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Albert (computer)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Albert is an Apple II clone released by Albert Computers, Inc., in 1983. Six models, comparable to the Apple IIe, were ultimately produced.
Description
Albert Computers, Inc. offered a "complete system"[1] for approximately the price of a basic Apple IIe. This included 64k of RAM (192k max), upper and lower case, 256 colors (as opposed to the Apple IIe’s 16 colors), enhanced graphics, Analog RGB support, serial and parallel ports, a graphics digitizer tablet, voice recognition, a software package (including word processor, spreadsheet, data manager, mailing list, word speller), 110/220v AC/DC power, and even an integrated battery backup (option).
The Albert had an unusual "two-piece design" which the company termed "stereo" styling.
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History
Albert Computers, Inc., based in Thousand Oaks, California, modeled its line of Apple clones on the Apple IIe and aimed at home and business consumers.
The company, which insisted that the Albert was not an Apple clone but an improvement, said, "It’s a next-generation computer with more than a dozen advanced hardware features and software capabilities."
The base model of the Albert was $1,595, while the base price of the Apple IIe was $1,395. The options that came standard with the Albert were over $3,000.
Albert's marketing featured an image of Albert Einstein and copy which read: "When you're ready to buy a personal computer, it's easy to see why Albert is smarter than Apple." However, Albert Computers, Inc. quickly ran afoul of Apple Computer, Inc., which sued for copyright infringement.
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Models
Specifications
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Video display
- Display modes
- 40-column text, 5x7 dot matrix
- 80-column text, 5x7 dot matrix, monitor (optional with 128 KB RAM expansion)
- Low-resolution color graphics
- High-resolution color graphics
- RGB and composite monitor outputs
- Text capacity
- 24 lines by 40 columns
- 24 lines by 80 columns (optional with 128 KB RAM expansion)
- Character set
- 96 printable ASCII characters, upper- and lowercase
- Character formatting
- Normal
- Inverse
- Flashing
- Low-resolution graphics
- 6 on-screen colors (from 256 selectable colors)
- 48 H × 48 V resolution[clarification needed]
- 48 H × 40 V with 4 lines of text
- High-resolution graphics
- 6 on-screen colors (from 256 selectable colors)
- Color-selectable text and background
- 280 × 192 px resolution (6 colors)
- 140 × 192 px resolution (16 colors)
Processing
- Accumulator (A)
- Index registers (X, Y)
- Stack pointers (P)
- Register size
- 8-bits
- 8-bits
- 16-bits
- Address range
- 65,536 (64K)
Memory
- Standard memory
- 64 KB of dynamic RAM
- Expandable on the motherboard to 192 KB
- Programmable storage
- 64 KB RAM
- Read-only memory
- 2 on-board ROM sockets
I/O
- Detached typewriter-style keyboard
- Microphone input
- 8-ohm speaker
- Output speaker jack
- Amplifier with volume control
- Video display output (composite color or programmable RGB)
- RS-232 serial port
- Parallel printer port
- Serial printer port
- RS-432/422 (links to Ethernet via network gateway connector)
- 5 expansion slots (fully buffered with interrupt and DMA priority structure)
- Hand control (gaming) I/O signals (16-pin DIP)
- Annunciator outputs: 4
- Strobe: 1
- Switch inputs: 3
- Analog inputs: 4
- Ground and +5 V
- Soft-switched
- Analog-to-digital converter inputs
- Analog inputs: 6 (8)
- Annunciator outputs: 4
- Switch inputs: 3
- Ground and +5 V
- Soft-switched
- Digital-to-analog converter outputs
- 8-bit digital/analog converter
- Real-time clock: month, day, hour, minutes, seconds
Power requirements
- Line
- 110 to 220 VAC ～, or 8 to 32 VDC
- Battery
- 12 VDC
- 1.2 ampere-hours
(All specifications standard except as indicated.)
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References
Further reading
External links
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