Infoworld
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$99.95 Timex Sinclair 1000 microcomputer debutsTS 1000 Calling it a “mile-stone in the 125-year history of the Timex Corporation,” Timex introduced a $99.95 personal computer with 2k memory, which was developed by Sinclair Research and is essentially an upgrade of the Sinclair ZX81 micro. Further enhancements (to be available in the last quarter of this year) include a communications-interface devices and a…
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A home where computers are part of the furnitureTS 1000 Article about the De l’Aune family of New Haven, Ct. They had six microcomputers in their house, one a Timex/Sinclair.
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Betting is heavy - and we're not talking about AscottReport from England about Sinclair and the BBC’s impending micro; Sinclair being passed over for the BBC micro and Sinclair’s confidence in the predicted success of the Spectrum.
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Big ad campaign spurs sales of world's cheapest computerTS 1000 Spurred by a big national advertising campaign, sales of the Timex Sinclair 1000 personal computer have taken off. Although Timex will not say just how many of the little machines it has sold so far, a spokesman revealed that Timex manufacturing plants are producing one every ten seconds and production still has not caught up…
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Books Noted: How to Use the Timex-Sinclair by Jerry Willis.TS 1000 Book review How to Use the Timex-Sinclair introduces the user of the tiny machine to the computer’s basic components, offers an overview of things it can do and provides step-by-step instructions on how to set up the computer. Willis also furnishes the reader with a description of how to load and save programs on standard audiocassettes and…
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Boston Show SurveyedZX80 The tiny Sinclair ZX80 was a popular item. Sinclair’s Nigel Searle was pleased with its present sales and is making plans for the introduction of its 8K ROM BASIC, as well as a modem and low-cost printer in 1981. FCC certification procedures are holding up the 16K add-on RAM.
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Britain helps public schools buy microsZX Spectrum If elementary schools can raise half the cost of a [computer], then the Dept of Industry will contribute the rest. … [The] government just added the new Sinclair ZX Spectrum to its list of supported products. The Spectrum was introduced in the United Kingdom in April and 30,000 units have sold since then.
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British company announces inexpensive computer: The Sinclair ZX81 will sell for $149.95ZX81 TS 1000 Sinclair Research, Ltd., a British company that makes the low-cost zx80 personal computer, has announced its latest model, the ZX81. It is an eight-bit, Z80A-based machine with 1K static memory and 8K ROM. It costs $99.95 in kit form and $149.95 assembled. Sinclair has recorded 1000,000 unit sales since it introduced the machin in Britain…
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Budget Master 1000 for Timex/Sinclair microsTS 1000 Software review Budget Master 1000, from HES (Human Engineered Software), is a household-budget program for the Timex/Sinclair 1000. Until I ran into a major flaw and support vacuum, I considered it one of the best programs I had seen for the Timex.
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Check Book, a computerized checkbook registerTS 1000 Software review Check Book, from American Micro Products, creates a compterized checkbook register that lets you list checks by number, use or sequence. More important, it codes each check by category, for example, medical expense, education or gasoline.
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Clive Sinclair: 'creative electronics' visionaryReprint of interview that appeared in July 1982 issue of Practical Computing.
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Clive Sinclair: British computer saga continuesSecond part of article reprinted from Practical Computing.
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Computer market is on its way homeAt a seminar for venture capitalists, Fred Gibbons, president of Software Publishing in Mountain View, Ca., reported that 100,000 VIC 20s, Texas Instruments 99/4A and Timex Sinclairs were being snatched off store shelves each month.
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Consumer Electronics Show wows VegasZX81 Sinclair brought the ZX81 to the show, even though the company does not and will not have a dealer network. Mary Reinman of Sinclair said the company was at CES to get exposure and allow company leaders to meet with others in the industry.
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Events: January 30 - February 4TS 2068 A demonstration of the new Timex/Sinclair 2068 color computer and peripherals will be given by Billy Skyrme, director of product planning for Timex Computer, to the South Bay Timex/Sinclair Users Group.
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Ex-model makes a million on $99 microTwo years ago Sue Currier interrupted a modeling career to help an Australian friend sell his two software packages for the Sinclair ZX80 computer in the United States. At that time she invested $1000 to set up a mail-order operation out of her New York City apartment.
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From the news desk: Born-again Timex“The Timex/Sinclair computer is about to be born again,” says David Higgenbach, who is trying to negotiate distribution rights to the Timex/Sinclair line of inexpensive home computers, which Timex no longer markets. Higgenbach says he would market the computers under the name Timestar through his company Trinity Magnum. Timex officials confirmed they are at least…
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Game cassette for Timex/Sinclair 1000 or ZX81ZX81 TS 1000 Software review Reviews of Gamestape 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 from Melbourne House.
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Gradually, more police accept computer aids to fight crimeTS 1000 A Timex Sinclair 1000 sits on top of the dashboard of Chief Russell Long’s patrol car and plugs into the cigarette lighter through a conversion device he invented. Connected to a 1.5 inch Panasonic television screen with a magnifying glass, the computer lets him see crime stats and other data entries. “It’s small, but it…
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Grapevine: Something new on the horizonTS 1000 TS 2068 Timex/Sinclair users, take note. A monthly magazine called T-S Horizons has been started to fill the void created by the demise of the two major Timex-related publications. The 32-page publication includes reviews and users’-group news, as well as articles about hardware projects, programs and new products.
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Hardware News: New peripheralsZX81 TS 1000 Hardware review Memotech Corporation announces the Memotech Keyboard for Timex/Sinclair 1000 and ZX-81 microcomputers. The direct-connect, typewriter-style keyboard has Sinclair legends on the keypad and comes with an interface device. The interface is buffered and is housed in a Memopak case, which plugs into the back of the Sinclair.
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Hardware News: Z-DubberTS 1000 Hardware review Bytesize Computer Products introduces the Z-Dubber, an interface between the Timex/Sinclair 1000 or Sinclair ZX81 and its cassette recorder that allows you to load cassette programs easily. The Z-Dubber also permits users to connect two cassette recorders to create backup copies.
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Hardware/BriefsMicroAce MicroAce is now selling a Z80-based small computer kit for $149. The unit, licensed from Sinclair Research, Ltd., includes a TV modulator, 1K of RAM memory, BASIC in ROM, and a cassette interface. The keyboard is arranged in a normal typewriter layout, and is comprised of a touch-sensitive flat surface. An 8K floating BASIC and…
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Home Clock Family Bulletins for Timex/SinclairTS 1000 This program makes the Timex/Sinclair 1000 a combination alarm clock and bulletin board. This device provides an excellent example of the versatility of computers, even of the simplest and cheapest computers on the market.
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I Break for Arcadians: MazogsTS 1000 Software review In this adventure game, your hero is a black shadow in the shape of a man. Keying guides you left, right, up or down in a maze as you search for treasure. The screen shows a tiny portion of the maze. If your figure takes three steps in any direction, a new small area (originally…
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In Focus: Home Is Where the Computer IsTS 2000 Overview of home computers; each described according to a standardized terminology. Timex Sinclair 1000 and 2000 listed.
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In Focus: InfoWorld visits Folsom PrisonThe most recent incident at Folsom involves an inmate who ordered a $99 Sinclair computer for use in his cell. A guard got wind of it and got in touch with a state senator. The Dept of Corrections issued a policy statement that made it clear no prisoner would have a micro or access to…
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InfoNews/Software: Super ZZX80 MicroAce Software review Super Z for the ZX80 and MicroAce computers adds seven new statements to Sinclair 4K BASIC: TAB, SCROLL, MEM, PAUSE, READ, RESTORE and DATA. The statements are contained in a machine-code module that’s loaded at line 0 and is invisible to users.
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InfoNews/Software: Super ZX80 Invasion, Double BreakoutZX80 Super ZX80 Invasion, a 1K game for the Sinclair ZX80 personal computer, has recently been introduced by Softsync, Inc. The game engages the player in battle against space invaders attacking in battle formation. Softsync is offering Double Breakout, also a 1K game with moving graphics for the Sinclair computer.
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InfoNews/Software: Wall BustersZX80 MicroAce Software review Wall Busters is a fast computer ball game by Softsync for the 1K Sinclair ZX80 computer. You are challenged to hit a ball with a movable bat and chip away at a brick wall. Players can choose from seven levels of speed and skill. Wall Busters is compatible with both the Sinclair ZX80 and MicroAce…
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InfoNews/Software: ZX80 Business PackageZX80 MicroAce Software review The ZX80 Business Package by Lamo-Lem is for the Sinclair ZX80 or MicroAce computers. The package includes Search & Save, which allows storage of text files on cassette and retrieval by keyword or phrase; VideoComp-4, which displays a worksheet of three columns and uses a keyboard overlay to perform operations involving entire columns; and VideoGraph,…
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Letters: Timex ExcludedTS 1000 TS 1500 TS 2068 Timex-Sinclair computers (ZX81, TS1000, TS1500, TS2068) boast an enormous base, primarily through mail order. You can buy 106 books about your Timex from 30 publishers. About 130 software and hardware suppliers and dealers service this market as of April 25, 1984. Or you can join one of the 181 users’ groups in the United States.
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Micro haves & have-nots: a look at two schoolsTS 1000 Looks at Watkinson School in affluent West Hartford, CT, vs James T. Timilty School in Roxbury, MA. Watkinson spent $100,000 to implement its computer-education program, compared to Timilty’s $2500. Timilty School has 18 T/S 1000s, shared by 440 students, in the “Sinclair room” where math teacher Judy Fields teaches computer literacy and programming to sixth…
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Micro Industry in U.K. Shows Stiff Upper LipZX80 Clive Sinclair appeared at the third Personal Computer World show, held in September 1980, demonstrating the ZX80 personal computer. Sinclair claimed that his micro was outselling all other combined in the U.K., with total sales to date of 17,000 units. Exports are expected to reach 70% in the next six months.Sinclair had launched the 8K…
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New Consumer Computers Premiere at CESZX80 The new Sinclair ZX80 is a Z-80 based computer that will sell for $199.95. Initially, the ZX80 will be available only though mail order, directly from Sinclair Research Ltd. A Basic interpreter is contained in an 8K [sic] ROM; RAM can expand up to 16K; and interfaces for printers, disk and cassette storage will be…
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New peripheralsTS 1000 A new keyboard enhancement for the Timex/Sinclair 1000: produced by Hard/Software Design, the KBD-1 features 58 plunger-type keys, 12 spare keys, reversed silk screen, Lexan keytops and a black anodized aluminum cabinet.
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New peripheralsTS 1000 Sinclair computers can now talk with the help of the PARROT, developed by R.I.S.T. The plug-in speech module is capable of generating 64 sounds of the spoken English language. By combining these sounds, users can generate words, phrases, sentences and other sound effects. Areas of application include games, education, message transmission, speech therapy or research.
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New Products for the Sinclair ZX-80ZX80 Two new products for the ZX-80 are now available. A drop-in ROM replacement gives users an 8K extended BASIC, while a 16K expansion module increases the ZX-80’s memory capacity.
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New Sinclair - Cheaper, BetterZX80 ZX81 The lowest-price personal computer is getting less expensive and gaining features. In England, Clive Sinclair, originator of the Sinclair ZX80 computer, recently introduced a revised version of his system, the ZX81. Introduced at a price about 30% lower than the original, the ZX81 adds features and corrects several of the faults of the ZX80.
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New software announced for the Timex/Sinclair 1000TS 1000 Mindware Incorporated, the first company to market a printer for the Sinclair ZX81 and Timex/Sinclair 1000 computers in the United States, recently announced a series of 20 “quick-loading” software packages for the machine. According to Michael Levy, Mindware president, Timex expects to sell 350,000 Timex/Sinclair computers in the U.S. by the end of 1982.
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New view on the world: Pioneer designs 3-D camera lenses with microZX80 If the 3-D camera and viewing system invented by [Eric] Howlett really catches on, it will be due in part to … Sinclair ZX80. [The] 3-D lenses could not have been designed and perfected without the use of the calculators and computers — at least not by Howlett. “My nemesis in school always was making…
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Newsletter of users of the Timex/Sinclair, no cost for educatorsThe Timex/Sinclair Educators Group at Texas Wesleyan College, in cooperation with Timex, is going to publish a quarterly newsletter (The TEC News) dedicated to users of low-cost computers in educational settings.
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Next from Sinclair: pocket-sized TVZX81 The flat screen that ICL will be incorporating into its new work station has been developed by Sinclair for a pocket-sized television it hopes to have in production by the middle of the year. The ZX81 is now sold strictly through mail order in this country at a cost of $150. Nigel Searle said that…
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Northeast Computer Show in Boston draws 50,000ZX81 Many price-conscious buyers found their way to the Sinclair Research booth, where the company was selling its new ZX81 computer for $150, assembled, and under $100 unassembled. Sinclair representatives showed that the ZX81 could perform a variety of personal and financial functions, besides offering games.
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Player who can crack KRAKIT will win $20,000TS 1000 KRAKIT is a treasure hunt instead of a game. Using the Timex Sinclair 1000 computer, the ambitious player must find the location of hidden treasure by figuring out 36 answers to 12 clues. Each answer consists of the name of a country, name of a city or town and a number containing one to six…
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Printer Prices PlummetAlphacom recently closed a deal with Timex, estimated to be worth $54 million, to supply printers for the Timex/Sinclair computer line on an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) basis.
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Q&A: Dan RossTS 2068 Timex has changed a lot since the days when it used to strap its watches to snowplows for TV commercials. Today Timex is one of the contenders for the brass ring of mass-marketing microcomputer sales. Following last year’s million-selling Timex/Sinclair 1000, Timex recently shipped its color computer, the T/S 2068, a $199 48K RAM computer…
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Q&A: Nigel SearleTS 2068 QL Nigel Searle, managing director of Sinclair Research, came to Boston in May from the company’s home in Cambridge, England, to show the QL Computer to the Boston Computer Society. The QL represents a dramatic leap forward from the old Timex/Sinclair series – which pundits called the “first disposable computers” – and from the Spectrum, Sinclair’s…
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Review Responses: Timex fanTS 1000 TS 2068 I was delighed, finally, to see InfoWorld acknowledge the existence of the new Timex 2068 Personal Color Computer (Vol. 5, No. 51). Michael Wiesenberg rightfully rated is tops in all categories, but his text could only begin to cover some of its features and capabilities. Since the announcement of the Timex Sinclair 2000 last January,…
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Review: The Fantastic Music MachineTS 1000 Software review The Fantastic Music Machine gives the Timex/Sinclair 1000, Sinclair ZX81 or “8K BASIC” ZX80 the ability to play music with no hardware additions. If you have cassette-recorder storage and a TV set display, you’re ready to bloop and bleep with this $10 toy. The sound comes from your television speaker or an AM radio placed…
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Review: Timex 2068 Color ComputerTS 2068 Hardware review The Timex/Sinclair 2068 Personal Color Computer resolves many of the complaints users of its predecessors have lodged. It has real keys; its larger size is easier to work with; it has a better tape interface; it even has an on/off switch. We believe this machine offers many desirable features usually found on more expensive machines.…
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Sinclair donates $10,000 to BCSThe Boston Computer Society, the largest nonprofit computing association in the United States, recently received a $10,000 donation from Sinclair Research, manufacturer of the ZX81 personal computer. The donation is said to be the first of its kind by a major personal-computer vendor to a computer group.
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Sinclair doubles its ZX81 outputZX81 TS 1000 The ZX81, which at $149.95 is the lowest priced personal computer on the market, was announced in the United States and Japan last month. Already interest from the announcement has generated 5000 orders that have actually been processed, according to Nigel Searle, director of the company’s office here. Sinclair Research sold over 100,000 of its…
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Sinclair to market new micro in U.S.QL Sinclair Research will ship a new $499 microcomputer, the Sinclair QL (Quantum Leap) to American consumers beginning this fall, said the firm’s chairman and founder, Sir Clive Sinclair.
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Sinclair ZX81 'Devoted' to OwnersZX80 ZX81 TS 1000 Clive Sinclair, inventor of the first pocket calculator and first pocket TV, showed off his almost pocket computer, the ZX80, at CES. Sinclair has beefed up the ZX80, introducing a $39.95 8K BASIC chip and $99.95 16K RAM add-on module. The 8K BASIC has log, trig and other functions; graphics; and floating point arithmetic to…
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Software for Defunct MachinesTS 1000 TS 1500 TS 2068 Companies profit by selling programs for discontinued micros. C. Michael Jacobi, vice-president of marketing and sales for consumer products at Timex, advises that software is available via their direct response ads in USA Today and major newspapers. They offer 25 “pieces of software” for the 2068. Sears and Best Products also carry machines and software.
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Software News: TimeWareZX81 TS 1000 TS 1500 TimeWare, a new line of software and books designed for the Timex/Sinclair 1000 series of computers, is available from Reston Computer Group. The TimeWare product line includes seven new software games, a six-volume series of self-teaching math software and eight books. Adventure games, arcade-type games and traditional games such as chess are included.
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State of Microcomputing: Some Horses Running Neck and NeckZX80 Sinclair has an estimated gross $18m in revenues for 1981. The number of computers in place as of 7/1/81 is 20,000 or more (ZX80).
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Study forecasts split in personal-computer marketWhat does Timex have in common with IBM? Within the next few years both companies may end up leading different ends of the burgeoning personal computer market. Timex has North American marketing rights to a new version of the inexpensive Sinclair ZX81 computer called the Timex/Sinclair 1000.
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The Bargain Basement BluesTS 1000 TS 1500 TS 2068 Softsync, a New York-based producer of TS 1000 software, is feeling the heat. “The Timex/Sinclair 1000 has petered right out,” says Ken Coach, marketing and sales director of Softsync. Coach says that although the T/S 1000 was “a nice computer to get if you wanted to find out about computers, people want more bells and…
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The people who collect obsolete computers - for old times' sakeTS 1000 Article about the Computer Museum, then based in Boston, started by Kenneth Olsen, Bob Everett and Gordon Bell. Although The Computer Museum claims to be the only one of its kind in the world, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., includes a computer exhibit where visitors can view the Timex/Sinclair…
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The Timex/Sinclair 1000, a low-cost, book-size microTS 1000 Hardware review The cheapest computer on the market that offers BASIC and a TV output is the Timex/Sinclair 1000. Marketed by Timex through tens of thousands of retail outlets in many countries, it is also one of the best-selling computers.
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Timex exec resigns amid company reorganizationDaniel Ross resigns as vice-president of operations for Timex Computer Corporation.
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Timex leaves Sinclair without U.S. distributorTS 2068 Timex Corporation’s recent decision to stop marketing home computers has left Sinclair Research without a method for distributing computer products in the U.S. It appears that the British firm will not be able to distribute its 2068 home computer in the U.S. The English version of the machine, called the Spectrum, is that country’s most…
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Timex says it's leaving the home-computer marketTS 2068 Timex joined the list of home-computer drop-outs with last month’s announcement that it plans to cease production and sales of the Timex/Sinclair 1500 and 2068 color computer. The company plans to continue manufacturing computers and peripherals for other companies.
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Timex shows color computer with 48K for under $200TS 2000 TS 2068 Timex introduced its color computer, which has 48K RAM and sells for $199.95. It is the first color computer having at least 48K RAM to list at less than $200. The new computer is a modified version of Sinclair Research’s Spectrum computer, which Sinclair sells outside the U.S. and Canada. The U.S. version, the Timex/Sinclair…
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Timex will market Sinclair computerZX81 At a press conference held in London last month, Sinclair president Clive Sinclair released details of an extensive marketing agreement with Timex Corporation. Sinclair has licensed Timex to use Sinclair technology to manufacture and market personal computers, peripherals and software throughout North America.
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Timex/Sinclair games offer excitement or ennuiZX81 TS 1000 Software review Here’s some more recreational software for you hard-working Timex/Sinclair 1000 (and ZX81) owners. Reviews of Mothership (Softsync), Gulper (HES), Bat-Cage (Timex).
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TRS-80 MC-10 'battles' T/S 2000TS 1000 TS 1500 TS 2000 TS 2068 The mass-market personal computer battle continues to heat up. Timex and Radio Shack have announced new home computers. Radio Shack’s TRS-80 Model MC-10 Micro Color Computer, retailing for $119.95, is now available in all Radio Shack retail stores now. The MC-10 generates eight colors and is aimed at first-time computer buyers. The 4K capacity of…
- User GroupsTS 2068
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Warranty and support from micro makersThe British mass-marketer is also approaching the problem of service by using an outside service bureau. Microsync in New Hampshire is handling service for the Sinclair ZX81 by mail.
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What to do with a Timex/SinclairTS 1000 Book review The Watchmaker’s Guidebook to the Timex/Sinclair Computers is available from TSG Enterprises. The book contains a directory of suppliers with a brief description of their wares. About 120 software suppliers and 50 firms offering hardware peripherals for the little computer are listed, along with the addresses of 50 “ancillary” suppliers. The 44-page book also lists…
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Will the marketplace ruin itself?TS 1000 Another forum tidbit was that Timex won’t have to pay royalties to Sinclair for the little computer after sales reach 900,000 per year. The firm expects to hit that figure easily.
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World's Lowest-Priced ComputerZX80 The world’s least expensive computer is the Sinclair ZX-80. Selling at a retail price of $199.50, and released in January, 1980, it has helped Sinclair Research Limited emerge as the third major competitor in the personal-computer industry.
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