Tadpole ALPHAbook

Tadpole ALPHAbooks are 64-bit RISC laptops based on Digital Alpha processors, released in 1995 into the fledging RISC laptop market. They are the only DEC Alpha-based laptops and designed for the OpenVMS operating system – in contrast to other RISC laptops that targeted mobile Unix applications.
ALPHAbooks were very expensive at time of introduction, rare and often limited to government usage like Defense applications, communications and Mission Critical Applications (OpenVMS). They are binary-compatible to Digital Alpha 64-bit workstations and use the special 21066A Alpha processor, developed for integrated solutions.
ALPHAbook 1 | |
---|---|
Introduced | 1995-96 |
CPU | Alpha 21066A 233 MHz |
Cache | 512 KB L2 |
Design | 64-bit RISC Digital Alpha |
RAM | 32-128 MB |
Video | WD 90C24 1MB |
Screen | 10.4″ |
Drives | SCSI drive (2.1 GB) and floppy |
Expansion | PC Card |
I/O | VGA, (SCSI), PS/2, audio, docking, serial, parallel |
OS | OpenVMS |
Price* | $17,450 |
At the time when Tadpole released the ALPHAbook, second generation RISC and Unix laptops were available with SPARC-based RDI PowerLite, various SPARCbooks and IBM PowerPC laptops. Tadpole might had planned another ALPHAbook in the 1990s, calling this product ALPHAbook 1, which was based on a strategic agreement with Digital.



Technical details
ALPHAbooks are 64-bit Alpha RISC computers, based on custom Digital/DEC design, which Tadpole integrated into a laptop. Chipset and devices used are:
Usage | Device | Type | External | Bus |
---|---|---|---|---|
Chipset | CPU | memory, PCI controller integrated | 64-bit | |
Chipset | 82378ZB | Intel SIO PCI/ISA bridge | PCI | |
Storage | 53C810 | 8-bit single-ended SCSI-2 | 50-pin (docking) | PCI |
Media | 87332 | Floppy | 20-pin HD | ISA |
Video | WD 90C24 | 1 MB frame buffer, WD9024A2 | VGA 15-pin | PCI |
Cards | CLPD6279 | PCMCIA controller | two slots | PCI |
I/O | 87332 | Serial and parallel I/O | serial (docking) parallel port |
ISA |
I/O | 82C42 | PS/2 for mouse | one port | ISA |
Audio | CS4231 | 16-bit stereo sound | headphone | ISA |
ALPHAbooks notably have no onboard Ethernet, making a PCMCIA adapter mandatory.
Expansion and I/O
There are quite a few possibilities to expand the ALPHAbook with devices:
Device | Type | Details |
---|---|---|
Memory | Two SIMM modules 60ns for 32-128 MB RAM | |
Storage | SCSI | one 2.5″ SCSI drive (1.2 GB) |
Media | External floppy | 3.5″ Floppy for 1.44 MB |
Cards | PCMCIA | two Type II or one Type III |
Input | PS/2 | 82-key Lexmark M6 keyboard and three-button pointer |
Output | Display | 10.4″ 800×600 TFT (256K) |
Docking | Mini-Docking Station High-density connector for expansion with: SCSI 50-pin, one PS/2, serial, 8-pin audio |
The ALPHAbook case is made out of magnesium and powder coated.
Battery is internal NiMH 1.8Ah for 1.5h
of typical use and one external with 5Ah capacity for four hours charge, which would block the rear I/O panel.
PCMCIA cards were static configuration only
: 3Com Ethernet (3C589) and TDK Modem.
Operating systems
ALPHAbooks are designed for and support the Digital OpenVMS operating system. Some product pages mention planned Digital UNIX support but it is unclear if this ever materialized.
Driver support for PCMCIA cards in OpenVMS was probably provided by Tadpole.
There is (used to be) rudimentary support for ALPHAbooks in OpenBSD and NetBSD with limitations on display and PCMCIA.
Benchmarks
SPEC benchmark data and comparisons to contemporary laptops and workstations:
System | CPU | SPEC92 int | SPEC92 fp | SPEC95 int | SPEC95 fp |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reference (ALPHAbook) | DEC 21066A 233 MHz | 94 | 110 | ||
Comparison | |||||
Sun SPARCstation 20 | Sun SuperSPARC II 75MHz | 125 | 121 | 3.11 | 3.10 |
IBM ThinkPad 850 | PowerPC 603e 100 MHz | 120 | 105 | ||
SAIC Galaxy 1100 | HP PA-7100LC 80 MHz | 99 | 122 | 3.12 | 3.55 |
Siemens PCE-5S | Intel Pentium 100MHz | 96 | 81 | 4.04 | 2.35 |
Reference | Intel 486DX2 66 MHz | 32 | 16 |
Documentation
Specifications
- Tadpole ALPHAbook product page, 1997, Tadpole archive.org
- ALPHAbook Technical Specification, 1997, Tadpole archive.org
- ALPHAbook 1 Options and Accessories, 1997, Tadpole archive.org
- ALPHAbook whitepaper, 1997, Tadpole archive.org
Articles and reviews
- Tadpole ALPHAbook 1, VAXBARN 2016,
- Tadpole Alphabook 1, Centre for Computing History
- I found one of the rarest vintage computers 2024, reddit retrobattlestations
Announcements
- Tadpole Technology Announces the ALPHAbook 1, the World’s Most Powerful Notebook Computer, 1996, Tadpole archive.org
- The ALPHAbook 1, 1998, Tadpole archive.org
- TADPOLE ALPHAbook GSA pricing, 1999, Compro archive.org