kh (04/28/83)
Gee whillikers, I don't remember seeing so many new ads for micros in a day as I have seen today. First, in today's mail there was the new Radio Shack mailing with the TRS-80 Model 4 that we all knew was coming. For $1999, you get 64K (expandable to 128K), Z80A at 4MHz, two 184K 5 1/4" floppy disk drives, an RS-232-C port, 14K ROM with "new advanced Microsoft BASIC", sound capability, 80x24 video (with a 64x16 Model III mode), TRS-80 Model 100 tape utility, choice of TRSDOS 6.0, TRSDOS 1.3, LDOS or (!) CP/M Plus. Not too bad, eh? The memory is bank switchable or can be used as a "MemDisk". Also today came the new Newsweek with several interesting ads. There's a portable called the Hyperion that's "IBM software compatible". I guess they mean the IBM personal computer, not the 370. It comes with 256K of memory, but the ad doesn't say how much it costs. Anybody know more? There was also an ad for the HP series 100 model 16. It's a 68000 machine and Hewlett Packard is claiming that it's 5 times faster than the IBM-PC. Not too hard to believe. I won't even mention the ads for the DEC Rainbow or the ATARI 1200xl. But, speaking of Atari, a retail chain is selling 16K Atari 400's for $139 MINUS a $50 mfg. rebate. That's 89 dollars!!!! Are other places in the country this low? Is Atari still making them or are they dumping their remaining ones? Kenny Hirsch duke!unc!kh kh.unc@UDel-Relay Chapel Hill, N.C.