Heritage of Innovation: Jim Sutton and the HP-150 Touchscreen PC

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Download the latest MP3 of this podcast here.

Here at HP, we’ve been focusing a lot on touch screens in the past couple years. Today we have TouchSmart PCs and notebooks, printers, iPAQs and most recently, there has been a lot of buzz around the slate videos we’ve posted since CES. Yes, our ground-breaking mobile device is coming out this year, but I want to clear something up. People assume that HP is new to the touch space – since the iPhone and other touch devices have surfaced. What many don’t realize is HP’s more than 27-year history with pushing touch technology forward.

While some companies were tinkering with making mice in the early 1980s, HP produced its first commercial touchscreen computer -- the HP-150. At that time, Jim Sutton was the program manager for the HP-150. He since served a number of roles within HP.  Jim was kind enough to spend some time to chat with me about the early days of developing touch technology as well as his thoughts for the future. Here are some highlights from the latest Heritage of Innovation podcast:

• HP’s original touch-based machine was based off MS-DOS and the internal struggle to determine which group would “own” the HP-150.

• The HP-150 was originally envisioned as a data terminal with touchable on-screen blocks. What could it be better used for than 8-function buttons along the bottom of the screen? The team started brainstorming creative new ways to harness that screen. They needed to balance software features with the required hardware and keep the price right (A premier version of the 150, named the Touch Screen Personal Computer, sold for $3,495 in late 1984).

• The challenge of getting developers to create touch-specific applications back in 1983. The notion was to take an object that people were familiar with in everyday life – like a Rolodex – and let them manipulate it on-screen in a 2D environment.

• Jim’s thoughts on the challenges of companies to innovate out of their core. In addition, he talks about the team bonding experience and advice for future innovators.

You can download the latest Heritage of Innovation podcast here or check out more of The Next Bench for interviews, insights and looks at what’s happening inside HP. And please get in touch with us. We’d love to hear your thoughts on touch technology over in the forums.

Download the latest MP3 of this podcast here.

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