Zorba (computer)

The Zorba was a portable computer running the CP/M operating system manufactured in 1983 and 1984. It was originally manufactured by Telcon Industries of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida,[1] a company specialized in telecomunication equipment manufacturing.[2]

The Zorba was one of the last CP/M computers on the market. By the time it was introduced, the Kaypro and Osborne machines already dominated that market. The introduction of the Compaq Portable, compatible with the IBM PC and running MS-DOS, sealed the fate of the CP/M machines.[3]

History

The Zorba was one of the last 8-bit portable computers running the CP/M operating system. It had features very similar to the Kaypro II. The original sale price was $1,595.[4]

The rights for the Zorba was sold by Telcon for $5 million[5] to MODCOMP (Modular Computer Systems, Inc), a company which specialized in mini-computer manufacturing. Modular Micro Group was created specifically to market the Zorba.[6]

Modular Micro Group sold two different models. The Zorba 7 sold for $1,595. It had a 7" green CRT screen and 2 410K floppies. The Zorba 2000 sold for $2,000. It had a 9" green or yellow screen, 2 820K floppies, and an available 10 meg hard drive.[7]

Sales were very poor. Within a year, the Zorba computer stock was sold to Gemini Electronics,[8] a company which specialized in selling surplus stocks. The remaining inventory was sold at a price of about $799.[9]

In all, only about 6,000 Zorba computers were manufactured and sold.[10]

Available software

The Zorba computer came with several video emulations, including Heathkit 19/89, Zenith 19/89, and DEC VT52. This allowed them to run virtually any existing CP/M software.[11]

A "Perfect Software Package" was available for $190. This included the Perfect Writer word processor, the "Perfect Speller" spell checker, the "Perfect Filer" database manager, and the "Perfect Calc" program for spreadsheets.[12]

It could also run the MicroPro Software Package (WordStar, Mailmerge, SpellStar, CalcStar, and DataStar).[13]

Features

The Zorba had a detachable 95-key keyboard with 19 function keys and numeric keypad. It had a Z80A CPU, running at 4Mhz. It came with 64 KB or RAM and 4KB of ROM (expandable to 16 KB).[14]

The text-only screen had 80 charsacters x 25 lines.

It came with 2 serial ports, a parallel port, and a IEEE-488 port.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1984 Telcon Zorba Gemini - Early Vintage Portable Computer - Luggable Laptop CPM PC
  2. ↑ Zorba Equipment Preservation Society
  3. ↑ Telcon Zorba
  4. ↑ Zorba Equipment Preservation Society
  5. ↑ 1984 Telcon Zorba Gemini - Early Vintage Portable Computer - Luggable Laptop CPM PC
  6. ↑ Zorba Portable Computer History
  7. ↑ Zorba Portable Computer History
  8. ↑ 1984 Telcon Zorba Gemini - Early Vintage Portable Computer - Luggable Laptop CPM PC
  9. ↑ Zorba Portable Computer History
  10. ↑ Zorba Portable Computer History
  11. ↑ What is a Zorba portable computer?
  12. ↑ Zorba Portable Computer History
  13. ↑ Zorba Portable Computer Options
  14. ↑ Zorba Portable Computer Main Features

External links


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