Digital Ocean Tarpon

The Digital Ocean Tarpon was a touchscreen mobile device that was released by, based on the Newton platform from Apple Computer.

History
Apple announced on November 3, 1995 that Digital Ocean licensed the Newton platform to develop custom devices for industrial use.

Development and release
The Tarpon project was formerly called the Craft Digital Assistant and was developed in collaboration with Harris Network Support Systems. It was originally intended to be based on the MessagePad 110, but the version shipping in August 1995 was a ruggedized version of the MessagePad 120 for industrial use.

Features
The Tarpon used the same 20 MHz ARM 610 processor as the MessagePad 120 with 2 MB of static RAM. Newton OS 1.3 used 687 KB, leaving 1,361 KB available for user data. Storage space could be expanded through the PCMCIA Type II slot. The 320 x 240 monochrome LCD screen also included a backlight feature. A protective rubber boot provided additional protection.

System updates
Because the Tarpon was based on the 2 MB version of the MessagePad 120, it would have been possible to upgrade its ROM chip to support Newton OS 2.0, though it is unknown whether any such option was offered to Digital Ocean's customers.

Variants
Harris Network Support Systems was a technical partner and released its own variant of the Tarpon as the Harris SuperTech 2000.