Ever Hear of the T/S 3068? (And Other Matters)

At a recent meeting of the LIST (Long Island Sinclair Timex) user group, the former head of Research and Development department of the Timex Computer Corporation, Billy Skyrme, attended a gave a talk. Mr. Skyrme is currently the president of Psion, Inc., the manufacturer of the Organizer pocket computer.

While Mr. Skyrme admitted that he was still under contractual agreement with Timex, and that certain information couldn’t be discussed, he did mention some items that turned many members of LIST green.

The TS2068, related Skyrme, was to have been either a “cleaned-up” 48K Spectrum or a totally re-engineered design. While a clean Spectrum was submitted for FCC approval, the latter model was selected for manufacture.

Another computer, was in the works, called the T/S 3068. It would have featured 1 megabyte RAM, virtual memory, 256 colors and high resolution graphics. “The only machine… that would be in its class today is the Amiga,” stated Skyrme. The TS 3068 would have retailed for only $199.95.

Another interesting fact was that the “BEU” (Bus Expansion Unit) for the TS 2068, as seen in the photo published by Time Designs (see July/August ’86, page 23) was, according to Skryme, completely engineered and ready for production. With an internal floppy disk interface built in, Timex would have sold 3.5″ floppy drives (in little silver boxes) for $49. The plan was far enough along that Timex had a supplier lined up for the drives.

Most of the information on proposed projects for the TS2068 (and the TS3068) will never be made public due to a myriad of legal reasons, and the engineers involved in the project have all gone their separate ways.

Mr. Skyrme also demonstrated the Organizer and accessories to the LIST group. This hand held computer (upgradeable to 256k RAM), has sold well in markets where recording and calculation of number in the field, and other simple “type-in” answers are required.