X-no-Archive:yes
Carly stated during her address that HP invented the first information
appliance, the handheld calculator. Now, this is an interesting idea, and I
find it likewise interesting that a few visionaries and sci-fi writers have
seen the value in a practical handheld device that accepts input, processes
or stores it, and produces output. And others may have or may care to shed
light on the similarities and differences between various iterations of
"adding machines" and a handheld "calculator" (besides being handheld and
battery powered and not necessarily having paper tape, what other
differences were there in early calculators that offered the four basic
functions?). And I do not begrudge her those bragging rights. She is right
to take pride in that.

But it seems to me that another earlier device was an information appliance
of a sort - clocks and watches. While it accepted no input in the form of
data other than setting the time initially (one can argue about the profound
insight of using regulated motion to drive the machine to output time, in
analog or digitally), there seem to me to be another level of importance to
you and I agreeing to meet for dinner at 5, and arriving at the restaurant
within minutes of each other.

And, when some bright aviator decided that a pocket watch did not work well
for a pilot, did he develop the first wearable information appliance?

Greg Stigers
http://www.cgiusa.com
my watch's interface appears to be analog