Take a closer look at the Olivetti D2000, a rare Italian electronic organizer from 1990. This pocket-sized personal digital assistant was designed to keep everyday information and basic productivity tools close at hand, years before smartphones would take over many of the same jobs.
The Olivetti D2000 includes several built-in applications:
In this video, I take a close look at the D2000 itself, including the case design, keyboard layout, LCD display, function menu, built-in software, and calculator features. I also spend some time looking at the history of Olivetti and where a device like the D2000 fits into the early days of portable electronic organizers.
Founded by Camillo Olivetti in Ivrea, Italy in 1908, Olivetti became well known for its typewriters and distinctive industrial design before expanding into computers, calculators, printers, and other business electronics.
The D2000 is an interesting example of what a portable digital organizer looked like in 1990, when carrying your phone book, calendar, notes, calculator, and world clock in a single pocket-sized electronic device was still pretty impressive.