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.
The RadioShack TRS-80 Color Computer, later marketed as the Tandy Color Computer, is a series of home computers developed and sold by Tandy Corporation. Despite sharing a name with the earlier TRS-80, the Color Computer is a completely different system and a radical departure in design based on the Motorola 6809E processor rather than the Zilog Z80 of earlier models.
VisiCalc is the first spreadsheet computer program for personal computers, originally released for 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.
Microsoft BASIC is the foundation software product of the Microsoft company and evolved into a line of BASIC interpreters and compiler(s) adapted for many different microcomputers. It first appeared in 1975 as Altair BASIC, which was the first version of BASIC published by Microsoft as well as the first high-level programming language available for the Altair 8800 microcomputer.
The TRS-80 MC-10 microcomputer is a lesser-known member of the TRS-80 line of home computers, produced by Tandy Corporation in the early 1980s and sold through their RadioShack chain of electronics stores. It was a low-cost alternative to Tandy's own TRS-80 Color Computer to compete with entry-level machines such as the VIC-20 and Sinclair ZX81.
The Sharp PC-1251 was a small pocket computer that was also marketed as the Tandy Pocket Computer.
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.
The TRS-80 Model 100 is a notebook-sized portable computer introduced in April 1983. It was the first commercially successful notebook computer, as well as one of the first notebook computers ever released. It features a keyboard and liquid-crystal display, in a battery-powered package roughly the size and shape of a notepad or large book. The 224-page, spiral-bound User Manual is nearly the same size as the computer itself.
A pocket computer is a class of handheld computer characterized by very short displays, alphanumeric keypads, and the use of battery power. Pocket computers occupy a small footprint, allowing the unit to be comfortably stashed in one's pocket when on the go, and usually weigh less than 1 pound (0.45 kg). Many feature a port for an expansion chassis, allowing the computers to be used with external peripherals.
The Commodore LCD is an unreleased LCD-equipped laptop made by Commodore International. It was presented at the January 1985 Consumer Electronics Show, but never released. The CLCD was not directly compatible with other Commodore home computers, but its built-in Commodore BASIC 3.6 interpreter could run programs written in the Commodore 128's BASIC 7.0, as long as these programs did not include system-specific POKE commands. Like the Commodore 264 and Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 100 series computers, the CLCD had several built-in ROM-based office application programs.
Programmable calculators are calculators that can automatically carry out a sequence of operations under control of a stored program. Most are Turing complete, and, as such, are theoretically general-purpose computers. However, their user interfaces and programming environments are specifically tailored to make performing small-scale numerical computations convenient, rather than general-purpose use.
The HX-20 is an early laptop released by Seiko Epson in July 1982. It was the first notebook-sized portable computer, occupying roughly the footprint of an A4 notebook while being lightweight enough to hold comfortably with one hand at 1.6 kilograms (3.5 lb) and small enough to fit inside an average briefcase.
The Sharp PC-E500S was a 1995 pocket computer by Sharp Corporation and was the successor to the 1989 PC-E500 model, featuring a 2.304 MHz CMOS CPU.
The Sharp PC-1600 was a pocket computer introduced by Sharp in 1986 as a successor to the PC-1500. The PC-1600 provided compatibility with its predecessor through the use of a slave CPU that could run assembly language programs targeting the older machine. It could also switch into a compatibility mode so that programs written for the single line display of the PC-1500 could work with the four line display of the PC-1600.
The history of laptops describes the efforts, begun in the 1970s, to build small, portable Personal Computers that combine the components, inputs, outputs and capabilities of a Desktop Computer in a small chassis.
The TRS-80 Model II is a computer system launched by Tandy in October 1979, and targeted at the small-business market. It is not an upgrade of the original TRS-80 Model I, but a new system.
Home computers were a class of microcomputers that entered the market in 1977 and became common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single, non-technical user. These computers were a distinct market segment that typically cost much less than business, scientific, or engineering-oriented computers of the time, such as those running CP/M or the IBM PC, and were generally less powerful in terms of memory and expandability. However, a home computer often had better graphics and sound than contemporary business computers. Their most common uses were word processing, playing video games, and programming.
