31 years ago, a laptop for almost 4,500 euros surprised everyone with crazy functions

A current laptop from the 90s will of course be technically outdated by 2024. But one feature is still newsworthy even today. (ymart/Adobe Stock; YouTube channel LGR)

The '90s were filled with wondrous gadgets for home use. From the handbag-sized virtual pet Tamagotchi to Nintendo's legendary flopped, VR glasses-like game console “Virtual Boy”, everything was there.

A curiosity that HP attached to the “Omnibook 300” laptops in 1993 and the “Omnibook 800” in 1996 has to do with the computer mouse. Here we focus on the “Omnibook 800”.

Important note in advance: Yes, laptops from the 90s really aren't new anymore. But even today, over 30 years later, our editor Patrick still finds this invention remarkable. Feel free to read more about this in the box at the end of the article.

What makes the Omnibook 800 from HP so special?

At first glance, the “Omnibook 800” is an ordinary laptop.

But above the keypad you will find a round button with a picture of a mouse – the rodent, not the computer mouse. If you press the button, a mouse (this time for the computer) snaps out of the side of the laptop casing.

Simsalabim, snap out the mouse! (YouTube channel LGR)

Why did the special mouse fail? What initially sounds practical was ultimately probably too unwieldy. In a video, YouTube LGR (Lazy Game Reviews), which specializes in retro devices and games, takes a look at the “Omnibook 800”. And what he shows is a relatively small mouse that was probably too small for many hands.

Although the mouse could be folded up to possibly relieve the strain on the wrist, the extendable mouse still did not catch on. Watch the 20+ minute video below.

Link to YouTube content

How did the mouse work? The mouse was also technically special. It did not record your movements via a ball installed on the underside, as was usual at the time. Instead, your movements were recorded via the plastic bar that connects the mouse and laptop. The motion recording sensors were located inside the laptop.

This meant you could navigate with the mouse even without a surface, i.e. in the open air, so to speak. Of course, the plastic beam is prone to being accidentally broken off during such use.

But what else was actually in the Omnibook 800?

What did HP's Omnibook 800 have under the hood?

When it comes to technical specifications, buyers at the time had the choice between Pentium processors with 100, 133 or 166 MHz. 16 MB of RAM was installed or expandable to up to 48 MB of RAM. The hard drive had a size of either 772 MB, 1.34 GB or 2 GB. And the screen diagonal of the laptop was 10.4 inches (almost 25 centimeters).

The cost of the Omnibook 800 was probably 4,850 US dollars (almost 4,500 euros), as CNET reported.

And this is what the Omnibook 800 looked like when opened. The piece somehow still looks decorative today. (Image source: YouTube channel LGR)

For comparison: Nowadays laptops have at least around 8 or 16 gigabytes of RAM. SSD storage can easily accommodate more than a terabyte. And sticking with Intel for the processor, clock frequencies like 3.3 or 4.3 are not uncommon for laptops these days. Nowadays, the image diagonal is 40 centimeters or more.

Speaking of mice: Lenovo shows wireless keyboard and mouse set with theoretically infinite battery life

Of course, resourceful readers have long known that our editor Patrick discovered the “Omnibook 800” from his colleague Benedikt from MeinMMO. But Patrick couldn't stop himself from presenting the crazy device from the depths of the 90s to you too.

Our editor sat countless times on the regional express, with his laptop on the folding table or in the dining car. Patrick has by no means mastered operating the touchpad and there is rarely room for a mouse on Deutsche Bahn.

That's why he finds this fold-out mouse built into the laptop case extremely useful. The accuracy of the “Omnibook 800” rodent left something to be desired, but since the technology has of course developed further in 2024, Patrick says: “It's the best option for a remake of the fold-out mouse!”

Is it your turn? Do you think this function with a built-in mouse is brilliant, or do you find the invention rather modest? In other words: Do you remember any technical devices from the PC sector that accompanied you through the 00s, 90s or 80s? Or also: Which device do you no longer sit down at the computer without? Feel free to write to us in the comments if you like.