardware > computer > [adjective] > palm top
palmtop1989
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > smallness > [adjective] > of small or scanty extent > compact > compact thing
handheld1891
in-hand1949
palmtop1989
1989 PC Week (Nexis) 18 Sept. Atari Computer Corp. last week shipped Portfolio, a 1-pound ‘palmtop’ computer priced at $400.
1993 Esquire Dec. 48 In this novel..,William Gibson imagines the palmtop TV/telephone of the future: a smooth, oblong shape, like a piece of polished obsidian.
2003 New Straits Times (Malaysia) (Nexis) 4 June 15 It was back in 1994 when NewsPage launched Southeast Asia's first advanced palmtop stock paging system.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.adj.1987