forde@EGLIN-VAX.ARPA ("MAJ ERIC S. FORD") (11/02/87)
Has anyone out there in APPLE-LAND actually bought one of these new ZIP chips? I recently wrote to the company asking for a demo chip for the local Apple Club (with a promise to buy or return) and after waiting for 8 weeks I still have not received so much as a drop dead reply. I would have expected at least a polite turn-down. This makes me very leery of ordering one for myself lest their response be equally bad when my money is on the line. Eric S. Ford ------
mkao@pnet01.cts.COM (Mike Kao) (11/03/87)
I purchased two ZIP Chips at AppleFest over 2 months ago. At the show, they'd
warned me that it'd be about 4-6 weeks, since they were HEAVILY backordered.
Well, about a week ago, I got a letter saying that it will be yet ANOTHER 4-6
weeks. That really ticked me off, but I guess the demand is really great. Of
course, I can get a money refund anytime, but there's no way I'd do that,
since I purchased them at the special show price of $99 each. Besides, they do
have a life-time warranty AND a 30-day money-back guarantee. Can't lose!
To insure my reception of any replies, please respond via e-mail. Thanks!
-- Mike Kao
UUCP: {cbosgd, hplabs!hp-sdd, sdcsvax, nosc}!crash!pnet01!mkao
ARPA: crash!pnet01!mkao@nosc.mil
INET: mkao@pnet01.CTS.COMkamath@reed.UUCP (Sean Kamath) (11/05/87)
I am about to post my AppleFest tome, in two parts, but here is a quick
rundown on the zip chip.
It is almost exactly like the speed demon. This is because it was
designed by the same people.
The chip has onchip caching, which is better than a ton-o-fast RAM (I
feel) because it's cheaper. I cannot remember exactly how much it
cache's but it's enough. They experimented with different sizes, and
the performance increase with (how much? 64K or something huge) was
only 10-20% and really not worth the price at all.
It is a 4 MHz 65C02 with an internal clock and it's asunchronous, so it
works in a ][+ as well as a //e (they say). You can devide the clock to
anything you want (I assume a 2 byte devisor, thus 65535 different
speeds, but most people will use faast or slow. . .).
The chip is programmable, comes with a disk that configures it, startup
programs for DOS 3.3 as well as ProDos that sets the chip automatically
to a preset configuration, and two memory and MMU test programs. It
also has the instructions on disk.
The chip can be configured much the same as most cards, with additions.
For a more detailed discription, read my mondo big opinion sheet. . .
Coming NEXT!!!!!!! (next from me, that is! It's DONE!)
Sean kamath
--
UUCP: {decvax allegra ucbcad ucbvax hplabs ihnp4}!tektronix!reed!kamath
CSNET: reed!kamath@Tektronix.CSNET || BITNET: reed!kamath@Berkeley.BITNET
ARPA: tektronix!reed!kamath@Berkeley <or> reed!kamath@hplabs
US Snail: 3934 SE Boise, Portland, OR 97202 (I hate 4 line .sigs!)mw22+@ANDREW.CMU.EDU (Michael Alan Wertheim) (11/07/87)
I bought one two months ago. Last week I got a letter from them saying that they are completely up to their ears with orders, and that I am on the waiting list to get mine. (I also got back my canceled check.) From what I've read, the Zip Chip does work. I'd really like to see mine work some time, though.
CS656@OUACCVMB.BITNET (11/21/87)
The ZIPCHIP really sounds great. However, has anyone out there ever actually seen or know of anyone who has seen one? They seem to have a perpetual "back order" date of six weeks. This is not an academic question. If they really are delivering I would be willing to send my money and wait in line a few months but I'd rather not wait around for one more vaporware product to come into being. I know, I know, they had demo's at Applefest, but if you ask someone who was there if they actually saw the chip you may be surprised.
dang@pnet01.cts.COM (Dan Gookin) (11/23/87)
I was at Applefest and saw the ZIP chip demo booth. I asked the boz, uh, guy there to show me the actual chip.... Damn. It was in a //c and he just couldn't open it up. This meant that switching the 65C02 from the IIe to the //c just to prove that it was really the chip going so fast was impossible. I told him I doubted the "drop in" compatibility unless he could show me. He told me to doubt away. I did and still do.
lwv@n8emr.UUCP (11/23/87)
You can take this one with as many grains of salt as you wish :-)) Pete MacDonald from Apple Technical Support claims to have seen the Zip Chip in operation, claims that it is a real product which is on its way, and refuses to say much more about it. -- Larry W. Virden 75046,606 (CIS) 674 Falls Place, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068 (614) 864-8817 cbosgd!n8emr!lwv HAM/SWL BBS (HBBS) 614-457-4227.. 300/1200 bps We haven't inherited the world from our parents, but borrowed it from our children.
mkao@pnet01.cts.COM (Mike Kao) (11/24/87)
I have 2 Zip Chips on order, but have not received them yet. I called up Zip
Technologies, and they said that they would start delivering around
Thanksgiving. I will be PISSED (pardon me) if I don't get them soon. I've been
waiting since AppleFest. As to anyone seeing the actual chip, it seems that no
one has actually seen it. I requested to see it, but according to their reps,
"the //c (which had the Zip Chip) was too hard to dismantle."
To insure my reception of any replies, please respond via e-mail. Thanks!
-- Mike Kao
UUCP: {cbosgd, hplabs!hp-sdd, sdcsvax, nosc}!crash!pnet01!mkao
ARPA: crash!pnet01!mkao@nosc.mil
INET: mkao@pnet01.CTS.COMdale@pro-colony.UUCP (System Operator) (11/30/87)
As to the comments from the Zip Chip people that it was too hard to dismantle
a //c to show people their chip. I installed a couple of Z-Rams while at the
show. It took all of about 3-4 minutes a piece to open the case, install a
Z-Ram, and close it back up again. All I can say, is that it sounds like a
neat product....IF it exsits. As someone posted on a BBS I call occasionally,
"Anybody with a little bit of money can run an ad in a magazine" and just
think how much money has been generated by those ads. Too bad people still
don't believe that AE has the PC Transporter card, yet it was at AppleFest and
working.
p.s. If anybody has questions on the PC Transporter, feel free to send me
e-mail. I just got one last week to run on my //e. And to answer a question
that was posted a short time ago as to where the 3x figure came from...that
figure came from the Norton Utilities (I believe the program is called 'SI')
UUCP: [ ihnp4 sdcsvax nosc ] !crash!pnet01!pro-sol!pro-colony!dale
ARPA: crash!pnet01!pro-sol!pro-colony!dale@nosc.mil
proline: [ pro-carolina pro-exchange pro-lumen ] --> dale@pro-colony
[ pro-party pro-simasd pro-sol ] --> dale@pro-colony
pro-colony :-> 1 214 370-7056 - 300/1200 - 24 hrsbsherman@pro-exchange.cts.COM (Bob Sherman) (12/27/87)
Backlog??? Bahumbug! Even the promised "beta test" versions promised to major developers last July when the Zip folks conned them out of products to be sure they were compatable with the chip have not been delivered as of Dec. 20.. So if they do not yet have working test versions, how can you expect to have a working version?? One last straw for thought. If no one has yet been able to say they have seen this item, where oh where are all the chips causing the backlog being shipped? Washington Apple Pi reported in a recent issue, that a member went to the address of the company and found a one person office. Hmmmmmmmmm! I wonder how long it will be before someone gets the smarts enough to report tjem to the postal inspectors for suspected mail fraud? Only then will you find out if they are really legit. UUCP: [ ihnp4 cbosgd nosc ] !crash!pnet01!pro-lumen!pro-exchange!bsherman ARPA: crash!pnet01!pro-lumen!pro-exchange!bsherman@nosc INET: pro-exchange!bsherman@pro-lumen.cts.com
CS656@OUACCVMB.BITNET (02/14/88)
Michael Alan Wertheim writes >My new motto in mail-order is "Don't order a product unless you have seen >either a good review of it, a mediocre review of it, or a bad review of it." I'm afraid that even that won't work. I have read at least two reveiws of Springboard Publisher. Neither review mentioned that the product was vaporware . As to Springboard themselves they now say that they hope to have a product by March. In all fairness though, I must say that the Springboard people have been very quick to admit that they are still Vaporware all along, at least when talking to them over the phone. By the way, speaking of Desktop Publishers , Timeworks PUBLISH-IT! is reality and is downright revolutionary in it's capabilities. I am using it on an enhanced //C and am extremely impressed. (and I am in no way affiliated with them) And no, I don't work for them or even know them. Give it a try.
les@uokmax.UUCP (J Les Perkins) (03/18/88)
Has anyone received their ZIP CHIP yet? Everybody was talking like they were going to arrive in a few days and now nothing has been said. Les Perkins
mw22+@andrew.cmu.edu (Michael Alan Wertheim) (03/23/88)
No dice. (No Zip Chip either.) Michael Wertheim Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA Arpa: mw22@andrew.cmu.edu Bitnet: mw22%andrew@cmccvb
forde@EGLIN-VAX.ARPA ("MAJ ERIC S. FORD") (04/07/88)
OK you eternal optimists, it was mentioned at my last AppleClub meeting (4 Apr) that ZIP Tech. is now sending out mailer advertisements that include rave reviews from several (?) satisfied customers. Since many of the folks who have discussed this (scam) product mentioned ordering it at its unveiling at the AppleFest, I would assume they would have been among the first to receive theirs. Well......? Has anyone out there in this netland actually laid hands on a ZIP chip or is this just another layer in the vapor? Eric S. Ford ------
mdavis@pro-sol.cts.COM (Morgan Davis) (04/18/88)
Zip Tech has seeded certain reviewers with Zip Chips. Michael Fischer has one and will probably do a review for A+ in the near future. So they do exist, and I'm told they'll speed up your Apple on the average of 3x over a normal Apple. Disk I/O speeds up by about 5-10%. More details as I get them. --Morgan Davis UUCP: crash!pnet01!pro-sol!mdavis ARPA: crash!pnet01!pro-sol!mdavis@nosc.mil INET: mdavis@pro-sol.cts.com
AELevy@DOCKMASTER.ARPA (05/25/88)
The ZIP people kindly put a zip chip in the Washington Apple Pi IIc at applefest. Initial tests show yes, it runs faster than the gs - but if you do a lot of scrolling the iic is slower than the gs. I promised zip if they gave WAP a zip chip I would report it on the net. The zip chip lives. Regards, Allan
CS656@OUACCVMB.BITNET (07/12/88)
I would like to hear from anyone else using a ZipChip. I'm getting some *strange* errors these days. I don't want to blame the chip, Zip Tech's got enough problems, but it seems like a strange coincidence. Kermit has taken to crashing quite often and even Copy//+ started acted strange. I had part of a file that I'd copied into /RAM displayed on the screen rather than the Copy //+ menu. Then it refused to QUIT, leaving me with no option but to reboot. Bob Church CS656@OUACCVMB
jasonl@pro-newfrontier.UUCP (Jason Lindquist) (12/31/88)
Hey out there! Does anyone know the price of a Zip Chip and where I can contact the manufacturer? +------------------------------------------+---------------------------------+ | Jason A. Lindquist | "Just like your father.... | | UUCP: crash!pro-newfrontier!jasonl | so human." | | ARPA: crash!pro-newfrontier!jason@ | | | nosc.mil | "Well, Admiral, it looks like | | INET: jasonl@pronewfrontier.cts.com | i've got all his marbles." | | Proline: jasonl@pro-newfrontier | | +------------------------------------------+---------------------------------+ | I liked my long, 17-line .sig better, but our esteemed Mr. Davis didn't | | like real long ones. I will consider this action I'm taking, and by Jan. | | 2, I might restore the old one. Comments will be appreciated | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ HAHAHAHAHAHA! Whaddaya know? A longer .sig than msg.! hahahahah!
gord@geac.UUCP (Gord Armstrong) (01/09/89)
Having a lowly Apple //+, I've been thinking of purchasing the "Zip Chip" to add some speed. Has anyone encountered any nasty experiences? Thanks...Gord
sjklafke@csd4.milw.wisc.edu (Scott James Klafke) (05/24/89)
I am the happy owner of a ZipChip, but I need some utility programs for it. I recieved the entire package, and upon reading the on-disk documentation, I realized that I was missing some of the utilities on the disk. The call to Zip Technologies told me that those programs would not fit on the 5.25" that came with the chip. They said that those programs may have been uploaded to GEnie (which I found out from a friend they haven't) or to AppleLink PE. Since I do not belong to either of these groups, I am in need for someone to see if the Binary II file named 'ZIP.TOOLS.BNY' can be found anywhere on AppleLink. If you do find them, would it be possible for you to put it on comp.binary.apple, since I am sure there are others out there who would appreciate them, or mail it too me here. I hope to be thanking someone in advance! -- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = sjklafke@csd4.milw.wisc.edu - - Disclaimer : This isn't me, so there! = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
sjklafke@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Scott James Klafke) (10/31/89)
Well,
I called Zip Tech. today because I am just getting so fed up about waiting
for the Zip Chip (since August 11th). The lady on the phone was very pleasant,
if not jovial, and said that they were sending out letters to all the people
who have been waiting for their Zip Chips that say if they don't get the chips
to the people waiting before the end of November, they are entitled to a full
refund.
If Zip fails to return the chips by November, I feel they are going out
of business. Does anyone have any info on ordering the Rocket Chip?
--
[_ Scott James Klafke \ Got any water? _]
_] 372 E. Bay St. / Yeah, we keep it in the kitchen faucet, [_
[_ Bay View, WI 53207-1236 \ it saves space that way. _]
] (414) 744-9058 / sjklafke@csd4.csd.uwm.edu [ericmcg@pro-generic.cts.COM (Eric Mcgillicuddy) (11/21/89)
In-Reply-To: message from gtolar@pro-europa.cts.com Actually, the zip chip does every thing claimed in the ad and then some. It works 3-4 times faster than an off-the-shelf //, is comaptible with all software and hardware (although the speed may need to be adjusted), and it is simple to install. The real speed is better than XT unless the prog is disk or FP intensive. The 8MHz is as fast as an AT, with the same provisos. The big problem seems to be reliability. Many people have had problems, myself included, some have had no problem. Zip has promised all replacements will be received by christmas eve (I guess Santa'a bringing 'em), Some will be 8MHz if you asked for your replacement to be upgraded as I did. my opinions are absolutely orthogonal to my employer's.