Atari 65XEP
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| A standard Atari 65XE, the machine the 65XEP was based on | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Atari Corporation |
| Type | Portable home computer (announced, not released) |
| Released | Announced January 1985 (Winter CES); never released |
| Intro price | US$399 (announced) |
| CPU | 6502C (SALLY) |
| Memory | 64 KB RAM |
| Storage | Built-in 3.5-inch microfloppy drive |
| Display | Built-in 5-inch green-screen monitor |
| Sound | POKEY, four channels |
| Power | Rechargeable battery pack, about three hours per charge |
| OS / Firmware | — |
| Predecessor | Atari 65XE |
| Model no. | 65XEP (XE Portable) |
The Atari 65XEP (XE Portable) was a transportable version of the Atari 65XE, announced at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show in January 1985 and never released.
Compute! reported from the show that the 65XEP put all the 65XE's features into a suitcase-sized case whose detachable lid became the keyboard, with a 5-inch green-screen monitor, a 3.5-inch microfloppy drive and a rechargeable battery pack good for about three hours between charges, and that Atari would sell it for US$399. The magazine compared it with the Commodore SX-64, which had a colour screen, a 5.25-inch drive and no battery.[1] Leonard Tramiel told Compute! that Atari had found a supplier who could make 3.5-inch drive mechanisms more cheaply than 5.25-inch ones, and that the 65XEP kept the standard serial bus, so an owner could plug in a 5.25-inch drive and copy existing software to microfloppies.[1]
Creative Computing, writing before the show from briefings by Atari marketing manager Brian Kerr, described "a portable version of the XE currently labeled the XEP" with a built-in microfloppy drive and a 5-inch monochrome CRT with two character sizes, at "around $500".[2] The two reports differ on the price.
Apart from the display, drive, battery and case, the 65XEP was to be a 65XE; see Atari 65XE for the hardware.[1] It never entered production.
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Tom R. Halfhill, "The Next Generation: New Computers at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show", Compute! issue 59, April 1985, p. 25. Report from the January 1985 show: the 65XEP's case, screen, drive, battery, price and serial bus, and Leonard Tramiel's comments.
- ↑ Tim Onosko and John J. Anderson, "Atari strikes back", Creative Computing Vol. 11 No. 3 (March 1985), p. 59. Written before the show from briefings by Atari marketing manager Brian Kerr.