July 8, 1992







 Mr. Michael Goldstein

 Editor-In-Chief

 PC LAPTOP Computers Magazine

 9171 Wilshire Boulevard, #300

 Beverly Hills, CA  90210







 Dear Mr. Goldstein,



 A copy of your July issue was delivered to me this afternoon.

 In it was an article written by Mr. Arthur Leyenberger. I am

 in a position to believe that the article mave have contained

 some errors. The information may not have been up-to-date

 concerning the Atari Portfolio computer. Please allow me to

 cover some of the ones I noticed.



 Ref: "The DOS-compatible Atari Portfolio is a Personal

      Information Manager..."



 Ans: The Portfolio is a DOS-compatible programmable COMPUTER

      with built-in software including PIM applications.





 Ref: "Although most DOS software won't run on the

      Portfolio..."



 Ans: Most software is written to accommodate color monitors.

      The author makes it sound as if a MDA compatible screen

      is a defect.





 Ref: "...write short memos"



 Ans: A 50 page memo is not short. A 200 page memo is not

      short. A 10,000 page memo is not short. Although

      multiple files may be needed for a memo larger than 50

      pages, the maximum storage capacity is limited only by

      how many diskettes (Memory Cards) the user carries with

      him/her.





 Ref: "memory can be increased to 640K by adding modules...

      doing so doubles the size and weight..."



 Ans: The internal memory can be expanded INTERNALLY to 512K

      adding no additional bulk or weight (or decreased

      battery life). The article also indicates that a serial

      or parallel port doubles weight or volume of the

      Portfolio. The interface for the serial or parallel

      weigh less than 4.5 ounces each. Each interface

      occupies hardly any more space than a pack of

      cigarettes. Neither interface comes close to doubling

      the weight or volume of the "hefty" one pound

      Portfolio.





 Ref: "Although Atari promised third-party software for their

      Portfolio, few..."



 Ans: According to the second volume number one issue of

      A.P.B.; Atari's official catalog of Atari software and

      peripherals there are well over 80 applications and

      peripherals are available specifically for or to be

      used with the Portfolio. Over 60 are listed as

      available in the United States. Many more have been

      designed for specific industry applications. For

      instance, there is a Portfolio in every paint

      department of every Home Depot store to assist sales

      people in selecting paint formulas for their customers.

      For the end user, the Portfolio has alpha-numeric

      paging, radiation monitor, business contact software,

      file transfers, check writing, chess, adventures,

      medical applications, finance, FORTH, PowerBasic,

      flight planning, hard drives, databases, spell

      checkers, industrial machine controllers, investment

      tracking, data acquisition, fuel industry management,

      communications, time-billing software and much more.

      The Portfolio is used in the industries of security,

      financial, medical, aviation, trucking, education,

      journalism, military, navigation (plane and boat),

      cinema, logging and many more. The Portfolio is

      supported by two upscale newsletters and by a dedicated

      forum on CompuServe that boasts of over 800 downloads

      for the Portfolio. I hope you can see why I may differ

      with calling the Portfolio nothing more than a PIM.



 In addition to the errors I discovered within just three

 paragraphs of text, there is no description of the strongest

 features of the Portfolio while the competitors are

 described. The Portfolio offers a favored QWERTY keyboard.

 Many users brag of how they can touch type using it. The

 screen is easy to read for most users since the characters

 are large and well defined. The case is durable and we

 receive many letters of how the machine survived drops off

 cars, balconies and even logs (by loggers). For novice users,

 every Portfolio sold in the U.S. includes a File Manager

 application which permits users to access DOS commands with

 easy-to-use menus.



 There may be advantages and disadvantages to all the palmtop

 choices consumers may select. The Portfolio may be the lowest

 priced, but it is also often the most desirable. In the arena

 of Palmtops, I may be one of the most seasoned. The Portfolio

 was the first of its kind introduced in September 1989 and I

 was with it almost all that time. I am keenly aware of the

 marketplace, the trends and the most popular applications. I

 wish someone from your magazine contacted me to obtain

 information before going to press. Please do not hesitate to

 contact me if I may be of assistance in the future.





 Sincerely,







 Donald A. Thomas, Jr.

 Portfolio Marketing Manager

 CompuServe: 75300,1267





 cc: Mr. Arthur Leyenberger

     Members of APORTFOLIO forum of CompuServe