Quick-what companies come to mind when you think of pen computers? Fujitsu Personal Systems, Symbol Technologies, Intermec's Norand Mobile Systems Division, Telxon, WPI Husky, MicroSlate, WalkAbout, Itronix, and, depending on your field of interest and expertise, probably a number of lesser knows. Mitsubishi, likely, won't pop up on many lists which is both too bad and quite astonishing given the company's considerable dedication to mobile computing.

Three years ago or so we were stunned when the Mobile Computing Division of Mitsubishi Electronics America, Inc. sent us one of the first pen-based AMiTY SP computers over for review. In a market dominated by rough-though, rugged equipment built to take a beating, the AMiTY was petite, jewel-like, and exceedingly elegant. When sitting in its equally stunning docking station, it looked like something out of StarTrek. The SP was so handsome that it could have easily served as a status symbol on a high level executive's desk. And while definitely not a rugged computer, the little 1.87 pound SP packed a punch. It seemed destined for stardom, especially since another Mitsu division offered a Java version based on the same platform.

Alas, the AMiTY's actual fate was a textbook example of the considerable differences between the Japanese business market for which the AMiTY was designed and the much different realities of the US pen computing market. To a lesser extent, the initial AMiTY's modest success on the US market probably also allowed conclusions regarding the optimal balance of marching orders from Japan and autonomy of local management. The talented, experienced folks at Mitsubishi Mobile (many of whom were pen computing veterans) somehow never seemed to have enough input into what the US market needed, or the freedom to build the kind of distribution channels that powered Fujitsu Personal Systems into a leadership role.

All of this is too bad as the initial AMiTY SP was followed by the equally impressive AMiTY VP that featured a more task-oriented design with an integrated keypad. That model went through several technology and performance updates and is still available as the AMiTY CP. The light, compact CP remains one of the most impressive combinations of design elegance and computing power on the market today, yet you're not likely to encounter too many of them.

So what's going on here? Is it perhaps that the general public just doesn't know what to make of Mitsubishi, a huge, global corporation engaged in dozens of markets. Or that Mitsubishi hasn't built much of a brand image in the United States? Does the general public equate "Mitsubishi" with its line of often all-too-forgettable forgettable automobiles? If so, then it's too bad that Mitsubishi isn't more aggressively building the kind of image the company enjoys in Japan where terrors such as the Lancer GSR-Evolution VI, the Legnum VR-4, the FTO, and the GTO rule the roads. And the mighty Mitsubishi Challenger the off-road.

Well-and now we're finally getting to the subject of this review-it seems that Mitsubishi is finally getting more attuned to the mobile computing needs of the US market. The AMiTY XP, while carrying on a certain family resemblance to its more playful forebears is a serious tool and infinitely more suitable to the use and abuse mobile computers are routinely subjected to in this country. Let's be brutally honest and say right upfront that the XP is really just a first step in the right direction, a testing of the waters with a competent-enough box rather than an attempt to leapfrog the competition in the performance and features department.

In short, the AMiTY XP is a representative of the class of lightweight tablet computers pioneered by the original class of Dauphin DTR-1s, KALIDOR K2000S, and Fujitsu Stylistic 500s. They show-horned (almost) all the power of contemporary desktop computer-including Windows-into packages weighing less than three pounds and having a footprint of roughly seven by ten inches. Current representatives of this class are the Fujitsu Stylistic 2300, the Norand 6632, Dauphin Orasis, and the WalkAbout Hammerhead. They are all, of course, vastly more powerful than the early tablets, and the latest trend is towards trimming even more bulk and cutting size and especially thickness to a bare minimum (see review of the Fujitsu Stylistic LT on page 32 of this issue).

How does the AMiTY XP compare to its formidable competition? Our review unit came with a 166MHz Mobile Pentium MMX, 32MB of RAM, Windows 98, and a 1.6GB 2.5-inch hard disk. The active matrix TFT screen measures 8.4" diagonal and, thanks to its Chips and Technology 69000 graphics chip set, can display true 24-bit color. The XP has a resistive touch digitizer that can be operated by any stylus or even with your hand. The computer is powered by either one or two swappable 1,500mAh Lithium-Ion battery packs.

As stated above, the AMiTY XP projects a much more rugged and business-like image than its SP, VP, and CP predecessors. Though still very compact at 10.3 x 7.1 x 1.65 inches and weighing just under three pounds, the XP is clearly a device that can do duty in the field. We'd call it "durable" rather than "rugged," just as the Stylistics. If you work in really harsh environments, call the folks at WalkAbout.

In terms of connectivity, the XP does quite well: two Type II PC Card slots, microphone and stereo line-out, a PS/2 port for a mouse or keyboard, IrDA 1.1, power, USB, and an optional dipole antenna for internal radios.

Additional connectivity is provided through the truly impressive, post-modern/hi-tech optional expansion station. The station offers a 3.5-inch floppy drive (which still comes in handy all too often), a 24X CD-ROM drive, two PS/2 ports for keyboard and mouse, a monitor port supporting up to XGA resolution, serial, parallel, and LAN. Impressive though it is, it's not immediately obvious whether the dock should be vehicle-mounted, laying down flat, or sitting up.

These specifications put the AMiTY XP mid-pack. At this point, the 166MHz processor is last year's news and you should opt for the also available 233MHz chip. 32MB RAM is marginal for Windows 98, so go for 64MB. And 1.6GB of disk space , once considered cavernous, isn't much these days. The 8.4-inch screen is nice, but doesn't have much in terms of brightness control, and though it's a TFT, it has the same micro-moire glittery texture that Mitsu's earlier "diamond-fine" passive LCDs had.

Technology, of course, advances at a very rapid rate and we have no doubt that Mitsubishi Mobile will soon bring the XP up to the latest standards, if it hasn't already. On the design side, the compact but still beefy XP will soon face increasing competition from the new generation of angular, slimmed-down tablets such as the Stylistic LT. In the process, Mitsu might clean up the overall design a bit, lose some of the non-functional styling elements, and fix the moire bug.

Far and away the best news about the AMiTY XP is that it is now distributed and sometimes even badged by Symbol Technologies. This fortuitous association gives Mitsubishi a much needed partnership with a strong, innovative, well established US company with a first rate distribution and value-added reseller network. Symbol has an excellent flair for anticipating and meeting customer expectations, and the company literally brims with well-earned confidence. The one thing they were lacking was a decision support computer in the Stylistic class, a requirement Symbol ran into often enough to partner with Mitsubishi. Now let's hope that Symbol has enough pull with the higher ups at Mitsubishi HQ in Japan to get them to send over what the US market (and Symbol) need and want.

- Conrad H. Blickenstorfer