Sharp PC-E500S

The Sharp PC-E500S is a pocket computer made by Sharp Corporation and introduced in 1995 as the successor to the 1989 PC-E500. It is built around a 2.304 MHz CMOS processor and is programmed in BASIC, with four extra BASIC control structures (multiline IF, WHILE, REPEAT and SWITCH) added over the earlier model. The machine shipped with 32 KB of RAM that memory cards could raise to 96 KB, a 256 KB system ROM holding the BIOS, a diagnostic suite and the BASIC interpreter, and a monochrome LCD of 240 by 32 pixels showing four lines of 40 characters. Besides programming, it works as a scientific calculator, with modes for matrices, statistics, engineering work and an editor for algebraic expressions kept in reserve memory. Compared with the PC-E500 it has a slightly wider body, larger keys, a higher contrast display and a removable hinged lid instead of a plastic slipcase. Peripherals included a thermal printer with cassette interface and a pocket floppy drive.