Retro Thing

My 23 Year Old Tablet Computer

What with all the talk about Apple's forthcoming iPad, I decided to dig through the closet for my old Cambridge Z88. Introduced in 1987, this lightweight tablet was a serious attempt to revolutionize portable computing. 

True, it didn't have a touchscreen or wireless connectivity. However, it managed to cram a silent rubber keyboard and 640 x 64 monochrome LCD panel into a tiny frame perfectly sized for airplane or boardroom use. It also shipped with a decent set of productivity tools that made it a genuinely useful portable computer.

Almost 23 years after it rolled off the assembly line, mine functions perfectly. It's still quite useful as a dedicated word processor, actually. The Z88 runs for about 20 hours on 4 x AA batteries, which is quite impressive even by today's standards. This one has a 128 K RAM pack and a 1 MB EEPROM pack for non-volatile program storage (which would have been absolutely enormous back then). Someone was nice enough to port Lemmings, too, so I can sneak in a quick game while waiting for inspiration to strike.

One thing the Z88 has that's missing from devices like the iPad is a decent built-in programming language. It offers a capable BASIC interpreter that can prove quite handy for solving financial or engineering problems in a hurry. All in all, it's a neat little package for DIY tinkerers that was years ahead of its time. I can only imagine what designer Clive Sinclair would have done with today's LED backlit screens and extreme miniaturization.

While this little machine eventually lost its battle against an onslaught of boring beige MS-DOS laptops, you can still buy new old stock Z88 computers and accessories from Rakewell Limited in the UK. Prices start at £80.

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I suddenly feel very small.

Is This The Ultimate Commodore 64 Mod?

The C-64 occupies a unique position in the 8-bit music world, thanks to its amazing little SID synthesizer chip. The RX-64R is a rather impressive C-64 that's been modded to include a 7" LCD screen, dual port switchable joystick, 4 analog controllers for synth applications, a custom control panel a SID2SID dual SID-chip mod and more. The case is modeled after a Moog monosynth, with wooden end caps and lots of metal.

After two years of development, the project still has a sizable to-do list. Luckily, this is one project that won't be out of date anytime soon -- it's already 20 years behind the times.

RX-64R Monosynth style WIP – The ultimate modded 64 [via Matrixsynth]

8 Bit Weapon Chiptune Sound Library

Seth & Michelle from 8 Bit Weapon just let us know about their brilliant loop and music sample library entitled 8 Bit Weapon: A Chiptune Odyssey.

The $39.95 collection includes sound and music from the Apple II, Commodore 64, Nintendo NES & Gameboy and the Atari 2600. Each system library has everything from drums, bass and synth to special effects. It's compatible with popular music production programs including ACID, Ableton Live, Cubase and Garage Band.

8 Bit Weapon: A Chiptune Odyssey is distributed by Sony Creative Software (congrats, guys!)

Commemorating The 75th Anniversary Of The B-17 Flying Fortress

The 75th anniversary of the first Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress flight takes place during the Experimental Aircraft Association's massive AirVenture fly-in in Oshkosh, Wisconsin this July. Over 12,700 of these fearsome machines were manufactured, but there are only 15 remaining airworthy examples worldwide. The EAA operates one, dubbed Aluminum Overcast, which was sold as surplus for $750 in the mid-1940s.

To commemorate the event, the EAA has scheduled a series of flyovers and ground events on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 -- 75 years to the day after the initial test flight. It's anticipated that at least four flying B-17s will participate. 

The EAA says, "The B-17 went from its design as the Model 299 prototype to flight testing in less than 12 months. The B-17 was a low-wing monoplane that combined aerodynamic features of the XB-15 bomber and the Model 247 transport. The B-17 was the first Boeing military aircraft with a flight deck instead of an open cockpit, and was armed with bombs and five .30-caliber machine guns mounted in clear 'blisters.'

The first B-17s saw combat in 1941, when the British Royal Air Force took delivery of several B-17s for high-altitude missions. The B-17E, the first mass-produced model Flying Fortress, carried nine machine guns and a 4,000-pound bomb load. It was several tons heavier than the prototypes and bristled with armament. It was the first Boeing airplane with the distinctive tail for improved control and stability during high-altitude bombing. Each subsequent version was more heavily armed."

B-17 ‘Flying Fortress' 75th Anniversary [EAA]

Retro Thing Pixel T-Shirts Are Back

A surprising number of you asked us to reprint our limited edition 8-bit Invasion t-shirt. So we did. There are less than 50 remaining, available in any color you wish... as long as it's black.

8-bit Invasion pays tribute to the evil aliens that made video games so addictive during the early years.   Screen printed on a 6.1 oz Ultra Cotton tee in the United States. $16.95. Don't see an 'add to cart' button? Click here.

Size: Adult Medium Adult Large Adult XL Adult 2XL

New Europa Hardware MIDI Sequencer

While modern computer-based music sequencers offer unbeatable value for my hard earned money, I sometimes miss the days when a dedicated rack of gear was needed to make "real" music. Perhaps that's why the Analogue Solutions Europa MIDI sequencer makes me somewhat misty-eyed.

It's a gorgeous looking steel-cased device that uses Roland TR-808 drum machine style programming to build sequences. In addition to "modern" MIDI IN/OUT/THRU jacks, it will includes 7 analog trigger outputs to drive any finicky old analog synths you might have lying around. But – most importantly – it looks really, really cool. More details will be available after the £499 box is released sometime in early 2010.

Europa Hardware MIDI Sequencer