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SINCLAIR RESEARCH admits that it might have difficulty keeping to the 28-day period specified on its order forms because of incredible demand for the new QL. A spokesman for the company says:
"We have had something like 500 to 600 orders every day, so we are beginning to think about delivery problems and how to avoid them."
In the meantime, the launch of the Sinclair QL appears to have been timed to coincide with the fact that the contract for the BBC computer programme, Making the Most of your Micro, is due for renewal later this year. John Radcliffe, executive producer of the BBC programme, says:
"Several proposals are being discussed and the appearance of a new generation of Sinclair computers is certainly timely."
The QL will probably have a hard struggle to outweigh the advantage already gained by the Acorn BBC Model B. "We would obviously find it much easier to stay with the computer we already have," says John Harrison of BBC Enterprises, "but many developments have taken place in micro technology since we signed the original contract with Acorn almost three years ago, and certain changes would be needed if we were to renew the contract with Acorn."
A final decision on the winner of the new contract seems likely soon.
THE GOLDEN Joystick Awards, sponsored by Computer and Video Games, have been presented to computer companies which, in the opinion of its readers, produced the best arcade or strategy games in 1983. All the winning games were for the Spectrum.
The prizes were presented by disc jockey Dave Lee Travis, who is a games addict. Game of the Year was Jet-Pac and its manufacturer, Ultimate Play the Game, was also voted Software House of the Year. Ah Diddums, from Imagine, was the best original game of 1983. In the specific categories Manic Miner, formerly of Bug-Byte, was voted Arcade Game of the Year and The Hobbit became Best Strategy Game of the Year.
Some confusion marked the award of the prize for best arcade game. The author of Manic Miner is no longer with Bug-Byte and Software Projects, a new company, has taken over manufacture and sale of the product.
Eugene Lacy, assistant editor of Computer and Video Games, was pleased with the response from readers. He said that he hopes the Golden Joystick Awards will become an annual event.
A NEW SHOP described as the world's biggest computer store has been opened by Steiger at Stonebridge Park on the North Circular Road, London. Covering 100,000 sq. ft. the open-plan showroom will stock all the leading makes of business and home computers, as well as software and peripherals. Customers will also be able to obtain advice on specific applications and order programs tailored to their needs.
"The idea is to enable a customer to walk in and find a complete system for any particular purpose," says Steiger general manager John Patterson. Steiger plans to follow the new store with a network of 'mother shops' and 'satellite shops' all over the country. Four stores are scheduled to open this year in Berkshire and the greater London area.
COMPUTERS FOR ALL, independent distributor of computer products including software and hardware for Sinclair machines, has ceased trading and is likely to go into liquidation. The demise of the company happens at a bad time for wholesalers who have supplied goods to CFA and have received no payment in return.
One such company is Prism Microproducts, an associate of ECC Publications which publishes Sinclair User. Prism has delivered a large quantity of Spectrums and is owed what is believed to be a considerable amount.
Computers For All made a name for itself during the latter part of 1983 when it appeared as a major exhibitor at various large computer shows. At that time the company had more than 50 dealers throughout the country which used its name in their shops. Now many of those shops are short of computers and software.
Another group to suffer is the consumers who have had to return faulty merchandise. Customers are concerned that those computers will not be repaired and that the machines may not be returned.
A NEW tape magazine, from Qadan Software of Abu Dhabi, has produced a storm of protest from software companies in Britain and renewed fears of software piracy.
QCC is a magazine for the Spectrum. The difficulty is that it seems to contain games produced by British companies, including Jet-Pac, Arcadia and Astroblaster.
Imagine Software, manufacturer of the best-selling game Arcadia, has made it clear to British magazines featuring QCC advertisements it will cease all advertising with them if the Qadan advertisements continue. The company plans to prevent the tapes reaching Britain.
Another software house concerned about QCC is Quicksilva, as Astroblaster, another best-seller, is on the magazine contents list. Mark Eyles, a spokesman for the company, says: "We are looking at the situation closely, and are trying to obtain a copy of the magazine."
BY THE END of this year, one-and-a-half million households will be able to play professional Spectrum software transmitted on the existing cable television system, on computers hired for less than £10 a month.
Cable Interactive Services, a sub-division of British Telecom, has developed the system, Gamestar, and hopes to sign contracts with the various companies which already have licensed cable networks.
Subscribers will pay £9.95 per month for 12 months and for that they will receive a 48K Spectrum and a joystick, together with a black box which downloads the software from the television. Each month 20 games will be broadcast and the games will be changed at the rate of five a month, thus providing subscribers with 75 games a year.
"The games will cover the entire range of Spectrum software, from current chart-toppers to golden oldies," says Trevor Havelock of Cable Interactive Services. The games will be professional software from leading software houses and will be supplied by Micronet.
Copying of games by hackers will be made as difficult as possible.
In addition to the million-and-a-half households which already have cable television, another 900,000 are due to receive cable in 1985 through the 11 franchises licensed by the Government.
WH Smith has developed a similar games network for cable transmission but has opted for an American system which uses a custom-built terminal and joystick, the software for which is available only in the States.
Why was the Spectrum chosen for Gamestar? Havelock is unequivocal. "The Spectrum is far and away the most popular machine, with a software base second to none," he says.
The Sinclair Research computer centre in Willis Road, Cambridge, has won a major commendation from the Business and Industry panel for the Environmental Award 1984. Built at a cost of £750,000, the complex combines traditional design with major technical innovations. A restored L-shaped building houses the offices and research laboratories, while the glass-covered atrium provides a microprocessor-controlled solar energy system for heating and lighting the complex. An original well has been adapted to provide water at a constant 12 degrees Centigrade. |
THE SINCLAIR Microdrive should be on sale through retail outlets, including W H Smith, in the near future. The original mail order list was completed in early February and from then Sinclair moved to the subsidiary list which consisted of people who had asked to be put on the mail order queue when the Microdrive was in 'closed season'.
The take-up on the original list was approximately 30 percent, which was better than expected. The figure the company was hoping to reach was 10 percent.
Another surprise for Sinclair is the number of people who ordered an Interface One without Microdrives but, on average, each person who has ordered an Interface One has also bought one-and-a-half Microdrive cartridges.
Sinclair Research is hoping to complete orders on the subsidiary list quickly. A spokesman says: "The speed with which we can deal with them depends on how many place orders."
The good news for customers is that they can telephone Sinclair Research and order a Microdrive or Interface at any time. For some time, however, the orders will be dealt with by mail order only.
QUICKSILVA has produced a game for the 48K Spectrum based on a book by the best-selling children's author, Raymond Briggs. Called The Snowman, the game features a little boy trying to build a snowman in spite of gas flames which melt the snow he has collected and sleep monsters which send him back to bed.
"We had been thinking of doing a game based on The Snowman for some time," says Quicksilva director Mark Eyles.
Briggs, who has no computer, contributed only the broad outline of the story. "We agreed from the start that there was to be no violence in the game." Although he does not play the game, he approves of the final result and hopes the game may lead to further collaboration with Quicksilva.
"There has been talk of basing another game on my book, Fungus the Bogeyman, he says. "I think that might lend itself even better to being played than The Snowman does."
Quicksilva comments that any such product will depend on how successful The Snowman proves to be.
PANIC, an arcade-type game written by Nicholas Best of Bristol, won the prize for the best Spectrum program in the Sinclair User Christmas competition. He receives an East London Robotics Trickstick and a games cassette.
The winner in the 16K ZX-81 category was Peter Dziwior of Croydon. His entry was an extremely fast and professional program, Formula One. The winning 1K ZX-81 games was Sweetshop, an original simulation submitted by J Lowther of Lancashire. Both winners receive a DDC colour interface.
The listing for Sweetshop can be found in Program Printout.
THE Timex/Sinclair 2068 has been selling well in the States, despite reports that Timex has had difficulty with the new computer.
The machine, which includes a ROM cartridge port and an RS232 interface, has been described as an upgrade of the Spectrum and has a bigger and more manageable keyboard. Better graphics facilities include the option of an 80-column screen for word processing.
Unfortunately, because of contractual obligations with Sinclair Research, the computer cannot be sold in Europe. Neither does Sinclair expect to manufacture a computer like the 2068 in the U.K. A spokesman for the company says: "If we were to consider such a move we would produce a machine with our own technology."
Timex expects the 2068 to do even better in the summer when it releases a new range of peripherals. The machine already has a communications modem and printer.
THE MINISTRY of Defence, universities, hospitals and industry have discovered the potential of the ZX-81. With a little help from David Husband of Skywave Software, the ZX-81 has been adapted to multi-tasking by adding a ROM which changes the language from Basic to Forth.
The ZX-81 thus becomes a powerful industrial controller, capable of running more than 10 tasks simultaneously.
Working from his home at Poole, Husband has built a large turnover which he expects to exceed £1 million in 1984.
More than half his customers are companies and organisations and the medical profession has been specially interested.
The ZX-81 Forth ROM costs £25 plus VAT and is available from Skywave Software.
THE NEXT ZX Microfair is to be held at Alexandra Palace, London, on April 28. Promised as the star attraction is a working model of the new Sinclair QL computer.
Advance tickets for the April Microfair can be obtained from Mike Johnston, London. They cost £1 for adults, 50 pence for children. Price at the door, £1.25.
THE FULLER FDS keyboard for the Spectrum is now available and the backlog of orders was cleared by the end of February, claims Roy Backhouse, managing director of Fuller.
Fuller has installed a new production line and a telephone hot-line for customer queries.
More than 50 complaints were received at Sinclair User in December and January, concerned with overdue delivery and the lack of acknowledgement. Some customers were invoiced for a price increase and additional postage.
Fuller is apparently producing 1,000 keyboards a week, with a 21-day turn-round on orders.