The HP-71B handheld computer caused something of a stir when Hewlett-Packard released it on February 1, 1984, some thirty years ago, with a rather hefty US$ 525 price tag. Inside a box measuring just 7.5 x 3.875 x 1 inch (19 x 9.7 x 2.5 cm) HP had squeezed not only a fully-featured and expandable BASIC computer, but also a professional and portable scientific calculator.