Otrona Advanced Systems Corporation was an early Colorado manufacturer of business portable CP/M and MS-DOS compatible computers. This innovative application set, known as Valet, predated the appearance of similar functionality in the 1984 Macintosh.

The brainchild of Ron Lingeman, a gifted H-P alumnus, the Attache was significantly smaller, sleeker, lighter and faster than the Osborne 1 and other portable computers of the time. Unlike the Kaypro, Attache was not IBM compatible. The Attache was both more capable and more expensive than its competition in many ways. The Attache was meant to run on AC power; batteries were not part of the package but an external battery could be attached.

The 1983 "8:16" model included the 8086 coprocessor expansion board as a built-in option. but allowed the popular Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet application to run on the Attache.

Otrona 2001

In May 1984, Otrona introduced the "2001" model an IBM PC compatible This model was meant to be a lighter weight and technologically superior alternative to the mainstream IBM and Compaq luggable products of the day. Otrona engaged in a ground up development effort of the more, but not yet fully, PC-compatible 2001 computer, incorporating a PC BIOS written by Steve Gray.

This model's larger CRT was hinged, pivoting upward for easier viewing while boasting twice the resolution of standard PC's. While retaining its low weight (for the time), it also offered a hard disk option, an Z80A CPU card for CP/M compatibility and, unlike the 8:16 model, provided greater PC compatibility with more than twice the speed of a standard PC. Despite the innovative packaging, added features and superior performance, this $3,995 product ended up costing more than anticipated to produce, and never had a chance to succeed as it pushed further the failure of Otrona that filed for bankruptcy shortly after its release.

About 5,000 of the Attache model were sold and can still be found occasionally in auctions and flea markets. The 2001 model barely made a mark at all and probably ranks as one of the rarest of the early PC clones.

References

  • Otrona 2001 description
  • Otrona Attache page
  • Otrona Attache article
  • My Otrona Attache