sdb@shark.UUCP (Steven Den Beste) (10/07/83)
I received a catalog in the mail from someone called "MARKLINE", which seems to be a mail-order company dealing in high-tek toys for adults (things like pocket TV's). They have a two-page spread on the Coleco ADAM system. It can either be bought stand-alone, or as an add-on option to a Coleco-vision. Cost from these guys is $675 for the former, $535 for the latter. There is extensive description of what you get, and photo's as well. The keyboard has cursor movement keys, a bank of six special-purpose keys, and six function keys. The "memory console" (CPU to you peasants) has 80K RAM (expandable to 144K with a memory option - price not given), and a 500K "digital data pack drive". About that, they say: "Operates at extremely high speed as a result of exclusive fast transfer circuitry (that is comparable to the speed of a 5 1/4" disk drive). ADAM is designed to be CP/M compatible, and the most popular CP/M programs will be made available on digital data packs." I think they are using something called a "stringy floppy", which is a closed-loop tape system. If so, their claim to being "as fast as floppy" is probably sufficiently true to satisfy the FTC - transfer rates are probably comparable. (Now SEEK TIME is another question!). "The Smart Writer Printer" - a bi-directional 10 CPS daisy printer, handling paper up to 9.5 inches, including fan-fold. Initially it uses pinch-rollers - "Optional tractor-feed mechanism will be available soon." Standard software: "ADAM comes with three pieces of Smart Software: The Smart Writer Word Processor program that's built in, A Smart Basic digital data pack, which is source code compatible with Applesoft Basic, and a super game pack, Buck Rogers Planet of Zoom..." Elsewhere in the ad it says: "In fact, ADAM incorporates four computers working in harmony with one another. Each component is microprocessor driven. As a result, while one component is working on one task,ADAM's other components are automatically taking care of others." All of a sudden that 80K of RAM shrinks a lot, doesn't it? I conjecture that the four processors are: display controller, CPU, disk manager, printer manager. Each of them has RAM - though how that is split up is conjecture. The memory further shrinks in BASIC, because BASIC lives in RAM, not ROM. One last quote: "Coleco plans for the future! Just as with the ColecoVision, ADAM was built with the future in mind. Not a system hat will be obsolete in a year, but rather a system that can be expanded on as new technology, new horizons are achieved. Just look at this list of items that will be available late 1983, early 1984 [i.e. Christmas 1984 - sdb] for your system! A smart telephone Modem, a CP/M-compatible disk drive, a 64K expansion module, and an electronic sketch pad." It then goes on to list future software. These guys will take your order by phone, in case anyone out there wants to take the chance: The orer number is: 1-800-225-8493/8490 COL2404 Expansion module (for those already owning a Coleco-vision) $535 COL2410 ADAM computer system (dosn't require Coleco-vision) $675 They accept American Express, Diner's club, Visa, Carte Blanche, and MasterCard. Let me know how it is if you get one! Steve Den Beste
bees@drux3.UUCP (Ray Davis) (10/08/83)
Question: If I buy the ADAM without having a ColecoVision game,
can I still play ColecoVision games on the ADAM? Does
the stand-alone ADAM come with joytick controllers, etc?
Or... should I but the ColecoVision game plus the ADAM
attachment, if I want both capabilities?
Thanks...
Ray Davis AT&T Information Systems Labs @ Denver (303)538-3991
{ihnp4|hogpc}!druxy!beestwt@uicsl.UUCP (10/10/83)
#R:shark:-1500:uicsl:7000025:000:918 uicsl!twt Oct 9 10:49:00 1983 Just a note of warning on mail-order catalogs of this nature: Don't believe everything you see or hear in these catalogs. Chances are that the photos and text for this one were actually done a few months ago, and may or may not reflect changes that Coleco may have made to the Adam. I have never had any contact or dealings with Markline, and do not mean to flame them, but it does take time for a catalog to be printed and distributed. Case in point: A local retailer here has been selling the ColecoVision ever since it was introduced, but their catalog still has pictures of the controllers that had a "speed roller" for use in games such as Centipede. This style controller was never (to my knowledge) released to the public or were any games written for it. The photo in question was probably a pre-release version out of a press kit. This may be the case with the Adam. Tom Todd pur-ee!uiucdcs!uicsl!twt
benw@pyuxn.UUCP (10/10/83)
As I have understood it from various micro magazines, ADAM will
definitely NOT be using a string floppy/wafer tape for data
storage. Although that was their original intention, they had
too many problems with it, and hastily switched to standard
cassettes (although, supposedly, at very high speed). Note that
these cassettes will NOT have all the capability of a disk (eg,
random access) and will not be a continuous loop.
As other articles in net.micro have pointed out, as well as
magazines, Coleco is having a lot of trouble with software
and may not get ADAM out the door by Christmas, as planned.
If they do, they may have do leave out several features that
will not be debugged at that time.
I agree with many of the reviewers who saw ADAM at CES: It
sounds great, but I'll believe it when I see it!
By the way, can anyone shed some light on the rumor that
Atari may shelve and/or delay the new 1450, and possibly
some of the other new 14XX series machines?
Think I'll keep my 800,
Ben Weber pyuxn!benwleimkuhl@uiuccsb.UUCP (10/14/83)
#R:shark:-1500:uiuccsb:4400018:000:1027
uiuccsb!leimkuhl Oct 13 12:15:00 1983
The Wall Street Journal reports that some of the largest computer dealers
(Markline, JC Penney, etc.) were informed by Coleco that the first Adams
will be shipped Monday (10/17). The company is still suggesting that
500,000 units will be shipped by Christmas, but it seems quite likely
that 400k is more reasonable (400k would still be phenomenal, as the
president of Commodore has stated that it took six months for his company
to gear up to 100K/month).
>From what I've heard (disregarding the statements made here about the
replacement of the continuous loop drive with cassette), the Coleco
looks like a very interesting package, as yet unopposed in its price range.
The real question is how long Coleco will be alone--they will need to sell
quite a few systems to make back their investment.
Also in the WSJ, Coleco is said to have delayed $4M in advertising for this
year, bringing the total down to around $16M-20M which is consistent with
the conjectured scaling back of production by 100K units.
Ben Leimkuhler