Old Hardware Emulated : Radio Shack Pocket Computers

 Radio Shack Hand-Held Computers Deserve Honorable Mention!

Mentioning the name Radio Shack invokes strong memories. Going into a store looking at RCA televisions, DIY radio kits, RC remote control cars, and several calculators in the display. Their was the Realistic-branded audio receivers that were sold their as well, along with turn-tables. Turn-tables that were a necessity if one wants to enjoy some Beatles, Yes or Pink Floyd. Plenty of cables and batteries of various types as well. One could spend hours in this store. 

If one wanted awesome consumer electronics, then they would know where to go. Radio Shack was the hangout for audio junkies and computer enthusiast.  One could have found the TRS-80 home computers located their in the late 70's-early 80's. By the late-80's, their were the Tandy 1000 IBM Compatible PC's that the kids would play Arkanoid on. The parent would recognize that the computer that had rich gaming potential could also run essential business applications like WordPerfect of Lotus 123. By the early 90's, one would find the AST-branded PC's, along with the Compaq Presario Pentium PC's running Doom. Thousands of monsters and demon-possessed soldiers were ripped apart by shotgun blast at various Radio Shack locations nationwide!

Radio Shack was one of the computer giants of micro-computing in the late 70's-early 80's. Along with Commodore and Apple, they revolutionized household computing with their TRS-80 series of micro-computers. By the early 80's, the first hand-held computers started to hit the market. Radio Shack became interested in pocket computing. The company introduced the Pocket Computer (PC) series in 1982.Radio Shack licensed both several Sharp and Casio pocket computers for the American market. As such, these hand-held computers were re-branded Casio and Sharp products. What this meant was that several peripheral devices designed for the pocket computers of both of these companies were compatible with the Radio Shack products as well. This included the printer and cassette tape data deck modules.  As with the Casio and Sharp products, these pocket computers were the precursor to modern smartphones. It was literally a computer in your hand.

These handheld computers provided mathematical and scientific functions much more complex than what a four-function calculator was capable of. These devices provided advanced math capabilities on the go. Not only that, but they were programmable too. This allowed developers to write mathematical applications that were much more capable than what was possible on those four-function and scientific calculators. 

Radio Shack PC-2

Radio Shack PC-2
Introduced in 1982, the Radio Shack PC-2 was a re-branded version of the Sharp PC-1500 pocket computer. The device had a Sharp LH5801 processor running at 1.3MHz. The PC-2 came with 2 kilobytes (2048 bytes) of memory, which was expandable up to 10KB. The peripheral devices that were designed for the Sharp PC-1500 were compatible with the PC-2 as well. This included the optional audio cassette data deck module that allowed users to save their programs and data onto cassette take, along with a printer option as well. Yes, back in this time, many users of various computer systems would store programs onto cassette tape. In the early days of micro-computing, cassette tape was significantly cheaper than floppy disk technology. By the middle 80's though, the price of floppy drives and disk fell to the point that made the use of cassette tape in-practical. The pocket computer sported a 26 character LCD display and was powered by 4 "AA" batteries.

The PC-2 retailed for $280 at introduction.The BASIC programming language, typical of the early micros, was incorporated into the PC-2. Their were ROM module carts that could be plugged into the slot device of the PC-2. These ROM modules that Radio Shack sold included games, mathematical, and financial programs for this device, along with memory expansion, which could increase the memory by 4KB or 8KB. 
PC-3
Radio Shack PC-3 with BASIC running.

The Radio Shack PC-3, the successor of the PC-2, was introduced in the Summer in 1983. Like it's predecessor,  the calculator is actually a re-branded Sharp pocket computer. In this case, the PC-3 is the Radio Shack branded version of the Sharp PC-1521 Pocket Computer. Like the PC-2, the PC-3 had a optional cassette take storage deck, along with a optional printer as well. The pocket computer was largely compatible with Sharp peripheral devices as well. BASIC was incorporated into ROM as well. Radio Shack retailed this pocket computer at $99 at launch.

BASIC on both the PC-2 and PC-3 felt awkward to use compared to their full-blown micro-computer equivalents. Anyone who programmed in BASIC could agree. The BASIC syntax is different enough to where it takes time to get accustomed to that particular dialect. Greatly enhanced from a calculator perspective, but limited from a micro-computer preservative.

On PockEmul, one can type characters and numbers using the keyboard. However, I haven't figured out how to enter punctuation through the keyboard yet. As a result, say if I want to use quotes, which are widely used in BASIC programming, especially with the PRINT statement, I would need to press the Shift button on the emulated device, and then press either the W button on the PC-3, or the F2 button on the PC-2. Programming this calculator by manually moving the mouse cursor to press button after button does get old quickly. As mentioned previously though, characters and numbers can rapidly be entered using the keyboard. Their is probably keyboard shortcuts their I just haven't figured out yet. As a result, it's something I'm not going to lament about. On Android devices, the use of these devices feel much more natural, as instead of using a mouse cursor, you're actually are using your finger as key input, as one would use on a real device.I image that it wasn't pleasant programming one in real life either. Those small calculator keys would not be pleasant to type on.What one will find depressing though is that several people who used these devices probably use them as a simple four-function calculator, and no more. Depressing in that these devices were much more capable than that. 

Like with the Casio devices, I'm using PockEmul for the Radio Shack pocket computers as well. This emulator emulates the Radio Shack PC-2 and PC-3 devices. When you double-click around the display, it brings up the menu options, as shown from the screenshot. You can expand or shrink the pocket computer. From the menu options, one can click the option to power on the computer. This is necessary for some models because the power button on the emulated devices don't always work depending on the device in use. Double clicking on the edges of the pocket computer review both the sides and back of that particular device. I accidentally discovered this trying to bring up the menu. It showed me the backside of the calculator to review the model information. As mentioned early, the back reviews that the Radio Shack PC-3 was made by Sharp, and is a re-branded Sharp PC-1281 pocket computer that was made in Japan.

I think that these devices are very interesting for the fact that these hand-held computers are the precursors to modern smartphones and tablets that we all know and love today. That technology had to originate from somewhere, and these devices review the technological evolution of how out smartphones got to where they are today. These devices allowed for advance mathematical computation for those that needed it immediately on the go. Something that a four-function calculator couldn't provide. One could view this article as a glimpse of the evolution of handheld computers and technologies.

Articles Of Interest

Tandy Pocket Computer - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tandy_Pocket_Computer

TRS-80 PC-2 Pocket Computer  - http://oldcomputers.net/trs80pc2.html

TRS-80 PC-3 Pocket Computer  - http://oldcomputers.net/trs80pc3.html

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WeatherStar 4000 Simulator For Windows (Part 1)

Image
  It's time to get the weather forecast, 90's style. A couple of months ago, I reviewed the WeatherStar 4000+ simulator for web-browsers. This simulator, created by Mike Battaglia, is a open-source, on-line simulator of the WeatherStar 4000 hardware used by The Weather Channel during the 1990's. This simulator ran without issue on both Firefox and Chrome on Windows 7 (Home PC) and Firefox on Windows 10 (Dell Optiplex).  It also runs great under Chrome on my Android devices as well. I use the online simulator when I'm on the road.  Now, I'm going to look into the WeatherStar 4000 simulator for Windows offered by Taiganet. This simulator offers a lot of features and can be customized in various ways. When I'm home, I use this program most of the time. Now, there is one notable hardware requirement. First, to run the Windows (and Mac OSX/Linux ports as well) simulator, you will need a computer that supports OpenGL 3.3. My home computer ha...
Read more

Classic Systems Emulated: Windows 95 (Part 1)

Image
  Start Me Up! Windows 95 (Chicago Beta Build 189 released September 1994) running under PCEM What would eventually become Windows 95 was affected by several turn of events that occurred during its development. Windows 95, code-named Chicago, had been several years in the making. Microsoft had already been planning the next version of Windows right after they got 3.1 out the door on March 1992. What would determine the course of the new OS? DOS Compatibility for one as it was still deemed essential at that point. One has to remember that even though Windows 3.0 had been the most successful version of Windows to date, the GUI in general was still a novelty at that point. Most used Windows 3.0 for simple task like typing list, letters, or playing solitaire. Most PC users who needed to work on major projects were still running DOS applications like WordPerfect or Lotus 123. However, the transition to GUI's would begin in earnest.  The 486 processor ...
Read more

Classic Systems Emulated: Windows 3.1 OEMS

Image
  The OEM's Want In On The Action The PC Market of the early 90's was a very competitive one. As such, having a easy-to-use environment was a must for these companies pushing there hardware. Hardware has caught up to software, and as such, it was now time to push the command prompt out of the way for the GUI. Several of these companies spotted opportunities to make  deals with Microsoft to pre-install Windows on there computers. This phenomenon didn't start with 3.1 though. Even in the late 80's, both Compaq and IBM often preinstalled Windows 386 for corporate customers that brought there 386 systems. Windows 3.0 was bundled with a lot of systems too. It was preinstalled on the IBM PS/1 budget PC's and various Tandy models. It came with the Amstrad MegaPC and various other PC's offered by ZDS (Zenith Data Systems) as well.  The number of OEM partners grew with the Windows 3.1 release. Some of them were familiar faces, like Compa...
Read more

Old Hardware Emulated :Psion Model 3a Emulated On DOSBox Windows

Image
  Psion 3a and 3c Psion Series 3c Handheld Computer (Wikipedia) Psion 3a As mentioned in the previous articles, the emulators for the Psion 3 exist only on DOSBox. I decided to take the challenge of setting up a emulated configuration. What must one do. There is already a very good guide on the internet titled "PocketBook II emulation..." which is linked below in the article. Highly recommended. Setting up a emulated Psion 3 takes a little bit of effort, but it's possible and is a good exploration of setting up a DOSBox configuration. I'm making the safe assumption that the fast majority of those reading this are using Windows systems, but DOSBox has been ported to Mac OS X and Linux as well, so this guide might work on those systems.  The first thing I did was created a folder called dosbox_psion3 (Folder naming is based on personal preference). Make the following new folders within dosbox_psion3; psion3, a, b, and m. With the f...
Read more

Classic Systems Emulated: OS/2 Version 2.0 On PCEM

Image
  The Arrival Of 32-Bit Power For The Masses The past couple of these PC articles have been very Windows-centric. This isn't a surprise as Windows 3.0 was a major release that made a very massive impact on the marketplace. Windows 3.1 sold 3 million copies in 6 weeks. 1992 was a very different time. Back then, it was possible to request a PC without an operating system. If one did want an OS, they could choose between OS/2, DOS, or the DOS+Windows combination. I've had not forgotten OS/2 in these articles. The 286 versions of OS/2 had already been covered in my articles about the IBM PS/2 family of computers. The messy IBM-Microsoft "divorce" had been covered in detail as well. To quickly recap: Microsoft didn't like the direction that IBM wanted to take OS/2. Microsoft envisioned OS/2 as being the "next-generation" OS, while IBM simply saw the OS as a tool to sell more hardware. OS/2 did terrible in the marketplace. The ...
Read more

Old Hardware Emulated - Windows Mobile 5.0

Image
Working title for this post was "But Mama, That's Where The Fun Is!". Appropriate as by the middle 2000's, Windows Mobile was where all the action was at. The sky was only getting brighter for Microsoft as Palm was slowly imploding on itself. With Microsoft's mobile offerings becoming more widespread by the day, the Redmond Giant followed up with the newest version of WM, version 5.0, on May 2005. On the surface, it appears that little changed. However, the biggest change were "under the hood" with the incorporation of the .NET Compact Framework, which is basically the mobile version of .NET. Also, WM 5.0 introduced newer power-saving capabilities which often improved the battery life of devices by as much as 50%. WM backed up everything to flash memory. WinMobile would use a combination of RAM and flash memory to preserve battery life. This wasn't noticeable by the user.  As such, their is no data loss if power is lost.  Windows Media Player was upd...
Read more

Old Hardware Emulated : Pocket PC 2000/2002

Image
  Windows CE On The PDA Pocket PC 2002 starting up. For the remainder of the 90's, Microsoft had a tough time gaining a foothold in the handheld market. Windows CE 2.0 was well received on the palmtop PC's. However, that market-share was small compared to there PDA counterpart that were rocking to the tune of PalmOS. The first incarnation of WinCE on the PDA seemed sparse compared to Palm. At this point, the PDA port of Windows CE was re-branded as Windows Mobile. Around this point, Microsoft's fortunes began to change. For the first time, the Palm platform had that "Oh Crap!" moment when Compaq released the iPAQ in April 2000. The PDA came with the new Windows Pocket PC 2000 operating system. This version of Windows CE was specifically geared towards PDA's in particular. The iPAQ line of PDA's became must own devices for those that wanted the latest and greatest. As how Compaq made IBM look silly in the 80's and 90's...
Read more

Old Hardware Emulated :Einstein emulating the Apple Newton (Part 3)

Image
  NewtonOS Android in Action! Einstein emulating the Newton Messagepad on a Amazon Fire HD7 tablet. Einstein Seriously, did you not expect me to run a OS designed for a classic handheld device on a modern tablet!? It's interesting running Einstein on a PC, but I want to try this platform out on a handheld that was similar in form-factor to the original device. Einstein had been ported to Android as well. It's not as recent as the current builds available for iOS, MacOS, and Ubuntu Linux, but it works well enough. Running the emulator means doing a few things before hand, like loading the Android package, ROM, and other needed files. The apk file that I downloaded was "einstein.05.01.2013.apk", which can be found at a archived version of the code.Google.com page (link posted below). You will also need a ROM file named "717006" that needs to be placed in the "/sdcard/Downloads/Einstein/" directory of your Androi...
Read more

Classic Games Emulated: Revisiting NFS High Stakes Modding

Image
  Modding On The Mind! As anyone who's read my NFS:HS article or watching my uploads on YouTube, one can tell that they're two things that I'm a fan of: NFS:HS and Virtualization. I like contained environments that allow me to run beloved games from the past on far more powerful configurations. It only seemed natural for me to embark on the journey of getting NFS:HS running under VMware Player. I had a original copy of the game on CD-ROM which was installed on my guest setup. The guest configuration had two cores allocated to it, 2GB's of RAM, and 3D acceleration via my Nvidia GTX 950. The guest OS running was Windows 7 32-bit. After installing HS, I copied the patch, and started to burn rubber. After that, I duplicated the game folder so I could have two installations: one stock and another one for mod. Within the NFS:HS folder, their are various directories. The "DATA/CARS" folder has both the racing and traffic cars. The first t...
Read more

OS/2 Warp 4

Image
(Any blogpost where I don't have to cover politics is a win in my books!) OS/2 Warp 4 was a very noble endeavor. It was IBM's statement to the world to demonstrate there commitment to the OS/2 operating system. However, when it arrived in 1996, OS/2 Warp 4 was dead on arrival. A lot had happened between the launch of Warp 3 and Warp 4, with the biggest of them being the arrival of Windows 95. Microsoft, making the most of their OEM connections, started to lock OS/2 out of the OEM markets prior to the launch of Windows 95. With threats of either not receiving the latest Windows or paying much higher license fees, many OEM's relented to Microsoft's pressure. Warp 3 struggled against Windows 3.1 along with the soon-to-be-tidal wave that would be Windows 95. Not only that, Microsoft had a vendetta against Big Blue for previous acts.  Lotus 123 For OS/2 Warp 4 Faced with accusations that Microsoft incorporated OS/2 source code into Windows 3.x which would have violated the j...
Read more