Re: New Apple II Clone ?

["Charles T. 'Dr. Tom' Turley" <gbmaidsf@wco.com>]

Here's most of the information I can currently provide concerning 'The 
Tiger Learning Computer' (aka: 'The New Apple II Clone' or TTLC)

I'll add to the following with a bit of an update; per email reply from 
SQC research rep. "SQC is considering support of "TTLC...although a 
cart. with a WP, DB and SS program would make good marketing for such".

AV comments by email: 'a general none word-for-word comment...Our 
company is also envolved with TTLC and Tony Diaz has expressed an 
interest in designing a connection device for using a disk drive with it 
also'.

And the basic content of interest concerning TTLC - extracts of an html 
document from GS WorldView,

http://www.wco.com/~3d5d1wsw/gsezine/GS.WorldView/*ARTICLES/RFF.html

also from an article of mine - to be published in the 'Summer Issue' of 
II Alive - pertaining to information related to TTLC and used with 
premission from Steve Cavanaugh's TAB, also available from the Apple 
Blossom home page - in most of the contents that follows:

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The Tiger Learning Computer

Tiger Electronics, normally thought of as a toy company, has licensed 
the AppleIIe technology from Apple to produce a notebook-size version. 
The target retail price is under $200.00, with software cartridges 
costing from $10.00 to $15.00. The "catch" to the system cost is that 
there will not be a media drive on the system (neither floppy or hard 
disk). Tiger intends to use solid-state ROM cartridges (remember the old 
TRS-80 and Atari 400 computers?) and RAM cartridges for temporary 
storage of work-in-progress. Tiger already has agreements with
Optimum, MECC, and Scholastic to license programs for use with the new 
computer.

It is also looking into license agreements with Quality Computers and 
online services to provide Internet connections. The group at Apple is 
also excited about the potential of the product and will be selling the 
product in the school markets for Tiger.

The RAM cartridge available with the system will allow for approximately 
2 Megabytes of storage. Since the system has two cartridge ports, the 
user can have the RAM cartridge in one port and the application software 
in the other port.

The system will not contain a monitor/LCD but will hook up to the AV 
inputs on a TV. A PS/2 mouse, an AC adaptor, and some number of 
cartridges will be included with the system. There is no plan for an 
internal modem as this would drive up the system price, but the RS-232 
serial port will allow modem connection up to 9600 baud. The system will 
also have a parallel port for connecting parallel printers and a 
joystick port. Current plans are to ship to limited markets
(approximately 10) in the U.S. in November.

Tiger is interested in speaking with Apple II game developers so that 
they can also offer some cartridges purely for fun. Identifying these 
developers has not been as easy as finding the educational developers so 
if you know of any who have an interest in licensing their games please 
give them the e-mail address of Tiger (BJ_+a+TUS%Tiger_ 
Electronics+c_Inc+p@mcimail.com) (email address mail no longer be vaild) 
or write to:

Tiger at BJ West,
Tiger Electronics, Inc.
980 Woodlands Pkwy 
Vernon Hills, IL 60061

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This sounded a bit to good to be true to me. So, I contacted Tiger 
Electronics, Inc. by voice at: (847) 913-8100 and was advised that such 
a product is under development and confirmed for retail release as 
outlined in the above article from 'The Apple Blossom'. For more 
information on 'The Tiger Learning Computer' you can call the voice 
number noted above and ask for Mark Rosenberg or Ritz Zimmer.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I hope this information proves useful to your requested needs.

Cheers,
Tom