Sharp electronic organizers with the IC card slot (Wizard OZ/IQ/PA/PI series)

[Akuji]

Although Sharp originally developed the IC card format for its portable organizers, the company later used it for other devices. One of these was "word processor," a portable electronic typewriter with extended functionality, often with an integrated printer. Many Sharp Shoin word processors (WD series) had an IC card slot and could communicate directly with the PA/PI series of electronic organizers. Besides memory expansion, additional fonts, programs, and games were distributed on IC cards for the Shoin processors.



For the sake of interest, I purchased one IC card for the Shoin, the WD-10GF, which contains a semi-cursive calligraphic Kanji print font. The box is very large and is more like a videotape box.





A foam pad takes up most of the inner space. Additionally, it contains a thin manual, a warranty card, and the IC card itself.



WD-10GF in comparison with the PA-7C10 organizer IC card.





Finally, let's compare the size of the cards' packaging.



The PA-7C10 was chosen for a reason. As I mentioned above, the Shoin word processors, in addition to their main function, had extra features, including a scheduler, calendar, etc. As a result, it was possible to exchange data between a processor and an organizer and directly edit the information contained on the portable device. Moreover, a number of organizer cards could be used in Shoin, including PA-7C10 "Phone/Address Book Card." Finally, some word processor models allowed developing BASIC programs for portable organizers with the appropriate software installed; the app could then be transferred to suitable organizer cards like the PA-7C18/7C-19.