reyn@trsvax.UUCP (07/08/88)
I haven't heard that Tandy will be marketing the Grid laptops, but I have heard speculation that the Grid manufacturing and design resources will be used for future Tandy laptops (b.t.w. "speculation" is another term for rumor). The Grid line will benefit from the increased buying power and marketing resources of Tandy, which logically will reduce production costs. Grid is into extremely rugged, extremely reliable computers. This is why they insist on the magnesium alloy cases and gas plasma displays. It's quite easy to imagine the guts of a grid in a plastic case and with and LCD screen. It still wouldn't be cheap, but it would be a whole lot more reasonable. Rest assured, Tandy didn't buy Grid for grins. Tandy is very serious about aquiring and developing new technologies (such as the erasable optical disks announced earlier this year). Its really much too soon to tell, but the Grid aquisition is probably going to improve both Tandy's and Grid's computer lines. By the way, rarely if ever do I know what I'm talking about. These are simply rumors and speculations as to what might happen. I never know what Tandy is really going to do until I get the same press releases you read in the paper. John Reynolds Software Type Person Tandy Electronics R&D
jbudet@oakhill.UUCP (jim budet) (07/18/88)
I remember reading in PC Week that Tandy acquired Grid for their
sales force. Tandy hopes to use Grids experienced sales force to
help them acquire a better image to the business world and thus
gain a greater customer base. It's hard to imagine a typical
Tandy saleman (bozo) trying to convince a large corporation that
their computers are a better solution than IBM's or AT&T's etc.
The articles further state that Tandy has no plans to market
Grid computers in Tandy stores or vice versa.
Grids major customer base is the government market. Because of
their metal enclosures, Grid has the only TEMPEST rated portable
MS-DOS computer that I know of. Maybe Tandy would like to get
into the government/DOD market as well.
Jim Budet
Motorola Inc.
Austin, TX