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A trip down (technology) memory lane

BigMike

BrokenbikeMike
Jul 29, 2003
8,931
0
Montgomery county MD
Since everyone here looooves Engadget so much, I figured I'd link to it again! ;)

Just found this, it's pretty funny. The best of the best of technology......from 1985.


Some of my favorites:

Mobira just introduced its latest ultraportable cellphone, the Talkman (positively no relation to the Walkman, so don't sue, ok, Sony?); clocking in at a mere 11 pounds

So after years of delays in finishing this damned thing, we've finally got their big new program, Windows 1.0! It actually lets you run more than one DOS application at a time, and even has a shell they call MS-DOS Executive, and a terminal, cardfile, and calculator program. We don't really know how they think they can take on the Macintosh user interface, though, so don't be surprised if the little Arizona startup that could, well, can't.

The new Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) isn't top-loading anymore, but features a totally crazy spring-loaded insertion mechanism (you'll have to try it to believe it) and even non hardwired controllers.


We've wanted a boombox with a turntable ever since we caught sight of the gold-tone Marantz PMS 6000 a couple of years ago. But it looks like we'll just have to settle for Panasonic's SG-J500. Powered by 4 D's (aren't they all?), this is the rock box for us - after all, if we're going to blast the latest from Run-DMC, do we really want to have to copy it to a cassette first?


The Tandy 600 sports a flip-up 80x16 LCD, built-in 300 baud modem, parallel port, reset button, display control, floppy disk expansion port and an RS-232 serial port. Its onboard 32K RAM 160K ROM is maybe a bit cramped, but you can add up to two additional 96K RAM modules for plenty of leg room to stretch out <...>At least it's not too unreasonably priced at $1599 to $2528.85 depending on configuration.


I love this stuff! I guess that makes me a nerd, eh?
 

Austin Bike

Turbo Monkey
Jan 26, 2003
1,558
0
Duh, Austin
I have been in tech for more than 15 years. The first computer I sold professionally was a 286. One of the first jobs that I had at Compaq was to kill off the 386 product line.

My how times have changed. Now I am pimping quad core processors with hundreds of millions of transistors.

The coolest part is now I have a bunch of computers at home, dual and quad core, and all the procs I can eat.

Life is good.
 

BigMike

BrokenbikeMike
Jul 29, 2003
8,931
0
Montgomery county MD
I have been in tech for more than 15 years. The first computer I sold professionally was a 286. One of the first jobs that I had at Compaq was to kill off the 386 product line.

My how times have changed. Now I am pimping quad core processors with hundreds of millions of transistors.

The coolest part is now I have a bunch of computers at home, dual and quad core, and all the procs I can eat.

Life is good.
no love for the 8088?
 

Arkayne

I come bearing GIFs
May 10, 2005
3,738
15
SoCal
Don't forget to push the TURBO button on your 286 case. Mine went from 8MHz to a whopping 12MHz!

 

JustMtnB44

Monkey
Sep 13, 2006
840
113
Pittsburgh, PA
I was cleaning out the basement this weekend and found a box of software packages. Dug out a pile of 5.25" Floppy disks with some old games on them (Tetris, Wheel of Fortune, Number Munchers). I've never owned a computer that even had a 5.25" floppy drive, and I think the last time I used those disks I was in middle school.
 

Red Rabbit

Picky Pooper
Jan 27, 2007
2,715
0
Colorado
I love my laptop Athlon 64 dual core with 2 gigs of ram and 256mb ati 1275. Blows most desktop computers from three years ago out of the water.

My first computer was a mac plus. I loved that thing.
 

Wumpus

makes avatars better
Dec 25, 2003
8,161
153
Six Shooter Junction
My first computer was a mac plus. I loved that thing.


My first computer was a TI-99/4A with cassette tape backup.




Released: June 1981
Price: US$525 (without monitor)
How many: 2.8 Million

CPU: TI TMS9900, 3MHz

Memory: 16K RAM, 26K ROM

Display: Video via an RF modulator
32 characters by 24 lines text
192 X 256, 16 color graphics

Ports: ROM cartridge (on front)
Data storage cassette
Audio/Video output
Joystick input
CPU bus expansion

Peripherals: Speech Synthesizer
Peripheral Expansion Box
Data storage cassette
300 baud modem

OS: ROM BASIC
 

Prettym1k3

Turbo Monkey
Aug 21, 2006
2,864
0
In your pants
Haha... Nice:

So while we're just making crap up, how's about the Flatpanel Computer mockup, by crackpot "unconventional" designer Jim Leftwich. One little doozy of a pipe dream the computer actually has a flat screen. Whatever, Jim, it'll happen one day, we so believe you.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,941
13,135
Portland, OR
C-64!



Introduced: January 1982
Released: September 1982
How many: ~17 million
Price: US $595.
CPU: MOS 6510, 1MHz
Sound: SID 6581, 3 channels of sound
RAM: 64K
Display: 25 X 40 text
320 X 200, 16 colors max
Ports: TV, RGB & composite video
2 joysticks, cartridge port
serial peripheral port
Peripherals: cassette recorder
printer, modem
external 170K floppy drive
OS: ROM BASIC
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,941
13,135
Portland, OR
I went from a C-64 to an 8086 and it sucked. I didn't get another computer until I started at Intel in '93 and got my P90. That thing was FAST!
 

BigMike

BrokenbikeMike
Jul 29, 2003
8,931
0
Montgomery county MD
I grew up in the cool house. Not only did we have an Apple IIgs, we had a 286 with windows 3.1, AND a dot matrix printer!

Does anyone else remember the gorilla game in Dosshell?