Tiger LC info (was Re: New Apple //e????)

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

LKrupp writes ...
> 
> Last night I saw an ad on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. It went by
> pretty quick but my ear caught somehting that sounded quite incredible.
> The ad was for a new computer for under $200.00. I think it was called the
> "Tiger Learning Computer" The ad mentioned "Apple //e technology" and
> there was an Apple logo at the end, not the colored Apple we're all
> familiar with but it WAS the logo. The computer is apparently aimed at
> young children, can be connected to any T.V., and internet acces was
> mentioned.
> 
> As I said, the ad went by quickly and I was only half paying attention
> until I heard the "Apple //e technology" part. That REALLY perked my ears
> up.
> 
> What is this animal and who is making it?
> 

     The following may help ...


     Tiger LC comes in an attractive flat-charcoal case with a footprint 
about equal to a standard sheet of paper (roughly 11.4" wide x 8.2" deep).  
Height, including the fold-up cover is around 2"; so, it's a bit thinner 
than the IIc. The fold-up cover, which is detachable, is about .75" thick 
and has compartments for storing six plug-in ROM or RAM cartridges.

     The Tiger LC keyboard occupies, roughly, the upper 2-3rds of the case. 
(The lower 3rd is blank except for a small slotted opening for the speaker 
and a black & white "Apple Technology" sticker.)  The KB features flat, 
short-throw light-grey keys. 

     Layout is similar to the IIe and later Apple II's with a few notable 
exceptions. Tiger has an extra (top) row of Function keys (F1-F11).  The 
Open-Apple and Closed-Apple (with outline and solid Apple symbols) are on 
either side of the Space bar and, besides the symbols, are labeled "Player 
1" and "Player 2". The four arrow keys are in an inverted "T" formation at 
the lower right. There is no separate numeric keypad.

     All switches, jacks, ... are on the back. These include

ON/OFF switch
round mini-socket- for Mouse  (not IIgs-mouse compatible)
9-pin female- joystick socket
9-pin male- serial I/O
25-pin female- parallel I/O for printer
RCA- composite video out
RCA- sound out
headphone sound output jack
power supply jack.


     The Tiger package includes the computer, a power supply module, a 
two-button mouse, dual video/sound (yellow/white) RCA-type cable, a 20-page 
Instruction Manual, and six cartridges with info sheets. (This is what came 
in 'the box' as it might be pulled from a shelf in a store.)

     Tiger cartridges are very compact. Each measures 2" x 2" x about .25". 
The plug, covered by a sliding cover, adds an extra quarter inch or so to 
one edge. Some cartridges have a small slide switch to allow selecting one 
of two products available on the cartridge. Each cartridge has a colorful 
label which includes official product logos, etc..

     The six cartridges packaged with the computer are, chiefly, educational 
titles. Four are from MECC and two each are from Scholastic and the 
StickyBear series. These are on four dual-title cartridges.

     One, non-switchable, cartridge has Appleworks 4.3 from SQC.

     The remaining cartridge is a 256-block RAM disk complete with 
mini-battery to assure data retention. (The battery is supposed to last a 
year or so; it can be replaced.)  A RAM disk can be formatted for ProDOS or 
DOS 3.3.

     You can plug in up to two cartridges at once: one into a compartment on 
the Right side of the computer and one into a compartment on the Left. 
Cartridges go all the way in-- i.e. they do not stick out.

     Tiger cartridges are treated as ROM disks or RAM disks. The Right 
cartridge is a disk at Slot 6, Drive 1. The Left cartridge is a disk at Slot 
6, Drive 2. The size of a ROM disk varies depending upon material. 
Evidently, ROM and RAM disks can be pretty large; the single Appleworks 4.3 
"disk" is 936 blocks in size.


     Tiger is designed to connect to a standard composite video monitor, a 
TV with monitor input, or to a VCR's video input. If the monitor, VCR, etc. 
has a Sound input, Tiger's Sound cable can be plugged in to get better 
quality sound.

     When Tiger is switched ON you hear a BEEP and get a brief glance of an 
Apple IIe ProDOS boot screen. This is quickly replaced by a hires logo + 
music which is followed by display of a hires desktop and a voice saying 
"Hello; please choose an activity". (By the way, the disk which is booted 
upon power-up is an internal ProDOS ROM disk named "LTWIN".)

     From the desktop, your main choices are to Run a program from any 
plugged-in disks-- you can, also, view disk contents and copy files to a RAM 
disk--  Printer, Com, BASIC, and Help. Selections are made via the mouse.

     Com lets you set the Com port's speed (19200 baud is max) as well as 
parity/stop bits/etc.. BASIC allows programming in Applesoft. 

     Based upon timings of a FOR-NEXT loop, Tiger's 65C02 runs at 1MHz. 
(Main osc. frequency is around 28MHz, like the GS.) You can open the case by 
removing several screws from the bottom. Inside, you find that several 
square LSI IC's handle RAM/ROM memory, uP, KB, video, sound, etc. functions.

     At present, the only built-in and supported I/O to the 'outside world' 
is via the serial Com port. (A cable and software are supposed to be 
available as a separate package some time in the summer of 1997.)  Via Com, 
a user could send and receive files via modem to/from a BBS. With a NULL 
modem connector, a user could send/receive files to/from another Apple II. 
The manual mentions a browser, email, and "internet software"; so, some of 
the com applications wares may be fairly sophisticated. 

     Tiger's Instruction Manual lists 6 display modes: Low res, Hi res, 
Double Hi-res, 40-col TEXT, and 80-col TEXT _plus_ something called 
"Non-Apple Mode" which appears to be, basically, true 16-color Hi-res.

     The manual includes three pages on programming-- the user learns how to 
write a "Hello World"-style program and Save it. Beyond this, you a directed 
to a library to get books on Apple II BASIC.

     The manual does not list soft switches, hardware addresses, etc.. Since 
Tiger LC is, at least, as complex a machine as the IIe, quite a lot is being 
left "for the user to discover". Perhaps, an additional manual or two will 
be released.

     Tiger Electronics makes the computer. Retail price for the new Tiger LC 
is somewhere between $149.99 and $190.



Rubywand