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Macintosh Today, May 30, 1988
Squad Car Field Test for Mobile Mac
Cops take Mac for ride by Dan Berkowitz
Redwood City, Calif. -- A reconfigured, used Macintosh 512K is riding
shotgun in one of this city's police cars.
The Mobile Mac, in the final stage of field testing at Redwood City's
police department, has been designed specifically for police and rescue
vehicles by Fresno, Calif.-based Colby Systems Corp., the company that
released WalkMac, a portable Mac, a year ago.
Police report forms have been placed on floppy disks so that police
officers can complete them on the Mac. The reports can then be printed
out at the police department.
Colby Systems said Mobile Mac is made by taking components from used
512K Macs and mounting them in a 6-by-9 inch case that attaches to the
underside of a dashboard. A 7-inch monitor mounts on a tilt-and-swivel
stand, which is bolted to the vehicle's floor. A track ball attached
to the regular Mac keyboard replaces the mouse. The keyboard sits on
the passenger seat or attaches to the case with Velcro.
The Mac has two internal floppy disk drives and runs off the vehicle's
battery. Extra-heavy shielded cables are used to protect the unit from
radio frequency and electrical noise produced by the vehicle's alternator
and electrical system.
The basic Mobile Mac package will be priced at $1,500 when it ships
in July, the company said.
Colby Systems Corp. can be reached at (209) 222-4985.
(Image caption:"Mobile Mac, a reconfiguredMac 512K designed by
Colby Systems, fits snugly in a Redwood City, Calif. police car.")
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