Manufacturer | Sharp Corporation |
---|---|
Generation | First |
Release date | March 1980 |
CPU | SC43177/SC43178 processors at 256 kHz |
Memory | three TC5514P 4 Kbit RAM modules |
Display | 24 digit dot matrix LCD |
Input | Full QWERTY-style keyboard |
Power | four MR44 1.35 V Mercury button cells |
Successor | Sharp PC-5000 |
Related | Sharp PC-1500 Sharp PC-1251 |
The Sharp PC-1211 is the first pocket computer ever released, marketed by Sharp Corporation in March 1980. [1] [2] The computer was powered by two 4-bit CPUs laid out in power-saving CMOS circuitry. One acted as the main CPU, the other dealt with the input/output and display interface. Users could write computer programs in BASIC.
A badge-engineered version of the PC-1211, the TRS-80 Pocket Computer (model PC-1), was marketed by Radio Shack in July 1980 as the first iteration of the TRS-80 Pocket Computer with just a marginally different look (outer plastic parts in black, not brown, gray display frame)
A badge-engineered version of the Sharp PC-1211 was marketed by Radio Shack as the original TRS-80 Pocket Computer. This was later referred to as the "PC-1" to differentiate it from subsequent entries (PC-2 onwards) in the TRS-80 Pocket Computer line. [3]
Introduced in July 1980, the "PC-1" measured 175 × 70 × 15 mm and weighed 170 g, and had a one-line, 24-character alphanumeric LCD. [4] [5]
The TRS-80 Pocket Computer was programmable in BASIC, with a capacity of 1424 "program steps". This memory was shared with variable storage of up to 178 locations, in addition to the 26 fixed locations named A through Z. The implementation was based on Palo Alto Tiny BASIC.
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The TRS-80 Micro Computer System is a desktop microcomputer launched in 1977 and sold by Tandy Corporation through their Radio Shack stores. The name is an abbreviation of Tandy Radio Shack, Z80 [microprocessor]. It is one of the earliest mass-produced and mass-marketed retail home computers.
VisiCalc is the first spreadsheet computer program for personal computers, originally released for the Apple II by VisiCorp on October 17, 1979. It is considered the killer application for the Apple II, turning the microcomputer from a hobby for computer enthusiasts into a serious business tool, and then prompting IBM to introduce the IBM PC two years later. More than 700,000 copies were sold in six years, and up to 1 million copies over its history.
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The Sharp PC-1251 was a small pocket computer that was also marketed as the Tandy Pocket Computer.
The Sharp PC-1350 is a small pocket computer manufactured by Sharp. The PC-1350 was introduced in 1984 and was used by engineers, and favored by programmers for its programming and graphical capabilities. It was superseded in 1987 by the PC-1360, which featured one additional RAM expansion port, improved BASIC, floppy disk capability, and a faster CPU.
The Sharp PC-1500 was a pocket computer produced by Sharp between 1981 and 1985. A rebadged version was also sold as the TRS-80 Pocket Computer PC-2.
The Sharp PC-1401 is a small pocket computer manufactured by Sharp. It was introduced in 1983 and is one of the first combinations of scientific calculator and portable computer with BASIC interpreter/bytecode compiler. The PC-1402 has the same features but includes 10K of RAM.
The Tandy Pocket Computer or TRS-80 Pocket Computer is a line of pocket computers sold by Tandy Corporation under the Tandy or Radio Shack TRS-80 brands.
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Extended Color Basic is an update to the Color BASIC interpreter for the Radio Shack/Tandy TRS-80 Color Computer series, and is the default Basic interpreter for the Color Computer 2. The Color Computer Basic implementations are somewhat different for the versions of Basic which come with the other family of TRS-80 machines, namely Basic Levels I, II, and III. Assemblers and Pascal and C programming language compilers are available for the different machines in the series. Modified subsets of Color Basic may be found on many of the Radio Shack PC series of pocket computers of the era.
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Nowadays, it is often referred to as the TRS-80 PC-1, so as to differentiate it from its successor, the TRS-80 PC-2 (and following)