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The first 'Tandy Color Computer' was referred to as the 'Radio Shack Color Computer'. It wasn't until near the end of the second version of the color computer (There were three in total) that the name was changed to the 'Tandy Color Computer 2'. The first version, as with the others, was developed by the Tandy Corporation (parent company of Radio Shack). The original color computer used the Motorola MC6809E microprocessor as the primary CPU, MC6847 VDG (Video Display Chip), The MC6883 SAM (Synchronous Address Multiplexer), and two Peripheral Interface Adapter chips (for Input/Output). That, plus RAM and ROM comprised the heart of the machine. The original machine came with 4k of RAM and 8k of ROM (color basic). Ultimately, Tandy released an extension to color basic (extended color basic), bringing the ROM to 16k, and RAM upgrades to 16, 32, and ultimately 64k. The original color computer had the standard 'Tandy Gray' color and a 'calulator style' 'chicklet' keyboard. The final revisions of the first color computer did convert to a white case. The next version of the color computer was functionally identical to the first in nearly every respect, and had an improved, but still flat keyboard, which was eventually changed to a full travel keyboard. The internal workings were improved, but retained the same basic chip layout for CPU, Video, SAM, and PIA. The last computer in the line was the Tandy color computer 3, which added 4 keyboard keys (control, alt, F1, and F2), and much of the internal workings were condensed to a single chip. The Video and Address chips were condensed to a single Chip (GIME)or 65424 Chip. This chip emulated all supported modes of the original machines, but left out some upsupported, (but non the less sometimes used) 'semi graphics' modes. It did however increase the resolution and color set over the older systems. By the end of life cycle of the color computer, it had a huge following which lives on today in a small, but active vintage community and emulators, but by the early 90's, it was clear that the majority of the market was going the PC compatilble route, and the color computer 3 was discontinued.
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
Wiki User
∙ 15y agoThe Coco or Color computer was officially known as the TRS 80 and was introduced - you guessed it - in 1980.
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Where was personal computers invented?
International Business Machines introduced the IBM PC in 1982, however there were home type minicomputers that proceeded it. The Apple II was introduced in 1978. The Radio Shack (Tandy) TRS-80 also in 1978-79. The self contained Osborne was also introduced in 1979. At the same time as the IBM PC XT was introduced so was the Amiga and the Commodore 64 which was popular in Europe. These are but a few of the examples of home computers available in the early 1980's.
What connection did Henry Tandy have with Adolf Hitler?
Henry Tandy was an english soldier who caught Adolf Hitler at his gunpoint when Hitler was a soldier in WW1. He spared his life rather than killing him and missed a chance of killing him before he took power.
Who invented the laptop computer?
There were many engineering refinements to the laptop concept. Here are some of the significant developments:The "clam shell" design which represents our modern laptop was created in 1979 by William Moggridge (a Briton) for GRiD Systems Corporation. GRiD's Compass Computer entered the market in 1981. GRiD was acquired by Tandy Corporation in 1988.One of the first commercially available laptop computers was invented by Adam Osborne in 1981. It was called the "Osborne I" and cost $1795. It came bundled with $1500 worth of programs. It had a tiny computer screen built into it. The Osborne I and Kaypro II were not really laptops, but "luggables" - at 23.5 lb and 29 lb, respectively.One of the first modern style of "laptops" may well have been the Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 100, with weight of approximately 3.1 lb.Compaq Computer introduced their first computer which was considered portable around 1981 or 1982. It was about the same size as a modern mini-tower laid on its side, included a green monochrome monitor that was about 7 inches diagonally, and had a full-sized keyboard with a coiled cord that snapped over the monitor."The Dynabook concept was created by Alan Kay in 1968, two years before the founding of Xerox PARC. Kay wanted to make "A Personal Computer For Children Of All Ages." The ideas let to the development of the Xerox Alto prototype, which was originally called "the interim Dynabook". It embodied all the elements of a graphical user interface, or GUI, as early as 1972. The software component of this research was Smalltalk, which went on to have a life of its own independent of the Dynabook concept.The Dynabook concept now known as a laptop computer or, (in some of its other incarnations) a tablet PC or slate computer with nearly eternal battery life and software aimed at giving children access to digital media. Adults could also use a Dynabook, but the target audience was children."The laptop computer was invented by Adam Osborne in 1981. It was called the "Osborne 1" and cost $1795. It came bundled with $1500 worth of programs. It had a tiny computer screen built into it.What is a laptop computer?A laptop is a computer that can be folded up and carried around.When was the laptop invented?The laptop was invented in 1981.Where was it invented?It was invented by Osborne Computers, a book company that sold books to McGraw-Hill.How was it invented?It was invented by taking computer technology from that time and scaling it down to make a smaller, more portable computer.A:Adam Osborne invented the laptopThere were many engineering refinements to the laptop concept, however ...."The Dynabook concept was created by Alan Kay in 1968, two years before the founding of Xerox PARC. Kay wanted to make "A Personal Computer For Children Of All Ages." The ideas let to the development of the Xerox Alto prototype, which was originally called "the interim Dynabook". It embodied all the elements of a graphical user interface, or GUI, as early as 1972. The software component of this research was Smalltalk, which went on to have a life of its own independent of the Dynabook concept.The Dynabook concept now known as a laptop computer or, (in some of its other incarnations) a tablet PC or slate computer with nearly eternal battery life and software aimed at giving children access to digital media. Adults could also use a Dynabook, but the target audience was children."etc.A:Steven John Freer in 1979A:The "clam shell" design which represents our modern laptop was created in 1979 by William Moggridge (a Briton) for GRiD Systems Corporation. GRiD's Compass Computer entered the market in 1981. GRiD was acquired by Tandy Corporation in 1988. Tandyrecognizing the significance of the GRiD Patent portfolio (which also represented over 20 patents for hand writing recognition and pen based computing) aggressively pursuedsettlements with most of the major laptops and computers sales company . As a former GRiD exec we always wished we could have had the resources to do the same prior to the Tandy acquisition. GRiD was sold again in 1993 to AST Computers with Tandy holding onto to the GRiD patents.A:One of the first commercially available laptop computers was invented by Adam Osborne in 1981. It was called the "Osborne I" and cost $1795. It came bundled with $1500 worth of programs. It had a tiny computer screen built into it.(The Osborne I and Kaypro II were not really laptops, but "luggables" - at 23.5 lb and 29 lb, respectively)One of the first modern style of "laptops" may well have been the Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 100, with weight of approximately 3.1 lb.A:Compaq Portable circa 1981 or 1982?I can't say if this was the definitive "invention" of the laptop, but I do remember that, when IBM PC XTs were running 8088 processors at 4.77MHz with 5MB disk drives, Compaq Computer introduced their first computer which was considered portable at the time. It was about the same size as a modern mini-tower laid on its side, included a green monochrome monitor that was about 7 inches diagonally, and had a full-sized keyboard with a coiled cord that snapped over the monitor. I think it ran an 8086 processor at 6 or 8MHz.Below is a link to a site with several photographs.Steve JobsDesigned in 1979 by a Briton, William Moggridge, for Grid Systems Corporation, the Grid Compass was one fifth the weight of any model equivalent in performance and was used by NASA on the space shuttle program in the early 1980's. A 340K byte bubble memory lap-top computer with die-cast magnesium case and folding electroluminescent graphics display screen. Other computers before this were portable, but too heavy, and therefore, it is questionable if they can be called laptops. A few other models that were lightweight had two line, text only displays and should also be considered.
What is first computer name?
Unfortunately this question has no easy answer because of all the different types of classifications and types of computers. Therefore this document has been created with a listing of each of the first computers starting with the first programmable computer leading up to the computers of today. Keep in mind that early inventions such as the abacus, calculators, tablet machines, difference machine, etc. are not accounted for in this document. The Z1 originally created by Germany's Konrad Zuse in his parents living room in 1936 to 1938 is considered to be the first electrical binary programmable computer.Short for Atanasoff-Berry Computer, the ABCstarted being developed by Professor John Vincent Atanasoff and graduate student Cliff Berry in 1937 and continued to be developed until 1942 at the Iowa State College (now Iowa State University). On October 19, 1973, US Federal Judge Earl R. Larson signed his decision that the ENIAC patent by Eckert and Mauchly was invalid and named Atanasoff the inventor of the electronic digital computer.The ENIAC was invented by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly at the University of Pennsylvania and began construction in 1943 and was not completed until 1946. It occupied about 1,800 square feet and used about 18,000 vacuum tubes, weighing almost 50 tons. Although the Judge ruled that the ABC computer was the first digital computer many still consider the ENIAC to be the first digital computer.Because of the Judge ruling and because the case was never appealed like most we consider the ABC to be the first digital computer. However, because the ABC was never fully functional we consider the first functional digital computer to be the ENIAC. The early British computer known as the EDSAC is considered to be the first stored program electronic computer. The computer performed its first calculation on May 6, 1949 and was the computer that ran the first graphical computer game.In 1975 Ed Roberts coined the term personal computer when he introduced the Altair 8800. Although the first personal computer is considered to be the Kenback-1, which was first introduced for $750 in 1971. The computer relied on a series of switches for inputting data and output data by turning on and off a series of lights. The Micral is considered the be the first commercial non-assembly computer. The computer used the Intel 8008 processor and sold for $1,750 in 1973. Although never sold the first workstation is considered to be the Xerox Alto, introduced in 1974. The computer was revolutionary for its time and included a fully functional computer, display, and mouse. The computer operated like many computers today utilizing windows, menus and icons as an interface to its operating system. The first portable computer or laptop is considered to be the Osborne I, a portable computer developed by Adam Osborne that weighed 24 pounds, a 5-inch display, 64 KB of memory, two 5 1/4" floppy drives, and a modem. IBM PCD later released the IBM portable in 1984, it's first portable computer that weighed in at 30 pounds. IBM PCD later announced in 1986 it's first laptop computer, the PC Convertible, weighing 12 pounds. And in 1994 introduces the IBM ThinkPad 775CD, the first notebook with an integrated CD-ROM. In 1953 IBM shipped its first electric computer, the 701. Later IBM introduced its first personal computer called the "IBM PC" in 1981. The computer was code named and still sometimes referred to as the "Acorn" and had a 8088 processor, 16 KB of memory, which was expandable to 256 and utilizing MS-DOS. The first PC clone was developed by Compaq, the "Compaq Portable" was release in March 1983 and was 100% compatible with IBM computers and software that ran on IBM computers.Steve Wozniak designed the first Apple known as the Apple I computer in 1976. The first computer company was the Electronic Controls Company and was founded in 1949 by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly, the same individuals who helped create the ENIAC computer. The company was later renamed to EMCC or Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation and released a series of mainframe computers under the UNIVAC name. In 1992 Tandy Radio Shack becomes one of the first companies to release a computer based on the MPC standard with its introduction of the M2500 XL/2 and M4020 SX computers. Below is a listing of some of the major computers companies first computers. Compaq - March 1983 Compaq released its first computer and the first 100% IBM compatible computer the "Compaq Portable."Digital - In 1960 Digital Equipment Corporation released its first of many PDP computers the "PDP-1."Dell - In 1985 Dell introduced its first computer, the "Turbo PC."Hewlett Packard - In 1966 Hewlett Packard released its first general computer, the "HP-2115."NEC - In 1958 NEC builds its first computer the "NEAC 1101."Toshiba - In 1954 Toshiba introduces its first computer, the "TAC" digital computer.
What was the speed of the first personal computer?
It really depends on what you define the first Personal Computer, but the general consensus is more or less the Commodore PET which came out in 1977 The Commodore PET had a MOS Technology 6502 procosser running at 1 MHz with 4 or 8 KB of memory. (wow.. that's so minuscule by todays standards !) Immediately on the heels of Commodore, Tandy released the COCO (TRS-80), and Apple released the Apple I Most consider the IBM to be in this category as well, however IBM didn't come out with the Model 5150 until 81'... sheesh ...those were the days !
What has the author Donald F Monro written?
Donald F. Monro has written: 'Start with BASIC on the Tandy TRS80 Color Computer'
What is Tandy in the PC industry?
Tandy is Radio Shack's name brand for PC and other computer-type products.
Who invented trs 80 microcomputer?
Tandy Radio Shack
What has the author G P S Robinson written?
G. P. S. Robinson has written: 'Hot programs to feed your Dragon - and Tandy Color Computer' -- subject(s): Dragon 32 (Computer), Programming
What are the release dates for Atop the Fourth Wall - 2008 Tandy Computer Whiz Kids The Answer to a Riddle 5-38?
Atop the Fourth Wall - 2008 Tandy Computer Whiz Kids The Answer to a Riddle 5-38 was released on: USA: 17 September 2012
What nicknames does Kate Tandy go by?
Kate Tandy goes by Katey, and Tandy.
What is the possessive for Tandy family?
The possessive form for the noun phrase Tandy family is Tandy family's.Example: The Tandy family's barbecue is this Saturday.
What home computer did Radio Shack introduce in 1978?
TRS-80 or The Tandy-Radio Shack 80 :-)
What is the birth name of Jessica Tandy?
Jessica Tandy's birth name is Jessie Alice Tandy.
What is the birth name of Kate Tandy?
Kate Tandy's birth name is Katelyn Rebecca Tandy.
What is the birth name of Napper Tandy?
Napper Tandy's birth name is James Napper Tandy II.
What is Jessica Tandy's occupation?
Jessica Tandy is a/an Actress
