The Solo was a line of laptop computers sold by Gateway, Inc. (originally Gateway 2000), from 1995 to 2003. All models in the range were equipped with Intel x86 processors and came preinstalled with the Windows operating system.

History

Gateway unveiled the Solo line of laptops on August 15, 1995, shortly before Microsoft's Windows 95 operating system became generally available for sale on August 24, 1995. Initial entries in the Solo line-up were manufactured on an OEM basis by the Japanese company Sanyo. The Solo was the first laptop to have a Windows key and a Menu key, which respectively activate the Start menu and context menus on Windows (the Start menu first appeared in Windows 95). Gateway worked closely with Microsoft on development of the Solo to make it fully optimized with Windows 95, which was a nearly top-down redesign of Microsoft's previous Windows 3.1x operating systems. The Solo replaced Gateway's earlier ColorBook and Liberty line of laptops and were the first of the company's laptops to feature Intel's x86-based Pentium processor, for which Windows 95 was optimized during its development.

The Solo was released to retailers and corporate resellers in September 1995. The first two models—the V75 and the S90—came with Pentium processors clocked at 75 MHz and 90 MHz respectively. Both Solos were multimedia-oriented and came with a Sound Blaster–compatible sound chip and removable CD-ROM drives bays as standard; Gateway later made the CD-ROM drives an optional add-on to reduce cost at the entry level. The company marketed the Solo at the cost-conscious businessperson and positioned it as a budget version of the more upscale IBM ThinkPad and Toshiba Satellite lines of laptops.

Later entries in the Solo line featured the Pentium II, Pentium III's, and various P6-based Celerons. The Solo line was retired in December 2002. Gateway sold refurbished units of the Solo line on their website until 2003. Compare with next available archived snapshot. Compare with next available archived snapshot.

Models + Gateway Solo models Model Release date Processor Clockspeed(MHz) Graphics LCDtechnology LCD size(in.) LCD resolution Stock RAM(, in MB) Storage (HDD) AudioOperating System Notes/ V75 Intel Pentium 75 Color TFT 10.4 640×480 8 (40) 540 MB S90 90 800×600 16 (40) 720 MB 2100 100 or 120 or 133 Cirrus Logic GD7548 11.312.1 16 + 8 Onboard (72) 540 MB or 810 MB or 1.3 GB ESS AudioDrive 1888 with built-in stereo speakers and microphone Windows 95 2200 Intel Pentium MMX 120 or 133 or 150 or 166 Chips & Technologies 65554 12.1 16 (80) 2 GB ESS AudioDrive 1878 with built-in stereo speakers and microphone 9100 150 or 166 Chips & Technologies 65554 Trident Cyber9397 13.3 48 (164) 3 GB Yamaha OPL-SA3 with built-in stereo speakers and microphone 2300 150 or 166 or 200 or 233 NeoMagic MagicGraph 128ZV (NM2093) NeoMagic MagicGraph 128XD (NM2160/NMG4) 12.1 32 (192) 2 GB Yamaha YM715 with built-in stereo speakers and microphone 5100 166 or 200 or 233 or 266 Chips & Technologies 65555 14.1 1024×768 16 (144) 2 GB or 3 GB or 4.2 GB ESS AudioDrive 1879 with built-in stereo speakers and microphone 2500 Intel Pentium MMX orMobile Pentium II orCeleron 233 (Pentium MMX)233 or 266 or 300 or 333 or 366 (Pentium II)266 or 300 (Celeron) 12.1 (LS)13.3 (XL) 800×600 (LS)1024×768 (XL) 64 (288) 3 GB or 4.2 GB 5150 Intel Mobile Pentium II 233 or 266 or 300 or 333 or 366 NeoMagic MagicMedia 256AV (NM2200) 14.1 1024×768 32 (288) 2 GB or 4 GB or 6.4 GB 9150 300 or 333 or 366 15.1 1024×768 (384) 14 GB (up to) 3300 Intel Mobile Pentium III 500 12.1 1024×768 64 (128) 6 GB or 12 GB 9300 400 ATI Rage Mobility-P 15.1 1024×768 128 10 GB 2150 Intel Celeron orMobile Pentium III 400 (Celeron)450 (Pentium III) 12.114.1 800×6001024×768 32 6 GB 2550 Intel Celeron orMobile Pentium II orMobile Pentium III Various600 or 650 (Pentium III) 15.7 1280×1024 (288) 4–18 GB 3350 Intel Celeron orPentium III-M 500 (Celeron)600 (Pentium III) 12.1 1024×768 64 (256) 6–20 GB 5300 500–600 (Celeron)700 (Pentium III) 64 (512) 6–20 GB 1150 Intel Celeron 500 or 550 32 (512) 5 GB or 6 GB 9500 Intel Pentium III-M 700–1000 15.115.7 (XL Deluxe) 1280×1024 256 (512) 6 GB or 10 GB 1200 Intel Celeron 800 S3 Savage4 12.1 1024×768 64 (192) 10 GB Conexant with built-in stereo speakers 3450 Intel Mobile Pentium III 750 12.1 192 (192) 10 GB 9550 933 or 1000 or 1130 15.7 1280×1024 128 (512) 10 GB or 20 GB or 30 GB 1400 Intel Celeron 850 14.1 1024×768 128 (512) 10 GB 5350 Intel Pentium III-M 733–1000 Intel 830MG 256 (512) 20 ESS Allegro-1 (ES1988) with built-in stereo speakers and microphone 1450 Intel Celeron 1200 14.115.1 1024×768 (14.1)1280×1024 (15.1) 128 (512) 20 GB

References