Brand: | RADIO SHACK |
Model: | Pocket Computer (PC-1) |
Type: | BASIC-programmable Pocket Computer |
Picture: | |
Batteries: | MR44 mercury batteries x 4 |
Lifetime: |
Introduced: 1980 Terminated: unknown |
Notes: |
This is Radio Shack’s version of the SHARP PC-1211 Pocket Computer. For a description
of its capabilities, please refer to that model.
A peculiarity of this specific specimen is what it says on its back. This Pocket Computer was apparently a gift at or a souvenir of the IBM DP Recognition Event 1980 (held in Edinburg in 1981). It also has the name of (one of) its previous owner(s) engraved in italics: Ike Quelle. Something peculiar to this calculator, to distinguish between the "0" and the "O" it is not the zero that looks different, instead the letter Oh has an extra detail top right. As one can see this LCD is starting to deteriorate. There is already a dark spot top right. There are replacement LCD’s available, please refer to the page on the SHARP PC-1211 for more information. I’m glad I now have a scan of this Pocket Computer with its original LCD in a not too bad shape. I still remember the day when I saw Radio Shack’s version for the first time (in a TANDY magazine). The Radio Shack equivalent model was called the Radio Shack TRS-80 Pocket Computer (later known as the TRS-80 PC-1). I still remember fondly how utterly amazed I was that it was possible to create a BASIC-programmable Pocket Computer with an alphanumeric display and actually hold it in your hands! It was in the TANDY shop near my highschool, in Woensel in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. It felt like pure science fiction at the time. For more info see this Wikipedia page. |
©2024 Ernst Mulder