Hardware corner
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb044649 |
| Pages | 100-112 |
| Published date | 01 February 1985 |
| Date | 01 February 1985 |
| Author | Howard Falk |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
HARD
WARE
corner
HOWARD
FALK New Personal Computers
T
he Tandy 1000 sells for just $1199
with 128 thousand byte main
memory and one disk drive. It can
use disks intended for the IBM
Personal Computer and will run
most of the software packages designed for
the IBM machine. Not only is its price over
$1000 less than its IBM counterpart; this
computer comes with a bundle of free soft-
ware that includes word-processing, filing,
spreadsheet and communications. What it
does not have is the ability to use IBM/PC
plug-in adapter circuits to connect peripheral
devices. The Tandy
1000 is
available at Radio
Shack Computer Centers.
Computer in a briefcase
Pro-Lite is a new portable computer that has
a full size (twenty-five
lines,
eighty characters
per line) tilt-up liquid crystal display; a larger
version of the same type of display used in
many digital watches and calculators. This
one appears to be highly
legible.
The compu-
ter weighs just ten and a half pounds, includ-
ing a floppy disk storage unit, and a plug-in
battery pack is available. Pro-Lite comes
with 250 thousand bytes of main memory,
which can be expanded to 720 thousand
bytes.
It appears to be essentially the same
unit that Data General has been selling under
the name Data General/One.
The disk drive used in this computer is of
the tiny three and a half inch variety, and
each disk holds a hefty 720 thousand bytes of
data. A cable from the Pro-Lite can be
plugged into any IBM Personal Computer to
transfer data between the two machines, so
the unit can be used as a portable extension
of
an IBM/PC. The price paid for all this chic
and convenience is not inconsiderable, since
the Pro-Lite sells for $2995. From Texas
Instruments, Inc., Dallas, TX.
Storage and retrieval system
The Mnemos System 6000 is said to store
micrographic images on a twelve-inch clear
plastic disk. Images of up to 6000 pages, each
eight and a half by eleven inches, are to be
kept on one disk and accessed through the
system's keyboard. The images can then be
displayed on the system's screen or printed
on an attached laser printer. Who will record
the images on the disks? What kind of
equip-
ment is needed to do the recording? How
much will the System 6000 cost? When
will it
be ready for sale and use? There appear to be
no ready answers to these questions, but if
you are interested in what is brewing here
contact Mnemos Sales in West Trenton, NJ.
Not so fast with optical disks
According to Shugart Corp., producer of
Optimem optical disks, the effect of these
new devices will be felt only gradually during
the next five years. By 1990, Shugart expects
optical disks to replace many tape storage
facilities used to provide back up for compu-
ters.
Replacement of large magnetic disk
units by optical disks will probably move ev-
en more slowly, though Shugart feels this too
will eventually take place.
Most of the presently-available optical disk
storage units offer only permanent storage
and do not allow the user to erase and rewrite
information. By 1987 Shugart expects eras-
able units to be widely available, and from
that time forward they will probably become
more popular, dropping in price as they do
so.
100 The Electronic Library, April
1985.
Vol.
3,
No.
2.
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