Tatung Einstein
The Tatung Einstein was a UK-designed
Japanese computer that launched in 1984. It has a built-in 3” disk drive (like
those found in Amstrad computers) and used a Z80 processor.
For its time it was pretty advanced, and it
found a small niche market with ZX Spectrum software developers who used the
machine to write and develop the code on, and then, using Sinclair Interface 1,
sent their code to the Spectrum for testing. This meant that they could store
to disk drive easily and not have to mess around with Sinclair Microdrives on
the like.
An add-on for the Einsten also meant that
it could emulate the Spectrum itself, so a large ranger of software was
available for the machine. Sadly, the price was against it. The Tatung was very
expensive and people were unwilling to pay the $750 it sold for no play ZX
Spectrum software, when they could have a ZX Spectrum for $187.5
It was an interesting machine and tis use
as a development machine may have saved it. Unfortunately, the new wave of
16-bit computers such as the ST and Amiga took over this role, and the Einstein
was abandoned.
Camputers Lynx
The Camputers Lynx was released in 1983 and
was a fully British designed and built computer. Not that this patriotic fact
helped it to sell in any significant numbers.
I personally remember the adverts for the
Lynx and thinking that it looked like a nice machine. It had a full keyboard
and it looked quite smart and compact. It also featured a very advanced Basic
programming language that enabled sophisticated graphics to be easily created.
Sadly, nobody bothered to write any
programs at all for the Lynx, and lack of software meant a complete lack of
buyers. While there was nothing really revolutionary about the Lynx, it was a
nice computer, and if you manage to find one for sale on eBay for less than a
few hundred pounded, then you’re doing well, such is their rarity.
Enterprise
Similar to the Lynx, the Enterprise was
released at a time when many, many 8-bit computers were being released, and it
suffered accordingly.
While inside it was a fairly standard 8-bit,
it was the outside that made the Enterprise stand out. The case design was
brilliant, with sweeping lines and a built-in joystick. It should have been
every gamer’s computer of choice.
Unfortunately, despite the built-in
joystick the manufacturer forgot to write any games for the computer, and
available programs could be counted on one hand. As with the Lynx, good
examples of this computer fetch silly money on eBay, as there just aren’t that
many of them around.
SAM Coupe
It wasn’t, however, a 16-bit machine, more
a souped up 8-bit one, and that was really its downfall.
In the mid to late 80s, we were all sick of
our ZX Spectrums. Manic Miner had passed and we were all awaiting the
16-bit computers with anticipation. What we needed was some sort of super-Spectrum.
Amstrad failed us on this score, releasing a Spectrum with a glued on tape/disk
drive; Mr.Sinclair himself failed us too, releasing the disappointing QL, which
had no software for it. Then along came Miles Gordon technology with the answer:
The SAM Coupe.
It looked a bit like a fatter Atari ST,
with a built-in 3.5” disk drive on one side. A full proper keyboard also added
to its high-quality look. Unlike the ZX Spectrum, it had many different
graphics modes, and high-quality sound built in.
It wasn’t, however, a 16-bit machine, more
a souped up 8-bit one, and that was really its downfall. Its arrival in 1989
was just that bit too late. The Amiga and the ST had come in 1986 and 1985
respectively and they really were a new generation of computers, wheras the SAM
Coupe was still living in the past. It could however play ZX Spectrum games via
a built-in emulator (although not all of them; tape loading speeds apparently
caused it problems).
It wasn’t that it was a bad computer, but
it arrived late on the scene. Had it come in 1986, then it may well have been a
huge hit, and a logical upgrade for Spectrum users looking for new challengers.
By the time of its release, nobody wanted it, and is was a commercial flop. It
did, however, have an excellent new version of Manic Miner, which was
almost worth the asking price alone.
It’s regular item on eBay, and if you time
your bids well, you can get a fairly shabby one for about $150. A boxed version
in mint condition, though, will set you back five times that.
